Walking and Drinking Beer

Rolling and Drinking Beer on New Zealand’s TranzAlpine Express

noreply@blogger.com (richgrant) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 18:29:00 +0000

It’s not the fastest or most luxurious railroad in the world, but the TranzAlpine Express is certainly one of the most scenic. Slicing across the South Island of New Zealand, the 260-km rail line travels from the wild, rocky, glacier-studded West Coast of the island to the pastoral, rolling green hills of the east. In between are the Southern Alps – Lord of the Ring Country -- a stark landscape of jagged snowcapped peaks and strange rock formations that’s been a backdrop for the Lord of the Rings and Nardia films.
To traverse these rugged mountains, the train hugs riverbanks through narrow canyons and gorges, burrows through 19 tunnels, and rattles across high bridges and trestles. Incredible scenic vistas fly by and are gone in a second. But no worries, there’s another panorama just around the next bend.

As gorgeous as the scenery is, the main reason to take the train is that it links the two very different coasts of New Zealand’s South Island and is a perfect gateway to the wonders of this magic place.

Christchurch Reborn

New Zealand is roughly the same size as the state of Colorado, but stretched out into two long, thin islands. There are only 4 million humans living here, but they share the green land with 40 million sheep and 5 million cows. Most people arrive on the South Island (the wilder and more spectacular of the two) via Christchurch, New Zealand’s second largest city. And its most tragic.

All these buildings will have to be demolished.

Two earthquakes last year devastated this lovely city and a third good-sized quake hit as recently as December 22, 2011. The city experiences small quakes on an almost daily basis, and 10,000 people have found the strain too much and left town.

Strangely, only the downtown core of the city was damaged in the major quakes – the airport and suburbs show almost no signs of destruction.
But the downtown core was hit hard. The force was equal to 60 atomic bombs. Some 1,200 buildings were either destroyed or so damaged they will have to be torn down and 182 people were killed. The whole central city, called “the Red Zone” is fenced off and will have to be demolished. It includes the town hall, the convention center, sports arena and some 20 hotels. Today, it looks much like an abandoned urban area from a zombie film.

The new "pop up" city (white building will be torn down)

Despite the quakes, Christchurch is coming back. Around the edges of the downtown core, they have already built an amazing new “pop up” city – in truck containers. Dozens of 50-foot long steel truck containers have been stacked on top of each other. They are painted a palette of bright colors with large picture windows and serve as banks and bookstores, coffee shops and grocery stores. Mayor Bob Barker speaks for the city’s spirit, stating that Christchurch not only intends to rebuild (a 10-year, $30 billion project) but the city will become a model for the 21st Century as a green and sustainable, low-rise urban oasis – “a city in a garden” filled with bike paths and pedestrian areas. Maybe. But first those quakes are going to have to quiet down. In the meantime, Christchurch is still a fascinating tourist stop. Many major attractions survived and are open, including their gorgeous Botanic Gardens, punting on the River Avon, and the famous Canterbury Museum (with its town crier ringing a bell out front). Combined with the new “pop up” city, Christchurch is worth a visit, but accommodations are tight so you need a reservation in advance.

All Aboard the TranzAlpine

TranzAlpine Express

The train leaves Christchurch daily at 8:15 a.m., making a 4.5-hour journey across the island to the West Coast town of Greymouth. Because of the steep grades, this is a narrow gauge line; however, the windows are huge, offering magnificent views of the countryside. There is an open-air gondola car that is windy and rattles quite a bit, but is great for photos and the thrill of being outside, barreling through this wild country. Of course, there’s also a bar car for drinks and snacks.

From Christchurch, the 14-car, light blue train speeds along the Canterbury plains, flashing by green fields of sheep and cattle, until it reaches the foothills and begins the long, slow, twisting climb up river canyons into the jagged Southern Alps. The literal high point of the trip is Arthur’s Pass, where the train enters the 8,554-meter long Otira Tunnel, the longest tunnel in both the British Empire and the Southern Hemisphere.

From here it’s a long glide back down the mountains – the perfect place to grab a local Southern Island Speight’s ale, and listen to the soothing clickty-clack of the rails as the unending scenery rolls by.

Speight’s is typical of New Zealand’s “major” brewery products. NZ is big beer country, but 90% of it is pretty standard lagers and ales. On the South Island, Monteith’s and Speight’s are the big locals. Tui (named after a local bird) is a 120-year old brewery that has taken on a hip, new, sexy image with ads like this www.youtube.com/watch?v=dn7u5XvupSU. They do a fine East India Pale Ale, and if you can get a Tui, take it. There are a number of microbreweries producing IPAs and stouts, such as Epic Brewing, but they’re even harder to find.

The Wild and Wooly West Coast

Bordering the Tasman Sean, the West Coast of the South Island is the wettest place in New Zealand, and one of the most dramatic. Some 140 glaciers slip down from the snow-covered Alps, creating long, icy tongues that cut huge valleys right down to the edge of the rainforest, in some places ending just 250 meters above sea level. Just 90 minutes south of Greymounth, two of the glaciers, Franz Josef and Fox, are among the most accessible glaciers in the world. While easy to get to, the only safe way to venture on to them is with the services of a professional guide. Franz Josef Glacier Guides offers half day and full day glacier walks, supplying all the equipment you will need including socks, sturdy boots, crampons, waterproof jackets and rain pants. They’re not kidding when they say “don’t wear jeans,” they won’t let you on the hike with them. You don’t want to think too long about where your “shared” wool socks have been before, and they load you down with more clothing than you need, but weather conditions can change rapidly.

The adventure begins on a rainforest trail that soon opens into a rock-studded moraine, waterfalls cascading down beside you. After a long climb, you are up on the river of ice itself, an out-of-this-world experience. Your guide will cut stairs into the glacier with an ice axe, helping you scramble up and down crevasses, enter caves of blue ice, and ascend to viewpoints. People must be in moderately good shape to do the trek, but no special skills are required and the guides will soon have you proficient enough with crampons to walk along ledges and ice cliffs you would never have dreamed of doing an hour earlier. For even more thrills, Fox and Franz Josef Heliservices offers rides in four and six-passenger helicopters that soar above the glaciers and land on snowfields, high up in the alps. The copters are a bit claustrophobic, (asked which was less claustrophobic, the four-passenger or six-passenger, the guide said, “Oh, they’re equally claustrophobic). But no worries -- the views soon take your mind off the thousand foot drops below.

Franz Josef is a great little town with a couple of neat pubs and glacier hot pools to soak in after the hike. Te Waonui Forest Retreat is surrounded by native rainforest. In the small one-street town, Speights Landing Bar has a fireplace, deck and local crowd. The Monsoon Bar is another cozy place, in the rainforest with a fireplace and young crowd.

The West Coast has a rocky shoreline.

Views dot Highway 6.

To the north of Greymouth, literally hugging the West Coast, is Hwy. 6, which Lonely Planet calls one of the “Top 10 drives of the world.” The snaking road parallels the coast of Punakaiki, cutting along a landscape of rainforest, jagged rock beaches, caverns with glowworms and strange geologic formations. Papaora National Park has many great walking trails, including those to Pancake Rocks, limestone boulders formed 30 million years ago that have been sculpted by pounding seas and rain into fantastic formations. There’s not much here in the way of towns (only 20,000 people live on the entire West Coast) but you could spend a lot of time walking the beach and exploring trails and rocks. Punakaiki Resort is a great place to stay, literally on the beach within walking distance of Pancake Rocks.

The Peaceful East Coast

Banks Pennisula looking down on Akaroa

You can return to Christchurch by train, bus or rental car. If by car, the town of Arthur’s Pass would be worth planning a stop for a hike to the gigantic waterfalls you can see from the road. Also Castle Hill, another Lord of the Rings filming site, looked fantastic from the road.

Back in Christchurch, for a completely different experience, venture 80 minutes east out to the green, rolling hills of Banks Peninsula. The peninsula was formed by the violent eruption of two volcanoes millions of years ago. The sea eventually worked its way into the volcano cones, forming protected, tranquil bays surrounded by high cliffs. The first European to see this picturesque bay was Captain Cook in 1770.

The French recognized its beauty and in 1840 started the only French colony in New Zealand, the town of Akaroa. Today, Akaroa maintains many French traditions and has the look of a village on the French Riviera with palm trees, seaside outdoor cafes, and flowers. The tricolor French flag flies on everything from B&Bs to bakeries and there is a great section of fine dining restaurants, including tapas at Vangionis Trattoria & Bar and European influenced dishes at Ma Maison.

The road stops in Akaroa, giving the town a backwater, end of the world quietness, but there’s plenty of adventure. You can swim with the world’s smallest and rarest dolphin – the Hector – and see seals and penguins on harbor cruises. There are many trails around the rocky coastline, or for a unique experience, accompany the local postman as he delivers mail to remote sheep farms.

It’s a peaceful opposite to wild West Coast. Riding the TranzAlpine, in a matter of hours you experience landscapes resembling Ireland, Switzerland, Scotland, France and Hawaii. Which can mean only one thing – you’re in New Zealand.

Franz Joseph sits at the base of a rainforest.

IF YOU GO: For West Coast tours: http://www.keatours.co.nz/ or http://www.westcoastnz.com/ ; for the train: http://www.tranzscenic.co.nz/; for East Coast: http://www.christchurchnz.com/ and http://www.akaroa.co.nz/

Tramping Around Wellington

Lonely Planet called Wellington the “coolest capital city in the world,” an accolade the town loved so much, they made it their official slogan. And why not? New Zealand’s capital city is a pretty cool place, and the 300,000 people who live here know it. More than a quarter of them walk or bike to work, many along a spectacular 2-mile long waterfront walkway that is lined with pubs offering views of boats, mountains and the skyline. Come 5 p.m., it’s almost dangerous strolling here as the wide walkway is packed with hundreds of bikers, joggers, roller skaters, and commuters heading home, while the harbor is filled with sailboats and rowing crews. It’s standing room only at the outdoor pubs on a sunny day.

Wellington offers some other world-class urban tramps (what New Zealanders call walks) on the two flanking mountains that overlook the harbor. One of the hills can be accessed by a bright red cable car that takes you to the top for a sweeping view of the harbor, followed by a long, meandering walk back to the city through the free and very pretty Wellington Botanic Gardens. There are well marked trails that go through a combination of rainforest jungle and English gardens.

The other hike up steep Mount Victoria has even more rewarding views of the harbor and the surrounding hills and skyline. Trails branch off at the summit and lead through a forest of unusual trees that doubled as a fantasy set for hobbits in the film Lord of the Rings.

Wellington is New Zealand’s cultural capital and as such has great restaurants and a slew of outdoor brewpubs. Mac’s Brewbar and St Johns Heineken Hotel on the waterfront at Taranaki Street Wharf are fun, have outdoor decks and a great selection of local brewpub beers. NZ beers are mostly very similar lagers, ales, golden ales and reds, with an occasional stout. It’s the NZ wines that are stellar and memorable, but the beer is certainly drinkable, if not outstanding.

There are a number of Irish pubs in town; Molly Malone’s has a fireplace and nice outdoor deck on the pedestrian and bar-lined Cuba Street; Kitty O’Shea’s has live traditional Irish music on Courtenay Place, another street of pubs. The Green Parrot, they say, is where you might spot visiting movie celebrities.

Throughout the downtown, there are art galleries, bookstores and local coffeehouses galore and every vacant wall is covered with posters for theatres and a symphony, all of which give the city a cultural look. Nothing in NZ is very old, but what old architecture you’ll find is here – though overall, the city has a modern feel, especially in the truly bizarre national capitol building (called the “Beehive” because it looks like one).

The Hutt Valley hiking trails

There’s plenty of downtown shopping and about every third store is selling sportswear or outdoor gear. There are wonderful tramps nearby in rainforest and jungle. The Hutt Valley is a good place, with easy bus connections. The shop, Simply New Zealand on 101 Wakefield Street in Civic Center Plaza has everything NZ and is connected to a superb information center with tons of free maps and brochures. The must buy is something with Merino wool (the finest, thinnest, warmest wool in which NZ specializes) or anything from the national rugby team, the All Blacks.

The Waterfront is filled with pubs like the St. John's Hotel

Wellington’s top attraction is the Te Papa Tongarewa. In Maori that means ‘container of treasures’ – and that’s exactly what the national Museum of New Zealand is. Called Te Papa for short, it’s free, huge and fun…and centrally located right on the waterfront. There’s a cannon from Captain Cook’s ship, The Endeavor, a house that shakes in an earthquake, a walk over a swing bridge through the bush, and more about the native Maori culture than you’ll ever want to know (11% of New Zealand’s population are Maori). The exhibits on the geology of New Zealand help give some idea why this country has such a crazy landscape, showing how a series of faults all collide under NZ, creating volcanoes, earthquakes and mountains that are still growing.

The modern Civic Center is along the waterfront.

Welly’s second big attraction is its most famous resident, Sir Peter Jackson. He was a virtually unknown director when he started filming the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but Jackson is now an Oscar-winning, international director, movie producer and innovator, who has moved much of his film business to Wellington and the neighboring town of Miramar, known as “Wellywood.”

Jackson’s films have done for New Zealand what John Ford’s films did for the American West. His iconic fantasy images of the stark NZ landscape have transformed the country into one of the world’s hottest film locations, which will only get bigger with the release of the Hobbit in December 2012.

Lord of the Rings filming site on Mount Victoria.

There’s a huge back lot green screen in Miramar where scenes from LOR and King Kong were filmed, and Jackson also built the massive Park Road post-production facility here. Today, it is one of the world’s top special effects centers. Avatar, Tin Tin and some 120 other movies have been put together in Park Road’s three IMAX screen-sized editing suites. Weta Workshop is also located here. This is where they produce the fantastic models of fantasy creatures, dinosaurs and weapons used in many of Jackson’s films. The Weta Cave is a small free museum filled with models and props from films. Not only can you see these props, you can buy replicas of them as well (but like everything in NZ, they are expensive!).

Peter Jackson lives nearby and his kids attend a Wellington school. He is a local hero who has brought hundreds of millions of dollars to the NZ economy, There are several Lord of the Rings tours where you can visit nearby filming sites, such as the place where the hobbits hid from the Nazgul on Mt. Victoria. The tour guides worked as extras on the films and have lots of inside knowledge and anecdotes about Sir Peter. If you love the Lord of the Rings trilogy, one of these tours is a must. There is also a book by Ian Brodie that details all the LOR filming locations throughout the entire country.

For information on New Zealand's "capital of cool," go to: http://www.wellingtonzn.com/ Wellington has regular ferry service to the South Island and the ferry ride itself is an attraction, passing through scenic Cook Straight.

Walking the Trail of America’s First Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (richgrant) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 21:30:00 +0000

McKonkey's Ferry Inn, courtsey of Visit Bucks County

It is forever Christmas at McKonkey’s Ferry Inn. The dining room in this lovely tavern, located on the banks of the Delaware River, 42 miles upstream from Philadelphia, is always decorated as it would have been on Christmas night, 1776, when George Washington had his dinner here.

As Washington dined, 2,400 of his men assembled outside along the riverbank. They were a rag tag army, dressed like scarecrows and huddled in blankets against the cold and spitting snow.

Re-enactment at McKonkey's Ferry Inn, Visit Bucks County

Their password for the evening told the story: “Victory or death.” This night, Washington was to gamble his army on a desperate stroke – an all or nothing surprise attack on the enemy across the river in Trenton.

What happened in the next 24 hours changed the world.

* * *

Today, the setting along the Delaware River is remarkably scenic and little has changed from the fateful night that shook the British Empire and saved a young nation. Many of the historic structures have been preserved. You can see the spot where Washington crossed the river and enter the two ferry houses he used as temporary command posts.

Nearby, you can examine replicas of the boats he commandeered for the crossing and march in the footsteps of his men on the old Continental road. The natural starting point is Pennsylvania’s Washington Crossing Historic Park. A short film in the museum sets the stage.

1776 began well for the Americans in their struggle for freedom from Great Britain. Washington successfully forced the British from Boston and moved his army of 20,000 men to New York.

But then the Empire struck back.

Reenactment at the exact crossing site, Visit Bucks County

In August, the largest armada the world had ever seen arrived off Long Island with a British army of 30,000 crack troops. They quickly routed Washington’s smaller force and drove the rebels south through New Jersey. Marching in the retreat was journalist Thomas Paine, who summed up the situation, writing “These are the times that try men’s souls.”

When Washington’s demoralized army reached the Delaware, he seized all the boats and retreated across, using the river as a temporary buffer. But the end was only a matter of time. Soon the river would freeze and the British could march over the ice. Congress fled from Philadelphia and even Washington confessed, “the game is pretty near up.”

Crossing the Delaware

After watching the film, the highlight of the museum is a digitally reproduced, full-size copy of Emanuel Leutze’s 1851 painting, Washington Crossing the Delaware. The original 12x21-foot masterpiece hangs in the Metropolitan Museum in New York.

The painting’s depiction of a stern, determined Washington, standing at the prow of a boat, leading an invasion of landing craft into an ice-choked river, is an American icon. Reproductions can be purchased in the gift shop on everything from kitchen magnets to mouse pads.

Wayne Henderek, Washington Crossing State Park

But from a military standpoint, the masterpiece has several mistakes. Most prominent is that Washington’s crossing took place in pitch darkness with the commander probably seated in the back of a boat. For another, the river depicted in the painting is the Rhine.

You can see the real river and crossing point just outside the museum.

The only building here at the time was McKonkey’s Ferry Inn, but today there is a picturesque village of structures lining a tree-rimmed road. At the Boat House, there are four reproductions of the Durham boats that were used in the crossing. Built to carry iron ore, the pitch black craft were 40 to 60 feet long and looked like long, thick canoes.

Wayne henderek, Washington Crossing State Park

Washington’s plan was to stop retreating and go on the offensive against a regiment of Hessians stationed across the river in Trenton. The timing was crucial. An aide wrote: “They make a great deal of Christmas in Germany, and no doubt the Hessians will drink a great deal of beer and have a dance. They will be sleepy tomorrow morning. Washington will set the tune for them about daybreak.”

The Delaware today is a placid stream with hardly a current, but on Christmas night 1776 it was a hellish scene with swift swirling waters and huge cakes of floating ice. The boats were manned by a regiment of fishermen from Marblehead, Mass., but it took these expert small boat handlers nine hours to ferry the 200 horses, 18 cannons and 2,400 men across the icy current.

Wayne Henderek, Washington Crossing

Fortunately, it’s much easier to cross the Delaware today. Leave your car on the Pennsylvania side and walk across a narrow 1933 steel bridge to New Jersey. There are pretty views of the river along the way, giving you time to think about the men in the boats below.

As Thomas Paine had written, the “summer solider and sunshine patriot” had long ago deserted. But the men who were left were special. Among the men crossing the Delaware were James Monroe, who would become the fourth U.S. president; Alexander Hamilton, who become the first Secretary of the Treasury; and John Marshall, who would become a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

On the other side of the river, you enter New Jersey’s Washington Crossing State Park. In 1776, there were dueling ferries here; today there are dueling state parks. Use the pedestrian overpass to walk to the Johnson Ferry House, which Washington’s staff used as a command post.

One of Washington’s aides recorded the scene in his diary. “Dec. 26, 3 a.m. I am writing in the ferry house…I (have) never seen Washington so determined as he is now. He stands on the bank of the river, wrapped in his cloak, superintending the landing of his troops….The storm is changing to sleet, and cuts like a knife. The last cannon is being landed, and we are ready to mount our horses.”

You can follow in their footsteps on a short stretch of the old Continental lane, which today is a shallow grass depression between rows of trees that runs for a quarter mile to the Visitor Center. A Major Wilkinson remembered that the snow “was tinged here and there with blood from the feet of the men who wore broken shoes.”

At the Visitor Center, an excellent museum has exhibits, maps, paintings and artifacts that trace the retreat through New Jersey and the coming battle.

It’s about a half mile walk back to your car in Pennsylvania and then a nine mile drive to Trenton.

The Attack on Trenton

Not much of colonial Trenton has survived. It is a modern, confusing and not particularly attractive city, but the Trenton Battle Monument, marks the spot where the battle began. The 148-foot high column opened in 1893 and has an elevator to an observation deck.

The Hessian commander, Johann Rall, ignored threats of an American attack and stayed up all Christmas night playing cards and drinking. In the gloomy morning, the Americans advanced to the edge of town before the Hessian guard saw them. With cries of “Der Fiend!” -- “the enemy” – the guard tried to alert their men. It was too late.

Washington placed his artillery at the head of Trenton’s narrow streets, where they could fire canister -- tins filled with musket balls that exploded from the cannon barrel like a giant shotgun, sweeping everything in their path.

As the dazed Hessians poured out of their barracks, they were cut down by cannon fire. Rall ordered a retreat to an orchard and tried to make a stand, but Washington’s men surrounded them. When Rall was mortally wounded, the fight went out of the Germans and they surrendered.

The battle lasted less than an hour. Ninety Hessians were killed or wounded and more than 900 were taken prisoner; the American casualties were two men wounded.

After the fight, an uncharacteristically beaming Washington rode up to Major Wilkinson, grabbed his hand and said, “This is a glorious day for our country.”

And it was. From a military standpoint, Trenton was a minor raid. There were still five years of bitter war ahead. But psychologically, it was a turning point. Never again would American spirits or prospects sink so low.

IF YOU GO:

The dramatic crossing is re-created every year on Christmas day. The Visitor Center on the Pennsylvania side is undergoing an expansion and is temporarily closed, but both parks are open, as is the excellent museum at Washington Crossing State Park in New Jersey. For information: www.VisitBucksCounty.com or www.ushistory.org/washingtoncrossing

Best Book: The bestseller 1776 by David McCullough tells the dramatic story of Washington’s retreat from New York and the attack on Trenton, Washington's Crossing by David Hackett Fischer is the best book on the event itself.

BREAKING NEWS: Historical artist Mort Kunsler has just released a new, much more historically accurate painting depicting Washington crossing the Delaware. For a look at the painting and the story behind how it was created, visit: http://blog.mortkunstler.com/2011/12/abc-world-news-now-washington-crossing.html

Walking and Drinking Beer on New York’s High Line

noreply@blogger.com (richgrant) — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 19:37:00 +0000

With hip new beer gardens on either end and two of the city’s best outdoor bars in-between, the High Line is one of the best places to walk and drink beer in New York City. This new, one-of-a-kind park, offers a zen-like paradise of trees and flowers, high above the noise and chaos of the city. It’s great people-watching, great beer, and a rare New York opportunity to stretch your legs without stoplights.

For 30 years, the High Line was an ugly, rusting, eyesore -- an abandoned elevated railway that ran along Manhattan’s West Side from 34th Street south to the Meatpacking District. It had been built in the 1930s to take dangerous freight trains off the streets. The elevated railway made it possible to carry trainloads of milk, meat and produce to warehouse loading docks that were built 30 feet above the busy streets below. But over the years, trucking became the main way of bringing in goods and use of the elevated railway declined. The last train to rumble down the overhead tracks was three carloads of frozen turkeys in 1980.

Abandoned, the rails were soon covered with wild weeds and flowers and urban renewal called for the whole crumbling line to be demolished. Enter the Friends of the High Line. Formed in 1999 by community residents, the group had the vision to imagine the High Line as a unique park. That dream was finally realized when the first section from 20th Street to Gansevoort Street opened in June 2009, followed by a second section that extended north to West 30th Street and opened in June 2011. Total cost: $153 million.

Today, the High Line is a thin, narrow ribbon of a park, 40 to 50 feet wide, with more than 200 species of grasses, flowers and trees that meanders for 1.5 miles through New York, 30-feet in the air.

Walking the High Line offers a unique view of the city. Unlike New York’s other elevated railways that ran directly above a street, the High Line was designed to run down the center of the block, going right smack through the middle of buildings. Along the way there are views of the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building, as well of the trendy Meatpacking District, where you now look down on old warehouses are today filled with chic clubs and outdoor restaurants. But it’s the strange feeling of floating in a garden high above the city that makes the High Line such a trip. A few beers doesn’t hurt.

Meatpacking Distrist

Grab your first one at the Lot at 30th, an outdoor beer garden built under the railway at 10th Ave. and West 30th. There’s a food truck roundup with a half dozen trucks selling tapas and tacos, while Colicchio & Sons has an outdoor bar with local NY beers and wines. Try the High Line Elevated Wheat from Brooklyn Brewery. There are big long tables to share your food and drink with local New Yorkers.Then climb three stories and get on the High Line as it makes a long slow curve heading south. A walk on the High Line is meant to be a slow stroll, taking time to enjoy nature. Bikes and rollerblades are forbidden. There are plenty of sleek wooden benches along the way for sitting and sunning and there’s even a section of lawns. At night (the park stays open until 11 p.m.) the walkways are illuminated, creating eerie scenes as they cut through, under and between modern buildings.

The northern section is the prettiest. Called the Chelsea Grasslands, it’s a meandering path through small fields of colorful flowers and grasses. Here and there, the outline of the original tracks have been left, or worked into the pattern of the pathway. The Diller- von Furstenberg Sundeck between 14th and 15th Streets has comfortable wood deckchairs and benches surrounded by wildflowers, fountains and sumac trees. It’s a perfect place to relax and people-watch, as a steady stream of New Yorkers stroll by.

The 10th Avenue Square has a small amphitheatre providing a unique view of busy Tenth Avenue below, while the Washington Grasslands between 12th and 13th preserves the native grasses and flowers that grew up between the abandoned rail lines and gives some idea of what it looked like before being turned into a park. At the southern end is the Gansevoort Woodland, a thicket of birch and serviceberry trees with vines that hang over the railing creating a green balcony for those below.

The Porch

There’s plenty of food and drink on and below the High Line. The Porch at 15th is a hanging elevated outdoor bar with tables and umbrellas, just below the High Line, but still above the streets. They offer changing New York wines and beers, the current offerings written on a chalkboard. Try the Empire IPA from Syracuse if they have it.

There are stands selling gelato and coffee, ice cream sandwiches, and plaetas (ice pops) in flavors ranging from mango-chili to hibiscus to coconut.

You can hop down from the Highline at 16th and visit Chelsea Market, a two square block food market in an old 1890s bakery that once made Oreo cookies. Everything you could possibly imagine to eat is here, each with its own specialty shop. There are nuts and chocolates, bakeries, sandwiches, fresh fruit and even a lobster bar. It’s worth a visit.

The southern end of the High Line has natural vegetation.

At the far southern end at Gansevoort Street, again built under the Highline, is The Standard Biergarten, an authentic German biergarten with long outdoor wooden tables, pretzels, currywurst and German and Austrian beers such as Ayinger Weisse and Kostritzer Dark Bier. The location under the elevated railway gives it a cozy feel.

Hogs and Heifers

A block across the street is the legendary Hogs & Heifers. This is the classic rock ‘n roll dive bar that in 1992 started the tradition of scantily clad bartenders and patrons dancing on the bar, a routine now copied by Coyote Ugly and others. Decorating the walls are 11,000 bras donated by patrons, including one from Julia Roberts.

The Standard Hotel

A better peep show is back up on the High Line looking towards The Standard Hotel, a trendy highrise glass building that straddles the walkway. The hotel features floor to ceiling glass walls in all its rooms and even in the restrooms of the restaurant on the top floor. The hotel warns guests that the windows are very transparent and “activity in your room, when the curtains are open, may be visible from the outside.” I’ll say. You can see right into every room in a bizarre scene that resembles a set from the Alfred Hitchcock movie, “Rear Window.” The people in the rooms either don’t know, or don’t care. One guy, who looked like he’d been lingering on the High Line for days, told me, “there’s something happening in one of the windows every minute.” From the minute I spent there looking, I can believe him.

The Half King

One final bar worth a stop is the Half King, located just under the High Line at the 23rd Street stairway. This classic pub has more than 50 literary readings a year and is owned in part by writer Sebastian Junger, author of The Perfect Storm. Whether you stay inside by the candlelit tables in a maze of rooms, or sit on their streetside patio, one of the nicest outdoor bars in the city, this is a great pub with more than a dozen beers. Try a local Greenport Harbor Ale.

If you go:

There are numerous events along the High Line, from guided walks on Saturdays to stargazing with the Amateur Astronomy Association, every Tuesday. http://www.thehighline.org/

The High Line can only be accessed at Gansevoort Street, 14th Street (elevator access), 16th Street (elevator access), 18th Street and 20th Street, 23rd Street, 26th Street, 28th Street and 30th Street. Gansevoort is a only a few minutes walk from the all the pleasures of the West Village.

Walking and Drinking Beer in Disney’s World

noreply@blogger.com (richgrant) — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 19:32:00 +0000

The Rose & Crown

I was standing at the bar of the Rose & Crown pub in Epcot, a third of the way through a pint of Guinness, when my friends decided it was time to move on. No worries. I was about to chug the rest when the bar maid said, “would you like that to go, Love?” What a pleasant idea! She poured the remaining beer into a plastic cup and I was soon out the front door, sipping stout as I strolled around a lake, into the gardens of Paris on my way to the back alleys of Tangiers.

Welcome to Epcot, where Disney has a surprisingly liberal, and enlightened drinking policy. Three of the four Disney theme parks (Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios) allow you to walk and drink beer – or wine, tequila, sake, whiskey, or frozen Margaritas. Even better, they make all these drinks readily available with infinite choices. The nearby Cava del Tequila bar has 70 tequilas. No wonder it’s the happiest place on earth.

The Magic Kingdom is the only place you can't drink.

And great fun too. Make no mistake, Disney is for adults, as well as for kids. Families with children will best enjoy the Magic Kingdom (the one park with a strict no drinking policy), but adults taking a break from an Orlando convention …or from winter… can spend a couple of crazy days with Disney at Epcot, eating, drinking and shopping your way around the world. There’s great food and drink, thrill rides and wild architecture, manicured gardens and celebrity chefs, music acts and at night, the skies light up with amazing fireworks displays that blow away any Las Vegas spectacle. All this with no cigarette smoke and no clanging slot machines….although you may hear piped music playing “It’s a Small World After All.” Try forgetting that song.

It might not be the place for a bachelor party, but it’s certainly as hip and drink friendly as the average resort, and a lot more fun.

Epcot’s World Showcase

A replica of Beijing"s Temple of Heaven

Of all the parks, the best places for adults are Epcot and the free commercial center called Downtown Disney. Epcot is Disney’s version of a permanent world’s fair. Shaped like an hour glass, one bulge is devoted to science and the world we inhabit, with exhibitions on land, the ocean and space mixed with thrill rides that take you hang gliding over California (Soarin) or blasting off and landing a space capsule on Mars (Mission: SPACE). Those two rides, and Test Track (the longest and fastest ride in Disney history) are definitely worth the long lines. Soarin’ is particularly wonderful, a ride that takes you hang gliding with wind blowing in your face and the smell of orange blossoms, in the air as you bank and curve, legs dangling over orchards, mountains and seacoasts.

There are gardens everywhere in Epcot, and monorail or boats to the hotels.

The bottom bulge of Epcot’s hourglass is the World Showcase, a circular, mile-long pathway around a lake surrounded with pavilions glorifying the shopping, drinks, culture, architecture and history of 11 nations. It’s a blast.

The “Imagineers,” as the Disney people call themselves, have used an architectural device known as forced perspective to make the park seem much larger than it is. The bottom floors of buildings are done at 100 percent size, the second floor at 75 percent and the top floors at 30 percent and less. This can create the illusion that you are seeing an entire German village built around a town fountain, topped by a gigantic castle miles in the distance. In reality, the whole German site might occupy just two acres.

The German town square has pretzels and beer.

In this same way, you can see the Eiffel Tower looming behind a Paris street, a Mayan temple that looks many times its actual size, the famous St. Mark’s Square of Venice with a 100-foot high campanile, a wooden stave church of Norway sitting beneath a 14th Century fortress, and even the Canadian Rocky Mountains.

This replica of Piazza San Marco in Venice has a 100-foot Campanile.

It’s the Disney attention to detail that keeps the showcase from being corny or just another bad Irish pub or Vegas casino imitation. The British street has eight different architectural styles, from Tudor to Victorian. Although the “thatch” roof is made out of plastic, it looks real. The local pub appears to be airlifted from the U.K., from the shabby carpet to the “bulls eyes” in the hand blown window glass to the standing room only policy at the bar.

Every tile has a crack, a nod to Islamic belielf that only Allah is perfect.

The Morocco pavilion used nine tons of handmade, hand-cut tiles and had 19 native craftsmen put them together into a replica of the Koutoubia Minaret, a prayer tower in Marrakesh.

There are Mediterranean citrus and olive trees in Italy, and native Japanese sago and monkey-puzzle trees decorating nearby Japan. The American pavilion has an Independence Hall-like building made of 110,000 bricks, while China re-creates Beijing’s Temple of Heaven with flute and zither music playing on the speakers while acrobats perform in the courtyard.

The American Pavilion has a show narrated by Mark Twain.

All of the countries have daily shows consistent with their theme. A pretty good Beatles tribute band rocks out their early songs in a garden, while a very sexy belly dancer does a very un-Disney like performance in Tangiers. There’s a not-bad Canadian Celtic rock group, German oompah bands, Mariachis, and Japanese Taiko drummers.

France, China and Canada have films that are worth a look, especially Canada’s 360- degree screen that lets you pass through an attraction like the Mounties on parade, seeing them from front, rear and on the sides.

Most of the countries are set up with back alleys or plazas to explore, leading to shops, restaurants, bars and bakeries. You can munch a pear tart in Norway or a chocolate éclair in Paris. Germany has pretzels and beer, including a full liter of delicious Radenberger pilsner for $12. You can do a tequila tasting in Mexico or buy a wine flight that gives you two, two-ounce samples of regional wines in Italy, Germany and France.

The Mayan pyramid houses a water ride, restaurant, market and tequila bar.

And then there’s shopping. From Italian silk scarves to Norwegian wool sweaters, Japanese kimonos to French perfumes, the Disney touch extends to the stores, giving each of them an authentic feel. At Mexico, you can shop for silver and pottery in an indoor market in Taxco at twilight. There’s probably not much of a market for Norwegian wool sweaters in Orlando, but at $8, the beer stein sunglasses in Germany are a steal.

Better than the Chunnel, there's an easy bridge between England and France

Of course, on the one hand, Disney is charging you to come into a theme park for the privilege of spending more money shopping, eating and drinking…but you won’t mind. It’s all done so well, whether you’re looking at rugs and brass in Morocco, or tea sets in China, have another drink and it all looks real enough. Disney employs people from the native countries (part of 60,000 “cast members” who run the empire) and they’re mostly young and pretty and love to chat about their native lands…and how glad they are to be out of them and living the dream in Florida.

Based on torri gate in Hiroshima Bay.

A wood stave church in Norway.

Dinner is another experience not to miss. Reservations are messy.
You’ll need them in advance, or at least first thing in the morning at the best – and more expensive --restaurants like Bistro de Paris, Marrakesh, Mitsukoshi and Tutto Italia. Easiest is the huge Biergarten, Epcot’s nightly Oktoberfest with a Bavarian band, long tables that you share with strangers, plenty of beer and a buffet of bratwurst, rotisserie chicken, spaetzle, and a couple dozen other German specialties. Also easy is the Rose & Crown for fish and chips; get an outdoor, lakeside table at dusk – it’s one of the best places to watch the fireworks. You can easily do a meal of tapas, getting snacks from outdoor carts and cafes all day and evening like cheese empanadas and tacos at La Cantina, a Mongolian barbecue beef sandwich and pot stickers at the Lotus Blossom Café, sushi and sake at the Yakitori House, or make a meal of a fresh baguette and brie at the Boulangerie Patisserie while you sit in a garden by their version of the Seine, watching boats come and go from nearby hotels.

One of many beautiful gardens, this one in Paris.

Epcot’s hours vary by day with the park generally closing at 9 p.m., but on Tuesdays it often stays open until midnight. Try to go then – the world showcase looks even better by night, and there are no crowds.

Downtown Disney

Downtown Disney is attractive at night with lights, islands and bridges.

Another adult area is Downtown Disney, a series of islands in a lakeside setting, with bridges connecting shops, bars and restaurants. At night (the only time to go) there’s a Vegas feel with bright lights and huge theme restaurants like Planet Hollywood (stop in to see big name props like the dress Judy Garland wore in the Wizard of Oz or the axe Jack Nicholson used in The Shining). There’s a House of Blues with an outdoor concert area, a Wolfgang Puck with pizza to go, and the gigantic Raglan Road Irish Pub with scallops on a stick, step dancing, and a good beer selection, including changing local Orlando brews. Fulton’s Crab House has a good seafood menu in a romantic setting aboard a three-deck river boat, the Empress Lilly, and Bongos Cuban Café is owned by Gloria Estefan and has the overhead fans, shutters and palms of a film-version Cuba, with music and patios, all wrapped around a three-story high pineapple.

Be warned, in addition to catering to adults, Downtown Disney also attracts lots of families, and the endless shopping opportunities for Mickey souvenirs, princess parafeneilla, toys and dinosaurs seems to whip the kids into a frenzy. One harried dad on line in front of me at Capt’n Jack’s outdoor bar asked for a straight 120 proof rum, and with a pleading voice, said, “can you make it double?” There’s beer, frozen margaritas, and rum galore, at stands and bars and restaurants, and you’re free to carry and drink it anywhere you like – even, amazingly, in the shops.

It’s quite pretty along the lake, with the lights and crazy architecture, but no mistake, this is big time tourism and crowded. The fact that it’s free (at least to get in) with free parking appeals to families tugging kids, hundreds of them done up like princesses, complete with tiaras. It is amazing to see. The princess beauty parlor has a waiting list six months long.

Planet Hollywood

The more adult bars are to the left as you face the lake, with Cirque du Soleil anchoring that side, while the kid-oriented shopping and theme restaurants are to the right. But don’t miss the kid’s side for a look. The sheer scale of the place, the amount and variety of souvenirs stacked to the ceiling, the frantic kids from every country of the world (I saw one young English girl stamp her foot and say, “But mummy, I simply must have it!), the insanity of the family theme restaurants (life-size 30-foot high dinosaurs move around waterfalls in the T-Rex café, while the Rainforest Café has a thunderstorm, tropical fish and animated animals), it’s all designed to overwhelm….and it does. But no worries…have another frozen margarita and always know it’s a quick and easy retreat to Paradiso 37 and their South American menu and 37 tequilas.

IF YOU GO:

Magic Kingdom

Orlando had 50 million visitors in 2010, the first destination in the world to do so. The travel guides to Walt Disney World are thicker than guides to France. There are hundreds of tips on how to save time and money. You’ll have to study the guides, but here’s just a few tips.

Where to stay: If you can afford it, stay on a Disney property. There are hotels in most price ranges, and all are connected by free shuttles, or in the case of the Grand Floridian, Contemporary and Polynesian, by monorail and boat. There’s always a free bus going to where you want to go…the challenge is you can wait 30 minutes for the bus and some of the trips are 40 minutes or more, so it takes longer than you think to get around. The key is, don’t try to do Disney World in one or two days. Ticket prices drop drastically the longer you stay (they know they’re getting their money on lodging and food, so park admissions drop the longer you stay). Some of the Disney hotel properties are worth visiting just for fun, and many are connected by free boat rides. The Boardwalk area is particularly good, with a Disney brewpub, Big River Grille & Brewing Works, and a honky-tonk, Atlantic City seashore atmosphere on the lake.

The Boardwalk is fun, has a brew pub and boats to Epcot.

Go to Animal Kingdom in the morning, dinner at Epcot.

The Wilderness Lodge is an incredible thing to see (note the electronic crickets chirping as you walk around the grounds, and the 55-foot high totem pole in the center of a lobby based on the Yellowstone Lodge). The Grand Floridian is a Disneyfied version of a grand hotel where high society would have wintered in Florida at the turn of the century and has one of the great restaurants of central Florida, the Victoria & Albert (no children, jackets for men, and reservations six months in advance, please). You’ll probably never stay there on your own dime, but one of the great “scores” of the corporate world is a meeting at the Swan & Dolphin. If you can’t stay here, stop by for a drink.

A great dinner option is the nightly Oktoberfest in Germany.

The Grand Floridian

If you go 100% Disney and stay there, you don’t need a car. You can take the complimentary Magical Express from the airport and get anywhere in Disney by free bus, monorail or ferry boat. If you want to see Harry Potter and Universal too…well, you’ll need to rent a car. Distances are far and cabs expensive.

Another tip, if you’re staying awhile, is get the multi-park pass for a day or two and hop around the parks. The best fireworks are in the Magic Kingdom, which turns the castle into a light show with bombs bursting overhead; Animal Kingdom is fun for a morning when the animals are active and Hollywood Studios has some of the best thrill rides. It’ll take an hour or more to travel between parks, but sometimes after a day on your feet, an hour air conditioned bus ride can be the best ride of all.

Keep Portland Weird

noreply@blogger.com (richgrant) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 18:00:00 +0000

As the billboards and bumper stickers around town proclaim, there is an underground campaign alive to “Keep Portland Weird.” Well, they needn’t worry. This gorgeous city of natural beauty has plenty of quirks…but it also has everything else a city should have: a walkable, hip urban downtown with big department stores; a wide river lined with parks and paths; a slew of trendy restaurants and brewpubs in old brick and stone buildings; a lively street musician scene that ranges from classical duos on corners to zydeco bands in the plaza; an amazing light rail network that’s free downtown; parks and gardens with grand views of distant snowcapped peaks and volcanoes; thousands of young people filling the downtown bars and streets; and perhaps the nation’s best fleet of food trucks with dozens of them dishing up everything from Scottish bangers to sushi.

But the soul of Portland are the three B’s, which this “city of roses” can claim above any other American urban center: beer, bicycles and bookstores. The bikes are everywhere, giving Portland a real European feel. On the river path, it’s actually dangerous to be a pedestrian, there are so many bikes zipping past. But these are serious bikers – people who commute to work and do their part to keep Portland green.

Good beer is plentiful too. Portland claims the most brewpubs per capita, and they certainly have lovely ones downtown. The Oregon Brewpub Guide (available for free at airport) lists 156 brewpubs in the state, and that’s just where they make the beer. Every restaurant has a sophisticated beer selection. You’ll find microbrew taps all around, even in strange places. I saw a small bar with three taps and three stools in a hardware store in Canon Beach. Who doesn’t occasionally need a beer when buying tools?

And for books, there’s Powell’s – the biggest new and used bookstore in the world covering an entire city block with more than one million volumes in 3,500 different departments. www.powells.com It’s even bigger than it sounds, with 6,000 buyers and browsers in the store every day. Powell’s is almost never closed. It’s open 365 days a year, from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. And if you want to combine books and beer, some of the best pubs are just a few minutes walk, especially the Deschutes Brewery & Public House, Bridgeport Brewpub + Bakery, and Henry’s 12th Street Tavern.

Want some substance? A block from Powell’s is Jake’s, a Portland seafood institution for 119 years. Sit at the bar for a bowl of New England or Manhattan clam chowder for $6, served with a half pound of warm sourdough bread, in a Victorian setting of carved wood, glass and mirrors.

Downtown Portland is best enjoyed at night – only because there are so many better things to do in the day. Within an easy drive of an hour or two you can walk along a stunning beach past tidal pools and giant rock formations; visit a reconstruction of a fort where Lewis & Clark spent a winter; hike to a dozen waterfalls (some of them 600 feet high); take in sweeping views of the Columbia River Gorge; drive through some of the most gorgeous farmlands in the world filled with stands selling (in season) fresh pears, peaches, apples and berries; and hike on the ridge of snowcapped Mount Hood, above the famous Timberline Lodge.

Portland by Rail
Before heading out on day trips, it’s worth spending an afternoon exploring Portland’s Washington Park – easily accessible by light rail from Pioneer Courthouse Square (the center of downtown) on the Blue or Red line. Buy the one-day pass for $4.75. The Washington Park station, about 15 minutes away, is the only underground station in Portland, but at 260 feet deep, it’s really underground. This is the deepest train station in North America and third deepest in the world. The elevator takes 25 seconds to reach the surface and the temperature at the bottom is always 50 degrees. There are exhibits at the station on the 16 million years of geologic history above you.

Strangely, the elevator comes up in the middle of the park, across the street from the highly popular Zoo. If you don’t have time for a zoo and want to tour the park, take the free bus (show your rail pass) and ride to the International Rose Test Garden (free) and the Japanese Garden ($8). There are miles of trails here, thousands of roses, and beautiful views of Mount Hood and downtown. The Japanese Garden is incredibly tranquil with bridges and splashing waterfalls connected by gravel trails. Portland is called the “City of Roses,” and the amazing rose garden here is one reason why.

Daytripping on the Coast

You could spend a month touring the spectacular Oregon coast, but if you just want a taste on a Portland weekend, head west 1.5 hours on Hwy. 26 to Canon Beach, the most attractive and upscale resort town in the area. The village is filled with overflowing flower baskets, nice shops on brick plazas and courtyards, and weathered shingle cottages. The main street is lined with outdoor cafes, all with their own gardens and flower boxes. Flowers do very well in the ocean air and they are everywhere.
For lunch, try the local guest beer and an “Oyster Burger” at Bill’s Tavern Brew House.

The highlight of the beach, just a ten minute walk from town, is Haystack Rock, a black mountain of a boulder just offshore that juts up 235 feet into the air. At low tide, you can walk to the base of the towering rock, see a rare colony of Tufted Puffins and wander around tidepools filled with crabs, colorful sea stars, snails and coral. Docents are on hand on weekends to explain the creatures above and below the surface.

Nearby, Ecola State Park has a twisting road through an old growth rainforest, that winds through ferns and trees covered with deep green moss to one of the most famous coastal views in Oregon. The park has been used in many films including Kindergarten Cop, and appears in most Oregon calendars. There are hiking trails to vantage points where you can look out on a wild scene of pounding surf and coastal rocks, many forming small islands that are now home to barking sea lions.

Explorer William Clark and his Indian guide Sacagawea hiked here in January 1806 to investigate reports of a beached whale, which Indians had told them about. Clark was wintering with Meriwether Lewis and their men at the log Fort Clatsop they had built, several miles away.

Today, the National Park Service has erected a replica of the small fort. It’s a short drive to the park to see and hear living history programs about how difficult it was to survive in the wilderness. In 1804, President Thomas Jefferson sent Lewis & Clark and 31 explorers to follow rivers across the great American West to the Pacific Ocean. It took them a year and a half and they traveled 4,000 miles before they finally reached their goal. Before heading back, the explorers spent 112 days at Fort Clatsop. It rained on all but 12 of them, rotting their clothes and making life miserable for the flea-infested men. Today at the national park, it’s pleasant enough out in the woods, but it does seem a far cry from the flowers baskets and shingle cottage cafes of Canon Beach.

Into the Gorge and Around Mount Hood

The big day trip from Portland is traveling the Mount Hood National Scenic Byway, a 150-mile loop that takes you up the Columbia River Gorge and to the base of the 11,239-foot, snowcapped Mount Hood. Leave early – there are lots of stops and short hikes along the way.

For the best light on the waterfalls, start by heading east on I-84 to the pretty little village of Troutdale (Exit 17). Here you pick up the what’s left of the Historic Columbia River Highway. When it opened in 1916, this was the first major paved road in the Northwest, and one of the great engineering marvels of the world. The original Columbia River Highway had 18 bridges spanning rivers and canyons, and was built as a scenic road for Model T’s to allow access to the incredible natural beauty of the area.

Much of this 1916 road was destroyed or abandoned in the 1940s when Interstate 84 was built, but there is still a 22-mile section of the original highway open and it is an amazing drive, coming so close to waterfalls that their spray will land on your windshield. There are pull-offs, vistas and plenty of short hikes. The first two “must” stops are the strangely named Women’s Forum State Park, and Vista House at Crown Point. Both have views up the gorge. The Vista House was opened in 1917 as a “comfort station” and, at 733 feet high, it is one of the grand views of the road.

From here, the highway spirals down to the river and begins a stretch lined with seven huge waterfalls. First up is Latourell Falls, definitely worth the short hike. Bridal Veil Falls is a steep hike through woods, pretty, but there are better falls ahead.

The showpiece, and the most visited natural attraction in Oregon, is Multnomah Falls. There are two falls here, the big one drops 542-feet into a pool crossed by a foot-bridge, with a second drop of 69-feet under it. If you combine them, the 620-foot drop makes this the third highest year-round falls in the nation. And certainly the most crowded. On a Saturday in July, I had to wait to cross the bridge – it was packed solid with literally hundreds of people. You can escape the crowds by hiking the steep 1.2 mile, paved trail to the top of the falls, but in truth, the view is limited compared to the effort, especially with so many other viewpoints available.

But even with the crowds, this is an incredible sight. There’s an attractive old 1925 lodge, and the visitor center has free maps to the many hiking trails and hidden waterfalls to be found along the gorge.

Back on I-84, it’s 33 miles to Hood River, a very pleasant town with a main street lined with cafes, shops and antique stores, and home of the Full Sail Brewing Company (the name comes from the windsurfing that takes place on the river here, where it is always windy). If you can get in the small pub at the brewery, it’s the perfect place for lunch, but also crowded. No worries. There are many pubs and restaurants in town for lunch.

From here, head south on Hwy. 35, making a stop in a few miles at Panorama Point, a small hill that looks across the farm country to towering Mount Hood. This fertile Hood River Valley produces 225,000 tons of cherries, pears and apples a year, prized fruit that is shipped around the world. There are 30 farms, wineries and specialty stores selling their products along the way, on a route that is amusingly called “The Fruit Loop.”

The highway twists, climbs and circles 44 miles into the Mount Hood massive, gaining elevation through forests of pine. Take a turn west at Government Camp on to Hwy. 26 and then follow the turnoff and continue climbing to 6,000 feet and the Timberline Lodge. Opened in 1937, this wood and stone structure, built of local products with a central stone fireplace in-the-round, was used as the location for the movie The Shining. Trails lined with wildflowers, or across snowy glaciers lead up to even more stunning views of Mount Hood, or there’s a chair lift up to 8,000 feet if you don’t care to walk. The late afternoon light is gorgeous on the year-round glaciers that curl down the mountain and the lodge with its big fireplaces and snow just outside is fun to poke around.

But as the sun starts to set, remember, it’s 63 miles back to the pleasures of Portland…and all those waiting food trucks, brewpubs and music. With any luck at all in traffic, you’ll be back in Powell’s, long before they close, for a final browse in the stacks of books and a late evening of IPA’s, pale ales, bitters, stouts and porters in Portlands incredible selection of brewpubs.

The Nines hip lobby bar.

Where to stay: Everything downtown is within walking distance. Don’t be put off looking at maps. Portland’s blocks are half the distance of normal city blocks (an early attempt to create more corner lots) so everything is closer than it appears. The town is divided into cute names for its various areas (Chinatown – there are no Chinese here, Old Town, Historic Waterfront District, etc.) and even more confusing, it is broken up into four quadrants that make sense to locals but are mystifying to visitors: NW, SW, NE and SE. They have to do with the

crossing of Burnside Street and the Willamette River dividing the town into fourths. Ignore it. The heart of the city is between 12th Ave. and the river, with I-405 closing off the north and south, and no matter where you are in that area, you can’t go but a block or two without finding something interesting. But do check out the area northwest of Burnside…a little sketchy here and there, but lots of great pubs and young people. The Nines is an incredibly hip and wonderful hotel right on Pioneer Courthouse Square; if you can afford it, stay here.

How to Be a Buff…

noreply@blogger.com (richgrant) — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 19:36:00 +0000

From Seinfeld, “The Boyfriend”
George: Wow! Keith Hernandez! He’s such a great player.
Jerry: Yeah, he’s a real smart guy too. He’s a Civil War buff.
George: I’d love to be a Civil War buff. What do you have to do to be a buff?
Jerry: …Well, sleeping less than 18 hours a day would be a start.

It would be difficult to overestimate the strange appeal that the Civil War holds on some people. Historian Ken Burns notes that more than 50,000 books have been written on the conflict. There are obscure books on the buttons of the Civil War, the horses, even the weather. There are eight Civil War magazines and hundreds and hundreds of Web sites. Each summer, tens of thousands of people wear hot, itchy wool uniforms to re-enact battles, while millions of tourists visit more than 600 preserved Civil War historic sites that stretch from New Mexico to Maine. Go to any Barnes & Noble and there are almost as many Civil War books as there are self-help books.

“Any understanding of this nation,” historian Shelby Foote said, “Has to be based on an understanding of the Civil War….It defined us.”
For many baby boomers, that defining moment started in 1960 with the onslaught of Civil War memorabilia that accompanied the 100th anniversary. While Life Magazine devoted issue after issue to the conflict with historic photos and commissioned paintings, there were Civil War collectable cards, U.S. Postage stamps, posters, Avon Hill battle games, miniature canons, toy soldiers, blue and gray caps, Confederate paper money, “stars and bars” Confederate flags and an arsenal of toy muskets that could fire a small cork ball.

The popular Landmark history books in every school library took you to exotic-sounding places like Chickamauga and Chattanooga and to bloody battlefields with names like the Devil’s Den, the Slaughter Pen, Little Round Top, the Hornet’s Nest, and of course, always, the defining moment of the “Lost Cause,” Pickett’s Charge.

But it wasn’t all toys and games. On television every night, the Civil War that divided the country a hundred years before was still dividing the country in an increasingly violent confrontation over Civil Rights. The pivotal year of the Civil War that saw Gettysburg and Vicksburg – 1863 -- was mirrored a hundred years later in 1963 with the “March on Washington,” Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, and the assassination of President John Kennedy.

Well, it’s all about to begin again. The 150th Anniversary of the Civil War that kicks off in 2011 is likely to see even more books, articles, movies, documentaries, re-enactments and memorabilia than we saw 50 years ago. So get ready. Grab some hardtack, download “Dixie” on to your iPod, and take a crash course on 10 ways to be a buff.

1. Walk the battlefield of Gettysburg
The Civil War was fought in a documented 10,000 places over a battlefront 1,200 miles long. More than 620,000 young men were killed – about the same as in all other U.S. wars combined. At the end, the South was devastated. One quarter of the men of military age were gone. Nothing can bring this home more than walking the ground where they fought and died, and no battlefield brings this home more than Gettysburg. Brilliant leadership at the national park has led to an attempt to re-create exactly what the land looked like on July 1-3, 1863. Forests that grew up are being clear-cut, orchards are being replanted and 40 miles of picket fence have been replaced. An incredible new museum and visitor center have been built near the site, while the old one – located actually on the battlefield – is being torn down. All of this makes Gettysburg the one “must” visit. Every true buff has walked the sacred ground of Pickett’s Charge and stood beside Warren’s statue on Little Round Top. Gettysburg is a two-hour drive from either airport in Washington and is a major tourism site with 2 million annual visitors, dozens of Civil War shops and attractions, and all the amenities. There's a great tavern in town, the Dobbin House Tavern, that dates back to 1776. The downstairs bar has candles, stone walls, great sandwiches and local beers. http://www.dobbinhouse.com/ Plan at least two days to see it all. http://www.gettysburg.travel/

2. Read a book
The book for most Civil War buffs is the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning novel, “The Killer Angels” by Michael Shaara. This book has launched more buffs than any other, including Civil War superstar Ken Burns. You can’t be a true “buff’ until you can say this is one of your favorite novels. After that, there are 50,000 other books to choose from, depending on your interest. Many pick Pulitzer Prize-winning The Battle Cry of Freedom by James M. McPherson, considered to be the best single volume history of the war.

3. Watch the 680-minute long documentary: “The Civil War – a Film by Ken Burns” You may feel like you fought and lived through the entire Civil War by the end, but you can’t be a “buff” until you see the final credits.

4. Research Your Ancestors…or someone else’s
Three million Americans fought in the Civil War. For the first time in any major war, almost all of them could write – and they did. One reason there are so many books on the subject is that almost every soldier kept a diary, wrote letters or lived long enough to dictate or even type their memoirs. If you’ve heard stories of a Civil War ancestor in your family tree, you’ll need three things to trace him: his name, which side he fought on, and the state in which he enlisted. There were amazing bureaucrats back then who kept meticulous records and you can find out many things about your relative’s history. Go to: http://genealogy.about.com/od/civil_war/a/ancestors.htm for tips. No relatives in the war? It’s still helpful to read a first person account to get an up-close look at the conflict and an idea of the day-to-day life of a private solider. “Co. Aytch” A Side Show to the Big Show by Sam R. Watkins, Private C.S.A. is considered the classic and can be both funny and sad, often in the same sentence.

5. Attend a Re-enactment
Yes, many of the re-enactors are old, overweight and odd, but put 15,000 of them together, add 100 cannons, 500 cavalry charging on horses and state-of-the-art pyrotechnics with explosions both on the ground and in the air, and you have a spectacle that outdoes any movie ever made. Major re-enactments on big anniversary years like 125th and 140th have seen as many troops on the field as were in that part of the actual battle, with 100,000 spectators looking on. Nothing in the past will top what’s coming up for the 150th. Go to: http://www.campchase.com/, the monthly magazine for re-enactors, to learn more. Some tips on attending re-enactments: be prepared for traffic and long dusty walks on dirt roads. There are no perfect seats because the re-enactment may stretch over ground more than a mile long, but the spectacle is unforgettable and worth the hassle. One more thing -- be prepared to come home with a Civil War sword, pistol or blue or gray kepi, the French style cap worn by both sides. There are 500 sutler tents at the big re-enactments, selling authentic reproductions of everything from buttons to belt buckles and it’s nearly impossible for a real buff to resist buying something. Here’s a sutler site to give you an idea: http://www.milkcreek.com/. Every state tourism office is also preparing for the sesquicentennial; Virginia is the most advanced at: http://www.virginiacivilwar.org/

6. See a movie
From Glory to Gettysburg, Gone With the Wind to Ride with the Wind, the Red Badge of Courage to Cold Mountain, Wikipedia lists 70 Civil War films worth watching: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:American_Civil_War_films

7. Subscribe to a Civil War Magazine
There are eight dedicated Civil War magazines and many more military history magazines that have articles on the War Between the States. Subscriptions make great gifts for buffs. Most popular general magazines: Civil War Times and America’s Civil War Magazine, http://www.civilwartimes.com/; more scholarly with top historian authors is North and South Magazine, http://www.northandsouthmagazine.com/; and for those “who still hear the guns” and like to tour battlefields, Blue and Gray Magazine, http://www.bluegraymagazine.com/.

8. Drive a Civil War Trail The Civil War Trail system started in Virginia and has now expanded to Maryland, Tennessee, West Virginia and North Carolina with more than 800 new historic signs erected that let travelers follow major campaigns of the war. You can cross Virginia following Lee’s Retreat to Appomattox or march alongside Lee as he invades Maryland in the Antietam Campaign. You can even follow obscure historical oddities such as the escape route used by John Wilkes Booth after he assassinated Abraham Lincoln. The tours are part “road rally,” driving across countryside that has changed little since the Civil War, looking for road markers that will direct you down a maze of farm roads to some forgotten cornfield that was once the site of a skirmish where men fought and died. Brilliantly produced color maps and driving guides are available for free, or can be downloaded at the absolutely terrific travel site: http://www.civilwartraveler.com/. This is the place to find everything Civil War in 28 states.

9. Buy something from the war

All buffs have something from the war to bring them closer to it. You can own a minie ball (the three ring rifle bullet that most soldiers fired) for a few dollars, but there are authentic photos, buttons, insignias, Confederate money, diaries, signatures, uniforms, weapons and letters galore. No one ever threw away a souvenir of the war and they have been handed down and sold and re-sold for 150 years. Rummaging around a Civil War artifact shop (there are dozens of them in the South) can be fun and illuminating.

10. Save a Civil War battlefield The war was fought at an estimated 10,000 sites; only 20 percent of the major battlefields have been preserved – the rest are unprotected or already destroyed by housing, industry and roads. Experts say another acre of hallowed ground is lost to development every hour. The Civil War Preservation Trust, http://www.civilwar.org/, has saved 25,000 acres of battlefields in 19 states. A membership not only helps preserves these historic sites, but includes a subscription to their excellent magazine, Hallowed Ground.

The Surprise of San Diego

noreply@blogger.com (richgrant) — Mon, 31 May 2010 17:45:00 +0000

The HMS Surprise would be the most famous of all British frigate sailing ships, except for two things: it’s floating in San Diego’s harbor, and, of course, it never existed.

The Surprise is the fictional ship of Captain Jack Aubrey in the popular sea novels by Patrick O’Brian. For the Academy Award-winning film version of the books, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, 20th Century Fox spared no expense to re-create an authentic 24-gun frigate from the era of Nelson and Napoleon.
They started with a replica of a British frigate that had originally been launched in Connecticut in 1970 as the HMS Rose. After sailing her through the Panama Canal and down the coast of South America to the Galapagos Islands for the film, the ship eventually ended up at the San Diego Maritime Museum, where it now floats beside an array of historic craft, including the Star of India, the world’s oldest active ship.
They make for one of the most attractive maritime settings to be found in any city, and the accompanying museum is wonderful, filled with ship models, paintings and nautical exhibits, as well as a chance to walk the gun deck of the Surprise, which has stills from the film showing her in action.

Also docked here is the Californian, a tall ship replica of the 1848 Revenue Cutter C.W. Lawrence that patrolled the coast of California during the gold rush days. Built for speed, the ship has 7,000 square feet of sails. It still takes people out to sea on educational programs, ranging from a half day to more than a week.

Around San Diego’s Harbor

San Diego’s naturally protected harbor was first discovered in 1542 by explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, but it was promptly forgotten for 200 years. It wasn’t until 1769 that Europeans came back to California, when the first of 21 Spanish missions was built here. San Diego remained a small town until World War II, when it became the headquarters for the Pacific Fleet and went into “boom” mode.

Today, it’s the eight largest city in America, a vast area covering 4,500 square miles (the size of Connecticut) with a gigantic tourism industry and sprawling hillsides covered with homes. But it’s also still a place of incredible beauty, and for our purposes, one of the best cities in America for walking and drinking beer.

There are 32 brewpubs and breweries in the San Diego Brewers Guild and many beer connoisseurs (including Men’s Journal) consider this to be one of the nation’s top five beer cities, both for the beer made here and for the citywide appreciation of craft brews.
And for walks? Surprisingly for car-oriented Southern California, San Diego is pedestrian friendly with a variety of walks, many of which can be connected by inexpensive ferries and trolleys. You can stroll one of the most famous urban parks in the world, hang out in a former red light district now pulsating with music clubs, meander along a half dozen gorgeous cliff paths lined with wildflowers, walk barefoot on miles of wild beaches with pelicans and barking sea lions, and visit great little towns filled with art galleries, shops and bookstores.

Cruising to Colorful Coronado

From the Maritime Museum on San Diego’s waterfront, called the Embarcadero, a great walk starts with a ferry ride ($7 round-trip) to Coronado . Ferries leave once an hour and it takes 20 minutes to cross the harbor with sweeping views of the city, while you sail past cruise ships and aircraft carriers. The ferry docks at Ferry Landing Marketplace, an assortment of tourist shops and restaurants. Breeze on by and walk two blocks west to Orange Avenue for a pleasant 20-minute walk to the Hotel del Coronado.

Built in 1888, the turreted hotel is one of the great inns of the world. Surrounded by flower gardens, it will seem familiar – it’s been in many movies including Some Like it Hot and The Stuntman. There are great walks on the property and beach, and be sure to check out the historic exhibits on the lower level. The lobby is ridiculously dark for California with all dark woods, but in the days before air conditioning, this must have a cool retreat from the sun.
Heading back to the ferry and water taxi dock, Orange Avenue is lined with pleasant homes, palm trees, nice shops, and a great bookstore, Bay Books. After all this walking, the Coronado Brewing Company is a happy stop. They have a terrific IPA and a fun brewery label with a mermaid, tall ship and giant mug of beer.

If you don’t want to walk the mile back to the ferry, there’s a bus from the Coronado – ask at the hotel. The return ferry to San Diego stops at the navy base, during which time you are forbidden from taking photos…. a ridiculous gesture since you can take all the photos of the navy base you want from high above on Point Loma, a navy spy haven which is also a national monument.

Cabrillo National Monument

Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo was the first European to set foot on the west coast of what is now the United States when he landed in San Diego on September 28, 1542. Cabrillo should be as famous as Columbus, but he never got the press he deserved. For one thing, no one knows much about him, not even whether he was Spanish or Portuguese. He had participated with Cortez in the slaughter and conquest of Mexico and because of that, gained the right to explore the west coast of America. In what would become the first of many slights, he landed at San Diego and named it San Miguel – a name that was promptly forgotten by everyone.

So was California. Europeans ignored this beautiful bay for 200 years, leaving it to the original inhabitants, the Kumeyaay Indians. Cabrillo died mysteriously on the voyage and disappeared into history, but his voyage had claimed 800 miles of coastline for Spain. Today, the farthest tip of Point Loma, the peninsular that juts out and protects San Diego bay, is preserved as Cabrillo National Monument. It is a place of wild beauty, cliffs, hiking trails, tidal pools and incredible views.

No one knows what Cabrillo looked like, so perhaps to make up for past slights, he is projected as a handsome dude in a statue overlooking the bay and in a museum with exhibits that tell his story – and the story of the native peoples.

But the most memorable thing in the park is the old Point Loma Lighthouse, which is re-created as it was in 1855 when Robert and Maria Israel lived here. It’s beautiful for an hour, but it would have been a lonely life. Exhibits that tell the story of lighthouses, which date back to the ancient Egyptians. There are great walks on the point, and down below along the cliffs.

On the way in or out, stop on Scott Street at the entrance to Shelter Island. The area is lined with deep-sea fishing charter boats and the famous Point Loma Seafoods, a nice stop for lunch. This is a raw catch fish market, but you can also step up to the counter and order hot or cold seafood, ceviche, crab, fish sandwiches and daily specials, which you can eat outside at tables overlooking the bay. The specials when I was there were salmon from Alaska and oysters from the East Coast, so maybe the seafood is no fresher than anywhere else, but it’s hard to beat the setting with seagulls and bobbing boats.

Beautiful Balboa

Balboa is one of the great urban parks of the world with 15 museums, eight gardens, some wild Spanish-Renaissance architecture, fountains, a crazy terrain of canyons and eucalyptus trees, and, of course, the justly famous zoo. It lacks only a great outdoor pub or beer garden, although the Prado Restaurant has a cocktail bar worth viewing. While you could walk to the park from downtown hotels, there’s plenty of free parking and nothing much in between, so you’re better off driving.
The two showcase areas are El Prado and the Zoo. El Prado is a fantasy pedestrian walkway lined with buildings originally built in 1915 for the Panama-California Exposition to commemorate the opening of the Panama Canal. There’s really nothing else like it. Many of the buildings house museums that offer something for everyone…from a fun model railroad museum to history, art, photography, nature and science. The only challenge: it’s hard to go in a museum when the weather is so nice and the outdoor setting so wonderful. Come on a Tuesday when alternating museums are free and it’s easy to duck in a couple of them for a look.

The wood lath Botanical Building is also free and has 2,000 tropical plants. But the main attraction is the park itself. Be sure to wander around the formal Alcazar Garden with its Moorish flavor and fountains and the amazing rose garden. Walking Balboa is a blast. No matter how you enter the park, walk across Cabrillo Bridge and come back to see the grand arched entryway.

The San Diego Z oo is a major, full-day time commitment, but you’ll enjoy every minute. The space is huge and hilly. There are moving sidewalks and elevators to help get you around, but study the map carefully to avoid long uphill walks. Even with the map and its clever numbering system, it’s difficult not to get lost in this jungle maze of a facility, where you’ll hear as many wild animal sounds in the trees around you as from the permanent residents. What truly makes the zoo unique is the setting, the wildness of the location, and the huge – yet very visible – homes they have created for their 4,500 animals.
Look for signs for special daily programs when you go in. They’re fun and scheduled at different times. Whether they’re telling you insider info about the “chimp wars” and what monkeys are not getting along with each other, or letting you see rhinos get fed by hand, or providing fascinating facts about giraffes and polar bears, pandas, elephants or flamingos, they add to the experience. The narrated 35-minute bus tour is also a good idea to get oriented, and there are “express” buses you can hop on and off to ease getting around. For food and drink, there are themed restaurants around the park with a selection of appropriate beers.

You can’t go to San Diego without going to the Zoo…the only choice is whether to go to the downtown zoo, or the Wild Animal Park, 35 miles north, which has an 1,800-acre wildlife preserve re-creating the plains of Africa. If you can’t do both, on a first visit, go to the downtown zoo.

Neighborhoods of San Diego
San Diego has three cool downtown neighborhoods, all connected by the bright red trolley system. It really doesn’t matter where you stay in San Diego because a $5 daily pass gives you unlimited rides on the trolley, and it goes everywhere you want. There are some bargain mom & pop motels with free parking along the Pacific Highway that are just a block or two from a trolley station. Staying here is convenient and cheap, but can be noisy at night with trains.

In the daytime, ride the trolley to Old Town, a center of some historic (and some re-created) buildings of San Diego that date back to the 1820s. It’s an odd, frenetic little neighborhood, jumping on the weekends with Mexican restaurants, margarita deals, curio shops selling Mexican blankets and pottery, all mixed with some more upscale dining.

In the center is the Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, which covers six square blocks with 20 historic buildings. Cars are banned and it’s a quiet retreat from the rest of the area. There’s as much early California history here as you want. It’s entertaining to see a hacienda and dream of an early, peaceful life here. The free Wells Fargo Museum in the old Colorado Hotel is terrific with an authentic stagecoach and exhibits on Black Bart, a California highwayman who robbed 28 stages, always impeccably dressed with a flour sack over his head topped by a derby hat. Stop at El Fandango for a beer or a margarita and some chips in a romantic, Old California setting.
A truly bizarre free museum here is the Mormon Battalion Visitors Center, run by the Mormon Church. Friendly Mormon seniors will greet you by the canon at the entrance and walk you through exhibits that tell the story. In 1846, the U.S. government called for volunteers for the army being raised in the war against Mexico. To help finance his young church, Brigham Young arranged for 500 Mormons to enlist. They marched 2,000 miles, one of the longest marches in military history, from Council Bluffs, Nebraska, across deserts and mountains, arriving in San Diego a week after the war ended. They never fired a shot, but they did build the first road to Southern California. At the end of the tour, there are interactive genealogy kiosks to trace your family history to see if you’re related to any of the Mormon Battalion….or any other Mormons. It’s a little weird, but fun. And the museum exhibits are great.

Swinging Stingaree & Little Italy

By the 1860s, San Diego had grown from the quiet haciendas of Old Town into a bawdy, honky-tonk port with a red light district called “The Stingaree,” filled with saloons, bordellos, gambling halls and opium dens. Wyatt Earp owned a couple of saloons here. By the 1970s, the neighborhood had not improved much and there was talk of demolishing the whole thing, but happily it survived and today the Victorian buildings have been restored and turned into the Gaslamp Quarter. It’s the center of San Diego’s nightlife with more than 100 restaurants, bars and clubs. On a Thursday night in February, there were 14 bars with live music. When the Padres are playing at nearby PETCO Park, the bars can be super packed, but it’s pretty much busy all the time.

Check out the opulent U.S. Grant Hotel celebrating its 100th birthday this year. There’s a nice Yard House across the street for a quick local Stone IPA, if you are not going to make the trek to their way out-of-town brewery. The Tivoli Bar & Grill is the city’s oldest, and one of many haunts of the local hero, former Marshall Earp.

It’s not quite there, but Gaslamp is evolving into a place with a Bourbon Street or 6th Street Austin or Beale Street feel, without the authenticity and crowded with too many chains, but it’s still fun. After you’ve had a couple beers, the nearby Horton Plaza shopping center will make you feel like you’ve walked into an MC Escher drawing.

Less crazy and a better choice for dinner is Little Italy, a real neighborhood with Italian history, classic red-checked tablecloths, shops selling cheese and Chianti, and even a decent British pub, the Princess www.princespub.com. Most of the action is on India Street. It’s only three or four blocks long, but the long lines at the pizza places tell you that you’ve left “chain” country and found the real deal.

The Jewel of La Jolla

This is why people come to San Diego. Although it’s 12 miles from downtown, this upscale village of 40,000 people is actually part of the city, but it’s a world away in atmosphere. There’s a real Mediterranean feel. The town itself is built on a small hill above the sea and has quiet streets lined with art galleries, outdoor cafes, fine dining restaurants and expensive shops. Like most rich communities, they’ve made it difficult to drive in and out of La Jolla village, but that keeps traffic down and the town center is actually peaceful.

At the bottom of a steep hill is the cove that has made La Jolla famous. The deep blue water, surrounded by a rocky shoreline with cliffs that rise to 300 feet is an incredible sight, especially in the midst of a town.

The whole coast here offers great walking opportunities. Follow the sidewalks along the shore heading south, then hop across rocks on a long sandstone shelf with waves crashing and pelicans sailing overhead. Or walk north above Sunny Jim’s Cave on a dirt path along the tops of cliffs covered with wildflowers. The cave is a small admission and worth it for the walk on the rickety staircase alone.

The middle of the cove is The Children’s Pool, a protected seawall that’s been taken over by Harbor seals. It’s amazing to watch them swim in and waddle up on the sand to sleep. Docents are there to give some background. It’s a truly spectacular, one-of-a-kind setting for a city. For a beer, try the Karl Strauss Brewing Company in the village, a local chain with great brews and food …or drink a bit of history at the Whaling Bar and Grille, a one-time hangout of Gregory Peck and author Raymond Chandler.

Up the North Coast to Del Mar

As beautiful as the cliff walks are in La Jolla, they’re better in Del Mar, the next town up the coast. The village is on a busy street and easy to blow by, but stop and poke around. There are some nice shops, a pleasant pub, Bully’s, an upscale supermarket and a nice breakfast stop in Strafford Square, as well, of course, as L’Auberge Del Mar Resort and Spa, an expensive enclave that is easy to ignore.

The chief attraction here is the beach and the cliff walks, where you can stroll south on the cliff top and come back along the beach. You pick up the cliff walk at the village railroad crossing. Go to the sign along the tracks that says “Private Property, No Trespassing,” and, ignoring the sign, keep on walking along the tracks. Everyone does. There are future signs that warn of unstable cliffs, but everyone ignores those too. The cliff path follows the tracks is lined with fields of purple verbena and wonderful coastal views.

You can walk all the way to Torrey Pines State Park, about 2 miles, and save yourself the $10 fee by continuing up into the park. Hike up the paved road for a mile and a 300-foot elevation gain to the high point. Take in the views, see the famous and rare trees, and then if it’s low tide, descend on the Razor Point Trail to the Beach Trail and on down through the cliffs to Flat Rock. From here, you can walk back to Del Mar on the beach between towering cliffs and pounding surf. It’s about 3 miles back to town and a pint at Bully’s.

The Flower Fields
Carlsbad is one of those Disney-like, faux-European villages with English phone booths, flower gardens, and fake Victorian architecture….all mixed with surfers and a Southern California, Beach Boys vibe. It all works, it’s all fun, and both the beach and town are packed with people.

But Carlsbad’s truly unique experience is the Flower Fields – 50-acres of colorful commercially grown Giant Tecolote Ranunculus flowers. From March to mid-May, there are millions of blossoms at the height of color. Only 1 to 2 percent of the flowers are good enough to be cut for floral shops, the rest are just by-product. But what a by-product, and what an idea to plant them on a hill and let you walk through the blaze of color. It costs $9, but is it worth it for the experience. There are 16 different colors, as well as a rose garden and all sorts of special events and kids activities.

Further up the North Coast

There’s a week’s worth of great day trips from San Diego, all within an hour or so drive. The first grapes ever planted in California were grown in Escondido in the mid-1700s by the early Franciscan brothers. Today, Orfila Vineyards & Winery is still growing grapes on the same dry hills and in the last 10 years they have won more than 1,300 medals. It’s a very pretty setting with a gorgeous building and deck overlooking the vineyards. They offer a self-guided tour and tastings.

Nearby is the San Pasqual Battlefield – the bloodiest battle fought in California during the Mexican War. On December 6, 1846, a force of 100 U.S. troops that had come all the way from Kansas clashed with a small army of Californio men. The U.S. cavalry had only small swords, the Californios had long lances that gave them a great advantage and they tore through the Americans, killing 22 men. It looked bad for the Americans, but their scout, Kit Carson, snuck through enemy lines to San Diego and was able to bring back help.

Escondido is also the site of the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park, a full day excursion well worth the trip. Nearby Oceanside is home to the pretty Mission San Luis Rey. Known as the “king of the missions,” it was begun in 1798 and by 1830 it was the largest building in California. There’s a small museum and nice grounds, but if you only have the interest or time to visit one mission, make it the Mission San Juan Capistrano. Beyond the famous swallows that return every year, this is one incredibly beautiful and peaceful place with gardens and fountains that rival any in the country. Admission price includes an audio tour that is very well done and fascinating. The great stone church built here in 1797 collapsed in an earthquake in 1812, killing 42 Indian worshippers. It is still in ruins. The surrounding town is also worth a journey with fun restaurants in a funky historic district around the railroad station.

Just 10 minutes away is beautiful Dana Point with the Ocean Institute and two tall-masted sailing ships. The Brig Pilgrim is a full-size replica of the hide brig that Richard Henry Dana, Jr. sailed aboard and chronicled in his classic, Two Years Before the Mast, one of the great sailing books ever written. It would take 120 days to sail here from Boston to take on a shipload of cowhides for the shoe factories in Massachusetts.

They also have the schooner The Spirit of Dana Point, which goes out on sailing excursions.
For more information on San Diego.

"Old" Puerto Vallarta Lives on at Three Small Villages

noreply@blogger.com (richgrant) — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 17:12:00 +0000

When Puerto Vallarta was “discovered” in the 1960s by film director John Houston and used as a location for a Richard Burton-Elizabeth Taylor movie, it was a remote, almost inaccessible Mexican fishing village with a palm-lined beach, surrounded by rocky cliffs and wild jungle mountain. There was a dirt airstrip and only one road in and out of town, and it was often closed.

Well, those days are long gone. Vallarta, or PV as locals call it, is a city of a quarter million people with a huge tourism infrastructure welcoming millions of tourists and cruise ship passengers every year.

But it’s still easy to get away from town and return to that edge-of-the-world, jungle beach-paradise feeling at three small, nearby villages: Yelapa, Sayulita and San Poncho.

Drinking Cerveza at a Palapa in Yelapa
Until a few years ago, Yelapa had no outside electricity and no roads. Today, power has come to this town of 700 people and there is a tough, four-wheel drive road hacked through the jungle, but almost all visitors still arrive by boat.

You can catch an hour-long water taxi from the main pier in PV, but it’s more exotic to take a bus or drive along the rugged, cliff-lined coast six miles south to Boca de Tomatlan. This is the “end of the line,” the southernmost town on Bahia de Banderas (the 7th largest bay in the world). From here, the paved road turns away from the sea and heads southeast, climbing up into the jungle and mountains. To the west there is 50 miles of coast that is only accessible by water.

Boca definitely feels like the “end of the line.” Jungle palm trees come to the edge of the bay, and the only sounds at the few waterside restaurants come from birds overhead or waiters snapping open bottles of Pacifico.

All activity centers on the boat dock, where launches holding 6 to 15 passengers leave every hour or so for a string of beachside villages: Playa Las Animas, Quimixto and -- the farthest out and most popular -- Yelapa. It costs $10 for a roundtrip, 35-minute boat ride to Yelapa, and you get your money’s worth. The trip can get quite rough in heavy seas (prepare to get wet), but as you round a rocky point and get your first view of paradise, Yelapa appears like a dream.

Verdant, green jungle pours down to a turquoise-colored bay, where on a thin sliver of sand there are a dozen or so palapa restaurants…and nothing else. Large numbers of people settle in for the day here, snacking on grilled shrimp, fish and beer, while the waves lap up to their feet, but the town is worth exploring. A jungle river divides the town from the restaurants; you can hike a half-mile into the jungle to the one bridge, or just wade across the knee-high stream.

There are a couple of general stores in town, and there’s a pleasant hike to a 150-foot high waterfall (which has, of course, an accompanying restaurant and bar), but the most fun is just seeing the houses and people who live here. There are 20 restaurants and 34 houses or small inns that take overnight guests, so with “day-trippers,” it’s a lively enough place, but still so quiet you can always hear the birds, the surf and the occasional clip-clop of a local riding a horse. Judging by the horse traffic on the town’s only street, the locals don’t walk anywhere they can ride.

Water taxis come all morning and leave at 4 and 5:30 in the afternoon. We dined on fresh fish and vegetables at Domingo’s, one of the seaside restaurants, and other than occasionally having to lift your feet for a rouge wave that washed up under the table, it could not have been more peaceful. A great Web site, http://www.yalapa.info/ has information on accommodations. People staying in town raved about the view of the stars at night…but if you crave a little more action at night than stars, then it’s time to head north of PV to Mexico’s hottest tourism destination.

Sayulita Serenade

There are condo developments, all-inclusives and private gated communities going in to the north and south, and it’s only a matter of time before Sayulita looks like the congested madness that has taken over Bucerias to the south. But for now, this little town 20 miles north of the PV airport is just about perfect.

For years, it survived as an out-of-the-way surfer paradise, accessible by dirt road with a mile-long beach, big breakers, and a string of beachside palapas. The surfers are still there, along with a wild assortment of hippies and beachcombers. There are drums at sunset, dreadlocks and bikinis, and the smell of marijuana is always present.

But paved roads have brought shopping, dining and lodging (and the first wave of tourists) so the town – a half dozen streets scattered between the beach and a small plaza -- is jumping. You can stay in a basic double room overlooking the waves for just $40, but two great, more upscale places to stay in town, just a block from the beach, offer gigantic bungalows with kitchens and outdoor patios for $80 a night. http://www.sayulitabugalows.com/ and Aurinko Bungalows, http://www.sayulita-vacations.com/tions.com/. There’s a general store across the street with an ATM and you can walk to a dozen restaurants.

What’s really surprising is that Sayulita offers better, easier and more fun shopping than PV. Galeria Gypsy is a shop devoted to crazy Mexico, everything from Day of the Dead to Mexican wrestling, all fun, all unique, with even some items from India thrown in. The owners scour Mexico looking for fun, moderately priced Mexican folk art. A block away, La Hamaca has put together a two-story shop of some of the finest indigenous folk art in the country, all displayed in a store that is absolutely beautiful. Weavings and pottery, jewelry and Huichol beaded art work, and all at reasonable prices. The dozen or so shops in town stay open until 9 p.m. every day, filling that void between sunset and serious drinking.

Then it’s time to head to the Sayulita Fish Taco and Tequila Bar, which has an incredible 330 different tequilas to try. If owner Mark Alberto is at the bar, he’ll teach you the elaborate process to go through to taste tequila in the proper way (it involves lots of swishing tequila around your lips and mouth before swallowing). They also have an incredible shrimp burrito for $5 and a second story deck overlooking the plaza.

There are plenty of restaurants on the cobblestone back streets of town, but the beach restaurants are hard to beat. Try the mixed seafood ceviche – shrimp, scallops and octopus cured in lime and fruit juices and served with green pepper, tomatoes and avocado.

Sayulita is not “deep” Mexico. You’re as likely to hear English as Spanish and it’s filled with ex-pats and snowbirds. But it’s not “resort” Mexico either. For the moment, it’s a barely discovered hole-in-the-wall, surrounded on either side by rocky headlands and jungle, with a surf that’s too strong for most swimmers, surfer bars that smell as much of marijuana as beer, quiet backstreets (if you want ‘em) and bars that rock if you don’t. And the stars? Well, they may be brighter in Yelapa…but not by much.

Sunset in San Poncho
San Pancho does not exist on maps. It’s official name is San Francisco, but that’s too high-sounding a name for this one cobblestone street town, so they call it by it’s nickname, “San Pancho.” (Pancho Villa’s real name was Francisco, so all Francisco’s are nicknamed Pancho).

Located just three kilometers north of Sayulita, the village is light years away in atmosphere. There are fewer pot-smoking hippies (not that there’s anything wrong with that) and a more pervasive, upscale atmosphere with fancier restaurants and galleries. Even the sand in the beach is softer.
This is a quiet place, except for the surf, which is almost an exact duplicate of Sayulita – rock headlands to the north and south and a curving arc of sand for a mile in between, pounded by big waves that make swimming chancy. Much of the beach at San Pancho backs up to private houses, which is good in that it will keep away major development. The center of town has the usual beach palapa restaurants.

The big story in San Pancho is the La Patrona Polo Club Restaurant, Bar, Lounge & Café – an incredible complex that has a full scale polo field in the center of the village with Saturday night polo games, dressage shows, and an exquisite, multi-story outdoor bar with live music after the matches. It’s simply amazing…and it’s one of two places along this part of the coast (the Break Fast in Sayulita is the other) that offers Modello Chope – a new Mexican beer that adds nitrogen to an amber beer, creating a Guinness-like concoction that foams on top. If Guinness is the “blond in the black dress,” this is the “brunette in the brown.” Delicious and different.

There’s only one hotel in the village, but it’s a beauty – Hotel Cielo Rojo (http://www.hotelcielorojo.com/) for about $100 a night. There are a couple of gorgeous galleries (the Galeria Azul had a Spanish guitarist playing on Saturday night and wonderful photographs and paintings) and several fine dining restaurants, as well as a number of local places. Compared to Sayulita, this is a sleepy little town, with lots of charm – and money -- but still a pretty undiscovered territory. The one brochure in English reads: “Today San Pancho is a beautiful place witch will become you return again and again and again (volver volver voler).” Can’t argue with that.

And they have a much better sunset than Sayulita, with the sun dropping directly into the sea, instead of over headlands. If nothing else, come for the sunset and a walk on the beach, then stroll through the town, brushing the odd rooster and chicken out of the way. Spend 24 hours here, and you’ll know every dog in town like an old friend.

Up the Coast…The “Riviera Nayarit”
No matter how much you might like things to stay the same, you can’t blame Mexico for trying to make money from tourism, and the next huge resort boom is the so-called “Riviera Nayarit,” the whole coastal area north of PV up to San Blas and beyond. There are developments and billboards for new developments, and when they say this area of wild rocky coast, jungle, mountains and high surf is the “new Cancun,” well, it’s time for a quick shutter and another tequila.

Nayarit is the Mexican state just north of Jalisco (the state that contains PV). At the present, they are in a different time zone, so 30 minutes from the PV airport, you lose an hour in time. Don’t change your watch – especially if you have to eventually catch a plane in the old time zone. Time does not matter a whole lot in Mexico anyway, and they are going to be switching to one time zone soon.

Though there are already several awful all-inclusives and retirement communities going up, it’s still worth the drive to Rincon de Guayabitos – an authentic, colorful, Mexican beach resort town that is especially fun on Sunday when it’s filled with locals and music and hundreds of pelicans. Playa Lo De Marcos is between San Pancho and Guayabitos and is the last undiscovered country – the place to buy, if you’re so inclined. The beach looks nice, but this is one sleepy town at the moment.

Partying in PV
Of course – since you’re there at the airport anyway – any trip to PV should include a night or two in town. For $80, you can have a balcony above a wild, palm tree-lined, pounding, rocky surf at Hotel Playa Conchas Chinas (http://www.conchaschinas.com/). It’s a mile walk to town on a trail that occasionally hugs a cliff, at other times requires racing across a pocket beach before the waves crash in, but if that’s too much, it’s a five minute, 20 cent bus ride.

In town, the Funky Monkey on the malecon – the town’s seaside sidewalk – has real $1 margaritas and a second story view. La Bodeguita Del Medio is a chain (out of the legendary Hemingway bar in Havana, Cuba, by way of London and Prague) and as crazy as it sounds, it’s fun with live music, Cuban food, and rum drinks (which is a nice change from tequila). In the day, swing by the Naval Museum (on the malecon next to the arches) – it’s free and tells the story of pirates and Spanish galleons.

Of course, the most fun in PV is climbing up and getting lost on the cobblestone backstreets, walking the malecon at midnight when the open air dance clubs are in full swing, eating shrimp on the beach, walking along the river at night, hanging out at Playa de los Muertos pier with fishermen at sunset, watching pelicans swoop in for dinner, sitting in the plaza in front of the cathedral, admiring the art and statues along the water, drinking tequila in a local bar, watching the street performers (they get better the more you drink), listening to the strains of a mariachi band playing in the distance…. and avoiding Senor Frog and cruise ship passengers as much as possible.

Walking and Drinking Beer in Central Park

noreply@blogger.com (richgrant) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:36:00 +0000

Strolling New York’s Central Park is one of the great urban walks of the world and as a bonus, it offers the best outdoor bar in Manhattan.

Of course, you’ll have to share that bar with the park’s 25 million annual visitors. This is the most popular green space in America – and the most recognizable. More than 200 films have been shot here. From romantic Annie Hall to Death Wish, Love Story to Fatal Attraction, Central Park has seen it all.

But strangely, most of the people who visit the park have no idea what they are seeing.
As they stroll down the shady 58 miles of paths through a landscape of rolling lawns, trees and lakes, populated above by some 250 species of birds, they have little awareness that they are walking in one of the greatest man-made wonders of the world. Because everything in this lovely park of 500,000 trees, shrubs and plants was created by man, all in an area that once was a dismal swamp.

When the idea of a park was first proposed in 1844 by newspaper editor William Cullen Bryant, New York had a population of a half million people, most living in crowded and cramped conditions below 38th Street. Bryant proposed creating a public park that would offer families a place to escape for carriage rides and give working-class New Yorkers a “healthy alternative to the saloon.”

By 1853, the city had spent $5 million to buy 6 percent of Manhattan Island – a slice of property a half-mile wide by 2.5 miles long. The land was basically worthless for development and filled with swamps, bluffs and rocky outcrops, as well as being home to some 1,600 poor Irish pig farmers and 3,000 African Americans, all of whom would have to be relocated.
There was no public landscaped park in America at this time, so in 1857 a landscape design competition was held to decide what to do with all this space. The winning design, submitted by the park’s superintendent, Frederick Law Olmsted, and an English born architect and gardener, Calvert Vaux, called for creating pastoral landscapes reminiscent of English paintings filled with rolling meadows and deep woods, offset by huge public spaces where the elite of New York could gather and stroll on terraces. Commercial roads through park would be sunk nine feet deep so that bridal paths and walks would go over them uninterrupted on a series of 36 bridges.
Building the park became one of the most massive construction projects in New York history. Twenty thousand Irish workers labored for 15 years. More gunpowder than was exploded at Gettysburg was used to blast out mountains of rock, while an estimated 10 million horse-drawn carts rolled in and out of the park, dragging away debris and swamp and bringing back rich topsoil from New Jersey. Ninety-five miles of pipe were laid underground to feed the six man-made lakes, reservoirs and streams, while European craftsman created seven splashing, ornamental fountains and German gardeners planted a quarter million trees and shrubs. Finally, 9,000 benches (seven miles of seats) were placed near ponds, overlooks and in wooded glens under stately elms.
In its first decades, the park was a place for the wealthy, who arrived by carriage in top hats to stroll the Mall. But as poor immigrants moved north on Manhattan, eventually surrounding the park, its character changed. By the 1970s, Central Park was one of the most dangerous places in the city with every building covered by graffiti, while park benches were missing their slats and garbage and litter were everywhere.

Then in 1980, control of the park was given to the Central Park Conservancy (http://www.centralparknyc.org/). To date, this private, non-profit organization has raised more than $500 million and restored Central Park to the brilliancy of the original design by Olmsted and Vaux. A team of 49 gardeners keep the 843 acres in immaculate condition. Today, the park is safe, spotlessly clean and litter-free. Amazingly, all 125 water fountains work, while the scrubbed restrooms play classical music. Dogs can walk in many places off leash, and the park is filled with musicians and music of all kinds.

Most visitors enter Central Park from the south at 59th Street, either by the Plaza Hotel on 5th Avenue or Columbus Circle on Broadway. There are maps posted in logical places, filled with photos of nearby things to see. A new feature asks cell phone users to call (646) 862-0997. Touch tone the extension posted at different sites and you can hear celebrities describe what you are seeing, from Whoopi Goldberg talking about Wollman Skating Rink to Sarah Jessica Parker reminiscing at the Pond to Jerry Seinfeld telling jokes about the Mall. There are bike tours, bike rentals, walking tours, pedi-cabs and surprisingly inexpensive horse-drawn carriage rides (just $34 for the first half hour, $10 for each additional 15 minutes).
But the best way to experience the park is to just wander, get hopelessly lost and look for these treasures along the way.

The Loeb Boathouse (75th Street) (http://www.thecentralparkboathouse.com/boathouse.com/rkboathouse.com/house.com/) The restaurant is expensive, but go into the restaurant and to the left and there is a green outdoor bar with lakeside tables and chairs. It’s all self-seating, so grab a $7 Stella at the bar, fight your way to a table and enjoy the best outdoor view in New York. The restaurant bar also overlooks the lake and would be a little warmer in inclement weather. There are 100 boats for rent here too, as well as bicycle rentals.

The Pond and Gapstow Bridge (62st Street): Similar to the Ponte di San Francesco in San Remo, Italy, this graceful stone bridge is an icon of Central Park and the subject of many posters and postcards. The banks of The Pond are lined with flowers; the reflection of the nearby skyscrapers make this one of the park’s most visited spots.
The Mall (66th Street): One of the grandest elm-lined walkways in the world, the Mall is a four-block-long pedestrian promenade where you’ll find many of the park’s 51 statues.

Bethesda Terrace & Fountain (72nd Street): The “heart of the park” is this ornamental fountain and terrace. It is probably the park’s most photographed spot. Two sweeping staircases lead down to a terrace, where the gentry of New York once came to be seen. Today, it is one of the best people-watching spots in New York and home to world-class street performers.

Strawberry Fields (72nd Street): On December 8, 1980, John Lennon was shot dead as he entered his home at the Dakota Apartment Building at 72nd and Central Park. The former Beatle loved walking in the park with his wife and young son. Through the generosity of his widow, Yoko Ono, a 2.5-parcel of the park was re-landscaped and named Strawberry Fields, in honor of the Beatle’s song, Strawberry Fields Forever. From Yoko’s 7th floor apartment in the Dakota, the area looks like a giant teardrop. Ten thousand tiles from Italy spell out a simple mosaic with just one word: “Imagine.” Strawberry Fields opened on October 9, 1985, which would have been John’s 45th birthday. Today, music fans gather here every year on that date.

Bow Bridge and the Lake (73rd Street): Another classic movie location, Bow Bridge was completed in 1862 and was built entirely of cast iron. The 22-acre lake is best seen by row boat, with looming skyscrapers in the background. You can get a boat at the Loeb Boathouse for just $12 an hour.

The Ramble (77th Street): Just north of the lake, walk under the picturesque Ramble Arch into a maze of trails and paths through a forest woodland with streams and waterfalls. Though it looks wild, every single thing was planned and planted. Olmsted wrote: “Every foot of the park, every tree and bush, every arch, roadway and walk, has been fixed where it is with a purpose.”

Belvedere Castle (79th Street): Designed in 1865, this castle offers breathtaking views over the Great Lawn and is an entry way to the Shakespeare Garden, a quiet place in the park where the only plants are flowers that were mentioned in Shakespeare’s plays. This is the main weather station for New York. You can climb to the top tower on stone circular stairway.

The Obelisk – Cleopatra’s Needle (82nd Street): The oldest monument in America was erected in Heliopolis around 1500 B.C. and moved by Rome’s Augustus Caesar to Alexandria in 12 B.C. Depending on who you ask, it was either given to America as a token of good faith or stolen by William Vanderbilt, but in 1879 it came to New York and was erected near the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The amazing museum, perhaps the most celebrated museum in America, sits nearby at 81st Street and is, of course, worth a day on its own.

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir (90th Street): This 106-acre reservoir is 40-feet deep and holds a billion gallons of water. The 1.58-mile running track along its edge is one of the city’s favorite jogging spots. Since the reservoir no longer supplies water to New York, there is great debate about what to do with it, ranging from adding beaches, restaurants and marina to filling it in for ball fields.

Conservatory Garden: This hidden gem at Fifth Avenue and 105th Street is actually three gardens based on classic English, French and Italian designs. Filled with fountains and flowers, walkways and tree-shaded paths, it is the only formal garden in Central Park, and one of the park’s most secret and deserted retreats.

Duke Ellington Statue: This rather bizarre statue sits at the top of the park’s northeast corner at 110th Street. Dedicated to the African-American jazz composer and band leader, the monument has Duke standing next to a piano on top of pillars made up of nine very shapely nude women. They’re supposed to be the “muses” that inspired him. Okay. But it’s no wonder they called him the “Duke.”

Wollman Rink (62nd Street): From mid-October through March, one of the highlights of Central Park is skating on this 33,000 square foot rink, surrounded by skyscrapers and views. In fall, the white of the ice is offset by the color of the surrounding trees. Climb the rocks above the skating rink for one of the best views in Manhattan.

IF YOU GO: Central Park also has a famous zoo, a Shakespeare theatre, the famous Tavern on the Green restaurant, four inexpensive outdoor cafes, and the Conservatory Water, where the little mouse Stuart Little had his famous boat race and where New Yorkers sail model boats on the weekend. And that’s just the beginning. There are two excellent Web sites for information: http://www.centralparknyc.org/ is the Conservancy’s site; and http://www.centralpark.com/ is a commercial site. Columbus Avenue runs parallel to the park two blocks away and is lined with outdoor cafes and great bars.

Riding Trains and Drinking Tequila in....Tequila!

noreply@blogger.com (richgrant) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:22:00 +0000

If you drank eight different shots of tequila a day, it would still take a 100 days to work your way through every variety of tequila available in the Mexican state of Jalisco. They take tequila very seriously here in central Mexico.
With more than 800 different brands of tequila to explore, one of the most fun way of studying this particular fire-water is by riding the legendary Tequila Express – an excursion railroad that runs a rolling party from Guadalajara down 40 km of rusting track to the Hacienda San Jose del Refugio, near the town of Tequila (http://www.tequilaexpress.com.mx/ilaexpress.com.mx/).

Of course, “express” is a relative term. This “express” train takes an hour and forty-five minutes to chug just 24 miles, but that gives you plenty of time to admire the scenery of rolling hills covered with fields of cultivated blue agave – the spiny, cactus-like plant from which tequila is made. And the long train journey also gives you plenty of time to drink tequila, accompanied by a dozen mariachi players, who move from car to car, bringing a bedlam of blaring brass and strumming guitars with them.
The ride begins at Guadalajara’s train station with our guide offering some basic information about Mexico’s national drink.
To be called “tequila,” the liquor must be distilled from a fermented concoction that is at least 51 percent the juice of an agave plant grown in Jalisco, the Mexican state that covers the very heart and central part of the country. The mixed stuff is generally considered rock-gut; all really good tequilas are distilled from 100 percent agave juice, and will be marked as such on the bottle. A “sister” drink, mescal, is made from agave grown outside of Jalisco and has slight variations in how it is prepared.
There are four basic types of tequila. Tequila blanco or silver tequila is distilled and bottled with no aging and is clear; a gold variety is the same thing with caramel added for coloring. Aged tequila is a new phenomenon that only dates back to 1989 when Don Julio invented it by accident. He served some friends a personal tequila that he had stored in his office in an oak cask. The aged drink was a sensation. Today, tequila reposado (rested) has been aged two to 11 months in oak casks. Tequila anejo (aged) has sat at least a year in a barrel. Both tequilas interact with the oak, taking on a pleasant dark amber color, while becoming much smoother and sweeter – perfect for sipping rather than mixing in drinks, much like a single malt scotch. Tequila anejo can also become very expensive, selling for up to $400 U.S. a bottle.
With the short tequila train lecture over, our guide says it’s now time to try some! As the countryside rolls by and the mariachis play, it’s five happy train carloads of guests who sample a variety of tequilas, before finally arriving at the Hacienda San Jose del Refugio, home of the famous Herradura tequila factory. It was here in 1870 that Don Ambrosio Rosales discovered a horseshoe in a field and made it the “good luck” symbol of his tequila. Today, Herradura is one of the most famous and traditional of all tequilas.
The hacienda is organized somewhat like a kibbutz. Inside its long, adobe walls, it is home to five generations of workers, who live in the attractive compound of colorful houses and cobblestone streets. You must be a relative of a previous worker to live in the sprawling hacienda.
On a tour of the grounds, craftsman show how the spines of the cactus-like agave plant are cut away to reveal a big, “pineapple-like” ball in the heart of the plant. Called a “pina,” these giant pineapples are loaded on conveyor belts and cooked by huge ovens for 26 hours. Then, the roasted balls are crushed and juiced and the liquid is allowed to ferment naturally in the open air into a low alcohol, beer-like product called pulque. No yeast is added at Herradura, all fermentation is natural. Mango and citrus trees planted around the hacienda add natural ingredients to the air to help the fermentation process.
From here, the pulque is distilled twice to make it tequila. The hacienda museum preserves century-old distilling equipment with copper tubing, vats and eerie lighting that make it appear more like Frankenstein’s laboratory. Today, modern distilling makes tequila a minimum of 38 percent alcohol, although Herradura makes a variety with a higher alcoholic content of 45 percent.
Which we were happy to taste, while enjoying a Mexican extravaganza of a buffet lunch, mariachi music, colorful dancers and a charreada, a Mexican rodeo with trick roping and riding. All these traditions – so identified with Mexico -- come from Jalisco. As does sangrita, Mexico’s partner for tequila. Order an “un completo” in any bar and you will be served two tall shot glasses, one with tequila and one with a spicy red mixture called sangrita, a non-alcoholic drink that “completes” the tequila. The idea is to take small sips from each glass. To really become a local, order a “bandera,” which adds a glass of lime juice, replicating the red, white and green of the national flag.
There are as many recipes for sangrita as there are for tequila, but most involve grapefruit, orange and lime juice, chili powder, hot sauce, jalapeno or tomato juice. Mexicans believe that sangrita’s combination of tart juice and fiery chili wards off hangovers.
After the lunch, fiesta and dancing, the train finally departs at 6 p.m. with, yes, more tequila, mariachis and madness for another two hours, dropping the survivors back at the Guadalajara station at 8 p.m. You’ll need a cab from here – no one drives home from the Tequila Express.

Guadalajara, Guadalajara!

With more than 4 million people, Mexico’s second largest city can be modern, sprawling and congested, but it also offers a wonderful, colonial, pedestrian-friendly downtown worth spending a day or two exploring. Start at the Catedral de Guadalajara. Begun in 1561, this is the heart of the city, surrounded by plazas, shopping and incredible architecture. The balcony of La Antigua Restaurant and Bar at Morelos 371, overlooking Plaza Guadalajara and the cathedral, is a great place to grab a local amber Victoria beer, eat some delicious garlic shrimp and plan an attack.
Plaza Liberacion, to the east, has the most colorful activity with everything from balloon vendors to Aztec dancers and drummers performing their ancient ceremonies beside a wild statue of revolutionary leader Miguel Hidalgo. More on him later.
The Mercado Libertad is “deep Mexico,” with hanging pig’s heads at the butcher shop, herb and spice stalls, acres of produce and windows filled with mystical interpretations of devils and ghouls, no doubt to ward off evil spirits. Don’t miss the songbirds for sale in cages in the back courtyard.
Plaza de los Mariachis is a bit disappointing mid-week, but on Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons it allegedly jumps with mariachis bands. The very first mariachis began right here in the1860s as cowboy troubadour groups.
The Instituto Cultural de Cabanas is a Unesco heritage site and architectural gem, approached via a long pedestrian mall lined with shops, restaurants, fountains and statues. The rest of the square mile historic district has pocket parks and churches, museums on history and art, colonnaded walkways, courtyard cafes, and all manner of shops and department stores. It’s not as uniformly historic as the Zocalo of Mexico City and there are many tasteless modern buildings mixed in with old treasures. But there’s a relaxed and friendly vibe to the city – and certainly no hint of danger. Guadalajara feels safer than most American cities. There are horse-drawn carriage rides for the tourists, but you’ll do better on foot…and the horses look like they can use the rest.

Tlaquepaque

Besides being fun to say (tlah-keh-pah-keh), this is Guadalajara’s Beverly Hills, a truly pleasant pedestrian street, 7 km from downtown. Lined with upscale artisan shops, cafes, parks, hanging walls of brilliant pink bougainvilleas and quiet courtyards this is a lazy, tree-shaded town with a gleaming white basilica and plenty of cast iron benches to while away an afternoon. Marimbas are popular and several groups hustle around town playing them. El Parian, at the end of the mall, is an open courtyard shared by a half dozen bars and restaurants. Here, you can sip a beer watching the street action, or sit quietly in the center court listening to live music.
Tlaquepaque is known throughout the region for offering some of the finest arts and crafts in the nation; many of the galleries represent artisans who work on-site. Like Beverly Hills, the stores are not cheap, but with its compact shopping area and more than 200 shops, restaurants and boutiques, this is the shopping destination in central Mexico and more fun, traffic-free and relaxed than any shopping district in Mexico City.

Tequila

The town of Tequila is less than an hour from Guadalajara and offers a quiet village of cobblestone streets, all surrounded by a sea of rolling hills covered with blue agave. Tequila was first introduced here in 1795 by Jose Cuervo, who received the exclusive government contract to distill it. Tours of the Cuervo distillery are available in English and Spanish (www.mundocuervo.com), and offer a variety of tasting options. The grounds and shops are beautiful.
In the central town square, don’t miss the bubble machine man, who pushes a cart dispensing bubbles, followed by a small army of kids. There’s also the National Museum of Tequila and any number of shops specializing in tequila and tequila souvenirs.

Ruta 2010 – Walking and Drinking Cerveza
on the Road to Revolution
By a stroke of good fortune for the Mexican tourism office, both of Mexico’s revolutions began a hundred years apart – in 1810 and 1910. Assuming the country doesn’t follow suit and have yet another revolution next year, this will lead to one big historic celebration in 2010.
Routes that follow the various military campaigns have been laid out with one leaving from Guadalajara that goes to the three most historic towns of Mexico’s 1810 revolt: Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato and San Miguel. Happily, they are also some of the most beautiful and charming destinations in central Mexico. http://www.bicentennial.gob.mx/

Town of Pain..and Ice Cream
Dolores, which means “pain,” is the least attractive but most historic of the three. It was here on September 16, 1810 (a date celebrated in Mexico as a national holiday) that a rather bizarre priest named Father Miguel Hidalgo rang the bell of his church and issued the “El Grito de Dolores” – a call to revolution against Spain. Hidalgo gambled, danced and fathered seven children, but this unorthodox padre is a Mexican national hero and his fiery, bald-headed image shouting out for independence can be seen throughout the country in countless murals, statues and even at the entrance of San Miguel’s largest disco.
Hidalgo and compatriot Ignacio Allende threw together an army of 80,000 machete-armed rebels, who captured Guanajuato, San Miguel and Guadalajara, before meeting disaster against well disciplined royalist troops. Hidalgo and Allende were captured, executed and beheaded. Their heads hung in iron cages in Guanajuato for 10 years, until independence was finally won in 1821.
Today, Dolores is much more peaceful. You can visit Hidalgo’s home, see the bell he rang for freedom (the Liberty Bell of Mexico) and visit a museum on the revolution, but most people stop here for ice cream in the pleasant town square. In one of those quirks of Mexico that you just accept, Dolores has become a national center for homemade ice cream. You can get dozens of flavors that include favorites such as beer, tequila, avocado, cheese and even fried pork skin. If flavors such as corn ice cream don’t appeal, they also have every tropical fruit flavor imaginable, all served at the corners of the square from distinctive stands.

Guanajuato
Three and half-hours from Guadalajara, just forty minutes from Dolores, is one of the great colonial gems of Mexico – the incredible silver mining town of Guanajuato. As much as a quarter of the world’s silver has come from this town. Founded in the 1550s, there are still eight active mines in the area.
The wealth of the hills was poured into fanciful (and colorful) Baroque and neoclassical buildings, churches, mansions, parks and homes, that are painted wild colors, from turquoise to brilliant burnt orange. But it is the location that is truly different. Built in a steep valley, the town spills up the sides of the mountains in twisting cobblestone streets, stairways and alleys that have a real European feel. The main roads of the town are underground – five miles of tunnels that branch off, interconnect and meet up again – all underground. The unique layout, preserved architecture and wonderful pedestrian-friendly center have won Guanajuato a designation as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Jardin de la Union is the center of the city – a wonderful triangular park of cast iron benches and trimmed trees, lined on all sides with umbrella-filled outdoor cafes. It has the feeling of Italy or Spain. Nearby is the university, the elegant Teatro Juarez and the Basilica of Guanajuato, but it is the plazuelas (the pocket parks) that you will remember. Built wherever there is a flat spot, these little green spaces offer an oasis from the labyrinth of narrow, twisting streets – one of which is so tight, it is called the kissing alley because legend has it that two lovers kissed across the alley from balconies on either side.
In the evening, groups of Estudiantinas (musicians dressed as 19th century troubadours) stroll the alleys, serenading tourists. It’s a little corny, but great fun, though it must drive the local residents crazy to be serenaded every night.
The town has an inexplicable love affair with Don Quixote (there are statues everywhere and a museum) and in October, kicks off a yearly, three-week Cervantes Festival that celebrates all the arts with music and dance in the streets.
Bars are everywhere and inexpensive. It’s no surprise that Zorro and Once Upon a Time in Mexico were filmed here. This is romantic Mexico, so wildly beautiful and colorful that it’s difficult to believe this is an actual working town of 140,000 people and not some movie set. Ride the funicular to the hilltop for a stunning view at twilight, have a drink at a café around a square, poke in the galleries and shops, and get lost in the backstreet alleys. This is one great town.

San Miguel de Allende

San Miguel is arguably the most Americanized town in Mexico with a Starbucks and 8,000 (about 10 percent) of the population being ex-pats and Europeans. But don’t let that bother you – it’s also one of the most beautiful towns you will ever visit.
Founded in the 1542, the colorful colonial town became an artist colony and beatnik hang-out in the 1950s and has been declared a Mexican national monument.
The 24-square block historic center is a dream of earth colors -- ochre, yellow, brown, pale green and burnt orange adobe buildings. Some of them are nearly 500 years old; all are adorned with antique wooden doors and line an up and down, hilly maze of cobblestone streets, offset by elegant shops and shop windows…all under the soft, pale light of a 6,000-foot high mountain desert.
Deep Mexico is around every corner. Step in the market or pause outside one of the dozen historic churches and you’re sure to meet an old women begging for centavos. But on the next corner is a courtyard restaurant with a wall of flowers that would be at home in Santa Fe or St. Moritz.
The center of town is El Jardin, the quessential Mexican plaza of cast iron benches and boxed laurel trees, lined with colonnades of arches from colonial days. There are any number of bars here for a Victoria beer and the sunset show when thousands of grackles go crazy, roosting in the trees, as lovers walk by.
The rose-colored, La Parroquia, a Gothic church of crazy spires allegedly inspired by a European postcard, overlooks the square and completes the picture that, Starbucks aside, you’re not in Kansas anymore.
San Miguel has the home of the other beheaded hero, Ignacio Allende (for whom the town is named). There are galleries galore and museums, but it’s also a great place to just wander and walk, order a tequila “un completo” at an outdoor café, and watch the color of the buildings change as the sun moves lower on the horizon and the hundreds of historic lanterns start to glow. Nobody but the taxi cabs are in a hurry, and even they will pause, briefly, rather than run you down. There’s just time for another “un completo” before the mariachis start playing in the plaza.

Riding Ferries and Drinking Rum in the Virgin Islands

noreply@blogger.com (richgrant) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 16:40:00 +0000

The title is a little deceptive, because just about the only place in the Virgin Islands where you can’t drink rum or beer is on the ferries. When you see how these passenger boats pitch and roll on their fast run between islands, you can understand the “no eating or drinking, all passengers must be seated” policy.
But once on land, it’s anything goes. As a U.S. territory (residents are citizens, but can’t vote for president), the three U.S. Virgin Islands have all their own laws. Driving is on the left, British style. The drinking age is 18 and there are no open container laws -- you can drink a beer on the street, on the beach, on a hiking trail or anywhere you like. You can even take an open beer into and out of any of the many bars on the three islands. There are, of course, strict drinking and driving laws, but go on foot, and the laws are pretty much the same as when pirates ruled the land.

Welcome to the Virgin Islands
Located a thousand miles southeast of Miami, the three U.S. Virgin Islands (and 50 or so neighboring British Virgin Islands) are at the northwest tip of the Lesser Antilles…that circular band of islands that separates the Caribbean Sea from the Atlantic.
Compared to the larger islands of Jamaica, Puerto Rico and Cuba, the Virgins are just specks in the sea. St. John is the size of Manhattan, many of the islands are smaller and most are uninhabited. They look like lush green mountaintops sticking up out of a turquoise sea, many of them rising up to 1,700 feet in height and all of them visible from each other. And of course, they are ringed with some of the most gorgeous and famous white sand beaches on earth. The relatively safe waters with lots of pristine anchorages make it a top bare-boat sailing destination, and the marinas on Tortola, the sailing capital, are filled with sailboats available for weeklong charters.
It’s deep Caribbean – the dream everyone has of get-away-from-it-all islands, exotic but safe, easily negotiated, hassle free…and as a result, expensive and crowded. Most people see the Virgin Islands in one of three ways: chartering boats on expensive sailing vacations; staying at even more expensive, uber-upscale resorts or invading the islands with mobs of their fellow shipmates on frantic day trips from cruise ships.
But there is an alternative. Go to St. John in the off-season of May and June, before the hurricanes and after the mobs, and there are a number of reasonably priced small inns in the town of Cruz Bay that make an excellent base to go island hopping by ferry. We stayed at the St. John Inn (http://www.stjohninn.com/) for $130 a night. It’s a funky, ramshackled place, with a nice deck for breakfast (included) and free rum punches at sundown, but best of all, it’s a five-minute walk to the West Indies beach bars and shops of the hip little, backwater village of Cruz Bay.

Exploring St. John

The center of Cruz Bay is a small, palm-shaded plaza, surrounded by shops and restaurants in buildings painted peach, lime, rose and purple and covered with pink bougainvillea. A string of popular bars line a little beach and harbor filled with boats and in the distance, just three miles away, are the mountains of St. Thomas. It’s one of the top spots in the islands to watch a sunset.
From Cruz Bay, it’s an easy walk to dream-like beaches. Head to the National Park visitor center on the edge of town for a copy of the The Hiker’s Guide ($2.95) and from here it’s a 15-minute walk to idyllic Honeymoon Beach or snorkeling at Salomon Bay. Sixty percent of St. John is protected as the Virgin Islands National Park and the rest of the island is nearly as wild with only one other small town, two upscale resorts and some scattered private residences. In 1956, millionaire Laurence Rockefeller saw that development could destroy St. John, so he bought two-thirds of the island and gave it the U.S. government to become a national park. Today the park preserves 13,000 acres of land and underwater coral, 140 species of birds, 740 plants and 50 types of coral.
Only 3,500 people live on St. John and there are very few places to stay so by evening, the island population is small, giving Cruz Bay an “end-of-the-world” feel. There is no airport on St. John and the hourly ferry to Red Hook is the only connection to civilization.
Of course, St. John also has some of the most famous beaches in the world. Trunk Bay makes every top 10 beach list and island calendar and is even on a U.S. postage stamp. The beach is just the beginning. Lying just offshore of this too-good-to-be-true white sand lined with palm trees are two tiny islands and a coral reef offering superb snorkeling.
The national park has put in a 225-yard underwater snorkeling trail here. They’re very proud of the trail, which consists of signs sunk in 10 to 15 feet of water identifying fish and plant life. It’s okay, but in truth, the underwater signs are a bit hard to follow and distracting. With schools of kaleidoscopic fish, coral and plants in every direction, the last thing you need is to be reading an underwater brochure.
More impressive is that here, and in equally pretty next door Cinnamon Bay, the national park shop sells cans of El Presidente beer from the Dominican Republic for $2….and you’re more than welcome to drink beer on the beach or throughout the park. There are also fresh water showers, lockers and snorkel rentals.
You can get to the beaches from Cruz Bay by open air taxis ($6 to Trunk Bay each way) but to really explore the island, you need to rent a car ($50-60). The roads are crazy, incredibly steep, blind curves and of course, you’re driving British style on the left but with American cars made to drive on the right. No worries. No one goes over 20-30 mph, and usually much slower.
There are pull-offs and knock-dead views every half-mile, and the island is covered with hiking trails. Leinster Bay Trail follows an old Danish road around the sea to Watermelon Bay, one of the best snorkeling areas known for sting rays and sea turtles. The short trail to the Annaberg Sugar Mill ruins has gorgeous views of all the islands and is a good introduction to the strangely brutal history of this “paradise.”
Columbus was the first European to see the Virgin Islands in 1493. It was at St. Croix that the first bloody skirmish between the native peoples of the Americas and whites of Europe occurred when some Carib Indians attacked his ships.
Columbus didn’t report seeing anyone living on St. John or many of the islands. Archeological finds prove that there were native peoples here, but they were gone by the 15th Century.
For a 150 years after Columbus, the islands remained deserted, but then everything change drastically when the world discovered the simple pleasure of putting sugar into tea.
Between 1660 and 1725, the per capita consumption of sugar in England increased by eight times, unleashing a mad scramble by European powers to secure Caribbean islands for sugar plantations. The profits to be made from sugar were unimaginable; contemporaries likened it to a gold rush. Every European country sent ships to take and seize different islands. By 1650, there were 75,000 people involved with sugar living on Barbados, more than the entire population in the all the original 13 colonies at this time.
It was the Danish, of all people, who raised the flag on St. John in 1718. By 1733, there were 109 cane and cotton plantations on the island.

When Sugar was King

Growing sugar was wildly labor intensive and the only way to make it profitable was to use a small army of slave labor. Hundreds of thousands of African slaves were transported to the islands to live in miserable conditions, working backbreaking days stooped over in hot, sunny cane fields. Throughout the 18th Century and half of the 19th Century, the number of slaves brought to the New World outnumbered the number of Europeans immigrating there.
Because of its isolation, St. John became an especially harsh place, an island where difficult slaves were sent or where slaves fresh from Africa were sent to be broken. In 1733, a group of male slaves from Akwamu, a warlike nation in Guinea, were sent to St. John and put in the fields – a job they considered “women’s work.”
The strategy backfired. The former warriors smuggled cane bills, a type of short machete, into the fort on St. John and killed all but one of the soldiers. Then they fired a cannon, signaling an island-wide revolt and a general killing of whites. The slaves held the island for six months, but in the end, one out of every three people on St. John, black and white, was killed before a French force subdued the rebellion. This was just one of 75 little discussed slave revolts that occurred in the British West Indies before 1837.
The Annaberg plantation ruins date from 1780 and includes a former windmill that was used to crush the sugar cane.
At this time, for every two pounds of raw sugar produced, there was a byproduct of one pound of molasses. Until about 1650, molasses was a nuisance; no one knew what to do with it and tons of this “waste product” were dumped in the sea.
And then someone discovered that if you added water to molasses, let yeast attack it and then distill the results, you create a beverage that was first known as “kill-devil” and later was simply called “rum.” By 1655, Barbados alone was producing 900,000 gallons of rum a year.
Rum became staple of life in the colonies and to all seafaring men. Robert Louis Stevenson summed it up in “Treasure Island,” when he has pirate Billy Bones say, “I’ve lived on rum, I tell you. It’s been meat and drink, and man and wife to me.”
Today, one of the finest rums in the Caribbean, Cruzan, is still made on St. Croix. To try it, go to one of the many Cruz Bay bars. Along the waterfront, there’s The Balcony, Beach Bar or Hide Tide Bar & Grill (http://www.wharfsidevillage.com/) or in town the Quiet Mon Pub (http://www.quietmon.com/) and the crazy popular Woody’s. For dinner, the Banana Deck and the Fish Trap have great seafood. But remember, with an open container law, everywhere on St. John is a bar. We spent most of our time drinking a delicious Blackbeard Ale (or a lighter Carib for a change of pace) from the convenience store, walking and drinking beer on the beach and in town.

Tortola and the British Virgin Islands

From St. John it’s easy to visit the British Virgin Islands on day trips by ferry. Because you have to go through customs, there is a separate dock area with ferries going to Jost Van Dyke (famous for a handful of crazy bars); Virgin Gorda (famous for the Baths, rated one of the world’s best beaches) and Tortola, the capital and most developed and most mountainous of the BVI’s. The ferries leave on an erratic and maddening schedule, so if visiting the BVI’s is important to you, you need to plan your trip around their infrequent departures. Go to: www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/ferry.shtml
for ferry departures…and good luck. If you can’t see all the islands, don’t worry, because all the islands are good.
The most frequent ferries are to West End, Tortola, a magical, West Indies town filled with boats and bars, palm shaded balconies, pastel colored buildings with white shutters and a Pusser’s Rum outpost of civilization.
For more than 300 years, rum was a staple of the British Navy. Churchill supposedly said it was “buggery, rum and the lash” that made the British Navy, but while that oft-repeated quote is doubtful, the Royal Navy did serve rations (a “tot” as they called it) of up to five ounces of rum a day to all sailors until as late as 1970.
The five West Indies blended rum they served has since been revived to the original formula and is called “Pusser’s,” because it was the purser on the ship that dispensed it, and if you drank five ounces of rum a day, you’d also have trouble pronouncing purser.
Made in wooden pot stills, the same way it was at the time of Trafalgar, this single malt rum is the “father of grog” and every seaman’s choice, http://www.pussers.com/
There’s a Pusser’s store and pub in West End and also in the capital city of Road Town, and both are great visits for their naval ambiance and souvenirs, the best of which is a $10 enamel tin cup that features a sailor being hanged with the slogan, “Good to the last drop.”
You can pick up a rental car at West End (make arrangements through your hotel ahead of time, the rental cars are located outside of town and will have to meet you). You can easily explore the island in a day, with stops at spectacular Cane Garden Bay, the showpiece mile-long beach that often makes the world’s top 10 beach list. The beach bars here are a great place for lunch; a lobster salad sandwich on whole wheat bread was $8…the palms overhead and gentle surf lapping at your feet are free.
Along the way, stop for a beer at the Bomba Shack in Apple Bay. The bar is made out of driftwood boards that Bomba nailed together in a crazy maze of rooms decorated with panties, bras and hand-painted signs, the most memorable of which was “Give Bomba your panties and be blessed.” The bar was deserted when we stopped by, but hundreds of photos tacked to the walls (many of Bomba hugging topless blonds) attest to some wild nights, especially during their monthly full moon party.
Bomba’s nephew is opening his own mini-version of this craziness on Long Bay Beach called “Nature Boy’s Bar.” The government is giving him a hard time, so stop by for a beer and give him your support (look for the BVI flag at the end of the beach).
Road Town is a real city, by Caribbean standards, but also a bare-boating capital surrounded by mountains. Cruise ships have invaded here, so there’s plenty of shops for day-trippers, but it’s still small scale. The Pusser’s Pub is a dark, cool bit of England with prints of naval battles and Nelson.

St. Thomas Madness
Neighboring St. Thomas (just three sea-miles from St. John) has only 50,000 residents, 85% of them people of color. It can feel as remote and exotic, but an abundance of cruise ships can cause overnight population explosions. St. Thomas is one of the biggest cruise ship ports in the world, capable of holding four mega-cruisers at one time with up to18,000 passengers day-trippers (1.5 million visitors a year), who swarm ashore in a mini-D-Day invasion to embark on frenzied trips to the duty free shopping that lines the main street of the capitol town, Charlotte Amelia. Another perk of being a territory – all three islands offer duty free shopping at every single store -- and you can bring home six liters of liquor instead of the usual two.
Which means St. Thomas can be big-time tourism when the ships are in. The century-old stone warehouses that line the back streets of Charlotte Amelia, with their West Indies architecture, green and black shutters and big arched entrances, are now filled with upscale watch and jewelry shops, elegant liquor stores, and international clothing stores. Little side alleyways offer shade, bars and restaurants, antique shops and palm trees to help disperse the crowds.
It’s an odd town. The Greenhouse Restaurant (http://www.thegreenhouserestaurant.com/) is a great little pub with open views to the harbor, and is next to S.O.S. Antiques, a wonderful pirate shop filled with authentic canon, flintlocks, swords and even a blunderbuss for a mere $4,000. It’s also the official shop for Blackbeard Ale souvenirs – the only place on the island where you can get t-shirts, caps, and coasters from this great Virgin Island microbrewery http://www.blackbeardale.com/ But as nice as this enclave is, it’s a pistol shot from the St. Thomas Hooters, located in a hideous modern building.
All of this changes at 5 p.m., when deep whistles signal that the ships are departing, and St. Thomas reverts back to being a sleepy, edge-of-the-world backwater…that might even be a little dangerous. Everyone agrees – don’t venture too far from the shore and into town after dark.
You can stay in town at one of the guesthouses like Galleon House (http://www.galleonhouse.com/) for as low as $85 in off-season. They have a great deck overlooking the town and there’s a pleasant walk along the harbor to Frenchtown, a tiny neighborhood of residents from St. Barthelemy with a popular waterside pub, Hook, Line & Sinker. Also in town, Blackbeard’s Castle (he never was in it, but it is an authentic 17th Century fortification) is also interesting, but most people who stay on St. Thomas head to one of the beach resorts.
If you stay on St. Thomas, rent a car, try to get used to driving on the left on horrendously steep hills filled with blind curves and views (with no pull-offs) and visit the highlights. Drake’s Seat (where Sir Frances Drake is supposed to have sat, high on a mountaintop, looking for Spanish treasure fleets to attack) is worth a stop, particularly as it looks down on Magen’s Bay – consistently rated one of the top beaches in the world. It’s a knockout, if you can hit it on a day when there are no cruise ships in town. There’s a great walk in thigh-high water along the rocks to the north.
Coki Beach is where to go for snorkeling, and though everyone will tell you the coral in the Virgin Islands is dying, for walk-in, easy-access, off the beach snorkeling, it’s tough to beat. Stop at Buddy’s Bar afterward for a Carib or Blackbeard Ale.

IF YOU GO: For information on the U.S. Virgin Islands: http://www.usvitourism.vi/
For British Virgin Islands: http://www.bvitourism.com/

WHAT TO READ: and a Bottle of Rum by Wayne Curtis is the ultimate book to take on any Caribbean vacation. In a fun and highly readable book, he tells how rum has shaped the history of the world (or at least, America) by relating the stories behind ten popular cocktails. How many books are not only fun to read on the beach, but also increase your knowledge and enjoyment of rum at night?
For excitement, read Treasure Island – the greatest adventure and pirate novel of all time. Legend says that Robert Louis Stevenson used Norman Island in the BVI’s as the island in his book. Yo ho ho…..

Walking and Drinking Beer in New York's Historic Taverns

noreply@blogger.com (richgrant) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 17:04:00 +0000

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…

…while searching to find a nicely poured pint in a quiet bar with a wonderful little neighborhood to stroll around afterwards. Well, maybe not, but Emma Lazarus wrote those lines in 1883 to fundraise for the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal, and they certainly epitomize New York’s historic appeal. It’s been burned to the ground, occupied by military forces and survived numerous terrorist attacks. In movies, New York has been frozen, flooded and invaded by apes and aliens. But still, everyone wants to come here. Last year, the city attracted 46 million visitors from every country of the world, speaking 300 different languages.

London has Public Houses that developed into pubs primarily for the locals, but New York’s fame is the tavern – a “clean, well-lighted place” where over the years the city’s many visitors could feel welcome with a good meal and drink. Here are some great historic taverns, along with a speakeasy, an Irish pub or two and some other fine stops.
Fraunces Tavern Museum, http://www.frauncestvernmuseum.org/
Well, it’s not the best bar in the city for a drink, but it is one of three with a claim to being the oldest. Opened in 1719, it was originally called the Queen’s Head. The Sons of Liberty plotted a revolution here and in 1775 the British fired an 18-pound cannon ball into the roof. But it is most renowned as the place where George Washington bid an emotional farewell to his officers on Dec. 4, 1783. The most famous party of the Revolution was held upstairs in the Long Room, which has been re-created as it appeared on the afternoon that wine and tears flowed freely. A museum has exhibits on New York’s role in the Revolution, along with one of George’s false teeth and a lock of his hair.

The building was restored in 1904 and how much of it is authentic can be debated, but it is one of a very few structures in New York to survive in any way from the Revolution. When the British captured the city in 1776 (backed by the largest armada and invading army the world had known to that point), retreating Americans set fire to the town and much of it was destroyed

Fraunces Tavern witnessed more violence in 1975 when it was bombed by the Armed Forces of Puerto Rican National Liberation and four people were killed.

Today, the restaurant and bar have a colonial feel with wooden tables and chairs, and there are flags and paintings, and (God knows why) fake African animal heads in the bar, but you can’t deny the sense of history.

Neighborhood Walks in Lower Manhattan
The great thing about Fraunces Tavern is that it is in the heart of Lower Manhattan. Your first walk should be up the gangplank to board the Staten Island ferry for the free, 5-mile trip back and forth across the harbor. At Staten Island, you simply follow a series of ramps and re-board immediately; the whole trip takes about an hour and offers views of the Statue, the skyline and whatever ships are heading into port. On the ride back to New York, go down to water level for a very different view of Manhattan.

Battery Park is adjacent to the ferry and has one of New York’s old forts – Castle Clinton – and two emotional memorials. The Sphere designed by Fritz Koenig was a monument to world peace that stood in the plaza in front of the World Trade Center. In the 9-11 attacks, it was buried under tons of rubble, torn apart, bent and scraped, but it has been dug up, reassembled and now sits in the park as a testament to New York’s resiliency. Nearby, the Merchant Marine Memorial is truly eerie. Commemorating the 7,000 merchant marines who died in World War II, it depicts a drowning sailor with his arms stretched out of the sea. Depending on the tide, you see half of his body or just his arm and neck reaching out for help.

New York’s famous Broadway starts at the intersection of Battery Park and Bowling Green, and here you’ll find the 7,000 pound bronze Charging Bull sculpture by Arturo Di Modica that has become the symbol of a bull market on Wall Street. Rub its nose for luck, and continue up Broadway to the beautiful Trinity Church, where Alexander Hamilton is buried. It’s a good place to consider how strange America is that we have a treasury secretary on the $10 bill who was murdered by a former vice president (Hamilton made it clear before his famous “duel” with Aaron Burr that he would not fire; former VP Burr still deliberately aimed and shot him down.)

If you need any more evidence of America’s financial strangeness, cross Broadway and head down Wall Street. The famous flag on the New York Stock Exchange with Washington’s statue in the foreground (he was inaugurated as president on these steps) have become an iconic photo of New York. If you look closely, you’ll see the stock exchange is on Broad Street, not Wall Street. Less well known is that yet another of New York’s terrorist attacks took place here in 1920 when 31 people were killed by a bomb placed in a horse and carriage. The building across the street from Federal Hall still has pot marks from the explosion.

Anywhere else in the nation – or the world – Federal Hall National Monument would be famous. In New York, the 1842 modified version of the Parthenon is overshadowed. But climb the steps and go in – the rotunda is amazing, it’s free, there’s a lot of history and (always important in New York) there are clean, free public restrooms.

It’s a ten-minute walk to South Street Seaport, which is a bit touristy, but it’s hard to beat the views of The Peking (the second largest sailing ship ever built) against the skyline. There are plenty of bars on Pier 17 with views of the Brooklyn Bridge or the East River, and the schooner Pioneer goes out on day sails into the harbor. The cobblestone pedestrian mall, old 18th century buildings and squawking seagulls remind you that New York was once one of the biggest commercial harbors in the world.

McSorley’s Old Ale House, 15 E. 7th Ave., http://www.mcsorleysnewyork.com/

Both Abe Lincoln and John Lennon have bellied up to the bar here (standing room only, please, no bar stools), as have Presidents Franklin and Teddy Roosevelt and John Kennedy. Woody Guthrie played guitar at the front table, and e.e. cummings wrote a poem about the place.

Opened in 1854, McSorley’s is the longest continually operated saloon in New York…and looks it. The floor is still covered with sawdust, there’s a genuine coal- burning stove, and the walls are a museum with everything from the handcuffs used to tie up Houdini to an authentic wanted poster for John Wilkes Booth. No women were admitted in the bar until 1970 (an early 1920s slogan was: “Good Ale, Raw Onions and No Ladies). It took a lawsuit and a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court to change that. The bar’s revenge? They allowed women, but didn’t offer a ladies room. I can remember many nights in the 70s standing guard for women friends outside what became the most interesting co-ed bathroom in New York. A real women’s room was not added until 1986. For its entire history, McSorley’s has served only one beverage – ale. Ordering is simple, you simply say “Light or dark.” In another quirk of the bar, you need to buy two beers at a time, though they are smallish mugs, about 10 ounces each.

As you would expect, the place attracts a large crowd and seems to be a mecca for college students. It’s best on a cold afternoon before the rush, with the late afternoon sun streaming through the windows and the coal heat from the stove warming the room. Pet one of the house cats, eat some peanuts and read e.e. cummings’ poem: “I was sitting in mcsorleys. outside it was New York and beautifully snowing. Inside snug and evil.”

Walks Around the East Village
McSorley’s is a block from St. Mark’s Place, ground zero of the Hippie movement in the 60s. The block between Third and Second is where Andy Warhol and Yoko Ono (pre John Lennon) staged hippie happenings and the nearby Fillmore East was where the Who premiered their rock opera Tommy. Forty years ago, as a long-haired college student, I spent many evenings here. From the funky t-shirt shops, costume stores, tattoo parlors, and basement shops, the street still has that same electric, edgy, crazy, punk-goth feel. You won’t be surprised that this was Madonna’s first New York neighborhood.

One of the best and cheapest places to eat in the city is in Little India, a row of a dozen Indian restaurants nearby on East Sixth Street at Second Ave. A table full of food with pan bread, mango chutney and even a bottle of wine will set you back less than $20 each. The Taj Mahal usually has musicians playing sitar and tambura.

But there’s no shortage of cheap food in the area. Both Second and Third avenues heading north are lined with cheap eats, ethnic restaurants, outdoor cafes, crazy shops and just the general teeming crowds of daily life in the city. This is “deep” New York and a fascinating walk.

Nearby Alphabet City is also great for a stroll. In the 60s, it was your life to walk on these three north-south avenues, A, B and C, between 2nd and 10th, but now the brownstones have been fixed up and mixed between them are wonderful little cafes and galleries. Check out Obscura Antiques & Oddities at 280 E. 10th, between 1st and Avenue A. It’s like walking into the Adam’s Family living room.

Pete’s Tavern, 129 E. 18th Ave., www.geocities.com/petestavern.geo/historyb

Pete’s never attracted George Washington or Abe Lincoln, but it has been featured in Seinfeld, Sex in the City and Law and Order, which makes it a New York classic. Opened in 1864, Pete’s claims to be the longest continually opened bar and restaurant in the city. (Pete’s stayed open during prohibition, disguised as a flower shop. McSorley’s was operated as a speakeasy.)

Perhaps the most famous event occurred at Pete’s in 1904 when bar regular O. Henry came in and wrote the classic short story, Gift of the Magi, in one-sitting at his favorite booth, the first one in from the front doors. Sit at the 30-foot-long rosewood bar and try their 1864 Original House Ale. Gramercy Park is a couple blocks away. The park is locked and private, but surrounded by gorgeous flats, giving it the look and feel of London. Chelsea (due west on 23rd) makes a nice stroll. Swing by the Chelsea Hotel, 222 W. 23rd, www.hotelchelsea.com/history, where Jack Kerouac wrote On the Road in one marathon session, Arthur C. Clarke wrote 2001: A Space Odyssey, Bob Dylan composed songs and Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols may have stabbed his girlfriend to death. The art-filled lobby is as wild as you would expect.
Up for another pint?…or least ready for a restroom, the Half King http://www.thehalfking.com/ is down the block at 23rd and Tenth Ave. It’s a literary bar (Sebastian Junger, author of A Perfect Storm is one of the owners), filled with a maze of rooms lit by candles and known for book readings and signings. The Half King, by the way, was an Indian chief who guided George Washington in Western Pennsylvania. George no doubt drank with, but not in, the Half King.

Grand Central Terminal: The Oyster Bar www.oysterbarny.com and Campbell Apartment, www.hospitalityholdings.com

The restored Grand Central is New York’s masterpiece. Opened in 1913 at a cost of $80 million, the Beaux Arts building just had a $200 million restoration. Go during rush hour to see the madness as New York races across an acre of marble floors, topped by a nine-story atrium (the windows alone are seven-stories high) with a vaulted ceiling covered with 2,500 hand-painted stars pinpointing the major constellations. Outside, there are ten pillars and a gigantic statue of Mercury (the god of travel). The outdoor clock features the largest piece of Tiffany glass in the world.

But of course, for our interests, Grand Central also has some of New York’s finest historic bars. The Oyster Bar has been the city’s most famous seafood restaurant since it opened. Ian Fleming thought it the best restaurant in America, so he made it the favorite restaurant of James Bond, too. The crazy arched ceilings made of yellow Guastavino tiles were used as the inspiration for Lex Luthor’s hideaway in Superman. Sit at the counter, sip a Brooklyn “Local 1” Ale, and order some oysters (there are two dozen choices running about $2-$2.50 each) or some little neck clams for $1.35. An oyster poor boy is only $8.25.

Campbell Apartments is a bit more pricey, but there’s no more romantic spot for a cocktail. The 1920s room was once the office of mogul John W. Campbell, who turned the place into a replica of a Florentine palazzo with an inlaid ceiling, massive fireplace and leaded windows. It’s simply incredible – you expect to see Nick and Nora Charles sitting at one of end of the bar and Scott and Zelda at the other. Most of the cocktails are shaken and will set you back $12-15, but the experience is worth it.

And like a real speakeasy, it’s not easy to find. Going up the west ramp from the Oyster Bar, look for a freight elevator with a brass marker. That’s the only in-terminal entrance. The bar has a strict dress code with no t-shirts, shorts, athletic shoes, sweatshirts or torn jeans, thank you very much.

Walking Around Grand Central Station

No one needs a walking guide to mid-town Manhattan – it’s all good. But if you need another beer, or that all important easy public restroom, head to Bryant Park at Sixth Avenue and 42nd. Once the most dangerous spot in mid-town, Bryant Park has been transformed into a little slice of Paris. There are hundreds of French green folding chairs and tables to sit at – on gravel paths under the shade of rows of London Plane trees or beside a massive Italian fountain. The outdoor bar here is magnificent. I have seldom been in New York and missed an opportunity to have a beer at this lovely oasis. And although it’s just a block from Times Square, there’s a clean, safe, public restroom playing classical music. Only in New York.
In mid-town there are a hundred interesting bars, Irish pubs and the city’s only Scottish bar, St. Andrews at 140 W. 46, http://www.standrewsnyc.com/. With kilted bartenders and live music on the weekends, it’s a nice break from the 80 or so Irish pubs in the area. But if you’re so inclined, for a Murphy’s pub, try the brand new Legends at 6 W. 33rd which has great live music, http://www.legends33.com/, or for a Guinness and Irish music, head to the Galway Hooker, at 7 E. 36th, http://www.galwayhookernyc.com/. Practically next door is The Ginger Man, 11 E. 36, http://www.gingerman-ny.com/. With 70 beers on tap and 160 in bottles, it is, as beer guru Michael Jackson said, “one of the great beer bars of the world.”

But if you need one more historic bar, try the Algonquin Hotel, on 44th, between Fifth and Sixth, http://www.algonquinhotel.com/. Opened in 1902, the elegant hotel was home to the “Algonquin Round Table,” a bar where throughout the 1920s, the city’s greatest wits and writers gathered to tell jokes and trade insults, many of which worked their way into novels, films and plays. Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, Harpo Marx and George S. Kaufman (who wrote the Marx Brothers movies) were just some of the regulars who lunched here. The lobby bar has been maintained in the same style. Waiters will point out the location of the original “Round Table” and there is a historic display case telling the story. But best of all are the bar’s cocktail napkins, which have one of the great lines of Dorothy Parker that originated in this room: "I love a martini -- but two at the most. Three I'm under the table; Four, I'm under the host."

St Paddy’s Day Tips
The largest St. Patrick’s Day Parade in the world is literally “marching and drinking beer” down Fifth Avenue (though New York has zero tolerance for drinking in public and people are arrested. No worries, there’s a pub on every corner).

The parade starts at 44th Street and Fifth, and they’ll tell you on TV that with the crowds, it’s impossible to see anything of it south of 66th. Well, of course, they’re wrong. The parade starts forming on 44th, but doesn’t really get going until 47th. There are no crowds around the forming that takes place east and west of Fifth on 44th-47th; you can wander around these side streets, easily getting your fill of pipe bands, Irish wolfhounds, and the green-covered crazies, take some great photos, and be on your way.
Even at “ground zero” of the parade, passing St. Patrick’s Cathedral, I could easily see enough of the parade in 2009. In the end, how much of it do you really want to see, anyway? When you’re ready for a pub, pick up the free St. Patrick’s Day Irish Pub Guide, available in every pub with details on 80 Irish pubs, including who has music. Slainte!

Walking and Drinking Beer with the Wreckers, Rebels and Rumrunners of Key West

noreply@blogger.com (richgrant) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 19:13:00 +0000

The six-foot-two-inch female impersonator in the gold lame gown curled her finger at me across Duval Street and shouted, “Come on over honey, the show starts in 15 minutes.”
She was wrong. The “show” in Key West started about 180 years ago and it’s still going strong.
This somewhat crazy tropical island, capital of the self-proclaimed Conch Republic, lies 126-miles from the southern tip of mainland Florida -- closer to Cuba than to Miami, and closer to another planet than to Mainstream America. Since it was founded in 1822, Key West has been home to a whacky collection of pirates, wreckers, artists, rumrunners, writers, sponge divers, cigar makers, ex-presidents, poets and musicians.
And, of course, it’s also attracted tourists. Today, tens of thousands of them flock to Key West on frantic day trips from cruise ships, barely making it past the bars and souvenir shops on Duval Street to hurriedly buy a Sloppy Joe’s t-shirt or Margaritaville shot glass.

Nothing wrong with that, of course, but Key West is best enjoyed at a slower pace. Instead of looking at your watch so as not to miss the last launch back to the ship, you should be bicycling down the back streets past pastel-colored mansions, dining on the wharf under moonlight or sunning on a beach beside a Civil War fortress. Or of course, walking and drinking a beer along the harbor past the second largest schooner fleet in the nation.
With gas prices at record lows, this is the year for a road trip down Highway U.S. 1 to the southernmost point in the nation -- especially since this “road” trip spends 15 percent of its time on water.

Highway 1 to Key West

There are 800 islands in the Florida Keys, but only 30 of them are inhabited. The Overseas Highway, also called U.S. 1, opened in 1938 on an old railway bed and stretches from Key Largo just off the mainland for 126 miles due south until dead-ending at the bottom of Whitehead Street in Key West. Along the way, the highway crosses 42 bridges -- some 18.8 miles of open ocean water, including a spectacular stretch at Seven Mile Bridge, also known as Mile Marker 45. Miles are marked by how far you are from Key West, which has the distinction of being Mile Marker 0.
At MM45, you can walk on an old abandoned stretch of the bridge to Pigeon Key and a museum about Henry Flagler, the crazy millionaire who made all of this possible. http://www.pigeonkey.net/

It was Flagler who had the inspiration and obsession to build a railway across the Florida Keys. People thought he was mad and it took him seven years a small fortune, but in 1912, a steam locomotive finally chugged across the ocean and “Flagler’s Folly” was a reality. The tourist railway was a success until September 2, 1935, when a hurricane and 18-foot tidal wave washed over the keys, killing 800 people and wiping out the tracks and many of the bridges.
Key West was an island again…but only for three years and then the railroad was replaced with the auto highway.

Islamorada

Driving U.S. 1, which for the most part is just two lanes, can be slow, but there are enough 1940s tourist attractions including giant shells, 30-foot high pirates and huge cement dolphins, as well as pull offs for beaches and parks, to keep it interesting.
If you’re driving straight through to Key West, Islamorada at MM 85 makes a good lunch stop. The Islamorada Fish Company offers alligator, grouper and cracked conch on a deck overlooking the water. It’s part of the Bass Pro Outlet here, which is worth a look to see Hemingway’s personal boat, Pilar, with is rather bizarrely placed in the middle of the store. God knows what Hemingway would have thought of that.
Islamorada is called the “sport fishing capital of the world,” but you might have to share your catch with the pelicans that are everywhere. Just off the coast is the San Pedro Underwater Archaeological Preserve – the final resting spot for 21 Spanish galleons that sank in a 1733 hurricane. Hurricanes have been bad news here for a long time.

Old Town Key West

The first thing to do in Key West is park the car. You won’t need it again until you leave. There are at least a dozen bike rental shops and everything is more or less within walking distance…provided you like to walk. The historic area is 4 miles by 2 miles, and runs from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean. There’s nothing else quite like it in the world because Key West’s history has been nuts.
It’s been home to wreckers and spongers, Cuban cigar makers and New England fishermen, spongers from the Bahamas and a crazy assort of writers, poets, gays and eccentrics…all of whom have left their mark on the look of the place. The architecture reflects everything from Victorian New England to the louvered shutters of the Caribbean, with a few New Orleans balconies thrown in. And of course in the tropical climate, everything is rotting to some degree. Much of the wood carpentry work on the houses was done by out-of-work boat builders, so there’s a unique hand-crafted, wood “Conch House” are on nearly every block. And, it’s easy to believe, a ghost story behind every one.
Pick up a copy of Sharon Wells’ Walking & Biking Guide to Historic Key West, perhaps the best and most detailed free tourist guide produced anywhere (also on line at http://www.seekeywest.com/). It’s available at racks around town and in bars and restaurants. She provides 14 walking and biking tours with an exhaustive amount of detail. You’ll never be able to do it all -- or even follow her crazy directions --but if you really want to know the history of that strange, Classic Revival pink house on the corner, this guide will tell you.
The north side of the island has most of the action, centered, naturally, around the cruise ship docks and the historic seaport. Harborwalk is a maze of boardwalks that follows the waterfront. It’s lined with boats and bars and four great tall ships that go in and out of the harbor on day and sunset cruises. Duval Street, the town’s main drag, runs the length of the island, but is decidedly more noisy, crazy and decadent on the north side. You’ll have to have the obligatory beer in Sloppy Joe’s (where you’ll hear that the original Sloppy Joe’s – the one Hemingway drank rum mojitos at -- is now Captain Tony’s Saloon, a gay bar). Have a second obligatory beer at the Hog’s Breath Saloon, after which you can relax and discover you own places.
The Green Parrot is wonderful (Playboy’s Top 20 Bars in America) and Kelly’s Caribbean Bar, Grill & Brewery is beautiful at night -- an outdoor patio under trees of white lights with decent beer and wonderful food, all owned by actress Kelly McGillis, star of Witness and Top Gun. http://www.kellyskeywest.com/
I liked the waterside setting and pub atmosphere of The Schooner, where from our table you could hear the rigging creaking in the nearby boats, but there’s no shortage of bars. http://www.schoonerwharf.com/
No one said a thing to me when I walked the Harborwalk drinking a Guinness. There’s a number of outdoor bars along the pier selling everything from beers to frozen daiquiris at Mallory Square, and it appears that as long as you have your drink in a plastic cup, you can walk and drink on the streets to your heart’s content.
And of course, you will have to go Mallory Square for the sunset madness, at least once. It’s not as bad as you’d think for having a dozen mimes, jugglers, fire-eaters and pirates (frightening creatures dressed like Johnny Depp who come up behind you, say “Argggh”…and want a dollar to pose for a photo). The famous cat show is worth seeing, though you’ll want to throw the annoying Frenchmen through the ring of fire instead of the cat. But the sunset, with the schooners sailing back and forth in the foreground, the crowds and the craziness is now an American icon, right up there with the Grand Canyon.
As is posing for a photo at the Southernmost Point. When the cruise ships are in, there’s actually a long line of people waiting to pose by the red, yellow and black buoy that is closer to Cuba than Miami.

Key West Attractions

For such a small place, Key West has an incredible amount of attractions. You can tour the homes of Hemingway and Audubon, see the “Southern White House” of Harry Truman, go to art museums and art galleries, walk among butterflies or through an aquarium petting stingrays, stroll the town on historic walking tours and ghost tours and rubber wheeled train tours, sail across the bay on schooners or jet boats, lay on the beach, take a snorkeling cruise, climb to the top of a lighthouse, dream of discovering sunken treasure at Mel Fisher’s Shipwreck Museum, or even see an authentic shrunken torso that was once owned by Hemingway and is now, very appropriately, in Ripley’s “Believe it or Not” museum.
I gave the Pirate Soul Museum a look. Billed as the “Ultimate Pirate Museum!” it has Blackbeard’s weapons (they look like any other flintlock guns), and the only authentic pirate treasure chest in the world. Well, anything to do with pirates should be encouraged, but trying on pirate hats at the costume shop next door is more fun.
The Shipwreck Museum starts off with a dreadful bit of corny “living history” as “actors” portray the wreckers who once dominated Key West, but then they take you into the museum and the story is quite fascinating. From its founding in 1822 through the 1850s, most people in Key West made their living as “wreckers.” About once a week, a ship would run aground on the reefs that surround the island and the people of Key West would race to it in small boats to salvage anything they could from the wrecks, including gold, silver, china, silks, rum, fine wines and tea. Big towers were built in town and it was highly competitive to watch the sea for wrecks. http://www.shipwreckhistoreum.com/
Why sea captains continued to sail in these waters, knowing that one of them would wreck once a week, is never fully explained. But apparently they did. So much so, that for 50 years, the 2,000 Key West salvagers had the highest per capita income in the United States.

At the edge of town, next to the largest beach, is Fort Taylor, strangely called both “the Gibraltar of America” and “the Forgotten Fort.” It never fired a gun in action. The trapezoid Civil War fort has brick walls five-feet thick and houses, as their guides will tell you, “the largest collection of Civil War artifacts in America.” Well…what the guides don’t tell you is that the artifacts, mostly huge canons, were used as land fill and were completely covered with cement. So you can’t actually see the largest collection of Civil War artifacts in America, but you can see where they were buried.
And it’s appropriate the fort in Key West never fired a canon because Key West is also the location of the shortest war in American history. In 1982, to stop alleged drug trafficking from the Keys to mainland Florida, the U.S. Border Patrol put up a blockade on the U.S. 1 and forced anyone traveling north from Key West to show identification that they were U.S. citizens. Since the U.S. government was treating the residents of the Keys like they were a foreign country, on April 23, 1982, Key West Mayor Dennis Wardlow declared that Key West was seceding from the Union and becoming the Conch Republic. A flag was created and war was declared. The Conch Republic immediately surrendered and demanded Foreign Aid.
Today, the Conch flag flies throughout town and you can buy any number of souvenirs (including a Conch Republic Passport) with the country’s slogan, “We Seceded Where Others Failed.”
But Key West doesn’t need its own flag or passport. You only need to spend 10 minutes here to know that this is a strange and different land.

Information: http://www.keywest.com/
http://fla-keys.com/

Rolling and Drinking Beer on the Ski Train

noreply@blogger.com (richgrant) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 15:47:00 +0000

Every Winter weekend for the past 69 years, the Ski Train has chugged out of Denver’s Union Station at 7:15 a.m., climbing 56 miles up into the Rocky Mountains on what many people call the most scenic stretch of railroad track in the nation. Along the way, the train burrows through 28 tunnels, hugging a narrow rock canyon wall as it zigzags up 4,000 feet in elevation to arrive at the Moffat Tunnel -- the highest railroad tunnel in North America.

Here, the train passes underneath the Continental Divide, and emerges right at the base of Winter Park, the third largest ski area in Colorado. It’s a great way for skiers to get to the slopes without the hassle of driving, but the train journey is so scenic, half the train passengers don’t ski. They just come up for the scenery and to hang out in the town of Winter Park, take a heated snowcat ride to the top of the mountain, go sledding and tubing in nearby Fraser, bundle up on a horse-drawn sleigh ride through forests of pine trees, or just sit in the sun at an outdoor bar like the Derailer, waiting for the train whistle at 4:15 p.m. that signals it’s time to start on the journey back down the mountain.

Only now, on the return trip, two of the 14 cars on this quarter-mile long yellow-orange train become lounge cars – the longest rolling bar in the nation. After a day of skiing or sledding, it’s incredibly relaxing to have a beer or wine on a train, while winter scenery flies by the window. And it’s pretty great scenery too. The train curls down South Boulder Canyon through a part of Colorado where there are no paved roads or highways – there’s nothing here but rocks and trees, an ice-crusted river and the railroad tracks.
Winter Park Resort gets more snow annually than any other major Colorado ski area -- 350 inches…and consistently wins as the favorite ski resort of Coloradans. It gets my vote. There are three interconnected mountains and 143 trails, so it can get confusing and I’ve been lost many times…especially trying to get back from Mary Jane to Winter Park.
But the scenery’s spectacular on top at 12,060 feet with a 360-degree panorama that takes in most of the state. The runs are long (up to 4.5 miles) and there are 25 lifts so lines are never too bad (especially when tired old legs need the rest anyway). The Sunspot restaurant also gets my vote as one of the best on mountain cafes with an outdoor deck that is two miles high and a big stone fireplace and wood beam ceilings.

But a word about life two miles above sea level.

For one thing, the sky really is bluer due to less pollution and water vapor in the upper atmosphere. Baseballs, golf balls and footballs travel 9 percent farther. Special high altitude tennis balls have to be made for Denver’s mile high altitude using toned-down rubber and less pressure and basketballs are inflated with 7-10 pounds less air than at sea level.

Strangely enough, winters feel much warmer in Colorado because high altitude means there are fewer air molecules pressing against your skin. Also, the low humidity produces a "dry cold" that most people find less penetrating than a "wet cold" at sea level. Outdoor cafes are open all winter, and picnic tables are always filled with people eating outdoors. But remember, there is only half the protection from the sun's rays that can be found at sea level, so sunscreen and sunglasses are a must.

In Denver, water boils at 202 degrees instead of 212 degrees, and it takes four minutes to soft boil a three-minute egg. High altitude is excellent for beer, causing it to have more fizz and carbonation. However, be careful opening champagne bottles. Most of them are bottled at sea level and the change in pressure in Colorado's light air causes the cork to fly out much quicker.

In fact, be careful drinking any alcohol at really high altitude. Since there is less oxygen in the air, your lungs have to work harder to pump oxygen into the blood, meaning alcohol is absorbed into the blood system quicker, speeding up the effect that a couple of drinks would normally have. The bottom line -- two beers at the Sunspot and it can be a long trip back down the mountain.

I wait until I’m done for the day, have one at the outdoor deck overlooking the slopes at the Derailer Bar, then hop on the train back to Union Station…which just happens to be across the street from Denver’s Wynkoop Brewing Company – the largest and best brew pub in Colorado.

IF YOU GO: The train leaves from Union Station at 7:15a.m. every Saturday and Sunday from Dec.-March 29, with trips on Thurs. and Fri. starting in Feb. The trip takes about two hours each way with the return train leaving Winter Park at 4:15p.m., arriving back at Union Station at about 6:30 p.m., although coal trains have priority on the line and can delay the trip home. Summer schedule includes runs in July and August. For schedule and prices, visit: http://www.skitrain.com/ .

Drinking with George Washington in Philadelphia

noreply@blogger.com (richgrant) — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 17:38:00 +0000

George Washington was a Philadelphian. While he’s most often associated with Mount Vernon in Virginia, the truth is that he spent nearly his entire public life in Philadelphia, both as a general and president.
In 1776, Philadelphia was the second largest city in the British Empire. With a population of 40,000 and some 6,000 impressive brick buildings, it was the largest city Washington ever visited – and his favorite.
Miraculously, 2,000 of those 18th Century brick buildings still survive today. On a weekend trip, it’s possible to visit many of the most important sites associated with Washington’s life and also get a sense of the man. You can step inside his favorite tavern and sip a beer made from his own recipe, waltz across the same floorboards where he once danced the night away with Ben Franklin’s daughter, cross the Delaware at the spot where he saved the Revolution, or visit another battlefield where he nearly lost it.
You can even sit in a church pew where he sat 225 years ago, the only place in the world where you can rest your bottom on the same wooden boards he once did.
Here are ten places to visit on an all-Washington weekend in Philadelphia.

1. Independence Hall http://www.nps.gov/inde/ The most important building in American history was also the most important in Washington’s life. It was here in May 1775 that he was appointed commander in chief of the Continental Army. He began his public career in this hall with a less than inspiring speech, telling Congress, “I, this day, declare with the utmost sincerity, I do not think myself equal to the command.” Master Carpenter Edmund Woolley built the hall in 1747 for Pennsylvania’s colonial government. Because it was the largest hall in the largest city in the colonies, it became the site for the Second Continental Congress. The Declaration of Independence was approved here in July 1776 and Washington presided over the Constitutional Convention here in 1787. The actual chair he sat in still sits in the center of the room and before it is the inkwell that was used to sign the Declaration.

2. Portrait Gallery in the Second Bank of the United States http://www.nps.gov/inde/second-bank nde/second-bank A block away, the Portrait Gallery is a wonderful place to get a sense of what Washington and his contemporaries looked like. While there are long lines for Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, you can always walk into this free museum, where you are encouraged to turn the flash off your camera and take photos of all the artwork. After all, since this is a federal museum – you own everything in here. Some of the most famous paintings of George and Martha are on the walls, mixed with paintings of most of Washington’s generals. Unlike the portrait on the dollar bill (painted shortly before his death when he was a very old man) Washington was for most of his life an extremely tall, athletic and imposing figure. Contemporaries described him as “god-like.” Thomas Jefferson thought him the greatest horseman of his age and the paintings and statues here depict him as such. An exhibit two blocks away at the National Constitution Center http://www.constitutioncenter.org/ gives some perspective. There are life-size statues here of all 26 delegates to the Constitution Convention of 1787. At six-foot, two-inches in height, the statue of Washington is the tallest in the room, a foot taller than tiny Alexander Hamilton or even smaller James Madison.

3. City Tavern. http://www.citytavern.com/ Located two blocks behind Independence Hall is the place John Adams called “the most genteel tavern in America.” Beyond serving food and drink, colonial taverns were the nerve centers of the city. A “subscription room” in City Tavern had all the newspapers of the day and men gathered here in a room filled with tobacco smoke and politics to read and discuss the latest events. Paul Revere rode from Boston to Philadelphia to bring the news of fighting at Lexington and Concord and his first stop was City Tavern. During the Second Continental Congress, George Washington took a table at City Tavern and dined here nightly. What did he eat? Wealthy people in Colonial Philadelphia ate very similar food to us, though it was much more difficult to prepare. Beef, chicken, hams, baked oysters, lamb, game and all varieties of fish. Banquets could offer up to 140 different courses and dining was considered an experience more than just a meal. Liquor, coffee, tea and ice cream were available at the tavern at all times. George was a big fan of ice cream and Madeira wine was his drink of choice, but he also drank beer, rum, punch and champagne. A recipe for porter beer found in his desk is now served at City Tavern, along with a pale ale made from a recipe by Thomas Jefferson. They’re both terrible, but how often do you drink history? The original City Tavern was torn down in 1854, but working from the architect’s plans, the National Park Service built an exact replica in 1975. The Tavern now serves lunch and dinner with a colonial inspired menu. Waiters dress in 18th century costumes and the dining rooms are lit by candlelight. Try the West Indies pepperpot soup or the Martha Washington-style Colonial turkey pot pie…and get the four ounce samplers of historic beers. There’s still a tavern too, if you want to just pop in for a beer.

4. Powel House, http://www.philalandmarks.org/ Amazingly, the house that Washington lived in for seven years while he was president was torn down. But you can get a sense of how he lived by visiting the home of his good friends, Samuel and Elizabeth Powel. Their elegant, 1765 Georgian brick townhouse is located a short walk from City Tavern and is a museum with period furniture. Eliza Powel was Philadelphia’s most gracious and popular hostess and George and Martha were frequent guests, stealing many decorating ideas from the Powel’s, which they incorporated in Mount Vernon. The Washington’s celebrated their 20th anniversary here. A letter to Ben Franklin from his daughter describes George dancing the night away in the second floor ballroom of the house. Martha didn’t dance, but George was an enthusiastic dancer (regularly dancing three hours without a break) and he liked the company of ladies. A woman meeting him during the revolution wrote, when “General Washington throws off the hero and takes on the chatty, agreeable companion, he can be downright impudent sometimes – such impudence, Fanny, as you and I like.” When Washington died, Martha cut four locks of his hair for special friends. The one given to Eliza Powel is on display in the house.

5. Christ Church and St. Peters Church. www.christchurchphila.org/ Washington was not particularly religious, but like all people of the time, he attended church regularly. He was a member of Christ Church, located a few blocks from Independence Hall. You can see his pew, No. 56-58, located next to that of Betsy Ross. Washington was wealthy and so had an excellent view of the pulpit; Betsy was poor and a pillar blocked her view of the minister. Christ Church is one of the places that can claim, “Washington slept here” because the sermons generally ran two hours. The impressive red brick Christ Church was the tallest building in America until 1830 and there are more signers of the Declaration of Independence buried here than anywhere else. Ben Franklin did some of his electricity experiments from the steeple.
St. Peters Church www.stpetersphila.org/, a short walk away, was the church of the Powel’s, and Washington frequently attended church here as well. The wood pews in Saint Peters have never been changed; sit in the Powel pew and you are sitting in the only place in the world that will let you sit where George Washington once sat.

6. Elfreth’s Alley http://www.elfrethsalley.org/ To get an idea what colonial Philadelphia looked like, walk a few blocks from Christ Church to Elfreth’s Alley, the oldest continuously inhabited street in America. The cobblestone, 16-foot-wide alley is lined with 32 brick rowhouses built between 1728 and 1836. Originally, these were the homes of grocers, shoemakers, tailors and other tradesmen who worked on the bottom floor and lived up above. Today, they are all private houses, but two of them built in 1755 operate as a small museum providing a glimpse at colonial city life. George Washington marched his army down this street in 1777 en route to the Battle of Brandywine. It’s easy to tell which houses were here at that time. Homes from the revolutionary era had front doors that opened directly onto the street. Because the streets were filthy, the stoop was invented and homes built later had doors that opened a foot above the street onto a stone stoop.

7. Washington’s Crossing www.ushistory.org/washingtoncrossing You can follow in the footsteps of Washington’s most famous military action just an hour north of the city, in a beautiful location along the Delaware River. Two state parks, one in Pennsylvania and one across the river in New Jersey, tell the story of the dramatic events that took place here. The revolution got off to a good start in 1776. Washington drove the British from Boston and marched his army of 20,000 to New York. But then the Empire struck back, sending over the largest armada and invading army the world had ever known. In a series of battles, the redcoats defeated Washington and drove his ragtag army south in retreat through New Jersey and across the Delaware River. To the British, the revolution appeared to be over. But Washington, a card player and gambler, decided to stake everything on one last throw of the dice – he would stop retreating and go on the offensive, crossing the Delaware in a surprise attack on Trenton. At the parks, you can visit the two ferry houses that Washington used as headquarters and walk across the river on a bridge at the spot where Washington famously crossed in a boat on Christmas night. Museums in each park use films and exhibits to trace the coming battle that saved America. It’s even possible to walk on the actual road where Washington’s troops marched, many of them leaving a trail of blood in the snow from their broken shoes. The story of the battle is brilliantly told in David McCullogh’s best selling book, 1776.

8. Brandywine Battlefield www.ushistory.org/brandwine Located 45 minutes west of Philadelphia, Brandywine was the largest battle of the American Revolution. It’s not a household name like Saratoga or Yorktown because the battle was a disaster for the Americans and arguably Washington’s worst day as a general. In New York, the British had defeated him by pretending a head-on attack, while secretly sending part of their army around the American lines to attack them in the rear. At Brandywine, Britain’s crack troops did the same thing again. The state park preserves one of Washington’s headquarters and has an excellent museum with exhibits about the tactics and strategy used in the Philadelphia campaign. Much of the battle took place on what is now private land, but a driving tour visits the beautiful countryside, which has changed very little. The defeat at Brandywine in 1777 allowed the British to capture Philadelphia. As an insult, the British turned Independence Hall into a stable and City Tavern became the headquarters for redcoat social life. But Washington was not finished yet.

9. Germantown While England was rejoicing over the capture of Philadelphia, Washington was planning another surprise attack. Barely a month after Brandywine, Washington pounced, his army attacking the British encampment at Germantown from five directions. Fog and confusion defeated the Americans, but the mere fact they had gone on the offensive was a victory. Today, Germantown has been swallowed up into suburban Philadelphia, but there are still 30 stone colonial homes here, five of which are museums. At Cliveden www.cliveden.org/ you are in the center of the battlefield. At the height of the action, 120 British troops ducked into this mansion and fortified it, firing at the rebels from the upper windows. Washington’s men attacked again and again and soon there were 75 dead Americans stacked at the front door and on the grounds, but the British held. In a rare nod to historic preservation, the house was left exactly as it was after the battle. The exterior walls are covered with bullet holes. Bizarre statues on the grounds have no faces – they were shot off by musket balls in the cross fire and have never been replaced. Nearby, the Deshler-Morris House, www.nps.gov/demo, was the British headquarters during the battle. Ironically, it would later in 1793-94 become the Germantown White House, when Washington lived here as president. It is the oldest presidential residence in the United States and is now maintained as a museum with period furniture by the National Park Service. Washington came here in the summer of 1793 to escape a Yellow Fever epidemic that killed 10 percent of Philadelphia’s population. Cabinet meetings with Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton were held in the study.

10. Valley Forge www.nps.gov/vafo Located 20 miles northwest of Philadelphia, Valley Forge is one of the most famous names associated with the Revolution – and one of the least understood. No battles were fought here, and while the army suffered from a lack of food and supplies, the misery the army endured at Valley Forge was no worse than what the soldiers suffered every winter. In fact, the winter at Valley Forge was milder than usual. The misunderstandings come from romanticized versions of the encampment written into early histories. What Valley Forge does so well is tell the story of the hardships that all men endured in 18th Century warfare. The National Park Service has replicated samples of the 1,500 crude huts the men lived in and has exhibits and films on the diseases and supply problems that plagued the army and caused 2,000 deaths that winter. Washington made his headquarters at the Isaac Potts House. The pretty fieldstone house looks quiet today and it is difficult to imagine how chaotic it must have been when all 25 members of Washington’s staff lived here. Martha was here also. George and Martha were very much in love and devoted to each other. Though it was rare at the time, Martha spent many winters with the army, enduring great personal risk and hardship traveling by coach and sleigh to be with her “old man,” as she called him. She was adored by Washington’s staff, who found the General much easier to deal with when Martha was around. George and Martha shared the upstairs bedroom in the Potts House and made time for a private breakfast together there each morning. The room is decorated as it would have been.

The Revolution dragged on nearly five years after Valley Forge. George wrote to Martha almost every day they were apart. When he died, she burned all but two of the letters. America’s first couple spent almost all of their lives in public service, but Martha ensured that their private life would stay private forever.

11. The President's House. This new attraction opened on July 4, 2011 and tells a very different story of Washington and his life in Philadelphia -- the fact that he kept nine slaves with him while he lived here as President. Here is a review of the site by Denver Post entertainment editor Ray Mark Rinaldi. www.denverpost.com/search/ci_18385836 Washington and slavery is a complex story; the definitive history of the subject is An Imperfect God by Henry Wiencek. The review of the book in Publisher's Weekly concludes about Washington, "While by no means above dissimulation, even lying, about his and Martha's bond servants, by the time of his death in 1799 Washington had become a firm, if quiet, opponent of the slave system. By freeing his slaves upon Martha's death, he stood head and shoulders above almost all his American contemporaries." Still, it is a very different Washington that you will encounter at the President's House, one who bought and sold human beings, was deceptive to them and possibly broke the law by keeping them in bondage while living in a free state. It's all history now...but a history that should never be forgotten.

IF YOU GO: For more information on Philadelphia, visit: www.gophila.com/

Floating Through Mexico City Drinking Cerveza

noreply@blogger.com (richgrant) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 16:51:00 +0000

Our barge had barely pushed away from shore before we were surrounded by other boats, all painted in equally bright colors. On one side, an old woman glided her skiff next to ours to offer roasted corn on a stick, the blackened kernels coated with lime and salt. On the other side, a floating bar sailed by in a canoe. We hailed them and in a flash, two ice-cold cervezas were passed aboard.
Up and down the canal, dozens of boats jockeyed for position, filled with families, children, even a Mariachi band…all enjoying picnic lunches and a relaxing afternoon on the water.
Welcome to Mexico City, a place that many will tell you ranks among the most dangerous urban centers in the world. Well, nonsense. For six days in January 2009 we toured this fascinating city and discovered that it is experiencing a renaissance that makes it rival any capital city of Europe, at a fraction of the price.
Throughout the Centro Histórico (Historic Center) and most popular neighborhoods, the streets are immaculately clean and free from litter, police are found in abundance, illegal vendors that used to line the sidewalks are gone (in many areas replaced with outdoor cafes), and there are even stations providing free bicycles, an attempt to cut down on the city’s legendary pollution. It certainly worked while we were there – from a terrace bar above the Zócalo, the air was so clear we could actually see smoke rising from the city’s still “wide awake” volcano, Popocatépetl, more than 30 miles away.
We rode the Metro, Metro Bus, the new light rail, and deluxe inter-city buses, all of which put many U.S. public transportation systems to shame. But most important, we felt safe and welcomed. Publicity of Mexico’s crime in recent years has hurt tourism, particularly from the United States. At popular areas such as the pyramids of Teotihuacán and the famed National Museum of Anthropology, there were, amazingly, far more French visitors than groups from the U.S. If you overhear English being spoken, it’s as likely to come from a Norwegian tourist as an American.
Which is a shame, because right now Mexico City is one of great travel bargains of the world. Through Expedia, we booked the Hotel Imperial on the Paseo de la Reforma for $60 a night. The first-class, Parisian-style historic hotel, once home to dictator Porfirio Diaz, would go for $200 to $300 a night in any other city. At upscale restaurants, even the legendary Sanborns in the courtyard of a former palace, it’s possible to eat and drink for $10-20 each, while an abundance of equally tasty food can be found in hundreds of taquerias, small restaurants and bakeries for a couple of dollars.
One thing hasn’t changed, Mexico City still offers the most amazing collection of architecture and history in all the Americas.

Touring Historic Mexico City
Start at the Zócalo, allegedly the second largest city square in the world after Red Square in Moscow. Just northeast of the square is Templo Mayor, the literal “center of the universe” of the Aztec civilization. This is thought to be where the Aztecs saw a vision of an eagle on a cactus with a snake in its beak – the symbol of Mexico today. In 1325, they began construction of a temple here, enlarging it over time, often accompanied by human sacrifices, with as many as 20,000 sacrificial victims occurring in a four-day period.
Cortes and the Spaniards had the temple torn down in the 1520s and the stones were used to build the plaza, a palace and the Metropolitan Cathedral that now ring the square. The huge Mexican flag in the center of the Zócalo is lowered each day in a ceremony worth viewing at 6 p.m. Grab a beer at La Terraza del Conquistador, one of a half dozen outdoor terrace bars overlooking the plaza. The view is great and four beers were $9.
The 34-block neighborhood around the Zócalo contains 1,500 historic buildings and has been declared a Unesco World Heritage site. In recent years, politicians have placed a huge emphasis on this area, cleaning up the buildings, adding dramatic lighting and widening sidewalks. Restaurants, hotels and clubs have moved in. It in the daytime, it is a swirling mass of humanity and fun to discover its many treasures of old wooden doors and incredible stone carvings. At night, the crowds thin, but we found numerous police patrolling the area on foot.
For a beer, stop in La Opera Bar on Av 5 de Mayo and ask them to point out the bullet hole in the ceiling, put there by Panco Villa.
And don’t miss Plaza Garibaldi a few blocks away. This is Mexico City’s center for mariachis. From 8 p.m. on, the square and surrounding bars are filled with dozens of mariachi groups. Cars pull up to hire the bands to play a song for them for birthdays and special occasions. It’s a wild scene, with little outdoor bars selling shots of tequila. The best bar here is Tenampa. Opened in 1925, the walls are covered with Art Deco murals of famous mariachi singers, there’s a band playing continuously….and they have Bohemia dark on tap, a rarity in Mexico City.
Paseo de la Reforma is the city’s principal tree-lined thoroughfare, packed with impressive modern skyscrapers and towering monuments and fountains. As you get closer to Chapultepec Park, there are numerous free bike stations where you can get a bike, helmet and lock for exploring what is called “the lungs” of city -- its largest park.
Chapultepec “castle” was the residence of Emperor Maximilian in 1864 and the site of a battle with U.S. troops in 1847. The history museum has everything from Santa Ana’s wooden leg to the famous portrait of revolutionary leader Zapata, but (for American Civil War buffs) is disappointingly short on exhibits about what is called “the American Invasion.”
The jewel of Mexico City, the Museum of Anthropology, is a short walk away and every bit deserving of its fame as one of the great museums of the world. The great Aztec calendar (seen on everything from kitchen magnets to silver jewelry) is here, but what they don’t tell you is that it’s 20-feet in diameter. It was actually built to be a floor where gladiator fights would take place. The feather headdress that Montezuma gave to Cortez is also a knockout.
Surrounding the park to the north is Polanco, the “Beverly Hills” of Mexico City with upscale shops, restaurants and outdoor cafes.

Excursions from Mexico City
Hotels can offer tours to the pyramids of Teotihuacán or if you want more time there, it’s just as economical to take a cab. Conventional advice is to never hail a cab on the street nor take the cabs that wait outside restaurants. There have been instances of people being robbed in cabs hailed this way. Instead, have your hotel arrange a cab for you, often with English speaking drivers. For two of us, our hotel-arranged-cab took us to both entrances at the pyramids (50 km away) and waited four hours while we explored them for $35 a piece.
Most people assume the pyramids were built by Aztecs, but actually they are much older, the largest – the Piramide del Sol (the third highest pyramid in the world) was finished in AD 150. The museum here is terrific and the view from the top of the pyramids is worth the effort to climb them.
At 15 cents, Mexico City’s Metro is a bargain of a ride, though it can be overwhelmingly crowded. Use common sense. Don’t carry a lot of cash or credit credits, keep your wallet in a pocket with your hand on it, and if the cars are overcrowded, let a few trains go by. Passengers come in waves, so while one car is over-packed, we often found the next train or the one after that to be nearly empty and with seats available. The Metro makes it easy to explore places like Coyoacán, once an outlying colonial-era village with cobblestone streets, now just a few metro stops from the center of the city. The Frida Kahlo museum is here in the house where she was born, lived and died. It’s beautifully done, but there is not much in English so the more you know about her beforehand, the better. The gift shop has her work printed on every imaginable souvenir.
Day trips or overnight excursions to further attractions are easy to arrange on deluxe buses. We took one to the mountain silver-mining town of Taxco (100 miles away) for just $9. The Volvo bus had both men and ladies rooms on board, reclining seats and dvds.
Taxco is a dream of a town with whitewashed buildings covered in flowers climbing up a mountainside. The Parroquia de Santa Prisca, one of the most famous churches in Mexico, is in the center square, and the town has literally hundreds of silver shops. John Kennedy stopped here on his honeymoon. The streets and alleys of the town are a maze, lined with fruit markets, and the higher you climb, the most spectacular the views. We got a hotel off the center square with two balconies for $42. La Parroquia is the best rooftop bar.
And the modern light rail system makes it easy to get to the floating gardens of Xochimilco. Mexico City was originally built on a lake with canals between islands. Some 180 km of waterways still exist. On weekends, thousands of families rent a colorful barge and hold picnics on board, as pilots negotiate the boats using long polls to push them up the canal, past party boats of floating mariachis. We boarded one for about $20 for two hours….a perfect way to end a surprisingly relaxing stay in the world’s third largest city.

IF YOU GO TO: Mexico City
While there is a wealth of information for free on the Web, it is well worth $19.99 to buy Lonely Planet’s Mexico City Guide, which contains maps and a complete history in English of everything you’ll see. Nearly every tourist we encountered was carrying a copy of this, or the larger complete Mexico volume. Mexico City’s official Web site is: http://www.mexicocity.gob.mx/index.php?idioma=en
Web site for Mexico is: http://www.visitmexico.com/

Biking 'Round the San Francisco Bay

noreply@blogger.com (richgrant) — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 17:33:00 +0000

One of the most spectacular urban bike rides in the nation is also one of the easiest.
In just a couple of hours of relaxed peddling, it’s possible to bike around San Francisco Bay, cross the famous Golden Gate Bridge, visit an old sailing ship, scale the ramparts of a Civil War fort, ride by marinas with million dollar yachts, have lunch at a seaside outdoor café in the Mediterranean-style village of Sausalito, and return to the city by ferry at sunset.
Getting a bike is no problem. Two competing companies, Bike and Roll (http://www.bikeandroll.com/androll.com/) and Blazing Saddles (http://www.blazingsaddles.com/), have several locations in the Fisherman’s Wharf area. Rental rates are $7-$8 an hour, or $27 for a full day. The bikes come with an easy lock, basket, flat repair tools, helmet and maps. They are heavy, sturdy, comfort bikes, perfect for the mostly flat terrain.
Most of the 8-mile trip to Sausalito is on off-street bike paths, but in the beginning, you’ll have to leave the rental locations and join the heavy Fisherman’s Wharf street traffic, dodging trolleys, pedestrians and cars as you make your way along the touristy waterfront toward the big three-masted sailing ship at the end of Hyde Street Pier.
The pier served as an auto ferry dock until the Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937. Today, it is the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. The old dock is lined with a variety of sailing craft including the square-rigged Balclutha, a Scottish-built, 256-foot-long sailing ship that rounded Cape Horn 17 times. The iron-hulled, square- rigger carried grain and lumber to California and even had a staring role in the 1935 film version of Mutiny on the Bounty.
A museum across the street tells the story of the founding of San Francisco – perhaps the craziest place anyone has ever built a city. Forgot the fact that it’s on a geological fault and built on seven horrendously steep hills. When it was founded, there was also no fresh water and no timber on this exposed, windy peninsula that was often covered in fog.
But there was a well-protected port and when gold was discovered in California in 1849, the world rushed here, 750 boats arriving in the first year alone. By the 1870s, San Francisco’s docks were loaded with sailing ships like the Balclutha, carrying cargos to ports around the world.
Back on the bike, you leave the streets and enter a paved path along the water’s edge to Fort Mason, an army post that dates back to the Civil War and is now the headquarters for Golden Gate National Recreation Area. There’s an information center here and a steep hill to climb before you descend back to Marina Boulevard, with its bobbing boats and magnificent views of the bay.
A long, flat, paved bike trail continues along the water’s edge, passing through Crissy Field. This area was once dunes and tidal marshes; today it is part of a national recreation area and a great place for bird watching. You can see more than 200 species landing here, everything from Snow Egrets to Red-shouldered Hawks.
There are two information centers along the trail that have exhibits on Crissy Field’s important role in aviation. The army built a pioneer airfield here in 1919 to advance and test the military potential of airplanes. The First Transcontinental Endurance Test took off from this airstrip in 1919 with 61 planes trying to fly across the country. Only nine of the aircraft made it and nine pilots were killed in the attempt, one of them Major Dana Crissy, for whom the airfield was named.
The bike path continues along the bay with each turn offering more spectacular views of the bridge and the Marin headlands until the water-level trail finally ends beside a large, three-tiered brick fortress called Fort Point. Built in 1861 during the Civil War, the fort once boasted 126 cannon. None of them were ever fired and the fort was abandoned in 1900. Today, it is run by the National Park Service and offers Civil War exhibits and a chance to run up and down the stairways to the three levels of ramparts, all offering great views from the former gunports.
The fort has been used in many films and is perhaps most famous as the spot where Kim Novak jumped into the bay and was saved by Jimmy Stewart in Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo.
From the fort, there’s a steep climb on a road shared with cars (but with a safe bike lane) to the large parking lot beside the bridge.
At two miles long with a span of 4,200 feet, the Golden Gate Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world when it opened in 1937. The 746-foot high suspension towers were the tallest man-made structures west of New York.
Workers began painting the bridge 70 years ago and have never stopped. A team of 25 painters work continuously, painting it with 1,000 gallons of International Orange every week. As soon as they “finish” painting the bridge, they start all over again.
The bike trail picks up from the parking lots and travels under the bridge to the west side. There are two paths across the bridge: the east side is for pedestrians and offers view of San Francisco; the west side is for cyclists and has sweeping views of the rocky cliffs of the Marin headlands and the Pacific.
You can expect high winds on the bridge and the bike trail is narrow, with a steady stream of cars seemingly coming directly at you. Fortunately, there are many pull- offs where you can relax and enjoy the view. But don’t relax too much. The bridge is the favorite suicide spot in San Francisco. People who keep track of it recorded the one thousandth jumper in 1995. Amazingly, some people have survived the 220-foot plunge.
At the end of the bridge, you must join the road for the descent into Sausalito, but there are few cars and the winding road is almost all down hill, twisting and turning with a different view in every direction.
Sausalito feels like an Italian town on the Mediterranean. There are bike racks on every corner, so lock up the bike and explore. Princess Street is lined with art galleries and flowers. The Scrimshaw Gallery is worth a stop for its nautical prints. If you want to do a picnic lunch by the water, the Venice Gourmet Delicatessen has been family owned since 1964 and has great sandwiches and drinks, directly across the street from the best view of the bay.
Scoma’s Sausalito has offered the most famous seafood lunch spot for 35 years, but you can also grab an Anchor Steam with a view of Alcatraz and San Francisco at Horizons or The Spinnaker.
Most bikers just stop at Lappert’s Ice Cream (http://www.lapperts.com/) an institution in the area, before poking in the galleries and souvenir shops along Bridgeway Street.
The bike path continues through town, offering more ambitious bikers the chance to continue to Tiburon (another 8 miles) or on a mostly uphill route shared with cars to the famous Muir Woods National Monument, 10 miles away.
But the most popular choice is to hop on the Blue & Gold Fleet (http://www.blueandgoldfleet.com/) for a 20-minute, $9 ferry ride across the bay, back to Pier 39 in the heart of Fisherman’s Wharf. Each ferry can carry hundreds of bikes back, especially in the winter when the 4:30 p.m. departure offers a chance to cross the bay just as the sun sets behind Golden Gate Bridge. With sailboats flying by, Alcatraz off the port bow and all of the lights of San Francisco glimmering ahead, it’s a wonderful end to a day of biking on the bay.
You may not want a beer while biking, but back at Fisherman’s Wharf, you can grab a crab cocktail and Sierra Nevada or Anchor Steam (legal to drink on the street if you pour it in a plastic cup) and enjoy a walk among the seagulls, seals and sightseers.

IF YOU GO: For San Francisco information, http://www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com/
For Sausalito, http://www.sausalito.org/

Drinking Kalik with the Real Pirates of the Caribbean

noreply@blogger.com (richgrant) — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 19:38:00 +0000

“Are ye a pirate, sir? Well then, sign aboard,” says Joseph Garvey, brandishing a flintlock pistol as he beckons visitors into the Pirates of Nassau Museum. Called “the best pirate attraction in the world” by British pirate historian David Cordingly, (there can’t be much competition) the museum in downtown Nassau, Bahamas blends some corny Disney-like effects with enough real history to offer a fun look at the pirates who ruled the waters of the Bahamas nearly 300 years ago.
It’s quite a story too. During the “Golden Age of Piracy (1715-1725),” Nassau was the undisputed pirate capital – the center of an actual Pirate Republic that terrorized the Americas and even challenged the European powers of Britain, France and Spain. At a time when the world was ruled by kings, pirates had a democracy and elected their own captains and officers. Runaway slaves were treated as equals and nearly a quarter of the crew on some pirate ships were black. Pirates had their own laws and courts and even offered the first naval disability program to anyone injured in battle. But the real allure was best summed up by pirate Captain “Black Bart” Roberts, who said of pirating, “It was a short life and a merry one.”
The block-long Pirates of Nassau museum puts you onto a moonlit dock lined on one side by taverns and pubs and on the other by a reproduction of the 130-foot-long, 16-gun corvette, The Revenge. It’s like walking (instead of floating) through Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean ride, but not as much fun.
The museum is better when it concentrates on the real story of the pirates, from Edward Teach, the infamous Blackbeard, who put smoking fuses in his beard to make him appear as a demon from hell, to Howell Davis, who “died like a game cock,” killing two men before he fell.
A diorama is created for the flamboyantly dressed “Calico Jack” Rackham, who was probably the pirate closest to Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow.
While in Nassau, Calico Jack fell in love with Anne Bonney, convinced her to leave her husband, don men’s clothes, steal the sloop Sweet William and begin a life of piracy.
Incredibly, once at sea, Anne fell in love with a fellow shipmate, only to discover that this pirate was also a woman dressed as a man – the adventuress Mary Read. The three sailed together as pirates until they were surprised by a British ship off the coast of Jamaica. Calico Jack and most of the crew were drunk and hid in the ship’s hold. Only Mary Read and Anne Bonney offered any resistance, fighting like hellcats with pistol and cutlass.
The ship was taken and all three sentenced to hang. As Calico Jack went to the gallows, Anne told him, “Had you fought like a man, you need not have been hanged like a dog.” Anne and Mary both conveniently got pregnant in jail and escaped the hangman.
But many other pirates didn’t. Tired of the pirate nuisance, England sent Woodes Rodgers (a former pirate himself) to Nassau in 1718 with three warships and an ultimatum for the pirates to choose: “Death or pardon.” In short order, Rodgers cleaned up the pirate den. He described his actions as: “Expulsis Piratis – Restituta Commercia,” words that still adorn the official seal of the Bahamas – “Pirates Expelled – Commerce Restored.”
Ironically, it’s the pirates who have remained heroes. You can’t throw a cutlass in Nassau without hitting a shop selling skull & crossbones t-shirts or “Got Grog?” bumper stickers, while the only tribute to Rodgers is a small statue of him reaching for a brace of pistols, located in front of the British Colonial Hilton Hotel. He looks angry.
The museum tour ends with a display of Jolly Roger flags. Each pirate captain had his own flag design, many featuring an hourglass that symbolized life was short. Calico Jack’s flag of crossed sabers beneath a skull is one of the most famous, and fittingly, the one used on the Black Pearl in the Disney Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

Modern Day Pirate Adventures
As you would expect from a country that mentions pirates in its official seal, Nassau offers lots of pirate-like adventures.
“Walking the plank” into shark infested waters is a staple of every pirate movie. Unfortunately, it never happened and there’s no evidence of pirates ever making anyone do it. But don’t let that stop you. At Stuart’s Cove, you can go snorkeling with sharks. There’s no plank and you walk down stairs off the back of a boat into crystal clear water. But there are sharks -- about a dozen of them, circling in the water just a few feet beneath you.
“Keep your hands at your side because the sharks here are used to being fed by hand,” the captain tells you. After fifteen terrorizing minutes of keeping your hands frozen at your sides with shark fins just beneath you, you climb back on board and the captain whips the sharks into a frenzy, feeding them, as he has promised, off the back of the boat by hand.
Pirates did maroon prisoners and mutineers on deserted islands and you can experience that too on cruises aboard the Flying Cloud. The catamaran sails twice daily to Rose Island, a picture-perfect deserted cay of palms and white sand. Passengers who want to be “marooned,” are dropped here, while the boat goes off on a snorkeling excursion, picking them up later in the day.
Pirates lived in a world of wooden ships and almost nothing has survived except, fittingly, some old rum bottles, swords and cannons. However, there are three stone forts in Nassau, and while all of them were built after the pirates, they still offer a glimpse of the era. Fort Charlotte built in 1789 is the largest and its towering walls and black cannon today stand guard over an area of Nassau known as “Fish Fry.” This is a row of a dozen local seafood restaurants – and the best place to eat like a pirate.
The meal of choice is conch…a snail-like, beautiful pink shell fish that tastes like a rubbery scallop and can be grilled, fried or served cold in a conch salad with green pepper, tomato and onion, cured in lemon juice. “Cracked conch” (conch fried in a light batter) with “peas and rice,” (rice and small beans) and fried plantains (small banana-like fruit), washed down with the very drinkable local beer, Kalik, is the national dish. Kalik is brewed on the Bahamas and the name is supposed to come from the noise cow bells make. Well, why not? Even better, stop in any liquor store for a traditional black bottle of Caribbean-brewed Guinness. Maybe it was the beach, but it tasted better than our own Canadian-brewed Guinness.
Lonely Planet will tell you to not eat conch because it is near endangered status and it is quietly being fished out in the Bahamas. Conch from the Bahamas has already been banned in the U.S. and many other Caribbean islands. But as a pirate, how could you not taste the national dish? Conch is an important part of the Bahamian diet and a major source of their protein. It’s also delicious.
You can also try fresh conch at the seafood restaurants under the bridge to Paradise Island. Here, fishing boats actually dock behind the restaurant and you can watch your conch prepared, from being ripped live from the shell to cut up for conch salad. As one restaurant says, “If you want it any fresher, go and catch it yourself.”
Finish the meal off with a fine Cuban cigar – legal and cheap in Nassau, but of course illegal to bring home to the U.S..
Across the bay is Paradise Island, called Hog Island in pirate days. It was Paradise Island that made Nassau such an 18th century sailing haven because it created a deep water, sheltered harbor. Today, the largest cruise ship port in the Caribbean is located here. Paradise Island was once owned by 20th century pirate Donald Trump. Today it is home to Atlantis – one of the most outrageous (and expensive) hotels in the world.
As a pirate, you can explore the casino, aquariums, restaurants, architecture and nightlife of Atlantis for free on day trips. You have to pay to use the pools during the day, but if just want to see them, act like a pirate…mill around by the entrance areas and you should be able to slip through. We did it, Jack Sparrow style, by walking backwards past the guard.
It’s cheaper, quieter and more laid back to stay in the palm-lined Cable Beach area. You can travel from Nassau to Paradise Island as the pirates did, on a ferryboat, for just $3 each way.
The white sands, sheltered blue waters and palms of Cable Beach are only a 10-minute, $1 bus ride from Nassau, on the local jitney bus #10. Buses in Nassau are privately owned and are as close to the pirates of old as you’ll find. Each bus driver is his own captain, decorating the bus as he or she likes, stopping wherever they want and playing their own mixture of reggae, goombay (the distinctive music of the Bahamas) or calypso music.
On one bus we rode, the driver had rigged up a DVD player on the windshield and was actually watching a movie as he drove in the chaotic traffic. The movie? Why, a pirated copy of Spiderman 3, of course.

IF YOU GO: Nassau is located on the 21-mile long island of New Providence, in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, about 200 miles east of Florida. With a population of 212,000, Nassau is the capital and largest city of this independent country, which broke from England in 1973, ending 325 years of British rule. However, as part of the Commonwealth, Queen Elizabeth still appears on the money and stamps. Paradise Island is a quarter-mile north and can be reached in the day by ferry for $3 each way from Prince George Wharf, or on foot or by taxi over a bridge.
What to Read: The Pirate Republic, Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down by Colin Woodard is the best account of the pirates of Nassau. On the beach, try Ian Fleming’s Thunderball. Although the book is more than 50 years old, Fleming placed this James Bond thriller about modern day pirates in Nassau and the descriptions of the island hold up well. The movie (and the new Bond movie, Casino Royal) were filmed here. Sean Connery lives on the west end of New Providence.
Adventures: Snorkeling with the sharks is a four-hour adventure that includes snorkeling over a plane sunk for Jaws 4 and costs $55. http://www.snorkelbahamas.com/. A half-day sail on the Flying Cloud is $60 and includes a rum punch. http://www.flyingcloud.info/. Pirates of Nassau Museum costs $12 for adults.
http://www.pirates-of-nassau.com/. For information on the Bahamas, visit: http://www.bahamas.com/.