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I was in Central Park the other week and realized that even locals need survival guides. So I asked a few of my friends who visit the park more than I do, and I noted placed I stumbled upon by accident and came up with this list. Have any others? Have a favorite place where you can walk for a few feet without running in sunbathers or dog poop? Feel free to leave them in the comments.
The original "Public Enemy Number One," mob kingpin Al Capone, may be the most famous criminal of all time. Capone is best known as a Chicago crime boss, but he spent his formative years in Brooklyn before moving on to terrorize the midwest. This map includes all of the most important locations from Capone's childhood and early years as a small time New York gangster. It's a great guide for anyone whose idea of a fun sightseeing trip involves remembering the days when the Brooklyn waterfront was filled with brothels, and complimenting the wrong woman's physical assets in Coney Island could get you slashed. (photo)
Babylon on the Spree has been all atwitter this past week with the news that Pope Benedict XVI is planning to visit Berlin sometime next year. Big Bennie's visit, ostensibly to help celebrate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, will mark the third time he has returned to Germany since becoming Pope, but it would be his first time in Berlin. Born in Bavaria in southern Germany in 1927, Bennie visited his childhood home two years ago and even made it to Cologne back in 2005 to hang with the homeboys as part of World Youth Day. Since then, eighty-year old Pope hasn't been traveling much, spending most of his time dictating his memoirs to a cat named Chico. But just like the rest of us sinners, he has difficulty passing up an all-expenses paid junket in Berlin. Like every other newbie in the city, Bennie is sure to hit Berlin's notorious hot spots — the after hours parties, fetish clubs, and dimly lit backroom bars which keep Berlin humming all night long — while the daylight hours will be filled banging out emails and sipping milchkaffee or shopping for fabulous new Pope-wear in Mitte's fashion-shocked frock shops. God knows he's got the budget! But there is just so much to see and do in the city, and tourists (even those with a direct line to Mr. Big) are always running short on time, so we thought we'd help His Holiness by pointing out the places that are definite must-sees for every new Pope in town.
Visitors come from far and near to experience the magic of New York City. The last thing they want is for their starry-eyed vision to be extinguished in a fiery supernova, which is almost exactly what happens when a trip is interrupted by unplanned vomiting. We want you to enjoy the city without restraint, but hope that our efforts to keep dry cleaning bills down, ambient air (more) breathable, and puking in its proper place (model-frequented restaurant bathrooms) will prevent unnecessary burst-outs. So, to save your vacation we have compiled a list of tourist destinations that warrant a warning. Leave us a comment if you have "Ralphed", or even just thrown up in your mouth and swallowed it, at a tourist destination not on the list. (photo)
Washington has long served as the backdrop for Hollywood blockbusters — at least 200, according to a tour company website. So, I had a lot of choices while making this list, which was largely inspired by our recent look at "State of Play". My instinct was to put "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" at the top of the list, but here's the rub: it wasn't filmed in DC. Background shots were taken in the city and projected onto a screen in Hollywood. Learn something new everyday, no? Here's a guide to sites used in a few of my favorite Washington-centric films, but please send more via the tipline.
Having survived the twin terrors of twentieth-century Budapest, the Nazi occupation and then forty years of communism, the antique buildings and narrow streets of District VII's historic Jewish Quarter are now facing a more modern, but no less destructive, force — real estate development. Built up in the 19th and 20th centuries as Budapest's Jewish community shared in the economic expansion of the Austro-Hungarian empire, the area contains dozens of beautiful art nouveau structures, many still impressive despite often crumbling facades. 
If you are American, calling London cheap is a major stretch. But the truth is that a city this large and lively has plenty of relative bargains and free bonuses if you know where to look. Here's a roundup of where to eat, sleep, shop, and entertain yourself and stay chic on the cheap in one of the most expensive cities in Europe.
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DC celebrity sightings usually involve James Carville, Mary Matalin, and a plate of pasta at Café Milano. But this month, Washingtonians are getting a treat straight from Hollywood: some misguided director has decided to use our fair city to film State of Play, originally a BBC series. Now everyone has their "I saw Ben Affleck drinking coffee! I drink coffee, too!" story. The movie features the archetypal cast of Washington creatures: the aforementioned Affleck plays a philandering Congressman whose mistress is found dead, Rachel McAdams is the intrepid reporter who writes about the murder, and — as far as I can tell — Russell Crowe is a homeless-looking dude who skulks around U Street and Mount Pleasant. Jason Bateman, Robin Wright and Helen Mirren also have roles. Here's your own Hollywood map to the Washington stars.
Recently I praised Philadelphia for being America's new brewing capital. And despite flack from a few Portlanders, I stand by my claim. Portland's got more breweries, but at least in my experience, which I admit is probably limited, Philly's tend to be better. I really want to like Rogue for helping push American craft brewing forward and all that, and for naming a beer "Dead Guy", but that stuff's like carbonated sugar water compared to Weyerbacher, Stoudt's and Sly Fox. So while we sit back and watch the Democratic party eat itself alive campaigning for Pennsylvania, the only way to make it through this grueling nomination process is by drinking. Hence the following guide to craft breweries in and around Philly offering tours and/or pub service. And I know there's more out there, so let us know in the comments or via the tipline.
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One of the most recognizable landmarks in Paris, the Arc de Triomphe is often considered a must-see, and many visitors make a special trip to the western end of the Champs-Elysées to examine it up close. But some people don't realize it's possible to go up inside the arch and admire the view from above. Since mid-February, the French government has made the trek more enticing by inaugurating a new permanent multimedia exhibit meant to educate visitors about the history of this famous monument. The exhibit includes a special telescope that provides information about surrounding city sights. While the Arc de Triomphe is the best known of the city's arches, it's just one of several arches — triumphal and otherwise — scattered throughout the city. Here's a guide.
Perhaps your only idea of Paris is that it's nice in the springtime and that "in the rain the pavement shines like silver." Or perhaps you've already hung out "here in the slums of St Michel" and "on an island in the river." Whether you're a Paris newbie or an old hand, just for you, O Musical Theater Maven, we've mapped the most musically memorable spots in the city. The only rule is that the source musical has to have played on Broadway (thus the distinction between Musical Theater and Musical Comedy, which is an important one). If we've missed any, let us know, and we'll do a follow-up. (If you're looking for An American in Paris on the list, we already covered it here.)
The subway isn't just a part of New York's public transit system, the subway is New York itself. And while it has its problems, the 700-mile network of underground trains works remarkably well, making it both a great way to get around the city on the cheap and an attraction in its own right (though nowhere you'd want to linger longer than necessary). I've ridden the subway pretty much every day for as long as I've lived in the city, at all hours and in varying states of alertness, and only rarely encountered problems or major delays. In that time, I've learned a few things about how to make the ride as smooth as possible. I'm sure you've got the basics down, so here are seventeen graduate-level tips on how to make the subway work for you. Add your own in the comments.
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Everyone wants to get "off the beaten path" when they come to Paris, or indeed to any city, but "off the beaten path," as a concept, is awfully vague. If the Parisian beaten path leads to the Eiffel Tower and the Mona Lisa, that leaves many, many other paths unbeaten. Short of wandering haphazardly around the city— which is a great approach for a day or so— what's the newcomer to Paris to do?
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What's widely known as the Flower Market in downtown LA is actually two huge warehouses full of blooms from around the world. The Southern California Flower Market and the Los Angeles Flower Market are rivals, and they're about to get even more competition with the opening of a third market this month, which makes LA one of the biggest flower centers in the world. And best of all, retail customers are more than welcome. Just pay your $2 to get in: the wholesale rates for bouquets makes up for the entry fee many times over. [LA Times]
Beijing officials have been talking a big game lately about cleaning up their not-so-fair city in preparation for the Olympics. But as any recent visitor can tell you, the air quality there isn't going to improve based on six months of recycling education alone. Still, there are certain measures the city can take to spruce up the place a little; make it more welcoming to visitors. And grading the janitorial efforts of city employees with a hotel-like star system is sort of an easy way of communicating said efforts to visitors. Below, discover the glorious results of Beijing's most dedicated efforts.
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In January, my wife came home with Brady Bunch-like news: She was going to Hawaii for work and, while her employer wasn't as generous as Mike Brady's boss Mr. Phillips, who paid for the whole clan and Alice to go to Honolulu to watch Mike's building be constructed, I'd at least have free accommodations. I figured the 45 days we'd be there would give me ample time to relive the Brady Bunch's 1972 groundbreaking trip. But Don Ho and Vincent Price are dead, the Hawaii episodes still give me night terrors, and no one on Oahu cares that it was the setting for television's most important three-part episode (narrowly besting the Welcome Back, Kotter where Julie delivers twins). But after a few mai tais to quell my terrors, I set to work researching this guide to the Hawaiian Brady Bunch experience.
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