Intelligent Travel

Hotel Confidential: Dislocated Hip

Travelers tracking the hot hostelry usually brace themselves for a haughty hotel staff who specialize in putting the "snoot" in snooty. From South Beach to downtown L.A., a chilly check-in can strangle delight no matter how many Aveda amenities appear by the sink. So it's a pleasure to come across a hotel that's both stylish and friendly. Downtown San Diego's 10-month-old Ivy (600 F Street; +1 619-814-1000) will make a guest feel both fussed over and cool at the same time.

As luck had it, I spent my two-night stay in a handicapped-accessible room. Usually a design afterthought, my room at the Ivy was certainly the coolest one I'd ever been in. (Though it lacked the funky design flair in the hotel's 6th-floor suites, with their see-through shower panels between bath and bedroom. Those frost up at the flick of a switch for the more shy among us). But my room more than sufficed, what with its fresh fruit, complimentary copies of Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone and the Keurig coffee machine, an idiot-friendly device that dispenses shots of Green Mountain dark roast with a flourish. So intent on playing barista, I almost didn't notice the wall-mounted HDTV.

Cinematic Road Trip: Idaho

John Ur is back this week with the next stop on the Cinematic Road Trip. This time it's Idaho. Sweet!

A confession must be made. The amount of time that I’ve spent within the borders of the state of Idaho between birth and the present day total approximately ninety minutes – eighty of which were spent in the car driving between Montana and British Columbia. But cry not, native Idahoans! For I am aware of the tragedy of my limited visitations to the Gem State.

Any avid reader of adventure and backpacking magazines could rattle off a number of great locations in Idaho that deserve your outdoor attention: Snake River, Hells Canyon (the deepest canyon in the U.S.), Shoshone Falls (higher than Niagara Falls), and Borah Peak (the highest in the state, and which has a number of peaks running through the Rocky Mountain Range), to name a few. You can check out some of the great, natural areas of Idaho here, in panoramic photos no less.

Idaho's 80 recognized mountain ranges stretch across much of the north and southeastern part of the state. The majority of the cities lay in the Columbia Plateau, a region that follows the Snake River through the center of the state. This region is also the home to the farms that make the state famous for its potatoes. And potatoes are the main ingredient of Tater-Tots, a small cylindrical side dish made from deep fried, grated potatoes.

Barcelona: Be Green, Be Cheap

Planning an España getaway this summer? If you're headed to Barcelona, be sure to check out the new Barcelona Urbany (opening June 1), which claims to be the country's first eco-friendly hostel.

What makes this hostel eco-savvy? It will recycle and reuse 50 percent of the water and use a rainwater harvesting system. It will also use low-consumption lamps and "more environmentally friendly and less aggressive materials." Sounds pretty good to us.

But just because Urbany is greening its quarters doesn't mean it is lacking in 21st-century amenities. Not only will the hostel have a swimming pool, BBQ area, free guest kitchen, and spa facilities, it will also offer breakfast and Wi-Fi free to guests.

The 13-story hostel will include about 400 beds in both mixed and female shared rooms, as well as individual and double rooms for those not wanting to put up with snoring strangers (you can check out some current construction photos here). And all rooms also have en suite bathrooms, which is the definition of hostel luxury.

Read more: IT got the goods on some U.K. hostels' efforts to go upscale, and on an eco-savvy hostel-on-wheels.

Photo: www.flickr.com/photos/bcnbits via Flickr

Twin Cities Bars Smoke the Smoking Ban

We knew Minnesota's Twin Cities were pretty serious about their theater (bragging more live theater per capita than anywhere outside New York). Even so, our eyebrows are sufficiently raised at hearing that bars across the metro area there were staging "theater nights" to bypass the statewide smoking ban.

The Star Tribune explains:

Dozens of bars are expected to stage "theater nights'' this weekend in which patrons are dubbed "actors". The law, which went into effect in October, permits performers to smoke during a theatrical production. "Two weeks ago, we had one bar doing this,'' said Mark Benjamin, a criminal defense attorney who launched the theater-night idea. He estimates 50 to 100 bars could be on tap for theater nights this weekend based on phone calls, e-mails and requests for the how-to-stage-a-theater-night packet that he's devised.

Lisa Anderson, owner of Mike's Uptown bar, told the Star that her "theater night" last Saturday drew four times the usual crowd. She plans to continue to host similar themed nights, at least until state health department officials pull the plug on the loophole.

Global Eye: Hapert, Netherlands

De Hapertse Molen, Hapert, Netherlands

Photographer: Arnoud Augustinus, Eersel, Netherlands

Details: One of my hobbies is Kite Areal Photography (KAP). The picture shows the corn mill ("de Hapertse Molen") in Hapert and is made with a camera lofted from a kite.

Getting the shot: At the end of this winter period, we had a couple of days almost wind free. Only this weekend in February, the wind was just enough to lift my camera about 100 meters (328 feet) above the mill.  In these conditions I used an eight-foot Rokkaku kite, a reliable lifter for low winds. The camera is mounted in a construction giving it the ability to shoot images in different angles, controlled from the ground.

We like the unusual view of the Netherlands' landscape. Have your own bird's-eye, Global Eye view of the world? Share your photos in our Flickr group.

Photo: Arnoud Augustinus

Strange Planet: Running of the Reindeer

We were asked to update readers on last weekend's Running of the Reindeer in Anchorage, Alaska. During the annual Fur Rondy festival, 1,000 men and women ran down Anchorage's Fourth Avenue with 12 reindeer in the inaugural Running of the Reindeer. Before the race, handlers and participants were afraid that the normally docile animals wouldn't be up for the sprint, but fortunately for spectators, the reindeer ran with the best of them. Many runners dressed in costume (as a bull's-eye, or as carrots and lichen — a reindeer's favorite foods).

Afterwards, participants and spectators lined up at local eateries to get a taste (literally) of the reindeer. As USA Today reports:

"Normally we just eat them," said Mark Berg, a spectator who has lived in Alaska since 1967. "I just made some jambalaya the other day out of reindeer sausage. I've eaten more of their cousins than they want to know."

Less fortunate reindeer are participating in the Reindeer Sausage Eating Contest at Humpy's, held today.

Check out the Anchorage Daily News for some great videos of the event. The Fur Rondezvous festivities end Sunday, March 2.

Photo: Thomas Leach via Flickr

Marilyn's Miscellany: World Beach

Get Stoned: Artist Sue Lawty at the Victoria & Albert Museum has started the World Beach Project, which invites people around the world to create patterns with beach stones, then take a photo and upload it to their site. Each photo has a little description of the place where it was taken, and they will post it on their interactive map for others to enjoy. The design above was created recently at Seapoint, Monkstown, County Dublin by Derek, Patricia and Olivia Masetti-Nolan, who said, "We started with one single orange stone and thought it would look great on a black background! It was freezing cold but we had a lot of fun."

No Photos, Please:  It turns out those rules about no photographing in public places in NYC are a lot of hooey, according to NewYorkology, a great travel blog about New York. So if you're trying to take a photo on public property and someone wants to see your I.D., with few exceptions, you're under no obligation to hand it over.

KitKats of the World:  IZReloaded, my favorite blogger from Singapore, discovered this Flickr photoset of KitKat bars from Japan and around the world. Did you know there's a Brandy-and-Orange variety of KitKat, and a striped Choco-Banana, and Fruit Parfait?  Now you do!

Pattern and photo: Derek, Patricia and Olivia Masetti-Nolan, 2008, World Beach Project

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Neighborhood Watch: A Sign of Change in Hollywood?

One of Hollywood’s most photographed stars could be on its way to becoming just another real estate selling point if a Chicago-based investment firm has its way.

Cahuenga Peak’s 138 acres of unspoiled mountains, which stretch behind the postcard-ready Hollywood sign, hit the real estate market earlier this month for a cool $22 million—much to the chagrin of Los Angeles city officials, who reportedly have been trying to raise funds over the past several years to purchase the property. The city hoped to preserve the mountaintop and join it with Griffith Park, where the sign sits.

According to the L.A. Times, city leaders have so far accumulated about $5 million and had intended to ask the nonprofit Trust for Public Land to help negotiate a selling price with Fox River Financial Resources. A recent appraisal estimated the ridge was worth about $6 million, resulting in all-out sticker shock from Fox River’s lofty asking price.

Ironically, the glitzy relic-turned-Kodak-moment dates back to 1923, when the Hollywoodland Real Estate Group spent $21,000 on the sign as an advertisement to promote a new residential subdivision. The sign’s 13 letters (it read “Hollywoodland” until 1949) each measured 30 feet wide by 50 feet tall and were only intended to be a temporary addition to the landscape. Four thousand 20-watt bulbs glittered through the Hollywood night, visible from 25 miles away, and soon the sign became a symbol of the city's glamour. But after several years the icon fell into disrepair and was replaced with the debut of a new 45-foot-tall sign in 1978.

Words of Parisian Wisdom from Taras Grescoe

In Traveler’s March issue, renowned travel writer and former Paris resident Taras Grescoe takes readers through the streets of authentic Paris, a city through the eyes of Parisians themselves. IT had the chance to grill Grescoe on his first Parisian encounter, his favorite little rue, and how those Frenchies are holding up under the new smoking ban.

Describe your first meeting with Paris. What stuck with you? What remains the same?

I was bumming around Europe with a rapidly diminishing stock of travelers checks; Paris is where the last of them ran out. I ended up staying for four years, teaching English, living in four different arrondissements, and doing a great deal of walking.

Paris in the 1990s was a somewhat grittier place. Cigarettes cost ten francs a pack, less than two bucks at the time (now they’re five-plus euros), and people smoked everywhere—metro platforms, elevators, toilet stalls (they had convenient ashtrays set above the toilet paper rolls). There were still first-class cars on the metro (identical to second, but less crowded), and cell phones had not become the chief means of flirting and conducting a love affair.

In many ways, Paris has become greener since I lived there. Bicycles are everywhere, as are bike paths. There are far more pedestrian-only sectors, and vast new parks (like the one at Bercy). But Paris is still Paris, and there are still passages, museums, and café-tabacs I’d like to discover. I wouldn’t mind running out of money and getting stranded there all over again.

In Authentic Paris, your friend Hélène Lurçat says that, “Parisians still shop in it [Paris] like it’s a village.” What is your personal favorite petite slice of Parisian “village” life?

I always make a beeline for the Rue Montorgueil in the second arrondissement. It’s a pedestrian street near the former site of Les Halles food market, and it’s full of fishmongers, cheese shops, bakeries, pastry shops. I grab a seat at a café terrace some time before noon (if I can find one—competition can be fierce) and watch the parade: check out which pattern of scarf everybody seems to be wearing this year, which breed of dog is fashionable.

Eat and Shop Better

For eager wanderers like us, browsing a bookstore’s travel guidebook section tends to stir raw and conflicting emotions: lust, for the thrill of a new adventure; ennui, for the too-often trite content; and angst, for the endless options from which to choose.

After all, no matter how off-the-beaten-track you consider your destination, chances are likely the bookshelf holds at least a handful of guidebooks promising to be your travel bible. And while we strongly believe that the best way to experience travel is by immersing yourself in a place full-throttle—not with your nose in a book—there’s no denying the added confidence a guidebook provides in unfamiliar territory.

So when we heard about Portland-based eat.shop guides, we were eager to learn more. The guidebook series only features local shops and restaurants—such as Manhattan's Saxelby Cheesemongers (pictured) in Essex Street Market—so you can support establishments with local color instead of generic big-box stores and chain restaurants and hotels.

“We believe that for travelers, patronizing locally owned businesses is so integral to the real experience of any city,” eat.shop’s Emily Mattson explained to us. “Especially in the U.S., it's too easy to stay within your comfort zone while traveling: drinking Starbucks, for example, because you recognize the logo on the street. Why not go to Ristretto Roasters here in Portland, for example, where the owner, roaster, and barista are passionate about what they're serving you?”

Tour Guide: Busabout Europe

We all know that the Eurail is one of the most convenient ways to travel around Europe, but it can also cost a pretty penny (er, euro). But for the young and adventurous (or even young at heart) there's another option: Busabout, or more specifically, Busabout Explorer, which expanded on the "hop-on, hop-off" city tour bus model to create network covering 30 cities in ten European countries.

The cool part: Busabout has its own tour guides that travel with passengers on every bus. So before arriving at each city, they can tell you everything you need to know about that destination, as well as answer questions and give recommendations on where to stay, eat, etc. Once you arrive at your city, the exploration part is up to you, so you're never being dragged on any boring, stereotypical tours. The guides also have an extensive selection of the best accommodations in every city of hostels, budget hotels, and camping villages, all based on Busabout passenger recommendations, so it takes the guesswork out of finding a decent (and affordable) place to stay.

Neat technology: Every Busabout guide carries a handheld computer that has a seat- and bed-booking system. This means that travelers never need to search a city for a cheap Internet café to book the next part of their trip. Every passenger also gets a Busabout Travel Pass, a card which holds your personal details, a full itinerary and other useful information, and is swiped through the handheld computer so that someone in the world knows where you are (worrisome parents, perhaps?).

The best part: Trip options are split into loops, the Northern Loop (like Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, and Munich), Southern Loop (think Venice, Rome, Florence, and Nice), and Western Loop (to Paris, Nice, Avignon, Barcelona, Madrid, Bordeaux, and beyond). Travelers can stay for as many days as they like in each city, and the Busabout buses stop in every city once every two days, making travel easy. Busabout also encourages sustainable tourism, and is part of The Leading Travel Companies of the World Conservation Foundation (which is always a plus in our books).

The pretty penny: Loop passes start at $639 for one loop. The Flexitrip pass costs $549 for six stops along any of the three loops, plus $59 for each additional "hop."

Photo: Busabout

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Global Eye: Moyka River, St. Petersburg

Moyka River, St. Petersburg, Russia

Photographer: L. Toshio Kishiyama, Maryland, USA

Getting the Shot: I used a Canon EOS 30D digital camera for this high dynamic range (HDR) image.

Details: I was in St. Petersburg, Russia, for work when I walked over to this bridge, not far from my hotel room, on a foggy morning. The river was so peaceful and the colors of the amazingly beautiful buildings seemed to really stand out in the fog. St. Petersburg is a fascinating city with so much to see and do.

We like the way the bright colors bounce off the gray water. Think you've got a picture with a story to tell? Submit your best photos to our Flickr pool.

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U.S. World Heritage Sites Nominated for Nomination

Virginia State Capitol, Richmond, Virginia

The Department of the Interior recently released the Tentative List of 14 U.S. sites that are "eligible to be considered for nomination" for a UNESCO World Heritage title (so they are nominees for being nominated, so to speak). It's about time: It's been a quarter of a century since the U.S. updated their Tentative List.

And, drumroll please... the eligible nominees are:

1. Civil Rights Movement Sites (Birmingham and Montgomery, Alabama)
2. Dayton Aviation Sites (Ohio)
3. Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks (Ohio)
4. Thomas Jefferson Buildings (Poplar Forest and Virginia State Capitol, Virginia)
5. Mount Vernon (Virginia)
6. Poverty Point National Monument and State Historic Site (Louisiana)
7. San Antonio Franciscan Missions (Texas)
8. Serpent Mound (Ohio)
9. Frank Lloyd Wright Buildings (in multiple states)
10. Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument (Hawaii)
11. Fagetele Bay National Marine Sanctuary (American Samoa)
12. Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge (Georgia)
13. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
14. White Sands National Monument (New Mexico)

These sites are eligible to join the existing list of eight cultural (like the Statue of Liberty) and 12 natural (Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Everglades National Park) U.S. sites (for a list of other tentative sites around the world, click here). Unfortunately, we might not know exactly which of these will become World Heritage sites for another 10 years — that's how long it can take to be considered and approved as a World Heritage nominee.

Which sites do you think are worthy of nomination?

Photo: Karl E. Steinbrenner Photography via Virginia General Assembly

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Have Oyster, Will Travel

Living here in Washington, D.C., where transportation officials just upped the subway fares, it's nice to know at least one (more expensive) city across the pond has a cheap underground alternative.

London's infamous Tube, which has origins as far back as 1843 (when city solicitor Charles Pearson first proposed the subway system), is a bit expensive, with single fares starting at £4 (about $8). But the city's Oyster card provides discounts to passengers that shouldn't be missed. (Unlike D.C.'s similar SmarTrip card, which simply serves as an easy way to store Metro money.)

For example, a trip from Kew Gardens to Oxford Circus normally costs £4 when paying with cash, but for Oyster card holders, the trip only costs £2 (£2.50 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Friday). Kids under 16 would only have to pay £.50 (£2 without Oyster)!

Oyster cards can store up to £90 and can be used to access the Tube, buses, trams, the new Overground, DLR, and even some of London's National Rail services.

There is an initial fee for an Oyster card (£3 for residents, £2 for visitors), but it's definitely worth it for visitors and residents alike, especially given the weak U.S. dollar that's worth only about £.50.

Thanks to EuroCheapo for the tip!

Photo: zTransmissions via Flickr

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Introducing: City Surfing

Traveler's Associate Editor Amy Alipio offers up some city-licious links and other news from the City Life team.

Get Some Dim Sum: At least, while you still can. Check out Andrew Evans' interesting post on Gridskipper.com about the gentrification of Chinatowns, Washington’s in particular.

Map it Out: We like superfuture’s cool maps for cities around the world, with shops and eateries pinpointed in colorful, easy-to-read fashion, like this map of London’s Soho.

Cupcake Love: We don’t know about other city lovers, but we at City Life are out of our minds for cupcakes. Which is why we stepped up our workout program when we read that Beverly Hills-based Sprinkles is looking to open an outpost in D.C., one of 16 cities soon to be graced with the confectioner's cakes. For City Lifers in Phoenix, Sprinkles is set to open at 4501 North Scottsdale Road this month.

Extreme Makeover City Edition: Maverick urban planner and three-time mayor of Curitiba, Brazil, Jaime Lerner gave this entertaining talk at the March 2007 TED Conference, but it’s just been posted online now. “Every city in the world can be improved in less than three years,” Lerner says. He ought to know: His TED biography says that he “transformed a gridlocked commercial artery into a spacious pedestrian mall over a long weekend, before skeptical merchants had time to finish reading their Monday papers.”

Photo: Chinatown in LA, by Adamina, via the Intelligent Travel Flickr pool

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Global Eye: Jerusalem

Photographer: Sonya Brewer of Peoria, Arizona (grew up mostly in California and has lived in Canada as well as Japan for four years).

Getting the Shot: In November 2006, I traveled to Israel with my church. At the time I only had a point and shoot Kodak DX4330.

The Details: We had just gone to the Mount of Olives that morning and were walking down the roads of Jerusalem. As we started down the narrow road of the Via Dolorosa, to my delight was a street vendor selling olives. The colors caught my eye, as freshly picked olives filled the bright white bags.

IT likes the way the olive bags billow larger than life in this shot. Want your own photos featured on IT? Add them to our Flickr pool.

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Vienna (Opera) Waits For You

Travel to Vienna wouldn't be complete without seeing an opera. But how to see one on a tight budget? I just learned how to get tickets to a world-class show, without giving up my right arm. The Vienna State Opera (pictured, above), the oldest German-speaking theatrical venue in Europe, has a variety of options to please the budget traveler.

• Between 25 and 100 tickets are reserved for every show for children under 14. Children's tickets sell for €15 (about $22) for a seat anywhere in the house. Not bad for a parent who doesn't want to pay full price to watch their restless kid squirm during a three-hour opera!

• The State Opera's box office opens 80 minutes prior to each show. If you've got willing legs, get in line early to score standing room-only ("Stehplätze" on the seating chart) tickets for a mere €2-3.50 (about $2.90-5.00).

• Or bring binoculars and plenty of tissues and grab a seat in the nosebleed section. Balcony and gallery (balkon and galerie) tickets sell for only €7-18 (about $10-26). This is quite a steal, in my opinion. My legs would definitely appreciate the extra €3.50 spent on a seat!

Thanks for the tips, EuroCheapo!

Photo: Liam Delahunty via Flickr

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The Not So Lazy Environmentalist

A self-described "passionate yet lazy environmentalist" Josh Dorfman, radio host, environmental entrepreneur, author, and speaker, is anything but lazy. Since starting his satellite radio show, The Lazy Environmentalist, Josh has interviewed people ranging from celebrities to magazine editors highlighting green living, sustainable travel, and more.

What inspired you to start the Lazy Environmentalist?

I felt that a voice was missing from the environmental movement that embraced the realities of our consumption society and instead of guilt-tripping and preaching, strived to make green living fun, attractive, and super convenient. As much as so many of us care about the planet, leading environmentally responsible lives is not always top priority. There’s our careers to attend to, our kids’ soccer practice, and millions of other aspects to our frenetic lives that make going green challenging. My aim is to constantly inform about green choices that actually make our lives better, so that going green becomes something we want to do instead of something we feel compelled to do.

In what ways have your own habits changed since starting your radio show? Are you still lazy?

I’m definitely still lazy, which is why I want green solutions that don’t require me to change my habits. But if changing my habits is required, then I want green options that are cool or save me money or make me healthier. I’m more apt to go green if it’s in my enlightened self-interest – that is, it’s better for the planet and it’s also better for me. “Sacrifice Environmentalism” is a really lousy brand marketing concept. We need smarter thinking, more innovation.

Do you have any examples of innovative ideas that seem to work for you?

I’ve been sampling reusable bags from Envirosax and Flip and Tumble and Angry Little Girls (I love this one). I’m more apt to change my behavior and bring a reusable shopping bag with me to the store if the bag is stylish, convenient, and/or funny. Think about the Toyota Prius. People buy it partly because it saves them money at the pump and it’s better for the environment. But people mostly buy it because they know that when they’re driving it, everyone else on the road sees what a wonderful, enlightened, hero of the planet they are. We need more solutions like that. Relying upon people to “do the right thing” is a losing proposition. Engage people and let them feel really conspicuously good about going green and we’ll get some results. I know a lot of people take issue with me on this, but the question we have to ask ourselves is: Do we want to feel righteous or do we want to be effective? I prefer trying to be effective. 

Paris Outtake: View from Promenade Plantée

View from Promenade Plantée, by Catherine Karnow

In the March issue of Traveler, writer Taras Grescoe reveals how to enjoy Paris's tradition-steeped pleasures like a local in the cover story, "Authentic Paris." David Downie, an expat based in Paris since 1986 and author of Paris, Paris: Journey into the City of Light, suggests elevating your stroll. Extending east from the Bastille 4.5 km to the Bois de Vincennes, the Promenade Plantée is a defunct railway viaduct turned linear park that guides walkers above the traffic. Framed with a pleasant landscape of cherry trees, maples, roses, and more, the path offers a quiet respite and unique vantage perfect for ogling pretty architectural details and the busy cityscape below. Stone stairways lead down to small parks and arcades filled with craft stalls.

The Promenade Plantée is said to be the only park of its kind in the world, though a similar project is currently in the works on Manhattan's West Side.

Check out more photographs by Catherine Karnow here and in the March issue of Traveler, now on newsstands.

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Paris A*List Deal

Sacre-Coeur, with Jeanne d'Arc in distance

Continuing our Paris theme this week, Traveler's A*List newsletter has uncovered a five-day, four-night Paris package from Tourcrafters with round-trip airfare from JFK or Boston starting at $545, including daily breakfast. This is a February deal, and the price will increase to $620 per person on March 1, which will be good until March 13. Sign up for our A*List e-mail newsletter here.

The A*List also offers this teaser from an essay about Paris by Pulitzer-winner David Halberstam:

In America new was always better than old; in Paris old was always better than new. In the New World big was always better than small; in Paris there was a quiet celebration of all things small. In the New World time was of the essence; but in Paris life was of the essence—one should rush through absolutely nothing, most particularly lunch.

—from David Halberstam's "My Paris" essay, Traveler's Places of a Lifetime series

Places of a Lifetime: Paris gives you Traveler's experts' picks for the best places to see, stay, dine, shop, and find entertainment, as well as books, music, and films to put you in the mood before you go.

A*List extra: a downloadable map and walking tour of the Parisian islands in the Seine, the elegant Île St.-Louis and the more bustling Île de la Cité (Notre-Dame and more).

Photo: Rita Crane at www.ritacranestudio.com via Flickr.

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Nose to Bottlenose

Senior Editor Norie Quintos likes going nose to bottlenose with dolphins...

The Baltimore aquarium's new Dolphin Encounter program, which takes you backstage with the trainer and the marine mammals, is a close encounter of the interspecies kind. The 2 1/2 hour program includes reserved seating at the dolphin show and a short educational seminar. But the highlight is a play session at the edge of the pool with the high-diving creatures. It's hard not to anthropomorphize these clearly intelligent beings (They like playing catch! They're so happy!). I grew up watching Flipper reruns, see, and entertained dreams about become a marine biologist. But fulfilling one's fantasy doesn't come cheap. The program costs $195 and reservations are required. I'm not going to enter into a debate on the ethics surrounding the use of captive animals; suffice it to say that the aquarium follows best practices in the care and keeping of its charges, and focuses on education.

Read More: Learn about what's happening in dolphin's brains (and other animals as well), in the cover feature of National Geographic Magazine, "Animal Minds," in this month's issue.

Photo: Courtesy National Aquarium in Baltimore

An Opera in Paris

The 16th-century Eglise St-Merri (pictured, above) offers free classical concerts on weekends.

Curious about how to see an opera in Paris (while still having money left over for fine French food)? Well, so are we. So we checked out EuroCheapo and voila! Here's what they advise when trying to see all types of shows in the City of Lights:

L'Opéra

"The Opera National de Paris operates both the Opera Bastille and the Opera Garnier. The Opera Bastille, a controversial building when it opened in 1989, presents operas throughout the year, and boasts that each of its seats provides an unobstructed view of the stage. Although ticket prices go as high as €150, seats for the same performance go as low as €5."

La Danse

"Théâtre de la Ville, located across from Theater du Chatelet, provides modern dance performances. Tickets are quite reasonable" (around €12-30).

The celebrated 19th-century Opera Garnier presents mostly ballet and modern dance pieces. Even if you’re not a dance enthusiast, you can’t help but be impressed by the building’s neo-baroque architecture, sweeping staircase, [1,900-seat] grand salle, and ceiling by Marc Chagall."

Le Concert

"The Salle Pleyel is a brand new performance hall, offering performances by classical stars and touring orchestras. Tickets can be found for major concerts from €10."

"Theatre du Chatelet located at Place du Chatelet in the 1st arrondissement, offers modern and classical concerts, from recitals to full orchestras. Again, ticket rates are surprising reasonable, starting at €20 [or less] for most concerts. The theater has a Sunday morning concert series with all seats going for €23 (€12 under 26 years old, children free) and no tickets are sold in advance."

But before buying tickets for anything, be sure to grab a copy of Pariscope, a weekly magazine with heaps of free concerts listings in the city, and check out Traveler's rundown of free things to do in Paris.

Photo: Alison Kerr via Flickr

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Dominica Changes Course

We were glad to hear the news that Dominica's government has decided to put a temporary halt to their plans to construct an oil refinery on the island. The slated $80-million development, funded by Venezuela, had been met with opposition from the Dominica Hotel and Tourism Association, who argued that the refinery would dissuade visitors and hurt the reputation of Dominica as the "Nature Isle" of the Caribbean.  Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit deferred to the DHTA, saying on a local radio station that he believed "fundamentally that the concerns raised by the DHTA cannot be overlooked" and that an environmental assessment would follow.

Dominica's score of 77 placed it among the "Best Rated" destinations on our Destinations Rated: Islands survey (Nov/Dec 2007). One of our expert panelists said at the time:

The Nature Isle is aptly named—awesome power and incredible beauty of nature unspoiled. Its lush mountains, indigenous population, art, craft, agro-based products, and small-scale accommodation facilities all add to the opportunity for sustainable tourism development.

But another noted that the state of projects, like the oil refinery, keep the fate of the island hanging in the balance:

A serious dichotomy [exists] between lip service to preserving and protecting its wilderness, which is the major product, and the soliciting of more cruise ships, the proposed oil refinery, and support for Japan on the whaling issue.

"If this decision sticks, it will help Dominica retain its excellent but insecure score on the Destination Stewardship Index," says Jonathan Tourtellot, director of National Geographic's Center for Sustainable Destinations, which conducts the survey for Traveler. Dominica tied with the Grenadines as the two most unspoiled places in the Caribbean. "Given the island's eco-oriented visitors and active geology," Tourtellot speculates, "a geothermal-energy plant might suit the 'Nature Isle' image a lot better than oil."

Here's hoping that this helps tip the scales toward more sustainable practices in the future from Dominica.

Photo: Jeff Clow via Flickr

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Stefan's Paris Picks

Our Danish-Brazilian assistant art director, Stefan Caiafa, spent a blissful year as a student in Paris at the satellite campus of New York's Parsons School of Art & Design (now Parsons The New School for Design), and I persuaded him to share a few of his favorite Paris tips:

Musée Gustave-Moreau: One of the many delightful small museums in Paris, this one is dedicated to the life and work of French Symbolist painter Gustave Moreau, located in his former home. His studio is intact at the top of the house, and you can browse through his framed sketches. Stefan especially admires "the iron construction of the spiral staircase linking the studios—made to Moreau's specification—which contrasts beautifully with the floor-to-ceiling paintings arranged around it."

Musée de la Musique: This museum tells the history of Western music through its collection of musical instruments. You put on a pair of infrared headphones at the entrance, and as you approach each instrument on display, you can hear it play music. You can listen to recorded excerpts from famous compositions, from harpsichords to vintage guitars, or attend a live concert in their top-notch concert hall. The museum has been undergoing an extensive renovation which will be unveiled on March 8.  "One of the best museum experiences I've ever had," says Stefan.  "It's in the La Villette neighborhood, an experience in itself."

Musée National du Moyen Age: The National Museum of the Middle Ages is noted for its ancient textiles, especially medieval tapestries.  Their collection is huge, so only a portion of it is on display at one time.  The colors of some of these tapestries are amazing; for example, the sublime 15th-century "Lady and the Unicorn."  Stefan adds: "Also of note are the Gallo-Roman baths (Thermes de Cluny) whose ruins the museum was built on."

Parsons Paris School of Art & Design: Naturally, Stefan suggests that you stop by "during spring to see featured work from different departments (Photography, Fashion Design, etc). The off-site End of Year show allows one to view all projects in one go—contact the school for details on location."

Our web-exclusive feature, Free Paris!, written by Traveler researcher and frequent IT blogger Katie Knorovsky, reveals when the Musée National du Moyen Âge and other Paris museums open their doors without charge, as well as lots of other free attractions in Paris.

Photo: Jean-Alain Le Borgne, taken at Musée de la Musique during L'Expo John Lennon, via Flickr.

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Global Eye: Bandiagara, Mali

Bandiagara, Mali

Photographer: Romel Jacinto, San Francisco, California

Getting the Shot: I used a basic, but very capable point-and-shoot camera, the Canon PowerShot A460. Although I had another SLR-like camera on this trip, the smaller point-and-shot camera was far less intimidating to people and was easier to use to capture candid shots.

The Details: I was in Bandiagara on a bicycle tour with a small group. Bandiagara is a sleepy town and most travelers only stay in briefly to arrange trekking into Dogon country, but our small group stayed an extra day since someone got sick. That extra day gave a chance to meander and soak up the rhythm of local life. I walked around town slowly, just observing and taking photos when I could.

Most people did not want to be photographed. The others cherished it, particularly young children, and they hammed it up for the camera. This girl fell into neither of those categories and seemed completely at ease with the camera. She just seemed so content, strong and serene all at once, so I took the shot quickly and continued my slow stroll through town.

We love the vibrant colors and the way Romel captured the girl's expression. Think you've got a photo that is worthy of Global Eye? Add them to our Flickr pool.

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Driving on Air

We've been so busy focusing on electric cars, biofuels, and other ways to cut carbon emissions from our autos that we might have overlooked one seemingly endless resource to run our vehicles: air.

The BBC reports that a French engineer has promised that his design for an air-powered car will be ready for the roads in a year's time. Guy Negre has been tinkering with his OneCAT air-mobile for a decade, and plans to partner with the Indian car company Tata (which has been in the news lately due to their efforts to roll out a $2,500 car) to produce it, and says he will work to persuade hundreds of other car manufacturers around the globe to build his cars with locally sourced materials. In addition, his team is also looking to distribute electric mopeds to offset the CO2 output from motorbikes and scooters in urban areas.  All of which sounds promising, but how exactly do the darn things work? The BBC has the details:

The OneCAT will be a five-seater with a glass fibre body, weighing just 772 pounds and could cost just over US$4,900. It will be driven by compressed air stored in carbon-fibre tanks built into the chassis. The tanks can be filled with air from a compressor in just three minutes—much quicker than a battery car. Alternatively, it can be plugged into the mains for four hours and an on-board compressor will do the job.

While some industry officials counter that the car would need to meet safety standards, Negre points out that without a gas tank, only the air compressors would explode during impact, causing a very loud bang. "The biggest risk is to the ears," he says. All of which sounds promising to us.

Photo: Image via AutoBlogGreen and BusinessWeek

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Paintings Below Zero

Any talk of visiting Chicago in February may seem like a cruel joke to travelers, but the Windy City's taking advantage of its chilly weather to present a public art project that wouldn't be possible in, say, the Grenadines.

Canadian artist Gordon Halloran's "Paintings Below Zero" is the centerpiece of the Museum of Modern Ice in downtown's Millenium Park through February 29.

The work is an impressive, 95-foot long, 12-foot-high sheet of ice that constantly changes shape and texture as it melts and refreezes. Known locally as "The Popsicle," Paintings Below Zero was quite a feat to create. The Chicago Tribune reports:

His slabs of ice, which he and his crew created over a month at a Fulton Market cold-storage warehouse, where temperatures hovered around 4 degrees Fahrenheit, carry patterns created by experiments with pigments, crystal structure and embedded shards of different colors.

Halloran envisions the wall as a receding glacier, cracking into shards and melting into the ocean.

In addition to the Tribune' s extensive photo and video coverage, the Museum of Modern Ice has a lot of resources for learning about the art from photo galleries and a schedule of events. Also, check out their blog for inside information from the production crew about how they maintain the sculpture.

The project is based on a similar work originally commissioned for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy.

And if you're there to see the art but need to keep moving to stay warm, rent a pair of skates and do a triple axel over Halloran's painting, embedded underneath the McCormick Tribune Ice Rink.

Thanks for the tip, AreWeThereYet?!

Photos: Jennifer Wilkinson

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Behind the Lens: Paris' Deyrolle Taxidermy Shop

We were saddened when we heard that the beloved Paris taxidermy shop Deyrolle caught fire earlier this month. The ground floor garden shop has reopened, but the taxidermy gallery upstairs was badly damaged and hopes to reopen later this year. Photographer Catherine Karnow shot the shop for the "Authentic Paris" cover story and was shocked to hear the tragic news. "It's not like it was some fusty-musty old place," Karnow told us. "This is a main, prominently standing building in the middle of a thriving, well-heeled neighborhood, and it seemed to be professionally run and smartly handled. The last time I saw it, the place was bubbling with life and vigor."

Just for IT readers, she recounts the unexpected experience she had while on the assignment there this past fall. Check out her photographs here and in the March issue of Traveler, now on newsstands.

Prince Louis-Albert de Broglie in the Deyrolle Taxidermy Shop in Paris, by Catherine Karnow

On the way to the Pont Neuf to shoot dusk, I walked past a store whose window display I had shot a few days earlier. (I had photographed some stuffed deer "wearing" red aprons). Oddly, the shop was open, though it was after six p.m., and they were having an art opening. The store turned out to be one of the oddest places in all of Paris.

The taxidermy shop, Deyrolle, is on the second floor and owned by the Prince Louis-Albert de Broglie. But I did not yet know this when I asked if I could shoot the art opening; as it alone seemed like a lively event to cover. I asked for permission to photograph and the director was called down. He politely informed me that they never, ever allow a single photograph to be taken in their store. I said thank you very much anyway, and turned to leave. “But,” he said, “let me show you the upstairs; I think you will enjoy seeing it.” No, no, I said, I have a feeling it will be too tempting to shoot, so I think I had better just go right now. I added that I had an important photograph to take nearby. “Not yet,” he said, “I have an idea. Please follow me.”

As I came up the stairs, my jaw dropped. I came into the first of a series of high ceiling rooms with chandeliers and stately windows, walls painted a matte green. Everywhere I looked there were animals: huge stuffed lions and leopards; a full-size zebra standing awkwardly next to the door; plump geese, miniature donkeys, a gigantic water buffalo; eagles and hawks swooping down from the ceiling; glass cases of songbirds perched on branches and trays of moths, butterflies and shiny scarabs, fossils and rocks, and so on.