Santa Fe: Southwest Arts


Sponsored by TDF




Don't miss out on our annual trip to beautful Santa Fe.  This tour includes round-trip air on American Airlines, 5 nights accomodation, daily breakfast, 1 lunch, 3 dinners, 3 performances, 3 guided tours of museums, a 3 day Museums of New Mexico Pass and airport transfers.



Our annual trip to lively Santa Fe with its sunny, clear weather is a cool, refreshing summer sojourn.  Once again, we stay at the centrally located and well appointed Inn of the Governors.  At the Santa Fe Opera we attend a production of Richard Strauss' Daphne, directed by Mark Lamos.  We also attend a concert at the internationally acclaimed Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and an evening of flamenco dance performed by the Maria Benitez Teatro Flamenco.  During the day we visit an array of outstanding museums exhibiting this fascinating region's three major cultures, Indian, Spanish/ Mexican, and Anglo.  We tour the new Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, and there is free time to explore the numerous galleries along Canyon Road.  Also included is a day trip to Taos and Bandelier National Monument.  The trip is limited to 29 persons and has sold out for several years in a row, so early reservations are recommended.  Single rooms always go first.






1.  Sunday, August 5     Depart NYC
We depart LaGuardia at 10:25am on American Airlines and arrive in Albuquerque at 2:50pm, where we meet our local guide and travel via private motor coach to Santa Fe.  Our hotel, the centrally-located, first class Inn of the Governors is situated just 2 blocks from the historic Santa Fe Plaza where Native Americans sell their crafts, and is within easy walking distance of a wonderful collection of art galleries, boutiques, museums and restaurants.  It offers the intimacy of an inn with all the amenities of a deluxe hotel.  We relax for the remainder of the afternoon before this evening's casual welcome dinner.  (Dinner)  



2.  Monday, August 6     Santa Fe
A buffet breakfast is offered every morning at the hotel.  Today we are introduced to the distinct heritage of Santa Fe on a guided walking tour through the picturesque, historic downtown area.  For more than 380 years this unique community has been a center of culture and government.  Before the Puritans landed at Plymouth Rock, Santa Fe was a capital city, first as the capital of the Spanish Kingdom of New Mexico, then of the Mexican province of Nuevo Mexico, and in 1912 it became the capital of the State of New Mexico.  We visit the Loretto Chapel with its mysterious "miraculous staircase."  We complete the morning with a guided tour of the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum.  Georgia O'Keeffe is considered one of the preeminent modern artists of the 20th century.  Opened in 1997, 80 years after the artist's first visit to the city, the museum has already welcomed more than 800,000 visitors.  A performance by the world renowned Maria Benitez Teatro Flamenco completes the day.  (Breakfast)  



3.  Tuesday , August 7     Taos/Bandelier
This morning after breakfast we travel to Bandelier and Taos where we explore how both Native Americans and Spanish alike trace their cultural roots far back in local history.  We begin at Bandelier National Monument, known for its archaeological sites inhabited by the ancestors of today's Pueblo Indians.  A mile-long moderately easy walk reveals close-up views of cliff dwellings built into the sheer cliffs of Frijoles Canyon.  For those who choose not to walk, a hall of exhibitions, snack bar and gift shop are open.  We arrive in Taos where we have lunch.  We visit the popular Millicent Rogers Museum, with its outstanding collection of black pottery.  Finally, we visit Taos Pueblo, quite possibly the oldest continually inhabited community in the United States, guided by a Taos native whose viewpoint is decidedly outside the mainstream of today's America, and yet is an important part of what defines all our identity.  Our estimated return to the hotel is 6:30pm.  (B) (L)  



4.  Wednesday, August 8     Santa Fe Museums/Opera
This morning we take a comprehensive, behind-the-scenes tour of the Santa Fe Opera, providing an opportunity to observe the makings of opera.  Our tour includes scene storage areas, the costume shop, prop shop and production areas.  Next we travel to Museum Hill for a guided visit to the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture which presents the diverse stories that illuminate the art and history of Native America through two millennia.  Then we tour the Museum of International Folk Art, which houses the world's largest collection of traditional folk art from around the world.  Following these tours, our motor coach is available to transfer you back to the hotel or you may choose to stay on and visit the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art on your own.  The afternoon is at leisure.  This evening we board our private motor-coach and transfer to the Santa Fe Opera for an early buffet supper.  During dessert, we enjoy a few well-chosen words from our guest speaker about the evening's program.  The mystique of open-air opera continues when we see Richard Strauss' Daphne.  Daphne occupies a special place at The Santa Fe Opera.  Virtually unknown when John Crosby conducted the American premiere in 1964, it is now recognized as one of Strauss' true masterpieces.  Daphne is a lyrical and elegiac counterpoint to Salome, with both operas featuring demanding soprano roles that conclude with extended monologues.  This new production will be staged by Mark Lamos, longtime artistic director of the Hartford Stage Company.  His recent Broadway credits include Seascape and The Rivals.  Kenneth Montgomery will be the conductor.  Scott MacAllister, in his company debut, is Apollo.  (B) (D)  



5.  Thursday, August 9     Free Day
Today is free.  Why not visit the galleries along Canyon Road, or The Museum of Fine Arts, the state's oldest art museum and a masterpiece of Pueblo Revival architecture?   The Museum is home to a permanent collection of more than 8,000 works, including Georgia O'Keeffe and the Taos Masters.  This evening we attend a 6:00pm concert at the internationally acclaimed Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival where we hear works by Debussy, Ravel, Schubert and Crumb.  After, we bid adios to New Mexico over our farewell dinner.  (B) (D)  



6.  Friday, August 10     Depart Santa Fe
After an early breakfast we transfer via private motor coach to the Albuquerque airport for our American Airlines flight departing at 9:40am and arriving at LaGuardia at 5:50pm.  (B)





This engaging experience includes:

  • Round-trip air on American Airlines
  • 5 nights' accommodations
  • Breakfast daily, 1 lunch, 3 dinners
  • Walking tour of Santa Fe
  • 3 day Museums of New Mexico pass
  • Three performance tickets
  • Airport transfers - Albuquerque/Santa Fe
  • Local service charges & taxes
  • Porterage of 1 piece of luggage at airports & hotels
PROGRAM PRICES  
Per person (double occupancy) from New York: $2,249.00  
Single Supplement: $550.00  
Air Taxes: $75.00