womantraveler

The Ballantyne: A Business Womantraveler's "Me Time"

When you're a business womantraveler on the road with a transition day between meetings, what do you do? Fly back home and start out again before dawn the next morning? Or, take a more creative path - find the nearest lap of luxury and spoil yourself for a day?

It's tempting to take the easy path - stay on the plane and stick to the routine. Putting together the alternative, the "take care of yourself" option, requires more research, creativity and budget. Essentially the decision is this, what are you worth? Recently, I chose "pricey." And retreating to The Ballantyne Hotel and Lodge on the outskirts of Charlotte, N.C., on a rainy cold night when plane travel would have been dreadful, I decided I was worth it, despite the month's worth of groceries I spent for the refueling.

As an independent consultant who works really hard, my demands are few. So an easy morning with room service coffee and cheating the morning for a few hours are simple pleasures that break up the routine. The Southern-style professionalism in this Starwood Luxury Collection Hotel with Ritz-Carlton decor was comfortably welcoming. Thus bonuses were plentiful - marble bath and floors, the smallest room at 400 square feet, large picture windows and 10-foot ceilings, a view out over the golf course, a huge fitness center and indoor pools. 

The Ballantyne is part of a 2000-acre planned community that replaced what I knew as the Harris farm out in the country when living in Charlotte as a teenager. Its commercial office park is said to be the largest speculative commercial park development in the nation, not surprising for one of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S. The immediate area caters not only to the residents attracted to the mixed-use community but the frequent business travelers in and out of Bank of America, Liberty Mutual and other high-profile corporate tenants.

Still budget-conscious, I found the $50 cab ride from the airport a bit scorching along with Charlotte's add-on taxes (sales, automatic room service fees and more) and avoided the four-diamond restaurant for a walk to the sushi bar across the parkway. You have to pay attention to details or the charges will amp up. Downtown at the Westin, where I stayed the next night on points, an $11 room service glass of wine would have been $22 by the time it was delivered with mandatory fees and taxes. The hotel was just fine all in all, with simplified more predictable business hotel decor and service, but I decided that bottled water that I had brought along would more than pay for itself.  

Charleston, S.C. Food Crawl

The easy sway of Charleston, South Carolina’s “Lowcountry” beauty and Southern charm has been newly amplified by "ahas!" of its culinary creativity after our weekend “food crawl.” This is not to dismiss the broader impact of Charleston – the pungent jasmine cascades, stylish fashion boutiques, stunning 18^th-19^th century architecture or the majestic Arthur Revenel Jr. Bridge just north of Charleston Harbor. Yet for me, “Holy City,” known to many for its low-rise skyline dotted with distinctive church spires, will forever be “Food City.” While the annual Festival of Houses and Gardens in Charleston’s historic district was underway, we were eating. So much to sample in too little time.

Charleston’s growing presence on the national food stage has multiple highlights and takeaways:

The search for the best “shrimp and grits”: Trying out grits, cheese grits or shrimp and grits everywhere we ate, highest honors go to Butcher and Bee, a lunchtime sandwich shop tucked in a warehouse behind a chain link fence under the Ravenel Bridge overpasses. Already nationally known, it appears carelessly (or intentionally?) on the fringes of blighted geography. We stopped for carryout en route to the Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island.

Do not underestimate the multiple varieties of grits (small broken grains of corn milled to different sizes) and the thick rich concoctions they inspire in adventuresome Charleston cuisine. Butcher and Bee’s buttery and cheesy rendition was finished with light gravy, and it was a dish we didn’t want to end. Too bad the funky industrially-sited eatery is open only midday (11 am-3 pm) and serves up only three sandwich options (at least the day we were there) with one of them out of stock by the time we arrived. (Note: Butcher and Bee is also open late night, 11 pm – 3 am.) But the careful crafting lulls one back for the next sandwich adventure. Example - the roast beef sandwich, which we also sampled, is a ciabatta-size winner heaped with thin-sliced top rare round smothered with chimichurri aioli and onion jam. Together with the shrimp and grits, these two ample choices more than completed our lunch for three.

The culinary energy of the Saturday Farmers Market: The lines start early around the crepe, egg and omelette booths in the southwest corner of the Charleston Farmers Market. It’s located on the full block of Marion Square between Upper Meeting and King streets, every Saturday from 8 am to 2 pm (April-December). From pickled asparagus and hot pepper jelly at one end to multiple varieties of honey, boiled peanuts, green grocers, grass-fed beef and local coffee roasters by far reaches, the market is a head-long plunge into the distinctive offerings of Lowcountry gardens and farms. The 30-minute wait in the breakfast lines is easily distracted by people watching and the crafts in nearby artisans booths.

The treasures of the sea: Growing up along the East Coast, I’m always on alert for the bounties of the Atlantic Ocean and its brackish bays, rivers and creeks. Grouper is high on my list, so its sister Cobia at Hominy Grill was an easy choice. No disappointment there. The delicate near-sweet flavor came through in the moist, firm texture. While the also nationally known Hominy Grill was the first stop on our list, we were surprised the relative ordinariness of the shrimp and grits (despite its bacon flavoring) and the lukewarm service. Perhaps it was that particular evening, but Chef Robert Stehling was the James Beard Award Best Chef Southeast winner in 2008, which sets an expectation.

Over at The Wreck in the town of Mt. Pleasant on Sullivan’s Island, a more traditional “fish camp” on the Shem Creek inlet off Charleston Harbor, the no-reservations dinner line forms early. (Also no air conditioning and no tablecloths.) In this family-owned business, named in honor of the Richard and Charlene trawler that slammed onto land during Hurricane Hugo, the fare is simple (broiled, boiled or fried) and piled high. Like other fish camps we know in the Southeast, ordering by partial pound makes a lot of sense, especially for sharing around the table. The fried oysters were the best I’ve ever had in many years of tastings up and down the East Coast – very light batter sheltering tender, sweet interiors. Amen to the grilled scallops and not overly dry hush puppies. Another awkward experience in inconsistency, though, was the fresh fish special, a large whole fried flounder, which was overcooked. That said, The Wreck is a loud “yes.”

The restaurants worth checking out: Sean Brock’s (James Beard Best Chef Southeast, 2010) duo, Husk and McCrady’s, and Craig Deihl’s trio – Cypress, Blossom and Magnolia (he was nominated Best Chef Southeast 2010 and 2011 and finalist 2011). Of our entire food crawl experience, Husk (at brunch on Sunday) stands at the top – all measured by a Sunday brunch for quality, consistency, ambiance and service. Cypress was a late-night unwind-at-the-bar fave (and having recently stayed at the Pine Barn Inn in Danville, Pennsylvania, where Deihl started out, super kudos to him for breaking out for Charleston’s enthusiastic audience and setting). And as aside, according to my restaurant watchers, the best known restaurants on the national stage are Husk, Cypress and Fig (which stands for "food is good"; Chef Mike Lata is another James Beard Southeast winner; we didn’t eat here but noted it’s pricier).

Rare and delicious honeys: Savannah Bee Company is a winery for honeys. Who knew you could fill an entire store with so many flavors? From their signature “Tupelo” to the award-winning “Sourwood,” Savannah Bee turns honey into a completely changed experience, and online ordering is available.

Sweets galore: I was trying to duck the street barker but couldn’t resist popping into River Street Sweets to see what else came with that ultra-sugary almond praline sample. This place upends any other Southern sugar cookie and candy company that I’ve witnessed. Many of the carmely bear claws, glazed pecans, fudge and more goodies are made onsite in this City Market shop, though the headquarters is in Savannah, Georgia, so it’s fascinating to see them being scooped from the open kitchen. Though not a full-on sugar lover, I am now committed.

Sweet, but not to eat: South Carolina’s coiled and woven Sweetgrass baskets, preserving one of the oldest African crafts (which slaves brought into the Lowcountry) turn the native palmetto tree  and local sweetgrasses into artistic treasures.  We were mesmerized by the young man who was deftly weaving palmetto fronds into rosettes at the City Market. The artistry of coiled basketry, mainly from bulrush and palm, is handed down from generation to generation with no set patterns. You’ll see them everywhere, from stores to craft shows to street corner and highway stands. Such inspired craftsmanship, using natural materials cultivated in swamps and marshes, links history, tradition and cultures – and like all art, enriches us all.

If you go: Choose the French Quarter Inn for your accommodations. Located in the historic district near the City Market, this charming hotel offers graceful, friendly and luxury service. From the welcoming champagne to the evening wine reception, ample morning breakfast and large quiet haven of a patio -- and no less than seven pillow comfort selections -- this hotel provides high-quality personal service often not found in busy tourist areas and is consistently top-rated with good reason.

 

San Francisco's Seafood Watch Alliance - Eat Sustainably

San Francisco’s Pier 39, the Fisherman’s Wharf tourist playground packed with lovers of fast food and plastic souvenirs, took a leap forward with the opening of Fog Harbor Fish House, the Wharf’s first Seafood Watch Alliance partner restaurant.  Fog Harbor serves over 220,000 visitors every year with a menu that is now filled with 100% sustainable seafood, including wild caught salmon, Dungeness crab and Pacific Cod.

The founders of San Francisco’s Seafood Watch Alliance (the Aquarium of the Bay, California Academy of Sciences and San Francisco Zoo) have recruited dozens of member restaurants. They were motivated by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program, which encourages consumers and businesses to purchase seafood that is fished or farmed in ways that don’t harm the environment. It's important to note that there is not complete agreement in restaurant and fisherman circles about the criteria for determining "sustainability," and some fisherman complain that the "green" message is confusing, not fully credible scientifically and is over-politicized. 

Seafood Watch labels its choices are ranked Best, Good Alternatives and Avoid. Noting that nearly 85% of the world's fisheries are fished to capacity, or overfished, Seafood Watch says it considers the entire context – the fishery, habitat, species, management, and other factors that affect each species. The campaign as embraced by grocery stores also is controversial.

The impetus for Fog Harbor's participation came in part from the Aquarium of the Bay, the San Francisco region’s only aquarium dedicated totally to San Francisco Bay, an incomparable world treasure which like its habitat is threatened by pollution, construction runoff, agribusiness and much more. When the Aquarium merged three years ago with the science-based nonprofit, The Bay Institute, its exhibits took on even more of an environmental message. Its conservation team worked with Fog Harbor to help reshape the image of Pier 39, the city's largest attraction for out of town visitors but one that is largely disdained by locals.

With the decision to weigh the evidence in consumers' hands, one downloadable pocket guide rates seafood by regions around the U.S. There's also a mobile guide app.  

Girlfriends Weekend in Philly

As a womantraveler now working from the West Coast, I'm always in search of a convenient East Coast rendezvous to catch up with longtime friends. Surprisingly, Philadelphia has moved far up the list of choices since I lived there 25 years ago. In two recent visits, I was reminded of the tremendous food options in Center City. What I hadn't expected, though, was stunning hotel adventure, the neoclassical architectural gem that is now the Ritz-Carlton.

Happily Center City is much classier than when I reported from there in the 1980s, when the entertainment core consisted of pubs, cheesesteaks and the Independence Square tourist gaggles led by invisible guides with tall umbrellas. Broad Street is now the Avenue of the Arts, with expansive concert halls, and the regal Mellon Bank, just south of City Hall, transformed in 2000 to the Ritz. The once sooty City Hall has been cleaned up (at least on the outside) and, in the last 18 months or so in particular, is said to have resumed its Ritz-level expectations, so I'm told. The welcoming flute of Prosecco at check-in next to the very uptown lobby was especially welcome.

There's nothing like a night off -- and especially a night at the Ritz -- after a long week of business travel. As a "road warrior" over the past couple years, I've been in the habit of flying out to work, then immediately flying home to unwind on familiar terra firma. But one of the pleasures of business travel is that it takes you places you may not otherwise experience. So a pause to refresh before heading back to the home office is my new habit whenever possible.

My Washington, DC-based girlfriend and I met halfway in Philly and splurged not only for the Ritz but for the club floor. For only about $50 more a night per room, the club floor's amenities more than pay for themselves -- five or six food presentations (actually mini-meals), from breakfast to light lunch to desserts after 8, attentive and extremely pleasant concierge service and kaleidoscopic views of the cityscape from 30 floors up. The personal care is top flight; the concierge even worked with the spa to call in an extra masseuse to fit my schedule even though they were fully booked.

The hotel began as The Rotunda Building, designed by the renowned architects McKim, Mead, & White between 1904 and 1908 at a cost of over $1.5 million. The dome was the largest dome in the western hemisphere when Girard Trust opened in 1908. Its oculus is 142 feet from the floor, the same as Rome's Pantheon, after which it is modeled. There was no skimping on quality, as seen in the more than 9000 tons of polished Georgia marble columns.

We didn't drift far from the Ritz cocoon, but the location is prime for some of the city's best restaurants and shopping. I had already discovered SA VA, the Philly-based designer boutique with very contemporary yet affordable style. Organic, fair trade and a studio right on Sansom Street. It's a place you need to go in, try on and plan to stay for awhile to get a feel for your own personal SA VA style. And last summer, the parade of leggy, thongy women in short skirts, tight capris or shorts -- sporting their precious dogs in oversized pocket books -- offered Center City's best people watching as I spent a warm evening at at a sidewalk table at Parc, the French brasserie on Rittenhouse Square.

This time we opted for Stephen Starr's Butcher and Singer, the upscale steakhouse replacement for the longtime favorite, Striped Bass, on Walnut Street. We were well taken care of and the food absolutely matched its classy reputation. Starr, a music promoter and restaurateur, is an icon of Philly's entertainment industry that a few decades back began offering alternatives to the stuffy Main Line culture by catering to the Baby Boom generation, and now post-Boomer tastes. Another of my Starr faves is the neuvo Latino Alma de Cuba also on Walnut Street.

San Francisco "Foodings" - for Your Late Summer List

Keeping up with the abundance of San Francisco restaurants, from tried-and-true to start-ups, is a fulltime job, but every few months I'm motivated to share a list of finds for visitors and locals alike. This latest round of suggestions was inspired by the "fooding" trip of my brother/chef Steve Johnson of Rendezvous Central Square in Cambridge, who is a true "food creative" and Bay Area food fan from his frequent forays here, and the views of some other pals who currently make the city and its best restos their home.

Any time of day: Blue Bottle Coffee is the latest rage, and every story is made better by the story behind the story. Imagine a clarinet player who just can't get the morning cup of java right and sets out to solve that riddle - and you yet another successful Bay Area entrepreneur's story. The easiest access point is Blue Bottle in the Ferry Building, but the inside view comes in the alley in now-hip Hayes Valley where Blue Bottle started in a garage at Jessie and Linden streets (just like Apple started down in Silicon Valley). You have to love it at $20-24 a pound, but if like me you are tired of the same-old same old, the pure and succulent flavors, creative verve and colloquial personality makes a Blue Bottle moment a worthy experience (along with the line of fans that comes with it).

Ferry Building: We have a bias for this panoply of organic and specialty food destinations that are original, featuring regional producers, seasonal, distinctive in quality, perhaps a bit chaotic in experience, but what the heck. This is as close to the land as you'll get without renting a car and traipsing out to the North Bay, West Marin and other nearby locations where the real thing is delivered every day by small (or relatively small) producers. If I sound rapturous, then forgive me, because the artisanal quality of Bay Area food producers is beyond belief, and this stop at Market Street and the Embarcadero just under the Bay Bridge offers an excellent sampler to whet your appetite.

Many San Francisco restaurants seem literally carved out of store fronts, including several of these below. They are jam packed every day but don't let that deter you. Check them out in advance and reserve ahead on their websites, Open Table, Urban Spoon Rez or others. Mark these down:

Boulettes Larder: J'adore ce resto! There's something that feels very intimate about this tiny bistro (enlarged by an outdoor seating area) in the Ferry Building, as if you're at the chef's table in a farm in Europe while also in high-energy urban San Francisco. The menu hand picks and combines ingredients in innovative combinations with straightforward style, simplicity and artful confidence.

Bar Jules: Cozy and busy with a handful of daily offerings and a neighborhoody ambiance that welcomes everyone. In Hayes Valley, steps from the Civic Center, opera, ballet, symphony hall and Asian Art Museum.

Flour + Water: Another small space favorite honoring local producers, a James Beard "rising chef" finalist in 2011 and "best new resataurant" finalist in 2010. In the Mission and described by GQ as "sneakily sophisticated."

Contigo: With homage to Spanish and Catalan food, this resto in Noe Valley supports a long list of farmers, ranchers, fishermen and artistans, another example of the rustic blended with the urban kitchen.

Frances: We popped into this hot little spot in the Noe Valley area for appetizers before dinner --and lucked out with a few tastings from the bartender who was checking out a new decanted wine specialty. This is a place where it's said to be tough to get a reservation and we understand why, since it seats only 35 or so guests. Getting there at opening and sitting at the bar was our smart luck. We also had a birds eye view into the kitchen and watched its efficient behaviors. That calamari with grilled Meyer lemon and chermoula spice was to die for while the grilled asparagus promised superb quality across the menu.

Delfina: Back after some years, this icon in the Mission - an Italian-inspired James Beard Award winner - doesn't disappoint. You just have to go there and taste it for yourself! And over off Filmore Street in Pacific Heights, its Pizzeria Delfina (with pizza combos that you'd love to imagine such as "clam pie" and homemade fennel sausage with bell pappers, red onions and more as well as salads and entrees) is smugly popular with residents who quietly treasure their neighborhood gem.

Mohica: I keep returning to this Peruvian resto offering small plates, amazing sushi-grade cebiches (ceviches), paella and a variety of entrees (seafood, beef, poultry and lamb). In the SOMA (South of Market) area not far from the Yerba Buena Gardens and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Mohica is busy but unpretentious, a favorite for downtown-living locals and people who work in the area. It's a bit off the beaten path but not something to miss.

Picasso Show Ends in Virginia, Travels to San Francisco

Sunday May 15 is the last day for the stunning Picasso exhibition at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts(VFMA) in Richmond, before it closes and re-opens in the de Young Museum in San Francisco on June 11. The VFMA will be open until midnight Friday May 13 and Saturday May 14.

"Masterpieces from the Musee National Picasso, Paris" has been touring only three museums in the U.S. (starting last year in Seattle) while its home museum in Paris is undergoing renovation. The exhibit is singular because it embraces the personal favorites that Picasso kept to shape his own artistic legacy.

Having seen the works in Paris, I found that a new environment provided a fresh way of absorbing them. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, one of the best today in the nation, has expanded dramatically since I lived there in the 1970s -- and the modern new wing is but one example. The deYoung in San Francisco, an exercise both in art and architecture following its post-earthquate reconstruction in Golden Gate Park, will add yet another dimension to the pleasure of experiencing Picasso from June 11 to October 9, 2011.

Curiously I was reminded of my own father's paintings of the era, which I've chronicled in my book about his 1950s watercolors in a Midwestern small town. These two men from vastly different backgrounds were motivated by similar truths but expressed them in wildly different ways -- as I described here after my Richmond visit.

Richmond is a hip Southern city, despite an occasionally overzealous grip on its Confederate roots. Next door to the art museum, you can dive deep into Virginia history -- and in fact much American history -- at the Virginia Historical Society.  Under forward-thinking leadership and physical expansion, the museum now promises "cool things inside." It doesn't disappoint on the historical continuum with its faithful rendering of Virginia's contributions to early American history, the Civil War, newspaper and business archives and photographs.

Among my other favorite haunts in Richmond are the always-new ventures in food and wine in some cool spots in the Fan District downtown and the near West End. My friends and I made a repeat visit to Balliceaux in the Fan, not far from these two museums, for an inventive global dining menu -- locally sourced and sustainably farmed products producing plates pulling from Southern cooking, Mediterranean and southern Asia traditions. Check out some of these selections -- crispy brussels sprouts/verbena olives/spiced nuts (appetizer), tandoori fried cauliflower (small plate), seville orange braised pork belly/toasted farro and black garlic/pigeon peas (small plate), potlikker braised catfish with Virginia peanut-cabbage slaw and Chesapeake oyster rice (main dish) and sea salt-grilled farm hen with beluga lentils, lemon cream and Swiss chard. I have to stop writing and go eat!

A View of Thomas Keller's "Farm to Table" Napa Valley

There is nothing like a perfect afternoon in Napa Valley, but the bonus was a farm-to-table view of the provisioning for Thomas Keller's restaurants. How remarkable that the individual regarded as the "Number 1 chef in America" would have an acreage of vegetables and herbs across from his French Laundry restaurant (Relais et Chateaux) in Yountville (pictured here) and up the street from Bouchon, his upscale, though less formal, bistro. And it was like a park that we could respectfully walk through.

It's not unusual for chefs to grow their own gardens, as my brother Chef Steve does at Rendezvous Central Square in Cambridge, Mass., a hip and welcoming resto near MIT and Harvard.  (His herbs and vegetables grow in boxes on his urban roof.) But seeing this expanse that invited us in added an unexpected dimension to Keller's serious efforts at integrating the environment with the dining experience, not simply building a culinary experience from products trucked in.

Having the visual background and context -- kale, fava beans, savory and dozens more -- established a grounding context for the elegant Bouchon lunch.

Oddly enough for Napa Valley, we were temporarily transported into a recreated French bistro. Napa chic and busy (where a famous LA chef sat comfortably like any patron at the bar). While most dining spaces favor the California style, Bouchon is intentionally Left Bank Paris.

Reading the French titles on the menu, I opted for the Salade de Betteraves (beets) with poached rhubarb greens and hazelnuts in rhubarb vinaigrette (and thin slices of Tomme Dolce cheese, one of my favorites), while Steve chose Salade de Porc et Asperges Blanc (glazed pork belly with white asparagus, pickled cherries and egg yolk with warm bacon vinaigrette). You could call it an elegant eggs and bacon salad. We could have stopped there with no complaints, but the main courses approached -- roasted leg of lamb in a ragout of fresh chick peas, merguez sausage, garden carrots, green garlic and preserved Meyer lemon) for Steve, and I selected my occasional beef splurge -- Poitrine de Boeuf Grillee (grilled richly laden beef brisket) with braised radishes, fava bean and potato confit and tongue vinaigrette. I am still savoring the incredible flavors -- why would I eat anything else today? As we strolled back to our car, we couldn't resist another view of Keller's ample gardens and the July East Coast skies of this extraordinary California day.

 

 

  

 

The Perils of Business Travel (in a Virtual Company) -- Go Figure!

I picked up this terrific read from Ann Handley of Marketing Profs this morning -- an 8-point guide to surviving business travel -- and still catching up from a finished a week of business travel myself, I wanted to share its wise and funny insights.

To her tips, I would add two points:

• Always pack a change of business clothing in your carry-on if you are checking luggage. I'll never forget being rerouted from Philly to Newark, but my bag went to Philly and couldn't be delivered until midday the next day. I was in jeans and had a business meeting at 9 am, where suits were the attire. The town where my client worked had no department store. Fortunately I was able to postpone the meeting until lunch (when the luggage arrived in the nick of time).
• Invest in a lighter laptop for that airport racing and schlepping, which I just did, especially if you need a real laptop, not an iPAD or such, for your work.

Speaking of O'Hare, last evening my colleague and I had a 30-minute conversation while he sat in a small regional jet for 30 minutes waiting for a gate, with his next flight scheduled only 35 minutes ahead. Finally his plane started moving, but not toward the closest gate -- they took a 10-minute cruise completely around the B and C gates all the way over to the F gates -- he was nearly hysterical! He made his flight with minutes to spare, but this is the stuff of heart attacks...and in today's skies, business travelers live this way constantly.

Reading "The Middle Seat" by Scott McCartney in the Wall Street Journal is my regular business travel therapy. Check this one out -- so who gets the armrest? and other inflight etiquette.

670 Inches of Snow - So Far - in Squaw Valley

The more than 670 inches of snow that has accumulated this winter in Squaw Valley and the Lake Tahoe region is hard to imagine -- but it is equivalent to a five-and-a-half story building. And more is on the way. Reportedly some homes across the Lake Tahoe region are nearly buried. So what does that look like anyway? We found one view...

From the San Francisco area, Squaw Valley is a popular day trip -- a drive of 2.5-3 hours, and everyone is taking advantage of it. Rainstorms having been bugging us for weeks, actually months, in the Bay Area; that translates to tons of snowstorms in the Sierra mountains. The auto tire chain rules are strict, and blizzards fueled by high winds can throttle the mountain passes, and I hear from friends that the chain enforcers are truly weary.

Two Christmases ago my son and I spent Christmas at Squaw Valley's vintage Olympic Village Inn -- remodeled since the 1960 Olympics and comfortable though not lavish. On an impulse we found a one-night, two-day package available and spent Christmas Day and the day after on the slopes. We left a sunny Bay Area, encountered the predictable fog in the Sacramento area, and by the time we traveled up the mountain and down into the valley (elevation 6200 feet), it was clear with a temperature hovering around freezing. Not bad. But up on the slopes at elevations between 8200 and 8900 feet it was a different story -- an awesome view from the top of the world across the Sierra one day and a frightening black sky of snow blowing in on the second. Though not much of a skiier myself, I go along for the thrill and the sights that nature delivers.

What I also like about Squaw Valley is that you can eat relatively healthily -- this is California, after all. So it's not all junk and fat foods. For skiers looking for a hearty lunch, I recommend Soupa and Fireside Pizza in the Olympic Village, and for an upscale dinner, the PlumpJack Cafe (California's lieutenant governor and former San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom is an investor). At Plumpjack (the company also includes a Napa Valley vineyard), the menu offers seasonal regional foods and premier wines and beers (along with the rest of the bar) in a stylish resort ambiance at fine but not over the top prices. Let's face it, a workout on the slopes during the day deserves a splurge evening with the pretty people.

Here are other good spots to check out and some good end of season deals. With more than 50 feet of snow, Squaw Valley confidently predicts skiing through April and is offering some great deals if booked by March 31. And that's no April Fool's joke!

 

A tsunami advisory continues today for Northern California coasts and harbors. See live action in Santa Cruz yesterday. http://tinyurl.com/4l8qz6p