While the travel story of the summer may have been the ubiquitous, if somewhat-depressing, "stay-cation," we have another suggestion for would be holidaymakers on a budget.   Forget the stay-cation and try a real, old fashioned vacation -- in New York City, of all places!  Of course, to get your budget holiday right, you won't be checking in at the Plaza or the Waldorf Astoria.  Instead, you'll be bedding down in an entirely new and modern concept hotel that's making one of America's priciest towns affordable to "the stylish and spend thrifty traveler."  It's called the Pod Hotel, and it offers a real alternative to the Big Apple's legendarily big prices.

Formerly known as the Pickwick Arms, the Pod Hotel is located in the heart of New York City's Midtown East neighborhood.  The rooms, which start at $139, are definitely on the small side, but space is used creatively to maximize comfort.  There's a Pod with a queen bed, Pods featuring bunk beds and even family-sized Pods that manage to accommodate up to four guests.  What the rooms lack in space, they make up in creature comforts like iPod docking stations, dimmer control lighting systems, free WiFi access, LCD TVs, climate control and efficient, stylish furniture designed to squeeze the most function out of the smallest space.   While it may not be the Four Seasons, in this era of less-is-more, the Pod Hotel could be the answer to recession-era travel.