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Lately, whenever I open my facebook account, scores of photographed meals beckon invitingly from photo albums with such "creative" titles as "Food," or "Delicious Food," or "Yummy Delicious Food." Facebook and Flickr, among others, seem to promote food worship with (aptly named) groups like I Ate This and Natural Cooking Food Photography Club. if (WIDGETBOX) WIDGETBOX.renderWidget('335bb7f4-6067-4e83-ab17-c0ac8de39740');Get the Poll Creator Pro widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox! Not seeing a widget? (More info)Indeed, hundreds if not thousands of websites and blogs (one favorite: parlafood) are devoted to photographing food. Food porn—that is the glamorized styling of food—is very big right now. According to the New Yorker "The point is to get very close to what you are filming, so close that you can see an ingredient's "pores" (you should believe the dish is in your living room). Travel shows like No Reservations and Bizarre Foods are dedicated to the glorification of food. Even travel blogs dedicated to showcasing meals seem to be popping up left and right with a goal of taking you on the road, one juicy mango-and-lamb shawarma at a time. There are food photography courses, food photography fan clubs, and food photography books. We document everything from our gourmet cooking feats to our romantic candlelit meals to our adventurous culinary trysts. Traveling in particular seems to warrant the immortalization of meals. I even see this in the small Austrian restaurant in the West Village where I wait tables. At times the cameras are discreet—iPhones and blackberries disguised as texting tools—and at others they are ostentatious digital numbers that capture every crumb. But what is it about food that makes us want to snap photographs like there's no tomorrow? The French philosopher Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin said, "Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are." By that token, perhaps in photographing our food we are creating a history of where we have been; a timeline of who we are over the years captured in meals. Foods we eat while traveling mark adventurous and daring periods in our lives. Our culinary battles at home indicate a nurturing, protective era, while our expensive restaurants dinners mark those special, once-in-a-lifetime events. But even if this is so, I'm guessing who sees the photos has a lot more to do with it. Eating is such a social affair, that bragging about the food we eat seems like a natural extension of the communal dining experience. Or maybe it's just easier than ever to take photos at meals now that every practically phone comes equipped with a digital camera? What do you think? Do you photograph your food when traveling? At home? Why? Are you sick of seeing food photos or do you lust for more? — Madeline Grimes MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL: How to Take Better Food Photos Food Photography Advice from a Food Photographer The World's Best Street Food

Wednesday is the hardest day of the week. It's closer to the weekend than Monday, but Saturday and Sunday seem so far away after two days in the office. That's why it's prime time for daydreaming about your next vacation. Each Wednesday we ask our Twitter followers where they would rather be (#WishfulWednesday). Your responses have inspired us so much that we decided to compile a slideshow of all of the places you're crushing on. In some cases we were even able to suggest a deal to help you get there! From Vieques, Puerto Rico (shown here) to Kerala, India—join us on a photo tour of the places where you'd rather be right now. Are you on Twitter? Follow us: @BudgetTravel MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL Revealed: Nation's best coffee shops How far should the DOT go to protect travelers? Katrina, BP: New Orleans is back

When people think of visiting Los Angeles or New York, cycling down the Hollywood Hills or riding through Chelsea aren't usually the first images that come to mind (exploring Venice and Santa Monica in a rental, or hailing a cab for some Soho shopping might be more like it). But urban sightseeing by bike, long popular in cycle-friendly cities in Europe, is starting to gain traction stateside with a new bike tour company in Los Angeles. and a complete overhaul of New York's bike lane network (thank you, Bloomberg). Bikes and Hikes LA is a new eco-friendly bike and hike sightseeing company, founded last September, that offers tourists and Angelinos the chance to get out of their cars and that notorious Los Angeles traffic, and see the city's great outdoors while getting a good workout. if (WIDGETBOX) WIDGETBOX.renderWidget('a35edad0-e195-4680-a76a-4a0a70cc51bc');Get the Poll Creator Pro widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox! Not seeing a widget? (More info)Founder and Owner Danny Roman said he was tired of hearing visitors complain about the traffic or the inability to be outdoors. So, after exploring the city's potential cycling and trekking trails, Roman developed seven different itineraries to show people L.A.'s other, lesser-know side, a network of bikeable and hikeable urban and nature tours, guided either by himself or one of several tour leaders. The tours range from $78 per person for one of the three-hour rides ($67 per person for groups of four or more), up to $134 per person for the six-hour "L.A. in a day" ride ($114 for groups of four or more), or $175 per person for the six-hour bike and sail tour ($145 for groups of four or more). The tours include a Beverly Hills celebrity home tour, a Hollywood Hills hike at sundown, a Mulholland Drive hike and bike tour and full day tour from the city to the beaches. Roman doesn't mess around either, encouraging hikers and bikers to push themselves on uphill stretches, all the while pointing out landmarks and dropping local trivia like "this is where Marilyn Monroe lost her virginity" (hint: it took place somewhere along the Mullholand Drive hike and bike tour). Roman is hoping to expand Bikes and Hikes to several other cities in the coming months, including to New York and San Francisco. In the meantime, New York is also rebranding itself as a more bike-friendly metropolis with the city working towards an ambitious goal of having 1,800 miles of bikes lanes by the year 2030, installing 50 miles of bike lanes each year. Love the plan or hate it (perhaps surprisingly, it has come under attack by opponents crying that the bikes lanes are having an adverse effect on traffic, among other things), it is getting easier to get around the city by bike, and consequently the Soho Grand hotel in New York is partnering with Bowery Lane Bicycles this summer to offer guests cruisers to explore the city on. What about you? Would you bike around Los Angeles, New York or other U.S. cities? Let us know by voting in our poll or commenting below. More from Budget Travel: Bicycle Tours Get Off The Stationary Bike And Actually Go Somewhere! A Fresh Take on Los Angeles A Tour of New York's Best Street Food

Those lucky enough to be in the Cape Cod area this week should hit the coast to view one of the rarest creatures on earth. In an aerial survey on Tuesday, researchers counted more than 100 individual right whales, with a preliminary count of more than 200 total. Officials estimate that this number represents a little less than half of the known North Atlantic right whale population. As an adult, the right whale, one of the rarest types of baleen whales, measures 45 to 55 feet in length and weighs up to ninety tons. It has been listed as an endangered species since 1970. The whales are attracted to the waters off the southern coast of Massachusetts because they are particularly rich in zooplankton (tiny organisms that the whales feed on) this year. A survey of zooplankton earlier in the week suggests that the whales will continue to congregate in the area for several more days, possibly even a week. The whales can be seen from the shore, and are as close as a few yards offshore to about a quarter-mile out. As a result of the whale feeding frenzy, the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries has issued a warning for boaters to avoid the animals. It's against federal law for a vessel to get within 500 yards of them. Boats in the Cape Cod Bay area are advised to proceed with caution, reduce speed (less than 10 knots), and post lookouts to avoid collisions with the enormous mammals. The advisory will be lifted when the whales leave the area. Collisions with vessels are the major cause of human-induced mortality for the right whale. The whales, which practice surface and subsurface feeding, are often difficult to see, and in the past this has led to fatal injuries from collisions with boats. Anyone interested in seeing the whales can do so just by walking on the beach. The whales are gathered around Race Point, but also can been seen down to Long Point in Provincetown and inside to Truro. For more information on Right Whales, visit the Right Whale Conservation Program. — Madeline Grimes MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL: 10 Natural Wonders to See Before They Disappear 14 Weird Animals You Can Travel to See Cape Cod Uncrowded