THE TOUR INCLUDES: - Top category seats at Madison Square Garden for two full days at the dog show - 4 nights luxury accommodations at the 4 star Iroquois New York Hotel (Midtown) - Full breakfast daily, 2 lunches and 2 dinners (fine dining) - 1 private, guided tour in New York - private Airport-Hotel transfers - tour direction by an Aria Tours director - an Aria Tours handbook containing travel info, Westminster Dog Show information, performance synopses and a detailed daily itinerary Cost: $2675 US Single Supplement: $600 US Optional Manon Lescaut: $250 US Optional Otello: $225 US * top category seats Deposit: $1000 Balance due: December 1, 2007

OPTIONS FLIGHTS We will be happy to make any flight arrangements, including reward travel with your preferred carrier, for $75 per person. AIRPORT-HOTEL TRANSFERS We include airport-hotel transfers (group) on the published tour dates. Transfers are not included for early arrivals or extended stays, although we can easily make these arrangements for you. TOUR ADDITIONS The itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and desires. Please call us to discuss any changes or amendments you wish to make. INSURANCE We strongly recommend that all tour members purchase cancellation insurance upon registration. We can assist you with this, though you are welcome to purchase a policy at your own discretion. If you would like information on the policies offered by our supplier, please contact us for details, or click HERE for an insurance brochure and application.

Westminster is, undisputedly, America's Dog Show. It persists as the second longest continuously held sporting event in the United States, just one year behind the Kentucky Derby. To fully grasp the place in history of the Westminster Kennel Club and its famed annual event, consider that: Westminster pre-dates the invention of the light bulb and the automobile, the building of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Washington Monument, the invention of basketball and the establishment of the World Series.

Established in 1877, The Westminster Kennel Club is America's oldest organization dedicated to the sport of purebred dogs. There is only one Westminster, and in its long and prestigious existence, just about every superlative imaginable has been used to describe the club, the show and its impact on the world of purebred dogs. The Westminster Kennel Club "has had great effect in improving the quality of the dogs owned for use or companionship. Of this there can be no doubt ..." wrote one reporter.

True then, true today. Simply put, Westminster has become the symbol of the purebred dog. The elegance, beauty and grace of the canine athletes combine with the excitement of the competition in the world's most famous sporting arena (Madison Square Garden) before a live national television audience. The result is an event that is the dog show world's version of the Super Bowl and Academy Awards. But even greater, The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is a celebration of the wonderful canine spirit, reflecting our emotional and spiritual attachment to our dogs.

It all began in 1877 when The Westminster Kennel Club was officially formed "...to increase the interest in dogs, and thus improve the breeds, and to hold an Annual Dog Show in the city of New York ..." (from Westminster By-Laws). By all accounts, that objective was accomplished from the very beginning. From Forest and Stream magazine in 1877: "To say that the dog show held in the city last week was a success would but poorly convey an idea of what the result really was. It was a magnificent triumph for the dogs and for the projectors of the show. We question if on any previous occasion has there ever assembled in this city such a number of people at one time, and representing as much of the culture, wealth and fashion of the town. That such a collection of dogs was ever gotten together before in any country we very much doubt ..." It is still the greatest collection of dogs assembled each year in the same place at the same time. From the opening moments when the 2,500-plus champions begin to compete in 162 different breed and variety rings, to the final crowning of the Best In Show dog, it is the great sport of dogs at its very best. Storied in its history, rich in its tradition, The Westminster Kennel Club's famed annual dog show is unique, prestigious, and elegant for all concerned. Indeed, there is only one Westminster.

Our tour includes the two full days of judging at the Show, luxury accommodations at the Iroquois Hotel in Midtown, two lunches and two dinners. You will have the option of attending either or both of Manon Lescaut (Feb. 9, 8:00 pm) or Otello (Feb. 11, 8 pm) at the Metropolitan Opera. Those wishing to extend their stay in New York may do so, with performances of Carmen and Il Barbiere di Siviglia possible later in the week.

--much of the text courtesy of the Westminster Kennel Club website

THE ITINERARY

Saturday, February 9...
Arrivals in New York. Transfers included to the Iroquois Hotel, our luxury accommodations in Midtown. This evening we gather for an early Welcome Dinner (5:30) in the hotel's Triomphe restaurant. Afterwards, we make our way to Lincoln Centre for a performance of Manon Lescaut at The Metropolitan Opera (Levine; Mattila, Giordani, Croft, Travis). Optional; 8pm curtain.

Sunday, February 10...
Enjoy the morning at leisure. At noon, we gather in the hotel lobby and depart on foot for lunch at a true hidden gem--the Diamond Dairy of New York, close to Rockefeller Center. Afterwards, we depart by private minicoach for a guided tour of the Cloisters, described by Germain Bazin, former director of the Musée du Louvre in Paris, as "the crowning achievement of American museology". It is the branch of the Metropolitan Museum devoted to the art and architecture of medieval Europe. Located on four acres overlooking the Hudson River in northern Manhattan's Fort Tryon Park, the building incorporates elements from five medieval French cloisters—quadrangles enclosed by a roofed or vaulted passageway, or arcade—and from other monastic sites in southern France. Three of the cloisters reconstructed at the branch museum feature gardens planted according to horticultural information found in medieval treatises and poetry, garden documents and herbals, and medieval works of art, such as tapestries, stained-glass windows, and column capitals. Approximately five thousand works of art from medieval Europe, dating from about A.D. 800 with particular emphasis on the twelfth through fifteenth century, are exhibited in this unique and sympathetic context. Renowned for its architectural sculpture, The Cloisters also rewards visitors with exquisite illuminated manuscripts, stained glass, metalwork, enamels, ivories, and tapestries. Afterward, we return to the hotel where the remainder of the day is at leisure.

Monday, February 11
8:30 am - 6 pm...Following breakfast, enjoy a full day of individual breed judging at the The Westminster Dog Show in Madison Square Garden. This evening, dinner is included at the refined Club Bar & Grill in Madison Square Garden. Afterward, more of the competition. Alternately, you may choose to attend Otello at The Metropolitan Opera (Bychkov; Fleming, Botha, Guelfi). Optional; 8 pm curtain.

Tuesday, February 12
8:30 am - 6 pm...Another full day of individual breed judging. Lunch is included today at the chic Seven, near MSG. Return to Madison Square afterward for more judging, including the evening's Best In Show competition.

Wednesday, February 13
Following breakfast, transfer is included to the airport required for your departure. Those wishing to stay in New York may do so upon request.