Is Flying Really Safer Than Ever?

While doing story research for an upcoming piece about this year's latest and greatest mind-blowing theme park attractions—keep your eyes peeled later this month—I came across this video announcement from Busch Gardens Tampa Bay about a new thrill ride called Falcon's Fury due to open in the spring of 2014. In what will be the first ride of its kind, Falcoln's Fury will lift riders 335 feet straight up above the park before dropping them to the ground at an incredible 60 miles per hour. Sure, it may sound like your typical drop-tower ride, but the twist is, you'll be falling fast at a 90-degree angle, giving you a face-down, birds-eye view of everything as you drop. The new ride will be 100 feet taller than SheiKra, the park's current terrifying face-down thrill ride, and personally, the scariest, yet most amazing roller coaster I've ever been on. I had never been a roller coaster person—a particularly frightening ride on the Ghost Rider at Knotts Berry Farm had essentially scarred me as a young child—and it had taken me quite some time before I dared to attempt another enormous coaster ride. Luckily, our family moved to the Tampa Bay area during my high school and college years, and one day I gathered up enough courage to let my friends officially drag me onto Montu, another steel coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. After one ride, I was absolutely hooked. We went on Montu and Kumba every chance we got, and eventually worked my way up to a ride on SkeiKra, the ride pictured above that takes you up 200 feet, eases into a 90-degree angle, and drops you straight down at 70 miles per hour into a looping roller coaster. If that's not a thrill ride, I don't know what is. We want to know: what's the scariest thrill ride you've ever been on? Are you an adrenaline junkie who seeks out the biggest and most exciting thrill rides, or do you prefer classic wooden roller coasters and calmer rides? Tell us about it below!

Whether you go for shacks or top shelf, you probably agree that summer and seafood go together like a hammock and a sizzlin' read. Put a seafood joint next to a perfect beach, by the shores of a quiet creek, or hugging the end of a historic wharf and you've got the kind of place you'll dream about all winter. We need your help! Tell us about your favorite waterfront restaurant and we may include it in a future Budget Travel story. Here, to get the beach ball boppin', my highly subjective, by-no-means-scientific short list of fabulous American seafood joints by the water. Yeah, two of my picks are in Maine and one is in the Bronx—you got a problem with that? Santa Barbara Shellfish Company. At the end of the wharf with views of the Pacific and fresh locally caught seafood, this is the place you want to be at the end of a SoCal day (230 Stearns Wharf, Santa Barbara, Calif., sbfishhouse.com, Dungeness crab Louie $17.95). Johnny's Famous Reef Restaurant. Look, I grew up in the Bronx and there's no way I can leave the amazing City Island (the "Nantucket of the Bronx") off this list and still hold my head high. Johnny's is at the tip of the island with views of Long Island Sound and knockout fried lobster tails, chowder, and even frogs' legs (2 City Island Ave., Bronx, N.Y., johnnysreefrestaurant.com, fried lobster tails $27). The Lobster Shack at Two Lights. Located on what Budget Travel has called one of New England's "other" capes—Cape Elizabeth—this is the place to grab a classic New England lobster roll and a bowl of chowder by the ocean (225 Two Lights Rd, Cape Elizabeth, Maine, lobstershacktwolights.com, lobster roll market price). LuLu's. On Alabama's Intracoastal Waterway, Lulu's is a Gulf Coast riff on the seaside seafood shack with cold beer, great burgers, and local seafood (200 East 25th Avenue, Gulf Shores, Ala., lulusathomeport.com, shrimp basket $16.99). Cantler's Riverside Inn. On Mill Creek, near Annapolis City Dock, Cantler's specializes in—what else?—Maryland crabs (458 Forest Beach Rd., Annapolis, Md., cantlers.com, fried crab cakes $25).

It's not too late to get involved with One Run For Boston, an epic three-week long 3,300 mile run from L.A. to Boston through 14 U.S. states that started Friday, June 7th, and will come to an end this Sunday, June 30th. So far the group, which started as three enthusiastic runners from the U.K. and has since grown to more than 2,000 runners, has raised more than $71,000 for those who were impacted by the Boston bombings that took place on April 15th. While the run is drawing to a close this weekend, you can still sign up to participate its the final stages—a five-mile dash around Central Park in New York City on Saturday and the finale run through Boston on Sunday—640 runners have already signed up for the last leg, an eight-mile journey from Newton to Boston Common. Can't make it to the event? You can follow the runners' progress on the website's live tracker, view photos from the ground via the live photo gallery, or help support the cause by making a donation. We want to know: have you ever participated in something like this, a cross-country run (or road trip) through several states either for your own personal enrichment or in support of a worthy cause? Share your story below.

June might be almost over, but there is still plenty of summer fun to be had! Here are three festivals coming up before the end of the month that deserve to be on your travel radar. The Hawaiian Airlines Liberty Challenge Outrigger Canoe Race and FestivalIf you happen to be in the New York City area Saturday, June 22nd, stop by Pier 26 at Hudson River Park in Tribeca for a unique chance to experience Hawaiian culture in the Big Apple. Catch a glimpse of the Hawaiian Airlines Liberty Challenge, a 15-mile outrigger canoe race around the southern tips of Manhattan and Brooklyn and around New York Harbor. The race starts at 7:30 a.m. from Pier 26 and features teams from all over the world, including one made of Hawaiian Airlines employees (pictured). You can view the race from any of the stations along the route—Pier 62, Pier 66, Pier 26, and Pier 1 in Brooklyn—and enjoy performances by Hawaiian and Polynesian musicians, dancers, and storytellers at Pier 26 in Hudson River Park. The festival takes place Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and you can learn how to make your own Hawaiian lei, take a hula lesson, or if you're over the age of 14, try a 90-minute paddling lesson (from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. or 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.) courtesy of New York Outrigger—all free of charge. The International Festival of Arts & IdeasAlthough this festival has been going on since June 15th, it's still worth mentioning since it runs through June 29th. The 15-day long International Festival of Arts & Ideas takes place in New Haven, Connecticut, and attracts more than 100,000 art lovers from around the world each year. The best part: 80 percent of the events are free and open to the public. Come for 14 lectures and stimulating conversations about things like Shakespeare plays and foodie trends, see cross-cultural dance and music showcases, and catch free family-friendly musical performances during the week and on weekend afternoons. Walking tours, bike tours, and a number of dance, acting, puppetry, and photography master classes and workshops are also available free of charge. The Jersey Shore Wine FestivalAs you may have heard—perhaps from a little birdie at Budget Travel—the Jersey Shore is open for business this summer. Come celebrate New Jersey's best wineries with the two-day Jersey Shore Wine Festival on the historic Atlantic City Boardwalk June 29th and 30th, in front of the Tropicana. You'll get great views of the Atlantic and the chance to sample more than 200 wines while listening to live music along the Boardwalk. Tickets can be purchased online—$15 per person before the Festival, and $20 per person at the gate including a complimentary souvenir wine glass—and a portion of the proceeds will go to the Boys & Girls Club of Atlantic City, so if nothing else, drink wine all weekend, you know, for the kids!