What this is, is a listing of the best fast food joints - burgers, hot dogs, pizzas - in New York City. So basically you need to have some wheels to go around sampling the fares at all the below listed restaurants which serve up food the way you like it, and then allow you to eat it the way you want. These are places for people who live to eat, and where you can focus on the eating, and where the focus is on eating.

I'm not calling this a culinary tour, since its highly unlikely you'll learn anything - Other than just how fast you can blow money in New York, and how to move around the City. Let's just say its an NYC greasy fast food tour.

Photo by Eric I.E. via flickr (creative commons). Bear in mind that we're not just talking about any old fast joints on the roadside, or even chains. We're talking history here. FYI, New York has a lot of historical firsts. And a lot of them happen to be food related.

Exhibit A would Be Lombardi's - opened as a grocery store in Little Italy in 1897. Licensed by the City of New York in 1905 as Amercia's first Pizzeria. Offered, and still does, smoky-crusted pizza with fresh tomatoes and mozzarella. Try their pepperoni pizza, along with a slice of clam pie. Located on 32 Spring St, at the corner of Spring and Mott Streets. Tel: (212) 941-7994; www.firstpizza.com/

Other NYC Pizzeria's worth mention include Patsy's, Spumoni Gardens, the New Park Pizzeria at 15671 Crossbay Blvd Howard Beach; Tel: (718) 641-3082, Totonno's Pizza at 1524 Neptune Avenue Coney Island; (718) 372-8606, Louie And Ernie's Pizza at 1300 Crosby Ave Bronx; (718) 829-6230, and Fratelli's Pizza Café at 404 Hunts Point Ave. Bronx; (718) 542-7340.

On a side note, if you're a tourist in NYC, then two things you might want to know - First, that in addition to the beach, there's a lot more things to do on vacation in Coney Island, including a visit to Astroland and Nathan's Famous (see below). Second, if you're gonna be at Fratelli's, you might want to take note of the Hunts Point Triangle strip club next door.

With hot dogs, again, NYC has history on its side. Nathan's Famous began as a small hot dog stand in Coney Island in 1916. Today, its a global brand which peddles products by the dozen. But the hot dogs are still hot, or as former NYC mayor and in-your-face guy Rudy Guiliani recently said, they're the "world's best hot dogs." And if you're in the City on the 4th of July, Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest (see video above) is one of the must-see things to do in New York. For the record, July is also National hot dog month, so...

Other hot dog joints worth a look-see include Crif Dog at 113 St. Mark's Place in the East Village, and the hot dogs at the famed Katz's Deli.

As far as burgers are concerned, the best burger in New York City, unquestionably, can be found at Corner Bistro in the West Village at 331 W 4th St; (212) 242-9502. Considering the increasing popularity and media attention that the Bistro Burger is getting, you can expect some changes (the line's long enough as it as), but hopefully, tastewise, it'll remain the same.

Second choice would be Shake Shack at Madison Square Park near 23rd St & Madison Ave; (212) 889-6600. Another name worth mentioning for burgers is Ruby's Café & Bar at 219 Mulberry St in Little Italy; (212) 925-5755.

Right. So there's a lot more to say, but let's reserve that for until after you make the rounds of these joints. New York vacations are plenty fun as it is, and you can spice things up a lot with these foodie watering holes. After all, traveling is not just about museums and tourist attractions. Its also about getting to know the City the way the residents know it. Visit all the places listed above, and I assure you you'll end up knowing New York like a New Yorker.