A few good links: Stripping naked for Aer Lingus

By Budget Travel
October 3, 2012
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Courtesy <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/60011841@N00/2280305531/" target="_blank">atalou/Flickr</a>

Hundreds strip 'naked' to win free Aer Lingus flights Participants got "strategically placed shamrocks" to cover up a bit. What is it with Irish airlines? [Telegraph]

Ryanair offers cash reward if you invent their next fee. And we thought the paying to pee was just a publicity stunt. [upgrade: travel better]

Take five native New Yorkers… The Guardian asks for (and critiques) five locals' advice on hanging out in the city.

Immigration Explorer A county-by-county map shows the origins of first-generation immigrants . [New York Times]

Fear of Flying Completely non-actionable advice for making it into the air. [Morning News]

Scoring a Restaurant Table Online OpenTable.com, Restaurant.com, and a host of others. [Wall Street Journal]

Australia Says 'Mayday, Mayday, We'll Pay You To Visit Us'. A proposal that the Aussie government pay for your flight. [Jaunted]

Sears Tower to be renamed Willis Tower. The nation's tallest building has a new name, but will anyone use it? [Chicago Sun-Times]

Man sues American Airlines for revoking his lifetime travel pass. He paid $250,000 20 years ago for lifetime first-class seats. [Gadling]

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Inspiration

Slimming down the lunch bill at Paris restaurants

A long and luxurious lunch is sometimes just what the doctor ordered. Other days demand a quick bite on the run. Between the splurge and the sandwich lies the average d&eacute;jeuner, running &euro;10&ndash;25 at most places. Keep to the low end of that scale by steering away from touristy joints and by following some of these tr&egrave;s fran&ccedil;ais lunch tips. &bull; Skip the soda. French people rarely drink the stuff, and almost never touch it during meals. It's usually expensive, around &euro;4 ($5.20) for a small iceless glass that doesn't come with a refill. Do as the locals do and order un carafe d'eau. This pitcher of tap water is free and, contrary to reputation, even more popular than wine at lunchtime. You may have to ask your server twice, always following this with s'il vous pla&icirc;t. &bull; Order less food. I felt obliged, when I first started dining in Paris restaurants, to order the full three courses (entr&eacute;e-plat-dessert) at every meal. Later I realized that the locals were tailoring the formula to fit their midday hunger: a starter + main, a main + dessert, or just simply the plat du jour. The money and calories that you save will serve you well later on at the p&acirc;tisserie. &bull; Tip like a Frenchman. As a former waitress, it took me a long time to shake the habit of overtipping in Paris restaurants. I knew that French waiters made a real salary (unlike their American counterparts, who earn only half the minimum wage), but I still felt cheap in only leaving small change. Nevertheless, locals leave no more than &euro;1&ndash;2 per person for a typical lunch. Most often, a &euro;2 coin is perfectly acceptable for two people. So keep some change handy: You'll be saving money and following local custom at the same time.

Inspiration

Questions for an editor going to Rome?

I'm leaving in a week for Rome, where I'll be checking out some new affordable places to stay, tackling the Vatican in an afternoon, and searching for my own local favorites. I've got my questions, but I'm wondering what you would like to know about Rome? Maybe it's something about getting around the city, Roman etiquette, or non-touristy lunch spots. Now's your chance to ask, and I'll see what I can fit in.

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Readers' best Ireland photos

We asked, and you came through with gorgeous photos of Ireland's emerald countryside, craggy coastlines, majestic castles, cities like Dublin and Cork&mdash;and even marching bagpipers in Waterford's St. Patrick's Day Parade. See the photos here. And Happy St. Patty's!

Inspiration

Speakeasy Paris: The underground restaurant scene

The modern speakeasy is no longer a smoky den of ill repute. It's simply a haven for those who like their gastronomy just a little bit under the radar. Underground restaurants have been popping up in recent years around the world, most notably in San Francisco, Buenos Aires, and Berlin. In Paris, the two speakeasies that have caused the most buzz both happen to be run by Americans. Hidden KitchenTwo young American cooks arrived in Paris last year with the dream of hosting a short-term series of speakeasy-style dinners. Calling their project a "dinner club" in order to avoid regulation, Braden and Laura quickly became the talk of the local food scene. Mainstream journalists followed bloggers, and Hidden Kitchen soon became one of the city's most sought-after reservations. I scored my own seat by making a reservation at their web site, hkmenus.com. Confirmation came immediately, along with a series of ground rules: The menu would offer no choices, but I could alert them to any strong preferences. The location would be disclosed by email shortly before the date. My only hesitation was over the price&mdash;a "suggested donation" of &euro;80 ($100) per person. That's more than I usually spend, but this was a special occasion (my boyfriend's birthday), and the price included wine pairings for each of the ten dinner courses. Also included in that price was the fun of meeting some really interesting people. We shared a large table with a cast of cookbook authors, film people, and in-the-know travelers. English was the common language diners used to express their excitement over Braden and Laura's stunning central apartment and (of course) the food. On this night, that food included mackerel with red and white grape salad, seared tuna with sweet and sour broad beans, a modern take on bangers and mash, meltingly good posole with buttermilk onion rings, and pear bread pudding, among other dishes. Plates were small and artfully arranged, and each was paired with its own special wine. The conversation flowed as easily as the drinks, so much so that I was surprised when the clock struck midnight. Espresso and homemade petits fours gave me the strength I needed to leave, all the while resolving to come back again. Aux Chiens Lunatiques I've been dying to eat at the "crazy dogs' place" for years, especially since the publication of chef David Tanis's long-awaited cookbook, A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes. This is a man who, after working for 20 years at Chez Panisse, convinced Alice Waters to grant him six months' leave every winter so that he could escape to Paris. During these winter months, he and partner Randal Breski, formerly a ma&icirc;tre d' at Chez Panisse, run an underground and irregular dinner club. In fact, dinners at Aux Chiens Lunatiques are occasional in the extreme, and unlike the Hidden Kitchen's easy-to-navigate website and quick response time, Aux Chiens' system is opaque and tough to sort out&hellip; I suppose it's a lot more like a real speakeasy in that respect. While I'm waiting for my reservation, I'd love to hear in the comments if any of you have had the pleasure of actually eating there. MORE Covert Cuisine: Underground restaurants Our Affordable Paris series