New York may be the cultural center of the world, but to see this fall’s biggest blockbuster art show, you’ll have to go to Philadelphia. “Van Gogh: Face to Face,” a major exhibition of Vincent Van Gogh’s portraits (60 paintings and drawings), opens at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on October 22. The exhibit comes on the heels of another auspicious opening: that of the new, 330-room Ritz-Carlton, housed in a landmark 1908 McKim, Mead and White bank building, which will welcome its first guests in May. The hotel’s “Van Gogh” package includes tickets to the exhibit and a champagne reception. If hotel dining doesn’t appeal, try Vetri, chef Marc Vetri’s 35-seater, for brilliant Italian food, or splurge at Le Bec-Fin (No. 1 in Philly’s Zagat).
DETAILS The Ritz-Carlton, 215-735-7700