Argentina's Evita is Celebrated in New York

Budget Travelers rejoice! Accor hotels, a major international chain, has just eliminated fees for WiFi at 500 of their hotels, The Telegraph reported last week. That's certainly refreshing news considering that some of the largest hotel chains in the U.S. have been contemplating charging more for Internet lately. According to USA Today, hotels that currently offer WiFi for free—including Wyndham and Ramada—are toying with the idea of giving guests the chance to upgrade to higher bandwidth internet for a fee (lower bandwidth service will still be available for free). Marriott International Hotels already offers a tiered connection service. The hotels claim that more customers are using data, which is driving up their prices—hence the need to pass on the charge. Still, it's always struck me as odd that the more you pay for a hotel room, the more likely you are to be charged for WiFi. W Hotels, for example, has rates that start at $499 per night* and charges $14.95 a day for Internet—and that's not even per room—that's per device! Four Points by Sheraton, on the other hand, has rooms starting at $339 per night* and gives away its internet for free. Interestingly, both of these brands are owned by the same parent company—Starwood. It makes me wonder if the theory is that guests who are willing to pay more for a room are willing to pay more for everything. Before I book a hotel, I always ask if Internet is included and if it's not, it makes me think twice about staying there. I'll bite the bullet if I'm getting a great deal on the nightly rate or it's a hotel I've been crushing on for a while (yes, I do harbor hotel crushes). What about you? Do you think about Internet charges before you book a hotel? And, more importantly, would you be willing pay more for a faster Internet connection when you're traveling for fun? In the meantime, a nod to the chains that still offer complimentary WiFi: La Quinta Inns, Four Points by Sheraton, Peninsula Hotels, and now, of course, Accor. *Prices are based on a weekend in October in a midtown Manhattan property for both brands. SEE MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL: Do You Book Last-Minute Travel? Is It Time to Start Using a Travel Agent Again? 8 New Websites That Will Help You Find the Perfect Hotel

I’ve never accepted the notion that summer ends on Labor Day. Yeah, the kids are back in school and the highways and commuter trains are crowded with folks back from the shore. But the official beginning of fall—the equinox—isn’t until September 22 this year. And for some reason I have to remind everyone I know every year that September temperatures around the U.S. average in the 70s. That means you’ve still got at least a few weeks to make the season last. My family has a tradition of grabbing as many long weekends in September and October as possible. We’ll make one–tank escapes from our home in New York’s Hudson Valley to pay one or two more visits to the newly deserted beaches of Long Island’s east end and the still–warm waters of mountain lakes in the Catskills. Our spontaneous jaunts aren’t just to prove a point—they’re a chance for us to shake off some of the cares of the new school year and savor the mild temperatures and ever–shortening hours of daylight. My elementary–school–age daughters have even talked me out of my curious habit of taking them to the Central Park Zoo on the hottest day in July—now we opt for a breezy September Saturday when crowds are smaller and ice cream cones don’t melt before the first lick. (And if I can get the girls to stroll north from the zoo just a few blocks, I can even stretch that day trip to include a stop on Fifth Avenue’s Museum Mile.) What are your favorite September and October weekend getaways? Any tips for those of us who might want to follow in your footsteps? We’d love to hear your ideas! —Robert Firpo–Cappiello MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL 33 Most Beautiful Places In America 12 Family Trips Budget Travel Editors Love 11 National Parks That Budget Travel Editors Love

What’s it like to spend a year driving around the country in a 27–foot Oscar Mayer Wienermobile? We interviewed driver Reese Brammell to find out. Q: Can you tell me your name? RB: Reese Brammell, but in the hot–dogger game, we go by aliases. I’m “Reese with Relish.” You’d be “Mustard Marc.” Q: What made you want to tour the country in a humongous hot dog? RB: I was in my senior year of college, and I realized I wanted to take a break to travel. I googled “fun things to do after graduation” and stumbled upon a blog that mentioned that the Wienermobile hires drivers every year. It was 3 A.M., and I immediately cranked out a cover letter telling them I’d “relish” the opportunity and here’s my “beefed–up” résumé. Q: What’s it like to drive a hot dog? RB: You feel like you’re in a parade. People always wave and honk—you have to get used to it. The first week on the job I thought people driving by were mad at me all the time. Q: It must be a nightmare to park. RB: We always travel with a partner, so if we ever have to do crazy maneuvering, one of us can get out and direct. We’re very careful not to scratch our buns. Q: How much do you hate the Oscar Mayer wiener jingle? RB: We have speakers on the outside that play the jingle all the time. Inside, we have our own radio. We have a nice little hot–dogger exchange, where we give each other CDs. If we’re going to a certain region, I like to make a mix of songs that apply to it. Driving out to California, I made a Beach Boys/West Coast rap mix. Going down to Georgia, I made a country album. It makes a long drive more fun! Q: What have you learned on the road that may help other travelers? RB: Online tools are fine, but the best advice comes from people who volunteer it themselves, the people who say: “Are you all locals? No? Oh my God—here’s what you have to do!” Q: Have you picked up any unusual regional hot dog recipes? RB: I went to the Carolinas, and I was eating a lot of coleslaw with barbecue. Someone asked me, “You know what we put on our hot dogs here?” I was joking: “Oh, I don’t know...coleslaw?!” And they said, “How’d you know?!” In Louisiana, they put on chili and cheese and crunch onions over the top. One little kid told me he put peanut butter and jelly on his hot dog. I think he might’ve been pulling my leg. MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL Confessions of a Cruise Ship Musician Confessions of a Flight Attendant Confessions of a National Park Ranger

I've already shared my 7 tips for visiting Rome. Now it's time for Venice, one of the world's most romantic cities. (See the 14 Venetian scenes our photographers love the most.) Invest in a multiple–day water transit pass to save money on canal rides If only we had realized this sooner. Instead of paying about $9 USD per ride in on the vaporetto—just think of it as a floating public city bus that travels up and down the Grand Canal—we should have purchased a tourist water transit pass. Options include about $24 for 12 hours of unlimited rides, $26 for 24 hours, and $33 for 36 hours. Definitely a mental note for next time. Not only will the taxis get you where you want to be, but you'll also be riding up and down the scenic Grand Canal (don't forget to have your camera ready). Save money with free attractions and prix fixe dinner specials Not everything in Venice costs money. You can view San Marco Square in all it's glory (along with thousands of other tourists), snap photos of the outside of the Doge's Palace and Bridge of Sighs, where prisoners would sigh as they took their last view of Venice before being marched to their cells. You can also brave the line at St. Mark's Basilica—just make sure your shoulders and knees are covered as modesty is key in Italian churches—and view beautiful mosaics, statues, and other works of art for free inside. As we wandered through the tiny winding streets of Venice around Piazza San Marco, we came across a lot of small, family owned restaurants with prix fixe signs advertising lunch and dinner specials. We chose to try Trattoria Alla Scala and paid about $25 per person for a delicious four–course meal. Be prepared for a beautiful, yet crowded, experience Unfortunately, you are not the only tourists in Venice. It may seem like everywhere you go is full of people, especially between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. when cruise ships pull in and take their passengers on shore excursions to the museums within the Piazza San Marco. If you feel like the crowds are too much, take a break from it all at the Giardinetti Reali, or Royal Gardens, and still be a few steps from Piazza San Marco. We stumbled upon this vast, open flower–filled space by accident when we took a wrong turn between the San Marco vaporetto stop and the Piazza. It was pretty empty, apart from a few Italian speakers who were having lunch in the park, and unbelievably quiet considering it was just around the corner from the tourist–filled Piazza San Marco. Don't be afraid to ask for directions We stayed at Hotel Caneva, a bed and breakfast type of place within walking distance of the Piazza San Marco, and just across the way from the house where Casanova once lived and loved. Unfortunately for us, it was tucked in the back of one of Venice's small canal–side alleyways and we found ourselves asking local shopkeepers for directions in our best attempt at Italian. One person even pulled out a map and drew on it so we would know where to go. It was our first hour in Italy and we were already impressed with how friendly and helpful the people were. Embrace all the challenges Venice presents Our hotel room was right along the canal, something we quickly learned was both a blessing and a curse—we loved hearing the gondaliers singing as they passed by our room throughout the day (similar to what's shown in this YouTube video), but could also hear the boats passing down the waterway at night when we tried to sleep, a different, but noisy experience. Be ready for anything in Venice.