Travel in brief

GRAND RAPID, Mich. -- A new art festival held this fall in Grand Rapids was so successful that organizers say they'll do it again next year and maybe even make it an annual event. The 18-day ArtPrize competition that began Sept. 23 attracted tens of thousands of visitors.

ArtPrize had 1,262 entries -- works of every size, shape and medium installed in lobbies, on bridges, in parking lots and even in the Grand River that winds through downtown Grand Rapids.

Ran Ortner of Brooklyn, N.Y., won first place and $250,000 with his 19-foot-wide oil painting "Open Water No. 24." Tracy Van Duinen of Chicago placed second and won $100,000.

NEW YORK -- San Francisco was named the best U.S. city to visit for the 17th year in a row in Conde Nast Traveler magazine's 2009 Readers' Choice Awards, which appear in the November issue.

Charleston, S.C., took the No. 2 spot on the U.S. cities list, followed by Santa Fe, N.M.

Italy swept the top three spots for top cities in Europe: Florence, Rome and Venice.

AP