Travel around Miami

The Republic of Belarus seems to have the same visa system as the USSR used to have. If you’re not on an organised trip you can only get a visa if you are invited by friends, family or a business relation. However, it seems that this rule is flexible. A good story can help you get a visa – at least at the consulate in the Hague (The Netherlands). A Belarus visa takes five days to be issued but if you pay double you can get a visa in one day. The consulate of the Republic of Belarus is at Piet Heinstraat 3, The Hague, (tel 070 363 1566). It is open Monday to Friday from 10 am to 1 pm.

Strolling through the streets, the visitor eventually comes to the looming and impressive Ch?teau Royal. This vestige of the Cathars, a Christian sect ruthlessly repressed by the Catholic church in the Middle Ages, may not be as majestic as the fortress of Carcassonne to the north, but adventures through the labyrinth tunnels under the chateau and up the winding stone staircase that leads to its roof result in breathtaking perspectives both on the past history and current landscape of Collioure. Fortified in 1677 by Louis XIV’s famous strategist Vauban, the palace presents the curious with permanent exhibits of regional history and changing exhibits of modern art.

An enjoyable way to appreciate the natural beauties of the land is from a vantage point out at sea, by taking a trip in one of the many brightly colored boats offering inexpensive promenades en mer. Le St.-Laurent will take you south along the coast to Port-Vendres and on to Cap Bear. Longer cruises travel as far as the port of Spain at Cerbere, and every trip helps to gain a different perspective on Collioure, revealing the verdant moutains that seem to push against the Spanish style red roofs of the quietly huddled four-story houses.

Once you have chosen your show, an easy way to get tickets is to call Telecharge (212-239-6200) or Ticketmaster (212-307-4100), and have your tickets delivered by mail or waiting at the will call window ? though admittedly you?ll hand out a small fortune in handling fees in the process. Besides price, another problem with telesales is that if they have no tickets for a particular show, you are out of luck; a visit or phone call to the theatre could help you secure last-minute cancellations.

Another option is to visit the half-price tickets kiosk in Times Square, a block uptown from the Times Square subway station at 42nd and Broadway. While these tickets (which must be purchased on the day of the performance) are a great deal, it is often difficult to find good seats or seats to shows that you want to see; day-of seats are unsold seats released by the theatre. You?re more likely to have an on-time TWA flight into JFK than you are to find half-price tickets to the Lion King before the next millennium.

For those of you who are truly adventurous, nearly every Broadway theatre reserves a block of matinee-performance seats right up front for discount day-of sale. The only catch is that these seats go very, very early in the morning. Typically, hopeful students and theatre-goers queue up outside the theatre between 6:15 and 6:45 am. Most theatres send a staffer at around 8 am to give ordered vouchers, usually around 20, for use when the box office opens, between 10 am and noon. When you get to the box office, you simply present your voucher and $20 to receive your ticket. Call your show?s box office for details.

(In Amsterdam) As for bargaining, well, you don’t. The only time it is appropriate to bargain is in an open-air market or flea market. Refrain from walking into a regular store and trying to get a lower price—this is what sales are for.

The value added tax and service charges are always included in bills for hotels, shopping, taxi fares, and restaurants. Tips for services are accepted and appreciated but not necessary. Taxi drivers are generally tipped 10% of the fare.

An afternoon among the highrises of La Défense or high noon at the Centre Pompidou’s famous fountain are both ways to jet into Paris’s 21st-century future. People often use architecture to describe Paris’s forward-looking tendencies. Parc de la Villette is a postmodern express train to the year 2500. Other revamped institutions like the Opéra Bastille and the Institut du Monde Arabe de Paris prove that Paris has her eye on the cultural horizon. But you should not have to look far to behold the new—from Paris’s now-bustling multicultural communities, to the city’s break-neck circulation and the beautiful bodies gyrating in the discothèques. Paris is undoubtedly the fastest city this side of the channel.