Rome: Take an Angels & Demons themed walking tour

These are some of the interesting items we found around the Web this week. The Smithsonian Institution is banking on a summer blockbuster—if the popcorn movie Night at the Museum 2 does well, the institute could gain more than $1 million. [AP via Yahoo News]. Seattle's Hotel Max: Who wouldn't love bright-pink signage and a hip location? [HotelChatter]. New maps of NYC for bikers and history buffs, including a free walking tour of George Washington's New York [NewYorkology]. One columnist's new idea for airline security? Forgo it completely. [Gadling]. Orbitz launches OpenCuba.org, to petition the U.S. for travel rights in the country. [Chicagoist]. A "twitique," if you will: One road-tripper twitters her trip and lives to write a critique. [WorldHum].

Two "design" hostels have opened in Paris within the past year. Trying to shed the granola image of yesteryear, both promise contemporary comforts with rates starting at just €30 ($40) per night. St. Christopher's Inn settled in last summer along the Bassin de la Villette and claimed to be the most modern hostel in Paris. Occupying a brand new building on the water, this hostel certainly has location going for it. The picture outside their window includes houseboats and groups of French people are playing pétanque along the banks of the canal. The Inn also has Belushi’s pub downstairs for those who don’t dare leave the backpacker bubble. As for the amenities, you can book a private double from €40 ($53) per person in the high season, or sleep in dormitory of 6-8 people for €29-36 ($39–48). Breakfast is included, and the hostel offers €6 ($8) backpacker meals every night at 7 p.m. Guest can get online at their Internet café or by connecting to free Wi-Fi throughout the hostel. Linens are provided, but (lest you forget this is a hostel) you'll have to bring your own towel (159 rue de Crimée, 19th arrondissement, 011-33/1-40-34-34-40). The most recent opening is Oops down in the city’s southern hemisphere. Philippe Maidenberg's interior, with bold splashes of color throughout the hostel, has already been written up in a Japanese design mag. These dorm rooms are less spacious than at St. Christopher's, but are similarly cheap—€30 ($40) per person in a four-room dorm, or €80 (about $105) for a private double (price per room). The price includes free breakfast, free Internet access, and free linens. User reviews on other sites have raised some concerns about security, which is a drag. I can't confirm or deny these reports (here and here), but wouldn't want to leave my own iPod lying around. I guess some things at hostels—even the fancy new design variety—never change (50 avenue des Gobelins, 13th arrondissement, 011-33/1-47-07-47-00). MORE Insider's Paris: The top sidewalk cafés The New Boutique Hostel

Airlines least likely to lose luggage. The low-cost providers lead the pack. [forbes.com] Five ways passengers are getting even with cruise lines. The best way to thwart fees? Just say no. [cnn.com/travel] In Denmark, the police give out bike helmets and hugs. As this video shows, Denmark loves its bikers who wear helmets. Really loves 'em. [treehugger.com] See the financial crisis on this unusual Wall Street tour. A new 90-minute tour led by a one-time insider details the shadow banking system and other mishaps on the Street. [Gadling] Five Places: Walk in the shoes of Bigfoot. The Bigfoot Discovery Museum in Felton, Calif., and four other places you could spot the Sasquatch (or just a nice souvenir stand). [Sfgate.com]

Many of us would like to learn a foreign language, but we don't want to make time for it. Like many Budget Travel readers, I compromise by trying to learn at least a few relevant foreign phrases before I take a trip abroad. I practice saying "please," "thank you," and "pardon me" in the native language. "Where is the bathroom?" is also useful. So far, I can also say "It's a lovely day" in Russian and curse pretty well in Spanish. There are tools to help you learn the basics of foreign languages, like a PDA loaded with a dictionary, and ICOON, a book of 76 pages of pictures of things such as different foods, a toothbrush, and a T-shirt. But if you don't want to avoid learning a language and you do want to get beyond "please," there's a new free tool you might enjoy: learn10.com. Basically, the site gives you 10 words a day in any of 20 languages, including French, Czech, Korean, and Welsh. English is the second most popular, after Spanish. You receive your 10-word list via e-mail or Twitter feed. (For example, here’s a link to the Russian page on Twitter: twitter.com/learnrussian.) You can have your vocab posted to your Facebook page, too. At the website you can click to hear how the words are pronounced—you can hear one word a day for free; for more than that, you need to set up premium account for $10 per month. Be warned: There will be a test! Well, only if you click the Test button. You didn't have that kind of choice in high school. Another nice feature is the Directory button, which displays a list of other online resources for learning your chosen language.