- FOOD & WINE MAGAZINE's best new chefs in America for 1996 include a good number within a two-day drive of Salt Lake City. The chefs (listed according to ranking) are Scott Bryan of Luja in New York City; Gilles Epie of L'Orangerie in Los Angeles; Maria Helm of PlumpJack Cafe in San Francisco; Matthew Lake of New Heights Restaurant in Washington, D.C.; Barbara Lynch of Galleria Italiana in Boston; Jim Moffat of 42 Degrees Restaurant in San Francisco; Nick Morfogen of Ajax Tavern in Aspen; Monica Pope of Boulevard Bistro in Houston; Michael Schlow of Cafe Louis in Boston; and Lance Dean Velasquez of 1848 House in Marietta, Ga.
- THERE'S MORE TO BUY IN SAN ANTONIO THAN COWBOY BOOTS. A free booklet, "San Antonio Gallery Guide," is available by calling 1-800-447-3372. The galleries feature pottery, textiles, jewelry, paintings, sculpture and a wide range of ethnic works.- HEALTH AND SAFETY INFORMATION for travelers is available on the Internet. Shoreland's Travel Health Online (http://www.tripprep.com) lists country profiles, general travel health concerns, preventive medications and vaccines and travel illness summaries. The country profiles, for example, include information on immunizations that may be required or should at least be considered, the U.S. State Department travel warnings and U.S. embassy and consulate addresses and phone numbers. The Travel Illness Summaries has brief descriptions of non-vaccine, preventable, travel-related illnesses and suggests how you can avoid them. Shoreland is a travel health information service.
- NEW FREE PROGRAMS in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. Kawuneeche Visitor Center, the western gateway to the park, is north of Grand Lake on Highway 34 (Trail Ridge Road). Among the new free offerings is Wildflowers' Weird Ways, a two-hour program held Mondays and Fridays at 1 p.m. at the Onaha trailhead; Smoky Bear Said What? appeals to kids 6-12. They play games, learn about fire, wear a firefighter's hat and see a firefighter's pack. Held Saturdays at Timber Creek Campground Amphitheater; Historical Headwaters traces the history of the ranchers, trappers, prospectors and dude ranchers that have made the Colorado River headwaters. Half-hour program is Sundays at 10 a.m. and Wednesdays at 2 p.m. To order a free Grand County vacation guide, call 1-800-759-5821.
- AIR COURIER NEWS. You can now get to Beijing from Los Angeles as an air courier. The same goes for Osaka, Japan. And Dublin and Zurich, which haven't been courier destinations for quite a while, are back. You can get to Auckland, New Zealand, from Los Angeles or New York, and Panama City and Salvador are once again reachable from Miami. This and other updated information is available in "Air Courier Bargains," a listing of courier contacts and fares. The book is available for $17.45 from The Intrepid Traveler, P.O. Box 438, New York, NY 10034, or by calling (212) 569-1081. Author Kelly Monaghan also tells you how to become a courier.
- TIPS FOR TRAVELING WITH FIDO. Wendy Ballard, publisher of DogGone, a newsletter about traveling with your pet, passes along this advice:
- Bring water from home, even if you aren't planning on visiting Mexico. And keep him on his regular brand of pet food.
- Find motels that accept pets ahead of time. DogGone maintains a database of over 23,000 pets-allowed motels, B&Bs, campgrounds, resorts and even dude ranches.
- Pack a leash, food and water dishes, pooper-scooper materials and a towel (it comes in handy for unexpected swims and to throw on the bed to keep dog hair to a minimum).
- A year's subscription to the bi-monthly newsletter is $24. Send your name and address, your dog's name and breed and your payment to DogGone, P.O. Box 651155, Vero Beach, FL 32965-1155, or call toll-free 1-888-364-8728.
- AUSTRALIA IS A RELATIVE BARGAIN. Tourism analyst Plog Research Inc. reports that U.S. dollars buy more Down Under than at many other international destinations frequented by Americans. Prices in Sydney were often 50 percent less than similar expenditures in Rome, Paris, London or Tokyo. A night at a four-star hotel in Australia is $136 (U.S. dollars) compared to $241 in Rome, $333 in London and $345 in Tokyo. The cost of a theater or opera ticket in Sydney is $22 compared to $57 in London, $60 in Paris, $100 in Rome and $129 in Tokyo. Dinner for two, including wine, at a three-star restaurant averages $74 in Sydney, $141 in Rome, $161 in London, $251 in Tokyo and $298 in Paris. An added bonus is that tipping is not required (or common) in Australia,and the country has no value added tax.
To receive a free copy of the Australia Vacation Planning Kit, call 1-800-DOWNUNDER.