Sidewalk cafes heat up in NYC

I'm just back from Chicago Midway airport, and I almost went insane while waiting for a friend's flight to land, because every five seconds (I counted) there's an announcement saying, "Caution! The moving walkway is ending." (Anyone too dumb to figure out when the moving walkway is ending might just deserve what he gets.) I generally am so happy to be walking while in an airport--versus waiting in a line or being sitting cramped on a plane--that I tend to skip the walkways, unless I can't see where it ends, and then I figure it's probably a good idea to get onboard. But what really cracks me up--and I saw this at Midway--is when a walkway isn't moving, and yet people still walk on it. What are we, sheep?

I got a call this morning from a reader (who wishes to remain nameless!) from Kansas City. When she read the Editor's Letter in the October issue, she got concerned. I had written about my delicious little pug, Howard, and how hard I found traveling with him. She wanted to make sure I knew that pugs can't stand heat, and gave me two travel tips. You'll have to read the second half of this post to find out what they are. In the meantime, if you have any tips for traveling with pets, please send them to letters@budgettravel.com (with "pet travel" in the subject line). Or post them as comments! Her first tip was to fill a two-liter bottle with water, then freeze it. Then, when you're going somewhere warm, put it in your dog's case or at least near your dog. It'll help keep him cool, and he can lick the condensation. (This is particularly valid for dogs with squished noses, such as pugs and bulldogs.) Her second tip: Always put a luggage tag--with your and your vet's contact info on it--on the dog's kennel or carrying case. If, heaven forbid, you get in a car accident or something, and you have to be taken to the hospital, the authorities will have your vet's info. RELATED: Expert Advice on How to Keep Your Dog's Tail Wagging While on a Trip. Meet the New Member of My Family.

Bob Sehlinger, author of The Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas, answers your questions about Sin City tomorrow at 12 ET. Submit your question now. RELATED: A Girlfriend Getaways trip planner for Las Vegas.

This week, Boston's Logan airport finally gets a cell-phone parking lot—a parking lot where drivers picking up arriving passengers can wait for the passengers to call and tell them when they've landed. When New York's JFK airport added a cell-phone parking lot this summer, Erik Torkells blogged about the trend: "If your local airport doesn't have one of these lots, you should absolutely email them and ask why not. It means fewer cars clogging up airport roads, and cleaner air to boot. (The self-promoter in me needs to point out that cell-phone parking lots are one of the topics Brad Tuttle and I cover in How to Travel Now.)"