Horizon Air has taken one of its planes in a greener direction - both literally and figuratively speaking. Joining the Seattle-based airline's fleet this week is the Comfortably Greener Q400, a 76-seat aircraft made to use up to 40 percent less fuel and produce between 30 and 40 percent less carbon emissions than jets of comparable size. Also designed to be quieter than other jets (hence the "Q" in its name), the plane is part of the airline's efforts to convert to a single-type fleet of Q400s by 2013. A second green plane will begin circulation through Horizon's routes in December.

Whether you're a raging tween Twilight "twi-hard" (as some are apparently calling the pop-culture phenom's legions of fans these days), happen to be living under the same roof with one or just think a journey into the unspoiled wild spaces of the Pacific Northwest sounds like a good way to spend a few days away, a good jumping off place for your travel research to Washington State's Olympic Peninsula region comes in the form of Washington State Tourism's new Twilight Travel Guide.

An unflattering review of the Big Apple's Ace Hotel in the New York Times this week may have prompted some travelers to back away from a future stay at the brand's Manhattan outpost, thanks to assessments like the following:

The 300-room hotel seems a bit too redolent of the past, with grungy (albeit deliberately grungy) furniture and shoddy detailing that make the rooms feel insubstantial.

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As hotels around the country offer ever-deeper discounts and cut back on amenities to help save costs this fall, some are taking more drastic measures to weather the down economy. This week Oregon's largest hotel, the Hilton Portland, surprised many with the news that it plans to shut down completely for four weeks this winter.