Every time I arrive in a new city, place, island, church, whatever... I wonder were to find the "real" good places. You know, they throw tons of tourist information papers at you at the tourist information counters, but as the word implies, its "tourist" information and not what I am really looking for.

1. Newly Hip: One Fullerton

Time for another money-saver, and another free museum. I know I mentioned that the free things weren't all going to be "boring" things but trust me on this one! This is the Chocolate Museum!

Even though Toolangi is a smidge out of Melbourne proper, it is my pleasure to review the Toolangi Tavern and other small businesses around Victoria that will feel the hit of not only diminished customers because of the Victorian bushfires but also because of the coming winter months.

Eating in Spain is a big deal, and Barcelona is no exception to that rule. I always say that for the majority of foreigners visiting the city that everything starts and finishes a lot later here - that goes for opening times for shops, nightlife and of course, eating out.

A walk through a spring garden in New York during cherry blossom season at just the right time can be an exquisite experience, but sometimes personal schedules and the weather can throw off a well-timed visit. If you're slightly late, you're still lucky, because walking on the earth covered by millions of pink petals is the special and more surreal experience.

While some people are sadly out of work and many more subsist on freelance wages, with the latter now said to make up 26% of the U.S. workforce, New York is still a workaholic city full of people with incredible drive. One subset of the city, however, gets a little break this week - namely, many members of the university community.

The very first time I visited New York City, I was amazed at how much of the buildings and streets I "recognised". Countless films and sit-coms have brought the Big Apple to the big and small screen, and it was amazing to visit a city and find instantly recognisable places.

Sunday 17th May is the International Day of Museums, and to celebrate the day, 24 of Barcelona's museums open their doors for free to the general public. As well as some of the museums that also have Free entrance on the first few days of the month, there are some great museums that you might want to fit into your schedule, and take advantage of visiting to save some money.

Today's post is an interview with Carlos Lorenzo about his fantastic Barcelona Photoblog. Carlos captures images in Barcelona like no-one else on the web, and if you're not already subscribing to his feeds I highly recommend you do so - even if you have no interest in photography.

People often lose umbrellas, but I've held onto a special one for many years - a large parapluie (literally, for the rain, in French) with a wooden base and curved handle that upon opening reveals the painting Paris Street, Rainy Day by painter Gustave Caillebotte (1848-1894).