There’s much more to Panama City than watching big tankers float through the Panama Canal’s locks. The birds,nearby rain forest and the ability to boat on the canal intrigue us more than the slow transit of ships. In 2011 Panama City will also have the Frank Gehry designed Museum of Biodiversity.

Disney World has great rides, exciting attractions and lively shows. But on our first visit, we overdid it. We snaked through lines, boarded attractions and crammed in experience. Along with magical moments, there were more than a few cranky meltdowns. Here are three Golden Rules to follow.

It was the Turquoise Coast that drew us to Turkey, but we also became enamored of Istanbul, a city of imposing mosques and graceful minarets that’s home to the sprawling Grand Bazaar and the impressive Topkapi Palace.

Three very different gems, all within an hour’s drive north of Copenhagen, reward travelers: an impressive, contemporary art museum; the bucolic home of one of Denmark’s most well-known writers and a 150-room, Renaissance castle, among the nation’s most beautiful.

Washington, D.C. intrigues visitors with several new experiences. Foil an espionage plot at the International Spy Museum, figure out our Neanderthal connections at the National Museum of Natural History and find out what ordinary foot soldiers felt while fighting the Civil War. Come visit again.

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