One of the scores of New York subway cars on permanent display at the New York Museum of Transit in downtown Brooklyn. The museum is housed in a decommissioned subway station.
Author: Spud Hilton
Spud Hilton is the former Travel Editor of The San Francisco Chronicle, where in the past 18 years he has written about, reported on and been hopelessly lost in destinations on six continents. His attempts to divine, describe and defy the expectations of places -- from Havana's back alleys to Kyoto's temples to the floor of a hippie bus in Modesto -- have earned 13 Lowell Thomas Awards, the standard for travel journalism. Those skills and experiences now go into consulting, workshops and keynote speeches aimed at reaching different audiences and changing the way we look at travel's tired cliches.
Gallery: Best signs on Beale Street
On Memphis’ Beale Street, blues, barbecue and beer are the draws, and you won’t have any trouble finding them with the giant signs pointing the way. Click here for a gallery of the best on the block (link to travel blog at SFGate).
Pixel This: Photo of the Week
When the paddlewheel steamer American Queen goes under low wires and bridges on the Mississippi River, the captan lowers the retractable smokestacks. In this position, the smokestacks look like fanciful cannons ready to fire.

(Shot at 1/160, f. 5.6 on a Canon T3i with a fixed 14mm 2.8 lens.)