Sayeth The LA Times: "You might wonder why Caesars Palace has remodeled its pools, since it already had one of the most elaborate pool layouts on the Las Vegas Strip, but don’t think about it too hard. Just be thankful that Garden of the Gods, the new and improved 5-acre pool area at the casino-resort, is a playground fit for a Roman emperor or any luxury-loving tourist. Five of the eight pools (Fortuna, Apollo, two Bacchus pools and Jupiter) are new and will debut March 19." There's swim-up black jack at the Fortuna Pool, and of course, there will be cabanas ($300 to $500 a day). The piece has information on a hotel/pool package that starts at $110 a night. [LATimes Deal Blog]

According to USA Today, the owners of Seattle's space needle are building an exhibition hall, an art park, and a glass house to exhibit the work of artist Dale Chihuly. The complex will be located between the Needle and the Pacific Science Center and will be completed by mid-2011. The article does not specify, but it looks like upon completion the complex will beat out the Oklahoma City Museum as the institution showcasing the most work from the northwestern artist. [USAToday]

From the inbox: "Chicago's own Graham Elliot Bowles is coming on board to bring in the best of the local grub. Now Lollapalooza and Graham want your help. Tell us what you want. From festival staples to your favorite neighborhood joints, let us know which Chicago restaurants you’d like to see at Lollapalooza 2010." The award-winning Chicago toque has previously been affiliated with the festival: in 2009 he cooked for Jane's Addiction and set up shop in the festival's food court. This year's proceedings will run from August 6-8 and will probably feature headliners Lady Gaga, Arcade Fire, Strokes, Soundgarden, and Green Day. Fill out the request form here.

A few weeks back we gave Condé Nast's Mollie Chen a hard time about a video she hosted on South Florida travel. But today, she hits it out of the park by praising Boston's Tony Maws, chef and owner of the wonderful Craigie On Main. "Anyone who thinks Boston doesn't have cuisine to match New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles, has not met Tony Maws. At his restaurant, Craigie on Main, the chef goes all-out with a menu of bold, fatty, rich, sensuous dishes that are simultaneously elegant and refined (with the exception of his burger, which is a breathtaking tower of juicy beef paired with a mountain of shoestring fries)." Check out the post for more on Chen's experience. [truth.travel]

If you're cool and enjoy architecture, please check out BootsnAll's list of the best architecture cities in the world. No surprises here, but the pictures and concise explanations are great. Dubai, Chicago, Istanbul, Beijing, Rome and Barcelona all make the cut. No New York love. [BootsnAll]

Click the image above to view the full photogallery.

From our friends at Eater NY: "Last night, the lovely folks at Keith McNally's new Bowery pizza joint Pulino's Bar & Pizzeria removed some of the last remnants of plywood, revealing full dining room views to the neighborhood. Give her a look above and prepare to see the real thing when she opens for breakfast and lunch on Monday."
· All Pulino's Coverage [~ENY~]

Jaunted posts a handy dandy list of five must-see museum shows across the globe this spring. They are: 1) Sydney's Biennale ("the works are on display everywhere, from the Royal Botanic Gardens to the Sydney Opera House. What's even better is that it's free.") 2) "The Real Van Gogh: The Artist and His Letters" at The Royal Academy of Arts in London ("aside from the 65 paintings and 30 drawings from Van Gogh, you'll see 35 rarely shown letters from the artist"). 3) "Mummies of the World: The Dream of Eternal Life" at Los Angeles' California Science Center. 4) "Caravaggio" at Rome's Scuderie Del Quirinale. 5) "2010," The Whitney Museum's time-inspired Biennal. Since we're in a Madrid mood today, allow us to suggest one more: "Monet and Abstraction" at the Thyssen-Bornemisza (pictured at right). [Jaunted}

Neptune Fountain, Plaza Canovas De Castillo [Dmitry Shakin]

It's not as hip as Barcelona or as lively as the cities to the south, but Madrid is a force to be reckoned with. Spain's center in every sense, it boasts some of Europe's best nightlife, museums, and for today's purposes, hotels. Here's a map of places to stay when you visit, a varied offering of the classic, the modern, and the reasonably priced. We will admit a bias toward the central area of the city, where you're steps away from Sol, The Prado and Thyssen museums, and Retiro Park -- the action.

The New York Times publishes a piece discussing how student travel sites are now offering up deals to those that would normally not be eligible. Even though the deepest discounts are reserved for students, you can still find "specially negotiated rates at discounts anywhere from 10 to 25 percent below the going market rate...Some of the best deals come in the form of packages or group tours." All signs point to travel prices going up this year, so this is good stuff. STA and StudentCity are the most liberal with their offerings, while StudentUniverse has been less drastic in opening things up to non-academics. [NYTimes]

With spring fast approaching and before it gets too hot to walk outside, we've put together a map of places in New Orleans where you can find all the items you need to put together a picnic. There's Donald Link's genius butcher shop, more than a few legendary NOLA establishments, some booze purveyors, and a po' boy shop to end all arguments. Get the goods, find a spot surrounded by southern green, and enjoy the hell out of that magical city.