Make no mistake — summer is slowly starting to wind down. Even though there’s nearly two full months left of the sunniest season, those days will get shorter and shorter as the calendar moves on so, like the old saying goes, its best to make hay while the sun shines. While it’s too late for college football fans to snag tickets to the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game between Alabama and Virginia Tech on August 29, there are plenty of other opportunities to make the most of the month. So, set the DVR to pigskin mode and hit the road.
After some dubious prat falling during the 2012 London Olympics — Numerous Asian teams were caught deliberately losing matches in order to play easier opponents in later rounds — a roster of 400 of the world’s best badminton players will face off on the court, aiming to spike home the title of world champion at the TianHe Indoor Gymnasium in Guangzhou, China. Shuttlecocks will buzz through the air in men’s and women’s singles, doubles and mixed doubles showdowns. August 5 to 11
Where To Stay: Four Seasons Hotel Guangzhou. Located on the 74th to 98th floors of the Guangzhou International Finance Center, this hotel provides some of the largest standard guest rooms in the city, all of which have marble bathrooms and spectacular views.
Adler’s Perseid Meteor Shower Star Party
Escape the skyscrapers and light pollution of the Windy City and stretch out on the green grass in Wheaton, Illinois’ Cantigny Park to witness this annual sparkling astronomical event. While the true show starts when night falls (and after you’ve scarfed down your packed picnic or grabbed a bite from the on-site cafe), kids will have an out-of-this-world time participating in scavenger hunts, telescope viewings, hands-on demonstrations and cosmic talks from an Adler astronomer before the interstellar excitement begins. August 12
Where To Stay: Hotel Arista. After gazing into the stars, it only makes sense to complete the night with a heavenly rest. And thanks to this eco-chic boutique hotel’s premium linens and pillow menu of nine plush selections, you can do just that in Naperville, a city only 17 miles from Wheaton.
American Modern: Hopper to O’Keeffe
Focusing on the period between 1915 and 1950, this collection sourced from MOMA’s own galleries shows a culturally evolving America through paintings, drawings, photographs and more. Across urban landscapes, still life images, rural depictions and other themes, pieces from artists such as Stuart Davis, George Bellows and the titular Georgia O’Keeffe (including her lesser-known but impactful works) are stitched together by theme rather than strict chronology at the famed New York museum. Beginning August 17
Where To Stay: Mandarin Oriental, New York. If there’s anything that could rival the beauty of one of O’Keeffe’s pieces, it might very well be the view of Central Park from one of this Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star midtown hotel’s rooms. Couple the MOMA exhibit with FTG’s current spa getaway offer at the property and the timing couldn’t be better to draw up a blissful Big Apple vacation.
Venice International Film Festival
Celebrating its 70th anniversary, this Italian film festival spotlights some major Hollywood talent, including the festival-opening premiere of the Sandra Bullock- and George Clooney-starred Gravity, James Franco’s adaption of Cormac McCarthy’s Child of God and Monty Python member Terry Gilliam’s The Zero Theorem starring Christoph Waltz (still hot off his Oscar-winning performance in Django Unchained) and Matt Damon. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the 11-day festival, however, is Venezia 70 – Future Reloaded. This project challenged 70 directors from across the globe to create a short film between 60 and 90 seconds with no holes barred. August 28 to September 7
Where To Stay: Hotel Danieli. Seeing as how you’ll be amongst the biggest names in moviemaking during your time in the City of Bridges, you should also get the star treatment with your accommodations. Even Clooney will be envious of your palatial suite, meal at rooftop hotspot Bar Terrazza Danieli and romantic vistas of the lagoon.
Photos Courtesy of Timothy Hursley, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, Digital Imaging Studio, and The Georgia O’Keeffe Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, Badminton Photo and Gravity
