HotelChatter

Prices start at $60 for the first six miles and $6 for each mile thereafter, with part of the proceeds going to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, so your karma also gets a workout. The fee snags you a City Running Tours t-shirt, photo, running store discounts, and of course, a licensed guide, who will pick you up and drop you off at your hotel. You choose where to pound the pavement: over the Brooklyn and Williamsburg Bridges, through Harlem or along the Hudson River.

We chose a scaled-down version of the 7.2-mile Greenwich Village run and were lucky enough to have Michael himself as our guide. Not only did he slow his pace to our turtle-like speed, but he also was full of interesting area tidbits. We had no idea Washington Square Park used to be a cemetery or where the secret Barrow Street entrance to Chumley's was. Michael even kept us on track when we suggested going in for a beer, something we may have to chide him for now that the place has been closed for two years after a wall collapsed.

Of course, Westin itself is no coach potato. Available at most properties (including New York) are WestinWORKOUT rooms, which offer an in-room treadmill or stationary bike; plus, spa-inspired guestrooms with a yoga deck and Walk This Way, the hotel's walking program--another great way to get in some exercise while learning about the city you're visiting, all without the embarrassment of a double-decker bus.