If you didn’t drink yourself silly over the weekend in the name of the Irish, then you’ve still got today to pull it off. When you’re enjoying your first Guinness of the day (which any self-respecting St. Patty’s Day reveler clearly should be doing, like, right about now), pay eagle eye attention to the bartender’s two-part pour technique. Does his or her performance at the tap offer you ample opportunity to observe the “marvelous surge,” domed crown or “perfect, velvety head?” If not, you might want to refer said bartender to the simple Guinness Perfect Pint Pour tutorial below. Bartenders always love it when random drunks correct their technique. Trust us. And enjoy your last excuse to get rip-roaring stupid intoxicated until, well, the weekend.

This weekend, it’s time to spring forward. On Sunday morning at 2 am, US clocks officially hop forward one hour for Daylight Saving time. Remember to set the correct time before you hit the pillow on Saturday night - especially if you’ve got a flight to catch on Sunday!

Hooray for February 29! Only once every four years, folks. Now that’s special (unless you’re talking about your love life). And as with any holiday, travel deals celebrating the day’s rarity abound. Problem is, most of ‘em are only good for travel taking place today. Not so with the Frontier Leap Year Sale, which is advertising reduced fares for travel on off-peak days for destinations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Costa Rica. You have until March 3rd to purchase and May 20th to complete your travel. Some sample roundtrip fares:

Chicago Midway to Denver - $138

Denver to Las Vegas - $138

Sacramento to Oklahoma City - $160

Milwaukee to Phoenix - $178

El Paso to Los Angeles - $198

Whatever you do, we hope you have a nice Friday, Feb. 29th. You won’t see another one of those until 2036.

If you’re going to be in New York this weekend and you love travel, consider checking out the New York Times Travel Show, a veritable smorgasbord of travel information from resorts, hotels, spas, cruise lines, tour operators, tourist agencies and adventure travel companies from around the world. Along with vendor booths and live entertainment performances representing a vast array of cultures, the show features a Taste of the World Pavilion filled with international cuisine and cooking demonstrations, a Spa Pavilion offering sample treatments and discounted packages at spa resorts, travel author appearances and special travel deals offered to folks brave enough to book their next vacation on the spot. And with travel experts Rick Steves, Arthur Frommer, Ian Wright and Stephanie Abrams - among many others - leading seminars, the show offers a rare chance for face-to-face learning from leading peeps in the industry. Cost: $15.

In honor of Presidents’ Day, we’ve rounded up our favorite tourist-friendly destinations dedicated to former U.S. presidents. The list includes historic homes, national parks and memorial sites open to the public.

Mount Vernon
President: George Washington
Location: Mount Vernon, VA
Don’t miss: The Pioneer Farmer Site, a four-acre farm featuring live demonstrations of 18th-century farming and cooking techniques.
Insider tip: On-leash dogs are allowed on the grounds.

Adams National Historical Park
Presidents: John Adams and John Quincy Adams
Location: Quincy, MA
Don’t miss: The Stone Library and its 14,000 volumes.
Insider tip: The park is open from April to November.

Abraham Lincoln Birthplace
President: Honest Abe
Location: Hodgenville, KY
Don’t miss: Lincoln: The Kentucky Years, a 30-minute film on the President’s early days.
Insider tip: The park has 18 picnic tables with accompanying grills.

Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park
President: Lyndon Johnson
Location: Johnson City, TX
Don’t miss: A guided tour of the LBJ Ranch
Insider tip: The park is actually composed of two separate visitor areas located 14 miles apart.

President Benjamin Harrison Home
President: Benjamin Harrison
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Don’t miss: Rotating exhibits on the home’s third floor.
Insider tip: The museum is closed on the day of the Indy 500 each year.

Wheatland
President: James Buchanan
Location: Lancaster, PA
Don’t miss: The sprawling, landscaped gardens surrounding the main house.
Insider tip: Special events like the September Arts & Sauerkraut Festival are big hits every year.

The Hermitage
President: Andrew Jackson
Location: Nashville, TN
Don’t miss: A half-hour tour of the grounds in a horse-drawn wagon.
Insider tip: Vouchers for discounted admission are offered by several nearby hotels.

Sherwood Forest Plantation
President: John Tyler
Location: Charles City, VA
Don’t miss: A visit to the plantation’s most famous tree, the oldest gingko tree in the United States.
Insider tip: Legend has it that a ghost known as the Gray Lady haunts the home’s Gray Room.

Montpelier
President: James Madison
Location: Montpelier Station, VA
Don’t miss: The Hands-on Restoration tent, where visitors can attempt to make bricks, saw logs and nail planks the way they did it back in the day.
Insider tip: Special themed tours are offered on weekends, April through October.

Polk Home
President: James K. Polk
Location: Columbia, TN
Don’t miss: Early photographs, including the first ever taken inside the White House, are on display inside the home.
Insider tip: The home sponsors a summer camp each year that teaches children the crafts and activities central to 19th century frontier living.

Silverjet has a rather unusual promo happening this weekend in honor of the Superbowl. In short, buy a ticket between Friday and Sunday. If the Giants leave the stadium victorious, you win an additional free ticket from the airline. I won’t regurgitate all the details, as they are outlined quite nicely on View from the Wing. Link below.

Silverjet Buy One Get One Free… If the sports book works out in your favor

Looking for a last-minute Pacific Northwest getaway near Oregon’s Mt. Bachelor this weekend or next? I ran across what I think is a great deal this morning while perusing the last-minute offerings on VRBO (Vacation Rentals By Owner), a site that allows property owners to rent homes and condos directly to travelers. I’ve used it many times in the past and, each time, had good results. It’s a great resource when you have a large group that wants to stay in the same location, especially near beaches and ski resorts. Here’s the deal:

Sunriver Vacation Rental A 3,500-square-foot five-bedroom, four-bath house with sleeping arrangements perfect for five couples or two families with kids in Sunriver, Ore. for $300/night ($200 cleaning fee will be added for stays shorter than 7 days), though the listing says last-minute deals are available, so make sure to ask about rate reductions for this weekend if you call.

The house offers a slew of amenities. A few:

- 55″ big screen TV and 48″ big screen TV

- Deck with hot tub

- Stainless steel BBQ grill

- Garage game room with air-hockey, ping pong table and foosball

- DVD, CD, TIVO, VCR, Playstation 2, central sound system with controls throughout the house

- Sub-zero fridge, gas range, double oven

Not bad for a last-minute Superbowl weekend escape in Oregon, eh? Spend Saturday on the slopes at Mt. Bachelor, Sunday taking in the game with plenty of room for food prep and plenty of diversion for those who aren’t as keen on watching the pigskin.

The Liftopia blog (a.k.a. Gigasnow) reminded us today of a v. important point regarding snow, the Superbowl and cash. That little nugget is this: the Superbowl is to crowded slopes what sodium chloride is to ice. Of all the weekends during ski season, the one on which the Superbowl falls is notoriously a slow one at the lift ticket box office. And though I’m one of those people who will be watching the game instead of heading for the hill, that doesn’t mean part of me won’t be wishing I was kicking it in Tahoe instead of hanging out with a bunch of meatheads (you know who you are) who happen to have multiple televisions and a way with a deep fryer.

So for ye sports-averse among us, this weekend promises some good deals on lift tickets through lovely Liftopia, the discount lift ticket retailer based in good ‘ole San Francisco. You could, for example, find yourself riding Park City $66.99 (15 percent savings), Powder Mountain for $45 (15 percent savings) or Wildcat Mountain for the freakishly low price of $24.99 (58 percent off).

Check out the post below for more deals.

Superbowl Sunday - Fewer Skiers, Bigger Discounts

This year, Liverpool has been deemed one of the two official European Capitals of Culture, an effort launched back in 1985 that celebrates European cities and their unique cultural offerings throughout their designated year. Not surprisingly, Liverpool’s reign kicked off (today) with help from one of the Beatles. Ringo was in town today to promote the year-long series of events. For his part, Ringo will be highlighting the city’s musical underpinnings in Liverpool, The Musical along with Echo and the Bunnymen and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. You can check out all the events happening in Liverpool this year at the link below.

Liverpool European Capital of Culture Yearbook ‘08

We don’t care who you flash from which balcony, how many beads you collect or the number of frosty, pink hurricanes it takes to render you senseless and befriending a lamppost in the French Quarter. But if there’s anything we do care about, it’s that you plan accordingly before you head down south to the nation’s biggest party. A few things to keep in mind for Mardi Gras 2008:

1. You can skip Mardi Gras and still go to Mardi Gras. Contrary to popular belief, the actual day on which Mardi Gras falls (this year, Feb. 5th), is not necessarily a day you need to include in your travel plans. The party officially ends the Wednesday after Mardi Gras - Ash Wednesday - and the town shuts down to recover from a month of parades, balls and parties. The best time to hit New Orleans for a taste of Mardi Gras debauchery is basically anytime during Carnival season, which officially began this past weekend and continues through Feb. 5th. While the weekend prior to Mardi Gras (Feb. 1-4) is prime time for those who love crowds, booze and packed bars, many who want to sample the sites and sounds of New Orleans without all the mayhem go in the weeks leading up to Fat Tuesday. Check the Mardi Gras 2008 Calendar, and you’ll see that there are parades and events every weekend in January.

2. Grandstanding can make all the difference. Unless you’re a college kid or someone with really solid legs and a strong bladder, standing alongside the parade route can get real old real fast. Not only will you have to fight your way through the crowd every time you need to get a drink or use the bathroom, but you’ll have few bathroom options save porter potties and those in packed bars and restaurants (which are almost always reserved for customers only). Especially if it’s your first Mardi Gras or you’re traveling with kids, we suggest forking over the extra moolah for grandstand access during at least one of the parades. For example, you can get $50 tickets to the Bacchus Parade (Premium Seats via Ticketweb) that will land you general admission access to the grandstand at the Intercontinental New Orleans Hotel on Sunday, Feb. 3rd. You’ll have access to bathrooms, as well as food and drink (for an additional fee, of course). Many local hotels and restaurants offer tickets to special viewing areas for watching parades, so do some research online before you go.

3. Book activities and restaurant reservations in advance. If you want to participate in any guided tours, excursions or other activities or dine at a specific restaurant during the Mardi Gras season, it goes without saying that you should buy tickets or reserve your table well in advance. Don’t wait until you arrive - you may be disappointed.

4. To really see New Orleans, you don’t have to see Mardi Gras. Yes, Mardi Gras is one of the most unique, exciting and culturally important annual celebrations in the country. That said, it’s also the most hectic time of year in the Big Easy. But New Orleans has the same festive spirit, party-hardy bars, colorful markets and great restaurants all year round. It’s worth keeping in mind that, while you may miss the big bang that is Mardi Gras, visiting at another time of year will definitely be more economical and may result in better service at restaurants, shops and hotels.