51. BAROSSA VALLEY, AUSTRALIA
The world’s love affair with shiraz is bringing wine spectators to Australia’s Barossa Valley. The hilly region is home to some of the world’s oldest shiraz vines, some dating back to the 1840s. And if the more than 60 wineries aren’t enough, Barossa also offers an artisanal cheese trail, and nearby Adelaide is a foodie destination in its own right.
52. TOKAJ, HUNGARY
Backpacking wine tours? The Hungarian wine region of Tokaj is regaining its reputation for quality whites, especially wheat-colored dessert wines made from furmint grapes. The region’s winemaking was reborn after the fall of Communism. The Grof Degenfeld, housed in an old castle, even has a plush hotel that offers two-day packages starting at 191 euros, or $283 at $1.50 to the euro.
53. NEW YORK
The lights are back on Broadway. And the strike settlement couldn’t have come soon enough for several well-publicized productions scheduled to open before the May 7 deadline for the 2007-08 Tony Awards. Among the more highly awaited shows are three revivals: A 40th-anniversary production of “The Homecoming,” Harold Pinter’s play about a dysfunctional family (as if there were any other kind), starring Ian McShane; “Come Back, Little Sheba,” the William Inge chestnut, featuring the Emmy Award-winning actress S. Epatha Merkerson; and an inventive take on “Sunday in the Park With George,” Stephen Sondheim’s Pulitzer Prize winner, which comes to New York via London and the Menier Chocolate Factory theater company. And for lovers of street theater, the action downtown in the meatpacking district continues to heat up with the arrival of the Standard New York hotel.