NOW ESCAPE
GET ON THE BUS In May, new economy airline Skybus began flying out of Oakland sans fanfare—perhaps because it only runs one daily nonstop to Columbus, OH. At press time, a November round-trip to Columbus was $150—plus $40 more to continue on to Boston. That’s coast to coast for $190, all on brand-new jets. And get this: Each flight offers 10 seats available for $10 each. Yes, you read right. skybus.com.
Take 7: Vancouver
COME TO THIS BRITISH COLUMBIAN JEWEL FOR THE MOUNTAINS AND FRESH AIR, BUT STAY FOR THE CHIC HOTELS AND MOUTH-WATERING FOOD. BY LEILANI LABONG followed by a just-right portion of sageand-prosciutto ravioli clocks in at under an hour and satisfies without drowsiness.
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EVENING STARS
Industry insiders dine at BIN 941 (604-683-1246), a 40-seat tapas parlor where local chefs go for the Navajo fry bread and sun-dried-tomato salsa. Take heed: Reservations aren’t accepted (not even if you’re David Bowie). The menu at Fuel (604-288-7905) is elegant and heartfelt: Chef Robert Belcham (a former chef de partie at the French Laundry) highlights organic and local ingredients. Don’t miss the traditional Italian brodo— “a meat broth made from every bone in the house,” says sommelier Tom Doughty.
PLEASE, TAKE IT Is there anything more migraineinducing than checking luggage or hauling carry-ons through security? For about $200 roundtrip per average bag (more for international destinations), you can ship your luggage ahead of you via LuggageFree.com. You pack, they pick up and drop off and each bag is automatically insured for $1,000. HOPE FLOATS On Vancouver Island’s pristine western shore, Clayoquot Wilderness Resort beckons with a combo of isolated luxury and raw nature—even more so now that
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WALK IT OFF
(CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT): PEA SOUP WITH PRAWNS AND SCALLOPS AT BIN 941; THE MENU AT SALT TASTING ROOM; THE OPUS HOTEL; YOU CAN DINE AT THE BAR AT FUEL.
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CROWN JEWEL
Each of the 96 guestrooms in the Opus Hotel (opushotel.com) is decorated according to a particular lifestyle: Divas wielding AmEx black cards book “Dede’s” room furnished with chrome four-poster bed and jetted soaker tub, while metrosexuals take comfort in “Mike’s” minimalist digs, with crimson walls and glass-enclosed shower. General manager Daniel Craig even writes a blog on the hotel’s website about hotel antics.
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PRETTY WOMAN
its new spa, Healing Grounds, has opened. Treatment rooms and sundecks overlook the Clayoquot Sound eco-preserve. wildretreat.com –RR
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Strip a Vancouverite of her outer Gore-Tex layer and you just might find fashion-forward Wrangler or Nudie jeans. Both lines are available at the Block (604685-8885) alongside preppy Lacoste bikinis and flirty Ella Moss tops. Beware
the hefty price tags, bearing in mind the high cost of being a traffic-stopper. The bohemian-chic stock their closets with gently worn cast-offs from Front & Co. (604-879-8431), a consignment boutique that also devotes a corner to pinupinspired lingerie by local corsetiere Melanie Talkington.
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HIGH NOON
Put it this way: Unless you’re heading to the Salt Tasting Room (604-633-1912) for a midday meal of artisanal cheeses and small-batch cured meats, there’s no reason to be walking through Gastown’s grimy Blood Alley. For an abridged version of a three-hour, five-course dinner at West (604-738-8938), the city’s perennial favorite, go for lunch. A meal of wild-spot-prawn-and-grapefruit salad
While Whistler is the big draw for outdoor types, we prefer the North Shore mountains, less than a 30-minute drive from downtown. Locals love the Grouse Grind, a 1.8-mile near-vertical climb up Grouse Mountain with a reputation for putting junk in the trunk. Lesser masochists prefer the gently undulating Baden-Powell trail, starting at Mount Seymour Road and winding almost three miles through a thick forest before ending in the village of Deep Cove.
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BOUNTY HUNTER
Like any good public market, the one on historic Granville Island is bustling and chaotic. A three-hour tour with Eric Pateman, co-owner of Edible British Columbia (888-812-9660), yields industry secrets (local chefs pass off the Stock Market’s ready-made demi-glace as their own!) and samples galore (high marks for the salmon “candy” at the Salmon Shop).
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SWEET ENDING
Stop by the new Thomas Haas chocolate factory-cum-café (604-924-1847) in North Vancouver for one of the Belgium native’s award-winning chocolate Sparkle cookies. Golden ticket not required. x 7x7SF.COM AUGUST 2007
( B I N 9 4 1 ) : S H AW N TAY L O R ; ( S A LT TA S T I N G R O O M ) : C O U R T E S Y O F S E A N H E AT H E R ( O P U S H OT E L ) : C O U R T E S Y O F T H E O P U S H OT E L ; ( F U E L ) : H A M I D AT T I E ; ( S PA ) : J O H N G R A N E N
NEWS FROM THE ROAD