The Living Room

This unusual performance by Paul Gazzola and the id339 dance group takes place inside a 'cardboard box'. Inspired by Jean Paul Sartre's play 'Huis Clos', 'The Living Room' is about 'voyeurism, vulnerability and being unable to hide anything', according to choreographer Gazzola. It is performed at one of the city's leading avant-garde venues in conjunction with 'Backwash', a mini-festival showcasing of 'New Australian Performance'. The propduction is followed by a demonstration of 'Milk and Bread in the Morning', a sound installation by artist Luke Pithers.

Carrying your bike on itelian trains

The Italian train schedules are annotated, designating which trains carry bikes. Still, even on the right trains, the conductors can give you a hard time (apparently they don't read their own schedules). There is a fee and there aren't many trains that permit bikes. The French and Spanish systems are extremely difficult to get a bike on. In fact you usually have to send the bike as freight (usually about US$30 for most destinations) and wait a couple of days for it to show up. The waiting is the worst bit because you have to plan to stay wherever you are getting off the train until your transportation arrives. But there is a better way. It will save you a pile of money and will allow you to get on almost any train anywhere. Buy a bag. If you tear your racks off, push your seat down, take the wheels off, turn your handlebars sideways, and stuff the whole thing in a bag, you can get it on most trains for free. There are size limits (eg 120 cm x 90 cm in France) but I doubt if anyone will actually come out with a tape measure. I discovered this too late to take full advantage, but I wound up buying a plastic table cloth in Spain for about US$7, wrapping it around my bike, and saving US$30 and a couple of days wait. There are commercially available bags that are tough but lightweight. If you are planning to take trains, take one with you. It will also help avoid damage on buses and planes. And some airlines will make you buy a box if you don't have such a bag.

Barfly

Everything you ever thought was stereotypically Los Angeles is right here in this restaurant: from the velvet rope, which you almost need to have had a hit movie or at least a hit record to get through, to the Bukowski images on the wall, it's all about seeing and being seen. The music is loud, with celeb acts such as Bruce Willis, members of Rod Stewart's band and Tower of Power making appearances. The hippest place in Los Angeles, it's right in the heart of Sunset Plaza. Main courses cost $12-$25 (£7.50-£15.50).

Cities on the Cheap

It is morning. You awaken to the smell of a full English breakfast sizzling in the kitchen downstairs. Lying in your soft B&B bed, you contemplate the previous evening's events. Images of "The Ministry of Sound" and various wood-paneled pubs float through your mind. After showering and eating, you head outside to greet the temperate, fresh, English city air. Today's itinerary includes the Tower, Madame Tussaud's, Les Miserables, and a private helicopter tour of the City. Boy, are you excited! But first you must make one necessary stop. Crossing the street, you approach the ATM with caution. After punching in your PIN, terror encloses your heart in an icy grip. You begin to shake, hoping that your sudden humility will appease the gods of finance?but to no avail. Your account is empty. Sound familiar? Even if this scenario is a bit of an exaggeration, city traveling can be rather expensive. "Budget" travel in cities like London, Paris, Rome, or New York, if planned incorrectly, can cause the average backpacker to declare bankruptcy in record time, suddenly transforming an eight-week itinerary spanning Europe and Northern Africa into a couple of hours in Heathrow Terminal B. Don't get me wrong-Heathrow has some great duty free shops-but you may want to explore a bit more. So, in order to tackle the problem, we must first identify it. Put simply, it's too easy to spend money in these cities. Theories abound as to why this is the case. One theory holds that little urban gnomes come at night to steal cash and traveler's checks from unsuspecting tourists. This theory is incorrect. The more likely theories are as follows: