Travel

Traverse City, Mich., developing a new reputation as foodie haven
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. - Attention, travelling foodies: Something yummy is happening in the Traverse City area, and it's even grabbed the attention of luminaries such as celebrity chef Mario Batali, who has a summer home on the scenic Leelanau Peninsula just northwest of town. Long a top Midwestern tourist draw for its lakes, rivers, forests, beaches - and the orchards that inspire the self-proclaimed moniker "cherry capital of the world" - the Traverse City area is now home to an increasingly varied and sophisticated culinary culture with a strong emphasis on local ingredients.
      

Sarasota's rich circus history always on display at Ringling museum
SARASOTA, Fla. - Sarasota and the circus became forever linked more than 70 years ago when John Ringling decided to move the headquarters of his "Greatest Show on Earth" to the lovely Gulf Coast city where he spent his winters. "No announcement ever made in Florida has meant more to the state as a whole," gushed the Sarasota Herald on March 23, 1927. News of Ringling's decision to transfer the show's winter quarters from Bridgeport, Conn., the newspaper said, created a "jubilant air" in town.
      

Fashionable bags: New materials taking the 'lug' out of luggage
NEW YORK - Travellers have no interest in lugging their luggage anymore. They don't have to, according to experts. A combination of consumer demand, design modifications and innovative materials has allowed manufacturers to switch gears to produce smaller, lighter and ergonomically friendly products, says Alan Krantzler, vice-president of Tumi luggage brand's product management.
      

Step away from the heavy shoes: Tips for packing light
NEW YORK - What's worse than lugging a heavy bag to your summer vacation spot, only to pop it open and find it filled with too many of all the wrong things? If you pack lightweight, versatile clothing instead, you can save money on luggage fees at the airport and even hoist your own bag into the overhead compartment. If you're driving, you'll find yourself with room in the trunk for souvenirs.
      

Florida offers mix of fun, oddities and pop culture among its thousands of bars
MIAMI - Where else but Florida could a place like Jimbo's exist? It's a Miami bait shack - emphasis on "shack" - a few kilometres from downtown but with an isolated island feel and a diverse mix of customers. Beer is self-serve and the 82-year-old owner watches over the activity in a rickety boat captain's chair. It's been a location in films like "Wild Things" and "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" and TV shows like "Flipper" and "Miami Vice," yet most folks don't know where it is.
      

Restoration of frescoes may have revealed Michelangelo self-portrait
VATICAN CITY - The restoration of Michelangelo's frescoes in the Vatican's Pauline Chapel may have produced a special prize - a previously unknown self-portrait of the artist. Chief Vatican restorer Maurizio De Luca said Thursday that the face of a man on horseback in the artist's "The Crucifixion of St. Peter" could well be the artist, though he told AP Television News that nobody will ever know "with absolute certainty that the face is Michelangelo's."
      

United Airlines computers back up at Chicago's O'Hare airport, easing long lines of passengers
CHICAGO - A computer problem has temporarily disrupted United Airlines flights at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago today. It has caused long delays and lines for travellers headed out for the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
      

Chinook salmon's best friend in Whitehorse marks 50th anniversary
WHITEHORSE - The Whitehorse Fishway has been helping chinook salmon get up the Yukon River for 50 years. Stretching 366 metres long and rising more than 15 metres, it's billed as the world's longest wooden fish ladder.
      

MGM Mirage, Egyptian partner to build Cairo resort
LAS VEGAS - Casino operator MGM Mirage said that it is teaming with an Egyptian developer to build a resort outside Cairo. The MGM Grand New Giza will house 550 rooms and an electric train will provide access to the Egyptian antiquities museum, which is under construction.
      

Midwest Living: Towns for antiquing
DES MOINES, Iowa - Turn a hunt for antiques into a getaway on the almost 100-kilometre stretch known as Indiana's Antique Alley. That's one of the recommendations from the editors of Midwest Living in the magazine's August issue. There are some 900 antiques dealers east of Indianapolis along old US-40, also known as the National Road. The highway was the nation's first interstate, accommodating wagons heading west in the early 1800s.
      

Greenbrier seeking that elusive 5th star
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - The new owner of The Greenbrier resort is going straight to the source to find ways to restore a coveted five-star rating from the Mobil Travel Guide. The southeastern West Virginia resort lost its fifth star in January 2000.
      

New programs at Plimoth Plantation in Mass.
PLYMOUTH, Mass. - Visitors to Plimoth Plantation will find two new programs: a weekly story hour for children and a re-enactment of what a religious service would have been like in the 17th-century colony. The story hour is held Fridays at 2 p.m. at the living history attraction's Family Discovery Station. Guests will hear entertaining children's tales from the colony, with art and play components.
      

NY audio tours feature celebs
NEW YORK - Comics Whoopi Goldberg and Jerry Seinfeld are among the celebrities featured in new free audio tours of Central Park. Signs posted throughout the park will provide a phone number and a code that visitors and locals can dial to hear the tours from the Central Park Conservancy.
      

Wet spring to boost wildflowers at Tahoe
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - An explosion of colour will soon burst onto the Lake Tahoe landscape. Botanists hope several weeks of unusually cool, wet spring weather will make for a banner wildflower season in the Sierra Nevada.
      

8 Wonders of Kansas Cuisine announced
INMAN, Kan. - Hamburgers, fried chicken and artisan breads are among the menu choices at eight restaurants determined to be the "most iconic" in Kansas. The Kansas Sampler Foundation announced the list as the "8 Wonders of Kansas Cuisine."
      

Woodstock anniversary exhibit at rock museum
NEW YORK - Peace and love will last a lot longer than three days at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, which is celebrating Woodstock's 40th anniversary with a new exhibit. From July 3 to November 29, the Cleveland-based centre will feature items from the legendary three-day weekend in upstate New York. The exhibit will also include the original written plan for the event from its producer, Michael Lang.
      

Museum to open display of 500 cowboy hats from closed store
WICHITA FALLS, Texas - The Cow Lot Western Wear store was a place you could hang your hat, literally. The store, which opened in 1953, sold boots and cowboy hats, but customers could leave their old hats to hang on the wall when they bought new ones.
      

Circus Parade returns to Milwaukee after six years
MILWAUKEE - The Great Circus Parade is returning to the streets of Milwaukee July 12 after a six-year hiatus. It was last held in Milwaukee in 2003 but organizers couldn't raise enough money for it to return until this year. In 2004 and 2005 it was staged in Baraboo, about 240 kilometres west of Milwaukee.
      

Discounts abound as tourism to Thailand drops
BANGKOK - Thai Airways is trying to lure passengers from outside Asia with free domestic flights. Hotels on the resort island of Phuket are offering a fourth night free. And mountain lodges up north are offering free golf and spa pampering. Facing its worst crisis in years, Thailand's tourism industry is going to great lengths to drum up business that has plunged thanks to political upheaval, the global recession - and now swine flu fears.
      

Art gallery launches outdoor exhibition space in downtown Vancouver
VANCOUVER, B.C. - The Vancouver Art Gallery is launching an outdoor exhibition space on downtown Georgia Street, with prominent Chinese photographer O Zhang as the first featured artist. Her installation "Horizon (Sky)" depicts young girls in a rural part of central China, posing in front of a camera for the first time. It will run from July 20 to Nov. 29.