At $68 Per Day, London Parking Obscures Gas Prices

8 Gagas take their posts in Madame Tussaud Museums around the world

(NEWSER) - You know you've arrived when you have a wax replica at Madame Tussaud's famous wax museum in London. So Lady Gaga has arrived spectacularly because she now has a version of herself at London's showplace of frozen celebrities—and 7 other dopplegangers at Madame Tussaud museums around the world, from Hollywood and Las Vegas to Berlin, Shanghai, and Hong Kong . Each version of Gaga is different. She's dressed in her London iteration in a Giorgio Armani suit and a Philip Treacy hat in the shape of a telephone, reports Reuters . The project cost Tussaud's $2.4 million. "It's a nice little bit of fun," said poker-faced sculptor Stephen Mansfield. More»

Beijing and Mexico City lead the way

(NEWSER) - IBM surveyed drivers in 20 of the world's biggest cities to find the worst commutes. The bottom 5 (based on a slew of factors including time stuck in traffic and stress) in the commuter pain index are:

1. Beijing (99 on a scale of 100)
2. Mexico City (99)
3. Johannesburg (97)
4. Moscow (84, with 2½-hour traffic jams common)
5. New Delhi (81)

From NYC to London, Berlin to Mississippi

(NEWSER) - Want to see hear some great music in a tiny place? The Guardian asks industry insiders for tips:

• Pegu Club, New York: Hitting this unassuming West Houston Street spot is “like going back to the great clubs of the 20s, when the staff were pretty and jazz and cocktails ruled,” says the director of one London jazz standby.
• Po’ Monkey’s, Merigold, Miss.: “Ramshackle hut powered by a single cable,” Po'Monkey's offers “raw blues at its authentic and spine-shivering best,” says one music-travel exec.

Idea's been around for decades, but recession sparks new interest

(NEWSER) - The recession is giving new meaning to the phrase “mi casa es su casa.” Instead of springing for pricey hotel rooms and car rentals, thrifty holidaymakers are swapping with strangers for a summer getaway, Time reports. While home exchanges aren’t new—one company has been around since 1953—business is moving briskly, with one website noting a 30% increase in membership this year. More»

Paris, Milan top Forbes list

(NEWSER) - Weighing everything from fashion to architecture to street life, Forbes rates the 10 most stylish cities in the world. The best of the best:

• It doesn’t get any more chic than Paris
• Milan: “flashy” fashion and cool contemporary design
• New York: a shopping spree from Brooklyn to 5th Avenue
• Rome: La Dolce Vita still says it all