TRO Travelgram - Wednesday, July 8

Destinations
Skid Row to Hip in Toronto
The young and artsy are taking advantage of empty storefronts and low-slung houses in the Junction section of the city... New York Times

Shanghai pursues luxury travelers despite tough times
As it spruces up for next year's six-month-long World Expo, the metropolis of 20 million is transforming itself into a showcase of glittering skyscrapers, quaint but quiet alleyways and meticulously landscaped parks... USA Today

Tours and Activities
Summer Lake Towns
Retreat to an easygoing American lake town, where you can find simple, affordable pleasures—fishing, hiking, bumper cars, and old-fashioned desserts... Budget Travel Online

Japanese Baseball: Root, Root, Root and Buy Me Some Eel
Attending a baseball game provides an illuminating peek into Japanese culture and an opportunity to taste some culinary curiosities... New York Times

The Wide Parisian World of Free Music
While you'll pay to see the bigger acts in this city, so many of the smaller (and cooler) venues are free... New York Times

June visits to Yellowstone set record
Visitors flocked to Yellowstone National Park in June, propelling the park to its busiest January-June period on record, according to numbers released Tuesday... Yahoo Travel News

Cruise
Carnival Introduces Self-Service Cruise Check-In Kiosks
In an attempt to further streamline the check-in process -- ever more onerous as ships grow in size -- Carnival Cruise Lines is testing out new self-service cruise check-in kiosks at the Port of Miami... CruiseCritic.com

Report: Cruise ship passengers 'vomiting in the streets' of Scottish port
Town leaders in Invergordon, Scotland are expressing outrage today that a cruise ship carrying more than 100 sick passengers was allowed to dock this week... USA Today

Transportation
10 Great Things To Do in Airports
Some airport surprises for a happy layover... Forbes Traveler

Southwest, AirTran and Frontier start sales
Discount carriers Southwest, AirTran and Frontier touched off a round of fare sales with prices below $100 on many shorter routes ... Yahoo Travel News