Western Happenings & Attractions

• Tired of boring flights? Airtroductions lets air travelers pick simpatico seatmates. Post your profile, photo, and itinerary on the Web site free of charge. For $5, email a fellow flier to set up an airport rendezvous and, if you agree, reserve adjoining seats. www.airtroductions.com [2].
• Beartooth Highway, a scenic 60-mile stretch of High-way 212 from Red Lodge to Cooke City, Mont., reopens Memorial Day weekend if weather permits. Mudslides shut the road last summer.
• Colorado's Spectacular Mesa Verde National Park celebrates its centennial this June 29 to July 2. Visit www.visitmesaverde.com [3] for a list of events.
• Earthy pinot noirs, a tasting room in an ecofriendly building, and a picnic spot with Mount Hood views are all reasons to visit the new Penner-Ash Wine Cellars in Oregon's north Willamette Valley. Open Friday to Sunday. (503) 554-5545, www.pennerash.com [4].
• Philipsburg, Mont., population 930, stands among the nation's "dozen distinctive destinations" for 2006, says the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The town is known for its rich silver mines and a lovingly restored 1890s downtown.
• Downtown Seattle's Hotel Max , doubles as a gallery for artists. Black-and-white photos distinguish the doors of the guest rooms, while contemporary paintings hang in the lobby. Rooms from $159.(866) 833-6299, www.hotelmaxseattle.com [5].
• Marilyn Monroe, Jackie Kennedy, Chairman Mao—these 20th-century icons and others will be at the San Diego Museum Of Art, June 17 to September 10, as part of Andy Warhol's Dream America, an exhibit of 120 screen prints. (619) 232-7931, www.sdmart.org [6].
• Let a new book take you along with Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza on his 1770s treks from the Arizona desert to the Northern California coast: The Anza Trail and The Settling Of California, by Vladimir Guerrero. $17. www.heydaybooks.com [7].

This article was first published in May 2006. Some facts may have aged gracelessly. Please call ahead to verify information.