Budapest is a wonderful place and I thoroughly enjoyed my week+ there back in October. Thanks to each of you who offered suggestions, corrections, and ideas to help me plan this adventure. This Forum and my RS Guides were essential!
I spilt my time by staying in two hotels, which allowed me to fully enjoy two areas of this big city.
My first was close to the river at the Aura Ana Palace for a couple of nights. It was wonderful! It was a pleasant stroll to the Parlament, St.Stephen's, the Chain Bridge, Andrassy ut, and various side streets with cafes and restaurants, especially near St Stephen's. A delightful gourmet food market was held in front of the church for a few nights. I had the best funnel cake there! One night I walked down to a wonderful craft market with live music and demonstrations near the Marriott Hotel. This area was close to the Buda, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The church, art museum, views, little shops, and cafes were so nice I could have spent two full days there. I can enthusiastically recommend this (pricy) hotel for its location, lovely breakfast buffet, and rooms.
My second home base was on Andrassy ut, not far from the Opera House. I stayed at the Eurostart Ambassador. This brought me closer to the big City Park with all its attractions. Though convenient, I did find myself spending less time in this area than others. It felt less convenient to my must-sees.
I took a recommended-here boat tour by Legenda and completely enjoyed it. Overall, the city is easy to walk, has more to offer than a lifetime could manage, and was filled with sweet, kind residents. This trip paired perfectly with Vienna - I'm glad I combined them.
Note: one day I saw a tall gentleman wearing a cowboy hat and thought of Mr. E.
Anyway, happy travels and thanks again for all your helpful replies to my trip-planning posts.
Lee