Updated Airport Security Rules

It used to be that a museum store was just a souvenir-laden gauntlet you had to pass through to reach an exit. Recently, however, many such shops have become retail destinations, with highly curated collections of unique objets d'art. We asked three popular designers which ones they like the most. Karim Rashid Anyone who has ever set foot in a Container Store has seen the work of this Cairo-born designer: He's the brain behind the candy-colored Umbra garbage cans. Rashid's favorite museum shops include the one at the Museum of Contemporary Art in L.A. "The MoCA store is very small, but I love it," he says. Every time he visits, he's happy to discover something new, like a set of Sad Ghost salt and pepper shakers ($50). In Amsterdam, Rashid recommends the Stedelijk Museum: "There are some unusual things that walk that fine line between art and design." Among the items made by Dutch designers is a toilet-paper holder fashioned out of a wire clothes hanger ($7). And while visiting Sydney's Museum of Contemporary Art recently, Rashid came across a line of jewelry that he'd never spotted anywhere else. "It was designed by a New Zealand architect in the 1960s," he says. "The rings are amazingly funky and cool." They start at $53. Tobias Wong New York--based Wong turns ordinary everyday objects on their ear. Among his most memorable creations are a crystal chandelier dipped in industrial rubber and a bulletproof rose corsage. Ever the contrarian, Wong says he doesn't really like museum shops. "Sometimes they don't even sell stuff related to the show," he complains. When pressed, Wong mentions BlackBlock, a boutique run by André, a graffiti artist, in Paris's Palais de Tokyo. "It's very supportive of artists," he says. BlackBlock sells limited-edition items like a monster pillow designed by André for Japanese brand Bapy ($154). Michael Graves The designer of futuristic housewares, who stays accessible to the masses via his Target products, recently admired some geometric bowls ($8.50) from Japan at The Newark Museum. "There's always an eclectic mix, including things that are tied to current exhibitions," he says. At the Thorvaldsens Museum in Copenhagen, Graves likes to browse the plaster casts of reliefs (from $25). "I have two hanging in my house," he says. And he loves the print room inside the Louvre, which few know exists (it's upstairs; follow CHALCOGRAPHIE signs). "If you ask for a particular artist, the curator will help you find examples." The prints start at $58. Museum of Contemporary Art 250 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, 213/621-1710, moca.org Stedelijk Museum Oosterdokskade 5, Amsterdam, 011-31/205-732-812, stedelijk.nl Museum of Contemporary Art 140 George St., Sydney, 011-61/2-9245-2458, mca.com.au BlackBlock avenue du Président-Wilson 13, Paris, 011-33/ 147-233-704, blackblock.org The Newark Museum 49 Washington St., Newark, N.J., 973/596-6546, newarkmuseumshops.org Thorvaldsens Museum Bertel Thorvaldsens Plads 2, Copenhagen, 011-45/33-321-532, thorvaldsensmuseum.dk Musée du Louvre quai du Louvre 36, 011-33/ 140-208-557, louvre.fr

At 7 A.M. on a Saturday, my friend Julia Sun and I stumble downstairs to the kitchen of Inn on the Common in Craftsbury Common, Vt. We sit on stools and pepper owner Jim Lamberti with questions about his job. "Everyone has a romantic view of what it's like to be an innkeeper," says Jim. "It's easy to do this one day a week. But seven?" His wife, Judi, joins us at 7:45. She's already prepared bills for the departing guests and done three loads of laundry. "Around here, it's called the Bob Newhart syndrome," she says. The Lambertis' inn is one of six members of the New England Inns & Resorts Association to offer an "Innkeeper for a Day" program. Our course consists of shadowing Jim and Judi, and occasionally pitching in. Julia harbors dreams of owning a B&B in Mexico. I wonder if this weekend might change her mind. Inn on the Common has 15 guest rooms in three separate buildings, and a restaurant that serves breakfast and dinner. "The housekeeping is the one thing we hire out," says Judi. The couple divide the other responsibilities: Judi is in charge of the cleaning staff and gardening, while Jim deals with marketing the inn and running the restaurant. The only time I ever see them together is in the kitchen. "It's good," says Jim. "If we spend all our time together, it gets a little wearing." Just before the other guests arrive for breakfast, Judi asks us to cut up strawberries. First we have to wash our hands to restaurant standards. "Scrub with soap for 20 seconds," Judi instructs. "You should be able to sing 'Happy Birthday' all the way through." We watch Jim prepare pancakes until we get hungry ourselves, then venture into the dining room. Most guests clear out of the inn by mid-morning. After breakfast, Jim washes dishes, then heads to the office to catch up on paperwork. Judi, meanwhile, sets tables for dinner (we help), bakes quiches for tomorrow's breakfast, and goes over the room list with the housekeepers when they arrive at 10 A.M. By noon Jim has finished prepping for dinner and is back in the office returning e-mails. Judi leaves to attend a fund-raiser. Julia and I¿who, frankly, can't wait for a change of scenery¿go for a drive. In the afternoon, we return to find Jim sitting on the porch with a glass of wine and a map. The inn closes for the months of April and November, and he's planning a trip to see their new grandchild in California. Watching them work their fingers to the bone today, I hadn't thought about any of the perks of owning an inn. I can see Julia filing away the idea of two solid months of vacation as a plus. Julia and I are so tuckered out that we leave Jim to his planning and nap until dinner. At 7 P.M., I head back to my perch in the kitchen to watch Jim prepare salads and sear swordfish steaks. When the phone rings, I understand how inconvenient it had been when I called for directions at about the same time the night before. In between seating guests and taking orders, Judi books a last-minute reservation. Once everyone slips off to their rooms, including Julia, Judi sets the tables for breakfast and enters dinner receipts into the computer. I don't see much I can do to help. "We don't like actually making people work," Judi later confesses. "People are paying for this course, and to make them work? Something is wrong with that picture." Inn on the Common, 800/521-2233, innonthecommon.com, two-day course for two, with room and meals, $499. New England Inns & Resorts Association, newenglandinnsandresorts.com.

Congress just passed the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which lets travelers return to the U.S. from the Caribbean by land or sea without a passport until June 2009. American citizens flying back to the U.S. will still need a valid passport as of January 8, 2007, the original deadline. The State Department estimates that about 73 percent of Americans don't have passports, and it has had trouble keeping up with the recent spike in demand. A seven-year, $91 million expansion of the Denver Art Museum opens to the public on October 7. Designed by the World Trade Center site's master planner Daniel Libeskind, the angular, titanium-clad building was inspired by the jagged peaks of the Rockies (denverartmuseum.org, $13). A historic partnership between the Musée du Louvre in Paris and Atlanta's High Museum of Art begins October 14 when the "Kings as Collectors" exhibit opens. Over the next three years, hundreds of paintings, sculptures, and antiquities from the Louvre will be exhibited in the U.S. for the first time (high.org, $15). George Washington's Mount Vernon estate has undergone a $100 million expansion. A new museum with six galleries will exhibit his family's personal items like furniture, books, china, and clothing--many of which will be on display at Mount Vernon for the first time. Highlights of the visitors center include an exact replica of the mansion in miniature (furniture and all) and a stained-glass window depicting key events in the president's life. Both buildings are scheduled to open on October 27 (mountvernon.org, $13). Berlin's Bode Museum--which showcases ancient coins, Byzantine art, and Germany's largest collection of sculptures--will reopen on October 18 after nearly a decade of renovations. Carib Aviation has launched a new company called Dominica Air Taxi, with interisland service between Dominica and either St. Lucia or Antigua. The 50-minute flights cost $79 each way (dominicaairtaxi.com). Pacsafe has introduced a duffel bag (above) made with the patented, slash-proof, stainless-steel mesh it uses in backpacks ($230). Several Florida theme parks--Walt Disney World, SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, and Universal Orlando--formally announced policies that guarantee you'll be able to reschedule a vacation without penalty or get your money back if a hurricane threatens the resort area or your hometown. Day passes to American Airlines' private lounges are being sold at self-serve airport kiosks: $50 for the first pass, and $25 each for two additional passes. Irish carrier Aer Lingus is charging $5 per checked bag if you reserve online (or $10 at the airport) on flights within Europe scheduled to depart after January 17. At sharedbook.com, users create photo albums with templates that match their vacation--the Yosemite book, for example, includes borders in the park's Native American motif, a John Muir quote, and park maps, as well as space for text and photos. US Airways dropped its 14-day-advance-purchase shuttle fares to $100 for a round trip between Boston and New York. The airline also has a new Bill Me Later option; with a special introductory offer, you can buy tickets through November 30, 2006, and not make any payments for the first 90 days.

Tempted to try an obscure varietal, but don't want to shell out $30 for a bottle you might not like? A handful of liquor stores and bars now allow you to help yourself to samples. It works like this: You put money on a debit card (or earn points on a card by buying a bottle of wine), insert the card into a slot, and push the button above the wine you want to taste. The Enomatic system dispenses an ounce into your glass and deducts the cost from the card. Prices range from $1 to $28, with most costing $2 to $3. In Texas, where self-service is illegal, wine jukeboxes (as the Enomatics are nicknamed) are operated by bartenders. Whether you push the button yourself or someone does it for you, the advantage is the same. Because the system hermetically seals bottles after each pour, some places are able to offer as many as a hundred wines by the glass. Cheers! Nora's Wine Bar & Osteria 1031 S. Rampart Blvd., Las Vegas, 702/940-6672 Stave Wine Lounge 1149 First St., Napa, Calif., 707/259-5411 Tastings 149 First Ave. N., St. Petersburg, Fla., 727/894-2255 Union Square Wine & Spirits 140 Fourth Ave., New York City, 212/675-8100 VinoVenue 686 Mission St., San Francisco, 415/341-1930 Wine'tastic 4140 Lemmon Ave., Dallas, 214/252-9494