Let's Go Baghdad!

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Sunny, historic Baghdad has been a tourist hot spot for more than a thousand years, but lately the city's reputation has been sullied by gloomy pessimists who insist on describing the place as a "living hell" or an "anarchic slaughterhouse." This dire view is shared by the 50 or so Western journalists still quartered in Iraq, who spend their days fortified in depressing bunkers surrounded by trigger-happy armed guards. But leave it to the good time gang at the conservative National Review to pick up on a little-noticed trend: Last fall, in a piece titled "Good News From Iraq," the magazine gleefully reported that "tourists are now returning" to visit the country's cultural sites. So for those irrepressibly upbeat ambassadors of democracy who'd like to get a head start on the throngs of Baghdad-bound spring breakers, Radar presents a guide to letting loose in the city.

Getting There
Royal Jordanian offers daily flights from Amman, but brace yourself for a steep, corkscrew descent to evade small-arms fire. (If you're prone to losing your lunch, best bring a sandwich for refueling later—the airport's Bob Hope Dining Facility is now closed.) Hire an armored car for the five-mile trip into the city on the infamous Highway of Death. The going rate is $2,400, not including tax and tip. If you elect to ride in a "soft" vehicle, stay low: Try curling up on the floor with a good book or religious talisman.

Accommodations
Choose comfy digs—you'll be spending lots of time there. As one Time magazine staffer glumly notes, "there really isn't much room for Westerners in Baghdad anymore, except for the fortified archipelago that is your hotel." Decent water pressure and reliable electricity pass as luxuries, but several spots still offer a (mostly) solid wall between your cot and incoming mortar rounds.

• February 24, 2007