Remember those sleepless nights lying on a rickety camp bed — or worse, on rough ground? Well, this yurt has a large, super comfy double bed and bunk beds for the youngsters. Forget wandering across to the shower block to freshen up in the morning. There’s a modern bathroom with double sink and shower.
Ponce de Leon first discovered these small islands in 1513. He found plenty of turtles but nada agua. Hence the name Dry Tortugas appeared on early maps of the Florida Straits. Sea turtles and bird eggs were hunted until the area was first protected in the early 1900s by the formation of a national wildlife refuge. In 1935 Franklin Roosevelt set aside the seven islands comprising the Dry Tortugas as a National Monument. In 1992 it was redesignated as a National Park.
This 2,799-acre mountaintop region indulges a broad range of interests. Bunker Tower, previously a fire lookout, attracts visitors of all ages to ascend into the clouds for 360-degree views of the forests, towns, and countryside. Near the tower, Bald Rock Trail is the easiest trail in the park. The wooden boardwalk parallels the original trail, ending with expansive views at the exposed gray-toned Bald Rock. Nearby, Pulpit Rock Trail overlooks the expansive Talladega National Forest. A popular repelling destination, this red-blazed trail demands careful footing and steady balance on boulders and tree roots, but is worth the effort for impressive scenery at the trail’s end.
The baths are a favorite among Connemara’s hiking crowd — a soothing end to a day of trekking. “I’ve been coming to the Leenane Hotel since I was a little girl,” says 50-something Claudia Baan, from Germany. “And the best part of my daily hike is always the seaweed bath at the end of the trail,” she adds, laughing. Hikers unwind and rejuvenate as soothing music fills the candlelit rooms, and soakers are greeted by the stunning vista of the fjord, visible through the privacy of one-way glass windows. A tranquil soak in the velvety, silky sludge is the ultimate relaxation experience — at the very least it’s sure to promote a good night’s sleep!
Ooedo-Onsen Monogatari is a hot springs spa theme park styled after an Edo-era town center. Once you walk through the doors and sign in at the front desk, it’s time to move through the magic time travel curtains. You find yourself transported back in time to a festival evening — stars in the sky and colorful lanterns all aglow. You find small shops, food vendors, a variety of spa services, and, most importantly, the entrances to gender separated hot baths of all kinds.
Walking into Martin’s Tavern is like taking a trip through time. While equestrian paintings are the prominent artwork on display, don’t be fooled into thinking this is a horse-themed restaurant. The original owner, Billy (William S. Martin), was a pro basketball, football, and baseball star who opened this Georgetown watering hole in 1933. Billy was on the 1914 Boston Braves team that won the World Series. His humble tavern has been a favorite of locals and several of our nation’s presidents, albeit before they were elected to the nation’s highest office.
Jose Andres — now a nationally-renowned chef with restaurants from South Beach to Beverly Hills — opened Jaleo, his first, in Washington’s Penn Quarter entertainment district in 1993. Recently renovated, Jaleo is bright and lively with large windows looking to the busy sidewalks outside. Our favorite dishes here include sauteed spinach with pine nuts, raisins, and apples; shrimp sauteed with garlic; and chorizo sausage with mashed potatoes and cider sauce.
Sobrino de Botin is the oldest working restaurant in the world, according to the Guinness Book of Records. Founded by a French chef in 1725, Botin is now owned by Antonio Gonzalez and his family. Every day, they serve their world-famous roast suckling pig and roast lamb to tourists, celebrities, royalty, and regulars alike.
According to the French Quarter bartender serving my Sazarac, “the Easter Parade was the brainchild of ‘a well-preserved 80-year-old showgirl and her curated contingent of NOLA [New Orleans, Louisiana] friends.’” My back home NOLA-to-Seattle-expat colleague assured me the Easter parade would illustrate the grand tradition of genteel Southern ladies dressed in their Easter bonnets accompanied by dapper gents in boater hats. And the NOLA pedicab driver described it as the craziest, wildest party in NOLA second only to Mardi Gras.
“Imagine a world where children are encouraged to play in art museums.” This was a vision of Executive Director Nannette Maciejunes during the design of the newly expanded and renovated Columbus Museum of Art. The new museum, reopened in October 2015, is much more than large rooms filled with paintings. Maciejunes believes, “This exciting endeavor is a shift from just talking about the works hanging on the wall to talking about how art connects people to themselves, their community, and their world.”
