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36 Hours in Quebec City
October 13, 2011
The New York Times
By NOAH ROSENBERG
QUEBEC is a city of delightfully stark, yet virtually seamless
contrasts; centuries-old fortification walls lead to chic open-kitchen
restaurants, and cobblestone streets give way to bike paths and innovative art
institutions. The enchanting Francophone capital of Quebec province, and one of
the oldest cities in North America, Quebec City received a major face lift
before its 400th anniversary in 2008. Perhaps more significant than the new
boutique hotels, revitalized parks and gleaming cultural centers was the overdue
attention the city finally received, which continues to propel it forward.
Quebec City, a historic, cultural and culinary center beside the St. Lawrence
River, has emerged from the long shadow cast by its ever popular neighbor,
Montreal.
Friday
3 p.m.
1) CLASSICS, DONE RIGHT
When it comes to cuisine, Quebec City might as well be Paris West, with its
no-holds-barred amalgam of traditional French, native Québécois and innovative
farm-to-table offerings. Best to start with the basics. On a narrow winding
street in Old Quebec, Café Chez Temporel (25, rue Couillard; 418-694-1813) is a
deliciously classic French cafe, with windows made for people-watching. The
36-year-old spot plays a gentle mix of folk and French music — a lovely
soundtrack for eating the perfect croissant (2 Canadian dollars, about the same
in U.S. dollars) or a slice of quiche Lorraine with a salad (8.75 dollars) and a
café au lait (2.75 dollars) among the locals.
4 p.m.
2) SCALE THE WALLS
Feel history with your feet as you wander Old Quebec, a Unesco World Heritage
Site with car-free streets, towering monuments and 17th-century homes. You can
detour through the opulent lobby and cliffside boardwalk of the hotel Fairmont
Le Château Frontenac, but for a truly peerless perspective on the city’s history
and geography, you must do a little scrambling. Head up the staircase at the
corner of Rue St.-Louis and Côte de la Citadelle and climb onto the wide, grassy
fortification wall that rings the old city. Walk north on the wall (one of the
most intact defensive city walls in North America) among the cannons and the
sunbathing, dog-walking, hand-holding residents. Hop off at Rue St.-Jean.
6:30 p.m.
3) CHOCOLATE, BOOKS & BEER
With its colorful brick buildings and fashionable boutiques, bars and
restaurants, the hilly Rue St.-Jean, beyond the old city, sheds its tourist tone
and becomes the chic St.-Jean-Baptiste neighborhood. Stop at Choco-Musée Érico
(634, rue St.-Jean; 418-524-2122; chocomusee.com) for a cocoa history primer and
savor a buttery-smooth chocolate filled with pecans and salted caramel. Then
peruse the classics and future classics among the secondhand books at the
Librairie St.-Jean-Baptiste (565, rue St.-Jean; 581-999-095; librairiesjb.com),
a bookstore-cum-coffee-shop and beer bar. Finally, quench your thirst on the
art-filled terrace at Bar Le Sacrilège (447, rue St.-Jean; 418-649-1985;
lesacrilege.net), with 13 local beers and one cider on tap.
8:30 p.m.
4) WINE-DRIVEN DINING
“It’s all about the wine,” said a waiter-sommelier at Le Moine Échanson (585,
rue St.-Jean; 418-524-7832; lemoineechanson.com), even as plates of crème brûlée
au foie gras and Catalan-style duck confit made their way out of the kitchen in
this small five-year-old restaurant. The seasonal small-plates menu changes four
times a year, depending on the selection of organic and natural wines in stock.
Dinner for two, including wine, is about 120 dollars. For a down-homey
alternative, head to La Cuisine (205, rue St.-Vallier Est; 418-523-3387;
barlacuisine.com), a restaurant and bar outfitted like a retro university
student’s apartment. The vintage furniture is for sale and the kitchen is open,
with a decades-old stove and a pair of microwaves churning out Québécois comfort
food like croque monsieur and casseroles. Dinner for two, with local beer, is
about 30 dollars, live D.J., hip crowd, Nintendo and other diversions included.
11 p.m.
5) QUÉBÉCOIS CABARET
For an artistically inspired night out, there’s Le Cercle (228, rue St.-Joseph
Est; 418-948-8648; le-cercle.ca), a sleek industrial-modern space born of a 2009
merger between a wine bar and an adjacent performance venue. It offers live
indie, rock, dance and folk music, and films, comedy shows and theater.
(Admission ranges from free to 25 dollars.) The spot also features local art and
video projections, a 2,000-bottle wine cellar and a kitchen, ideal for
late-night snacking, that serves dishes like chilled smoked mussels.
Saturday
11 a.m.
6) INDIE REVIVAL
Start your day in the St.-Roch neighborhood, where urban decay has yielded to a
gentrifying blend of government investment and pioneering artists and
entrepreneurs. Grab a bite at Bistrot Le Clocher Penché (203 rue St.-Joseph Est,
418-640-0597, clocherpenche.ca), a bistro whose name is an homage to “the
leaning steeple” across the street. The blood sausage, soft-boiled egg and
poached pear over a puff pastry (17 dollars, coffee and yogurt parfait included)
is excellent. Then wander into the nearby Boutique Lucia F (422, rue Caron;
418-648-9785), a vintage clothing shop, with nary an item over 100 dollars. Just
down the Rue St.-Joseph is Morgan Bridge (367, rue du Pont; 418-529-1682,
morganbridge.ca), a gallery of Quebec City and Montreal street and comic art
that sells locally made T-shirts, music and books. For a high-brow alternative,
visit La Chambre Blanche (185, rue Christophe-Colomb Est; 418-529-2715;
chambreblanche.qc.ca), an art collective that features the work of its current
international resident artists and displays the portfolios of those it has
hosted since 1982.
3 p.m.
7) HYPERLOCAL BEER
La Barberie (310, rue St.-Roch; 418-522-4373; labarberie.com), in the St.-Roch
neighborhood, is one of the best and most beloved among a growing number of
microbreweries in the city, with a recently expanded outdoor patio. The
cooperative brews 30 to 50 beers a year, ranging from a tasty India Pale Ale to
sangria-, chardonnay — and tea-flavored varieties. For the full experience,
order a 16-dollar carousel with five ounces of each of the eight different beers
on tap.
8 p.m.
8) A HOT TICKET
Bistro B (1144 Avenue Cartier; 418-614-5444; bistrob.ca), the elegantly modern
yet cheerfully communal new restaurant from François Blais — the rock-star chef
who opened Panache, one of the city’s most renowned dining spots — has superb
food, design and service. The menu changes daily, but you can’t go wrong
ordering the tartare du jour and the duck breast, which on a recent night was
served in a white wine sauce with a butternut squash purée and purple broccoli.
For dessert, try the cheesecake, heavy in chocolate, with an accent of raspberry
sorbet. Dinner for two, with wine, is roughly 130 dollars. Reservations
recommended.
10:30 p.m.
9) SEE THE SCENE
On the nearby Grande Allée, a stretch of nightclubs exerts a fierce
gravitational pull for exotic cars, celebrity clientele and acrobatic dancers
dangling from ceilings. Try Savini Resto-Bar Vinotèque (680, Grande-Allée Est;
418-647-4747; savini.ca, no cover) or Maurice Nightclub (575, Grande-Allée Est;
418-647-2000; mauricenightclub.com, free to $5). Swing by Chez Ashton (640
Grande-Allée Est; 418-522-3449; chez-ashton.com) for late-night poutine (French
fries drowned in gravy and cheese curds) like any good Québécois clubgoer
should.
Sunday
9:30 a.m.
10) TO MARKET, TO MARKET
Antiques, art and trinkets. That’s the Rue St.-Paul, in the Old Port
neighborhood. But those worlds collide quite cleverly in Machin Chouette (225,
rue St.-Paul; 418-525-9898; machinchouette.com), French for “Cute Machine.” The
design shop sells handmade pieces, like a lamp made from an antique tricycle
(620 dollars). For culinary creativity, cross the street to Le Marché du
Vieux-Port (160, Quai St.-André; 418-692-2517; marchevieuxport.com), a sprawling
market where chefs and tourists browse stands of local seafood, meats, cheeses,
produce and pastries.
12 p.m.
11) ALONG THE COAST
Quebec is perhaps best experienced on two wheels. For 18 dollars for two hours,
rent a hybrid bike in the Old Port at Vélo Passe-Sport Plein Air (80, rue Quai
St.-André; 418-296-3643; velopasse-sport.com). Cruise the paths along the river
to the Baie de Beauport, a recreational park with kayaks, pedal boats and
sailboat rentals. From there, continue on to the Parc Linéaire, a network of
cycling and walking paths that follow the St. Charles tributary of the St.
Lawrence River, past gardens and kite-flying children — a perfect end to the
day.
IF YOU GO
The stylish 95-room Auberge Saint-Antoine (8, rue St.-Antoine; 888-692-2211;
saint-antoine.com), on the cusp of the Old Port and Old Quebec, is built around
a cannon fortification. Its lobby and rooms, which start at 169 Canadian
dollars, display local artifacts like coins and cannonballs. The hotel is also
the home of the well-regarded Panache restaurant. Rooms come with free Wi-Fi and
access to a fitness center and an in-house cinema.
And, of course, there’s the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac (1, rue des Carrières;
866-540-4460; fairmont.com/frontenac), a 618-room palace atop Old Quebec that
opened as a hotel in 1893. Doubles start at 199 dollars.
36 Hours in Quebec
City, NYT, 13.10.2011,
http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/10/16/travel/36-hours-in-quebec-city.html
The Cruise Issue 2010
36 Hours in Vancouver, British Columbia
February 14, 2010
The New York Times
By DENNY LEE
NO wonder Vancouver is often heralded as one of the world’s
most livable cities. It is blessed with a snowcapped mountain backdrop and
crystal blue harbors. It is also a gateway to the Inside Passage — the marvelous
maze of glacier-carved fjords and forested islands that are a cruise lover’s
delight. But what really sets Vancouver apart is its urban density. With sprawl
kept in check by geography, the city thinks vertically. Neighborhoods overlap,
apartments rise. That seems to heighten the city’s international mix, and not
just when the Olympic Games are in town.
Friday
4 p.m.
1) CANADA SQUARE
Blame the great outdoors, but Vancouver lacks a central square — a place for
citizens to turn inward and for visitors to feel that they have arrived. A
quirky standby is Mount Pleasant, a working-class district near Main Street and
Broadway that is becoming cooler by the minute. Scattered among dingy bingo
parlors is a parade of trendy boutiques like Lark (2315 Main Street;
604-879-5275; lark.me), which carries fashion labels like Chimala jeans from
Japan, and Jewellerbau (2408 Main Street; 604-872-7759;
jewellerbau.blogspot.com), where Dina González Mascaró makes modern industrial
jewelry. An anchor for the area’s young bohemians is the artist-run center
Western Front (303 East Eighth Avenue, 604-876-9343; front.bc.ca), which has
galleries, stages and arch architecture. Look up before it gets dark: those are
the North Shore Mountains looming over the faux cornice.
7:30 p.m.
2) PIGGING OUT
With salmon-rich waters out front and heritage pig farms out back, locavore is a
way of life. The barn-to-bistro ethos is buoyed by Refuel (1944 West Fourth
Avenue; 604-288-7905; refuelrestaurant.com), a casual restaurant that opened two
months ago in the affluent Kitsilano district after its acclaimed predecessor,
Fuel, went belly up in the recession. Still run by the tattooed chef Robert
Belcham, the open kitchen features a leaner menu for your wallet, if not your
waistline. Start with a irresistible bowl of spiced pork ribs and offal, rubbed
with cayenne, citric acid, paprika and other spices, then deep fried to crunchy
bliss. Your cardiologist won’t understand. For the main course, a recent
favorite included salmon (wild and local, of course), grilled and served in a
pool of fragrant leeks and clams. Dinner for two without wine, approximately 60
Canadian dollars (about the same in U.S. dollars).
10 p.m.
3) CLUB CORNER
Vancouver isn’t known for nighttime debauchery, thanks partly to tough liquor
laws. If you insist on getting dolled up, a party train of 20-somethings forms
along Granville Street, a still-seedy strip with a cluster of velvet-roped bars
like Granville Room (957 Granville Street; 604-633-0056; granvilleroom.ca), with
a handsome interior of brick walls and chandeliers. A skip away is Davie Street,
the city’s gay strip. An easygoing spot is Odyssey (1251 Howe Street;
604-689-5256; theodysseynightclub.com), a roomy and unpretentious club with an
outdoor patio, cheap drinks and chatty locals.
Saturday
10 a.m.
4) GRANOLA ISLAND
Ferry across False Creek to the tiny peninsula known as Granville Island
(granvilleisland.com), which has a popular food market brimming with farmers,
butchers and fishmongers. It also has a hippie side — from yoga and crafts
studios to a pottery gallery and theater. Grab a multigrain loaf at Terra Breads
(terrabreads.com) and stroll through the island’s jampacked aisles and alleys.
Standouts include the Lobster Man (1807 Mast Tower Road, 604-687-4531;
lobsterman.com), with its tanks of kayak-size lobsters, and the Artisan Sake
Maker (1339 Railspur Alley; 604-685-7253; artisansakemaker.com), which makes
small batches of junmai sake on the premises. Sake tastings start at 2 Canadian
dollars.
12:30 p.m.
5) CREATIVE CURRIES
Mark Bittman, a food columnist and blogger for The Times, once called Vij’s
“among the finest Indian restaurants in the world.” It’s certainly among the
more expensive. For a cheaper thrill, pop in next door to its colorful sister,
Vij’s Rangoli (1488 West 11th Avenue; 604-736-5711; vijsrangoli.ca), which looks
like a takeout diner. Memorable combinations include a goat meat and jackfruit
curry with a coconut cabbage salad (15.50 Canadian dollars).
2 p.m.
6) PHOTOCONCEPTUALISM
Before Vancouver’s film industry was nicknamed Hollywood North, the city’s
cultural highpoint may have been the Vancouver School of post-conceptual
photography, led by artists like Jeff Wall and Roy Arden, who blurred the line
between documentation and artifice. The school lives on at a pair of galleries
in the South Granville district. Monte Clark Gallery (2339 Granville Street;
604-730-5000; www.monteclarkgallery.com) represents Mr. Arden, Stephen Waddell
and others. Down the block is the Equinox Gallery (2321 Granville Street;
604-736-2405; equinoxgallery.com), which recently concluded an eye-catching show
of Fred Herzog’s vintage photographs, reprinted using color-saturated inkjets.
4 p.m.
7) THREE DESIGNERS
The Gastown district, with its cobblestone streets and imitation gaslights,
might seem touristy, but its old brick warehouses still are home to some of
Vancouver’s most fashion-forward stores. The local designer Hajnalka Mandula
spins lacy and brooding finery for “Twilight” goths at Mandula (214 Abbott
Street; 604-568-9211; mandula.com). Treana Peake, the wife of the Nickelback
guitarist Ryan Peake, offers sensible, office-smart styles at Obakki (44 Water
Street; 604-669-9727; obakki.com). And at Killa (46 Alexander Street;
604-681-7550; killa.ca), the streetwear designer Dennis Arriola makes
interactive hoodies with iPod controls sewn right into the sleeve.
8 p.m.
8) NEO-FUSION
From Tokyo-style izakayas to banh mi cafes, the flavors of Asia are well
represented. The large Asian population has also raised the bar on fusion. For
haute interpretations of humble Thai dishes, Maenam (1938 West Fourth Avenue;
604-730-5579; maenam.ca) has drawn comparisons to the Michelin-starred Nahm in
London. In fact, Angus An, chef and owner, apprenticed there. Opened last May in
the Kitsilano district (yes, that’s Refuel next door), the pink-and-bamboo spot
draws a foodie set with playful dishes like spicy braised duck with sweet
longans, confit potatoes and cumber relish ($18). Also generating a lot of hype
is Bao Bei (163 Keefer Street; 604-688-0876; bao-bei.ca), an upscale Chinese
brasserie in Chinatown that opened just before the Olympics.
10:30 p.m.
9) DRINK SETS
A smattering of high-concept watering holes — the kind serving wine and beer
flights — have opened in Gastown. Popular with the Hollywood North set is the
Alibi Room (157 Alexander Street; 604-623-3383; alibi.ca), a loft-like space
with wooden tables and a long list of bottled and draft beers. Wine imbibers
head to the Salt Tasting Room (45 Blood Alley; 604-633-1912;
salttastingroom.com), a cellar-like bar with a large chalkboard menu that lists
eclectic wines, cheeses and exotic cured meats.
Sunday
10 a.m.
10) BACKYARD SKIING
There is more to skiing than Whistler. Three slopes — Cypress Mountain, Grouse
Mountain and Mount Seymour — lie within 17 miles of downtown Vancouver, which
means you can ski in the morning and have time for errands in the afternoon. The
most challenging is Cypress Mountain (Cypress Provincial Park; 604-419-7669;
cypressmountain.com). It is also the most atmospheric, with awesome views of the
city. Strap on some snowshoes (rentals for 18.75 Canadian dollars) and scrunch
along wondrous trails till you reach the Hollyburn Lodge, a wood-plank cottage
that was built in 1926. It’s as cute as a red button. (Closed for the Olympics,
the trails are scheduled to reopen in March.)
2 p.m.
11) FINAL STRETCH
Guess where Lululemon Athletica got its start? When the fitness-crazed locals
aren’t carving moguls and conquering couloirs, they can be found toning their
minds and bodies at the city’s countless yoga studios. A lithe and fresh-faced
troupe stretches its way to YYoga Flow (888 Burrard Street; 604-682-3569;
yyoga.ca), a huge and sleek studio that opened last August in downtown
Vancouver. Drop-ins start at 15 Canadian dollars. Run by Terry McBride, a music
mogul, the white and airy space features three roomy studios, sparkling showers,
a calming cafe and an infrared sauna, packed by young snowboarder types who seem
to strike a balance between work and play.
THE BASICS
Air Canada and Cathay Pacific fly nonstop from New York City to Vancouver. A
recent Web search found an Air Canada flight starting at $475 for travel this
month. Although Vancouver has decent public transit, a car is recommended if you
plan to do much exploring.
A flurry of hotels opened in downtown Vancouver in advance of the Olympics. The
Shangri-La Hotel Vancouver (1128 West Georgia Street; 604-689-1120;
shangri-la.com/vancouver), opened in 2009, offers 119 Zen-like rooms and
polished service in a new skyscraper. The hotel also has a well-equipped gym, a
heated outdoor pool and a Market by Jean-Georges restaurant. Rooms start at
approximately 300 Canadian dollars, about the same in U.S. dollars, for stays in
March, though specials as low as 230 were recently found on its Web site.
For slightly hipper digs, try the Loden Vancouver (1177 Melville Street;
604-669-5060; theloden.com). Opened in 2008, the 77-room hotel features
floor-to-ceiling windows, handsome marble bathrooms and large plasma TVs with
easy computer hookups. Voya, its restaurant, serves high-end Pacific Northwest
cuisine. Rooms start at 229 Canadian dollars.
36 Hours in
Vancouver, British Columbian NYT, 14.2.2010,
http://travel.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/travel/14hours.html
36 Hours in Whistler, British Columbia
January 17, 2010
The New York Times
By CHRISTOPHER SOLOMON
THERE are good reasons that much of the Winter Olympics is
taking place in Whistler next month. Sure, North America’s biggest ski resort
looms overhead. But this steep mountain valley is home to something else that
makes it particularly welcoming to Olympic athletes: a global citizenry. Walk
down the main promenade and see everyone from rich urban castaways and
old-school hippies to French-babbling Québécois and weathered dropouts
shouldering skis the size of ironing boards. It makes Whistler feel worldly and
cosmopolitan, even when gold medals aren’t being handed out.
Friday
4 p.m.
1) CULTURAL POWDER
Before you hit the snow, pay homage to the ground underneath: for thousands of
years, Whistler Valley was the hunting and berry-picking grounds of the Squamish
and Lil’wat First Nations. Explore the rich history of the land you’re skiing at
the shiny new Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Center (4584 Blackcomb Way;
866-441-7522; www.slcc.ca ; 18 Canadian
dollars, about the same in U.S. dollars). While the hand-carved canoes, baskets
and smoked-salmon bannocks (a kind of local panini) are diverting, what really
makes this 30,000-square-foot museum shine is the friendly aboriginal “youth
ambassadors,” who welcome visitors with native songs and totem-carving
exhibitions.
8 p.m.
2) CARBO LOAD
It’s easy to spend money in Whistler — and not just this Olympic year. Those
watching their loonies should follow the local ski bums to Pasta Lupino (4368
Main Street in Whistler Village North; 604-905-0400; www.pastalupino.com).
Tucked between a 7-Eleven and a Domino’s Pizza at the edge of the resort, the
small, cheery restaurant serves fantastic fresh pastas with homemade Bolognese
and Alfredo sauces; the prices for pastas, soup or salad and freshly baked
focaccia can’t be beat. Dinner combos start at 15.50 Canadian dollars.
10 p.m.
3) PRE-SKI COCKTAILS
Maybe it’s all the snow, but Whistler doesn’t skimp when it comes to watering
holes. They run the spectrum from hockey sports bars, to “ice” bars where you
can chill your drink between sips. For the latter, head to the august Bearfoot
Bistro (4121 Village Green; 604-932-3433;
www.bearfootbistro.com ). There you
can have your flute of B.C. bubbly (from 14 Canadian dollars) with a side of
tinkling piano music and appetizers by Melissa Craig, who won the 2008 gold
medal as Canada’s best chef at the Canadian Culinary Championships. Or, for a
more boisterous setting, stomp your Sorels over to Crystal Lounge (4154 Village
Green; 604-938-1081), a basement bar in the village center festooned with TVs
and hockey sweaters. It’s packed with local skiers and boarders eating 35-cent
wings and drinking pitchers of Granville Island English Bay Pale Ale (16.50
dollars).
Saturday
8 a.m.
4) WHERE TO SCHUSS
Whistler or Blackcomb? Before, skiers had to pick one, but thanks to the
year-old Peak 2 Peak Gondola, all 8,171 acres of this behemoth resort are within
easy reach. If the snow’s good, Whistler will be packed, so here’s a plan: in
the morning, avoid the crowded Village Gondola at Whistler and go to Blackcomb’s
base area to ride the Wizard Express and Solar Coaster Express lifts. The lines
are shorter, and they get you right up Blackcomb Mountain. Warm up on the gentle
Jersey Cream run and check the lighted boards to see which mountaintop lifts are
open. When you reach the top, take your pick of ego powder runs like Showcase or
the mettle-testing Couloir Extreme. When you’re ready, swoop across to Whistler
on the Peak 2 Peak Gondola, which is an event in itself: the cabins, which fit
28, dangle up to 1,427 feet high over a span of almost three miles.
Noon
5) BELGIAN WAFFLES AND BBQ
Come lunchtime, the huge lodges can feel like rush hour. Instead, seek out the
lesser-known on-mountain restaurants. On Blackcomb, the Crystal Hut (
www.whistlerblackcomb.com/todo/MountainDining ) is a small log cabin near
the top of the Crystal Chair that serves Belgian waffles all day and lunch
specialties from a wood oven. On Whistler, the Chic Pea near the top of the
Garbanzo Express lift serves toasted sandwiches, pizza and barbecued items on
its outdoor deck.
2 p.m.
6) HEAVEN ON SKIS
If the sun’s smiling, head over to Blackcomb’s 7th Heaven area, which has great
views and is warmed by the afternoon’s rays. It also has something for everyone:
long, bumpy runs like Sunburn and Angel Dust, harder-to-reach powder stashes
like Lakeside Bowl and lingering intermediate groomers like Hugh’s Heaven and
Cloud Nine, which seem to meander to the valley floor.
4 p.m.
7) BOARDS AT THE SOURCE
Independent ski and snowboard makers like Igneous Skis and Never Summer
Snowboards have sprung up all over in recent years. One of the oldest is Prior
Snowboards and Skis (104-1410 Alpha Lake Road, 604-935-1923,
www.priorskis.com ), founded 20 years ago
in Whistler. Every Wednesday at 5 p.m. and Saturday at 4 p.m., the company
offers free one-hour tours of the factory floor. See how fiberglass layers are
glued with epoxy and pressed together under enormous heat and pressure to create
a springy, responsive snow toy.
6:30 p.m.
8) PLAYTIME FOR ALL
A ski resort can be tricky for parents. At day’s end the kids are still wound
up, but the adults are ready for a cocktail. Before you push off for a good
pour, drop the kids off for more vertical fun at the Core (4010 Whistler
Conference Centre; 604-905-7625;
www.whistlercore.com ), a new climbing gym and fitness center in the middle
of the village with an indoor wall. Try the nightly Climb & Dine program for
kids — three hours of supervised rock climbing, as well as a pizza dinner. Cost:
70 Canadian dollars (excludes taxes) per child ages 6 and up (10 percent off for
additional siblings). Reservations required.
7 p.m.
9) ALPINE CUISINE
Despite its proximity to Vancouver’s world-class dining, Whistler doesn’t have
many culinary highs or well-mixed cocktails. One restaurant that tries to do
both is the Mountain Club (40-4314 Main Street, Whistler Town Plaza;
604-932-6009; www.themountainclub.ca
). Sister restaurant to Vancouver’s Ocean Club, the sleek-looking restaurant is
softened by white banquettes and birch branches. Start with the Goggle Tan
cocktail (Grey Goose, Giffard Ginger of the Indies liqueur, cilantro, aloe
juice, fresh lime, a rim dusted with cayenne pepper). Chase that with slightly
fussed-up Pacific Northwest cuisine like black cod with salsify, baby leeks and
sunchoke purée (28 Canadian dollars). Order another Goggle Tan and you’ll forget
about your sunburn.
9:30 p.m.
10) WHAT WIPEOUT?
Everyone from weary locals to visiting ski-film royalty ends up at the Garibaldi
Lift Company, or GLC (4165 Springs Lane; 604-905-2220), an airy lounge upstairs
from the base of the Whistler Gondola. The crowd is big and rowdy. A pitcher of
Kokanee beer will set you back 18.50 Canadian dollars. Count on a band or D.J.
playing, a fire roaring and (more) hockey on the flat screen. With its
floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the slopes, the GLC is the kind of place to
embellish the day’s stories and make outsize promises for tomorrow.
Sunday
11 a.m.
11) NORDIC DREAMS
Yesterday you barreled down Whistler Mountain pretending to be Lindsey Vonn.
Now, go for the Walter Mitty experience: About 12 miles southwest of the resort,
in the Callaghan Valley, is the Whistler Olympic Park (5 Callaghan Valley Road;
877-764-2455;
www.whistlerolympicpark.com ), a sprawling Nordic playground with day passes
for 20 Canadian dollars. In a non-Olympic year, you can strap on a pair of
cross-country skis, toss a firearm over your shoulder and become a biathlete for
an hour. Those trails are closed this winter, but there are still 45 miles of
groomed and open snow fields among towering, moss-draped hemlocks — plenty of
room to race your partner and fulfill your Nordic gold-medal fantasies.
THE BASICS
Most visitors fly to Vancouver, and then take a shuttle 70 miles north. From New
York City, nonstop flights to Vancouver in mid-January were $486 on Continental,
according to a recent online search. Another tip: book through Whistler’s
reservations center (888-403-4727,
www.whistlerblackcomb.com ), which often has fares 15 to 20 percent lower
than published prices (in addition, most fares are refundable, minus a
cancellation fee).
From the airport, shuttle transfers are available to Whistler from Pacific Coach
Lines for 29 to 57 Canadian dollars (about the same in U.S. dollars); (800)
661-1725, www.pacificcoach.com . A car
isn’t needed at Whistler; free buses circulate the resort.
Opened in January 2008, Nita Lake Lodge (2131 Lake Placid Road; 888-755-6482;
www.nitalakelodge.com ) is a
timber-and-stone lodge with 77 suites starting at 299 Canadian dollars a night.
It offers views of Nita Lake, and has a high-end restaurant, Jordan’s Crossing.
Aava Whistler Hotel (4005 Whistler Way; 800-663-5644;
www.aavawhistlerhotel.com ) has
191 rooms starting at 259 Canadian dollars. The hotel, formerly the Coast
Whistler Hotel, is right next to Whistler village and a five-minute walk to the
lifts.
36 Hours in Whistler,
British Columbia, NYT, 17.1.2010,
http://travel.nytimes.com/2010/01/17/travel/17hours.html
The Other Nova Scotia:
Where Pirates Prowled and Haddock
Roam
October 16, 2009
The New York Times
By LAURA M. HOLSON
I AM at the world’s edge. Or so it seems as I stand tall on a
cliff overlooking the Kejimkujik seaside on the southernmost shore of Nova
Scotia. Mottled charcoal-and-white harbor seals are draped over prehistoric
granite boulders, their bodies pummeled by breaking waves. The beach below, an
expanse of sand and rock, dissolves into a bay of froth and shimmering blue. The
wind swallows my breath as fast as I exhale.
Most of the tourists who prowl the jagged coastline in summer have gone. And
when they go, the area’s natural rhythm returns. Locals are more relaxed.
Animals frolic uninterrupted. And there is a final burst of color, as maples
change to orange, red and yellow.
Unlike showier cousins on Cape Breton or Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia’s
southern beaches are enveloped in a workmen’s fog of fishing boats and lobster
traps. Lusty pirates once patrolled this stretch, from Halifax to Yarmouth,
which also harbored British loyalists after the American Revolution. During
Prohibition fishermen turned rumrunners piloted boats headed to New York laden
with contraband spirits.
But the towns that brighten the coast are as singular as the sand-polished
stones that wash ashore with the waves. They vary from Lunenburg, with its
whimsically painted homes and shops along the wharf, to the stark solitude of
Cape Sable Island.
While it is tempting to travel by car, I decided to explore the area’s beaches
and villages on foot.
My first hike was along Hirtle’s Beach to Gaff Point, a five-mile trek that
hugged the fractured cliffs not far from Kingsburg, a small town settled by
Germans in the mid-1700s. British colonists had encouraged sympathetic European
settlers to move to the southern shore as part of an effort to drive out French
Acadians who had lived there since the 1600s. That effort, known as the Great
Expulsion, rid the British of a French political rival; at the same time the
settlers gave the British a base of support, as new immigrants fished and
settled towns.
Hirtle’s Beach is strictly for locals. Two-story homes built on the bluffs stand
sentry over white sands scattered with huge rocks and broken shells.
After a mile walk down the beach, a trail led up to a wooded forest.
Weather-worn pine trees loomed tall; the ground was covered in velvety moss and
broad-leaf ferns. Hiking here is not for shufflers, as bulging tree roots lay in
wait. Past the forest a dirt path along the cliff’s edge leads to a slippery
outgrowth of shale and slate buckled from centuries of crashing waves.
Visits to small towns were a counterpoint to my morning hikes. Peggy’s Cove is a
small fishing community perched on a barren, granite shelf formed 380 million
years ago. There, car-size boulders balance like giant marbles in an empty
field, the glow of the cove’s famous lighthouse warning sailors to steer clear.
The mood was festive when I arrived. A musician played a bagpipe for coins.
Strangers cheered after a groom kissed his bride at a wedding overlooking St.
Margaret’s Bay.
Every town here has an interesting back story. (And haddock. Lots of haddock.)
Shelburne was settled in 1783 by 10,000 British loyalists who fled America after
the Revolution. During Prohibition some of the area’s fishermen became
privateers and rumrunners, a more lucrative pursuit than trapping lobster. It
was dangerous business, as pirates also trolled the shores. A shopkeeper told me
that captured pirates used to be strapped to wooden posts, their bodies picked
over by birds.
Today the settlers’ descendants heartily embrace their roots. British flags wave
from the city’s streetlamps. (They are almost as ubiquitous as the colorful
lines of hanging laundry.) Buildings along the wharf have been painstakingly
restored, so much so that a crew was there to film a mini-series based on
“Moby-Dick.”
Shelburne was a fierce boat-building rival of nearby Lunenburg, the shore’s
crown jewel. Established in 1753, Lunenburg is a well-preserved example of how a
British colonial settlement was organized. Bright clapboard buildings crowd the
streets of the harbor area, where tourists line up to take cruises and fishing
expeditions. There are scores of inns, a thriving art community and restaurants
offering elegant fare.
In contrast Cape Sable Island — a two-hour drive southwest of Lunenburg — is
remote and isolated. Fishing trumps tourism. Locals directed me to a popular
hiking spot known as the Hawk. But I arrived two weeks after Hurricane Bill had
passed, and the beach smelled of salt and rotten eggs and was cluttered with
fish skeletons and rotting seaweed. That provided another lesson about hiking
here: a storm can quickly ruin a trail.
I abandoned the walk and drove to Shag Harbour instead. There, at about 11 p.m.
on Oct. 4, 1967, witnesses reported seeing a U.F.O. with flashing lights crash
into the ocean and disappear, leaving a trail of yellow foam. To commemorate the
sighting, a local group set up a U.F.O. museum. Housed in a sun-baked shack
along the road, the museum is an assortment of historical records and other
oddities. These include a tree stump shaped like an alien and an alien-theme
collection of painted rocks inspired by the painter’s dreams.
Despite the weirdness of it all I was charmed by my guide’s guilelessness. She
was thoughtful, even when I stumped her with a question about whether aliens
were descendants of Adam and Eve.
Nova Scotians are resourceful. That means travelers have to be too. Bring a Visa
or MasterCard, as few hotels and restaurants accept American Express. Watch the
speed limit. Rent a car with G.P.S. And always carry snacks, water and, if you
drink, a bottle of wine.
Deer wander freely along the road or, in my case, bound across five at a time.
When asking for directions I was often greeted with a blank stare. If I did get
an answer, the drive took 20 minutes longer than expected. And one evening in
Shelburne I ordered a glass of white wine. My waitress said they had sold out
for the week. I asked, What bar runs out of wine on Monday? She shrugged. So I
went to the only other restaurant open that day, but it had closed at 8 p.m. One
more reason to carry your own provisions.
On my last day I decided to drive 25 minutes north of Yarmouth to Mavillette
Beach Provincial Park. Mavillette is not considered the south shore, but a woman
at the lodge where I was staying said I should see it. She was right; it was the
anti-south shore. The sand was black, flecked with bits of mica that sparkled in
the morning light. The gentle waves, barely ankle high, drifted aimlessly before
retreating. The air smelled of salt and earth. And there wasn’t a seaweed frond
or rock to trip over.
The locals even spoke French. I guess the British hadn’t changed everything.
IF YOU GO
Halifax International Airport is the most convenient airport to fly into if you
want to visit the southern shore of Nova Scotia. Ferries run from Portland or
Bar Harbor in Maine to Yarmouth. Tourist season lasts from May to October. There
are a number of bed-and-breakfasts open year-round in Lunenburg and Shelburne.
Many restaurants and retailers close for the winter so call ahead. All prices
below are in Canadian dollars.
HIKING
Peggy’s Cove, known for its lighthouse overlooking St. Margaret’s Bay, is about
a 40-minute drive south of Halifax along the Lighthouse Trail that follows the
southern shore.
Hirtle’s Beach is a two-mile-long sandy stretch near Kingsburg and not far from
Lunenburg. It leads to Gaff Point, a forested trail with ocean views that is
maintained by the Nature Conservancy of Canada.
The seaside adjunct of Kejimkujik National Park is between Liverpool and
Shelburne. There, seals sun themselves on prehistoric boulders and hikers have a
variety of well-traveled trails to discover the rocky shore and sandy coast.
WHERE TO STAY
The Lunenberg Arms (94 Pelham Street, Lunenburg; 902-640-4040, eden.travel) is a
boutique hotel near the wharf in Lunenburg. A room with a king-size bed
overlooking the harbor costs $140 dollars, at the rate of 1.11 Canadian dollars
to the United States dollar, in winter.
Cape Sable Cottages (37 Long Point Road, Newellton; 902-745-0168,
capesablecottages.com) is on a private peninsula on Cape Sable Island with
pristine ocean views. There, five cottages are available and cost as little as
125 Canadian dollars per night in the off-season.
The 45-minute drive from Shelburne to Trout Point Lodge (189 Trout Point Road,
East Kemptville; 902-761-2142, troutpoint.com) is worth the trip whatever the
season, although it is closed in winter. Situated along a river, suites are
appointed with a wood-burning stove and comfortable beds. Meals are available
upon request.
WHERE TO EAT
Lothar Mayer, a German chef, greets guests nightly at Lothar’s (149 Water
Street, Shelburne; 902-875-3697; lothars-cafe.ca). Specialties include two fish
cakes for 8.75 dollars and braised lamb shanks for 19.95 dollars.
Fleur de Sel (53 Montague Street, Lunenburg; 902-640-2121, fleurdesel.net) is an
upscale restaurant that serves local scallops and potato brunoise for 29 dollars
or a bowl of green olive soup for 14 dollars.
You aren’t likely to find fresher fish at a roadside cafe than at Captain
Wayne’s (6365 Highway 3, Lower Woods Harbor; 902-723-0223) where a heaping
portion of fried haddock, clams, shrimp or scallops costs 12.95 dollars.
WHERE TO SHOP
Tottie’s Crafts (24 Dock Street, Shelburne; 902-875-2584) has an assortment of
handmade quilts, pottery, wool hats and scarves.
Anderson (160 Montague Street, Lunenburg; 902-640-3400, andersonmontague.com)
has a large assortment of books but is best known for the photography gallery on
the second floor.
The Other Nova
Scotia: Where Pirates Prowled and Haddock Roam, NYT, 16.10.2009,
http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/10/16/travel/16nova.html
A place apart
Newfoundland
is famed for its harsh and beautiful landscape
and hospitable people.
Joanne O'Connor experiences both on an innovative holiday
which aims to immerse visitors in the local community
Joanne O'Connor The
Observer Sunday August 3 2008
http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2008/aug/03/canada.green
Related
The New York Times > Travel > Canada
http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/north-america/canada/overview.html
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