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As a photo editor, I never thought very highly about the custom photo books available online. When I looked into them, the books felt cheap, or the image quality wasn't any good. For me to go through the trouble of making a photo book, I wanted to be sure I'd have a finished product that I'd want to display on my coffee table, and pick up and thumb through. Then, over the past year, photographers started submitting a whole new class of professional-looking books of their work from a company called Blurb. The finished volumes were so good-looking that I had to make one for myself. So after a trip to Ethiopia and Zanzibar with my wife and some friends, I pooled together my images, downloaded the free software, and got to work. I was impressed that: 1. The software was easy to use. The templates were there, yet they were completely customizable if I wanted to change them myself. 2. If you use the Blurb Color Profile, the print quality is stunning. This function allows you to adjust each individual image to get the best color reproduction. (If you take the images directly from your camera without doing any sort of tweaking, quite often the images will look flat and not as saturated when they print.) 3. The finished book felt sturdy and professional. 4. I had the option to go with better paper. Premium paper's important because it helps to prevent bleed through (where you see the faint outline of the image that is printed on the other side of the page.) 5. They have a lot of different pricing options, and I could go big or small with my book. Prices range from $12.95 (for a softcover with 20-40 pages) to $119.95 (for hardcover with 160 pages) 6. I can share my book (the finished version's a 13" x 11" hardback with a jacket cover and 160 pages of premium luster paper) with people via a free online slideshow. How cool is that? The results were so impressive that when we gave a copy to my wife's parents, they said, "Oh, a book on Ethiopia," mistaking it for something we picked up from Barnes & Noble. When they saw our names on the cover, they burst into tears. So now the book's not only proudly displayed on our coffee table, it's also got pride of place on theirs. You guys are such avid travel photographers, I just had to share. So what do you think of the finished result?

As an amateur (but enthusiastic) art buff, I've been following the development of the brand-new Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in Charlotte, N.C. The museum opened in January and just recently mounted its first major themed exhibition: School of Paris: European Abstraction Post World War II. The museum's collection is made up of a 1,400-piece donation from the Bechtlers, a Swiss family of patrons—including local resident Andreas Bechtler—who developed personal relationships with some of their favorite artists, like Alberto Giacometti. Spanning 70 years of the family's collecting efforts, the works were donated to Charlotte so the city could open a museum. Because the collection was originally a private one, much of the art hasn't ever been on public view in the U.S., including works by Warhol, Picasso, and Degas—a neat fact that has gained the museum accolades. The new School of Paris exhibit has more than 60 pieces by eight artists, including paintings, drawings, and prints, all created in the 1940s to 60s. The School of Paris is a term used to describe the group of modern artists who lived and worked in Paris in the mid-20th century, though the group at the Bechtler includes names that are lesser-known in the U.S.: Alberto Magnelli, Gustave Singier, and Nicolas de Stael. If all those foreign names overwhelm, be sure to get the free audio guide when you begin your viewing. As part of the new exhibition, which runs through Jan. 3, 2011, the museum is hosting a few special events, like French films on every Monday in November and concerts, including an Edith Piaf tribute in October. Closing time is usually 5 p.m., but on the first and third Fridays of the month, the museum stays open until 9. Admission is $8 per person, and that includes the School of Paris exhibit. Also new to Charlotte is the Nascar Hall of Fame, which opened in May. Because, really, why not pair an afternoon of high art with a tour of American engine-gunning ingenuity?

Here in San Francisco, we love a good pop-up restaurant. At pop-ups, chefs temporarily take over other restaurant's kitchens, often for a standing, one-night-a-week gig. The low overhead and ephemeral nature of the set-up allows seasoned chefs to experiment, up-and-coming chefs a way to make a name for themselves, and diners a chance to experience something new. Not surprisingly, the San Francisco pop-ups stress organic and local products and eclectic international menus. Even though news about pop-up is normally spread only by word-of-mouth, these spots draw crowds of devoted local foodies. Here are three popular San Francisco spots to try out: Mission Chinese Food Operating out of an existing chinese hole-in-the-wall—like a restaurant within a restaurant—Mission Chinese Food is a modern, pan-asian venture started by some of San Francisco's most popular serial pop-up restaurant entrepreneurs. Their changing menu features items like Tiger salad with pea shoots, seaweed and fresh coriander ($7), black cod fried rice with chinese sausage ($10), and slow cooked char siu pork belly with mu shu vegtables and ginger scallion noodles ($9). Every day 11:00 am–10:30 pm. Noon to 10 pm Sundays. 415 863-2800, Lung Shan Restaurant, 2234 Mission Street. Eat-in, take-out, and delivery. Ken Ken Ramen Look for the red lantern marking the otherwise sign-less pop-up restaurant Ken Ken Ramen. Instead of a styrofoam cup filled with bland broth, here the noodle soups are jam-packed with delicacies like day-long soaked eggs, shredded pork shoulder, fresh vegtables and noodles handmade in Japantown. Plans to expand the menu to include homemade gyoza and cha-yan, a type of Chinese fried rice, are in the works. 3115 22nd street near Capp. Check their twitter feed @ KenKenRamen for updates. Mondays, starting at 6 pm. Hapa Ramen Ramen fans will also want to check out one of the many Hapa Ramen pop-ups created by Richie Nakano, the sous chef at rustic foodie favorite Nopa, which are sprouting all over town. Besides an intense broth, their organic ramen gets a boost from braised pork shoulder, fried chicken, slow cooked eggs and seasonal vegetables from farms like Dirty Girl and Star Route in Marin. You can find outposts at the Ferry Building on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Off the Grid night in Fort Mason starting at 5pm, and starting September 6th, at Bar Tartine every Monday for dinner from 6-10pm. Expect a long wait: their much anticipated debut night this summer had crowds waiting for up to four hours. For updates and locations, keep an eye on their website and twitter feed @HapaRamen. $8–$12. EAT Chef Tommy Halvorson's idea behind the popular pop-up EAT events was to "provide a way for people to socialize, hang-out [and] eat at a bar but not eat bar food." The menu is an innovative take on California farm-to-table cuisine with entrees like eggplant and fennel Fritto Misto ($8), pork belly tacos with corn custard, succotash, and tarragon ($7), and nectarine cobbler ($6). EAT at 111 Minna takes place the 1st Wednesday of the month; drinks start 5pm and food starts 6pm, 111 Minna St. at 2nd and Mission, 415/ 974-1719. They also set up shop at the Ambassador on the 3rd Wednesday of the month, from 6-10pm, 673 Geary St. at Leavenworth, 415) 563-8192.

It seems like every industry is getting its own flash-sale site—where deep discounts are offered on a limited basis online—and now restaurants, too, are getting a taste of the action. Last week, I read about the burgeoning trend on the New York Times' "Bits" blog, highlighting a new entry, Village Vines, that includes discounts on your bill (after you pay $10 for a reservation): "VillageVines is one of many companies that are changing the way that local businesses market themselves to customers. Restaurants, for instance, can also offer various members-only, limited-time deals through BlackboardEats.com, Gilt City, Groupon, and Yelp, among others." I spent a little time surveying the field to put together a hit list of some of my favorite flash-sale food sites. After all, next time you take a trip, why not have a sweet coupon (and reservation) all squared away to maximize the quality of your mealtime? Here are some of their—and my—favorites: Groupon.com What it offers: daily discounts (from health club memberships to restaurant coupons) in 85 North-American cities and 29 countries, occasionally featuring restaurants. How it works: the deal is only activated if a certain number of people sign up. Sample deal: save $20 on $40 of dinner and drinks at the Rosedale Diner in Toronto. Village Vines.com What it offers: discounts of up to 30% off at over 100 restaurants in New York and more than 20 each in Chicago, D.C., Los Angeles, and San Francisco. How it works: deal seekers use VillageVines to make a reservation at a listed restaurant, pay $10 to secure a table (usually 30 percent off the bill), and the discount is applied to the bill at the end of the meal. Sample restaurants: Public, Le Cirque, Berimbau, and Double Crown in New York. Black Board Eats.com What it offers: up to 30 percent off select restaurant bills or equivalent items in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and online. There's also a "Side Dish" sidebar that announces other food deals around town. How it works: Subscribers are sent an email with deals lasting about a month. You can then redeem the code for your deal of choice at the listed restaurant. Sample restaurants: in San Francisco, Barbacco Eno Trattoria, and Little Star; in Los Angeles, Locanda Positano, and Reservoir. Gilt City.com What it offers: weekly sales (including restaurant deals, home services, and more) in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San Francisco. How it works: readers select their city and browse the various offers available in their city that week. Sample restaurants: in New York, Strip House; in Los Angeles, Culina Modern Italian. Buy With Me.com What it offers: daily discounts (from spa coupons to restaurant deals) of 50-90 percent at local businesses in the U.S. How it works: each deal requires a minimum number of people to sign up to activate the deal. Interested users join a group and can share the deal with others. If the minimum number is met, members are charged for the deal and sent an e-voucher. Sample restaurants: Padre Figlio in New York and Uppercrust in Boston. What about you? Have you used any of these sites for dining? And how would you rate them on value/ease?