500 Adrenaline Adventures (Frommer's) - Lois Friedland [206]
When you enter a souk, it’s customary for the shopkeeper to start a casual conversation of small talk and offer you tea. If you’re not interested in purchasing anything, decline the tea politely and try not to loiter. But once you express genuine interest in something, let the bargaining begin. It’s fair to counter the shopkeeper’s original offer by about one-third, and go back and forth two or three times. You can always walk out if you don’t like the final price, but the idea here is to enjoy the challenge as you try to negotiate a deal. As you barter, you don’t know whether or not you’ll get a price you’re happy with. If you do, you’ll come away from the souks with more than an item; you’ll have the memory of a thrilling and unique experience.
The souk of Marrakech.
Babouches (slippers), silk scarves, handmade leather bags and poufs, and jellebas are handsomely crafted and relatively inexpensive souvenirs for friends and family back home. Babouches shouldn’t cost more than $10 per pair; scarves shouldn’t cost more than $20; and poufs shouldn’t cost much more than $30 or $40. But traditional carpets are significantly more expensive keepsakes. If you’re interested in purchasing these beauties, make sure to study up on them before arriving in Marrakech. You’ll want to be educated about the wide variety of rugs unrolled before you.
As fantastic as the souks are, the city’s streets offer other thrilling attractions; just wandering around and getting lost exposes you to the sights, smells, colors, and essence of Moroccan daily life. Stop shopping long enough to spend time at the Djemaa el Fna (a daily stage for entertainment, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site), the Bahia Palace, the Musee Marrakech, the Ben Youssef Medersa, the Villa Nouvelle, and at least one of the city’s stunning gardens. —JS
Moroccan Tourist Office ( 212/537-67-4013 or 212/537-3918; www.visitmorocco.com).
When to Go: Apr–Oct.
Marrakech-Menara Airport.
$$–$$$ Dar Les Cignones, 108 Rue de Barima, Medina ( 212/524-382740;www.lescigognes.com/en).
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Overnights at Museums
Sleepovers with Dinosaurs
Museums in the U.S.A.
Have you ever fantasized about spending the night in a museum and having the whole place to yourself? You could spend time at the exhibits and displays without having to fight the crowds and really get to experience the place as though it were made only for you. Though you may not have exactly the same experience as Ben Stiller in the popular movie Night at the Museum, in which the exhibits come to life at night, you can still have an up-close-and-personal overnight encounter. Several museums now offer the opportunity to spend the night inside their doors. From flashlight tours in search of wild animals to visiting with Sue the T-Rex, to sleeping in bunks on a World War II battleship, many museums are awakening people to history during the hours when much of the nation is asleep.
The kids will be thrilled to spend the night at a museum.
The scenes in Night at the Museum were filmed at the New York City American Museum of Natural History, which offers sleepovers for ages 8 to 12 (plus a parent or guardian). At the AMNH, the lights dim and everyone goes on a flashlight tour led by museum staff, visits exciting exhibits throughout the museum, and sees a current Imax film before settling down to sleep, perhaps next to an Alaskan brown bear or a 94-ft.-long (28m) blue whale.
The Field Museum in Chicago has been running the “Dozin’ with the Dinos” sleepovers for many years. The nocturnal adventures include family workshops, performances, exploring museum exhibits, and a sleeping spot in the Genius Hall of Dinosaurs located in the Evolving Planet exhibition. There are two packages; the higher priced one also includes a behind-the-scenes tour with a museum scientist.