Daily Pampering: St. Regis Washington DC warms up with Washington Ballet

by Melanie Nayer on

The St. Regis Washington, DC is getting artsy this year, thanks to a partnership with the Washington Ballet.

Celebrating the spring 2011 performance of Carmen on May 19th, the exclusive hotel offer includes VIP, behind-the-scenes access with The Washington Ballet’s Artistic Director Septime Webre, viewing of dress rehearsals as well as a stay at the St. Regis Washington, DC.

Available from May 17, 2011 through May 21, 2011, the package includes:

  • Access and transportation to a private afternoon dress rehearsal which will offer a sneak peek of the Opening Night performance
  • Limousine service to and from the Harman Center for the Performing Arts on Opening Night
  • Attendance to the Opening Night showing of Carmen, with an exclusive backstage tour led by Septime Webre himself during intermission
  • An invitation to the celebratory Opening Night Party, attended by company dancers, Ballet VIP’s and board members
  • An intimate lunch at Adour at The St. Regis Washington, D.C. with Septime Webre to discuss his creation
  • Accommodations for four nights in a luxurious St. Regis suite
  • Spanish wine accompanied by light tapas waiting for guests in-room upon arrival
  • A signed copy of the ballet’s Wonderland coffee table book, which offers dramatic glimpses of life backstage and photos of the dancers in landmark Washington locations
  • Access to signature St. Regis Butler Service throughout the stay

The price of this prima ballerina pampering? $5,000, and 20 percent of the proceeds from the booking will be donated to The Washington Ballet.

Get more luxury travel ideas from daily pampering.

Top 10 travel spots in the United States

by Tom Johansmeyer on

So, Orbitz noted when we like to travel … but where do we go? The top 10 destinations in the country were mostly predictable, with big tourist-magnet cities dominating the list. There were a few surprises, according to the information supplied by Orbitz: Boston, for example, didn’t make the list, after having ranked ninth in 2009. Los Angeles, fifth in 2009, also fell off in 2010. New Orleans and Honolulu debuted last year.

In the top 10 U.S. destinations last year, average daily hotel rates rose, yet some spots, like Las Vegas and San Diego, still offered great bargains, with rates well below 2008 levels still.

So, which cities are among our 10 favorites? Let’s take a look below!

1. Las Vegas, Nevada: Vegas was hit hard by the financial crisis – expect to see some deals there for a while

2. New York, New York: how can the Big Apple not be an ongoing favorite?

3. Chicago, Illinois: the top city in the Midwest just had to make the list!4. San Francisco, California: forget Los Angeles, this is the place to see out west

5. San Diego, California: again, this is a great alternative to Tinseltown

6. Orlando, Florida: remember that there’s more to Orlando than the theme parks

7. Honolulu, Hawaii: if you’re going to spend some time on the beach, do it right

8. New Orleans, Louisiana: it may have taken a while, but the recovery following Hurricane Katrina is definitely under way

9. Washington, DC: the allure of the nation’s capital can never be resisted

10. Miami, Florida: where else can you see and sample so many great bodies in one place? You have to check this out!

[photo Fabrizio Monaco via Flickr]

American-Muslim group urges Palestinians to visit Holocaust Museum

by Sean McLachlan on


The Islamic Society of North America is defying Hamas and urging Palestinian youths to visit the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., the Jewish news service JTA reports.

A group of A-students from the Gaza Strip are to visit the nation’s capital on a UN-sponsored educational visit. Their tour is to include the Holocaust Museum, but Hamas, which runs the Palestinian Authority, has criticized the plan. A Hamas spokesman says Palestinian children suffer enough persecution and can’t deal with learning about other people’s suffering.

That prompted the Islamic Society of North America to make a public statement endorsing the plan, saying they’ve taken Muslims there before and that it has had a positive effect on Muslim-Jewish relations.

I’ve never seen this museum, but I have been to the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem. Although I went nearly twenty years ago, I have a very clear memory of speaking to a German student who I met there. Her reason for going? “I feel it’s my responsibility as a German.” She became a friend, and although she often criticizes Israel’s policies, she’s fully aware of what happened in the biggest crime of the twentieth century.

Who knows? Perhaps this will encourage Jewish-American children to visit Palestinian high schools, or Iranian and American kids to set up an exchange program, or North and South Korea to create a communal youth group.

Hmmm. . .is that too much to hope for this holiday season?

[Image courtesy user AgnosticPreachersKid via Wikimedia Commons]

Madame Tussauds Washington D.C. announces first “Presidential Gallery”

by McLean Robbins on



Ever wanted to shake hands with Bill Clinton or stand toe to toe with Richard Nixon? Soon you can … if you visit Madame Tussauds‘ Washington D.C. location. Early next year, the museum will launch the first U.S. President’s Gallery, featuring all 44 U.S. Presidents.

The $2 million+ gallery will open on February 17th, just in time for (you guessed it) President’s Day. The museum is creating 28 entirely new figures just for the exhibit.

“We are looking forward to providing the public with the unique opportunity to experience all of the U.S. presidents in a way unlike ever before,” said Dan Rogoski, General Manager of Madame Tussauds Washington D.C. “As the only place in the world where people will be able to meet and interact with all 44 U.S. presidents, history buffs, students and the general public alike will enjoy a truly unique and enriching educational experience at the Gallery.”

In anticipation of the opening of the Presidents Gallery, figures of presidents have been popping up across the country. Throughout the year, figure sightings have included President Gerald Ford at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum for the 97th anniversary of his birthday; founding fathers George Washington and Thomas Jefferson at the Independence Visitor Center in Philadelphia over the July 4th holiday; and most recently, Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln, which took a road trip to Mount Rushmore in honor of the 69th anniversary of the monument’s completion.

A tremendous undertaking, each figure takes about three to four months to complete and requires an extensive amount of work. In order to make the figures as lifelike as possible, Madame Tussauds artists have to study hundreds of photographs, and when available, hours of video footage. Of course in some cases, the artists did not have the luxury of photographs or videos, and needed to rely on historical accounts, even paintings.

The U.S. Presidents Gallery will include a curriculum focused on the history of the U.S. presidents. We can see it now – this will be a must-hit stop on the annual “eighth grade trip to D.C.” itinerary.

Controversy over new Turkish Airlines spokesman Kobe Bryant

by Meg Nesterov on

In order to promote the upcoming new Los Angeles–Istanbul flights, the new Turkish Airlines spokesman Kobe Bryant has prompted some protest in the Armenian American community. Turkey (as well as the United States) does not recognize the death of 1.5 million Armenians at the end of Turkey’s Ottoman Empire as genocide. 700,000 Armenian Americans in California are hoping Bryant will use his stature to raise awareness and put pressure on the United States to recognize the deaths, threatening to boycott the basketball star and the L.A. Lakers if he doesn’t back out of the deal.

Should he continue with the deal, Bryant will make his own inaugural trip in 2011. “I’ve never been to Turkey,” Bryant told CNBC. “But all the guys on the team in the league who have been keep saying it’s one of the hottest places to go to.” The LAX-IST flights will begin in March, four times a week. Turkish Airlines also has direct flights from New York, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.

Turkish Airlines’ current brand embassador is actor Kevin Costner, though no protests are known against his films or for the work of Benicio del Toro, whose image can be seen all over Turkey in advertisements for Magnum ice cream.



[Photo via Flickr by Keith Allison]