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Mobster museum, passport cards, airplane amenities

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February 12, 2012|By Kari Bodnarchuk

Nothing says “I love you’’ like shooting a virtual gun with your sweetie. The $42 million National Mob Museum opens its doors in downtown Las Vegas on Valentine’s Day. The historic Stewart Avenue building once served as a federal courthouse and one of 14 locations for the historic Kefauver hearings of the 1950s. It now houses multimedia interactive exhibits that re-create courtroom and gun-shooting experiences. Artifacts on display include the wall from Chicago’s St. Valentine’s Day Massacre in 1929 and the barber chair in which mobster Albert Anastasia was murdered in 1957. Rates: adults $18, ages 5-17 and 18-23 with student ID $12. Open daily. 702-229-2734, www.themobmuseum.org

Passport cards online

The State Department’s Office of Passport Services has launched a pilot program, good through April 22 or until 20,000 people sign up, that lets US adult citizens living in the United States and Canada apply for a passport card (not to be confused with a passport book) online. To make it work, you must have a valid 10-year US passport book, upload an acceptable digital photograph, and make an online payment in US dollars by means of pay.gov. The credit card-sized passport card costs $30, remains valid for 10 years, and works for travel between the United States and Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda by land or sea. 877-487-2778, travel.state.gov

Airplane amenities

Wouldn’t it be nice to know what onboard perks your next flight will have? CheapAir.com has added new tools to its website that provide handy information on which flights have wireless Internet service, live TV, and personal video monitors, and which ones score top ratings for on-time arrivals. The website has also added a new ranking feature that recommends top flight picks based on an overall assessment of price, total travel time, on-time percentage, airline ratings, comfort, and onboard amenities; just look for the star next to each flight. 800-243-2724, www.cheapair.com