Tickets to the Van Gogh exhibit in Washington sold so quickly, they were gone practically before we could tell you about them. But the exhibition will make its Los Angeles run Jan. 17-April 4, and at least two hotels have room-and-ticket combos. Packages at the Regent Beverly Wilshire require a two-night stay and include two tickets to the exhibition, an exhibition catalog, a $50 dinner credit and shopping discounts. Two nights in a superior room cost $645, in a deluxe room, $795. (800-421-4354) . . . The Park Hyatt Los Angeles package includes a deluxe room, two tickets to the Van Gogh show, an exhibition catalog and limousine transfers between the hotel and the show. Rates are $289 for week nights, $249 for weekends. Subsequent nights are available at lower rates. (310-712-6981) . . . A stay at the Summit Boutique Hotel Bel-Air, includes a deluxe room, welcome wine and cheese, breakfast, two tickets to the Van Gogh exhibit, an exhibition catalog and two half-price tickets to the Los Angeles Philharmonic — all for $259 any night of the week. Stay a second night (at a lower rate, we might mention) and get free transportation to the J. Paul Getty Museum. Of course, the Getty is only right next door, but nobody would expect you to walk there. This is L.A., after all. (800-HOTEL-411)
STAYING THERE
Spanish architecture is a bit of a surprise in suburban St. Charles. But with its hand-stenciled wood trim and carved terra cotta, the 1928 Baker Hotel, revived during a $10 million restoration, well knows its place in the universe: on the Fox River, on the list of the National Register of Historic Places and, now, on the membership roles of the National Trust Historic Hotels of America. The 54-room hotel joins 15 other hostelries — Michigan’s Landmark Inn in Marquette is another — granted 1998-99 membership. Room rates at the Baker run $145-$495. (630-584-2100)
FAMILY FARE
Plan things right, and you could actually get to like last-minute shopping. The trick is to do it in a cozy German hamlet where you glide from shop to restaurant and maybe step into a pub or two. And easy? You don’t have to cross anything wider than the Ohio River to get there, to the Cincinnati suburb of Covington, Ky., and its MainStrasse Village. On certain weekends, the kids can do lunch with Santa or ride a carousel. (513-357-MAIN)
EAGLE WATCH
You’ve heard the joke: “Can you name the five Quad Cities?” Of course, there are the big four — Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa and Rock Island and Moline in Illinois. But East Moline, Ill., doesn’t like to be left out, so that makes five. The important thing is that the bald eagles know exactly where the Quads are located: 165 miles east of Chicago straddling the Mississippi River. The place is on the eagle migration route from Canada to Warmer Places South of Here. January is a good time to see the birds. So good, in fact, that the area will hold an official Bald Eagle Watch Jan. 2-3 in — what is this, Quad City No. 6? — LeClaire, Iowa. (800-747-7800)
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Tour prices generally are per person, based on double occupancy.
