Seattle India France Virginia Israel California

travelandleisure.com MAY 2017

 SOME CARS TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY.
ONLY ONE GIVES IT BACK.

INTRODUCING THE ALL-NEW GIULIA.

2017 FCA US LLC. All Rights Reserved. ALFA ROMEO is a registered trademark of FCA Group Marketing S.p.A., used with permission.
alfaromeousa.com

92
Still or
Sparkling?
WHERE Champagne, France
WHAT In a region famous for
its bubbly, a group of artisan
producers is making wine
the old-fashioned waysans
fizzand turning a whole viticul-
ture deliciously on its head.
WRITER Adam Leith Gollner is
the author of the nonfiction
works The Fruit Hunters and
The Book of Immortality
(Scribner). His last assignment
for T+L was to snowshoe in
Vermont. He lives in Montreal.
PHOTOGRAPHER
Born and raised
in the French Alps,
Cline Clanet,
whos shot for
publications like the New York
Times and the Wall Street
Journal, is currently working
on a new monograph
about Russian Lapland.
Contents
100
A Journey of
the Heart
WHERE Kerala, India
WHAT After the loss of her
husband, Joyce Maynard trav-
eled with her adult son to
a destination steeped in exoti-
cism. Yet what she found most
transformative was not the
place itself but simply the state
of togetherness.
WRITER This fall,
Maynard will
release her 17th
book, The Best of
Us (Bloomsbury),
a memoir about meeting her
husband at 58 and losing him
to cancer four years later.
PHOTOGRAPHER Mahesh
Shantaram is planning
a 2,500-mile motorcycle ride
from Bangalore to Kolkata
for a future project about India.
MAY 2017
104
Grunge
Grows Up
WHERE Seattle
WHAT Tech money is transform-
ing the Pacific Northwest
city, bringing with it a newly
polished populace. Can it
also establish Seattle as an art
and culture powerhouse?
WRITER Carl Swanson is
the editor-at-large for New
York magazine. His last
story for T+L was about the
art scene in Istanbul.
PHOTOGRAPHER
Due to the near-
constant rain,
Dave Lauridsen
had to make mul-
tiple trips to Seattle to get the
perfect shot. On the last trip,
I finally had a two-hour window
of really nice weather and ran
around like mad to get the sce-
nics we needed, he recounts.
112
Everyone to
the Table
WHERE Israel
WHAT The countrys towns
and villages are in the midst of
a culinary renaissance that
celebrates the regions history
and the diversity of its people.
WRITER
The real purpose
of Saki Knafos
trip to Israel was
to introduce his
wife to his extended family,
which is Moroccani.e., very
large, he says. But a few weeks
after their return to New York,
he caught her looking at a
picture of shrimp falafel on her
C L I N E C L A N E T. PO RT RA I TS , F RO M L E F T: C OU RT ESY OF C LI N E C L A NE T; JA M ES BA R R ING E R ; R ACHE L L AU R ID S E N; CO U RTESY O F SA K I K NA FO
phone murmuring, I wish I
could eat you again.
PHOTOGRAPHER Tel Aviv
based Sivan Askayo was
thrilled to discover the restau-
rants in Ein Hawd and Ein
Rafa. If it wasnt for this story,
I guess I wouldnt have known
about them, he says.
Troyes, France,
page 92.
Contents
MAY 2017
p. 68

10 T+L DIGITAL
12 EDITORS NOTE

17 THE BIG IDEA The next

wave of stylish American
small towns.
24 HAPPENINGS Six reasons
to travel this season,
from Kentucky bourbon
to Finnish design.
29 FAMILY TRIP A mother
and daughter sail p. 44
down the Danube River
on an Adventures
by Disney cruise. p. 35
35 STYLE A fuss-free,
great-looking guide to
packing for kids.

43 THE UNITED STATES OF

DISCOVERY When wander-
lust strikes, dont over-
look your own backyard.
In this issue, we celebrate
America with stories
from the roadbecause
there is so much to explore,
from sea to shining sea.

75 UPGRADE Make the most

of your car trip with these
smart tips on everything

C LO C K WI SE F RO M TO P LE FT : G EOR G E R OS E / G E T T Y IMAG ES ; C OURT ESY O F R A PPA HA NNO CK ;

from must-have apps
and rental insurance to
driving overseas and finding
p. 60

BR OWN W. CA N N O N I II / IN TE RS ECT ION P HOTOS ; C H RI STI A N KE R BE R; DA N N Y K IM

great restaurant pit stops.

124 WORTH FLYING FOR

TheWave, in Arizona. p. 29
SPONSOR CONTENT
ON THE COVER
Rainbow Lake, in the
Adirondacks, New York,
page72. Photograph
by Michael Turek.

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T+L Digital t ravela ndlei sure t ravela ndlei sure
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MAY 2017

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TANDL.ME/NEWSLETTERS

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VISIT
TANDL.ME/SPRINGROADTRIPS
With the British pound at a 31-year low and
America is home to some of the worlds most iconic drives, cant-miss cultural events like the play Harry
Potter and the Cursed Child, theres never
and theres no better time of year to explore the country been a better time to visit London. Check out
than spring. Our roundup of the nations most scenic routes our recently revamped guide to Englands
capital at tandl.me/londonguide for intel on
highlights the best road trips to take by region, plus the citys buzziest neighborhoods, hottest
the restaurants and landmarks to stop at along the way. restaurants, latest hotel openings, and more.

10 travelandleisure.com
 A DISTINTIVE RESORT OF LA COLECCIN

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Editors Note
MAY 2017

When I was a kid,

my family took
an annual vacation
(two weeks!) to the Northwoods of Wisconsin, where wed camp (in tents!)
by the shores of a lake, go fishing and swimming during the long summer days,
roast marshmallows over an open fire under the stars, and play spirited
games of cards by lantern light well into the night. Those trips were my first
introduction to the most basic idea of travel: going somewhere that isnt
home to spend time in a way that differs from your normal life.
As I grew older, my parents took my sisters and me more places, in a slowly
expanding circleChicago, Florida, Washington, D.C.and so it was in
the United States that my love of travel was born. I still remember the delight-
ful jolt of Hawaii as a young teenager, with that extraordinary weather and
those gorgeous bright flowers and the music and dancing and the sweetest,
sweetest fruit: This was America?
Theres been a lot of talk in recent months about how differentsome say
dividedwe are in this country, and so we felt that this issue should encourage
everyone to see more of it for themselves. Our special feature The United
States of Discovery (page 43) collects a wide range of great places and experi-
ences, from savoring history on a Virginia road
trip to kayaking the Salmon River in California.
My advice is to try a place thats completely
unlike home: dig in to the culture, talk to the
people who live there, listen to them, and see
what you make of it all. It might be more eye-
opening than your last international adventure.
Of course, weve got those in here, too,
including trips to France and India and Israel.
As much as we appreciate America, at
T+L you can never keep us from using our
passports for too long.
BR IA N D OB E N

@nathanlump
nathan@travelandleisure.com

12 travelandleisure.com
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 T R AV EL + L EISU R E

May
The Big Idea
2017
THE NEW AMERICAN
SMALL TOWNS
From the Allegheny Mountains to the
Sonoran Desert, the middle of
nowhere is becoming the place to be.
BY STEPHEN HEYMAN

T
homas, West Virginia, comes as a bit of a shock. One minute,
youre swerving around roadkill on the back roads of the back-
woods. The next, youre in a clearing on a mountaintop where
a tiny town is assembled, snow-globe-like, on only one side of
the street. There is something preposterously lovely about
the century-old brick storefronts, with their gingerbread
trim and flowerpots. But despite the period atmosphere,
Thomas (population 600) feels strangely modern and almost
suspiciously Instagrammable. East Avenue, its main drag
(which many Thomas residents call Front Street), contains
a third-wave coffeehouse, a vintage-record store, a craft
brewery, art galleries, and smartly curated antiques
shops. An upscale, seasonally minded restaurant,
Rudolphs, is scheduled to open soon.

East Avenue,
the commercial
hub of Thomas,
West Virginia,
a former
mining town.
C O URT ESY OF T U C K E R C OU N T Y TOU R IS M
The Big Idea

These days, all it

takes is a single
influential project
to push curious
city folk out
into the country.

Hidden in Tucker County, one of the least populated parts of West From top: M. Crow & Co., an old-school general
Virginia, Thomas was not long ago an emblem of Appalachian decline: store in Lostine, Oregon, that carries
high-end furniture; the Purple Fiddle, an
the decrepit shell of a formerly prosperous coal town, abandoned save eclectic music venue in Thomas.
for a mean biker bar and a novelty Christmas shop. Things began to
change in 2002, when John Bright opened the Purple Fiddle, a mountain
lodge in an old country store that has become one of the best and most knowledge workers and creatives
eclectic places in the region to hear live music. On any given night, you who desire weekend destinations that
might catch a hillbilly quintet playing fiddlesticks, or a Joni Mitchell offer not just proximity to natural won-
look-alike performing barefoot in a peasant dress, or a troupe of Tuvan ders but also proximity to natural-wine
throat singers who sound like human didgeridoos. bars. These towns are the successors
The Fiddle established Thomass reputation beyond the Alleghenies. to communities like Ojai, California;
With the arrival of Cooper House, a quirky bed and cocktail that serves Woodstock and Hudson, New York;
afternoon cocktails instead of breakfast, and Front Street Grocers, a Taos, New Mexico; and Sedona,
natural-foods store, nearly every storefront on once-deserted East Arizonaspecks on the map whose
Avenue is occupied. On weekends, the town fills with first-time visitors fame seems out of proportion with
whove driven from Washington, D.C., or Pittsburgh (both less than four their populations.
hours away). They wander around in a state of confused wonder. Theyve The urban transplants who have
heard about this place, yet they cant quite understand how it exists. helped reshape these towns, hipsters
Thomas is only one in a constellation of newly modish small towns in a former life, are sometimes called
across America. As midsize metropolises from Denver to Austin to hicksters. Theres an obvious pejo-

F ROM TOP : EU G N IE F RE R IC H S ; C OU RTESY OF W I LD, WO N D E R FU L WEST V I RG INIA

Portland to Pittsburgh have flourished, once-ordinary hamlets in rative cast to the term, but its hard to
the orbit of those cities have undergone makeovers to cater to young deny the appeal of the changes these
newcomers have brought to places that
now combine small-town charm and
big-city culture in one cozy package.
On the other side of the country,
Salida, Colorado (population 5,300), a
laid-back hot-springs town and ski vil-
lage in the Rockies three hours south
of Denver, has become a year-round
retreat for artsy, free-spirited folks
who wouldnt go to Vail even if they
could afford it. I think we now have
more dogs here than humans, says
Philip Sterling, who recently moved
to Salida from Dallas with his fiance,
Kaitlyn Canfield, to open the Amigo
Motor Lodge, a swanky Southwestern

18
Pre-Collision with Pedestrian 1

Detection standard. 2

Pedestrians can come out of nowhere. So Pre-Collision with Pedestrian Detection can help spot them and brake
for you. Its just one of the standard Toyota Safety Sense P (TSS-P)3 features that give you more peace of mind.

Options shown. Dramatization. 1. The TSS Pre-Collision System is designed to help avoid or reduce the crash speed and damage in certain frontal collisions only. It is not a substitute for safe and attentive driving. System effectiveness is
dependent on road, weather and vehicle conditions. See Owners Manual for additional limitations and details. 2. The Pedestrian Detection system is designed to detect a pedestrian ahead of the vehicle, determine if impact is imminent
and help reduce impact speed. It is not a substitute for safe and attentive driving. System effectiveness depends on many factors, such as speed, size and position of pedestrians, and weather, light and road conditions. See Owners
Manual for additional limitations and details. 3. Drivers are responsible for their own safe driving. Always pay attention to your surroundings and drive safely. Depending on the conditions of roads, weather and the vehicle, the system(s)
may not work as intended. See Owners Manual for additional limitations and details. 2017 Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
The Big Idea

From top: A mural on the side of the

127-year-old Twitchell Building, in
Salida, Colorado; pottery and crafts shops
in the village of Tubac, Arizona.

boutique motel with a tepee out back. The pair was inspired by the
Hotel San Jos, Liz Lamberts popular motel revamp in Austin, but
wanted to undertake their project in a town surrounded by nature, a
place that felt like it was still a blank slate. If we had done this in Dallas
it would have just been another hotel, Canfield says.
These days, all it takes is a single influential project to push curious
city folk out into the country. In 2013, Tyler Hays, a luxury-furniture
designer and big-bearded polymath, bought a century-old general store
in Lostine, Oregon (population 300), a farming community in the foot-
hills of the Wallowa Mountains in remote northeastern Oregon. Hays
revamped the store, M. Crow & Co., adding his gallery-quality furni-
ture and artisanal knickknacks to the stock of meat, vegetables, and
hardware. Now enough people make the trek out from Portland (five
THE NEW SMALL TOWNS:

A USERS
hours away) to support a high-concept hostelry, the Kickstarter-funded
Jennings Hotel, in an old brick building in nearby Joseph.
While towns like Lostine and Thomas rely on visitors to grow and

GUIDE
sustain themselves, sometimes their charm and possibility prove so
seductive that visitors become part- or even full-time residents. Thats
what happened to Genevieve Anderson, a visual artist and filmmaker
who recently moved from Los Angeles, where she had lived for 23 years,
to Tubac, Arizona (population 1,200). This frontier village turned artists THOMAS, WEST VIRGINIA
STAY The art-filled Cooper House hosts an
colony an hour south of Tucson is known for its pottery shops and well-
afternoon cocktail hour. cooperhousebandc.
preserved Spanish fortress. Tubac is really close to Mexico, so theres com; doubles from $100. EAT The TipTop
a little bit of this lawless feeling, Anderson says, almost like you could caf has the best avocado smash in the
just fall over the border into another world. state. 216 East Ave. DO The Purple Fiddle,
Part of the appeal of these small towns is how removed they can feel the music venue that made Thomas a desti-
nation, also offers lodging. purplefiddle.com.
from the anxieties that complicate life elsewhere in the country. But as
much as they serve as refuges, they also offer a measure of hope by chal- SALIDA, COLORADO
lenging the currently popular notion that an insurmountable divide has STAY Take in the mountains from the hot
opened between urban and rural America. tub or fire pit at the 16-room Amigo Motor
Lodge. stayamigo.com; doubles from $100.
The idea of the small town as a bridge-builder is something that EAT Try sophisticated small plates like
Chris Quattro, the baby-faced son of the mayor of Thomas and a fixture moules frites at the laid-back gastropub the
on East Avenue, can attest to. When hes not working as a sound engi- Fritz. thefritzsalida.com; entres $10$16.
neer at the Purple Fiddle, he performs music in the window of his record DO Rent a mountain bike and ride the

store/vintage clothier/bookshop, Quattro Music Co. I think Thomas Arkansas Hills Trail through the Sawatch
Range. salidamountaintrails.org.
would be a rare and special place anywhere, but especially in West
F ROM TOP : S I LV I A R OS/ IM AG E B RIE F; E F RA N M. PA D R/ IM AG E B RIE F
Virginia, he says. Our grocery store has a rainbow awning in front of LOSTINE AND JOSEPH, OREGON
it. As a town, we happen to be extremely liberal, but were also open to STAY The Jennings Hotel has stylishly rus-
everyone. You dont have to travel very far to see rebel flags and NRA tic rooms and a redwood sauna. jennings
hotel.com; doubles from $95. EAT Embers
signs. Theres never any real animosity. Maybe its that small-town Brew House serves pub food and regional
thing, but everyone just gets along. beers. embersbrewhouse.com. DOShop for
luxury home goods, furniture, and clothing
at M. Crow & Co. mcrowcompany.com.

TUBAC, ARIZONA
STAY Bing Crosby cofounded the Spanish-
colonial Tubac Golf Resort & Spa.
tubacgolfresort.com; doubles from $124.
EAT For organic dishes and a mean
prickly-pear margarita, head to the Goods.
thegoodstubac.com. DO Hike to the
old Spanish presidio along the lush Anza
Trail. azstateparks.com.

20 travelandleisure.com
Happenings
Six Reasons
to Travel
This Season
no. 1 summer as Castle & Key, with
Because Germany
in June is an
art-lovers paradise.
This year marks the fifth Skulptur
Projekte (skulptur-projekte.de),
the once-in-a-decade public sculp-
ture event in Mnster. It opens
June 9just a day before
Documenta, the quinquennial
contemporary art exhibition, kicks
off in Kassel (documenta14.de).
no. 2 In honor of the countrys
Because Japanese
design via New York City
is a sight to behold.
The avant-garde pieces of Rei
Kawakubo (above) may be a little
much for weekdays at the office,
but they fit right in at New York
Citys Metropolitan Museum of Art
(May 4September 4; themet.org).
24
no. 3 Because its worth
Because Finland has
never been
more colorful.
centennial, five Helsinki museums
collaborated on Modern Life,
a comprehensive look at Finnish
Modernism thats on view through
July (hamhelsinki.fi). Pay tribute
to Nordic style with a souvenir from
the new Marimekko archival col-
lection (shown), which includes five
re-released vintage designs from
the brands midcentury heyday
(us.marimekko.com; from $325).
no. 4
Because theres
more to Kentucky
than Derby Day.
In Lexington, a once-crumbling
130-year-old bourbon distillery
(shown) gets a second life this
29-year-old Woodford Reserve
alum Marianne BarnesKentuckys
first female master distillerat
the helm (castleandkey.com).
C LOC KW I SE F ROM TOP : M AL I C OT ES PH OTO G RA P H Y; C O U RTESY O F STOWAWAY CO S M E TICS ; CO U RTESY O F M A R IM E K KO ; CO U RTESY O F THE M E TR O PO LITA N M U S EU M O F A RT
no. 5
Because a stylish
new opening proves
theres no such thing
as a flyover state.
Aparium Hotel Groupthe
team behind New Orleanss
Pontchartrain, a 2017 T+L
It Listeropens the Foundation
Hotel in downtown Detroit this
month, with industrial-chic rooms
befitting the Motor Citys new
vibe (detroitfoundationhotel.com;
doubles from $239).
no. 6
a trip just to carry on
these pint-size
beauty products.
Travel-friendly launches from
prestige brands let you streamline
your makeup bag without
sacrificing must-haves. Prep skin
with Chanel UV Essentiel
sunscreen (chanel.com; $55) and
swipe on shadow from the Elizabeth
Arden Little Black Compact
(elizabetharden.com; $5). Finish with
Stowaway Cosmetics Crme
lipstick (stowaway-cosmetics.com;
$12) and a dusting of Byredo Kabuki
powder perfume (byredo.com; $65).
 Family Trip

A Teachable
Moment
On a cruise down the Danube with
her teenage daughter, Isabel Vincent
discovers the power of travel to
open your mindno matter your age.

The AmaViola

F
docked in Passau,
Germany.

ifteen minutes into our tour of Schnbrunn Palace, the Hapsburgs 1,000-plus-
room summer retreat in Vienna, my 17-year-old daughter, Hannah, discon-
nected her Quietvox and, out of earshot of the tour guide, said, Theyre all just
like the Kardashians.
The way she saw it, the social-climbing Napoleon married Austrian arch-
duchess Marie-Louise in 1810 not so much to consolidate peace between France
and Austria, but to bask in the rarefied atmosphere of the Hapsburg royal clan.
For her, it was the equivalent of Blac Chyna having a child with Rob Kardashian.
C O URT ESY OF A DVE N TU R ES BY D I SN E Y

Blac Chyna snuck her way into the family in order to get the Kardashian last
name, she explained. Like Napoleon marrying Marie-Louise, who hated the
French. He just wanted to get into an important family.
I have to admit that there was an oddeven brilliantlogic to what she was
describing. We were on day five of our weeklong Adventures by Disney Danube
River cruise, which began in Vilshofen, Germany, and ended in Budapestand Hannah
was having the time of her life. She had already climbed to the top of castle ruins in
Austrias stunning Wachau Valley, sat in on a strudel-making course in Vienna, and
attended a Lipizzaner horse performance at the citys exclusive Spanish Riding School.

travelandleisure.com 29
Family Trip
I marveled at her energy, but
more so at her sense of excitement.
Hannah is a seen-it-all New York
City high school senior who speaks
five languages and spent her early
childhood in Rio de Janeiro. I am
a former foreign correspondent,
and my ex-husband is a Serbian-
Canadian photographer who now
lives in Belgrade. After Hannah was
born, we traveled the world with
her. She is amazingly cosmopolitan,
and I worried that she would find a
river cruise organized by the theme
parks tour operator lame and bor-
ing. And although Hannah politely
refused to wear the Adventures
by Disney lanyards studded with
Mickey Mouse pins we were all
given to mark each days excur-
sion, she was engaged in a way I
have never quite seen her.
Thats in large part because
Adventures by Disney, which re-
cently began chartering ships oper-
ated by AmaWaterways, doesnt
offer a traditional river cruise. Most
30 travelandleisure.com
companies target an older clientele, and before I boarded our ship, the well-
appointed, 82-cabin AmaViola, I must admit I had visions of shuffleboard and
bridge. But among the 110 people on our cruise, I met gay couples, families
with small children, and single parents with their adult kids. The vibe? Relaxed
and welcoming. These family-focused cruises have proven to be so popular that
Adventures by Disney and AmaWaterways are offering 15 sailings this year, on
both the Danube and the Rhine.
Like Hannah, I found myself completely captivated by the whole river-
cruise experience, which unfolded like a series of mini-adventures day after
day. Family activities included a slide deep into a salt mine in Salzburg and a
backstage tour of a marionette theater in Vienna. Adult excursions included
wine tastings in Krems and tours of food and craft markets in Bratislava and
Budapest. All were conducted in conjunction with local guides who had in-
depth knowledge of their native towns. The ships crew was also well informed,
which I noticed after Hannah started questioning them about everything from
where to find the best caf mlange to how much we should pay for taxis in
our next port.
In many ways, Hannah became the star of the AmaViola and its mostly
Serbian staff. They had never met a passenger who could speak their lan-
guage, and I swelled with pride every time she ordered our lunch or dinner
multicourse affairs that included beef consomm and Hungarian goulash as
SPONSOR CONTENT
Spending time on the water lets us return to our core with
ance. Its a luxurious way
effortlessness and elegance. y to rechar
rre
echar
h rge
gea
ad
nd
dr
n
d dw
draw
therwisemiss.As
king scenery we might o
inspiration from the striking
the world oats by, we c ca
canan ffu
fully
ullyyabsorb
lly
the lush coastlines, the strirki
riik
kn
ki
n
ig
architecture, the marvelsof
city and country, and get
the true feel of both oldand
new, past and future.
Whether we stand at the
prow or sit behind the wheel
of adventure, the journeyca allstous,

From far left: The Benedictine Abbey of Melk,
in Austrias Wachau Valley; vineyards in
the Wachau; Viennas Spanish Riding School,
where passengers on the Adventures by
Disney cruise can see a performance.
well as surprises like perfectly pre-
FR O M LE FT: DAG M A R S CHW E LLE ; CHR ISTIA N K E R B E R ; R E N VA N BA K E L/
pared phoin their native tongue.
Every night, as we retired to our
warm little cabin with its windows
ASA B L A NCA . CO M /CO U RTESY O F S PA NIS H R ID ING S CHO O L
overlooking the splendid cities
on the shore, Hannah researched
what we would do the follow-
ing day. Armed with intelligence
from Hannahs new friends in the
crew and suggestions from the
Adventures by Disney tour guides,
who encouraged us to go off the
official grid of daily activities, we
decided to take in the Albertina
Museum in Vienna, where my
daughter made a beeline for the
indie galleries.
asking
us t o e x p l
ore
r t
discov e
wate r w
ays
and o p e n
roads
bal a
opt i m a l
aerodyn
Among the 110 people on our cruise,
I met gay couples, families
with small children, and single
parents with their adult kids.
I love contemporary art, she whispered as we made our way past
paintings by Gerhard Richter and Andy Warhol.
Who knew?
By the time the AmaViola docked in Budapest, the last port of call,
Hannahs requests were even more surprising: Could we go to the House
of Terror on Andrssy Avenue?
The House of Terror?
During World War II, it was the headquarters of the Hungarian Nazi
Party. Today, the splendid Beaux-Arts structure, which is tucked into a fash-
ionable neighborhood in central Budapest, is a museum. In February 1945,
when the Soviets took political control of the country, they used the building
to house dissidents. Hundreds were tortured in a network of underground
cells that stretched over a city block. Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg,
who had saved tens of thousands of Jews from Nazi persecution in Hungary,
shared a cell here before he disappeared into a Soviet gulag. The basement
smells like death, Hannah told me, as we took the tour. Although the exhib-
its were difficult to stomach, it was important that Hannah was now getting
a close-up of what life was like for opponents of totalitarianism.
After the House of Terror, we strolled down Andrssy Avenue before
stopping at the chandelier-studded Alexandra Bookcaf, located on the
second floor of the former Paris Department Store. We sipped steam-
ing lattes and ordered an array of billowy Hungarian pastries. While she
sampled each of the sweets, Hannah had another epiphany.
You know, Mom, I think I want to come back to a place like this to
study, she said. History just feels so alive here!
That night, our last on the ship, I climbed to the upper deck as we sailed
past the Hungarian Parliament, lit up in all its neo-Gothic splendor. I
looked down at my phone as a text came in from my daughter, who was
packing in our cabin below.
Thank you Mom for an adventure of a lifetime, it said.
Followed by three heart emojis.
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If you could see Nebraska through my eyes, youd see a hilltop view
that blows you away.
Marshmallow clouds gliding over a river.
A fog settling in a valley.
Youd see tilling of the land.
A place that allows you to escape the rest of the world.
Youd see rolling hills and prairie grasses.
The turning of the trees.
Bluestem waving in the fall.
Things that take you back to a simpler time.
My name is Mick, and this is Nebraska Wine Country through my eyes.

VisitNebraska.com
 Style

Kids on Traveling with little ones brings its own

set of challenges, but worrying about
what to stuff in your childs (tiny, adorable)

the Go
carry-on shouldnt make the list.
Here, the pieces theyll need no matter where
your summer vacation takes you.
EDITOR: MELISSA VENTOSA MARTIN
S E T STY LI ST : JE FF RE Y M IL L E R. GR OOM IN G BY C O RE Y T U TT L E

ON JOSEPHINE Stella McCartney Kids dress $152 (stellamccartney.com); Flora & Henri crawler $38 (florahenri.com);
Zara leggings $10, and bag $36 (zara.com); Bonpoint socks $35 (bonpoint.com); Salt Water by Hoy Shoe Co. sandals from $37
(mysaltwatersandals.com); France Luxe barrettes $18 for two (franceluxe.com). ON HADRIAN Stutterheim raincoat $184 (stutterheim.com);
Caramel jumpsuit, 36 years $267, 812 years $284 (caramel-shop.co.uk); Flora & Henri lap-shoulder T-shirt $30 (florahenri.com); L.L. Bean socks
$20 for two-pack (llbean.com); Sun-San by Hoy Shoe Co. $37 (mysaltwatersandals.com); Fjllrven mini backpack $65 (fjallraven.us).

Photograph by Danny Kim travelandleisure.com 35

Style
1

3. Lacoste polo $45 (lacoste.com); Flora & Henri swim trunks from $64
(florahenri.com); Schylling Paddle Ball game $4 (schylling.com). 4. Mamy
Factory sleeveless cardigan $46 (mamyfactory.com); Onora necklace
from Chiapas $13 (info@onoracasa.com); Caramel sandals $165
(caramel-shop.co.uk); L.L. Bean socks $20 for two-pack (llbean.com).

1. Areaware plywood playing cards $28 (areaware.com); Bonpoint

skirt $295 (bonpoint.com); Ariat boots $95 (ariat.com); Ellie Fun
Day bandanna $18 (elliefunday.com). 2. Ellie Fun Day travel
blanket $78 (elliefunday.com); Veja sneakers $89 (veja-store.com);
Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 instant camera $70 (buyinstaxmini8.com).

DA N N Y K I M. S E T ST Y LI ST: JE F F RE Y MI L L E R

For more kids

packing ideas, go to
tandl.me/
kidspacking.

36 travelandleisure.com
2017 Marriott International, Inc.All Rights Reserved. Westin and its logos are the trademarks of Marriott International, Inc. or its affiliates.

No matter what obstacles travel puts

between you and your well-being,
our signature wellness programs
are thoughtfully designed to help
you soar above it all. Stay well at
Westin Hotels & Resorts, a place
where together we can rise.
Style

LMDR: I love packing

colorful hair pieces and
bows. If youre taking
tons of pictures,
you want the kids to
look nice. Acorn
Toy Shop floral bunny
LMDR: My kids dont headband, $40.
leave the house
without sunglasses.
It can be over the top,
but theyre hilarious
and cute.Flora & Henri
Lenny sunglasses
in navy, $85.

Young at Heart
Since their days working together at Vogue, Sylvana Ward
SWD: Childrens
swimsuits are ador-
able, and they make for
great, memorable
vacation shots. Arcade
frill swimsuit, $77.
Durrett and Luisana Mendoza de Roccia had always
talked about collaborating on their own project. But it wasnt
until they each started familiesand realized how challenging
it was to shop for kidsthat the idea came into focus.
This March, they launched Maisonette (maisonette.com), an
online destination for childrens clothing, accessories, and dcor.

C LOC KW I SE F ROM BOT TO M R IG H T : DA N N Y K IM ( 5) ; C OU RT ESY OF M AI S O NE TTE ; CO U RTESY O F B O NPO INT; CO U RTESY O F S O NS + DAU G HTE R S E Y E W E A R ;
The site has an elegant, high-end sensibility, but isnt

K IR A T UR N BU L L ; C OU RT ESY OF WOO D STOC K LON D ON ; C OU RT ESY OF TI N Y COTTO NS ; CO U RTESY O F HE R S CHE L; CO U RTESY O F STE LL A M CCA RTNE Y
fussy or precious. We wanted the look and feel to be fun,
Mendoza de Roccia says. Beautiful, but convenient
and lighthearted. Theyre kidstheyre meant to get dirty and
have fun. These are some of their summertime
essentials for traveling with children.

SWD: The tiny little

shoes always get
me. Just dont bother
putting shoes on
babiesyou will lose
all of them! Bonton
tennis shoes, $113.

SWD: Kids love having

their own backpack
they feel grown-up.
Pack it with things to
LMDR: One of my entertain them.
musts year-round is Herschel Kids
LMDR: You always a light bomber. It Heritage lemon drop
need a light, printed doesnt get dirty, and backpack, $73.
dress. Kids can play in you can layer it.
them, and theyre com- Stella McCartney Kids
fortable and easy to Willow reversible
wash. Bonpoint bomber, $164.
Alina dress in terra-
cotta print, $195.

Double Duty
These products are gentle enough for babies, but so
high-performing theyll stand in for your usual lineup.
1. Mason Pearson childs lotion $55 (chantecaille.
1 2 3 4 5
pure-boar-bristle brush com). 4. Babo Botanicals
$110 (bigelowchemists.com). detangling spray $14 (ulta.
2. Creed For Kids fragrance com). 5. Santa Maria Novella
$235 (creedboutique.com). Detergente Delicato Baby
3. Chantecaille Bb body $55 (buy.smnovella.com).

38 travelandleisure.com
 Great coverage, by land or sea.
For over 75 years, GEICO has offered insurance that can meet all of your needs.
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Some discounts, coverages, payment plans and features are not available in all states or all GEICO companies. Motorcycle and ATV coverages are underwritten by GEICO Indemnity Company.
Boat and PWC coverages are underwritten by GEICO Marine Insurance Company. GEICO Auto policyholders could be eligible for a premium discount on their GEICO Marine Insurance policy.
GEICO is a registered service mark of Government Employees Insurance Company, Washington, D.C. 20076; a Berkshire Hathaway Inc. subsidiary. 2016 GEICO
WELCOME TO THE TEA HOUSE.
PREMIUM ORGANIC TEA. EXQUISITE INGREDIENTS. EXTRAORDINARY TASTE.

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2017 PURE LEAF and TEA HOUSE COLLECTION are trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies used under license.
 the
United States of DisCovery your own backyard.
When wanderlust strikes, dont overlook ica with guides,
On the following pages, we celebrate Amer
use there is so much
trip ideas, and stories from the roadbeca
to explore, from sea to shining sea.

Photograph by Horacio Salinas travelandleisure.com 43


On a weeklong family road trip,
joel stein discovers that navigating
Americas national parks in a camper can be
a blessing and a cursebut mostly a blessing.
M
y son Laszlos lifelong dream (which admittedly he
hasnt had for long, since hes seven) has been to
take a trip in an RV. Unlike me, who has never pur-
posely popped the hood of my Mini Cooper, hes
obsessed with all manner of vehicles. But I can relate
to his RV longing. Whenever I stayed home sick
from elementary school, I would watch The Price Is
Right, which always seemed to offer the same two top
prizes: a trip to Australia or a motor home. They were also
my two dreams. Like Australia, an RV offers the adventure
of travel and the similarities of home, only kid-size. An RV
also strips away the unnecessary distractions that keep your
parents from focusing on you. When I asked Laszlo if these
were the reasons he wanted to be in an RV, he looked at
me like I was an idiot. Its a house on wheels, he explained.
44 travelandleisure.com
H A RF Z I MM E RM A N N . L E T T E R IN G BY C H A RLOTT E FA RM E R. A D D I TI ON AL C O LL AG E E LE M E NTS THR O U G HO U T THE U NITE D STATES O F D IS COV E RY : G E TTY IM AG ES
The view from Navajo
Point, in Grand Canyon
National Park.
I asked my lovely wife, Cassandra, if shed
be up for taking an eight-night trip to see
national and state parks in an RV, going from
our house in L.A. to Joshua Tree, the Grand
Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion, and the Valley of
Fire. Unexpectedly, she agreed. This meant
I would have to deal with the RV, which seemed
impossible since I am not good at taking care
of a house or a vehicleand an RV is both.
Unable to blame my wife for not fulfilling my
sons dream, I rented a Winnebago from Apollo
Motorhome Holidays, an Australian company
with offices in the U.S. I got a 33-foot-long Minnie
Winnie, which Laszlo thought was just as good
as Kid Rocks tour bus. It had a toilet, shower,
refrigerator, stove, oven, bedroom, dinette that
turned into a bed, couch that turned into a bed,
and lofted bed over the drivers area. For $60 more
per person, sheets and towels were included.
I drove out of the parking lot and crawled
along small local roads heavy with daytime Los
Angeles traffic, panicked I would scrape off
the top, the sides, or entire strip malls. Once we
got on the freeway, with its fat lanes made for
trucks, I relaxed. Our huge windshield showed a
gorgeous IMAX documentary about America.
 It was only a two-hour drive to Joshua Tree, but we The Rock Stop,p, in
arrived too late to stay in the park. So we drove down tah,
Orderville, Utah,
on the road to Zion
a long, dark road and pulled into the Joshua Tree Lake RV National Park.
& Campground. After turning off the engine, we walked
into a small shack, where I nervously approached a large,
bearded man who was sitting behind a desk next to fire-
wood and fishing gear. I mumbled that this was my first
night in an RV stop. He was friendly and helpful, assigning
us a space that Cassandra guided me into like an aircraft
marshaller. We ventured out and were surprised to
discover that our fellow RVers were not tooth-challenged
clans of 13. There was a delicate French family, hipsters
with a baby, and two men who might have just been
friendsbut it made us feel better about the RV lifestyle
once we decided that they were gay.
Laszlo loved the campground. We rented fishing poles, The next morning, after eating cereal
al
baited live worms for the first time (which he mostly did), around a table that was extra-special because
and caught a fish in the tiny man-made lake surrounded we knew it could become a bed at any second,
by metal sculptures that looked like they had been brought we decided to skip Joshua Tree, since, unlike
back from Burning Man. Later on, we headed down a the Grand Canyon, no one says on his deathbed
dark path to the edge of the campgrounds and looked at that he wishes hed seen Joshua Tree. So we
more stars than we see over the course of a year in L.A. started on the 315 miles to Williams, Arizona,
Before he climbed up sharing the driving duties with surprising ease
to the lofted bed above the thanks to wide lanes of highway made for
drivers seat, Laszlo said, Americans like us. I blasted Holiday Road from
Its starting to feel like the National Lampoons Vacation as Cassandra
RV is our home. I agreed. and Laszlo giddily prepared snacks and used
The RV was small enough the bathroom while still moving.
that we could literally park In a few hours, we arrived at a space reserved
the thing in our living room, in what turned out to be an endless RV parking
and yet I felt like I could live lot outside the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel.
here forever. Isnt it weird To get a spot inside the national park during the
that this is everything we summer, you have to book more than a year
need? I asked Cassandra. in advance, and Williams was the closest town
No! This is not to the Grand Canyonan hour away. In the
everything we need, she 25 years since my last visit, it had boomed into
answered. Are you crazy? a cheery reimagining of rural 1950s America.
The three of us walked into town, thrilled to be
reconnected with civilization after our 24-hour
withdrawal. Cassandra and I drank flights of
Arizonas finest local wines at the surprisingly
F ROM TOP : F R A N C K FOTOS / A L A MY; CASSAN D RA BA RRY ; J OE L ST E I N
cool South Rims Wine & Beer Garage.
At 8 a.m., we walked toward the train station
for our Grand Canyon adventure. Laszlo said,
Im sad were not going to be in the RV today.
Getting to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon
Above: The
familys home involved a two-hour train ride that came with
during their eight- a show next to the station; Laszlos review was
night road trip. two thumbs up, especially the part where the
Right: The writers
son, Lazslo, cowboy is shot and dies, but then realizes hes
at the Joshua Tree landed in horse poop and repositions himself.
Lake RV & His review of the Grand Canyon: You just need
Campground.
a peek. This was my third trip, and gazing
down into the incomprehensible enormity of
both space and time, Ifor the third time
in my lifethought the exact same thing.
 DAY 6 84 miles

UT Bryce Canyon
National Park
Zion National Park

DAY 7 134 miles

NV
On the train ride home, performers sang
old Western songs and everyone joined in. The Valley of Fire
State Park
DAYS 45 317 miles
LAS VEGA S
train was halted by bandanna-wearing horse- 89

men intent on robbing us. More than a few retir- DAY 8 324 miles 15 Grand Canyon
AZ National Park
ees asked the thieves to take their wives, which
brought out big laughs. The passengers were the CA
40
best audience Ive ever been part of, wholly buy- FLAG STAFF
DAYS 23 315 miles
ing in. I realized that I had been raising Laszlo
LOS
wrong, that he should be growing up with these ANGELES NV UT CO
Joshua Tree
nice, earnest people. I asked them where they National Park Deta
tail
il
areaa
were from, and they were all places Id been to: DAY 1 136 miles
C
CA AZ
NM
0 50 M
St. Louis, Houston, Las Vegas. The people I MILES
encountered there werent nearly as nice as this. Mexic o

I needed to raise Laszlo on this train, where

wed be robbed of our jadedness about every-
thing except the Grand Canyon.
The next day, on the way to Bryce Canyon
National Park, we stopped at a gas station
that had a sign on the door saying 10% off if you u
show your gun, which is a horrible deal, since if you
show your gun in L.A, you get 100 percent off. Though
we had lost an hour entering Utah, it didnt matter. Our
family was beholden to nothing but the sun and our
bodiesunless we wanted to catch the Bryce Canyon
County Rodeo at 7p.m., which we did.
Bryce was amazing: huge drip sandcastles you hike
down and around, and I couldnt wait to spiral into
its Wonka-world surprises. But Cassandra and Laszlo
werent as into walking as you would expect for people
whod planned a trip around visits to national parks.
We took Bryce Canyon Citys free shuttle one stop back
from the park to our home at Rubys Inn RV Park &
Campground, where Cassandra sauted dandelion greens
growing right next to our RVs hookup. (This seemed
slightly too organic to me.) After dinner, we went to the
rodeo, where toddlers rode sheep, an announcer kept
yelling Fire in the hole! and all the riders sounded like
they were either named Body Miller, Brody Miller, or
Brady Miller. We all enjoyed it more than we should have.
As the three of us went to sleep nestled in a ring of
mountains, I felt tiny and relaxed, until suddenly
Cassandra
C d iinterrupted
t t d my communion i tto
announce: I brought magazines and a sketch-
book, and I get the feeling I wont get to use
any of them. Weve just been packing and
unpacking and preparing food and cleaning
up food. I mean, I havent even meditated
in the past 24 hours. I have less free time in
this RV than I do in my real life.
We had two full days planned in Zion
National Park, where I hoped shed relax into
the RV lifestyle like Laszlo and I had. After
a two-hour drive with one pit stop to buy sand-
wiches and, of course, giant crystals, we
pulled into a space on the bank of a river and ate
a slow dinner by a fire pit. The following day, we
took a shuttle into the park. Zion was vast, hum-
bling, gorgeousand completely uninteresting
to Laszlo and Cassandra.
By now Id learned that in national parks,
our family likes to spend most of its time having
lunch. We ate here in the enormous stone Red
Rock Grill at Zion Lodge. After a lunch of salmon
cakes, Navajo tacos, and bison burgers, it was
MA P BY H A I SA M H U SS E IN . IL LUST RAT I ON BY ME RY L ROWI N

BLON DIES One place that sticks out in my

dh

DEB BIE HAR RY mind from our first national tour was
the hotel in Seattle. Riverfront or water
&CHR IS STEI N something. cs The Edgewater, where
ON SEAT TLE the Beatles stayed. They had pictures
of the Beatles fishing out the window
because the hotel was on a dock right over the water. dh This was a
very famous rock-and-roll place at the time. To actually walk on the same
carpet where Paul and Ringo had trodit was pretty memorable.

48 travelandleisure.com
time to take the shuttle van to see the highlights. At the
first stop, I stared at the Court of the Patriarchs, a grouping
of sandstone cliffs, trying to get a sense of what lay
inside and on top of these enormous peaks. Cassandra
and Laszlo agreed to sit on a bench and let me hike to
the top of a waterfall on my own, and when I got there it
was even better than Id imagined: like a pool on the
moon. Energized with the wonder of an explorers secret
knowledge, I bounded back, but I couldnt even interest
Cassandra and Laszlo in my pictures. I dont want to see
a waterfall. I saw one yesterday, he said.
For our last night, we entered Nevadas Valley of Fire
State Park, which was nearly empty, because it was summer
and well over 100 degrees. We had the campground all to
ourselves. When the sun set and the temperatures cooled a
bit, I emerged from the RV like an astronaut, feeling the
freedom of the unobserved in a time-stopped stillness. The
three of us climbed over and into the crevices of the Martian
rocks where, somehow, native people survived these sum-
mers. Laszlo was, to my amazement, excited to hike, in
this still-scorching emptiness, excited to have his very own
planet. Back in the RV, he stretched out on his bed, picked
up one of his books, turned on his reading light, and said to
me, You made my dream come true. And you loved it. An
hour later, Cassandra said the words Id been dreading since
we left: This was a supposedly fun thing Ill never do again.
On the long drive home, I couldnt believe how
eight days had degraded our parenting. Cassandra
and I werent just using the bathroom and making
sandwiches at 85 miles an hour; we were also lying
on the bed reading. There were no rules! Laszlo
who is always strapped into a car seat in the back
of our Prius before we pull out of the drivewaysat
up front because we couldnt deny him the views.
I wound my way more easily this time through
the tight, packed L.A. streets and parked in front
of our house. Laszlo wanted to sleep in the RV one
last night, 100 feet from our big comfy beds.
Cassandra thought this was a bad idea, because of
the big comfy beds. Eventually we compromised,
and I read to him in his RV bed.
Back in our house, Cassandra walked up
to me, offering a Riedel glass filled with
something red. I love you so much more outside
of an RV, she said. I realized that she was
the only one who had sacrificed for her son.
Unprompted, she said
The shed do it again if he wanted,
Details only closer and shorter. I
More tips and stared at her in wonder, realiz-
information
on how to rent ing I should have loved my
an RV, page 119 wife more inside an RV.

FRIDAY
Check in to Found: Re
(left; foundrehotels.com;
doubles from $229), a new
industrial hotel featuring
work by local artists. Head
south to Roosevelt Row
(rooseveltrow.org), a swath
of galleries, street art, cock-
tail bars, and boutiques
SUNDAY
Spend the day in Scottsdale,
starting with a tour of Frank
Lloyd Wrights Taliesin West
(franklloydwright.org).
Stop by the new Andaz for a
Southwestern-tinged brunch
at Weft & Warp (scottsdale.
SATURDAY andaz.hyatt.com). Then its

C O URT ESY OF FOU N D : RE PH O E N I X . IL LUST RAT I ON S BY C H A RLOT T E FA RM E R

(go to Antique Sugar for vin-
tage and Revolver Records
for vinyl). For dinner, the
tasting menu at Barrio Caf
Gran Reserva (barriocafe.
com; $44 for six courses)
cant be beatdishes like
duck breast in cranberry
mole are approachable yet
elegant. Then venture back
to Roosevelt: on first and
Central Avenue is the citys
cultural hub. The Phoenix
Art Museum (phxart.org)
has a vast international col-
lection and a stellar fashion
program run by an alum of
the Mets Costume Institute;
the current show juxtaposes
gowns by Yeohlee Teng
with Richard Serras massive
black-and-white screen
prints. Visit the Heard
on to the Scottsdale
Museum of Contemporary
Art (smoca.org) for James
Turrells Knight Rise and, this
fall, a retrospective of archi-
tect Paolo Soleriif youre
too early, Cosanti (arcosanti.
org/cosanti), Soleris
futuristic home, is a worthy
substitute. Back in Phoenix,
pick up a memento of your
triplike architectural jew-

A CULTUR E
third Fridays, art walks, exhi- Museum (heard.org) to see elry by Heidi Abrahamson
bitions, and concerts keep American Indian works at For the People (forthe
WEEKE ND IN the area humming until t late. like Hopi kachina dolls and
Zuni jewelry. (Until August,
peoplestore.com).
david a . keeps
PHOEN IX catch Frida Kahlo and Diego
Riverathe Heard is the
Theres more to the desert exhibitions sole U.S. stop.)
city than resorts and retirees. Cap off the evening with an
Heres how to spend an art-house flick at FilmBar
eventful three days in and (thefilmbarphx.com) and
around Arizonas surprisingly music at bar-cum-gallery the
sophisticated capital. Lost Leaf (thelostleaf.org).

50 travelandleisure.com
RETREAT
a collection by Stanley Furniture

coastallivingfurniture.com
Coastal Living is a registered trademark of Time Inc. Lifestyle Group and is used under license by Stanley Furniture.
 The bar at Rabbit Hole. Right:
Yellowtail, pot stickers, and
salmon on rice cakes at Pinku.

meat-filled sambusas concerts and events. flying-saucer-size plat-

and keke, thinly sliced Minneapolis; midtown ters of injera, Ethiopias
chapati with a spiced globalmarket.org. spongy bread, come
sauce. Minneapolis and daubed with wot (stew),
St. Paul; afrodeli.com; MOROCCAN tibs (cubed meat), and
entres $6$11. For real-deal tagine curries. St. Paul; fasika.
and an array of salads, com; samplers $15$19.
VIETNAMESE try small-but-mighty
Those in the know Moroccan Flavors, a HIMALAYAN
hit up hidden gem My gem in Midtown Global Nepali, Tibetan, and
Huong Kitchen for Market. Minneapolis; Indian cooking come
overstuffed bnh m, moroccanflavorsmpls. together at Gorkha
curry noodle soup, and com; entres $9$10. Palace. Juicy momo

THE GLOBAL MEXICAN

At Homi, owners
the best spring rolls
in town. Minneapolis; KOREAN
filled with buffalo
and chicken thenthuk
FOOD OF Miguel Lpez Jr. and
Sr. and Hortencia
myhuongkitchen.com;
entres $8$9.
The Rabbit Hole is
a true fusion restau-
with hand-pulled
noodles are go-tos for
THE TWIN Reyes cook dishes like
HMONG
rant, pulling inspiration regulars. Minneapolis;

CITIES
Minnesota has become a melt-
ing pot in recent decades.
Eat your way around the
world at these St. Paul and
Minneapolis standouts.
pozole, cactus-leaf from Korea, L.A., gorkhapalace.com;
salad, and banana-leaf The Hmong Village and Minnesota. Try the entres $14$21.
tamales from family Shopping Center chili crab (made with
recipes. St. Paul; a sprawling indoor a habanero oyster JAPANESE
homirestaurant.com; marketplaceis a culi- sauce), kimchi fried The menu at Pinku
entres $11$14. nary showcase for the rice, and watermelon Japanese Street Food
Twin Cities large pop- soju. Minneapolis; has a curated menu
CARIBBEAN ulation of Hmong, from eatdrinkrabbit.com; of only 11 items, like
The blazing Trinidadian Southeast Asia. Look entres $10$15. yellowtail under a

F ROM L E F T: E LI ESA JOH N S O N ; AS H LE Y S U LL I VA N . IL LU ST R ATI ON S , F RO M TO P: CHA R LOTTE FA R M E R (3 ); M E RY L R OW IN

cooking at Marlas for the made-to-order confetti of fried onions.
Caribbean Cuisine green papaya salad. ETHIOPIAN Minneapolis; pinku
think home-style jerk St. Paul; hmongvillage Fasika is an institution japanese.com; entres
and Dhalpouriehelps shoppingcenter.com. for good reason. Its $4$9. mecca bos
locals endure the frigid
winters. Minneapolis; INTERNATIONAL
marlascuisine.com; Sample dozens of
entres $10$26. cuisines under one roof
at Midtown Global
SOMALI Market, a bustling
Some 40,000 Somalis food court. A handful
call Minnesota home. of shops sell global
Afro Deli has intro- goods, and the space
duced Twin Citians to often hosts free

NOV ELIST
The mnemonic glue of a book and a place
JOSHU A FERRI S is very strong with me. Years ago, I was in
the courtyard of the Hotel Maison de Ville
ON NEW ORLEAN S in New Orleans, where Tennessee Williams
finished A Streetcar Named Desirea very wrought-iron-and-drooping-fern
type of courtyard, with hard Venetian blinds over all the windows and delicate
railings and cobblestonesreading Mason & Dixon by Thomas Pynchon.
Two radically different American writers. But to me it was perfect.

52 travelandleisure.com
 The Wil d Pon ies of

guee
Ch incoteag
ns novel about a spunky
s children
Misty of Chincoteague, Marguer ite
rguerit nrys timeles
n
Henrys
e Hen ss
s
a coast, s
turns 70 this ar.
a
year.
yea From its opening sentenceA wild,
pinto pony from the Virgini
the hold of the
from th Spanish galleon my eight-year-old
ringing neigh shrilled up fr
I knew it, we were drivin g down the haunti ng, lonely Delmarva
daughter was hooked. Before
C H RI STO PH E R MO N G E AU

town of Chincot eague retains a briny

Peninsula toward Chincoteague Island. The tiny
ter cowboy s and saltwa ter taffy. At the Chinco teague National
charm, equal parts saltwa the shaggy,
bald eagles, and, of course,
Wildlife Refuge, you can find egrets, herons,
inspir ed Henry. As we pulled to the should er, my daughters eyes
barrel-chested ponies that
and snaking inlets, before fixing upon
raked across the primeval landscape of marsh grass
but her expres sion said it all: Im really here. MARK ROZZO
the herd. She didnt speak,

54 travelandleisure.com

If youre a history buff, Annapolis
belongs on your bucket list. Annapolis
served as our nations first peacetime
capital. Marylands four signers of the
Declaration of Independence had
homes here, three of the homes can
still be visited and enjoyed today.
A walk down the brick-lined streets
puts you in touch with four centuries
of history and architecture. There are
plenty of ways to learn more about an
important American institution thats
based in Annapolis, the United States
Naval Academy. Explore the Academy
Yard by experiencing a guided tour
or stop at one or more of the campus
impressive attractions, including the
midshipmens Noon Formation.
VISIT THE
SAILING CAPITAL OF THE U.S.
When it comes to bountiful aquatic resources, Annapolis has
a lot to brag about. Our rivers, streams and coves form over
533 miles of shoreline along the Chesapeake Bay, the nations
largest estuary. Whether youre an experienced kayaker, a
day-tripping power boater, an adventurous sailing novice, make
plans to take a historic water tour, head out to open water on a
fishing trip, or find something suitable for the whole family to
enjoy. Annapolis is the perfect place to spend some time on the
Chesapeake.
Foodies will enjoy the plentiful access to the
bounty of the Chesapeake Bay; and an energetic,
happy-to-be here pulse that reverberates
throughout the area. Get cracking into a bushel
of world-famous Maryland Steamed Blue Crabs
or enjoy a waterfront dining experience at one of
Annapolis waterfront restaurants. Dine outside on
a rooftop or on the bustling streets in downtown.
Want to go international? Enjoy casual pub fare?
Experience elegant dining? Happy hour? Whatever
youre in the mood for, Annapolis delivers.
Annapolis is home to dozens of fine art galleries within
walking distance of one another, including Maryland Hall
for the Creative Arts and The Elizabeth Myers Mitchell
Gallery at St. Johns College. There is also a thriving Arts
District that features not only art galleries, but live music
venues such as Marylands prized Rams Head on Stage,
Mission Escape Room and diverse dining options.
 An une
unexpected
expected slice
e slice of paradise
paraad
dise along
alon
ng the
n
Gulf Coast
Coast has become
b a summer
ummer ritual
su ritu
uaal for
writer jeane ledoux and dhher h
husband,
b d
photographer andrea fremiotti.

T
hroughout my childhood in southern Louisiana, my family would
caravan to popular beach towns along the Florida Panhandle, like
Pensacola and Destin, where wed bury each other in scalding sand and
trawl souvenir shops for T-shirts. As an adult, I decided the Gulf Coast
was too crowded, too commercial, until one day my husband and I
explored Alabamas narrow, 14-mile-long Dauphin Island. It takes a bit
of work to get toyou either drive the high-rise bridge from Mobile
or board the ferry at Fort Morganbut with only 1,300 residents, the island is
peaceful and pristine. We now visit regularly during the high season, which
runs April through September, to take nature walks, see dramatic sunsets from
the beach, and eat seafoodd so fresh you know it was just swimming.

1. Called the bird- 3. On Dauphin,

houses by locals, home of the 137-
these buildings near acre Audubon Bird
the marina serve Sanctuary, herons
as camps for fisher- are as numerous as
A N D R E A F RE M IOTT I. LE TT E R IN G BY C HA R LOTT E FA R ME R

men who need an Central Park pigeons.

early start. The Some hunt in the
cheery structures shallows, while oth-
capture the spirit of ers linger next to
life on this island fishermen, whose
theyre celebratory bait will potentially
but not luxurious. attract a meal.
Theyre just enough. 4. Andrea captured
2. Eating out is all a rare quiet moment
about the seafood. We at the public pool
stuff ourselves with in the entertainment
the local catch, which complex on Orleans
includes royal red Drive, the center
shrimp, a deepwater of what little nightlife
species we buy there is on Dauphin.
from the family-run
Skinners Seafood.

56
5. One of my favorite same suggestion:
spots is this calm the Lighthouse
crescent of beach Bakery, one of the few
on the western end, year-round restau-
next to the public rants on Dauphin. We
pier. Its popular with have a morning ritual
families because the of eating a cinnamon
water is as still as roll on the shops
a pool, and warm as breezy porch. The co-
a bath come summer- owner, Mary Scarcliff,
time. 6. The island starts mixing dough
has many vacation at midnight during the
homes to rent, like peak tourist season.
this one, which is
propped on stilts and
ringed by saw palmet-
tos. A homeowner
who recently hosted
us said that shes
had visitors come
from as far away as
the Pacific Northwest
and Europe. 7. On our
first trip, we asked
locals for breakfast
recommendations,
and they all had the

The
Details
More activities
on the island,
page 119

A STROLL THROUGH
T
THE FINA NCIAL DIST RIC T
OF NEW YOR K CIT Y
City,
In this adaptation from his new book Magneti c
archite cture critic JUSTIN DAVIDSON uncover s
rhoods.
the secrets of one of Manhatt ans first neighbo

C
apital is the juice that to the opulent event space At every level, something
nourished New Yorks Cipriani, boasted echoing grabs the eye: the ornate
growth, so to hunt hallways, massive metal doors, the limestone
for the citys soul, start columns, and enormous models of the skyscraper
in the Financial District, quantities of granite. carved into the faade, the
at the corner of Pearl Few corners have abstracted peaks stamped A N D R E A F RE M IOTT I. IL LU ST RAT I ON BY C H A RLOT T E FA RME R

and Broad Streets. When
the settlement was still
called New Amsterdam,
ships moored here. Later,
the house at 54 Pearl
Street became Fraunces
Tavern, where George
Washington celebrated
victory over the British
in 1783 and you can still
buy a pint today.
In the mid 19th
century, as New York out-
grew its makeshift look,
its businessmen built the
grand Merchants
Exchange at 55 Wall
Street. This temple of
trade, now home
a more sober history than
23 Wall Street. When
J. P. Morgan erected his
bank here in 1913, it was
the epicenter of the finan-
cial world. The stonework
still bears the scars of
a 1920 bombing, though
the memories have faded:
in 2007, the bank became
a luxury condo, Downtown
by Philippe Starck.
In 1932, 70 Pine
Street opened just as the
economy was hitting bot-
tom. The tower, which now
houses apartments, spears
the fog, embodying the
moody glitter of Gotham.
above the lobby windows.
After a financial
vacuum sweeps through
an area of affluence,
the hardiest urban species
survives: artists. One
colony settled in the 1950s
on Coenties Slip, an alley
lined with sail-making lofts
left empty as the fortunes
of the shipping industry
receded. Robert Indiana,
Ellsworth Kelly, and Agnes
Martin all lived and worked
here, making art out of
fragments and memories
of a New York that was
constantlybut never
completelyslipping away.
Give normal
a few days off.
Theres so much about Florida that
relaxes the mind, body and soul.
Plan your next getaway at
Kayaking school from forest-fire smoke fills high inland
in session at
Otter Bar Lodge. valleys. During the day, it makes
the mountains look like ghosts, and
at night it turns the moon the color
of old, yellowed lace.
Grays shape characters and per-
ceptions, too. Long before ganja lovers
decamped here, this land beckoned
to gold miners, yeti hunters, and other
eccentrics. They found and made
a place where boundariesbetween
past and present, man and nature,
wildness and civilityseem less clear
than they are elsewhere.
I had come from New York City,
during a year of struggles in work
and in love. One of the only things that
reliably made me happy then was
taking whitewater kayaking lessons in
New England. So I went to Californias
true north, an eight-hour drive from
the Bay Area, to search for an incre-
ment of mastery of this difficult,
delighting skill: steering a small boat
through a rivers rushing water.
My destination was Otter Bar
Lodge, often called the best whitewater
kayaking school in North America. A
week on the river comes with gourmet
meals, massages, a hot tub, and a bed
in a rustic cabin, all on an off-the-grid
resort built and run by a gracious pair
of cosmopolitan hippies named Peter
and Kristy Sturges. They are assisted
Finding himself upside down in life, by a 10-year-old Australian cattle dog
named Beebee and a staff of kayaking
michael joseph gross escapes to
teachers from all over the world.
Humboldt County to spend a week

BR OWN W. CA N N O N I II / IN TE RS ECT ION P HOTOS . L E T TE RIN G BY C H AR LOT TE FA R M E R

Otter Bar is tucked into a glen on
upside down on the Salmon River.

W
the Salmon River. When I arrived,
Peter showed me to my cabin, then
ith the windows open, the pointed to the river. Most people say theyre too tired to go swimming
Humboldt County country- when they get here, he said, but you should just do it. As I dove
side smelled like a Grateful into a clear pool where giant salmon darted, I was glad I had listened.
Dead concert. Cannabis is Every week from May to August, a new crop of students arrive.
to the economy and identity Few in my class fit the stereotype of paddlers as adrenaline junkies.
of this far-northwestern There was a retired Presbyterian minister, a wealthy couple from Peru,
corner of California as corn a white-haired diplomat from Canada, a pharmacist from Florida, a
is to Iowa. My driver eagerly explained cardiologist from Louisiana, a guide-dog trainer, and a cop. As a group,
that he was moonlighting. His real we were more game than gifted.
job was growing marijuana. Medicinal The variety of this crowd felt welcoming. The place did, too. Sprays
or recreational? I asked. Its kind of flowers, wild and cultivated, decorated the paths. In the middle
of a gray area, he answered. of the night, I woke and stepped onto my front porch; when I looked up,
Gray areas cover Humboldt County. three shooting stars fell. In the morning, I crouched in dew-chilled grass
Coastal fogs roll in each morning, to pet Beebee, splaying my fingers in her morning-sun-warmed fur.
misting redwood canopies with life- Such comforts ended after the first paddling lesson began, on a
sustaining water. In summer, haze small flat pond amid the cabins. In minutes, I was upside down and

60 travelandleisure.com
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 Otter Bar sits beside the Salmon
River, which snakes through
Klamath National Forest.

underwater, jerking my hips and
shoulders, trying not to panic, trying
to get myself upright, waiting for
the Hand of God.
The Hand of God is what kayakers
call the rescue technique of flipping
another paddlers boat after it has
turned over, which happensa lot
to most beginners. Otter Bars teachers
are masters of the Hand of God,
which they employ while teaching the
basic kayaking skill that will render it
unnecessary. This move is the roll.
The roll is an art of self-rescue,
as one teacher explained: a complex
movement involving the hips, back,
arms, and shoulders. It is a way of
harnessing the laws of physics, but it
conflicts with our natural instincts.
Turned upside down underwater,
most people whip their torsos around
to lift their heads toward the surface
of the water. This does not work. What
side, reach the tip of the paddle to the surface, and sweep it in a wide
arc, applying only the faintest pressure, to create a centrifugal force
that rights both boat and boater.
My teacher, a 27-year-old New Zealander named Daan (Like
naan, he explained cheerfully. The bread.), had his hands full with
me. I had, apparently, forgotten everything Id learned while kayaking
in New England. My boat, even on flat water, was more or less
completely out of control, which made me frustrated, which made
things worse. I asked Daan to talk me through each component of
each motion, to try to fix it in my head. Then, when I tried to put it into
practice, I went back into a wobbling spin. Or flipped the boat. Again.
Daan explained that some instructions are like laws, and some
are just guidelines. The ones concerning waters flow are laws, because
water always behaves the same way. Waters First Commandment,
for instance, is Thou shalt raise the kayaks edge at every turn across
the line between the main flow of the rivers current and the eddies
(which flow the opposite way). Fail to raise the kayaks edge, and the
eddy, gremlin-like, grabs the boat and mercilessly turns you over.
On the other hand, instructions concerning my technique
(when exactly to paddle, and how) were guidelines, because I was the
inconstant, unpredictable factor here, and only by developing an
intuitive feel for the river could I know how to angle the paddle for
this or that stroke. My instincts didnt want to accept this distinction,
but my experience insisted upon the point, emphatically and
repeatedly, when we moved from flat water to the flowing river.
To paddle down the river, to be on and in the current in the intimate
way that kayaking allows, is something that everyone would get to
experience if life were truly fair. Sitting on the river, you can feel fish
bump their heads against your boat. Unlucky ones end up as lunch for
birds of prey. Dragonflies hover, their abdomens streaked with the
brilliant reds and blues that, in the age of TVs and computers, we have
learned to call electric. Even absolute beginners can enjoy all this, but
enjoyment is always subject to respecting the First Commandment.
And so it was that, on an afternoon packed with such pleasures, on
a glorious stretch of calm water with not a rapid to be seen, wonder lulled
me to into forgetting the law. A gentle eddy flipped me like a playing
card. Then it happened again. And again. All inside of a single hour.
Daan Hand-of-Godded me and towed me to shore. I dumped the

BR OWN W. CA N N O N I II / IN TE RS ECT ION P HOTOS . IL LUST RAT I ON BY M E RY L ROW IN

does work is to snap the hips to one water from my kayak, and then I basically melted down. I am holding
you and everybody else back, I told Daan. Maybe I shouldnt even
be here, because I cant stop messing up.

COAC H C R E ATIV E DIR ECTOR

Ive done several long train journeys
STUART VEVERS around America over the last

ON MARFA, TE X AS
few years, and Ive ended up going
to some random towns because
the train just happened to stop there. Id jump off at one in the morning
in a place Id never heard of. Marfa really stood out. It was fascinatingthere
are just so many contrasts. I stayed on a ranch and went horseback
riding, and then I was exploring these Donald Judd sculptures and the
art scene. It was a very special place, I thought.

62 travelandleisure.com
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 Daan listened, then calmly answered: The water is deep. The day is
warm. I am here to help you. And even if you flip again, its just another
chance for you to practice feeling uncomfortable when things go wrong.
After that, the day got better. In a quiet stretch of river, it occurred
to me that learning to kayak has something in common with the ruder
awakenings of travel, the times when what is true at home proves
useless for coping with surprise. A beginning kayaker faces the same
choice as a first-time visitor to a distant country. Cling to your instinc-
tive way and deplete yourself, or surrender to circumstance and grow.
That night, I said some words to this effect to the Presbyterian
minister. He answered, Isnt it strange how sometimes we panic and
sometimes were calm, in the same kind of situation? And we can
never fully know why that is. Then I went to bed and had a nightmare.
I tried to capture beautiful hummingbirds, and each time I caught
one in my hands, its little red head would explode.
Learning can take the shape of a story: beginning, middle, end.
Or learning can happen like meditation: frustrating, until its not. The
rivers surface always changes, requiring constant adjustments of
balance and tensions in the body. Daan was like the rivers interpreter,
calling out its commands. Relax your face, relax your hips, relax your
shoulders, relax your hands. I tried to adjust, to keep the current
flowing beneath the boat, and I kept failing. But somewhere in this
repetition, for no reason I can name, my failures seemed to matter a
little lessto stop being a judgment on meand it seemed as if I
had escaped myself, had joined with the river, even though the next,
clobbering moment always dragged me back, still tense, still scared.
During breakfast before our final paddling trip, Daan told me
I had two options. Dont simplify this to easy or hard, he said.
Think about it in terms of what youre doing with your skills. You can
consolidate. Or you can consolidate and expand, and have more fun.
Skeptically, and feeling coerced (but also grateful for the invita-
tion), I chose fun. On the river, my performance wasnt perfect, but
there were more of those instants when I let my body think for me,
the First Commandment making itself at home in my
bones. At the end of the day, as my kayak approached
The
Details the last stretch of rapidsa more challenging series
Visiting Otter than anything wed faced all weeka salmon leaped up
Bar Lodge,
page 119
and did a somersault in the air. The creature was so
close that I could hear its flesh flap as its muscles flexed.
Thats good luck! someone yelled, and the kayak was drawn for-
ward, currents jumping all around, and the inside of me shifted.
My consciousness did not split, exactly, but it encompassed more
than Id been able to keep track of before. I was borne ahead by the
moment, not swamped by it. The wave beneath me lifted me up to see
the waves ahead. I could see them coming in rows, the next three or
four, and I reached out my paddle as if to greet them: a hug for that big
lunk to my right, a love pat for the little monster on my left. I made
it through them all by moving with them, and I did not flip over, which
made me feel sufficient and competent and strong, in a way that
I could not recall ever having felt strong before.
For our last supper, Peter and Kristy hired musicians. The banjo
player could have been a cairn of river rocks come to life. On a screen,
projected, were pictures that Peter had been taking of us all week.
Did I really look like that? people kept asking one another. Because
we all looked good, relaxed, residing fully in our bodies. Wine flowed,
dusk faded, and everybodys posture seemed slightly to improve.
 From left: Sun Valley Lake and Bald
Mountain; a rooftop fire pit at Warfield
Distillery & Brewery, in Ketchum.

avocado, hummus, the resort hosts talks

carrots, edamame, and by literary giants
balsamic vinaigrette. during the Sun Valley
Writers Conference
AFTERNOON (svwc.com). Some
Stroll along East last-minute event tick-
Avenue to Maison et ets are released, but
Cadeaux (maisonet for a full pass, register
cadeaux.com), a slice in January. Starting
of Provence complete in mid to late July, the
with European linens Pavilion is home to the
and china and a acclaimed Sun Valley
French-speaking staff. Summer Symphony
Pop next door to (svsummersymphony.
Ketchum Flower Co. org). The group is

A SUMMER MORNING
Start the day with
to extreme. For
great views of the
(ketchumflower.com),
a boutique selling
a whos who of musi-
cians from top philhar-
DAY IN brioche French toast
at local favorite the
Pioneer Mountains,
take Lanes Trail and
jewelry, soaps,
candles, and gifts.
monics and offers
free concerts featuring
SUN VALLEY, Kneadery (kneadery. stop at the picnic-
table overlook.
Then visit Sun Valley such celebrated
soloists as Joshua Bell
IDAHO
com; entres $9$12), Wine Co. (sunvalley
then walk over to wineco.com) to stock and Rene Fleming.
adventure outfitters LUNCH up on libations for your
Theyre known for winter the Elephants Perch Enjoy a well-earned alfresco dinner. LATE NIGHT
sports, but Sun Valley (elephantsperch.com). meal on the patio Head back to Ketchum
and neighboring Ketchum Tell staffers your at Bigwood Bread EVENING to go stargazing on
are equally vibrant in preferencestrail or (bigwoodbread.com; At around 5:30, stop by the roof of the Warfield
warmer months, when the off-road, lake or peak entres $11$18), in Rasberrys (rasberrys. Distillery & Brewery
mountains are awash in and theyll map out the center of town. The net; entres $14$16) (warfielddistillery.
artists, adventurers, a route and make sure menu is mostly salads to pick up a picnic box com). Abundant heat
and tech titans. you rent the right gear. and sandwiches, but (call in the morning lamps and fire pits
The Adams Gulch even the simplest to place an order), then (not to mention the
trailhead is a starting dishes stand out. Try stake out a spot on the house-made beer and
point for hiking and the chicken-salad lawn of the Sun Valley liquors) take the edge
mountain-biking trails sandwich or the kale- Resort Pavilion. off any evening chill.
ranging from moderate and-quinoa wrap with Early in the summer, elizabeth youmans

F RO M L E F T : N ILS R IB I; R AY J. GA D D. IL LU ST R ATI ON BY ME RY L ROW IN

C H EF A N D R ESTAU R AT E U R
I always go to the southern coast of
EDWARD LEE Maine with my family in August. Its there that
ON MAINE I discovered I love sailing. We get a real
captainI dont get my family lost at seawith
a gorgeous wooden sailboat with a 40-foot mast. I took my three-year-old
daughter about 10 miles out to sea. It was cold and windy, with salt
water crashing in our faces. Its not martini-in-your-hand, lounging-on-
the-deck kind of sailing. She was scared at first, but she loved it.
Its a part of nature that is beautiful and frightening at the same time.

66 travelandleisure.com
J&JCI 2017

Why Jennifer Garner never skips sunscreen,

even when its cold and rainy.
The sun is up there shining 365 days a year. Summer or winter, its UVA rays can pass through clouds, haze, even windows.
The more unprotected sun exposure you get, the greater your risk of developing skin cancer. In fact, 1 in 5 Americans will
develop skin cancer in their lifetime. Protection and early detection are the key to survival.
For sun safety tips and life-saving tools, like a free dermatologist skin cancer screening,
self-exam kit, and discounts on sunscreen products, go to ChooseSkinHealth.com

#ChooseSkinHealth with participation from

 From left: The Mariah Wright
House at Appomattox Court
House National Historical Park;
the entrance hall of Monticello.

questions: How to merge old and

new? How to reconcile the rural with
the cosmopolitan? And how to re-
member its complex past?

On a road trip from Richmond into From the vantage of

the Blue Ridge Mountains, tess taylor DAY 1 the interstate, it can
explores the places where the states complicated RICHMOND appear as if Richmond
past meets its dynamic present. paved over its Civil

W
War wounds with on-ramps and

F ROM L E F T: ST E P H E N SA KS / A L AM Y; E VA N SK L A R/ AL A MY. L E T T E RI NG BY CH A R LOTTE FA R M E R

parking lots. But off the freeway, the
hen I was a child, my family traveled often from our home in citys neighborhoodssettled, like
California to visit relatives in Virginia, where my father has Rome, around seven hillsare having
roots that go back more than three centuries. There were great- a renaissance. The old brick buildings,
aunts, ham biscuits, whole afternoons spent on the back porch once run-down, now house shops
absorbing family stories. Back then, the state felt like a place bursting with life. Soon to join them is
crowded with deft politenesses, historic-house museums, and the futuristic Steven Holldesigned
ancestral ghosts. But on recent trips, Ive noticed that Virginia Institute for Contemporary Art.
has become less ye-olde, more global. Its capital, Richmond, which After arriving, I checked in to the
once languidly muffled the merest ripple of the new, has embraced Quirk Hotel, a converted 1916 depart-
the current artisanal mood, as if recasting the states Jeffersonian- ment store where guests can dine at
farmer roots for the 21st century. In some ways, its hipper than the restaurant, Maple & Pine, under
Oakland, Kristen Green, a writer I know from Richmond, told me. original vaulted ceilings or order a
Kristen was one of several friends and family members who would cocktail at the rooftop bar. Then I
join me for stretches of a lazy loop from Richmond to Charlottesville headed out to explore with my aunt
by way of the Blue Ridge Mountains, then back to Richmond. While Martha, a Virginia native who has
much of this trip would be through places I have been visiting since lived in Richmond for nearly four
childhood, Id been wanting to absorb the changing Virginia. The decades. We didnt used to walk
Commonwealthwhere Thomas Jefferson, of whom I am a distant around here, she said as we wandered
descendant, helped forge American democracy while owning slaves the surrounding arts district. That
has always embodied American paradoxes. Today it faces American seemed a shame. Richmond is a

68 travelandleisure.com
 Grape gazpacho at
Rappahannock, a
restaurant in Richmond.

tremendously fun place to walk, and to eat. Chef Adam Halls Saison
Market in nearby Jackson Ward, where I saw a woman studying
Japanese amid shelves stocked with local bitters and jams, might have
been any hip spotbut then I tried the fried-chicken biscuit. As I bit
into the flaky wonder, I gasped: it was the best Id had since the last
time Id tasted my great-aunt Nancys in the Blue Ridge, years ago.
Whats the secret? I asked. Adams been experimenting, the wait-
ress said, winking. He puts in as much butter as the flour can hold.

I cant leave yet, I told Kristen the next day as we

DAY 2 headed downtown before I hit the road. Weve barely
INTO THE started. The Gothic faades made me think of one of
BLUE RIDGE
the citys most famous denizens, Edgar Allan Poe, but washboard kept time, a grizzled man
the energy in the streets was modern. Crisp blazers hung in the flag- named Wilford escorted me to the
ship of Ledbury, an excellent local mens-luxury-apparel company. We square dance. We shuffled. We
popped into Black Iris, an artist-run gallery and performance space do-si-doed. As we swung our partners,
where Poe has been honored with a raven stenciled onto the wall. We I looked each one in the eye. I could feel
grabbed lunch at Rappahannock, whose owners have been promoting how, on the cold rim of a remote
sustainable aquaculture in the Chesapeake region. The oysters had a mountain, a community needed to
clean, almost freshwater sweetness. To our delight, there was Prosecco dance together this way.
on tap. Kristen insisted on walking me by Mama Js, a classic soul-food
restaurant in Jackson Ward. As we opened the door, the smell of At the center of town
cobbler rushed out. I succumbed to the coconut cake. DAY 3 is a store called the
The two-lane road out of Richmond, lined with creepers and FLOYD Republic of Floyd. It felt
coppery streams, felt unexpectedly quiet after the excitement of the fitting for a town so
city. I passed Farmville, the college town where my grandparents met, radically its own: at once hardscrabble
and got out at Appomattox Court House, the place where General Lee and hippie. At the farmers market,
surrendered, now a national historical park. Stately 19th-century vendors sold fresh-dyed yarn, sausage
buildings edged emerald fields. The afternoon blazed honey. This, too, sandwiches from a makeshift griddle,
is quintessentially Virginian: stretching your legs on a battlefield. even kombucha. At one stand, I met
About 90 minutes later, I reached the mountain town of Floyd to join James Grant, a bearded craftsman
my friends Allison and Erika for a jamboree at the Floyd Country Store, with a callused grip who was hawking
a century-old restaurant, candy shop, and weekend music venue. It has stunning hand-turned wooden bowls.
become a hub for bluegrass enthusiasts traveling the Crooked Road, a When I asked if I could order one
network of rural highways linking music halls across a 300-mile stretch online, he pressed a card into
of the Blue Ridge. Outside, a man in a converted short school bus my palm. Just call, he said. Ill find
dubbed the Free Tea Bus handed out herbal tea. Inside, the accents were someone who can e-mail you.
thick, the ladies wore tap shoes, and the gents played spoons. Most Later, at Foggy Ridge Cider, an
N O RM SH A F E R/ TH E WAS H IN GTON P OST / G E T TY IM AG ES . M A P BY H A I SAM HU SS E IN

of the dancers looked over 70 or under seven. As fiddles wailed and the orchard so remote we felt we might
bump into Johnny Appleseed, Allison
and I tasted ciders made from 18th-
century apple cultivars. One of them,
First Fruit, comes from acidic Hewes
LE
CH AR LOTTES VIL crab apples of the sort Jefferson
64 75 miles
grew to make cider. Afterward, we
WV 81
wandered the orchards. I felt tremen-
196 miles VA dous tenderness for the gnarled trees,
for their deep roots.
RICHMOND A sharp wind blew and the clouds
APPOMATTOX
360 thickened, so Allison and I decided to
460 hightail it to Charlottesville. Crossing
210 miles PA
NJ Nelson County, we saw the storm
WV
Detail
spread over huge, quilted ranges. It
VA
area was stunning to behold, but I was still
20
FLOYD 0
NC relieved to reach Charlottesville and
MIL ES
ER the charming Oakhurst Inn.
FOGGY RIDGE CID

NC
travelandleisure.com 69
 The lobby of the Quirk
Hotel, in Richmond.

In many ways, this city is

DAY 4 the cosmopolitan heart of
CHARLOTTESVILLE Virginia. It feels like an
extension of Jefferson
himself, full of ambitious pursuits. I
strolled the Downtown Mall, a main
street that was pedestrianized in 1976, a
time when many downtown districts
faced the wrecking ball, and visited two of
my favorite clothing boutiques, Eloise
and Bittersweet. I ate a picnic from Salt, a
roadside stand, on the lawn of Highland, James Monroes estate, saw the cellar from
gazing at the unspoiled hills and the happy sheep wandering by. I met The which Burwell Colbert,
my historian friend Sara for dinner at C&O, a New American restau- Details the enslaved butler,
Hotels,
rant in an old railroad workers bunkhouse where the flavors are restaurants, retrieved cider made
delicate and bright, but the walls are crooked and bourbon- and historical from crab apples tended
sites, page 119
dark. An elderly woman in a classic plaid skirt reminded me of by Wormley Hughes,
my grandmother, 20 years ago. I felt a pang: I realized I love Virginia the enslaved gardener. We no longer
when it changes, but also when it stays the same. use the passive voice, Susan Stein, the
senior curator, told us. We include
Ive always been fascinated by Jeffersons plantation: everyone in the story.
DAY 5 the maps in the entrance hall, the book collection, the Afterward, we walked down to the
MONTICELLO 18th-century orrery, the dumbwaiter he designed to African-American cemetery at the
summon bottles of his cider. When I came here as a bottom of the mountain. As I listened to
girl, it was all about Jeffersons genius, as if America had sprung, fully the wind in the trees, I realized that
grown, from the great mans head. In recent decades, Monticellos Monticelloand Virginiacall to me
historians have worked to craft a fuller account. I wandered with my precisely because they embody the
cousin Gayle, who is African-American and also descended from thorny ways American roots and lives
Jefferson, through the inner workings of the estatethe kitchen, the are linked. Our ancestors are with
upstairs bedrooms, even the privythat are now open to the public. you, Gayle said. I knew she was right.
Among the most important of Monticellos changes is that it now As I drove back to Richmond, I sifted
acknowledges Sally Hemings, the enslaved woman who many histori- contradictions, thinking how I love the
ans believe gave birth to several of Jeffersons children. Gayle and I also way this states lush woods keep pulling
me backthe way they seem, on
every visit, to grow more resonant.

C O URT ESY OF Q UI R K H OT E L R IC H M ON D. IL LU ST R ATI ON S BY C H A RLOTT E FA RM E R

A GOURMANDS 2. DOVECOTE This
modern brasserie from
and Cape
Canaveral shrimp
topped with red bean,
matcha, or coconut ice
GUIDE TO chef Clay Miller in
downtown
and grits. theravenous cream. krungthep

ORLANDO
pig.com; entres teatime.com; sand-
Orlando serves $21$34. wiches $6$10.
enticing entres
Five delicious reasonsfrom like haddock 4. KRUNGTHEP TEA 5. 1921 BY NORMAN
elevated street food to high-end bouillabaisse TIME This Thai tea bar VAN AKEN The James
Floribbean cuisineto explore and chicken-and- in Winter Park pays Beard Award winner
beyond the Magic Kingdom. sausage cassou- homage to Asian street now serves his take on
let, plus creative foods like tom yum Floribbean cuisine
1. MORIMOTO ASIA complex, the menu is craft cocktails. goong and panang conch fritters, plantain
At Iron Chef Masaharu Pan-Asian, with dim- Stop by during the pork by re-creating flatbread, and Ponce
Morimotos place in the sum, like kakuni pork day for inventive
food scene, has them as panini-style Inlet barrelfish with
revamped Disney bao, and a Korean- baked goods like the
moved to a larger sandwiches. Dont skip charred Zellwood
Springs shopping-and- style buri-bop rice gibassier, an orange-
home, sharing space the dessert toasts, sweet cornin a con-
entertainment bowl. But the standout scented Provenal
is Japanese Wagyu with a brewery, verted
e home in Mount
pastry. dovecote
beef
e seared orlando.com; entres Cask& Larder. Chefs Dora. The historic
tableside on $16$38. James and Julie ie lakeside town is less
aan ishiyaki Petrakis use than an hour away
th
stone. disney 3. RAVENOUS PIG This local ingredi- from Disney and well
springs.com; popular Winter Park ents for their worth a visit. 1921nva.
entres gastropub, a pioneer pork belly with co entres $19$45.
com;
$16$46. of Orlandos emerging whiskey praline rachelle lucas
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 The Pris tine Lak es of

on
i ro
T hee Ad ir daack s
nd
a
on the shores of Great Sacandag
e is in my grandmothers arms
of me
One of the earliest pictures two mont hs old. Ive spen t
Mountains, when I was barely
Lake, in New Yorks Adirondack water-ski in the regions crystal wate
rs. This
to swim , sail, and
every summer since learning the St. Regi s Cano e Area .
taking our daughters to explore
summer, my husband and I are Uppe r St. Regi s, wher e, in August, the
camps are on the shores of the
Many of the great Gilded Age sailboats designed specifically
for
St. Regis Yach t Club host s races of Idems, unique 32-foot which is the Route
MI C H A E L T U RE K

most famo us of
e-and-portage trips, the
the lake. There are also cano itters, at canoeoutfitters.com.
)
ies. (Cra ft an itin erary with St. Regis Canoe Outf , silence
of the Seven Carr remotene ss. In the even ings
youll find serenity in the
However you spend your days, loons. MELIS SA VENTOSA MART IN
descends , and ther es nothing to listen to but the

72 travelandleisure.com
SO NIICE TO
MEET YOU
Something exciting for people with dry eye disease : )
Say hello to Xiidra
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Xiidra (pronounced ZYE-druh) is the
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common eye condition. Get to
know Xiidra ask your eye care
professional if its right for you.
Check it out at Xiidra.com
2016 Shire US Inc., Lexington, MA 02421 1-800-828-2088.
Marks designated and are owned by Shire or an afliated company. S11706 07/16
What is Xiidra? Xiidra is a prescription eye drop used to treat the
signs and symptoms of dry eye disease.
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or contamination of the solution, do not touch the container tip to
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before using Xiidra and wait for at least 15 minutes before placing
them back in your eyes.
It is not known if Xiidra is safe and effective in children under 17
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Please see the following page for Brief Summary of Safety
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 Patient Information
Xiidra (ZYE-druh)
XIIDRA (litegrast ophthalmic solution) 5%
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Read this information before you start using Xiidra and
each time you get a rell. There may be new information.
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Return unused single use containers to their original foil pouch to
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Keep Xiidra and all medicines out of the reach of children.
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The risk information provided here is not comprehensive. To learn more, talk
about Xiidra with your health care provider or pharmacist. The FDA-approved
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Marks designated and are owned by Shire or an aliated company. 2016 Shire US Inc.
US Patents: 8367701; 9353088; 7314938; 7745460; 7790743; 7928122; 9216174; 8168655;
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 travel
Upgrade smarter
CAR-TRIP
HACKS
Before getting
behind the wheel,
check this list.
BY SHIVANI VOR A

1 According to the
AAA, most breakdowns
can be prevented by
having your car serviced
before your journey.
Head to a mechanic at
least a week in advance
to have the oil and tire
pressure checked and
ensure that the battery,
brakes, and engine are
working properly.
2 While a growing num-
ber of new cars come
with inflation kits, most
still dont have spare
tires, including rental
cars. If you have a run-
flat or doughnut tire,
remember that those are
intended for short-term
use until the flat tire can
be fully repaired or
replaced. Consider
investing in a spare-tire
kit, which includes a tire,
jack, and lug wrench,
for $150 to $300.
3 Pack an emergency
kit that has distilled
water, a battery charger,
a first-aid kit, jumper

U R
cables, and flares or

YO
reflectors. Learn how to

E
use the jumper cables

I Z
before getting on the

I M
M A X A D T R IP
road. Look for video
tutorials on YouTube.
4 Bring an extra bat-
tery for your key fob.
Youd be surprised at
how many car keys die

RO
A b u mp e when people are on the

guide to r-to-bumper
road, leaving them
locked out of their cars,
smar ter, a smoother, says AAA spokesperson

s u mm e r an d s a f e r
Mariam Ali. In 2015,
AAA rescued more than
a d ve n t u r 4 million drivers
e. with dead key batteries.

Illustrations by Nico 189 travelandleisure.com 75

Upgrade
Native American fry
bread in New Mexico or 3 WAYS
barbecued pork in the
Carolinas. Check TO KEEP
out ams.usda.gov for
market schedules CHILDREN
across the country.
BUSY ON
THE ROAD
13 Dont miss out on
popular culinary hot
spots along your route.
TVFoodMaps.com has Experts share
curated a list of more their top tips
than 4,000 restaurants to keep kids
that have been fea- occupied without
tured on popular an iPad.

5
television shows such
as Diners, Drive-Ins CAR TIME IS FAMILY
and Dives. Roadfood. TIME. Eileen Ogintz, the
com lists hundreds founder of Taking the
of authentic, locally Kids, a site dedicated to
owned restaurants, family travel, suggests
which are usually parents use road trips as
a better option than opportunities to bond
fast-food chains. with their children by
14 Dont have any engaging in collective
place in your car to put activities. She recom-
your cell phone to view mends listening to an
your maps app? Use audiobook that all family
a binder clip and a rub- members are interested
If youre traveling on a major ber band to make your in and playing old-
fashioned games such
interstate highway, use the own phone holder
to clip onto air vents. as I Spy and I Packed
iExit app to get the lowdown 15 Consider using
My Grandmothers Trunk,
a memory word game.
on amenities at upcoming dryer sheets instead of
a standard car air INCORPORATE
exits, including gas stations, freshener, which can EDUCATION. Tamara
grocery stores, hotels, be pretty intense. Gruber, founder of the
Tie them to the sun family-travel-planning
and hospitals, as well as local visor instead of site We 3 Travel, advises
attractions. iexitapp.com. dangling them from
the rear-view mirror,
putting together word
puzzles and quizzes,
which can obstruct the such as ones with
drivers sight lines. surprising historical
6 Have a reusable 8 For multicity car 10 Pack a cooler of 16 Kendra Thornton, facts, related to your
president of Royal destination. Kids learn
glass or stainless- trips, pack an overnight non-messy, healthy
Travel & Tours travel something new about
steel water bottle for bag thats separate snacks such as baby
agency, advises break- what theyre seeing in a
each person in the from your luggage and carrots, apples,
ing up long car drives way thats personally
car and refill it along fill it with daily essen- grapes, boiled eggs,
by stopping every two relatable because
the way. Dehydration tials, such as pajamas and nuts. The protein
to three hours, theyre part of the expe-
can lead to headaches and toiletries. This and fiber in foods like
whether for a meal, to rience, she says. She
and crankiness. saves you from drag- these, Rich says, help
check out an attrac- suggests finding work
ging bulky luggage in stabilize blood-sugar
7 Packing and sheets via a Google
and out of the car every levels and digestion, tion, or at a rest stop to
repacking your car search or on Pinterest.
time you check in to a which can be thrown stretch your legs. DOCUMENT
can be time consum-
ing. Road-trip expert
hotel, Rich says. off during travel. When you take fre- YO U R T R I P STOP FOR EXERCISE.
quent breaks, the trip
Tamela Rich, the 9 Be prepared for 11 Clean bathrooms Bring along Kids need to release their
feels like a series of
author of three books, unexpected tolls by definitely make your manageable drives an instant pent-up energy with
advises loading bringing extra $1 and pit stops more pleas- instead of one intermi- physical activities, says
nonessential items $5 bills for booths that ant. For restrooms on
camera. Then Kyle McCarthy, founder
nable one, she says. use the
first, such as anything dont have electronic your route that you can of the travel-planning
BO OK BY SAN D RA FR OM TH E N OU N P R OJECT

you wont need toll collection, or in use without fear, check 17 Passengers should snapshots to site Family Travel Forum.
until your reach your case EZ-Pass or out sitorsquat.com, take turns driving. create a scrap- She suggests packing
final destination, FasTrak doesnt work diaroogle.com, or the And remember, neck book of your sports equipment such
and then put in items on your route. Also fill Bathroom Scout app. pillows arent just as a baseball and mitts,
adventures.
that youll rely on old pill bottles with for airplanes. Drivers a Frisbee, or a soccer
12 Farmers markets The smallness
throughout the quarters for easy can use them to ball and stopping every
drive, such as a counting at tollbooths are gold mines for nap between shifts. of the Instax few hours at a park or
picking up prepared
camera or a purse. or for parking meters. Mini 8 by a playground to let kids
The Parkmobile app, regional specialties, get their heart rates
Rich says, such as Fujifilm makes
which helps make upyou can join, too.
it handy to tote
parking-fee payment Running around is
simpler, is now being along on road something kids have fun
used in 36 major U.S. trips. amazon. doing and look forward
cities. parkmobile.com. com; $69.99. to, she says. S.V.

76 travelandleisure.com
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Upgrade

TO DR I VE
W
HO SEAS
OVER
Renting a car in a foreign country gives you the freedom
to discover places that are off the beaten path, but
youll need to do some research before you book, such
as what your expected daily fuel budget will be
(gasoline in countries like Iceland and Norway can cost
as much as $7.50 per gallon). The most important
rule? Always reserve in advance. Here are some other
key things to consider. BY MELANIE LIEBERMAN

on rental vehicles. But before you

G E T A N I N T E R N AT I O N A L
DRIVING PERMIT
A number of countries in Western
Europe, including the U.K. and
Ireland, will accept your U.S. drivers
license. But travelers venturing into
southern or eastern Europe
will typically need an International
Driving Permit. For $20, this
passport-like document can be
acquired from authorized entities
like AAA (aaa.com). It translates
your license into 10 languages and
makes it easier to rent a vehicle.
DECIPHER EUROPEAN
ROAD SIGNS
As of 1978, most countries have
standardized road signs. Auto Europe
(autoeurope.com/roadsigns) provides
a comprehensive list of common
signsas well as a few country-
specific ones (no passing tractors in
Sweden, for example, and Germanys
Autobahn entrance markers).
MAKE SURE YOURE INSURED
Chances are your credit card
includes a Collision Damage Waiver
decline the rental companys CDW,
check with your card company
to guarantee that your car is covered.
Certain countries may be excluded
(Ireland and Italy, for example),
and almost all credit cards will refuse
to insure exotic, antique, or premium
models (if youre driving an Aston
Martin across the English country-
side, youll definitely need to get extra
coverage). Find out how much your
deductible is; you may wish to spring
for a zero-deductible policy instead.
BRUSH UP ON LOCAL
TRAFFIC RULES
Research the laws specific to your
destination. While the United States
enforces a blood-alcohol concentra-
tion limit of 0.08 percent, many
European countries have much
stricter limits. In the Czech Republic
and Romania, for example, a drivers
BAC cannot exceed 0.0 percent.
There are other country-specific
laws to keep in mind, like cell-
phone and seatbelt use and
restricted-traffic zones monitored
by cameras (in many historic city
centers, traffic is restricted heavily).

3 SECRET WAYS TO GET The average airport rental in the U.S. costs
about $47 a day. But you can beat that rate with

CHEAPER CAR RENTALS these insider strategiesand maybe

1 2 3
even score an upgrade. BY CHRISTOPHER ELLIOTT

TRY LESSER- AVOID INSURANCE OUTMANEUVER FEES

KNOWN SITES.
The least competitive
deal might be the one
you find on your car-
rental companys site.
Instead, try an aggrega-
tor. Costco Travel
consistently offers lower
CLEANUP KIT rates than the major
online agencies (costcotravel.com),
Pack a bag and AAA has deals on Hertz rentals.
with wet (Memberships are required to access
wipes, paper these specials.) If you dont care about
which company you rent from, check
towels, hand opaque sites like Priceline and
sanitizer, Hotwire, both of which offer deep dis-
and trash counts, but dont reveal the rental-
bags to deal agency name until youve made a
nonrefundable purchase. Also try
with accidents AutoSlash.com, which searches a
or messes. database of coupons for the best price.
POTHOLES.
Your credit card, per-
sonal car insurance, or
travel insurance may
cover your vehicle
during your rental (see
Everything You Need
to Know About Credit
Card Insurance for
Rental Cars, page 82). Look it up
before you rent, and read the fine
print. It could save you $15 to $25 a
day on the cost of your car. Dont for-
get to bring proof of your insurance
coverage; increasingly, car-rental
companies have started to demand
this before they hand you the keys. A
site like Insuremyrentalcar.com can
sell you a stand-alone insurance
policy that costs a fraction of what
the rental companies charge.
AND INDUSTRY QUIRKS. PA P E R TOW E L BY V IC ON S D ES IG N F ROM T HE N OU N PR OJ ECT
If you plan on collecting
frequent-flier miles
with your car rental,
be aware that you
might be charged
up to $1 per day for
the privilege. Other junk
fees include renting
a toll transponder (about $5 a
day), a GPS navigation system (use
your smartphone instead), and
satellite radio (sometimes as much
as $8 per day). Rental companies
often price their vehicles in
peculiar ways, too. For example,
cars rented at the airport are almost
always more expensive because
of added taxes and fees. Rent
at an off-airport location and you
could save 20 percent or more.
HARRY POTTER characters, names and related indicia are & Warner Bros. Entertainment
Inc. Harry Potter Publishing Rights JKR. (s17) The Walking Dead 2017 AMC Film Holdings
LLC. All Rights Reserved. 2017 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved. 17-PRO-21039
Upgrade

1 AUTOMATIC 5 AUTOMATE
Youll need a Bluetooth- By using the voice-
or 3G-enabled adapter activated feature,
to use this multi- AutoMate makes it
feature app, which easy for drivers to ask
alerts you when youre for directions, check
low on gas or if youre weather updates, text
about to approach a or call friends and
turn. You can also use family, and operate
it to track expenses or music apps without
to split the cost of gas lifting a finger from the
with a friend. Android steering wheel.
and iOS; from $79.95; Android; bitspice.net/
automatic.com. automate/index.html.

2 GAS BUDDY 6 OPENBAY

Not only does Gas Fingers crossed you
Buddy track fuel prices dont experience any
at gas stations in the kind of engine or
U.S. and Canadause mechanical hiccups on
it to find the cheapest your trip, but if it does
options nearbybut it happen, Openbay will

10
also calculates how help you compare
much you will need repair prices based on
based on your itinerary your locationperfect
and the model of car for when you have no
youre driving. real idea of where

MUST-HAVE
Android and iOS; gas you are. Android and
buddy.com. iOS; openbay.com.

3 IONROAD
Use your phone as a
7 ICARMODE
This app lets you pull APPS FOR
ROAD TRIPS
dash cam. The apps up and control your
spatial-recognition music and GPS apps
feature will alert the from one screen. It will
driver if the car crosses also track where you
road lines or if you get parked your car, help Gone are the days of plugging in a stand-alone GPS unit
too close to other cars. you find nearby ATMs long-distance driving has become even easier with
It also works similarly and coffee shops, and
to an airplanes black send updates to let
the advent of smartphone apps that not only map your
box in case you need to you know how much itinerary and offer driving tips but also warn of speed
MAKE SOME

CA R I L LU ST RAT IO N BY C L A I RE JO NES FR O M THE NO U N PR O J ECT

capture any accidents. time is left on the traps and suggest pit stops. Here are 10free
Android and iOS; $0.99; parking meter. iOS; unless otherwise notedthat you should download before S PAC E
ionroad.com. icarmode.com. your next four-wheeled adventure. BY ERIKA OWEN Secure rooftop
cargo with a
4 ROADTRIPPERS 8 TOMTOM GO 9 WAZE 10 HIGHWAYHERO storage box.
RoadTrippers uses MOBILE This traffic-tracking Better than a Hows
Packasport
your GPS location to See your driving route navigation app from My Driving? bumper
find nearby detour- in multicolor 3-D. You Google is a must for sticker, HighwayHero makes a vari-
worthy pit stops, can also use it to avoid gridlocked urban tracks your driving ety of sizes
whether that means getting a speeding areas, and its real-time habits (how smooth and can also
great restaurants, ticket: its user commu- updates can save you your turns, starts, and
photo ops, cultural nity shares locations time. Users are stops are, if you accel- customize a
points of interest, or of law-enforcement encouraged to share erated too hard, and if hard-shell
quirky roadside attrac- cameras and speed information, like police youre checking your case for your
tions (Worlds Largest traps. Fees apply sightings, debris on the phone too much). It will vehicle. pack
Yarn Ball, anyone?). beyond 50 miles of road, or accidents also give you tips to
Android and iOS; use. Android and iOS; ahead. Android and improve your road asport.com;
roadtrippers.com. tomtom.com. iOS; waze.com. skills. Android and iOS. from $999.

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SO YOUVE
CRASHED
YOUR RENTAL
CAR. NOW
WHAT?
Heres how to make
the claims
process as painless
as possible.
E L ECT R I C I T Y
FO R O B TA I N A N A C C I D E N T
E V E RYO N E REPORT
Whether the damage is
Not enough extensive or as small
outlets as a dent, it is important
to charge to call the police and
devices for all report the incident. Be
passengers? sure to obtain the offi-
cers name, badge num-
Get a multi- ber, and phone number.
outlet adapter,
such as the
Anker 48W DOCUMENT THE
DAMAGE
4-Port USB
Car Charger. Take photos, ask for
the other drivers
walmart.com; contact information
$16.99. and insurance details,
and write down a

EVERYTHING
description, including
the date, time, and
location of the incident.

YOU NEED Does your credit card cover your rental car? Theres
really only one way to know: find your card-member
A S K F O R A S S I S TA N C E
Most rental companies

TO KNOW ABOUT
have 24-hour emer-
agreement and read it. If its not in the fine print, gency roadside service.
youre not covered. Also, call your personal auto If the damage is signifi-
cant, call the hotline.
insurance company in advance to see if your plan

CREDIT
The company can
will cover rentals. In most cases, youll have enough arrange a tow truck and
coverage between your credit card insurance and provide you with a
replacement vehicle.
your personal policy. But there are a few gotchas

CARD to look for. 1 You must use the card to rent the
car and decline the rental companys insurance at
FILE A REPORT
Make sure to fill out

INSURANCE FOR
the counter. 2 Credit cards generally provide an incident report
secondary insurance, meaning they pay costs above with the rental
what your personal policy covers. But some cards companymost can

RENTAL CARS
be done online. Its typ-
(Chase Sapphire Preferred, for example) offer
P LU G BY G REG OR C R ES N A R F RO M T HE N OU N P ROJ ECT

ical for agencies to

primary rental-car insurance as well. 3 Most credit ask that you file it
cards dont cover liability. You have to buy that within 24 to 48 hours
of an accident.
separately from your car-rental company or receive
it through your personal policy. 4 Some specialty vehicles, like exotic cars, vans, or trucks,
C O N TA C T Y O U R
may not be covered under your policy. Car-sharing services like Turo or Zipcar are generally INSURANCE PROVIDER
not covered by your card. 5 Your coverage may not work outside the country. Rentals in Israel, If you declined the rental
Ireland, and Jamaica, for example, are not covered by most major credit cards, and youll companys optional
coverage, contact your
need to purchase a separate policy when you rent a car in those countries. 6 Mind the many personal insurance pro-
exclusions. Most credit cards wont cover roadside assistance, notably the cost of a flat tire. vider to file a claim. The
Also, cards generally dont cover loss of use or diminution of value, which a rental company process will likely be
the same as if you were
will try to charge you if you damage one of its cars. Those expenses can account for upwards driving your own car.
of 20 percent of the cost of a damage claim, which usually has a $500 deductible. C.E. JOHN SCARPINATO

82 travelandleisure.com
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s t i l l or
s p a r k l i n g ?

A glass of champagne
at the Marion-Bosser
winery, in Hautvillers,
France. Opposite:
A vineyard near the
village of Avize.

Wh at w o u l d c h a m p a g n e b e w i t h o u t a l l t h e b u b b l e s ? A g ro u p o f a r t i s a n p ro d u c e r s
i n Fra n c e s s t o r i e d w i n e re g i o n i s d o i n g t h i n g s t h e o l d-f a s h i o n e d w a y
s a n s f i z z a n d t u r n i n g a w h o l e v i t i c u l t u re d e l i c i o u s l y o n i t s h e a d .

by Adam Leith Gollner photographs by Cline Clanet

 From left: Bresse chicken
at Racine restaurant, in
Reims; Elodie and Bernadette
Marion tend their vines; a
guest room at La Maison
de Rhodes, in Troyes.

I can t
stand
bubbles, announced Cdric Bouchard, a
scruffily handsome winemaker who
looks more like an indie rocker than
the producer of some of the most
rarefied champagnes in the world.
Bouchard talks quickly and has a lot to saymuch of it expressed in a rural
French version of skater slang. As we stood sampling his wines in the frigid cellars
beneath his home in Landreville, in southern Champagne, he decreed the delicate
pearlescence in one of his experimental cuves to be vachement monstre, quoi
the Gallic equivalent of totally gnarly. This was a good thing, bien sr.
Bubbles may be Bouchards pet peeve, but hes been finding radical ways to
discreetly incorporate them into his wines. His hallmark is a gently elegant
spritziness, as opposed to the Perrier-level carbonation found in many commer-
cial sparklers. Big bubbles are way too present in most champagne, Bouchard
continued. I hate it when you get a bottle with that expansive, nasty mousse.
There is no other word for it: I detestbubbles.

94 travelandleisure.com
 Champagne, a vast region roughly an hour and a half east of Paris, has long
been dominated by multinational luxury brands that sell industrially made
fizz. In fact, these big houses have cornered more than 70 percent of the market,
buying up grapes from vintners all over the region. Now a new generation of
rcoltants-manipulants (the private farmers who cultivate and keep their
own grapes) is rediscovering the areas little-known heritage of still wines.
Like Bouchard, these artisan producers are creating soulful, homegrown, and,
yes, sometimes bubble-free champagnes that are increasingly in demand.
Few people outside France have ever tried a sparkle-free wine from
Champagne, but these still wines, known as Coteaux Champenois, arent hard
to find locally. You can even buy them at the Autogrill rest stops on the highway
that runs through the region. Unfortunately, they are rarely exported. So for
wine lovers like me, part of the allure of visiting Champagne is the opportunity
to sample these non-bubbly treasures.
In the time it took me to finish half a glass of Bouchards ros champagne, its
effervescence (which began as a very fine bead) had dissipated entirely. Thats
exactly it! he explained, excitedly. I like it when the bubbles are there at the
beginning, in a subtle, silky wayand then, before you empty your glass, they
vanish! This allows you to see that what you are drinking is truly a vin de
Champagne: a wine from Champagne.
Bouchard is adamant that his wines, like all great ones, are capable of trans-
mitting terroir and the nuance of individual vintages. This notion is in direct
opposition to the way major brands standardize their wines, creating blends of
different years so that their nonvintage bottlings always taste identical. While
some champagnes by the luxury brands are excellent, this isnt necessarily true
Bubbles were considered
a fau lt i n w i ne s u nt i l
t h e 1 8 t h c e n t u r y.
 The wine shop
at Lpicerie au Bon
Manger, in Reims.
Opposite: St.-Pierre
dHautvillers abbey.

of their entry-level offerings, which
account for the vast majority of cham-
pagne consumed around the world.
Bouchards pursuit of finessed, less
bubbly wines actually dates back to an
earlier era of wine making in Champagne.
In fact, Louis XIVs favorite drink was non
mousseux wine from Champagne. Bub-
bles were considered a fault in wines until
the 18th century.
The legend goes that Dom Prignon,
a monk at the St.-Pierre dHautvillers
abbey, invented sparkling champagne by
accident. Come quickly, I am tasting the
stars! he exclaimed. The truth is that
Prignon was actually more concerned
with preventing bubbles from forming, as
they tend to do in this cold climate.
Champagne is a chilly place, even in
springtime. Upon my arrival, I noticed
that everybody was wearing scarves. The
regions famed underground
cellars, so vast that you can
The
Details ride trains through the laby-
Hotels, rinthine tunnels, are frigid
restaurants,
and wineries,
year-round. Champagne is,
page 118 after all, the northernmost
viticultural region in France.
And according to Bouchard, a frosty cellar
is one of the key factors in securing the
ultralight bubbles he favors in his
winesalongside low-pressure bottling
and not dosing it with added sugar.
Brcheet Fils, in the hamlet of Ludes,
is a prime source for bubbleless Coteaux
Champenois, as well as sparkling cham-
pagnes. I want to showcase the fact that
we make wine first and bubbles second
and to give people a sense of our terroir,
explained Raphal Brche as he walked
me through his familys winery. Like
Bouchard, Brche is one of the regions
younger vintners. Brches operation is
bigger than Bouchards, but an emphasis
on precision and purity can be seen in
all of the familys cuves, from their vari-
ous excellent sparklers to their red and
white Coteaux Champenois. The chal-
lenge is to prove that still wine deserves to
be made again in Champagne, he said.
98 travelandleisure.com
T h at n o n-f i z z y c h a m p a g n e h a s
s uc h a l o n g, i f l a rge l y
f o rgot t e n , h i st o r y i s p a rt o f t h e
re a s o n t h i s re g io n i s
re t u r n i n g t o it s ro ot s .
His red Coteaux Champenois is proof enough, as I discovered
when he opened a bottle of his Ormes Rouge Les Montes. The wine is a
refreshingly light-bodied Pinot Noir blend with notes of spices and straw-
berries. His white Coteaux Champenois is just as good, with more than a
passing resemblance to white Burgundy. As we tasted, he showed me
an old advertisement for his familys 1928 and 1929 vintages, including
Vin Brut de Champagne non Mousseux. It was yet another reminder
that stillwines arent novelties here.
That non-fizzy champagne has such a long, if largely forgotten,
history is part of the reason this region is returning to its roots. The one
snag with Coteaux Champenois is that it needs to be grown on the best,
sunniest slopespremium real estate. As a result, still wines can end up
costing as much as high-end bubbly champagne. There really isnt a
huge market for these still wines, Brche admitted, but thats not the
point. The point is to show what our landscape is capable of. Plus, like
mousseux champagne, its really good with food.
Many of the restaurants in and around Reims, the regions largest
city, are now showcasing these still wines along with the traditional
champagnes. The Michelin three-starred restaurant in the Assiette
Champenoise hotel offers more than 1,000 different champagnes (with
all levels of bubbliness) to pair with its particularly haute cuisine: truffles,
langoustines, foie gras, and sea urchin. Rich food like this needs soaring
aciditywhich you find both in champagne and in Coteaux Champenois.
Nearby, at Racine restaurant, where Japanese chef
Opposite, clock- Kazuyuki Tanaka prepares refined, artful dishes, the
wise from top sommelier recommended I try a glass of Mouzon
left: A guest room
at Htel Les Lerouxs LAtavique champagne with the deconstructed
Aviss, on the flower-scallop-cucumber dish I was eating. The bottles
Selosse vineyard; label explained its philosophy: Atavism: the reappear-
a Gothic portal at
Reims Cathedral; ance, in a descendant, of characteristics that belonged to
delicacies at an ancestor. This was a champagne made with the very
Lpicerie au intention to keep alive the qualities of champagne from
Bon Manger; a
picturesque the pastand it paired spectacularly well with my
street in Troyes. meal. It was simultaneously old-fashioned and forward-
thinking, as earthy as it was elevated.
I dont offer any of the grandes marques here, explained Aline Serva,
the stylish owner of Lpicerie au Bon Manger, referring to the big brands
of champagne. Her grocery store has several tables where you can sit and
wash down smoked salmon, Basque charcuterie, and sustainably farmed
caviar with a bottle of Coteaux Champenois from her well-curated selec-
tion. Serva also highlights a number of women-run Champagne domaines
in her selectionsa natural choice, since Champagne today has a strong
female wine-making presence, including producers such as Marie-Nolle
Ledru, Marie-Courtin, and Marion-Bosser. (Continued on page 120)
 Keralas lush,
forested Wayanad
District. The
Indian state is
renowned for its
prolific bird life.
 A Journey
of the
Heart
Far-flung destinations still called to
me, though differently now, as an es-
cape. I would not give up traveling. But I
wanted to go somewhere Id never been
with Jima place where no memories
existed and everything was new.
Still reeling from the loss of her husband, Kerala, India, was such a place: rich,
JOYCE MAYNARD traveled with her adult son to mysterious, exotic, unknown. I had
heard great things about the southern
Kerala, India, a destination steeped in exoticism. state along the Malabar Coast, a land of
Yet what she found most transformative colonial tea plantations and dramatic
beaches, rich wildlife, and winding
was not the place itself but simply canals dotted by wooden houseboats.
the state of togetherness. It seemed like the perfect place for a
person to go, if what she wanted was
something shed never seen before.
Still, as I had discovered with Jim,
a new place can feel richer when you

A
travel with someone you love. So I
asked my younger son, Will, if hed
come with me. To my surprise and
pleasure, he said yes.
Will, who is now 33, was schooled
early in the joy of travel, and has been
to every continent on the globe except
Antarctica. But it had been years since
wed traveled together. I knew on this
s a woman long divorced, my children grown and trip Id be learning about two things:
gone, I had been for many years a solo traveler. And India itself, and the joy of reconnect-
though there were times that I didnt enjoy sitting ing with my adult son. When was the
alone at dinner, looking at couples all around me, last time Id spent 18 hours sitting
I did love heading out into the world with nothing next to Will, on a plane or anywhere
but my backpack weighing me down. Like a rolling for that matter?
stone, I said. That was me. Never.
Then, just over five years ago, I met Jim, the man We knew that traveling to India
who would become my second husband. We had would be challenging, beginning with
been together only six weeks when he accompanied the long flight. And there is no easy way
me to Paris on a book tour. And heres what I discovered: I might not to adjust to a time change of 10-plus
need a man at my side, but I actually loved the presence of this one. hours. But Will and I soon discovered
Many adventures followed: Guatemala and New York, New England after landing in Kochi, Keralas famed
and New Orleans, and Paris again. In 2014, three years after we met, port city, that the challenge goes be-
Jim was diagnosed with cancer. Nineteen months laterafter a gal- yond mere jet lag. Its about what hap-
lant fight in which we continued to travel, even making it to the top of pens when you set out on the road.
a mountain in Chile on a trip for this very magazinehe died. And of The first stop on our itinerarya
the countless forms of grief that reverberated through my days after, boutique hotel called Purity, set on the
one was the loss of my travel companion. shores of Vembanad Lakecalled for

photograph by M A H E SH SH A N TA R A M travelandleisure.com 101

another two hours journey, to the town of Muhamma. We immediately Another popular activity involves
got a crash course in driving, Indian-stylean experience I can com- hiring a bamboo-decked houseboat to
pare to nothing Ive ever known, though if Id been a character inside explore the inland waterways, which
a video game, this form of getting from point A to point B might have many visitors do in the nearby town
seemed less bone-chilling. of Alleppey. Id seen pictures of these
Even in the hands of a good driver (and we had one, an unflap- boats, and was drawn to the rustic
pable guide named Ranjith), its unnerving at best. Im speaking to charm of their design, with their

P
the frequency with which ones vehicle must enter the opposite lane to round roofs and peaked windows, like
pass. One minute youre racing straight into the something from another century. Some
front of a truck. Veer right, and theres an auto- travelers choose to spend a night on a
rickshaw in your path. Through it all, Ranjith houseboat, but we had only booked one
assured us hed get us to our destination without for the afternoon. To our
difficultyand he did. surprise, however, we
discovered that far from The
Details
being a hundred-year- More on how
urity is billed as ideal for peace and quiet (and, old Keralan tradition, to travel to
Kerala, page
though this went unmentioned, for recovering the practice of renting 118
from the stress of getting there). Vembanad Lake a houseboat dates back
itself was wild with vegetation and unsuitable no further than 1991, when an enter-
for swimming, but we swiftly located the small prising businessman hit on the notion
infinity pool and a pavilion where guests could of using the vesselswhose original
contemplate the water and an impressively di- function was to transport rice and oth-
verse range of bird life. This we did, surrounded by honeymooners. But er goodsto carry passengers instead.
never mind. We had each other, and our trusty deck of cards. I have to be honest here: the house-
Because Purity was located pretty far from any beaten path, our din- boat experience, after the first 15 min-
ing options were confined to those at the hotel. The meals consisted of utes, was not that great. The scenery,
acceptable though by no means extraordinary Keralan dishes (princi- though pleasant, consisted of a lot of
pal flavors: coconut milk, tamarind, banana leaf, turmeric, and curry), other houseboats and the occasional
served at candlelit tables in the gardenthe first of many romantic jackfruit tree. At one point, things liv-
dining spots Will and I experienced together. When the person across ened up when we boarded a smaller
the table from you is someone you once grounded for shooting a BB gun boat to traverse a smaller waterway,
from the window of a station wagon, you may not feel inspired to stare where we observed families doing laun-
for long stretches into his eyes. Still, we had no shortage of things to talk dry, old men tending gardens, and, as
about. Thirty-two years worth, in fact. always in these parts, kingfishers and
And then there were the activities laid out for us. We rode bicycles cormorants, egrets and herons. If youre

L
through the rice paddies, water and workers on either side of us. a birderand we werent, but were
Kerala is a center for growing rice, and it made for a learning fastthere
great morning, pedaling through a network of paddies cant be many places
dotted with people and the vast array of birds that make more deserving of inves-
their home here. On this one ride alone, we saw ibis, tigation than this one.
egrets, three varieties of kingfisher, and herons, some
of them standing nobly in the fields, others swooping
overhead, calling out to one another. Though I was the ater, we took in another
one who taught Will how to cycle, running behind his Alleppey tourist staple:
two-wheeler on a New Hampshire dirt road, it had been a classical Indian dance
more than a decade since Id ridden a bike with him. known as kathakali,
Now he led the way, calling out to me when he spotted which featured a couple
something he didnt want me to miss, and slowing down of elaborately costumed
when I fell behind. actors on a small stage
Back at our hotel, we settled in the pavilion to sip tea and read our lined with drummers. They were re-
books. Whenever I travel, I bring along a novel or work of nonfiction set in enacting, without words, folk legends.
the country I am visiting. This time Id chosen a Rohinton Mistry novel, A If this had been an actual kathakali
Fine Balance. Willy was deep in J. D. Vances Hillbilly Elegy. For me, talking performance, it would have gone on
about a book has always served as a way of exploring larger questions, for hours, but for the tourist crowd
which, in Kerala, we actually had time to dotogether. the show was (Continued on page 121)

102 travelandleisure.com photograph by TOM PA R K E R

 Theres a phenomenon that happens, Ive learned,
after you take a trip with the person you love.
Some of the least enjoyable parts of your
journey become the most memorable.

Colorful boats
dot the waters along
Keralas Malabar Coast.
 A Chuck Close
photographic work
at the Henry Art
Gallery. Opposite:
Frank Gehrys
building for
the Museum of
Pop Culture.
GRUNGE
Tech money is transforming Seattle,
bringing with it a newly polished
populace. Can it also establish
the Pacif ic Northwest city
as an art and culture powerhouse?

BY CARL SWANSON
PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAVE LAURIDSEN
 I couldnt help thinking of the citys other train,
the famous Jetsons-age monorail built for the
1962 Worlds Fair. It once represented an idea
of Seattles futurebut it was clear to me as
I watched the city go by that that future has
arrived, and was being built and rebuilt right
before my eyes.
Of course, the spectacular geography is as
Ive always known it, since I started coming here
to visit friends and family a decade ago: against
the dark Puget Sound with Mount Rainier off in
the misty distance, it remains one of the most
gorgeously improbable urban settings. But the
city that always seemed a bit unsure that it

ON THE
wanted to commit to even being a citymaybe
it was better to just go for a hike instead?is
now a cluster of busy cranes. Before my visit, the
Seattle Times had reported that it has become
the crane capital of America, with 62, triple the
number in New York City, which had the most in

40-MINUTE
2015. Ten thousand new housing units are open-
ing this year, which is a lot for any city, let alone
one with 700,000 residents.
Emerging onto the surface of the city at the
University Street station, near the Seattle Art
Museum (SAM), it was easy to forget the easygo-

LIGHT-RAIL
ing, somewhat threadbare place Seattle was in
the aftermath of the grunge years, when it had a
bit more of an informal, ragamuffin vibe. It was a
time when people I knew from college moved
out here to build an agreeable alt-civilization
tucked safely away off the global grid, with con-

RIDE FROM
venient skiing. My friend Tricia Romano,
the editor of the alternative weekly The Stranger,
who had lived here in the 1990s and then
returned a few years ago, told me recently that
back then it was all about independent busi-
nesses and the underground. Now the place

SEATTLE S
that I used to think of as Berlin in the Cascades
has morphed into something else, like that
amiable stoner friend from college who, when
you do a Facebook deep-dive, suddenly you find
has become a Silicon Valley big shot with a house
out of an HBO miniseries.

WELL-POLISHED
Theres lots to recommend about the
grown-up Seattle, of course: I stayed at the sleek
new Thompson hotel, which is an elegant place
that could be anywhere prosperous in the world,
only with a jaw-dropping view of the sound from
my room and an excellent locally owned restau-
rant, Scout. The city is only becoming slicker:

AIRPORT TO
up the hill from the hotel, Amazon is building a

Opposite:
A sculpture by
Dale Chihuly
at the Seattle
Center.

,
 What I once thought of as the
Berlin of the Cascades has
morphed into something else.
$4billion campus that centers on three inter-
connected biospheres containing waterfalls,
a river, and tree-house-like overlooks, all kept at
72degrees, with 60 percent humidity, a climate
similar to Costa Ricas Central Valley. I imagine
it as a fantasy terrarium for nerds, a sort of
amniotic playground for the digital ruling class.
From Boeing to Costco to Microsoft to
Starbucks (and even Nirvana), Seattle has long
been home to a surprising number of innova-
tions and innovative brands, and the wealth that
they bring. Early money was in timber, then
shipping, and now big data. The current digital
boom has made it more populous, and richer,
than it ever has been in its history, thanks, most
prominently, to Amazon, but also to companies
like Google and Facebook and Alibaba, which
have set up shop in its orbit. As a global tech hub,
it is also a lot more transient and increasingly
expensive. From 2015 to 2016, 86,000 moved
in, and one city official told me that 70percent
of the population has lived there for under five
years. As a result, the once bohemian city on
a constrained, hilly isthmus between the sound
and Lake Washington has become a mainstay
on those least affordable places lists. This just
in: the prices of downtown condos jumped
nearly 50 percent year over year. Like San
Francisco, it is filled with young, educated, often
very well-paid people.
Almost as a first order of business, the new
wealth demanded good food, and the city is now
awash in culinary achievement both high and
low (see: Chinapie, a popular pizza and dump-
lings joint). Romano said the skaters have now
been replaced by foodies. It seems like thats
all people want to do when they hang out, she
said. I dont get asked by friends to go to shows,
Clockwise from
plays, museum openings, but to dinner and top left: Pivot
drinks. She does have friends who are inter- Art& Culture,
ested in culture, but fine dining seems to be the a contemporary
space opened
default social currency. We have so much food. by Microsoft
Im so sick of food, she told me, sounding cofounder Paul
mock-weary of the citys increasingly elaborate Allen; London
Pane, a small-
rounds of cutting-edge delectation. plates restaurant
But even as the area has become wealthier, near Occidental
more global, and more delicious, many locals Square; a work by
Richard Serra at
have been frustrated about what they see the Olympic
as a lack of other, non-outdoorsy things to do. Sculpture Park.

travelandleisure.com 109
If the property values are heading
the way of San Francisco, its time for
the cultural offerings to catch up.
We have everything that you need, but we just
dont have much of it, Romano said. Theres
good theater, the excellent Elliot Bay Book Co.,
and some legendary music venuesNeumos and
the Showbox and the Crocodile. Pioneer Square
and Capitol Hill have monthly art walks, which
are well attended, even if they are as much social
events as opportunities for collectors to browse.
If the property values are heading in the
direction of sister digital city San Francisco, goes
the thinking, its time for the cultural offerings
to catch up. And there are encouraging signs.
Olivia Kim, another New York friend who was
lured out to Seattle a couple of years ago to take
a big creative job at Nordstrom, is one of the
optimists. Over breakfast at a place called Mr.
West, which she noted approvingly could be in
Brooklyn, she said Seattle was increasingly
interested in fashion, art, stylethings that
in the past didnt seem to have a big impact.
Culture. Were begging for it here, she said.
If theres one person in Seattle who has long
been supportive of the arts, its Paul Allen,
a founder of Microsoft and a prominent arts
philanthropist (and owner of the Seahawks
Above: The view
football team). Sue Coliton, who for more than from the Thompson
a decade oversaw Allens cultural grants, put Suite at the
things in perspective over dinner at Eden Hill, a contemporary art space that opened in one Thompson Seattle.
Opposite: The
an exquisite storefront restaurant in the quaint of Allens buildings in Lake Union, the formerly iridescent skin
neighborhood of Queen Anne. industrial zone where Amazon and other tech of Frank Gehrys
When I moved here eighteen firms have their offices. Pivot sponsored SAMs Museum of
The years ago, she said, what struck exhibition Seeing Nature, which consists of Pop Culture.
Details
Hotels, me was the deep history of litera- 39 European and American landscape paintings,
restaurants, ture and music. She was referring from Jan Brueghel the Youngers allegorical
and art
spaces, to the citys old guard, who liked series of the five senses through to Monet,
page 119 their cultural evenings to be Manet, Georgia OKeeffe, Edward Hopper,
traditional and discreet. The Gerhard Richter, and Ed Ruscha.
visual arts were very conservative. You could These join other blue-chip art spaces spon-
see that at the Seattle Art Museum. Faberg eggs sored by the citys tech billionaires, like the
was the big show. Olympic Sculpture Park, a nine-acre outdoor
Vulcan, Allens foundation, has built or museum with works by Calder, Mark di Suvero,
financed a host of cultural projects all over the Richard Serra, and Louise Bourgeois on a former
city, including the recent Pivot Art & Culture, industrial site down the hill from the Space
Needle. It opened in 2007 with support from
John Shirley, the former president of Microsoft
and a prominent art collector who now organizes
(with Vulcan) the three-year-old Seattle Art Fair.
It brings out-of-town galleries, including
global heavyweights like (Continued on page 121)

travelandleisure.com 111
 T OW NS A N D

V I L L AG E S

T H ROUG HOU T

ISR A EL A R E

I N T H E M I DS T OF

A C U L I N A RY

R E N A I S S A NC E

T H AT C E L E BR AT E S

T H E R E G ION S

H I S T ORY A N D

T H E DI V E R S I T Y

OF I T S PE OPL E . The minaret of

Al-Jazzr Mosque, in
SA K I K N A F O Akko, seen from the
Efendi Hotel. Opposite:
Whole fish baked in
BR E A K S PI TA . parchment paper with
butter and herbs at
Majda, in Ein Rafa.
Photographs by
Sivan Askayo
EVERYONE
to

the

THE MENU
DE SC R I BE D
THEM
A S FA L A F E L
BA L L S . At least, they werent like any
falafel balls Id ever tasted,
T H E Y W E R E and Ive tasted many. During
my 30 years of visiting Israel,
SH A PE D I have become something of
an expert on falafel, and I
can tell you that it is a quint-
L I K E FA L A F E L essentially humble food.
For generations, the people
BA L L S . of the Fertile Crescent have
been dropping clumps of
BU T T H E Y mashed chickpeas into vats
of sizzling oil, and while the
recipes vary, they dont vary
W E R E much. What you dont expect,
when you order falafel, is to
NOT FA L A F E L bite into a rose-gold sphere
of succulent shrimp dusted
BA L L S . ever so lightly in panko. But
that is what you get when you
order the falafel at Majda, an
acclaimed restaurant in the hills outside Jerusalem. My wife,
Lila, and I spent a lovely afternoon on the terrace there last
summer, taking the first of many bites on a trip across a coun-
try that is in the process of joyfully reinventing its cuisine.
When I visited Israel as a kid in the 1980s, the food was
nothing special. My dad grew up on a kibbutz where oranges
grew in sprawling groves, but most of the fruit ended up in
crates bound for Europe. In the dining hall, the orange farm-
ers stirred orange-flavored syrup into cups of seltzer. Before
the tech boom, Israel had no restaurant culture to speak of.
The only restaurant I can remember was a grill at a gas station
where the no-nonsense servers slapped down steaks tough
enough to patch a tire. By then Israeli Jews had developed an
infatuation with Arab street food (falafel, hummus, cucumber-
and-tomato salat) but hadnt yet become hip to their neigh-
bors more complex dishes, which werent commonly served
outside the home, like shurbat freekeh, a soup of green wheat,
and maqluba, a many-layered casserole of rice, eggplant, pota-
toes, cauliflower, and sometimes meat. Most Jews were still
getting to know the land and what it offered. How was a kib-
butznik raised by Polish or Moroccan immigrants supposed
to understand what to do with the plumes of sumac that grow
wild in the Judean Hills? What did the children of the diaspora
know about the mixture of local wild herbs called zaatar?
114 travelandleisure.com
A generation later, Israeli chefs receive glowing coverage
in the worlds top food magazines. Most gastronomes worth
their Maldon sea salt have heard of Meir Adoni, who helped
put Tel Aviv on the international fine-dining map when he
opened the celebrated Catit in 2002. Though Adoni closed it
and its more playful sibling, Mizlala, last December to con-
centrate on opening his first New York City restaurant, Nur,
he still has two other establishments in Tel Aviv, Blue Sky and
Lumina. But while much has been written about Tel Avivs
new culinary temples, the fine cooking of the countryside,
where the ties to the land are strongest, is less well known. So
when I took Lila to Israel for the first time, we planned a side
excursion from Jerusalem to the desert in the south, then to
the hills in the north, skirting the urban sprawl in the middle,
eating wherever we went.
Religion doesnt interest Lila; I couldnt see her getting
excited about a hike up Masada. Fortunately, though, she is
fond of the work of Yotam Ottolenghi, the pioneering Israeli-
born chef whose 2011 cookbook Jerusalem contributed fur-
ther to the surge of excitement over modern Israeli cuisine.
Thanks to Ottolenghis brilliant and distinctive way with the
multiethnic flavors of his native land, Lila associates Israel
not just with God and the Conflict but also with the sultry
appeal of smoked eggplant, mashed with a fork and bejeweled
with pomegranate seeds. I promised her that there was more
where that came from.
I
n Jerusalem, the sun burned hot and bright, and
only the shady maze of the Old City offered an escape.
We walked the stone streets, fending off the shop-
keepers with their stockpiles of oil lamps and wooden
camels. At last it was time to eat. Rather than cede a few
shekels to vendors hawking sesame-encrusted Jerusalem
bagels (bigger holes, lighter dough), we left the commotion
of the city behind.
Olive and pine trees dotted the brown fields. We turned off
the highway onto a narrow road and began our crawl through
the Arab village of Ein Rafa. We got lost a few times but even-
tually found it: Majda, a surf shack of a restaurant painted
the same shade as the sky, with accents of pistachio green
and pomegranate red. Ottolenghi had proclaimed it one
of his favorite restaurants in Israel, which seemed to bode
well. We sat in the leafy, overgrown garden, where wild herbs
and flowers spiced the air and the mismatched tables were
topped with salvaged mosaic tiles. Sunlight filtered through
the canopy of branches.
Majdas husband-and-wife owners, Yaakov Barhum
and Michal Baranes, are central to its appeal. Barhum
is Muslim; Baranes is Jewish. Stories of thriving Arab-
Israeli couples are so rare that if the restaurant served only
schnitzel, it would be a remarkable place. Suffice it to say,
the restaurant doesnt serve schnitzel. We began with that
surprising falafel, then moved on to a flaky white fish
crammed gills to tail with woody stalks of herbs. It arrived
in a parcel of burnt parchment paper twisted at the ends,
with a puffy white blossom for decoration. The cast-iron
pan of peppery tomato sauce and fresh sardines was a fishy
riff on shakshuka, the beloved Middle Eastern dish of eggs
poached in a vegetable ragot.
 Clockwise from above:
Uri Jeremias, the chef-
owner of the Akko restaurant
Uri Buri, at a nearby
shuk; the second-floor lobby
at the Efendi Hotel; a
spinach-and-citrus salad at
Uri Buri; the seawall around
Akko, which has stood
for nearly three centuries.
 OU R
SE RV E R
A N NOU NC E D
T H AT
T H E R E WA S
NO M E N U.
The Negev desert near
Carmey Avdat Farm, in
southern Israel. Opposite:
THEN THE
A few of the dishes
at Habait, in Ein Hawd,
including tabbouleh,
M A R AT HON
hummus, stuffed grape
leaves, and mansaf
(lamb with saffron rice). BEG A N.
 After the meal, we wandered into the kitchen, where
Barhum greeted us with an easy smile, put down the bowl of
harissa he was mixing, and told us about the origins of the res-
taurant. He and Baraneswho was juggling four or five pans
on the stovemet some 30 years ago while working together
at a guesthouse at a nearby kibbutz. They fell in love, and she
moved to Ein Rafa to live with him. There she
began learning traditional cooking from his
The
Details sisters and mother. Eventually she started to
Hotels and channel their recipes into something new. The
restaurants, restaurant attracted a following in Israel, but
page 118
its reputation didnt explode until 2013, when
Anthony Bourdain featured it on Parts Unknown. Majda is now
famous in Israel both for what it serves and for what it symbol-
izes, and Barhum seemed well aware of his role as an ambas-
sador for cultural harmony both inside the kitchen and out.
When you look at history, Muslims, Jews, Christians always
fightingwhy? he asked us. Why not be gentle? and hiked up a sandy slope scattered with boulders and scrub
T
he next day, we drove south into the Negev des-
ert, through scrubby hills that gave way to stubbly
wheat fields, which then turned to canyons slash-
ing through barren expanses of rock. The grape
vines appeared out of nowhere, tucked into a fold between
two parched slopes. Hannah and Eyal Izrael, the founders
of Carmey Avdat, built their vineyard 18 years ago on the
remains of an ancient Nabatean settlement. Evidently, the
Nabateans had figured out how to grow grapes there 1,500
years earlier: the land had been terraced to capture water
from the flash floods that sweep across the desert in winter.
We stayed in one of the guest huts, in a kind of glamping
setup complete with pebble floors and a stone plunge pool
just outside the door. Hopping between the pool and a ham-
mock in the shade of a fig tree was a relaxing way to wait out
the heat. When the immobilizing sun finally began to sink
behind the rocky outcrop overlooking the farm, we ventured
down to the winery for a tasting.
Most Americans ideas about Israeli wine dont go beyond
the syrupy stuff you might knock back at Passover. But over
the past two decades, acclaimed boutique vintners have
sprung up throughout the country. A decade ago, Robert
Parker, the high priest of wine critics, gave top marks to two
Israeli wines, including the 2003 Yatir Forest, a red from a
winery an hour north of Carmey Avdat. Im no Robert Parker,
but the Chenin Blanc from Shvo Vineyards I had with dinner
one night in Tel Aviv was light and floral and, all in all, pretty
damn good. Though Carmey Avdat helped launch the wine
trend in Israel, it isnt at the level of some of the countrys
newer labels. But it gets the job done. We grabbed a carafe
grass that overlooked the vineyard. Previous travelers
Nabateans, bedouinshad scratched inscrutable symbols
onto the stones. Night was approaching, and the desert,
stretching as far as the eye could see, was turning gold.
A
t the shuk in Jerusalem, we had stocked up on
snacks for the road trip: dried pineapple, salty-
sweet banana chips glazed with date juice, and
dried hibiscus flowers, garnet-colored and just
tart enough to summon memories of the Sour Patchfueled
road trips of our youth. Our route passed through the ruins
of infrastructure built for much earlier road-trippers. We
stopped to tour what was left of Avdat, a city founded in
the third century B.C. by Nabatean (Continued on page 123)
travelandleisure.com 117

Our guide to this months featured destinations, including the best places to eat, sleep, and explore.
CHAMPAGNE,
FRANCE
(Still or Sparkling? p. 92)
HOTELS
Htel Les Aviss A renovated
10-room chteau in the heart of
the Cte des Blancs. Its restaurant
serves traditional dishes and
features an extensive wine list
curated by legendary winemaker
Anselme Selosse. Avize; selosse-
lesavises.com; doubles from $268.
FIT FOR
A KING
In addition to wine,
Champagne is rich with history.
Visit Reims Cathedral,
a UNESCO World Heritage
site where French
kings were coronated. reims-
cathedral.culture.fr.
La Maison de Rhodes This
hotel is housed in a centuries-old
architectural marvel and has a
lovely medieval garden just a few
blocks from the cathedral in
Troyes. maisonderhodes.com;
doubles from $224.
LAssiette Champenoise
This property on the outskirts
of Reims is popular for its
Michelin-three-starred restaurant.
Tinqueux; assiettechampenoise.
com; doubles from $199.
RESTAURANTS
Aux Crieurs de Vin A natural-
wine bar known for its fantastic
country cooking and store
stocked with plenty of organic
champagnes and other French
varietals. If you see a bottle
of Jacques Lassaignes white
Coteaux Champenois, get it.
Troyes; auxcrieursdevin.fr.
118 travelandleisure.com
The Details
Glue Pot This pub is among the
best places in the region to get
classic bistro fare. Reims; fb.com/
glue.pot; prix fixe from $13.
La Gare This restaurant inside
a former railway station in the
village of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger is
run by wine-making estate Robert
Moncuit. Its bistro cooking is as
good as its blanc de blancs. lagare
lemesnil.com; prix fixe $28.
Lpicerie au Bon Manger
Stock up on groceries and the
finest artisanal champagnes after
grabbing a bite to eat at Aline
and Eric Servas store. Reims;
aubonmanger.fr.
Racine To experience the
full range of Kazuyuki Tanakas
meticulously composed
dishes, go for the $100 Daisuki
tasting menu. racine.re; tasting
menus from $75.
WINERIES
Brche et Fils This family-
owned companys domaine in
Ludes, in the Montagne de
Reims region, can be visited on
Fridays at 10:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.
by appointment. bereche.com.
Champagne Georges Laval
This popular domaine sits on a
tiny side street in Cumires. It
produces only a limited number of
bottles of Coteaux Champenois a
year, so make sure to snag one
while youre there. georgeslaval.fr.
Champagne Marion-Bosser
Situated next to Dom Prignons
abbey in Hautvillers, this domaine
has a simple two-bedroom apart-
ment available for rent by the
night. champagnemarionbosser.fr.
Jacques Selosse To do a tasting
here, guests must stay at the
owners hotel, Les Aviss, and
prebook a spot at one of Anselme
Selosses VIP tastings, which cost
$32 per person and are held at
6p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays
and 11 a.m. on Saturdays.
selosse-lesavises.com.
KERALA, INDIA
(A Journey of the Heart, p. 100)
GETTING THERE
There are three international
airports in Kerala: Kochi, Calicut,
and Trivandrum. Each can be
reached from the United States
via a stopover in New Delhi or
Persian Gulf cities such as Dubai,
Abu Dhabi, and Doha, Qatar.
TOUR OPERATORS
Black Tomato This operator
offers bespoke trips to the region.
They recommend visiting between
October and March and staying for
at least 10 nights. blacktomato.
com; from $2,900 per person.
Butterfield & Robinson
Offers 16-night private trips
to the Alleppey canals, the
temples of Mysore, and colonial
Kochi. butterfield.com; from
$9,995 per person.
Our Personal Guest Features an
itinerary with three nights in a sea-
facing suite at Brunton Boatyard
and two nights aboard an extrava-
gant houseboat. ourpersonalguest.
com; $11,785 for two people.
Wild Frontiers This operators
14-day trip includes a stint on the
luxury boat Lotus and accommo-
dations at Neeleshwar Hermitage,
a tropical resort, before ending
in Kochi. wildfrontierstravel.com;
from $3,699 per person.
ISRAEL
(Everyone to the Table, p. 112)
HOTELS
Akkotel This 16-room boutique
hotel is embedded within Akkos
old city wall. The rooftop caf
offers a superb view of the skyline
and the Mediterranean. akkotel.
com; doubles from $200.
Carmey Avdat Farm Built on the
site of a 1,500-year-old Nabatean
settlement on the historic spice
route through the Negev desert,
this working farm near Sde Boker
LOOK TO
THE SKY
includes a winery and six modest
but comfortable cabins with
stunning desert views. carmey
avdat.com; doubles from $174.
Efendi Hotel A hotel situated
within a pair of renovated
Ottoman-era mansions in Akko
run by restaurateur Uri Jeremias.
It has 12 rooms with preserved
trompe loeil ceilings, a restored
400-year-old hammam, and
a 900-year-old cellar turned wine
bar. efendi-hotel.co.il; doubles
from $330.
RESTAURANTS
Endomela Jeremiass ice
cream shop in Akko, up the street
from his restaurant, Uri Buri,
is a showcase for flavors native
to Israelincluding cardamom,
rose water, and halvah.
Ha-Hagana St.; 972-4-955-0481.
Habait BeEinHud Inside
this hidden gem in Ein Hawd with
sweeping views of the Mount
Carmel range and the sea, there is
no menu, only an endless parade
of deliciously authentic Palestinian
meze and meat dishes. 972-53-
809-4937; $31 per person.
Majda This diminutive, unpreten-
tious restaurant in Ein Rafa,
in the hills outside Jerusalem, has
earned an outsize reputation
thanks to its playful way of turning
regional staplesfrom falafel
to kebabson their heads. majda.
co.il; entres $21$35.
Uri Buri The Uri is for owner Uri
Jeremias, while the Buri is for fish.
And fishalong with a choice of
more than 80 Israeli winesis
what youll get at this spot in Akko
overlooking the Mediterranean.
Its prepared in creative ways that
reflect the sensibilities of the
chef. Ha-Hagana St.; 972-4-955-
2212; entres $18$35.
Roughly 600 bird
species call
southern India home,
I LLU STR ATI ON S BY H OL LY WA LES
and Kerala is
the perfect place
to spot many,
including kingfishers,
ibis, and herons.

Seattles musical
heritage is on full display
at Sonic Boom.
The independent record
store hosts live music
sessions and sells
cassettes, CDs, and vinyl.
sonicboomrecords.com.
THE UNITED
STATES OF
DISCOVERY
GRAND CANYON, ARIZONA
(We Three in an RV, p. 44)
To stay overnight at American
national parks during the summer
months, you may need to
make a reservation nearly a year
in advance. If you didnt, reserve
a spot at an RV park. The Allstays
app locates and reviews options
nearby. allstays.com.
Apollo Motorhome
Holidays This Australian
company recently began operating
in the U.S. In addition to motor
homes, it rents camper vans
and 4WDs in Denver, Los Angeles,
Las Vegas, and San Francisco.
apollorv.com.
DAUPHIN ISLAND,
ALABAMA
(An Island in Alabama, p. 56)
Dauphin Island Harbor House
Located across the street
from the islands western beach,
this family-run B&B has 10
modest guest rooms, a sundeck,
and boat slips with lifts. diharbor
house.com; doubles from $149.
Fort Gaines This fort on the
islands eastern tip was a key site
in the Civil Wars Battle of Mobile
Bay. dauphinisland.org/fort-gaines.
Isle Dauphine Supper Club
A circular 1960s restaurant
and event space with panoramic
views of the beach, its the only
upscale establishment on Dauphin
and the best place for a surf-
and-turf platter. isledauphine.com;
entres $10$29.
HIGH
NOTE
Lighthouse Bakery Set
in a charming 1912 home near
the marina, this year-round
restaurant serves delicious coffee
and pastries until 3 p.m. fb.com/
lighthousebakery.
HUMBOLDT COUNTY,
CALIFORNIA
(California by Kayak, p. 60)
Otter Bar Lodge This renowned
kayaking school, which sits
on the Salmon River in Klamath
National Forest, offers weekly
programs for boaters from May
to August. To reach it, take the
lodges Saturday shuttle to and
from the closest airport, Arcata-
Eureka, about 2 hours away.
Rogue Valley International-
Medford Airport, about 3 hours
away in southern Oregon, has
more flights, so some guests fly
there and rent a car. otterbar.com.
VIRGINIA
(Sweet Virginia, p. 68)
C&O Restaurant A local classic,
open since 1976, serves delec-
table New American concoctions
in a former bunkhouse for C&O
railroad workers. Charlottesville;
candorestaurant; entres $15$32.
Floyd Country Store A place
for sandwiches, ice cream, hard
candy, and authentic Appalachian
music, especially during the
famous Friday Night Jamboree.
floydcountrystore.com.
Foggy Ridge Cider Sample the
hard cider at this restored
18th-century farm in the town of
Dugspur. foggyridgecider.com.
Mama Js A Richmond staple
for mouthwatering soul food and
cakes to die for in a cozy dining
room. mamajskitchen.com;
entres $8$15.
Monticello Americas third
presidents plantation is a case
study in the states complex
relationship with its own history.
Charlottesville; monticello.org.
Oakhurst Inn Elegant rooms and
suites in chic, walkable, down-
town Charlottesville. oakhurstinn.
com; doubles from $169.
Quirk Hotel A sophisticated
property in a repurposed 1916
department store, with a rooftop
bar offering cocktails and views of
downtown Richmond. destination
hotels.com; doubles from $270.
Rappahannock Oysters
Harvested from four sustainable
aquafarms in the Chesapeake and
Chincoteague Bays, the oysters
here offer a perfect balance of
brine and creaminess. Richmond;
rroysters.com; entres $24$32.
Saison and Saison Market
Chef Adam Halls downtown
restaurant has added a side
market that sells local goods and
delicious fried-chicken biscuits.
Richmond; saisonrva.com;
entres $15$27.
Salt Purveyor of high-end picnic
fare in a rustic former gas station
on the Thomas Jefferson Parkway.
Charlottesville; saltcville.com.
SEATTLE,
WASHINGTON
(Grunge Grows Up, p. 104)
HOTELS
Ace Hotel This renovated former
maritime workers hotel is the
brands original property. Belltown;
acehotel.com; doubles from $219.
Thompson Seattle A sleek,
glassy hotel above Pike Place
Market with breathtaking views
of Puget Sound. Stop by Scout,
the hotels restaurant, for upscale
versions of regional fare, like
dry-aged beef with smoked
asparagus and red-wine syrup.
thompsonhotels.com; doubles
from $239; entres $23$33.
RESTAURANTS
Chinapie Pizza and dumplings in
the up-and-coming neighbor-
hood of Fremont. chinapieseattle.
com; entres $9$26.
Eden Hill This adorable temple to
freshness and seasonality is an
idealized version of a small-town
restaurant. Queen Anne;
edenhillrestaurant.com; small
plates $12$35.
Mr. West A hip downtown caf
with delicious pastries,
doughnuts, and avocado toast.
mrwestcafebar.com.
Sisters & Brothers Jake Manny
fell for Nashville hot chicken
and brought it to Seattle by
opening this place, which also
has kitschy objects and a view
of Boeing Field. Georgetown;
sistersandbrothersbar.com;
entres $12$26.
GALLERIES & MUSEUMS
The Henry Located on
the University of Washingtons
campus, this gallery has long
been the best place to see
contemporary art in Seattle.
henryart.org.
James Harris Gallery A go-to
since 1999, known for featuring
well-regarded local artists
like Mary Ann Peters and Akio
Takamori. Pioneer Square;
jamesharrisgallery.com.
Mariane Ibrahim An internation-
ally recognized gallery showing
a small roster of artists, from
Italian photographer Mamouna
Guerresi to installation artist
Clay Apenouvon. Pioneer Square;
marianeibrahim.com.
Pivot Art & Culture Microsoft
cofounder and philanthropist
Paul Allens contemporary
art space in Lake Union. pivotart
andculture.org.
Seattle Art Museum The
citys increasingly ambitious
museum mixes relatively
spare European holdings with
impressive Native American
works. Downtown; seattleart
museum.org.
Studio E A standout gallery in
an industrial neighborhood south
of the city thats now a hive of
activity for artists priced out of
downtown. Georgetown; studioe
gallery.org.
TK Lofts Opened in June
2004, this multi-gallery building
is one of the best stops on the
First Thursday art walk in Pioneer
Square. tklofts.com.
Content in this issue was produced
with assistance from Adventures
by Disney and Quirk Hotel.
travelandleisure.com 119

(Champagne, continued from page 98)
Many young winemakers hang out
at Aux Crieurs de Vin, in Troyes,
which is an hour and a half south of
Reims, not far from Bouchards vine-
yards. Once the regions prosperous
capital, Troyes has stayed delightfully
stuck in time, filled with slanting,
centuries-old, half-timbered houses,
giving it the feel of a Shakespearean
set. Aux Crieurs de Vin specializes in
no-frills French-country cuisine in a
historic building in the center of
town. The front section is a wine
store where you can pick up a bottle
of natural wine, like a Savart or a
Jacques Lassaigne, to drink with your
andouillette or roasted lamb in the
back dining room.
Vincent Laval, who makes wine
under his fathers name, Georges
Laval, is one of the regions elder
statesmen. His family has been
growing grapes here since at least
1694, and his father is seen as a pio-
neer in organic viticulture. When I
visited his winery in Cumires, a vil-
lage not far from Dom Prignons
abbey, Laval, bearded and burly,
greeted me. He was eager to show me
the intricacies of making his various
wines and champagnes. He pointed
out two kinds of vine root systems
planted on the walls of his cellar. On
one side were vines that had been
treated with pesticides and synthetic
fertilizers. Their roots were shallow,
growing horizontally across the top
of the soil. Next to them were vines
grown organically, with roots that
grew vertically, deep into the ground,
in search of nutrients. This method
may produce more grapes, he con-
ceded, pointing at the shallow roots.
But these grapes, he turned back to
the organic roots, have a more pro-
nounced minerality, a greater aro-
matic complexity, a much stronger
depth of flavor.
He offered me some of that years
120 travelandleisure.com
vin clair, the freshly fermented wine
destined to become champagne after
undergoing the mthode champenoise
to add bubbles. These still wines are
different from Coteaux Champenois
in the sense that they arent a final
product. They tasted luminous, with a
haunting floral perfume, somewhere
between jasmine blossoms and wild
irises. Vin clair transmits the essence
of Champagnes terroir, Laval
explained. Its a reminder that real
champagne is an elemental thing, a
gift of the soil tilled by actual crafts-
people as opposed to a product neces-
sarily destined to be marketed as a
luxury good.
As good as his vin clair was, Laval
stressed that it was not a finished
wine. It is still taking its form, he
explained. And it becomes even bet-
ter with bubbles. After all, bubbles are
what we are! Laval makes small
quantities of all his different wines
and champagnesaround 10,000
bottles a year, as compared with the
26million bottles Mot & Chandon
produces annually. And he makes his
red Coteaux Champenois only in cer-
tain years. The one I was lucky
enough to try had a lovely, slightly
tannic, cherry-juice quality.
Like Laval, Domaine Jacques
Selosse is renowned for the rarity
and the qualityof its bottlings. This
maison is run today by sixtysome-
thing legend Anselme Selosse, a cen-
tral figure in the viticultural
revolution, whose wines fetch signifi-
cant sums. Selosse makes a wide vari-
ety of champagne at his cellar in
Avize. (Its a family operation: his son,
Guillaume, works with him at the
winery while his wife, Corinne, helps
run a small, elegant hotel inside the
chteau.) A tasting here is an oppor-
tunity to experience everything that
Champagnes terroir is capable of
specific parcels, vintages, blends, and
styles. Selosse surprised me by men-
tioning that he even makes a Coteaux
Champenois, although he does it in
such small batches that he ends up
giving most of his bottles as gifts to
friends and family.
Our whole aim is to highlight
where our wines are made, Selosse
said. What is champagne? It is a wine
from Champagne. You need to be able
to taste where it is from, which means
it shouldnt be insipid or neutral.
When you get a sparkling wine made
by a technician you cant tell where it
was made.
Selosse has the ability to explain
Champagnes complexities in simple
terms. The idea of terroir exists all
over the whole planet, he said as
songbirds chirped away in the back-
ground. The United States, for
example, has barbecue culture. I
always tell Americans to think of bar-
becue as a way to explain whats hap-
pening here in Champagne. Sunday
barbecue has an ambience around it,
a ceremonial aspect, a way of doing it.
The sauces and the rubs and the
methods of marinating or smoking
differ from state to state and from
region to region and even from pro-
ducer to producer. The same thing
applies with champagne.
Although Selosse doesnt sell
Coteaux Champenois wineshe
says theyd be too expensiveI was
ecstatic to taste his red wine, the
Lubie rouge, when I visited. As soon
as I tried it, I could tell that it is what
wine used to be in Champagne: a
wine for kings. It had a sensationally
floral bouquet: a combination of rose,
raspberry, and lychee. It was a
glimpse into the past, yet as I tasted
it, I also felt like I could see a future
in which bubbleless champagne
could become as important as it
once was.
A bubble is, in effect, a defect
but what a remarkable defect it is,
Selosse pointed out. Its a fault that
became an accessory. And now that
accident is part of the texture of our
wines. Its an espuma in the mouth,
like a pillow your taste buds recline
on. Its something that gives consis-
tency. And really, we dont have the
choice: our identity is in the bubbles.
But what about the fact that all
champagnes used to be still wines? I
pressed him.
Centuries ago? he retorted.
Nobody today knows what those
wines were really like. The fact is,
tradition is something that renews
itself. Tradition does not mean
being bound by the past. It simply
means respecting those who came
before, and knowing where youre
headedwhile simultaneously living
in the present.

(India, continued from page 102)
kept to an hour. Though the whole
thing proved interesting, an hour felt
sufficient. For the rest of the trip, Willy
and I practiced exchanging kathakali-
style glances, heavy on exaggerated
raising of the brows, fierce grimaces,
and heavy-duty eye rolling.
From Muhamma, we headed north
by train to Nileshwaran eight-hour
journey. Though wed procured tick-
ets in first class, we concluded that the
cheaper seats, though marginally less
comfortable, were superior on two
counts: the air-conditioning wasnt
frigid, and there were large windows
from which we could see the country-
side. Eight hours later, we were finally
rewarded with our favorite stop of
the journey: Neeleshwar Hermitage,
a sprawling resort made up of attrac-
tive cottages overlooking the spectacu-
lar Malabar Coast. At Neeleshwar, we
started our days with a tonic of lem-
on, ginger, and mint, and platters of
fresh fruit, consumed in the garden
with crashing surf beyond us. I swam
in the ocean several times a day, near
what might have been the most perfect
stretch of sand Id ever set foot on. In
between, Will and I sampled ayurvedic
spa treatments, took an Indian cook-
ing class, and shared long talks on the
porch of our bungalow. I read my book;
Will played his guitar. And I reflected
on how good it can be to simply share
a space with a person you love, even
when no words are exchanged.
I could have happily stayed on
at Neeleshwar, but our tour opera-
tor had other ideas: a game preserve,
Nagarhole National Park (accessed
after another somewhat harrowing
five-hour drive), where our quarters
at Little Bison resort consisted of an
African-style tent with a nonfunction-
ing telescope. The first afternoon, we
set out on a boat that allowed us to see
more astonishing birds, as well as a few
elephants, a wild boar, a crocodile, and
a host of deer. For the next two days, we
woke early to stake out a watering hole
in hopes of seeing a tiger. Sadly, we nev-
er did (though the sightings of Nikons
with impressive lenses were plentiful).
We ended our trip at the Tranquil
Resort, in Wayanad, where we walked
manicured paths around the cof-
fee plantation and shared meals with
our fellow travelers and Indian hosts.
The only uncomfortable moment oc-
curred when a guide accompanied us
to a nearby village, where the people
seemed to live in total isolation from
the outside world. I had expressed un-
ease at the idea of tromping through
their village this way, and though our
guide assured us that there would be
no issue, their unsmiling faces sug-
gested otherwise. As did the explana-
tion, offered toward the end of our
outing, that the villager whod walked
alongside us had been dispatched to do
so to avoid any trouble.
My son and I cut the visit short at
this point.
So heres the truth: our trip to Kerala
was disappointing. When it was over,
and Will and I reflected on the high
points, we agreed that the bird life was
terrific, we loved watching elephants
wander in the wild, and wed eaten
some great meals. And I cant think
when we had a better time together.
There is a phenomenon that hap-
pens, Ive learned, after you take a trip
with a person you love. Later on, some
of the least enjoyable parts of your
journey become the most memorable.
Now, I expect Will and I will laugh
about those six hours we spent at the
watering holewaiting for the tiger
that never showed up. I look forward to
the moment when we will be together
and shoot each other a kathakali-style
eye roll, and understand.
Theres always something to take
away from any journey. You got to swim
in the moonlight on the Malabar Coast.
You dined on prawns as big as your
hand, drenched in seasonings youd
never known before. You watched a
kingfisher, blue as the brightest Crayola
in the box, swoop over an inland wa-
terway. And along the way, you learned
something. That in Kerala, for example,
a second-class ticket may be preferable
to one in first. Even better, I have come
to decide, after my long years of travel-
ing solo: Why not buy two?
(Seattle, continued from page 111)
David Zwirner, to complement the
work of ambitious local galleries
like James Harris and Mariane
Ibrahim, which are in a building full
of mostly emerging spaces in Pioneer
Square called the TK Lofts. (On view
when I was there: a collaborative
multimedia experience about
the LGBTQ experience by the artist
Laura Rodriguez.)
If the city is becoming something
of a serious art town, thats because,
as Shirley told me, its the thing
that happens in any city in which
T
people want to live.
he SAM, which was founded in
1933 by a prominent local doc-
tor with a taste for Asian art,
has been run since 2012
by Kimerly Rorschach, who
has been trying to put it on
the contemporary-art map. I
came here because I thought, What
are these global companies going
to mean for the Seattle Art Museum?
she said when I met her in her corner
office amid the skyscrapers down-
town. Huge things are happening,
and, as you know, any art museum
is tied to the fate of its city.
She said that Seattle has responded
enthusiastically to her contemporary
and experimental programs, men-
tioning the long lines that weekend
for Jacob Lawrences amazing
Migration Seriesa depiction of
African-Americans moving to the
North to find jobs and freedom. She
expects an upcoming Yayoi Kusama
exhibition to be a blockbuster.
Sylvia Wolf, the director of the
Henry Art Gallery, a museum at the
University of Washington, just north-
east of downtown, has been on the
vanguard of contemporary art for
years. As soon as I met her, she took
me to the museums James Turrell
Skyspaceofficially named, in
travelandleisure.com 121
(Seattle, continued from page 121)
what must be a kind of terrible pun
on the local weather, Light Reign
and she told me that the whole
place has changed in the nine years
since Ive been here. Its been explo-
sive and exponential. Its incredible.
Wolf came out west from the
Whitney Museum, in New York City,
where she was a photography curator;
one of the Henrys strengths has
always been its photography collection.
On my visit, she walked me through
an extensive Chuck Close show, and we
peered into a gallery where workers
were packing up Paul McCarthys
enormous, perverse, Bernini-esque
sculptures of Disney characters.
Across town is the Museum of Pop
Culture at the Seattle Center, which
started out in 2000 as the Experience
Music Project, another Paul Allen ini-
tiative. This one indulges his enduring
fascination with rock music (dont
forget, Jimi Hendrix was a local). The
multicolored crumpled blob by Frank
Gehry is not considered one of the
architects more successful composi-
tions (locals dubbed it the hemor-
rhoid) and as a curatorial endeavor
has had its fits and starts. But as a
monument to nerd culture, its defi-
nitely worth the trip. Nearby, the leg-
endary radio station WEXPwhich
you can stream anywherehas built
out lavish studios and a coffee shop
and performance space from which
you can watch DJs work behind
glass. John Gilbreath, a jazz DJ I met
through Coliton, showed me the
stations grunge reliquary, where
original recordings by Nirvana and
Green River are kept on display, com-
plete with DJ commentary scrawled
on the sleeves. (These guys will
be remembered for years to come
because they know how to write
HOOKS! wrote one prescient
employee. Another complained: Four
months in rotation? with an arrow
pointing to that famous Nevermind
cover with an infant swimming
toward money. This little brat
probably has armpit hair by now!)
You cant overstate the role music
still plays in Seattle. One night
Gilbreath, who is also the executive
director of the arts group Earshot
Jazz, drove me up to Caf Racer, near
the university, to watch earnest and
122 travelandleisure.com
fresh-faced young people play avant- space, Studio E, which was originally
garde jazz with systematic passion. supposed to be a lighting showroom
(Maybe Ryan Goslings character in but has morphed, by happenstance,
La La Land had given them all hope.) into a gallery that looks like it
The room was filled with vintage could be in New Yorks West Chelsea
paintingsincluding an entire wall of art-gallery district.
clowns. Gilbreath told me, drolly, The All are well worth an Uber trek.
bad thing about Seattle is you can The whole area still feels like a fron-
always make a living as an artist here. tier town, and the margaritas at El
So what is left of the citys edgi- Sirenito, a biker bar turned Mexican
ness? For the most part it has moved restaurant, are a great end to any
south, near Boeing Field. One after- adventure. But given the fact theres
noon, I journeyed out to Georgetown, a place called A Dogs Dream Natural
an industrial neighborhood on the Pet Supply a few doors down, you
south side of the city where the artists should go before the forces of
have had to move, to meet S. Surface, gentrification shake even this place.
a gallerist who prefers to be referred The scruffy optimism of
to with the pronoun they. Surface is Georgetown reminded me of a friend
one of the partners in a space called from college, Grant Cogswell, who
the Alice and came to Seattle from moved to Seattle in the mid 1990s and
New York City two years ago. They became a municipal celebrity for a
were wearing large earrings that read while. Cogswell started a crusade to
feminist on one ear, 4 life on the extend that old stubby, retro-futuristic
other. We went to Sisters & Brothers, monorail throughout the city. His
a kitschy fried-chicken joint overlook- plan, impractical and visionary, actu-
ing an airstrip, where they talked ally won a ballot initiative in 1997 (by
about the sense of possibility that a six-point margin), and, when the
still exists in a place like Seattle, if it city put up roadblocks, he ran for city
doesnt give in to consumerism. council (and lost). His quixotic story
The Alice is in a creaky old build- was turned into a movie called
ing with a series of cluttered, making- Grassroots. Seattle then was L.A. in
things-up-as-they-go-along art 1952, he said in one old article I found
spaces. The gallery had just closed when I Googled him (hes since
a group show called Everyones decamped to Mexico City). I thought
in 3-D, which was, to say the least, we could still turn the tide.
delightfully loosely curated. Some Instead, the city was flooded with
of the works were still there the day money, and talent, and ambition, and
I stopped by, including a spangled this brave new sense of itself as a city
banana called Fetish Still Life. of the world, not a place tucked away
Upstairs, in an attic-like space, the from it. Even the locals arent sure
gallery Interstitial was showing post- what it will look like in five years with
Internet work, including the arrest- all the new people and all the high-
ing, fragmented, selfie-inspired rises crowding the sky. But the food
surreality of the feminist video artist is great. And while the light rail I rode
Kathleen Daniel. A few blocks away is in on from the airport might not be a
what is probably the most elaborate monorail, it got built and works well.
Travel + Leisure (ISSN 0041-2007). May 2017, Vol. 47, No. 5. Published monthly 12 times a year by Time Inc. Affluent Media Group,
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(Israel, continued from page 117)
incense traders passing through the
Negev on camels.
From there, we drove up the coast,
past Tel Aviv, toward Habait BeEinHud,
a showcase of traditional Palestinian
cooking in the Arab village of Ein Hawd,
near Haifa. There are two things that
are challenging about eating at Habait.
The first is getting there. Google Maps
guided us only as far as a town in the
valley below. As the road thinned
and the pines and cedars thickened,
the nice lady in my phone instructed
us to take a right at missing name.
Locals directed us to the restaurant, a
two-story block of concrete and glass
with a sweeping view of the hills and
the sparkling Mediterranean beyond.
Our server, wearing a T-shirt that said
#girlboss, announced that there was
no menu. Then the marathon began.
First came cold salads and dips
hummus, baba ghanoush, pickled
cauliflower and carrots and olives, tab-
bouleh that consisted almost entirely
of parsley, spicy red mahoumarra.
Then lentil soup, bright and complex,
its broth so fresh I would not have been
surprised to find the head of a chicken
still blinking at the bottom of the bowl.
I glanced at the bread basket and
saw that our server had provided
only a single pita. Naively, I asked for
more. #Girlboss gave us a sideways
look before retreating to the kitchen. I
would soon understand why.
The hot appetizers included cigars
of rice rolled in vine leaves as delicate
as nori and stuffed peppers bathed
in tomato sauce. Then came the roast
chicken with a dipping sauce of piney
herbs. And the chunks of slow-cooked
lamb snuggled against a golden
cupola of rice. And the misshapen,
nutty lamb cakes drowned in tahini-
thickened gravy.
By now, you can probably guess the
second thing that is challenging about
eating at Habait.
I think there is no more, our
server announced after we confessed
that we were feeling full.
Oh, but there was. Despite her
promise, she set down four more
plates before finally leaving us. By the
end of two hours, we had somehow
vanquished most of 30 dishes.
As we staggered out of the restau-
rant, an Israeli tour bus pulled up.
IsraelisJewish Israelislove Arab
cooking. Maybe it has something to
do with a hunger for a certain kind of
authenticity, a visceral connection to
the land that the Jewish people only
dreamed of during all those years in
exile eating matzo ball soup. Whatever
the reason, Ein Hawd has benefited
from Habaits popularity in at least
one unexpected way. The village got
connected to the electrical grid only 10
years ago, after an executive from the
national power company came to the
restaurant for lunch and learned that
her amazing meal had been cooked on
a stove powered by a generator.
W
e continued on to Akko,
also known as Acre, an
ancient walled city on the
sea near the Lebanese
border. The route followed the dips
and curves of the Mediterranean coast
before plunging into a tunnel bored
through Mount Carmel, the ridge
that lies just below Haifa, Israels
third-largest city. We stopped at a
lively beach nestled in the hammock
of shoreline between Haifa and Akko,
where locals snacked on watermelon
and puffed on hookahs. Sitting there,
listening to the competing streams of
techno surging from the sound sys-
tems of multiple cafs, we could see the
medieval contours of Akko in the dis-
tance, the old clock tower and the pine-
green minaret rising above the rough
stone houses and the famous seawall.
The city is known for an unusual
coming-of-age tradition: boys become
men in the eyes of their friends by
diving 30 feet from that wall into the
sea. As we strolled along the top of the
wall that evening, we saw a young man
take a running leap and plunge head-
first into the waves.
Come morning, fishmongers would
set out plastic crates of their gleaming
catch in the snaking stone alleyways
of the shuk, and in the little dens built
into the walls, hummus maestros
would dole out bowls of the famous
Akko versionchunky, with a topping
of whole boiled chickpeas and minced
parsley. Akko is what is known in Israel
as a mixed city, home to Muslims,
Christians, and Jews. During the
Crusades, it served as the main port
for traders bearing goods bound for
Jerusalem, and it retains the relatively
open-minded sensibility of port cities
everywhere. That spirit of inclusivity
is what inspired the chef Uri Jeremias
to make it his home. We should live
together, he explained after our meal,
because there is no other choice.
Jeremias, a Buddha with a Moses
beard, had never worked in the food
industry before opening Uri Buri in
1989. The restaurant has since become
renowned for unpretentious seafood
that defies categorization, ethnic or
otherwise. As Jeremias explained,
What the dishes have in common is
that I like to eat them. We agreed to
let the kitchen choose our dishes,
omakase-style. Each featured a sur-
prising combination of the freshest
ingredients, simply prepared. We
had the sense that Jeremias was toy-
ing with our assumptions about what
Israeli food should be. How else to
explain the flash-seared nuggets of
tuna in a creamy sea of olive oil and
yogurt? Who but a trickster deity
of the kitchen would have looked at
a plate of thinly sliced salmon, soy
sauce pooling in the gentle folds, and
thought, What this needs is a scoop of
wasabi ice cream?
In 2012, Jeremias opened a hotel near
Uri Buri called the Efendi: 12 airy rooms
in a painstakingly refurbished Ottoman
palace. Nearby, he has an ice cream
shop, Endomela. He took us there the
morning after our dinner to sample fla-
vors like cardamom and guava. I had
never tried cardamom ice cream before,
not in Israel, not anywhere, and like so
many of the things Id tasted on the trip,
it made me think about how much the
countrys cuisine had evolved since the
days of orange syrup on my fathers kib-
butz. Later, in the marble lobby of the
Efendi, I asked Jeremias if he had
changed his own cooking since opening
Uri Buri back in that era. Frowning and
placing his hands on his belly, he
invoked an ancient Hebrew expression:
God forbid if not.
travelandleisure.com 123
 Worth Flying For
THE WAVE in
COYOTE BUTTES , ARIZONA
Illustration by Josie Portillo
I
n desolate northern Arizona, hidden within
the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness,
lies one of the worlds most inaccessible
geological wonders: the Wave, an undulating
rainbow of Navajo sandstone in shades of amber,
copper, ocher, and umber, created by wind and
water erosion over the course of millions of years.
Because of the fragility of this Jurassic-age phenom-
enon, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management limits
access, issuing only 20 hiking permits each day.
Hopeful visitors must apply via a monthly online
lottery or in person at a daily drawing at the
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
visitors center in nearby Kanab, Utah.
After five years of unsuccessful attempts, I was
finally picked through the online lottery. I approached
124 travelandleisure.com
beneath an overcast sky, walking through a
landscape littered with desert oleander and flying
disc and hedgehog cacti, all resplendent with
pink, yellow, and white blossoms. The entrance to
the Wave appeared as a slit high in the wall of a
butte. As I got closer, the striations of the sediment
unfolded like a tapestry. I entered the canyon cradle,
which widened to reveal the Waves full majesty.
During the final ascent, rain began to fall. Runoff
cascaded down the side of the cliff, and almost
instantly, the landscape changed colors before my
eyes. The deep reds and oranges of the earth took
on darker hues, creating what I thought impossible:
an even more breathtaking display of natural
beauty. For permit information, visit blm.gov/az/
paria. CHRISTOPHER TKACZYK
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