On a train 'North by Northwest' and others, on a bus in 'It Happened One Night,' in Italy in 'Roman Holiday,' in Bali in 'Eat, Pray, Love' — love is all around.

Love is always lovelier some place other than home. Well, at least in the celluloid universe.

OK, you somehow scored Super Bowl tix. Congrats. Shouldn’t everyone’s uncle be a regional fleet manager for Ford?

OK, you somehow scored Super Bowl tix. Congrats. Shouldn’t everyone’s uncle be a regional fleet manager for Ford?

A guide to the hotels, resorts and other locales in the West that offer travelers hand's-on cooking lessons.

Cooking classes are sprouting like shiitake mushrooms across the West, often in gorgeous locations. For travelers who want to plan their gourmet adventures, we've found restaurants, hotels, lodges, resorts and culinary academies where they can improve their home-chef skills with hands-on lessons, demonstrations or tutoring by noted chefs.

From historical celebrations to Oregon wines to a diamond jubilee in Britain to Warhol in Arkansas, here are a dozen places to explore and enjoy.

New Mexico: This year, New Mexicans mark 100 years of statehood. But much of the state's appeal stems from its human history that goes back much further. (In 2010, Santa Fe celebrated 400 years of cityhood.) Explore here: the adobe architecture and art galleries of Santa Fe; the vintage signage along old Route 66; the lingering hippie vibe of Truth or Consequences. Don't forget the Lightning Field, an art installation outside Quemado where (for $150...

Here are a dozen travel-news tidbits that will make you a better informed consumer in the new year.

Think of what follows as a travel tapas buffet — tidbits that just might whet your appetite for more. Here are a dozen pieces of information for the 2012 traveler.