Gingerbread Village Open Until Dec. 24

Sun., Nov. 23, 1997

By Susan English susane@spokesman.com

An entire gingerbread village will be displayed at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel & Towers Tuesday through Christmas Eve.

The village was created by Seattle architects and the Sheraton’s pastry kitchen; last year’s village attracted 96,000 visitors.

The village has raised more than $33,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. The hotel is at 1400 Sixth Ave., in Seattle; for information call (206) 621-9000.

Get away for the holidays

Still looking for a way to have a stress-free Thanksgiving? The Alexis Hotel in Seattle will accommodate. The Alexis has packaged a Thanksgiving Harvest Holiday which includes overnight accommodations, a four-course Thanksgiving dinner for two, valet parking, gifts and recipes as well as an evening wine tasting and morning coffee/ newspaper service. Prices range from $220 to $320 and the package is available only this Thursday.

The Alexis also has a Winterfest package with overnight accommodations, evening wine and hors d’oeuvres, gift wrapping, valet parking and continental breakfast. The package is available through Dec. 30; prices range from $165 to $250. The Alexis’ New Year’s Eve Celebration includes overnight accommodations, sparkling wine or cider, a morning-after survival kit and a 4 p.m. check-out on New Year’s Day. Prices range from $205 to $390. Call (800) 426-7033.

The Alexis isn’t the only Seattle hotel offering winter/holiday discounted packages. The Hotel Vintage Park has a Holiday in the Park package from Friday through Dec. 30, and a New Year’s Eve Can’t Wait Till ‘98 package.

The Holiday in the Park package includes overnight accommodations, evening wine reception, hand-painted keepsake Christmas ornament, morning coffee/ newspaper and lunch for two. Prices range from $170 to $200. The Can’t Wait Till ‘98 package includes New Year’s Eve accommodations, evening champagne and hors d’oeuvres reception, party favors, valet parking and breakfast for two. Prices range from $205 to $230. For reservations or information, call (800) 624-4433.

The Hotel Monaco in Seattle is also offering a Wrap It Up package through Dec. 30. For $149, guests spend a night at the hotel, receive discount coupons to downtown shops and during an evening wine reception in the lobby, guests will be offered complimentary wrapping supplies. The package also includes an in-room movie voucher with popcorn and sodas, a keepsake holiday music CD and valet parking. The Hotel Monaco New Year’s Eve package includes accommodations, champagne and hors d’oeuvres at 5:30 p.m., continental breakfast and a 2 p.m. checkout on New Year’s Day, a party music CD and valet parking. The Midnight in Monaco package begins at $239.

Thinking spring gardening

Just in time to get jazzed about spring, the Williamsburg Institute at Colonial Williamsburg, will stage the 52nd annual Garden Symposium.

The event focuses on plants native to North America and keynote speaker is Ken Druse, well known as the “voice of American gardening.” His philosophy: “Why mimic another country’s landscape style when we have the California coastal highway meadows, the Rocky Mountain glens of Aspen, the New England woodlands and the southwestern deserts to draw inspiration from?”

For a Garden Symposium brochures and details, call (800) 603-0948 or write Williamsburg Institute, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, PO Box 1776, Williamsburg, VA 23187.

A look at the best

The World Cup Downhill races will run at Whistler Resort near Vancouver, B.C., Wednesday through Nov. 30.

The speedsters will not be racing on all of the slopes, however, so there will be plenty of terrain for those who take their steeps a little slower.

In terms of spectating, however, the races won’t be the only event on the mountain this season. The World Ski and Snowboard Festival is slated for Whistler April 10-19.

For information on these events, skiing at Whistler, or reservations at the mountain village, call (800) 944-7853.

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