The 27th annual Stowe Foliage Arts Festival is widely known as a festive marketplace. In addition to the over 200 juried fine art and craft exhibitors showcasing pottery, blown glass, fine furniture, clothing, weavings, leather, original art, and photography, the ambience is fueled by food, live entertainment, and an array of kids’ activities. The Vermont cheese, beer ,and sausage tent makes this a unique affair. The event runs all weekend long -- Oct. 9-11. For more information, visit online.

Photo courtesy Stowe Arts

Almost 75 years since Richard Halliburton swam the Panama Canal for a 38-cent toll, the world wonder remains a rite of passage with a difference: Instead of a waypoint to somewhere else, Panama’s capital city teems with fascinations, as I discovered when the captain announced our canal transit was delayed.

Nothing prepared me for the high density and intensity of the city, likened by realtors to Miami’s South Beach without the attitude problem or the next Hong Kong. Gone, the gun-toting G.l.s of yesteryear. Phrases like “ex-pat revolution” and “retirement economy” pepper casual conversations. Amador, the staging area for yachts entering the canal’s Pacific side, is a trendy address of boutique bars and eateries, whose palm-lined promenade was built with 18 million yards of canal-excavated rock.

Downtown, 100-story condos compete for airspace on a waterfront so hemispherical, it bends like a scene in a fisheye lens.

Some of my favorite things from a too-short stay:

*Friendly, inexpensive taxis. $3 takes you anywhere. Almost every driver is a willing guide.

*Ceviche at the fish market. The freshest fish, octopus, shrimp, and squid, marinated in lemon juice, served take out or in the upstairs restaurant of Mercado de Mariscos, a lively fish market at Avenida Balboa and Calle 15 Este, Calidonia. An equally amazing fruit and vegetable market, Mercado Público, is next door.

I love the food in Spain, but you can only eat wood-grilled lamb, roast hake, and huge juicy veal chops so many days in a row. And I confess to having trouble knowing quite WHAT I was eating in Basque country. It all tasted great but I couldn’t pronounce the dishes because their Basque names were composed primarily of the consonants x, z ,and q. So it was a relief and delight to reach Aranjuez (about 30 miles outside of Madrid), a farming region famous for its white asparagus and strawberries. Asparagus is available April-June, strawberries May-July. I came in June, went to Casa Juli (on Gobernación 12, [tel] 011-91-892-58-43) and had both. Mmmmmmm.....

Posted by Patricia Harris, Globe Correspondent

Photos by Patricia Harris for the Boston Globe

Some deals just have to be shared.
The TravelSmart newsletter's Steal of the Month may be just the ticket for Bostonians pining for Ireland.
The Adare Resort Package from Sceptre Tours includes six nights in a two-bedroom townhouse, rental car for a week, and a Shannon Discount Booklet.
TravelSmart says, "The 5-star resort is located on 840 acres ... 40 minutes from Shannon, making it easy to take day trips to Limerick, Bunratty, Galway, Killarney, Waterford, Cliffs of Moher, Blarney castle.''
Travel is for Nov. 1-Feb. 14, 2010. Rate are slightly higher June-Oct. 31, 2009, and Feb. 15-March 31, 2010.
TravelSmart warns, "Rate structure is complex.''

Spring’s welcome arrival also signals the start of New England’s crafts show season. The timing couldn’t be a better boost to the local economy because money spent over the next two weekends puts dollars in the pockets of the professional regional and national artists who make a living selling their original work at such events. Plus buyers can add eye-catching additions to their wardrobes or home.
This weekend the Paradise City Fair of Fine and Functional Art takes over the Royal Plaza Trade Center in Marlborough, Mass., for three days. (March 20-22). Featuring 175 juried exhibitors working in wood, glass, furniture, jewelry, wearable fiber, decorative fiber, metal, painting, mixed media, and photography, there’s no excuse not to find something you’ll love. To encourage more spring vibes, the festival presents “The Gardeners of Paradise City,” an indoor exhibit of garden-related work.

Amid the slumping economy and with February school vacation week looming, the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism has just launched a program that offers savings of at least 25 percent at more than 300 Bay State hotels, restaurants, and attractions from now till March 31.

To look at a list of participating lodgings, restaurants and attractions, you must go to the agency's website and print out a Mass Value Pass. To redeem discounts, consumers must show the pass at points of purchase and be sure to mention the Pass when booking hotel reservations.

What's that? You say you're really strapped and can't afford to get away? Well, perhaps you and yours will be looking to go out to dinner or hit the theater -- dare I say it, a staycation or perhaps a naycation. Being able to shave a few bucks off is never a bad thing.

Interested in buying the most stylish and eye-catching adornments for home and body while also meeting the crafts artists who created them? Head to Baltimore in late February for the crown jewel of juried American craft shows.
The American Craft Council presents the country’s largest indoor event of its kind with more than 700 glass, metal, furniture, jewelry, fiber, wood, and clay artists selling their original work Feb. 27-March 1.
Because the craft show kicks off a year of retail shows across the country, many artists debut new work here. Plan on at least two days to browse and talk to exhibitors, explore special theme sections, and watch demonstrations by selected artists.
Among themes are “CRAFT4KIDS,” (cq)with objects for children; “Green Craft,” handcrafted items using found, recycled or green materials and sustainable techniques; and “ALTCRAFT,” work by new indie crafters in a shared market-style space.
Paying attention to emerging artists, the show features “Searchlight,” in which universities, museums and residencies nominated 14 artists to show work in a gallery setting. In “School-to-Market,” Savannah College of Art and Design and Virginia Commonwealth University exhibit their top students' work.

The fair is at the Baltimore Convention Center, 1 West Pratt St., 800-836-3470. Feb. 27, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; Feb. 28, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; March 1, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. $14 per person, two-day pass $20; ages 12 and under free.
Discount airfare and accommodations are available through Travel Planners, (cq) the official travel agency for all ACC shows. For on-line reservations visit ACC website or call 800-221-3531 or 212-532-1660. (cq)
Posted by Jan Shepherd, Globe Correspondent

Cutting boards by Jonathan’s Spoons; stems and flute by Dan Mirer

Headed to the Caribbean this winter? Go ahead and aim your expectations at sun, surf, sand, and sweet rum drinks. If, however, you’re looking for local tropical fruit as well as fresh, cheap, local seafood, you may be disappointed. During a recent stay on St. John in the US Virgin
Photo and text by Veronika Trufanova, Globe Correpondent

Islands, our food diary looked something like this:
Day 1: Fish and chips at JJ’s Tex Mex, Ben & Jerry's ice cream bar, and local beer
Day 2: Raspberry-strawberry smoothie, Uncle Joe's BBQ, painkillers made from local rum
Day 3: Vacuum-sealed scallops (origins unknown), mussels from Prince Edward Island, champagne, and Nutter Butters … and bushwhackers on the beach
Finding something more exotic was not for lack of trying. Early on, I was befuddled by the lack of local dishes and the shortage of tropical fruit at the smoothie stands, which are instead decorated with plastic bananas and juices in cans. During dinners out, we were informed by servers that mussels are flown down from Prince Edward Island, and the king crab special hails from Alaska.

In "State by State," a collection of fifty essays by fifty writers released this fall, it is clear there are many ways to begin a journey.

In Tennesee, for example, the novelist Ann Patchett opens with this: "I have on several occasions been told that the secret to making money, big money, is to find that place at the edge of a town where the real estate stops being priced by the square foot and begins to be priced by the acre."

Or in New Mexico, Ellery Washington: "Shortly after my tenth birthday I was nearly struck by lightning."

As a reader, though you may not be sure exactly where, it is clear you are going somewhere interesting.

In that spirit, travel writer Rory McLean recently put together a list of writers' favorite travel books for the Guardian newspaper.

One that I hope to explore: "The Bridge," by Geert Mak, about Istanbul's Galata Bridge. Like a good first sentence, the seemingly simple title starts one place, but hints, too, that you will end up somewhere different.

Have you always wanted to experience New York City at Christmas time, but found the idea daunting and outrageously expensive? We’ve found two ways to combat those fears, courtesy of a company called Untours and the Cosmopolitan Hotel in the city’s Tribeca neighborhood. First, Untours, which likes to bill itself as offering independent travel, with support. Untours has a group of local experts to help you plan a day suited to your tastes. For $99, a life-long New Yorker will devote two hours to planning your day and helping you on your way. That's $99 total, not per customer, so bring family and friends. The locals can help you figure out how to navigate the city and savor the holiday splendor, find the bargains and avoid the hassle. They will help decipher which of the outdoor markets suits you best, which museum’s display is best tailored to your taste, which department store’s windows will provide the most cheer. They can help you take a backstage tour of the Metropolitan Opera or Radio City Music Hall for a song. To take the One-Day Untour, just get to the city and join the expert for coffee to start your day, or plan the itinerary with them ahead of time. Once you’ve finished the chat, you and your friends are on your way to travel as you please. Call 888-868-6871 for more information about the Christmas in New York Untour, available through Dec. 31. Untours also offers a one-week New Your “Untour,” which includes an apartment. Not interested in a week’s stay? The Cosmopolitan Hotel, at 95 West Broadway (at Chambers St.) has rooms available for $169 a night, most nights, through the holidays and to the end of February (except for the two nights leading up to New Year’s Eve). We have stayed there and can vouch for the location and the cleanliness of this value hotel, which has also earned plaudits from Frommer's. Go to cosmohotel.com or call 888-895-9400. You can feel good about working with Untours: in 1999, it was awarded the Newman’s Own/George Award for having the "Most Generous Company In America." Hal and Norma Taussig, owners of Untours, donate nearly all of their company’s profits to the Untours Foundation, which in turn provides low-interest loans to projects that create jobs, build low-income housing, and promote Fair Trade.

CraftBoston Holiday makes its much anticipated premiere today for a three-day run at the Boston Westin Waterfront. (The hotel is located adjacent to the new Greater Boston Convention Center on Summer Street.) It’s the best addition to the city’s holiday shopping scene since the popular 22-year-old “Crafts at the Castle” folded after last December’s show.

With 105 glassblowers, jewelry designers, furniture makers, fashionwear weavers and knitters, and metal artists, and home accessories craftsmen, CraftBoston Holiday offers one-of-a-kind and limited edition gifts by top regional and national artists. Sponsored by the Society of Arts and Crafts in Boston’s Back Bay, the show is a streamlined version of the annual spring CraftBoston that features 175 crafts artists, lectures, theme tours.

Here’s the lowdown: Friday till 8 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission (good all weekend) $15, seniors $12, ages 12 and under free. Proceeds benefit Society of Arts and Crafts, 175 Newbury St., Back Bay. 617-266-1810. Visit website for admission discount coupons. Boston Westin Waterfront is at 425 Summer St., about four blocks from South Station.
By Jan Shepherd, Globe Correspondent

Score one for les Américains. Walking up rue Cambon between Place de la Concorde and the Paris Opera, I was struck by a poofy bouffant of a wedding dress in the window. The shop (Yumi Katsura – Tokyo/Paris, 26 rue Cambon, 065 001 56 01) is so new that the Paris designer for the company, Xavier Renaud, hasn’t even hired staff. But when my husband and I went in, he had some surprising things to say about Boston women. “They are so stylish!” he exclaimed. “In Boston, you see a woman going out at night in a cocktail dress. In Paris, they are all wearing jeans.” But what of those stylish French femmes on the street? “If you see a stylish women on the boulevards of Paris,” says Renaud, “she’s not from Paris.” Boston, he claims, more than any other American city, has real style. Thanks, Xavier.

Posted by Patricia Harris, Globe Correspondent

East Lyme, Ct. gives you three good reasons to spend your long holiday weekend within its town lines. First and second, is the Niantic Lions Club 30th Annual Lobsterfest and Chicken BBQ which is held in the same location as the 48th Annual Niantic Outdoor Arts & Crafts show. Anyone cooking lobsters in mass quantities for nearly 3 decades is surely to have it down pat, and if you couple that with over 100 artists and crafters spread over vast green lawns, you've got the makings for a wonderful summer tradition. Both events will be held on Saturday and Sunday, July 5-6, on the East Lyme Town Hall grounds.

Those same days, not far from all the lobster and art, the East Lyme Historical Society will host their Annual Flea Market, Crafts and Collectibles Sale from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the grounds of the Thomas Lee House on West Main in Niantic. These kinds of markets where donations are collected randomly, sometimes provide the most rich shopping experiences. And all of the above benefits some of Niantic's best charitable organizations.

Western Massachusetts is such a hotbed for fine artisans and varied crafters, and this time of year, the region is flooded with new talent, familiar faces, and much excitement. This weekend, July 4-5, is set for Great Barrington's Berkshires Arts Festival where over 175 juried artists gather to show and sell their wares.

The Festival is geared for families too with live demonstrations and workshops for both adults and children, great food, and plenty of live music. The opportunity to meet and speak with so many talented artists and craftspeople is an inspiring experience. The show is held under large outdoor tents, and in Ski Butternut's lodge. Held rain or shine, the festival is worth the drive out to the Berkshires.

Adults pay $10, seniors $9, and students $5. Children under 10 are free and a weekend pass is available for $13 if you plan on seeing all the festival has to offer - and it will take 2 days! Hours are Friday, July 4, from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; and Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Want to stay a while? Visit the Berkshire Visitors Bureau for lodging information. And take a peek at last year's show here.

If you find yourself on Cape Cod over Fourth of July week, you might want to take advantage of a couple of programs designed to lure people to Hyannis, which is the downtown village in the town of Barnstable and arguably the region’s central business district. On Thursday, July 3, the galleries and studios of Pearl Street (just a couple of blocks west of the major Main Street intersection with Center Street and Old Colony Road) will host “Artscape 1st Thursdays.” Studios include the Shirley Blair Flynn Center for the Creative Arts, the Guyer Barn, ArtSpace, Breakdown Lane, and a new cooperative gallery called The Cultured Pearl. Complimentary appetizers and beverages will be served, and attendees can receive a 20 percent discount on dinner at participating restaurants by getting their brochure stamped. Another Thursday evening staple, the TD Banknorth Summer Stroll, with entertainers livening the Main Street scene, begins the same night and runs from 6-9 p.m. The Amazing Richard, a magician, will perform near Palio’s Pizzeria at 435 Main Street. Inca Son, an Andean musician, will play across the way near Kandy Korner at 474 Main Street, and Rebecca Marona will draw caricatures and do free face-painting in front of R&S Avenue, a children’s boutique at 547 Main Street. Go to hyannismainstreet.com for more information on the 120 shops and 40 restaurants in the district.

Combine tickets to the Red Sox and a day of discount shopping and it's a perfect getaway for many. That's just what Boston Marriott Copley Place Hotel and Wrentham Village Premium Outlets are offering with their "Short Stop and Shop" Package.

Although they tout this for international visitors, it's available to all. Included are:
- three-night or four-night accommodations for two
- two tickets to Red Sox game
- round-trip transportation for two from the hotel to the outlets, for a day of shopping
- one $25 Chelsea Premium Outlets gift card
- one $5 VIP Chelsea Premium Outlets discount coupon book

Four-night package dates:
- July 5-9, with tickets on July 7 or 8 (Boston vs. Minnesota)
- July 25-29, with tickets on July 28 or 29 (Boston vs. Los Angeles)
- Aug. 31-Sept. 4, with one set of tickets on Sept.1, 2 or 3 (Boston vs. Baltimore)

Three-Night package dates:
- Aug.17-Aug. 20, ith baseball tickets on Aug. 17 (Boston vs. Toronto)

The four-night package price is $919; three-night $739 (including tax; excluding alcohol, parking, and gratuities). Availability is limited. For reservations, call 1-800-228-9290 and ask for promotional code ZJL.

I spent the weekend in Baltimore and Washington, D.C., visiting old friends — and I am
happy to report that the cherry blossoms (and the crowds) are out in full force. My friends and I had a great time, especially buying crap souvenirs for our kids from the sidewalk street vendors on the periphery of the National Mall. I took it upon myself to conduct an informal poll of street vendors that revealed that sales of $5 Obama ’08 T-shirts are extremely brisk, while sales of Hillary For President shirts are coming in second place. And John McCain? Well, not so much. My intrepid research shows McCain fares slightly better among the upscale crowd on M Street in Georgetown, where sales of $45 rhinestone campaign pins at Ann Hand show Obama again coming in first, McCain second, and Clinton all but a blip on the bling radar.

As far as cool neighborhoods go, Washington, D.C.’s Georgetown is near the top of my list. The shops, boutique hotels, restaurants, bars, and bookstores could make you forget it’s almost cherry blossom time over at the Tidal Basin. Hotel Monticello (on Thomas Jefferson Street off M Street) is a comfortable, spacious, quiet, recently renovated all-suite small hotel that offers packages for weekends of pampering, romance, or traveling with family. A deluxe king suite starts at $149 (but prices go up as the weather warms up). The Old Stone House, D.C.'s oldest known dwelling, is just up the street. Nosh on sushi, gourmet pizza, or pastry with a mean cup of cappuccino at Marvelous Market (on P Street at Wisconsin Avenue). Snack on shawarma or a falafel at George’s, King of Falafel on 28th Street off M. Next door is a great place for dinner: Zed’s Ethiopian Cuisine, where you’ll scoop up spicy chicken and beef dishes with injira, a spongy bread. A romantic dinner for two, with drinks, is around $50. If you don’t mind the 15-minute walk to the Foggy Bottom Metro station, Georgetown is a great area to stay for a weekend getaway.

Some of the names are familiar: Agnes B, Lacoste.

So many others in "Paris Chic & Trendy'' (The Little Bookroom, $14.95), a guide to 54 of the city's stylish boutiques and vintage stores by Adrienne Ribes-Tiphaine, await your discovery.

And, terrifically, they are organized by arrondissement. In the first check out Pierre Hardy for shoes and bags. In the 4th delight in the ''little treasures'' at Facteur Celeste.

Even if you aren't planning a Paris splurge soon, indulge in the fantasy with this charming little book.

I typically bring plenty of compact flash cards for my camera when I travel, but as a snap-happy shooter, it doesn’t take long for me to fill 6GB worth of card space. That can be a problem if I’m going into the wilderness or away from my computer for a long stretch.

My solution: the Epson P-2000, a small-size, 40GB hard drive that holds thousands of photos (it can also store videos and music, though I haven’t tried to upload these yet). I can pop my Compact Flash or Secure Digital cards into built-in memory slots and upload all my photos (JPEG or RAW format), then delete the images on my cards and keep shooting. The Epson has a vibrant, 3.8” screen that lets me easily view photos so I can delete the bad ones, though I have found the battery dies quickly if I use the screen too much. I’ve used the device on several longer camping trips (at 5¾-by-3¼ inches, it doesn’t take up too much backpack space) and on a cruise, when I didn’t want to take my computer with me.

Now here’s the catch: Epson discontinued the P-2000, but you can get a refurbished model online for $219, including a $30 rebate, which is less than half of what I originally paid. Or you can get the new Epson P-3000, which has a 4” screen and is selling for $299, including $150 worth of rebates.

Last winter Patricia Harris and I had a very cool winter break in
Provincetown, which, as we reported, does NOT go into hibernation until
muscle-shirt weather. In fact, from November into April the community takes
on a friendly vibe of cozy, bright spaces that banish the chill of winter.
At the time, we met Dan Hoort, who runs the Somerset House Inn, one of those
stalwart guest houses that keeps its doors open all year. Last year Hoort
started a restaurant guide for his guests so they could figure out where to
eat in the off season. It was a hit, and went up on the town tourism site.
This winter he's gone one better, adding shopping, services, and events on
his own site. Want to know which bar or club
is open? What's playing at the Provincetown Theater? When Leather Night is
at the Crown & Anchor's Vault Bar? Dan's got it all.

Posted by David Lyon, Globe Correspondent

With the increasing popularity of food tours that focus on local cuisine, even celebrity chefs, it's no surprise that someone is offering kosher cooking vacations.

Cookeuro has scheduled one-week programs in Emilia Romagna in May, Tuscany in July, and Provence in November. Besides shopping, sightseeing, and cooking demonstrations with local experts, participants will learn about Jewish communities in the region.

Cost is a steep $3,400, air fare not included. But if your interest is piqued, this might seal the deal. A sample menu in Tuscany: bread salad, pasta, veal with a sauce from stock, stewed peppers, and chestnut cake.

Learn to salsa, check out Mercury, or try a Russian steam bath. Tom Long includes these and more in his 10 Ways To Forget About Winter in the Sunday Globe's Travel section.

Or if winter's already too much for you, consider a trip to one of the Happy Places where Eric Weiner, author of "The Geography of Bliss,'' says natives have found contentment.

Also on Sunday, Globe Travel writer Tom Haines maps out Quebec City's year-long 400th-birthday celebration and Jaci Conry takes us on a trip to Hingham.