The US is a dynamic country, and its most popular cities to travel to are constantly changing, in large part due to the sharing economy. Neighborhoods once avoided are suddenly hot spots for tech companies, emerging artists and entrepreneurs.

Following Lonely Planet’s list of the coolest neighborhoods in the world – which included Frelard in Seattle and Sunset Park in New York – the travel media company asked their US-based travel experts and Lonely Planet Locals for the hottest up-and-coming neighborhoods in their cities:

• East Liberty & Lawrenceville, Pittsburgh “Pittsburgh won’t be the first American city to beep on your cool-o-meter, but its eastern neighborhoods might just be the sleeper hit your hipster sensibilities have been craving…the influx of moneyed millennials has willed a new food and beverage scene into existence, led by the Ace Hotel, which opened in a once-derelict YMCA in 2015 – all of which is making the Steel City’s reputation considerably less rusty.” – Brandon Presser, @bpnomad

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Penguins. Pirates. Steelers. Warhol. Actor Peter Murnik stops by Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to interact with the locals, catch a baseball game, and chow down on some good eats. Great video from 2016.

By Maureen Sangiorgio

It’s summer travel season, when many of us take to the skies, willing to endure minor discomforts — close quarters and flight delays — for some fun in the sun. But those cramped airplanes can feel like tin cans, where we share limited space and unlimited germs. Between long spates of doing nothing but sitting down and being stuck in stale, dry cabin air, you’re ripe for some health risks. But there are plenty of ways to protect yourself.

Follow these 8 tips to stay healthy in the air — from well before takeoff to a safe landing:

1. Ask about shots. Weeks before you fly internationally, do a pre-travel check-in with your doctor. Certain countries require vaccines well in advance in order for entering the country. In some cases, you’ll need certain medicines as well. You can also ask your local or county health departments for guidelines. Some even run have own travel clinics, where you can get the required vaccines and other health services. Learn all about it at the CDC’s travel page.

2. Be on guard. As your travel date gets closer, get proactive about your health. Just as you expect the usual hassles of air travel, such as endless check-in lines, best to assume you’ll be exposed to germs when you fly. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a full one-fifth of airplane contract a respiratory infection bad enough to need medical care. That means 20% of everyone around youwill start out in a plane and wind up in a doctor’s office. So commit to some timely, and protective preparation.  [Read more…]

By Norman Shabel

Paris in the fall!  What an adventure for the lover of French baguettes, the Louvre Museum, the Eiffel Tower and the River Seine.

As we get older, and things we do in everyday life become monotonous, why not exhilarate your mind and body by escaping from everyday boredom to the everyday excitements of walks down the Champs-Élysées or sitting outside at Fouqet’s Restaurant munching on mussels meuniere and drinking a delicious red Bordeaux wine that has been sitting in the restaurant’s wine vault for a dozen years?

Preparing for such a mid-life escapade is less complicated than you might imagine.  All it takes is knowledgeable planning of every aspect of the Paris adventure.  Where do you start?

First, and foremost, you must think of money.  How much to spend without breaking the bank?  The Internet is the perfect place to start your research on the right hotels at the right amount of euros you want to spend.  The first lesson of French Economics the astute traveler must learn is exchanging American dollars for euros and receiving the best exchange rate possible.  Where to go for the best exchange rate can be a daunting task.  Your own national bank is the answer.  Most national banks in the United States have foreign exchange departments that will give you the best exchange rate for your dollars. [Read more…]