Want to hang out in Cleveland this weekend?

I'm going to stare at Mick Jagger's gonch, of course, in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Why? Because IT'S THE LAW IN OHIO. The moment you land at Cleveland's airport, burly customs agents order you to report to The Hall.

But the main reason I'm flying to Cleveland is infinitely stranger. I'm flying in to see 'Canterlot Gardens' which bills itself as "the premiere Ohio fan convention" that's "built by pony fans, for pony fans" of the animated TV series 'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic'.

Fans at a My Little Pony convention in New Jersey. AP Photo/Mel Evans

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is a kids show, created by Hasbro, that's designed to entertain/sell toys to impressionable girls aged 2 and up. Now in its third season, the show is about a unicorn pony named Twilight Sparkle who lives in Ponyville where she learns about friendship from five other ponies named Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie.

Where I grew up, farm kids dropped acid and watched their horses change colours, so My Little Pony is practically a documentary to me.

When I first heard about Toronto's new "Before I die" chalkboard wall (pictured below), a couple recent MSN writing assignments sprang to mind.

Over the summer, I put together two "bucket list" photo galleries -- one global, one Canadian -- covering "10 places to visit before you die." It was really tough whittling down the options, what with my personal preferences and aspirations being at odds with the objectivity and fairness the lists required. 

So when I heard that the wooden hoardings surrounding yet another condo construction site had been blacked out so passersby could record just one pre-death aspiration, well, I thought I had better take a look.

So this happened:

Someone actually handed me the keys to this sky blue Ford Mustang convertible and said, "Take it for a week, Ken, and drive it wherever you like. Whistler; Oregon; the Sunshine Coast. Wherever you want to go."

Naturally I searched the trunk for smuggled guns, dope, bodies, and tracking devices. But the car was clean.

"Why not?" I said, "I could use a getaway car with dealer plates that cannot legally be traced back to me."

The Grabber Blue muscle car. [Don't ask about the esthetics salon behind me. Long painful story.]

For the next seven days, I revved, roared, and tailgated Hyundais and Ladas up and down the West Coast. This is what I learned:

This Mustang's such a ridiculous blend of blue-lit spaceship and '70s muscle car throwback, you'll laugh every time you drive it. It also made me think of all the options Ford isn’t offering in this Mustang, but totally should.

So here are:

TEN ESSENTIAL OPTIONS FOR YOUR CONVERTIBLE MUSCLE CAR

Fall is a season for tying up loose ends before the snows arrive. Leaves raked? Check. Turkey fattened? Check. Halloween candy purchased weeks early and promptly eaten? Check. World's greatest cities visited...

 If you'd like to check off Item 4 but are worried about having funds left over to restock for Halloween, the bargains that follow can knock hundreds of dollars off trips to London and New York (with a little someting extra for those of us who've earned a reward for ticking off everything):

GOLD: Once you get to London and find a smashing place to stay, the rest of a trip to the British capital can be pretty cheap, with dozens of free historic sites and museums (such as the world-class Natural History Museum, pictured at left), along with lovely public parks and inexpensive pints and food options that cater to any budget. All this makes Air Canada Vacations' four-night packages, starting at $599 for airfare and hotel, an alluring option (for bookings made by Sept. 30 for travel by Feb. 28). $599 is actually a decent price for a flight only, so you are in effect getting free accomodations. Plus, you get a $100 credit toward future travel. The bad news? Various blackout dates, and $626.26 in taxes and fees. So consider the free musuems a form of payback.

Visiting The Magic Kingdom this winter?

Then you'll be relieved/enraged to hear that, for the first time EVER, you'll be able to drink alcohol inside Florida's family-friendly theme park.

A new 'Beauty and the Beast'-themed restaurant opens its doors on November 19th. Entitled Be Our Guest, it will offer select beers and wines to pair with its traditional French cuisine.

The Magic Kingdom opened 41 years ago on October 1st, 1971. It's been a dry town ever since. Other Disney theme parks serve alcohol in select locations like Disneyland's members-only Club 33. But despite all those hours waiting for rides under the hot Orlando sun (temperatures reach 34 Celsius in July), you've never before been able to buy a cold one in The Magic Kingdom.

The Magic Kingdom finally lets you get your drink on     Photo: CP Images/Stephen C. Host

So if this so-called 'magical' place has been teetoalling since Nixon was bashing hippies, why start now? What's so special about this Be Our Guest restaurant?

Dear Diary,

As Barbie's boyfriend, I'm seriously miffed that she's been planning secret girls cruises WITHOUT ME.

Barbie's sponsor, Mattel, has teamed up with Royal Caribbean International cruise lines for the Barbie™ Premium Experience. Starting January 2013 on select ships, Barbie and her girlfriends aged 4 to 11 will "set sail on a Barbie dream cruise complete with fun, fashion and runway moments". The Barbie™ Premium Experience costs $349 and will be available fleet-wide by March 2013.

As their cruise ship sails through warm green tropical waters, the girls will revel in the "fab-tastic style of the world's most famous doll!" The girls get to strut down the catwalk as they model Barbie fashions at the cruise's Fashion Show, learn table etiquette at a girls-only Tiaras & Teacups Party, and take a Mermaid Dance Class where they learn "surf-inspired moves from the hit movie Barbie in a Mermaid Tale 2". The girls will also get to enjoy free Barbie Movie Night, Barbie Story Time, and the Barbie State Room package in which their entire room is decorated in Barbie's signature pink.

The girls get their own Barbie, toothbrush, tote bag, blanket, and pillowcase.

All while I'm freezing my smooth vinyl butt off back home alone. It's not fair. [just stamped my foot]

The bad news: Tasers and bear traps notwithstanding, there's no way to prevent human beings from behaving badly when deplaning. (On that note, who came up with the verb "deplane"? We don't "decar" or "deboat," do we?)

The good news: A recent invention (pictured below) offers a cunning new way to prevent the mayhem that ensues in the aisles of commercial airliners.

We've all been there: As soon as the seat-belt sign is switched off -- let's be honest, usually well before the seatbelt sign is switched off -- many travellers lunge for their overhead carry-on luggage like it contains the antidote to a poison someone slipped into their in-flight meal. (Then again, when it comes to in-flight meals, who needs poison?) Never mind that their path is blocked by toddlers, pensioners and Mother Theresa -- desperate to save 42 seconds of their time, these oafs will stop at nothing to perform an awkward rise-swivel-reach-grab-and-pull move that has no precedent in the history of human locomotion.

At last! The world's first pizza museum just opened in Philadelphia --- and the museum is named Pizza Brain. Why not?

In their opening night Facebook invite, the offbeat museum welcomed "PIZZA LOVING CITIZENS OF EARTH" to enjoy an evening of "togetherness, mayhem, life, and unfettered celebration of all things pizza." 

These women were born with a rare Conjoined Pizza Eating syndrome

Besides the ribbon cutting ceremony, hundreds of museum guests were welcomed with beer, magic, belly dancing, mobile barber cuts, pizza-flavoured ice cream, and pizza-related memorabilia galore such as knick-knacks, records, photos, and videos.

The museum spans two rowhouse storefronts at 2313-2311 Frankford Avenue in the Fishtown neighbourhood of "pizzadelphia, ZA" (sic). You'll know when you're there because there's a huge pizza mural surrounding its back patio.

Strip to your trunks and get wet, hot, and entertained.

That's the brilliant concept behind Hot Tub Cinema, where you watch movies while soaking in an East London rooftop hot tub.

On their Facebook page, Hot Tub Cinema is described as "London's unique cinematic experience. Combining unbridled passion for cinema with the wickedly indulgent experience of a hot tub. Taking your favourite films to new heights of fun."

Hunter S. Thompson made me a travel writer.

In his book, Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72, HST hilariously described what it was like to jet around America while covering the 1972 presidential election. By chapter 2, I wanted to bounce around US airports, hotels, and convention halls just like HST did, following candidates as they lusted for the White House.

That's why I'm excited about Mitt Romney's new travel contest.

Young Romney fan is ecstatic to fly on Mitt's plane.  AP Photo/Charles Dharapak