Tel Aviv's birthday party is coming to New York City

Catalina Island, 22 miles off the coast of Southern California, plays host to thousands of flying fish every May through September. To celebrate these finned friends, the island is throwing the second annual Flying Fish Festival this weekend. Festivities begin Thursday and last through Sunday, with lots of family-friendly fare. The schedule includes a street fair with theater performances, a professional sand sculpture display, touch tanks with local specimens, and all kinds of competitions: a kayak relay race, a sling shot competition, and peddle boat races. The four-day feat is capped off with a parade on Sunday. If you want to get up close to the flying fish, take a nighttime boat tour. The fish, which can soar 30 feet in the air for distances up to a fourth of a mile, are often seen best in the dark, lured by lights from the boat. Catalina Island, at 76 square miles, is a summer vacation destination for Californians. Fun fact: William Wrigley Jr. (of chewing gum fame) bought the island in 1919 sight unseen—based on reports of how lovely it is. With rocky hills and blue waters, Catalina has an almost Mediterranean feel. Visit catalinachamber.com or call 866/772-9592 for more info. Most activities free. Boat tours are $21 for adults and $16 for kids; reservations recommended.

Opening this summer: America's highest glass ledge, the world's fastest roller coaster, and the world's longest zipline. America's Highest SkydeckImagine walking on air—1,353 feet high that is. Well, starting in June, you'll be able to do just that at Sears Tower (soon to be re-named Willis Tower) in Chicago. In a few weeks, the tallest building in the U.S. will debut The Ledge, a set of sturdy glass boxes extending more than 4 feet from the Skydeck on the 103rd floor. Admission to The Ledge is included in the price for a General Admission ticket for the Skydeck, which is open year-round, including holidays. For the best shot at beating the crowds, go after 5 p.m. and buy your ticket online, says a representative. Summer hours are from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. (Summer tickets cost $15 for adults and $10.50 for kids ages 3-11 without the audio tour, The Ledge, 233 S. Wacker Drive, Chicago, 312/875-9696) —David Cumming The World's Fastest Roller Coaster Opening this July in Nürburg, in central Germany: The Ring Racer, a monster that can high-tail it to 135 mph in under three seconds. The coaster is near Nürburgring, an auto racetrack that has long been considered one of the world's toughest (Jackie Stewart famously called it "The Green Hell"), but its new Ring Racer coaster, slated to open in July, promises to give you that Formula 1 feeling without the hazards of spinouts, diesel fumes, or cranky pit crewmembers. Once it opens, it will take home the trophy for fastest roller coaster in the world (nosing out its nearest competitor, previous record holder Kingda Ka, at Six Flags in New Jersey, by about 6 mph). When the crazy 75-second ride is over, you'll be pulling up parallel to the track's actual Grand Prix finish line. Take that, Ricky Bobby. (adults about $26, nuerburgring.de, 011-49/2691-3020) —Mike Iveson The World's Longest Zip Line Fly across the sheer cliffs of Eagle Canyon with Thunder Bay's new zip line—the longest in the world. The zip line, which opens in June, spans a half mile across the center of the canyon. Visitors must pay an entrance fee as well as extra for the zip line. The park is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week, and from mid-April to mid-November. Pricing is not yet available for the new zip line, according to park managers. (eaglecanyonadventures.ca, 275 Valley Road, Dorion, Ontario, 807/857-1475) —David Cumming EARLIER How to see a space shuttle launch live

Some of our favorite items from around the Web this week: One couple finds enlightenment on a journey around the Buddhist Circuit, four sacred sites in southern Nepal and northern India. [The New York Times] Mexico's rough few months—financial crisis, drug violence, and swine flu—means deals for travelers through this summer and fall. [CNN] Taking the kids on a vacation this summer? Check out this list of kid-friendly travel gear. [Gadling] The world's first five-star hotel beside a Formula One racetrack is nearing the finish line in Dubai (where else?). [HotelChatter] Henry Moore at the Atlanta Botanical Garden: The largest outdoor display of the British sculptor's work in the U.S., with 20 sculptures. [Design Public] For more travel blogs, go to Alltop.

Naturally, when Budget Travel heard that a new hotel was opening up in a great location in the heart of midtown New York, we were curious about it. But as soon as we found out that it is offering hip rooms for as little as $99 a night (for a short-term promotional rate), we had to check it out in person. Like three other Ace Hotels in Portland, Seattle, and Palm Springs, the Ace Hotel in Manhattan aims to embody the historical vibe of its building and neighborhood. The lobby shows off the original, key-pattern mosaic flooring of the restored 1904 building. Its east wall is covered in a collage of old stickers and graffiti tags from 90s street culture. A working photo booth sits directly under the collage, adjacent to the lounge, which has plaid colored chairs and cow-skin rugs. Overall, the lobby successfully blends punk music, local canvas and Japanese art, and a strange assortment of birds taxidermies. Ace is offering twin-size Bunk Bed rooms, recommended for two, starting at a special introductory rate of $99 per person. These include private bathrooms and a black concert roadie case turned refrigerator. The price will eventually go up to $169. For between $169 and $219, Standard and Cheap rooms offer queen or full-size beds. In these, you can play a custom Epiphone acoustic guitar or spin some vinyl records on a set of turntables. (Don't worry, you don't have to tote your own records around town. They provide some.) There are 258* rooms styled in various ways by local and international artists. Rooms come with private bathrooms and generally feature views of the NoMad neighborhood or the Empire State Building. The rooms also are equipped with free wireless Internet and a Philips flat screen TV. You can also gain access to four computer lab rooms, one on about every other floor. The hotel is home to Stumptown Coffee Roasters—the famous coffeeshop of Portland, Ore., which has chosen to open its first NYC branch on-site at the hotel. The hotel also houses the new Le Breslin restaurant. Finally, with the lobby bar serving the community from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m., Ace Hotel leaves you a feeling a bit more stylist than when you walked in. 20 W. 29th Street, New York, NY, 10001, 212/679-2222. —David Cumming MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL 7 New York City hotels at a price that's right *Editor's note, May 22: We incorrectly reported the number of rooms the first time. There are 258 rooms at the Ace Hotel in New York City, and 58 different styles of decoration. We regret the error.