MORGANTOWN, W.VA. -- Despite a $50 million renovation, a fifth star has once again eluded the Greenbrier.
Mobil Travel Guide released its annual ratings of the world's finest properties Jan. 28 but gave West Virginia's historic resort only four stars for 2008.
1001 BUILDINGS YOU MUST SEE BEFORE YOU DIE
Universe / $36.95
At first blush, it seems an insurmountable task. How can one possibly choose the 1,001 buildings one must see before departing from this Earth? In the introduction, the general editor, Mark Irving, explains the selection process as "a mixture of rational consensus, personal whim and, in some cases, individual obsession." The book is divided into time periods, and the significance of each building is described in about 300 words. What's here? An inspiring list that includes palaces and castles, churches and mosques, offices and schools, libraries and hotels, museums and concert halls, prisons and banks and even residential homes (such as the famous octagonal "Chemosphere" hovering like a spaceship in the hills above West Hollywood, Calif.).
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[CHICAGO TRIBUNE]
HOTELS
Fancy these new upscale rooms
A new chain of boutique hotels planned by Marriott and upscale hotelier Ian Schrager will be called Edition and will open about 2010 in nine cities, including Paris; Madrid, Spain; Miami; Chicago; and Los Angeles. A Washington hotel is planned for the 18th Street corridor, but its exact location and timetable were not available. Marriott is teaming up with Schrager, one of the founders of Studio 54 nightclub in New York, to create the hotels, which will average 150 to 200 rooms and will be designed by different architects to give them a unique look.
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[ASSOCIATED PRESS]
EVENTS
Earth Day: something to sing about
Eight simultaneous Earth Day festivals are being planned across the country for April 20 with the flagship event on the National Mall in Washington. Organizers plan to stage free outdoor concerts in New York, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami and San Francisco. Producers of the Green Apple Festival, which began three years ago in New York, and organizers of the first Earth Day in 1970 are staging the events in landmark parks. Details at greenapplemusicfestival.com.
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[ASSOCIATED PRESS]
10 FOR THE ROAD
Romantic islands
The 10 most romantic island retreats, according to Coastal Living magazine:
1. Bermuda 2. Manhattan 3. Big Island of Hawaii 4. Whidbey Island, Wash. 5. Lovers Key, Fla. 6. Cumberland Island, Ga. 7. Princess Royal Island, British Columbia 8. Grove Island, Miami 9. Naples, Long Beach, Calif. 10. Anguilla