Washington Exhibits Focus on Two Worlds

Two new exhibits in Washington--one a show of submarine paintings at the Navy Art Gallery and another a self-selected exhibition of photographs by famed portrait photographer Arnold Newman at the National Portrait Gallery--will remain open through the summer.

The summer-long open house at the Navy Yard is a show of submarine paintings by John Charles Roach. Two dozen works by Roach, a reserve officer, are done in a semi-Impressionist style that maintains the mood of the sea while satisfying security requirements by obscuring certain details of the deadly boats and their support ships. The paintings, which were requested by the Navy, reflect the endless routine and stern demands of the undersea service, but they also evoke the bleak beauty of duty in great waters.

At the National Portrait Gallery, Arnold Newman’s work is a self-selected exhibition of 101 photographs. At 74, Newman has been photographing people for more than 50 years. The exhibition is a summing up of those thousands of sittings and will become part of the museum’s permanent collection (half purchased and half donated by the artist). The photographs include studies of Igor Stravinsky, Andy Warhol, Diana Vreeland, Allen Ginsberg and Marilyn Monroe.

The Navy Art Gallery is in Washington Navy Yard, 9th and M streets S.E., (202) 433-3815, and is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday (after Memorial Day, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.). The National Portrait Gallery, at 8th and F streets N.W., (202) 357-1300, is open 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily through Aug. 16.

Travel Quiz: What state has the highest average room rates and yet the highest occupancy rate?

Nepal Advisory: The State Department has issued an advisory recommending that Americans exercise caution when traveling to or in Nepal due to anti-government demonstrations that have recently occurred in Katmandu and some other urban areas. In addition, U.S. citizens visiting there should avoid all political demonstrations and large public gatherings and comply with any government-imposed curfews. U.S. citizens are encouraged to contact the U.S. Embassy upon their arrival in Nepal to register their presence and to obtain an update on local conditions. The U.S. Embassy is located at Pani Pokhari, Katmandu; telephone locally 411179.

People Just Wanna Relax: Ask anyone what they want to do on their summer vacation and the answer usually is “relax.” So it should come as no surprise that a monthly telephone survey showed that 54% of American households will spend more time resting and relaxing on trips this summer, even though younger households with children had a slightly stronger tendency to plan vacations with physical activities. Despite this, every age group and income level favored rest and relaxation over physical activity on vacation, according to the survey of 500 randomly selected households by D.K. Shifflet & Associates, a McLean, Va., travel research firm.

Survey respondents also reported that they are planning trips about the same distance from home as last summer--which was closer to home than in 1990. About the same proportion plan to stay with friends and relatives as they did last year, which represented an increase over 1990. And the number looking for travel discounts rose slightly from a base that was already high in 1991. Forty-nine percent of households said that the overall cost of travel most influenced their plans, followed by 23% who cited the current economic situation.

Quick Fact: Number of U.S. air fare changes in March (as processed by Official Airline Guides, a company that tracks domestic flight schedules): 6.1 million.

Special Service for Hearing-Impaired: Dollar Rent A Car has recently joined other car rental companies by offering equipment that can receive and respond to calls from hearing-impaired customers. By dialing (800) 323-3301 for Dollar Rent A Car, hearing-impaired customers can hook up to a Telecommunications Device for the Deaf terminal, type in their reservations requests and receive immediate typewritten responses from agents. Other car rental companies that offer this service include: Alamo, (800) 522-9292; Avis, (800) 331-2323; Budget, (800) 826-5510; Dollar, (800) 232-3301; Hertz, (800) 654-2280; National, (800) 328-6323, and Thrifty, (800) 358-5856.

Caribbean Swan Song: Song of America, the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line ship that has sailed the Caribbean for the past decade, is being permanently repositioned and will begin seven-day cruises of the Mexican Riviera from Los Angeles May 16, following a 20-night journey from Miami. Mexico cruise itineraries will include stops at Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan.

Comparatively Speaking: Cruise ship sanitation scores for ships inspected in March (a score of 87 or higher indicates acceptable sanitation): CostaClassica, 91; Norway, 84; Seabourn Spirit, 92; Starward, 96; Sea Goddess I, 97; Triton, 86; Golden Odyssey, 89; Hanseatic Renaissance, 82. (Source: Department of Health and Human Services.)

Fair Warning: Floral and landscape designers will decorate the gardens and historic interiors of the Banning Residence Museum in Banning as part of Floriade III, Thursday through next Sunday, April 30-May 3. Lectures, demonstrations and original interior displays will be part of the annual event that showcases creative gardening and floral arranging in the museum, which is a National Historic Landmark. In addition, Banning Park, surrounding the museum, will be filled with landscape displays and a floral bazaar selling garden and floral equipment and a wide variety of gifts, plants and flowers. Tickets are $8 for adults and seniors; children 12 and under are free. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call (310) 548-7777.

Quiz Answer: Hawaii, where the average room rate in 1991 was $94.77, with 8 out of 10 rooms occupied on average. (Source: Smith Travel Research.)