8 delicious beers from around the world

Checking out a local coffee shop (i.e. not Starbucks) is a great way to experience the vibe of a neighborhood if you're new in town. Plus, you can never count on the quality of hotel-room coffee. It can be hard, though, to decipher which coffee shops are just OK and which ones will properly satisfy your caffeine needs. Leave it to a maker of coffee appliances to solve that problem. Krups has awarded "Cup O' Joe" honors to coffee shops in ten major U.S. cities and each of New York City's five boroughs. The winners were selected based entirely on consumer-generated responses through email subscribers, fans and followers of their social media pages, as well as on-the-ground surveys—and have nothing to do with whether or not the stores carry Krups' products. The awards were limited to local spots; no major retailers allowed. I can personally attest to Manhattan's MUDTruck winning the Manhattan award. The only redeeming quality of my commute several years ago was that I was able to stop by the bright orange East Village landmark located at the Astor Place subway stop for my delicious daily caffeine-intake. See the award winners after the jump. Here's the full list of winners: Manhattan: MUDTruck Brooklyn: Gimme! Coffee The Bronx: Beans and Berries Staten Island: Java Den (3135 Victory Blvd, Staten Island) Queens: Sweetleaf Los Angeles: Groundwork Coffee Co. Seattle: Monorail Espresso (20 Pike St) Miami: News Café Chicago: Metropolis Coffee Co. Boston: Barismo Philadelphia: Spruce Street Espresso Dallas: White Rock Coffee San Francisco: Blue Bottle Coffee Co. Atlanta: Dancing Goats Café Washington, D.C.: M.E. Swing Co. Noteworthy National Retailer: Peet's Coffee & Tea Have you been to these coffee shops? What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with the awards? MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL Scalpers at national parks? Rome: Coffee prices are rising Video: How to order coffee like a Roman

We're giving you the floor. To gear up for our second annual Readers' Choice issue in November 2011 we're turning to the true experts—you! Over the past few months we asked for your thoughts on a variety of travel topics ranging from your favorite cruise line to your ultimate dream destination. Once your nominations are in, we'll give you the chance to vote on the best of the best. Let us know your pick for the best value destination—and why—by posting a comment below. What makes a great value destination? Where can you find the cheapest, but still most stylish, resorts? Which cities are served by low-cost carriers? Where can you indulge in gourmet food and wine without breaking the bank? Where does your dollar go the furthest? The more details to make your case, the better!

Right now at Budget Travel, we're busily putting the final touches on our September 2010 issue. I've been invested in one story in particular, our annual feature on the "Coolest Small Towns in America," and I couldn't be more excited about how it's turning out. What's made this story really exceptional—from all the other gazillions I've ever worked on—is how impressively engaged you, our readers, have been from the get-go. Last year, when we asked you to nominate your favorite towns in the country with a population of less than 10,000, you answered with 147 intriguing, enticing picks. Our editorial team had a tough time narrowing that list down, but managed to select 20 contenders. From there, we asked you to pick your favorite, and the response was through the roof. We received a whopping 439,411 online votes. Our September issue will reveal the winners. Over the past month, I've gotten the chance to talk with some residents from each of our top picks, and one thing has really struck me: Every single local I've talked to—from the chef who recently moved to Bandon, Ore., to the mayor of Cuero, Tex.—all of them are utterly, entirely convinced that their tiny town is the best in the country, if not the whole world. That kind of enthusiasm is contagious, and now, my roster of dream trips has shifted from the far-flung and exotic (Patagonia can wait) to the tiny, three-stoplight towns across the U.S. I'm already eyeing a free Saturday this summer to take the hourlong train ride from Manhattan up to Nyack, N.Y., to go antiquing, and my next weekend-long escape from the city is very likely going to be to Ely, Minn., to take a canoe trip in its North Woods backyard and go pub-hopping in town afterward. The race has already begun for our 2011 "America's Coolest Small Towns" contest. I, for one, know I'll be watching the nominations closely—I'm eager to get more travel ideas!

There's a reason river-cruise bookings have spiked by more than 20 percent each year since 2001: Unlike on mega ships, you typically won't find surprise fees tacked onto your bill when you sail on these small vessels. Riding this wave of popularity, Avalon Waterways is adding four ships—Affinity, Creativity, Luminary, and Felicity—to its European fleet. On May 9, the Affinity starts its maiden voyage in Holland. avalonwaterways.com, six-day trips from $1,699. —Geraldine Campbell, from the May 2009 issue of Budget Travel