-- Jade

New York City has its share of smallish, cheap -- which in New York translates to anything under $100 per night -- hotels. The trick is to find those that are clean and whose beds don't sag badly. They do exist, but they tend to be fully booked weeks in advance, especially on weekends.

In recent years a number of European-style "boutique" hotels have opened. Several of them are moderately priced, but with the city's room tax of 13.25 percent plus a city occupancy tax of $2, the nightly tab usually creeps above $100.

For openers, visit the Web site of the city's Convention & Visitors Bureau. Also, knock on the door of the hotel page at CitySearch and you'll find a search engine that will quickly show you a couple of dozen places for under $125.

Among them:

Herald Square Hotel, 19 W. 31st St., phone (212) 279-4017 or (800) 727-1888; fax (212) 643-9208.

Hotel Wolcott, 4 W. 31st St., phone (212) 268-2900, fax (212) 563-0096.

Portland Square Hotel, 132 W. 47th St., phone (212) 382-0600 or (800) 398-8988; fax (212) 382-0684.

Washington Square Hotel, 103 Waverly Place, phone (212) 777-9515, fax (212) 979-8373.

Cosmopolitan Hotel, 95 W. Broadway at Chambers Street, phone (888) 895-9400, fax (212) 566-6909.

The Mayfair New York, 242 W. 49th St., phone (800) 556-2932, fax (212) 307-5226.

Even less expensive are the several YMCA branches, and hostels operated by AYH-Hostelling International.

I will be going to Chengdu in China's Sichuan Province and also to Wolong outside of Chengdu this summer. I'm wondering if you have any information about the area. I'll be checking out the giant panda research site, the Chengdu Zoo and the panda reserves.

-- M.C.

There's no better place to watch pandas, of course. Researchers estimate only about 1,000 giant pandas are alive, and 80 percent of them are said to reside in the western mountains of Sichuan Province, of which Chengdu is the capital.

A good primer to the pandas' region can be found through the Sichuan Public Information Service site, where there are links to other informational resources about Chengdu and environs.

There is also useful sightseeing information at the Rough Guide site, although it offers a dismal view of the zoo: "The animals sit lethargic and flea-bitten behind bars while the public throw ice-cream sticks and rubbish at them to try and get a reaction."

If you plan to be around in late June, don't miss one of the western area's highlights, the Torch Festival, during which lines of natives bearing torches spread through the hills at night, presenting a dramatic image. The festival also includes wrestling, horse racing, bullfighting, goat-fighting and cockfighting.

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