Thanks to reader Tina for pointing us to the Peterman’s Eye travel photo contest. With a first-place prize of $2000, an entry might permit someone like me to afford one of the gorgeous skirts I drool over every time the J. Peterman catalog hits my mailbox.

The Travel section of Peterman’s Eye (which bills itself as “a community of curious minds”) is actually a fun place to spend a little time. With a softened, old-world website design and J. Peterman’s distinctive old-world voice, the site provides a little breathing space from the hectic pace of “10 best Whatevers” of newspaper travel sections. A bit like our own fantastic Perceptive Travel magazine. A place where travel lovers and readers have more time to ponder.

As much as I enjoy websites like this, however, as always, if you’re entering any contest with your own written or photographic material, read the terms and conditions carefully: “By posting or submitting content on or to the website (regardless of the form or medium), you are giving Peterman’s Eye Publishing, and its affiliates, agents and third party contractors a nonexclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, sub licensable, royalty-free license to use, store, display, publish, transmit, transfer, distribute, reproduce, rearrange, edit, modify …”

You get the idea. You lose all rights to your work once it’s posted on the site. I’m not judging these terms one way or another (unusual, I know, not to have a highly prejudiced opinion, but I still am unsure whether opportunities like this are a way for nascent travel writers and photographers to get a foot in the door — instinct says no, but common sense says maybe). You should just always be aware of what you’re signing up for. And hey, if you win, two thousand bucks isn’t a bad price for a good photo.

Deadline for the contest is 12th March 2009.

Answer? More than you think, no matter what their age. That’s my humble, totally biased opinion. I don’t think you have to force them to be interested, or even to focus on pointing out the unique cultural aspects of where you’re traveling, unless they ask or they need to know in order not to cause offense.

All of you Perceptive Traveling families out there, you know kids have insatiable curiosity. They really are like sponges, and will soak up anything. There are lots of websites that will give you tons of tips about how to travel with kids, how to make the most out of the experience, and how to deal with the inevitable trials. Some of them are favorites with us here at the PT blog, like the DeliciousBaby Journal, Cookie magazine’s Going Places blog (which I like for the way the blog posts automatically integrate children into the travel mix rather than assuming parenthood is some sort of travel disability), and of course our own Sheila’s fabulous and famous Family Travel.

I’m a firm believer in kids learning by absorption, from music to languages to cultural mores and manners. The simple act of traveling will expand their horizons far beyond what we adults can imagine.

But I have to admit, I’m also a student junkie. If I could stay in college forever, taking classes in everything, and still feed my family, I’d do it. So despite my absorption principle when dealing with my son, I still look out for educational programs that will feed his voracious and ever-expanding imagination and worldview. After all, I might think of myself as a natural wanderlustian, but the fact that my childhood home was covered in decor, knickknacks, food, and books from Russia and Helsinki might have given me an early taste for seeing things differently.

My newest kick? In the most recent National Geographic Traveler, Thomas Friedman describes a once-a-week class his wife used to teach called World Class. Neighbors and friends would drop their kids off with her, and every week she would use maps, books, and pictures to immerse them in a different part of the world.

That’s an idea I’m stealing. As soon as my son can, you know, read. Or at least sit still. Until then, he’ll have to rely on taking in whatever he can through his very own eyes, wherever we are.

I got up today all ready to write something about the upcoming US presidential inauguration (Tuesday, for those living under a rock). Bafflement was going to be my main focus. Here in New York’s Hudson Valley I am surrounded by two political types: hard-core Republicans generally populated by the area’s many military families, old-style independent farmers (increasingly few), and migrants from Queens and Brooklyn; and hard-core Democrats populated by … well, pretty much everyone else. Anyone who’s read this blog for longer than a minute can probably work out which group comprises most of my and my spouse’s friends.

Not that I’m a Democrat. I’m way more liberal than that. Which is why, despite being very pleased that Barack Obama was elected president, I remain absolutely incredulous at the number of my friends and acquaintances who are schlepping to Washington, D.C., this weekend so they can be present at one of the most historic moments in US history. Being part of something great I can understand. But spending hundreds if not thousands of dollars, not to mention vacation time, to stuff yourself and your kids among heaving crowds of likely hungry and chilly people in a place that is almost guaranteed not to have enough Port-a-Potties, that I have trouble getting.

Events seem to me to be one of the worst reasons to travel. My family once attended the Winter Olympics in Calgary, and the family consensus at the end was that you could see a whole lot more of the slalom racers slaloming on the TV at home, and get better hot chocolate.

So I got up this morning to write about it, and found that Tom Swick, over at his new blog on World Hum, had trumped me. He’s got a great posting today not about people who travel to an event, but people living in event areas who make travel plans to get away from it: the inauguration in D.C. next weekend, for example, or Mardi Gras. He calls it the Inoculation Vacation, or travel of negation, pointing out that by traveling to get away from an event you inevitably become what you’re trying to escape. That is, a tourist.

As usual, Tom reaches great literary heights with this posting, overshadowing any attempt I can make to be glib about people traveling to (or from) the inauguration. But I still think my friends are nuts.

Welcome to this edition of the Carnival of Cities.

This is a blog carnival, where one blog publishes contributions from other blogs. In this one, we explore any aspect of a single city, anywhere in the world.

Last week was hosted by the UpTake Attractions blog, and next week we’re back at our “home” blog, the Family Travel Logue on BootsnAll.

If you’d like to host the Carnival on an upcoming Wednesday, please contact me at sheila “at” sheilascarborough “dot” com. Thanks!

Off we go….

Cities in the Americas

Orlando, Florida, USA   MB presents The Cathedral Church of St. Luke posted at Florida Everyone Forgot, saying, “I came across this ornately decorated cathedral while walking around Downtown Orlando a few months ago. It’s amazing that after visiting the city for years, I never saw this amazing building.”

Mexico City, Mexico   Catherine Bardrick presents Chilling out Chilango-style in Chapultepec Park posted at Small Fish in the Big Taco, saying, “Many think of Mexico City as a polluted crime-ridden,traffic-choked kind of place, but I am interested in showing very different aspects of the city. Look at what a highly liveable place it is full of leisure and relaxed chilling-out…and check out those colours which are a constant source of wonder and delight…”

Nashville, Tennessee   Barbara presents Your Bliss. Your Blog. Your Conference. posted at Capitol B, saying, “Nashville to host BlissDom ’09 – women’s blogger conference!”

San Francisco, California, USA   Kathryn presents San Francisco and “That One Time When” posted at San Francisco is Sexy, saying, “A post about how it’s easy to find creative opportunities and experience in San Francisco and why it is valuable to do exactly that.”

Chicago, Illinois, USA   Byteful Travel presents Is Navy Pier a glorified shopping mall? posted at Byteful Blog, saying, “The city of Chicago is full of wonders and gems for the curious traveller to discover, many of them available free of charge. After briefly visiting Wrigley Field, I explored the famous Navy Pier, which reminded me more of a small city than a pier. (Tons of high resolution photos included.)”

Detroit, Michigan, USA   Dominique King presents Motown magic comes out of the shadows one summer night posted at Midwest Guest, saying, “Motown celebrates its 50th anniversary this week, and I remember a magical musical evening with the label’s legendary Funk Brothers.”

Newport Beach, California, USA   Joanne presents Newport Beach Vacation – At Sea posted at Newport Beach Vacation.

Washington, DC, USA   Barbara presents Buddha Bar Bringing Some Zen To DC « Capitol B posted at Capitol B.

Cities in Europe

Tautavel (Aude,) France   candy presents Traveling Through Aude: Discovering Our Pre-History posted at Carrie and Danielle.

Alicante, Spain   Andrew Edgington presents A Day Trip to Alicante posted at Spain Golf Villa Rental Alicante, saying, “Check out what Alicante has to offer and all the things you can see and do in just one day.”

Cities in Australia/New Zealand

Lake Tekapo, New Zealand   Andy Hayes presents Best Place to see the stars posted at Sharing Experiences, saying, “This is such a wonderful and special place, so I hope you’ll include it. Thanks, Andy.”

That concludes this edition.  Submit your (one, non-spammy) blog post about any ONE, UNO, SINGLE city to the next edition of the Carnival of Cities using our carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Hey everyone, it’s awards season. Time to start voting for your favorite travel blogs.

First up is the 2008 Weblog Awards.

The finalists in the travel category (yes, finally, there is a travel category) are…

  MyKugelhopf
  Folie a Deux
  The Asian Traveler
  Curious Expeditions
  Notes from the Road
  The Lost Girls
  LL World Tour
  Jaunted – The Pop Culture Travel Guide
  Intelligent Traveler
  The Cranky Flier

There’s a few of my favorites there, as well as some I can see I’ll be spending some time at getting to know in the future.

It’s great to be able to vote and support fellow travel bloggers, so get out and vote. I have but I’m not going to tell you who for.

But wait, there’s more…

Caitlin from Roaming Tales provided a heads up on the first every Lonely Planet Travel Blogger Awards.

There are 11 categories and the nominations are now open, so head on over and start nominating.

• Best Destination Blog
• Best Expat Blog
• Best Travelogue
• Best Consumer Travel Blog
• Best non-English language Blog
• Best Video Blog (including YouTube Channels)
• Best Micro-Blogging (twitter etc)
• Best Image Blog
• Best Themed Blog (trekking etc)
• Best Group Authored Blog
• Best Podcast

The nominations will remain open until sometime in Febuary, then voting will take place.