Las Vegas: 100 years in the making

Puerto Rico is going links loco. Eighteen golf courses are sprinkled on the map and another nine are about to leap off the drawing board, making this lush island the premier golf destination in the Caribbean. The invasion of designer-label architects-the Tom Fazios and Jack Nicklauses-has triggered the golf boom, not to mention soaring greens fees. At the Greg Norman-fashioned River Course at Westin Rio Mar Beach Resort, for example, 18 holes in high season cost a wallet-crunching $185. It's such a yawn. These burgeoning high-end courses-all part of extravagant resorts-offer not a clue as to the real Puerto Rico. So insular and flawless and homogenized are they that you might as well tee it up at a Florida golf community. Mercifully, there are alternatives to the posh-links trend. A number of layouts, three of which I recently played, were built years ago and have retained the charm, unspoiled beauty, and simplicity of early island golf. These are courses where the scenery, if not the amenities and turf management, rivals that of some of the game's most celebrated oceanside venues. Their architects are unknown, the grass is a bit patchy, and the clubhouses are virtual shacks. But their drop-dead views, vibrant local color, warm hospitality, and best of all, nominal greens fees, make them far more desirable than their glossy, overpriced counterparts. I also discovered a marvelous new course that is not part of a dinero-draining resort. Three of the four layouts I am about to introduce to you are clustered on Puerto Rico's northeastern coast, within 45 minutes' drive of San Juan, which offers much in the way of aprSs-golf diversions. So pack your clubs-and some evening wear too-and join me on a tour that proves that Puerto Rico is a treasure island for savings-savvy golfers. Bahia Beach Plantation The birdies and bargains begin at Bahia Beach Plantation (787/256-5600, www.golfbahia.com), the most classically tropical golf course in Puerto Rico. From San Juan, go east on Ruta 3, exit at 187 and follow for three miles. The club's entrance is on the right. Carved from a former coconut grove, this enormously popular par-72 public layout, which opened in 1991, is located in the countryside just north of the town of R­o Grande. Bahia's modest greens fees belie the course's majestic scenery. A morning tee time costs $85, but that's a splurge compared to the afternoon rate of $60. Better yet, why not launch that first drive after 2 p.m., when a mere $45 gets you on course? Greens fees include an electric cart, and a free bucket of range balls sweetens the deal. The homey, friendly atmosphere at Bahia more than compensates for the no-frills amenities. The small, well-stocked golf shop is staffed with smiling faces. And the laid-back 19th hole, next to the tenth tee, features a particularly hearty and savory hamburger with chips and all the trimmings for about $6. The numerous scenic highlights at Bahia include El Yunque, Puerto Rico's stupendous rain forest-especially riveting from the fifth tee. But the ultimate visual treat comes at the end of your round. Holes 16, 17, and 18 skirt an empty, halcyon, crescent-shaped beach straight out of South Pacific. Berwind Country Club One mile up the road from Bahia is the utterly bucolic Berwind Country Club (787/876-5380), where the membership is composed of Puerto Rican gentry. But never mind. The public is welcome on Tuesdays, Wednesdays (before 11 a.m.), Thursdays, and Fridays. A mere $65 (cart included) paves the way to memorable golf on a course that has more flamboyant trees than any other links on the island. In summer, the whole layout virtually turns orange. Opened in its present location in 1967 (the original club was in R­o Piedras and opened in 1930), this par-72 track is typical of the tame era before land sculpting and target golf. Flat and long (7,011 yards), it has two menacing traits: stiff winds that wreak havoc on straight drives, and minuscule tightly guarded greens. Following your game, you can kick back in the screened-in 19th hole, order from a menu that features everything from rice and beans ($2) to sirloin steak ($11), and observe the travails of other golfers as they complete their rounds. Dorado del Mar Golf Club To sample one of the island's newer links, visit the four-year-old, Chi Chi Rodriguez-designed Dorado del Mar Golf Club (787/796-3070), where reasonable greens fees are par for the course. From San Juan, take Ruta 22, exit at 693, turn left onto 6693, follow to the end, and turn left on Dorado del Mar. The club's entrance is on the left. While the morning fee is $90, there are several enticing options. After noon on weekdays, $75 will put you on the first tee. The same rate applies after 1 p.m. on weekends. But the real steal is the after-4 p.m. special: Play all the holes you desire for a scant $40. On Tuesdays and Thursdays women can tee off whenever they please for $40. This long (6,940 yards) par-72 layout, near the town of Dorado, is a quarrelsome test. You'll grapple with erratic wind shifts, four-inch-high rough, countless bunkers scattered across tight, rolling fairways, and tricky greens as slick as greased linoleum. But the tenth green offers a beauty bonanza that makes the trek worthwhile. From there you can gaze out over the entire sun-drenched golf course, and immediately behind the putting surface is a jagged plummet into the roiling Atlantic, which in this particular spot changes colors with kaleidoscopic intensity-from aqua to green to navy. Cool down afterward with a cerveza and sandwich (it will set you back about $8) in the new restaurant, which serves up basic, tasty fare and a jovial ambience. Come evening, you can indulge in San Juan's dazzling nightlife, just steps from your spotless, comfortable room at Casa Caribe (57 Calle Caribe, Condado; 787/722-7139). A delightful little inn with garden setting and proximity to the beach, it has exceptional rates: $55 and up for a double during the low season (June 1 to December 14) and $75 and up the rest of the year, continental breakfast included. Punta Borinquen Golf Club For the final leg of your island golf adventure, head for Punta Borinquen Golf Club (787/890-2987), located on the relatively arid west coast, two hours from San Juan. Take the new expressway (autopista) and connect with Ruta 2, which leads to the town of Aguadilla, then take Ruta 110, which ends at the links. Golf doesn't get any more cheapo in Puerto Rico. At Punta Borinquen, the weekday greens fee is a to-sneeze-at $18, and walking is an option, which saves you the cost of a cart ($26). On weekends, the fee inches up to $20, and a cart is mandatory. After 4 p.m. daily, the rate plunges to a staggeringly frugal $9; carts are half-price as well. But Punta Borinquen isn't only about thrift. This par-72, 6,869-yard layout is arguably the most breathtakingly scenic and historically significant golf course in Puerto Rico. Built in the late 1940s as an adjunct to the erstwhile Ramey Air Force Base, Punta Borinquen provided frequent respite for then-General Eisenhower, who always managed to get in at least 18 holes when he flew down to review the troops. The Air Force base has since been supplanted by a Coast Guard station; planes routinely swoop in over the second hole, causing many a missed three-footer. Punta Borinquen's turf is barely kept green by an outmoded irrigation system, but the golf course's format is as sassy as when Ike teed it up, and the vistas are unequaled in Puerto Rico. Roosting atop a massive plateau, this sleepy links has a string of eight holes that virtually teeter over the ocean. In the breezy, strictly utilitarian clubhouse, you can tally your score while munching a media noche ($3.75), a delectable sandwich that combines pork, ham, and turkey in a sweet roll. The club's longtime cook assembles a variety of native dishes at mouthwateringly low prices. If it's late afternoon, you'll see laborers stream in from the nearby sugarcane fields for their daily round. Their ratty bags and ancient clubs notwithstanding, these hombres know how to play. At the end of the day, hang your visor at El Faro, a handsome, oceanside parador (Road 107; 787/882-8000) three minutes from the course (rates start at $75). From your spacious room you can gaze out over glistening waters and reflect on your golf journey in the real Puerto Rico.

To most Americans, glamorous Aspen, Colorado, is known for prices higher than the 14,000-foot peaks that surround it. But in fact, some of Aspen's very best attractions are free of charge: hiking and live music in summer, cross-country skiing in winter. Furthermore, quiet arrangements and discreet discounts are mumbled under the breath of just about everyone you meet. Here are a few ways you can enjoy the nation's priciest mountains for a sensible sum. Key budget decision As with most things, timing is everything. You can cut your lodging costs 20 to 60 percent or more by avoiding both the holiday season (mid-December to early January) and winter in general (Thanksgiving through the end of March). Summer (June, July, and August) sees 25 to 40 percent off holiday rates; autumn (September through November) finds prices less than half the high-season tag and the mountains at their prettiest. The least expensive visits are from tour operators that combine airfare, hotel, and activities. "You'll always do better with a five-night, midweek package," says Dana Flach, vice president of operations at Daman-Nelson Travel (800/321-2754, skirun.com), a big California wholesaler. For January stays, she offers "Affordable Aspen," consisting of round-trip airfare to Aspen, hotel with breakfast for five nights, four days' lift tickets, and an apres-ski party each night for $789 per person from Los Angeles, $810 from Chicago, $879 from Atlanta, and $890 from New York. For the autumn months, her best-selling "Aspen Gold" includes airfare and five nights' lodging for $530 from Los Angeles, $550 from Chicago, $620 from Atlanta, and $630 from New York. Unless you buy a package, flying directly into Aspen can be costly. But you may be able to get to nearby Denver cheaply (using one of the big airfare search engines) and then rent a car in Denver from a variety of rental firms for a four- or five-hour drive through glorious countryside to Aspen. Thrifty (800/847-4389, thrifty.com), for example, charges about $160 for the week. If you drive, get a parking permit from your hotel and leave the auto in its lot-street parking is pricey in Aspen. Once in Aspen, you can walk just about anywhere in town. For speedier locomotion, bring a bike or rent one from Ajax Bike and Sports (635 E. Hyman Ave., 970/925-7662) for $25 per 24-hour period, including helmet and lock. The town is very bicycle friendly. Buses in Aspen are free. But it costs $2 to use the bike rack on the front of the bus and $1 if you want Dial-a-Ride front-door pickup service in the Mountain Valley neighborhood. Otherwise, the Roaring Fork Transit Authority (RFTA) boasts you can reach all points in Aspen using the bus system-for nothing. RFTA's Rubey Park Transportation Center (Durant Ave., between Galena and Mill Sts., 970/925-8484, rfta.com) is right downtown, just one block from the Silver Queen Gondola. Most routes leave from there, and schedules are posted. In winter, they have racks mounted on vehicles to carry skis. Before you leave home, be sure to print coupons good for 10 to 20 percent off on activities, lodging, and more from conciergeguide.com. Also, Aspen merchants hate to admit it, but they're willing to "deal" to fill up a snowmobile tour or rent those last spaces on a white-water rafting trip. Lodging Aspen's Central Reservations (888/649-5982, stayaspensnowmass.com) has a "virtual hostel" Web page showing last-minute specials on hotels and condos for two weeks from the date you log on. For example, the Prospector Luxury Condominiums (301 E. Hyman Ave., 800/522-4525) recently advertised units for $75 per night on the virtual hostel page. The normal published rates for the same units are $150 in the autumn and as high as $375 during the holiday season. If you're willing to share a dorm room with strangers and use a bathroom down the hall, you can sleep within walking distance of the Aspen Mountain chair lifts during peak holiday season for as little as $44 per night. The St. Moritz Lodge Hostel (334 W. Hyman Ave., 800/817-2069, stmoritzlodge.com) isn't fancy, but it is clean and well appointed, and rates are even lower in spring, summer, and fall. During the warmer months, your least expensive option is camping just outside of Aspen in one of four Forest Service campgrounds that charge $15 per site per night, plus a reservation fee of $9 (there is a five-day-stay limit). All are within six miles of Aspen, and three can be reached by riding the free bus system. Each site has a picnic table, fire grate, and nearby drinking water and pit toilets. Most supply a spectacular view of the high peaks. Reserve at least four days in advance online at reserveusa.com or by calling 877/444-6777. The campgrounds are closed in the winter. Eats Aspen's fresh air and dazzling views make it hard to go inside to eat. So why do it? Grab all you need for a picnic from the City Market (711 E. Cooper Ave., 970/925-2590). Then save a bundle by enjoying your bagels and yogurt or turkey on rye four blocks away at the marble-slab picnic tables near the Roaring Fork River in Herron Park. In the evening, pick up steaks and charcoal at a grocery store and head to any White River National Forest picnic site for your own sunset dinner at a fraction of the cost in town. Equally pretty-and free-are the tables and fire grills along Castle Creek in the historic ghost town of Ashcroft, nine miles south of Aspen. Don't want to cook? Little Ollie's Chinese Restaurant (308 S. Hunter St., 970/544-9888) will pack you up some yummy moo shu pork for $9.95. Or pick up a $3 slice of New York Pizza (409 E. Hyman Ave., 970/920-3088) to go, a meal in and of itself. If it is too chilly-or snowy-to eat outside, Aspen offers several reasonably priced restaurants. In a sea of fancy eateries, Boogie's Diner (534 E. Cooper Ave., 970/925-6610) is a safe haven of regular food at regular prices. A burger costs $7.50; a Monster Mash Meat Loaf-the most expensive item on the menu-goes for $8.95. Not far away, the Red Onion (420 E. Cooper Ave., 970/925-9043) is an Aspen institution that has been feeding folks for over 110 years with lunch specials like a big, hot turkey sandwich for $6.50. You'll find Mexican food as good as any in Colorado at The Cantina (411 E. Main St., 970/925-3663). The portions are huge, and their chile rellenos ($10.95) are light and airy. Summer in aspen Aspen is surrounded by mountain peaks, crystal-clear rivers, and miles of trails-all waiting to be explored, free of charge. Grab a map at the local forest service office (806 W. Hallam St., 970/925-3445; $6), the advice of the friendly ranger behind the desk, and a sack lunch. Then take yourself on a fine hike. The same technique works for mountain biking, too. Plus, the guys at the bike rental shop can give you tips on the best rides. For $5.50 per person, take the Maroon Bells Bus Tour (970/925-8484, rfta.com), which winds through the Maroon Valley and climbs to one of the most photographed sites in Colorado. The 14,000-foot Maroon Bells, so named because of their striking color and shape, loom over an alpine lake that acts as their reflecting pool. Buses arrive and depart every 20 minutes; a bonus is the interpretive talk of the bus driver. Put your bills back in your wallet and enjoy inexpensive or free programs at the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (970/925-5756, aspennature.org). A sample of no-cost events includes close encounters with resident eagles and hawks, 45-minute guided nature walks through the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness, and a sunset beaver walk through Hallam Lake Nature Preserve. The Aspen Music Festival (970/925-3254, aspenmusicfestival.com) is a nine-week, summertime gathering of world-class musicians who perform in over 200 events including opera, chamber music, orchestral concerts, lectures, and children's programs. The Benedict Music Tent holds 2,050 seats and houses several concerts that you can enjoy gratis by sitting just outside on the lawn. Hear Noble Peace Prize laureates, New York Times columnists, renowned authors, and others hold forth at the Aspen Institute Summer Speaker Series on Tuesday evenings in July and August. The Aspen Institute (800/525-6618, aspeninst.org) presents other events all year long, from gallery exhibits to galas. The Summer Speaker Series and many other happenings are free and open to the public. Once a world-famous silver-mining town and one of the largest communities in Colorado, Aspen is rich in history. For $10, an escort in Victorian costume will give you a guided walking tour of Aspen's historic and architectural heart. From mid-June through late August, HeritageAspen (970/925-3721, aspenhistory.org) offers this as well as $3 self-guided tours of nearby Ashcroft and Independence Ghost Towns. Winter in Aspen With prices for single-day lift tickets nearing $70, downhill skiing and snowboarding in Aspen are not budget activities by any stretch of the imagination-though with an Aspen ticket, at least, you get four mountains for the price of one: Aspen, Aspen Highlands, Snowmass, and Buttermilk. To save some money, buy multiday lift tickets (four or more days) online before December 1 (877/282-7736, aspensnowmass.com) and you'll receive 20 percent off the window price. Similarly, you'll find a 10 percent discount on multiday passes bought seven or more days in advance. (These were on offer this season; check the Web for 2003-04 discounts.) Feeling a bit lost? Ski "ambassadors" offer mountain tours daily at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. This is a great, no-cost introduction to the massive ski area, and you might even get some helpful budget tips from a local! If you find you need a break after your screaming powder runs, remember that free coffee is provided at the base of all four mountains, and cider and water can be found gratis at the on-mountain lodges. Speaking of powder, want to be the first one on the mountain? (Silly question!) Sign up for Aspen's free (with valid lift ticket) First Tracks program the night before and you will join the ski-school pros on the mountain before everyone else gets out of bed. First Tracks is offered every day at Aspen and on Wednesdays and Fridays at Snowmass. If you prefer cross-country, pay $0 to ski the Aspen/Snowmass Nordic Trail System (970/925-2145, aspennordic.com). Its 60 kilometers of trails start at the ski center at the Aspen Golf Course and roam through surrounding valleys, meadows, and woodlands. It is the largest free, groomed cross-country ski-trail system in North America. Sadly, Aspen's hype often obscures what really makes it special: its beautiful mountain setting. Take a quiet morning walk on the bricks of the Mill Street Mall and watch the first golden rays touch the top of Aspen Mountain three blocks away. Then fill your lungs with frosty air and know that the best things in life aren't just for big spenders.

To call it an ordinary Friday would be only a slight exaggeration. The parking lot next to the Hotel San José is jammed with hot rod gearheads and tattooed girls enjoying their first--okay, second--beers of the day as rush hour commuters rubberneck the custom cars parked on both sides of South Congress Avenue. Among the rebuilt rides are guitar legend Jimmie Vaughan's lime-gold '63 Buick Riviera and a purple '57 Cadillac that is the pride and joy of Continental Club impresario Steve Wertheimer. Inside the Continental, which was born the same year as its current owner's Caddy, the Blues Specialists ("over 200 years of combined blues-playing experience") lug their instruments onto the red-velvet stage for happy hour, after which honky-tonkers Dale Watson and Jesse Dayton will play the hotel parking lot, followed by rockabilly bombshell Marti Brom and yodeler Wayne "the Train" Hancock back at the club. At 2 a.m., many revelers will move to Magnolia Café South, where a short stack of bigger-than-your-head gingerbread pancakes gives all that tequila and Shiner Bock beer a cozy place to spend the night. This particular bustle comes as part of the third Annual Lonestar Rod & Kustom Round Up, but the thing is, there's always something going on in Austin, which is not just the capital of Texas and self-proclaimed Live Music Capital of the World, but a capital of American cool. A week prior to the car show, the town was commandeered by the four-night, 1,100-band South by Southwest music fest. Tomorrow, 15,000 men and women will run the Capitol 10K. Next weekend is Spamarama, the 26th annual celebration of processed pork. In between, it will be First Thursday once again: On the first Thursday of every month, there is the traditional art-gallery stroll, as well as a half-dozen bands playing various clubs, a drum circle, and the chance to play musical chairs with the local Roller Derby queens. Dancers from the Red Light Burlesque serve as crossing guards--traffic on South Congress can be brutal. In fact, traffic is a nightmare everywhere. When I moved to Austin in 1990, after four years in Chicago and a year in New York City, it took five minutes to get to anyplace worth going, and you could find a parking space (for free!) within a block or two of any club. Austin was the scruffy college town of Richard Linklater's film Slacker--artsy, intellectual, and cheap, with a bit of cowboy culture on the side, a downtown full of empty buildings left over from the busted oil boom, and more hills and green space than anyone had a right to expect. For decades, Austin was where every misfit from Houston, Dallas, and Amarillo came to be themselves. Imagine their surprise when Whit and Ashley from back home moved in next door, with their dot-com jobs, matching SUVs, and lust for P.F. Chang's. Austin in 2004 reflects Dubya, Michael Dell, and Lance Armstrong as much as Linklater, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Willie Nelson. It's more of a real city, but also more like other cities. You pay to park downtown (if you can even find an empty lot), and the two University of Texas-area cafés in Slacker have been supplanted by a Starbucks and a Diesel shop. "Keep Austin Weird" has become an unofficial slogan--as unofficial as a slogan can be, anyway, once the city council has shoehorned the phrase into an economic white paper (under "Cultural Vitality"). It's an unwritten rule that once you've paid rent in Austin for, oh, a month, you can start complaining about how much better everything was when you first got here. But even those who gripe about the city's evolution happily patronize restaurants, shops, and coffeehouses that wouldn't otherwise exist. No one ever leaves, and we're constantly reminded how good we have it by friends from out of town. "I should move here," is the typical refrain, usually uttered by someone from New York or L.A. over a plate of migas (eggs scrambled with salsa, corn tortillas, cheese, and, if you get 'em at El Sol y La Luna, chorizo) or breakfast tacos (my favorites are from Guero's: one stuffed with egg, potato, and cheese, another with refried beans and bacon). Then they marvel at how cheap the bill is. Local institution Tamale House still offers a two-item taco for 85¢, to the delight of broke students and unemployed musicians. People come to Austin not so much to see the sights as to live the life--coat their arteries in Tex-Mex and barbecue, hear a bunch of bands, spend too much money at Waterloo Records, and maybe take a dip in Barton Springs. In a city with few traditional attractions, you can't beat the naturally fed swimmer's paradise--plus adjacent Zilker Park and the Town Lake hike-and-bike trail. In summer, late in the day, take the trail east along the south shore, past the statue of Stevie Ray Vaughan, and you'll be right on time for the phenomenon that everybody simply calls "the bats." North America's largest colony of Mexican free-tailed fangers--1.5 million of 'em--lives under the Congress Avenue Bridge. If it's not quite sundown, pick up a Día de los Muertos figurine among the handcrafted Mexican and South American tchotchkes at Tesoros or stop in for a margarita at Manuel's, which also has half-price happy hour appetizers and some of the best mole in town. Then join the throng on, around, or underneath the bridge to see the black cloud swarm off into the night. Not far from the bridge is Threadgill's World Headquarters, a top-notch southern restaurant known for its meat loaf, chicken-fried steak, and garlic cheese grits. It's also something of a museum to Austin history and music. Back in the day, owner Eddie Wilson ran the Armadillo World Headquarters, which was just a block away (the space is now an office building, natch). It was the epicenter of the Austin scene, associated primarily with bluesmen and cosmic cowboys, but everybody from Gram Parsons to the Kinks to the Clash played there. Ironically, TWHQ isn't even the original--that one, simply called Threadgill's, was the home to some of Janis Joplin's first performances in the early '60s, and it's still going strong on the north side of town. Although Threadgill's has the heritage and atmosphere, I prefer the chicken-fried steak at Hoover's Cooking. Better cut of meat, tastier breading, and they also dish out divine sweet-potato biscuits and above-average barbecue. For the truly authentic Texas-barbecue experience, however, one must leave town. Hard-core gourmands who believe that sauce is an insult to good meat trek 75 miles to Cooper's in Llano (for the pork chop) or 29 miles to Kreuz Market in Lockhart (no sides, no sauce, no forks). Everyone else drives 15 miles to the Salt Lick, the de rigueur place to take out-of-towners. At home, I use its citrusy sauce on everything from pork chops to turkey sandwiches, and the German-style sausage is my favorite in the state. Go family style: Adults pay $14 for all-you-can-eat ribs, brisket, and sausage with beans, coleslaw, bread, and potato salad. No place embodies the tension between Austin new and old more than South Congress Avenue. It wasn't long ago that the neighborhood was best known for the New West porno theater and the local streetwalkers--as former State Senator Drew Nixon learned the hard way after offering $35 to an undercover policewoman. When someone tried to dub the burgeoning neighborhood SoCo, Austin American-Statesman wiseacre John Kelso, a fierce protector of the local boho/Bubba spirit, suggested NoMoHo instead. That one didn't take. SoCo did. Last year Factory People, a designer-clothing store, claimed the space that had been occupied by Just Guns since the '40s. But the street still lives up to the sign on the marquee of the Austin Motel: so close yet so far out. At Allens Boots, you can get $1,800 alligators, $50 Ropers, or, if you really want to look like a misfit, a pair decorated with a blue Dallas Cowboys star. Uncommon Objects promises to have "the thing you didn't know you wanted," which for me was a curvy little wood-and-black-vinyl chair. The Yard Dog gallery specializes in southern folk artists, such as 93-year-old Alabaman Jimmy Lee Sudduth, who often works with mud, berries, and soot. Austin's nighttime claim to fame is 6th Street, where the drinks are strong, the cover bands are generic, and the college girls dress just like the women handing out strip-club coupons. A sprinkle of cool bars (Casino El Camino) and venues (the Parish) don't quite make up for the frat-house vibe, or the fact that there's a Hard Rock Café and a Coyote Ugly. The true heart of Austin music lies elsewhere and includes the Continental, the Broken Spoke (Austin's classic sawdust-on-the-floor country dance hall), and the four-block stretch of mostly punk-rock venues (Emo's, Beerland, Room 710) on Red River that the Austin Chronicle's Christopher Gray aptly described as "the Sunset Strip to Sixth's Bourbon Street." Red River is home to hipster hangout Club DeVille, a good place for a quiet drink or a discreet make-out session. And if you don't feel like boozing on an empty stomach, pop over to the Roaring Fork at the InterContinental Hotel for the best eating deal in town: Every item on the bar menu is $6, including a giant burger and pork green-chile stew with buttered tortillas. Off of 11th Street, the red-granite Capitol, which is actually 14 feet taller than Washington, D.C.'s--would Texas have it any other way?--dominates the skyline in tandem with the Texas Tower. Infamous because of Charles Whitman's 1966 shooting spree and also the site of several student suicides, the tower's 28th-floor observation deck was closed for many years, leaving the building with no public purpose other than to glow orange when the Longhorns won. It's now open for tours again, unless another sort of orange--Homeland Security's terror-alert code--is in effect. The University of Texas campus area is also where you'll find the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library, which is ripe with history (Lady Bird's audiotaped diary and Nellie Connally's notes from the JFK assassination) and humor. Specifically, a motion-activated animatronic exhibit in which the 36th president--outfitted in a farm shirt, cowboy hat, and Roper boots--drawls out his folksy wisdom, taken from tapes of his speeches. Unless you've got tickets for a Horns game, the campus doesn't have much else that's worth a look. Most students live in private housing, which means the Guadalupe Street retail strip (mispronounced "guad-uh-loop," incidentally, but better known as the Drag) is just a place for them to get a smoothie or caffeine fix between lectures. Two doors down from Blue Velvet, one of the city's better vintage-clothing stores, Baja Fresh stands out among the fast-food chains by having the good sense to preserve (in the face of public pressure) a 1993 mural by songwriter Daniel Johnston; the building formerly housed the Sound Exchange record store. An even bigger corporate concession may end up being made at South Austin's Taco Xpress, where Argentine taco queen Maria Corbalan--a.k.a. Loco Maria--has grown her business from a gift shop to a convenience store to a cooking trailer to a full-fledged, wildly popular restaurant with an outdoor patio. Developers want to replace it and the mobile-home park next door with a Walgreen's but, to smooth the way, are promising to, y'know, keep Austin weird by building Maria new digs on the same block. Meanwhile, a few blocks up the street an old supermarket is set to become the latest location of the Alamo Drafthouse, which some believe will eventually be forced out by the rising rents in a downtown neighborhood--the Warehouse District, centered around 4th and Colorado--of faux pubs and martini bars it helped create. The Alamo is more than your average beer-and-movie palace, with eclectic programming and special events featuring the likes of Quentin Tarantino (who curates an annual festival) and Ain't It Cool film geek Harry Knowles (whose Butt-Numb-A-Thon premiered both The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and The Passion of the Christ weeks before theatrical release). Was I complaining again? If all this change means one thing--besides higher rents all around--it's that there'll be plenty of opportunity for folks to bemoan the loss of the "original" Alamo Drafthouse or the "old" Taco Xpress. Then again, most people don't even realize that Antone's, currently on 5th Street in the Warehouse District, wasn't always in that spot. Founded in 1975, Austin's most legendary club was the launching pad for Jimmie Vaughan's Fabulous Thunderbirds and his brother Stevie Ray, as well as an obligatory stop for every blues and rock-and-roll great you can think of, from John Lee Hooker to U2. But the "Home of the Blues" has actually had four homes. Antone's is what it is not because of a particular address, but because of the music and because of owner Clifford Antone's lifelong dedication, even during troubled times (he recently served two-and-a-half years for money laundering and conspiracy to distribute marijuana). Austin may change physically, and "Keep Austin Weird" has already been reduced to something you can buy on a tie-dyed T-shirt at a hotel gift shop. But as long as people like Antone, the Continental's Wertheimer, Threadgill's Wilson, and Taco Xpress's Corbalan keep on doing what they do, the city's spirit will never die.

European travel has changed more in the past seven years than it did in all the decades after World War II. Eurail passes and traveler's checks are no longer your best friends when no-frills airlines can fly you pretty much anywhere out of London for less than $60, more focused railpasses allow you to customize your trip and pay less, and a visit to an ATM machine is quicker and cheaper than using cumbersome travelers checks. Experienced travelers are getting tired of the Great Capitals and pricey hotels heading instead for the smaller regions to rent a villa or stay on a working farm in Tuscany, the Dordogne, Andalusia, or western Ireland. To lure us back to the cities, destinations like Paris, London, Rome, and Madrid are modernizing their museums and offering passes for free transportation and discounted sightseeing. With the current troubles plunging transatlantic airfares to historic lows--roundtrip airfares from the East Coast are currently as low as $178--this brave new Europe is just begging to be explored. And with the recent slew of more liberal trip cancellation policies put in place by airlines and tour companies faced with war-wary travelers, your reservations are ironically more secure and flexible than ever before--though that varies, and I'll take questions on insurance and cancellation policies as well. But mostly, I look forward to answering questions on travel in Europe and sharing some hard-won secrets and strategies to help you navigate the new European travel scene. Reid will be answered your questions Tuesday, June 8, at noon EST. Reid Bramblett holds the somewhat dubious distinction of having authored both The Complete Idiot's Travel Guide to Europe and Europe for Dummies. His love affair with Europe began at age 11 when his family moved to Rome and proceeded to spend much of the next two years exploring Europe in a hippie-orange VW campervan. Reid experienced a budget continent of campgrounds and picnics with the locals, though mostly he remembers having to sleep in the VW's moldy pop-top. After a brief stint as an editorial assistant at a travel publisher, began writing European guidebooks for Frommer's, Dorling Kindersley's Eyewitness, Idiot's, and For Dummies. He joined the Budget Travel editorial staff in 2002. He champions such underdog Irish causes as real ales, traditional Celtic music, Irish cheeses, hurling (that's a Gaelic sport, not what happens after too many whiskeys), pub grub, and tramping around bogs and wind-bitten downs in search of ancient tombs. _______________________ Reid Bramblett: Here I am--a bit late, sorry. Let the questions begin! _______________________ Milwaukee, WI: Will there be any Olympics events in Torino, Italy this year? Reid Bramblett: Nope. The Turin Winter Olympics will take place in February of 2006. The official Website is torino2006.org/. _______________________ New York, NY: Got your June issue. Great stuff! The maps for no-frills airlines were incredibly useful, but only covered flights from London and a few other major cities, and my summer plans don't happen to include London. How can I research other no-frills airlines all across Europe? Reid Bramblett: Frustratingly, there aren't many one-stop-shopping resources that survey the entire, ever-changing field of no-frills airlines in Europe. That's why, as it says in the article, I created nofrillsair.com/, which at least links directly to all the current ones flying (and lists their major hubs and destinations) and explains the pluses and minuses to using them, as well as linking to a few sites that offer fare-searches of selected no-frills. For those of you who haven't yet heard of this revolution in European travel, more than 40 of these no-frills airlines---ow-cost carriers like southwest or jetBlue here at home---ave popped up in Europe over the past decade to make criss-crossing the continent cheaper and faster than the train. One-way tickets average $45 or so, including taxes, and rarely top $100, unless you buy last-minute. (In the interests of full disclosure: hofrillsair.com/ is not affiliated with MSNBC.com or Budget Travel magazine; it's just something I did in my spare time.) _______________________ Frankfort, KY: Am thinking of a fly, drive and B&B trip to Ireland. Is this advisable for a first timer or should I look at escorted tours? Do you have recommendations for such trips on the Isle? Thanks. Reid Bramblett: Forget the tour. That Irish fly-drive-B&B package is one of the best deals in travel anywhere in the world. I've done it myself, and it works a dream: you get roundtrip airfare, a rental car for seven days, and vouchers for six nights in countryside B&Bs--you pick them yourself form a catalogue of hundreds all across the country, including Northern Ireland. And prices start as low as $499 in winter (I thin they're $599 right now; and in years past have dipped to a flabbergasting $399). Course that's out of NYC, but you can get cheap fares from other East Coast gateways (though I don't think there are direct flights to Ireland from Frankfort, KY yet :) You can arrange this packages through the travel section of hreland.com/ or from hietours.com/. _______________________ Fountain Valley, CA: Reid, my husband and I are traveling to Southend-on-Sea, England, in August where his family is located. We will be in Great Britain for a month. We would like to visit Ireland and want to know what is the least expensive way to go about it. We are open to suggestions (fly, drive, coach, etc.). I'd like to check out my family backgroud in Tipperary & maybe sight see the West of Ireland. Any suggestions? Reid Bramblett: Great chance to use those no-frills airlines I was just talking about. Since Southend-on-Sea is just outside London, when you're ready to nip over to Ireland, make your way back into the big city and catch a Ryanair flight (ryanair.ie/) from Stansted Airport into Kerry, Ireland (which is on the west coast, and not at all a long way to Tipperary...get it?). I just looked up the going rate for that flight in August, and it's a mere $32, including all taxes. (See? Aren't no-frills airlines great?) Once you're there, rent a car to get around (Ireland is a countryside well worth exploring by car, even if you do have to drive on the left). In addition to shopping the rates at the hertz and Avis and such, make sure you check out the car rental consolidator hutoeurope.com/, which usually beats their rates, as well as Ireland's home-grown alternative Dan Dooley (handooley.com/). _______________________ Kelowna, British Columbia: Hi Reid, a few years ago we rented a car and traveled all over Spain for a month. How realistic is it to rent a car in, say Copenhagen, and then travel to multiple countries for 6-8 weeks? Would it have to be returned to Copenhagen or could it be dropped off in another country? Thanks for your help. Reid Bramblett: Course it's possible! Dropping a rental car off in other countries, of course, incurs a fee--in general, the further away from home you strand your noble rented steed, the higher the drop-off fee. However, if you're going for 6-8 weeks, forget the rental. What you want is a short-term lease. You get: A brand-new car direct from the factory (seriously; sometimes those bits of protective plastic wrap are still clinging to the side mirrors) FULL insurance automatically (none of that messy mucking about with CDW or TP or LDW or any other acronym the rental companies throw at you to pump up the cost) A far, far, far, cheaper rate than on a rental for a similar period of time (actually, you're buying the car under an automatic buy-back agreement with the company, so you get excellent terms) That new-car smell _______________________ Las Vegas, NV: What is your best budget suggestion regarding lodging for two adults traveling with two children in Europe? We usually find that we exceed the "fire code" maximum of three occupants per room and are relegated to two rooms or one very expensive "family room." Any suggestions? Reid Bramblett: You're a bit out of luck. In Europe, it's nothing to do with fire codes; it's all about the head count. While in the US you are free to cram as many people into your room as you can safely sneak past the front desk--since you're paying a single rate per room--in Europe you always pay per occupant. That means if you have two people in that room you pay for two, if you squeeze in four on cots and whatnot, you pay for four. (The usual mark-up is that each additional body in the room cost an additional 30 to 35 percent on top of the regular double room rate.) Frustrating. About the only concession is that many hotels will give traveling families a break and charge less for the little-uns than for an adult---hough how much less is all down to the hotel's own policy and the kid's ages. really young kids can sometimes get in free (though a nominal crib charge is usually incurred), or those under a certain age (usually pegged somewhere between 11 and 15) can stay in the parents room for a discounted additional rate---ay 10 to 20 percent, rather than that 30 to 35 percent. _______________________ Stamford, CT: My husband and I would like to take a tour to Italy this October and see Rome, Venice and Florence. I would like to book a tour online but I'm not really aware of which online travel agencies are reputable. I've seen two websites, Travelwizard and Vacations to Go. What can you tell me about these and do you have any other suggestions?! Reid Bramblett: First of all, you really don't need a tour in Italy. It's very easy to get around--especially between those three major cities--and English is widely spoken, so there's little need to tie your vacation to a tour bus and be shunted around at the whims of a guide getting the same canned commentary they've been dishing out for 50 years. That said, a few of the best tour operators out there---nes that, hopefully, will give you a bit more interesting of a tour---re Donna Franca (honnafranca.com/) and the Italiatour branch of Alitalia Airlines (htaliatour.com/). Intrepid Travel (hntrepidtravel.com/) now covers Europe with its innovative tours designed to get very small groups (8-12 people) up close to the culture of the destination. If you are willing to try going it alone as I suggested, but still want a bit or structure or help getting the cut rates on hotel and airfare a tour would get you, try a vacation packager (which books you your airfare and hotels, but leaves the daily schedule up to you to fill). The best values are with ht-today.com/ and htrovacations.com/. _______________________ St Agatha, Ontario: We will be going to Athens in August for the Olympics. Should we wait until mid-July to book accomodations when all the tour operators will dump their blocks of rooms and pricing will be much lower? Reid Bramblett: Each Olympics affects its destination differently, so there's no way to predict, but my gut reaction is: you haven't already booked??? Do it now! You're gambling on not as many people showing up as the local infrastructure expects, which very well may work out--or you may end up paying a premium to stay a two-hour train ride form the city. Take the safe route on this one. _______________________ San Clemente, CA: Is it possible to rent a small RV in Europe to travel from one country to another? Are there books about camping in Europe with an RV? Reid Bramblett: A pop-top VW campervan (sleeps two below, one or two smaller chaps up in the pop-top tent) rents for around $50 to $65 per day in winter, which rises to $100 to $130 in the height of summer. A larger, more familiar "RV" sleeping four to five people will run you around $60 to $100 in low season, $110 to $180 in high season. European roads are narrow and winding, and gas incredibly expensive, so never rent anything longer than six meters (about 20 feet). Also, read the fine print: there's usually a ridiculous "service fee" of $100 to $175 or so added to the overall price, and they usually require CDW insurance (another $30 per day or so). Make sure taxes (VAT) are included in the quote, sauce they can run as high as 19 percent! Rentals in Germany tend to be the cheapest, though you can drive it anywhere (check first about any Eastern European countries, and British rentals often tack on a fee for taking it to the continent). I've got loads more on this subject at htyondhotels.net/. For good rates, look at htropeanrvtours.com/ and httinc.com/. _______________________ Warren, NJ: We will be visiting Florence, Italy for one day on July 6, 2004. Could you please advise me how to purchase tickets in advance prior to departure from the U.S. for the Pitti Palace and the Uffizzi in order to avoid long lines at these museums? Thank you. Reid Bramblett: Definitely book ahead; that time of year, the line for the Uffizi can last two hours or more--no foolin'. You can book both the Uffizi and the Pitti (and the Accademia, which houses Michelangelo's David--anther long line) at firenzemusei.it/ or by calling 011-30-055-294-883. It's more than worth the 1.55 euro fee. _______________________ Anonymous: What is the best time of day generally to get a good meal at a reasonable price and what inexpensive wines are looking good for having with a meal in France? Reid Bramblett: Sorry for the delay there. Computer problems. In answer to your question: Lunch. Bistros, brasseries, and cheap restaurants will offer inexpensive prix-fixees (set-price) menus. Even the holy temples of cuisine like Alain Ducasse will be far, far cheaper at lunch than at dinner (you'll fork over $260, sure, but in relative terms that beats the pants off the $600 price tag at dinner). _______________________ Kent, OH: My friends and I are trying to plan a week-long trip to Europe, specifically to Paris. Since we're all college students, money is tight. We know that we can stay in hostels, but what are some other easy ways for us to save a little cash and still have a great time? Reid Bramblett: Get the cards. The Carte Musees et Monuments (hntermusses.com/---hough that site can be buggy), gets you into 70 of Paris's top sights, museums, and monuments. (Only notable exceptions: the Eiffel Tower, Montparnasse Tower, and Marmottan Museum.) Even if you use it only to visit the Louvre and the Pompidou, you've already saved $3 off individual admission charges. Plus, it allows you to skip all the long admission lines and just waltz right in, flashing the card to a security guard. The other card is for getting around cheaply on the Metro, but it's a bit tricky, since Paris doesn't want you to know it exists. The tourism officials flog the Paris Visite card relentless to tourists, but that's astoundingly overpriced. They won't even tell you that there's such as thing as the "Carte Orange" (it doesn't even appear in the English-language version of the official transport website), which is a weekly metro pass that costs 14.50 Euros and covers the central transport zones 1 and 2-p--enty for most Parisian trips, though if you plan to travel to the outskirts of town a lot, you might plump 19.40 Euro for one good through zone 3. You can buy it at any Metro station-j--st don't let them try and sell you that Paris Visite! _______________________ Chicago, IL: Hi Reid, I will be studying abroad in France, Belgium and England in July. I need to find my own way from Brussels to Oxford, England. What is the most economical and scenic route? I am considering ferries -- what do you think? Reid Bramblett: The ferry will be scenic, but it's gonna take you a minimum of 12 to 14 hours total (train from Brussels to Oostende; ferry across the Channel; train to London; change train stations London; train to Oxford; often long waits in between each step). Sure, it'll be scenic, but time-consuming and not all that cheap. Your other option is the Eurostar through the Chunnel (hurostar.com/ or haileurope.com/)--you'll be dumped in London and still have to get to Oxford, but at least the Brussels-to-London bit is a lickety-split 2 hours 40 minutes, and costs $100 to $150 (depends on what kind of fare you qualify for). Less scenic, but it does leave you far, far more time to enjoy the scenery on either end of your trip! _______________________ Los Angeles, CA: Your article on renting a villa has me seriously considering it! I'm used to package vacations to Europe though - is it possible to do a package including a villa rental and airfare or will I have to book everything separately? Reid Bramblett: Congrats! You should have a blast. though some third-party agencies who handle villa rentals can also arrange your airfare (or will work with a travel agent on your behalf to book it), in my experience they simply can't beat the prices you could get doing 20 minutes of research online yourself. Hit the major airline sites (not just the US ones, but the major European ones as well, like Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, Lufthansa, Air France, etc), run your travel dates through Expedia, Orbitz, and Travelocity Then, armed with this "top price," really get down to business. Read out daily Savings Sleuth blog to find airfare sales. Check out the rates using met search engines like hheapflights.com/, hidestep.com/ (a browser plug-in; only works on PCs) and hixo.com/. Contact a consolidator like h800flyeurope.com/ ---they can usually sell you a ticket on the same airline for less than the airline can! There re some other tricks; my site hraveltools.net/ will walk you through the 11 Steps to Finding Cheaper Airfares. Happy hunting! _______________________ Denver, CO: I know that it's always cheaper to travel off-season, but if I really must go to Italy during the peak season (June 2005) because of a family wedding, when is the best time to shop for deals? Very early or last minute? Any suggestions? Reid Bramblett: When in June is an issue, because High Season rates for airfares usually kick in officially on June 15 (high season hotel rates, sadly, kick in soon after Easter!), so if you can fly out before then, you can save a couple hundred dollars right there. Don't ever buy more than three months out. Before then, airlines are only charging Hail Mary rates---he highest ones possible in the hopes that someone will bite. Between three months out and six weeks out, the price will get whittled down by the marketplace, consolidators will start releasing batches of tickets at cut rates, and sales will crop up as empty seats start needing to get filled. See my last answer for some airfare hunting techniques. Have a great time, and my congrats to the happy couple. _______________________ Reid Bramblett: Well, that's it! An hour's up. There were dozens and dozens of questions I couldn't get to, and to you folks: I apologize. But we do this "live chat" thing every week on different destinations, so tune in again and we'll do our best to help you plan the vacation of a lifetime. _______________________