Find trivia and lore about metros and subways

If you love subways and metro systems, you'll also love Metro Bits, http://mic-ro.com/metro/index.html, an enthusiastic site dedicated to the art, scenery, special train car features and legends about metro rail systems.

There's a section of Forty Cities with the World's Best Subway Stations, a section showing all the logos of the world's metro systems and even short videos of subway trains leaving their stations. You could spend a lot of time on this site just browsing and listening to audio files of departure and station announcements.

Sunbathers will want to check out the list of metros that go to beaches. Learn about items that have turned up at the lost and found departments of metros and archaeological finds discovered when the tunnels were dug. There is also a list of metro routes with the best views.

Travelers' resolutions for the new travel year are suggested at BnB Finder, www.bnbfinder.com/page/9/New-Years-Resolutions.The first one listed is Go Green, Save the Environment, with a selection of five bed-and-breakfasts perfect for an ecological getaway. Live Healthier, a second resolution, is supported by seven inns that help you get started on a healthier lifestyle.

Resolution No. 3, More Time with the Family, lists a half-dozen inns perfect for families with kids of all ages, an unusual trait for most bed-and-breakfasts, which prefer to limit children to preserve the romantic atmosphere. If you are up for that, see Rekindle Your Romance, which offers a list of very romantic places. The last good intent, More Time with Friends, suggests several inns with many activities or special programs for girlfriend getaways.

With lost bags becoming an escalating problem every year, this may be the year to resolve to pack and travel with just one bag. Think it's impossible?

Go to One Bag.com, www.onebag.com. It first gives all the reasons one bag is a smart strategy. Better security is the first, because having the bag with you reduces the chance of theft, damage or mis-routing. Another reason is economy: No need to pay for or tip porters, and you won't be charged for extra bags or poundage. It also frees you up to take public transportation, which is always cheaper than a taxi.

Once you're convinced, the site leads you to any of three sections: What to Pack, What to Pack it in and How to Pack it. The advice includes using a packing list, choosing the perfect bags and using the bundle method of packing,

In print

This week my recommended item is not a book but a calendar: the Golden Age of Travel 2008 Wall Calendar created by Johanna Kriesel. It is published by Sellers Publishing at $12.99.

Her lovely artworks feature travel images of days gone by. These vintage paintings feature such subjects as iconic ocean liners when only wealthy people made "the crossing." The 10-by-14-inch wall calendar can be ordered online at www.rsvp.com/item.php?item=413.

Browse for other calendars, including one with vintage images of Hawaii air tours and another based on old poster art from tours of the Amazon.