Saturday’s Satchel: Vegas and Miami Eats

We love Vegas Happy Hours – it’s that time period in late afternoon or early evening when restaurants and/or bars offer discount appetizers and drinks. And there are many to choose from on The Strip.

On this trip, with 100+ temperatures outside we didn’t want much more than the small nibbles, so we were off to Canaletto in the Venetian Resort’s San Marco Square.

Often times a Happy Hour requires sitting at a restaurant’s bar which provides an extra bonus: an opportunity to meet some interesting fellow travelers. And this time, it led to a restaurant tip we plan to pursue the next time we head to Florida for a cruise.

We’d struck up a conversation with Vegas visitors, Dina and Rodrigo Gonzalez, from Miami, Florida, and as we munched and sipped together, we learned they are co-owners of Basilico, a restaurant that’s been serving northern Italian cuisine at its Miami Springs location since 1998. (It has been Zagat rated ‘excellent’ every year since 2002!)

Along with their founding business partner, Carlos Loya, they opened a second Basilico, (which is Italian for basil), in Doral in 2010.

We checked out the restaurant’s web site after returning home and now can hardly wait to try one of the two the next time we are in the area. Basilico is located at 5879 NW 36th St. Miami, 33166, 305-871-3585 or 10405 N.W. 41st St., Doral, 33178,  305-406-3737.
Salute!

Washington Wednesday: Yakima’s Ale Trail

  This week's focus is on the Yakima Valley, where I grew up, because  nearly 80% of the United State’s hop crop is grown there.

And for those of you who don’t drink brewskies (aka beer and/or ale) hops, well, specifically, the hop flowers that grow on the vines are one of the four key ingredients used in the liquid gold.



I wrote an article about Yakima’s hops that appears in today’s Seattle Times, so I won’t tell you any more than to click on the link to the paper.  Even if you don’t read what I wrote, be sure to check out the photos as the paper’s photographer did a spectacular job and they created a great map that you could use should you find yourself ‘hop-ing’ through the Valley as I did.

Free and Easy Vegas-style

No matter what end of  The Strip we stay on, a visit to the Conservatory and Botanical Gardens at the Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd., is a must.  And, it is just one of the many free and easy things to do while in Las Vegas.  Since it's at the top of our favorite freebies list, let's start there and then set out:

1. Inside the Bellagio: Gifted artists, florists and engineers create seasonal displays that always seems to be a bit better than the last. There’s a very Americana summer theme featuring a 40-foot Ferris wheel and an 11-foot carousel underneath a canopy of hot-air balloons right now (through Sept. 11)..


2. Outside the Bellagio: The fountain show takes place daily every half hour from 3 – 7 pm weekdays and from noon- 7 weekends; then every 15 minutes in the evenings until midnight. (It is spectacular at night with the fountains soaring as high as 460 feet).

3. The Flamingo Wildlife Habitat, 3555 Las Vegas Blvd, S, (just across the street from the Bellagio) is a 15-acre habitat with birds, fish, pheasants, ducks, koi and of course, flamingos! The habitat is open 24 hours a day.  You’ll find this quiet, green oasis  tucked away from the street to the back of the Flamingo.

4. The Forum Shops Fountains, 3500 Las Vegas Blvd., S, is the shopping center connected to Caesar's. The fountain show runs every hour, beginning at 10 am.  Take time to visit the Atlantis Aquarium that is to the back of the fountain. There’s a behind-the-scenes tour of the aquarium offered weekdays at 3:15 pm.

5. Free shows at The Mirage and its next-door-neighbor, Treasure Island take place each evening and sidewalks along those two casinos fill early for the free shows.
Off The Strip:
6.  Freemont Street Experience takes place each night between Main Street and Las Vegas Blvd. Light shows on a four-block-long display system begin at dusk and then play on the hour until midnight. The screen is some 90 feet above a pedestrian mall lined with shops, restaurants, bars, casinos so there’s plenty to keep your attention.

Note: Times were current as of summer 2011, but are always subject to change. 

A Sizzling Summer in the City - Vegas

So who in their right minds would go to Vegas in the middle of July?  We would!

And did. . .along with thousands of others, young and old, it appears.  The shopping malls, the casinos, the restaurants and poolside are packed, simply jam-packed, with sun worshippers such as ourselves.

It’s midday and the temperatures are climbing to 104F outside, as I write this post from our room at Wynn Resort. Skies are blue – sun is bright. We are happy.

In all honesty, this isn’t one of those bargain trips where we nabbed great room rates, summer isn’t the cheapest time to travel even to brain-burning-hot destinations; but sometimes you bite the bullet and go. It was finally time to take this off my ‘birthday’ wish list and make it reality. (I figured I’d either love it or hate it. . .but at least I’d know).

But where else could I celebrate a birthday by dining  in an Italian piazza one night and then at the base of the Eiffel Tower the next?  Here I can window shop at designer stores from London, Paris and Milan all within footsteps of each other as I head to my favorite “ABC” store from Honolulu for my chocolate covered macadamia nuts.

And of course, there is the pool – a must visit each afternoon for a at least a short amount of time. . .it's my favorite ‘people watching’ venue; the bronze and beautiful parade their scantily-clad bodies for the benefit of the opposite sexto the beat of the latest music that reverberates off the buildings. It provides great amusement.

So did I pick the right place? I’ve already announced that this trip may have to become a birthday tradition – maybe I am suffering heat stroke or the sun's melted my brains, but being a year older here doesn’t seem so bad at all. . .in fact, I am feeling younger! Time to head to the pool. . .

Saturday’s Satchel: Bright Lights and Wine

* Las Vegas:  Ever wonder what happens to those neon lights that have helped make this place famous when they dim or die? 

Some 150 of them have been donated or rescued and are resting comfortably in the Neon Boneyard (821 Las Vegas Blvd. N., 702-387-6366), run by the Neon Museum, a non-profit organization there.

The Boneyard is a two-acre home to retired signs from casinos, restaurants and hotels that lit up the Las Vegas Valley between the  1930’s to the 90’s.

If You Go:  Boneyard Tours, from noon to 2 p.m., Tuesday – Saturday and must be arranged in advance.  Tickets: $15.

Note: Some of the old signs have been brought back to life and they are on display on Fremont Street (home to the Freemont Experience lightshow); check the web link above for the history of those signs..

* Tri-Cities, Washington State: If your fall travels might take you to Central Washington State this fall, consider timing it to coincide with the Catch the Crush Wine Festival - Sat. Sept. 24 and Sun, Sept. 25. Wineries from Red Mountain, Columbia Valley and Yakima Valley will be celebrating the fall harvest and the 25th annual seasonal grape crush. Each of the participating wineries will offer celebratory events including winery tours, free-run juice, wine tasting and hors d'oeuvres . Of course there'll be wine for sale. Crush pads will be set up and winemakers will host live grape stomps at 4 p.m. on Saturday; get a team together and sign up! There'll also be live music and entertainment. Admission is free. For more information, visit http://www.visittri-cities.com/  or call 509-965-5201.

Washington Wednesday: Chelan

Years ago this small town at the foot of Lake Chelan was known for its orchards.  Then a decade ago acres of those orchards gave way to vineyards. Chelan is now one of the newest AVA's in Washington Wine Country.

You might call it ‘the’ destination on one of the state’s newest wine roads. We call it Joel’s hometown, so that makes it even more fun to write about:

Chelan, a town of under 4,000 residents, wraps itself around the foot of 55-mile long glacier-fed lake of the same name. Chelan -- along with its neighbor, Manson, a yet smaller town two miles down the road on the north side of the lake -- is home to more than a dozen wineries and half dozen wine tasting rooms.

Among our favorites, (starting on the lake’s south side):

*Nefarious Cellars, (495 S. Lakeshore Rd., 509-682-9505), tops our list because its tasting room and vineyard are on the property that was once the Smith family's orchard – Joel and his dad tended apples trees on that same land, so we have a homecoming of sorts each time we visit. (Sentimentality aside, we also love their white wine, Consequence).

A couple miles beyond Nefarious is Karma Vineyards (1681 S. Lakeshore Rd., 509-682-5538).  Their restaurant, 18 Brix, is where we had one of the best meals we can recall eating in a long time. In good weather you can dine on their landscaped patio or sit inside by the fireplace when temperatures turn chilly.

On the other side (north side) of the lake, heading toward Manson from Chelan:

In one of the most picturesque settings – one that pays tribute to both the orchards and vineyards of the area – Vin du Lac, (105 Highway 150, Chelan, 509-682-2882) offers French bistro fare and glasses (bottles, too!) of its award-winning wines.  With the old-farm-house-turned-tasting room painted Provence yellow and surrounded by rose beds and lavender plants, we find it difficult to leave the garden setting but you can’t miss. . .

Benson Vineyards (754 Winesap Ave., Manson, 509-687-0313).  It's just a couple miles beyond Vin du Lac. Even if you don’t drink wine, you can drink in the spectacular lake views from this tasting room and manicured grounds set high on a hill.  (Try their Rose, it’s a dry French-style  – nothing better to sip on one of Chelan’s hot summer/fall days).

If you go:

Getting there:  Chelan is about 3.5 hours from Seattle by car. The nearest airport is 35 miles away in Wenatchee.  Horizon Airlines flies there from Seattle.

Accommodations/tourist attractions: Chelan Chamber of Commerce, www.lakechelan.com  has information about hotels, motels and restaurants. (Or send an email and we'll make some recommendations).

Have you a favorite winery in Lake Chelan? Recommendations for visitors? If so, please leave a comment below.

Sintra, Portugal: Visitng a Fairy Tale

“Once upon a time” as this travel fairy tale begins,“two cruise ship passengers set out on a train from Lisbon and found themselves some 40 minutes later in an enchanting place. . .a place of castles, kings and goddesses.”

It was tempting to spend the entire day-long cruise stop in Lisbon, Portugal's capital of more than a half million people, because it offers plenty to see and do. But we'd hit the highlights on a previous cruise stop so it was time to venture a bit further afield on one of our 'do it ourselves' outings. Little did we expect to visit a fairy tale. . .
 . . .when we traveled to Sintra, Portugal. 

Prior to the cruise, Joel had read up on taking local trains to either Cascais or Estoril, on the coast or inland to Sintra (see map below). Any of the three sounded good, but the latter won out and we headed to this picturesque hamlet in the Sintra Mountains -- once a retreat of Diana, the huntress, or so the legends go -- today a popular tourist stop; a village of palaces and castles.

After spending the morning in Lisbon, we popped into the train station to check out the schedules and prices. Within minutes, we'd purchased round-trip tickets from the teller window (nice not having to figure out a machine).  Signs above the track directed us to the correct train.

We could have taken one of two ship's tours that included both Cascais and Sintra, but we generally shy away from those crowd-cramped outings. In this case, a commuter train runs regularly to this town of 33,000, a stark contrast to Lisbon. Our train tickets cost 4.10E ($5.85US) p/p round-trip, comparing favorably to the ship's tours at $45 and $118 p/p.

The train made several stops in Lisbon's graffiti-wounded suburbs then picked up speed as it carried us to this UNESCO World Heritage site, where the only blemish on fantasy seemed the number of large tourist buses inching their way through Sintra's narrow tourist-jammed streets.

We didn't have enough time there, a common dilemma of cruise ship stops whether done independently or as part of a group. But we did have a leisurely cup of coffee and sampled Portugal's famous white wine, vinho verde, while we watched gaggles of tourists return to their buses. By being on our own we had an hour longer in the town than the 'bus people'. We'd also simplified the trip by buying round-trip tickets in Lisbon which gave us more time to enjoy Sintra without searching for return ticket machines.

If you can't get to Sintra, click the link above for a YouTube tour. If you do follow our trip, make sure to allow yourself time to get back to the cruise ship after arriving back in Lisbon's central train station.  You'll need to take a taxi or public transport as the cruise ship dock is not walking distance.

Saturday’s Satchel: London, Hawaii and Greece

This weeks tips and tidbits:

London: The Courtyard at 51 is celebrating summer with a series of musical performances. That would be the courtyard at the 5-star 51-Buckingham Gate, Taj Suites and Residences, -- the posh digs formerly known as St. James Court -- tucked away on a side street between Buckingham Palace and Westminster. 

Tickets for the musical events are priced from 75L and include a three-course dinner and signature ‘51’ cocktail. 

Hawaii:   If you are planning a visit to Hawaii think about going for Oahu’s 2011 Food and Wine Festival being held in a number of locations including Waikiki Edition, Halekulani and Hilton Hawaiian Village, Sept. 29 – Oct.1, 2011.

We can only imagine the culinary wonders that will be created by chefs from the U.S., Canada, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia will take part. For ticket information, click the link above.

Symi, Greece:  This comes from Symi Dream, one of our favorite blogs written about one of our favorite Greek islands:

The Symi Dreamers Exhibition runs through October 2011 at the gallery of the same name as the blog.  Artists who are visiting the island are invited to bring a piece of art to display that has been inspired by the island. (Contest rules can be found by clicking the link above). And if you make it to the island (which, drat, we won’t this year) stop by the Gallery and meet James and Neil.  They also offer photo walks of the islands – which will be high on my list when we return.

Symi Dream is a great source of information about activities and life on this island, just a short ferry ride from Rhodes.