What's Cookin' in Music City?

As the commercials said, all bad things must come to an end. Breaking Bad may have ended, but we've got three ways fans of the show can still get their fix. If you're lucky enough to be anywhere near Albuquerque, N.M., where nearly the entire series has been filmed, catch a ride on The BaD Tour by the Albuquerque Trolley Company, a 3.5 hour open-air joyride that covers 38 miles and 13 main locations from the show including the exteriors of Walter White, Jesse Pinkman, and Gus's houses, the car wash and laundry facilities that act as the meth-maker's storefronts, Tuco's headquarters, the ever-shady Crossroads Motel, and the infamous railroad tracks. To top it all off, you'll get a complimentary drink during a stop at Twisters Grill, the restaurant that doubles as Los Pollos Hermanos on the show. Tickets cost $65 per person including taxes and leave from Hotel Albuquerque at 800 Rio Grande Blvd NW in Old Town. Check website for available dates and to purchase tickets online. Please note that the tour is rated 'R' because of the show's dark subject matter and may not be appropriate for children. If you're short on time or if tickets happen to sell out due to the tour's popularity, the Albuquerque Trolley Company also offers an 85-minute long Best of ABQ City Tour, featuring a peek at several major sites from the show like Jesse Pinkman's house and Hank's DEA office during a fun trip through Historic Old Town, Museum Row, Nob Hill, the University of New Mexico, the historic Barelas neighborhood, and along Historic Route 66. Tickets cost $25 for adults and $15 for children under age 12. Tours leave from Hotel Albuquerque at 800 Rio Grande Blvd NW in Old Town. If you'd rather discover the magic of the Breaking Bad locations yourself, the Albuquerque Convention & Visitors Bureau's website lists places of note and information for a self-guided tour of the hotspots like Los Pollos Hermanos and the Octopus Car Wash, both featured in the series. DIe hard fans of the show should not miss the chance to buy iconic "blue ice candy," rock candy colored to look just like the main characters' special product, from The Candy Lady, a specialty sweet shop located in Albuquerque's Historic Old Town. Also for sale are a slew of Breaking Bad t-shirts and other merchandise including Walter White's signature black hat. Blue ice candy packages sell for $1 each and are also available online—five packages for $5 and 10 packages for $10, plus shipping and handling. Walter White's hat replica sells for $45 in the store and online.

One of the things I love about being executive editor at Budget Travel is that our readers are always ready to share their opinions. We've based whole feature stories and gorgeous slideshows on your favorite beaches, islands, theme parks—even lighthouses. And every year we hold a fierce competition for America's Coolest Small Towns, soliciting hundreds of nominations and holding a down-to-the-wire online vote in January. We love to hear when we've pleased you. We also like to know when you think we've, um, goofed. It happens. That's why when Ocean City, N.J., let us have it for leaving them off our recent "America's Most Awesome Boardwalks" story, it made my day. Seriously. Sure, the title "most awesome" is, by definition, a slightly subjective one and by its nature the list of 19 perfect plankways had to leave off a few great destinations. But the folks in Ocean City, N.J., showed the kind of local love that BT is all about—and we congratulate this awesome Jersey beach town on its  "stronger than the storm" community spirit. So, what's so awesome about Ocean City, N.J.? For starters, why settle for one great oceanfront amusement park when you can have two? Ocean City shines like the lights of Broadway with two big Ferris wheels, coasters, water rides, go carts, and much more. There are more opportunities here for catching live entertainment than at most American boardwalks, including a summer concert series, Radio Disney on Tuesday nights, and Family Night each Thursday in July and August, with live shows and celebrations up and down the beach. And don't forget to fill your eco-friendly cloth bag (sold at the Music Pier Information Center) with fudge, taffy, antiques, and summer reading at Ocean City's shops. ocnj.us/boardwalk.

It's our favorite time of year: NYC Restaurant Week is happening from July 20th thru August 14th. You'll find $25 three-course prix-fixe lunch deals and $38 three-course prix-fixe dinner specials at more than 360 restaurants throughout Manhattan, including four in Brooklyn (Benchmark Restaurant in Park Slope, Saul in Prospect Heights, The Gorbals Brooklyn and Cherry Izakaya in Williamsburg) and two in Queens (Water's Edge Restaurant in Long Island City and Haveli in Forest Hills/Rego Park). Visit the website to view a list of all participating restaurants like Angus Club Steakhouse, Birreria at Eataly, Fig & Olive, Nobu New York, The Palm Court, Tribeca Grill, and Les Halles. The event is sponsored by American Express—register your American Express card to earn a $5 statement credit when you spend $25 or more at participating restaurants. They're also running an Instagram photo contest this year: Tag photos from your fun and delicious Restaurant Week experiences with #NYCRestaurantWeek for a chance to win gift cards to select NYC restaurants—four photos will be chosen every week for four weeks, so don't miss out. In the immortal words of Julia Child, Bon Appétit! Please note that discounted prices are valid Monday thru Friday and some Sundays depending on the restaurant. Beverages, gratuities, and taxes are not included in the promoted price.

A few weeks ago, I interviewed Patrick Smith, author of the newly published book Cockpit Confidential, for BT's feature "Cockpit Confidential: Insider Secrets and Advice from an Airline Pilot." In the wake of the crash landing of Asiana Flight 214 in San Francisco earlier this month, some of Smith's insight has helped me to put the catastrophe, awful as it was, in perspective. Flying has never been safer. Smith notes that worldwide there are about 50,000 commercial flights every day and cites data that suggest that since 2000 the U.S.'s fatal accident rate has fallen 85 percent, and the chance of being in a fatal accident from 2008 to 2012 was about one in 45 million. In the case of the Asiana crash, we have an example of a truly catastrophic accident with an extraordinarily low fatality rate—two people out of 307 onboard. Why? Because safety measures implemented over the past 30 years have significantly reduced the chance of fires in plane cabins and compartments and made evacuation easier and quicker than ever. Bloomberg Businessweek recently took a look at some of the most important changes: Seats can now withstand 16 times the force of gravity, seat cushions are less flammable than they once were, cargo compartments are equipped with fire detection and suppression systems, insulation has been replaced with materials that prevent deadly flash fires, portable fire extinguishers and automatic extinguishers have been installed, lighted exit paths can guide the way to an exit even if smoke fills the cabin, and walkways to over-wing exits have been widened. As a result, passengers are better protected from impacts and fire, and manufacturers are required to design planes so that they can be evacuated in 90 seconds even if half the emergency exits are blocked. Sounds like a blink of an eye, no? But in 2006, 873 people were evacuated from a double-decker Airbus in 80 seconds with only one injury.  TALK TO US! We want to know whether airline safety measures—and statistics—make you feel more secure.