If you have a DX format Nikon DSLR, it's hard to beat the Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II as a general-purpose walking around lens for those situations where you might need more reach.
I've long been a proponent of the Nikkor 16-80mm f/2.8-4E VR as the single best zoom lens for the crop sensor Nikon bodies, but it has two caveats: The first is that the maximum focal length is only a 120mm equivalent, which is a little short for situations like going to the zoo or trying to get pictures of squirrels up in a tree. The second is that it has an electronically-controlled diaphragm that the Nikon D2X is too old to operate.
The 18-200mm VR II fixes both these problems, since it uses a standard F-mount mechanically-coupled diaphragm, and on the long end it has an equivalent focal length of 300mm, which was more than enough to get me all up in this squirrel's grille, even though he was a good five or six feet over my head in the tree.
The only real functional difference between the original 18-200mm VR and the VR II version is that the latter has a latch to keep it locked in the 18mm position, but I haven't had much problem with not using it. Unlike my Canon zooms... especially the EF-S 17-55/2.8 ...the Nikon glass doesn't seem as prone to extending itself under gravity's pull.
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