Where to Find the Country's Best Tube Steaks (Vera Babb | Travel Leisure) Crunchy. Spicy. Topped with chicharrones and kimchi. The latest Spanish-Asian fusion dish? Nope — it's a hot dog. At least, that's how they make 'em at 4505 Dogs in San Francisco.The 'ZillaDog is a far cry from the traditional franks that competitive eaters choke down each year at Coney Island's famous July 4th contest. Indeed, this quintessentially American snack is having a renaissance, swept up in the...

AAA forecasts 33 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home, a 2.9 percent increase over last year. (Getty Images) Despite a still-unsteady economy and a boost in fuel costs, Americans are expected to travel in big numbers over the Labor Day holiday. During the weekend of Aug. 30 to Sept. 3, the automobile information and advocacy group AAA forecasts, 33 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home, a 2.9 percent increase over last year....

In this Oct. 9, 1950 photo provided by his family, Ron Akana, top row at left, stands at a ceremony with crew mates and the Aloha Week king and queen in Honolulu honoring United Airlines' inaugural flight to Los Angeles. Akana, 83, worked his last route over the weekend on a United Airlines flight from Denver to Kauai, ending his career in the state where it began. (AP Photo/Courtesy of Jean Akana-Lewis) HONOLULU -- A flight attendant is landing in...

(Working Mother) Think the kids are too young to drink in the riches of Sonoma, with its world-class wineries and cuisine? Not so. Nestled in the leafy canyons of this delicious destination are a profusion of family-friendly delights. The region is also ripe with fine accommodations; we like the Farmhouse, a lovely turn-of-the-century Russian River Valley bed-and-breakfast inn. Cool for kids Bodega Head beach. Stay overnight at Safari West, where young adventure seekers can track herds of kudu on this...

The Chicago skyline is seen from Lake Michigan, Illinois. (Getty Images) Chicago, the city that brought us deep-dish pizza, Oprah and "da Bears," is also home to the nation's highest tax burden for travelers. The lowest taxes imposed on travelers can be found in the Florida cities of Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers and West Palm Beach. Those are among the findings of new research by the GBTA Foundation, the education and research arm of the Global Business Travel Assn., a...

Paddlers take stop on a sandbar along the Kansas River recently near DeSoto, Kan. Friends of the Kaw, an environmental advocacy group, has been working with communities over the past decade to add boat-launch areas and to take groups out on the Kansas River to see the wildlife that calls it home. (AP Photo/Heather Hollingsworth) DE SOTO, Kan. — A bald eagle swoops over the Kansas River. Its fledglings have already hatched, but its large nest is hard to miss,...

Top Theme Parks (Songquan Deng / Alamy) Millions of visitors to the world's most popular theme parks agree: these rides, shows, and costumed characters are worth the waits. Four decades after opening - and transforming Orlando - the Magic Kingdom is still the No. 1 most popular theme park, working its pixie-dust charm on more than 17 million annual visitors. Yet Mickey Mouse has some recent competition: the rising star of the theme-park industry is an English boy with round...

(Leif Parsons) Translating easily between cash, frequent-flier miles, and loyalty-program points would require something like the travel version of the Rosetta stone—and, unfortunately, we haven’t found it just yet. But there are a few ways to judge whether you’re getting a good deal.First, let’s tackle the question of how much your miles are really worth. Earning 50,000 miles would take more than 11 round-trip flights from Atlanta to Seattle. You can also buy 50,000 Delta SkyMiles for $1,750 (a rate...

United Airlines, which has a base in Chicago, above, had the worst on-time rate. US Airways had the best on-time rate for a network carrier. (Getty Images) NEW YORK — The number of long delays in July involving planes stuck on airport tarmacs was more than the previous eight months combined, the government said Monday. Twenty eight planes were stuck on the ground at U.S. airports for more than three hours that month, the height of the summer travel season....

(Sara Gray) T+L explores the unexpected pleasures of returning to a summer vacation place year after year—in this case, Maine.The Piper Cub buzzes back into view, flying just 200 feet over the waves, its red-lettered banner unfurled behind. All afternoon it’s been crisscrossing the cloudless sky. Every day, the same plane, same offer: Ken’s Maine Clambake – $19.95. When I first started coming here, the price was $8.99. Back then I could read it without my glasses.Each time the plane...

A Vintage Shopping Adventure (Diana Bier Portobello Road / Alamy) When William Faulkner remarked that the past is not dead, that, in fact, it’s not even past, he didn’t go far enough. I am walking down Portobello Road and the evidence of the past is glowing, vibrating, bouncing all around me: frames and fountain pens, toys and tortoiseshell, watches and walking sticks, pewter and perfume bottles—something for every collector’s taste including my own, which runs to, among other things, Victorian...

The Spirit of Summer Camp With Grown-Up Style (Courtesy of Primland) Remember when summer was endless? It smelled like pine needles and roasting marshmallows and felt like a splash of icy fresh lake water. Well, you can recapture those sensations at new bungalow cottages in Maine—without roughing it and without chintzy florals.Hidden Pond’s cottages are part of a cool breed that prove an authentic, carefree vacation is still possible and can be even better than you remember, thanks to sophisticated...

Hot New Hotels (Courtesy of W St. Petersburg) Miami has something new to buzz about thanks to rocker Lenny Kravitz, nightlife guru Sam Nazarian, chef José Andrés, and starchitect Philippe Starck, the celebrity dream team behind SLS South Beach—one of 2012’s biggest hotel openings.Every year Travel + Leisure readers vote on their favorite hotels in the World’s Best Awards survey. Now it’s the editors’ turn. We’ve opened up our little black book to reveal up-and-coming properties like SLS South Beach...