Columnist Muriel Stevens: Excursion to wine country is nothing to whine about

Tuesday, March 24, 1998 | 10:31 a.m.

The change in the weather says it's time to dust off the travel bags and start making vacation plans.

How about a journey to wine country via a luxurious cruise down the Rhone river with travel consultant Robert Boyd and wine expert Carolyn Prusa?

This gastronomic and cultural jaunt concludes with two days in Paris. Participants will visit Lyon, Beaujolais, Burgundy and the Rhone River Valley.

Highlights of the escorted tour include a ride on the nostalgic steam railway to the wild Doux Gorges near Tourmon; the cuisine and wines of the historical wine regions that produce Pouilly-Fuisse, Macon, Hermitage and Chateau Neuf-du-Pape; shopping in the colorful markets of Toulon; a visit to the village of Arles, where Vincent Van Gogh lived and painted; stops at quaint villages and wineries along the way; private wine tastings; and riding to Paris on a deluxe, high speed TGV train.

Fly Air France from Washington, D.C., or Los Angeles to Lyon -- known as the gastronomic gateway to France. Upon arrival, enjoy lunch in the picturesque Old City in the hills overlooking the city, then board the luxury cruise ship, M.S. Cezanne, and head north to Macon, the trading center for the wines of Burgundy and Beaujoliais.

The price, double occupancy, is $3,950 from Los Angeles or $3,850 from Washington. Included are round-trip airfare from either departure point, superior first class accommodations in Lyon and Paris, deluxe outside cabins aboard the M.S. Cezanne, almost all meals -- 11 dinners, nine lunches, 12 breakfasts -- special events, wine tastings and excursions. I, who rarely go on planned tours, am tempted to go on this one. Space is limited. This is an intimate, personalized tour.

For a detailed itinerary and reservation application, call Robert Boyd at Speciality tours limited -- 702-673-6047.

Viva La France!

Rainy day bargains

The recent storms that hit the West Coast mostly spared San Francisco, but reports of the deluge have caused a drop in tourism to the City by the Bay. The result? Some excellent rates at some excellent hotels through March. Rates are expected to be good during April, too.

San Francisco Reservations is the place to call (800-677-1500) for the latest rates, but if you're planning to be there in March, the posh Clift Hotel in the heart of the city is offering a remarkable rate -- $139. The Donatello Hotel rate is $149; the Clarion Bedford on Union Square has rates of $99 and $109; and, from now through April 17, the Commodore Hotel is offering the "You Romantic Fool" package at a rate of $85. The package includes cocktails for two and "a romantic guide." Also through April 17, the Jackson Court bed and breakfast in the charming and historic Pacific Heights area has a weekday rate of $139, and a weekend rate of $150. All rates are subject to availability.

There is no charge for the San Francisco Reservations service. Telephone service is available from 7 a.m to 11 p.m., every day.

Black Tie and Sneakers

Set the alarm, don black tie and sneakers, and prepare to be a kid again at the Anti-Defamation League's 1998 Nevada Thousand (price for two tickets) fundraiser at FAO Schwarz in the Forum Shops.

FAO Schwarz is supplying the milk and cookies (cocktails); Chinois, the food. It's all for a good cause -- the Las Vegas Community Office of the Anti-Defamation League. The fun begins at midnight with munchies and playtime. It's nighty-night at 2:01 a.m.

Chairing the special event are Susan Fine and Sonja Saltman, with assistance from the planning committee -- Elizabeth Ackerman, Judy Klein-Bloomfeild, Amy Chickering, Donna Epstein and Cari Marshall.

If your mom won't let you stay out that late, you can still be a contributor to this important cause. Send donations in any amount to: Anti-Defamation League, 1050 E. Flamingo Road, Suite N 339, Las Vegas, 89119.

Santa Fe and art

The Las Vegas Art Museum in the Sahara West Library and Fine Arts Museum at 9600 W. Sahara Ave. will surely benefit from the new progran sponsored by the Santa Fe. Free pre-paid admission tickets for the museum may be picked up by parents at the Santa Fe's Desert Fortune Club for themselves and children ages 12 to 18. Parents and children must accompany each other to the museum in order to redeem the tickets, but I suspect that any adults who show up sans kids, will not be turned away. According to Santa Fe spokesperson Mary Winter, the idea behind the giveaway is to encourage families to get the museum habit.

Currently on display is the "artwork" of magazine publisher Bob Guccione, whose fortune was made from such literary magazines as Penthouse. His Lifetime Retrospective exhibit is not X-rated. The Guccione exhibit can be viewed through April 18, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

On April 21, in observation of National Holocaust Month, five separate exhibits will encompass the general theme of WWII and the Holocaust.

For additional information about Santa Fe's free ticket program, call the Santa Fe Desert Fortune Club at 658-4900.

More art

From the age of 12 my weekends were spent in the museums that line Philadelphia's Benjamin Franklin Parkway. With a lunch bag in the basket of my two-wheel bike for sustenance (I would eat it, picnic style, on one of the grassy areas around the museums) I would be gone from noon until the museums closed. After a few visits, I would get to know the security guards who watched over the various galleries. Each was an expert on the artist whose work they guarded. Later, when I took art classes, I would learn how knowledgeable they really were.

Nothing was off limits. The galleries were open to everyone who behaved properly. When I asked questions, they answered them. It was from the guards that I learned about Degas Cancan girls and gained insight of the demimonde. It was an invaluable education, even though it was years before I really understood what I had heard.

My hometown was known for its Blue Laws and puritanical views, yet I can never remember any furor over art exhibits. Surely, there must have been some, but I was never shut out from any gallery. From 18th century cross stitch samplers so simple and sweet, to the works of some of the Impressionists whose models at a picnic gamboled nude in the fields, or languished on a chaise in an opium-induced state, I viewed them all. Nothing was forbidden, but I knew better than to share around the dinner table what I had seen, heard and learned during my outings.

It's a different world today. Youngsters of my time could safely ride a bicycle, unaccompanied, through mid-town traffic, to museums a good distance from home. Beat cops astride horses who patrolled the city, especially the Parkway, watched out for children. A bike could be left outside a museum and the owner could be reasonably sure it would still be there when he/she returned. I always locked mine. I couldn't risk losing my key to the city.

The museums were free and so was I. It's a lovely remembrance.