Practicing the art of hospitality for more than 400 years

At La Fonda on the Plaza, they've been practicing the art of hospitality for more than 400 years. Historical records from the time of Santa Fe's founding by the Spaniards in 1607 show that an inn, or fonda, was among the first businesses established. By the time Captain William Becknell and his party forged their way across the Great Plains from Missouri to Santa Fe in 1821, a comfortable inn on the Plaza awaited them. Thus was born both the commercial and military route known as the Santa Fe Trail... and La Fonda's reputation for hospitality. During the nineteenth century, the inn welcomed trappers and soldiers, gold seekers and gamblers and politicians. The original adobe structure changed owners (and names) several times during the Civil War period, the westward railroad expansion and the years before New Mexico gained statehood in 1912. Throughout, it remained a Santa Fe landmark. Now you, too, can enjoy a special visit to this national treasure.

World premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber's sequel in London next week

He's back, one of the most mysterious, romantic figures of the stage...and this time he makes his fictional home on American shores. Andrew Lloyd Webber's long-awaited new show Love Never Dies will have its world premiere in London at the Adelphi Theatre next Tuesday 9 March 2010. In this sequel to the most successful musical of all time, The Phantom has moved from his lair in the Paris Opera House to haunt the fairgrounds of Coney Island. Set 10 years after The Phantom's mysterious disappearance from Paris, the show is described as "a rollercoaster ride of obsession and intrigue...in which music and memory can play cruel tricks."

Based on the 1910 novel by Gaston Leroux, a French journalist and writer of detective fiction, The Phantom of the Opera has been seen by more than 100 million people since its premiere in 1986 and has won more than 50 awards worldwide. The sequel--which will premiere in New York on Thursday 11 November 2010 and in Australia in 2011--brings together two acclaimed actors in the lead roles of The Phantom and Christine.

Travel to the tropics at The New York Botanical Garden's new exhibit

Visitors to the Big Apple looking for a respite from the city's record snows can now immerse themselves in the tropical heat of a new exhibit at The New York Botanical Garden. Opened 27 February, "The Orchid Show: Cuba in Flower," housed inside the balmy Haupt Conservatory, features thousands of colorful orchids, soaring palm trees, and a retreat from the seemingly unending winter. Cuban-born designer Jorge Sanchez of the Palm Beach firm Sanchez & Maddux has re-imagined iconic sites in Old Havana and the Cuban countryside, evoking the island's history while engulfing visitors in radiant flowers.

Draped with the golden-yellow oncidium orchid, La Giraldilla statue, one of the symbols of Old Havana, welcomes visitors from atop the Castillo de la Fuerza Real (Castle of the Royal Force) re-created in the Palms of the Americas Gallery reflecting pool. Continuing through the conservatory galleries, visitors enjoy vanilla orchids, miniature orchids, and other exotic varieties blooming against the lush backdrop. Plant life native to Cuba, which has one of the world's highest concentrations of biodiversity, line the winding paths.

The Botanical Garden's annual orchid show has been described as a "tour de force that leaves most visitors gasping with amazement and delight." Sponsored by The Tiffany & Co. Foundation, "The Orchid Show: Cuba in Flower" runs through 11 April 2010.

Toasting Spring along Pennsylvania's wine trail

With this so-called "snow-icane" about to wallop the Northeast, I thought Automotive Traveler readers would be interested in hearing about an event sure to put a little color back in your cheeks. And I'm not talking about 50-mile-an-hour winds. Every weekend in March, the 14 wineries of the UnCork York Wine Trail in Pennsylvania will host the fifth-annual Tour de Tanks, welcoming visitors for special tank and barrel tastings of vintages before they are bottled. The winemakers will be on hand to chat with guests about their craft and the vintages being sampled. Guests may enjoy specially selected food-and-wine pairings as well--savory homemade soups at Allegro Vineyards, for example, and what is reportedly a "sinfully delicious" chocolate fountain at West Hanover Winery.