London: Bringing back the red double-decker buses

The Brooklyn Flea Market is an outdoor favorite for New Yorkers in the summer. But in the winter? Fuhgetaboutit. Lucky for you shivering deal-seekers out there, the Brooklyn Flea is moving indoors. The Dumbo Winter Pop-Up market opens this Saturday. You can expect crowds of people looking for vintage and antique items. The list of 25 vendors will rotate each week (see the full list here), but you can expect items like antique doorknobs and mirrors from Olde Good Things, funky dresses from Jellyroll Vintage, and precious jewelry from Blue Canary Vintage. Dumbo (or "down under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass") is a former industrial area and port town that's now a hip hotspot (think condos and cute restaurants). The Pop-Up market's storefront space is close to a gorgeous park under the Brooklyn Bridge. The area's Saturday forecast? Rain/snow showers and 37 degrees Fahrenheit. But it'll be dry and toasty indoors. Free (unless, of course, you buy something). 76 Front St., Brooklyn. Saturdays and Sundays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., through Mar. 29. MORE Read more about the market on nymag.com And Gothamist PREVIOUSLY The Telectroscope lets Brooklyn see London New York City: Hertz starts "pay as you go" car rentals Exclusive: New York's holiday windows Go to alltop.com for more travel blogs.

American shoppers in France will be able to breathe more easily this month, when governmentally mandated biannual sales come to help them forget that their currency is in the toilet. Discounts of 30% (and often more) will descend when les soldes open officially in Paris on January 7. These will deepen as the weeks progress, reaching 50% after a few weeks and finishing with 70% off just before the sales close on February 10. There is, of course, a downside. Paris shops will be cramped and crazy during the first few days of the sale—a nightmare to all but the most battle-hardened shoppers. Those who take spending seriously have scouted their items in advance. Indeed, nights just before the sales are among the busiest of the year. Shoppers try on items, make notes, and hide their hopes at the back of the rack. They arrive on opening day promptly at 8 am, grab their stuff, and race to the register. By noon most shops have been thoroughly picked over, and experienced veterans all long gone. I've done my share of shopping recon over the years. I've tried on dresses in three sizes so that I could make a quick decision if some other hussy snagged my ideal. I've hidden shirts beneath shirts at the back of the rack. I've placed purses on the high shelf, out of reach for the average parisienne. It's sordid and exhausting and all part of the fun. Or at least it was. I recently learned that the discounts also apply at shops that sell products online. So I may be doing les soldes this year at home in my pajamas, leaving more elbow room for you. If you're planning to be in Paris during the sales, there's a new city-sponsored gimmick to help empty out your wallet. To hype the sales, the Office of Tourism has prepared The Shopping Book—a slick promotional guide with hundreds of good addresses. Stores are sifted into sections like classique and bobo-chic, and the shopping info is complemented with practical info and restaurant recommendations. One of the most valuable sections is hidden away: In the back is a list of designer discount stores and outlets. You can download a copy of the free bilingual guide here, or pick it up in glossy form at one of the city's welcome centers. The guide is also handy outside of sale season, simply because it maps those areas with a concentration of interesting shops.

Readers pack in nominees for overrated destinations A follow-up from the LAT's own list of places, which included Paris. [Los Angeles Times] Cruise towel creatures USA Today's slide show of those towel animals that cruise-line staff are always making. Dollar goes a long way on winter trip to Iceland Fun fact: "sales of horse meat—cheaper than beef—have been rising with the bad economy. [Yahoo] Intelligent Traveler's Guide to Inaugural Washington National Geographic Traveler's blog gives some tips on its own backyard. Airlines we lost in 2008 ATA, Skybus, Eos, Silverjet… Glastonbury hippies claim local Wi-Fi network is damaging their "ley lines" Is it the Wi-Fi, or just an excess of Facebook? [Gadling] One town that won't let you down Finding a good time in Chicago. [Chicago Tribune]

Sheraton has launched a health program at four U.S. hotels, with plans to expand it to their 406 properties worldwide throughout 2009. It's the most impressive fitness-for-travelers program we've seen at any major hotel chain. Collaborating with professional sports training company Core Performance, Sheraton Fitness has installed pristine new gyms with treadmills, ellipticals, and weight machines at hotels in San Francisco, Phoenix, Seattle, and Woodbury, Minn. Each fitness center displays illustrated instructions for travel-specific workouts—ranging from the 30-minute Jet Lag Buster (which guides you through balances with balls and stretches with rope) to the 60-minute Road Warrior (which tacks on free weights and cardio)—so you can make the most of the equipment. If you prefer more privacy, you can order a bag containing a workout mat, foam rolls, stretch rope, and massage stick to your room at no charge. Don't know how to use them? The bag also includes workout cards. Plus, guests can check out free 30-minute video routines on in-room TVs. The program also extends to food. On-site restaurants will now serve healthy options, such as a scrambled egg white and turkey wrap and a portobello burger, which can all be delivered right to your door. Crashing with the family? Anyone can download four complimentary 20 or 30–minute workouts designed to fit into your travel schedule at sheratonfitness.com. Here are starting rates right now for the first hotels to provide this innovation: Sheraton Phoenix Downtown $219 Sheraton Seattle (1400 6th Avenue) $179 Sheraton Fisherman’s Wharf $159 Sheraton St. Paul Woodbury $139