PopEater gave me a heads up about David Byrne of the Talking Heads designing bike racks in Manhattan in order to promote bike riding. The bike racks are finished and in place. Each reflect its location. For example, head to Wall Street and you'll find one shaped like a dollar sign. Here is a link to his Web page that shows the racks and where they are located.

The video is a clip from this past July. The rack on Wall Street is one of them shown. Plus, you'll get a feel for Byrne and the experience of bike riding in Manhattan. If you do bike ride, watch out for vehicles.

A taxi driver opened his car door without looking first which caused someone near and dear to me to fly over the door and break his collar bone.

If there was ever an indication that one should seize the day and not wait to take that wonderful trip you've always wanted to go on, it's this story at msnbc.com.

Dave Freeman, the co-author of 100 Things to Do Before You Die: Travel Events You Just Can't Miss unexpectedly died on August 17. He fell and hit is head in his own house. He was only 47.

As a person who is reaching a hallmark birthday this coming Saturday, I can say that the title of the book certainly gives me the sense that time can slip by if one is not careful. Freeman's death, illustrates the point. It also points to how unpredictable life is anyway, so why not take chances?

Sure there are the health threats that may loom in the future: cancer, diabetes and heart failure that niggle at you to hit the road while you still can, but there is the truth that anything can happen at any time, so don't fret the small stuff and travel. Take a risk.

An article I read in the New York Times last Thursday night left me feeling miffed. It explains one reason why it can be difficult to snag tickets to see "Hair," the current, free Shakespeare in the Park Public Theater production at Central Park's Delacorte Theater.

It's called CHEATING. Clever, but CHEATING.

According to the article, there are people who are hired to wait in lines by people who don't want to wait in line themselves. The line at the Delacorte Theater is one example of where this hired-line waiting cleverness happens.

And, why am I MIFFED?!

As a person who STOOD IN LINE with my brother and my 6-year-old son on August 6, slathering on sunscreen and sweltering, waiting for the line to move into the shade, but DID NOT get tickets, I'm annoyed.

Here is the saga. The good news first: My brother lives in Manhattan, therefore, I have the enviable position of having a place to stay whenever I show up in the Big Apple for a visit.

The smart news: Knowing that anything can happen in Manhattan, we had back-up plans when we took our spot after walking past the gobs and gobs of people already waiting when we walked the distance from the subway stop to the end of the line. Some were reading in the lawn chairs they had the foresight to bring with them, and others were eating a picnic feast.

The not so smart news: We showed up at 11:00 hoping for the best. Getting tickets can mean arriving in line as early as 6:00 A.M. As if, I'd drag my son to Central Park at 6 A.M. for an 7-hour wait. Hardly.

Hugs all around. If you're near someone give him or her a hug. If you're by yourself, just wrap your arms around yourself and squeeze. MMMMmmmm.

By the end of the closing ceremony of the Olympics in Beijing, when the credits rolled in the U.S.'s broadcast version, I was once more feeling warm and fuzzy, just like I did at the end of the opening of the games. Again, I'm a real Pollyanna sometimes.

The shots of athletes hugging each other, even if they were not on the same team, (like this photo posted on AOL) or with their hands thrown upwards in triumph--or in tears--either from joy or abject disappointment, revved up emotions--at least mine. As one of the commentators said during the closing, the games do give a sense that there is hope. Yes, we can all get along. The hugs seem to prove it.

Hugs, if you noticed, were given out by EVERYBODY--it didn't matter the nationality of the hugger or hugee, whether it was for a feeling of triumph or in comfort. If not a hug, at least a pat on the back or a rub on the shoulders was offered and accepted.

While I watched the closing, I also thought about how the performance arts of a country can reflect the cultural values of the people who live there and influence the emphasis on how the art is used.

Joy! Rapture! A bit of excitement is heading to Sunday night TV on September 28 at 8 PM on CBS. Yes, folks. The Amazing Race returns. This round is season 13.

The cast has been revealed and is now up at the Amazing Race website. Thanks to Jaunted for giving me the heads up when I received my daily Jaunted missive yesterday.

There's a link in the Jaunted post to the L.A. Times travel blog, "Daily Travel and Deal." Here, editor Maret Orliss, senior programming manager for Los Angeles Times Events presents her impressions of each couple after chatting with them in person.

As usual, there are the team combos that we've come to know and count on for good TV:

• The blondes
• The parent/child where someone wants to bond more with the other
• The incredibly competent couple who gets along so well that you're left wondering what the hell is wrong with your own life
• The couple whose non-stop squabbling is something you recognize, or if you're lucky, leaves you feeling like the couple in the above example.
• The older couple who is too sweet for words and have a snowball's chance in hell of ever winning
• The sibling pair who think that each of them are the best thing since sliced bread
• The pair who is sure they will win because of they are so much better qualified than any others. Duh.

I'll miss seeing two of the couples from last season when I tune in. They are:

I once knew someone who had a penis ring. I never saw it, but I was told it was there. A friend of his told me. I won't say who, but this friend is a trustworthy sort.

The kind of penis ring this fellow had, however, was not mentioned in this article about what sort of penis implements CAN be taken away at the U.S. border. At first, when I read the title of the article posted at Star-Telegram.com, I thought it might.

The penis ring that my friend's friend sported was a piece of jewelry--like an earring, but different. The type of penis devices that are no nos are those that promise to enlarge the penis by constricting it with rings or stretching it using vacuums or weights.

There are not enough warning labels on the packaging or directions on how to use such devices says the FDA. The results that can happen because of misuse do not sound fun. Gangrene, for example. For this reason, these items can be confiscated if someone tries to bring them into the U.S.

Erik Olsen, former Gadling blogger extraordinaire (he topped 4,000 posts) has a recent article in the New York Times about the U.S.S. Oriskany, a battleship that was turned into an artificial reef off the coast of Florida near Pensacola.

This "great carrier reef," Olsen reports, is one of the best places to dive in the United States and has put Pensacola in the money. Dive shops have done a booming business and the ship has generated a considerable sum for the county besides.

Along with divers, military buffs and those who served on the ship back when have come to see it.

John McCain, though, has yet to make an appearance. McCain's plane took off from the ship's deck almost 31 years ago on his last mission before he was shot down during the Vietnam conflict and found himself in the "Hanoi Hilton" aka, Hoa Lo Prison, most definitely not enjoying the city's charm like I have.

As Olsen points out, there are some environmental concerns regarding sinking ships, however the Environmental Protection Agency helped to ensure the ship was cleaned up enough to be turned into an ocean life haven. Studies are being done to see what adverse environmental footprints are being made, if any. The fear is that PCBs are being released.

Regardless of the possible downside, barnacles, sea urchins and 38 fish species now call the Mighty O--the ship's nickname, home. Also, it can't be denied that sunken ships make great diving spots for folks who know what they are doing. Two people did die while diving at the Oriskany. One person died after getting the bends from diving down too far and coming up too fast, and the other one had a heart attack. The guy with the heart attack would have died regardless of what he was doing--even knitting.

Diving at the ship sounds fascinating--and I have a fear of drowning. Reading Olsen's description gave me the inkling that learning to scuba dive needs to be bumped up on my things-to-learn list. Actually, I'm not sure scuba diving has been on my things-to-learn-list. I've penciled it in.

For a slide show of the ship, click here. Also, check out Olsen's article. The guy can write. He can also scuba dive. This video was taken during his dive of the Mighty O. Plus, he can take pictures. The photo, as you might notice, is by him. Jeez, what can't he do?

When Meredith Vieria from the Today Show was given a tour of the Olympic Village, specifically the housing of the Americans, trap shooter bronze medalist Corey Cogdell showed Vieria a painting in her room that was created by a child in China.

A framed picture of a child's artwork was given to each Olympic athlete as a room decoration. It's theirs to keep whether they medal or not.

Vieira was quite moved by the gesture of a child-produced gift. I thought about the excitement that the children must have felt when they were making their paintings knowing their creations would be going to athletes from around the world and how they were contributing to their country's mega, unforgetable, international event.

It can make a heart feel warm and fuzzy for sure.

Seeing the painting reminded me of the items to buy when traveling that offer more meaning than a production piece souvenir. Any work made by a child has been favorably received whenever I have given them as gifts.

I once bought three drawings by children that were sold in a fundraiser art show for a refugee center that houses families in India who were displaced by strife. I have forgotten the specifics of who received the funding, but I I can see the art clearly. I was touched by its hope and sweetness. The show was at the India International Center in New Delhi, a place that hosts high quality events, mostly centered on the arts. This is where I saw the writer Pico Iyer at a symposium of Indian authors who write in English.

Granted, framed paintings are cumbersome. Another option is handmade greeting cards that can be framed once you get home. Often these cards are used to make money for organizations that are searching for dollars.

Keep your eyes open. Thailand, Vietnam and India are wonderful places to look for such items. I still have cards I bought to give away. Even if the cards aren't made by kids, or go to charity. handmade cards are helping to support someone.

Some people seek out golf courses and gated communities for their retirement; others choose the ocean. That's exactly what Beatrice Muller, an 89 year-old widow from New Jersey, did. She's spent the last nine years living the life on the high seas, cruising around the world on the RMS Queen Elizabeth 2. Muller finds this much more pleasant than any old retirement home and she plans to keep up her worldly accommodations, except for one problem: the 41 year old QE2 is retiring in November. What is an old, sea-loving woman to do? Find another ship of course.

Muller says despite her preferred ship's retirement, she refuses to return to land. "What would I want to do that for?" she was quoted asking The Times. Her cabin costs about $7,000 a month, and according to her estimates, that's about the same as a retirement home in Florida, just "far more pleasant."

Actually living on the sea isn't as strange as it sounds. Magellan offers a Residential Cruise Line, where for $4 million and up you can buy your own on-board condo. The World is another "seagoing community" popular with the financially secure crowd.

We'll just have to wait and see what Muller chooses as her next home. As for the QE2, it's headed to Dubai to become a floating hotel.

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First of all, the water park Zoombezi Bay and Disney have nothing to do with each other, but there is a common element in their stories--their businesses have done swimmingly well this summer.

Zoombezi Bay, a new addition to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium opened on Memorial Day. When I was talking with the associate director last Thursday, he said that they are fiscally ahead of where they had hoped to be and have plans to increase offerings next year. Attendance has been terrific despite their worries that gas prices and the sluggish economy (in Ohio it's a bit of the pits) may adversely affect the numbers. On the contrary. The thought is that perhaps the "stay-vacation" trend may have swung in the water park's favor. The weather has also cooperated ever since June's rainfest ended.

According to this article published in the L.A. Times, Disney resorts and theme parks have not been adversely affected by the economy either. Although, there has been a slight dip in Disneyland's revenue because of an attendance drop, the numbers have not been as bad as feared. Disney World execs were worried that the number of flights being cut to Orlando would equal a lower attendance, but this had not occurred.

Perhaps Zoombezi Bay and Disney attractions hold what attracts many vacationers. You don't have to play guesswork when figuring out what you'll get when you hand over your hard-earned dollars. When the sun is shining, you are usually guaranteed a good time, and in the summer, the sun usually shines. Zoombezi Bay has the added bonus of being new.

(The photo of Zoombezi Bay is from Trip Advisor. Erinslone, the person who posted it, loved the park. Three other commenters were disappointed and frustrated because when they were there the park was incredibly busy. The associate director said more space is being added. I was there Thursday late afternoon and there was plenty of chairs available. My husband was there all day yesterday with our son and neighbor friends. They had a great time.)