http://thirteensquares.com/test/travel_fall_2009

The New York Times Style Magazine

vagabond shoes TRAVEL FALL 2009 Hue, Vietnam

calvinklein.com M ACY’S

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CONTENTS C Travel Fall 2009 T

T 10 CONTRIBUTORS 13 REMIX

Artwork by Swash

It’s all about . . . blue-chip trips, Belgrade on the rise, the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts, Berlin’s culinary boomlet, budget boutique hotels, Eileen Gray in France, bags for shoulder season. Style Map: Melbourne. In-Store: Aloha Rag, Honolulu. The Scene: Montreal.

92 PLANET ART

39 TALK

98 ORNAMENTALISM

40 How one remote corner of Utah became an unlikely bastion of Buddhists, locavores and eco-warriors. By Alexandra Fuller. 50 From

honky-tonks to boutique hotels, Austin, Tex., walks the line between old school and new. By Jim Lewis. 64 In Moscow clubs, getting in is a brutal game. By Joshua Yaffa. 70 Epicenters. By Stephen Metcalf.

79 PLACE

Paris’s art, fashion, food and music scenes are buzzing with newfound creative energy that borrows more from Brooklyn and Berlin than the Rive Gauche. Now’s the time to go off-piste. By Christine Muhlke.

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91 THE SILK ROAD

Outside a small town in southeast Brazil, a new world wonder is taking shape: an astonishing 3,000-acre shrine to contemporary art.

By Guy Trebay. Photographs by Adrian Gaut.

Elaborate temples, kingly palaces and a forbidden city — Vietnam’s imperial capital, Hue, has always been just for show. By Maura Egan.

Photographs by Thomas Lagrange.

104 BOTH SIDES NOW

The Alpine region of Ticino looks like Switzerland, feels like Italy and tastes like no place else. By Adam Sachs. Photographs by Marcus Gaab.

116 ORIGINALS

The actor-screenwriter Justin Theroux. By Jason Gay. Photograph by Robert Maxwell.

Copyright © 2009 The New York Times

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CONTRIBUTORS E DITOR IN CHIEF EXECUTIVE E DITOR M ANAG ING EDITOR

ALEXANDRA FULLER She rides a horse and waxes about cowboys — her latest book, ‘’The Legend of Colton H. Bryant’’ (Penguin), is about a modern-day roughneck — but the Wyoming-based writer Alexandra Fuller’s mind is never far from Africa. Raised in Zimbabwe, Malawi and Zambia, she counts a Tanzanian kanga cloth as her all-time favorite souvenir and later this year will return to the continent for a trip to South Africa. For this issue, she traveled to Boulder, Utah (‘‘Utopia on the Range,’’ Page 40; below right), an unusual enclave of liberalism in a very red state, which also has something in common with her homeland.

During a boisterous communal dinner, she wondered, ‘’Where else in the world would a whole town put aside their differences for a night and celebrate being together?’’

And then it hit her. ‘’Of course, Zambia.’’

ONLINE DIRE CTOR E DITOR AT LARGE

Stefano Tonchi Andy Port George Gene Gustines Horacio Silva Lynn Hirschberg

TRAVEL TRAVE L E DITOR DEPUTY TRAVE L E DITOR TRAVEL FE ATURE S EDITOR

Nathan Lump Maura Egan Jeffries Blackerby

FASHION FASHION DIRECTOR / WOM EN

FASHION DIRECTOR / M EN FE ATURE S DIRE CTOR

B E AUTY / STYLE DIRE CTOR

SE NIOR MAR KET / FASHION E DITOR

ASSOCIATE FASHION E DITOR CRE DITS / J EWELR Y ASSOCIATE FASHION ASSIST ANTS

Anne Christensen Bruce Pask Armand Limnander Sandra Ballentine Melissa Ventosa Martin Bifen Xu Jennifer Kim Lindsey Gathright, Jason Rider

ART CRE ATIVE DIRE CTOR SE NIOR AR T DIRE CTOR SE NIOR DE SIG NE R DE SIG NE RS PHOTOGRAPHY DIRE CTOR SENIOR PHOTOG RAPHY E DITOR PHOTOG RAPHY E DITOR CONTR IBUTING PHOTO E DITOR PHOTOGRAPHY ASSIST ANT

DESIGN AND LIVING DE SIG N E DITOR DEPUTY DE SIG N E DITORS M AR KE T E DITOR

Pilar Viladas Alix Browne, Christine Muhlke Andreas Kokkino

FEATURES COPY EDITORS RE SE ARCH EDITORS

FE ATURE S ASSOCIATE S

Eric Grode, Ethan Hauser, Anita Gates Joy Dietrich, Ursula Liang, John Cochran, Andrew Gensler, Andrew Gillings, Anaheed Alani Jill Santopietro, Adam Kepler

PRODUCTION PRODUCTION MANAGE R PRODUCTION E DITORS

Alison Colby Trina Robinson, Julia Röhl

ONLINE ONLINE E DITOR PRODUCE R

Jonathan S. Paul Joseph Plambeck

T MAGAZINE.COM

GUY TREBAY The New York Times style reporter and T contributor Guy Trebay describes his trusty Globe-Trotter suitcase as ‘‘trashed and trashed’’ (‘‘no suitcase can survive modern travel’’), but that doesn’t stop him from taking to the road several months a year. For ‘‘Planet Art’’ (Page 92), the New York native headed to Brazil to check out a sprawling park and museum devoted to contemporary art. Among his other favorite places: India, particularly the state of Tamil Nadu (below right) and its funky Victorian government museum in Chennai, with a kooky stuffed dugong, Chola bronzes and dusty antiquities. ‘’I love that you are in 21st-century India and 10th-century India at the same time,’’ Trebay says. One thing he’s learned after decades of travel? Check your bag and leave a little bit of room in it: ‘’I’m a bit of an accumulator.’’ URSULA LIANG

Go to nytimes.com/tmagazine for the online T experience, including details on the restoration of Eileen Gray’s villa in France and slide shows of life in Hue, Vietnam, and Italy’s oldest tailor, in Sardinia. Once you’re there, click on THE MOMENT, T’s blog spanning the universe of fashion, design, style and travel.

WEB EXCLUSIVE • SLIDE SHOW

Images from a fantastical Brazilian art park and museum.

On the cover: Thien Mieu Temple in Hue, Vietnam. Photograph by Thomas Lagrange. Louis Vuitton boot, $4,500. Go to louisvuitton.com. Fashion editor: Karla M. Martinez.

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FROM TOP LEFT: HENRY DOMBEY; FERNANDO ARIZA/THE NEW YORK TIMES; EIRIK JOHNSON; EVERETT COLLECTION; FROM THOMAS LAGRANGE (2); BRIGITTE LACOMBE; FROM GLOBE TROTTER; GETTY IMAGES.

THOMAS LAGRANGE The photographer Thomas Lagrange is constantly on the move creating images for the likes of China Vogue and GQ Japan (an example is at below left), but women always seem to find him — at least in the form of inspiration. For a cover story on Vietnam’s imperial capital, Hue (‘‘Ornamentalism,’’ Page 98), he imagined an emperor’s concubine abandoning her belongings or Marlene Dietrich escaping in ‘’Shanghai Express.’’ His ideas also come from real, everyday things, of course — like ‘’the way a woman sits in a cafe and puts her purse on her legs’’ — but usually imagination takes over. While roaming Hue’s streets looking for Alka-Seltzer, Lagrange had a particularly surreal moment, suddenly feeling the presence of Marguerite Duras: ‘’I’m sure she was there, that little girl with big eyes, in a white dress, right behind me.’’

David Sebbah Christopher Martinez Natalie Do Jamie Bartolacci, Nicole Huganir Kathy Ryan Judith Puckett-Rinella Scott Hall Natasha Lunn Dangi Chu

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REMIX

IT S ALL ABOUT ...

Blue-Chip Trips . . .Vintage Melbourne . . . Berlin’s Gourmet Grub . . . Haute Hostels . . . Montreal’s In Crowd.

Pisa, Italy, a perennial stop on the classic European travel circuit.

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REMIX BLUE-CHIP SPECIALS

Mexico Demand for Mexico is rebounding, say agents, particularly Los Cabos, where even the highest-end resorts have vacancies and are within reach. The celebrity-filled Las Ventanas al Paraíso (above) is cutting rates and adding upgrades and a $200 resort credit.

New and future openings include the Capella Pedregal, just off the marina; the St. Regis Punta Mita Resort, just north of Puerto Vallarta; and the Montage Los Cabos.

Cruises Perhaps the most reliable destination is not a destination at all. Ellison Poe of Poe Travel says people want reliable brands. ‘‘They don’t care if they’re going from Istanbul to Athens or Rome to Barcelona.’’

Among several new ships this year: Silversea’s Silver Spirit, launching in December (then heading on a 91-day South America cruise in January), and Seabourn’s Odyssey (above), which set sail in June.

Italy Art trippers to Naples can stay in contemporary style at the Romeo, the city’s new design hotel.

Philippe Starck’s first hotel in Italy, the Palazzina Grassi, opened in Venice last month.

Florence’s 50th-anniversary International Antiques Fair (above) commenced Sept. 26. And when history buffs hit Rome, they’ll discover the new Museum of Imperial Forums, as well as longer opening hours (and shorter lines) at the Vatican.

The Caribbean JetBlue began service early this year from Boston to St. Maarten (the port of choice for St. Barts travelers). The Hôtel Le Toiny, on St. Barts, has finished a $1.8 million brush-up. Jumby Bay Resort (above) will reopen in Antigua on Nov. 1 after a $28 million redo. And in December a new Viceroy in Anguilla will join the island favorite Cap Juluca, which just completed $22 million in renovations.

OLD FAITHFULS

R

ocky economic times have a way of sending us back to basics — local tomatoes over imported foie gras, for example. Travel is no exception.

Nowadays just having a nice time matters more than get-there-first bragging rights. Despite, or perhaps because of, the recession, ‘‘people are deciding to treat themselves,’’ says Barbara Gallay of the Linden Frosch agency. ‘‘They want the excitement of travel, but they don’t want risk.’’ Call it blue-chip travel: erstwhile globe-trotters are getting back on planes and boats headed for classic destinations like London, the Caribbean and Napa, Calif. They’re going for Tuscany because they know it delivers — not Tirana because they heard it’s interesting.

And there’s nothing wrong with what Gallay calls ‘‘the cozy choice.’’ That’s what’s readibly available now that people are increasingly planning trips on the fly. Lanie Fagan of the Cruise Lines International Association says she’s seen her industry’s booking window cut in half, and Stacy Small, from Elite Travel International, says clients sometimes call ‘‘only a couple of weeks in advance. It’s logistically easier to book Mexico than India at the last minute.’’ And maybe, just maybe, the trend is cause for optimism. ‘‘We’re seeing people who were affected by Wall Street and canceling in October now coming back to book a trip to the Caribbean, because things didn’t get as bad as they thought,’’ says Malaka Hilton of Admiral Travel International. If the view from the bottom is of St. Barts, how bad could things be? ANDREA BENNETT

EXPERT TESTIMONY • ‘‘People may fixate on the possible negative consequences of making

the wrong choice. You can choose a trip that you know will be wonderful, or face the uncertainty of a vacation that could be good but might be terrible. It’s probably clear what you’ll go for.’’

— Dan Ariely, a behavioral economist at Duke University and the author of ‘‘Predictably Irrational’’ 14

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: CONDÉ NAST ARCHIVE/CORBIS; FROM ROSEWOOD HOTELS & RESORTS; MICHEL VERDUE; FROM ROSEWOOD HOTELS & RESORTS; COURTESY OF ADAM WILLIAMS FINE ART LTD.

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BELGRADE’S UPGRADE THE BUZZ With Serbia’s economy in turnaround, Belgrade’s cool factor is on the rise. The culturati who used to flee westward for work are staying around or returning to open boutiques, restaurants and design studios.

SHOPS ReMiks did Belgrade’s first concept store, Supermarket (above; Visnjiceva 10; 011-381-11-291-0941), which sells prints by the graphic designer Slavimir Stojanovic and clothes by the fashion darling Aleksandar Nikolic. More recently, two outposts have brought a measure of international style: the Italian Design Center (Karadjordjeva 2; 011-38111-303-7303), whose owner was the keyboardist in an ’80s Serbian rock band, and Kompressor, a bus-maintenance garage turned design complex (Zorza Klemensoa 19; 011-381-11-203-0788). And Dragana Ognjenovic (draganaognjenovic.com) has expanded her mini-empire with three fashion boutiques, a home accessories store and Belgrade’s only slow-food restaurant, Pire (Cara Lazara 11; 011-381-11-263-4994).

MUST HAVES • SHOULDER SEASON

From left: Longchamp gchamp bag, $350. Go to longchamp.com. Rebecca ca Minkoff bag, $150. Go to shopbop.com. Coach bag, b g $198. Go to coach.com.

ART SCENE Every year the Kulturni Centar Beograda (Knez Mihailova 6; 011-381-11-262-1469) puts on the October Salon, an important showcase for established artists like the video provocateur Milica Tomic, who lives in Belgrade and shows around the world. Emerging artists — including Goran Juresa, with his Twomblyesque paintings — are the focus at the Zvono Gallery (Visnjiceva 5; 011-381-11-262-5243).

HANGOUTS Locals know that the real fun is not at the tourist-trap party barges on the Sava River but at the current hot spots Tube (Simina 21; 011-381-63-783-6592) and Magacin (Karadjordjeva 2-4; 011-381-11-328-8824).

Magacin is part of a revitalized waterfront strip called Beton Hala that houses a gym, an Indonesian craft gallery and the bourgeois watering hole Iguana (Karadjordjeva 2-4; 011-381-11-303-7304). For those who think that’s too anonymously European, there’s the artists’ hangout Centrala (Simina 6, 011-381-11-334-6109), a cafe with a socialist-style interior that strikes a perfect balance between old and new. MONICA KHEMSUROV

CONCERT MASTERS

Set against the skyscrapers that made Dallas the capital of mirrored glass in the 1980s, the new $354 million Dallas Center for the Performing Arts will open on Oct. 12, with Rem Koolhaas’s Wyly Theater (left) and Norman Foster’s Winspear Opera House front and center. This is an expansion of Dallas’s downtown Arts District, which also includes I. M. Pei’s Meyerson Symphony Center and Renzo Piano’s Nasher Sculpture Center. The Dallas Theater Center will set up shop (along with two dance companies) in the 575-seat Wyly, where the walls, floors and seating can be dramatically rearranged at will. (‘‘A machine for making theater’’ is how Koolhaas describes it.)

Foster’s 2,200-seat house takes a more classical approach, with stacked horseshoe balconies surrounding a sprawling stage. Next year, Strauss Square, the adjacent outdoor stage, will reopen after Foster’s redo, and in 2011, the Skidmore, Owings & Merrill-designed City Performance Hall will house smaller dance and theater companies. KOLBY YARNELL

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S T I L L L I F E P H O T O G R A P H BY I L A N RU BI N

FASHION EDITOR: KARLA M. MARTINEZ. FASHION ASSISTANT: LINDSEY GATHRIGHT. TOP RIGHT: FROM SUPERMARKET. BOTTOM: TIM HURSLEY.

DESIGN STARS The annual design week brings together local talent and international stars like Karim Rashid, who lent his signature style to Majik Café (Dzordza Vasingtona 38a; 011-381-11-334-8690), with help from the city’s most cutting-edge homegrown architect, Maja Vidakovic Lalic.

The founder of the studio reMiks (remiks.eu), Lalic worked in New York before bringing her industrial aesthetic back to Belgrade.

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CREATIVE LOAFING The flophouse comes up in the world.

At a moment when nostalgia for simpler (not to mention cheaper) times has swept through consumer culture (farm-to-table eating, straight-razor shaves), it’s no surprise that the vintage/local/authentic/artisanal craze has checked into a hotel. Now a whole class of hipster accommodations is putting a fresh spin on the budget boutique hotel: call it the high-end flophouse, where inspired design, budget price tags and fully stocked minibars all come together. Here are five takes on the trend. ARIC CHEN

Set in a Georgian terrace house, London’s Rough Luxe is where you’d half expect to see disinherited dandies taking afternoon tea. Everything from purposely peeling walls and a Gilbert & George painting to tiny accommodations (from $221) and shared bathrooms add to the BOHEMIAN vibe — now that ‘‘bohemian’’ also includes a small spa. roughluxe.co.uk.

Joining three sister properties — the first is in a former halfway house in Seattle — Manhattan’s Ace Hotel has arguably perfected the lo-fi, indiosyncratic ethos with a VINTAGE , highhipster style somewhere between a dorm and a gentleman’s club.

Retro-style lamps and mosaictiled floors outfit the lobby, while $269 gets you a room with bunk beds (standard and deluxe rooms also available). acehotel.com

SOPHISTICATED TRAVELER • PEDAL PUSHERS

Built for sailors in 1908 by the American Seamen’s Friend Society, the Jane in New York more recently served as a Y.M.C.A. and an S.R.O. for the down and out.

Its latest incarnation: a budget boutique property from Sean MacPherson and Eric Goode that still retains the structure’s original MASCULINE vibe, with taxidermy, animal skins, communal toilets and nautical-size rooms (starting at $99). thejanenyc.com

Bye-bye, Bentley — the latest hotel amenity on wheels is the bicycle. At some Park Hyatts, a ‘‘bicycle valet’’ provides cyclists with a hybrid bike for up to four hours a day, and there are BMW cruisers at Fairmont’s Canadian properties and a new armada of Treks at Starwood’s Element Hotels.

The Bowery in New York, the Liberty in Boston and the Gansevoort South Beach are among several independent hotels with bikes at the ready.

And for travelers staying at places that haven’t hopped on the two-wheel craze, there’s also RentaBikeNow.com, an online service that books rentals at shops across the United States and Canada. JILL FERGUS 18

TOP: ROUGH LUXE: MARCUS PEEL; EL COSMICO: ALLISON V. SMITH; ALL OTHER IMAGES FROM THE COMPANIES. BOTTOM: AARON FARLEY/GETTY IMAGES.

Opened last month in a onetime factory building in Berlin, Europe’s capital of scrappy creativity, the Michelberger Hotel is taking D.I.Y. style to new heights.

Think hand-lettered graphics, repurposed flea-market finds, plenty of carefully curated raw edges and loft beds in the rooms (which start at $84). Touring with the band? Book the one that sleeps four. michelbergerhotel.com

Trailer-park chic is alive and well at El Cosmico. Set to open this fall on 17 acres of desert in Marfa, Tex., the compound consists of five renovated vintage Airstreams (starting at $75) that celebrate the road trip, the Wild West and other bits of classic AMERICANA . There are also yurts and hammocks along with plans for art shacks and rammed-earth buildings. elcosmico.com

When Eileen Gray’s 1919 ‘‘Dragons’’ armchair sold for $28 million at the Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé auction last winter, it fetched the highest price ever paid for a work of 20th-century furniture. Now the Irish-born designer, who lived most of her life in France, is poised for more posthumous acclaim: her 1929 Villa E.1027 (below) opens this fall in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, on the French Riviera, after a painstaking and protracted restoration rescued it from years of dereliction (e1027.org). Nearby there’s more Gray: the Museum of Decorative and Modern Arts (Château de Gourdon; 011-33-4-93-09-68-02; chateau-gourdon.com) displays pieces of her original furniture — like a 1927 Transat deck chair — alongside works from her Paris apartment. And just a short distance from the villa is the revamped Hotel Victoria, which has sea-facing rooms inspired by Gray, Le Corbusier and Jean Cocteau (7 Promenade du Cap, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin; 011-33-4-93-3565-90; hotel-victoria.fr; doubles from $177). To read more about the restoration of Villa E.1027, go to nytimes.com/tmagazine. LANIE GOODMAN

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KÜCHE CONFIDENTIAL Until now, there have been only two good options for eating in Berlin: cheap fast-food joints or extravagant yet soulless five-star temples. But lately there have been stirrings of a culinary boomlet — centered on a stretch of Torstrasse, in the Mitte district — that’s based on innovative, ingredientdriven cooking served in stylish settings.

Torstrasse renaissance. The vibe is studiously shabby — a rusty sign, an old chalkboard menu and a tiny room that fits 20, including the waiter — but the food is inspired nouvelle French, as in bright and briny escargot and a daring fish cassoulet.

Torstrasse 167; 011-49-30-6730-2051; entrees $29 to $40.

Alpenstueck (1) An Alps-by-way-ofWallpaper aesthetic sets the tone at this design-centric spot tucked into a side street. The clean lines, white furniture and wall of sawed-off oak logs play smartly off updated Teutonic dishes like spaetzle with Bavarian mountain cheese and buttermilk tomato soup, as well as a good list of dry rieslings. Gartenstrasse 9; 011-49-30-21751646; entrees about $21 to $28.

Themroc (4) The newest addition to Torstrasse is made in the Bandol mold: a glamorous hole in the wall with a handful of tables and a menu of hearty French classics. The choices change daily — there might be a superb ratatouille or old-school îles flottantes for dessert — and the small but well-chosen (and bargain) wine list is a consistent pleasure. Torstrasse 183; 011-49-16-2425-1121; entrees $12 to $16.

Tartane (2) This cheap-and-chic bistro has daily specials like rosemary chicken stew in addition to an excellent burger — a nice chunk of sirloin or lamb on a fresh sesame roll. Just don’t ask for ketchup: paprika sauce is the condiment of choice, and it’s a matter of pride. Torstrasse 255; 011-4930-4472-7036; entrees $14 to $23.

Toca Rouge Berlin is full of unremarkable pan-Asian restaurants, which makes this new contender all the more welcome. The nominally Chinese menu is packed with clever twists — like Mulan-Milan Versus She-Rimp, a tangy mix of prawns, cherry tomatoes and garlicky tomato sauce — and Yue Minjun-like paintings give the room panache. Torstrasse 195; 011-49-173-6131556; entrees $10.50. ROBERT GOFF

Bandol sur Mer (3) This two-year-old spot inside a former kebab shop kicked off the

SHORT LIST • GRAY KUNZ

Next month, the Singapore-born, Swiss-raised chef — who worked in New York for some 20 years, at Lespinasse, Spice Market and his own Café Gray — will open Café Gray Deluxe in Hong Kong’s sleek new Upper House hotel (upperhouse.com). T asked Kunz for a few of his favorite finds around the world.

1. Sham Shui Po Market, Hong Kong My source for a great variety of live seafood, and snake soup in season.

2. Palawan, Philippines Fantastic diving — I have a passion for exploring the world beneath.

3. Beau-Rivage Palace, Lausanne, Switzerland In my opinion, it’s one of the most magical hotels in the world (brp.ch). I met my wife while working there, so it holds a special place in my heart.

4. Hongrin Valley, Switzerland In the upper region of Lake Geneva, this is one of my favorite mushroom-hunting grounds.

5. Ted & Honey, Brooklyn This cozy cafe is my morning hangout (tedandhoney.com). It’s right around the corner from my place near Cobble Hill Park.

6. McEnroe Organic Farm, Millerton, N.Y. (right) I have a house upstate, in Dutchess County, and go to this impressive large-scale farm for the fabulous selection of produce (mcenroeorganicfarm.com).

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: GREGOR HOHENBERG (4); SUKO PRESSEAU; ELIZABETH BILLHARDT.

HOME AGAIN

N Y T I M E S.C O M / T M AG A Z I N E • S E P T E M BE R 2 7, 2 0 0 9

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4. Cottage Industry Penelope Durston’s designs may verge on kitsch, but her reworking of vintage fabrics suits Melbourne’s current retro craze. She turns tea towels into skirts and bags, silk scarves into dresses and old scout blankets into cushions. 67 Gertrude Street; 011-61-3-9419-2430.

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5. Toolz This boutique blends Asia and the outback with a selection of Japanese and South Korean clothing — in natural fabrics and slouchy silhouettes — displayed alongside vintage milking stools and old trunks. 120 Smith Street; 011-61-3-94191645; toolz.com.au.

Victoria Promen ade Albert S t.

FRINGE FESTIVAL

STYLE MAP • MELBOURNE In Australia’s cultural capital (sorry,

Sydney), it’s all about the ’burbs. And the city’s questing bohemians have recently alighted on the adjacent neighborhoods of Fitzroy and Collingwood.

Brunswick Street was once the style hub, but now the indie spirit has spread to the surrounding blocks, where the focus is on experimental fashion and quirky design that reimagines the past. CARRIE HUTCHINSON

6. Boire The French winemaker Catherine Chauchat offers a tight edit of fine wines, including some rare French vintages, in this elegant, unadorned bar. A small menu (two starters, two entrees, two desserts, c’est tout) includes such peasantinspired dishes as stuffed fennel and organic potau-feu. 92 Smith Street; www.boire.net.au.

2. Guy Mathews Vintage Industrial Furniture Mathews’s focus is on French furniture, which he sources in Paris and Marseille. ‘‘Even if French pieces are designed to be utilitarian,’’ he says, ‘‘they have a flourish to them.’’ 154 Johnston Street; 011-61-3-9417-5750.

3. Cutler & Co At his new restaurant, the rising star Andrew McConnell serves contemporary European dishes like suckling pig cooked sous vide for 12 hours and then flash-fried. 55-57 Gertrude Street; 011-61-3-9419-4888; cutlerandco.com.au.

1. Third Drawer Down Art and commerce come together in this eccentric shop, which commissions designers from around the world to create limited-edition curiosities, like a napkin by Louise Bourgeois and pillowcases by Miranda July.

93 George Street; 011-61-3-9534-4088; thirddrawerdown.com.

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7. E.S.S The flagship store of the Melbourne-based Japanese designers Hoshika Oshimi and Tatsuyoshi Kawabata showcases their sculptural clothes for men and women — think asymmetrical cuts and complicated draping. Take note of the music playing, too: it might be by Kawabata, who’s also a composer. 114 Gertrude Street; 011-61-39495-6112; ess-laboratory.com.

8. Lamington Drive What better way for an agent to show off his stable of illustrators than by opening his own gallery? Jeremy Wortsman displays a rotating roster of artists at this cardboardlined space, including Rik Lee, Cailan Burns and many more. 89 George Street; 011-61-38060-9745; jackywinter.com.

SHOPPERS’ PARADISE

IN-STORE • ALOHA RAG Hawaii’s retail landscape may pale in comparison with its stunning natural scenery, but thanks to Tatsugo Yoda, Honolulu’s label lovers don’t have to hit the mainland for high style. Now Yoda is bringing his touch to the urban jungle of Manhattan, where he recently opened an outpost. ‘‘We brought New York style to Hawaii, so I guess you could say we’re going back to our roots.’’ SANDRA BALLENTINE

1. Yoda likes this slouchy, studded biker boot by Golden Goose ($1,080 at Aloha Rag) because ‘‘it’s trendy but not overdone — so it will be in your closet for many seasons.’’ 1221 Kapiolani Boulevard, No. 115; (808) 589-2050; aloharag.com.

7. The best place for vintage Hawaiian kitsch — including aloha shirts, wood carvings and old photographs — is Bailey’s Antiques and Aloha Shirts.‘‘It reminds me of ‘the Brady Bunch goes to Hawaii,’ ” Yoda says.

517 Kapahulu Avenue; (808) 734-7628; alohashirts.com.

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2. Honoluluans head to Kua’Aina for their burger fix. ‘‘My idea of paradise is an Ortega burger with grilled peppers and onions, and an order of shoestring fries,’’ the store owner says. 1200 Ala Moana Boulevard, No. 665; (808) 591-9133; kua-aina.com.

9. Yoda calls the guava blossom cake ($14) from Liliha Bakery ‘‘the most delicious

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4. In Honolulu, Yoda listens to jazz and sips Champagne at Lewers Lounge, a swank piano bar in the Halekulani hotel. 2199 Kalia Road; (800) 367-2343; halekulani.com.

5. A sneaker freak, he collects limited-edition Chuck Taylors and other rare pairs from Kicks/HI, a shoe, T-shirt and accessories shop that attracts street-style aficionados from all over the island. 1200 Ala Moana Boulevard, No. 633; (808) 591-8018; kickshawaii.com.

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dessert ever.’’ 515 North Kuakini Street; (808) 531-1651; lilihabakeryhawaii.com.

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6. When he wants to relax, he heads to Lanikai Beach on the island’s eastern coast. ‘‘Lanikai means ‘heavenly sea’ in Hawaiian,’’ he explains.‘‘ The water is calm and clear, and the sand is as soft as powdered sugar.’’

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10. On the first Friday of each month, galleries, shops, restaurants and bars in Honolulu’s up-and-coming Chinatown area stay open as late as 2 a.m. (Go to firstfridayhawaii.com.) Yoda calls Thirtyninehotel a ‘‘fun, progressive venue with interesting contemporary art, music and cocktails.’’ 39 North Hotel Street; (808) 599-2552; thirtyninehotel.com. ■

1., 3., 8. PHOTOGRAPHS BY JENS MORTENSEN. 4. FROM HALEKULANI. ALL OTHER PHOTOGRAPHS BY SEIJI.

3. He’ll stave off New York’s winter chill with KZO’s wool lumberjack shirt ($210). ‘‘Their pieces have a vintage look, which I love,’’ he says. ‘‘But the unique cut and fit make them current and special.’’

8. Snakes represent good fortune in Japanese culture, according to Yoda, so this slithery gold and diamond necklace ($2,190), by the Miami Beach jeweler Luis Morais, ‘‘is the perfect piece to wear in economically unstable times.’’

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NORTHERN LIGHTS

THE SCENE • MONTREAL’S PLATEAU

Since the 1960s, the Plateau has been variously described as the Park Slope, Williamsburg and Greenwich Village of Montreal. But these few dozen blocks of colorful, crumbling walk-ups east of the mountain still manage to defy comparison, as the neighborhood’s influence on the city’s, even the nation’s, culture is entirely out of proportion with its size. The bars on Boulevard Saint-Laurent give rise to half of Canada’s noteworthy new bands every year — first Arcade Fire, then Wolf Parade and now Plants and Animals — and the kids that pack them any night of the week are among Canada’s chief arbiters of style. The boutiques and restaurants in the neighborhood’s south end, along with the more bohemian area of Mile End just north, attract a perennial migration of students, artists, designers and other creative types who start the bands, blogs and art spaces that keep the Plateau persistently fresh. As Bernadette Houde, a k a Bernie Bankrupt, who arrived here from the West Coast nine years ago and now reigns as resident rocker/curator/restaurateur, says: ‘‘There’s always new blood.’’ DAVID GODSALL 26

1. AU PIED DE COCHON

The chef and owner Martin Picard spent time in France working at Pierre Gagnaire, one of the country’s most honored kitchens. But, he says, he wanted to cook for a more ‘‘colorful’’ crowd, so he came back to his hometown and found in the Plateau a place to give his ideas full expression.

Now his Québécois soul food, like duck-fat fries and cured foie gras tarts, keep the place packed nightly. 536 Duluth Est; (514) 281-1114; restaurantaupieddecochon.ca; entrees $11 to $42.

P H O T O G R A P H S BY M I S T Y K E A S L E R . I L LU S T R AT I O N S BY N I C K H I G G I N S.

2. COMMISSAIRES

It isn’t quite an art gallery, and it’s not a boutique, either. Every season, this clever Mile End whatever-it-is creates a themed exhibition of rare pieces (all for sale) from acclaimed artists and designers like Kwangho Lee, Tamsin van Essen and Jo Meesters. 5226 Boulevard Saint-Laurent; (514) 274-4888; commissairesonline.com.

3. BODYBAG BY JUDE

In the 10 years since she started her Bodybag label, Judith Desjardins has gone from living in her parents’ basement to having a storefront in Mile End to being worn all over Canada (and by Nicole Kidman). Her studio, behind the boutique, is still where she cuts and pins her skinny, high-waisted pants and structured tweed jackets. 17 Bernard Ouest; (514) 274-5242; jude.qc.ca.

THE

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© 2009 Four Seasons Hotels Limited

AS THE SLOWEST BOAT.

As always.

C o n ta c t y o u r t r av e l c o n s u lta n t, v i s i t w w w. f o u r s e a s o n s . c o m o r i n t h e u . s . c a l l 1 - 8 6 6 - 8 9 0 - 9 8 0 9 .

SCENE: MONTREAL’S PLATEAU

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4. ATELIER PUNKT

Melinda Pap’s gallery, tucked away on the second floor, is one of the few truly avantgarde galleries in town. She invites undiscovered artists and designers to create pieces — sometimes on the fly, with materials she provides — for shows that might include photography, furniture, even sex toys. 5333 Avenue Casgrain, 205 A; (514) 4587960; atelierpunkt.com.

5. BILY KUN

Along with the crush of pretty people, it’s the row of mounted ostrich heads — actually, eight ostriches and an emu — that lets you know Bily Kun is an unpredictable place. This is the rare neighborhood saloon in Montreal that swings both ways linguistically, and the play between English and French (bilingual pickup lines, anyone?) always keeps things interesting. 354 Avenue du Mont-Royal Est; (514) 8455392; bilykun.com.

6. BERNIE BANKRUPT

7. ANDREW ROSE

The Plateau is made up of an He’s not a musician, or even eclectic mix of artists, students, a D.J.; when he was spinning musicians and entrepreneurs, rock records at Plateau dives and their de facto mascot in 2005, he called himself a is Bernie Bankrupt. Besides ‘‘selector.’’ Then Andrew Rose’s co-founding the band Lesbians PopCast podcast blew up, and on Ecstasy, she co-owns he became a key voice of the the restaurant Dépanneur Le city’s progressive music culture.

Pick-Up and has turned the A year later Rose released back room of Le Cagibi cafe Patrick Watson’s first album into a performance space. and in the process founded This month, she coordinated Secret City Records, a label Viva! Art Action, a contemporary now on the vanguard of the art festival housed in a Canadian indie-music world. decommissioned public pool. secretcityrecords.com. bernadettehoude.com.

9. U&I

This boutique at the south end of the Plateau has earned a cult following among well-heeled area hipsters. The carefully curated mix of labels includes plenty of local favorites (YSO, Duy and Denis Gagnon) along with hard-to-find European and Japanese designers like Miharayasuhiro, Vivienne Westwood and Comme des Garçons. 3650 Boulevard Saint-Laurent; (514) 844-8788; boutiqueuandi.com.

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8. RESTAURANT LA BANQUISE

It has the best poutine in the city and, by extension, the world. Open all night, the place is packed at 3 a.m. on weekends with a uniformly stylish crowd; watching them consume this exquisitely fattening food is a uniquely Montreal experience. 994 Rue Rachel Est; (514) 525-2415; restolabanquise.com; entrees $6.50 to $12.

10. DIVAN ORANGE

Somehow the Divan consistently lands acts that are too big for the space — which, of course, is why it’s such a hot ticket. Fleet Foxes and Scout Niblett have played this intimate space, which also has excellent vegetarian food, local microbrews on tap and a legendary foosball table. 4234 Boulevard Saint-Laurent; (514) 840-9090; divanorange.org.

A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO T: THE NEW YORK TIMES STYLE MAGAZINE, SEPTEMBER 27, 2009

CRUISE ON OV

ER

Today’s cruises provide just what you need, right when you need it most.

Sunset over Marigot, St. Martin. Photo © Getty Images

There are trips … and then there are vacations. Trips can be so labor-intensive you need a vacation just from making all the arrangements, not to mention the driving, schlepping, flying, packing, unpacking. But a cruise — now that’s something entirely different.

Imagine a five-star hotel with gourmet food, enriching classes and a staff dedicated to your comfort. And now set it out at sea in the form of a glorious vessel that transports you to exotic locations filled with adventure — plus an oceanfront view that never ends — all for one price. What’s more, now you can set sail aboard the world’s top luxury lines at great savings, just when you need it — the savings and the vacation, that is. So let a sublime cruise take you away from the rat race and relax, carefree, at least for a while. Guaranteed.

THE YACHTS OF SEABOURN Pleasing the Hard to Please

Lonnie Haymes-Schwartz — Upper East Side Manhattanite, world traveler and overall luxury connoisseur — admits she’s very hard to

please. And Seabourn has pleased her exceedingly. “They offer a totally different cruising experience,” says Haymes-Schwartz, who has spent 139 days cruising aboard the Yachts of Seabourn, and just returned from the maiden voyage of the cruise line’s newest yacht,

Seabourn Odyssey. “The Odyssey is absolutely magnificent,” she says. “It surpasses topof-the-line luxury hotels, and nowhere else can you find a staff like this. I’m very fussy about décor and amenities, and they clearly went to the ultimate degree. The furnishings, the accoutrements, the granites, the marbles, the woods — everything was just fabulous.”

Indeed, in its 20 years afloat, Seabourn has set the standard for small-ship cruising with its three 208-passenger yachts: Legend, Pride and Spirit. In the process, Seabourn has won award upon award not just as a luxury cruise line, but as a premier vacation choice of any sort. Now, Seabourn has raised the bar yet again, investing nearly a billion dollars in three new 450-guest vessels: Odyssey, Sojourn (due to launch in London on June 6, 2010, the 66th anniversary of D-Day) and a third as-yet-unnamed sister ship to launch in 2011. Each will maintain the

This special advertising feature is sponsored by participating advertisers. It was prepared by WriteOn Editorial, Inc., and did not involve the reporting or editing staff of The New York Times. ©2009 The New York Times 29

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head off on another cruise with her husband and two grown children in December. “From the service to the excursions, they spare no expense to make sure each passenger has the most wonderful experience.”

For more information, visit seabourn.com or call (800) 929-9391.

NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE Time to Break Free

The relaxation room in The Spa at Seabourn features heated loungers. Photo © Seabourn

Seabourn vision, with a virtually one-to-one staff-to-guest ratio, highly personalized service (by the second day, staff members greet each guest by name) and a combination of intimacy and spaciousness unparalleled in the industry.

Can a 450-guest ship feel like a yacht?

Absolutely. Every space aboard the Odyssey has been carefully conceived to create a warm, sociable feel. Though it carries twice the passengers of its older sisters, it’s nearly

NOW YOU CAN SET SAIL ABOARD THE WORLD’S TOP LUXURY LINES AT GREAT SAVINGS, JUST WHEN YOU NEED IT. three times their size, giving passengers an incredible amount of personal space — which means you’ll never find lines or crowds. This larger size also allows for more variety of everything: four dining rooms, including an open-seating restaurant; more and larger suite choices, many with spacious balconies; more lounges; and the largest spa on any luxury ship — 11,400 sq ft spread over two decks.

And then there’s celebrity chef Charlie Palmer’s food. Prepared only from fresh, seasonal ingredients, his menu includes regional specialties from various destinations along each itinerary. You might even have the opportunity to accompany the chef as he scouts for local ingredients to 30

use for the next meal on board. Dine in your suite (perhaps under the stars on your balcony), in the Sky Bar high atop the ship or in the black-tie-optional restaurant. “I’m a New Yorker with a discerning palate,” says Haymes-Schwartz, “and the food competed with the better restaurants in Manhattan, hands down.”

And now Seabourn can be experienced at a substantial discount. The Yachting Collection Savings promotion includes the entire 2010 season of European and Asian cruises, with savings of up to 65 percent, and includes nearly 150 cruises of seven to 14 days.

“Everything on Seabourn is just exceptional,” says Haymes-Schwartz, who plans to

There’s freestyle swimming, freestyle skating, even freestyle rap. And now, Norwegian Cruise Line has revolutionized the conventional cruise experience with freestyle cruising.

What that means, exactly, is that the cruise experience becomes more resortlike than ship-like: no fixed dining times or assigned tables; dress codes are flexible; dining options are many and varied; and freestyle disembarkation allows you to depart the ship at your leisure (yes, you can sleep in). Norwegian’s 11 ships have all been specifically built for freestyle cruising with interconnecting cabins, martini and champagne bars, bowling alleys, entertainment of all kinds (including Broadway and off-Broadway shows, comedy by Second City, live bands and piano bars), electronic restaurant reservation systems, and, of course, WiFi — not to mention land-based amenities such as luxury villas.

The Norwegian Epic, setting sail in the summer of 2010, will change the face of cruise-line entertainment. Twice the size of Norwegian’s other ships, the 4,200-passenger Epic will feature multiple specially designed entertainment venues throughout the ship, offering innovative forms of amusement day

Norwegian’s newest ship, sailing summer of 2010, will feature an expansive Aqua Park. Photo © Norwegian Cruise Line

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and night. The popular Blue Man Group — a trio of blue-skinned, latex-capped, blackclothed performers who combine music, comedy and multimedia — will make its high-seas debut in the 685-seat Epic Theater. The Epic will also feature the first Cirque Inc. show to be produced for a cruise ship in its 265-seat theater-in-the-round.

The Epic also takes freestyle cruising to a whole new level. In addition to its radical new design — including curved staterooms and the largest ship-within-a-ship suite complex (a separate, upscale area for select passengers) at sea — the Epic will also offer the next generation of freestyle dining with 20 dining options and 20 bars and lounges.

Kids and their parents will be endlessly occupied with the expansive Aqua Park thanks to its three huge water slides; a 33-foot-high rock climbing wall; the first-ever rappelling wall at sea; the first squash court at sea; and three separate kids and teens activity areas.

Always dreamed of sailing on your own, personal cruise ship? No problem.

Norwegian’s exclusive courtyard villas and deluxe owner’s suites on select ships will make you feel like visiting royalty. Located on a private deck at the top of the ship, the luxurious villas feature spacious rooms, todie-for bathrooms, private garden terraces, a pool, exercise area and even dedicated butlers who will serve your meals and attend to your every whim. Upon arrival you’ll be personally escorted to your villa or suite, greeted with champagne and given a platinum key card for special ship-wide recognition. But if you so choose, you’ll never have to step off your deck, because everything you could possibly want is right at your fingertips.

Another major selling point for a Norwegian cruise is that you never have to go far to find one. Ships sail from ports around the world, including year-round from New York, Miami, Honolulu and Barcelona, and seasonally from Boston, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Miami, Seattle, London and Venice, Italy. Regardless of where you start your journey, however, the ships are destinations in themselves, filled from top to bottom with so much fun and excitement you’ll have to plan time to sleep. It’s just about the most innovative vacation on water.

“We had an absolute blast,” says Kerri Kearns, who traveled recently to the Bahamas on Norwegian with her two best friends. “The food was fantastic, the room service was amazing and the drinks were prepared perfectly. The nightlife on the boat was incredible. There was never a dull 32

moment. I would definitely travel Norwegian again for fun in the sun and great memories with family and friends.”

For more information, visit ncl.com or call (866) 234-7350.

HURTIGRUTEN

For Something Completely Different On a Hurtigruten cruise, you won’t find dressup nights, a Captain’s Gala, discos, casinos, or any other on-board hoopla for that matter. Instead, the mind-blowing scenery takes center stage, as you sail to the top of the earth and back. Travelers encounter not just the awe-inspiring landscape, but the kind of wildlife and indigenous cultures few from this side of the world ever experience. “I can honestly say it was unlike anything I’ve ever done before or since,” says seasoned voyager Josh Langston. “There is no better way to see this part of the world.”

A leader in exploration cruising, Hurtigruten travels to the most remote and scenically spectacular corners of the globe, literally hugging the west coast of Norway all the way to Spitsbergen above the Arctic Circle, journeying to the towering glaciers of Greenland, and all the way down to Antarctica. Much of this ever-changing landscape — from the fjord-indented coastline to uninhabited islands; from towering, snowcapped peaks to forests of pine and spruce, interspersed with bustling towns and colorful fishing villages — is accessible only by sea. Each voyage also includes exhi-

bition guides and lectures, with on-board experts in the fields of geology, environmental sciences, wildlife and botany. And great deals on a variety of Hurtigruten cruises can be had now: book selected 6-, 7- and 12-day Norwegian coastal voyages through December 2009 (some starting as low as $680 a person) and your companion travels free. Cruise Antarctica through December, and you’ll receive 25 percent off suites and free international airfare.

Hurtigruten (which means “fast route” in Norwegian) has been an icon in Norway for more than 100 years, first ferrying cargo, mail and locals to the isolated towns and villages sprinkled throughout the country’s western shoreline. While the ships continue to provide that vital lifeline to these areas, Hurtigruten has seamlessly evolved into a well-appointed, upscale cruise line.

Still, Hurtigruten remains an authentically Norwegian experience; the food, the crew, the art decorating the ship and the many

FREESTYLE CRUISING MEANS CHOICE, AND NORWEGIAN HAS THE WIDEST CHOICE OF ACCOMMODATIONS AFLOAT. Norwegian passengers traveling from point to point make you feel a part of the local culture, not just a tourist.

Hurtigruten’s signature Norway coastal cruise stops at 34 ports of call along the country’s dramatic 1,250-mile west coast between

Hurtigruten’s MS Polarlys in Geiranger. Photo: Manfred Horender

Cruising

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Bergen and Kirkenes. You can even take a bike ashore (available on every Hurtigruten ship), to explore the nooks and crannies of each port.

“The expedition is billed as ‘The Most Beautiful Voyage in the World,’” says Langston, coauthor of the novel “Druids,” who is writing his next novel, appropriately, about the Vikings.

“It would be very difficult to take issue with that statement.”

While most think of Norway — the land of the midnight sun — as a summer destination, it is also an exciting and unusual winter cruise. Though the sun remains hidden during the winter months, contrary to popular perception, not all is utter darkness. During daylight hours, the reflection of polar light against the snow-covered landscape creates an ethereal mix of pinks, yellows and blues, while the incredible northern lights (aurora borealis) paint wild, colorful streaks of green across the inky night sky. Here, every experience becomes surreal; imagine dog sledding, snowmobiling or even floating in the Barents Sea (in a special survival suit) while your guide spears king crab for dinner — all under the beautifully eerie polar sky.

See King Penguins on a Hurtigruten cruise to Antarctica Photo: Jesper Nielsen

Escape the drab New York winter with Hurtigruten’s relatively temperate Antarctica summer cruises, which sail November through February. Ships depart from Buenos Aires to this vast, ice-covered land, where whales and dolphins often accompany each vessel along its journey.

Expeditions on special polar circle boats take you nose-to-nose with equally curious tuxedo-clad king and macaroni penguins, not to mention whales and seals — no binoculars necessary.

Calling at a different port each day, Hurtigruten’s Greenland cruise, from May to September, offers the adventure traveler previously inaccessible views of the country’s skyscraper-like icebergs and stunning fjords.

Expeditions ranging from eight to 15 days include dozens of opportunities to venture

THE MIND-BLOWING SCENERY TAKES CENTER STAGE, AS YOU SAIL TO THE TOP OF THE EARTH AND BACK.

VOYAGES OF DISCOVER 2COL X 5.188

ashore, with excursions through Sisimiut (the second-largest town in Greenland) where you’ll chill with the native Inuit people, and small boat trips that bring you face-to-face with the fantastic flora and fauna unique to the region, not to mention musk oxen, whales, seals, walruses and exotic birdlife.

“Hurtigruten offers a rare and wonderful opportunity to not only enjoy an expedition, but to become educated on the changing state of our planet’s environment,” says Dr. David Holland, an oceanographer and professor of mathematics and atmosphere-ocean science at New York University, who recently returned from an Arctic cruise. “It was one of the most memorable trips I have had the pleasure of taking, and I will most certainly be going again.”

For more information, call (866) 257-6017 or visit hurtigruten.us.

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PUTTING THE WONDER IN WINTER WONDERLAND At Hurtigruten, “winter” and “cruising” are not mutually exclusive. In fact, winter’s perfect for exploring Norway by sea. “The World’s Most Beautiful Voyage” calls at 34 charming ports, skirting glaciers, snow-capped mountains, and icy fjords.

Unique seasonal excursions range from dog sledding in Tromso to snowmobiling in Lapland—and searching the twilit polar skies for the eerie, ethereal Northern Lights. Hurtigruten—Once-in-a-lifetime vacations in one-of-a-kind Norway.

2 FOR 1 SPECIAL OFFER: Book select 6-, 7- and 12-day Norwegian Coastal Voyages departing October–December 2009 and your companion travels FREE*.

For more savings and other special offers, call your travel agent or call 1-866-561-6488 or visit www.hurtigruten.us

NORWAY. POWERED BY NATURE www.visitnorway.com/us

*Offer valid for new cruise only retail bookings in categories U–A on selected 12-, 7- and 6-day Norwegian Coastal cruises departing in Oct, Nov, and Dec, 2009. Prices are USD valid for North American residents only, capacity controlled and subject to change without notice. Offer cannot be combined with any other discount or promotion, is valid for selected departures and restrictions apply. Ships’ registry: Norway.

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CRYSTAL CRUISES

Thinking Outside the Box As soon as Judith Morrison boards a Crystal Cruise ship — whether it’s the Crystal Serenity or the Crystal Symphony — she’s transformed. “I just totally relax,” says Morrison, who began cruising with Crystal in 1998 and has been hooked ever since. “I feel like I’m home.” Morrison is one of the many vacationers who voted Crystal Cruises the World’s Best Large-Ship Cruise Line for a record 14 years. And it’s no wonder. With one

EACH MEMBER OF CRYSTAL’S CREW HAS BEEN HAND-PICKED FROM THE WORLD’S LEADING TRAINING ACADEMIES, HOTELS AND RESORTS, AND MANY HAVE PROUDLY BEEN SERVING CRYSTAL AND ITS PASSENGERS FOR YEARS.

of the industry’s highest guest-to-staff and guest-to-space ratios, along with innovative features such as cuisine by Nobu Matsuhisa (who occasionally puts in a personal visit), enrichment classes of all kinds, tech concierges and over-the-top Crystal Adventures ashore (volcano climbing or paragliding over the Spanish countryside, anyone?), Crystal creates the kind of vacation experience that stays with its guests for a lifetime.

“They provide a very stimulating, and luxurious experience,” says Keith Steiner, who has sailed on 22 Crystal cruises, including two world tours with his wife (who learned to play the piano and improved her Spanish along the way). “But in the end, it’s the people who really make the cruise something special — both the people I meet on board (many of them have become life-long friends) and the incredible crew. The word ‘No’ is not in their vocabulary, and their byword is, ‘My pleasure.’”

Indeed, each member of Crystal’s crew has been hand-picked from the world’s leading training academies, hotels and resorts, and many have proudly been serving Crystal and its passengers for years. They create a kind of culture that lures guests back again and again. Of course the ships themselves are also a major draw, as Crystal continually invests millions to ensure that its fleet remains fresh and contemporary. In October, Crystal Symphony will emerge from dry dock

with a multimillion-dollar redesign including completely reconfigured penthouses with floor-to-ceiling windows; a redone pool area with the look of an upscale, chic resort; and more al fresco dining options.

As the largest ships within the luxuryclass segment, the 922-guest Crystal Symphony and the 1,070-guest Crystal Serenity provide a host of big-ship options for all ages and stages — including lectures on topics ranging from medicine to astronomy; entertainment galore; casinos; spas; and excellent children’s facilities and activities.

No wonder Crystal is so popular for multigenerational cruising.

And now discriminating travelers can experience a Crystal cruise at tremendous value, with up to $3,000 off per couple and up to $2,000 per couple in shipboard credits, as well as a variety of group and family incentives. Save up to 50 percent or more on Crystal Symphony’s wineand-food-focused Amazon journey or on Crystal Serenity’s jazz cruise through the Caribbean, both departing November 22; or 50 percent on sailings through the Panama Canal, South America, New England and Canada, the Caribbean and the Amazon, and a transatlantic crossing. New and upcoming “Experiences of Discovery” theme cruises, always a great deal, include fashion and style in the Mediterranean; photography in the Canary Islands; and a

A waiter in the Crystal Dining Room prepares fresh crêpes.

Photo: Crystal Cruises

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Thanksgiving Amazon cruise with a food and wine focus.

The only downside of a Crystal cruise is that it has to end. “There is always more to do than one can possibly have time for,” says Morrison, who is about to embark on yet another Crystal cruise to Venice on board the Serenity. “Of course, we can rest up when we get home. Crystal is time for fun.”

For more information, visit crystalcruises. com or call (888) 799-4625.

VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY Adventure meets Relaxation

Voyages of Discovery doesn’t just whisk you away to colorful destinations aboard a classic ocean liner with first-rate service; it also makes sure you feel like a world-class explorer by the time you arrive.

Each journey aboard the 650-passenger mv Discovery (the sister ship to TV’s original “Love Boat”) is defined and enhanced by a carefully planned educational program focused on the destination ahead. Voyages of Discovery’s team of guest speakers features a Who’s Who of visiting historians, explorers, naturalists and diplomats invited for their ability to entertain as well as to inform. These onboard lecturers complement the talks given by Voyages of Discovery’s own knowledgeable staff.

And though the mv Discovery is spacious enough to include all the amenities you’d see on a mega-ship, it’s relatively small by cruiseline standards — which means it can maneuver into unique ports that larger ships can’t reach, and provide its passengers with access to exotic and unusual shore excursions.

Voyages of Discovery’s mv Discovery on the high seas.

This winter is a great time to discover a Voyages of Discovery cruise. The Winter Voyages 2009/10 program, from November 28 through March 1, features 2-for-1 pricing and free airfare on select cruises to India, Asia and

VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY DOESN’T JUST WHISK YOU AWAY TO COLORFUL DESTINATIONS ABOARD A CLASSIC OCEAN LINER WITH FIRST-RATE SERVICE; IT ALSO MAKES SURE YOU FEEL LIKE A WORLD-CLASS EXPLORER BY THE TIME YOU ARRIVE.

Africa. The winter program includes 24 cruise tours and cruise combinations from 12 to 72 nights, with extensive overland tours and overnight stays, along with 27 maiden calls in Asia, North and South Africa, Indian Ocean Islands, the Red and Black Seas and the Mediterranean.

Voyages of Discovery also offers optional vacation extensions to the Taj Mahal, Angkor Wat and other renowned sites. A three-night safari to Amboseli and Tsavo national parks is included in cruise programs from Mombasa, Kenya.

Book your cruise at least 90 days prior to departure and receive “Early Booking Savings” of up to 50 percent; free or low-cost airfare from the line’s 25 North American gateways is available on many cruises. Special rates for single travelers are always available.

For information and reservations, consult your cruise professional, visit voyagesofdiscovery.com or call (866) 623-2689. ■

ALK GRAIL

/ (grāl) / n. / The object of a long quest or journey. In travel, defines ultimate destinations: towns, sights, museums, even hotels that are difficult to reach but eminently worth the effort, as in, ‘‘All the culturati say the new grail is this art park in Brazil, but it’s a 17-hour trip from New York!’’ or,

‘‘I just heard about this amazing restaurant in the middle of nowhere in Utah — supposedly it’s a holy grail for locavores.’’

HOLDOUT

/ (hōld out) / n. / A place that has retained something essential or elemental about it in the face of change. Modern-day holdouts have particular appeal for those who travel in search of the authentic or traditional, e.g.,

‘‘Vietnam is getting to be such a go-go country, like China. But Hue, the old capital, is a holdout: it’s still more cultural than capitalistic.’’

BRAGABOND

/ (brag ə bänd) / n. / Neologism combining ‘‘brag’’ and ‘‘vagabond’’ to indicate the type of traveler who collects destinations and experiences for the purpose of boasting. Typically used negatively, as in,

‘‘That bragabond wouldn’t shut up about his trek through the Gobi Desert. Do you think he ever goes somewhere just for fun?’’

A very Aughties phenomenon, bragabonds have lately declined in number, as more travelers choose trips based simply on the likelihood of having a good time. Imagine that. NATHAN LUMP

39

Utopia on the Range

How one remote corner of Utah became an unlikely bastion of Buddhists, locavores and eco-warriors. By Alexandra Fuller

I

went to Boulder, Utah, because I read a cookbook — ‘‘With a Measure of Grace: The Story and Recipes of a Small Town Restaurant’’ — and 18 pages into it, there was a photograph of a serene-looking woman catching a housefly in a special bug catcher so that it could be released, unscathed, back into the wild. ‘‘We ask our employees not to harm any living creatures at the restaurant,’’ the caption read. And later, next to a recipe for Baby’s Got the Blues Fudge Brownies, I came across this sentence: ‘‘One thing people sometimes notice about Boulder . . . is the fact that the occasional Boulder resident can be seen walking down the road barefoot, wearing nothing but buckskin, carrying a homemade bow and arrows.’’ And that made me think of the Hindu adage ‘‘Sometimes naked, sometimes mad, now foolish, thus they appear on earth, the free ones.’’ And that made me want to see the place for myself.

THERE IS NO MAJOR AIRPORT WITHIN FOUR HOURS OF BOULDER , SO I LEF T MY

home in Wyoming at dawn and drove south all day, biting off a few good hundred miles of the so-called Mormon Corridor, which turned out to be the first interesting thing about Boulder.

Everything I saw of Utah on this drive was the very opposite of the sacred lunacy advertised in the cookbook.

The Mormon Corridor, stiffening Utah’s spine from north to south down modern-day Interstate 15, is no small thing. It came about in the latter half of the 19th century, providing Mormons heading to California with Latter-day-Saints-friendly settlements no more than a day’s travel apart. Now, in my station wagon, the towns cropped up every half hour 40

P H O T O G R A P H S BY E I R I K J O H N S O N

or so, like celestial thumbprints: churches with signature spiked white spires, Victorian houses in various stages of repair, memorials to commemorate the pioneers.

A waxing tide of modular office buildings and overnight suburbs spread from the towns’ centers. Roadside billboards, bleached pastel in the high-altitude sun, advertised high-speed Internet, fast food, express lube, rapid lens, extra this, super that, plus everything. Where the towns didn’t touch each other’s edges, industrial farms took up the slack. Somewhere near Richfield, the sameness of the development stupefied me, and I found myself in an eternal knot of highways and interstates, spat out near the same feedlot and shooting range over and over again.

Eventually, I found a route over to Highway 24, and from there, Highway 12 made itself known to me. I rejoiced, and not only because once I was lost and now I was found, but also because Highway 12 is one of Rock of ages Hiking above the Escalante River in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, one of several protected areas outside the town of Boulder, Utah.

N Y T I M E S.C O M / T M AG A Z I N E • S E P T E M BE R 2 7, 2 0 0 9

41

the nation’s most scenic roads and, being surrounded by such buoyant loveliness — sagebrush rolling into canyons, clusters of aspens, pine forests — it made me remember lost innocence, mine and the world’s.

IT WAS DUSK WHEN I FINALLY REACHED

Boulder, at the base of the Aquarius Plateau. ‘‘Welcome to Boulder,’’ I read on a sign, but in the common way of thinking, there was nothing there: no buildings, no lights, no billboards. I stopped my car and got out.

Nothing happened. The thought crossed my mind that the town of Boulder had been set up by the cookbook as an extravagant practical joke — a nothingness at the end of the trail.

Then a group of mule deer poked their way out of the forest onto the verge. They looked at me with casual disinterest before tiptoeing back into the darkness. More of nothing happened until finally I understood that Boulder’s apparent nothingness was everything about it, the way a soul’s apparent nothingness is everything about spirituality.

Blessed with remoteness and millions of acres of surrounding wilderness (a patchwork of national forests, national parks and the country’s largest national monument), Boulder’s community has made the most of these rare gifts by disallowing billboards and signs more than 10 feet high and prohibiting outdoor lighting that might pollute the blackness of the night sky. Almost all Boulder businesses support the Boulder Community Alliance, which promotes Quiet Use, encouraging visitors to safeguard silence by opting to engage in fishing, hiking and stargazing in technically the least efficient way — which is to say in any way that excludes the use of an engine.

Boulder is named for the volcanic rocks that were swept off the Aquarius Plateau over the ages and now perch like massive black marbles in meadows and on the desert floor or roosted on pillar formations. The town reclines on a long, south-facing slope — warm enough, at about 6,700 feet, to allow residents to grow their own vegetables, which is just as well because that’s their only hope for fresh produce. With a stream fed from snowmelt off Boulder Mountain, it is, for miles around, the most logical place to make a year-round home — which is why, when Mormon settlers arrived in the late 1880s and began to create irrigation ditches where it made sense to do so, they found that they were following ditches dug in the 12th century by the Anasazi (also known as the Ancestral Pueblo).

The Anasazi State Park Museum is on Highway 12, in the heart of Boulder. The excavation of Ancestral Pueblo life serves as a constant reminder to residents that they 42

were not here first, nor are they invincible.

And while it remains a mystery why, after inhabiting the place for 50 to 75 years, the Ancestral Puebloans suddenly up and left — their descendants, the Hopi, believe it was a prophetic directive — archaeologists surmise that overuse of resources or drought, or both, drove them out. ‘‘Both of which we’re coming up against now,’’ says Keith Watts, a local geologist and tour guide. ‘‘There were roughly 200 Anasazi, and there are roughly 200 residents here now. That seems to be the carrying capacity of Boulder.’’

I FOUND THE BOULDER MOUNTAIN

Lodge by a few low, yellow lights shining out of the darkness, like fires nursed at the entrance to an African village. The lodge, developed by a local anti-developer, Mark Austin, was built to blend as best it could into the background: a series of two-story buildings, reddish-dirtcolored with rusted corrugated tin roofs. In 1992, seeing other towns along Highway 12 allow the construction of massive hotels and remote, rural communities all over southwest Utah engage in what Edward Abbey called

‘‘industrial tourism,’’ Austin realized that the question his town needed to ask was how it wanted to develop, not if it wanted to develop.

Austin speaks with an intensity of someone wounded by his own passion: ‘‘The pattern of the new West was that development happened to small towns, and broke communities, tore up history, disregarded heritage. So I engaged the entire community and asked what mattered to them.’’ In the end, Boulder residents decided to keep the town’s character wildly rural.

In 1994, Austin built the Boulder Mountain Lodge with the mission that it preserve and promote local culture, contribute to environmental causes and lead in the effort to protect surrounding wild lands. In 1999, Austin asked Blake Spalding and Jennifer Castle to run Hell’s Backbone Grill, the restaurant on the grounds of the lodge. It quickly became famous regionally and then nationally, both for its food and its philosophy. ‘‘What everyone in this community shares is a love of Boulder,’’ Spalding, who is Tibetan Buddhist, told me. ‘‘So we started with that, and went from there.’’

In 2000, the lodge was bought by Dave

O, pioneers Left: Hell’s Backbone Grill, which serves locally sourced, sustainable food. Below: Mark Austin, the developer who founded the Boulder Mountain Lodge to encourage responsible development in the area.

Finally I understood that Boulder’s

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Start the day with something more stimulating.

Real simple Left: prepping produce in the greenhouse at Hell’s Backbone Grill.

Above: the Country Corner gas station.

Mock, a Salt Lake City entrepreneur. An unassuming man of quiet ambition, Mock has expanded the lodge’s mission. Well over one-third of its profits now go to philanthropic causes, from the Quiet Use initiative to the Utah Food Bank. The lodge and Hell’s Backbone Grill are the town’s largest employers, and they set the tone for Boulder’s culture, the way oil and gas development or logging have in so many other small towns across the West. ‘‘We had a real business voice,’’ Austin says, ‘‘that was willing to say: ‘My business is in favor of compatible development. We oppose non-sustainable coalfields. We oppose logging.

We oppose abusive ATV recreation.’ ’’ He sounded almost evangelical as we spoke, and I began to see the lodge as a kind of church, a historic intention of culture — a place of refuge for like-minded travelers.

battened down for the winter, sheltered by poplars and pines for the summer. Each one was adjacent to open pasture where sheep or cattle lifted their heads as I passed.

One early morning I ventured into the pink-yellow desert, trying to pay attention to the significance of the rock layers. But the more I tried to envisage the vast inland prehistoric sea and the dinosaurs, the more my understanding shrank until I knew only one thing: this too shall pass. For every mile that I walked, I lost a piece of myself, and I knew that if I walked far enough, I’d disappear completely. In a slot canyon, a smooth, red fissure into a cool, dead-end womb, I looked up and saw debris hitched about 60 feet up off the floor — remnants of a flash flood that a person would be unlikely to see coming. Such is the tricky bequest of the desert canyons; they pretend largess at their entrance and deliver obliteration in the end.

IT IS SAID THAT ONLY A HANDFUL OF

places in the world have deeply right chi, and apparently Boulder is one of those places. Most summers, a dozen or so monks from the Dalai Lama’s Drepung Loseling Monastery in India visit for a week. They are housed at the lodge and fed by Hell’s Backbone Grill. ‘‘The Utah deserts and plateaus and canyons are not a country of big returns,’’ wrote Wallace Stegner in ‘‘Wilderness at the Edge,’’ ‘‘but a country of spiritual healing. . . . We depend upon it increasingly for relief from the termite life we have created.’’

The town, as such, is more of a feeling than a place. One evening, I saw four children meandering home on horseback on Highway 12, which acts as Boulder’s main street (in a town with three large ones, total).

The youngest child was on an old, faithful gelding that had no mind to keep to one side of the road or the other, and it didn’t much matter. On my way to the post office one morning, I walked the breadth of Boulder’s dwellings and fields in half an hour. Houses looked deliberate for the weather: easily 44

THAT NIGHT, I ATE JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE

soup and meatloaf at Hell’s Backbone Grill.

Francis Coppola Black Label Claret was the drug of choice. In the food I tasted a highaltitude richness, a purity, no hint of anything chemical. ‘‘People come here and start weeping when they eat the food,’’ Castle told

me. And I knew what she meant, but I couldn’t put it into words, so I asked her to try. ‘‘It’s because the food is nourishing in every sense of the word. We know who grew it, who picked it, who prepped it, who cooked it. We know the story behind it.’’

I had read in ‘‘With a Measure of Grace’’ that the local ranchers who supply the restaurant’s meat all respect its belief that ‘‘the animals providing the meat we serve are precious beings deserving of our gratitude and prayers.’’

The book goes on to cite one lamb producer, a Mormon rancher: ‘‘There’s a scripture my dad likes to quote. . . . To paraphrase it, the animals you come in contact with in this life will testify for or against you on the judgment day. It’s rather disconcerting to some people.’’

The next day I made my way to the Hell’s Backbone farm, which provides produce for the restaurant. It is run by Spalding’s brother, Nathanael, a wiry man of few words. He handed me last year’s corn. ‘‘Anasazi corn,’’ he said, a crop raised right here by the Ancestral Puebloans. The ear sat in my hand, yellow, black and pomegranate-colored seeds. ‘‘Like jewels,’’ Nathanael said. Then he drew my attention to the so-called Three Sisters growing side by side in neat rows: ‘‘We grow corn, beans and squash, the three staples of the Anasazi.’’ He smiled.

I thought of David Grossman, the Israeli writer, who in his 1998 novel, ‘‘Be My Knife,’’ explores the idea of ‘‘luz.’’ ‘‘I once read,’’ he writes, ‘‘that Our Sages of Blessed Memory had the idea that we have one tiny bone in the body, above the end of the spine — they call it the ‘Luz.’ You can’t kill it, it doesn’t crumble after death and can’t be destroyed by fire. It is from this that we will be recreated at the Resurrection.’’

Thinking about it in this way, Boulder and Hell’s Backbone Grill, the tiny bone at the end of the fastest-growing state in the union, became a kind of pun. The soul of a place, its chi, can never be destroyed, even in a world that cultivates soullessness. ■

ESSENTIALS • BOULDER, UTAH

PLANNING From most parts of the country, it’s easiest to fly to Salt Lake City, rent a car and drive to Boulder (four and a half to five hours). Note that many places close for the winter season, from November to March.

HOTEL Stay at the very comfortable 20-room eco-resort Boulder Mountain Lodge (800-556-3446; boulder-utah.com; doubles from $99 in high season).

RESTAURANTS Hell’s Backbone Grill, on the grounds of the lodge, serves remarkable place-based food that alone is worth the trip (435-335-7464; hellsbackbonegrill.com; entrees $16 to $37). Boulder Mesa Restaurant has fresh food, well prepared (435-335-7447; bouldermesa.com; entrees $6.50 to $19).

ACTIVITIES In the heart of Boulder, the Anasazi State Park Museum is an exploration of Ancestral Pueblo life (435-335-7308; utah.com/stateparks/anasazi.htm). The town is bordered by Grand StaircaseEscalante National Monument, Dixie National Forest and Box-Death Hollow Wilderness, and both Capitol Reef National Park and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area are easily reached. A day or two out with Earth Tours’s Dr. Keith Watts provides all you ever wanted to know about the geology of the area (435691-1241; earth-tours.com). For pack trips into the canyons, there’s Red Rock ’n Llamas (877-955-2627; redrocknllamas.com); Boulder Mountain Fly Fishing can take you fishing (435-335-7306; bouldermountain guide.com). One of the country’s oldest and biggest survival/traditional-living skills schools is the Boulder Outdoor Survival School (303-444-9779; boss-inc.com).

A S P E C I A L A D V E R T I S I N G S U P P L E M E N T T O T : T H E N E W YO R K T I M E S S T Y L E M A G A Z I N E , S E P T E M B E R 2 7, 2 0 0 9

50 YEARS AND STRONGER THAN EVER

Rodney Strong Vineyards Celebrates Its Golden Anniversary Three things distinguish a Rodney Strong wine: place, people and passion.

All creative endeavors owe a debt to the ingredients that make them up. Recently, on an extremely hot and sunny day, Tom Klein (who is marking his 20th year as owner of the Rodney Strong Vineyards) hosted an intimate luncheon to celebrate the three Ps that 50 years ago led founder Rodney Strong to showcase the winemaking wealth of Sonoma County by launching the winery that bears his name.

“Rod was the Robert Mondavi of Sonoma County,” says Klein.

At his home perched atop that very spot in the Alexander’s Crown Vineyard where Strong created Sonoma’s first single-vineyard Cabernet, Klein celebrated the many milestones of Rodney Strong Vineyards — none of which could have been achieved without its extraordinary people.

Rodney Strong, a professional ballet dancer who trained in New York and first fell in love with wine while in France, gathered the right people to run a winery that would put Sonoma County on the winemaking map.

Strong always said he got into winemaking because he knew he “could not be an old dancer, but could be an old winemaker.”

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Back to Its Roots

From the vineyards’ earliest days, at a time when Sonoma farmers planted other crops, Strong was an early advocate for making wines from the fruit of single vineyards rather than by blending. Then, in what Klein calls the late Strong’s “best business decision,” he hired winemaker Rick Sayre, who has been with the company for 30 years. Klein credits Sayre, along with the winemaking team that includes consultant David Ramey and wine-grower Doug McIlroy, with bringing the company full-circle in recent years — utilizing what it calls its “winery-within-a-winery” to mint vintages grown from “sweet spots” carefully coaxed in the vineyards.

“We’re rolling back the clock and going back to our original roots,” says Klein.

Rodney Strong seeks out the best in its vineyards down to the ridge, row or vine, and then it makes fine wines under its Rockaway, Brother’s Ridge and Alexander’s Crown labels, each named for the vineyard in which its grapes were grown.

While proud of these single-vineyard wines, Klein says the efforts of the winerywithin-a-winery team have elevated the

quality of all of Rodney Strong’s wines.

The opportunities to constantly improve and experiment remain Klein’s favorite challenges of winemaking.

It’s those challenges that fuel Klein’s passion. A third-generation California farmer, Tom Klein had grandparents who came by covered wagon from Massachusetts to the Golden State. He says his family grew all kinds of crops, including grapes, but it was not until he took a wine class as a sophomore at Stanford that he became interested in making wine.

Attention to Detail

That year, during spring break, Klein came to Napa for the first time and started asking questions. “Our policy in the tasting room,” says Klein, “is that there are no dumb questions.” And even though Klein went on to graduate from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and had a successful business career, he never stopped asking questions about winemaking.

That constant curiosity about winemaking is what drives Klein’s passion for the craft. Says Klein, “That’s what makes it fun.”

A few years ago, Klein says, he and Sayre noticed some changes in the industry and decided to re-examine their own winemaking. “We just weren’t getting the maximum from the fruit,” says Klein. They also noted the movement toward small-lot winemaking. So, in 2005, Rodney Strong created its winery-within-a-winery. Since then, Rodney Strong has used the most sophisticated technology to find the exact combination of soil, climate and grape with which to cultivate its small-lot wines.

“Like a chef, you have to have the attention to detail and gentle handling. You have to have the right kitchen hardware and facility and the best ingredients,” explains Sayre. “Our ingredients are the grapes.”

So, to set the table for its celebration of these 50-, 30- and 20-year anniversaries, Klein invited two chefs celebrating their 10th years running the local restaurants Zin and Syrah Bistro. The establishments are very different in tone and taste but similarly committed to local ingredients, as is Rodney Strong Vineyards.

“It’s a natural extension,” says Klein, “where the enjoyment of food and the enjoyment of wine go hand-in-hand.”

This page (left to right): The Golden Anniversary invitation Rodney Strong’s Russian River Valley Reserve Chardonnay Winery owner Tom Klein with guests Sonoma County Vintners’ Honore Comfort (far left) and husband Chris Fitzgerald toast with friends Chefs receive congratulations on cookbook from Tom Klein (center) Following page (top to bottom): Down Home: Downtown authors, chefs Jeff Mall of Zin (left) and Josh Silvers of Syrah Bistro “Down Home” and “Downtown” versions of duck Rodney Strong winemaker Rick Sayre (right) with consulting winemaker David Ramey Down Home: Downtown Cookbook

Photos: Paul Dyer This special advertising feature is sponsored by participating advertisers.

The material was written by Bridget Kinsella and did not involve the reporting or editing staff of The New York Times. ©2009 The New York Times

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In Good Company

The dishes by chefs Jeff Mall (Zin) and Josh Silvers (Syrah Bistro) were served side-by-side and accompanied with a selection of Rodney Strong’s reserve wines. The event was not these best friends’ first collaboration; they previously co-authored Down Home: Downtown, the first-ever cookbook published by Rodney Strong.

“Like great wine that is made in the vineyard, great food is made on the farm,” says Silvers, once again bringing the emphasis back to Sonoma County.

“We live in the bounty of this place,” says Klein, gesturing toward the Alexander Valley nestled between Geyser Peak and Mount St. Helena.

According to Klein, it’s the micro-climates, technology and dedication of the growers and winemakers that make Sonoma a spectacular and even magical place to grow wine. “We grow six varieties of wine,” Klein says, referring to the Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Zinfandel and Cabernet that Rodney Strong bottles.

“This is one of the only counties where you can really do that.”

In the 1970s, California winemaking went through a renaissance, which was started by Robert Mondavi and spurred on in Sonoma

by Rodney Strong. During that time, Sayre worked for a number of corporate-owned wineries before Strong hired him. In fact, the decade before the Klein family bought Rodney Strong Vineyards, it was owned by a corporation.

“I would not be here today except that I am working for a family again,” says Sayre.

“They have the passion for growing great grapes, making great wine and always challenging us to do new things.”

Fifty years ago, founder Rodney Strong had the gumption to see the possibilities in Sonoma, and for 20 years the Klein family has invested nearly $90 million in vineyard purchases and development as well as state-of-the-art production facilities, barrels and barrel storage at the winery. Rodney Strong Vineyards’ thousand acres of grapes stretch across the Alexander Valley, Russian River Valley, Chalk Hill and Sonoma Coast.

The Greening of the Grape

Aside from creating quality wines in the county, Rodney Strong is dedicated to being a good neighbor. Its longtime commitment to sustainable farming led its management to explore solar energy. In 2003, Rodney Strong installed one of the wine industry’s largest solar-powered systems, and was awarded the government’s Green Power Award for its commitment. Today, the company is committed to becoming carbon neutral in its 50th year. Through a number of steps that include buying carbon credits, Rodney Strong plans to completely offset the greenhouse gasses emitted during winemaking.

“The future of the world is in all of our hands,” says Klein. “We all have to start doing something in the workplace and at home — one by one, person by person, business by business.”

Klein likes to call the business of winemaking a gentleman’s sport. Rodney Strong’s vineyards were first grown 50 years ago by a dancing gentleman, improved 30 years ago by gentleman winemaker Rick Sayre and, for the last 20 years, shepherded on its successful path by gentleman owner Tom Klein. But the proud proprietor does not take his place in the winemaking process for granted. When he assembled the winery-within-a-winery team, he was not sure what he brought to the table. “The nicest compliment Dave Ramey ever gave me,” Klein recalls, “is when he said, ‘your palate surprised the heck out of me.’”

Klein splits his time between San Francisco, where he lives with his CBSTV anchor wife Kate Kelly and schoolage sons, and their handsome home in Alexander Valley, which was once featured in Architectural Digest. His sons are a little young for wine, but Klein says they are already working on developing noses worthy of fourth-generation farmers.

Robert Louis Stevenson once famously said, “Wine is bottled poetry” — a sentiment no doubt appreciated by Rodney Strong in his day, and by those who continue to create wine in his name today. But one thing about the poetry that is bottled by Rodney Strong: it’s clearly crafted by place, people and passion unique to Sonoma County.

•

To learn more about the chefs, recipes, or Rodney Strong Vineyards’ wines, go to: www.rodneystrong.com.

Local flavor Left: the pool at the recently opened Hotel Saint Cecilia in Austin, Tex. Above: the Broken Spoke, where everybody does the two-step.

Texas Two-Step

From scruffy honky-tonks to slick boutique hotels, Austin walks the line between old school and new. By Jim Lewis

H

ere is something that once happened to me in Austin, Tex., or more accurately, something that didn’t happen. This was in the mid-’80s; I’d come down one weekend to visit a friend and ended up staying for a few months — which is often how people end up living here, I’ve since discovered. Late one night, I found myself on the sidewalk outside a club called the Continental. I’d been inside drinking and listening to music and it was time to make my way home, but I had no car, so I began to walk, and not so steadily, down South Congress Avenue, a grand boulevard that stretches from the nether reaches of South Austin, across the river, to the Capitol. I hadn’t gotten far when a car pulled up beside me. Inside were four kids, about my age, I’d guess, and the one in the passenger seat rolled his window down and asked me if I needed a ride somewhere.

I was from New York, and I didn’t understand. I said, ‘‘What?’’ ‘‘You look tired,’’ the kid said.

50

P H O T O G R A P H S BY M I S T Y K E A S L E R

I thought about this for a second, weighing the possibility that I was about to get rolled against the certainty that I’d otherwise face a long stumble across a city that had already closed for the night. Then I said, ‘‘O.K., thanks,’’ and got into the car. The driver asked me where I lived, and we started off.

I sat in the back, bemused, waiting for something hinky to happen. And then . . . they took me home, making amiable small talk along the way. They dropped me at my door, said good night and drove away; and I never saw them again.

In those days, Austin was exactly that kind of town: big enough that it would take a while to walk across but small enough that some passing stranger might offer you a lift. About 400,000 people lived there then, in a drowsy and somewhat faded city, purposeless but for the state government and the University of Texas, neither of which could accurately be described as go-get-’em. You could rent a house for $300 a month or buy one for $30,000. The airport was tiny and located in the center of town. The nice restaurant — and there seemed to be only one — was Jeffrey’s; otherwise, there were tacos and barbecue, cheap liquor and house parties.

FOR THOSE OF US WHO LOVED THE CIT Y,

this was pretty much the point of Austin.

Fashion meant jeans, interior design meant the nearest Goodwill, transportation meant a $500 beater. But it had its downside.

More adult pleasures — a work of art to look

today at canyon ranch A company vice president dealt with all his messages, went for a long swim, then sat on his patio, listening to the breeze.

A man played pickup basketball for the first time in 10 years.

A busy woman slept late, went for a hike and reconnected with her happiest, most relaxed self.

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Lone Star looks Above: designer clothing at the boutique By George. Right: the popular Barton Springs Pool.

at, a meal that you didn’t eat with your hands, an evening that entailed dressing up — were hard to come by.

By the time I moved down here permanently, in 2001, that was changing, and these days all bets are off. The South by Southwest festival, which began as a regional music conference in 1987, is now an international event, with film and interactive components. ‘‘Music used to be

the monoculture in Austin,’’ said Brent Grulke, the music festival’s creative director. ‘‘It’s still a huge part, but it’s far from the only one.’’ But if the city has become more cosmopolitan, the attitude remains largely D.I.Y. ‘‘Austin,’’ Grulke pointed out, ‘‘has never been a city that valued wealth for wealth’s sake.’’

Maybe that’s why, despite whatever financial collapse the rest of the world is suffering,

ESSENTIALS • AUSTIN, TEX.

HOTELS Austin Motel Cheap and funky. 1220 South Congress Avenue; (512) 441-1157; austinmotel.com; doubles from $80. Four Seasons Hotel Austin Luxury for the Hollywood crowd. 98 San Jacinto Boulevard; (512) 478-4500; fourseasons.com/austin; doubles from $420. Hotel Saint Cecilia Sister hotel to the San José. 112 Academy Drive; (512) 852-2400; hotelsaintcecilia.com; doubles from $315. Hotel San José Hip and modern. 1316 South Congress Avenue; (512) 852-2350; sanjosehotel.com; doubles from $175.

RESTAURANTS Guero’s Taco Bar There’s good Tex-Mex all over town, but this is the most popular. 1412 South Congress Avenue; (512) 447-7688; entrees $9 to $13. Hoover’s Cooking The best chicken-fried steak in town. 2002 Manor Road; (512) 479-5006; entrees $8 to $15. Justine’s Cozy French food. 4710 East Fifth Street; (512) 385-2900; entrees $9 to $17. Taco Xpress Good food and music. 2529 South Lamar Boulevard; (512) 444-0261; entrees $7 to $10. Perla’s A new oyster bar with an outdoor patio. 1400 South Congress Avenue, Suite B100; (512) 291-7300; entrees $18 to $39. Uchi Sophisticated sushi. 801 South Lamar Boulevard; (512) 916-4808; entrees $10 to $28. Vespaio Ristorante High-end pizza and pastas. 1610 South Congress Avenue; (512) 441-6100; entrees $16 to $38. Wink Restaurant The seasonal menu changes daily.

1014 North Lamar Boulevard, Suite E; (512) 482-8868; entrees $25 to $31.

BARS AND NIGHTCLUBS The Broken Spoke Western dance hall. 3201 South Lamar Boulevard; (512) 442-6189.

The Continental Club Austin’s landmark rock ’n’ roll joint. 1315 South Congress Avenue; (512) 441-2444.

Ginny’s Little Longhorn Saloon They call it a ‘‘saloon’’ and they mean it. 5434 Burnet Road; (512) 458-1813.

TC’s Lounge Blues music. 1413 Webberville Road; (512) 926-2200.

MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES Art Palace An exhibition space for emerging artists. 2109 East Cesar Chavez Street; (512) 496-0687. The Blanton Museum of Art World-class works. 200 East Martin Luther King Boulevard; (512) 471-7324. The Harry Ransom Center A massive collection of manuscripts. 300 West 21st Street; (512) 471-8944. Okay Mountain An artist-run gallery. 1312 East Cesar Chavez Street, Suite B; (512) 293-5177.

SHOPS By George High-end fashion. 524 North Lamar Boulevard; (512) 472-5951; 1400 South Congress Avenue, Suite A180, (512) 441-8600. Cissi’s Market Gourmet food shop. 1400 South Congress Avenue, Suite A190; (512) 225-0521. Kick Pleat Stylish pieces from emerging talent. 918 West 12th Street; (512) 445-4500.

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Austin is still growing. The boom of the last few years may be on hold, but unemployment is less than 7 percent, the housing market has stabilized, and there’s an air of cozy wellbeing about the place. Suddenly, there are a dozen restaurants worth trying: Uchi for sushi, Perla’s for oysters, Wink Restaurant for seafood, Justine’s for French. Between Central Market, an enormous gourmet supermarket, and Whole Foods (both of which started here), Austin offers some of the best food shopping in the world. Entire industries that would have seemed out of place just a decade ago are now settled in: film (Mike Judge, Richard Linklater and Robert Rodriguez all live here), television (‘‘Friday Night Lights’’ is shot in Austin), specialized health care (the Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas opened in 2007).

The cultural life is catching up, beginning with the grand reopening of the renovated Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas, the country’s greatest literary archive outside the Library of Congress (36 million pages of manuscripts, as well as a Gutenberg Bible and page proofs of Joyce’s ‘‘Ulysses’’).

The Blanton Museum of Art, which finally got its own building in 2006, has brought a world-class museum to the center of town, and a gallery scene is emerging on the town’s east side, cobbled together out of hole-inthe-wall places like Okay Mountain and Art Palace. Last year the Long Center for the Performing Arts opened its own building just

Be one with awestruck. Be one with lush rainforests. Be one with this Hemisphere’s largest barrier reef. As one of the last unspoiled places on earth, you’ll feel an intimate connection to authentic experiences in Belize. All this just a two-hour flight from the U.S., in the only English-speaking country of Central America. Call 800-624-0686 or visit TravelBelize.org/nyt. And just be, in Belize.

M O T H E R NA T U R E’S BEST KE PT SECRET

off the river, which hosts opera, classical music and ballet.

The population now stands at nearly 800,000, with another 900,000 living in the larger metropolitan area. Austin is busy being reborn, which is better, of course, than being busy dying, but not necessarily much better. The columnist Molly Ivins, may God bless and keep her, lived in South Austin — a neighborhood, she once affectionately suggested, whose slogan might be ‘‘A Great Place to Buy Auto Parts.’’ Today South Austin is a great place to buy expensive clothes and gourmet food at stores like By George and Cissi’s Market, and an even better place to sit and watch the people who can afford to buy them. You can still get car parts there, too, and cheap Mexican food and cowboy boots and, for that matter, a gun. But the worry is plain: Austin has always been brainy, lazy, eccentric, ornery and both liberal and libertarian. Can we keep from becoming either money-mad or, worse yet, merely bohemian? Can we steer a course between Dallas and Williamsburg, Brooklyn?

So far, so good: our smart growth has been

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If the city’s become more cosmopolitan,

THE ATTITUDE REMAINS LARGELY D.I.Y. Maybe

that’s why Austin is still growing.

tempered by just the right amount of stupidity.

Some benighted civic booster tried to promote ‘‘SoCo’’ as a nickname for the South Congress district; no one bought it. The commission for the new Blanton Museum was originally awarded to Herzog & de Meuron, but the university’s regents decided the design was too challenging and it wound up with a conservative Boston firm instead. A light rail project that would link the northern suburbs

to downtown is well behind schedule. My power still goes out when it rains.

This is all just dumb enough to keep people guessing, which in turn makes things interesting. And to be fair, there’s been a good amount of intelligence at work, too. We finally have a downtown worth walking around, the city’s parks and greenbelts are lush and popular, and gentrification — where it has occurred — has been slow and respectful.

South Congress has become an ideal mix of old and new: the Continental Club is still open and so is the Austin Motel, but they’ve been joined by restaurants like Vespaio, which is both a scene and a good place to eat, and hotels like the Saint Cecilia, a converted mansion on a quiet back street that was opened last December by Liz Lambert, whose Hotel San José is the emblem of South Austin’s renaissance.

PEOPLE I KNOW C OME TO VISIT NOW:

that’s new, too. Friends from New York or even farther afield, writers, artists, various types on business or vacation. When they come, there are a couple of places that I take them. There’s Barton Springs, an enormous, spring-fed swimming pool in a park on the edge of downtown; TC’s Lounge, a run-down roadhouse out on the east side; Hoover’s Cooking for soul food; and Taco Xpress for breakfast tacos. There are old honky-tonks like Ginny’s Little Longhorn Saloon, one of a handful of local bars that still sell setups, a cheerful and civilized tradition: the only kinds of booze they offer are beer and wine, but if you want to bring in a bottle of something harder, they’ll sell you a glass of ice for a few bucks, and you can sit there listening to the band and sipping your own whiskey until closing time.

And if it’s the right night, and the right mood, and the right company, I take people to the Broken Spoke, one of my favorite places on the planet. The Spoke is a traditional dance hall on the south side of town. It’s been there since 1964, and it hasn’t changed much in the meantime. Everyone comes to the Spoke — sorority girls, 70-year-old couples, children, cowboys, hipsters, artists, auto mechanics — and everybody dances the two-step. When they do, Austin is Austin again, the city I once found, fell in love with and left New York for.

So if you wind up there one night and happen to get separated from your friends, if you should decide to stay late or leave early and find yourself stranded in the parking lot, don’t be surprised if some strangers offer you a ride, and don’t be afraid to take them up on it.

Because for now, at least, Austin is still the kind of city where everyone gets home safe. ■

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A S P E C I A L A DV E R T I S I N G S U P P L E M E N T TO T: T H E N E W YO R K T I M E S S T Y L E M AG A Z I N E , S E P T E M B E R 2 7, 2 0 0 9

DISCOVER THE

STATES

Exploring the Wonders in America’s Backyard

For most of us, the majority of the US is simply a story. All of its extraordinary beauty, history, sights and sounds sit on the edge of our imaginations, only occasionally crystallizing around something we read about, see on TV or hear about from a returning traveler. And that’s exactly where the wonder comes in … when those parts of the story that interest us most, turn, through personal experience, into reality.

Only then can we truly see the vastness of the Grand Canyon, hear the strange silence on the Gettysburg battlefield, taste the brine-fresh mussels harvested off the Olympic Peninsula, feel the pull of the steam locomotive that puffs up the mountain valley connecting Durango and Silverton, and live these thousands of other, equally wonder-full places and experiences, that demand a visit.

For more information and free travel guides on our featured states, contact: NEW HAMPSHIRE VIRGINIA New Hampshire Division of Travel & Tourism Development (800) 386-4664 www.visitnh.gov

Virginia Tourism Corporation (800) VISITVA (847-4882) www.virginia.org

WASHINGTON, DC

north carolina

The North Carolina Division of Tourism, Film, and Sports Development (800) VISIT-NC (847-4862) www.VisitNC.com

New Hampshire fall foliage. Photo © NH DTTD

ALABAMA touralabama.org ALASKA travelalaska.com ARIZONA arizonaguide.com ARKANSAS arkansas.com CALIFORNIA visitcalifornia.com COLORADO colorado.com CONNECTICUT ctvisit.com DELAWARE visitdelaware.com FLORIDA visitflorida.com GEORGIA www.georgia.org HAWAII gohawaii.com IDAHO visitid.org ILLINOIS enjoyillinois.com

A vineyard in Virginia. Photo: istockphoto.com The Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina. Photo: istockphoto.com

INDIANA enjoyindiana.com IOWA traveliowa.com KANSAS travelks.com KENTUCKY kentuckytourism.com LOUISIANA louisianatravel.com MAINE visitmaine.com MARYLAND visitmaryland.org MASSACHUSETTS massvacation.com MICHIGAN michigan.org MINNESOTA exploreminnesota.com MISSISSIPPI visitmississippi.org MISSOURI visitmo.com MONTANA visitmt.com

NEBRASKA visitnebraska.org NEVADA travelnevada.com NEW HAMPSHIRE visitnh.gov NEW JERSEY visitnj.org NEW MEXICO newmexico.org NEW YORK iloveny.com NORTH CAROLINA visitnc.com NORTH DAKOTA ndtourism.com OHIO discoverohio.com OKLAHOMA travelok.com OREGON traveloregon.com PENNSYLVANIA visitpa.com RHODE ISLAND visitrhodeisland.com

Destination DC (800) 422-8644 www.washington.org

The Lincoln Memorial, Washington DC.

SOUTH CAROLINA discoversouthcarolina.com SOUTH DAKOTA travelsd.com TENNESSEE tnvacation.com TEXAS traveltex.com UTAH utah.travel VERMONT vermontvacation.com VIRGINIA virginia.org WASHINGTON experiencewashington.com Washington, DC washington.org WEST VIRGINIA www.wvtourism.com WISCONSIN travelwisconsin.com WYOMING wyomingtourism.org

This special advertising feature is sponsored by participating advertisers. It was prepared by Andrew Bill and did not involve the reporting or editing staff of The New York Times. ©2009 The New York Times N Y T I M E S.C O M / T M AG A Z I N E • S E P T E M BE R 2 7, 2 0 0 9

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new hampshire Poetry in motion and historic walking tours, traditional harvest fairs and a rich dog-sledding legacy

hen New England poet Robert Frost wrote his famous poem “The Road Not Taken,” he probably had in mind a tour through New Hampshire’s dramatic topography with its sweet-as-syrup towns and extraordinary fall colors (“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood”). Since more than 70 percent of the state is forested, there is no shortage of quiet country lanes and meandering byways for driving and biking trips.

Among the eight road itineraries detailed on the state’s official site (visitnh.gov), “The Lakes” loops for 134 breathtaking miles from Meredith on the shore of Lake Winnipesaukee. To catch the leaves at their peak, check out the state’s foliage map (foliage.visitnh.gov), which tracks the intensity of the color from “green” through “faded” as fall slowly makes its way south.

2 Speaking of Frost, why not pay homage to the four-time Pulitzer Prize winner on a visit to his farm in Derry (robertfrostfarm.org), where he lived and wrote from 1900 to 1911?

Now a National Historic Landmark, the whiteclapboard farmhouse offers readings, tours and lectures (all free of charge) in its barn theater. The poet and his family later moved to the Frost Place (frostplace.org) in Franconia, where he lived full-time from 1915 to 1920 and summered through 1934. On any afternoon but Tuesday through October 12, you can enjoy the house and grounds with their stunning views out over the White Mountains and, yes, an apple orchard (“But I am done with applepicking now. Essence of winter sleep is on the night”).

2 Looking for a place to stretch your legs? Then lace up your hiking boots and set out into the great, green 800,000-acre White Mountain National Forest. Established by presidential proclamation in 1918, the forest has 1,200 miles of trails, a few of which Below: Photos: istockphoto.com (far left) and Getty Images (second from right)

climb Mount Washington, the highest peak north of the Smokey Mountains and east of the Mississippi. Across the state, dozens of state parks offer outstanding opportunities for biking, boating, camping, fishing, hiking, picnicking and swimming. And those looking for a mix of history and hiking should consider the walking tours through the state’s historic towns, such as Dover and Portsmouth. Concord’s walking tour joins more than 50 historic sites including the Upham-Walker House, the Eagle Hotel and the First Baptist Church. Or try Manchester’s Valley Cemetery and Millyard Tours.

2 To really understand a state, you need to visit one of its harvest fairs. This is especially true in New Hampshire, with its eleven big events, all combining the best locally grown and made items, family entertainment, animal events such as oxen pulls and 4-H (a youth organization) displays. Tradition is alive and well at New England’s oldest fair in Deerfield (deerfieldfair.com), which celebrates its 133rd anniversary from October 1 to 4. Dating back to 1916, the Sandwich Fair (sandwichfair.com) is the place to be on Columbus Day weekend (October 10 to 12).

2 When winter says farewell to fall, it’s time to get out the skis and warm up the hamstrings. The state has a hill for every taste, ranging from the big alpine mountain centers such as Bretton Woods and Attitash Bear Peak to smaller, family-sized mountains such as Cranmore and King Pine, perfect for learning to carve and schuss. The Balsams, just one of the state’s 19 cross-country ski centers, has more than 50 miles of groomed trails wending through a snow-silent forest. The official ski/snowboard site (skinh.com) covers everything from hotel packages and slope cams to lift-ticket deals and snow conditions. Get started early and check out the early-bird packages available now.

Above: The vineyards of NH’s Flag Hill Winery & Distillery. Photo © NH DTTD

Local Knowledge

Did You Know?

True Flavor

On the 2009 National Trust list of “11 Most Endangered Sites,” Memorial Bridge between Portsmouth and Kittery is the only pedestrian/bicycle bridge between Maine and New Hampshire. It also connects great seaport restaurants, boutiques and waterfront scenery on both sides.

Since NH’s state dog is the Chinook, a champion sled dog, it’s no surprise the state’s a great place for dog sledding. Options now include three-hour runs through the private 15,000-acre “Wilderness Trail System” at the Balsams and half- and full-day adventures with White Mountain Sled Dog Adventures. At Mount Washington Resort, you can try skijoring (involving a dog, harness, bungee cord and pair of cross-country skis).

Wines from New Hampshire? Yes, and surprisingly good ones, too. One of the best ways to see for yourself is by attending the 6th Annual Winter Wine Festival (winterwinefestival.com) hosted at the Wentworth by the Sea resort in New Castle (January 16 to February 28, 2010) in partnership with the NH State Liquor Commission.

STATE ANIMAL: White-tailed deer

𰀌

Our leaves put on a pretty spectacular display, it’s true. But there’s more. Our stone walls rise and fall, carving out a landscape of pastoral dairy farms and rolling vineyards. They lead to some of our most delectable surprises: handcrafted cheeses and specialty wines. Follow the walls and sample a taste of New Hampshire.

𰀀𰀀visitnh.gov

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A

North Carolina A tricentennial and the opening of the Bechtler Museum, “Beer City East” and the best breakfast in the country

utumn always puts on a spectacular show in North Carolina, and this year there are even more places to see the magnificent mountain views and vibrant fall foliage. NC has purchased the land around Grandfather Mountain and Chimney Rock from their former private owners, turning these two dramatic locations into state parks and protecting their unique ecosystems for future generations. Home to the “Mile High Swinging Bridge,” Grandfather Mountain is one of the most environmentally diverse nature preserves in the world. Chimney Rock is best known for its iconic 315-foot monolith spire, which towers over Hickory Nut Gorge, and for its scenic starring role in the movie “Last of the Mohicans.”

2 Mark your calendars: The seaport city of New Bern is gearing up to celebrate its tricentennial in 2010. Originally a Swiss and German settlement, this beautifully preserved city 87 miles northeast of Wilmington, served as North Carolina’s first state capital following the American Revolution. Today, it has three historic districts and more than 150 sites on the National Register of Historic Places. Events and activities spread throughout the tricentennial year are aimed at history buffs, outdoor enthusiasts, lovers of the arts and architecture, and those who simply enjoy strolling quaint streets and a scenic waterfront.

While you’re there, be sure to visit the beautiful and stately Tryon Palace Historic Sites and Gardens, originally built in 1770 as the official residence of the colonial governors.

2 The keenly anticipated opening of Charlotte’s newest museum, the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, will take place on January 2, 2010. Construction of the museum’s distinct four-story, 36,500-sqft building is nearing completion. Museum staff moved into the facility this summer, and the collection is scheduled to arrive in the

fall. The building, designed by world-renowned Swiss architect Mario Botta, is destined to become an iconic structure with its boldly cantilevered fourth-floor exhibition gallery, soaring glass-and-steel atrium and terra cotta exterior. The majority of the Bechtler’s collection, which reflects most of the important art movements and schools of the 20th century, has never been on public view.

2 North Carolina’s eclectic mountain haven, Asheville, is celebrating its newest superlative. In an unofficial online poll by brewing guru Charlie Papazian, Asheville was named “Beer City East,” as well as tying Portland, Oregon, for the best craft-brewing city in the country. At last count, Buncombe County (where Asheville is located) now has seven microbreweries and two more on the way. And the city’s oldest craft brewer, Highland, now has more taps in local bars and restaurants than Budweiser. Visiting beer aficionados should take a ride on the Asheville Brews Cruise, which ferries guests between breweries to sample local beers and talk to the craftsmen and -women who make them.

2 If you’re looking to redecorate your home this fall, a trip to North Carolina could be a great investment. Known as “The Furniture Capital of the World,” the state has numerous places in its Piedmont region to buy big-name furniture at substantial savings. High Point and Thomasville, hosts of two international industry exhibitions each year, have dozens of furnishing stores and furniture outlets. Farther west, the Hickory Furniture Mart offers a one-stop shopping experience, with more than 100 factory outlet stores and galleries.

Nearby US Highway 321 to Lenoir is lined with furniture factories and stores. And, if you’ve broken Aunt Lily’s favorite piece of china or crystal, the folks at Replacements, Ltd. in Greensboro will help you replace the irreplaceable.

Below: Photos: istockphoto.com

Above: The Charlotte, NC, skyline at dusk. Photo: istockphoto.com

Local Knowledge

STATE BIRD: Cardinal

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Known as “America’s most pro-military town,” Fayetteville in Cumberland County is home to Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base.

Among its seven museums is one dedicated to the Airborne and Special Operations, a tribute to American elite forces from World War II to the present.

Did You Know?

True Flavor

The Wilmington area in southeastern NC is a location-shooting paradise known in film and television circles as “Hollywood East.” It has starred in more than 350 film and television projects in the last 25 years, including “Blue Velvet,” “A Walk to Remember,” “Dawson’s Creek” and “One Tree Hill.”

EUE Screen Gems in Wilmington is the largest film studio east of Los Angeles.

When you’re hungry for a true old-fashioned country breakfast — country ham, sausage, bacon, biscuits, gravy (saw mill and red-eye), eggs, stewed apples, etc. — look no further than the Shatley Springs Inn in Crumpler, 35 miles northeast of Boone.

Serving it up “old school” since the 1920s, the former motor lodge has carved out a reputation for Southern Country Cookin’ that draws crowds from far and wide.

Crystal Coast A new definition of escape is waiting on North Carolina’s Crystal Coast. Discover a place where timeless beauty, coastal charm and rich history run wild. Where warm beaches and friendly faces welcome you all year long. With so much to explore & enjoy, you’ll leave life as you know it behind on North Carolina’s Crystal Coast.

800-786-6962 crystalcoastnc.org

A Quiet Place in the Smokies

Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, Appalachian Mountains virgin hardwood forest; three large lakes popular for water sports; Cheoah River with IV+ whitewater rapids; Tsali mountain bike and horseback riding trails; Cherohala Skyway, the only National Scenic Byway in North Carolina; Tail of the Dragon - popular rides for motorcycles and sports cars.

Winston-Salem Your Life. Enriched.

It’s one thing to visit a city, and quite another to have it never leave you. Like a book you can’t put down, Winston-Salem is a city teeming with surprises. Broaden your perspective in our innovative galleries and inspiring contemporary museums. Experience family-fun attractions by the dozen. Order your free visitor guide today.

800-470-3790 grahamcountytravel.com

866-728-4200 VisitWinstonSalem.com

Visit Seagrove, the Pottery Capital of the World.

Bentonville Battlefield Historic Site, Four Oaks

The Ultimate Furniture Shopping Destination

Visit Seagrove, the pottery capital of the world, conveniently located in the Heart of North Carolina. With nearly 100 shops and galleries scattered throughout the area, you’ll find everything from traditional tableware to collectible art pieces handcrafted in the same tradition that began here more than 200 years ago.

The Battle of Bentonville, March 19-21, 1865 was the largest Civil War land battle to take place on North Carolina soil with over 80,000 soldiers. This historic site includes the Harper House, museum exhibits, and driving pull-offs.

Mark your calendars for the 145th Anniversary Reenactment scheduled for March 20-21, 2010.

Choose from countless selections at affordable prices, featuring the most reputable manufacturers, designers & expert craftsmen within the industry.

At Hickory Furniture Mart you’ll find everything under one roof. Open to the public Monday-Saturday 9AM – 6PM.

800-626-2672 HeartofNorthCarolina.com

919-989-8687 or 800-441-7829 johnstoncountync.org

888-640-0024 hickoryfurniture.com

Find Your Affordable Fall Getaway at visitnc.com/offers.

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VIRGINIA

Segway tours of historic Richmond and wine trails, the Song of the Mountains and succulent island oysters

To get a real introduction to the South, be sure to spend a day or two in historic Richmond, Virginia’s capital since 1780. At the Museum of the Confederacy, the American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar and the National Battlefield Park (all covered under the Civil War Pass) you can almost hear the crack of muskets and the boom of cannons.

The Edgar Allen Poe Museum peers inside the mind of one of America’s more eccentric writers. The Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden has more than 40 acres of spectacular gardens. Explore on foot or, for a unique experience, see the city on a guided Segway tour lasting between two and two-and-a-half hours (all tours start with a 15-minute lesson).

2 When it comes time to leave the capital, consider taking Captain John Smith’s Trail (virginia.org/johnsmithtrail) that follows in the path of America’s most famous colonist as he explored Virginia between 1607 and 1609. Tracing the banks of the James River, the driving route takes you from the falls in Richmond to Smithfield and Newport News, then back to Richmond again, linking more than 35 points of interest along the way, including historic towns, plantations, parks and museums. For those who can’t do it all, the trail is divided into three easily manageable loops – the Upper Oxbow, Middle Cypress and the Lower Oyster.

2 The state slogan – “Virginia Is for Lovers” – might refer to the passion for life that lies around every bend in the road, but it has a special resonance for wine lovers. Some 143 wineries are scattered through 15 distinctive regions across the state, from Appalachia in the west to Chesapeake on the Eastern Shore. October, officially dubbed “Virginia Wine Month,” is the perfect time to take your

taste buds on a tour. But the official site (virginia.org/wine) lists other events taking place throughout the year, ranging from movies among the vines to the Thomas Jefferson Wine Festival (November 21) at Poplar Forest (poplarforest.org), the third president’s home after he retired from politics. Take a house tour, then enjoy a glass of wine from one of the wineries on the Bedford Wine Trail.

2 Another incentive to make the trip in the fall is the state’s legendary foliage show that lights up the forest from late September to mid-October. You can get a frontrow seat driving through Appalachia, the Blue Ridge Highlands and along Skyline Drive. Hikers can shoulder their daypacks along the Appalachian Trail and the ridges of Shenandoah National Park. Golfers can tee off at more than 400 courses (virginiagolf.com), ranging from the Virginia Beach National to the championship course at Bryce Resort (bryceresort.com) in the heart of Shenandoah County. And, for a bird’s-eye view of the changing leaves, you can take Bryce’s chair lift to the peak, then glide down 3,000 feet of zip lines that cut across the still-grassy ski hill and through the forest up to 65 feet above the ground.

2 The hills really are alive with music. It’s hard to stop your toes tapping at Donk’s Theater, Virginia’s Lil’ Ole Opry, in Mathews County, where lively country music fills the senses every other Saturday night. At the historic Lincoln Theatre in Marion (thelincoln.org), the “Song of the Mountains” series brings out the big names of Bluegrass through the fall and winter.

Among the 200 festivals that cram the fall calendar are some that mix wine and music. Listen to the fiddles sing while sipping a glass of robust red at the Norton and Bluegrass Festival (October 3 and 4) in the middle of Chrysalis Vineyards, just outside the village of Middleburg in Loudon County.

Below: Photos: istockphoto.com (except far right)

STATE INSECT: Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly

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Above: An autumnal mountain vista in Virginia.

Local Knowledge

Did You Know?

True Flavor

Those who live for the succulent slide of a brine-fresh oyster should head over to the Eastern Shore and the Chincoteague Island Oyster Festival, held this year on October 10. The $35 entry fee (advance sales only) buys you all the oysters you can eat.

The Grand Canyon might be the nation’s headliner when it comes to gaping holes in the earth, but Virginia has another one that is, in its own way, just as gorge-ous. In the leafy heart of 4,500-acre Breaks Interstate Park (breakspark.com), golden eagles soar above the deepest gorge east of the Mississippi River.

If fall had to choose a seasonal drink, it would have to be hard cider, crushed from recently harvested apples and emboldened by natural fermentation. Virginia is home to two of the nation’s finest family-owned cideries — Albemarle CiderWorks and Foggy Ridge Cider — both open for tours and tastings.

CULPEPER, VIRGINIA

MONTICELLO

250 years young this year, Culpeper has truly aged to perfection! Today, it’s the perfect blend of small-town charm, natural beauty, history, and hospitality. Walk in the footsteps of history, and enjoy award-winning restaurants, wineries, specialty shops, and cozy inns.

1.888.CULPEPER visitculpeperva.com

Why have to choose between a Virginia Beach vacation and the history of Williamsburg and Jamestown when you can stay in Hampton, Virginia and do it all?

For your free Hampton Visitor Guide, call 1.800.800.2202 or visithampton.com

Enter Thomas Jefferson’s world by exploring the house and grounds of Monticello. Experience innovative exhibitions and other features in new Thomas Jefferson Visitor Center.

Open daily; reserved tickets available online.

434.984.9822 monticello.org

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WASHINGTON, DC Chinese warriors and The Lost Symbol, storytelling and blueberry pancakes at the newly reopened Eastern Market

atch it while you can. DC’s National Geographic Museum is the last stop for the blockbuster traveling exhibition “Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China’s First Emperor.” Running from November 19 to March 31, 2010, it’s the largest collection of ancient artifacts ever to travel to the US from China. Among the treasures are 15 life-sized terra cotta figures unearthed from the tomb of China’s First Emperor in one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20th century. While you are in DC checking out the exhibition, take advantage of great hotel deals, warrior-inspired cuisine, plus other cultural events and happenings as part of DC’s “Weekend Warriors” tourism promotion (Warriorsdc.org).

2 There is also plenty of sporting action in DC this fall and winter. Locals will gather to cheer on the Redskins and the Capitals, while road races such as the Army Ten-Miler (October 4) and the Marine Corps Marathon (October 25) test a different kind of mettle.

College football fans won’t want to miss out on the action when an Atlantic Coast Conference team squares off against Army or a Conference USA opponent in the second annual EagleBank Bowl, played on December 29 at RFK Stadium (eaglebankbowl.com).

2 Dan Brown – author of “The Da Vinci Code” and “Angels and Demons” — brings his signature mix of mystery, adventure and history to the city this fall. His latest thriller, “The Lost Symbol,” hit the shelves on September 15, and you can join in the intrigue by exploring DC locations that play roles in the plot. Examples include George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate (mountvernon.org), Masonic sites such as the Scottish Rite Temple (scottishrite.org/where/hq.html) and the George Washington Masonic Memorial in Alexandria (gwmemorial.org) that brings the fascinating secret society to life. Alternatively, puzzle-hungry

visitors can plan their own interactive adventure with the International Spy Museum’s new GPS-based tour (spymuseum.org).

2 As Africa prepares to host its first-ever World Cup in 2010, its unique history and culture are the focus of a number of fall exhibitions here in the capital. At The Phillips Collection (phillipscollection. org) from October 10 to January 10, 2010, “Man Ray: African Art and the Modernist Lens” uses more than 100 images by the modernist photographer and his contemporaries to show how they changed perceptions of Africa in the western world.

Works by contemporary Nigerian-born artist Yinka Shonibare are on display from November 10 to March 7, 2010, at the National Museum of African Art (Africa.si.edu). And yet another dimension is explored by the Anacostia Community Museum (Anacostia.si.edu) in its special exhibition, “The African Presence in Mexico,” which explores African contributions to Mexican culture dating back to 1519 (November 8 to July 4, 2010). Even the Folger Shakespeare Theatre (folger.edu) is getting in on the act, adding some Afro-Caribbean flavor to its production of “Much Ado About Nothing” (October 21 to November 29).

2 DC’s international flavor bubbles to the surface in several special exhibitions and performances. For globally minded families, the Kids Euro Festival returns, October 15 to November 10 (kidseurofestival.org), staging musical and theater performances in a collaboration between the EU countries and DC’s performing arts venues. During the second annual FotoWeek DC, November 7 to 14 (fotoweekdc.org), works by leading European Union photographers will be on display at the House of Sweden. Next spring, dozens of DC’s embassies will open their doors to the public for free tours, cultural presentations and performances on May 1, 2010, as part of Passport DC, the city’s weeklong celebration of international culture (passportdc.org).

Below: Photos: istockphoto.com (left three) and Getty Images (far right) NATIONAL BIRD: Bald Eagle

62

Above: The United States Capitol at night. Photo: istockphoto.com

Local Knowledge

Did You Know?

True Flavor

DC’s premier storytelling organization, Speakeasy DC (speakeasydc.org) promotes the art of oral narrative through events, classes, consulting and recordings. The group offers several recurring events, including a monthly open mic series at Town (8th & U Sts. NW), happening on the second Tuesday evening of each month from 8 to 10 PM (tickets are just $10).

At the US National Arboretum (usna.usda.gov), you can go leaf peeping around all 50 states in a single afternoon.

Its 30-acre National Grove of State Trees proudly shows off a sample of each state’s official tree, each one relocated from the state it represents.

A Capitol Hill landmark, DC’s Eastern Market (easternmarketdc.com) was damaged by fire in April 2007. In June, it reopened thanks to the DC government and enthusiastic local activists.

The historic building’s lunch counter serves up mouth-watering favorites such as blueberry buckwheat pancakes (known locally as “bluebucks”) and crabcakes.

Photo by Mark Thiessen, National Geographic

ZOLA WINE & KITCHEN

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Barbarians at the Gate

T

In Moscow clubs, getting in is a brutal game.

Welcome to the world of face control. By Joshua Yaffa

hey walked up to the club with the confidence of young Russians with money, all clicking heels and the sated, greedy smiles of cats licking cream. It was someone’s birthday. Earlier in the week, they had sent over a cash deposit of 7,000 euros (about $10,000) to reserve a table at Soho Rooms, which, at the moment, was the most glamorous and expensive place to spend a night out in Moscow.

Slava Kaz, however, was not impressed. They were young. The girls weren’t all that pretty. And look at him, look at his shoes. It was a quick calculation. They did not pass face control.

It was a damp, gray evening in early August, the time of year when everyone in Moscow heads out of town, whether to tend garden plots or to sunbathe in the south of France, depending on the depth of their bank account. In two days, the promoters at Soho Rooms would be hosting a private party on the Italian island of Sardinia. But this night, the few people with means or style still left in the city were trying to make their way past Kaz and into the club.

Outside, the birthday party group was still waiting, trying to negotiate. Kaz was not budging: I’m sorry, there needs to be a pretty picture inside, you understand. A moment later, a man in a black suit emerged onto the street from behind the club’s oversize wooden doors. He handed over an envelope stuffed with their deposit. They would have to celebrate elsewhere.

Such are the often brutal vagaries of Moscow face control, a culture of quick-draw aesthetics that is both humiliating and exhilarating, depending on which end of Kaz’s gaze you fall.

Money, looks and attitude are all weighed and ranked in a few seconds, along with a more ephemeral sense of whether you belong in the club that night. In Moscow, a strict face control policy is respected as a necessary and proper part of going out. At Soho Rooms, one woman came back to the club’s entrance three times in one night, each time in a slightly different outfit, each time turned away by Kaz. Everyone in Moscow uses the English term ‘‘face control,’’ though the phrase is often

transliterated in print as ‘‘feis kontrol.’’ Most every nightclub in Moscow and an increasing number in other cities around the country employ a face control director — the more enigmatic and impenetrable, the better.

The most famous is Pavel Pichugin, or, as he is more popularly known, Pasha Face Control.

He is 28, but his round, boyish face and soft, deep-set eyes make him look younger. For the last nine years, Pasha has worked the door at a changing roster of Moscow nightclubs, most recently at an outpost of Pacha, a global franchise with roots in Ibiza. He has become a celebrity in his own right, posing for photos with fans when they spot him outside the club, and is the subject of a Russian pop song with a chorus that features a throaty female voice purring, ‘‘Pasha, let me into the club’’ and ‘‘Pasha, do you want some sex?’’

Not that Pasha doesn’t take his role seriously. As he sees it, his job, or that of any face control expert, is necessary because Russia is filled with ‘‘people who have just made their first million and think they deserve

Night movers Clockwise from top left: Vlad and his bodyguards, working face control at Soho Rooms; Dmitry Ustinov, a D.J. at Denis Simachev Shop & Bar; Pavel Kuryanov and dancers outside Black Star; the local celebrity Pavel Pichugin, a k a Pasha Face Control, at Bon 2 restaurant; Sergei Sedelin, Denis Simachev’s face control, and his entourage; Sergei Pleshakov, the art director of Denis Simachev.

64

P H O T O G R A P H S BY A N NA S K L A D M A N N

Pop tarts On stage at Soho Rooms, one of Moscow’s most expensive clubs.

to be in the club, that they should get everything they want.’’ This, of course, is a problem. ‘‘But in fact they’re just a bunch of miners and day laborers,’’ Pasha said. ‘‘They don’t have respect or culture.’’

With the onset of Russia’s capitalist surge, which reached its peak in the summer of 2008 with oil at around $140 a barrel, he began to see them everywhere, these newly gilded novye russkie — at Moscow’s most expensive clubs, at ski resorts in the Alps like Courchevel and, during the summer, along the beach towns of the French Riviera. ‘‘With every year there’s more and more of them,’’ Pasha said.

The global recession has hit Russia especially hard, with the buckets of cash from the oil and metals trade flowing in at a much slower rate than they once did. Still, Moscow’s clubs are full of people who managed to stash enough away over the last few years, or fatalists who are simply intent on burning the disposable income they have left. These days, Pasha makes a lot of his money from local clubs in Russia’s far-flung regions, who pay him to stand at the entrance and work face control for opening night. ‘‘I’m like a brand,’’ he said.

Another of Moscow’s more recognizable face control masters, 26-year-old Pavel Kuryanov, who goes by the nickname Pashu, spent the last two summers in St.-Tropez and Cannes, where he brought Russian-style face control to the nightclubs that line the beach. ‘‘At first they were surprised,’’ he said of the bewildered European guests he rejected at the door for lacking style. ‘‘They were like, ‘Who is this Russian guy?’ ’’ In Moscow, Pashu is in charge of face control at Black Star, a hip-hop club backed by Timati, a Russian rapper and teen icon. On the street outside the club, there is a special face control system for cars; a thick man in a black vest lets only the most expensive, late-model Ferraris and Bentleys up to the roof, where Pashu guards the entrance to the club itself.

Pashu looks for watches and shoes, a lot of color, things that he said made the club feel like one big celebration. ‘‘You know,’’ he said, ‘‘white jeans and moccasins, something designer, like Dolce & Gabbana or Galliano, maybe an expensive suit, Hugo Boss, Pal Zileri, anything bright pink, yellow.’’

What impresses the face control gods varies from one club to the next. Pashu wants money and flash, while others rely on personal connections. ‘‘If I don’t know your face, it’s 66

Money, looks and attitude are all weighed and ranked IN A F EW SECON DS, along with a sense of whether you belong. impossible,’’ said Pavel Beryozko, the tall, broad-shouldered master of face control at Rai, a cavernous, overdesigned nightclub that features a giant snake’s mouth hanging off the wall and a transparent orb that hovers above the dance floor with a bikini-clad dancer inside.

Why, then, do the masses hang around Bolotnaya Embankment on Friday and Saturday nights? ‘‘Some people like to stand around,’’ Beryozko said with a cold shrug. ‘‘Maybe they have nothing better to do.’’

Neither fame nor wealth is any guarantee.

A few years ago, the supermodel Natalia Vodianova showed up with her husband, Justin Portman, the English-born aristocrat, at the aptly named Billionaire club, where Pasha was working face control at the time. Both, Pasha Face Control said, had had quite a bit to drink. ‘‘They were behaving terribly, completely uncultured,’’ he remembered.

He didn’t let them in.

The rejection, when it comes (which is more often than not), is frequently wrapped in an almost paternal sense of charity: it’s for your own benefit; you wouldn’t like it in here anyway. ‘‘We get a lot of people who are just walking past and decide to stop in,’’ said Sergei Pleshakov, the art director of Denis Simachev Shop & Bar, run by the designer of the same name, perhaps the only Russian fashion figure to achieve real international recognition. The club, on a busy pedestrian street, has black lacquer walls and leopard-skin rugs. ‘‘But this place isn’t for them,’’ Pleshakov said. ‘‘It wouldn’t be good for them.’’

It is a tough job, most practitioners of face control agree, both on the body and the spirit. There are long nights standing around in Russia’s midwinter frost, not to mention regular threats from the groups of moneyed toughs who frequent Moscow’s nightclubs.

A few years back, someone let off a few gunshots in the direction of the face control guy in front of the Moscow club Tseppelin.

The guys who work face control at the clubs in Kazan, a Russian regional capital, wear black ski masks to keep their identities secret.

Pasha himself was beaten up pretty badly a couple of years back by a group of disgruntled clubgoers who were waiting for him outside his apartment.

Pasha can’t imagine doing this forever. He has been studying at a dental school. Later this year, he’ll finish his dissertation, on the feasibility of dental implants in patients with diabetes. He has been talking about opening his own dental clinic. ‘‘Maybe,’’ he said, ‘‘I will call it Pasha’s Face Control.’’

After a while, all these snap judgments of a person can weigh on the soul. ‘‘Sometimes,’’ Pashu said, ‘‘there’s a guy who is frozen from standing out in the cold. He seems like a good guy, you want to let him in, but you know you can’t. He looks bad. There’s no way he can pass face control. So, yes, you feel sorry for him.’’ ■

ESSENTIALS • MOSCOW

NIGHTCLUBS The formula for determining who gets in is unique to each of the city’s face control masters; it never hurts, though, to dress well, look as if you are ready to spend a lot of money and show up with a young lady or two. Calling ahead or having your hotel call for you can also help. Black Star European Shopping Center, 2 Ploshad Kiev Station; 011-7-495-220-5510. Denis Simachev Shop & Bar 12 Stoleshnikov Pereulok; 011-7-495-798-5777; denissimachev.com. Pacha 10 Nikolskaya Ulitsa; 011-7-495-798-5777; pachamoscow.ru. Rai 9 Bolotnaya Naberezhnaya; 011-7-495-767-1474; raiclub.ru. Soho Rooms 12 Savvinskaya Naberezhnaya; 011-7-495-988-7474; sohorooms.com.

RESTAURANT Bon 2 Pasha Face Control takes most of his lunches at a booth in the back of this dark, crushingly expensive restaurant whose main design motif is Philippe Starck’s gold-plated AK-47 lamp.

4 Yakimanskaya Naberezhnaya; 011-7-495-737-8008; bonmoscow.ru; entrees $20 to $80.

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Custom of the Country

At the oldest bespoke tailor in Italy, the question is: Do you measure up?

S

ardinia is a lonely hunk of basalt and granite stranded midway between western Italy and North Africa. ‘‘It lies,’’ D. H. Lawrence wrote, ‘‘outside the circuit of civilization.’’ Over the centuries the island has been overrun by everyone from the Phoenicians to the trashy mega-rich, and in response to successive waves of invaders, the native Sards have developed a peculiarly elusive and un-Italian manner. A suppleness with strangers is offset by an unyielding core of reserve. They are courtly and generous rather than expansive and gay; they know how to take the cut of your jib.

And so it is no wonder that Italy’s oldest bespoke tailor is in Sardinia.

Castangia was founded in 1850 and has been in the same family for seven generations. They have fitted the likes of Gramsci and Michael Douglas in ‘‘Wall Street.’’ To make up for a lifetime of dressing like stooges, a friend and I recently flew to Cagliari, Sardinia’s capital, to visit Castangia and buy suits. Dressing poorly is for me a feint: an attempt to substitute a trivial failing (slovenliness) for a moral one (laziness).

What would Castangia make of such a pouchy, ill-distributed jib?

We walked through Cagliari to Castello, the medieval district that Lawrence once fell in love with. Most of the city was destroyed in the 1940s by Allied bombs. But here the streets are a maze of centuries-old, sun-battened, salt-cracked houses. Laundry flutters on the line; old men drowse over demitasses. The Castangia shop is a modest storefront on Via Manno, and as we entered we were prepared to be eyeballed, poked and measured, on the way to being upholstered like adult men. Getting a suit made at Castangia, however, is neither a brief nor purely utilitarian transaction, and

Alberto Grilleti, the company’s C.E.O. Grilleti is in his early 40s, with pale blue eyes and sandy hair. Unsurprisingly, he was perfectly turned out, in a beige linen-blend suit and cobalt blue eyewear. ‘‘We are in the middle, between artisanal, pure garments and fashion,’’ Grilleti said. ‘‘We do not accept the rules of fashion. Fashion is no more as it once was. In Europe, we are losing our sense of elegance.’’

The wine was flowing copiously now.

Who should wear Castangia? ‘‘Berlusconi likes to wear us,’’ Grilleti mused, ‘‘but he is very small. It makes it hard on his tailor.’’ Obama? ‘‘Yes, but he may perhaps feel he is too Labor.’’

Clooney? ‘‘Perfect.’’

The air gusted through with glorious sea smells. The facades of the houses wore a magical craquelure. ‘‘It is dry in Italian job The workroom at Castangia, founded in Cagliari thanks to this wind,’’ Grilleti 1850 in Cagliari, Sardinia. said. ‘‘Except when it comes from the almost as soon as we entered its doorway, we southeast, from Libya. Then it is humid. But were hustled off with Vittorio Nurthe, who runs this wind, this is perfect.’’ Castangia is the sole the joint, to the cafe Luigi Pomata for rounds supplier to Bergdorf Goodman for its handof prosecco and calamari. tailored collection. Grilleti explained carefully Nurthe, 60, is skinny as a stovepipe, with how his garments are made. ‘‘In an industrial brushed-back salt-and-pepper hair. A wizardly garment, they use fusing, almost like a glue. touch with clothes allows him to wear a It collapses after a few drops of water.’’ For a spread-collar shirt under a Lacoste collared Castangia suit, the central seam is handtee and still resemble Keith Richards. For a stitched at the hips and shoulders, and the dean of Italian fashion, he is an easygoing buttonholes are embroidered with silk. ‘‘It is and modest man: ‘‘My friend Armani is being more accurate, more beautiful. It will stay made a Légion d’Honneur in France. Me, I am perfect for a long time,’’ Grilleti said. ‘‘There a Légion de Sardegna.’’ He laughed, raised an is a common sense to beautiful things. If I am eyebrow to the coastline. ‘‘Poor Giorgio, he in front of two bottles of wine, do not tell me lives in Milan, where it is gray and rainy. I live the industrial one is as good as the artisanal.’’ in sun, clean air and water.’’

We had consumed much artisanal wine. All We moved on to Cannonau, Sardinia’s around the table, the cut of our jib had been spectacular red wine, and discussed fashion, taken. We returned to the atelier. My friend Cagliari and who made the best James Bond. bought two suits; I returned with none. ■ (‘‘There is only one,’’ Nurthe pronounced.

Castangia, Via Manno 61, Cagliari; 011-39‘‘Sean Connery.’’) Then we were joined by 070-666-226; castangia1850.com.

TO SEE A SLIDE SHOW OF IMAGES FROM CASTANGIA AND CAGLIARI, SARDINIA, GO TO NYTIMES.COM/TMAGAZINE.

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P H O T O G R A P H BY S I M O N WAT S O N

www.oberoihotels.com

A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO T: THE NEW YORK TIMES STYLE MAGAZINE, SEPTEMBER 27, 2009

A perfect moment of repose at Westin Resort & Spa Los Cabos. Photo © Los Cabos Convention & Visitors Bureau

Temperatures are dropping and the leaves are falling, so why not head off for some sun-drenched fun South of the Border?

México, particularly along the Pacific and Caribbean coasts, is a dazzling playground of babyblue skies and warm turquoise waters, a world where beach bumming is practically a religion and aquatic pleasures are the activity of choice. You’ll find México generously sprinkled with plenty to do — be it teeing off on a championship course, getting close to heaven with an oceanfront massage or climbing up ancient pyramids.

What’s more, sweet deals are plentiful right now.

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BEAUTY AND THE BEACH

private beach and lush gardens along

You’ll sleep tight at any one of AMResorts’ award-winning beachfront hotels and spas in México: Secrets Capri Riviera Cancún, Secrets Maroma Beach Riviera Cancún, Secrets Silversands Riviera Cancún, Dreams Cancún Resort & Spa, Dreams Riviera Cancún Resort & Spa, Dreams Los Cabos Suites Golf Resort & Spa, Dreams Tulum Resort & Spa, Dreams Huatulco Resort & Spa, Dreams Puerto Aventuras Resort & Spa, Dreams Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa and Dreams Villamagna Nuevo Vallarta.

Whether you choose one of the adults-only Secrets Resorts & Spas or the any-age Dreams Resorts & Spas, you’ll find these properties a huge departure from the typical all-inclusive kind. AMResorts brings its signature concept of Unlimited Luxury to all these locations, where

Cancún’s Riviera Maya. Recognized for its outstanding culinary offerings, the resort boasts 90 all-oceanfront suites and is home to North America’s first Thalassotherapy Spa. The Zoëtry Casa del Mar Los Cabos is a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World and also a recipient of a AAA Five Diamond Award. Done up in a hacienda style, it features 32 oceanfront suites on the Sea of Cortés. It will begin welcoming guests in early December.

“Zoëtry Wellness & Spa Resorts offer an unparalleled vacation experience that will be forever etched in a visitor’s minds,” says Alex Zozaya, AMResorts’ CEO and president. “The ambiance and service foster a sublime energy within the resorts that, when combined with the most discriminating ame-

A shimmering pool at Zoëtry Casa del Mar. Photo © AMResorts

everything is included.

nities and activities, will enhance every guest’s emotional and physical well-being.” For more information, visit www.zoetryresorts.com.

in-room breakfasts. Valued at $200 per person, it must be booked for a three-night minimum stay in the Preferred Club room category or

HEALTH AND HAPPINESS Zoëtry Wellness & Spa Resorts, the latest addition to AMResorts’ portfolio, provide the highest levels of luxury and exemplary services with Endless Privileges. They offer unlimited access to prestigious amenities such as organic foods and beverages, private in-suite dining, fresh-fruit baskets — even complimentary worldwide telephone calls and chauffeured airport transfers.

Zoëtry Paraiso de la Bonita, a member of The Leading Small Hotels of the World and a five-time winner of the prestigious AAA Five Diamond Award, sits on 14 acres of

STIMULUS PACKAGES The indulgent Dreams Girlfriends Getaway, available at all Dreams Resorts & Spas, is a pampering package for you and your gal pals that includes champagne and chocolatecovered strawberries upon arrival, a manicure and pedicure with champagne service for each girlfriend, daily yoga sessions and daily

Spend an evening in a Yucatán paradise. Photo © Secretaría de Fomento Turístico

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or nearby Nik-San at Las Tiendas de Palmilla (which specializes in snazzy Mexican-infused Japanese cuisine).

Romantics will want to snag a table at the Tequila Restaurant, also in San José del Cabo, while foodies are drawn to the myriad ceviche and carpaccio offerings at 12 Tribes at the Casa Dorado in Cabo San Lucas.

Fashionistas will love Luxury Avenue Los Cabos near Boulevard Marina Corner. This upscale retail center offers one-stop shopping at haute shops such as Hermés, Coach, Fendi, Carolina Herrera, Salvatoré Ferragamo, Cartier, Tiffany and Swarovski. Cuban cigar aficionados, single-malt mavens and “celebophiles”

A luxurious room at the One&Only Palmilla hotel. Photo © Los Cabos Convention & Visitors Bureau

better. Book online using promotional code GIRLFRIENDS. For more information, visit www.dreamsresorts.com.

Kids Stay, Play and Eat Free is valid for up to two children, 12 years old or younger, when staying in the same guestroom with two paying adults at any Dreams resort.

Youngsters get to play all day at the Explorer’s Club, a professionally supervised day camp for ages 3 to 12. After sunset, activities such as Dreams’ Nighttime Movies on the Beach and once-a-week overnight camping trips make for some adult-only time.

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Opt for the Unlimited Spa Package

A SHORE THING México has always had its fair share of Tinsel Towners heating up the sand, but scoping out the glitterati along the posh playground of Los Cabos is something of a local pastime.

The destination’s most popular area, the 20-mile Tourist Corridor between Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo, hugs the sparkling aquamarine waters of both the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortés at the end of the Baja California peninsula. Celebrated for having no shortage of things to do — ranging from eye-to-eye encounters with

California gray whales to, say, getting a honey-toned glam-tan next to some Hollywood hottie — the area also offers championship golf courses (such as the Jack Nicklaus Signature-designed Cabo del Sol Ocean and the Robert Trent Jones II-designed Cabo Real) with stunning views and cozy cove-filled beaches.

More adventuresome types can count on a plethora of eco-activities and fishing expeditions.

You can join locals at the onthe-beach eateries in San José del Cabo, such as the Office (try the black-bean nachos with flank steak)

should head for Amigos Smokeshop & Cigar Bar in San José del Cabo.

In July, the Los Cabos Convention & Visitors Bureau announced the launch of Los Cabos à la Carte.

For a limited time, lucky travelers can leave it all behind with a vacation package from a formidable collection of special offers. It’s a spectacular opportunity to experience world-class properties such as Cabo Villas Beach Resort & Spa for its Escape to the Beach, One&Only Palmilla for its Summer Escape Package (which has been extended for travel until December 17, 2009), Capella Pedregal for its Capella Escapes or Casa Dorada for its Escape to Paradise. Offerings range

at Secrets Capri Riviera Cancún, a member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts, and enjoy countless spa treatments at its new Secrets Spa

by Pevonia, along with all the other Secrets Unlimited Luxury amenities.

Choices include an array of 25-minute specialty massages and hydrotherapy treatments. When it’s time to book your getaway, be sure to select the Unlimited Spa Package. It’s offered through December 23, 2009, based on availability. Visit www.secretsresorts.com for more information.

This special advertising feature is sponsored by participating advertisers. It was prepared by Lauren Price and did not involve the reporting or editing staff of The New York Times. ©2009 The New York Times 74

The comfortable and romantic Hacienda Santa Rosa de Lima is decorated entirely in colonial style. Photo © Secretaría de Fomento Turístico

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from discounts on spa services, food and beverage, and inclusive daily breakfasts to greens fees, free nights and resort credits.

“The Los Cabos à la Carte promotion is designed to offer visitors a spectacular menu of renowned Los Cabos hotels and resorts with incredible values,” says Gonzalo Franyutti, president of the Los Cabos Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Our organization is committed to ensuring world-class accommodations and unbelievable value, set against the unique backdrop of our desert paradise. As well, the Los Cabos Convention & Visitors Bureau is committed to ensuring each and every visitor an experience rich with first-class service. By logging onto www.visitloscabos.travel, travelers are only a click away from over 30 enticing offers, including an array of savings, from complimentary room upgrades to free rounds of golf on championship courses and luxurious spa treatments.”

HACIENDA HEAVEN Celebrated as the cradle of Mayan culture, the Yucatán offers a wealth of magical attractions ranging from ancient ruins and majestic 17thcentury haciendas to splashy resorts with pamper-me spas and some of the world’s most popular cruise-ship stops.

Mérida (“The White City”) is the Yucatán’s capital. Head there for a chance to step back in time with a stroll or horse-drawn carriage ride along the tree-lined Paseo de Montejo (Mérida’s Champs Elysees) with its pastel-colored Spanish colonial buildings. And be sure to take a look inside the Cathedral of San Ildefonso; built in 1598, it’s the oldest cathedral in the Americas.

While in Mérida, check into one of the Yucatán’s meticulously restored henequen (“green gold”) haciendas, where sisal was once grown. Reaching the height of their popularity in the late 1800s, these splendid symbols of wealth and culture feature frescos, vaulted ceilings, private chapels and thick manicured lawns.

There are hacienda zones throughout the state, with a dozen or so of the most irresistible scattered in and around Mérida. These sanctuaries offer pleasurable amenities such as swimming pools, spas, 76

The hydrotheraphy circuit at Secrets Capri Riviera Cancún renews and refreshes through the power of water. Photo © AMResorts

world-class restaurants, nightly turndown service and nearby glass-clear cenotes (deep sinkholes in limestone with pools at the bottom) for cave diving. It’s easy to understand why Starwood Hotels & Resorts added haciendas to its Luxury Collection portfolio a few years back, including Hacienda Santa Rosa de Lima, Hacienda San José Millet, Hacienda San José Cholul and Hacienda Temozón Sur. For more information, visit www.thehaciendas.com.

Secluded amid some nine acres of beauty, the all-suite La Hacienda XCanatún (pronounced “ssh-canatoon”) has two swimming pools, a spa, meeting and event spaces, and

ming pool, a spa and a great space for meetings and events. For more information, visit www.hotelindigo. com/meridamisne.

The luxurious nine-room Hacienda San Antonio Millet boasts beck-andcall service. Though there’s no restaurant, repasts are available around the dining room’s long white-marble table, which can seat up to 20 guests.

The hacienda also features two large terraces overlooking the estate’s gorgeous gardens, as well as a swimming pool. For more information, visit www.haciendasanantonio.com.mx.

Perhaps the most intimate of the group is Hacienda Petac, which is superbly set on 200 acres in the

place where there is writing on the stones” and is pronounced “tse-veelchal-toon” — features the Temple of the Seven Dolls. To see an example of how accurately Mayan astronomy was integrated into architecture, visit during the spring equinox, when the rising sun aligns perfectly with the temple and shines directly though one temple door and out the other. The recently uncovered Ek Balam (meaning “black jaguar”) dates back to 300 BC; there you’ll find the gigantic mouth of the Witz Monster (meaning “entry to the underworld”). Uxmal — which means “the three-times built” and is pronounced “oosh-mahl” — is a

Celebrated as the cradle of Mayan culture, the Yucatán offers a wealth of magical attractions ranging from ancient ruins and majestic 17th-century haciendas to splashy resorts with pamper-me spas and some of the world’s most popular cruise-ship stops. just 18 accommodations, some with hammock-filled terraces. This jewel is famous for its attention to detail, gracious hospitality, and award-winning Casa de Piedra restaurant. For more information, visit www.xcanatun.com.

The recently restored 50-room Hacienda Misné features another one of México’s top eateries, La Pitahaya Restaurant, and all of its guestrooms and suites open onto the hacienda’s lush gardens. Also known as the Hotel Indigo, it too has a swim-

Mayan countryside. A staff of 23 dotes on the guests (who never number more than 12 at a time), and amenities include the Casa Maya Spa & Fitness Center. For more information, visit www.haciendapetac.com.

No matter which of these first-class haciendas you choose, you’ll be living in the lap of luxury and enjoying proximity to archaeological sites including Dzibilchaltún, Ek Balam and Uxmal.

Dating back to 500 BC, Dzibilchaltún — which means “a

UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most architecturally impressive of Mayan sites because of its rich geometric stone carvings. Said to date back as far as 600 AD, it features the 120-foot-high Pyramid of the Prophet (or Wizard), which, according to legend, was built overnight by a magician-dwarf who reached adulthood in one day after being hatched from an egg. To learn more about the Yucatán, visit www. yucatan.travel. ■

FRENCH TWIST

The Louvre and Ladurée aren’t going anywhere, but Paris’s indie scene is on the move. Art, fashion, food and music are all buzzing with a newfound creative energy that borrows more from Brooklyn and Berlin than the Rive Gauche. So now’s the time to go off-piste. BY CHRISTINE MUHLKE

PARIS

13

hours on the town

9 a.m.

Try a pain de seigle feuilleté au miel (basically a killer rye croissant) from the star baker Arnaud Delmontel.

39, rue des Martyrs; 011-33-148-78-29-33.

I L LU S T R AT I O N S BY J U L I E N PAC AU D

10:30 a.m. 1 p.m.

Shop for foodie souvenirs at the artisanal épicerie Ets Lion. 7, rue des Abbesses; 011-331-46-06-64-71.

Have lunch at Nomiya, a pop-up restaurant at the Palais de Tokyo. Reserve well in advance.

13, avenue du Président Wilson; art-homeelectrolux.com.

3 p.m.

Pick up a ‘‘Karl Who?’’ tote bag, a Jaime Hayón ceramic or an edgy drawing at the concept store Arty Dandy. 1, rue de Furstemberg; 01133-1-43-54-00-36.

4 p.m.

Browse the photographs, art books and obscure fashion magazines at Librairie Ofr. 20, rue DupetitThouars; 011-33-142-45-72-88.

8 p.m.

See a concert at La Cigale, the historic hall with a cool crowd.

120, boulevard de Rochechouart; 011-33-1-49-2581-75.

10 p.m.

Dine at the vanguard bistro Casa Olympe, where bold flavors balance a traditional room.

48, rue SaintGeorges; 011-33-142-85-26-01.

N Y T I M E S.C O M / T M AG A Z I N E • S E P T E M BE R 2 7, 2 0 0 9

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PARIS

SINGULAR BEDS Checking into the city’s most stylish independent hotels.

Hotel Lumen

15, rue des Pyramides; 011-33-1-44-50-77-00; hotellumenparis.com; doubles from about $372.

PROS The 32 stylish rooms in a former bank couldn’t be better located — steps from the Louvre and Colette.

CONS It’s clogged with fashion editors during the fall and spring collections.

PERKS Five new rooftop suites with balconies will open this fall.

Hôtel Relais Saint-Germain 9, carrefour de l’Odéon; 01133-1-43-29-12-05; hotel-parisrelais-saint-germain.com; doubles from $408.

PROS It’s owned by Yves Camdeborde, whose eternally booked bistro Le Comptoir du Relais is downstairs.

CONS Not a good place for dieters.

PERKS Guests are guaranteed a dinner reservation. Plus, Camdeborde’s new crêperie just opened next door.

Hotel Daniel

8, rue Frédéric Bastiat; 011-33-1-42-56-17-00; hoteldanielparis.com; doubles from $602.

PROS This chinoiserie-filled boutique hotel feels graciously residential, a toile-covered home away from home.

CONS The nearby ChampsÉlysées can be infernal.

PERKS Afternoon tea in the lovely sitting room is one of Paris’s under-the-radar pleasures.

Hôtel Particulier Montmartre

23d, avenue Junot; 011-33-153-41-81-40; hotel-particuliermontmartre.com; junior suites from $559.

PROS The five artist-designed suites make this private mansion feel unique.

CONS It’s completely unmarked, so good luck finding it. (Or is that a ‘‘pro’’?)

PERKS The new cocktail bar is dreamy, from the garden setting to the comme il faut drinks.

3 Rooms

5, rue de Moussy; 011-33-144-78-92-00; $645.

PROS The fashion icons Azzedine Alaïa and Carla Sozzani designed these jewelbox apartments with kitchens, part of Alaïa’s Marais complex.

CONS With only three rooms, you’d better book a year in advance — at least.

PERKS Provenance galore: the Marc Newson, Arne Jacobsen and Jean Nouvel furniture is from Alaïa’s own collection.

DOUBLE AGENTS

Georges de Providence What was the A.P.C. women’s store is now home to an extremely cool space (top) for young clothing designers, modular furniture makers and an exhibition studio for decorators and set designers. If you don’t go home with a pair of bottle green Italian oxfords, perhaps a 1970s Pierre Cardin vase will do.

3, rue de Fleurus; 011-33-1-42-8448-79; georgesdeprovidence.com.

Lieu Commun The French design star Matali Crasset sells her colorful modular furniture, dishes and other goodies in this ultramodern boutique. You’ll also find playful storage units from Moustache, lo-fi desk accessories

by Enzo Mari and street-chic clothing from the Peruvian label Misericordia. 5, rue des Filles du Calvaire; 011-33-1-44-54-08-30; lieucommun.fr.

Hotel Particulier In this hidden house, acid-hued Louis XIV chairs

by Lisaura and playful Mat & Jewski lamps are accessories to cuttingedge fashion by Kris Van Assche, Gaspard Yurkievich and David Szeto. 15, rue Léopold Bellan; 011-33-1-40-39-90-00; hotelparticulier-paris.com.

Merci A smashing mix of everything, including interesting antiques, just-right furniture that ranges from Thonet chairs to Paola Navone tables, and clothing from Marni, A.P.C. and other stealthchic brands (center). There’s also a vintage corner, where you might find ’80s Mugler. 111, boulevard Beaumarchais; 011-33-1-42-77-0033; merci-merci.com.

Margaret Howell The British fashion designer of tweaked classics also carries a delightful selection of vintage and reissued British furniture and accessories, from an exquisite Picquot Ware teakettle to an Ernest Race chair. 6, place de la Madeleine; 011-33-1-42-61-90-00; margarethowell.co.uk.

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Spree Cult designers like Isabel Marant, Tsumori Chisato and Preen hang near vintage furniture by the likes of Pierre Paulin at this insider favorite (bottom). In October, the front gallery will exhibit works during the Cutlog contemporary art fair. 16, rue La Vieuville; 011-33-1-42-23-41-40; spree.fr.

THE PREP LIST BOOK

MOVIE

ALBUM

‘‘The Dud Avocado,’’ by Elaine Dundy (New York Review of Books) ‘‘Les Chansons d’Amour,’’ by Christophe Honoré (2007) ‘‘Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix,’’ by Phoenix (2009)

TOP: FROM THE COMPANIES; BOTTOM LEFT: PHOTOGRAPHS BY AMBROISE TÉZENAS.

Shop for clothes and furniture in one boutique. (If you ask nicely, you can get that lamp detaxed.)

PARIS

STARTING LINES French fashion’s bright young things.

THIERRY COLSON ▼

HAMILTON-PARIS ▼

A stylist and consultant (Hermès, Chloé), Colson also designs wispy resort dresses and separates that manage to look youthful, boho and chic all at once.

Find them at the stylish new boutique Suite 114 Rue du Bac (114, rue du Bac; 011-33-1-42-84-07-56). thierrycolson.com.

Charles Sebline and Sophie Hamilton blend their Paris and London backgrounds — he designed at Yves Saint Laurent; she opened the London branch of the vintage store Decades — in a line based on the seductive power of the blouse, whether button-collared, chain-cuffed or lengthened into the perfect dress.

At Maria Luisa (7, rue Rouget de L’Isle; 011-33-1-47-03-96-15). hamilton-paris.com.

GARDE ROBE ▼ Olivier Borde’s boldly playful men’s-wear label is just a year old, but it’s already known for its avant-garde approach to the classics: think tailored jackets and shirts with off-kilter cuts and intricate stitching — and the occasional overall.

At Maria Luisa Homme (38, rue du Mont Thabor; 011-33-1-42-60-89-83). olivierbordegarderobe.blogspot.com.

AVRIL GAU ▼ Having designed shoe collections for Chanel, Robert Clergerie and Loewe, Gau recently introduced her own line of chaussures parisiennes, which manage to be classic or trendy depending on who’s wearing them (Jane Birkin or Sofia Coppola, for instance), as well as understated handbags. At Hoses (41, rue de Poitou; 011-33-1-42-78-80-62). avrilgau.com.

For years, the chocolatier Jacques Génin was the secret of great chefs, making bonbons for the likes of Alain Ducasse.

Last December, he finally opened a place of his own, a sleek, two-story sweets temple at the edge of the Marais. You can sample his genius ganaches and pastries (try the caramel éclair) with a cup of chocolat chaud in the cafe, or watch the devastating salted caramels being made upstairs. 133, rue de Turenne; 011-33-1-4577-29-01; jacquesgenin.com.

FASHIONABLY LATE

A cool night out means skipping the Bar Hemingway and Castel in favor of saucier locales. And there’s a boîte for every taste.

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COCKTAILS The speakeasy trend has hit Paris, bringing classic libations shaken with care. The Experimental Cocktail Club is hip and casual — black Chesterfield sofas, exposed brick — albeit with serious drinks.

37, rue Saint-Sauveur; 011-33-1-45-08-88-09.

NIGHTCLUB André, Paris’s man of the night, and a few friends have taken over Chez Moune, a former lesbian cabaret in Pigalle, and stocked it with Williamsburgesque kids and a retro D.J. 54, rue Jean-Baptiste Pigalle; 011-33-1-45-26-64-64; chez-moune.com.

DIVE Scenester central (this minute, at least), Andy Wahloo makes up for its lack of frills with beautiful faces. Check out Restaurant Derrière, located, well . . . you know. 69, rue des Gravilliers; 011-33-1-42-71-20-38.

MUSIC The grungy Bastille staple La Mécanique Ondulatoire is a favorite among the skinny-jeans set for its rock, yé-yé and punk music, both live and D.J.-ed. 8, passage Thiéré; 011-33-1-43-55-16-74.

TOP: FROM THE COMPANIES. CHOCOLATE: TONY CENICOLA/THE NEW YORK TIMES.

Sugar Rush

NEW YORK | LONDON | TOKYO | SWISSARMY.COM

PARIS

Belle de Jour

Hear

The hilly, multiethnic neighborhood of Belleville has lured creative types to northeastern Paris with its affordable spaces and pretty streets for decades. Lately, though, intrepid style-setters have refashioned the neighborhood into arguably the city’s most thriving boho paradise, with artists’ collectives, locavore restaurants and even the Philippe Starck-designed budget hotel Mama Shelter.

See

Bugada & Cargnel A former garage turned art space (above) showcases the likes of Vanessa Beecroft and Iris Van Dongen.

7-9, rue de l’Équerre; 011-33-142-71-72-73; bugadacargnel.com.

Balice Hertling This upstart gallery, which has already relocated to larger quarters, is making inroads into the international scene with its roster of young artists of a conceptual/mixed-media bent.

47, rue Ramponeau; 011-33-6-1960-88-94; balicehertling.com.

Gaudel de Stampa This young gallery shows young artists — think shows with titles like ‘‘I Am an Artist’’ and ‘‘Grace Jones Sculpture Project.’’ 3, rue de Vaucouleurs; 011-33-1-40-21-3738; gaudeldestampa.com.

Leave it to Paris to transform a turn-of-thecentury coffin factory in a remote neighborhood into a state-sponsored art scene. Centquatre (104, rue d’Aubervilliers; 104.fr) is home to some 50 artists who create, eat and play within this 400,000-square-foot space.

84

Chapeau Melon At night this charming ‘‘natural’’ wine shop serves a four-course local-centric menu for $45. 92, rue Rébeval; 011-33-1-42-02-68-60.

Kramer furniture from the 1950s.

3. Aubervilliers Hall At its peak, about 75 hearses a day left this building.

4. The food truck Claudio Episcopo’s retro pizza parlor on wheels.

Buy

Eva Pritsky The owner, a former philosophy and French teacher, hosts ad hoc cocktail parties at this brocante (secondhand shop) cum cafe-bar. 5, rue d’Eupatoria; 011-33-1-44-62-20-69.

Pollen It carries a well-edited selection of casual European women’s clothing and accessories (below). The men’s shop, Résine, is across the street. 7, rue de la Villette; 011-33-1-42-02-31-20.

Rosa Bonheur This lovely new spot at the edge of the Parc des Buttes Chaumont (above) turns into hipster central for sangria and snacks on weekends. 2, Allée de la Cascade; 011-33-142-00-00-45; myspace.com/ rosabonheurparis.

HOUSING WORKS

2. Le Café du 104 This casual semi-outdoor spot for coffee and conversation has Friso

Le Baratin This biodynamic wine bar is renowned for its comfort food. Reservations are a must.

3, rue Jouye-Rouve; 011-33-1-4349-39-70; three-course meal for about $21.

French Communist Party headquarters Prada hosted one of its fashion shows at this undulating building by the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer (below). Call ahead to arrange a tour. 2, place du Colonel Fabien; 011-33-1-40-4012-12; pcf.fr.

Castillo/Corrales A collective of artists, writers, curators and critics share office space, put on exhibitions and run the Section 7 Books store and Paraguay press.

65, rue Rébeval; 011-33-1-78-0324-51; castillocorrales.fr.

1. ‘‘Souvenir’’ shop Historical exhibit with video clips of coffins leaving the building in the early 1900s.

Taste

5. Exhibition space Shows artists’ work for now, with plans to become a boutique.

6. The garden Every year, a different landscape artist is given carte verte.

7. Maison des Petits Children can play with, on and around art in this Matali Crasset-designed romper room.

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8. The restaurant Opening in 2010.

9. Le Merle Moqueur — La Librairie du 104 The place for arty, smarty-pants books, postcards, souvenirs.

10. Artists’ studios Visit the 19 artists’ ateliers by chance or appointment.

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PHOTOGRAPHS BY AMBROISE TÉZENAS. BOTTOM: © ATELIER NOVEMBRE/COURTESY OF CENTQUATRE.

Le Plateau The Île-de-France National Contemporary Art Collection mounts experimental exhibitions like Cao Fei’s videos or Richard Fauguet’s hilarious light-bulb collages in this micromuseum. Place Hannah Arendt; 011-33-1-53-19-84-10; fracidf-leplateau.com.

La Maroquinerie International indie bands play at this former leather goods factory (below), which also houses a surprisingly good restaurant.

23, rue Boyer; 011-33-1-40-3335-05; lamaroquinerie.fr.

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P R I C E S A R E O F F E R I N G P R I C E S , A N D S AV I N G S M AY N O T B E B A S E D O N A C T U A L J e n n i f e r S A L E S . S O M E O R I G . P R I C E S M AY N O T H AV E B E E N I N E F F E C T D U R I N G T H E PA S T 6 0 D AY S .

PARIS

Gruel Hunting

Food lovers determined to go off the Michelin grid invariably turn to two guides with an emphasis on young chefs and modern, casual food. Le Fooding — food plus feeling — emphasizes buzz and style (lefooding.com), while Omnivore spotlights the great chefs of tomorrow (omnivore.fr). Together they are the wonder twins of adventurous Parisian dining. T grazes through their top picks.

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LF (1) This organic wine bar in a Racines ● picturesque passage serves honest French and Italian classics with artisanal ingredients, as well as impressive plates of cheese and charcuterie. 8, passage des Panoramas; 011-33-1-40-13-06-41; entrees about $31 to $40.

LF (5) Raucous, lusty, Chez L’Ami Jean ● delicious food served in a former Basque rugby pub. There’s an emphasis on meat and game (and ears and feet), though regulars know to save room for the amazing riz au lait. 27, rue Malar; 011-33-1-4705-86-89; three courses $50.

O (2) The young legend Pascal Astrance ● Barbot fuses French technique and Asian flavors in a tiny, out-of-the-way room. The result? Heaven — and a nearly impossibleto-get reservation. 4, rue Beethoven; 011-33-1-40-50-84-40; seven courses $272.

O Petter Nilsson makes pasta La Gazzetta ● and pizza at this seemingly casual Italian, but his stunning seven-course tasting menu shows why he’s been called one of the mainstays of the new gastronomical guard.

29, rue de Cotte; 011-33-1-43-47-47-05; seven courses $69.

O ● LF (3) The Momofuku Le Chateaubriand ● Ssam Bar of Paris: So cool. So good. So crowded! The four-course set menu requires an adventurous palate. 129, avenue Parmentier; 011-33-1-43-57-45-95; four courses $64.

O● LF (4) Gregory Marchand, the Frenchie ● young chef at this tiny newcomer, did time with Jamie Oliver in London and at Gramercy Tavern, which is reflected in unfussy food like thick pork chops with carrot purée served with a ramekin of ribs. 5, rue du Nil; 011-33-1-40-39-96-19; three courses $50.

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OBJECT LESSON Forget flea-market antiques and Prouvé tables. The French contemporary design scene is alive and swell.

Galerie Kreo This brilliantly curated gallery (below left) champions the likes of Pierre Charpin, Hella Jongerius, the brothers Bouroullec and Campana, and other stars new and not-so. 31, rue Dauphine;

LF An Astrance alum dishes up yam’Tcha ● Asian-inspired French near Les Halles, with tea pairings on offer. Get a seat at the counter — it’s the best place to watch the action in the tiny kitchen. 4, rue Sauval; 011-33-1-40-26-08-07; three courses $64.

LF = Le Fooding ● O = Omnivore ●

011-33-1-53-10-23-00; galeriekreo.com.

Next Level Galerie Opened last spring, Next Level shows young experimental designers who happily multitask in the worlds of art, architecture and design (below right). 4, rue Pastourelle; 011-33-1-71-2023-88; nextlevelgalerie.com.

Tools Galerie Up-and-coming and established European designers like Ineke Hans, Maarten Baas and Normal Studio create unique objects, furniture and lighting for this gallery. 119, rue Vieille du Temple; 011-33-1-42-77-35-80; toolsgalerie.com.

L’INTERNET Franglais sites to help you go local.

Music Go to La Blogothèque (blogotheque.net) for indie-rock videos shot in picturesque Paris locales, from the Fleet Foxes in the Grand Palais to Bon Iver on the streets of Montmartre.

Style The fashion illustrator Garance Doré (garancedore.fr/en) is devoted to Parisian street

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O In the trendy 10th, this Le Verre Volé ● organic wine bar and bistro specializes in wine-friendly dishes like pâté en croûte and sausages with potato purée. Bonus: open Monday. 67, rue de Lancry; 011-33-1-48-0317-34; entrees $16 to $23.

style, which she draws and My Little Paris snaps. Visit before packing! (mylittleparis.com/en), sends e-mail updates on Food The expat food writer the latest in fashion, food, Alexander Lobrano’s culture, beauty and more, Hungry for Paris in English. (hungryforparis.square space.com/blog) is a Art Find cultural news trusted source for with a fresh point of view, restaurant reviews, not to from a collaborative of mention a delight to read. artists and other creatives, at Vingt Paris (ivyparis Shopping The French news.com). equivalent of DailyCandy,

TOP: PHOTOGRAPHS BY AMBROISE TÉZENAS. BOTTOM, FROM LEFT: ©PAUL TAHON AND RONAN & ERWAN BOUROULLEC/GALERIE KREO; FROM NEXT LEVEL GALERIE.

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A SP ECIAL ADV ERTISING SUPPLEMEN T T O T: THE NE W YORK TIMES STYLE MAGAZINE , S E PTEMBER 27, 2 00 9

The Cayman Islands’ premier culinary draw, the Cayman Cookout, was held last year on Rum Point Beach, Grand Cayman. Photo: Lyn Hughes

Culinary Adventures Sometimes, it’s all about the food.

Some say love is the universal language. For many, however, it’s food.

Then again, perhaps they’re two sides of the same coin. After all, food also tempts us, thrills us, sates us, connects us, defines us. And a good meal with a good glass of wine becomes — like love — a transcendent experience.

THE CAYMAN ISLANDS Perhaps the culinary philosophy of the Cayman Islands is best summed up by the experience

also very family-oriented, and kids are welcome everywhere; if a restaurant doesn’t have a children’s menu, it will likely be happy to whip

famous chefs, sommeliers and spirits blenders who will offer tastings, demonstrations, tours and dinners celebrating the taste and barefoot

of the creator of hot pepper jelly, a delicious blend of sweet, tangy and hot that’s the islands’ latest food craze. “When making it, I have resorted to wearing a mask and snorkel so the pepper fumes don’t knock me out,” says Carol Hay, who not only makes the jelly herself but who also grows her own peppers in her backyard. In other words: flavor is everything, even if it makes you woozy.

Ah, the Cayman Islands: sunny beaches, mangrove-covered wetlands, blood-red coral reefs and an equally diverse range of culinary possibilities. Here, much of the dining experience is barefoot casual — Caymanians are notoriously un-stuffy — with road- and beachside eateries galore. (There’s even a local fish market where you can buy your own fish, then have it cooked by the restaurant next door). Caymanians are

something up especially for the little ones.

For those looking to go upscale, the Islands are dotted with tony restaurants where worldfamous chefs have come to make their mark.

Caymanians understand that a good meal must be accompanied by good wine. Not coincidentally, Cayman, with a population of only around 55,000, is home to a disproportionate share of Caribbean restaurants boasting extraordinary wine lists.

A testimony to the gastronomic draw of the Islands, the Cayman Cookout is the Caribbean’s premier epicurean event. Hosted by celebrity chef Eric Ripert (owner of Blue by Eric Ripert, Grand Cayman’s only AAA five-diamond restaurant), this year’s event — to be held January 14–18, 2010, at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman — will feature an incomparable roster of world-

elegance of the Islands. “The Cayman Cookout is the most intimate, convivial, exclusive and, of course, delicious culinary event of its kind,” says Ripert, who is also chef and co-owner of New York’s famed Le Bernardin. “I am already looking forward to escaping cold New York City with my friends this coming January, and heading to the beaches of Grand Cayman.”

What is the taste of Cayman, exactly?

Colonized from Jamaica by the British during the 18th and 19th centuries, the Islands retain a definite sense of British culture. Still, the cuisine has remained decidedly Jamaican in style, evolving into its own often spicy local fare.

Island specialties include jerk chicken, pork, fish, goat, even tofu (essentially a Jamaicanstyle spicy barbeque) and all manner of fresh seafood hauled from local waters — tuna,

This special advertising feature is sponsored by participating advertisers. It was prepared by WriteOn Editorial, Inc., and did not involve the reporting or editing staff of The New York Times. ©2009 The New York Times N Y T I M E S.C O M / T M AG A Z I N E • S E P T E M BE R 2 7, 2 0 0 9

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turtle, eel, mackerel, wahoo (a bit like tuna) and dorado (also called dolphin, not to be confused with the mammal of the same name), served Cayman-style with tomatoes, peppers and onions. Crab flavors the chowder and fills the crĂŞpes and stuffings. And fresh swordfish, grilled or served as carpaccio, is divine. Conch is ever-present and served in various renditions — from conch stew, to conch salad, marinated queens conch, conch fritters (sometimes called “flitters,â€? a staple at every island bar), conch gazpacho, creamy conch chowder, even conch schnitzel and conch burgers.

And if you see a “Cayman Sea Sense� icon on the menu, you can enjoy that conch burger with a clear conscience. The Cayman Sea Sense project, a sustainable seafood education program, encourages restaurant owners and

it runs circles around your grandmother’s brandy-soaked fruitcake.

Yes, the best in Cayman is produced locally, by hand, such as that hot pepper jelly that has currently taken over Carol Hay’s living room. “My husband asked me the other day what I wanted for my birthday,� says Hay, who views this “hobby gone mad� as something to keep her busy when and if she quits her day job. “I told him a plot of land in East End where I could tend to my pepper patch all day. He laughed — but I wasn’t joking!�

their customers to make environmentally positive seafood choices. A “Cayman Sea Sense� logo certifies that menu items have come from an ocean-friendly source.

Your Cayman culinary experience isn’t complete until you’ve indulged in an authentic Tortuga rum cake, baked in Cayman from a generations-old recipe.

Soaked in locally produced Tortuga rum,

Charleston is a true foodie’s dream. Fresh regional ingredients combined with international influences create and define Lowcountry specialties found only here, where you’ll enjoy some of the best dining east of the Mississippi.

Each season comes with its own distinctive fare. Fall rolls out garden vegetables tilled from the area’s rich soil; fresh catches from local waters; and wild game and farm-raised

CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA To truly experience the “Jewel of the South,� you must taste her food. While the stately plantations, sun-drenched beaches and worldclass golf courses are certainly a big draw,

Charleston’s Cypress Lowcountry Grille offers a progressive take on the traditional fare of the region.

meats. All of these find their way into savory recipes passed down for generations — cornmeal-dusted triggerfish; fried green tomatoes; oyster stew with Carolina Gold rice; steaming, velvety she-crab soup; and shrimp and grits.

Experience many of these local delicacies at the 29th annual Taste of Charleston, a threeday celebration of Lowcountry cuisine to be held October 9–11, 2009. The event will feature

TO TRULY EXPERIENCE THE “JEWEL OF THE SOUTH,�

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tastes from 50 of the area’s finest restaurants, along with cooking demonstrations by some of Charleston’s world-renowned chefs (plus the legendary Waiter’s Wine Race and Charleston’s own East Coast Party Band).

Each restaurant, too, has its own, distinct flavor. Housed in historic homes, antique banks and tucked away in pine forests and along tidal creeks and beaches, Charleston’s eateries possess the kind of local character and downhome Southern charm you just can’t fake. This is the real thing — as is the kind of hospitality (Southern, that is) you just can’t find up north.

As the locals like to say: “Come taste what has always been here.â€? â–

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FALL 2009

THE SILK ROAD ARTWORK BY SWASH

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Pleasure dome At Instituto Cultural Inhotim, near Brumadinho, Brazil, the artist Olafur Eliasson’s ‘‘By Means of a Sudden Intuitive Realization.’’

Opposite: a detail from Eliasson’s ‘‘Viewing Machine.’’

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PLANET ART

OUTSIDE A SMALL TOWN IN SOUTHEAST BRAZIL, A NEW WORLD WONDER IS TAKING SHAPE: AN ASTONISHING 3,000-ACRE SHRINE TO CONTEMPORARY ART. GUY TREBAY TAKES A GANDER. PHOTOGRAPHS BY ADRIAN GAUT

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State of the art Top row, from left: Doug Aitken’s new ‘‘Sonic Pavilion’’; bronze statues by Edgard de Souza; a gallery devoted to the artist Adriana Varejão.

Bottom row: Hélio Oiticica’s ‘‘Invenção da cor, Penetrável Magic Square #5, De Luxe’’; Chris Burden’s ‘‘Beam Drop’’; Doris Salcedo’s ‘‘Neither.’’

A GASH

is cut into the red earth of a jungle hilltop. A simple circular structure is built on the site. At the center of the building is a bore hole sunk to a depth of more than 600 feet, and inside the hole is a microphone of a type used by forensic seismologists.

From far underground, this electronic ear is cupped and listens. The sound it relays to the surface is the voice of the earth. ‘‘Sometimes there’s, like, a deep humming,’’ Allan Schwartzman, an American art curator, said recently as he conducted a tour of the unfinished ‘‘Sonic Pavilion,’’ a new work by the artist Doug Aitken created specifically for this place. ‘‘Sometimes it’s like a stomach grumbling.’’ Sometimes the deep substrate is quiescent. You strain to hear, but there is no sound at all.

We were at Instituto Cultural Inhotim, an art park and museum on the outskirts of a small town that itself lies 37 miles from Brazil’s thirdlargest urban center, Belo Horizonte. We were, in one sense, no place special. We were also, by the standards of the cultural cognoscenti, in one of the best places one could possibly be.

Much as 19th-century American robber barons made rough fortunes gouging raw elements from the earth and then set about sanitizing them through the acquisition of works of art, a 59-year-old Brazilian pig-iron magnate named Bernardo Paz has established a fantastical museum in the heart of the country’s southeastern mining region, which is to say, in the middle of nowhere. That museum, not yet a decade old, is already a pilgrimage place for a growing number of contemporary art aficionados who travel from biennials to art fairs, making the international Stations of the Art World Cross.

Near the small, hilly town of Brumadinho, whose name — roughly, Little Misty — accurately characterizes the moody local climate, Paz has acquired and assembled more than 3,000 acres of fields, forests and truck farms, and reshaped the terrain to accommodate a collection of artworks that would be impressive anywhere but are very nearly magical when placed in a semitropical setting designed in the vaguely Surrealist style of the Brazilian landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx.

Starting in 1997 and later assisted by a curatorial team led by Schwartzman, the Brazilian Rodrigo Moura and the German Jochen Volz, Paz embarked on a 10-year buying spree, acquiring or commissioning works from artists like Aitken, Chris Burden, Matthew Barney, Doris Salcedo, Cildo Meireles, Tunga and Adriana Varejão.

Amassing art not only in great quantity but also immense in scale, Paz concluded that the only way to display his collection was to create a public museum. And so he began to construct the pavilions and sites that now dot the landscape at Inhotim, placed alongside manufactured lakes or tucked into woodland or angled into hillsides whose contours themselves became a formidable secondary project — a kind of extreme gardening characterized by great eucalyptus groves or swaths of broad-leafed and sword-shaped native foliage in lurid purples and hallucinatory greens.

Inhotim is a wonder, and this is probably the place to note that as with many wondrous places, there is a golden window of opportunity for seeing it. That moment is now.

By mid-October, when the museum’s latest installations are 94

Scale model From left: a pavilion built to house work by Matthew Barney; inside, Barney’s ‘‘De Lama Lâmina,’’ which typifies the ambitious works on permanent display at Inhotim.

inaugurated — pavilions by Aitken and Barney, and a swimming pool by the Argentine artist Jorge Macchi built to resemble an old-fashioned address book, complete with alphabetical tabs — this nonprofit museum, open to the public but still largely unknown, will have reached what may be its state of aesthetic equilibrium.

A few years on, if current plans are realized, Inhotim will feature scores of other artists’ commissions. But it will also have a hotel and a conference center and a scientific Exploratorium. Tour buses will disgorge thousands more to add to the currently limited number of daily visitors. In a scheme laid out for me by the center’s new executive director, Ana Lúcia Gazzola, the Brazilian government has been invited to team with the museum to revitalize disused railroad lines and construct new ones linking Belo Horizonte with Inhotim and the handsome 18th-century mining town Ouro Preto, in what she termed ‘‘a new cultural triangle.’’

These are good things, of course, and important developments in Brazil’s continued emergence as a global aesthetic, as well as economic, force. But by then the peculiarly entrancing experience of being at Inhotim will most likely have evanesced, burned off like the fog that rolls in from the mountains each morning and is gone by noon.

When I said as much to Paz on my visit, mentioning my distaste for the way that many museums have become velvet-walled versions of Disneyland, noting the hours-long lines visitors endured last year in order to see Jeff Koons’s sculptures at Versailles, he demurred. ‘‘No, no, no,’’ he said. ‘‘That will never happen here. I cannot permit it. Never.’’

For now the balance holds at Inhotim, and for now the underappreciated elements of experience invoked by the architect Luis Barragán when he accepted the Pritzker Prize for architecture in 1980 — magic, amazement, serenity, enchantment — are the reward for making what was, in my case, a nearly 17-hour journey from New York.

Of amazement Inhotim provides plenty, not least in the form of Paz himself, an apparition with hooded blue eyes and a gray mane who wanders the grounds daily (his private house is nestled in its midst), a drink in one hand, the other clutching a Carlton Menthol or alternately fiddling with the straw from a container of the coconut juice that is evidently all he consumes.

With his tendency to accost strangers and hold forth in oracular fashion, Paz struck one German journalist as a madman, the kind you might encounter on a desert island. Seemingly nonsensical at first, his ravings often turn out to be visionary, this journalist noted, and there is not much besides single-minded obsession that can explain a self-made multimillionaire’s impulse to commit his fortune to a project he will never live to see completed, or to reconcile Paz’s ambitions to transform his farm — not large in a country where the rich own ranches the size of American states — into the largest botanical garden in the world.

In that same Pritzker Prize speech, Barragán paraphrased the Mexican historian Edmundo O’Gorman’s observation: ‘‘the irrational logic lying at the heart of all myths and religious experience is the fountainhead of the artistic process at all times and in all places.’’ This never seemed plainer to me than at Inhotim.

True, the laboriously cerebral dimensions of contemporary artmaking were fully in evidence, in pavilions like the one built for a sculpture by the Colombian artist Doris Salcedo, composed of chain-link fence inset 96

by hand into walls of sheetrock and intended to evoke the horrors of political confinement; and in a variety of video installations; and in the fact that many of the artworks prudently turn their backs on a landscape whose genius is destined to trump anything conceived of by man.

The greatest enchantments at Inhotim are produced by works that not only draw on powerful subconscious currents but that also could only have come into being in this place, in Brazil. I am thinking, for instance, about Chris Burden’s ‘‘Beam Drop,’’ a sculpture that — like a lot of work by this artist, who is so steeped in art-world legend it sometimes seems surprising that he exists and is still at work — was realized only once before, in 1984, in a version that has disappeared.

Like Aitken’s ‘‘Sound Pavilion,’’ ‘‘Beam Drop’’ is installed on a hilltop looking out on distant mountains. And like Aitken’s piece, it is profoundly of the earth. The 71 steel beams required for it were scavenged by the curator Rodrigo Moura from scrap yards throughout Brazil. Trucked to the site, each was hoisted by a crane and then dropped, using an improvised and treacherous release method, into a trough of cement. Gravity is the author of ‘‘Beam Drop’’ as much as Burden is, and the bristling, rusted girders in its Pik-Up Stiks configuration would be enough of a lure to draw many art fans to Brazil. ‘‘Most of your favorite pieces in the world, maybe there are 5 or 10, you can count on your hands the times you’ve seen them,’’ the Swiss artist Christoph Büchel told me as we climbed a hill to see ‘‘Beam Drop’’ on a warm afternoon. Büchel had been invited by the museum’s curators to create an artwork for Inhotim. ‘‘Mostly, you know these works only from books and magazines,’’ he said while we picked our way through Burden’s steel thicket. In many cases there is not even that.

During his lifetime, for instance, the Brazilian artist Hélio Oiticica kept meticulous records of his artistic activities. He also retained nearly

95 percent of his completed works. By the standards of international collecting, Inhotim owns an embarrassment of Oiticica sculptures, installed along paths beside ornamental lakes across which glide a pair of equally ornamental but ill-tempered black swans, as well as in a pavilion intended solely to house the five works from the ‘‘Cosmococa’’ series that is generally considered Oiticica’s masterpiece.

The experts at Inhotim have acquired artworks audaciously and also with an unusual curatorial ace in the hole: space to keep things permanently on display.

Many museums have displayed works like those at Inhotim, among them Cildo Meireles’s ‘‘Glove Trotter’’ and his astonishing ‘‘Através,’’ with its layers of fencing barricades and floor of shattered glass. Many galleries have shown works like the Brazilian artist Tunga’s baroque and bloody ‘‘True Rouge’’ or Chris Burden’s nearly uninsurable ‘‘Samson’’ or the Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson’s ‘‘By Means of a Sudden Intuitive Realization’’ or the Canadian artist Janet Cardiff ’s austere sound installation ‘‘The Forty Part Motet,’’ all on view here. Some have even found the wherewithal to finance at least parts of artworks like the mud-crusted truck Matthew Barney installed at the museum and equipped with an enormous livid plastic tree clutched in a mechanical claw.

But few institutions have had the luxury of devoting thousands of acres of gardens and hillsides and fields to nothing but art, and installing the art there forever. You saw the individual artworks I just mentioned if by luck you happened to be in New York or Venice or London during the mayfly life of most museum and gallery shows. Mostly, you never saw them but rather heard about them from other art devotees. You know the types I am talking about, those people who crow about having experienced the revelation that unfortunately you just missed. ■

ESSENTIALS • INHOTIM, BRAZIL GETTING THERE Inhotim is located in Brumadinho, 37 miles from Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais state. Tam Airlines (tam.com.br) flies from both Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo to Belo Horizonte, from which you can drive (or be driven) to the park. Roads are good.

HOTEL It’s easiest to base yourself at

a hotel in Belo Horizonte, like the centrally located and comfortable Mercure Belo Horizonte Lourdes (Avenida do Contorno 7315; 011-5531-3298-4100; mercure.com.br; doubles from $154).

RESTAURANT Try Restaurante Xapuri for the chef Nelsa Trombino’s takes on traditional Minas Gerais cuisine like chicken cooked in blood (Rua Mandacarú 260, Belo Horizonte; 011-55-31-3496-6198; restaurantexapuri.com.br; entrees $10 to $15).

SHOPPING The Mercado Central (mercadocentral.com.br) in Belo Horizonte is excellent and vast, with everything from fantastic cookware to foodstuffs (guava paste in handsome rustic boxes, local breads) to inexpensive geodes and crystals.

SIGHTS Inhotim (011-55-31-3227-0001; inhotim.org.br) is open Thursday through Sunday and offers guided tours of its more than 3,000 acres, 10 galleries (soon to be 15), site-specific art installations and botanical gardens.

While in the area, it is worth taking in the attractions of Belo Horizonte, in particular several buildings by Oscar Niemeyer that were precursors to his designs for Brasília, all in the Pampulha suburb: São Francisco de Assis church, the casino (now a modern art museum) and the yacht club, all around an artificial lake. Two hours away is Ouro Preto, a well-preserved mining town, the former capital of Minas Gerais and a Unesco World Heritage site; it has a handful of beautiful Portuguese Baroque churches, including one designed by Aleijadinho (‘‘Little Cripple’’), the legendary architect/sculptor.

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HEAVENLY GATES AN ENTRANCE INTO THE IMPERIAL CITY IN HUE, VIETNAM. COACH BAG, $798. GO TO COACH.COM. OPPOSITE: AN HONOR GUARD OF MANDARINS IN FRONT OF KHAI DINH’S MAUSOLEUM. DIOR SHOE, $1,260.

GO TO DIOR.COM. FASHION EDITOR: KARLA M. MARTINEZ.

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Ornamentalism

ELABORATE TEMPLES, KINGLY PALACES AND A FORBIDDEN CITY — VIETNAM’S IMPERIAL CAPITAL, HUE, HAS ALWAYS BEEN JUST FOR SHOW. TEXT BY MAURA EGAN PHOTOGRAPHS BY THOMAS LAGRANGE

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t 6 a.m. on a recent Thursday, in front of a nursery school on Le Loi Street, the boulevard that runs along the Perfume River in Hue, Vietnam, 50 or so women were dancing to music blasting from a loudspeaker. Some performed an approximation of the electric slide, while others waltzed with the few men present. This would be an odd sight at any hour, and I found myself searching for hidden cameras filming ‘‘So You Think You Can Dance, Vietnam Edition.’’ ‘‘Hue women are traditional,’’ explained my young guide, Vo Thi Huong Lan. ‘‘They know how to cook and run the house. The rich ones are schooled in the arts like painting and drawing.’’ Lan, as she is called, is striving to be a proper Hue woman herself. Her English, which she mastered at the local high school Ho Chi Minh attended, is letter-perfect, and she has started on ancient Chinese. She took me to visit her teacher, Ho Tan Phan, at the tiny house he shares with his wife and an enormous stockpile of ancient pots dredged from the river. His daughter, visiting from California, complained, ‘‘My father spends all his money on these antiques. He should be spending it on vitamins, chicken and meat.’’ She shook her head while her father, his legs as skinny as chopsticks, walked away. Lan sees her teacher’s obsession as a loftier pursuit. ‘‘He is the grandson of a mandarin,’’ she said. In Hue, you are frequently informed of someone’s rarefied lineage.

Vietnam’s current economic boom hasn’t yet altered life in Hue as it has in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, allowing the city to focus on preserving its cultural identity. Since the early 19th century, when Emperor Gia Long, the founder of the Nguyen dynasty, moved the seat of government here, in the middle of the country, Hue has been Vietnam’s epicenter of scholarship, arts and Buddhism.

As you head toward the citadel of Gia Long’s magnificent Imperial City, along elegant Tran Hung Dao Street, where vendors sell antiques and birds in Rococo-style cages beside frangipani-dotted riverbanks, you begin to understand why the emperor chose this spot. (The French also became enamored, invading Hue in 1883 and serving as the country’s de facto rulers for the next 70 years.)

Hue still harks back to the centuries-old way of life depicted in the watercolor paintings hawked as souvenirs: wooden sampans floating in the water, tiny women in conical hats, remote pagodas on hilltops.

Yet there is also a new whiff of go-go capitalism: a couple of ‘‘six-star resorts,’’ as the locals call the two behemoths nearing completion; vendors burning incense to pray for good business; motorbike drivers as fast and furious as Ho Chi Minh City’s Evel Knievels; and, inside the Dong Ba market, scales to weigh yourself. Getting fatter is a sign of health and wealth, I was told. ‘‘We are a city of feng shui,’’ said Phan Thuan An, a historian who lives with his wife, a descendant of Emperor Dong Khanh, on a bambooshrouded lane. Phan Thuan An methodically explained how the Imperial City, which at one time had 150 temples and royal pavilions, had been built in accordance with the Chinese tradition, in order to maintain harmony between the emperor and his people, architecture and nature. As proud as Phan Thuan An is of Hue’s imperial past, he’s also concerned about the city losing touch with it. Some of it has been KING’S RANSOM THE IMPERIAL CITY’S NGO MON GATE. BURBERRY ALLIGATOR BAG, $24,000. GO TO BURBERRY.COM.

co-opted into a sort of turnstile tourism — sunset river rides on gaudy dragon boats, restaurants offering imperial feasts, where customers dress up in royal garb and dine on multicourse meals. (Hue is actually an epicurean paradise, with fantastic food even at the most humblelooking pho stalls.)

For Brother Phap Dang, a Buddhist monk who lives at the Tu Hieu Pagoda, questions about Hue’s past and future hold little relevance.

Dang’s blissed-out grin, one that most people could achieve only through a serious number of sedatives, is testament to the prevailing Zen attitude. In between their studies and worship, the younger monks scurry up trees to knock down jackfruits, chop wood or kick around a soccer ball. The royal eunuchs retired at Tu Hieu, where Dang, who spent years in the United States, is content to live out his days. ‘‘You should come back for a walking meditation,’’ he told me. ‘‘Each step is your destination. You feel alive, to touch the tree. To hear the cricket.’’

You could dismiss Dang’s promises as New Age mumbo jumbo. That is, until you reach the nearby tomb of Emperor Tu Duc. Most of the Hue kings built extravagant mausoleums, but Tu Duc created nirvana on his plot in 1864. Although a mediocre monarch, Tu Duc excelled in architecture — his sprawling walled city has elegant pavilions, a royal theater, gardens and artificial lakes, all surrounded by pine forest.

Instead of fighting the French colonialists, the emperor spent most of his reign fishing, meditating, entertaining his 104 wives and many concubines, and writing more than 4,000 poems.

The kings and the concubines may be gone, but Hue still embodies a kind of heaven-on-earth quality, a place that makes the here and now seem enough. That seemed to be Lan’s opinion, as we looked over Tu Duc’s spread. ‘‘It’s a nice place to die,’’ she said. ■

ESSENTIALS • HUE, VIETNAM GETTING THERE There are regular flights to Hue from both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City on Vietnam Airlines (vietnamairlines.com).

HOTELS Two new properties are

scheduled to open this fall: Celadon Palace (which will be the city’s largest) and Mercure Hue Gerbera, across from the ferry terminal. Hotel Saigon Morin Faded colonial charm and a pleasant courtyard restaurant. 30 Le Loi Street; 011-84-54-3-823-526; morinhotel.com .vn; doubles from $100. La Résidence Hôtel and Spa Art Deco building, once home of the French goverment, on the banks of the Perfume River, with a deluxe spa. 5 Le Loi Street; 011-8454-3-837-475; la-residence-hue.com; doubles from $153.

RESTAURANTS Ancient Hue A bit fancy, with an art gallery; try the banana blossom and chicken salad. 4/4/8 Lane 35, Pham Thi Lien Street; 011-84-543-590-356; entrees $9 to $15. Cung An Dinh Restaurant The specialties are banh beo (fried pork rind with rice cake) and banh nam (pork and rice paste served in a banana leaf). 31 Kiet 177 Phan Dinh Phung Street; 011-8454-3-821-962; $1 to $2. Huyen Anh Only two dishes: banh cuon thit nuong (spring rolls) and bun thit nuong (beef and noodle salad). 52/1 Kim Long Street; 011-84-54-3-525-655; $1 to $2.

Le Parfum Top-shelf Vietnamese fare in La Résidence. 5 Le Loi Street; 01184-54-3-837-475; entrees $15 to $18.

Lien Hoa Vegetarian dishes. 3 Le Quy Don Street; 011-84-54-3-816-884;

$1 to $2. Quan Pho Ty Street stall for the best beef pho. 3 Le Loi Street; 011-84-54-3-847-058; less than $1.

SHOPS AND MARKETS Dong Ba Market Food is on the periphery; inexpensive souvenirs and clothes are inside.

Healing the Wounded Heart Shop Beautiful eco-minded crafts made by disabled artisans. 23 Vo Thi Sau Street; 011-84-54-3-833-694.

GALLERIES AND MUSEUMS Boi Tran Gallery This gallery on the outskirts shows Boi Tran’s paintings and works by some of Vietnam’s best-known artists. Thien An Hill; 011-84-54-3-221168. Ho Chi Minh Museum Great rare photos of Uncle Ho in his early days.

7 Le Loi Street; 011-84-54-3-822-152.

Le Ba Dang Art Foundation Devoted to the abstract works of Le Ba Dang, who was born in Vietnam but is now based in France. 15 Le Loi Street; 011-84-543-837-411. Museum of Contemporary Art Diem Phung Thi Features the work of Diem Phung Thi, Vietnam’s answer to Louise Bourgeois. 1 Phan Boi Chau Street; 011-84-54-3-823-257.

SIGHTS AND TEMPLES People come to see the Citadel and Imperial City, which are stunning. The Imperial Tombs are spread out, so it’s best to hire a taxi for a half-day excursion (about $20) or take an organized boat tour; the best preserved (and most accessible) are Tu Duc, Ming Mang and Khai Dinh. Also don’t miss the working monasteries Thien Mu Pagoda and Tu Hieu Pagoda, where several of the royal eunuchs are buried.

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BOTH SIDES NOW THE ALPINE REGION OF TICINO LOOKS LIKE SWITZERLAND, FEELS LIKE ITALY AND TASTES LIKE NO PLACE ELSE ON EARTH. ADAM SACHS DIGS IN. Photographs by

MARCUS GAAB

t

WO MEN ARE ARGUING ABOUT CHEESE.

‘‘This cannot be Piora,’’ says the first man, Dario, the customer. ‘‘You think I am lying? Follow me!’’ roars the other, the proprietor.

This is a challenge, not an invitation.

Carletto Chiaravalloti charges through his small kitchen, past the pots of dense, grainy polenta and purplish venison stew on the stove. Dario follows him down into the stone cellar.

Because I am dining with Dario and because there is something gratifying, even comforting, about the sight of two graying men nearly coming to blows over the provenance of a cheese, I go after them.

Downstairs our attention is directed to a couple of dozen wheels of cheese, resting on wooden shelves. Imprinted on the rind, in bold relief, the name: Piora. ‘‘You see!’’ Carletto says, sneering in triumph.

But Dario is unimpressed. Less than unimpressed. He wags his head, sadly. This may be Piora, he suggests, but there is something wrong with it. It has shrunk. It has been aged improperly. It lacks the firm but yielding suppleness of true Piora.

The proprietor does not take this well. The name of the place is Canvetto del Carletto, and things here are done Carletto’s way. He marches us both back up and out of his restaurant, where we rejoin Dario’s companion, Gabriella Grounauer, at our lunch table on the terrace in the bright Alpine sunlight. He’d probably kick us out, except 104

Swiss mist The Mรกggia River flows through the Valle Mรกggia, past the hamlets of Fusio and Magno in the Ticino region of Switzerland.

The hills are alive The tiny cliffside village of Fusio, one of a handful of remote mountain towns in Italian-speaking Ticino.

that he and Gabriella’s father had been old fishing buddies, and we’d gone to the trouble of driving up the side of a mountain to get here.

There may be other places on the planet where passions flare over cheese, but it’s a fair bet that nowhere else is anyone talking about this obscure Swiss variety that’s made nowhere else but here in the high pastures around Lake Cadagno, in the central Alps near the top of Ticino, the Italian-speaking canton of Switzerland. Around us are glassy tarns and sweeping open fields contained by green slopes and bare ridges and snow-dusted peaks beyond. There’s a soft, carpeted look to this wide-open valley that makes you want to run singing through the fields, lie down in the nubbly shrubs, suck in the high-altitude air, eat the whole place up. The vivid blue sky is painted with wispy white cirrus clouds. A red and white Swiss flag flaps about on its pole.

Canvetto del Carletto stands at 6,290 feet above sea level. The main way to get here is to take the red funicular, one of the steepest in Europe, from the village of Piotta. The funicular wasn’t running that day, so we drove up and around the increasingly narrow roads to Alpe Piora and hiked from there. A few stone hunter’s cabins stand near the restaurant; beyond that, nothing and nobody else. In spring and summer, cows graze on these grasses. Cheese is made at a collective dairy nearby, aged for a period in the cool air, then brought down the mountain for the winter to avoid freezing. It’s fall now, chilly and sunny. Perfect. ‘‘Capriolo is Bambi,’’ Gabriella says, referring to our spezzatino, or stew, of locally shot venison. ‘‘But let’s not cry about it.’’ Hunting, 106

though increasingly expensive and regulated, remains an important part of life here. Many traditional restaurants in the region feature menus of selvaggina, wild game, in season — pheasant, rabbit, sausage of ibex — though few are as close to the essence of the practice as Carletto’s place, where hunters still bring their kill to be butchered and cooked.

Gabriella, whom I met through a friend in New York, has a stylish crop of platinum white hair and wears big Fendi-ish sunglasses with her hiking clothes. She is Ticinese and lives in the town of Mendrisio, near the Italian border. Como is 25 minutes by car to the south of her. Lugano, the lake resort and largest city in Ticino, is 15 minutes north. Gabriella expressed mild amusement that anyone would come all this way to learn about the food of this quiet corner of Switzerland. ‘‘We’re just a tiny dot on the map in Europe!’’ she wrote to me before I came.

The Ticinese, she says, suffer from a bit of a complex. They feel politically ignored by the German- and French-speaking majorities in the rest of Switzerland, who vacation here but don’t bother to learn the language. Yet they do not feel culturally in line with their Italian neighbors, though they were once ruled by the dukes of Milan. The canton, about half the area of Delaware, is mostly surrounded by Italy and bordered to the north by the canton of Uri. The scenery is pure Switzerland; the language at the table, Italian. The culture and the food are somewhere in between and mostly their own. (If there is such a hybrid creature as a hotblooded Swiss, surely Carletto is it.)

The wine-dark spezzatino has a good chew to it, but the meat really

Hearth and homey Clockwise from top left: the grotto restaurant Canvetto del Carletto; cucina rustica at Grotto La Froda; local cheese at Grotto Pozzasc; Pozzasc’s polenta.

just plays sidekick to what’s sopping up its juices: polenta, that enduring hero of Ticinese cuisine. If you don’t like polenta, it’s probably better to keep to the Germanic cantons above the St. Gotthard Pass or drive south in search of risotto alla Milanese. There’s a lot of polenta up here, cooked low and slow in big caldrons, its presence on the plate a constant reminder: this is (or was — it’s hard to say how much of this is nostalgia) mountain sustenance, peasant food, cucina povera. Yet ubiquity inspires creative mutation, and as we eat, Dario and Gabriella tick off six or seven types of basic cornmeal, each with distinctive shades and cuts, from the fine yellow Ticinese polenta nostrana to the coarser Bergamasca variety to Valtellinese, which is white and flecked with buckwheat. Polenta here is a thing with structure, with presence.

After lunch, Gabriella, Dario and I thank a (slightly) mellowed Carletto and walk back down to Lake Ritom. The still water mirrors the sky and mountains, doubling the enveloping beauty of the scene. Somewhere below this reflection, my companions tell me, there is a sunken hotel. Years ago, the natural lake was dammed to create a reservoir. When the water level rose, they say, the old Piora Hotel simply slipped beneath its surface. Supposedly you can still see the hotel’s foundation if the light is right. Today, though, all traces of development have been washed away, and it’s hard to imagine anything clouding the view.

THER E A R E R EA LLY T WO TICINOS. FIR ST, THE L A K E R ESORTS

of (in descending order of size and increasing order of charm) Lugano,

Locarno and Ascona. This is the Ticino of colorful travel brochures, of posh terraced restaurants and fadingly grand hotels and paddle boats on the lake. Here, German-speaking Swiss holiday makers take the sun, stroll along the esplanade eating gelato and feel as if they’re on Italian holiday without really leaving home. There is something familiar about all of it, a genial European anywhereness. Squint and it’s Lake Garda or the Cinque Terre. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.) Much of the food here will be familiar, too. The usual mix of ‘‘Mangia! Mangia!’’ tourist spots, immoderate hotel breakfasts, Relais & Châteaux-style places that dress up a few local specialties within a larger context of generalized Italian luxury cuisine. It’s all very likable, even if it does sometimes contribute to a dislocated feeling, as when I observed a man eating spaghetti in Ascona. He theatrically kissed his fingers and proclaimed it ‘‘magnifico!’’ in an equally theatrical German accent, while I reminded myself that this is Switzerland.

The other Ticino begins where the first one tapers off, where the roads lead out of town and up into the mountains. This is the Ticino of harrowing switchbacks, of remote stone villages and waterfalls, of rushing streams and quiet walks through forests of chestnut trees. This is where you go when you follow the twists and turns of the Via Cantonale as it wends its way from Locarno into the chain of vertiginous valleys — the Valle Mággia, Val di Peccia and Val Bavona. Here it’s easy to feel you are on that forgotten dot on the map in Europe, an old, unchanged place far from the sherbet-colored lakeside resorts below.

The food up here is correspondingly other, too, served often in the N Y T I M E S.C O M / T M AG A Z I N E • S E P T E M BE R 2 7, 2 0 0 9

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most traditional, and charming, type of indigenous Ticinese restaurant, the grotto. Originally a grotto was just a spot in a cave or a simple stone hut where people would store food and grains. This evolved into a place to hang sausages and keep wine. Then, following the logic of if-you-build-it-they-will-want-to-come-and-buy-it-offyou, these storehouses became local hangouts and eventually restaurants. Most now are grander than a hole in a rock, though many not by much. Whatever the physical improvements, what a grotto serves is simple, sturdy rustic fare. By which I mean, mostly, grilled meats, salumi and lots of polenta: polenta with melting cheese, polenta with sausages, polenta with meaty braises, polenta with mortadella, polenta with mushrooms.

I don’t want to add to the condescending current of peasant worship that seems to underlie a lot of thinking about food these days. By which I mean the well-intentioned but ultimately idiotic talk about the quest for the original, the authentic. But I have to say, it would be odd to drive all the way up to the little settlement of Peccia, turn off the long, gravelly lane and arrive at the wonderful, dinky Grotto Pozzasc only to find that it serves lobster tagliatelle and white-truffle risotto. What I find instead is an old mill house next to a stream and a disorderly pile of firewood. The menu is written on a wooden sign posted at the door, and the stone tables outside appear carved less by human hands than by geological time. The water beside me is gurgling and green-blue, and there are some Germanspeaking lady hikers resting in the sun.

I order a glass of local Ticino merlot and the now familiar polenta e spezzatino. Two bowls are set on the table: one with hunks of meat in garnet-colored, sticky-sweet juices scented with rosemary. In the larger bowl is the brown-flecked amber polenta, its texture nearly as rough as the craggy table. Is this polenta e spezzatino the real deal?

Does it reflect honestly the rusticity of its culinary roots? Can it convey something original and pure about a people and a place?

Well, little stew, what do you have to say? Maybe we’re asking too much of you. All I know is that this is the food I want to eat here. You can’t eat the old house or the mountains or the sky. No biting the locals, please. So we commune with a place through food.

On another day, I take a cable car up Monte Tamaro and hike through dense woods. My goal is to follow the path across several peaks, clearly marked on my map, then circle back to Alpe Foppa, where I can catch the cable car back down to my parked rental car.

Instead, I lose the path, hack my way through neck-high ferns and end up descending three towns over, where I catch a train back. (I watch the second hand on the station clock. This being Switzerland, the train arrives precisely on schedule.) While I am walking, hail falls on my head and dots the carpet of gold and brown leaves with little pearls. Ticino is famous for its chestnuts, and these also fall on my head. Cracked open on the ground, they looked like spiky sea urchins, their meat the color of mahogany. My whole time in the mountains, I am turned around and alone, but I am also most aware of being where I am. I am in Ticino, I think, stepping on chestnuts, wandering, lost and happy. I am in Ticino, eating things that are interesting and good, things that are new to me and feel like this place.

FROM PECCI A, I DR I V E TO MOGNO, KNOW N FOR THE

elliptical church built by Mario Botta, the Swiss modernist architect and Ticino native. The structure, made of gneiss, Peccia marble, iron and glass, looks like a scaled-down space telescope, something built to peer into the heavens. It’s a captivating thing to find way up in the hinterlands, but by now I’m too addicted to driving on these spaghetti roads to stop for long. Up from Mogno is the village of Fusio, a string of red and white houses and gabled stone buildings built on the edge of a ridge jutting down to the river. Here the road 108

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has narrowed to what feels smaller than even one lane, a kind of track for a kiddie roller coaster.

At Fusio I get out to stretch my steeringweary arms and find an espresso and a glass of nocino, the popular dark liqueur made of green walnuts that’s popular everywhere in Ticino. At Antica Osteria Dazio there’s a book on the table, a guide to restaurants and inns. It’s in German, which I don’t read, but I can easily understand the caption for a place called Grotto La Froda, in the neighboring Val Bavona. What it says, essentially, is: famous pork sausage and a waterfall. Codighe is a kind of homemade pork sausage, and the picture in the book shows it to be about as juicy as a ripe peach. Clearly, this is where I have to go for dinner.

After a vertigo-inducing descent — involving a pair of mountain goats hanging out in the middle of the road — I drive upward again toward Foroglio. At a certain altitude the road ends, though the settlements don’t. The only way up is by chairlift. Here and there, a half-dozen shuttered pink and yellow houses around a stone church form lovely, picturesque villages with no visible roads into them.

To one side of the river, there is an arched bridge that leads to a spooky valley of broken boulders scattered around like upturned gravestones. There’s no road through the center of Foroglio, just a stone path that winds its way up and through the cluster of little buildings. Standing on the sidewalk, you can extend your arms and feel the cool touch of stone on either side of you. I traipse up through the woods to see the waterfall that looms over the village.

The cascata turns out to be even more famous than the pork sausage; it and Foroglio were featured in Leni Riefenstahl’s 1932 film, ‘‘The Blue Light.’’

At Grotto La Froda, I’m shown into a little room on the second floor. The ceiling is low and wooden. Long-handled copper pots hang from the wall near framed stills from ‘‘The Blue Light.’’ The fireplace is lighted, and as night comes, it’s clear we’ll need its warmth. For a while I have the place to myself, but soon the tables are taken, the room filled with voices — German, French, Italian. Wine is served in a boccalino, a small ceramic pitcher designed to be sipped from directly.

I’d first seen a boccalino in an old video produced by the BBC as an April Fool’s Day prank in 1957. The clip (which is easily found online) describes the ‘‘spaghetti harvest’’ of Ticino and shows fetching maidens plucking strands from a pasta tree. ‘‘After picking,’’ the narrator says,

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‘‘the spaghetti is laid out to dry in the warm Alpine sun. . . . Toasts to the new crop are drunk in these boccalinos.’’

I thought the spouted drinking pitchers were part of the joke, like the dreaded ‘‘spaghetti weevil’’ that threatens the crop, but here they are. The gag worked partially because pasta was still fairly exotic to British viewers of the late 1950s, but also because who knew where Ticino was or what really went on there? To this day, the place retains some of that appeal, the allure of the close at hand but not well known that passes for modern discovery.

In Locarno, near the McDonald’s serving burgers called McSpeck, McGruyère and McEmmental, there’s a funicular up to Orselina. From there you pick one of the world’s smartest glass-and-steel cable cars, designed by Mario Botta, and float up to the mountain station at Cardada. Here are endless trails, parks, restaurants built into the side of cliffs. From the peak at Cimetta, you can see mountains all around you, the entire valley below, blue Lake Maggiore curving toward Italy. In the distance there’s the tiny Isole di Brissago and above it another peak, where you can have dinner at Osteria Grotto Borei, a humble little place with one of the most beautiful views imaginable.

Tonight, though, I am in Foroglio, eating the codighe I’d found that afternoon in the book.

Schweinswurst on the living set of a Leni Riefenstahl film — not exactly the stuff to warm the hearts of Jewish mothers. Sorry, Mom, but they are excellent and warming and exactly as advertised, satisfying and juicy. Something I’d never had before, like two small, plump cotechini. I’m in Ticino. This is what that dot on the map tastes like. ■

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SITES Bellinzona The most historic of Ticino’s main cities, with three old castles and a busy Saturday market. Cardada A playground of mountain peaks, parks and walks high above Locarno, accessed by Mario Botta-designed cable cars. Church of San Giovanni Battista Botta’s church in Mogno. Giornico Pretty stone village, a 50-minute drive from Locarno with a winemaking area and nice little grottoes.

Monte Tamaro Hiking area a cable car ride up from Rivera.

A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO T: THE NEW YORK TIMES STYLE MAGAZINE, SEPTEMBER 27, 2009

Whether your idea of relaxation is lounging in luxury (left) or walking the fairway (above), Palm Beach County has you covered. Photo: Palm Beach County Convention & Visitors Bureau

THE ULTIMATE GOLF AND SPA DESTINATIONS “Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.” — OVID Every cloud has a silver lining and, surprisingly enough, even this recession of ours has delivered the odd benefit. For starters, there is the realization that we have been taking ourselves far too seriously, confusing the value of our investment portfolios with the value of our lives. Somewhere along the line, we forgot to be generous to ourselves, to balance hard work with soft pleasures such as a round of golf played on an impeccable course or a great massage in a world-class spa.

Coming at a time when we need these rewards more than ever, another benefit of the gloomy economy is that such pleasures are also easily within reach.

So, take a rest. You deserve it.

PALM BEACH COUNTY Florida If you’ve ever dreamt about a fall/winter escape to Palm Beach County, this is the time to make it happen. For the rest of this year, the destination is celebrating its 100th anniversary with what it calls “the deal of the century.”

The 1909 Founders Package offers additional nights — after stays of three, four and five days (depending on the resort) — for just $19.09 at more than 80 different properties including the big names such as The Breakers, the Palm Beach

Historic Inn, the PGA National Resort and Spa and the Boca Raton Resort & Beach Club. There are also 1909-themed deals on area activities such as boat rentals and bicycle tours, spa services and museum admissions (for more details go to the official website, palmbeachfl.com).

The savings are even more remarkable when you consider the location. In the hundred years since its formation, Palm Beach County has earned a reputation as one of America’s hottest warm-weather destinations.

Towns such as West Palm Beach, Boca Raton and Boynton Beach top many folks’ wish list

thanks to their easy access, beautiful beaches, world-class cultural events, shopping, dining, nature, sports and, of course, their collection of world-class golf courses and spas.

To be known as Florida’s golf capital is no mean feat, especially when you consider that the state is America’s favorite vacation playground, dotted with more than 1,470 courses.

Of those, 170 are right in Palm Beach County, and what courses they are — ranging from municipal public courses to the country’s most exclusive private clubs, many designed by the likes of Rees Jones, Donald Ross, Tom Fazio and Arnold Palmer to meet PGA championship standards.

The older courses, some dating back to the ’20s, have all been renovated, giving them a modern feel while retaining their traditions and grace.

One of the best-known golf hotels is the PGA National Resort and Spa, just minutes from downtown Palm Beach. It boasts no fewer than five tournament-level courses — the Estate, Haig, Palmer, Squire and the Champion — each with its own charms and challenges.

The Champion has hosted more than 19 major PGA events, from the 1993 Ryder Cup to the PGA Tour’s Honda Classic held here each March.

When the round is over, players can relax in the deep comfort of the PGA’s 40,000-sq-ft European spa, just one of many notable wellness facilities in Palm Beach County.

This special advertising feature is sponsored by participating advertisers. The material was written by Andrew Bill and did not involve the reporting or editing staff of The New York Times. ©2009 The New York Times N Y T I M E S.C O M / T M AG A Z I N E • S E P T E M BE R 2 7, 2 0 0 9

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PONTE VEDRA INN & CLUB Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida True, there are plenty of resorts that offer great value, or outstanding golf, or a world-class spa, or decades of tradition, or a beautiful beach, or a choice of dining options, or award-winning lodgings and activities or a warm and intimate atmosphere. But it’s a rare find when all these elements come together in a single property, as they do in the 250-room Ponte Vedra Inn & Club just 20 miles southeast of Jacksonville.

Opened in 1928 as a getaway for the country’s elite, the resort is tucked away on a beautiful oceanfront property — 300 acres of palms and rolling dunes bordering the Atlantic — in the tony seaside village of Ponte Vedra Beach.

It has spent the intervening years getting it A massage at Ponte Vedra Inn & Club is one of life’s luxuries.

These spas cover the size spectrum from intimate to sprawling, and draw their inspiration from as far away as Hawaii (The Maui Spa and Wellness Center in Boca Raton) and Fiji (The Spa at Jupiter Beach). Newcomers to the area include the stylish and contemporary Spa and Salon that opened at the end

of last year at the oceanfront Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach. The Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach opened its 42,000-sq-ft Eau Spa this spring, complete with a Self-Centered Garden and 19 private spa villas.

For more information, visit palmbeachfl.com.

PONTE VEDRA INN & CLUB 2COL X 5.188

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just right, mixing a time-honored grace with enough modern comforts and facilities to earn a AAA Five-Diamond rating and attract three generations of loyal guests.

The golfers among those guests come for the two picturesque and challenging 18-hole courses just steps from the Atlantic, known for their array of water hazards, steep-faced bunkers, undulating fairways and elevated Bermuda greens. Inspired by traditional Scottish links design, the beautiful 6,573-yard, par-72 Ocean Course requires both strength and strategy. The 6,055-yard, par-70 Lagoon Course, although not especially long, demands accurate drives and thoughtful approaches.

All fourteen golf clubs are required.

No less outstanding is Ponte Vedra’s 30,000sq-ft spa, the largest in the region, which has the ideal balance of peaceful surroundings and modern facilities. Its menu of 100 services includes such signatures as a Fiji Tropical Coconut Sugar Scrub and a Rose Hydrating Cocoon. Its special features include 22 treatment rooms (two for couples), an outdoor pool complete with therapy grottos, and even a restaurant and retail shop.

When not enjoying these facilities, guests have plenty of other pursuits to keep them busy, from beachcombing and splashing in the surf to swimming in one of the four pools, playing tennis on one of 15 hydro-courts or exercising in the oceanfront fitness center. There is biking, fishing, sailing and horseback riding available year-round. Three restaurants cater to a range of tastes, and there are several gift shops, sportswear boutiques and an art gallery.

All this comes at a very attractive price.

Visit now through December and enjoy room rates starting at $149 per night.

For more information, visit pvresorts.com or call (800) 234-7842. ■

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