A new look has checked-in at The Hotel at Times Square, an independent Apple Core Hotel property that also seems to be attempting to combat the pitfalls of its generic-sounding name by increasingly using the email-influenced acronym TH@TS instead of its full title. Kinda cute, no? But we digress…

Sonic Youth fans hankering for a last-minute getaway to New York, your chance to attend the sold-out concert and spend this coming Saturday night in a suite at the Ace Hotel hinges on your ability to win the band over with your best Sonic Youth memory.

The TSA ban on liquids apparently isn’t as universal as we thought. In what is fast becoming the best celebrity travel scandal in recent months, the intrepid gossip hounds over at TMZ.com scored tabloid gold with their video of pop singer Britney Spears strolling through LAX security with a super-sized beverage in hand. But perhaps even more interesting than the slip in security at one of our country’s largest airports is the immediate – and scathing – response the government agency has received from the public via comments on the TSA blog.

The saying ''skis, boots, polls, hats, goggles, gloves'' helps skiers assure they have packed everything needed for a day on the mountain. We are here to remind you that pre-season planning can save you bundles on lift tickets, flights, and hotel reservations (view ski deals). Start planning your vacation to that winter wonderland now, as top ski resorts are starting to open at the end of November.

Our Top Ski Picks:

More fun travel-related stuff you can do with your iPhone (apologies in advance to Blackberry diehards and those with lower-tech handhelds reading this) comes from Concierge.com today in the form of a free "Postcard by Concierge.com" iPhone application that allows users to turn travel pics snapped with their phones into digital postcards ready to go via email.