For me, eating is one of the most important parts of traveling—so much that I’d rather stay in an inexpensive hotel, forgo the souvenirs and eat ramen noodles weeks before my vacation just to save the extra cash for gastronomic heaven. And, adherents to the gospel according to Michelin will certainly agree

The famed Michelin Guide, which evaluates the best restaurants and hotels throughout the world, has awarded Tokyo more three-star restaurant ratings in its 2009 Tokyo edition than (gasp!) Paris. Eleven restaurants in Tokyo has been awarded three stars, while Paris followed in a close second with 10 stars. Tokyo also beat out Paris in the total number of stars awarded—Tokyo received 261 and Paris received 197.

Delicious cuisine is plentiful in Tokyo. Photo: Mahiro1322

The Michelin Guide rates restaurants regardless of cuisine style and according to five criteria:

1. Quality
2. Mastery of flavor and cooking
3. The personality of the fare
4. Value for the money
5. Consistency between visits

Stars are awarded based on the food alone (not ambiance, service or any other factors):

• One star indicates “a very god restaurant in its category."
• Two stars indicate “excellent cooking and worth a detour."
• Three stars indicate “exceptional cuisine and worth the journey."

According to the Associated Press, the “contest” wasn’t exactly fair because Tokyo is home to 160,000 restaurants, while Paris has 60,000. Don't worry Paris, there's always next year.

Learn more about Tokyo culinary vacations.

Learn more about Paris culinary vacations.

Monterey, Calif., is known for its pretty vistas, fantastic restaurants and family fun—but on two nights of the year, you can also time travel to California’s first capital. The annual Christmas in the Adobes features candlelit 19th-century adobe homes and includes period decorations and entertainment.

From the Custom House (the oldest government building in California) to Colton Hall (the site of California’s Constitutional Convention), the event mixes history with the holidays. My favorite adobe, Casa Soberanes, showcases the holiday traditions of Mexican-era California, and includes yummy Mexican hot chocolate. New to the list of featured buildings is the Royal Presidio Chapel, recently restored in 2008. It’s the only remaining structure of the Spanish-era Presidio.

Photo: Monterey County CVB

This year marks the 25th anniversary of Christmas in the Adobes, and special kids’ activities have been added to the celebration, including interactive displays, toy making and storytelling. All proceeds from ticket sales for the event fund year-round children’s educational programs run by Monterey State Historic Park.

Take a break from shopping malls and lines to see Santa, and introduce the kids (or just yourself) to a different way of celebrating the holidays. You just might learn something about California’s history.

Christmas in the Adobes is held Thursday and Sunday, Dec. 10 and 12, from 5 to 9 p.m. Ticket prices are $20 for adults, $2 for children ages 6 to 17. Kids under 6 are admitted free. For tickets, call 831-649-7120.

I’m a museum junkie. It doesn’t matter whether exhibits are of artwork, historical significance or oddities. I simply enjoy seeing collections. Here’s a look at a few interesting places that opened recently, or will soon.

Urban Lantern at Fort Worth's Museum of Science and History; exterior of new building at the National World War II Museum.

Fort Worth’s Museum of Science and History

The new $80 million museum opens its doors this Friday, Nov. 20—and it’s free for the first 3,500 guests. The large, 166,000-square-foot building, designed by Legorreta + Legorreta from Mexico City, will feature interactive exhibits, ranging from Fort Worth history to CSI: The Experience, giving visitors the chance to work a crime scene. The museum’s entrance, dubbed the Urban Lantern, is made of 500-pound glass panels lit using LED fixtures and fluorescent lights, sending a beam of light into the sky. Its lighting ceremony takes place tonight (Nov. 16). www.fwmuseum.org

The National World War II Museum

The first of four new buildings of this museum’s $300 million expansion plan opened earlier this month in New Orleans, with the premier of Tom Hanks’ movie, Beyond All Boundaries, a 35-minute film using 4-D technology to takes viewers through the “war that changed the world” from the bombing of Pearl Harbor to the last battles before victory. The museum’s exhibitions blend personal accounts, artifacts, documents, photographs and film footage to educate visitors about all aspects of WWII. The expansion, which will quadruple the museum’s space, will be completed by 2015.  www.nationalww2museum.org

HEARTS Veterans Museum

The HEARTS Veterans Museum in Huntsville, Texas, appropriately celebrated its grand opening on Veteran’s Days last week. Exhibits honor soldiers, military conflicts and home-front war efforts, featuring artifacts and memorabilia from military events from World War I to the current war in Afghanistan. Each branch of the military has its own exhibit. HEARTS stands for Helping Every American Remember Through Serving. www.heartsmuseum.com

Andy Griffith Museum

Fans of Mayberry, R.F.D. or Matlock can get a closer look at the life of the shows’ star at the Andy Griffith Museum, which found a permanent home this fall alongside the Old-Time Music Heritage Hall in Mount Airy, N.C., Griffith’s home town. The museum’s ribbon-cutting ceremony took place in September during the town’s annual Mayberry Days celebration. The collection features items from Griffith’s life and television shows, as well as related memorabilia, donated by Griffith’s family, friends and colleagues. www.visit.mayberry.com

The Toy Museum of New York

Reminisce over vintage teddy bears, Raggedy Ann and other dolls, as well as Lincoln Logs (one of my favorite childhood toys) and Legos at The Toy Museum of New York (formerly known as The Doll and Toy Museum of NYC), which debuted in its new space in Brooklyn Heights last week. Occupying a second-floor space at St. Ann and the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, the collection, first put together in 1999 by the museum’s founder, Marlene Hockman, an author of doll books, includes more than 500 toys, dating to the 1870s. www.toymuseumny.org

Looking Ahead: International Civil Rights Center and Museum

The historic downtown Woolworth’s building in Greensboro, N.C., will house the International Civil Rights Center and Museum, which is scheduled to open in time for the 50th anniversary on February 1 of the sit-ins that became a significant part of the Civil Rights Movement—when four N.C. A&T freshmen asked for a cup of coffee at what was then Woolworth’s whites-only luncheon counter. www.sitinmovement.org

With 8,000 thousand figures, 10,000 weapons, 670 horses, 130 chariots and three archaeological pits, it’s easy to see why the Museum of Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shi Huang in Xi’an is one of the most popular tourist attractions in China. I spent a half-day at the site on my recent month-long trip to the country and pulled together the following visitors tips.

First, A Brief History

This life-size clay army was buried near the tomb of Qin Shi Huang in order to guard him into the afterlife, as well as perhaps entertain him since figures of acrobats and musicians were included along with warriors. Qin Shi Huang was a bit of a badass who declared himself the first emperor of China after conquering the warring states surrounding his Qin state, thereby unifying them into the vast Asian country intact today. He ruled from 221 B.C. until his death in 210 B.C. Discovered by local farmers in 1974, the archeological site remains active, with ongoing digs and restorations.

(Photos: Donna M. Airoldi)

Site-Seeing Tips

• Decide whether to go by tour or on your own. If you go by tour, when reviewing prices, remember that the actual admission price to the museum is CNY90 (US$13).

• Getting there by tour. Whether you’re a luxury traveler or backpacker, odds are your hotel or hostel will be selling a day package to visit the Terra Cotta Warriors museum. Often these trips are paired with other nearby attractions, and prices will vary significantly. Make sure you choose a tour that includes admission to all the sites, gives you enough time at each place to actually see and enjoy them, and picks you up and drops you off at your hotel.

• Getting there independently. Save money and manage your own time by taking public bus No. 306 to the museum, which is the end point on the route. Cost is CNY7 (US$1) each way, with stops at the Tomb of Qin Shi Huang and Huaqing Hot Springs, and takes 30 minutes. Board at the Xi’an train station parking lot in the section to the right of the station as you face it.

• Bring binoculars or a camera with a telephoto lens. Except for a few figures enclosed in glass in Pit 2, you won’t get up close to any of the warriors in the three pits.

• Wear comfortable shoes. The ticket office is a long way from the parking lot, and the actual entrance even farther. It’s about a half mile in total, so not bad, but be prepared if you have any kind of foot troubles. Mini bus transport was available for some groups from the ticket office to the museum entrance.

• Audio guide. I enjoyed the self-guided audio tour, which includes about 90 minutes of information. Cost: CNY40 (US$4.85). As is the case in most museums in China, you need to leave a hefty deposit—CNY200 (US$30)—for the device, which you’ll get back when you return it. One drawback: Once you listen to a segment, you cannot go back and listen again.

• Hiring a guide. If you’re not already on a tour, you’ll be approached near the ticket office by independent guides-for-hire. Prices vary, so be ready to bargain. If you want a private tour, say so, otherwise you might end up as part of a small group your guide has pulled together.

• Be prepared for crowds. Bus loads of crowds. And these folks will not hesitate to push you out of the way for their perfect photo op. Busiest times are mornings and early afternoon. You can see the entire site in a couple of hours, so even if you don’t get there until 2 p.m., you’ll have plenty of time before the museum closes at 5.

• Skip the introductory film. Unless you want to chuckle at the 1970s made-for-TV production values of this film, head right to the excavation pits.

• View Pit 3 first, then Pit 2. The small Pit 3 has the lowest lighting and just 70 warriors and horses, but they were positioned face-to-face, suggesting this was the headquarters of the Terra Cotta Army. Pit 2 is larger, with more than 1,000 figures, including those kneeling while in a shooting position. Excavations are ongoing, and this is also the room where you can see five glass-enclosed warriors of differing ranks up close in order to appreciate the project’s craftsmanship and amazing level of detail.

• Save Pit 1 for last. This room is the most imposing and the most impressive. There are estimated to be about 6,000 figures buried here, most of which still haven’t been unearthed. You walk the circumference of the large pit, taking in the row upon row of warriors and horses. This room also is the hardest to maneuver through when the crowds are at their peak.

• Enjoy the surroundings. The area around the pits and other buildings is nicely landscaped with trees, flowers, paved paths, benches, and cafes and souvenir shops, for those needing a break or looking to take home a set of warrior miniatures.

Even if Xi’an isn’t on your travel radar, you can get an even better look at these impressive figures at the Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China’s First Emperor exhibit opening Nov. 19 at the National Geographic Museum in Washington, D.C., with 15 soldiers on view until March 31, 2010. Read TravelMuse’s coverage of the show from when it was in Atlanta earlier this year.

As a Northern California resident, I think Tahoe when I think of winter ski season. But Mammoth Mountain, in the southern Sierra, has a ski vacation package this winter that may make some people change their minds.

With Horizon Air’s new service from San Jose to Mammoth, the ski resort is offering a discount of more than 50 percent off a complete vacation package. The package includes: round-trip air service from San Jose to Mammoth, free hotel transportation, three nights lodging at the Mammoth Mountain Inn and two days skiing. Prices start at $299 per person (based on double occupancy), not including taxes, and are based on Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday arrivals. It’s possible to upgrade your package to a two-bedroom suite at the Juniper Springs Resort; package prices start at $399 per person, based on four-person occupancy.

Photo: Courtesy of Mammoth Mountain

To take advantage of this offer, book by Nov. 21, 2009, for arrivals between Jan. 3 and April 13, 2010. Blackout dates are Jan. 15 to 17 and Feb. 12 to 18.

If you don’t know the way to San Jose, don’t fret. Packages are also available from Portland, starting from $469 per person.

For more information, call 800-MAMMOTH (626-6684) or visit www.mammothmountain.com.

Love the idea of an ice hotel, but not into the frosty reality of sleeping in one? Gaylord Hotels has a solution that showcases many of the amazing things one can do with large chunks of frozen water, without requiring piles of thick blankets to keep you warm at night.

The Nashville–based hotel company is once again hosting its annual ICE! event this holiday season, this time at all four of its U.S. properties, located in the family-friendly cities of Nashville, Orlando, Dallas and just outside Washington, D.C., in Maryland. Eight million pounds of the magical stuff will be transformed into sculptures, storybook scenes and characters, and slides by more than 100 artisans flown in from Harbin, China, that country’s ice capital and home of the internationally renown Ice and Snow World Festival.

Gaylord Hotels ICE! slide and winter pond scene.

Each resort will feature its own ice sculptures, series of events and special holiday packages, lasting from Thanksgiving into the new year.

• Gaylord National debuts its first year of ICE! with 10 different holiday scenes, from Santa’s toyshop to ice-skating polar bears. Don’t miss the hotel’s 60-foot glass Christmas tree and nightly snowfall. Packages start at $249 per night.
  
• The Gaylord Opryland Resort will convey the story of A Charlie Brown Christmas, featuring the entire Peanuts gang on the ice set. Outside of the frozen attraction, guests can have breakfast with Charlie Brown himself, with family photo ops available on Fridays through Sundays. A Country Christmas packages are available Nov. 20 to Dec. 25, 2009.
  
• A “cold front” will take over Gaylord Palms this holiday season with Jolly Cold Saint Nicholas, depicting scenes featuring Santa Claus and his reindeer, as well as a life-sized Nativity, carved out of crystal-clear ice. Kids also can participate in a holiday gnome hunt and make gingerbread houses. Holiday packages, good from Nov. 14, 2009 to Jan. 3, 2010, start at $129 per night.
  
• The Gaylord Texan ICE! display will feature How the Grinch Stole Christmas complete with toy soldier stilt walkers, a live reindeer and a 50-foot rotating Christmas tree. A variety of Lone Star Christmas packages are available for the holiday season.
  

Still worried about the cold? Fear not. Visitors can borrow oversized parkas to stay warm while touring the exhibits, which are kept at a chilly 9 degrees Fahrenheit.

(Read our previous post about how the Gaylord Opryland is great for families.)

I love to travel and I hate to fly—ah, the proverbial catch-22. As a child, I would squeeze my father’s hand every time the plane hit an air pocket or the wings moved—to this day he still complains that I successfully dislocated every bone in his hand. When I became older, I replaced my dad’s hands with overpriced glasses of wine from the airport bar. So, not only would I wind up at my destination with a pounding headache, but I’d also be about 20 dollars poorer.

Photo: Ana Santos

What’s an anxious traveler to do? There are no quick fixes to quieting travel anxiety, but there are tricks and tips you can adopt to make your journey less frightening. Here are my five favorites:

1. Get a good night of sleep. You may think that pulling an all-nighter before your flight will ensure that you’ll spend your flight in dreamland, however, exhaustion amplifies emotions. If you’re an anxious and tired flier, you’re flight will be even less pleasant. I also suggest limiting your caffeine intake prior to getting on the flight.

2. Crossword puzzles or other games that require quiet attention. If you’re busy trying to figure out what twenty-three across is then your mind will have less room for distracting you with your fear of flying.

3. Visualization. When I’m on a plane and feeling anxious, I tend to think of about my destination, imagine myself relaxing there and play out positive scenarios in my head. It sounds kind of cheesy, but it does have a calming effect on the mind.

4. Pass on the alcohol. You might think that a few spirits will help you relax and enjoy the flight, and it might at first. But a lot of anxious fliers are anxious because they feel that they don’t have any control. A few drinks will amplify this feeling.

5. Education. Learn about airplanes and how they work. If certain noises scare you, feel free to ask the flight attendants what they are. Believe me, they deal with anxious fliers all the time. Although it is not often talked about, the fear of flying is a lot more common than you think.

Not every family can make a trip to Washington, D.C., and because of increasing security measures, even fewer can get into the White House for a personal tour. But it is possible for children to experience a little of the executive office by visiting one of the many presidential libraries around the country.

In the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, for example, guests of all ages can step aboard the Boeing 707 that was used as Air Force One during the tenure of seven presidents; view a Marine Helicopter Squadron One aircraft up close; and witness a U.S. Army MP patrol a re-creation of Checkpoint Charlie, the border crossing of the Berlin Wall.

Air Force One. Photo: Courtesy of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

At the beautifully designed William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum in Littlerock, Arkansas, children can walk through a faithful re-creation of the Clinton Oval Office, complete with reproductions of the artwork that hung on the walls and the knick knacks that decorated Clinton’s desktop. Children will also enjoy interactive video stations where they can learn about everyday life in the Clinton White House—from what it’s like to dine in the presidential mansion to what it’s like to be a first pet.

In addition to the permanent collections in these presidential libraries, kids will get a kick out of many of the rotating exhibitions. Currently the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, Massachusetts, features the kid-friendly “Moon Shot—JFK and Space Exploration,” which displays a model of the Friendship 7 capsule manned by John Glenn when he became the first American astronaut to orbit the earth in 1962; an actual Mercury spacesuit; and letters and memos written by the late president, chronicling Kennedy’s interest in space.