Top 10
RAIL-TRAILS
1 Minuteman Bikeway, Boston
2 Island Line, Burlington, Vt.
3 Capital Crescent Trail, Washington, D.C.
4 Katy Trail, Dallas
5 Mount Lowe Railroad Trail, Pasadena, Calif.
6 Burke-Gilman Trail, Seattle
7 Betsie Valley Trailway, Beaulah, Mich.
8 Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail, St. Petersburg, Fla.
9 St. Anthony Heritage Trail, Minneapolis
10 Monterey Peninsula Recreational Trail, Monterey, Calif.
Source - Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
Quote from the road
"All the pathos and irony of leaving one's youth behind is thus implicit in every joyous moment of travel: One knows that the first joy can never be recovered, and the wise traveler learns not to repeat successes but tries new places all the time."
PAUL FUSSELL
GADGET ALERT
It may be filtered, but is it clean?
Ever worry that your water filter or pills haven't purified the water you are drinking well enough? The Water Purity Tester from General Tools & Instruments ($35) can help. This small, lightweight battery powered tester can determine the degree of pollution in clear or cloudy water within three seconds.
ON THE WEB
Cruise deals week by week
Looking for a deal on a cruise? Check on the site www.cruisemarket.com for items such as special group rates, the week's top 10 discount cruises or a newsletter on cruising. Look for deals in the specials area.
TRAVEL READING
The 10 Best of Everything: An Ultimate Guide for Travelers
Nathaniel and Andrew Lande, $19.95, National Geographic
Since making lists is in with travelers, this 2008 expanded second edition should hit the spot. This book includes top 10 lists for such things as trinkets, food, leisure and travel. It has 280 photographs and includes a tour of the 10 best historical and literary journeys on the globe. Dozens of lists answer such questions as who offers the world's tastiest hamburger.
World Currency
What your dollar buys
Rates paid domestically for each dollar changed. These figures are intended only as a guide. Rates may be more favorable abroad (As of Wednesday.)
Argentina (peso) -- 3.0
Australia (dollar) -- 1.0
Brazil (real) -- 1.6
Canada (dollar) -- 1.0
Chile (peso) -- 503
Czech Rep. (koruna) -- 15.0
Denmark (krone) -- 4.7
Egypt (pound) -- 5.3
European (euro) -- 0.63
(Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain)
Great Britain (pound) -- 0.51
Hong Kong (dollar) -- 7.8
India (rupee) -- 43.1
Indonesia (rupiah) -- 9,147
Israel (shekel) -- 3.2
Japan (yen) -- 107.1
Mexico (peso) -- 10.3
New Zealand (dollar) -- 1.3
Norway (krone) -- 5.1
Philippines (peso) -- 45.4
Poland (zloty) -- 2.1
Russia (ruble) -- 23.4
Singapore (dollar) -- 1.4
South Africa (rand) -- 8
South Korea (won) -- 1,028
Sweden (krona) -- 6
Switzerland (franc) -- 1
Taiwan (dollar) -- 30.4
Thailand (baht) -- 33.6
Venezuela (bolivar) -- 2,147.5
Source: Yahoo! Finance
