Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Liz's Travel News and Views: New Western Museum, PDX Clock and Chocolate Lover's Railroad Excursion

Scottsdale Arizona's New Western Museum
From Yosemite Sam to John Wayne, we’ve loved cowboy culture and the characters associated with it for time immemorial. Now, with the Jan. 15 opening of the long-awaited Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West, you’ll get the cowboy fix you’ve long desired. This non-profit, story-telling institution is situated in the heart of the “West’s Most Western Town” and showcases the history, present day and future of all 19 states in the American West. 

Explore the museum’s galleries featuring paintings, sculptures, cultural artifacts and interactive exhibits, which illustrate the ever-evolving American West, from cowboys on horseback to historic roads like Route 66. Highlights include pieces by Arizona cowboy artist John Coleman, who’s known for his bronzes; paintings by Montana artist Charles Fitz, whose work chronicles the most famous 19th century expedition of all, that of Meriwether Lewis of William Clark; and notable pieces from famed artists such as Carl Oscar Borg and Maynard Dixon. 

The two-story, 43,000-square-foot museum will also feature an interactive map of 19 western states near the entryway, the 135-seat Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Theater/Auditorium, an array of Western items and ware, and an open-air courtyard dotted with sculptures. Admission to the museum will be $13 for adults, $11 for seniors and active military, $8 for students and children, and free for children under the age of 5.

Portland Oregon's Visiting Clock
There is more to talk about than the loss of the PDX carpeting. A huge cuckoo clock has found it's temporary home at the Portland Airport.

After traveling to Seattle and Vancouver, B.C., the Portland is Happening Now cuckoo clock has come home to roost at Portland International Airport (PDX). The 7,000-pound, 24-foot-tall clock towers in the south atrium and welcomes visitors to this creative, unconventional city — all while giving locals something new to embrace. 

Handcrafted by Nicolas (Nico) Gros, a French sculptor and mechanical designer, with Oregon maple chainsaw-carved by sculptor J. Chester Armstrong, the clock will be at PDX through March 2015. Depicting local spirit and icons such as Mount Hood and Portlandia, the timepiece serves as a reminder of what the city has to offer every hour of every day as part of Travel Portland’s Portland is Happening Now campaign.

Arizona's Verde Canyon Railroad Offers Chocolate Lovers Event
This delectable affair is one of the most popular Verde Canyon Railroad events. It blends the rich flavors of everything sweet with magnificent vistas of raw, unspoiled nature.

The confectionary celebration fills each car with intoxicating scents and tasty chocolate pastries, cakes and luscious hand-dipped delicacies. Fruit, pretzels and marshmallows are ready to be dunked into free-flowing chocolate fountains. Share these mouthwatering desserts while enjoying the delicious scenery of the Verde Canyon viewed from the comfort of a train.

How often do you get to combine two of life’s greatest pleasures – chocolate and riding a train?
Verde Canyon Railroad‘s Chocolate Lovers’ Festival continues to be one of Sedona’s sweetest seasonal celebrations.

Photos Courtesy: Featured Destinations

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