Waldorf-Astoria offers 1-hour tours

Waldorf-Astoriaoffers 1-hour tours
NEW YORK (AP) -- Maybe you can't afford to stay at Manhattan's famed Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, but the hotel's new one-hour tours are free.
The tour gives you an inside look at both the behind-the-scenes operations of the hotel and its history, which includes hosting every U.S. president since Herbert Hoover as well as other heads of state from around the world.
To sign up for a tour, call the hotel's restaurant reservations line at (212) 872-1275. Tours will be held at 10:30 a.m. on the first and third Saturdays of July and August. Participants will get a gift certificate for an upgrade to champagne service during afternoon tea, or for a complimentary appetizer with the purchase of an entree at the hotel's brasserie, Oscar's.
Guides for the disabled
Rick Steves, author of 27 European travel guidebooks and the host of the public television series, "Rick Steves' Europe," now offers a book for travelers with physical limitations.
"Easy Access Europe" ($19.95) helps travelers navigate the Old World, known for its cobblestones and poor accessibility.
Steves covers key European sights, hotels and transportation for Amsterdam, Bruges, London, Paris and the Rhine Valley.
The book includes Web resources and tips and large type. The guidebook is co-authored with Ken Plattner.
For more information, visit www.ricksteves.com.
Exhibit analyzescrime-solving bugs
Explore the role insects play in solving criminal cases at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Chicago through Sept. 12.
"CSI: Crime Scene Insects" investigates forensic entomology or the use of insects to reveal critical details of a crime scene.
Visitors learn about insect anatomy and behavior and why insects are such valuable witnesses in helping piece together events at a crime scene. Then they proceed to a mock crime scene area to explore and collect evidence and use newfound skills to help solve crimes.
For more information, visit www.naturemuseum.org.
Stars at festival
Superstar Sheryl Crow, Lucinda Williams and the Steve Miller Band have been added to the lineup at this year's Jazz Aspen Snowmass Sept. 3-6.
The 14th Labor Day festival is held open-air in the Elk Mountain Range in Colorado, attracting crowds of up to 10,000 daily.
This year's lineup also includes David Byrne featuring Tosca Strings, Lyle Lovett and Jack Johnson.
For more information, call (866) 527-8499 or visit www.jazzaspen.org.
Site lists top eventsfrom around world
LONDON (AP) -- Looking for something to do in a place you've never been? Sometimes that's easier said than done.
Maybe you're planning a February vacation, looking for Mardi Gras hotspots around the world. Or you're trying to decide between a weekend visit to an old roommate in Atlanta or a favorite cousin in Minneapolis.
Now there's a way you can quickly get a sense of what's happening where. Go to www.whatsonwhen.com, type in a destination and date, and you'll get leads on everything from arts and music, to children's attractions, to festivals, to gay- and lesbian-oriented events.
The site is not comprehensive and has more material on some places than others, but it does provide a fast survey of top events and attractions in many parts of the world, from the annual Maricao Coffee Festival in Puerto Rico (Feb. 14-16) to Japan's Nachi Fire Festival (July 14) to the Annual Scarecrow Festival in Fort Kent, Maine (Oct. 1-3).