12 new things to see this year

Here are SixNewThings.com's 12 "Most Intriguing New Things for 2007."

• A new building for Manhattan's New Museum of Contemporary Art at 235 Bowery, scheduled to open late 2007. "The architecture is so out there and wonderful," Herrington said, "and it has a great potential for economic development for the Lower East Side and the Bowery." The building will be comprised of a silvery stack of zinc-plated cubes.

• Colborne Lane, 45 Colborne St., Toronto, opening this spring. Chef Claudio Aprile is renowned for his unorthodox approach to food and has in the past created ingredients like mozzarella foam.

• Rosewood Mayakoba, opening this fall 30 minutes from Cancun. "The suites are on individual islands on an archipelago; you're taken to your room on a skiff; and most of the materials are indigenous to the region," Herrington said.

• "A Waitress in Yellowstone," a musical by David Mamet premiering late this year in the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City, Calif., in the Los Angeles area. Herrington says it's remarkable that Mamet, known for his brash dialogue, would offer a musical, and that it would debut in "L.A., the city he has skewered."

• Victory Media Network, an outdoor digital art gallery opening in late March in a retail and residential complex called Dallas Victory Park. "This is the first permanent outdoor digital gallery," Herrington said.

• Las Vegas Springs Preserve, a complex of nature walks, existing gardens and museums opening in phases, all built around the city's old natural springs. "It's the antithesis of everything else you think about Las Vegas - no neon, no gaming," Herrington said.

• Grand Canyon Skywalk, scheduled to open to the public in late March on the Hualapai Indian Reservation on the western rim of the canyon, across from Grand Canyon National Park.
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  • Get a bird’s-eye view of the Grand Canyon

• Kansas City, Mo. "We can't think of any other city with as much going on this year," Herrington said, including an addition to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art; a second Kansas City Repertory Theatre, the Copaken Stage; and the new Power & Light entertainment, residential and shopping district. An interactive attraction, the College Basketball Experience, is scheduled to open as part of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in the new Sprint Center arena.

• Creation Museum, opening May 28 in Petersburg, Ky. The museum presents a literal telling of the creation story told in Genesis in the Bible. It includes displays that assert that the earth is only a few thousand years old and that Adam and Eve were the first humans. "This is a museum basically saying that evolution is an interpretation, not scientific fact," said Herrington. "We're not passing judgment on it. But this isn't an exhibit in the basement in the suburbs. It's a multimillion-dollar facility. It could be hugely successful or it could flop."

• "Shakespeare in Washington," a six-month celebration in Washington that started in January. The 500 performances and 16 plays include a show featuring tiny ninja toys, "Romeo and Juliet" by the Kirov Ballet, Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy taking part in a mock trial of Hamlet, and a Native Alaskan theater group's interpretation of "Macbeth." "There are Shakespeare festivals all the time, but it's the sheer innovation of the stuff," Herrington said.

• Seattle's new Olympic Sculpture Park," which opened Jan. 20, with free admission and views of the Olympic Mountains, Mount Rainier and Puget Sound. "It's a fabulous combination of the sculpture and the park," Herrington said.

• Manchester International Festival, June 28-July 15 in England, which includes cutting-edge events from a circus-opera to a competition in which participants get 15 minutes to create a work of art. This is one of the few attractions outside North America that the Web site highlights.

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