Lost in Paris
By MATT GROSS
Published: October 7, 2011
http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/10/09/travel/lost-in-paris.html?pagewanted=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha210
FOUR days after I arrived in Paris, I bought an umbrella. It had been raining on and off the entire time, and during my daily walks I’d been carrying a lightweight waterproof shell — bright green — which at the first sign of precipitation I’d unroll from its bundle and zip up, often removing it just minutes later, when the skies temporarily cleared. This was silly, I kept telling myself. There had to be a better way.
Still, I never set out specifically to buy the umbrella. It was only when, one Monday morning, I had decided to stroll the streets of St.-Germain-des-Près, the tony Left Bank neighborhood, that the urge struck me. It happened, appropriately enough, in front of an umbrella store on the Boulevard St.-Germain.
This was no mere umbrella store. This was Alexandra Sojfer, and its windows were dazzling displays of parasols, frilly and bright and elaborate and not exactly my style — but umbrellas nonetheless. Inside, I asked about the wares, and the shopkeeper, a refreshingly friendly blond woman, who I later realized was Ms. Sojfer herself, explained that the company had been in the umbrella business since 1834 and that yes, they did carry more masculine, utilitarian rain gear. She showed me two models, a long one and a short one, both with fine carved-wood handles.
“But you know,” I said, “I come from New York, where the wind is strong and the streets are littered with the skeletons of dead umbrellas.”
Not to worry, she said. If any of the metal struts were damaged, I could simply return it to the shop to be fixed.
“O.K.,” I said, hefting a short, gray one, “I’ll take it.”
Then she carried the umbrella behind the counter and asked me for 240 euros.
I handed her a credit card.
For the next 10 minutes, as I sipped an espresso she’d made me and filled out the French tax-rebate form, I tried to understand what had just happened. Had I really spent 240 euros (about $320 at $1.33 to the euro) on an umbrella, one that, albeit sturdy, was not significantly different from a 24-euro umbrella? With the V.A.T. rebate, of course, the total would be reduced by 39 euros, and surely this coffee was worth at least 1 euro, so really I’d spent only 200 euros. Only.
One thing was for sure, I thought as I walked out of the shop into a suddenly sunny and rain-free morning: This was something I’d never done in Paris before — had never even imagined doing — and that was exactly why I was here, to see what new experiences could be wrung out of a city I’ve visited every two or three years since 1994. I’ve been here in the frigidity of December, in the full baking heat of August, on glorious late-spring and early-autumn days when the city is at the height of its considerable beauty. I’ve come alone and with family, to visit the woman I later married and to try to survive on dollars a day as the Frugal Traveler for this newspaper. Paris was where I tasted sweetbreads for the first time, where I bought my first suit, where I learned it’s O.K. to walk out of a restaurant that’s treating you poorly. I know Paris, not perfectly, but well.
In recent years, my activities increasingly centered on a relatively constrained area, the Right Bank neighborhoods stretching from the Marais, the old Jewish quarter turned fashionable outdoor mall, up to Montmartre, across the trendy, bourgeois-bohemian Canal St.-Martin and down to the immigrant quarter of Belleville and the riot of bars and cafes surrounding Bastille. At the same time, my group of Parisian friends had expanded and crystallized; I had a ready-to-go posse whenever I stepped out of the Métro.
But as I prepared for a weeklong visit in early September, I didn’t want to just return to my favorite places and wallow in nostalgia. I wanted to see if it was possible to re-experience Paris as if for the first time, to be amazed by the reality of the place instead of comforted by its familiarity. Because seeking out the “new” in Paris is problematic in a city where change comes grudgingly, if at all, I set my sights on the yet-unfamiliar. How could there not be delightful restaurants, art galleries, little-known immigrant pockets and underground jazz clubs I’d never discovered?
This would certainly be a quixotic, self-contradictory mission, but it was a mission nonetheless, and on my first day, I almost completely failed. Arriving across the Seine from Notre-Dame cathedral — just about the geographic center of the city — I was surrounded by neighborhoods I already knew: the Marais, the Latin Quarter, Bastille. And as I walked (and walked and walked) to escape them, jet lag, fatigue and the gray skies’ miserable drizzle conspired to drain my energy. Lunch on the quiet Île St.-Louis was a find — Gillardeau oysters and free-range chicken at the low-key Auberge de la Reine Blanche — but it went by like a blip. And that evening it took me five tries to find an available, affordable hotel room. At sunset, as I took my first shower of the day, I wondered how I could keep this up.
But the next day I figured it out. My legs rested (if still restless), I marched north up to Montmartre, the hilltop 18th Arrondissement neighborhood famous for windmills, cabarets and the Sacré-Coeur basilica. The sun was out and the air was cool, and though I thought I knew Montmartre, I kept finding minor-key surprises, like the high, serene walls around the Cimetière Montmartre and the plaques identifying the former homes of famous composers (here Berlioz, there Satie). When I rounded a corner onto the Rue St.-Vincent, a peaceful lane that ran up past the Clos de Montmartre vineyard, I had a flash: This is the street from that Yves Montand song I love! (I’m no scholar of postwar chansons; I heard it on the “Rushmore” soundtrack.)
So when, a few minutes later, I spied a storefront called Studios Paris advertising short-term rentals, I made a decision. Wandering Paris was fun; carrying all my belongings with me, rain or shine, was less so. But an apartment would be more than a glorified storage locker or a spot for an afternoon nap — it would be a little corner of Paris to claim as my own. Into Studios Paris I walked.
ONE hour later, I was looking out from the sole window of the Eagle’s Nest, my newly renovated seventh-floor garret, at what might be the best view of Paris in Paris. From Montreuil in the east to the Bois de Boulogne, it was unobstructed: the towers, the domes, the mansard rooftops, the slight sinuous suggestion of the Seine. For the next six days, I would look at this view every morning as I drank my coffee. I’d look at this view at sunset, after returning from my wanderings for a shower, a rest and a glass of wine. I’d watch it in the driving rain, and at midnight, when searchlights spun around the Eiffel Tower. The apartment itself might be only 150 square feet, with a private toilet out in the hall, but my living room was all of Paris.
And in my backyard, Montmartre, which I realized I didn’t know well at all. That first night, at the sloping corner where the Rue Garreau merges with the Rue Durantin, I watched a woman with impressively curly hair sit on a step, rolling a cigarette with utmost concentration. Just above her, in the tall and narrow second-story window of a flatiron-style building, another woman danced in front of a mirror, testing her outfit for the evening. And across the cobbled street, the lights of La Part des Anges — a cozy restaurant with outdoor tables where a mother rocked an infant — bathed the scene in a golden glow.
I stood there taking it in: the angles of the buildings, the contrast of the darkening sky and the soft electric lights, the energy and anticipation swelling here and everywhere across Paris. It was all the more thrilling for the fact that I had been here, at this precise intersection, who knows how many times before, but had never quite seen it this way, so alive, so pulsing with potential. Tourists, I knew, lurked nearby, and Parisian scenesters were massing outside bars down the street, too, but the magic of a great neighborhood in this city is that it feels as though it exists for you alone.
Of course, I was not yet ready to be in an exclusive relationship with Montmartre, and since this was Paris, what’s a little flirting between neighborhoods? Perhaps I could find the same happiness, or better, in a place like the 15th Arrondissement, a mostly residential area in southwest Paris that has, as far as I can tell, not a single tourist attraction — no monuments, no cultural institutions (unless you count the Cordon Bleu).
What it does have is real, normal life, which can be as appealing as the “Winged Victory” in the Louvre. For an afternoon I zigzagged among eminently pleasant squares and small parks, resting here to eat a ham sandwich (procured from a boulangerie that placed ninth in last year’s best baguette competition), pausing there to observe the goings-on. Well-dressed friends posing for wedding pictures. A 3-year-old riding a scooter under the supervision of his parents and grandparents. Joggers and sunbathers and teenagers speaking indecipherably slangy French. The sun shone warmly, and I drank an Orangina.
Every once in a while, though, I got a brief glimpse behind this idyllic curtain. As I walked up near the Seine, I passed an old brick high school, glanced down the road to my left and stopped in my tracks. There, hidden until now at the end of the street, was a modernist skyscraper, the Tour Evasion 2000, rising awfully, dejectedly, above its surroundings. And yet it charmed me — so rundown, so out of place in what we think of as a grand, pristine belle époque city. Beyond the tower, stuck between a busy road and the quais of the Seine, was a narrow strip of parkland, a group of homeless immigrants encamped at one end, a nearly naked woman sunbathing at the other.
From there I turned back east, where suddenly the landscape became oddly familiar. Right! Here, still in the 15th, was 47, rue Fondary, where 13 years ago my then-girlfriend, now-wife, Jean, had lived as a student, and down the street the Hôtel Fondary, where we’d spent a night after locking ourselves out of her apartment. That was the first in what would be a long series of travel-related near-disasters — our calamitous Mexican road trip, our jet-lagged toddler’s miserable Taiwan visit — and while I remembered it now fondly, I also felt strange. I’d been whipsawed back and forth between the new and the nostalgic — and I kind of liked it.
This disconcerting though pleasurable phenomenon — the past inserting itself into the present — happened again and again. Another day, back on the Right Bank, in a part of the 12th Arrondissement I would’ve sworn I’d never visited, I stopped for lunch at a cafe, Au Va et Vient, and at one of the outdoor tables enjoyed a hearty bowl of duck confit with sweet carrots while the man next to me distractedly tried to read a Paul Theroux book. Nothing I could see on the broad boulevard — trees, fountains, people strutting purposefully into the Métro — gelled into memory. But afterward, I walked a half-block and found myself at Raimo, an ice cream shop founded in 1947 that also sells sacks of toasted almonds, a lesser-known delicacy that a friend turned me on to in 2009.
Then, just around the corner, I found a mysterious parklike path that led who knows where. Actually, I realized after a few minutes of following it, I knew exactly where. This was the Chemin Vert, the green highway that wends surreptitiously across the 12th, sometimes below street level, sometimes over an old viaduct and occasionally cutting right through buildings. And I’d certainly walked it before. In fact, Jean and I had dined beneath it, at Le Viaduc Café, a trendy spot (or so we thought) back in 1998. And I’d probably ordered duck confit then, too.
Before I had a chance to process this stumbled-upon memory, however, it began to rain. I opened my expensive umbrella and kept on walking.
Almost everywhere I looked in Paris I found this tug between the past and present engulfing me. The novel I’d picked up in a Marais bookstore — Haruki Murakami’s “1Q84” — turned out to be a story of the past creepily inserting itself into the present. Of course. And Lars von Trier’s provocative “Melancholia,” which I caught in Montmartre, was about a dysfunctional family facing the ultimate eradication of their past (and present and future). It was as if Paris itself knew why I had come. Or maybe I was finally seeing Paris for what it really was: a marvelous open-air cinema where the filmstrips of our memories flicker ceaselessly, even as we shoot new scenes.
Any angst I had about the success or failure of my mission was fast evaporating as I was enjoying myself too much to care, and coming to realize that whatever I was doing, I was still participating in distinctly Parisian endeavors. Reminiscing at meaningful corners, indulging in highbrow culture available nowhere else, eating more duck than one should eat — this is why we come to Paris in the first place. This is why I’d come to Paris, and why I’d kept coming back.
That said, one day’s excursion, to the busy but overlooked 13th Arrondissement, got me more excited than every other, because it was entirely new. Following a vague tip from a Drew Barrymore look-alike I met in a bar, I took the Métro to the Bibliothèque Nationale Française and hunted for Les Frigos, an artists’ collective. Frankly, it wasn’t a hunt. Les Frigos, housed in a craggy, turreted cold-storage warehouse built in 1921, instantly stood out in this new neighborhood of glass and steel. Inside, the walls had been decorated floor to ceiling by the generations of sculptors, painters and photographers who’ve worked here since the mid-’80s. Nothing was going on that day, but I didn’t care. The building itself was worth witnessing, particularly because I’d never heard of it before.
To the west, the neighborhood was older, full of businesses like Le Cristal, a grotty, busy brasserie where a creaky-voiced waitress served me roast lamb in a flood of flageolets. But it also included a whole Little Saigon that I hadn’t known about — street after street of Vietnamese noodle shops and vendors of cheap souvenirs. There was even some quirky history, like the Square Henri-Rousselle, where the first hot-air-balloon flight landed in 1783.
And right nearby, La Butte aux Cailles. How had I missed this neighborhood all these years? With its narrow lanes, clever street art and relaxed cafe-bars, it felt like a village in the middle of Paris — like the Marais minus the boutiques or Montmartre pre-“Amélie.” I walked up and down the streets, then into the offices of Les Amis de la Commune de Paris, a group dedicated to preserving the memory of the few months in 1871 when a workers’ movement took control of the capital.
“It’s not taught in schools,” lamented Françoise Bazire, Les Amis’ secretary general. That bit of the past was fading.
AS was I. It was early evening, and I needed a shower and a nap. Back to Montmartre I went, though with the knowledge that, one day, I’d return to La Butte aux Cailles, and remember having been there before.
When I emerged from the Métro at Les Abbesses, I popped into Au Levain d’Antan, a boulangerie that got the top place in this year’s best baguette competition, and bought a demi-baguette, still warm from the oven. Then I raced down the street and up seven flights of stairs to my garret, where I sliced open the bread, slathered it with good Échiré butter, cracked open a bottle of ice-cold Sancerre and consumed my snack while watching the setting sun cast shadows across the City of Light. Forget the past, the present, the future, my expectations and my memories — this was living, no matter where or when I was.
When at last the morning came to check out of the Eagle’s Nest, I took one more look at the sunlit view and could see almost nowhere I hadn’t set foot. No doubt secrets remained, but they would be revealed in time.
It was 11:30. The rental agency’s rep would be downstairs, waiting for me to let her in. I patted my back pocket, heard the reassuring clink of my keys and walked into the hall, closing the door behind me. Then I froze. That clink was not keys but coins. I was locked out, just as my wife and I had been 13 years before.
This was only a minor emergency. The apartment’s owner would be located in a few hours, the keys reproduced, my belongings recovered. But until then, there was nothing to do but walk out — as I’d done a hundred times before, as I hope to do a thousand times more — into the streets of Paris, with no clear idea of where I was going, or what I would do when I got there.
TIME AND AGAIN
While I discovered a lot of new places on this trip, there are several old favorites I wish I’d gotten back to.
OLD FAVORITES
Fondation Cartier, 261, boulevard Raspail, 14th Arrondissement; (33-1) 42-18-56-50; fondation.cartier.com. There’s always something thought-provoking at this contemporary art space, like “Mathematics: A Beautiful Elsewhere,” opening Oct. 21.
Kulte, two locations; kulte.fr. This Marseille-based men’s wear label strikes a nice balance between street style and formality, and at a fair price.
Le Bistrot du Peintre, 116, avenue Ledru-Rollin, 11th; (33-1) 47-00-34-39; bistrotdupeintre.com. I’ve never eaten here, but it’s my favorite building in Paris, with a stunning Art Nouveau interior that’s perfect for afternoon coffee.
Librairie Ulysse, 26 Rue-St.-Louis-en-l’Île, Fourth; (33-1) 43-25-17-35; www.ulysse.fr. A travel bookstore jammed with novels, histories, maps and photography.
NEW DISCOVERIES
Au Levain d’Antan, 6, rue des Abbesses, 18th; (33-1) 42-64-97-83.
Auberge de la Reine Blanche, 30, rue St.-Louis-en-l’Île, Fourth; (33-1)-46-33-07-87.
Les Amis de la Commune de Paris, 46, rue des Cinq-Diamants, 13th; (33-1) 45-81-60-54; commune-paris.lu.
Les Frigos, 19, rue des Frigos, 13th; les-frigos.com
Studios Paris, 4, rue Androuet, 18th; (33-977) 219-888, paris-apartment-rent.com.
Action Christine, 4, rue Christine, Sixth; (33-1) 43-25-85-78; actioncinemas.com. Tucked away down a St.-Germain alleyway, this tiny repertory cinema runs series devoted to, say, Humphrey Bogart or Hollywood westerns.
Prohibido, 34, rue Durantin, 18th. In the early evening, the down-to-earth crowds at this Brazilian-ish bar overflow onto the street — a free-form party.
MATT GROSS, the former Frugal Traveler, is writing a book about independent travel, to be published by Da Capo Press.
Copyright by The New York Times, 2011
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Friday, September 30, 2011
36 Hours in Krakow, Poland
36 Hours in Krakow, Poland
By INGRID K. WILLIAMS
Published: September 29, 2011.
http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/10/02/travel/36-hours-in-krakow-poland.html?hpw
IN Krakow, Poland’s second city, comparisons are unavoidable. The Old Town’s stately main square, ringed by outdoor cafes and dominated by the twin spires of a magnificent church? Like Prague’s, but larger. The hilltop castle lording over a languorous river? Like Budapest’s, but older. The rollicking night-life scene thumping in grimy tenements? Like Berlin’s, but tamer. But this rejuvenated city now also packs some original surprises. Museums are sprouting in formerly dilapidated factories, and off-beat art galleries are showcasing works from the city’s creative class. Shiny new restaurants are claiming space among their bohemian brethren, infusing the once-staid local food scene with fresh, modern fare. All this means that Krakow may soon be the cool, post-Communist enclave with which Europe’s next crop of emerging cities is compared.
Friday
4 p.m.
1) WALK IN THE PARK
Krakow’s compact historic districts are eminently walkable, so start with a stroll through Planty Park, an attractive arboreal arcade that encircles the Old Town. Follow this leafy two-mile loop toward Wawel Hill, where the majestic royal castle and cathedral are perched above the Vistula River. Weave through the hilltop courtyard and then down the back side of the hill to the manicured promenade that hugs the river’s green banks. Then continue along the waterfront until you reach the year-old steel-arched Laetus Bernatek Footbridge, a pedestrian- and bike-friendly river crossing that links the Kazimierz and Podgorze districts.
6 p.m.
2) FREE YOUR MIND
Kunst Macht Frei — art sets you free. So claims a sculpture, modeled after the haunting entrance to nearby Auschwitz, welcoming visitors to the premier exhibition at the new Museum of Contemporary Art in Krakow, or MOCAK (Ulica Lipowa 4; 48-12-263-4001; mocak.com.pl), which opened in May in the industrial Podgorze district. The permanent collection inside the sleek glass-and-concrete galleries features similarly provocative pieces, like a full-scale reproduction of a Guantánamo Bay prison cell by the Polish artist Tomasz Bajer. For a lighter dose of culture, check out the temporary exhibition “Between Sculpture and Fashion,” which runs through Oct. 30.
8:30 p.m.
3) TASTE OF POLAND
At Restauracja Pod Baranem (Ulica Swietej Gertrudy 21; 48-12-429-4022; podbaranem.com), the hokey furnishings and moody oil paintings border on kitsch, but the kitchen cranks out reliably solid Polish classics. Start with a steaming bowl of shockingly purple beetroot soup or the hearty cream of mushroom soup served in a bread bowl. Then move on to pierogi ruskie — dumplings stuffed with cottage cheese — or sliced duck swimming in sweet apple cinnamon sauce. Cap off the meal with gooey gingerbread for dessert. Dinner for two, about 90 zloty, or $29 at 3 zloty to the dollar, without drinks.
11 p.m.
4) WODKA, 100 WAYS
The Old Town is peppered with bars and outdoor cafes, but to sample the local tipple of choice, head to the Wodka Cafe Bar (Ulica Mikolajska 5; 48-12-422-3214; wodkabar.pl). Forget sampling the entire vodka menu — there are around 100 types — and start with a chilled glass of hazelnut vodka (7 zloty) that you’ll want to sip and savor rather than shoot and scowl. Then settle in with a tatanka (11 zloty), an apple juice and vodka mixture, at one of the three tiny tables downstairs or in the cozy alcove above the bar.
Saturday
10 a.m.
5) ART CRAWL
Start the day with a tour of Polish art through the centuries. Begin at the Cloth Hall, the enormous market building in the middle of the main square, where, in September 2010, the National Museum reinstalled the Gallery of 19th-Century Polish Art upstairs (Rynek Glowny 3; 48-12-424-4603; muzeum.krakow.pl) inside four color-coded exhibition rooms. Next visit the Galeria Plakatu Krakow (Ulica Stolarska 8-10; 48-12-421-2640; cracowpostergallery.com), a shop stocked with thousands of the rare 20th-century graphic-art posters that emerged as a major art form in Poland after the World War II; keep an eye out for trippy pieces by Wieslaw Walkuski. Conclude the tour in the 21st century at the Bunkier Sztuki Contemporary Art Gallery (Plac Szczepanski 3a; 48-12-422-1052; bunkier.art.pl), a multistory space that hosts experimental, large-scale exhibitions, like a recent anti-capitalist video installation.
1:30 p.m.
6) COWS AND CAKES
The cow is sacred at Love Krove (Ulica Jozefa 8; 48-12-422-1506), a cool year-old burger joint with mismatched décor, a huge bovine-inspired street-art-style mural scrawled across a wall, and juicy all-beef patties piled high with unusual toppings. Try the Ozzy burger with beetroot, grilled pineapple, cheese and barbecue sauce (15 zloty), plus a bowl of crispy fried potato wedges (5 zloty). For dessert, pop into Cupcake Corner (Ulica Bracka 4; 48-12-341-4272; cupcakecorner.pl), a new bakery run by a cupcake-loving expat from Chicago. Flavors change daily, so cross your fingers that the moist red velvet cupcakes (6 zloty) are on the menu when you go.
4 p.m.
7) HISTORY LESSON
The buzziest attraction in town these days is also the most sobering. The former enamel factory of Oskar Schindler, which was portrayed in Steven Spielberg’s film “Schindler’s List,” opened in June 2010 as a haunting new branch of the Historical Museum of the City of Krakow (Ulica Lipowa 4; 48-12-257-1017; mhk.pl). The museum’s impressive permanent exhibition “Krakow Under Nazi Occupation 1939-1945” traces life (and death) in the city from the outbreak of World War II through the liquidation of the Jewish ghetto with exhibits that are both informative and unforgettably moving.
8 p.m.
8) THE PIEROGI EATERS
Please your palate with a pierogi “palette” — a sampler of dumplings stuffed with various fruit (17.50 zloty), meat (39.50 zloty) or vegetarian (36.90 zloty) fillings — at Pierozki u Vincenta (Ulica Bozego Ciala 12; 48-501-747-407; kazimierz.uvincenta.pl), a sunny pierogi restaurant with van Gogh-inspired décor and a “Starry Night” mural swirling across the ceiling. Or mix-and-match one of two dozen pierogi varieties on the menu — cottage cheese with walnuts (13.50 zloty) is a winner — with a free topping, like butter, onions or a generous dollop of sour cream.
10 p.m.
9) JEWISH QUARTER NIGHTS
These days, Krakow’s liveliest drinking dens are packed into the dingy streets of Kazimierz, the historical Jewish quarter. On warm nights, pay a visit to the convivial beer garden at Mleczarnia (Ulica Meiselsa 20; 48-12-421-8532; mle.pl), opposite the bohemian cafe’s brick-and-mortar location. Then saunter over to the bar Singer (Ulica Estery 20; 48-12-292-0622) near Plac Nowy, Kazimierz’s main square, where the ersatz tables lining the sidewalk are actually antiquated sewing machines. When the temperature dips, step indoors at Alchemia (Ulica Estery 5; 48-516-095-863; alchemia.com.pl), a shadowy, candlelit lair with glass beakers strung from the ceiling and a stuffed crocodile hovering above the bar.
Midnight
10) BLUE VAN SPECIAL
In Krakow, the most popular street food is the zapiekanka, a toasted open-faced baguette topped with mushrooms and cheese (or any number of optional add-ons). Conveniently, the rotunda in the middle of Plac Nowy is packed with zapiekanka vendors, but the best of the bunch is Endzior (Plac Nowy; 48-12-429-3754; endzior.eu). If you’re willing to walk for your midnight snack, instead seek out the blue van parked just past the elevated railroad tracks beside Hala Targowa (Market Hall) at the intersection of Blich and Grzegorzecka. Until 3 a.m., a white-jacketed duo quietly cooks footlong kielbasa over an open flame in a makeshift wood-burning grill beside the van. Served with a crusty bun and a pool of mustard, these sausages (8 zloty) have earned a cult following, so be prepared to wait in line.
Sunday
11 a.m.
11) SALT ROCK CITY
On nearly every street corner in the Old Town, there’s a blue-and-white cart selling obwarzanek (Polish bagels). Grab a couple and hop on the train to Wieliczka, a quiet town about eight miles away that is home to the Wieliczka Salt Mine (Ulica Danilowicza 10, Wieliczka; 48-12-278-7375; kopalnia.pl), one of the very first Unesco World Heritage sites. The two-and-a-half-hour guided tour of the site begins by descending 210 feet into a 17th-century mine shaft and then snakes through a sprawling maze of underground chambers, including one fantastically grand chapel complete with an altar, chandeliers, sculptures and bas-relief works made from salt. Don’t believe it’s all salt? Lick it to see for yourself.
IF YOU GO
The sleek 34-room Hotel Unicus (Ulica Florianska 35/Swietego Marka 20; 48-12-433-7111; hotelunicus.pl) is in the heart of the Old Town and the area’s boisterous late-night hot spots. The spacious, modern rooms are tranquil, however, and outfitted with plush beds and black-tiled bathrooms. Doubles from 480 zloty (about $155).
The elegant Hotel Copernicus (Ulica Kanonicza 16; 48-12-424-3400; copernicus.hotel.com.pl) is a luxe Relais & Châteaux property on a cobblestone side street near Wawel Hill. The 29 rooms are tucked around a glass-roofed patio, and have period furnishings and rustic wood-beam ceilings. Doubles from 900 zloty.
Copyright by The New York Times, 2011
By INGRID K. WILLIAMS
Published: September 29, 2011.
http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/10/02/travel/36-hours-in-krakow-poland.html?hpw
IN Krakow, Poland’s second city, comparisons are unavoidable. The Old Town’s stately main square, ringed by outdoor cafes and dominated by the twin spires of a magnificent church? Like Prague’s, but larger. The hilltop castle lording over a languorous river? Like Budapest’s, but older. The rollicking night-life scene thumping in grimy tenements? Like Berlin’s, but tamer. But this rejuvenated city now also packs some original surprises. Museums are sprouting in formerly dilapidated factories, and off-beat art galleries are showcasing works from the city’s creative class. Shiny new restaurants are claiming space among their bohemian brethren, infusing the once-staid local food scene with fresh, modern fare. All this means that Krakow may soon be the cool, post-Communist enclave with which Europe’s next crop of emerging cities is compared.
Friday
4 p.m.
1) WALK IN THE PARK
Krakow’s compact historic districts are eminently walkable, so start with a stroll through Planty Park, an attractive arboreal arcade that encircles the Old Town. Follow this leafy two-mile loop toward Wawel Hill, where the majestic royal castle and cathedral are perched above the Vistula River. Weave through the hilltop courtyard and then down the back side of the hill to the manicured promenade that hugs the river’s green banks. Then continue along the waterfront until you reach the year-old steel-arched Laetus Bernatek Footbridge, a pedestrian- and bike-friendly river crossing that links the Kazimierz and Podgorze districts.
6 p.m.
2) FREE YOUR MIND
Kunst Macht Frei — art sets you free. So claims a sculpture, modeled after the haunting entrance to nearby Auschwitz, welcoming visitors to the premier exhibition at the new Museum of Contemporary Art in Krakow, or MOCAK (Ulica Lipowa 4; 48-12-263-4001; mocak.com.pl), which opened in May in the industrial Podgorze district. The permanent collection inside the sleek glass-and-concrete galleries features similarly provocative pieces, like a full-scale reproduction of a Guantánamo Bay prison cell by the Polish artist Tomasz Bajer. For a lighter dose of culture, check out the temporary exhibition “Between Sculpture and Fashion,” which runs through Oct. 30.
8:30 p.m.
3) TASTE OF POLAND
At Restauracja Pod Baranem (Ulica Swietej Gertrudy 21; 48-12-429-4022; podbaranem.com), the hokey furnishings and moody oil paintings border on kitsch, but the kitchen cranks out reliably solid Polish classics. Start with a steaming bowl of shockingly purple beetroot soup or the hearty cream of mushroom soup served in a bread bowl. Then move on to pierogi ruskie — dumplings stuffed with cottage cheese — or sliced duck swimming in sweet apple cinnamon sauce. Cap off the meal with gooey gingerbread for dessert. Dinner for two, about 90 zloty, or $29 at 3 zloty to the dollar, without drinks.
11 p.m.
4) WODKA, 100 WAYS
The Old Town is peppered with bars and outdoor cafes, but to sample the local tipple of choice, head to the Wodka Cafe Bar (Ulica Mikolajska 5; 48-12-422-3214; wodkabar.pl). Forget sampling the entire vodka menu — there are around 100 types — and start with a chilled glass of hazelnut vodka (7 zloty) that you’ll want to sip and savor rather than shoot and scowl. Then settle in with a tatanka (11 zloty), an apple juice and vodka mixture, at one of the three tiny tables downstairs or in the cozy alcove above the bar.
Saturday
10 a.m.
5) ART CRAWL
Start the day with a tour of Polish art through the centuries. Begin at the Cloth Hall, the enormous market building in the middle of the main square, where, in September 2010, the National Museum reinstalled the Gallery of 19th-Century Polish Art upstairs (Rynek Glowny 3; 48-12-424-4603; muzeum.krakow.pl) inside four color-coded exhibition rooms. Next visit the Galeria Plakatu Krakow (Ulica Stolarska 8-10; 48-12-421-2640; cracowpostergallery.com), a shop stocked with thousands of the rare 20th-century graphic-art posters that emerged as a major art form in Poland after the World War II; keep an eye out for trippy pieces by Wieslaw Walkuski. Conclude the tour in the 21st century at the Bunkier Sztuki Contemporary Art Gallery (Plac Szczepanski 3a; 48-12-422-1052; bunkier.art.pl), a multistory space that hosts experimental, large-scale exhibitions, like a recent anti-capitalist video installation.
1:30 p.m.
6) COWS AND CAKES
The cow is sacred at Love Krove (Ulica Jozefa 8; 48-12-422-1506), a cool year-old burger joint with mismatched décor, a huge bovine-inspired street-art-style mural scrawled across a wall, and juicy all-beef patties piled high with unusual toppings. Try the Ozzy burger with beetroot, grilled pineapple, cheese and barbecue sauce (15 zloty), plus a bowl of crispy fried potato wedges (5 zloty). For dessert, pop into Cupcake Corner (Ulica Bracka 4; 48-12-341-4272; cupcakecorner.pl), a new bakery run by a cupcake-loving expat from Chicago. Flavors change daily, so cross your fingers that the moist red velvet cupcakes (6 zloty) are on the menu when you go.
4 p.m.
7) HISTORY LESSON
The buzziest attraction in town these days is also the most sobering. The former enamel factory of Oskar Schindler, which was portrayed in Steven Spielberg’s film “Schindler’s List,” opened in June 2010 as a haunting new branch of the Historical Museum of the City of Krakow (Ulica Lipowa 4; 48-12-257-1017; mhk.pl). The museum’s impressive permanent exhibition “Krakow Under Nazi Occupation 1939-1945” traces life (and death) in the city from the outbreak of World War II through the liquidation of the Jewish ghetto with exhibits that are both informative and unforgettably moving.
8 p.m.
8) THE PIEROGI EATERS
Please your palate with a pierogi “palette” — a sampler of dumplings stuffed with various fruit (17.50 zloty), meat (39.50 zloty) or vegetarian (36.90 zloty) fillings — at Pierozki u Vincenta (Ulica Bozego Ciala 12; 48-501-747-407; kazimierz.uvincenta.pl), a sunny pierogi restaurant with van Gogh-inspired décor and a “Starry Night” mural swirling across the ceiling. Or mix-and-match one of two dozen pierogi varieties on the menu — cottage cheese with walnuts (13.50 zloty) is a winner — with a free topping, like butter, onions or a generous dollop of sour cream.
10 p.m.
9) JEWISH QUARTER NIGHTS
These days, Krakow’s liveliest drinking dens are packed into the dingy streets of Kazimierz, the historical Jewish quarter. On warm nights, pay a visit to the convivial beer garden at Mleczarnia (Ulica Meiselsa 20; 48-12-421-8532; mle.pl), opposite the bohemian cafe’s brick-and-mortar location. Then saunter over to the bar Singer (Ulica Estery 20; 48-12-292-0622) near Plac Nowy, Kazimierz’s main square, where the ersatz tables lining the sidewalk are actually antiquated sewing machines. When the temperature dips, step indoors at Alchemia (Ulica Estery 5; 48-516-095-863; alchemia.com.pl), a shadowy, candlelit lair with glass beakers strung from the ceiling and a stuffed crocodile hovering above the bar.
Midnight
10) BLUE VAN SPECIAL
In Krakow, the most popular street food is the zapiekanka, a toasted open-faced baguette topped with mushrooms and cheese (or any number of optional add-ons). Conveniently, the rotunda in the middle of Plac Nowy is packed with zapiekanka vendors, but the best of the bunch is Endzior (Plac Nowy; 48-12-429-3754; endzior.eu). If you’re willing to walk for your midnight snack, instead seek out the blue van parked just past the elevated railroad tracks beside Hala Targowa (Market Hall) at the intersection of Blich and Grzegorzecka. Until 3 a.m., a white-jacketed duo quietly cooks footlong kielbasa over an open flame in a makeshift wood-burning grill beside the van. Served with a crusty bun and a pool of mustard, these sausages (8 zloty) have earned a cult following, so be prepared to wait in line.
Sunday
11 a.m.
11) SALT ROCK CITY
On nearly every street corner in the Old Town, there’s a blue-and-white cart selling obwarzanek (Polish bagels). Grab a couple and hop on the train to Wieliczka, a quiet town about eight miles away that is home to the Wieliczka Salt Mine (Ulica Danilowicza 10, Wieliczka; 48-12-278-7375; kopalnia.pl), one of the very first Unesco World Heritage sites. The two-and-a-half-hour guided tour of the site begins by descending 210 feet into a 17th-century mine shaft and then snakes through a sprawling maze of underground chambers, including one fantastically grand chapel complete with an altar, chandeliers, sculptures and bas-relief works made from salt. Don’t believe it’s all salt? Lick it to see for yourself.
IF YOU GO
The sleek 34-room Hotel Unicus (Ulica Florianska 35/Swietego Marka 20; 48-12-433-7111; hotelunicus.pl) is in the heart of the Old Town and the area’s boisterous late-night hot spots. The spacious, modern rooms are tranquil, however, and outfitted with plush beds and black-tiled bathrooms. Doubles from 480 zloty (about $155).
The elegant Hotel Copernicus (Ulica Kanonicza 16; 48-12-424-3400; copernicus.hotel.com.pl) is a luxe Relais & Châteaux property on a cobblestone side street near Wawel Hill. The 29 rooms are tucked around a glass-roofed patio, and have period furnishings and rustic wood-beam ceilings. Doubles from 900 zloty.
Copyright by The New York Times, 2011
Friday, September 23, 2011
A Gold Rush Wanes as Hedge Funds Sell
By: Julie Creswell
Published: Friday, 23 Sep 2011 | 10:03 AM ET
http://www.cnbc.com/id/44638898
For the better part of the last two years, some of the world’s biggest hedge funds have been piling into gold, betting the precious metal would provide an effective hedge against inflation or be a safer place to park cash as equity markets around the world stumbled.
But to the surprise of many investors, when equity markets across the globe tumbled once again on Thursday, gold moved sharply lower as well.
Gold futures for September delivery fell $66.30, or 3.7 percent, to $1,739.20 an ounce in New York. It was quite a turnabout for the metal, which has been soaring in recent months amid the turbulent stock markets.
Hedge funds [cnbc explains] , which have been ratcheting down their positions in gold futures since early August, were quickly named as the culprits in the latest sell-off.
Some traders said that hedge funds were beginning to unwind, or close out, what has been a very popular and profitable trade for the last 18 months as they bet the dollar would fall and that gold would rise. In the last month alone, the euro has fallen nearly 4 percent against the dollar amid worries about the European debt crisis.
The sell-off in gold was part of a broader move in the markets that had investors shifting away from perceived riskier assets, like commodities, and into the dollar in reaction to the Federal Reserve’s announcement on Wednesday of its new stimulus program.
In addition, the Fed [cnbc explains] said that there were “significant downside risks” to the United States economy, which sent several commodities, including crude oil and copper, tumbling on Thursday on fears of a global slowdown in demand.
Other market participants said hedge funds were selling their positions in gold to raise cash to meet increased capital demands for their borrowings from Wall Street banks as the assets they have put up as collateral, like other commodities or stocks, have declined sharply in value.
“On the one hand you have a lot of strength in the U.S. dollar, historically gold and the dollar do trade inversely,” said Ryan Detrick, senior technical strategist at Schaeffer’s Investment Research. “The hedge funds are long gold and they need to raise cash and it looks like they are definitely selling some gold.”
Others say some hedge funds may be selling to meet redemption requests from investors who have been spooked by the recent market volatility and fear a repeat of the problems of late 2008.
“A lot of investors are waking up to the realization that something is off. We’ve seen Goldman Sachs close its flagship fund, legendary hedge funds are down sharply, and I suspect we’re going to see significant withdrawals from some hedge funds this year,” said Michael A. Gayed, the chief investment strategist of the investment advisory firm Pension Partners.
“The tendency for individual hedge funds or anybody is to sell winners before they sell losers. What’s been one of the few winners this year? It’s been gold,” Mr. Gayed added.
Still, some are not yet ready to call the end of the gold rush. Even with the pullback, gold remains one of the most profitable investments this year with a gain of 22 percent.
Some strategists have even predicted that gold will reach a record of above $2,300, which it hit during the early 1980s when adjusted for inflation and translated into current dollars. Likewise, the world’s largest exchange-traded gold fund, the SPDR Gold Shares [GLD 161.4428 -7.6072 (-4.5%) ], fell 2.6 percent on Thursday, but remains up 22 percent for the year.
Gold, whether through futures contracts or via exchange-traded funds, has been a popular investment among some of the world’s largest hedge funds. One of the best known “gold bugs” is John A. Paulson, whose firm, Paulson & Company, is the biggest shareholder in the SPDR Gold Shares ETF. But many other hedge funds have embraced the metal as well.
After peaking in early August, hedge funds have been reducing their exposure in the gold futures market, according to Mary Ann Bartels, the head of United States technical analysis for Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
“A lot of speculators were very long in July,” Ms. Bartels said. “But they’ve been taking it down ever since.”
Copyright by The New York Times, 2011
By: Julie Creswell
Published: Friday, 23 Sep 2011 | 10:03 AM ET
http://www.cnbc.com/id/44638898
For the better part of the last two years, some of the world’s biggest hedge funds have been piling into gold, betting the precious metal would provide an effective hedge against inflation or be a safer place to park cash as equity markets around the world stumbled.
But to the surprise of many investors, when equity markets across the globe tumbled once again on Thursday, gold moved sharply lower as well.
Gold futures for September delivery fell $66.30, or 3.7 percent, to $1,739.20 an ounce in New York. It was quite a turnabout for the metal, which has been soaring in recent months amid the turbulent stock markets.
Hedge funds [cnbc explains] , which have been ratcheting down their positions in gold futures since early August, were quickly named as the culprits in the latest sell-off.
Some traders said that hedge funds were beginning to unwind, or close out, what has been a very popular and profitable trade for the last 18 months as they bet the dollar would fall and that gold would rise. In the last month alone, the euro has fallen nearly 4 percent against the dollar amid worries about the European debt crisis.
The sell-off in gold was part of a broader move in the markets that had investors shifting away from perceived riskier assets, like commodities, and into the dollar in reaction to the Federal Reserve’s announcement on Wednesday of its new stimulus program.
In addition, the Fed [cnbc explains] said that there were “significant downside risks” to the United States economy, which sent several commodities, including crude oil and copper, tumbling on Thursday on fears of a global slowdown in demand.
Other market participants said hedge funds were selling their positions in gold to raise cash to meet increased capital demands for their borrowings from Wall Street banks as the assets they have put up as collateral, like other commodities or stocks, have declined sharply in value.
“On the one hand you have a lot of strength in the U.S. dollar, historically gold and the dollar do trade inversely,” said Ryan Detrick, senior technical strategist at Schaeffer’s Investment Research. “The hedge funds are long gold and they need to raise cash and it looks like they are definitely selling some gold.”
Others say some hedge funds may be selling to meet redemption requests from investors who have been spooked by the recent market volatility and fear a repeat of the problems of late 2008.
“A lot of investors are waking up to the realization that something is off. We’ve seen Goldman Sachs close its flagship fund, legendary hedge funds are down sharply, and I suspect we’re going to see significant withdrawals from some hedge funds this year,” said Michael A. Gayed, the chief investment strategist of the investment advisory firm Pension Partners.
“The tendency for individual hedge funds or anybody is to sell winners before they sell losers. What’s been one of the few winners this year? It’s been gold,” Mr. Gayed added.
Still, some are not yet ready to call the end of the gold rush. Even with the pullback, gold remains one of the most profitable investments this year with a gain of 22 percent.
Some strategists have even predicted that gold will reach a record of above $2,300, which it hit during the early 1980s when adjusted for inflation and translated into current dollars. Likewise, the world’s largest exchange-traded gold fund, the SPDR Gold Shares [GLD 161.4428 -7.6072 (-4.5%) ], fell 2.6 percent on Thursday, but remains up 22 percent for the year.
Gold, whether through futures contracts or via exchange-traded funds, has been a popular investment among some of the world’s largest hedge funds. One of the best known “gold bugs” is John A. Paulson, whose firm, Paulson & Company, is the biggest shareholder in the SPDR Gold Shares ETF. But many other hedge funds have embraced the metal as well.
After peaking in early August, hedge funds have been reducing their exposure in the gold futures market, according to Mary Ann Bartels, the head of United States technical analysis for Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
“A lot of speculators were very long in July,” Ms. Bartels said. “But they’ve been taking it down ever since.”
Copyright by The New York Times, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
36 Hours in Quito, Ecuador
36 Hours in Quito, Ecuador
By MICHELLE HIGGINS
Copyright by The New York Times, 2011
Published: September 15, 2011
NESTLED amid snowcapped Andean peaks, Ecuador’s capital has long been overlooked by travelers on their way to the country’s most famous destination, the Galápagos Islands. But visitors who bypass this lively historic city of some two million people are missing out. At 9,350 feet above sea level, on the eastern slopes of the Pichincha Volcano, Quito offers breathtaking vistas around nearly every corner. Its historic center, a Unesco World Heritage site, is one of the largest in South America, with 40 colonial churches and chapels, 16 convents and monasteries and picturesque plazas. In recent years, museums have been opened; mansions restored; hotels, restaurants and cafes opened and safety improved. And this year, in recognition of Quito’s rich mix of architectural heritage and cultural traditions, the International Cultural Capitals Bureau chose the city as its 2011 American Capital of Culture.
Friday
5:30 p.m.
1) SUNSET OVER THE CITY
Parque Itchimbía (Calles José María Aguirre N4-108 and Concepción; 593-2-322-8470) offers panoramic views, including Quito’s historic center and, in the distance, the winged Virgin of Quito statue. Check out the Art Nouveau Itchimbía Cultural Center (Itchimbía Centro Cultural, 593-2-258-4362; centrocultural-quito.com). The glass and steel structure imported from Hamburg in 1889 was on the other side of the city until it was moved to Itchimbía hill in 2004. Then, venture below the observation deck, where you’ll find Pim’s, an Ecuadorean chain. Order a cocktail and find a seat near one of the heat lamps on the outdoor deck to watch the lights come on in the city below.
7:30 p.m.
2) WITH A LATIN TWIST
Theatrum Restaurant & Wine Bar (Teatro Nacional Sucre, Calle Manabi between Guayaquil and Flores; 593-2-257-1011; theatrum.com.ec), on the second floor of the National Theater, serves Mediterranean cuisine with a Latin twist in a high-vaulted room draped in red velvet curtains. The five-course tasting menu ($38 plus tax; the official currency in Ecuador is the United States dollar) includes specials like grilled octopus with olives and fava beans, crab ravioli and rabbit risotto, and a refreshing sorbet as a palate cleanser. The restaurant will also arrange free transportation to and from your hotel.
10 p.m.
3) PARTY PLAZA
If the food and altitude haven’t sapped your energy, head to Plaza Foch at the intersection of Calle Reina Victoria and Mariscal Foch in northern Quito, where young people gather before hitting nearby night spots. A noticeable police presence makes it safe to explore the immediate area, but if you plan to party beyond the three-block radius of Calama, Juan León Mera and Pinto Streets, take a taxi. On Fridays, you’ll find live music after 10 p.m. at Q, a restaurant and bar at the base of the NU House boutique hotel (Calles Marsical Foch E6-12 and Reina Victoria; 593-2-255-7840; quitoq.com). Across the plaza, La Boca del Lobo (Calles Calama 284 and Reina Victoria; 593-2-252-7915; labocadellobo.com.ec) has a red lounge and a glassed-in patio with funky chandeliers, hanging bird cages and ceiling tiles featuring religious iconography. It serves a selection of fried appetizers for midnight snacking.
Saturday
3 a.m.
4) AFTER HOURS
Most bars close by 3 a.m. One after-hours option is the Metro Café (Avenida Orellana at the corner of Rábida; 593-2-255-2570), which prepares diner fare around the clock. It’s also a good breakfast option, serving up stacks of pancakes and greasy-spoon dishes like Cheddar scrambled eggs with hash browns and bacon. During the day, families with restless children will appreciate the outdoor playground.
9 a.m.
5) INTO THIN AIR
Take the dizzying Teleférico aerial tram up to the Cruz Loma viewpoint, some 13,000 feet above sea level (Avenidas Occidental and Fulgencio Araujo; 593-2-222-2996). Bring a hat (temperatures drop as you climb to the top) and spring for the express line ($8.50 for tourists, $4.90 for locals). At the top, stroll the nature paths threaded amid waving grasses and buy coca tea ($2.25) at the tea shop in the mountain lodge to help counteract the high altitude.
11:30 a.m.
6) ART AND ARCHITECTURE
La Capilla del Hombre (Calles Lorenzo Chávez EA18-143 and Mariano Calvache; 593-2-244-8492; capilladelhombre.com), which means Chapel of Man, is an impressive cultural complex conceived in 1985 by Oswaldo Guayasamín, one of Ecuador’s greatest artists, as a tribute to the resilience of the Latin American people. The three-story museum, in the Bellavista neighborhood, houses a heart-wrenching sequence of paintings, murals and sculptures that captures the miseries and victories of people struggling against political oppression.
1 p.m.
7) A TASTE OF THE COAST
Settle in for lunch on the leafy patio of La Chillangua Verde Esmeralda (Calles Zaldumbie N25-165 and Toledo; 593-2-222-5313), which specializes in coastal Ecuadorean cuisine, including tasty ceviches (from $6 for a small calamari to $16 for a large langosta) and camarones encocadas, a rich seafood dish prepared with coconut juice.
3 p.m.
8) FOLKLORE AND FORAGING
Folklore Olga Fisch (Avenidas Colón E10-53 and Caamaño; 593-2-254-1315; olgafisch.com) is a boutique with a selection of indigenous and Ecuadorean art, including handwoven tapestries, silver jewelry, straw fedoras and pottery. It’s a must-stop for shoppers. The small museum upstairs displays pre-Columbian artifacts and post-colonial art. Next, hone your haggling skills at El Ejido park, a short taxi ride away, where artisans in indigenous garb line the northern end on most weekends with stalls featuring handmade jewelry, alpaca scarves, wooden flutes and other crafts. Nearby, the Mercado Artesanal La Mariscal (Calles Jorge Washington between Reina Victoria and Juan León Mera) has about another hundred stalls of similar souvenirs.
8 p.m.
9) ABOVE THE CLOUDS
Hold tight for a bumpy ride up the potholed gravel road to Hacienda Rumiloma (at the end of Obispo de la Madrid; 593-2-320-0953; haciendarumiloma.com), more than 10,000 feet up the slopes of the Pichincha Volcano, literally above the clouds. The jarring ride is well worth it for a romantic dinner overlooking the city. Outfitted in a hodgepodge of Baccarat chandeliers, booths made of thick slabs of worn wood and antique chairs covered in woven fabrics, the restaurant offers a luxurious, rustic feel, with a wood-burning stove in one corner and a baby grand piano in another. Specialties like the Asian-influenced camarones Rumiloma ($20) and cordero La Cantera, a savory lamb dish ($22), are served on heavy metal platters. Head downstairs to the Irish Pub for an after-dinner drink next to the fireplace. (There are also luxurious suites with fireplaces from $305.)
Sunday
10 a.m.
10) SWISS BREAKFAST
Grab a pastry at the Swiss Corner’s deli/bakery (at the corner of Avenida De los Shyris N38-41 and El Telégrafo; 592-2-280-5360) or sit down in its cheery restaurant next door for yogurt and fruit parfaits or eggs and hash browns. Prices from $3 to $10.
11 a.m.
11) OLD TOWN
The cobblestone streets of Quito’s historic center are closed to traffic from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday — an ideal opportunity to explore. Start at the Basílica del Voto Nacional, (Calle Carchi 122 and Venezuela; 593-2-228-9428), Ecuador’s largest Gothic cathedral, adorned with gargoyles inspired by the country’s iguanas, pumas and Galápagos tortoises. Then take Calle García Moreno to the Plaza de la Independencia, Quito’s main square, surrounded by the cathedral, the Presidential Palace, the Archbishop’s Place and City Hall. Take a break at the Plaza Grande Hotel’s Café (Calles García Moreno and Chile; 888-790-5264; plazagrandequito.com) and order a creamy cup of Ecuadorean hot chocolate ($5). Continuing on Calle García Moreno, you will pass La Compañía de Jesús, with its gold-leaf altar. Entrance: $2. On Calle Sucre, head uphill to the Plaza San Francisco, dominated by a church and convent, where musicians gather and locals spontaneously break into dance. Next, make your way to the pedestrian street La Ronda (also known as Calle Morales), where balconies are decorated with flowers and flags, children play hopscotch and tiny restaurants serve up Ecuadorean specialties.
IF YOU GO
Taxis (typically $2 to $6) are recommended for getting around, especially at night. Or rent an air-conditioned mini-van with a driver, about $130 for a 14-hour day from JL Turismo, jlturismoecuador.com.
In Old Town, Hotel Patio Andaluz (García Moreno N6-52 between Mejía and Olmedo; 593-2-228-0830; hotelpatioandaluz.com) has 32 elegant rooms with antique-style furniture. Rates from $200 a night.
Casa Gangotena, a historic mansion overlooking Plaza San Francisco in Old Town Quito (Calle Bolivar 541; casagangotena.com) plans to offer 33 rooms with painted tin ceilings, antique furniture and marble bathrooms beginning this month. Rooms will start at $425, with breakfast. There will be eight rooms with plaza views for $550 a night.
By MICHELLE HIGGINS
Copyright by The New York Times, 2011
Published: September 15, 2011
NESTLED amid snowcapped Andean peaks, Ecuador’s capital has long been overlooked by travelers on their way to the country’s most famous destination, the Galápagos Islands. But visitors who bypass this lively historic city of some two million people are missing out. At 9,350 feet above sea level, on the eastern slopes of the Pichincha Volcano, Quito offers breathtaking vistas around nearly every corner. Its historic center, a Unesco World Heritage site, is one of the largest in South America, with 40 colonial churches and chapels, 16 convents and monasteries and picturesque plazas. In recent years, museums have been opened; mansions restored; hotels, restaurants and cafes opened and safety improved. And this year, in recognition of Quito’s rich mix of architectural heritage and cultural traditions, the International Cultural Capitals Bureau chose the city as its 2011 American Capital of Culture.
Friday
5:30 p.m.
1) SUNSET OVER THE CITY
Parque Itchimbía (Calles José María Aguirre N4-108 and Concepción; 593-2-322-8470) offers panoramic views, including Quito’s historic center and, in the distance, the winged Virgin of Quito statue. Check out the Art Nouveau Itchimbía Cultural Center (Itchimbía Centro Cultural, 593-2-258-4362; centrocultural-quito.com). The glass and steel structure imported from Hamburg in 1889 was on the other side of the city until it was moved to Itchimbía hill in 2004. Then, venture below the observation deck, where you’ll find Pim’s, an Ecuadorean chain. Order a cocktail and find a seat near one of the heat lamps on the outdoor deck to watch the lights come on in the city below.
7:30 p.m.
2) WITH A LATIN TWIST
Theatrum Restaurant & Wine Bar (Teatro Nacional Sucre, Calle Manabi between Guayaquil and Flores; 593-2-257-1011; theatrum.com.ec), on the second floor of the National Theater, serves Mediterranean cuisine with a Latin twist in a high-vaulted room draped in red velvet curtains. The five-course tasting menu ($38 plus tax; the official currency in Ecuador is the United States dollar) includes specials like grilled octopus with olives and fava beans, crab ravioli and rabbit risotto, and a refreshing sorbet as a palate cleanser. The restaurant will also arrange free transportation to and from your hotel.
10 p.m.
3) PARTY PLAZA
If the food and altitude haven’t sapped your energy, head to Plaza Foch at the intersection of Calle Reina Victoria and Mariscal Foch in northern Quito, where young people gather before hitting nearby night spots. A noticeable police presence makes it safe to explore the immediate area, but if you plan to party beyond the three-block radius of Calama, Juan León Mera and Pinto Streets, take a taxi. On Fridays, you’ll find live music after 10 p.m. at Q, a restaurant and bar at the base of the NU House boutique hotel (Calles Marsical Foch E6-12 and Reina Victoria; 593-2-255-7840; quitoq.com). Across the plaza, La Boca del Lobo (Calles Calama 284 and Reina Victoria; 593-2-252-7915; labocadellobo.com.ec) has a red lounge and a glassed-in patio with funky chandeliers, hanging bird cages and ceiling tiles featuring religious iconography. It serves a selection of fried appetizers for midnight snacking.
Saturday
3 a.m.
4) AFTER HOURS
Most bars close by 3 a.m. One after-hours option is the Metro Café (Avenida Orellana at the corner of Rábida; 593-2-255-2570), which prepares diner fare around the clock. It’s also a good breakfast option, serving up stacks of pancakes and greasy-spoon dishes like Cheddar scrambled eggs with hash browns and bacon. During the day, families with restless children will appreciate the outdoor playground.
9 a.m.
5) INTO THIN AIR
Take the dizzying Teleférico aerial tram up to the Cruz Loma viewpoint, some 13,000 feet above sea level (Avenidas Occidental and Fulgencio Araujo; 593-2-222-2996). Bring a hat (temperatures drop as you climb to the top) and spring for the express line ($8.50 for tourists, $4.90 for locals). At the top, stroll the nature paths threaded amid waving grasses and buy coca tea ($2.25) at the tea shop in the mountain lodge to help counteract the high altitude.
11:30 a.m.
6) ART AND ARCHITECTURE
La Capilla del Hombre (Calles Lorenzo Chávez EA18-143 and Mariano Calvache; 593-2-244-8492; capilladelhombre.com), which means Chapel of Man, is an impressive cultural complex conceived in 1985 by Oswaldo Guayasamín, one of Ecuador’s greatest artists, as a tribute to the resilience of the Latin American people. The three-story museum, in the Bellavista neighborhood, houses a heart-wrenching sequence of paintings, murals and sculptures that captures the miseries and victories of people struggling against political oppression.
1 p.m.
7) A TASTE OF THE COAST
Settle in for lunch on the leafy patio of La Chillangua Verde Esmeralda (Calles Zaldumbie N25-165 and Toledo; 593-2-222-5313), which specializes in coastal Ecuadorean cuisine, including tasty ceviches (from $6 for a small calamari to $16 for a large langosta) and camarones encocadas, a rich seafood dish prepared with coconut juice.
3 p.m.
8) FOLKLORE AND FORAGING
Folklore Olga Fisch (Avenidas Colón E10-53 and Caamaño; 593-2-254-1315; olgafisch.com) is a boutique with a selection of indigenous and Ecuadorean art, including handwoven tapestries, silver jewelry, straw fedoras and pottery. It’s a must-stop for shoppers. The small museum upstairs displays pre-Columbian artifacts and post-colonial art. Next, hone your haggling skills at El Ejido park, a short taxi ride away, where artisans in indigenous garb line the northern end on most weekends with stalls featuring handmade jewelry, alpaca scarves, wooden flutes and other crafts. Nearby, the Mercado Artesanal La Mariscal (Calles Jorge Washington between Reina Victoria and Juan León Mera) has about another hundred stalls of similar souvenirs.
8 p.m.
9) ABOVE THE CLOUDS
Hold tight for a bumpy ride up the potholed gravel road to Hacienda Rumiloma (at the end of Obispo de la Madrid; 593-2-320-0953; haciendarumiloma.com), more than 10,000 feet up the slopes of the Pichincha Volcano, literally above the clouds. The jarring ride is well worth it for a romantic dinner overlooking the city. Outfitted in a hodgepodge of Baccarat chandeliers, booths made of thick slabs of worn wood and antique chairs covered in woven fabrics, the restaurant offers a luxurious, rustic feel, with a wood-burning stove in one corner and a baby grand piano in another. Specialties like the Asian-influenced camarones Rumiloma ($20) and cordero La Cantera, a savory lamb dish ($22), are served on heavy metal platters. Head downstairs to the Irish Pub for an after-dinner drink next to the fireplace. (There are also luxurious suites with fireplaces from $305.)
Sunday
10 a.m.
10) SWISS BREAKFAST
Grab a pastry at the Swiss Corner’s deli/bakery (at the corner of Avenida De los Shyris N38-41 and El Telégrafo; 592-2-280-5360) or sit down in its cheery restaurant next door for yogurt and fruit parfaits or eggs and hash browns. Prices from $3 to $10.
11 a.m.
11) OLD TOWN
The cobblestone streets of Quito’s historic center are closed to traffic from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday — an ideal opportunity to explore. Start at the Basílica del Voto Nacional, (Calle Carchi 122 and Venezuela; 593-2-228-9428), Ecuador’s largest Gothic cathedral, adorned with gargoyles inspired by the country’s iguanas, pumas and Galápagos tortoises. Then take Calle García Moreno to the Plaza de la Independencia, Quito’s main square, surrounded by the cathedral, the Presidential Palace, the Archbishop’s Place and City Hall. Take a break at the Plaza Grande Hotel’s Café (Calles García Moreno and Chile; 888-790-5264; plazagrandequito.com) and order a creamy cup of Ecuadorean hot chocolate ($5). Continuing on Calle García Moreno, you will pass La Compañía de Jesús, with its gold-leaf altar. Entrance: $2. On Calle Sucre, head uphill to the Plaza San Francisco, dominated by a church and convent, where musicians gather and locals spontaneously break into dance. Next, make your way to the pedestrian street La Ronda (also known as Calle Morales), where balconies are decorated with flowers and flags, children play hopscotch and tiny restaurants serve up Ecuadorean specialties.
IF YOU GO
Taxis (typically $2 to $6) are recommended for getting around, especially at night. Or rent an air-conditioned mini-van with a driver, about $130 for a 14-hour day from JL Turismo, jlturismoecuador.com.
In Old Town, Hotel Patio Andaluz (García Moreno N6-52 between Mejía and Olmedo; 593-2-228-0830; hotelpatioandaluz.com) has 32 elegant rooms with antique-style furniture. Rates from $200 a night.
Casa Gangotena, a historic mansion overlooking Plaza San Francisco in Old Town Quito (Calle Bolivar 541; casagangotena.com) plans to offer 33 rooms with painted tin ceilings, antique furniture and marble bathrooms beginning this month. Rooms will start at $425, with breakfast. There will be eight rooms with plaza views for $550 a night.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
36 Hours in Bern, Switzerland
36 Hours in Bern, Switzerland
By TIM NEVILLE
Published: September 8, 2011.
Copyright by The New York Times, 2011
http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/09/11/travel/36-hours-in-bern-switzerland.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha210
ASK a Swiss to describe Bern and you may hear a joke about how the people move so slowly that even their souls take centuries to reach heaven. While it is true that this city of about 130,000 people in western Switzerland must be counted among the most relaxed of Europe’s capitals, Bern is also one of the most beautiful, a pocket-size Prague of arcades and whimsical fountains, all framed by leafy hills and the glacial-green currents of the Aare River. The urban and rural mingle closely here. Forests of ash and oak push up against a clutch of embassies off a city square. You can dance till dawn or rise early and take a walk under the gaze of the Alps and be back in time for lunch. Why rush through that?
Friday
5 p.m.
1) MOUNTAIN VIEWS
The terrace bar of the Bellevue Palace (Kochergasse 3-5; 41-31-320-45-45; bellevue-palace.ch), a luxurious Art Nouveau hotel whose guests have included Nelson Mandela and Winston Churchill, offers sweeping views of the Alps to the south, and is one of the few places in the city that sells stiff cocktails. Try the Fancy Hendrick’s with cucumber syrup and lemon juice (18 Swiss francs, or $22 at $1.20 to the Swiss franc) or a tumbler of Swiss Highland single malt (54 francs), aged in an ice cave on the Jungfrau, a 13,000-foot mountain you can see from the deck.
7 p.m.
2) ABOVE THE RIVER
Few restaurants can offer riverside dining like the Schwellenmätteli (Dalmaziquai 11; 41-31-350-50-01; schwellenmaetteli.ch), where swift currents course beneath a deck cantilevered over the Aare. The terrace menu tips toward Mediterranean with dishes like tilapia and polenta (24.50 Swiss francs); go inside for Italian cuisine like tagliatelle with scallops and saffron (26.50 francs). For dessert, walk up the hill to Restaurant Luce (Zeughausgasse 28; 41-31-310-99-99), where the portions of creamy rich tiramisù are big enough for two (9.50 francs).
11 p.m.
3) NO YODELING
In 1987 anarchists and leftist groups commandeered a defunct horse-riding school near the main train station. Since then the Reitschule, a graffiti-covered complex, has evolved into one of Bern’s most colorful performance and entertainment centers. On Friday nights white-collar professionals sit next to purple-haired punks over bottles of Einsiedler beer inside the Sous le Pont restaurant, while bands from all over the world rock late into the night in the Dachstock venue upstairs. In the heart of the compound you’ll find the Frauenraum, one of the city’s few lesbian-centric hangouts (Neubrückstrasse 8; 41-31-306-69-69; www.reitschule.ch).
Saturday
9 a.m.
4) MARKET MEAL
Every Saturday and Tuesday morning, artisan butchers and cheesemakers converge on Parliament Square (Bundeshausplatz in German) to sell smoked meats, cheese and pastries. For breakfast, head to the northwest corner of Parliament Square and look across the street, Schauplatzgasse, where you’ll see Bernese lined up for bulbous loaves of zopf, a traditional bread, and warm raisin pastries called schnägge, or snails, named for their spiral shape (2 to 6 Swiss francs). Grab a coffee (4.20 francs) from the Beck Glatz Confiseur a few blocks east at Marktgass-Passage 1 (41-31-300-20-24: mandelbaerli.ch) and fuel up for the walk ahead.
10 a.m.
5) CITY STROLL
At more than 800 years old, Bern has had plenty of time to develop architectural quirks that most visitors never notice. Don’t be one of them. Head to the Bern Tourism Office in the main railway station (Bahnhofplatz 10a; 41-31-328-12-12; berninfo.com) and rent an iPod (18 francs for six hours) preloaded with a multimedia guide (complete with local music and photos) that complements a self-guided walking tour of the oldest parts of the city. You’ll wander by a section of the former city wall and see the house at Mattenenge 2 that bears a cannonball mark made by Bernese rebels who fired on the city during an uprising in 1802.
12 p.m.
6) OF BEARS AND BREWS
Visit BärenPark, a 64,500-square-foot grassy enclosure that houses the city’s mascots, brown bears named Björk and Finn (free, Grosser Muristalden 6; 41-31-357-15-15; baerenpark-bern.ch). The Altes Tram Depot (Grosser Muristalden 6; 41-31-368-14-15; altestramdepot.ch) next to the park brews the best Hefeweizen in town (7.20 Swiss francs, half-liter) and serves a decent bacon and onion spaetzle (19 francs). Climb the steep cobblestone path across the street, Alter Aargauerstalden, for views of the city from the Rosengarten (Alter Aargauerstalden 31b; 41-31-331-32-06; rosengarten.be), a park with 220 types of roses and a restaurant that serves a fine lunch. Items like the pork saltimbocca and saffron risotto cost less than 20 francs.
2 p.m.
7) UNDERCOVER
With more than 3.5 miles of arcades, Bern offers some of the longest covered-shopping promenades in Europe. Madeleine Lüthi stocks her shop, Glanz & Gloria (Brunngasse 48; 41-31-311-19-50), with vintage women’s clothing. The Tschirren family has been making chocolate in Bern since 1919, and you can taste their Champagne truffles and pralines at their shop, Confiserie Tschirren, on Kramgasse 73 (41-31-812-21-22; www.swiss-chocolate.ch). Heimatwerk (Kramgasse 61; 41-31-311-30-00; heimatwerk.ch) carries 140-franc fondue pots, edelweiss neckties and Mondaine clocks designed to look like those used at Swiss train stations.
4 p.m.
8) SNACK TIME
So many Swiss Germans stop what they’re doing at 4 p.m. for a snack break that the tradition even has a name: z’vieri, not to be confused with z’nüni, the 9 a.m. version. Swing by Adriano’s (Theaterplatz 2; 41-31-318-88-31; adrianos.ch), a lively cafe where hip baristas pull espresso shots through ground beans roasted no more than 72 hours ago. The Meh-he-he sandwich (bûche de chèvre cheese with dried figs, arugula and acacia honey on whole-grain bread, 12.50 Swiss francs) is a fine way to ruin your dinner.
7 p.m.
9) MELTING CHEESE
No self-respecting Swiss would eat a meal of melted cheese before winter, but fall is a good time for tourists to get away with it. Le Mazot (Bärenplatz 5; 41-31-311-70-88; mazot-bern.ch) remains popular for its numerous fondues (about 25 Swiss francs a person), but if you’re willing to trade the cozy wood-wall ambience for a more modern one, head to Lötschberg (Zeughausgasse 16; 41-31-311-34-55; loetschberg-aoc.ch), where the fondues (about 25 francs a person) are more traditional — true Gruyère-vacherin mixes with garlic and fendant, a Swiss white wine. Call ahead to reserve a table in a gondola car parked outside.
9 p.m.
10) JAZZ TIME
While Montreux, on Lake Geneva, might host the most well-known jazz festival, Bern is home to a jazz school, its own festival and Mahogany Hall, a club started in 1968 on the riverbank where Swiss musicians like Philipp Fankhauser and Stephan Eicher once played. Next to the BärenPark (Klösterlistutz 18; 41-31-328-52-00; mahogany.ch), Mahogany Hall today has room for 180 people, and the music ranges from Dixie jazz to funk and soul. The fall concert series kicks off in mid-September with the first Saturday night show going to 007 Only, a Swiss band (scenes from the 1969 James Bond movie “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” were filmed in the Bernese Oberland). Tickets typically cost 25 Swiss francs.
Sunday
10 a.m.
11) BERN ROLLS
Sundays are slow in Bern, with most shops closed: a good day for a bike ride. Three rental stations offer free bikes for up to four hours; each additional hour costs 1 Swiss franc. The main pickup point, located on Milchgässli, on the southwest corner of Bern’s main train station (41-79-277-28-57 on-call service; bernrollt.ch), also rents electric bikes at no cost for the first two hours (1 franc for each additional hour).
10:30 a.m.
12) EGGS AND RUINS
The Marzilibrücke (Gasstrasse 8; 41-31-311-27-80; taberna.ch), in Bern’s riverside Marzili neighborhood, offers a brunch buffet that includes grilled tomatoes, pancakes and jams (31 Swiss francs), starting at 10 a.m. For bicyclists, the Zehendermätteli (Reichenbachstrasse 161; 41-31-301-54-47; zehendermaetteli.ch), a working farm and restaurant on the far north side of town, is about three and a half miles from Bern’s main station. To get there, the route goes through the woodsy Enge peninsula, where Roman roads lead past the ruins of an ancient bath, and to a drift ferry that shuttles hikers across the Aare. The Zehendermätteli’s cheese selection is enormous and comes accompanied with the brunch trimmings you’d expect (35 francs).
IF YOU GO
After a two-year renovation, the opulent Hotel Schweizerhof (Bahnhofplatz 11; 41-31-326-80-80; schweizerhof-bern.ch) opened its grand doors in April. The 99-room hotel has a 150-year history of welcoming guests like Grace Kelly and Albert Schweitzer. Rooms, often appointed with chandeliers, start at 450 Swiss francs.
The Hotel Landhaus (Altenbergstrasse 4-6; 41-31-331-41-66; landhausbern.ch) on the eastern tip of the old city, offers basic but comfortable rooms at some of the more affordable rates in town. Double rooms with private baths start at 160 Swiss francs.
By TIM NEVILLE
Published: September 8, 2011.
Copyright by The New York Times, 2011
http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/09/11/travel/36-hours-in-bern-switzerland.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha210
ASK a Swiss to describe Bern and you may hear a joke about how the people move so slowly that even their souls take centuries to reach heaven. While it is true that this city of about 130,000 people in western Switzerland must be counted among the most relaxed of Europe’s capitals, Bern is also one of the most beautiful, a pocket-size Prague of arcades and whimsical fountains, all framed by leafy hills and the glacial-green currents of the Aare River. The urban and rural mingle closely here. Forests of ash and oak push up against a clutch of embassies off a city square. You can dance till dawn or rise early and take a walk under the gaze of the Alps and be back in time for lunch. Why rush through that?
Friday
5 p.m.
1) MOUNTAIN VIEWS
The terrace bar of the Bellevue Palace (Kochergasse 3-5; 41-31-320-45-45; bellevue-palace.ch), a luxurious Art Nouveau hotel whose guests have included Nelson Mandela and Winston Churchill, offers sweeping views of the Alps to the south, and is one of the few places in the city that sells stiff cocktails. Try the Fancy Hendrick’s with cucumber syrup and lemon juice (18 Swiss francs, or $22 at $1.20 to the Swiss franc) or a tumbler of Swiss Highland single malt (54 francs), aged in an ice cave on the Jungfrau, a 13,000-foot mountain you can see from the deck.
7 p.m.
2) ABOVE THE RIVER
Few restaurants can offer riverside dining like the Schwellenmätteli (Dalmaziquai 11; 41-31-350-50-01; schwellenmaetteli.ch), where swift currents course beneath a deck cantilevered over the Aare. The terrace menu tips toward Mediterranean with dishes like tilapia and polenta (24.50 Swiss francs); go inside for Italian cuisine like tagliatelle with scallops and saffron (26.50 francs). For dessert, walk up the hill to Restaurant Luce (Zeughausgasse 28; 41-31-310-99-99), where the portions of creamy rich tiramisù are big enough for two (9.50 francs).
11 p.m.
3) NO YODELING
In 1987 anarchists and leftist groups commandeered a defunct horse-riding school near the main train station. Since then the Reitschule, a graffiti-covered complex, has evolved into one of Bern’s most colorful performance and entertainment centers. On Friday nights white-collar professionals sit next to purple-haired punks over bottles of Einsiedler beer inside the Sous le Pont restaurant, while bands from all over the world rock late into the night in the Dachstock venue upstairs. In the heart of the compound you’ll find the Frauenraum, one of the city’s few lesbian-centric hangouts (Neubrückstrasse 8; 41-31-306-69-69; www.reitschule.ch).
Saturday
9 a.m.
4) MARKET MEAL
Every Saturday and Tuesday morning, artisan butchers and cheesemakers converge on Parliament Square (Bundeshausplatz in German) to sell smoked meats, cheese and pastries. For breakfast, head to the northwest corner of Parliament Square and look across the street, Schauplatzgasse, where you’ll see Bernese lined up for bulbous loaves of zopf, a traditional bread, and warm raisin pastries called schnägge, or snails, named for their spiral shape (2 to 6 Swiss francs). Grab a coffee (4.20 francs) from the Beck Glatz Confiseur a few blocks east at Marktgass-Passage 1 (41-31-300-20-24: mandelbaerli.ch) and fuel up for the walk ahead.
10 a.m.
5) CITY STROLL
At more than 800 years old, Bern has had plenty of time to develop architectural quirks that most visitors never notice. Don’t be one of them. Head to the Bern Tourism Office in the main railway station (Bahnhofplatz 10a; 41-31-328-12-12; berninfo.com) and rent an iPod (18 francs for six hours) preloaded with a multimedia guide (complete with local music and photos) that complements a self-guided walking tour of the oldest parts of the city. You’ll wander by a section of the former city wall and see the house at Mattenenge 2 that bears a cannonball mark made by Bernese rebels who fired on the city during an uprising in 1802.
12 p.m.
6) OF BEARS AND BREWS
Visit BärenPark, a 64,500-square-foot grassy enclosure that houses the city’s mascots, brown bears named Björk and Finn (free, Grosser Muristalden 6; 41-31-357-15-15; baerenpark-bern.ch). The Altes Tram Depot (Grosser Muristalden 6; 41-31-368-14-15; altestramdepot.ch) next to the park brews the best Hefeweizen in town (7.20 Swiss francs, half-liter) and serves a decent bacon and onion spaetzle (19 francs). Climb the steep cobblestone path across the street, Alter Aargauerstalden, for views of the city from the Rosengarten (Alter Aargauerstalden 31b; 41-31-331-32-06; rosengarten.be), a park with 220 types of roses and a restaurant that serves a fine lunch. Items like the pork saltimbocca and saffron risotto cost less than 20 francs.
2 p.m.
7) UNDERCOVER
With more than 3.5 miles of arcades, Bern offers some of the longest covered-shopping promenades in Europe. Madeleine Lüthi stocks her shop, Glanz & Gloria (Brunngasse 48; 41-31-311-19-50), with vintage women’s clothing. The Tschirren family has been making chocolate in Bern since 1919, and you can taste their Champagne truffles and pralines at their shop, Confiserie Tschirren, on Kramgasse 73 (41-31-812-21-22; www.swiss-chocolate.ch). Heimatwerk (Kramgasse 61; 41-31-311-30-00; heimatwerk.ch) carries 140-franc fondue pots, edelweiss neckties and Mondaine clocks designed to look like those used at Swiss train stations.
4 p.m.
8) SNACK TIME
So many Swiss Germans stop what they’re doing at 4 p.m. for a snack break that the tradition even has a name: z’vieri, not to be confused with z’nüni, the 9 a.m. version. Swing by Adriano’s (Theaterplatz 2; 41-31-318-88-31; adrianos.ch), a lively cafe where hip baristas pull espresso shots through ground beans roasted no more than 72 hours ago. The Meh-he-he sandwich (bûche de chèvre cheese with dried figs, arugula and acacia honey on whole-grain bread, 12.50 Swiss francs) is a fine way to ruin your dinner.
7 p.m.
9) MELTING CHEESE
No self-respecting Swiss would eat a meal of melted cheese before winter, but fall is a good time for tourists to get away with it. Le Mazot (Bärenplatz 5; 41-31-311-70-88; mazot-bern.ch) remains popular for its numerous fondues (about 25 Swiss francs a person), but if you’re willing to trade the cozy wood-wall ambience for a more modern one, head to Lötschberg (Zeughausgasse 16; 41-31-311-34-55; loetschberg-aoc.ch), where the fondues (about 25 francs a person) are more traditional — true Gruyère-vacherin mixes with garlic and fendant, a Swiss white wine. Call ahead to reserve a table in a gondola car parked outside.
9 p.m.
10) JAZZ TIME
While Montreux, on Lake Geneva, might host the most well-known jazz festival, Bern is home to a jazz school, its own festival and Mahogany Hall, a club started in 1968 on the riverbank where Swiss musicians like Philipp Fankhauser and Stephan Eicher once played. Next to the BärenPark (Klösterlistutz 18; 41-31-328-52-00; mahogany.ch), Mahogany Hall today has room for 180 people, and the music ranges from Dixie jazz to funk and soul. The fall concert series kicks off in mid-September with the first Saturday night show going to 007 Only, a Swiss band (scenes from the 1969 James Bond movie “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” were filmed in the Bernese Oberland). Tickets typically cost 25 Swiss francs.
Sunday
10 a.m.
11) BERN ROLLS
Sundays are slow in Bern, with most shops closed: a good day for a bike ride. Three rental stations offer free bikes for up to four hours; each additional hour costs 1 Swiss franc. The main pickup point, located on Milchgässli, on the southwest corner of Bern’s main train station (41-79-277-28-57 on-call service; bernrollt.ch), also rents electric bikes at no cost for the first two hours (1 franc for each additional hour).
10:30 a.m.
12) EGGS AND RUINS
The Marzilibrücke (Gasstrasse 8; 41-31-311-27-80; taberna.ch), in Bern’s riverside Marzili neighborhood, offers a brunch buffet that includes grilled tomatoes, pancakes and jams (31 Swiss francs), starting at 10 a.m. For bicyclists, the Zehendermätteli (Reichenbachstrasse 161; 41-31-301-54-47; zehendermaetteli.ch), a working farm and restaurant on the far north side of town, is about three and a half miles from Bern’s main station. To get there, the route goes through the woodsy Enge peninsula, where Roman roads lead past the ruins of an ancient bath, and to a drift ferry that shuttles hikers across the Aare. The Zehendermätteli’s cheese selection is enormous and comes accompanied with the brunch trimmings you’d expect (35 francs).
IF YOU GO
After a two-year renovation, the opulent Hotel Schweizerhof (Bahnhofplatz 11; 41-31-326-80-80; schweizerhof-bern.ch) opened its grand doors in April. The 99-room hotel has a 150-year history of welcoming guests like Grace Kelly and Albert Schweitzer. Rooms, often appointed with chandeliers, start at 450 Swiss francs.
The Hotel Landhaus (Altenbergstrasse 4-6; 41-31-331-41-66; landhausbern.ch) on the eastern tip of the old city, offers basic but comfortable rooms at some of the more affordable rates in town. Double rooms with private baths start at 160 Swiss francs.
Friday, August 26, 2011
36 Hours in Portland, Ore.
36 Hours in Portland, Ore.
By FREDA MOON
Published: August 25, 2011
WITH its celebrated bike culture and obsession with all things independent and artisan, Portland is a small-scale metropolis with an outsize cultural footprint. Spread across the twin banks of the Willamette River, this provincial hub of the Pacific Northwest has more than its share of natural beauty and an earnest, outdoorsy reputation. But in recent years, the city has emerged as the capital of West Coast urban cool, earning it a television series, IFC’s “Portlandia,” devoted to satirizing its aesthetic and progressive social bent. Indeed, Portland — whose nicknames include Beervana and Soccer City, USA — is easy to poke fun at. It’s also hard to resist.
Friday
4 p.m.
1) JAPANESE, IF YOU PLEASE
Adorning the hillside above the Rose Gardens, the five-and-a-half-acre Japanese Garden (611 Southwest Kingston Avenue; 503-223-1321; japanesegarden.com; $9.50) is less crowded than its photogenic neighbor. Instead of being packed with people, this elegant corner of the 400-acre Washington Park has five distinct gardens — artfully designed “compositions” of sand, stone, water, flowers and foliage — with views of Mount Hood. On the third Saturday of each month April through October, a Japanese tea ceremony is presented at the Kashintei Tea House (1 and 2 p.m.).
6 p.m.
2) SMALL PLATES
Continue your Japan-themed afternoon with a happy hour sake or shochu at one of Portland’s proliferating izakayas, Japanese-style pubs that serve small plates to accompany drinks. Biwa (215 Southeast Ninth Avenue; 503-239-8830; biwarestaurant.com) is a low-light basement with booming music, concrete walls and a fanatical following. Two-year-old Miho (4057 North Interstate Avenue; 503-719-6152; mihopdx.com), in a remodeled Craftsman house on the residential north side — is less moody, with a patio and small plates priced in even-numbered increments ($2, $4, $6 and up). Opened in February, Mirakutei (536 East Burnside Street; 503-467-7501) is the newest dot on the izakaya map, serving delicate starters like Quilcene oysters with ginger sorbet ($5) and $9 three-sake flights.
8:30 p.m.
3) CLAMS AND CRABS
Tucked into a small storefront in a neighborhood of tidy lawns and German beer gardens, Cabezon (5200 Northeast Sacramento Street; 503-284-6617; cabezonrestaurant.com) has the unaffected feel of a small-town restaurant. A fish market by day, seafood bistro by night, the place has an easy sophistication; the only distraction from the food — a seasonal menu of fresh-off-the-boat dishes like Totten Inlet mussels with Borlotti beans, chorizo, fries and unctuous rouille ($13.50) and thin-brothed cioppino with Dungeness crab ($20.50) — are colorful glass sculptures with flowing tentacles that hang above the bar like psychedelic jellyfish.
11 p.m.
4) FUNERAL PARLOR PARTY
After dinner, head to the retro Sellwood-Westmoreland neighborhood. Window shop for tchotchkes at Stars Antiques Mall (7027 Southeast Milwaukie Avenue; 503-235-5990; starsantique.com) or slurp Jell-O shots at the Cosmo Lounge (6707 Southeast Milwaukie Avenue; 503-233-4220). For a less kitschy postdinner drink, settle into the attic at Corkscrew Wine Bar (1665 Southeast Bybee Boulevard; 503-239-9463). Then listen to live music at the Woods (6637 Southeast Milwaukie Avenue; 503-890-0408; thewoodsportland.com), a former funeral home in a Mission-style 1929 building with gaudy chandeliers and an Art Nouveau lounge. Opened in 2009, this 3,000-square-foot space draws musicians, D.J.’s and performers from across the country. On off-nights, there’s karaoke, stand-up comedy and movie screenings.
Saturday
9:30 a.m.
5) NORDIC BREAKFAST FEAST
Come early to the perpetually packed Scandinavian brunch spot Broder (2508 Southeast Clinton Street; 503-736-3333; broderpdx.com), which serves atypical offerings like lefsa (a thin potato crepe) stuffed with goat cheese ($9) and Pytt I Panna, which is Swedish hash with smoked trout ($11). Afterward, walk off your Bloody Mary at Mount Tabor Park (Southeast 60th and Salmon Streets; portlandonline.com), a forest-covered cinder cone with sports courts, open reservoirs and a statue of a former Oregonian newspaper editor by Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor of Mount Rushmore’s granite presidents.
Noon
6) ARTS AND CRAFTS
The 811 East Burnside Building houses an array of boutiques, like Redux (No. 110; 503-231-7336; reduxpdx.com), an analog Etsy with products from some 300 artists, including frames made from salvaged bike hardware; the gallery-cum-specialty shop Nationale (No. 112; 503-477-9786; thenewnationale.com); and Sword + Fern (No. 114; 503-683-3376; swordandfern.com), home to outsider art, handmade housewares and vintage oddities. Walk over the Burnside Bridge to the Pearl District and the Museum of Contemporary Craft (724 Northwest Davis Street; 503-223-2654; museumofcontemporarycraft.org; $3), which houses nearly 1,000 works in clay, fiber, glass, metal and wood.
2 p.m.
7) WORTH THE WAIT
Don’t be daunted by the line at the taqueria ¿Por Que No? (3524 North Mississippi Avenue; 503-467-4149; porquenotacos.com). You will be rewarded with an umbrella-shaded sidewalk table, colorful papel picado (perforated paper flags) strung between beams, fish tacos ($3.50) and horchata borracha (rum-spiked rice milk, $6).
4 p.m.
8) BREWS CRUISE
Start your pedicab brewery tour (Rose Pedals Pedicabs; 503-421-7433; rosepedals.com; $60 per hour, one or two people) with a sour beer tasting at Cascade Brewing Barrel House (939 Southeast Belmont Street; 503-265-8603; cascadebrewingbarrelhouse.com). Next, stop in at the tasting room at Upright Brewing (240 North Broadway, No. 2; 503-735-5337; uprightbrewing.com) before taking the North Williams “bike highway” to the brand new Hopworks Bikebar (3947 North Williams Avenue; 503-287-6258; hopworksbeer.com). Opened in June, the cycle-centered organic brew pub has 75 bike parking spaces, bike tools and energy-generating exercycles. For sober sightseeing, Rose Pedals also offers tours of the Willamette waterfront.
6:30 p.m.
9) PUT A BIRD ON IT
Join the sunset crowd at Skidmore Bluffs (also known as the Mocks Crest Property, 2206 North Skidmore Terrace), a grassy expanse of hillside above industrial rail yards on the banks of the Willamette River. On warm nights, clusters of 20- and 30-somethings spread picnic blankets and watch the sun slip beneath the West Hills. For dinner, sit at a communal table at Le Pigeon (738 East Burnside Street; 503-546-8796; lepigeon.com), flagship of the chef Gabriel Rucker. Mr. Rucker, who was just named Rising Star Chef of the Year by the James Beard Foundation, serves French-influenced nose-to-tail fare, like beef cheek bourguignon ($22) and veal sweetbreads with bread pudding ($26), from a hyperactive open kitchen. Reservations are a good idea. If you can’t get in, give Mr. Rucker’s newly opened Little Bird Bistro (219 Southwest Sixth Avenue; 503-688-5952; littlebirdbistro.com) a try.
9 p.m.
10) CURTAINS
For dessert, head up the street for a scoop of salted caramel ice cream at Lovely’s Fifty-Fifty (4039 North Mississippi Avenue, No. 101; 503-281-4060; lovelysfiftyfifty.com). Or skip dessert and skirt past the black curtain at an unassuming Old Town storefront and pull up a stool at Central (220 Southwest Ankeny Street; no phone), a new speakeasy with a moose head on the wall, a converted windmill ceiling fan and a bartender who builds cocktails with the care of a perfectionist furniture maker. For a quiet evening, catch a 3-D blockbuster or indie hit at the stylish, modern Living Room Theaters (341 Southwest 10th Avenue; 971-222-2010; pdx.livingroomtheaters.com), where you’ll find a full bar and cushy seats.
Sunday
10 a.m.
11) LOVABLE LUDDITES
Ben Meyer’s first restaurant, the beloved wood-fired bistro Ned Ludd, shares a name with the English weaver who inspired the anti-technology Luddite movement. With his gorgeous new north-side restaurant Grain & Gristle (1473 Northeast Prescott Street; 503-298-5007; grainandgristle.com), opened in December, Mr. Meyer has found another outlet for his culinary craftsmanship and woodsy aesthetic. At brunch, look for the homemade lox on a house-baked soft pretzel ($8) or the doughy beignets with bacon caramel sauce ($3) on the ever-changing specials board.
12 p.m.
12) RAILS TO TRAILS
Take Highway 26 to Banks, where you can rent a bike at Banks Bicycle Repair & Rental (14175 Northwest Sellers Road; 503-680-3269; from $8 an hour) and ride Portland’s rural answer to the High Line in New York — the Banks-Vernonia Bike Trail (oregonstateparks.org), a 20-mile route built on former train tracks. Completed in October 2010, the trail leads across two 80-foot-high trestles, past farmland, into forests, up hills and through the nearly 1,700-acre Stub Stewart State Park, where there’s a picnic shelter and dozens of trails.
IF YOU GO
The Crystal Hotel & Ballroom (303 Southwest 12th Avenue; 503-972-2670; mcmenamins.com; from $85) has 51 rooms — each inspired by a performance from the Crystal Ballroom’s 100-year history — a soaking pool and a hard-to-beat location.
The second Ace Hotel (1022 Southwest Stark Street; 503-228-2277; acehotel.com) to open in the country, Portland’s outpost of this trendy hotel chain has 79 rooms (from $95), recycled furniture, Malin+Goetz bath products and free bike rentals. Adjacent to the lobby is a Stumptown and the “European-style tavern” Clyde Common.
Copyright by The New York Times 2011.
By FREDA MOON
Published: August 25, 2011
WITH its celebrated bike culture and obsession with all things independent and artisan, Portland is a small-scale metropolis with an outsize cultural footprint. Spread across the twin banks of the Willamette River, this provincial hub of the Pacific Northwest has more than its share of natural beauty and an earnest, outdoorsy reputation. But in recent years, the city has emerged as the capital of West Coast urban cool, earning it a television series, IFC’s “Portlandia,” devoted to satirizing its aesthetic and progressive social bent. Indeed, Portland — whose nicknames include Beervana and Soccer City, USA — is easy to poke fun at. It’s also hard to resist.
Friday
4 p.m.
1) JAPANESE, IF YOU PLEASE
Adorning the hillside above the Rose Gardens, the five-and-a-half-acre Japanese Garden (611 Southwest Kingston Avenue; 503-223-1321; japanesegarden.com; $9.50) is less crowded than its photogenic neighbor. Instead of being packed with people, this elegant corner of the 400-acre Washington Park has five distinct gardens — artfully designed “compositions” of sand, stone, water, flowers and foliage — with views of Mount Hood. On the third Saturday of each month April through October, a Japanese tea ceremony is presented at the Kashintei Tea House (1 and 2 p.m.).
6 p.m.
2) SMALL PLATES
Continue your Japan-themed afternoon with a happy hour sake or shochu at one of Portland’s proliferating izakayas, Japanese-style pubs that serve small plates to accompany drinks. Biwa (215 Southeast Ninth Avenue; 503-239-8830; biwarestaurant.com) is a low-light basement with booming music, concrete walls and a fanatical following. Two-year-old Miho (4057 North Interstate Avenue; 503-719-6152; mihopdx.com), in a remodeled Craftsman house on the residential north side — is less moody, with a patio and small plates priced in even-numbered increments ($2, $4, $6 and up). Opened in February, Mirakutei (536 East Burnside Street; 503-467-7501) is the newest dot on the izakaya map, serving delicate starters like Quilcene oysters with ginger sorbet ($5) and $9 three-sake flights.
8:30 p.m.
3) CLAMS AND CRABS
Tucked into a small storefront in a neighborhood of tidy lawns and German beer gardens, Cabezon (5200 Northeast Sacramento Street; 503-284-6617; cabezonrestaurant.com) has the unaffected feel of a small-town restaurant. A fish market by day, seafood bistro by night, the place has an easy sophistication; the only distraction from the food — a seasonal menu of fresh-off-the-boat dishes like Totten Inlet mussels with Borlotti beans, chorizo, fries and unctuous rouille ($13.50) and thin-brothed cioppino with Dungeness crab ($20.50) — are colorful glass sculptures with flowing tentacles that hang above the bar like psychedelic jellyfish.
11 p.m.
4) FUNERAL PARLOR PARTY
After dinner, head to the retro Sellwood-Westmoreland neighborhood. Window shop for tchotchkes at Stars Antiques Mall (7027 Southeast Milwaukie Avenue; 503-235-5990; starsantique.com) or slurp Jell-O shots at the Cosmo Lounge (6707 Southeast Milwaukie Avenue; 503-233-4220). For a less kitschy postdinner drink, settle into the attic at Corkscrew Wine Bar (1665 Southeast Bybee Boulevard; 503-239-9463). Then listen to live music at the Woods (6637 Southeast Milwaukie Avenue; 503-890-0408; thewoodsportland.com), a former funeral home in a Mission-style 1929 building with gaudy chandeliers and an Art Nouveau lounge. Opened in 2009, this 3,000-square-foot space draws musicians, D.J.’s and performers from across the country. On off-nights, there’s karaoke, stand-up comedy and movie screenings.
Saturday
9:30 a.m.
5) NORDIC BREAKFAST FEAST
Come early to the perpetually packed Scandinavian brunch spot Broder (2508 Southeast Clinton Street; 503-736-3333; broderpdx.com), which serves atypical offerings like lefsa (a thin potato crepe) stuffed with goat cheese ($9) and Pytt I Panna, which is Swedish hash with smoked trout ($11). Afterward, walk off your Bloody Mary at Mount Tabor Park (Southeast 60th and Salmon Streets; portlandonline.com), a forest-covered cinder cone with sports courts, open reservoirs and a statue of a former Oregonian newspaper editor by Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor of Mount Rushmore’s granite presidents.
Noon
6) ARTS AND CRAFTS
The 811 East Burnside Building houses an array of boutiques, like Redux (No. 110; 503-231-7336; reduxpdx.com), an analog Etsy with products from some 300 artists, including frames made from salvaged bike hardware; the gallery-cum-specialty shop Nationale (No. 112; 503-477-9786; thenewnationale.com); and Sword + Fern (No. 114; 503-683-3376; swordandfern.com), home to outsider art, handmade housewares and vintage oddities. Walk over the Burnside Bridge to the Pearl District and the Museum of Contemporary Craft (724 Northwest Davis Street; 503-223-2654; museumofcontemporarycraft.org; $3), which houses nearly 1,000 works in clay, fiber, glass, metal and wood.
2 p.m.
7) WORTH THE WAIT
Don’t be daunted by the line at the taqueria ¿Por Que No? (3524 North Mississippi Avenue; 503-467-4149; porquenotacos.com). You will be rewarded with an umbrella-shaded sidewalk table, colorful papel picado (perforated paper flags) strung between beams, fish tacos ($3.50) and horchata borracha (rum-spiked rice milk, $6).
4 p.m.
8) BREWS CRUISE
Start your pedicab brewery tour (Rose Pedals Pedicabs; 503-421-7433; rosepedals.com; $60 per hour, one or two people) with a sour beer tasting at Cascade Brewing Barrel House (939 Southeast Belmont Street; 503-265-8603; cascadebrewingbarrelhouse.com). Next, stop in at the tasting room at Upright Brewing (240 North Broadway, No. 2; 503-735-5337; uprightbrewing.com) before taking the North Williams “bike highway” to the brand new Hopworks Bikebar (3947 North Williams Avenue; 503-287-6258; hopworksbeer.com). Opened in June, the cycle-centered organic brew pub has 75 bike parking spaces, bike tools and energy-generating exercycles. For sober sightseeing, Rose Pedals also offers tours of the Willamette waterfront.
6:30 p.m.
9) PUT A BIRD ON IT
Join the sunset crowd at Skidmore Bluffs (also known as the Mocks Crest Property, 2206 North Skidmore Terrace), a grassy expanse of hillside above industrial rail yards on the banks of the Willamette River. On warm nights, clusters of 20- and 30-somethings spread picnic blankets and watch the sun slip beneath the West Hills. For dinner, sit at a communal table at Le Pigeon (738 East Burnside Street; 503-546-8796; lepigeon.com), flagship of the chef Gabriel Rucker. Mr. Rucker, who was just named Rising Star Chef of the Year by the James Beard Foundation, serves French-influenced nose-to-tail fare, like beef cheek bourguignon ($22) and veal sweetbreads with bread pudding ($26), from a hyperactive open kitchen. Reservations are a good idea. If you can’t get in, give Mr. Rucker’s newly opened Little Bird Bistro (219 Southwest Sixth Avenue; 503-688-5952; littlebirdbistro.com) a try.
9 p.m.
10) CURTAINS
For dessert, head up the street for a scoop of salted caramel ice cream at Lovely’s Fifty-Fifty (4039 North Mississippi Avenue, No. 101; 503-281-4060; lovelysfiftyfifty.com). Or skip dessert and skirt past the black curtain at an unassuming Old Town storefront and pull up a stool at Central (220 Southwest Ankeny Street; no phone), a new speakeasy with a moose head on the wall, a converted windmill ceiling fan and a bartender who builds cocktails with the care of a perfectionist furniture maker. For a quiet evening, catch a 3-D blockbuster or indie hit at the stylish, modern Living Room Theaters (341 Southwest 10th Avenue; 971-222-2010; pdx.livingroomtheaters.com), where you’ll find a full bar and cushy seats.
Sunday
10 a.m.
11) LOVABLE LUDDITES
Ben Meyer’s first restaurant, the beloved wood-fired bistro Ned Ludd, shares a name with the English weaver who inspired the anti-technology Luddite movement. With his gorgeous new north-side restaurant Grain & Gristle (1473 Northeast Prescott Street; 503-298-5007; grainandgristle.com), opened in December, Mr. Meyer has found another outlet for his culinary craftsmanship and woodsy aesthetic. At brunch, look for the homemade lox on a house-baked soft pretzel ($8) or the doughy beignets with bacon caramel sauce ($3) on the ever-changing specials board.
12 p.m.
12) RAILS TO TRAILS
Take Highway 26 to Banks, where you can rent a bike at Banks Bicycle Repair & Rental (14175 Northwest Sellers Road; 503-680-3269; from $8 an hour) and ride Portland’s rural answer to the High Line in New York — the Banks-Vernonia Bike Trail (oregonstateparks.org), a 20-mile route built on former train tracks. Completed in October 2010, the trail leads across two 80-foot-high trestles, past farmland, into forests, up hills and through the nearly 1,700-acre Stub Stewart State Park, where there’s a picnic shelter and dozens of trails.
IF YOU GO
The Crystal Hotel & Ballroom (303 Southwest 12th Avenue; 503-972-2670; mcmenamins.com; from $85) has 51 rooms — each inspired by a performance from the Crystal Ballroom’s 100-year history — a soaking pool and a hard-to-beat location.
The second Ace Hotel (1022 Southwest Stark Street; 503-228-2277; acehotel.com) to open in the country, Portland’s outpost of this trendy hotel chain has 79 rooms (from $95), recycled furniture, Malin+Goetz bath products and free bike rentals. Adjacent to the lobby is a Stumptown and the “European-style tavern” Clyde Common.
Copyright by The New York Times 2011.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
36 Hours in Downtown Manhattan
36 Hours in Downtown Manhattan
By SETH KUGEL
Published: August 18, 2011.
http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/travel/36-hours-in-downtown-manhattan.html?hpw
ONE WORLD TRADE CENTER is rising, and the 9/11 Memorial will open right below it next month on the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks. Although progress on the World Trade Center site has been slow, the surrounding neighborhoods did not wait to revive (and in some cases reinvent themselves) after all the emotional and economic devastation. The financial district is bustling, Chinatown is as quirky and enticing as ever, and TriBeCa is bursting with new restaurants, bars and hotels. With the exception of those seeking a night of relentless club-hopping, travelers hardly need venture north of Canal Street for a complete New York weekend.
Friday
2 p.m.
1) CRUISING THE HARBOR
Been there (Liberty and Governors Islands) and done that (taken the free Staten Island Ferry)? There are other options for harbor cruises, and what better way to get an overview of Lower Manhattan? One possibility is a 90-minute sail on the Clipper City tall ship, a replica of a 19th-century lumber-hauling schooner (Manhattan by Sail; 800-544-1224; manhattanbysail.com), which departs from the South Street Seaport. Another is a one-hour harbor cruise with Statue Cruises (201-604-2800; statuecruises.com). The company will soon launch its Hornblower Hybrid, which relies on several power sources, including hydrogen fuel cells, solar panels and wind turbines.
4 p.m.
2) SUGAR AND SOAP
Venture to TriBeCa for a treat at Duane Park Patisserie (179 Duane Street; 212-274-8447; duaneparkpatisserie.com, lemon tarts, $5; “magic cupcakes,” $4) on the shady pocket park it’s named after. Then wander into the nearby shops, ranging from the cute to the serious. At Lucca Antiques (182 Duane Street; 212-343-9005; luccaantiques.com) the owners salvage old wood and metal objects from Europe and brilliantly reformulate them into modern furniture, lamps and wall décor. Torly Kid (51 Hudson Street; 212-406-7440; torlykid.com) has funkily functional clothes for babies to tweens. At the Working Class Emporium (168 Duane Street; 212-941-1199; workingclassinc.com), a shop, you can buy quirky gifts like three-dimensional puzzles and soap shaped like dogs.
6:30 p.m.
3) BANKERS’ HAPPY HOUR
If you resent investment bankers’ salaries and bonuses, then here’s something else to hold be envious of: the cobblestone stretch of Stone Street. What might be New York’s greatest outdoor drinking spot happens to be right next to Goldman Sachs’s former headquarters. When it’s warm, this quaint block, lined with 19th-century Greek Revival buildings, is practically blocked by tables occupied by financial types, a few sundry locals and knowledgeable tourists. Choose a table outside Adrienne’s Pizzabar (212-248-3838; 54 Stone Street; adriennespizzabar.com) and order a meatball and broccoli rabe pizza ($28.50), enough for three people; a bottle of wine starts at a few dollars more.
10 p.m.
4) THE ANTI-COPA
Midtown’s Copacabana recently reopened, bringing some throwback flash to New York’s music scene. But for throwback grit, try the Friday night party at 2020 (20 Warren Street; 212-962-9759; 2020latinclub.com), where Latinos working in every kind of downtown job come to dance to the D.J.-supplied rhythms of the Spanish-speaking Caribbean.
Saturday
10:30 a.m.
5) BUENOS AIRES BRUNCH
Under one form or another, the restaurateur Stacey Sosa has run an Argentine restaurant in this cool space in TriBeCa since 1997. And though brunch at Estancia 460 (212-431-5093; 460 Greenwich Street; estancia460.wordpress.com) is very New York, with frittatas, granola and some innovative egg dishes, there are flashes of Buenos Aires, like French toast with dulce de leche. (Brunch for two about $30.)
Noon
6) MANAHATTA
Most people don’t put the Smithsonian on their New York must-do list. But the National Museum of the American Indian (212-514-3700; nmai.si.edu), in the Beaux Arts splendor of the old Customs House near Battery Park, is a reminder that Manhattan and the rest of the Western Hemisphere has a long and vibrant cultural history. The Infinity of Nations exhibition has everything from a macaw and heron feather headdress from Brazil to a hunting hat with ivory carvings from the Arctic. To get an up-close view of a wampum belt and corn pounder used by the Lenape Indians, who called the island Manahatta, head to the museum’s resource center and ask. The museum is free — not far from the price for which the Lenapes famously sold Manhattan to the Dutch.
2 p.m.
7) DOCTORAL DOWNTOWN
Continue your historical education with a Big Onion tour. Downtown’s a complicated place, with layers upon layers of history: Dutch, African-American, Revolutionary and financial, among others. It takes a doctoral candidate to decode it, and that is who will lead you on a two-hour $18 tour that might include “Historic TriBeCa,” “Revolutionary New York” or “The Financial District.” Times vary; see bigonion.com.
7 p.m.
8) WINE BY THE T-SHIRT
At the wine bar Terroir Tribeca (24 Harrison Street; 212-625-9463; wineisterroir.com), the young servers dressed in wine-themed T-shirts don’t look as though they could know what they are talking about, but don’t get them started. (Actually, do get them started.) A glass of wine begins at $8.75, and the menu is full of temptations so nonstandard you can justify it: fried balls of risotto, wine and oxtail ($8), for example, is a perfect way to spend your allotment of deep-fried calories.
9 p.m.
9) SALVAGE AND BRUSCHETTA
Who knows how many diners have walked out of Robert DeNiro and company’s Locanda Verde, the big northern Italian spot, and wondered what was going on in the tiny, bustling restaurant across the street? Decked out with salvaged materials that evoke an old factory or warehouse, Smith and Mills (71 North Moore Street; 212-226-2515; smithandmills.com) seats 22 at tables shoehorned between the standing, drinking crowds. The menu includes tomato bruschetta, oysters with horseradish, burgers and brioche bread pudding; dinner for two about $70, with drinks. One must-see: the bathroom, in a turn-of-the-century iron elevator.
11 p.m.
10) DRINKS ON DOYERS
Head east to Chinatown, where Apotheke (9 Doyers Street; 212-406-0400; apothekenyc.com) is a non-Chinese intruder sitting on the elbow of L-shaped Doyers Street, the spot known as the Bloody Angle for the gang-related killings there in the early 20th century. Here you’ll find one of the city’s top cocktail bars, with throwback décor and dim lighting. Try the Deal Closer, made with cucumber, vodka, mint, lime and vanilla, along with “Chinatown aphrodisiacs” ($15).
Sunday
8 a.m.
11) BROOKLYN BRIDGE CROSSING
With the arrival of the dog days, you have to get up pretty early to walk across this beloved landmark in comfort. As romantic as ever, a walk along the elevated pedestrian walkway provides a photo opportunity a minute. On your way back, stop by City Hall Park to see four decades of Sol LeWitt’s sculptures, on display until Dec. 3. Then head west across Chambers Street to pick up bagels and smoked salmon from Zucker’s (146 Chambers Street; 212-608-5844; zuckersbagels.com).
12: 30 p.m.
12) IN MEMORIAM
On Sept. 12, the National September 11 Memorial and Museum opens, with its pair of one-acre reflecting pools in the footprints of the fallen towers, names of victims inscribed in bronze panels, and rustling swamp white oak trees overhead. The on-site museum will have exhibitions on the original World Trade Center and the day of the attacks. Visitors can reserve free passes at 911memorial.org. No pass is needed to visit the “Unwavering Spirit: Hope and Healing at Ground Zero” exhibition at St. Paul’s Chapel nearby (209 Broadway; trinitywallstreet.org). St. Paul’s became a refuge for rescue workers in the days after the attacks. Now it houses photographs, testimonials and artifacts from those weeks after the city changed irrevocably.
IF YOU GO
The Greenwich Hotel (212-941-8900; 377 Greenwich Street; thegreenwichhotel.com), Robert DeNiro’s 2008 creation, has 88 individually designed rooms in the heart of TriBeCa. Free Internet and local phone calls, and for rooms starting at $495 a night, you actually get your choice of local newspaper.
To keep it boutique but lower the rate, try Gild Hall (15 Gold Street; 212-232-7700; thompsonhotels.com), a member of the Thompson Hotels, where 12-foot ceilings and marble bathroom floors go for as little as $179 a night on weekends.
Copyright by The New York Times 2011.
By SETH KUGEL
Published: August 18, 2011.
http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/travel/36-hours-in-downtown-manhattan.html?hpw
ONE WORLD TRADE CENTER is rising, and the 9/11 Memorial will open right below it next month on the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks. Although progress on the World Trade Center site has been slow, the surrounding neighborhoods did not wait to revive (and in some cases reinvent themselves) after all the emotional and economic devastation. The financial district is bustling, Chinatown is as quirky and enticing as ever, and TriBeCa is bursting with new restaurants, bars and hotels. With the exception of those seeking a night of relentless club-hopping, travelers hardly need venture north of Canal Street for a complete New York weekend.
Friday
2 p.m.
1) CRUISING THE HARBOR
Been there (Liberty and Governors Islands) and done that (taken the free Staten Island Ferry)? There are other options for harbor cruises, and what better way to get an overview of Lower Manhattan? One possibility is a 90-minute sail on the Clipper City tall ship, a replica of a 19th-century lumber-hauling schooner (Manhattan by Sail; 800-544-1224; manhattanbysail.com), which departs from the South Street Seaport. Another is a one-hour harbor cruise with Statue Cruises (201-604-2800; statuecruises.com). The company will soon launch its Hornblower Hybrid, which relies on several power sources, including hydrogen fuel cells, solar panels and wind turbines.
4 p.m.
2) SUGAR AND SOAP
Venture to TriBeCa for a treat at Duane Park Patisserie (179 Duane Street; 212-274-8447; duaneparkpatisserie.com, lemon tarts, $5; “magic cupcakes,” $4) on the shady pocket park it’s named after. Then wander into the nearby shops, ranging from the cute to the serious. At Lucca Antiques (182 Duane Street; 212-343-9005; luccaantiques.com) the owners salvage old wood and metal objects from Europe and brilliantly reformulate them into modern furniture, lamps and wall décor. Torly Kid (51 Hudson Street; 212-406-7440; torlykid.com) has funkily functional clothes for babies to tweens. At the Working Class Emporium (168 Duane Street; 212-941-1199; workingclassinc.com), a shop, you can buy quirky gifts like three-dimensional puzzles and soap shaped like dogs.
6:30 p.m.
3) BANKERS’ HAPPY HOUR
If you resent investment bankers’ salaries and bonuses, then here’s something else to hold be envious of: the cobblestone stretch of Stone Street. What might be New York’s greatest outdoor drinking spot happens to be right next to Goldman Sachs’s former headquarters. When it’s warm, this quaint block, lined with 19th-century Greek Revival buildings, is practically blocked by tables occupied by financial types, a few sundry locals and knowledgeable tourists. Choose a table outside Adrienne’s Pizzabar (212-248-3838; 54 Stone Street; adriennespizzabar.com) and order a meatball and broccoli rabe pizza ($28.50), enough for three people; a bottle of wine starts at a few dollars more.
10 p.m.
4) THE ANTI-COPA
Midtown’s Copacabana recently reopened, bringing some throwback flash to New York’s music scene. But for throwback grit, try the Friday night party at 2020 (20 Warren Street; 212-962-9759; 2020latinclub.com), where Latinos working in every kind of downtown job come to dance to the D.J.-supplied rhythms of the Spanish-speaking Caribbean.
Saturday
10:30 a.m.
5) BUENOS AIRES BRUNCH
Under one form or another, the restaurateur Stacey Sosa has run an Argentine restaurant in this cool space in TriBeCa since 1997. And though brunch at Estancia 460 (212-431-5093; 460 Greenwich Street; estancia460.wordpress.com) is very New York, with frittatas, granola and some innovative egg dishes, there are flashes of Buenos Aires, like French toast with dulce de leche. (Brunch for two about $30.)
Noon
6) MANAHATTA
Most people don’t put the Smithsonian on their New York must-do list. But the National Museum of the American Indian (212-514-3700; nmai.si.edu), in the Beaux Arts splendor of the old Customs House near Battery Park, is a reminder that Manhattan and the rest of the Western Hemisphere has a long and vibrant cultural history. The Infinity of Nations exhibition has everything from a macaw and heron feather headdress from Brazil to a hunting hat with ivory carvings from the Arctic. To get an up-close view of a wampum belt and corn pounder used by the Lenape Indians, who called the island Manahatta, head to the museum’s resource center and ask. The museum is free — not far from the price for which the Lenapes famously sold Manhattan to the Dutch.
2 p.m.
7) DOCTORAL DOWNTOWN
Continue your historical education with a Big Onion tour. Downtown’s a complicated place, with layers upon layers of history: Dutch, African-American, Revolutionary and financial, among others. It takes a doctoral candidate to decode it, and that is who will lead you on a two-hour $18 tour that might include “Historic TriBeCa,” “Revolutionary New York” or “The Financial District.” Times vary; see bigonion.com.
7 p.m.
8) WINE BY THE T-SHIRT
At the wine bar Terroir Tribeca (24 Harrison Street; 212-625-9463; wineisterroir.com), the young servers dressed in wine-themed T-shirts don’t look as though they could know what they are talking about, but don’t get them started. (Actually, do get them started.) A glass of wine begins at $8.75, and the menu is full of temptations so nonstandard you can justify it: fried balls of risotto, wine and oxtail ($8), for example, is a perfect way to spend your allotment of deep-fried calories.
9 p.m.
9) SALVAGE AND BRUSCHETTA
Who knows how many diners have walked out of Robert DeNiro and company’s Locanda Verde, the big northern Italian spot, and wondered what was going on in the tiny, bustling restaurant across the street? Decked out with salvaged materials that evoke an old factory or warehouse, Smith and Mills (71 North Moore Street; 212-226-2515; smithandmills.com) seats 22 at tables shoehorned between the standing, drinking crowds. The menu includes tomato bruschetta, oysters with horseradish, burgers and brioche bread pudding; dinner for two about $70, with drinks. One must-see: the bathroom, in a turn-of-the-century iron elevator.
11 p.m.
10) DRINKS ON DOYERS
Head east to Chinatown, where Apotheke (9 Doyers Street; 212-406-0400; apothekenyc.com) is a non-Chinese intruder sitting on the elbow of L-shaped Doyers Street, the spot known as the Bloody Angle for the gang-related killings there in the early 20th century. Here you’ll find one of the city’s top cocktail bars, with throwback décor and dim lighting. Try the Deal Closer, made with cucumber, vodka, mint, lime and vanilla, along with “Chinatown aphrodisiacs” ($15).
Sunday
8 a.m.
11) BROOKLYN BRIDGE CROSSING
With the arrival of the dog days, you have to get up pretty early to walk across this beloved landmark in comfort. As romantic as ever, a walk along the elevated pedestrian walkway provides a photo opportunity a minute. On your way back, stop by City Hall Park to see four decades of Sol LeWitt’s sculptures, on display until Dec. 3. Then head west across Chambers Street to pick up bagels and smoked salmon from Zucker’s (146 Chambers Street; 212-608-5844; zuckersbagels.com).
12: 30 p.m.
12) IN MEMORIAM
On Sept. 12, the National September 11 Memorial and Museum opens, with its pair of one-acre reflecting pools in the footprints of the fallen towers, names of victims inscribed in bronze panels, and rustling swamp white oak trees overhead. The on-site museum will have exhibitions on the original World Trade Center and the day of the attacks. Visitors can reserve free passes at 911memorial.org. No pass is needed to visit the “Unwavering Spirit: Hope and Healing at Ground Zero” exhibition at St. Paul’s Chapel nearby (209 Broadway; trinitywallstreet.org). St. Paul’s became a refuge for rescue workers in the days after the attacks. Now it houses photographs, testimonials and artifacts from those weeks after the city changed irrevocably.
IF YOU GO
The Greenwich Hotel (212-941-8900; 377 Greenwich Street; thegreenwichhotel.com), Robert DeNiro’s 2008 creation, has 88 individually designed rooms in the heart of TriBeCa. Free Internet and local phone calls, and for rooms starting at $495 a night, you actually get your choice of local newspaper.
To keep it boutique but lower the rate, try Gild Hall (15 Gold Street; 212-232-7700; thompsonhotels.com), a member of the Thompson Hotels, where 12-foot ceilings and marble bathroom floors go for as little as $179 a night on weekends.
Copyright by The New York Times 2011.
Friday, August 5, 2011
36 Hours in San Sebastián, Spain
36 Hours in San Sebastián, Spain
By INGRID K. WILLIAMS
Published: August 4, 2011.
Copyright by The New York Times 2011.
http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/08/07/travel/36-hours-in-san-sebastin-spain.html?hpw
TO visit San Sebastián, on Spain’s northern coast, is to fall in love. The first sight of the shimmering scallop-shaped bay, replete with crescents of golden sand and turquoise waves, will sweep you off your feet. Pairing this natural beauty with the unrivaled local cuisine — from decadent Michelin-starred feasts to delectable bite-sized pintxos (Basque-style tapas) — may leave your head spinning. A spruced-up seaside promenade, a renovated museum and a forthcoming culinary school all add to the city’s allure. But this love affair doesn’t have to be a fling. In June, the city secured a coveted designation as a 2016 European Capital of Culture, ensuring that it will put its best foot forward for years to come.
Friday
4 p.m.
1) PHANTOM BEACH
Start with a stroll along the four-mile oceanfront promenade that hugs the city’s three sandy beaches. The loveliest segment cradles La Concha beach and the bay. Or, for a new perspective of this gorgeous shore scene, take the 10-minute boat ride offered by Motoras de la Isla (Paseo Mollaberria; 34-943-000-450; motorasdelaisla.com; 3.80 euros, or $5.35 at $1.41 to the euro) from the port to Isla Santa Clara in the middle of the bay. Depending on the tides, the uninhabited islet might reveal its own slip of sand — San Sebastián’s phantom fourth beach.
6:30 p.m.
2) MUSEO PASEO
Take the scenic route to the San Telmo Museoa (Plaza Zuloaga 1; 34-943-481-580; santelmomuseoa.com), which reopened in the Parte Vieja (Old Town) in April, by following the promenade from the port around Mount Urgull, the wooded peak crowned with a statue of Jesus on the eastern edge of the bay. The museum’s new facade — a stark gray wall pocked with holes through which greenery sprouts — mimics the natural rocky surroundings but sharply contrasts with the adjoining building, a refurbished 16th-century former Dominican convent where the permanent collection of Basque art and historical artifacts is displayed.
9 p.m.
3) DRAMATIC DINING
Ni Neu (Avenida de Zurriola 1; 34-943-003-162; restaurantenineu.com), which means “I Myself” in Basque, is the new restaurant at the Kursaal, the auditorium and convention center occupying a pair of glowing modernist cubes beside Zurriola beach. The restaurant’s slick black walls and spotlighted tables are the stage upon which the stylish set gathers to dine on tuna tartare with green lemon cream, or roast lamb with flourishes of coffee and cardamom. If you prefer less drama with dinner, consider Narru (Calle de Zubieta 56; 34-943-423-349; narru.es), which reopened in April beneath the Hotel Niza after a crosstown move. The popular subterranean restaurant serves pared-down, unpretentious fare like a meltingly tender secreto Ibérico with Basque apples. Dinner for two (including wine) at either hot spot is about 60 euros.
11:30 p.m.
4) THE LAID-BACK OPTION
Avoid the cheesy beachfront discos and seek out the laid-back bar Ondarra (Avenida de Zurriola 16; no phone; ondarraclub.com) in Gros, the neighborhood that flanks the surfing beach Zurriola. Early in the evening, the tables that spill onto the sidewalk are the ideal spot for a round of gin and tonics with new friends. Later, the downstairs club, 16 bis, plugs in.
Saturday
9:30 a.m.
5) EAT YOUR HOMEWORK
Don’t sleep through this class. A multi-Michelin-starred chef might be at the head of the classroom at the Basque Culinary Center (Paseo Juan Avelino Barriola 101; 34-943-535-103; bculinary.com), a new culinary school and research institute with an international consultancy board headed by the nonpareil chef Ferran Adrià. The brand-new campus and four-year degree program won’t make its debut until October, but continuing-education courses for professional chefs and half-day classes for “gastronomic enthusiasts”(the rest of us) — like an introduction to avant-garde sweets or a summer grilling lesson — have already begun in off-site locations around the city. For now, classes are conducted only in Spanish, but the center plans to add courses in English beginning in September.
2:30 p.m.
6) STELLAR CELLAR
Hidden among the pintxo bars of the Parte Vieja is a simple staircase that descends to the sunny-walled restaurant Bodegón Alejandro (Calle de Fermín Calbetón 4; 34-943-427-158; bodegonalejandro.com), a longtime bastion of stellar Basque cuisine. The colorful tile and sturdy wooden tables feel traditional, but the six-course tasting menu — a steal at 38.50 euros, without drinks — is a modern riff on regional classics. A recent version included “lasagna” of anchovies and ratatouille atop gazpacho cream, and a rich risotto infused with cuttlefish oil and Idiazábal cheese.
5 p.m.
7) T-SHIRT TIME
At Kukuxumusu (Calle Mayor 15; 34-943-421-184; kukuxumusu.com), goofy cartoons are slapped on everything from T-shirts to flasks. This storefront in the Parte Vieja was this design company’s first, but the kooky brand has since expanded all over Spain. For an authentic upstart vibe, instead visit Viva la Vida (Calle de Narrica 12; 34-943-430-378; vivalavidatodalavida.com), which opened last year. The tiny shop peddles playful, original graphic designs, like melting rainbow-colored sunglasses, that are splashed across simple tanks, tees and tote bags.
6:30 p.m.
8) FOR HIPSTERS AND KIDS
The sublime mingles with the absurd atop Mount Igueldo (34-943-213-525; www.monteigueldo.es) on the western edge of the bay. Ride the rumbling funicular (2.80 euros) to the summit where the Mount Igueldo Tower claims to offer “the best view in the world” (it is indeed grand). Then revisit childhood at the ancient amusement park, where the rickety rides and classic carnival games are all so ridiculously — though unintentionally — retro that they transcend tackiness and become hilariously fun for small children and hipsters alike.
9:30 p.m.
9) TXIKITEO CHEAT SHEET
Tailor a txikiteo — the Basque term for a pintxo-bar hop — around the bars in the Parte Vieja where traditional pintxos are being elevated to haute cuisine in miniature. Start at the long wooden counter of Astelena (Calle de Iñigo 1; 34-943-425-245) with croquetas coated in crunchy pistachios, or crispy crepes stuffed with salmon and cheese. Then squeeze into the narrow La Cuchara de San Telmo (Calle 31 de Agosto 28; no phone; lacucharadesantelmo.com) for sumptuous seared foie gras with apple compote, or tangy orzo and goat cheese risotto. Round out the tour at the black-and-red bar A Fuego Negro (Calle 31 de Agosto 31; 34-650-135-373; afuegonegro.com), the pinnacle of pintxo prowess. Order the “Makcobe,” a mini wagyu burger on a ketchup-infused bun with fried banana “txips,” but don’t miss the three icy scoops of spider crab, avocado and licorice (a strangely delicious trio), or pastel cherry-meringue wafer with mackerel, sheep’s cheese and mint. Each pintxo costs about 3 euros.
Sunday
9 a.m.
10) BREADCRUMB TRAIL
This year marks the 800th anniversary of the consecration of the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, the final destination of the pilgrimage trail known as the Camino de Santiago. One major route of the Camino passes through San Sebastián, so for a taste of the celebrated trek, hike up Calle de Zemoriya in Gros and follow the yellow trail markings (in reverse), weaving through lush forests and past postcard-perfect panoramas of cliffs sinking into the sea. Before you set off, carbo load with a moist, chewy brioche or a crusty baguette from Galparsoro (Calle Mayor 6; 34-943-420-113; galparsorookindegia.eu), a phenomenal little bakery that supplies the area’s top restaurants.
1:30 p.m.
11) TWO IF BY LAND ...
Last year, a fire devastated the kitchen of Mugaritz (Aldura Aldea 20, Errenteria; 34-943-522-455; mugaritz.com), a two-Michelin-star restaurant in an understated country house nestled in the hills outside town. After a four-month closure, the restaurant reopened in June 2010 with the chef Andoni Luis Aduriz once again puzzling and delighting diners — often simultaneously — with ingenious dishes like an aromatic mortar soup (which requires diners to pestle-pound spices and seeds before servers add finishing touches of herbs and fish broth) and crispy shredded beef tongue (presented as “mystery meat”). Curious to find out what clinches that elusive third star? Book a table with a view overlooking the sea at Akelarre (Paseo Padre Orcolaga 56; 34-943-311-209; akelarre.net), the three-Michelin-star gastronomic temple where Pedro Subijana has been feeding foodies for over 30 years, with concoctions that range from edible paper and foie gras with sugar to ethereal mousses. Tasting menus (18 courses at Mugaritz; 8 courses at Akelarre) are about 140 euros, without drinks.
IF YOU GO
The Hotel Gran Bahía Bernardo (Calle de Trueba 1; 34-943-298-049; www.hotelgranbahiabernardo.com) opened in December 2010 in Gros, a few blocks from Zurriola beach. The 10 simple rooms have hardwood floors, cool photography on the walls and free Wi-Fi. Doubles cost 144 euros, or $203, in high season.
The two-year old, 102-room Hotel Astoria 7 (Calle de la Sagrada Familia 1; 34-943-445-000; astoria7hotel.com) pays homage to the cinema stars of San Sebastián’s annual film festival. The top-notch food emporium Don Serapio is nearby, but the pintxo-packed Parte Vieja is a 20-minute walk. High-season doubles from 140 euros.
By INGRID K. WILLIAMS
Published: August 4, 2011.
Copyright by The New York Times 2011.
http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/08/07/travel/36-hours-in-san-sebastin-spain.html?hpw
TO visit San Sebastián, on Spain’s northern coast, is to fall in love. The first sight of the shimmering scallop-shaped bay, replete with crescents of golden sand and turquoise waves, will sweep you off your feet. Pairing this natural beauty with the unrivaled local cuisine — from decadent Michelin-starred feasts to delectable bite-sized pintxos (Basque-style tapas) — may leave your head spinning. A spruced-up seaside promenade, a renovated museum and a forthcoming culinary school all add to the city’s allure. But this love affair doesn’t have to be a fling. In June, the city secured a coveted designation as a 2016 European Capital of Culture, ensuring that it will put its best foot forward for years to come.
Friday
4 p.m.
1) PHANTOM BEACH
Start with a stroll along the four-mile oceanfront promenade that hugs the city’s three sandy beaches. The loveliest segment cradles La Concha beach and the bay. Or, for a new perspective of this gorgeous shore scene, take the 10-minute boat ride offered by Motoras de la Isla (Paseo Mollaberria; 34-943-000-450; motorasdelaisla.com; 3.80 euros, or $5.35 at $1.41 to the euro) from the port to Isla Santa Clara in the middle of the bay. Depending on the tides, the uninhabited islet might reveal its own slip of sand — San Sebastián’s phantom fourth beach.
6:30 p.m.
2) MUSEO PASEO
Take the scenic route to the San Telmo Museoa (Plaza Zuloaga 1; 34-943-481-580; santelmomuseoa.com), which reopened in the Parte Vieja (Old Town) in April, by following the promenade from the port around Mount Urgull, the wooded peak crowned with a statue of Jesus on the eastern edge of the bay. The museum’s new facade — a stark gray wall pocked with holes through which greenery sprouts — mimics the natural rocky surroundings but sharply contrasts with the adjoining building, a refurbished 16th-century former Dominican convent where the permanent collection of Basque art and historical artifacts is displayed.
9 p.m.
3) DRAMATIC DINING
Ni Neu (Avenida de Zurriola 1; 34-943-003-162; restaurantenineu.com), which means “I Myself” in Basque, is the new restaurant at the Kursaal, the auditorium and convention center occupying a pair of glowing modernist cubes beside Zurriola beach. The restaurant’s slick black walls and spotlighted tables are the stage upon which the stylish set gathers to dine on tuna tartare with green lemon cream, or roast lamb with flourishes of coffee and cardamom. If you prefer less drama with dinner, consider Narru (Calle de Zubieta 56; 34-943-423-349; narru.es), which reopened in April beneath the Hotel Niza after a crosstown move. The popular subterranean restaurant serves pared-down, unpretentious fare like a meltingly tender secreto Ibérico with Basque apples. Dinner for two (including wine) at either hot spot is about 60 euros.
11:30 p.m.
4) THE LAID-BACK OPTION
Avoid the cheesy beachfront discos and seek out the laid-back bar Ondarra (Avenida de Zurriola 16; no phone; ondarraclub.com) in Gros, the neighborhood that flanks the surfing beach Zurriola. Early in the evening, the tables that spill onto the sidewalk are the ideal spot for a round of gin and tonics with new friends. Later, the downstairs club, 16 bis, plugs in.
Saturday
9:30 a.m.
5) EAT YOUR HOMEWORK
Don’t sleep through this class. A multi-Michelin-starred chef might be at the head of the classroom at the Basque Culinary Center (Paseo Juan Avelino Barriola 101; 34-943-535-103; bculinary.com), a new culinary school and research institute with an international consultancy board headed by the nonpareil chef Ferran Adrià. The brand-new campus and four-year degree program won’t make its debut until October, but continuing-education courses for professional chefs and half-day classes for “gastronomic enthusiasts”(the rest of us) — like an introduction to avant-garde sweets or a summer grilling lesson — have already begun in off-site locations around the city. For now, classes are conducted only in Spanish, but the center plans to add courses in English beginning in September.
2:30 p.m.
6) STELLAR CELLAR
Hidden among the pintxo bars of the Parte Vieja is a simple staircase that descends to the sunny-walled restaurant Bodegón Alejandro (Calle de Fermín Calbetón 4; 34-943-427-158; bodegonalejandro.com), a longtime bastion of stellar Basque cuisine. The colorful tile and sturdy wooden tables feel traditional, but the six-course tasting menu — a steal at 38.50 euros, without drinks — is a modern riff on regional classics. A recent version included “lasagna” of anchovies and ratatouille atop gazpacho cream, and a rich risotto infused with cuttlefish oil and Idiazábal cheese.
5 p.m.
7) T-SHIRT TIME
At Kukuxumusu (Calle Mayor 15; 34-943-421-184; kukuxumusu.com), goofy cartoons are slapped on everything from T-shirts to flasks. This storefront in the Parte Vieja was this design company’s first, but the kooky brand has since expanded all over Spain. For an authentic upstart vibe, instead visit Viva la Vida (Calle de Narrica 12; 34-943-430-378; vivalavidatodalavida.com), which opened last year. The tiny shop peddles playful, original graphic designs, like melting rainbow-colored sunglasses, that are splashed across simple tanks, tees and tote bags.
6:30 p.m.
8) FOR HIPSTERS AND KIDS
The sublime mingles with the absurd atop Mount Igueldo (34-943-213-525; www.monteigueldo.es) on the western edge of the bay. Ride the rumbling funicular (2.80 euros) to the summit where the Mount Igueldo Tower claims to offer “the best view in the world” (it is indeed grand). Then revisit childhood at the ancient amusement park, where the rickety rides and classic carnival games are all so ridiculously — though unintentionally — retro that they transcend tackiness and become hilariously fun for small children and hipsters alike.
9:30 p.m.
9) TXIKITEO CHEAT SHEET
Tailor a txikiteo — the Basque term for a pintxo-bar hop — around the bars in the Parte Vieja where traditional pintxos are being elevated to haute cuisine in miniature. Start at the long wooden counter of Astelena (Calle de Iñigo 1; 34-943-425-245) with croquetas coated in crunchy pistachios, or crispy crepes stuffed with salmon and cheese. Then squeeze into the narrow La Cuchara de San Telmo (Calle 31 de Agosto 28; no phone; lacucharadesantelmo.com) for sumptuous seared foie gras with apple compote, or tangy orzo and goat cheese risotto. Round out the tour at the black-and-red bar A Fuego Negro (Calle 31 de Agosto 31; 34-650-135-373; afuegonegro.com), the pinnacle of pintxo prowess. Order the “Makcobe,” a mini wagyu burger on a ketchup-infused bun with fried banana “txips,” but don’t miss the three icy scoops of spider crab, avocado and licorice (a strangely delicious trio), or pastel cherry-meringue wafer with mackerel, sheep’s cheese and mint. Each pintxo costs about 3 euros.
Sunday
9 a.m.
10) BREADCRUMB TRAIL
This year marks the 800th anniversary of the consecration of the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, the final destination of the pilgrimage trail known as the Camino de Santiago. One major route of the Camino passes through San Sebastián, so for a taste of the celebrated trek, hike up Calle de Zemoriya in Gros and follow the yellow trail markings (in reverse), weaving through lush forests and past postcard-perfect panoramas of cliffs sinking into the sea. Before you set off, carbo load with a moist, chewy brioche or a crusty baguette from Galparsoro (Calle Mayor 6; 34-943-420-113; galparsorookindegia.eu), a phenomenal little bakery that supplies the area’s top restaurants.
1:30 p.m.
11) TWO IF BY LAND ...
Last year, a fire devastated the kitchen of Mugaritz (Aldura Aldea 20, Errenteria; 34-943-522-455; mugaritz.com), a two-Michelin-star restaurant in an understated country house nestled in the hills outside town. After a four-month closure, the restaurant reopened in June 2010 with the chef Andoni Luis Aduriz once again puzzling and delighting diners — often simultaneously — with ingenious dishes like an aromatic mortar soup (which requires diners to pestle-pound spices and seeds before servers add finishing touches of herbs and fish broth) and crispy shredded beef tongue (presented as “mystery meat”). Curious to find out what clinches that elusive third star? Book a table with a view overlooking the sea at Akelarre (Paseo Padre Orcolaga 56; 34-943-311-209; akelarre.net), the three-Michelin-star gastronomic temple where Pedro Subijana has been feeding foodies for over 30 years, with concoctions that range from edible paper and foie gras with sugar to ethereal mousses. Tasting menus (18 courses at Mugaritz; 8 courses at Akelarre) are about 140 euros, without drinks.
IF YOU GO
The Hotel Gran Bahía Bernardo (Calle de Trueba 1; 34-943-298-049; www.hotelgranbahiabernardo.com) opened in December 2010 in Gros, a few blocks from Zurriola beach. The 10 simple rooms have hardwood floors, cool photography on the walls and free Wi-Fi. Doubles cost 144 euros, or $203, in high season.
The two-year old, 102-room Hotel Astoria 7 (Calle de la Sagrada Familia 1; 34-943-445-000; astoria7hotel.com) pays homage to the cinema stars of San Sebastián’s annual film festival. The top-notch food emporium Don Serapio is nearby, but the pintxo-packed Parte Vieja is a 20-minute walk. High-season doubles from 140 euros.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
36 Hours in Budapest
36 Hours in Budapest
By EVAN RAIL
Published: July 28, 2011
http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/07/31/travel/36-hours-in-budapest.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha210
LIKE much of post-Communist Europe, Budapest has replaced the image of the impoverished East with symbols of international luxury, like the Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace and a new branch of Nobu, the high-end Japanese restaurant. But unlike many other cities in the region, the Hungarian capital’s brightest spots are often native-born, rather than imports. From stately Buda in the west to Pest’s shabby-chic streets east of the Danube, a range of new attractions show off the achievements of local artists, producers, vintners and chefs. Even if you don’t end up tasting every last domestic food specialty identified as a “hungarikum,” or tracking down every up-and-coming designer, a weekend here provides a glimpse of the city’s justifiable pride, as well as an authentic sense of place.
Friday
5 p.m.
1) GET YOUR KICKS
Buda has steep hills, while Pest’s long boulevards are seemingly without end. Get ready for legwork with new sneakers from Tisza Cipo (Karoly korut 1; 36-1-266-3055; tiszacipo.hu), the flagship store of a once-reviled Communist-era brand that was revived as a modern line of streetwear in 2003. Though the flashy colors, plush material and quality construction of today’s Klasszik model (19,900 forints, or about $105, at 190 forints to $1) are unlike just about anything from the former regime, no one will ever confuse the distinctively Eastern Bloc retro vibe for a pair of Nikes. Your favorite souvenirs? You’re wearing them.
7:30 p.m.
2) WINE KITCHEN
Home to the oldest classified wine regions in Europe, Hungary is also a fount of excellent Old World cooking. The two combine splendidly at the seven-month-old Borkonyha (Sas utca 3; 36-1-266-0835; borkonyha.hu), or “wine kitchen,” an airy, modern bistro with a list of about 200 outstanding domestic bottles, many of which are available by the glass. Homegrown fare like trout from the northern Hungarian village of Szilvasvarad or braised Mangalica hog cheeks with roasted carrots (2,350 forints) pair gloriously with unusual local varietals like Zoltan Gunzer’s 2009 kadarka (980 forints per glass), an elegant, dry red whose rich blackcurrant and blackberry notes compare with those of a great zinfandel.
10 p.m.
3) GARDEN BAR
In warm weather, vacant lots around the city are transformed into kert (“garden”) bars: grungy outdoor dives occupying a middle ground between beer gardens and anarchist squats, generally with a downmarket vibe. But one of the newest manifestations of the trend, Otkert (Zrinyi utca 4; 36-30-413-1173; otkert.blogspot.com), takes the idea upscale, creating what the English-language news and culture blog pestiside.hu called the “first posh kert” when it opened last summer. Find a quiet corner nook to chill out over a shot of pear or apricot palinka (880 to 950 forints), the local take on schnapps, then join the crowd of beautiful people for a spin on the open-air dance floor.
Saturday
11 a.m.
4) YOUR STYLE
First, check the Our Style online store, ourstyle.hu, in case one of its fashion pop-up shops is operating somewhere in the city. If nothing’s listed, head down to the area between the Dohany Street Synagogue, the Hungarian National Museum and the Danube, where numerous small boutiques like Black Box (Iranyi utca 18; 36-30-41-48-979; blackboxconceptstore.tumblr.com) offer everything from club wear to haute couture confections, all by local designers, often at very affordable prices. At the nearby Eclectick (Iranyi utca 20; 36-1-266-3341; eclectick.hu), colorful linen summer dresses, printed with bird motifs, cost 21,900 forints.
1 p.m.
5) ROCK HOSPITAL
Summers here can really cook. When the mercury rises, seek shelter at the oddball Sziklakorhaz (Lovas ut 4/c; 36-70-7-01-01-01; sziklakorhaz.hu), a former secret hospital and nuclear bunker, hidden deep inside the mountain under Buda Castle, that opened to the public as an unusual cold-war museum in mid-2007. No matter how hot it might be outside, remember to bring an extra layer, as the underground temperatures are always under 64 Fahrenheit. Hourlong tours in both Hungarian and English leave every hour on the hour, after which you can buy a Marka soda (250 forints) and such bunker-worthy tchotchkes as Communist-era military helmets and gas masks (1,000 forints).
3 p.m.
6) OFF THE LISZT
Expect to hear a lot about the local hero Franz Liszt — a k a Liszt Ferenc — this year. An up-to-date Web site (liszt-2011.hu) details the exhibitions, concerts and other events around town in honor of the bicentennial of the composer’s birth, including a “wine of the Liszt year” and even a Liszt-themed locomotive. On a smaller scale, the Liszt Museum (Vorosmarty utca 35; 36-1-322-9804; lisztmuseum.hu) has a single-room exhibition on the composer’s relationship to his city, running through March of next year, while permanent exhibitions recreate Liszt’s final Budapest apartment with tons of his personal belongings, instruments and furniture, including an original writing desk with its own three-octave piano keyboard.
7:30 p.m.
7) OVER THE TOP
Budapesters groaned when Prague became the first post-Communist capital with a Michelin-starred restaurant in 2008. But the Hungarians pulled ahead this March, with the four-year-old Onyx (Vorosmarty ter 7-8; 36-20-386-9157; onyxrestaurant.hu) earning their city’s second French asterisk, after the stylish Costes, on Raday Utca. Jaded diners might find the gold-on-black walls, heavy armchairs and oh-so-formal table service somewhat over the top, but dishes like goose liver torte with strawberry jelly and kolache (4,000 forints) and confit of beef shoulder with creamy carrot purée (7,000 forints) come across as remarkably accomplished, effortlessly bridging the traditional flavors of the country with contemporary international culinary techniques. For cheap dates, the lunch menu, served Tuesday through Saturday until 2 p.m., features much of the same excellent cooking at much lower rates, with three-course menus for 3,990 forints.
9:30 p.m.
8) ANCHORS AWEIGH
For years, the biggest exports from Hungary’s contemporary music scene have been D.J.’s and electronica acts like Yonderboi and Neo, but the country’s indie rockers are starting to make themselves heard. Just steps from bustling Deak Ferenc square in Pest, the spacious, year-old Anker Klub (Anker koz 1-3; 36-70-505-5480; facebook.com/ankerklub) hosts intimate concerts from new-folksters like Kistehen Tanczenekar, a k a Little Cow, and charmingly atmospheric singer-songwriters like Norbert Kristof.
11:30 p.m.
9) UP ALL NIGHT
Some of the best new bright spots here echo the glories of the city’s interwar period. A legendary fashion center when it first appeared in 1926, the giant Corvin department store is now better known as Corvinteto (Blaha Lujza ter 1-2, enter from Somogyi Bela utca; 36-20-77-22-984; corvinteto.hu), a club and after-hours lounge that has taken over the building’s top levels. Inside, concerts of dub, drum ’n’ bass and electroclash run year-round, but if it’s going to be a really late night, the enormous rooftop bar — open only from spring to autumn — might just be the best spot to watch a sunrise over the city skyline.
Sunday
Noon
10) TASTE TO GO
On Sundays, trendy locals and expats meet at the second Pest branch of Culinaris (Balassi Balint utca 7; 36-1-373-0028; culinaris.hu), a lunch counter with a separate specialty-foods shop that opened near the neo-Gothic parliament building in 2008. First, grab a loosely wrapped burrito (1,590 forints) or Cobb salad (1,490 forints) at the cool and bright counter. Then head around the corner to the shop with a collection of cheeses, cookies, crackers, pastas, wines and beers so extensive it could be a costly mistake to gawk on an empty stomach. Before you leave, think of a typical airport meal. Then order a to-go ham-and-cheese, custom-built on a fluffy, house-made black-olive loaf (1,790 forints), for a final taste that will stay with you at least as far as the departure gate.
IF YOU GO
Design hotels can sometimes feel insubstantial. Not so the Palazzo Zichy (Lorinc pap ter 2; 36-1-235-4000; hotel-palazzo-zichy.hu), a stylish, chic 80-room establishment that opened in 2009 in a restored 19th-century mansion, whose thick walls lend a sense of solidity. The mix of original, neo-Baroque stairwells and modern minimalist décor probably shouldn’t work, but it does. Prices vary based on occupancy, though high-season doubles generally start at about 80 euros (about $112).
Closer to the action in Pest, just off touristy Vaci utca, is the new La Prima (Pesti Barnabas utca 6; 36-1-799-0088; laprimahotelbudapest.hu), a self-styled “fashion hotel” that opened this spring. A Web search for mid-August found double rooms with breakfast at 95 euros.
Copyright by The New York Times 2011.
By EVAN RAIL
Published: July 28, 2011
http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/07/31/travel/36-hours-in-budapest.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha210
LIKE much of post-Communist Europe, Budapest has replaced the image of the impoverished East with symbols of international luxury, like the Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace and a new branch of Nobu, the high-end Japanese restaurant. But unlike many other cities in the region, the Hungarian capital’s brightest spots are often native-born, rather than imports. From stately Buda in the west to Pest’s shabby-chic streets east of the Danube, a range of new attractions show off the achievements of local artists, producers, vintners and chefs. Even if you don’t end up tasting every last domestic food specialty identified as a “hungarikum,” or tracking down every up-and-coming designer, a weekend here provides a glimpse of the city’s justifiable pride, as well as an authentic sense of place.
Friday
5 p.m.
1) GET YOUR KICKS
Buda has steep hills, while Pest’s long boulevards are seemingly without end. Get ready for legwork with new sneakers from Tisza Cipo (Karoly korut 1; 36-1-266-3055; tiszacipo.hu), the flagship store of a once-reviled Communist-era brand that was revived as a modern line of streetwear in 2003. Though the flashy colors, plush material and quality construction of today’s Klasszik model (19,900 forints, or about $105, at 190 forints to $1) are unlike just about anything from the former regime, no one will ever confuse the distinctively Eastern Bloc retro vibe for a pair of Nikes. Your favorite souvenirs? You’re wearing them.
7:30 p.m.
2) WINE KITCHEN
Home to the oldest classified wine regions in Europe, Hungary is also a fount of excellent Old World cooking. The two combine splendidly at the seven-month-old Borkonyha (Sas utca 3; 36-1-266-0835; borkonyha.hu), or “wine kitchen,” an airy, modern bistro with a list of about 200 outstanding domestic bottles, many of which are available by the glass. Homegrown fare like trout from the northern Hungarian village of Szilvasvarad or braised Mangalica hog cheeks with roasted carrots (2,350 forints) pair gloriously with unusual local varietals like Zoltan Gunzer’s 2009 kadarka (980 forints per glass), an elegant, dry red whose rich blackcurrant and blackberry notes compare with those of a great zinfandel.
10 p.m.
3) GARDEN BAR
In warm weather, vacant lots around the city are transformed into kert (“garden”) bars: grungy outdoor dives occupying a middle ground between beer gardens and anarchist squats, generally with a downmarket vibe. But one of the newest manifestations of the trend, Otkert (Zrinyi utca 4; 36-30-413-1173; otkert.blogspot.com), takes the idea upscale, creating what the English-language news and culture blog pestiside.hu called the “first posh kert” when it opened last summer. Find a quiet corner nook to chill out over a shot of pear or apricot palinka (880 to 950 forints), the local take on schnapps, then join the crowd of beautiful people for a spin on the open-air dance floor.
Saturday
11 a.m.
4) YOUR STYLE
First, check the Our Style online store, ourstyle.hu, in case one of its fashion pop-up shops is operating somewhere in the city. If nothing’s listed, head down to the area between the Dohany Street Synagogue, the Hungarian National Museum and the Danube, where numerous small boutiques like Black Box (Iranyi utca 18; 36-30-41-48-979; blackboxconceptstore.tumblr.com) offer everything from club wear to haute couture confections, all by local designers, often at very affordable prices. At the nearby Eclectick (Iranyi utca 20; 36-1-266-3341; eclectick.hu), colorful linen summer dresses, printed with bird motifs, cost 21,900 forints.
1 p.m.
5) ROCK HOSPITAL
Summers here can really cook. When the mercury rises, seek shelter at the oddball Sziklakorhaz (Lovas ut 4/c; 36-70-7-01-01-01; sziklakorhaz.hu), a former secret hospital and nuclear bunker, hidden deep inside the mountain under Buda Castle, that opened to the public as an unusual cold-war museum in mid-2007. No matter how hot it might be outside, remember to bring an extra layer, as the underground temperatures are always under 64 Fahrenheit. Hourlong tours in both Hungarian and English leave every hour on the hour, after which you can buy a Marka soda (250 forints) and such bunker-worthy tchotchkes as Communist-era military helmets and gas masks (1,000 forints).
3 p.m.
6) OFF THE LISZT
Expect to hear a lot about the local hero Franz Liszt — a k a Liszt Ferenc — this year. An up-to-date Web site (liszt-2011.hu) details the exhibitions, concerts and other events around town in honor of the bicentennial of the composer’s birth, including a “wine of the Liszt year” and even a Liszt-themed locomotive. On a smaller scale, the Liszt Museum (Vorosmarty utca 35; 36-1-322-9804; lisztmuseum.hu) has a single-room exhibition on the composer’s relationship to his city, running through March of next year, while permanent exhibitions recreate Liszt’s final Budapest apartment with tons of his personal belongings, instruments and furniture, including an original writing desk with its own three-octave piano keyboard.
7:30 p.m.
7) OVER THE TOP
Budapesters groaned when Prague became the first post-Communist capital with a Michelin-starred restaurant in 2008. But the Hungarians pulled ahead this March, with the four-year-old Onyx (Vorosmarty ter 7-8; 36-20-386-9157; onyxrestaurant.hu) earning their city’s second French asterisk, after the stylish Costes, on Raday Utca. Jaded diners might find the gold-on-black walls, heavy armchairs and oh-so-formal table service somewhat over the top, but dishes like goose liver torte with strawberry jelly and kolache (4,000 forints) and confit of beef shoulder with creamy carrot purée (7,000 forints) come across as remarkably accomplished, effortlessly bridging the traditional flavors of the country with contemporary international culinary techniques. For cheap dates, the lunch menu, served Tuesday through Saturday until 2 p.m., features much of the same excellent cooking at much lower rates, with three-course menus for 3,990 forints.
9:30 p.m.
8) ANCHORS AWEIGH
For years, the biggest exports from Hungary’s contemporary music scene have been D.J.’s and electronica acts like Yonderboi and Neo, but the country’s indie rockers are starting to make themselves heard. Just steps from bustling Deak Ferenc square in Pest, the spacious, year-old Anker Klub (Anker koz 1-3; 36-70-505-5480; facebook.com/ankerklub) hosts intimate concerts from new-folksters like Kistehen Tanczenekar, a k a Little Cow, and charmingly atmospheric singer-songwriters like Norbert Kristof.
11:30 p.m.
9) UP ALL NIGHT
Some of the best new bright spots here echo the glories of the city’s interwar period. A legendary fashion center when it first appeared in 1926, the giant Corvin department store is now better known as Corvinteto (Blaha Lujza ter 1-2, enter from Somogyi Bela utca; 36-20-77-22-984; corvinteto.hu), a club and after-hours lounge that has taken over the building’s top levels. Inside, concerts of dub, drum ’n’ bass and electroclash run year-round, but if it’s going to be a really late night, the enormous rooftop bar — open only from spring to autumn — might just be the best spot to watch a sunrise over the city skyline.
Sunday
Noon
10) TASTE TO GO
On Sundays, trendy locals and expats meet at the second Pest branch of Culinaris (Balassi Balint utca 7; 36-1-373-0028; culinaris.hu), a lunch counter with a separate specialty-foods shop that opened near the neo-Gothic parliament building in 2008. First, grab a loosely wrapped burrito (1,590 forints) or Cobb salad (1,490 forints) at the cool and bright counter. Then head around the corner to the shop with a collection of cheeses, cookies, crackers, pastas, wines and beers so extensive it could be a costly mistake to gawk on an empty stomach. Before you leave, think of a typical airport meal. Then order a to-go ham-and-cheese, custom-built on a fluffy, house-made black-olive loaf (1,790 forints), for a final taste that will stay with you at least as far as the departure gate.
IF YOU GO
Design hotels can sometimes feel insubstantial. Not so the Palazzo Zichy (Lorinc pap ter 2; 36-1-235-4000; hotel-palazzo-zichy.hu), a stylish, chic 80-room establishment that opened in 2009 in a restored 19th-century mansion, whose thick walls lend a sense of solidity. The mix of original, neo-Baroque stairwells and modern minimalist décor probably shouldn’t work, but it does. Prices vary based on occupancy, though high-season doubles generally start at about 80 euros (about $112).
Closer to the action in Pest, just off touristy Vaci utca, is the new La Prima (Pesti Barnabas utca 6; 36-1-799-0088; laprimahotelbudapest.hu), a self-styled “fashion hotel” that opened this spring. A Web search for mid-August found double rooms with breakfast at 95 euros.
Copyright by The New York Times 2011.
Friday, July 22, 2011
36 Hours in Aspen, Colo.
36 Hours in Aspen, Colo.
By BONNIE TSUI
Copyright by The New York Times
Published: July 21, 2011
http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/07/24/travel/36-hours-in-aspen-colo.html?hpw
IT’S an open secret that Aspen isn’t just a glamorous winter resort. As the lineup of private jets at the tiny airport will attest, summer is when the mountain town’s festival scene brings in celebrities of almost every category — the likes of Yo-Yo Ma for the seasonlong Aspen Music Festival, Mario Batali for the Food & Wine Classic and Sandra Day O’Connor for the Ideas Festival. Along with them come classical-music fiends who carry their own scores and Food Network fans who go wild for live knife-skill demos from the stars of “Iron Chef.” Your seatmates on the puddle-jumper from Denver, however, are just as likely to be semi-pro cyclists or whitewater hounds sniffing out the best place to shoot the rapids. They know that summer in Aspen is when nature is in full swing, and the glowing fields of wild blue flax, prairie smoke and sunflowers, framed by snowcapped peaks and groves of aspen, do a fine job of wooing attention away from the glitterati. Not that you have to choose one world over the other. It’s entirely possible to go high-adrenaline by day and highbrow culture by night.
Friday
4 p.m.
1) MEET THE LOCALS
The nonprofit Aspen Center for Environmental Studies, or ACES, offers a bounty of guided hikes, beekeeping seminars, mushroom-foraging classes and photo safaris. Stop in for a late-afternoon visit at the Hallam Lake Center (100 Puppy Smith Street; 970-925-5756; aspennature.org; open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday, closed Sunday) to get acquainted with rehabilitated birds of prey — currently a golden eagle and a great horned owl — that call the center home. Check the ACES calendar for programs that might coincide with your visit; outdoor classes in astronomy and field sketching are scheduled for August.
5 p.m.
2) DOWNTOWN ORIGINAL
After you stop by Ute Mountaineer (210 South Galena Street; 970-925-2849; utemountaineer.com) for last-minute gear, maps or guidebooks for your excursions, head to the Aspen Brewing Company’s new downtown tasting room (304 East Hopkins Avenue; 970-920-2739; aspenbrewingcompany.com), where framed old photos and hand-drawn maps line the walls and a relaxed T-shirt-and-flannel atmosphere rules. At the polished teak bar, order a pint ($4) of local craft beer, like the Ajax Pilsner, Ajax being the nickname for Aspen Mountain. This is a true Aspenite bar — as Brad Veltman, an owner, will tell it, a place where “you can bring your dog, watch an old Warren Miller ski video and enjoy a beer.”
6 p.m.
3) A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC
The summerlong Aspen Music Festival (980 North Third Street; 970-925-9042; aspenmusicfestival.com; $10 to $76 for ticketed events) offers opportunities to watch classical stars perform at venues ranging from the Victorian-era Wheeler Opera House to the local library. Many of the events, which include symphonies, chamber music, master classes and lectures, are free. Grab a seat on the lawn at the Music Festival campus for one of the evening concerts, frequented by picnicking families and other music lovers who bring wine and cheese to pair with the crisp notes sailing out into the cool night air (those with paid tickets sit inside the tent). Coming in August: the violinist Sarah Chang, and a performance by the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet with the Aspen Concert Orchestra.
8:30 p.m.
4) TASTE OF ITALY
The jet set will be excited to see an outpost of the Miami hot spot Casa Tua (403 South Galena Street; 970-920-7277; dinner for two, $100), a restaurant and private club created by the Italian-born hotelier and restaurateur Miky Grendene. The recently opened location has a lovely outdoor patio, creamy burrata straight from Italy (with basil and heirloom tomatoes, $22) and colorful house cocktails. Try the Casa Tua Aspen, a bubbly mix of prosecco and Martini & Rossi rosato ($15).
Saturday
8:30 a.m.
5) FARM FRESH
Pick up smoothies and fresh croissants at the Aspen Saturday Market (corners of East Hyman Avenue, South Hunter Street and East Hopkins Avenue; 970-925-1940; open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; aspenchamber.org) for a breakfast picnic in nearby Wagner Park. Then return to the market, which fills three downtown blocks and sells everything from mountain goat cheese and locally raised lamb to hand-blown glassware and antique bicycles. The bikes are restored by Billy Taylor and his son, Michael, under the moniker Re-Cycle Art Aspen (970-948-9888; recycleartaspen.com), adding such touches as Japanese Crane brass bells, vintage saddles and retro chrome pedals (from $490).
10:30 a.m.
6) A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE
Eleven miles out of town is the Ashcroft Ghost Town, in the spectacular Castle Creek Valley. It is the starting place for a four-hour naturalist walk called Green World Day Hike, with ACES (aspennature.org; reservations required; 3.5 miles round trip; $75); the price includes lunch, which may be venison and smoked trout at the Pine Creek Cookhouse, overlooking the still-snowy peaks of the Elk mountain range. You are likely to see great blue herons cruising above the creek, beavers in their ponds, and maybe even elk or a bear (as evidenced by markings on trees along the path).
3 p.m.
7) A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT
Stand-up river paddleboarding is becoming all the rage in water-sports-crazy Aspen, and Charlie MacArthur, the owner of Aspen Kayak Academy (970-925-4433; aspenkayakacademy; half-day class, $85), is leading the charge. An adventure racer and champion kayaker, he tested and co-designed the first stand-up paddleboard for the river. Sign up for a lesson paddling the pristine Stillwater section of the Roaring Fork River, five minutesfrom town along the meadows of theNorth Star Nature Preserve, an elk migration corridor and calving ground.
7 p.m.
8) DINNER SCENE
After 13 years, the Aspen branch of Matsuhisa (303 East Main Street; 970-544-6628; matsuhisaaspen.com; dinner for two, $120), a collaboration between the chef Nobu Matsuhisa and the designer Nobuko Kang in a renovated downtown Victorian, still dazzles a packed, corporate-card-wielding crowd night after night. Knockout dishes include thinly sliced scallop dotted with chile and yuzu ($25) and mussels in spicy garlic sauce ($12), and there is a laid-back upstairs lounge with an acid-jazz soundtrack. The eclectic wine list includes a fine syrah ($75 a bottle) from the Colorado-based Infinite Monkey Theorem label (pair it with the tender Washugyu beef tataki, market price: about $17 an ounce).
9 p.m.
9) SWEET TREAT
The light lingers until after 9 p.m., so stroll over to Paradise Bakery (320 East Galena Street; 970-925-7585; paradisebakery.com) for an ice cream cone; each one comes topped with a chocolate-chip cookie ($3.50 for a single scoop); try the cappuccino and toffee crunch. Then, head over to the Belly Up Aspen (450 South Galena Street; 970-544-9800; www.bellyupaspen.com), a beloved live-music club that attracts an energetic crowd to its intimate all-ages shows; recent acts include Matisyahu, Chris Isaak and Maceo Parker.
Sunday
7:30 a.m.
10) HEAD START
Grab an espresso ($2.75) and a breakfast sandwich with organic eggs ($10) at Victoria’s Espresso Wine Bar (510 East Durant Avenue; 970-920-3001; aspenespressobar.com) before setting out to the trailhead for 11,866-foot Cathedral Lake, one of Aspen’s most iconic hiking trails. It is a 5.6-mile round trip with a lung-busting 2,000-foot elevation gain (White River National Forest, Aspen Ranger District, 970-925-3445; fs.usda.gov/whiteriver). Start early and you’ll have this amazing trail, edged with delicate white and lavender Rocky Mountain columbine (Colorado’s state flower) and wild sage, to yourself.
11:30 a.m.
11) FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Back in town, refuel at Pyramid Bistro (221 East Main Street; 970-925-5338; pyramidbistro.com; lunch for two $50), an open-air cafe that serves organic fare with fresh, bright flavors: cashew-crusted kale chips ($6), free homemade bread with pesto spread, lemon grass tofu with black (“forbidden”) rice ($12). Later, get lost downstairs in the well-curated stacks of Explore Booksellers (970-925-5336; explorebooksellers.com), where the bohemian feel is deliberately cultivated; go ahead and camp out in the memoir section with a copy of Patti Smith’s “Just Kids” — she’d approve.
IF YOU GO
For affordable luxury, check into the Limelight Lodge (355 South Monarch Street; 800-433-0832; limelightlodge.com), a historic ski lodge in town that was completely rebuilt in 2008. It’s now an airy certified-green building with spacious rooms, a pool and mountain views. Doubles from $125, with breakfast.
The elegant Hotel Jerome (330 East Main Street; 970-920-1000; hoteljerome.com) was built in 1889, the first hotel in the state with electricity and indoor plumbing; today, the luxuries extend from pressed-tin ceilings to sumptuous rooms with white marble tubs and access to a 77,000-square-foot spa. Doubles from $298.
By BONNIE TSUI
Copyright by The New York Times
Published: July 21, 2011
http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/07/24/travel/36-hours-in-aspen-colo.html?hpw
IT’S an open secret that Aspen isn’t just a glamorous winter resort. As the lineup of private jets at the tiny airport will attest, summer is when the mountain town’s festival scene brings in celebrities of almost every category — the likes of Yo-Yo Ma for the seasonlong Aspen Music Festival, Mario Batali for the Food & Wine Classic and Sandra Day O’Connor for the Ideas Festival. Along with them come classical-music fiends who carry their own scores and Food Network fans who go wild for live knife-skill demos from the stars of “Iron Chef.” Your seatmates on the puddle-jumper from Denver, however, are just as likely to be semi-pro cyclists or whitewater hounds sniffing out the best place to shoot the rapids. They know that summer in Aspen is when nature is in full swing, and the glowing fields of wild blue flax, prairie smoke and sunflowers, framed by snowcapped peaks and groves of aspen, do a fine job of wooing attention away from the glitterati. Not that you have to choose one world over the other. It’s entirely possible to go high-adrenaline by day and highbrow culture by night.
Friday
4 p.m.
1) MEET THE LOCALS
The nonprofit Aspen Center for Environmental Studies, or ACES, offers a bounty of guided hikes, beekeeping seminars, mushroom-foraging classes and photo safaris. Stop in for a late-afternoon visit at the Hallam Lake Center (100 Puppy Smith Street; 970-925-5756; aspennature.org; open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday, closed Sunday) to get acquainted with rehabilitated birds of prey — currently a golden eagle and a great horned owl — that call the center home. Check the ACES calendar for programs that might coincide with your visit; outdoor classes in astronomy and field sketching are scheduled for August.
5 p.m.
2) DOWNTOWN ORIGINAL
After you stop by Ute Mountaineer (210 South Galena Street; 970-925-2849; utemountaineer.com) for last-minute gear, maps or guidebooks for your excursions, head to the Aspen Brewing Company’s new downtown tasting room (304 East Hopkins Avenue; 970-920-2739; aspenbrewingcompany.com), where framed old photos and hand-drawn maps line the walls and a relaxed T-shirt-and-flannel atmosphere rules. At the polished teak bar, order a pint ($4) of local craft beer, like the Ajax Pilsner, Ajax being the nickname for Aspen Mountain. This is a true Aspenite bar — as Brad Veltman, an owner, will tell it, a place where “you can bring your dog, watch an old Warren Miller ski video and enjoy a beer.”
6 p.m.
3) A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC
The summerlong Aspen Music Festival (980 North Third Street; 970-925-9042; aspenmusicfestival.com; $10 to $76 for ticketed events) offers opportunities to watch classical stars perform at venues ranging from the Victorian-era Wheeler Opera House to the local library. Many of the events, which include symphonies, chamber music, master classes and lectures, are free. Grab a seat on the lawn at the Music Festival campus for one of the evening concerts, frequented by picnicking families and other music lovers who bring wine and cheese to pair with the crisp notes sailing out into the cool night air (those with paid tickets sit inside the tent). Coming in August: the violinist Sarah Chang, and a performance by the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet with the Aspen Concert Orchestra.
8:30 p.m.
4) TASTE OF ITALY
The jet set will be excited to see an outpost of the Miami hot spot Casa Tua (403 South Galena Street; 970-920-7277; dinner for two, $100), a restaurant and private club created by the Italian-born hotelier and restaurateur Miky Grendene. The recently opened location has a lovely outdoor patio, creamy burrata straight from Italy (with basil and heirloom tomatoes, $22) and colorful house cocktails. Try the Casa Tua Aspen, a bubbly mix of prosecco and Martini & Rossi rosato ($15).
Saturday
8:30 a.m.
5) FARM FRESH
Pick up smoothies and fresh croissants at the Aspen Saturday Market (corners of East Hyman Avenue, South Hunter Street and East Hopkins Avenue; 970-925-1940; open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; aspenchamber.org) for a breakfast picnic in nearby Wagner Park. Then return to the market, which fills three downtown blocks and sells everything from mountain goat cheese and locally raised lamb to hand-blown glassware and antique bicycles. The bikes are restored by Billy Taylor and his son, Michael, under the moniker Re-Cycle Art Aspen (970-948-9888; recycleartaspen.com), adding such touches as Japanese Crane brass bells, vintage saddles and retro chrome pedals (from $490).
10:30 a.m.
6) A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE
Eleven miles out of town is the Ashcroft Ghost Town, in the spectacular Castle Creek Valley. It is the starting place for a four-hour naturalist walk called Green World Day Hike, with ACES (aspennature.org; reservations required; 3.5 miles round trip; $75); the price includes lunch, which may be venison and smoked trout at the Pine Creek Cookhouse, overlooking the still-snowy peaks of the Elk mountain range. You are likely to see great blue herons cruising above the creek, beavers in their ponds, and maybe even elk or a bear (as evidenced by markings on trees along the path).
3 p.m.
7) A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT
Stand-up river paddleboarding is becoming all the rage in water-sports-crazy Aspen, and Charlie MacArthur, the owner of Aspen Kayak Academy (970-925-4433; aspenkayakacademy; half-day class, $85), is leading the charge. An adventure racer and champion kayaker, he tested and co-designed the first stand-up paddleboard for the river. Sign up for a lesson paddling the pristine Stillwater section of the Roaring Fork River, five minutesfrom town along the meadows of theNorth Star Nature Preserve, an elk migration corridor and calving ground.
7 p.m.
8) DINNER SCENE
After 13 years, the Aspen branch of Matsuhisa (303 East Main Street; 970-544-6628; matsuhisaaspen.com; dinner for two, $120), a collaboration between the chef Nobu Matsuhisa and the designer Nobuko Kang in a renovated downtown Victorian, still dazzles a packed, corporate-card-wielding crowd night after night. Knockout dishes include thinly sliced scallop dotted with chile and yuzu ($25) and mussels in spicy garlic sauce ($12), and there is a laid-back upstairs lounge with an acid-jazz soundtrack. The eclectic wine list includes a fine syrah ($75 a bottle) from the Colorado-based Infinite Monkey Theorem label (pair it with the tender Washugyu beef tataki, market price: about $17 an ounce).
9 p.m.
9) SWEET TREAT
The light lingers until after 9 p.m., so stroll over to Paradise Bakery (320 East Galena Street; 970-925-7585; paradisebakery.com) for an ice cream cone; each one comes topped with a chocolate-chip cookie ($3.50 for a single scoop); try the cappuccino and toffee crunch. Then, head over to the Belly Up Aspen (450 South Galena Street; 970-544-9800; www.bellyupaspen.com), a beloved live-music club that attracts an energetic crowd to its intimate all-ages shows; recent acts include Matisyahu, Chris Isaak and Maceo Parker.
Sunday
7:30 a.m.
10) HEAD START
Grab an espresso ($2.75) and a breakfast sandwich with organic eggs ($10) at Victoria’s Espresso Wine Bar (510 East Durant Avenue; 970-920-3001; aspenespressobar.com) before setting out to the trailhead for 11,866-foot Cathedral Lake, one of Aspen’s most iconic hiking trails. It is a 5.6-mile round trip with a lung-busting 2,000-foot elevation gain (White River National Forest, Aspen Ranger District, 970-925-3445; fs.usda.gov/whiteriver). Start early and you’ll have this amazing trail, edged with delicate white and lavender Rocky Mountain columbine (Colorado’s state flower) and wild sage, to yourself.
11:30 a.m.
11) FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Back in town, refuel at Pyramid Bistro (221 East Main Street; 970-925-5338; pyramidbistro.com; lunch for two $50), an open-air cafe that serves organic fare with fresh, bright flavors: cashew-crusted kale chips ($6), free homemade bread with pesto spread, lemon grass tofu with black (“forbidden”) rice ($12). Later, get lost downstairs in the well-curated stacks of Explore Booksellers (970-925-5336; explorebooksellers.com), where the bohemian feel is deliberately cultivated; go ahead and camp out in the memoir section with a copy of Patti Smith’s “Just Kids” — she’d approve.
IF YOU GO
For affordable luxury, check into the Limelight Lodge (355 South Monarch Street; 800-433-0832; limelightlodge.com), a historic ski lodge in town that was completely rebuilt in 2008. It’s now an airy certified-green building with spacious rooms, a pool and mountain views. Doubles from $125, with breakfast.
The elegant Hotel Jerome (330 East Main Street; 970-920-1000; hoteljerome.com) was built in 1889, the first hotel in the state with electricity and indoor plumbing; today, the luxuries extend from pressed-tin ceilings to sumptuous rooms with white marble tubs and access to a 77,000-square-foot spa. Doubles from $298.
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