A resource for traditional shops in Florence

Reader Zoe writes: Whenever anyone writes about Costa Rica they're usually referring to the west coast or the string of volcanoes. But I reckon the best place in Costa Rica is the little publicized Caribbean coast—untouched by mass tourism, no big resorts or group tourism, beaches that rival anything the 'traditional Caribbean' has to offer—and all without a hefty price tag.… I know—I live here! Puerto Viejo de Talamanca is a charming village stuffed with great restaurants, atmospheric bars, spectacular beaches and huge tracts of pristine rainforest. Whoever wants an affordable holiday with everything the Caribbean rainforest and coast have to offer will find it here…waking to howler monkeys, spotting toucans from your breakfast table, surfing/swimming/snorkelling in azure seas dotted with fishing pelicans, sloths sleeping on branches, morpho butterflies fluttering past…and so the list goes on. This is Nature in big letters! Put that together with a mass of different activities on offer (Horseback jungle tours, zip lining through the canopy,dolphin watching and deep sea fishing, chocolate tours, indigenous settlements, white water rafting to name just a few) and it's the most gorgeous holiday destination. And since it's a short drive from the Panama border it's also a great place to combine with a trip to Bocas del Torro…if you can tear yourself away from Puerto Viejo that is. But keep it to yourself—mainstream tourism has not arrived in Puerto Viejo yet—make sure you do before it does! MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL Which Costa Rica Is Right For You? Award-winning travel writer Christopher Baker offers tips on how to find the part of Costa Rica that will most interest you.

New Yorkers are looking forward to the June opening of the High Line Sky Park—a green space built atop an abandoned west side railway and the subject of a recent video series on the Sundance Channel. The inspiration for this most-cool of projects came from across the ocean, something called the Promenade Plantée. The "planted path" of Paris winds in a southeasterly direction through the city's 12th arrondissement, from the Bastille to the edges of the Bois de Vincennes. An old industrial rail line that fell out of service in the late 1960s, it was a dead zone for decades before being reborn as a new kind of public park. The first three miles of this landscaped path are elevated and feel blissfully removed from the rest of the city. At a height of several stories above the sidewalk, the Promenade's cherry trees, wisteria and rose bushes (mostly) block the sound of traffic down below. You won't find a lot of tourists here—just locals enjoying a quiet corner of their city. Its green benches are a magnet for Parisians who come to read, eat lunch, and kiss.The brick arcades below this elevated portion have also been transformed into a series of galleries and workshops called the Viaduct des Arts. Stairs leading down to ground level allow you to peek (and drool) through the windows of these 45 studios. The Viaduc Café sits among these and is a nice place to stop for something to drink (43 avenue Daumesnil). If you're hungry, however, you're better off making a detour four blocks north and eating around the Marché d'Aligre. The elevated portion dips to ground level around the Jardin de Reuilly, but the path continues on to the border of the Bois de Vincennes. A perfect summer day in my mind might start with a sack of pastries from the nearby Blé Sucre (7 rue Antoine Vollon), nibbled slowly while heading on foot along the Promenade Plantée to a free Paris Jazz Festival concert (insert link from Top Five Free in June) in the Bois de Vincennes. A whole day of sweetness for less than ten bucks… who says Paris is expensive? [Note: The spelling of Viaduc has been corrected from the original version of this post.] MORE More on Affordable Paris, from our ex-pat blogger in Paris

Kelsey Timmerman, author of Where Am I Wearing, didn't need much of an excuse to travel—an old T-shirt was all it took for him to set off on a trip to Honduras, in search of the people who made it. Timmerman ended up traveling through Bangladesh, Cambodia, and China. We picked his brain for a little advice. For more info, check out his website. Q: Tell us about your book. How were you inspired to write it? A: I had this T-shirt with Tattoo from the TV show Fantasy Island on it. Remember Tattoo? He was the short fella that would holler, "De Plane! De Plane!" Anyhow, around Tattoo's smiling mug was the phrase, "Follow Me To My Tropical Paradise." I was curious where Tattoo's tropical paradise was. I looked at the tag; it read Made in Honduras. I thought: What if I went to the countries where my clothes were made and met the people who made them? Where was I wearing? I thought I should know a little something about the people who make our clothes. I piled up my favorite items of clothing on the floor, checked the tags, and hit the road. Q: What's your best tip for travelers going to foreign countries—like really foreign countries? A: Trust someone you meet, but be weary of anyone who approaches offering help. Q: How do you make sure you're experiencing a place as a local would? A: That's easy. Experience a place with a local by your side. Make friends. Go to the local university and just start chatting up students. They're usually pretty open to talking with a foreigner. And play. I always travel with a Frisbee. I'm like the international ambassador for Ultimate Frisbee. Nothing bridges the language gap like the universal language of play. Some of the best local friends that I've made are the result of games of cricket, soccer, and baseball. Q: Did you discover any locations you'd like to go back to? A: I loved Bangladesh. The people there are some of the most genuinely friendly folks I've ever met. I treated 19 kids and an old man to a day at an amusement park, celebrated the Bengali New Year with supermodel Bibi Russell, and took a three-day trip on a paddleboat south of Dhaka. I would like to go back and hang out with the friends I made, make some new ones, and do other things that don't involve underwear factories. Q: So what do you wear when you travel, and has that changed since you wrote this book? A: I would prefer to wear shorts, a T-shirt, and flip-flops, but find that folks in places like Bangladesh and Cambodia, regardless of how sweltering the heat, wear long pants and collared shirts. Since I'm often doing things like setting up interviews or going undercover as an underwear buyer, I follow suit. I'm a big fan of Patagonia. In their catalog and on their website they list where all of their products are made and even have a feature on their site called the Footprint Chronicles that follows a product from field to factory.

Open-air music festivals let you see dozens of your favorite bands for a single ticket. The booming attendance numbers for Austin City Limits, Bonnaroo, Coachella, and Lollapalooza have, in turn, spawned a wave of other outdoor events. Here are five newcomers, listed in their order of appearance this summer. Rothbury, Mich. Six miles from Lake Michigan, the scenic Double JJ Ranch hosts the second annual Rothbury Festival. Bob Dylan, the Dead, and Willie Nelson take center stage, while smaller acts such as the Black Crowes, Cold War Kids, and Guster round out a slew of jam bands. July 2–5; advance weekend pass $250; two-day Saturday/Sunday pass $152, rothburyfestival.com. Cavendish, Prince Edward Island, Canada Country mainstays like Tim McGraw, Reba McEntire, and Big&Rich; have large followings in the South, but this summer they're heading up north for the first annual Cavendish Beach Festival, where they'll be joined by Canadian stars like Paul Brandt and smaller bluegrass acts like the Grass Mountain Hobos. July 10–12; three-day pass $174; $54 Friday; $73 each Saturday and Sunday, cavendishbeachmusic.com. Commerce City, Colo. Denver-natives the Fray will play their hometown for the second Mile High Music Festival, which will take over 18 soccer fields in a park just outside the capital city. They'll share stages with dozens of other musicians, such as Widespread Panic, India.Arie, and Matt Nathanson. Tool will perform live for the first time in two years. July 18–19; two-day pass $162.50; single day $90, milehighmusicfestival.com. Jersey City, N.J. All Points West Music & Arts Festival's three stages in Liberty State Park have views of the Manhattan skyline, the Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island. A big hit on its debut last year, the festival aims for an even better second year. Beastie Boys, Tool, and Coldplay headline three nights of more than 65 artists. July 31–August 2, 3-day pass $199; single day $89, apwfestival.com. San Francisco, Calif. Sixty-four acts took over Golden Gate Park last year at the inaugural Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival, and it's back this August with a killer lineup, including Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band, M.I.A., Jason Mraz, and the Black Eyed Peas. August 28–30; advance 3-day tickets $225.50; regular three-day is TBD, sfoutsidelands.com. EARLIER 3 bold new summer thrills for '09 Video Quest: Dive in the natural waterfall where Jason Mraz filmed his hit video