How to “DO STOWE”… 5 easy steps

STEP 1: Book yourself a picturesque Vermont Inn.

Look no further than the Gables! Run by Yogi (a golden retriever) and his young owners (a couple 10 years out of NYC), the Gables offers all kinds of special treats which make you feel like you’re home… homemade soup and hot cider waiting by the fire when you return from skiing… a steamy hot tub tucked under the front evergreen tree where you can watch the moon rise over Stowe mountain… and breakfasts to die for (this past Sunday, it was mushroom-n-chevre crepes with a citrus sauce!)

You can choose from a room in the main Inn (private baths and WiFi) or, if you bring your own K9, one in the rear carriage house. If you’re a small group, you can even choose a Riverfront cottage, which come with Jacuzzi tubs and wood-burning fireplaces (and a river view)!

And best of all? All this oozing charm and culinary flair comes with great rates too!

STEP 2: Reserve your lift tickets, online, 7 days in advance!

At www.GoStowe.com

You can get a 2-day lift ticket for the weekend for $130! That’s $65 pp, per day, to ski at a world-class mountain, where standard day lift tickets typically top $90.

We were also given a bonus! A free tune-up, which they did overnight, so we didn’t miss a minute of action on the snow!

STEP 3: Take an extra day and Go Nordic!

Stowe has an extraordinary cross country ski center, where you can get lessons and rentals on Nordic skis and snowshoes… even for “littles” as young as 3 years! The 45 km of trails are beginner to advanced (so the whole family can give it a try) and the passes are inexpensive ($15-23 per day)

A challenging but stunning ½-day ski takes you along the Ranch Camp trail, up to the Slayton Pasture Mountaintop cabin. Pack your own lunch to enjoy in front of the woodstove, or buy some soup and hot tea once you’re there! ...for experienced skiers only!

If you brought your K9 to Stowe, he’s welcome on the trail, too! He requires no trail pass…only good dog etiquette!

STEP 4: Chow at Frida’s!

They told me that Frida’s was a taqueria, which conjured images of a Mexican-style cafeteria. Boy, was I WAY off!

Frida’s serves Mexican cuisine… but so much more! No baskets of chips and fishbowl margaritas here!

The menu is as titillating as the space, decorated in splashy art that’s mostly inspired by the café’s namesake Mexican painter!

A popular appetizer for your group is the guacamole pestle bowl, followed maybe by Tres Tacos – one fish, one shredded pork, one carne asada – which are petite, open-faced jobs, garnished with unique habanero-shallot sauces and served alongside scrumptious red cabbage salad and black beans.

The chef makes his own pepper pastes, which you can sample on some chips or request for your entrée. (Think Thai Hot, and you’re halfway there!) And the tequila bar…with such reposado offerings as El Jimador, Sauza Hornitos, and Milagro reposados…. is so decadent that we ordered a margarita for DESSERT!

You’ll find Frida’s culinary treasures in the historic Butler House in Stowe village.

STEP 5: Matterhorn – Stowe’s Apres-ski classic!

You ask 50-year-olds who cut their "ski teeth" at Stowe, and they'll tell you: Go to the Matterhorn!

Right on Mountain Road, this low-slung wooden lodge gets packed at 4pm! Sometimes you’ll find live local bands like Toasthead or Bearquarium (cover’s only $3 or so), but you’ll always find a lively bar, 2 pool tables, and a roaring fireplace!

There’s a rear sunroom which overlooks the creek and Stowe woods, and (what many people call) the best sushi in the State!

Personally, I prefer the wood-fired pizzas – one with artichoke hearts, gongonzola, and tomato slices hit the spot the past weekend!

K9’s are not allowed in here, but kids are! (does that make sense?)

The next several weeks will continue to feature "sliding" stories and suggestions to honor this 2010 snow season!

Final Farewell to Key West

I’m heading up to the snowy mountains this weekend, so guess I must close my wander down the Memory Lane of Highway 1.

I may have left Milemarker Zero...that is, Key West town... in body, but my mind is still there, biking the fragrant gardened pathways and dreaming over the sun-sparkled waters.

So here are a last few, fond images and recommendations for my favorite Key.

Rent a Conch Cottage!

You will love having your own place in Old Town, complete with BBQ, pool, and private courtyard to shelter you from the hubbub of Southard!

You can kayak a sunset, with Blue Kayak Eco-tours on Stock Island.

Ask for James as your guide… he knows how to find a yellow ray hiding in the turtle grass, and he’ll lead you through the Red Mangrove warren by headlamp! If you time it right, you may get to kayak under a full moon!

You can “Eat it Raw”!

It's oysters on the half shell and more, at the Raw Bar, a Key West institution over on historic seaport, open to the wharf and sea.

You should meet Lloyd, for his tropical bike tour through the back alleys of Key West

…find the secret garden and parrot refuge, sample unusual tropical fruits (which Lloyd pulls off the trees, cuts with his machete, and serves to you, right on your bike! Check out the YouTube on the right), smell jasmine and learn about island plants, meet other locals and hear history… some official of the island, and some personal of Lloyd himself! Tough Love Travel says, This is the best $40 you will spend all week!

You should check out the Conch Republic Cyclist!

for all kinds of local bike events, like the Holiday Lights tour which we… and about 70 locals… rode one Wednesday night last month!

Meet Trish Pleasant at the famous Mallory Square Sunset Celebration!

Her Namaste Studio, called Namaste Heart, makes my favorite metalwork turtles, which I consider a proper tribute to the endearing sea turtles of Dry Tortuga fame. You can usually find her near the Pepes entrance to Sunset, not far from the violinist.

You'll want to shop at the weekly farmers market!

Is it Sunday? A diverse and lively farmer's market is set up at Help Yourself, the health food shop at Margaret and Fleming. Meet the Coconut man, sample Chinese grapefruit, buy sea salt, find all kinds of avocado, melon, and juicy starfruit, and even try homemade chocolate “pudding” made from the Black Sapote fruit!

If you have a whole day, spend it at the Dry Tortugas National Park.

Tour Ft Jefferson, picnic and snorkel, and admire the frigate birds. Long Key, in the Dry Tortugas are the frigate’s only nesting place in the US. See sidebar for a full slideshow!

You'll enjoy tapas at Santiago’s Bodego!

The sangria is sweet and the tapas aren’t cheap, but you’ll get a jazzy grouper, a melt-in-your-mouth beef filet, flaky spanikopita, and even this flambe’ saganaki, made with haloumi cheese and brandy! The bodega has only about 12 tables and is easy to miss… tucked on a quiet corner at the end of Petronia. We loved the front porch, though, where we could sit for hours ensconced in bougainvillea and banana tree!

You want to meet the Pirate!

This is no museum… it’s a Seafood shop, with a slogan, “From the Boat to You”! Pirate Seafood is unlisted, but runs out of a truck-n-trailer at the corner of White and Truman. You can get shrimp, lobster, or fish, and it comes uncooked or ready for the table!

Grab a stool at Bo’s!

This open-air Fish Wagon, with its nautical décor and Square Grouper sandwich, is the pride of the island. (don’t worry… this is not the same “square grouper” from smuggling days!)

Duck into 5 Brothers Cuban Grocery!

On Southard, about 5 blocks from Duval, you'll find a jovial local crowd, delicious Cuban coffee, and freshly baked guava pastry (it comes out of the oven at 8:30 every morning… if you show up late, you might be out of luck!)

Bike EVERYWHERE!

With lots of designated bike lanes (south of Southard to Duval, north on Fleming to White), it's safe and fun to ride around town! Eaton Bikes, on Margaret and Caroline, is a great place to rent!

Numerous Opportunities to help the Innumerable in Need

I couldn’t blog about idyllic days in Paradise anymore, without cringing over the devastated "paradise" of Haiti.

You need motivation to step in and help? Here’s some on-the-ground footage, “Streets Full of Bodies”, from the island of Haiti, on YouTube!

http://youtube-global.blogspot.com/

Kids, doctors, lost people, and poor people who are injured, trapped, thirsty, hungry, and newly-homeless all need our help! Pick your place….

Text message a donation! It simply goes on your bill at the end of the month! Here’s how you do it:

▪ Text HAITI to 90999 to donate $10 to the American Red Cross

▪ Text HAITI to 25383 to donate $5 to International Rescue Committee

▪ Text HAITI to 45678 to donate $5 to the Salvation Army in Canada

▪ Text YELE to 501501 to donation $5 to Yele

▪ Text RELIEF to 30644 to get automatically connected to Catholic Relief Services and donate money with your credit card

▪ Text HAITI to 864833 to donate $5 to The United Way

▪ Text CERF to 90999 to donate $5 to The United Nations Foundation

▪ Text DISASTER to 90999 to donate $10 to Compassion International

Help find a person! Through Google, share information on the whereabouts or or for loved ones of the earthquake at

http://www.google.com/relief/haitiearthquake/#help

and scroll down to the People Finder box!

Americans seeking information can also call 888-407-4747, use the tracing form (http://haiticrisis.appspot.com/), or go to this link for updates (http://blogs.state.gov/)

On this page, you can also donate funds to Unicef, whose monies are focused on supporting children separated from their families and preventing their exploitation.

Join the big movement with Clinton/Bush! Leading figures of the 2 political parties are joining forces to help Haiti. Join their effort: http://www.clintonbushhaitifund.org/

Or just help a tiny corner…

Lia is an American whose tiny orphanage for 13 AIDS orphans has been destroyed but who has survived with all “her” kids! You can read her earthquake story at the link below! To help rebuild their orphanage/school, you can:

#1 Make a quick cash donation

OR

#2 Get personal, choosing WHICH BRICK you want to rebuild… the Kid Home, the Clinic, the School… something as large as land to build on or as small as a kid’s meal (48 cents) or a bar of soap ($1.39) There’s even a drop-n-drag shopping basket! Here’s the link:

https://wecanbuildanorphanage.com/

Here’s her earthquake story on her blog:

http://www.wecanbuildanorphanageblog.com/lias-story-part-i/

You can follow her recovery on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/WeCanBuildanOrphanagecom/73744112352?ref=ts

Habitat for Humanity has been working in Haiti for the past 26 years, and has a Haiti Earthquake Fund to collect donations focused on rebuilding housing for the over 1 million people in disaster:

https://www.habitat.org/cd/giving/donate.aspx?link=227&media=Google&source_code=DHQMW0000W1129&keyword=help%20to%20haiti&utm_source=google-pd&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=help%20to%20haiti&utm_campaign=haiti

Focus on medical help through Doctors Without Borders,

specifically for funding medical teams to get to Haiti with supplies and medical treatment:

https://donate.doctorswithoutborders.org/SSLPage.aspx?pid=197&hbc=1&source=ADR1001E1D01

Focus on Food! Food For The Poor is the #1 international relief and development charity in the US for feeding the “poorest of the poor”:

http://www.foodforthepoor.org/help/quake_updates/

Click the button on the upper right to donate.

Focus on children and families with Save The Children

and their HAITI EARTHQUAKE CHILDREN IN EMERGENCY Fund:

https://secure.savethechildren.org/01/web_e_haiti_earthquake_10?source=gp_e_haiti&WT.srch=1&WT.mc_id=gp_e_haiti&gclid=CJWRruSwq58CFVw55QodcEOw1Q

Focus your help through religious affiliations…

Catholic: http://crs.org/

Jewish: https://secure.ajws.org/site/Donation2?df_id=3460&3460.donation=form1

Christian: http://www.childcareworldwide.org/index.php?page=news&id=70

ANOTHER Perfect Day in Paradise: 18 Hours in Key West

8am Hop on your bike and head down to Duval!

Treat yourself to a café and pastry at Croissants du France (816 Duval Street), then walk down Front Street, to the Sculpture Garden, where brass busts honor the eccentric and energetic entrepreneurs who turned Cayo Hueso into the town we now know and love!

You can also wander waterside to check out the 1 or 2 mammoth cruiseships at dock,

9:30am The Custom House (the stern 1891 brick building with the Seward Johnson’s dance sculpture out front) opens with a history museum, an art collection, and a gift shop. Here’s a link with all the details:

http://www.kwahs.com/customhouse.htm

11am Beach it in Fort Zachary Taylor State Park!

Take burgers, rolls, chips, salsa, and cold drinks (no alcohol, please), and don’t forget the charcoal, lighter fluid, and match! (or run back to Eaton's Seafood for more of those ready-to-go stone crab claws! see last week's writeup)

Set up under the airy grove of native palms and pines. Grab a picnic table (or throw your quilt on the sand) for a game of dominoes or scrabble, or swim in the calm waters off the beach. The rock piles make excellent snorkeling spots, and rentals are available at the concession further north on the beach.

There’s a free ranger-led tour of Ft Taylor at noon and 2, and, just outside the park at the Eco-Center, a free 20-minute film all about the reef system of the Florida Keys.

Entrance to the park: $2.50 per bike

4pm Charter your private boat AND CHEF (for 6 people max)

on Captain Alex’s 33' Motor Yacht. Drop anchor over in Man O War cove for a sunset view through the masts and a custom 4-course excellent meal, complete with flan flambé (bring your own alcohol)

8pm Subject yourself to the spooky tales of the Keys, on the Ghost Tour, departing from La Concha Hotel.

Did the guy really dig up and marry his dead sweetheart’s corpse? Does Robert the Doll still demand respect at the Martello Museum? Better find out!

10pm The Climax? Go to Better Than Sex,

a dessert-only bordello-style restaurant on Pretoria.

You can choose from Better Than Sex, their flagship dessert, served hot or body temperature… or try the Cookie Nookie or Jungle Fever. Get a milk, with a “rim job”… just like this:

Or go for a cocktail, like “Kelly’s Climax”, a berry sparkling wine served in a white-chocolate-dipped flute! See sidebar for more shots!

Perfect Day in Paradise: 18 Hours in Key West

I have been lucky to visit Cayo Hueso (or Island of Bones, as Key West was originally called) many times, in many ways.

With so much of the globe waiting to be explored, what about this little paradise at the tip of Florida kept me going back, over and over?

ACCESSIBILITY! It was a manageable drive from New Jersey, so I could avoid a family’s worth of airplane tickets and still catch some winter sun.

DIVING! It offered a world-class marine park where we could (somewhat) affordably learn to scuba dive.

ATMOSPHERE! And, best of all, it had a distinctive island feel… a bit of New Orleans mixed with more Martinique than Miami.

So, over the decades, I have lounged at the Hyatt, camped overnight out at Fort Jefferson in Dry Tortugas National Park, and celebrated New Year’s at the The Pier House (where we were introduced to Dark-n-Stormies during an unwelcome cold front, after we watched the conch shell drop from Sloppy Joes Bar at midnight). I’ve even bunked at the southernmost hostel at the end of Duval, and, in Spring ‘04, chartered my own 50’ sloop to sail through the Marquesas and out to Lighthouse Key. I learned, though, this past December, that renting a little conch cottage in Old Town may be the best way to go yet!

We rented bikes on Day #1 and biked everywhere. We were right in the heart of the action, and enjoyed beach fun to the east, Duval street revelry to the south, sunsets to the west, and boat outings of all kinds, only 3 blocks away at the Historic Seaport.

When we need refuge from the craziness of the streets, though, we would seclude ourselves in the lushness of our cottage’s pool-illuminated courtyard. There, we BBQed fish and played guitars and laughed over board games, in a timeless yet precious way.

At the end of each day, I found myself saying, in a Bill-Murray-esque manner, “Now, THAT was a perfect day”… in paradise, of course!”

So I decided to share a few of those delectable days, and here they are…

18 Hours in Key West

7am Early risers… Take a stroll in the early light along the still-dozing Historic Seaport, and enjoy the “calm before the tourist storm”.

8am Greet the sun on the Ft Taylor SP beach for morning yoga, sponsored by Yoga On The Beach! http://www.yogaonabeach.com/index.html

9am Indulge in a decadent lobster benedict at Blue Heaven… a tropical garden full of roaming chickens, lush shade, and a mimosa-laden bar. There’s even a ping pong court in the sand, to keep you busy while you wait for a table! (yes, this joint is popular!)

11am Learn something! Right down there by Blue Heaven are several museums…The Lighthouse Museum tells the story of Key West shipping through storms and scavaging, and highlights the first lightkeeper, Mrs. Mabrity, who lost all 6 children and many grandchildren when the violent 1846 Hurricane swept her original lighthouse out to sea!

Or choose the Shipwreck Museum on Front Street, and hear how “wrecking” was a boon to the island economy!

No visit to Key West is complete without a stroll through Hemingway’s home, across Whitehead from the Lighthouse… with its acre of gardens, private writing studio, and famous 6-toed cats! (sometimes the queue at 907 Whitehead can get long with cruiseship passengers, so be prepared with a flexible schedule)

1am Picnic at the beach! Start at Eaton Seafood and grab a sack of Stone Crab Claws... they’re meaty and sweet, and you suck them right out the shell! (don’t forget the spicy mustard dip). Then bike over to Smather’s Beach on the Atlantic! There’s plenty of sun (or shade under the palms) if you want to doze, and catamaran rentals ($40/ hour on 14-footer from Sunset Sports) and pick-up Volleyball (free!) if you want to play! Try one of the homemade Limeades, from the truck on the street, to complete your crab picnic!

4pm Want an active sunset? Choose between a Jetski tour which circumnavigates the island, or a sundowner sail on the Adirondack II, a racing sloop out of RI (Key West ‘pinks” and champagne served, dogs welcome! $45 pp, ask for Jeff)

8pm Road trip up to Stock Island (just the next caye north, over Cow Key Channel Bridge) and through the backwater, over to the southern side, to the Hogfish Bar and Grill! Their slogan is “It’s great if you can find it!”, and that’s well-deserved! This open-air, tiki-hut Honkey Tonk serves the BEST grilled grouper anywhere in the Keys (my unofficial, foodie opinion) and also has a shrimp boil kitchen, a hoppin’ bar, and Barry Cuda (or some other local musician) on the mic!

10pm Great steel drums can often be heard at the Alamo at #4 Charles Street, and locals crowd the famous Green Parrot at Southard and Whitehead.