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They’ll put in a word for you

Visiting China, but your Mandarin is, frankly, flawed? No problem. Just dial up an interpreter. At least two new companies offer over-the-phone interpretation services with live operators. You speak with them in English, then hand over the phone and they explain your needs to Chinese-speaking locals. Beijing-based chinaONEcall offers packages starting at $79 for 60 minutes of talk time; (877) 660-2838, www.chinaonecall.com. Boston-based Fone-In Inc., which handles dozens of languages besides English and Chinese, charges $57.99 for a one-year membership plus $2.23 per minute; (877) 988-3556, www .fone-in.com. With both companies, you must pay your regular phone charges on top of these fees.

-- Jane Engle

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A leafy studio

In the 19th century, shady woods southeast of Paris became an open-air laboratory for such painters as Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Theodore Rousseau and Jean-Francois Millet. In the Forest of Fontainebleau, they painted from life -- a then-revolutionary approach that paved the way for the Barbizon school, Impressionists and other styles of modern art. To celebrate the place that inspired so much artistic creation, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston have mounted an exhibition titled “In the Forest of Fontainebleau: Painters and Photographers From Corot to Manet.” It’s on display until June 8 at the National Gallery and from July 13 to Oct. 19 in Houston. It showcases such works as Rosa Bonheur’s “Forest of Fontainebleau: Spring in the Woods” (1860-65) and Millet’s “The Shepherdess” (1870), as well as vintage photos, maps and guidebooks used by tourists who followed the artists to Fontainebleau’s leafy precincts. Info: (202) 737-4215, www.nga.gov.

-- Susan Spano

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Open house

Take a peek inside some of Washington’s most exclusive residences next month when dozens of embassies and cultural centers open their doors to the public during Passport DC, an annual celebration that showcases Washington’s diplomatic corps. The event, to be held May 3 to 17, offers performances, talks and exhibits. Among the highlights: On May 3, the embassies of the European Union member states will present EU Open House 2008, offering a rare behind-the-scenes look at 26 European embassies, many of which are among Washington’s historic and architectural treasures. Info: (202) 661-7581, www.passportDC.org.

-- Rosemary McClure

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Miami nice

New York’s boutique Hotel Gansevoort has gone south -- to Miami Beach. Gansevoort South, which opened this month, has 334 rooms and 259 condos and features a modern design by the same New York team that stylized the 187-room Gansevoort in the Big Apple’s meatpacking district. Gansevoort South, in the Mid-Beach area at 2377 Collins Ave., is larger. Eighteen stories up, it has a 26,000-square-foot rooftop area with a 110-foot pool, plunge bar and lounge, surrounded by private cabanas, with ocean views. On the fourth floor is an infinity-edge pool, and a 50-foot-long aquarium in the lobby will house sharks. Room rates start at $325 for doubles. Info: (305) 604-1000, www.gansevoortsouth.com.

-- Vani Rangachar