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2006
Essentials for Travellers
Okanagan Fall Wine Festival 2007 Okanagan Summer Wine Festival 2007 International Wine Events in 2007 Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival 2007 Okanagan Fall Wine Festival 2006 Sonoma County Showcase of Wine & Food 2006 International Wine Events in 2006 Recently Recommended Vintage Destinations Travel Books Madrid Fusion IV ~ Spanish Wines Take Flight Prince Edward County's Field of Dreams Long Dog Winery - No Long Shot! Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival 2005 Chicago Treasures from Art to Wine New Zealand: A Taste of Things to Come TimeOutToronto ~ The Triplets of Belleville Arizona Wineries The Lowdown on Lodi ~North America’s most exciting viticultural area International Wine Events in 2004 World's Largest Parsnip ~ Royal Winter Fair 2003 Uxbridge Celebration of the Arts 2003 Myths and Legends of the World Michelin Three Star Chef at Wildfire Restaurant at Taboo Best Vintage Destinations ~ Top Spots for 2002-2003 The Shiraz Rush is On! ~ South Africa's Hottest Grape IFOAM 2002 Organic World Congress 2002 Miami Art Highlight - Roy Lichtenstein: Inside/Outside New Horizons for Ontario’s Culinary Wine Tourism© New Zealand ~ A New Culinary Cornucopia
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“Museums
and Galleries” is one of the special immersion weekend packages, which
include a two-night stay at the newly opened boutique Amalfi
Hotel, exclusive receptions and an exciting itinerary hosted by arts
experts. It takes place from June
18-20 and
includes an exclusive preview of Seurat
and the Making of “La Grande Jatte”
at The
Art Institute of Chicago, a guided tour of Splendors
of China's Forbidden City
at The
Field Museum and a walking tour of the city's newest landmark - Millennium
Park. It is a great opportunity to visit the city's thriving gallery scene and also includes a Friday night reception and weekend welcome in the River North Gallery District. The cost is $415 single or $555 double with an extra night at $150. For details and to book, visit the Chicago tourism website (click here) or call toll-free at 1-877-CHICAGO. Those arriving on Saturday night and wishing to take part in Amalfi Hotel’s self-guided weekend cultural package can call the hotel directly at 1-877-262-5341.
With more
than 130 paintings and works on paper from public and private collections
worldwide, Seurat
and the Making of “La Grande Jatte”
will
demonstrate how Georges Seurat set the stage for art beyond Impressionism.
Among the works on view (until September 19th) are approximately 40 of
Seurat's paintings and drawings related to the picture. Also featured are
paintings by Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, painters whom Seurat
greatly admired, and whose depictions of figures at the seaside, boating,
or promenading through fields would resonate in Seurat's unabashed tribute
to modern leisure. Works by Paul Signac, Camille Pissarro, and Camille's
son Lucien are also featured, allowing us to fully appreciate the context
for and impact of Seurat's masterpiece painting. A
Sunday on La Grande Jatte
(1884-86) is one of the most famous, visited, and frequently reproduced
paintings in the world. Seen by tens of millions of viewers since its
arrival in 1926, the picture is an Art Institute icon and a destination in
itself for visitors who travel here from around the globe. It even
inspired Stephen Sondheim's famous musical, Sunday
in the Park with George. First exhibited in Paris in 1886, the
painting quickly became a landmark in the development of modern painting.
Today, La Grande Jatte continues
to fascinate scholars, museum visitors, artists, and advertisers alike. A
special feature of Seurat and the
Making of "La Grande Jatte" is a digital reconstruction of La Grande Jatte, as the Parisian public would have first seen it in
May 1886. Using color science and computer technology, the Art Institute
is presenting a full-sized scientifically based color re-creation of the
artwork that galvanized the public, artists, and critics alike. There are a
number of events related to the opening. At the Four
Seasons Hotel on
Saturday, June 19th, for instance, artist Michael Cheney, who paints
impressionist views of Chicago, teams up with Executive Chef Robert
Sulatycky who will be preparing a three-course lunch ($23.50) at Seasons Restaurant
where diners learn more about this renowned artist while enjoying his work
on display. To reserve all 312-649-2349. The Four Seasons Hotel located at
120 East Delaware Place on the ‘Magnificent Mile’ offers packages
starting at $410 for a one-night stay. Many other less expensive packages
are posted on the Chicago cultural affairs website (click
here
to see).
Unfortunately,
when it comes to restaurants, my experiences are now out-of-date and we
will be providing readers with an update soon. For Mexican foodies,
however, I have heard excellent things about the centrally located Frontera
Grill & Topolobampo (445
N. Clark 312-661-1434), which
is run by Rick and Deann Groen Bayless who have published Authentic
Mexican: Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico.  Air
Canada
offers a variety of all-inclusive Toronto-Chicago fares starting at
$380.33 return. You will have to act quickly, however, to pick-up Friday,
Saturday and/or Sunday departures at this low price. To book click
here.
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Those
visiting Chicago for the first time are advised to pick up one or two
paperback guidebooks. First is 
Next,
you might buy one of two conveniently sized publications you can slip into
your pocket. The first is the excellent 
Also,
there is the 2001 version of