Everyone is looking forward to the Olympics. It is expected that well over half-a-million visitors will descend on Beijing during the Games. While all those people will probably contribute to the excitement and energy of the event, it going to be crowded. Imagine trying to visit The Great Wall of China or the Forbidden City in mid-August. The crowds will make a packed weekend at Disney World look like a trip to one of the monasteries where the monks aren't allowed to speak.

True, many touristy sites will be engorged with sightseers, but Beijing is a huge and wide-ranging city with plenty of corners that will go unnoticed by the visiting masses.

Here are a few places that are well worth visiting but will most likely end up under the radar of the average Olympic tourist.

After you return home from your trip to New York City, what are people going to ask you? Did you see the Statue of Liberty? Did you ride the subway? Did you eat at one of those restaurants?

Your answers in order might be: Yes, yes, and it was just too damn expensive.

Eating in New York is pricey, especially if you want to go for the complete experience at the high end. For the remainder of July, though, more than 200 of the city's restaurateurs will celebrate NYC Summer Restaurant Week by making their product more accessible to the hot-dog-cart-frequenting, subway-riding masses.

Meal prices are set at $24.07 for lunch and $35.00 for dinner. Sadly, that does not include beverages, tax, or tip.

The best aspect of Restaurant Week is that it is not confined to one neighborhood of the city or one type of cuisine. Diners can try funky fusion dishes at Vong's in Midtown, rub shoulders with New York tend-setters at the TriBeCa Grill, or swirl pasta on their forks at Centovini in SoHo.

It's probably best to get reservations at one of the many participating restaurants. That is unless you are prepared to pay a hefty bribe to the maitre d'.

Those who don't care for the heat of New York in summertime can wait for NYC Winter Restaurant Week, which is normally held in late January.

Photo via Flickr user Plate of the Day

Here's an excerpt of an employee handbook found at a small Mexican restaurant located in Huntington Beach, CA that I saw on Gridskipper. And thank goodness I did because I really had no idea that all Mexican people like booths and hate waiting to be seated. Wait, does that mean that us whities don't mind sitting around and are okay with uncomfortable hard-backed seats? Really, the logic here is beyond me.

That's not all--women waitressing at this gem of an establishment must wear make-up and cannot wear a skirt that goes below the knees. Kind of reminds me of the dress code rules at my high school--except completely opposite.

How many times have you randomly chosen a place to eat and it's turned out to be a waste of time, taste-buds and money -- when you just wished you had read a review or two before walking in? This happens to me ALL the time.

A quick skim through Urban Spoon before you choose where to eat and you might just save yourself from the agony of eating bad food or paying a ridiculous bill. Not only will you be able to find a plethora of options, but all of them have time-critical reviews and ratings pulled from various local news sources like Time Out, New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, The Washington Post -- depending on the city you choose. Alongside media reviews, you can also see reviews and votes from bloggers and friends. And, of course, they have your standard top 10 / top 100 lists.

The search for restaurants is pretty advanced: other than being able to find a place basis price, neighborhood and type of food, you can also pick a place basis whether it's romantic, open late night, kid-friendly, vegan friendly, has home delivery, if the food is gluten-free, and even if the place has happy hour! Is that cool or is that cool!?

The site reminded me of MetaCritic, but for restaurants. However, unfortunately the site is restricted to cities in the US and Canada, but nevertheless it looks like a useful resource.

Last year, weary from hostels and trains, I met my mother in Paris. Though we're not ideal travel partners, she was footing the bill so I couldn't refuse a stay aboard a houseboat on the Seine River that she had rented. It was impeccable--the summer home of a wealthy businessman and his gorgeous girlfriend--and though boats can be cramped and uncomfortable, this one was amazingly luxurious.

Here's what's great about staying on the Seine: Though the boat was permanently moored, the location couldn't have been better -- we were right across from the Tuillerie Gardens. The boat itself was amazing. And we didn't have to spend too much money on restaurants, since we had our own kitchen. Plus? The look on peoples faces on the tour boats as they motored by us--enjoying wine and good food on the top deck--was pretty priceless.

One might imagine that food and its preparation between each Caribbean island couldn't possibly vary drastically in taste, but then one would be wrong. I've learned now through an odd handful of islands visited; St. Lucia, Bahamas, Trinidad & Tobago and now Haiti, that the art and science of cooking and eating a good meal on each is an experience of its own. No where else have I been able to feast upon conch salad the way I had in the Bahamas or the doubles and roti found in T&T and in Haiti, Creole cabrit, picklise, and lambi. The islands are without a doubt full of flavors. I'm sure I did not come close to taste-testing every Haitian delight on the menu or even the grilled corn on the cob which I longed for from one of the street vendors, but what I have here is only a glance of what savory, mouth-watering dishes await the visitor hoping to dig into Kreyól Cuisine during a weekend, week or months stay in the country.

Pasta Nostra was not the first sit down restaurant I dined at, but it easily became my favorite. It possibly was the story behind the place alone that won my affection. As the story goes the breath-taking, beautiful mademoiselle pictured above had once been involved with an Italian man who taught her the art of cooking pasta and other Italian dishes. While the man in the story is somewhat of a ghost now, the beautiful chef can still be found preparing fresh seafood and pasta dishes across from the quiet beach of Ti Mouillage.

If you're planning on staying out late in an unfamiliar city, you might want to check out Lunarama before you go.

Organized by city -- almost all of which are in the US -- the site feature tons of user-submitted suggestions for all-restaurants and joints. To see how complete the site is, I searched for some of my own favorite places:

• In downtown Atlanta? Try The Majestic, a diner I used to frequent that hasn't closed its doors once since 1929. Perfect for calming down after boogeying at Blind Willie's.
• Bloomington, Indiana's Falafels serves some of the tastiest gyros I've ever had. Perfect for after a day hiking in the area's nearby parks.
• Indy's Red Eye Cafe'll make ya squint, but the food is great. Head there after you drink steins at the Rathskeller.
• The Big Pink is a great place to go in Miami, post-clubbing or after a long day at the beach.

Before I dive into this one or give the impression that I am this hardcore food critic let me just state that I am not. Someone once claimed that I happiest while I'm eating which I'm not certain is entirely true, but I do love a flavorful fulfilling meal when it's time to chow. That being said, I'm not a picky eater. There are only a few things I won't eat like lobster, crab, and liver and that is only by personal choice. Now, I don't go parading the town thinking I'm some kind of 'foodie' either, but I do like discovering new things on my trips and travels. In St. Lucia I asked several times if there was something that could only be feasted upon here or what the island was known for in the culinary department like the Bahamas for its conch salad and Trinidad for its roti, but my questions were received with blank stares.

Without any strong restaurant recommendations I either used the local St. Lucia magazines or turned to the closest place at first hint of a stomach growl. Lets go to the kitchen. I mean follow me into my Looshan dining experience.

Around this time last month I found myself in Charleston, South Carolina. It was my very first time in the city and in the state on a short visit to my father's new place a little ways outside of the area. While my dad was packed with recommendations of places to go and things to do in the city, I - still on my mission to strike out as many places as possible in the 1,000 Places to See Before You Die guide book written by Patricia Shultz requested that we take a trip over to Magnolias.

From my understanding Magnolia's is supposed to be one of the best restaurants in all the Low Country offering eclectic Southern comfort cuisine. I'll give them the eclectic part, but with a little extra time I'm sure I could discover much more mouthwatering dishes in the area. Reservations are strongly recommended and we made ours a day in advance for lunch since we didn't get the memo for dinner the night before. I'm not sure if everyone is reading Ms. Schultz book along with me or if this is a real fine and great meeting and greeting place for the folks in the East Bay area, but it gets PACKED. When we walked in we were welcomed with an extra large smile from the hostess who seated us at a cozy table in the center. The interior is down home elegant, which basically means being a tad dressy and wearing your big Sunday hat if you're a lady is absolutely okay or a pair of jeans and a nice shirt can impress just as well. (Note: Nice jeans)

If I'm not mistaken I've posted some of Moody75's delicious dining pictures in the past. Perhaps we share a common interest in photographing our plates and maybe I am just a little bit hungry when selecting them, but they really do give you a sense of place. Something like this could surely be found in a French restaurant in NY someone, but Moody75 was lucky enough to nosh and photograph the brunch while in Nice, France. All I can say is yum and I think I'll be heading to my kitchen now.