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Trains offer a truly Russian shopping experience (AP)

This Saturday, July 31, 2010 photo shows a vendor as she advertises her goods on a short-distance electric train, or elektrichka, in Moscow's outskirts. As soon as these trains pull out of Moscow, a cast of colorful, enterprising vendors, beggars and musicians begin to move through the cars, one right after another, shouting or singing over the pounding of the train wheels.   (AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev)AP - The centuries-old monasteries and country estates on Moscow’s outskirts may speak to Russia’s history and traditions, but the train trips to get to them say a lot about what Russia is like today.

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Exploring Ecuador ? sans the Galapagos Islands (AP)

FILE-   This Sept. 13, 2008 file photo shows the domes of La Compania de Jesus church, built by Jesuits between 1605 and 1765, seen in Quito, Ecuador.  Quito boasts a revitalized Old Town, a historic center of lively plazas, soaring churches and colonial architecture.     (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa, file)AP - No offense against the Galapagos Islands. Home to giant tortoises, blue-footed boobies, marine iguanas and other exotic creatures, the archipelago off Ecuador’s coast ranks for me — and many other travelers — among the top places to visit before I die.

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Yankee mag names Kent, CT tops for leaf-peeping (AP)

This undated photo provided by Randy O'Rourke shows Kent, Conn. during fall foliage. In Yankee magazine's 75th anniversary issue, on newsstands Tuesday, the magazine named Kent, population 3,000, the best town in New England for fall foliage.   (AP Photo/Randy O'Rourke)   ONE-TIME USE ONLY; MANDATORY CREDIT: RANDY O'ROURKE; NO SALESAP - Yankee magazine has been celebrating New England for three-quarters of a century, but even after all these years, there’s still room for surprise.

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Tokyo, old and new, can be enjoyed on the cheap (AP)

This July 4, 2010 photo shows breakfast options at the Dormy Inn Hatchobori in Tokyo.  One of the best parts about Tokyo is the food — its abundance, quality and affordability. Staples for the budget traveler will include rice, noodles, fish and miso soup. Expect to find one of these items in nearly every meal you eat — including breakfast.  (AP Photo/Dan Strumpf)AP - One of the most fascinating things about Tokyo is the way it combines both the ancient and the modern. Or rather, the way it doesn’t combine them at all, so the new and the old are side by side everywhere you turn.

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Hole in Southwest jet blamed on metal fatigue (AP)

FILE - In this July 13, 2009 file photo, an investigator gets a close look from a bucket truck of the hole on top of a Southwest Airlines plane which had to make an emergency landing in Charleston, W. Va. Federal investigators said Thursday, Aug. 19, 2010, metal fatigue caused a hole to rip open in the roof of a Southwest Airlines jet as it cruised at 35,000 feet last year.(AP Photo/The Charleston Gazette, Chris Dorst, file) ** Mandatory Credit **AP - Federal investigators say metal fatigue caused a hole to rip open in the roof of a Southwest Airlines jet as it cruised at 35,000 feet last year.

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Website aimed at hometown tourists (AP)

AP - My family will travel halfway around the world to see a koala bear sitting in a eucalyptus tree, but for some reason it took us four years in Boise to see the city’s spooky old 19th century penitentiary, a local favorite just a few miles from our house.

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Vineyard tours take visitors from grape to glass (AP)

From left, Jessica Heing, Larry Levine, and winemaker Clay Mauritson walk along a path through vineyards at Mauritson Wines in Healdsburg, Calif., Thursday, July 15, 2010. The Mauritson tour is one of four self-guided walks put together with the assistance of the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission.    (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)AP - They say great wine is made in the vineyard. Now some vintners are inviting guests to check that out through walking tours aimed at giving the real dirt on winemaking.

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Exploring one of Paris' great attractions: Cinemas (AP)

This July 27, 2010 photo shows the Champo theater in Paris. In Paris, there are seemingly endless rues and quais and museums and cafes to explore, which means visitors often hurry past one of the city's greatest attractions: its cinemas.    (AP Photo/Jacques Brinon)AP - It may seem backward to travel to one of the most beautiful cities in the world and sit in the dark.

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Asbury Park, NJ: The Glory Days are back (AP)

FILE-  This Sept. 24, 2007 file photo shows Bruce Springsteen as he performs with the E Street Band at in a benefit rehearsal at the Paramount Theater Monday, Sept. 24, 2007 in Asbury Park, N.J.   This friendly seaside community, indelibly linked to Springsteen's 1973 debut album, 'Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.' has plenty to offer — whether you're among the fans making pilgrimages, or just want to have fun, relax and enjoy the beach.  (AP Photo/Mel Evans, FILE)AP - Greetings from Asbury Park!

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Diverse cultures contributed to NM art (AP)

This photo released by the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art shows a panel painting of Santiago Matamoros, pine wood, water-based paints, Molleno, New Mexico, part of  'Converging Streams: Art of the Hispanic and Native American Southwest,' on display at the  Museum of Spanish Colonial Art in Santa Fe, N.M. The show and a book by the same title examine contributions made by diverse cultures to early New Mexico architecture, weaving, woodwork, leatherwork, textiles, pottery, metalwork and religious art.   (AP Photo/Museum of Spanish Colonial Art)  NO SALESAP - For centuries, New Mexico has been home to a distinctive tradition of painting Catholic saints in simple portraits, rather than adhering to the elaborate styles of European art.