Despite the 300 reservations that constitute a "mellow night," dinner is the smoothest service at Balthazar.
Expedia, Travelocity and Orbitz typically charge $5 a reservation booked online and $10 to $20 for reservations that require help from an agent on the phone.
Father Powers calls Bishop Egan "an impressive man, the kind of guy you want to follow," and he does so with an absence of reservations that can be striking in an age of skepticism.
Zipcar's Web site also displays a timeline that shows any other reservations that have been made for a particular car.
Those under 30 can cover up to $500 in cost -- a nonrefundable ticket and a hotel reservation that has a cancellation penalty, for example -- for $20 and get a refund if they cancel for a covered reason.
"Rocco, you have a thousand reservations that week," Mr. Chodorow says.
Similarly, some hotels and airlines issue reservations that are "non-transferable", which means you can't change the name on the reservation after purchase – a restriction that, in turn, limits the unused trips that can be put up for sale.
According to Ms. Papa, Salamanca High School is the only school in the reservation that has a cultural teacher.
But speaking as an occasional host myself, each reservation that goes without a hitch restores a bit of my faith in humanity.
