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There’s a quick way around the drawn-out, delayed Global Entry application process. Do it at the airport when you land.

These are the airports and regions that are getting hit hardest—and what you can do if your travel plans are affected.

Alaska Airlines is running a flash sale on flights to the Hawaiian Islands, but the deal expires at midnight Pacific Time on April 7.

As of today, travelers can book flights from Boston, Chicago, and Anchorage to Dublin, Oslo, and Amsterdam at steep discounts.

For the fourth annual AFAR Travelers’ Awards, readers cast more than 200,000 votes for their favorite hotels, cruise lines, and—for the first time—airlines. Here we present the winners of the Hospitality Group.

From Texas to Taiwan, these cities are hosting Nuit Blanche events and pulling art all-nighters.

Traveling over Labor Day? Fun new amenities at major hubs make it easier to kill time before, or between, your flights this busy holiday weekend.

If you live in California, Washington, Oregon, or other Western states, you’ll want to know about these new flights.

With pet-friendly hotels and restaurants and plenty of outdoor adventure, these cities will make you and your pup feel at home.

It may even have you praying for a delay.

Airport food so good that you’ll hope for a layover

Overview

Because you won’t regret it. Whatever Amtrak’s reputation, this has to be one of the best train rides - and the best train services - in the USA. We actually started our rail journey in Vancouver and made our way, haltingly, down the West coast line, but it was the 19-hour stretch after leaving Portland that really astonished us. From the moment you leave the city and head out through the farmlands and small towns of Oregon, the surprises never stop. A spacious and restful observation car gave us the chance to watch the ever-changing scenery go by - hills, woods, even volcanoes, before heading up into the mountains for the spectacular lakes and forests of the Cascades. Once the sun had gone down, and we’d enjoyed a sociable dinner in the dining car, we got a really decent night’s sleep in our two-person roomette (bunk beds). But it was breakfast the next morning that proved the greatest thrill - the landscape suddenly turning to camel-coloured hills, then marshland, then, finally, the sweeping San Francisco bay. Could not recommend this journey more - it’s decent value, too.

The tram gives Portland visitors stunning views of the city, river, and mountains beyond. Grab the streetcar from downtown out to the waterfront. You’re delivered to the lower terminal for the three-minute ride carrying you 3,300 feet at 20 MPH to the upper terminal at OHSU. Linger for photo ops then head back down to explore. If it’s nice, skip the streetcar and walk back along the river. Daily workout, check. Roundtrip cost: $4. At the lower terminal, the Daily Cafe is an easy find in the atrium of the OHSU Clinical building as you disembark the pill-shaped car, built with precision by the Swiss. Head for the river and stroll along the shore in any weather. Double back along SW Bond Ave and consider lunch at Bambuza Vietnamese Bistro. Check out the pricey high-rise condos on the market in the real estate office windows, then relax in one of the pocket parks to people watch. It snows in Portland. A couple of times a winter, even downtown gets dusted and it’s a huge mess. I’ve dreamed about getting my ski gear on, grabbing my boards and heading for the PDX Tram at the South Waterfront. I’d casually climb aboard with the patients and medical folks heading up to “Pill Hill” and blow their minds.

Actually, the lobby of the Sapphire Hotel is as far as you’ll get when you visit these days. And for all intents and purposes, it’s far enough. The Sapphire maintains the edge its enjoyed since its inception in the early 1900s. Then a gathering place for the quirky and lightly mannered; cool before cool was cool, it now is the great-grandparent of PDX hip. The candlelit scene keeps the conversation low and the alcohol levels, therapeutic. With cocktails like: You’re Not My Real Dad, Retrosex, Winter Isn’t Coming and Floozie, what could possibly go wrong. The hotel rooms are long gone, but the kitchen still hangs around. The menu maintains a simplicity and charm of another era. An order of the salmon corn cakes with a Sapphire salad will easily sustain, but why stop there. Go for the fully-loaded Sapphire burger, have another pop and regroup for the ginger-vanilla bean creme brûlée. The best thing about the Sapphire is the hang time. It’s out on the bleeding edge of Hawthorne, so once you get out there, you’ll tend to want to linger. The atmosphere encourages it with a sharp wait staff supported by bartenders that roll the dice to delver concoctions you can’t get just anywhere. Happy hour tends to evolve into happy evening, even happy night. I’d say it was a gem, but that would be stating the obvious.