* P.S. In case you're wondering, we left out events that move from place to place—the Olympics, the Super Bowl, the FIFA World Cup—since for us travel-obsessed types, the experience is as much about the destination as about the event itself.";
TRAVEL_SportingEventsBeforeUDie_Concierge[i++] = new Array("","Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080404/080403-trav-brill-yacht.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Carlo Borlenghi", "EPA file", "273", "410", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
TRAVEL_SportingEventsBeforeUDie_Concierge[i-1].body = "
Where: Sydney, Australia
Play along: You shouldn't need a reason to visit Sydney, but if you're going to fly halfway around the globe, you may as well do it when the entire city has the day off and is primed to play. Every year on Boxing Day (that's the day after Christmas to us Yanks), dozens of single-masted yachts take part in a grueling 628-nautical-mile sprint down Australia's southeast coast and across the Bass Strait to Tasmania. The race takes most yachts at least two days, but the part you'll be most concerned about is the dramatic launch from Sydney's drop-dead-gorgeous harbor. This is one of the biggest parties of the Australian summer, packing nearby restaurants and rooftops with a bathing-suit-wearing crowd bent on having a good time. The best seat of all, though, is in the water, bobbing alongside the yachts themselves. Pleasure boats (and their pleasure-seeking owners) pack the harbor, making the sea look like Yankee Stadium parking lot on game day.
How to score tickets: Viewing is free, so pull up a lawn chair or—most recommended—hitch a ride on a speedboat.
When: Every year on December 26
For more information:
http://www.rolexsydneyhobart.com";
TRAVEL_SportingEventsBeforeUDie_Concierge[i++] = new Array("","Boca Juniors","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080404/080403-trav-brill-boca.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Aliosha Marquez", "AP file", "273", "197", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
TRAVEL_SportingEventsBeforeUDie_Concierge[i-1].body = "
Where: Buenos Aires
Play along: There is simply no better crash course to many cultures—those of Italy, Spain, and all of South America included—than attending a soccer game. You can't understand how deeply passionate the fans are until the manic energy is all around you. If you were to pick just one event, though (as we're doing), go to a Boca Juniors match in Buenos Aires. Trust us, you'll get a much truer sense of the native Portenos than you'd get at a tango show. Home games take place at the legendary La Bombonera stadium, which is named for (and looks like) a box of chocolates. Argentina's most beloved club has claimed 22 league championships and is named for La Boca, the ramshackle, bohemian neighborhood where the stadium is located. When the Juniors are in town, 63,000 fans cram the steep grandstands of La Bombonera, almost to a one wearing the team's blue-and-gold colors. You have never heard such a din in your life, with incessant chanting and songs (often with dirty lyrics aimed at the other team). Massive flags are unfurled, and the crowd bounces up and down so that the stadium literally rocks on its foundation: They call it the sound of Bombonera's beating heart.
How to score a ticket: While games are technically sold out, local ticket brokers can hook you up with good seats on game day, as can online brokers like Worldticketshop.com in advance.
When: The season runs from August through December.
For more information: 54-11-4309-4700; www.bocajuniors.com";
TRAVEL_SportingEventsBeforeUDie_Concierge[i++] = new Array("","The Masters","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080404/080403-trav-brill-masters-01.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Timothy A. Clary", "AFP - Getty Images", "273", "419", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
TRAVEL_SportingEventsBeforeUDie_Concierge[i-1].body = "
Where: Augusta, Ga.
Play along: Enchanted by the idea of the genteel Old South and its traditions, but don't know quite where to begin? You'd be hard-pressed to find a better tutorial than at the lovely greens of Augusta National. That goes double if you attend the Masters, one of golf's four majors. The course is so much more than just manicured greens: This is the epicenter of America's golf tradition. It's impossible to mistake the handiwork of the curmudgeonly ghost of Bobby Jones, who designed the course and created the tournament in 1934.The championship means so much to the pros that the winner happily wears that green blazer. Imagine yourself crouching among the azaleas along Amen Corner, watching Tiger Woods walk over the stone bridge to Number 11 green where his idol, Jack Nicklaus, crossed for the final time in 2005. If you're one of the lucky few \"patrons\" (don't dare call yourself a spectator) to score a ticket, do mind your manners: Etiquette and decorum rule at golf's most hallowed ground. No cell phone chatter, no excessive cheering—and don't even think of celebrating a player's mistake.
How to score a ticket: This is probably the most difficult ticket in all of sports. Technically, the public can only buy practice-round tickets, which are sold in a lottery (the cutoff date is midsummer, and the lottery can be entered online). Tournament tickets are only available to those on the patron list, which isn't taking new applicants.
When: The final round is held the second Sunday in April (April 7 through 13, 2008).
For more information: www.masters.org";
TRAVEL_SportingEventsBeforeUDie_Concierge[i++] = new Array("","Wimbledon","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080404/080403-trav-brill-wimbledon-02.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Alessia Pierdomenico", "pool via EPA file", "273", "403", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
TRAVEL_SportingEventsBeforeUDie_Concierge[i-1].body = "
Where: London
Play along: Tennis fans in America have long enjoyed watching the matches on weekend morning TV—oh happy Breakfast at Wimbledon—but you haven't heard a ball bounce across rye grass till you're actually sitting along Centre Court during the tournament's final fortnight. After all, if you're looking for a taste of British aristocracy outside of Merchant Ivory movies, this is the best chance you'll ever have. That's the royal family just over there, and the who's who of London spooning up strawberries and cream over here. You'll even get to see just how stiff their upper lips really are, as it always rains at Wimbledon—yet in true English spirit, they endure by getting a wee bit tipsy. If you can't swing those rare final-fortnight tickets, it's just as much fun to come during the first week. You can walk the grounds, often getting within a few yards of Top 10 players like Andy Roddick or Maria Sharapova, who not only play on the outer courts but practice on them almost every day.
How to score tickets: A number of tickets are set aside for first-come, first-served general admission, but overseas travelers are advised to register for an advance public ballot (you have to send in the form via snail mail—the address and instructions are at the Wimbledon site). You can also book both tickets and lodging in a package through the tournament's two licensed tour operators: www.purewimbledon.com or \" target=\"_blank\">www.wimbledon-experience.com.
When: The tournament always begins six weeks before the first Monday in August (June 23 to July 6, 2008).
For more information: 44-20-8971-2473; www.wimbledon.org ";
TRAVEL_SportingEventsBeforeUDie_Concierge[i++] = new Array("","Kentucky Derby","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080404/080403-trav-brill-derby.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Al Behrman", "AP file", "273", "364", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
TRAVEL_SportingEventsBeforeUDie_Concierge[i-1].body = "
Where: Louisville, Ky.
Play along: Some things never go out of style. At the Derby, those things include seersucker suits and the most elaborate flowery hats the world has ever seen. More importantly, though, the \"Run for the Roses\" has been held for 133 years, making it the South's oldest organized sporting event. The most famous names are of horses, not men, and the sense of drama is as pure as ever (remember the hand-wringing over Barbaro's leg?). Up in the grandstand, Millionaire's Row teems with celebrities who might range from Jessica Simpson to the Queen of England, while the rest of the Kentucky elite sip mint juleps. It's not all a picture of propriety, though: The infield looks more like Mardi Gras, with thousands of spectators juiced-up on contraband booze (creative liquor smuggling being the other traditional sport at the Derby), waving their betting slips as the horses thunder by.
How to score tickets: The best seats go to members of the Twin Spires Club who are here year after year. Nonetheless, ticket brokers can always get prime spots, and general admission seats are $40 and available at the gate. They'll get you standing room or access to the infield.
When: Always the first Saturday in May (May 3, 2008).
For more information: www.kentuckyderby.com";
TRAVEL_SportingEventsBeforeUDie_Concierge[i++] = new Array("","Winter X Games","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080404/080403-trav-brill-Xgames.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Doug Pensinger", "Getty Images file", "273", "416", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
TRAVEL_SportingEventsBeforeUDie_Concierge[i-1].body = "
Where: Aspen, Colo. (through 2010)
Play along: Sometimes understanding a culture isn't only about visiting a place, but understanding a mind-set. And if you've found yourself saying something like, \"I just don't understand kids these days,\" get to Aspen during the Winter X Games. Aspen is tony, sure, but it's also an epicenter of extreme sports and the attendant youthful culture. The X Games are all about amplitude—bigger airs, more rotations, nuttier variations on already nutty sports. In 2007 Freestyle Snowmobiling was introduced to the world. If you were lucky enough to be at Aspen's Buttermilk base area, you saw the guys launch themselves—and their 500-pound machines—off of ramps, pulling off tricks with names that sum up their insanity: Heart Attacks, Supermans, even Backflips. This all happens in front of throngs of Red Bull–charged kids who can't wait for heroes like snowboarder Shaun White and freestyle skier Tanner Hall to fly two stories into the air while rotating three and four times, sometimes upside down.
How to score tickets: You don't need them. All events are free. What will the kids think of next?
When: Every January (January 24 through 27, 2008).
For more information: www.expn.com ";
TRAVEL_SportingEventsBeforeUDie_Concierge[i++] = new Array("","Tour De France","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080404/080403-trav-brill-tourdefrance.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Paolo Cocco", "AFP-Getty Images file", "273", "394", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
TRAVEL_SportingEventsBeforeUDie_Concierge[i-1].body = "
Where: France
Play along: The Tour de France is just so ... French. It's a sport obsessed with stamina and fortitude that verges on obstinacy. So why not watch one of the most grueling bits by staking out on the hillside along Alpe d'Huez, the legendary 13-kilometer hill climb in the French Alps. This is where Tour de France riders tackle 22 switchbacks at an average gradient of more than 8 percent—torture for cyclists, heaven for spectators, more than a million of whom speckle the crags and pour onto the road itself, often getting so excited that they have been known to push struggling riders along. Considering that the planet's most grueling bike race covers about 2,200 miles of French countryside over 20 stages, your viewing options aren't exactly limited. But anyone who's attended will tell you that—barring the Mardi Gras–like celebration at the finish line in Paris—the mountain stages present the most grandeur, in every sense.
How to score a ticket: be tricky—accommodations in the small villages are often packed. We suggest having an expert do it for you. Graham Baxter Sporting Tours is Le Tour's official guiding outfit, but outfitters like Butterfield & Robinson also put together trips.
When: Every July (July 5 to 27, 2008).
For more information: www.letour.fr";
TRAVEL_SportingEventsBeforeUDie_Concierge[i++] = new Array("","Grand Sumo Tournaments","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080404/080403-trav-brill-sumo.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "Kyodo News via AP file", "273", "382", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
TRAVEL_SportingEventsBeforeUDie_Concierge[i-1].body = "
Where: Tokyo, Japan
Play along: Just when you think you might be getting the hang of Tokyo—dealing with the huge but polite crowds, pointing out the food you'd like to order, figuring out those buttons on the toilets—get yourself to a sumo match, and you'll find yourself wonderfully lost in translation yet again. Part of the beauty of watching a sumo tournament live is the feeling that you've stepped into an alternate world. Monolithic men wearing silk loincloths take giant, awkward steps around a circle in a sort of hippopotamus ballet. The wrestlers—called rikishis—push, slap, and jostle one another out of a clay- and sand-covered circle outlined with hay bales. Gongs are used instead of whistles, and the referee is costumed like a fragile porcelain doll. Sumo wrestling dates back some 1,500 years and has religious origins springing from Shinto rituals intended to bring about a bountiful harvest. Nowadays, a bountiful harvest is required to feed the rikishis, who have no weight limits—and may not pull hair, gouge eyes, choke, or kick opponents in the stomach. It's much more civilized than WWE; just sit back, smile, and pretend you understand the rules.
How to score tickets: Click here for an excellent step-by-step guide to buying tickets online. Unfortunately, once you pick out your desired date and type of ticket (from $31), a Japanese speaker will need to call to book. (Have your hotel concierge help).
When: Matches are held year-round, but the most important are the Grand Tournaments, three of which are held in Tokyo during January, May, and September (Sept. 9 through 23, 2007).
For more information: www.sumo.or.jp";
TRAVEL_SportingEventsBeforeUDie_Concierge[i++] = new Array("","Ing Bay to Breakers 12k Race","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080404/080403-bay-breakers-vmed-1p.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "Cindy Chew / ingbaytobreakers.co", "273", "183", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
TRAVEL_SportingEventsBeforeUDie_Concierge[i-1].body = "
Where: San Francisco, Calif.
Play along: The Bay to Breakers is one of the world's largest footraces, with an astounding 65,000-plus runners. What makes it a can't-miss affair is the attitude—San Francisco loves to do things its own way. This is a one-of-a-kind hybrid of sport and performance art. The masses assemble along Howard Street and get things going with a tortilla toss (flour discs are tossed around the crowd like Frisbees), and then they set out for the 12-kilometer (7.5 mile) walk/run/jog/hop across the city. The route passes over San Fran's rolling hills and dales and through Golden Gate Park, and ends at the crashing waves of Ocean Beach. Many competitors take their costumes, though, more seriously than their race pace. You'll see people dressed up as knights, wizards, Star Wars Stormtroopers, French maids, dinosaurs ... just about any outfit you can imagine, down to nothing (though technically banned, nudity is not uncommon—hey, it's San Francisco). Most famous among the bedecked are \"the spawning salmon,\" a team of runners in fish costumes who race backwards from the finish, attempting to run \"upstream\" to the start line.
How to score a ticket: The third Sunday in May (May 18, 2008).
For more information:
415-359-2800; www.ingbaytobreakers.com";
TRAVEL_SportingEventsBeforeUDie_Concierge[i++] = new Array("","Iditarod","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080404/080403-trav-brill-iditarod.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Al Grillo", "AP file", "273", "410", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
TRAVEL_SportingEventsBeforeUDie_Concierge[i-1].body = "
Where: Anchorage, Alaska
Play along: Alaska is known for rugged individualists—and snow—which is why the world's most grueling race takes place here. Every March the entire population of Anchorage fills the streets to kick off the Iditarod. Actually the race really starts the following day in Wasilla, 42 miles north of town, where the snow is deeper. Eighty or so dog teams set out every two minutes to begin a 1,100-mile journey across the most forbidding terrain imaginable—mountains, rivers, tundra—enduring subzero temperatures, blizzards, and winds that can penetrate even the thickest polar fleece. And that's about the last time you'll see the dog teams unless you're a bush pilot—or you've booked a room at Winterlake Lodge, 200 miles outside of Anchorage and inaccessible by road. It sits on the Iditarod Trail (in fact, one of the checkpoints is on the property), and co-owner and chef Kirsten Dixon is probably the most famous cook in Alaska. Pack some of her smoked wild salmon and watch the dogs mush by.
How to score tickets: Another free one—except for the price of really good cold-weather gear.
When: Every March (March 1, 2008).
For more information: www.iditarod.com
Winterlake Lodge
Tel: 907 274 2710
Four-night Iditarod packages start from $3,120 per person, including transportation by bush plane and meals.";
TRAVEL_SportingEventsBeforeUDie_Concierge[i++] = new Array("","More from Conciege.com","","","","", "sub", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
TRAVEL_SportingEventsBeforeUDie_Concierge[i++] = new Array("","Drink globally","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
TRAVEL_SportingEventsBeforeUDie_Concierge[i-1].body = "
You've heard the clichéd phrase \"drinking in the culture.\" Well, we suggest the literal interpretation: swigging the good stuff with the locals. Most often you'll be sampling a regional point of pride as well as tasting the local earth—the terroir—itself. Plus, it's a helluva good time (until the fuzzy-mouthed, bleary-eyed next morning, anyway). Consider this an alcoholic field guide to drinking around the world. We've avoided most of the behemoth producers and obvious choices, where the experience has been watered down (in alcohol, a very bad thing), and have looked instead for regions and tipples themselves that hearken back to a simpler time.
Click here to drink globally.
";
TRAVEL_SportingEventsBeforeUDie_Concierge[i++] = new Array("","Music's greatest hits","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
TRAVEL_SportingEventsBeforeUDie_Concierge[i-1].body = "
There's no knowing when a musical moment will become a defining moment. When Jimi Hendrix took the stage at Woodstock in 1969 and performed his incendiary version of \"The Star Spangled Banner,\" nearly all of the 450,000 wet and bedraggled fans had already left. Imagine the bragging rights if you had stayed: Man, you should've been there. If you're a music fan, you've missed your share of moments: Live Aid, Altamont, U2 at Red Rocks. But here's the thing: New moments are getting made every day, so take a bit of the rock spirit and get rolling. Woodstock's original location in Bethel, New York, is seeing a new performing arts center open this summer, with a special weekend in August commemorating the original concert. Otherwise, rambling man (or woman), look to our list of defining musical moments, and find today's corollary. So you can be there.
–Kara Zuaro
Plus: Check out Condé Nast Traveler's Music Poll to sound off on your favorite tunes and enter to win a Mexican vacation!
Click here for music's greatest hits.";
TRAVEL_SportingEventsBeforeUDie_Concierge[i++] = new Array("","World's sexiest dances","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
TRAVEL_SportingEventsBeforeUDie_Concierge[i-1].body = "
All cultures express themselves through music, but one people's soulful melody may be another's racket. (The bagpipes leap to mind.) Combine the tunes with a little booty shaking, though, and the sentiment is less likely to get lost in translation. Dance is an avenue for unspoken (and unspeakable) thoughts, a way to broach taboos and explore forbidden desires. Want to understand another culture more fully? Time your trip to annual dance festivals, seek out a local dance teacher, or just hit the local dance scene to discover the wonderful nuances of the people and their beat. Your body will do the rest.
Click here for world's sexiest dances.";
TRAVEL_SportingEventsBeforeUDie_Concierge[i++] = new Array("","World's highest destinations","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
TRAVEL_SportingEventsBeforeUDie_Concierge[i-1].body = "
There's something about getting high that helps you see things from a whole new perspective—and no, we're not talking about a trip to Amsterdam. Inspired by the March 2007 opening of the Grand Canyon Skywalk—a cantilevered, glass-bottomed walkway that lets you peer 4,000 feet down from the tips of your toes to the bottom of the gorge—we've searched high and low (but mainly high) to uncover a dozen stratospheric spots around the world that will have you gasping at the view or clinging, white-knuckled, to whoever is closest. You'll need special gear to enjoy some of these experiences; for others, a credit card and a smile will do. But all require nerves of steel and a resistance to vertigo. If you've got that, we'll show you the way to Cloud 9 (that's the name of the world's highest bar, by the way—and you're enjoying the view from it right now).
Click here for the world's highest destinations.";
// END editorial data