[January 23, 2006]

Travel notebook

(Dallas Morning News, The (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) NEW WEB SITE INVITES AMERICAN STUDENTS

VisitLondon has launched a new Web site and study guide to inspire young American visitors to journey to the English city. "Study London," a 20-page brochure, gives advice on how to launch your career in London, focusing on five disciplines: business, finance, engineering, art and design. It also gives tips on dining, night life and entertainment, sports and shopping. For a copy of the brochure, call 1-800-462-2748, or download one from www.visitlondon.com.

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GETAWAY PACKAGE INCLUDES FLIGHT FROM DALLAS

Red Carnation Hotels are offering a Love London package that includes round-trip airfare from Dallas, three nights at one of its six luxury accommodations in the capital, daily full breakfast, one afternoon tea and early check-in and checkout.

Participating hotels are the five-star Milestone in Kensington, 41 hotel opposite the Royal Mews, the four-star Egerton House in Knightsbridge, Chesterfield Mayfair, Rubens at the Palace and Montague on the Gardens in Bloomsbury. Prices from Dallas range from $765 per person to $999 (plus taxes and fees). Travel through March 31. Contact: 1-866-732-9304; www.redcarnation.com.

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GUESTS RECEIVE COUPONS FOR ACTIVITIES DISCOUNTS

Travelers who book one of Radisson Edwardian's 11 upscale hotels in London will receive Let Loose in London coupons for savings on food and wine, sightseeing, shopping, cultural events, comedy programs and spa treatments. Among the price breaks is 15 percent off lunch and dinner sailings on the Bateaux London Cruise and 25 percent off adult tickets at the Victoria and Albert and Natural History museums. Rates at the group's lodgings start at about $210, tax additional. Contact: 1-800-333-3333; www.radissonedwardian.com/letloose.

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MOIST TOWELETTES SPRUCE UP DIRTY ROAD DOGS

Musty dogs, dusty dogs and crusty dogs have a best friend in Pet Wipes.

The moist, 9-inch-by-9-inch towelettes don't take the place of a bath, but the antibacterial ingredient can tidy a hound in a half-minute. The durable cloth wipes contain aloe and vitamin E and leave a pet's coat shiny but not wet.

Pet Wipes are sold in resealable packages of 12 for $5.99. The packets are compact and packable _ handy for traveling dogs who forgot their hygiene at home. The wipes also can spruce up a cat or other pet. Contact: www.3mpetcare.com.

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EXHIBITS ILLUMINATE REGION'S BLACK HISTORY

The collection of history by two cousins who grew up in the Victoria, Texas, area is culminating in complementary exhibits about black Texans at two of the city's museums.

"Echoes: Memories of a Black Culture," a history exhibit curated by Louise S. O'Connor, opens at the Museum of the Coastal Bend on Thursday, while "Soul Cages," an art exhibit by Nancy O'Connor, opens at the Nave Museum on Feb. 3.

Louise S. O'Connor and Nancy O'Connor began working together during the early 1980s to collect oral histories and other artifacts about black residents who worked on large ranches in South Texas around Victoria. They also took photographs of the people they interviewed, which are integral to both exhibits.

Many black families in the rural areas are descendants of slaves who stayed to work on ranches after the Emancipation Proclamation. As many as half of the ranch workers in the area were black, although their roles were not widely known outside the region.

The "Echoes" exhibit features recent photos by Louise S. O'Connor, old photos, audio recordings, artifacts, scale models and other materials to document black life in rural South Texas.

In "Soul Cages," Nancy O'Connor incorporates photographs with artwork to create images related to the same people and topics.

"Echoes" continues through Dec. 30; "Soul Cages" continues through April 9.

Contact: Museum of the Coastal Bend, 361-582-2511; Nave Museum, 361-575-8227.

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ALBERTA VISITORS SEEK `BROKEBACK'

The controversial love story "Brokeback Mountain" has travelers heading to Alberta, where the film was made. Director Ang Lee chose sites in the Canadian province near Calgary to convey Wyoming and Texas from 1963 to 1983. Locations include: Fort Macleod, Kananaskis area parks and, for the town scenes, Crossfield and Blackie. Contact: www.travelalberta.com.

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(c) 2006, The Dallas Morning News.

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