Texas: Travel is booming

A smart bookstore just north of Union Square recently became my new go-to spot for all things travel- and literature-related. From the street, the only hint is a huge illuminated globe in Idlewild Bookstore's window, but walk up the stairs and you'll find a selection that caters to exactly what us travelers want. David Del Vecchio opened Idlewild over the summer, and word's definitely spreading around Manhattan. A former United Nations press officer, David named his shop after the original name for New York International Airport, which, in 1963, was renamed JFK. The genius behind Idlewild is its shelving system: books are organized by destination, so it's like a one-stop shop for your next trip. The store sells more than 5,000 books covering more than 150 countries. Let's say you're headed to Paris. On the France shelves, you'll find everything from the big-name guidebooks to lesser-known guides that chain bookstores don't even stock. Guidebooks share shelf space with novels, non-fiction, and maps. They've got titles cover everything you'd ever wanted to learn about the City of Light: books on the best brasseries, patisseries, markets, the best quiet corners of Paris. Then there's Ernest Hemingway and Julia Childs next to Eloise in Paris. The same applies to anyplace you're thinking of visiting—they've got sections for all 7 continents. The wanderlust-inspiring shop has something for everyone. If you're a New Yorker, drop in, take a seat, and fantasize (or start planning) your next trip. Just visiting the city? Check out the extensive New York shelves, with everything from Not For Tourist books on all five boroughs to guides to the Hamptons. Idlewild's also got international cookbooks, globes, maps, bags, inflatable neck pillows…. My only immediate travel plans are to head home for the holidays. I sure didn't need a guidebook, but today I picked up a neoprene iPod sleeve with super-cute Sukie graphics. The best part: Everything in the store goes on sale this Sunday (11/23). For one day only, you'll get 20 percent off books and 40 percent off travel accessories. You heard it from BT first. Idlewild Books, 12 West 19th St., New York, 212/414-8888, idlewildbooks.com

The National Museum of American History reopened today after a two-year, $85 million renovation. In a noteworthy move, Barack Obama has already been added to the Presidential Gallery prior to his inauguration. As part of the opening festivities, former Secretary of State Colin Powell read Lincoln's Gettysburg Address this morning, and President Bush led a re-dedication ceremony on Wednesday. Responding in part to a critical review of its organization in a 2002 blue-ribbon commission report, the museum has tidied up with new display walls and brightened up with a sunlit five-story atrium. The Star-Spangled Banner—the now fragile flag that inspired the national anthem at the Battle of Baltimore in 1814—received special attention, with its own climate-controlled display case, Francis Scott Key's lyrics are projected behind it. A touchscreen device tells the history. Located in the National Mall, the museum houses a wide range of artifacts that you won't always find in a textbook. Exhibitions display Dorothy's red slippers, an 1865 telescope made by the nation's first female astronomer, the Greensboro lunch counter made famous by civil rights activists, a century's worth of metal lunch boxes, and a car from Disneyland's Dumbo ride. The museum has basically everything interesting in American culture including the kitchen sink (which Julia Child donated, along with the rest of her Cambridge, Mass. TV shows set). The Washington Post has a full review of the revamped space. 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W., free, americanhistory.si.edu RELATED Smithsonian had a good article in its latest issue about the Star-Spangled Banner and its restoration. EARLIER Airports Debut New Runways in Chicago, D.C., and Seattle

A visit to New York—one of the most expensive cities in the country—might not seem wise in the current economic climate, but maybe this will help: We know of a hotel where you can pay less than $100 per night. Are the rooms big and plush? Well, no. They're tiny, and most guests share a communal bathroom. But they're stylish, clean, and have more high-tech amenities than some hotels that cost three times as much. The Jane Hotel The West Village location is a whole lot cooler than midtown, where most of the city's hotels are, and the newly restored 1907 building has a heck of a lot more character. The $99 rooms each have a single bed with built-in drawers, a luggage rack, free Wi-Fi, a phone with voicemail, an LCD television, a DVD player, and an iPod docking station. Sixty rooms are currently open, and the remaining 140 will open in the New Year. If you're feeling flush, you can go for one of the 30 queen rooms, most of which will have their own bathrooms (rates haven't been set yet, but will probably be in the mid-$200s). In February, a ballroom bar and breakfast venue will open (breakfast will be included in the $99), and in the summer, look for a rooftop bar and basement pool. 113 Jane Street, 212/924-6700, thejanenyc.com. MORE GREAT HOTELS New York City at a Price That's Right 2008 We found eight affordable hotels, including The Pod Hotel in Midtown East where a room with bunk beds starts at $89 per night. Rooms have iPod docking stations, LCD televisions, free Wi-Fi, telephone with voicemail, in-room safes, closets, and a table and chair. Larger rooms, some with private bathrooms, start at $109. Check out the full list of hotels…