Travel briefs
Sunday, January 06, 2008Ice art in Millennium Park
CHICAGO (AP) -- A colored ice wall and an ice painting you can skate on will be installed in Chicago's Millennium Park as part of a new winter celebration in February.
The "Museum of Modern Ice" installation will be on view Feb. 1-29. Both works will be created by Canadian artist Gordon Halloran. The ice wall, called "Paintings Below Zero," will be 95 feet long and nearly 12 feet tall and will be located on Chase Promenade behind the popular "Cloud Gate" sculpture. The work will be composed of brightly colored vertical sheets of ice.
Halloran will also embed an abstract ice painting in the park's ice rink.
Free weekend activities will be offered in the park as part of the event, including art projects for kids and dancing. The Chicago Cultural Center across from Millennium Park will offer weekend cooking demonstrations, craft activities, concerts and films. Details at http://www.millenniumpark.org.
Twenty-two Chicago hotels - including the InterContinental, the Best Western River North, the Amalfi, the Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile, the Fairmont, Four Points by Sheraton, the Hyatt Regency, the W City Center and W Lakeshore, the Westin Chicago River North and Westin Michigan Avenue - are offering packages with discounted accommodations and other amenities for visitors interested in the ice display. Details at 877-244-2246, http://www.cityofchicago.org/tourism.
Tickets on sale for California exhibit of Chinese terra cotta warriors
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) -- An exhibit of the famed Chinese terra cotta warriors is scheduled to open May 18 at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana.
Advance tickets for "Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China's First Emperor" at the Bowers are on sale now.
The exhibit consists of 20 figures and dozens of a.jpgacts from the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, who is considered the first emperor of a unified China and whose rule began in 221 B.C. Since his tomb was discovered in 1974, nearly 1,000 figures have been excavated, but experts believe that the tomb may contain as many as 7,000 of the statues.
The traveling exhibit includes 10 warriors, court officials, an acrobat, a bare-chested strongman, musicians, a stable boy, chariot horses and bronze water birds. The museum said it is the largest collection of the figures to ever leave China.
The U.S. tour moves from the Bowers to the High Museum in Atlanta in November; to the Houston Museum of Natural Science in May 2009; and to the National Geographic Society Museum in Washington from November 2009 through March 2010.
The life-size figures are currently on display at the British Museum through early April, where advance tickets have sold out for most dates. The museum has also been making 500 same-day tickets available first-come, first-serve to accommodate the crowds.
Bowers Museum president Peter Keller said in a statement that he expects similarly strong ticket sales for the California show.
Tickets for the Bowers show are $20 for weekdays (students and seniors, $14), and $22 for weekends (students and seniors, $16). Children under 6 are free. Tickets can be purchased through the Bowers Admission Desk, 714-567-3600; Ticketmaster, 877-250-8999, or through http://www.museumtix.com.
Travel predictions for the new year
NEW YORK (AP) -- The travel gurus are looking into their crystal balls for the new year. Here are a few of their predictions.
Terry Trippler, an airline analyst, says that while there will be fewer airfare increases, airlines will reduce the number of seats sold at the lowest prices. Also, Trippler says, more airlines will join the trend of only accepting credit or debit cards for on-board purchases, and many airlines will experiment with in-flight Internet access and text-messaging. Just be prepared to pay for the privilege.
Trippler also thinks the new "Open Skies" agreement, which takes effect at the end of March, could lead to stable or even lower fares between the U.S. and Europe. "Open Skies" allows a half-dozen carriers to add direct flights to Heathrow from Atlanta, JFK, Houston, Newark, Philadelphia, Dallas and Los Angeles.
"A la carte ticketing" by airlines is predicted as a growing trend for 2008 by both Trippler and Stephanie Oswald, editor-in-chief of travelgirl magazine. Passengers may be asked to pay more for reserving specific seats, for every bag checked, and for amenities ranging from better food to blankets, socks or toiletry kits. In the coming years, Oswald says, airlines may even start selling in-flight facials, manicures and other services.
"I imagine the flying e-cafe isn't too far away," she said.
Oswald also thinks domestic travel will increase, leading to more traffic at national parks and popular vacation spots like Cape Cod, Napa Valley, Las Vegas, and Ocracoke Island in North Carolina, which was named best beach in 2007 by Stephen Leatherman, a Florida professor who gives top honors to a different U.S. beach every year.
Top 10 domestic destinations for 2008 from a survey of 555 Carlson Wagonlit Travel agents were Las Vegas; Orlando, Fla.; Honolulu; Maui, Hawaii; New York; Phoenix/Scottsdale, Ariz.; Anchorage, Alaska; Washington D.C.; Kauai, Hawaii, and Miami. Top five international destinations for 2008 named by the Carlson agents were the Caribbean via cruise; Cancun and the Riviera Maya in Mexico; Rome; and the Mediterranean via cruise. Alaska was listed as the No. 1 cruise destination for 2008. It was the first time the state has taken the top spot in that category for the annual poll.
Reserve seat, board early on Greyhound for $5
DALLAS (AP) -- For $5 more per ticket, you can choose and reserve your seat on a Greyhound bus.
The priority seating program was first introduced in November but was expanded to more than two dozen departure cities in December.
The reserved seat upgrade must be purchased in person at the departure terminal, even if you bought your ticket online. Priority seating is available up to 30 days in advance and up to 45 minutes before departure, but you must be prepared to board 20 minutes before the scheduled departure time.
Priority seating is available on the following routes: Atlanta-Orlando; Atlanta-Charlotte; Atlanta-Savannah; Atlanta-Tallahassee; Baltimore-New York; Boston-New York; Charlotte-Richmond; Chicago-Memphis; Chicago-Milwaukee; Chicago-Minneapolis; Cincinnati, all schedules; Cleveland, all schedules; Dallas-Houston; Dallas-San Antonio; Detroit-all schedules; Houston-Dallas; Jacksonville-Charlotte; Jacksonville-Tallahassee; Las Vegas-Los Angeles; Las Vegas-Phoenix; Los Angeles-Las Vegas; Los Angeles-Phoenix; Los Angeles-Sacramento; Los Angeles-San Francisco; Minneapolis-Chicago; New York-Baltimore; New York-Boston; New York-Philadelphia; New York-Washington; Omaha-Chicago; Orlando-Atlanta; Philadelphia-New York; Phoenix-Las Vegas; Phoenix-San Diego; Richmond-Dallas; Sacramento-Los Angeles; San Antonio-Dallas; San Francisco-Los Angeles; San Francisco-Sacramento; Savannah-Atlanta; Seattle-Portland; Seattle-Spokane; Seattle-Vancouver; Tallahassee-Atlanta; Tallahassee-Jacksonville; Tallahassee-Montgomery; Tampa, all schedules; and Washington-New York.
Top hotels from the top travel magazines
NEW YORK (AP) -- Two of the most influential travel magazines - Travel + Leisure and Conde Nast Traveler - are out with their annual lists of best hotels.
Travel + Leisure's January issue lists 500 of the "world's best hotels," ranked according to the results of the magazine's readers' survey.
Top hotels from the Travel + Leisure guide include regional favorites like the Madrona Manor in Healdsburg, Calif., as top hotel for the Napa-Sonoma, Calif. area; the Hay-Adams in Washington D.C.; the Marquesa Hotel in Key West for top hotel in Florida; the Bellagio for Las Vegas; the Four Seasons in Austin for Texas; the Post Hotel & Spa in Lake Louise for top hotel in Canada; The Milestone for best in London; the Four Seasons Hotel George V for the top hotel in Paris; Il Falconiere in Cortona for top hotel in Italy; The Oriental, Bangkok, for top hotel in Thailand; La Casa Que Canta in Zihuatanejo for Mexico; and the Jamaica Inn for top hotel on that island.
Conde Nast Traveler's January issue features its annual "Gold List," with 721 of the "world's best places to stay." The top three U.S. hotels in the service category were the Lodge on Little St. Simons Island in Georgia, the Tu Tu'Tun Lodge in Gold Beach, Ore.; and the Bernardus Lodge in Carmel Valley, Calif. The top three U.S. hotels for food were the Inn at Thorn Hill, Jackson, N.H.; the Inn at Little Washington, Washington, Va., and Sundance Resort, Sundance, Utah. For activities, the top-rated three hotels in the U.S. were the Four Seasons Maui at Wailea in Hawaii; the Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina, and the Lodge on Little St. Simons Island. By location, the top-rated trio were the Charlotte Inn in Martha's Vineyard, Mass.; the Watermark Hotel & Spa, San Antonio, Texas; and the Four Seasons Maui at Wailea.
How to find a quiet hotel room
NEW YORK (AP) -- Ever have your stay in a hotel ruined by noise?
The January issue of the TravelSmart newsletter offers tips on how to find a quiet hotel room.
First, select a quiet neighborhood. You don't want a location next to a nightclub, fire or police station, or even the main street of a small town if that street is also the local highway.
Second, ask whether there is any construction on the premises or nearby. If the hotel is remodeling, go elsewhere.
Next, inquire about windows and soundproofing. "You'd be surprised how many luxury brand-name properties have single-pane windows," writes Nancy Dunnan, the newsletter's editor.
Also, avoid party weekends by asking if there are any sports or college events booked; and request a room on a high floor to avoid street noise. You can also ask for a room far from the ice and vending machines, the elevators, the maid's supply closet, the restaurant and bar.
Before you turn in, check to make sure the radio and alarm clock aren't set to go off from the previous stay, and that no wake-up calls are scheduled for your room.
Dunnan notes that airport hotels are often "surprisingly quiet" because they're designed to keep out jet engine noise.
She recommends AmericInn properties - http://www.americinn.com - as "among the quietest in the U.S." because they use the trademarked SoundGuard system, which includes solid masonry block, thick drywall and sound-deadening foam between rooms.
You can also book rooms on "quiet zone floors" at Crowne Plaza Hotels - http://www.ichotelsgroup.com. This means that Sunday to Thursday, there are no vacuums, noisy carts or maintenance between 9 p.m. and 10 a.m. unless requested by a guest. Also, the rooms have special doors that don't slam shut, and children and groups are not booked on those floors. Amenities include eye masks, ear plugs and a drape clip.
Finally, Dunnan notes, there are free "sound-masking machines" in all Loews Hotels.
For a free copy of the newsletter, visit http://www.TravelSmartNewsletter.com or call 800-327-3633.
Carlsbad will show Ansel Adams photos this summer
CARLSBAD, N.M. (AP) -- A new visitors center will open this summer at Carlsbad Caverns that will include a permanent exhibit for art.
Works by photographer Ansel Adams and New Mexico painter Will Shuster will be among the pieces on display.
Lois Manno, director of the nonprofit Cavern Art Project, told the Carlsbad Current-Argus newspaper that the park has 25 original Adams prints, believed to have been taken in the early 1930s. She said the photos of the caverns have never been seen by the public.
Photographs by Carlsbad photographer Ray Davis will also be included. He was among the first photographers to go into the cave after it was discovered by another Carlsbad resident, Jim White, more than 100 years ago.
Manno said the park's art collection also includes paintings by important artists who worked at the park as part of President Roosevelt's New Deal arts program. In addition, the exhibit will include examples of how the caverns have been depicted in the art of the travel poster and other graphic art forms.
NFL planting trees in Arizona as carbon offsets for Super Bowl
PHOENIX (AP) -- The NFL is planting thousands of trees in Arizona forests blackened by wildfires to help offset greenhouse gas emissions from the Super Bowl, to be played in Glendale Feb. 3.
The league also will power University of Phoenix Stadium and the adjacent NFL theme park with clean energy sources from New Mexico wind turbines to California geothermal plants, The Arizona Republic reported.
The reforestation effort will offset the 350 tons of greenhouse gas produced by the NFL's 3,000- vehicle ground-transportation fleet. The league computed its carbon footprint with help from Princeton University researchers, the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Forest Service.
But the carbon footprint calculations did not include air travel by NFL staff, teams and the thousands of fans who will fly or drive into the Phoenix area during Super Bowl week.
Historic Kentucky tavern to close for eco-makeover
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) -- The historic Boone Tavern Hotel will be closed for the first five months of the year for renovations to make it eco-friendly.
The $9.6 million project will make it a "green" hotel, eligible for ce.jpgication by the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, the Lexington Herald-Leader newspaper reported.
Boone Tavern, owned by Berea College, is a National Historic Landmark and is one of the Historic Hotels of America. The tavern celebrates its hundredth anniversary in 2009.
With its signature white columns, it is the anchor for several businesses and restaurants on Berea's College Square.
In addition to restoring features from the building's original design, such as open-air porches on two levels, the project will equip the hotel with water-saving devices such as dual-flush toilets and shower heads that produce better pressure while reducing water flow. The hotel also will be equipped with flat-screen televisions and a wireless network for computers.
The tavern dining room, known for spoonbread and other dishes, gained fame decades ago when travel and food critic Duncan Hines regularly recommended the establishment. Hines was a traveling salesman whose recommendations of places to eat on the road in the 1930s and '40s led to a series of popular guides. He later agreed to lend his name to a brand of packaged foods, including cake mixes.
Jewel of Joliet theater to be restored to 1920s grandeur
JOLIET, Ill. (AP) -- A 1920s-era theater known as the "Jewel of Joliet" is undergoing a makeover meant to restore its gilded grandeur.
The Rialto Square Theatre opened in 1926. Original features include columns, a dome full of intricate sculptures, a chandelier in the rotunda, marble walls in the lobby, and cherubim, gold leaves and other designs on the walls. New carpets on the stairs will be black, gold and light burgundy with a pattern that reprises the original carpet design.
The Will County Metropolitan Exposition and Auditorium Authority, which operates the theater, began the restoration 18 months ago with the help of a $5 million fundraising campaign that is a little more than halfway to its goal, said Tina Postel, director of development.
In addition to restoring the building's luster, the theater also will get a new stage manager's panel, which controls lighting, marking a move from analog to digital technology.
