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BUCHAREST, Romania - It was founded by a shepherd, according to local legend, and was later nicknamed the Paris of the East.

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Cutting lines at airports used to be only for the rich, famous or very frequent fliers. But then airlines started granting fast-track access to anybody with the right credit card or who was willing to shell out a few extra dollars.

NEW ORLEANS - Jazz guitarist Raphael Bas says French Quarter Festival is as close as it gets in the U.S. to the music festival he grew up attending with his family in Bourges, France.

LONDON - Tourists, exchange students, masters of the financial universe and other business travellers: It's time to buckle up.

RABAT, Morocco - Spared the violence and instability of its North African neighbours, Morocco is looking to lure even more tourists to its beaches, cities and mountains to make up for those kept home by Europe's economic crisis.

WASHINGTON - In the age of hand-held GPS devices, navigating by the stars may seem quaint and irrelevant.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Coachella and Lollapalooza are sold out. Bonnaroo's nearly there, too. But eager fans need only be patient: Wait a few years and chances are you'll have a star-studded music festival of your own within driving distance.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Grace Potter & The Nocturnals know a little something about summer festivals after using the circuit to build their following.

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Cookie Monster stands accused of shoving a 2-year-old. Super Mario was charged with groping a woman. And Elmo was booked for berating tourists with anti-Semitic slurs.

PARIS - Years before Impressionism — the influential Paris-based art movement — began, a similar style of painting capturing colorful impressions of light may have existed in Italy, according to a new exhibit.