From Albuquerque to Andalucia August 31, 2009
Posted by tracybarnett in : New Mexico, Spain , 2commentsThough you wouldn’t know it from my recent posts, I’ve been working the past week from the beautiful home of my beautiful sister Tami Brunk, located near the Rio Grande in Albuquerque’s surprisingly green and vibrant South Valley. Tami has been sharing with me some of the lesser-known attractions of Albuquerque’s south side, such as the lush cottonwood forest along the river called Paseo del Bosque. We paid a visit to the Pupuseria y Restaurante Salvadoreño for some delicious pupusas – there’s a whole savory range from green chile to grilled fish to Mayan flower pupusas – and arrived in time to catch a performance from a local jarocho group (no, jarocho is not Salvadoran, it’s Veracruzan, but it’s a wonderful complement to the pupusas!)
A Veracruz-style jarocho band livens up Albuquerque's only Salvadoran pupuseria.
The best part of my stay, besides spending time with Tami, has been learning more about the organization she’s been working with as its organizational and developmental director. La Plazita Institute, under the guidance of visionary leader Albino Garcia, has literally helped make the South Valley bloom, on many levels. The organization has a whole network of projects ranging from an urban organic farm to community outreach programs for gang-involved youth.
This week, I’ll be heading west to Acoma Pueblo, where I’ll be seeing the Sky City Cultural Center and a whole host of cultural and natural attractions. But first, I want to share with you a piece that just came out in The Buzz Magazines of Houston, a group of lifestyle magazines that has hired me as their travel editor. It’s a monthly column featuring the travels of readers in The Buzz circulation areas, but for my introductory column, I wrote about my own travels to two of my favorite places: Albuquerque and Andalucia.
Here’s the piece, From Albuquerque to Andalucia.
Beyond the Alamo in San Antonio August 26, 2009
Posted by tracybarnett in : San Antonio, Texas , 2comments
San Antonio's West Side is alive with color, and scattered with murals that tell its stories.
There’s a touch of irony in the Alamo’s stature as the No. 1 stop on the San Antonio tourist trail. The Alamo was all about the battle to wrest Texas from Mexico. Though Santa Anna lost the war, he won the battle in San Antonio, and the Mexican spirit has prevailed – which is the other part of what people come to see. Hispanic influence touches everything: the art, the literature, the music, the cuisine, the activism. And that’s a huge part of what makes San Antonio so special.
Tracy and Peter on the River Walk
In honor of Travel Detective Peter Greenberg, who has invited me to appear on his excellent travel show, Peter Greenberg Worldwide, I’ve put together a list of my favorite off-the-tour-bus San Anto sights and experiences. Listen to the podcast here, and browse Peter’s site for a wealth of travel news. Peter’s logged more miles than anyone I know, and amazingly, he finds time to serve as a volunteer firefighter in Long Island on the weekends. And please add your favorite San Antonio haunts in the comment section below.
To begin, you need to find out what’s going on in town when you arrive and drop in on an art opening, a poetry reading or a concert before diving into the sumptuous restaurant scene. Check the Downtown Blog and the Events Calendar by downtown denizen Ben Olivo of the SA Express-News and the events calendar of the San Antonio Current to be in the know.
Downtown
* Main Plaza, scene of many free concerts, San Fernando Cathedral and the historic town square
* La Villita, another concert, festival and gallery venue amid San Antonio’s oldest neighborhood.
* Hemisfair Park, a lushly fountained and landscaped park created for the 1968 World’s Fair, is a quiet getaway where you can explore spectacular public art, drop by the Institute of Mexican Culture and take a ride up in the Tower of the Americas to have a drink and watch the sunset at The Chart House restaurant.
* Museo Alameda, the Hispanic Smithsonian, right on the corner of Market Square – don’t miss the gift shop, the quirky, kitschy creation of San Antonio artist Franco Mondini-Ruiz.
* King William District – The city’s German heritage and history is concentrated here, with mansions, galleries, and eateries (Azuca, La Foccacia, Cascabel, Gunther House, Mad Hatter Tea Room).
West Side:
The West Side has a reputation that comes from its long history as a low-income area. But it’s also the birthplace of a vibrant arts scene, and the casual visitor will find a colorful, welcoming community full of Mexican and Chicano culture, authentic pride and some of the world’s best tacos. For me, the West Side is the true heart of San Antonio.
* Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, a beautiful arts venue and culture center. Everything from the Tejano and conjunto music of San Antonio native Flaco Jimenez to the Latin American film festival to live teatro campesino can be seen here, and the gift shop is full of great finds. Here is where you’ll find the supersized Virgin of Guadalupe candle, a spectacular mosaic created by San Antonio artist Jesse Trevino. The artist, a veteran, lost his painting hand in the Vietnam War, and his struggle to express his vision has made him the beloved artist laureate of San Antonio.
Los Cabos: A view from the other coast August 24, 2009
Posted by tracybarnett in : Latin America, Mexico , 1 comment so farMention a getaway to a Mexican resort, and most people think of the Yucatan: Cancun, Cozumel, the Riviera Maya. And while Mexico’s Caribbean corner can have its charms, too many tourists stop there.
One spectacular alternative is Los Cabos. This resort area on the Baja Peninsula is comprised of the posh and energetic Cabo San Lucas, the nearby colonial town of San Jose del Cabo, and the lush corridor between.
Keep an eye on The Buzz Magazines for my upcoming story about an unforgettable birthday getaway hosted there by Houstonians Pilar and Jeff NcNear. Meanwhile, here’s a slide show of breathtaking images by Houstonian Wendy Yu.
Park City: A summertime eco-adventure August 24, 2009
Posted by Tracy in : Nature tourism, Sustainability, Utah, ecotourism , add a commentMention Park City and Gortex-clad skiers come to mind among the Christmas-card-pretty lodges nestled among the snowy peaks. But once the snow melts and the summer sun warms those picturesque peaks, another, greener scene emerges, and that’s the one we were treated to on this trip.
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Historic downtown comes alive for the Park Silly Sunday Market.
Park City is now marketing itself as an eco-destination, and notwithstanding its reputation as a getaway for the rich and famous, the city government as well as private citizens have worked hard to preserve the natural beauty of the place while lowering its carbon footprint, and some interesting initiatives have emerged. A vibrant arts community gives the city a colorful, quirky edge. All of this, combined with hundreds of miles of hiking trails and a landscape that begs for human interaction, give the green traveler multiple reasons to be here.
Our tour began with a trip to Olympic Park just in time to see the Flying Aces, an amazing troupe of Olympic skiers who wowed the crowds with a series of gravity-defying acts like triple-triple flips and twists before landing in a pool of water before our eyes.
Our next stop was just as amazing, but in a different way: The Swaner Ecocenter, an environmental study center and nature preserve located on the edge of a shopping mall. This was my personal favorite, and I’ll write more on this later.
But every Park City day must include a bit of decadence, so we paid a visit to David Perkings at High West Distillery. This turn-of-the-century livery building on historic Main Street is being converted into a high-class restaurant and whiskey and vodka tasting room that will be the first of its kind.
A favorite Park City pastime in the summer is mountain biking, so I signed us up for a class with Mike Broome, an expert mountain biker with Deer Valley Resort. Asked my biking level, I pondered a bit and responded intermediate; let me just emphasize, for the record, that a lifetime of road biking, even participating in a marathon, does not render one an intermediate mountain biker. Mike outdid himself trying, but after my hour-long lesson, I’ve reclassified myself as a mountain biker wannabe. More on this later, too.
Suffice it to say, we earned our apres-biking activities. Lucky for us, Sunday brunch at the Stein Eriksen is a sumptuous event in itself – consistently voted the Best Brunch in the State, and with everything from seafood to petit fours to accompany traditional favorites like eggs benedict with salmon and maple-smoked bacon, it was plain to see why.
Our final surprise was the Park Silly Sunday Market, an open-air market peopled with artisans and performers as well as farmers and foodies. Amazingly, the founders set out to make this a zero-waste event, and they’ve largely succeeded. But this one, too, is worth a story of its own. So stay tuned, and I’ll fill you in on that later.
Meanwhile, some images my camera found along the way:
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Symphony on a ski slope August 22, 2009
Posted by tracybarnett in : Food, Uncategorized, Utah , 2commentsPark City had taken a quick detour into winter when we arrived; temperatures hovered around 45 and threatened to plunge into the 30s that night. This wouldn’t be a problem if we’d planned to cozy up at the fireplace of the rustic chic Stein Erikson Lodge and enjoy the abundant amenities – but our hosts had quite a different plan for us.
Volunteer from Fort Worth, Texas
“You’re going to the symphony tonight? You will be miserable!” fretted a Park City Houstonite upon learning of my plans. That’s because the Utah Symphony plays at Deer Park Resort under the stars – a romantic setting unless your chattering teeth are drowning out the percussion section.
Surely our hosts had made other arrangements, I thought – disappointed because the star of tonight’s show was none other than Elvis Costello.
I needn’t have worried. The Park City Chamber, which hosted our visit, pulled out the stops to make it happen, and in high style. The sun soon came out and the cold spell lifted. And our hosts came armed with fleeces and blankets, a plastic tarp for the grass and comfy folding chairs. There were bottles of pinot noir and super-luxe picnic baskets with truffle oil salami and brie, smoked salmon and chocolate raspberry tarts and enough savory distractions to almost make one forget the symphony, much less the cold.
Watching the crowd gather under the suspended ski lifts was a sight to behold in itself. But once Costello walked onto the stage, this colorful spectacle and the gourmet feast quickly faded into the background. The lighting crew and the Utah Symphony wove a magical backdrop for a spectacular performance, with Costello covering an enormous range of styles, from jazz standards to punky alternative to wacky country tunes. My favorite was a yet-to-be released Costello composition telling the Christmas story from Joseph’s point of view.
More pinot, anyone?
Krishna in the sagebrush August 20, 2009
Posted by tracybarnett in : Utah , add a comment
After our hot springs adventure, Anne took us to several wondrous places – most incongruous of which was a Krishna temple in the high desert plains near Spanish Fork. It’s called the Sri Sri Radha Temple and it’s truly an amazing site, set as it is among the sagebrush with the Wasatch Range as a backdrop. The grounds include a water garden with a meditating Krishna statue, a llama farm with some miniature brahmas, peacocks and other exotic birds.
The place comes alive for festivals, but today was quiet. We got a tour of the temple from a man who was about to be married – we had to leave before the ceremony – but we stayed for a delicious vegetarian all-you-can-eat buffet in their cafe, which was worth the drive in itself at only $5.
But more importantly, the place offers a gracious glimpse into a fascinating and often misunderstood religion.
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After lunch, we headed up into the hills, past the spectacular Bridal Veil Falls and up onto the Alpine Loop, through Robert Redford’s Sundance and past Timpanogos Cave National Monument. Much more beautiful than my camera was able to capture on our speedy cruise, unfortunately – but highly recommended as a day trip all in itself – or more.
Hot springs hideaway August 19, 2009
Posted by Tracy in : Adventure, Utah, ecotourism , 1 comment so farKayaking the Great Salt Lake would have been adventure enough for some — particularly since our self-appointed wilderness guide had a bartending shift that began at 5 and ended at 10.
But Anne De Long is no ordinary wilderness guide. She’s also a tango dancer, along with the rest of my group, which means that life really begins long after the sun goes down. And so I found myself at 1 a.m., pack strapped to my back, hoofing an hour upwards into the Uinta National Forest in the wake of a troupe of tango dancers.
I am reluctant to reveal the whereabouts of these hot springs. Let me just say that they were well worth the climb. (OK, I’ll give just one hint: its name is Diamond Fork. But don’t ask me how to get there. I couldn’t tell you, anyway – I was asleep!) By the time I’d huffed and puffed my way up the last switchback, Anne had set the scene with candles all around the secluded pool and Suan had set the “table” – a rock in the center of the pool – with olives and brie and crostini and red wine.
When we were sated from food, wine and laughter — among the many talents that Anne totes around in that backpack of hers is the persona of a slightly bawdy showgirl — she led us to the foot of the waterfall where we plunged into its icy torrents and shattered the peaceful night with screams of delight.
We soaked our cares away till nearly dawn, when we crawled into our sleeping bags and slept like the dead until the hot rays of the sun popped over the canyon wall and crept into our bags. Imagine our surprise to find a troupe of blonde, uniformed cheerleaders making their way into our open-air boudoir.
All good things must come to an end, as they say. Sigh.
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Kayaking the Great Salt Lake August 15, 2009
Posted by Tracy in : Adventure, Utah, ecotourism , 1 comment so farI’d never have believed you could pack so much life into two days. Salt Lake City and the surrounding countryside offer so much to the traveler, it really deserves a week or two. Possibly even a lifetime.
Nonetheless, two days were what we had, and our friends worked overtime to show us some of the highlights: Kayaking on the Great Salt Lake; a twilight concert downtown with the originator of reggae; a midnight hike up a mountain to an unforgettable night under the stars at Diamond Fork Hot Springs; a vegetarian buffet at a Taj Mahal-like Krishna temple in the sagebrush-covered valley and a drive through the verdant aspen forests of Sundance and the Alpine Loop.
First was the kayaking expedition. Anne De Long, our guide, warned us that the brine flies might be out in force, but we decided to chance it. We were so glad we did. The spectacular vistas, the salty air and the strange sensation of bobbing effortlessly above the briny depths made for an unforgettable experience.
Here’s a little preview:
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Roads Less Traveled hits the Houston Green Scene August 11, 2009
Posted by Tracy in : Houston, Sustainability, Texas, ecotourism , add a commentI’m excited to announce some new collaborations that will be taking Roads Less Traveled to a greater audience and in a greener direction.
Channel 39’s Going Green With Yolanda Green, Houston’s only TV program dedicated to sustainability, is now featuring my blog on its website, www.39online.com. Going Green is an exciting initiative in itself, with Yolanda bringing conservation initiatives to a whole new audience. From the new smart grid technology to invasive species, Yolanda is on it, and all her episodes and a whole lot more can be viewed on the website. Since my focus is sustainable travel – including attractions here at home in Houston – it seemed a perfect fit. Scroll down to the area next to Going Green Highlights to find Roads Less Traveled.
I’ll also be collaborating with Houston Green Scene, which will feature a weekly column from my blog pertaining to sustainability at home and sustainable travel elsewhere. Houston Green Scene is an innovative new website and forum founded by local entrepreneur Mona Metzger covering green initiatives in the Houston area.
Especially if you live in the Houston area, but even if you don’t, take a minute to check out Going Green With Yolanda Green and the Houston Green Scene. You can also follow them on Twitter – @HoustonGreenScn and @YolandaGreen39 – and on Facebook.
Other environmental initiatives I’ve become involved in are the Last Organic Outpost, an urban farm in the inner city that’s currently planning a knockout Harvest Festival and the Transition Houston group, part of a rapidly growing global movement preparing for a sustainable transition to a less petroleum-dependent future. More on both of these later — but meanwhile, it’s good to know that there’s a whole lot going on in Houston’s green scene, and I’m proud to be a part of it.
Matagorda: The Secret’s Out August 6, 2009
Posted by Tracy in : Nature tourism, Texas, ecotourism , add a commentHundreds of miles of coastline stretch from Corpus Christi to Galveston. I’d always wanted to explore that stretch in between where the Colorado River meets the sea. But aside from a state park on an island that is no longer accessible, nobody I spoke to could say much about what I might find there.
This only made me more curious. So one day I picked up the phone and started calling around. And before I knew it, I was packing my bags and headed for the coast.
What I found surprised me: spectacular beaches, abundant wildlife, great food, a fascinating history, fishing to die for and friendly folks who will make you feel right at home.
What I didn’t find was an overabundance of tourists. A couple from Fort Worth, a father and daughter from Houston, a family from Pearland and a handful of locals — but mostly, miles of white sand pounded by surf and backed by graceful dunes.
Take a look for yourself; I think you’ll see what I mean. And read the story in the Aug. 9 Travel Section of the Houston Chronicle or the San Antonio Express-News – or click here for the online version.
