AAA Traveler - Holiday 2018 - 5

STAY

Art Museums
You Shouldn't

Brush Off

Art lovers flock to these five museums for a reason, and
when you go, you'll get it: amazing architecture,
priceless pieces and the quiet awe of the visitors. Head
out and find your next favorite painting and be sure to
pick up the mouse pad version in the gift shop.

Louvre Paris, France
AAA FIVE DIAMOND PROPERTY

MANDARIN ORIENTAL HOTEL GROUP LIMITED

Mandarin Oriental,
New York
Is it possible to spend a weekend in
New York City and not leave your
hotel? Before you answer, consider
Mandarin Oriental, New York. This
AAA Five Diamond hotel is over-thetop luxury at every turn. Dale Chihuly
and Waterford Crystal collaborated
to create the chandelier that greets
guests as they check in. Silk throws
on each bed invite you in to indulge
and relax. Every room has a view: of
the city skyline, of Central Park, of
the Hudson River. And the spa - all
14,500 feet of it including the
amethyst crystal steam room - is
sumptuous. In a city known for food,
Mandarin Oriental delivers inventive
modern American cuisine in Asiate,
where more than 1,300 bottles of
wine are on display, and the Chef's
Tasting Menu takes the bounty of the
Hudson Valley and turns it into a
culinary masterpiece. The Aviary
NYC, perched on the 35th floor,
dishes up small plates and cocktails
and The Office NYC, a speakeasy,
serves vintage cocktails and
classically inspired food.

The Louvre has had many lives - first a medieval fortress,
then a royal palace, and, starting two centuries ago, an art
museum. Accented by I. M. Pei's glass pyramid, the
architecture is striking, but inside it's pure beauty: Venus
de Milo, Mona Lisa and King Charles V's gold scepter.

Metropolitan Museum of Art New York City
Known as The Met, this museum is home to a wide range
of art - ancient Egyptian; arms and armor from the
middle ages; and paintings from the likes of Picasso,
Rembrandt, Monet, van Gogh and John Singer Sargent.

Tate Modern London, England
This collection of international modern art is at times
weird, at times charming, but is always exciting. Housed in
a former power station, it blends industrial architecture
with daring pieces. The permanent collection amazes, but
the Turbine Hall - a huge, eight-story room - is used for
exhibiting large-scale sculptures and installations.

Vatican Museums Vatican City
Everyone knows of the Sistine Chapel, but add to that 53
other galleries featuring paintings by Raphael and
Leonardo da Vinci, as well as the Gallery of Maps - where
the walls are topographical maps of Italy - and
architectural elements from tile mosaics to the soaring
ceilings. One visit and you'll understand why it draws
millions of visitors each year.

State Hermitage Museum St. Petersburg, Russia
The second largest art museum in the world was founded
by Empress Catherine the Great in 1764. Comprised of six
historic buildings - including the Winter Palace - there
are more than 120 rooms featuring paintings, decor from
the private rooms of Empress Maria Alexandrovna and
ancient relics discovered in Eurasia, some dating to the
Paleolithic Age.
AAA Traveler - Holiday 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AAA Traveler - Holiday 2018
