Issue Date: July 25, 2004
Affordable city getaways
A weekend break in a city can be a great way to enjoy local culture and cuisine. These municipalities have big-city amenities but small-town flavor and lower prices than you'd pay in New York or Chicago. And hotel brokers like Quikbook.com and Hotels.com offer discounted rooms.
Nashville: Step inside RCA Studio B, where Elvis and the Everly Brothers made history; check out the Country Music Hall of Fame; glimpse the Old South at Belle Meade Plantation before grabbing legendary Nashville barbecue. Check out the luxurious Hermitage Hotel's $169 rate for first-time guests, or find a room at nashvillecvb.com.
Milwaukee: The biggest draw in "The Genuine American City" is the Quadracci Pavilion, architect Santiago Calatrava's lakeside addition to the city's art museum. Catch a show at the restored Pabst Theater, then dine on the best German food this side of Munich. The Kilbourn Guest House B&B starts at $99, or see milwaukee.org.
Portland, Ore.: This laid-back city is known for lavish rose gardens, wild mushrooms and Pacific Northwest salmon. A $29 Portland Attractions Pass gets you into the zoo, the Children's Museum 2nd Generation (CM2), the Portland Art Museum and five other sites. This great walking city is also well-served by streetcars. The historic Heathman Hotel starts at $139 on weekends, or go to travelportland.com.
Denver: From Six Flags Elitch Gardens to Colorado's Ocean Journey aquarium, there's plenty to do. Visit the art and children's museums, then move on to galleries and cafes in downtown's hip LoDo section. Be sure to sample excellent Mexican food. Package deals at the luxurious Hotel Teatro start at $165, or visit denver.org.
Award-winning travel writer Everett Potter lives in Pelham, N.Y.
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Pregnant, and your doctor tells you not to eat any fish? Here's what science says:
Pregnant women should eat omega-3 fat in fish to nourish fetal brains. Yet some fish are high in methylmercury, PCBs and dioxins -- toxins that harm developing nervous systems.
Here is the current advice for women who are pregnant or might become pregnant, as well as nursing mothers and young children.
Don't eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish. Don't eat any fish skin, a prime repository of toxins.
Cut back on tuna: no more than 6 ounces of canned albacore (white) tuna a week, and no more than 12 ounces weekly of "light" tuna, says the FDA. Consumers Union advises only 3 ounces of albacore weekly for women and none for children.
Do eat high omega-3 sardines and salmon (choose wild salmon; almost all canned salmon is wild). Farmed salmon is a bit higher in PCBs; no salmon tested high in mercury. Also safe, but with less omega-3 fat: flounder, sole, tilapia, catfish, shellfish.
Pregnant women should ask their doctors about omega-3 supplements.
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Is your commute making you fat?
The longer you sit behind the wheel on your way to work, the more likely you are to be obese.
In a survey of 10,500 Atlanta-area residents, researchers found that for every extra 30 minutes commuters spent driving, they had a 3% greater chance of becoming obese compared with workers who spent less time driving. Also, people who lived within walking distance of stores (typically less than half a mile) were statistically less likely to be obese than those who had to drive to shop. The study is to be published in a summer edition of the "American Journal of Preventive Medicine."
Although this may seem obvious, those of us practicing preventive medicine are excited by such findings, because they indicate obesity has an environmental component that can be addressed.
The bottom line? Living closer to work and avoiding the traffic jams may help not only your stress, but your waistline as well.
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Homing in on a major makes tuition count
Up to 80% of entering students have no clear idea of a major.
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When I headed off to college nearly two decades ago, I thought I'd study computer science or engineering. I ended up an English major. In between, I struggled, pondered, debated and changed courses but managed to finish in the four years my parents budgeted for. Now, indecisive students who land on the five-year plan can cost their families an extra $13,833 (the average for public universities) to $29,541 (the private school average).
Enter MyMajors.com, a Web site that runs students through questions, free of charge, to help them focus on educational goals. It starts with the basics: the student's grade-point average, SAT scores and track record in more than a dozen high school courses, from art to physics. It provides sample fields of study and asks which sound interesting and which are turnoffs. And it asks what sort of activities the student likes (large groups vs. small; child-focused vs. adult; cerebral vs. physical). In 15 minutes or so, the survey is complete, and the site shoots out six majors for the college-bound to consider, with plenty of helpful links to explore future careers.
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