Headed to New York this summer? After nearly eight years, the Park Service is finally reopening the Statue of Liberty's crown, which had been closed to visitors since Sept. 11, 2001. Reservations to enter the crown, which reopens July 4, are now being taken by the National Park Service's ferry concessionaire, Statue Cruises, for up to one year in advance. Crown tickets are an additional $3 and must be combined with reserved ferry tickets, which are $12 per adult. There is a maximum of four tickets per reservation. Visits to the crown will be limited to groups of 10 at a time, with about three groups ascending per hour; about 240 visitors per day can be accommodated. Call 877-523-9849 or visit www.statuecruises.com for information and reservations. Before you leave for your next vacation, do an online search for podcast walking tours of your destination. You'd be surprised how many of them there are out there: A Harvey Milk-themed tour of San Francisco's Castro district (at http://insidestories.typepad.com), Texas Tourism's guide to five Texas cities (www.traveltex.com), Rick Steves' tours of Parisian and Italian favorites (www.ricksteves.com) and even a shopping tour of Los Angeles (www.downtownlawalks.com). Just don't forget your iPod or MP3 player charger! Planning a road trip this summer? Check out this vehicle checklist, courtesy of Jiffy Lube: -- Check your engine's oil and filter. -- Clean dirty wiper blades, and replace old ones as necessary. -- Make sure your tires are properly inflated, and don't forget to check the spare, too. -- Have your air-conditioning system checked to ensure it doesn't die mid-trip. -- Check your engine's air filter, and replace it if needed. -- Pack an emergency kit, including bottled water, a flashlight, flares, duct tape, energy bars and a blanket, and a flat tire repair tool like Fix-a-Flat. If you've ever struggled with condensing and printing your itinerary for an upcoming trip, or sharing details with friends or family, you know the hassle of the cutting and pasting from e-mailed confirmations, handwritten reservation numbers and contact info from Web sites and brochures. The two-year-old Web site, TripIt, allows you to forward it confirmation e-mails from all different kinds of Web sites, from airlines, hotels and car rental agencies to concert tickets, restaurant bookings and airport transfers. Then you can print out an itinerary with only the info you need. The company just announced an extra service, TripIt Pro, that offers loyalty point tracking, flight monitoring, mobile alerts, alternate flight options and automated sharing for $49 to $99 for a yearly membership. Its regular services, however, remain free for registered users. 