San Francisco: 5 walking tours

Researcher Daniel Gilbert is one of the world's foremost authorities on how ordinary people can learn to make smarter decisions. He studies decision-making in lots of different situations. But the first paragraph of this new profile of Gilbert in Harvard Magazine has relevance to travelers in particular. Your parents recommend taking a Caribbean cruise and tell you about a discount deal. You've never taken a cruise and aren't so sure you'd enjoy it, so you dig up some information on the Web and even watch a couple of videos. You recollect the times you've been on ships, and your past visits to Caribbean islands—rum drinks, aqua waters. But will you really enjoy an eight-day cruise? Turns out there is a better way to answer this question: ask anyone who has just gotten off a cruise boat—a total stranger is fine. That way, you'll be 30 to 60 percent more likely to accurately predict your own experience than by basing your decision on painstaking research and inner speculations. Another traveler's verdict is "a useful guide because we are far more similar to each other than we realize." A key part of the cruise example is that you need to ask people who have just gotten off a ship. According to Gilbert's study (published in a recent issue of the journal Science), the other traveler's experience must be recent. "People are very poor at remembering how happy they were," Gilbert says. "So it's not very useful to ask, 'How much did you like something you experienced last year?' People get most questions about happiness wrong. But there is one question they get right: how happy are you right now?" This research may sound counter-intuitive to some people, though it certainly explains the popularity of user-review sites like TripAdvisor. What do you think? Will you ask a stranger (or friend or family member) who's just back from a destination whether you should go there? Or will you make up your own mind? MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL Get Psyched! Even storm clouds and crying babies can't dim the glow of a getaway if you follow these sometimes-counterintuitive strategies—based on scientific research. MORE ON DANIEL GILBERT'S RESEARCH Read the blog for his book Stumbling on Happiness

The world's most famous graffiti artist since Basquiat, Banksy, launched his first feature film this past weekend. "Exit Through the Gift Shop" is premiering at cinemas throughout London and the U.K. before launching overseas. The artist made his name on the streets of London and his graffiti remain daubed on walls from Camden to Croydon. But there's far more to London street art than Banksy. Many of London's graffiti crew see the Bristol-born, middle-class artist as an imposter. Along the Regent's Canal in the north London borough of Camden his work has been defaced by another cult graffiti artist Robbo, angry at Banksy artist painting on what he has long regarded as his patch. London's street art—arising out of an illegal and often destructive hobby—is some of the most creative and vibrant in the world. And whilst some borough councils (a.k.a. local government officials) paint over graffiti almost as soon as it appears, others leave the quality daubs, or even positively encourage their creation. Hotspots include Camden, Hoxton, and Whitechapel. Look out for Banksy's little boy fishing on Regent's Canal in Camden (22 yards east of Camden market, subway Camden Town), and his painter apparently inscribing the name of a rival artist, Robbo, 300 yards east of the market. In Hoxton (nearest subway, Old Street) take a stroll down Rivington street and around to see the distinctive shop shutter work of graf stalwart Eine, with huge cryptic letters and single words in corporate brand iconography. Hundreds of artists have painted nearby streets, especially Brick Lane in Whitechapel. Perhaps the most exciting new street artists are the Cut up Collective, who dismantle giant advertising hoardings in whole or part and re-assemble them as mosaic pictures—of hooded teenagers, urban landscapes, alienated children… You can even find street art indoors. Mainstream galleries throughout London have begun to showcase street artists, most famously the Tate Modern in 2008 , which invited "graffers" the world over to cover its iconic brick walls with their images. You can catch Banksy's new movie in his own-self created space (for a week only)—a makeshift theater in amongst the street scrawl and under the dripping railway arches in Waterloo. Full details of showings are on banksy.co.uk. Bring a warm coat. TRAILER FOR THE MOVIE: MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL Check out our London page

Since 2007, the macaron—the elegant, diminutive, and quintessentially French dessert cookie—has been sold at Paris McCafés, the mini-McDonald's where you can also find free wireless internet and coffee served in porcelain cups. But a recent marketing campaign from the fast-food giant has brought new attention (and disdain) from macaron aficionados, who argue that these "little macs" bear little resemblance to the delicate treat they adore. That's because an authentic macaron, made of whipped egg whites, ground almonds and sugar, has a shorter shelf life than is demanded by an industrial food franchise, so the classic ingredients have been tinkered with. Phyllis Flick, a local food writer, visited a McCafé last week and posted this critique on her blog The Paris Notebook: "I stopped by the McCafé at the Louvre today and tried the caramel; it wasn't bad, but a bit too heavy and sweet for my taste." Since that visit, Flick has returned again to Pierre Hermé,one of the local pilgrimage sites for true macaron fans. Her experience there put the McDonald's macaron in stark and unflattering relief. She explained by telephone today that, "the Pierre Hermé macarons are subtle, delicate, and meant to be savored. You have to eat them slowly so as not to miss the many intricate flavors. I worried that some of them, like the (green tea) matcha and sesame or the strawberry and balsamic, might be overpowering, but in fact they were delicate, light and airy, and absolutely delicious. By contrast, the McDonald's macaron tasted like sugar. It was chewy and heavy, almost the opposite, unfortunately." It's true that the McDonald's macaron is cheaper than you'll find at Pierre Hermé. A single industrial cookie costs $1.22, while the handcrafted treat from Hermé costs $2.15. For true macaron nuts, however, two dollars isn't too much to pay for a bite of authentic artisanal tradition. A real macaron, as Flick points out, is "one of the few luxuries that everyone can afford." To try a McMacaron, visit: McDonald's McCafé 140 avenue des Champs-Elysées in the 8th arrondissement, 5 avenue du Général Leclerc in the 14th arrondissement. There's also the one inside the Louvre. For some of the best macarons in Paris, visit: Pierre Hermé – 72 rue Bonaparte in the 6th arrondissement, 4 rue Cambon in the 1st arrondissement, and185 rue de Vaugirard in the 15th arrondissement. Ladurée – 21 rue Bonaparte in the 6th arrondissement, 16 rue Royale in the 8th arrondissement, and 75 avenue des Champs Elysées in the 8th arrondissement. So, where are you headed? Would you try a macaron from McDonald's? FOR FURTHER READING: The Wall Street Journal – Mon Dieu! Will Newfound Popularity Spoil the Dainty Macaron? Serious Eats – Interview With Macaron Specialist Dorie Greenspan Slate – How McDonald's Conquered France

Women's Day Italy celebrates the annual Festa della Donna on March 8 with discounts for ladies at bars, clubs, cinemas, and some restaurants. Over the weekend of March 6-7, all state-run museums and archaeological sites let women in for free. The Casa Internazionale delle Donne sponsors free exhibits, film screenings, and dance performances at Campo de' Fiori on March 7, from 11 a.m. to sunset. And don't be surprised if you see women across the city with mimosas, yellow puffy flowers on stalks that are traditionally bestowed by men (glorified rag weed, if you ask me). "Our World" photo exhibit Take a break from Rome's ancient glories to contemplate the modern human condition at the free National Geographic "Our World" exhibit at the Palazzo delle Esposizione. Ninety photographs are organized in a progression (kids, women, men, group) meant to highlight both our differences and similarities. via Milano 13, open Tues-Thurs and Sun 10a.m.-8p.m., Fri-Sat 10a.m.-10:30p.m., through May 2. Organic food fair La Citta' dell'Altra Economia, an organic food collective inside former slaughterhouse grounds in Testaccio, hosts its monthly fair on Sunday, March 21. Known as Altradomenica, the fair encompasses stalls selling locally grown produce, activities for children, and lectures. The marketplace is free and open 10 a.m. until sunset; enter at Largo Dino Frisullo. While you're in the neighborhood of Testaccio, you might stop to see statuary at Centrale Montemartini. Ara Pacis in its true colors The Ara Pacis—Emperor Augustus's Altar of Peace—will stay open after hours over the weekend of March 26-28. Visitors can see a multimedia exhibit devoted to singer-songwriter Fabrizio De André and another exhibit, "L'Ara Pacis in Color". Color will be projected onto the monument to recreate what it would have looked like when painted during ancient times. Evening visits March 26-28 from 8-11 p.m.; €9 ($12). Landscapes of the American West Museo di Roma in the medieval neighborhood of Trastevere is the unlikely site of an exhibit on the American West. American photographer Stephen Shore snapped the images for "Biographical Landscape" during his cross-country journeys from 1969 to 1979. Piazza S. Egidio 1B, Tuesday to Sunday 10am-8pm (last entrance 7pm) through April 25; €5.50 ($7.50).