Museums and Theater in our Nation's Capital
A Cultural Week-end in Washington, D.C.
April 28-May 1, 2006
sponsored by the Bronxville Senior Program




This 4 day 3 night cultural trip to our Nation’s Capital includes the following: motorcoach from Bronxville to DC and return as per itinerary, 3 nights at the Hamilton Crowne Plaza, full American breakfast daily, 1 brunch, 1 dinners admissions and visits: Hillwood Museum, Corcoran Gallery, World War II Memorial, National Gallery (Cezanne exhibit) Museum of the American Indian, National Zoo, National Cathedral, performance ticket at the Kennedy Center (Canterbury Tales), porterage of one piece of luggage, local service charges & taxes and a Carew Travel Tour Director for duration of trip.  
 
Trip price: $950 (double occupancy), details below.



The Bronxville Senior program invites you to spend a weekend in Washington where the highlight will be the exhibit Cézanne in Provence, the principal international exhibition marking 2006 as the centenary of the death of Paul Cézanne (1839-1906).  Focusing on the works Cézanne painted in and around his native Aix-en-Provence, the exhibit will celebrate the landscape and the rich associations it had for him.  






1.  Friday, April 28     
Travel from Bronxville directly to Washington and begin the program with a tour at Hillwood House, cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post's 40-room Georgian mansion.  The house contains a large collection of 18th- and 19th-century French and Russian decorative art that includes gold and silver work, icons, tapestries, porcelain, and Fabergé eggs. Also on the estate are a dacha (summer cottage) filled with Russian objects and an Adirondacks-style cabin that houses Native American artifacts. The 25-acre estate grounds are composed of lawns, formal French and Japanese gardens, greenhouses, and paths that wind through plantings of azaleas, laurels, and rhododendrons. After the tour check into the recently refurbished first class Hamilton Crowne Plaza, located near the White House in downtown Washington on 14th and K Street. The hotel is set in a historic Beaux Arts building, dating from the 1920's, and featuring an ornate lobby with detailed, vaulted ceiling designs by a famous French architect. Tonight, we enjoy a welcome dinner.  
 



2.  Saturday, April 29     
Today, following breakfast, visit the National Zoo to see the Fujifilm Giant Panda Habitat, and the Giant Panda cub, Tai Shan, born in July.  His parents, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian are at the National Zoo on a ten-year loan from the China Wildlife Conservation Association. They are the focus of an ambitious research, conservation, and breeding program designed to preserve this critically endangered species. There are only 20 Giant Pandas residing in zoos outside China.  
 
Continue to the National Cathedral.   Standing at one of the city's highest points, this soaring Gothic cathedral rivals the Washington Monument and the Capitol. Built as it would have been in the 14th century, this imposing structure extends almost the length of two football fields and pierces the city's skyline. The Washington National Cathedral is the second largest cathedral in the country and the sixth largest in the world. Theodore Roosevelt attended the laying of the foundation stone in 1907, and every president of the United States since has attended services or visited the cathedral. The church's grandeur is evidenced in its stunning features: soaring vaulting, sparkling stained glass windows, and intricate carvings. The Space Window contains a piece of lunar rock presented to the cathedral by the astronauts of Apollo XI.  Although a Christian church, the Cathedral is open to persons of all faiths and denominations and is frequently the site of interfaith and ecumenical services.  After the tour take a leisurely stroll through the Bishop's Garden. This medieval walled garden boasts 12th- and 13th-century artifacts, ancient boxwoods, herbs, roses, and paths of stone from George Washington's quarries. The Pilgrim Way winds through the five-acre Olmsted Woods.  
 
In the afternoon visit the Corcoran Gallery of Art to see their special exhibit of European art, which has been an important part of the Corcoran's collection from the time William Wilson Corcoran founded the museum in 1869.  Drawn from approximately 900 objects in a variety of media, this selection of highlights includes paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts, dating from antiquity to the nineteenth century. Tonight we have tickets at the Kennedy Center for the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Geoffrey Chaucher’s Canterbury Tales. The esteemed company returns with a brand-new adaptation of the timeless classic which gives a lighthearted look at human nature.



3.  Sunday, April 30     
Visit the new World War II Memorial on the Mall, honoring the 16 million who served in the armed forces of the U.S. during World War II, the more than 400,000 who died, and the millions who supported the war effort from home. Symbolizing the defining event of the 20th Century, the memorial is a monument to the spirit, sacrifice, and commitment of the American people.  We enjoy a jazz brunch at the National Gallery of Art before viewing the premier exhibit, Cézanne in Provence, the principal international exhibition marking 2006 as the centenary of the death of Paul Cézanne (1839-1906). A key figure in the impressionist and post-impressionist movements, he is often seen as the father of modern art. This exhibition, by focusing on the works Cézanne painted in and around his native Aix-en-Provence, will celebrate the landscape and the rich associations it had for him. Approximately 100 of Cézanne's greatest oil paintings and watercolors will demonstrate his intense, emotional engagement with the countryside of his birthplace, where he painted some of his most compelling landscapes, penetrating portraits of family members, and the monumental Bathers from the National Gallery, London. Works depicting such scenes as Mont Sainte-Victoire and the Mediterranean coast will come from public and private collections throughout Europe and the United States.  We spend the remainder of day at the Smithsonian for independent touring.      



4.  Monday, May 1     
This morning we tour the Capitol’s newest museum, the National Museum of the American Indian. Set against the dramatic backdrop of the U.S. Capitol building on the National Mall, the museum's location symbolizes a deeper understanding and reconciliation between America's first citizens and those who have come to make these shores their home. The opening of this museum marks a unique cultural achievement as Native Americans from North, Central, and South America realize a long-awaited dream to share and honor their vibrant cultures with visitors from throughout the world. We continue to Bronxville.  





This engaging experience includes:

  • Motorcoach from Bronxville to DC and return as per itinerary
  • 3 nights at the Hamilton Crowne Plaza
  • Full American Breakfast daily; 1 brunch, 1 dinner
  • Admissions and visits per itinerary
  • 1 performance ticket at the Kennedy Center (Canterbury Tales)
  • Porterage of one piece of luggage
  • Local service charges & taxes
  • Carew Travel Tour Director for duration of trip
PROGRAM PRICES  
Per person (double occupancy) from New York: $950  
Single Supplement: $275