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T Magazine: Letter From France | The Paris Hotel Scene Gets a Glitzy New Player

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 31 Juli 2014 | 17.36

Photo
The soon-to-open Peninsula Paris Hotel offers both a rich cultural heritage and over-the-top luxury offerings for guests.Credit

At the new Peninsula Paris Hotel, not far from the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, workers are frantically hanging paintings and placing umbrellas on the rooftop terrace in preparation for this Friday's grand opening.

The Peninsula combines two related trends in the Paris luxury hotel landscape, both brought about by the shifting desires of the hotels' wealthy international guests, most recently those from China, who are coming in ever-greater numbers. For many such guests, the history, culture and class of the city's old palaces are no longer enough. They also require bigness, brashness and glitz: spa suites with private saunas and rain showers, trendy nightclubs, private butlers and on-site contemporary art consultants.

As a result, many of the city's old-timers, including the Ritz, the Plaza-Athénée and the Crillon, have closed for extensive makeovers in recent years, while other classics, including the Bristol and the Meurice, have gambled that they can renovate discreetly while keeping their doors open. Meanwhile, ultramodern, Asia-themed hotels with expansive accommodations, including the Shangri-La in the 16th Arrondissement, which opened in 2010, and the Mandarin Oriental on the rue Saint-Honoré luxury boutique strip, which opened in 2011, have become wildly popular.

Photo
Classic Paris hotels such as the Plaza Athénée (left) and Le Meurice have sought to reinvent themselves to entice an influx of wealthy foreigners.Credit

The Peninsula hopes it can be both a palace with history and a palace for the future. Built in 1908, it was for 29 years the site of the mythical Hotel Majestic, where James Joyce and Marcel Proust had their first and only meeting at a private dinner; Igor Stravinsky and Pablo Picasso also attended as guests. During a visit, George Gershwin composed the entire blues section of "An American in Paris" from his large suite, working with a Steinway and an array of French taxi horns. In 1969, Henry Kissinger opened peace talks with the North Vietnamese in the ballroom, which will become an all-day dining room and lobby. Four years later, he signed the treaty ending the Vietnam War in an oak-paneled, gilt-trimmed room nearby, which will now be the hotel's main bar.

The Hong Kong-based Peninsula Group and the government of Qatar invested about $1 billion to buy the building and restore it to its former grandeur. This is the first Peninsula Hotel in Europe, and if it has a theme, it is that big is better. The indoor heated swimming pool is 65 feet long. The limousine service includes two Rolls-Royces (one a restored 1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom) and 10 BMW limousines. Among the 200 rooms are 34 suites, five of which enjoy 360-degree views of Paris from their private roof gardens. The largest suite is more than 3,400 square feet and goes for $33,500 a night. Cigar smokers can store their collections in personal locked humidors in the cigar lounge. Even the most modest accommodation features a living room, bedroom, dressing room, marble bathroom (with a separate rain shower and deep-soak bathtub), contemporary art, a customized interactive digital bedside and desk tablets preset in one of 11 languages.

It may take some time before the Peninsula establishes its identity as a European hotel. Its signature restaurant is Cantonese, with Chi Keung Tang, a chef who enjoyed one-star Michelin status in Tokyo. Its décor is fusion: modern-day Chinese (lacquer doors, futuristic crystal chandeliers) and turn-of-the-20th-century French. However, "all of the public areas are very French," insists Nicolas Béliard, the hotel's director general. "You are in Paris here. You are definitely in Paris."

Photo
Newer Parisian hotels like the Shangri-La (left) and the Mandarin Oriental Paris have become popular thanks to their incredible amenities.Credit

But it will have to compete with the Paris of places like the Mandarin Oriental, which offers amenities such as a swimming pool whose water is mixed with ozone, the effect of which has been likened to swimming in Evian. At the Shangri-La, the seventh-floor Shangri-La Suite comes with a 900-square-foot terrace with one of the most spectacular views of Paris (the Eiffel Tower, the Seine, Notre-Dame). It can be connected to an adjoining apartment for a nearly 5,400-square-foot living space. Even at $27,000 a night, it is almost always booked.

Top luxury hotels in Paris today enjoy an occupancy rate of 80 percent, primarily with guests from the United States, Britain, the Middle East, Brazil, Russia and China. Well over 10 percent of the clientele at both the Shangri-La and the Mandarin Oriental are Chinese. Both hotels cater to them by offering Mandarin and Cantonese-speaking staff and a variety of Asian dining options. In respect for Chinese sensibilities, the Mandarin Oriental does not use the number 4 or decorate rooms with white flowers, and serves its Chinese clients water at room temperature, never iced.

"The rate of visitors from mainland China to Paris is increasing 15 percent a year," says Philippe Leboeuf, the general manager of the Mandarin Oriental. "More and more, they are looking for luxury."

More luxury is on the way. The Ritz and the Crillon will reopen next year. After that, LVMH will finish renovations on a luxury hotel in the former La Samaritaine department store on the rue de Rivoli near City Hall. "Each of these hotels has its pluses, each has its own soul," says Didier Le Calvez, president of the hotel owners' trade group UMIH and president of the Bristol Hotel. "There is plenty of demand. Happily for everyone, there is room for all."


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T Magazine: A Buzzy New Shanghai Restaurant Designed by Shigeru Ban

Amid Shanghai's futuristic mass of gleaming glass and rising towers, an airy, understated two-story new restaurant called Calypso offers a welcome reprieve from the shiny and new. A collaboration between the Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese architect Shigeru Ban and the design firm AvroKO, Calypso is a freestanding bamboo-clad jewel box of a building tucked into the high-end Jing'an business district. Ban's riff on traditional Chinese design was partially inspired by a former residence of Chairman Mao Zedong next door.

A seat inside the front dining room offers a view of the open kitchen. The diners, a mix of chic Shanghainese and business travelers staying at the adjacent Jing An Shangri-La hotel, come to enjoy a Mediterranean menu featuring dishes like Spanish octopus, Neapolitan pizza (from stone ovens) and rustic pastas with housemade spicy Iberico sausage. Garage-style glass doors roll up for a rare Shanghai treat, al fresco dining (when weather permits). Outside, a grand stone staircase leads to a hip second-floor cocktail lounge with a retractable roof. At night, the building emits a soft yellowish glow, creating an intimate, unexpected juxtaposition with the futuristic Shanghai skyline.

Corner of Tong Ren Road and An Yi Road, Jing An Kerry Centre Piazza, Shanghai, calypsoshanghai.com.


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In Transit Blog: Sweetening the Cruise Experience

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 30 Juli 2014 | 17.35

Photo One of the chocolate confections that will be on offer as part of Princess Cruises' Chocolate Journeys program.Credit Princess Cruises

Traveling on a Princess Cruises ship just became a little sweeter with the company's new Chocolate Journeys initiative, created in partnership with the chocolatier and pastry chef Norman Love.

The program has six on-board chocolate experiences. First off is a complimentary captain's welcome reception, where guests can toast the start of their cruise with a glass of Champagne and Mr. Love's dark chocolate ganache lollipop. Chocolate demonstrations led by the ship's pastry team are also free; guests can learn how to prepare treats like bittersweet chocolate mousse and old-fashioned truffles.

For an additional fee, guests can try sweet-tooth cocktails like the chocolate and chili margarita; a chocolate spa treatment combining a scrub, whipped body mask and massage oil; and dessert-and-wine pairings at the on-board wine bar.

The collaboration is Mr. Love's first with a travel brand. "I wanted it to be educational, so people can actually learn something about chocolate — but also fun," he said.


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T Magazine: A Ride Across America | In Idaho, Two Sisters Get a ‘Truck Farm’ Off the Ground

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 27 Juli 2014 | 17.35

Over the course of eight weeks, Ben Towill, the co-owner of the Fat Radish, and the photographer Patrick Dougherty are biking 4,500 miles across the U.S. to talk to strangers about food. Each week, they'll file a dispatch for T about their discoveries.

Photo
The author helps the farmers he's met in Lewiston, Idaho, to herd chickens into their coop as a storm approaches.Credit Patrick Dougherty

As I reach the final 400 miles of this incredible adventure, following the Snake River west to Portland and then to our last farm in Salem, Ore., I have begun thinking about the experiences that will stick with me the most from this ride. This past week, we rode through the Tetons and into Yellowstone National Park, past wading fly fishermen in Montana and onto Idaho's Lewis and Clark trail (Highway 12) along the Lochsa River. Absolutely breathtaking.

SERIES
A Ride Across America

Read more of Ben Towill's weekly dispatches about food and how we eat it, filed as he bikes across the country. More…

But it's the people we've met who will stay with me and give context to the landscape. Camping on the shores of Montana's Bitterroot River would not be nearly as memorable had we not met John Faust, a retired fishing guide and local legend. Upon hearing that we had not tasted any of the river's trout, he jumped in his car and returned 20 minutes later with his wife Elna, a plate of smoked trout, some local knowledge of a secluded hot spring (which we promised not to share with anyone) and a story about his personal claim to fame: building a mechanical fish for "A River Runs Though It."

This week, we descended out of the mountains into Lewiston, Idaho, and found ourselves at River City Farm with Keegan Athey, 25, and her sister Dory, 23. The daughter of river guides from Colorado, Keegan worked as a guide herself after turning 18, until her interest in food pushed her to Colorado State to study soil and crop science and organic agriculture. In the spring she kicked off her first full farming season and is quickly becoming a leading champion of local food in the town of Lewiston. She is inexperienced and open about her mistakes (like the time she left the lettuce in too long and 50 days of growing turned into chicken feed and compost). But her attitude is infectious and she brushes off setbacks easily, viewing everything as a learning experience. She gave us a tour of her little "truck farm" (small-scale farm devoted to growing vegetables for the local community) and spoke optimistically about her CSA members and the improvements she hoped to make. As a storm blew in, we helped her herd her chickens back into their coop. Not easy work, this urban farming business.

Photo
Clockwise from top left: River City Farm in Lewiston, Idaho; sisters Keegan and Dory get to work; lunchtime at the farm; the retired fishing guide John Faust and his wife Elna of Darby, Mont.Credit Patrick Dougherty

Dory, who is about to begin a Master's in publishing at the University of Oregon, has spent the summer helping out on the farm. She stays out back in "the pool house," which is actually a tent next to a baby pool for the dog. She prepared a beautiful lunch of broccoli leaf wraps filled with miso carrots, homemade pita bread and a tomato, cucumber and pepper salad grown fresh on the farm. We finished with an apricot and blackberry crisp that was placed simply in the center of the table for everyone to dig into (see the chef's recipe below).

As the conversation turned to the future, the girls talked about their "pipe dream": combining their passions and skills to publish a magazine or even open a restaurant. For now, it is all about getting through the first year and connecting as much as possible with the community of Lewiston. But considering their enthusiasm, intelligence and ability to inspire, the pipe dream could become a reality.


Photo
All join in sharing an apricot and blackberry crisp from a single plate at River City Farm.Credit Patrick Dougherty

Apricot Blackberry Crisp

Yield: 1

Filling:
1 pound fruit, washed and roughly chopped if necessary (*Chef's note: we used roughly chopped apricots and whole blackberries, but you could use anything that strikes your fancy)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Pinch of salt

Topping:
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 wheat flour
1/3 cup almonds, toasted and chopped
1/3 cup butter, melted

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Lay the fruit in the bottom of a pie dish. We started with a layer of apricots and then sprinkled the berries over the top to fill in the nooks and crannies.

3. Sprinkle the ginger, cinnamon, sugar and salt over the top. Shake the pie dish to mix it up a little.

4. Mix the ingredients for the topping together with your hands until it resembles breadcrumbs, and then crumble it on top of the fruit.

5. Stick it in the oven for 20 or 30 minutes. We like ours pretty crispy on top, maybe even a little black on the very top. Serve whenever, hot or cold, with a handful of spoons. No plates allowed.


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In Transit Blog: Now Serving Comfortable and Casual

Photo Dish at Fera at Claridge's in London, where diners in jeans are now welcome.Credit Claridge's

Luxury hotels usually have formal restaurants to match their elegant ambience, but some high-end properties are creating more relaxed and casual dining options for their guests.

The Berkeley hotel in London, for example, recently relaunched the two-Michelin-star "Marcus" by chef Marcus Wareing with white and cream interiors that are meant to be less stodgy than the earlier dark-hued walls, furniture and floor. And instead of most diners following a coat-and-tie dress code, the new style is called "smart casual." Also in London, the Fera at Claridge's opened in early May in a space formerly occupied by Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's. Gone are the tablecloths, jackets and fussy service. Diners in jeans are now welcome and even encouraged to come into the kitchen to interact with the chefs.

In New York, the famous King Cole Bar and Salon at the St. Regis New York underwent a renovation in which tablecloths were banished, the mahogany bar was replaced with one in black onyx, and the consulting chef John DeLucie devised a menu with less-refined bites like meatballs based on his grandmother's recipe.

Glenmere Mansion, a Relais & Châteaux Property in Chester, N.Y., now has Frogs End Tavern, a cozy pub-like spot with items such as gumbo and burgers, and the Hotel Hassler in Rome has opened the Palm Court Restaurant & Bar (an alternative to its Michelin-starred Imàgo) where diners wearing shorts can stop in throughout the day for a full meal or just a coffee or ice cream. And Viks in José Ignacio, Uruguay, just opened the beachfront dining spot La Susana between its two beach properties; customers can choose to dine communally on rustic wooden tables in the sand.

The shift away from fanciness is a direct result of traveler demand, said Albert Herrera, the senior vice president of global product partnerships for the luxury travel network Virtuoso. "The ritual of formality has adapted to the changing palates of younger and more worldly travelers who want the choice of eating in a casual setting," he said.

A version of this article appears in print on 07/27/2014, on page TR3 of the NewYork edition with the headline: Now Serving Comfortable and Casual.


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In Transit Blog: In Wake of Disasters, an Air Travel F.A.Q.

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 26 Juli 2014 | 17.36

Photo The last Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 leaving Kuala Lumpur. The carrier has retired the flight number.Credit Olivia Harris/Reuters

In the aftermath of the shooting of Malaysia Airlines flight 17 last week and the rocket strike near Ben-Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv this week, people planning to fly to the Middle East or on a route crossing Eastern Europe have been left wondering whether or not they could — or should — continue with their travel plans.

Below, we offer an F.A.Q. with some updates on both incidents and advice on how to find out if you're flying friendly skies. If you've got a question that we didn't answer, leave it in comments below and we may include it in a later post.

Q. Can I fly into Tel Aviv yet?
A. Depends on the airline. The F.A.A. lifted its ban on flights to Ben-Gurion International Airport late Wednesday night, less than 48 hours after a rocket fired from the Gaza strip landed about a mile from the airport. Delta, United and US Airways had all resumed service to the airport by Thursday night.
Air France and Lufthansa, the German airline  canceled flights there, as recommended in a statement from the European Aviation Safety Agency on Thursday, but will resume them. Air France flights will operate flights to Tel Aviv on Friday night, and Lufthansa said it would begin operating them in stages on Saturday.
The conflict between Israel and Hamas has also inspired Costa Cruises, the Italian cruise line, to cancel calls in Ashdod and Haifa, Israel, during two of its September cruises, the company said in a press release on Wednesday.
"The company is in constant contact with local and international authorities to ensure the safety of its operations. Costa will continue to carefully monitor the situation in Israel and nearby areas," the release said.
A warning posted on the United States State Department's Web site Monday recommended that American citizens refrain from any nonessential travel to Israel and the West Bank, because of the escalating conflict.

Q. What about the downing of the Malaysia Airlines plane? Will my flight be affected?
A. The frequency of daily flights, both on Malaysia and other airlines, has not been affected, though Malaysia will now entirely avoid Ukrainian airspace, flying farther south over Turkey instead, the company said in a statement. On Sunday, however, the airline fell under scrutiny when flightradar24.com, a website that shows live air traffic around the world, spotted one of Malaysia's aircraft over Syria, a region considered by some to be as volatile and dangerous as the Ukraine and Russian border. ("As per the notice to airmen (NOTAM) issued by the Syrian Civil Aviation Authority, the Syrian airspace was not subject to restrictions," Malaysia Airlines said in a statement.)

Q. I booked through a code share partner of Malaysia Airlines. Will my flight also be rerouted?
A. OneWorld Alliance, of which Malaysia Airlines is a member, confirmed in a statement that all its member airlines had agreed to reroute planes away from eastern Ukraine. Those members include Malaysia's code share partners, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific Airways, Finnair, Japan Airlines, Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian and Sri Lankan Airlines.

Other code share partners including KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Jet Airways have also said they would avoid eastern Ukraine indefinitely; and on July 22, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a statement prohibiting United States operators from flying within the Simferopol and Dnepropetrovsk regions.

Q. Can I get access to my flight plan before departure?
A. While domestic flight plans for the United States are relatively easy to find online, those who want to know the exact trajectory of an international flight may have some trouble, Fredrik Lindhal, flightradar24.com's chief executive said on the telephone. Contacting the airline is the most logical solution as international plans are not typically published, he said. But tracking the flight on a site like his own in the days prior to your departure can also help reveal any changes being made to the flight's regular pattern.
FlightAware.com, another live flight tracking website, can offer the same, but tracking flights in this way is a lot like advertising, Mr. Lindhal said. "They always have to give that 'past performance will not guarantee future returns' disclaimer. The site can be an indicator, but at the end of the day its always up to the air traffic control and the pilot," he said.
"Flight bag" digital applications, as Jeff Price, an aviation management and security consultant in Denver called them, may also be helpful. ForeFlight, an aviation application for pilots, and Jeppesen's Mobile FliteDeck Pro, a similar app, are both available with a subscription, which costs about $100 a year, Mr. Price said.
But temporary reroute plans due to a situation like that in Ukraine would be provided directly to commercial air carrier flight operations centers by the air traffic controlling entity, he said. "It might just be a situation where the air traffic control reroutes the traffic on their own temporarily, through their flight clearances and radio transmissions."

Q. What should I take into consideration when choosing a carrier?
A. There is not much a passenger can do to affect the route of a flight, Mr. Price said, other than booking a series of one-way flights that might circumnavigate potentially dangerous areas.
"I think it's also reasonable to ask the airline what assurances they can give to the passengers that the route of a flight will not be over hazardous areas. Just like a passenger can be reasonably certain that their aircraft will not fly into a hazardous weather situation, like directly into a thunderstorm."

 


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In Transit Blog: The Brando, Both a Resort and a Lab

Photo At the Brando, a turtle finds creature comforts.Credit Pacific Beachcomber

Marlon Brando first visited Tetiaroa, a 12-island atoll 30 miles north of Tahiti, while filming "Mutiny on the Bounty." He bought it five years later, and briefly ran an inn, where he invited conservationists and researchers interested in the South Pacific ecosystem. This month, Tetiaroa continues this legacy with the opening of the Brando, a 35-villa luxury resort and scientific research lab.

The resort uses solar power, energy-efficient seawater air-conditioning, and a coconut-oil biofuel power station, all toward its (nearly realized) goal of being fully carbon neutral. It also piles on creature comforts. Thatch roofs shelter one-, two- and three-bedroom cottages featuring pitched ceilings, and bathrooms with access to outdoor bathtubs. Guests are encouraged to visit Ecostation, the science lab, where lagoon fish and crustacean populations, among other topics, are studied.


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T Magazine: A Ride Across America | In Idaho, Two Sisters Get a ‘Truck Farm’ Off the Ground

Over the course of eight weeks, Ben Towill, the co-owner of the Fat Radish, and the photographer Patrick Dougherty are biking 4,500 miles across the U.S. to talk to strangers about food. Each week, they'll file a dispatch for T about their discoveries.

Photo
The author helps the farmers he's met in Lewiston, Idaho, to herd chickens into their coop as a storm approaches.Credit Patrick Dougherty

As I reach the final 400 miles of this incredible adventure, following the Snake River west to Portland and then to our last farm in Salem, Ore., I have begun thinking about the experiences that will stick with me the most from this ride. This past week, we rode through the Tetons and into Yellowstone National Park, past wading fly fishermen in Montana and onto Idaho's Lewis and Clark trail (Highway 12) along the Lochsa River. Absolutely breathtaking.

SERIES
A Ride Across America

Read more of Ben Towill's weekly dispatches about food and how we eat it, filed as he bikes across the country. More…

But it's the people we've met who will stay with me and give context to the landscape. Camping on the shores of Montana's Bitterroot River would not be nearly as memorable had we not met John Faust, a retired fishing guide and local legend. Upon hearing that we had not tasted any of the river's trout, he jumped in his car and returned 20 minutes later with his wife Elna, a plate of smoked trout, some local knowledge of a secluded hot spring (which we promised not to share with anyone) and a story about his personal claim to fame: building a mechanical fish for "A River Runs Though It."

This week, we descended out of the mountains into Lewiston, Idaho, and found ourselves at River City Farm with Keegan Athey, 25, and her sister Dory, 23. The daughter of river guides from Colorado, Keegan worked as a guide herself after turning 18, until her interest in food pushed her to Colorado State to study soil and crop science and organic agriculture. In the spring she kicked off her first full farming season and is quickly becoming a leading champion of local food in the town of Lewiston. She is inexperienced and open about her mistakes (like the time she left the lettuce in too long and 50 days of growing turned into chicken feed and compost). But her attitude is infectious and she brushes off setbacks easily, viewing everything as a learning experience. She gave us a tour of her little "truck farm" (small-scale farm devoted to growing vegetables for the local community) and spoke optimistically about her CSA members and the improvements she hoped to make. As a storm blew in, we helped her herd her chickens back into their coop. Not easy work, this urban farming business.

Photo
Clockwise from top left: River City Farm in Lewiston, Idaho; sisters Keegan and Dory get to work; lunchtime at the farm; the retired fishing guide John Faust and his wife Elna of Darby, Mont.Credit Patrick Dougherty

Dory, who is about to begin a Master's in publishing at the University of Oregon, has spent the summer helping out on the farm. She stays out back in "the pool house," which is actually a tent next to a baby pool for the dog. She prepared a beautiful lunch of broccoli leaf wraps filled with miso carrots, homemade pita bread and a tomato, cucumber and pepper salad grown fresh on the farm. We finished with an apricot and blackberry crisp that was placed simply in the center of the table for everyone to dig into (see the chef's recipe below).

As the conversation turned to the future, the girls talked about their "pipe dream": combining their passions and skills to publish a magazine or even open a restaurant. For now, it is all about getting through the first year and connecting as much as possible with the community of Lewiston. But considering their enthusiasm, intelligence and ability to inspire, the pipe dream could become a reality.


Photo
All join in sharing an apricot and blackberry crisp from a single plate at River City Farm.Credit Patrick Dougherty

Apricot Blackberry Crisp

Yield: 1

Filling:
1 pound fruit, washed and roughly chopped if necessary (*Chef's note: we used roughly chopped apricots and whole blackberries, but you could use anything that strikes your fancy)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Pinch of salt

Topping:
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 wheat flour
1/3 cup almonds, toasted and chopped
1/3 cup butter, melted

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Lay the fruit in the bottom of a pie dish. We started with a layer of apricots and then sprinkled the berries over the top to fill in the nooks and crannies.

3. Sprinkle the ginger, cinnamon, sugar and salt over the top. Shake the pie dish to mix it up a little.

4. Mix the ingredients for the topping together with your hands until it resembles breadcrumbs, and then crumble it on top of the fruit.

5. Stick it in the oven for 20 or 30 minutes. We like ours pretty crispy on top, maybe even a little black on the very top. Serve whenever, hot or cold, with a handful of spoons. No plates allowed.


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In Transit Blog: One Room for Many Guests

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 25 Juli 2014 | 17.35

Photo NYAH (Not Your Average Hotel) in Key West, Fla.Credit Paul Stoppi/NYAHotels

For those who like traveling in groups but want an alternative to the cookie-cutter hotel room with rollaway beds, NYAH (Not Your Average Hotel) in Key West, Fla., has a solution: Each of its 36 rooms can be customized according to the number of guests, thanks to modular furniture that can be rearranged. Gustaf and Jesper Arnoldsson, brothers who own NYAH, came up with the concept for the hotel, opened in February. "We saw that sharing a room was not so much a move to save money as it was about having a unique experience," Jesper Arnoldsson said in a phone interview.

Cost-effectiveness is also key for guests who stay at NYAH (the average price is $35 to $80 a person a night depending on the season), especially in a city where hotel rates are pricey.


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In Transit Blog: In Argentina, Cycles and Cameras

Photo Cuesta del Obispo Pass, Argentina.Credit Ossian Lindholm

The 25-year-old bike touring company Ciclismo Classico has created a spinoff that focuses on seeing as much as doing. The charter destination for a series of photography tours — called TravelVision Journeys — is northwest Argentina. The four scheduled Vision & Vine treks will explore mountain landscape, indigenous communities and high-altitude vineyards. They were developed by Ciclismo founder and enthusiastic photographer Lauren Hefferon, who will co-lead the nine-day trips with the Argentine photographer and documentary filmmaker Ossian Lindholm. Destinations include the  Las Salinas Grandes salt desert, the small cities of Humahuaca and Cachi, and Los Cardones National Park.

"The trip will be physical, cultural and educational. The bicycle is a way to immerse yourself in a place and its culture, and so is the camera," said  Ms. Hefferon, who is personally planning, managing and leading the tours. "It's like another chapter opening up in my life, because so many of the elements are new to me."

Each tour will include some kind of collaboration with the local community. Travelers in the first outing will work with a school group to create a photo book and hope to raise money for the school from book sales, Ms. Hefferon said.

Ms. Hefferon is developing future trips to Sardinia and the wetlands of Pantanal in Brazil and Ibera in Argentina.

Argentina Vision & Vine costs $5,200 per person and departs from Salta, Argentina.


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In Transit Blog: British Souvenirs Made (One at a Time) in Britain

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 24 Juli 2014 | 17.35

Photo Interior of the New Craftsman, a recently opened fine craft shop in the Mayfair section of London.Credit The New Craftsman

If a double-decker bus paperweight or a William and Kate mug aren't your kind of mementos, consider the "the Real British Souvenir Shop" show through August at the New Craftsmen, a recently opened fine craft shop in the Mayfair section of London.

The smartly designed store, housed in a 19th-century leather breeches workshop, showcases work by some of the top makers, pieces rooted to the regions, traditions and craftsmanship of the British Isles. Shop curators work with a network of more than 75 British artisans across the country, some established and others emerging, from furniture makers and silversmiths to potters and glassblowers, all making contemporary craft using traditional techniques.

Items include Britannia Tableware, a limited edition of porcelain tableware produced in Wiltshire by John Julian Design that features a Britannia-themed images by the illustrator Laura Carlin; and Azook! a hand-block-printed cushion depicting an Isles of Scilly map by Cameron Short. "Azook" is Cornish for "all together," an expression used in the past by pilots of Cornish pilot gigs — traditional elm clinker boats found on the Isles of Scilly and in Cornwall — when they wanted their crew to pull hard on their oars together.

From Devon, you'll find commemorative jugs and mugs in the tradition of the Devonshire & Staffordshire slipware; and from Sussex, Thomas Smith's Trugs – the original English gardening trug (basket) now replicated worldwide. Vacationers will also be able to pick up iconic British whiskey tumblers hand-blown in London and silk scarves illustrating the Scottish craft, culture, fauna and flora.

Thirsty travelers should note that in August, the shop will hold a series of sit-down English afternoon teas around their Sussex table, as well as provide "takeaway tea bundles" to enjoy in nearby Hyde Park. If you'd prefer to shop from home, the New Craftsmen sells items online and ships worldwide.


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T Magazine: On Capri, a Chic New Shop Takes a Stand Against Sameness

Photo
Most of the items at Cabana were sourced or designed specifically for the store.Credit

"This whole business was against mass prestige," explains Helen White in the intimate space of Cabana, her newly opened shop on Capri. In a world in which luxury is becoming ubiquitous and traveling to Asia lands you in the same shops you'd find on Madison Avenue, she is indeed taking a position. Cabana is unique: almost everything in its edited collection of objects and clothes for resort life is not available anywhere else. Many items, from cutlery (bamboo-handled knives emblazoned with the store's name) to beach bags, are sourced and designed by White and custom-made for the store.

White, a mother of two who lives in London but has a house here, is originally from New York. She knows style (and hard work) from her years at Vogue as one of Anna Wintour's assistants and a fashion writing stint at Harper's Bazaar. Word of her unusual wares seems to have spread among the summer visitors to Capri, both fashionable and eminent; when I was there last month, a box covered in Cabana's distinctive watercolored wrapping paper was awaiting collection for the Saudi royal family.

Photo
Clockwise, from top left: Acrylic wheat salad bowl, about $230. Gilded rose quartz coasters, about $300. Hand-painted salt and pepper set (salt shaker not shown), about $270. Silicone crystal-design clutch, about $4,000. Shell ring, about $20. Linen flamestitch bag, about $100.Credit

While the products at Cabana may be for the beau monde, White's real motivation to open a store might actually be the grittier business of making things. "I love old men in their 80s who work with their hands," she says with a grin, referring to the artisans with whom she collaborates in silver, wicker and glass. There is a certain logic to this experiment being conducted on Capri; after all, shopping is one reason Jackie O. and Lee Radziwill used to come to the island, seeking the charming and the rare, doggedly shadowed by the photographer Ron Galella. There's no doubt all three of them would have ended up browsing here.

Via Fuorlovado, 1, 80073 Capri, cabanagloballuxe.com.


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T Magazine: An Elegant New Boutique Hotel in French-Colonial Pondicherry, India

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La Villa, an intimate, six-bedroom hotel, was carved out of a 19th-century home.Credit

India's sliver of the Francophonie, the region where French is still the official language, occupies a grid of tree-lined boulevards just south of city of Chennai along the Coromandel Coast, facing east toward the Bay of Bengal. Streets bear names like Rue de la Campaigne and Rue Labourdonnais. Buildings in the White Town (also called the French Quarter) are still graced with long verandahs and elegant compound walls, a genteel French-colonial vision straight out of Indochina, inflected with the pastel calm of India's palm-fringed south. Since 2006 the town has officially been known as Puducherry, but most people here and across India still call it by its original name, Pondicherry, or its loving diminutive, Pondy.

Sylvaine Ségiyane Paquiry was born and raised in Pondy, attending the French School until 1991 when he left India and moved to France with his parents. He returned to his hometown in 2006 and within a year had opened La Villa Shanti, a midrange boutique hotel in the city's gracious heritage quarter. Eight years later, he has opened the doors to his second property there, La Villa, Villa Shanti's luxury cousin (he has been invited to apply for membership in the international consortium of boutique hotels and restaurants, Relais & Chateau, which first entered India in 2008). Though they target different audiences, both properties share the same principles of "transparency, honesty, simplicity."

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A 12-table garden restaurant at La Villa will serve simple cuisine inspired by ingredients produced nearby.Credit

Working with Tina Trigala and Yves Lesprit, the same team of French architects that designed Villa Shanti, Ségiyane has approached La Villa as an exercise in adaptive reuse and heritage conservation. "Most people who own old colonial or Tamil houses have no choice but to demolish or sell, so the old colonial houses are threatened," he says. For La Villa, the team has taken a long-term lease on a 19th-century home called Villa Notre Dame de la Garde and transformed it into an intimate, six-bedroom hotel that combines a respect for the building's heritage with a clear-eyed approach to contemporary design.

Wherever possible, the original features of the building have been preserved, while in the newer portions of the hotel Trigala and Lesprit have worked with more modern materials to highlight the differences in period and style, rather than mask them behind a faux-heritage veneer. The lobby maintains the original ceiling beams and columns while replacing the floors with concrete and cement tile, sympathetic to, but careful not to imitate, the original building's style. In the bedrooms and bathrooms, imported French linens and toiletries from Fragonard are matched with humble bamboo accents from local markets. Doors in the newer part of the hotel have been fashioned from old teakwood doors sourced from the city's antiques markets. "How we've managed to match the two, the future and the past, is what sets us apart — how we've given another life to these popular items from the street," says Ségiyane.

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The property boasts a modern swimming pool on the roof alongside local elements like old teakwood doors sourced from the city's antiques markets.Credit

When it opens officially on August 1, La Villa will have a rooftop swimming pool, a small boutique selling items sourced from around town and designed by the architects and a 12-table garden restaurant serving simple cuisine inspired by ingredients produced nearby (the proximity of the organic farms and cheesemakers at Auroville will make for an unusually broad selection). In the coming years, Ségiyane hopes to see La Villa and La Villa Shanti expand to other cities and towns across India, taking with them their ethos of "strong local identity" and a pared-down vision of luxury disconnected from the marble and gilt that dominate the country's five-star properties.

"Our vision of luxury is space, pleasure for the eye," Ségiyane says. "It's something that you don't see every day."

11 rue Surcouf, Pondicherry, India, lavillapondicherry.com.


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T Magazine: Eataly-Style Food Halls Are Taking Over America

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 23 Juli 2014 | 17.35

Ever since Todd English opened his upscale food court and market at the Plaza Hotel in the summer of 2010, the notion of combining communal dining space and artisan grocery shopping has caught fire in New York. English's endeavor was soon followed by Mario Batali's Italian food emporium Eataly, where patrons can snack on charcuterie, drink wine and purchase artisanal produce. At the end of 2013 Gotham West Market opened in Hell's Kitchen with stalls serving ramen, tapas and microbrews, in addition to gourmet foodstuffs and sundries. Downtown, Battery Park residents can now patronize Hudson Eats, yet another swanky, upscale food court. And now, other cities around the country are getting in the game. Here are five new (or upgraded) food halls in Denver, Seattle, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta.

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MELROSE MARKET From left: the bottle shop at Bar Ferd'nand; a full table; a plate of fish and fiddlehead fern at Sitka & Spruce.Credit

Melrose Market
Seattle, Wash.
Local chef Matt Dillion's restaurant Sitka & Spruce is the only sit-down meal option at Melrose Market; his bar, Bar' Ferd'nand, across from the restaurant serves as a de facto waiting area. His kitchen uses ingredients from vendors in the market, including local meats from the Rain Shadow Meats butcher and cheeses by The Calf & Kid. Dinner options range from $5 appetizers to $32 entrees. On-site is Melrose Market Studios, an event venue that holds up to 250 people. The Homegrown Sustainable Sandwich Shop, a Melrose Market vendor, tops the list of the Studios' catering offerings.
1501-1535 Melrose Ave., Seattle, Wash., melrosemarketseattle.com

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READING TERMINAL MARKET Clockwise from left: a brass sculpture of a pig greets hungry customers; the immense selection at Kauffman's; a selection of oils at Tubby Olive.Credit

Reading Terminal Market
Philadelphia, Penn.
After a $3.6 million renovation to this historic indoor market in a former train station last year, its longtime merchants, including Pennsylvania Dutch farmers, have returned. The 80 vendors include 34 restaurants. Post-renovation newcomers include Wursthaus Schmitz, a German grocery and sausage stand that serves sandwiches ($9-11); the Head Nut, which offers spices, teas, nuts and candy; and the Tubby Olive, a gourmet olive oil ($16-31 a bottle) and vinegar shop.
51 N 12th Street, Philadelphia, Penn., readingterminalmarket.org

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UNION MARKET Clockwise, from left: the spread at Righteous Cheese; diners at the picnic-style tables; patrons line up at Red Apron.Credit

Union Market
Washington, D.C.
Close to 40 vendors have stalls here, but unlike some of the other markets on this list, Union Market features "pop-up artisans," established brands with storefronts elsewhere, in addition to its regulars. Number 1 Sons has brought their natural, fermented foods, including pickles, krauts and kimchi, and Teaism has set up a small Union Market outpost as well. Toki Underground, a popular ramen house in the area, begins selling "street food breakfast" in the market at 8 a.m., Tuesday through Saturday, and shutters the stand when it sells out.
1309 5th St. NE, Washington, D.C., unionmarketdc.com

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THE SOURCE Clockwise from left: graffitied eating space at Acorn; floral-printed bread at Babette's; floral arrangements at Beet and Yarrow.Credit Luca Venter

The Source
Denver, Col.
In 2013, a former foundry became the home to artisanal bakery Babettes and an array of flower shops and juice bars in between. Dining options include Comida, which serves up a variety of tacos ($3-4) and watermelon jalapeño margaritas ($8) on the patio; and Acorn, whose locally sourced ingredients are prepared in an oak-fired oven and can be paired with a number of small-batch beers ($9-40).
3350 Brighton Blvd., Denver, Col. thesourcedenver.com

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KROG STREET MARKET Clockwise from left: brisket by Grand Champion BBQ; an aerial view of the market to-be; tacos from Superica.Credit

Krog Street Market
Atlanta, Ga.
This soon-to-open food hall, located in a 1920s warehouse in the Inman Park neighborhood, has been getting heavily hyped on area food blogs. Among the expected offerings: the Luminary, the first restaurant by the "Top Chef" contestant and Atlanta native Eli Kirshtein. Todd Ginsberg, known for the local restaurant the General Muir, will serve burgers and banh mi at Fred's Meat & Bread. Among the numerous food stalls are Grand Champion BBQ and Gu's Dumplings, along with bakeries and cheese and flower shops.
99 Krog St. Atlanta, Ga., krogstreetmarket.com


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In Transit Blog: Love Cruises on Dry Land

Photo SinglesCruise.com guests on a Caribbean cruise in February 2014.Credit SinglesCruise.com.

SinglesCruise.com – a travel agency known for turning ships into potential love boats with cocktail parties, dance lessons and karaoke nights – is taking its solo tours to dry land.

Next month the company, which has been organizing singles cruises since 1991, will introduce its first land-based vacations in Turks & Caicos, Morocco and Costa Rica.

The new activities are meant to broaden the options of solo travelers who already enjoy the company's programming as well as attract newcomers who are interested in singles tours but not necessarily cruises.

The first vacation – four nights at the Club Med Turkoise resort in Turks & Caicos on the island of Providenciales (from $484 for a shared room) – is essentially an accompanied resort stay. Beginning Aug. 28, it includes all the usual Club Med diversions – trapeze swinging, disco dancing, Zumba – along with a SinglesCruise.com staff member who will organize additional festivities such as cocktail parties.

The second tour, a seven-night "Morocco Kasbahs and Desert Adventure" (from $999 for a shared room), begins Aug. 31 in Casablanca and includes guided tours through the Sahara (on camelback) and cities such as Fes and Marrakech. There's an optional tagine cooking class, too.

The third vacation is an eight-night "Costa Rica Volcanoes and Surf Adventure" (from $1,349 for a shared room) beginning Dec. 20 with visits to the (still active) Arenal volcano, a guided mountain biking excursion, a tour of the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve, and surfing lessons.

Most people who join the company's singles cruises are 35 to 55. Travelers interested in the land vacations should be sure to read the fine print and call SinglesCruise.com with any questions. For example, on certain trips travel insurance is mandatory, and there are minimum numbers of participants required in order for the tours to be singles-only.


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T Magazine: Where to Eat, Drink, Shop and Stay in Provincetown This Summer

To get to Provincetown, Mass., you need time and patience, which are easy things to allot yourself when you remember the town's quaint colonial cape homes, its miles of grassy dunes and the way the light plays off of Cape Cod Bay, making it wink and twinkle like gold in the afternoon and turn to pink glass at sunset. This artists' enclave and tourist community, where international film and theater festivals keep the town busy between themed weeks, is also a great place to indulge in good food and shopping when you're not at the beach.


SHOP

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From left: Tim Convery's duct taped clothing at Tim-Scapes; bohemian wares fill the Loveland boutique.
Credit Chad Cates

Loveland: sea-inspired bohemian wares

Half the fun of shopping at Loveland is meeting its owner, Josh Patner, who curates a trove of little treasures for his bohemian marine boutique. Items range from pottery and woodblock prints by the local artist Gail S. Browne to Artiga totes and beach towels and a stash of unique apothecary items. 120 Commercial Street, Provincetown, (508) 413-9500.

Map: where Americana clothing mingles with French candles

Up the street from Loveland is Map, a clothing store with a cult following. It's owned by a local, Pauline Fisher, who stocks Levi's denim, vintage flannel shirts and cowboy boots and jewelry-like chain necklaces and beaded bracelets — and for the home, diptyque Paris candles. 141 Commercial Street, Provincetown, (508) 487-4900.

Tim-Scapes: duct-taped duds

Further down the street, toward Town Hall, is the clothing boutique Tim-Scapes. The owner and artist Tim Convery uses duct tape to create Provincetown-inspired designs influenced by the '70s graphics of artists like Charlie Harper and Cortia Kent. And it's fashion for a cause: his Helper Tees collection raises awareness and funds for organizations including the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, LAMDA Legal, the Aids Support Group of Cape Cod and the Wild Care of Cape Cod. 208 Commercial Street, Provincetown, (917) 626-4052.

Yates & Kennedy: purveyors of hand-silkscreened shirts

In Provincetown's East End, Yates & Kennedy offers accessories like belts and bracelets, and thin T-shirts hand-silkscreened by one of the owners, John Kennedy, in his small studio in Louisiana. 368 Commercial Street, Provincetown, (508) 487-4400.


EAT

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The Canteen, a popular Provincetown spot for cheap and cheerful lunches and dinners, also sells its enamel table wear and boasts a backyard garden.Credit Chad Cates

Joe Coffee and Cafe: the local pick-me-up

Most townies spend their mornings lumped together on the front patio of Joe Coffee and Cafe, which serves pastries, danishes and sandwiches, and a range of fair-trade coffee blends. Joe's staffers are young and friendly, and keep their patrons sitting at the umbrella-shaded patio tables fueled up on iced mochas and dozens of other coffee confections. 170 Commercial Street, Provincetown, (508) 487-6656.

Kohi Coffee Co: hipster beans

This year, Kohi Coffee Co opened on Commercial Street, bringing to town Brooklyn, N.Y.'s Blue Bottle Coffee. This tiny beachside spot doesn't have any seating, but it does offer cold brewed, made-to-order drip coffee and salted caramels from Sumner & Company, who supplies candy to the fashionable Ace Hotel chain. 99 Commercial Street, Provincetown, info@kohicoffee.com.

Connie's Bakery: a sweet treat

Connie's Bakery has been serving up sweets to Provincetown for over 30 years, with a strong following for their homemade fruit pies and treats like blueberry peach crostada. They also offer breakfast and lunch sandwiches, coffee and snacks like hummus, all prime treats for settling into the waterfront patio to watch the ferries and sailboats zip through the harbor. 205 Commercial Street, Provincetown, (508) 487-2167.

The Canteen: local eats and drinks

Loic Rossingnon, Tom Pucci and Rob Anderson are the trio behind the Canteen, an affordably priced, casual eatery that serves fast nibbles like local oysters or cod banh mi sandwiches alongside Cape Cod brews in its backyard, a garden that faces the beach and Cape Cod Bay. 225 Commercial Street, Provincetown, (508) 487-3800.

Victor's: the (raw) bar

At Victor's Restaurant on Bradford Street, happy hour specials include seafood to go along with the place's refreshing negronis. Every day from 3 to 5 p.m., the raw bar dishes out local oysters on the half shell for 99 cents apiece. 175 Bradford Street, Provincetown, (508) 487-1777.


SLEEP

Photo
The eight-room Red Inn has hosted presidents, dignitaries, celebrities and loyal guests for over 200 years.Credit Chad Cates

Salt House Inn: a boutique place to stay

The latest addition to Provincetown's drove of small inns and hotels is the Salt House Inn off busy Conwell Street. The cedar-shingled 19th-century house, once the home to a group of local salt miners, has 15 bright, white-washed rooms, and gardens and roof terraces where guests can relax and enjoy Instagram-worthy breakfasts. 6 Conwell Street, Provincetown, salthouseinn.com.

Red Inn: ye ol' faithful

Still, for some, the best place in town to drop anchor is Provincetown's charming Red Inn. The 200-year old hotel occupies a slice of Provincetown's stunning West End waterfront, where wine and cocktails pair perfectly with sunset over the Cape Cod Bay. The restaurant and bar at the eight-room inn are cozy and offer a seasonal menu of local products like Wellfleet oysters and lobsters. 15 Commercial Street, Provincetown, theredinn.com.


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T Magazine: Eataly-Style Food Halls Are Taking Over America

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 22 Juli 2014 | 17.35

Ever since Todd English opened his upscale food court and market at the Plaza Hotel in the summer of 2010, the notion of combining communal dining space and artisan grocery shopping has caught fire in New York. English's endeavor was soon followed by Mario Batali's Italian food emporium Eataly, where patrons can snack on charcuterie, drink wine and purchase artisanal produce. At the end of 2013 Gotham West Market opened in Hell's Kitchen with stalls serving ramen, tapas and microbrews, in addition to gourmet foodstuffs and sundries. Downtown, Battery Park residents can now patronize Hudson Eats, yet another swanky, upscale food court. And now, other cities around the country are getting in the game. Here are five new (or upgraded) food halls in Denver, Seattle, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta.

Photo
MELROSE MARKET From left: the bottle shop at Bar Ferd'nand; a full table; a plate of fish and fiddlehead fern at Sitka & Spruce.Credit

Melrose Market
Seattle, Wash.
Local chef Matt Dillion's restaurant Sitka & Spruce is the only sit-down meal option at Melrose Market; his bar, Bar' Ferd'nand, across from the restaurant serves as a de facto waiting area. His kitchen uses ingredients from vendors in the market, including local meats from the Rain Shadow Meats butcher and cheeses by The Calf & Kid. Dinner options range from $5 appetizers to $32 entrees. On-site is Melrose Market Studios, an event venue that holds up to 250 people. The Homegrown Sustainable Sandwich Shop, a Melrose Market vendor, tops the list of the Studios' catering offerings.
1501-1535 Melrose Ave., Seattle, Wash., melrosemarketseattle.com

Photo
READING TERMINAL MARKET Clockwise from left: a brass sculpture of a pig greets hungry customers; the immense selection at Kauffman's; a selection of oils at Tubby Olive.Credit

Reading Terminal Market
Philadelphia, Penn.
After a $3.6 million renovation to this historic indoor market in a former train station last year, its longtime merchants, including Pennsylvania Dutch farmers, have returned. The 80 vendors include 34 restaurants. Post-renovation newcomers include Wursthaus Schmitz, a German grocery and sausage stand that serves sandwiches ($9-11); the Head Nut, which offers spices, teas, nuts and candy; and the Tubby Olive, a gourmet olive oil ($16-31 a bottle) and vinegar shop.
51 N 12th Street, Philadelphia, Penn., readingterminalmarket.org

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UNION MARKET Clockwise, from left: the spread at Righteous Cheese; diners at the picnic-style tables; patrons line up at Red Apron.Credit

Union Market
Washington, D.C.
Close to 40 vendors have stalls here, but unlike some of the other markets on this list, Union Market features "pop-up artisans," established brands with storefronts elsewhere, in addition to its regulars. Number 1 Sons has brought their natural, fermented foods, including pickles, krauts and kimchi, and Teaism has set up a small Union Market outpost as well. Toki Underground, a popular ramen house in the area, begins selling "street food breakfast" in the market at 8 a.m., Tuesday through Saturday, and shutters the stand when it sells out.
1309 5th St. NE, Washington, D.C., unionmarketdc.com

Photo
THE SOURCE Clockwise from left: graffitied eating space at Acorn; floral-printed bread at Babette's; floral arrangements at Beet and Yarrow.Credit Luca Venter

The Source
Denver, Col.
In 2013, a former foundry became the home to artisanal bakery Babettes and an array of flower shops and juice bars in between. Dining options include Comida, which serves up a variety of tacos ($3-4) and watermelon jalapeño margaritas ($8) on the patio; and Acorn, whose locally sourced ingredients are prepared in an oak-fired oven and can be paired with a number of small-batch beers ($9-40).
3350 Brighton Blvd., Denver, Col. thesourcedenver.com

Photo
KROG STREET MARKET Clockwise from left: brisket by Grand Champion BBQ; an aerial view of the market to-be; tacos from Superica.Credit

Krog Street Market
Atlanta, Ga.
This soon-to-open food hall, located in a 1920s warehouse in the Inman Park neighborhood, has been getting heavily hyped on area food blogs. Among the expected offerings: the Luminary, the first restaurant by the "Top Chef" contestant and Atlanta native Eli Kirshtein. Todd Ginsberg, known for the local restaurant the General Muir, will serve burgers and banh mi at Fred's Meat & Bread. Among the numerous food stalls are Grand Champion BBQ and Gu's Dumplings, along with bakeries and cheese and flower shops.
99 Krog St. Atlanta, Ga., krogstreetmarket.com


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In Transit Blog: First for the Press, Now for a Rest

Photo The Volkshotel opened last month in Amsterdam.Credit Leonor von Salisch

Billing itself as "a place to rest, or not sleep at all," Amsterdam's revved-up Volkshotel opened last month in the former headquarters of the Volkskrant, one of the country's largest and most progressive newspapers.

After the newspaper moved out in 2007, the space in East Amsterdam became a creative work hub with two bars. Funneling that energy, Volkshotel refreshed the existing basement club and a seventh-floor restaurant and bar (now with a panorama view), while the reception area houses a cafe and shared workspace for creatives.

As for the "rest" part, the Volkshotel has 172 three-star standard rooms for two to four people, in sizes ranging from compact to sprawling — "suitable for couples, families, or an entire rock band," according to press material. The Dutch designer Bas van Tol of Studio Müller Van Tol decorated interiors with magnified newspaper cutouts and kept the original elements of steel, wood, concrete and glass.

In nine additional individually designed high-concept "special rooms," themes range from camping to "Japanese-style bathing." Guests seeking a soak and a sauna can visit the eighth-floor rooftop hot tubs with a view.

As an introductory offer in July, all double rooms will cost 69 euros, about $90. Otherwise, rooms range from 69 euros in low season to 199 in high season.


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In Transit Blog: Walkabout: Malaysia Airlines Offers Refunds

Photo A Malaysia Airlines plane prepares for landing at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on July 21. The carrier said it would offer refunds to customers who want to cancel their tickets.Credit Mohd Rasfan/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Walkabout

A weekly capsule of travel news curated by our writers and editors.

Fallout Following last week's Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 disaster, the carrier says it will offer full refunds to travelers who wish to cancel their tickets, while those wanting to postpone their flights can do so without penalty. (CNN)

Safety Streak Ends The year 2012 was the safest since World War II for air travel, and 2013 was even better. Because of the two Malaysian Airlines crashes this year will not be the safest on record. (The New York Times)

One-upmanship Airbus beat rival Boeing in the aircraft order stakes at this year's Farnborough International Airshow, garnering more than twice as many orders and commitments. (USA Today)

Mapping Beauty Forget fastest route. Yahoo is developing an algorithm that will allow you to choose the scenic route. (Smithsonian)


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In Transit Blog: Airbnb Unveils Warm Logo as It Gets Cool Legal Eye

Written By Unknown on Senin, 21 Juli 2014 | 17.35

Photo Airbnb's new logo, whose design users can customize.Credit

Airbnb, the online lodging site that has recently provoked the ire of local governments in Barcelona, San Francisco and New York City, is out to win the public's affection with its new logo — an inverted, loopy heart.

It has a name, too: the bélo.

Joe Gebbia, a founder of Airbnb, explained that the French-inflected neologism comes from the word "belonging."

"It's a symbol that goes beyond representing the company and represents that things can be shared," he said. "This is much more than a corporate logo."

Whether the bélo supplants the peace sign remains to be seen. For the moment, those who stand to benefit from the company's rebranding are its hosts, who can customize the logo by color and design and print their individualized creations on mugs, T-shirts, stickers, even notepads.

"We're giving hosts the tools to brand themselves within our larger brand," Mr. Gebbia said.

Meanwhile, government officials like Eric T. Schneiderman, the New York State attorney general, would like to bring governmental oversight to the entrepreneurship of those hosts. Last fall Mr. Schneiderman subpoenaed Airbnb, which has listings in 34,000 places in 192 countries and is valued at close to $10 billion, for information on thousands of hosts in New York City. Some, he argued, may be violating a 2010 state law that bars renters from subletting properties for fewer than 30 days if they are not present.

Mr. Schneiderman was not after individual apartment owners — neither the legal kind who rent rooms in their homes while they're present and whom Airbnb has featured in a promotional campaign in New York City this summer, nor those who rent out their homes while they're away for a weekend, technically illegal though that might be.

In a New York Times Op-Ed piece, Mr. Schneiderman wrote that he was targeting "large, commercial enterprises with dozens of apartments — truly illegal hotels."

In May, Airbnb and New York officials reached an agreement: Mr. Schneiderman would get the information he was seeking about Airbnb hosts, but it will be stripped of names and other personally identifiable information.

That the company's warm and fuzzy rebranding comes on the heels of the dispute is purely coincidental, said Nick Papas, a spokesman for Airbnb. "This initiative began more than a year ago and was part of our ongoing effort to strengthen our brand around the world," he said.


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In Transit Blog: Bilbo Baggins Slept Here

Photo A stop along the way in a tour in New Zealand exploring the world of Tolkien characters.Credit Hobbiton Movie Set Tours

It's dinner and a movie … set. The Hobbiton Movie Set in New Zealand, as seen in the screen adaptations of J. R. R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy and "The Hobbit," is offering night tours of Bilbo Baggins's homeland.

The new dinner tours (adults, 175 New Zealand dollars, or about $150 at 1.16 New Zealand dollars to the United States dollar; ages 10 to 14, 140 dollars; ages 5 to 9, 100 dollars; and younger, free) take visitors on a guided stroll through the Shire at dusk, followed by a banquet at the Green Dragon. The latter is recognizable from "The Hobbit" as the place where Bilbo began his journey with the dwarves, and it is celebrated in song by the hobbits Pippin and Merry in "The Return of the King."

All exterior shots of the Shire were filmed here, and the interior of the Green Dragon, which last year was transformed into a fully working pub, seems straight out of Middle Earth. It's a location that organizers say draws some 240,000 guests a year, though the evening tours are limited to 48 diners.

Dinner is followed by a lantern-lit visit to the set, with welcoming hobbit holes festively illuminated and chimneys smoking, reminiscent of the events of Bilbo's "eleventy-first" birthday, as seen in "The Fellowship of the Ring." Other recognizable Shire set locations include the mill, the bridge and the party tree, where Bilbo made his farewell speech and disappeared using the One Ring. The tours, which last four hours, include a banquet dinner, a drink from the Green Dragon's Southfarthing line of craft ales and transportation. They are offered every Wednesday. Reservations: hobbitontours.com.

A version of this article appears in print on 07/20/2014, on page TR3 of the NewYork edition with the headline: New Zealand: Bilbo Baggins Slept Here.


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In Transit Blog: Lights, Camera, Action . . . Vacation!

Photo The Rome Cavalieri, which holds tours of places in Rome relevant to the film "La Grande Bellezza."Credit Rome Cavalieri

Rome's tourists are venerated and degraded in "La Grande Bellezza" ("The Great Beauty"), a film by the Italian director Paolo Sorrentino that won this year's Oscar for best foreign film. Whatever its views of visitors, the movie acts as an irresistible invitation to the Eternal City's more subtly beguiling attractions, as its suave protagonist and the audience are coolly guided through hidden courtyards, historic palazzos and less-frequented works of architecture.

It's a journey worth emulating, according to the Rome Cavalieri, a Waldorf-Astoria Hotel offering guests their own guided tour of destinations featured in the film, including the apartments at Palazzo Sacchetti (the palace of the Marquis Sacchetti, normally open to the public only for a hefty price), a luncheon at the home of the Marchioness Violante Guerrieri Gonzaga, and a few inevitable sites, like the Colosseum.

The full-day excursion begins at the Fontana dell'Acqua Paola on Janiculum Hill, followed by a visit to the Tempietto (tomb) at Donato Bramante's San Pietro church in Montorio and a walk across Baccio Pontelli's Ponte Sisto bridge to see Borromini's illusory corridor at the Palazzo Spada in Rome's historic district, where the courtyards of Renaissance palaces will be open. Later, the tour stops for a private lunch and reception on the rooftop terrace of the Marchioness's Palazzo Taverna before heading to the Via Veneto neighborhood and the ancient baths at Caracalla. It finishes with a rarely seen view of the city through the keyhole of a door on Aventine Hill.

Alexandra Massini, the hotel's resident art historian, is the guide. The tour, as well as lunch and transportation, can be customized but must be booked at least 10 days in advance and at least three weeks ahead if participants plan on lunch at the Palazzo Taverna. Rates start at 1,345 euros, or about $1,790 at $1.33 to the euro, for five and vary for smaller groups and individuals. Those rates do not include the hotel, which starts at 290 euros for a room with a twin bed. Reservations: 39-06-3509-2040 or romhi.concierge@waldorfastoria.com.

A version of this article appears in print on 07/20/2014, on page TR3 of the NewYork edition with the headline: Lights, Camera, Action ... Vacation!.


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In Transit Blog: Bilbo Baggins Slept Here

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 20 Juli 2014 | 17.35

Photo A stop along the way in a tour in New Zealand exploring the world of Tolkien characters.Credit Hobbiton Movie Set Tours

It's dinner and a movie … set. The Hobbiton Movie Set in New Zealand, as seen in the screen adaptations of J. R. R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy and "The Hobbit," is offering night tours of Bilbo Baggins's homeland.

The new dinner tours (adults, 175 New Zealand dollars, or about $150 at 1.16 New Zealand dollars to the United States dollar; ages 10 to 14, 140 dollars; ages 5 to 9, 100 dollars; and younger, free) take visitors on a guided stroll through the Shire at dusk, followed by a banquet at the Green Dragon. The latter is recognizable from "The Hobbit" as the place where Bilbo began his journey with the dwarves, and it is celebrated in song by the hobbits Pippin and Merry in "The Return of the King."

All exterior shots of the Shire were filmed here, and the interior of the Green Dragon, which last year was transformed into a fully working pub, seems straight out of Middle Earth. It's a location that organizers say draws some 240,000 guests a year, though the evening tours are limited to 48 diners.

Dinner is followed by a lantern-lit visit to the set, with welcoming hobbit holes festively illuminated and chimneys smoking, reminiscent of the events of Bilbo's "eleventy-first" birthday, as seen in "The Fellowship of the Ring." Other recognizable Shire set locations include the mill, the bridge and the party tree, where Bilbo made his farewell speech and disappeared using the One Ring. The tours, which last four hours, include a banquet dinner, a drink from the Green Dragon's Southfarthing line of craft ales and transportation. They are offered every Wednesday. Reservations: hobbitontours.com.

A version of this article appears in print on 07/20/2014, on page TR3 of the NewYork edition with the headline: New Zealand: Bilbo Baggins Slept Here.


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In Transit Blog: Airbnb Unveils Warm Logo as It Gets Cool Legal Eye

Photo Airbnb's new logo, whose design users can customize.Credit

Airbnb, the online lodging site that has recently provoked the ire of local governments in Barcelona, San Francisco and New York City, is out to win the public's affection with its new logo — an inverted, loopy heart.

It has a name, too: the bélo.

Joe Gebbia, a founder of Airbnb, explained that the French-inflected neologism comes from the word "belonging."

"It's a symbol that goes beyond representing the company and represents that things can be shared," he said. "This is much more than a corporate logo."

Whether the bélo supplants the peace sign remains to be seen. For the moment, those who stand to benefit from the company's rebranding are its hosts, who can customize the logo by color and design and print their individualized creations on mugs, T-shirts, stickers, even notepads.

"We're giving hosts the tools to brand themselves within our larger brand," Mr. Gebbia said.

Meanwhile, government officials like Eric T. Schneiderman, the New York State attorney general, would like to bring governmental oversight to the entrepreneurship of those hosts. Last fall Mr. Schneiderman subpoenaed Airbnb, which has listings in 34,000 places in 192 countries and is valued at close to $10 billion, for information on thousands of hosts in New York City. Some, he argued, may be violating a 2010 state law that bars renters from subletting properties for fewer than 30 days if they are not present.

Mr. Schneiderman was not after individual apartment owners — neither the legal kind who rent rooms in their homes while they're present and whom Airbnb has featured in a promotional campaign in New York City this summer, nor those who rent out their homes while they're away for a weekend, technically illegal though that might be.

In a New York Times Op-Ed piece, Mr. Schneiderman wrote that he was targeting "large, commercial enterprises with dozens of apartments — truly illegal hotels."

In May, Airbnb and New York officials reached an agreement: Mr. Schneiderman would get the information he was seeking about Airbnb hosts, but it will be stripped of names and other personally identifiable information.

That the company's warm and fuzzy rebranding comes on the heels of the dispute is purely coincidental, said Nick Papas, a spokesman for Airbnb. "This initiative began more than a year ago and was part of our ongoing effort to strengthen our brand around the world," he said.


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T Magazine: Accommodations | A Buzzy Hotel Oasis in West Hollywood

In West Hollywood, the San Vicente Inn is gradually being transformed by the boutique hotelier Jeff Klein, who is garnering lots of attention for turning the historically gay, seedy hotel into a clean and chic place for the young and beautiful to shack up on a budget (rooms range from $99 to $209 per night). Now known as the San Vicente Bungalows, the 29-room property has undergone basic renovations — like spiffed-up bathrooms, now stocked with Malin & Goetz products — that are attracting the 20- to 30-something international jet set. In addition to bright and cozy digs, guests enjoy free breakfast and can rent beach cruisers ($15 for 4 hours) to ride out to places like Venice Beach and Santa Monica, each just about 45 minutes away by bike. Even the locals are popping in for a swim — access to the pool and newly landscaped grounds is $35/day. Eventually, the now-charming place will get a complete makeover. So T checked into the buzzy little oasis to memorialize things as they stand now, while summer is in full swing.

845 North San Vicente Boulevard, West Hollywood, thesanvicenteinn.com.


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In Transit Blog: Lights, Camera, Action . . . Vacation!

Photo The Rome Cavalieri, which holds tours of places in Rome relevant to the film "La Grande Bellezza."Credit Rome Cavalieri

Rome's tourists are venerated and degraded in "La Grande Bellezza" ("The Great Beauty"), a film by the Italian director Paolo Sorrentino that won this year's Oscar for best foreign film. Whatever its views of visitors, the movie acts as an irresistible invitation to the Eternal City's more subtly beguiling attractions, as its suave protagonist and the audience are coolly guided through hidden courtyards, historic palazzos and less-frequented works of architecture.

It's a journey worth emulating, according to the Rome Cavalieri, a Waldorf-Astoria Hotel offering guests their own guided tour of destinations featured in the film, including the apartments at Palazzo Sacchetti (the palace of the Marquis Sacchetti, normally open to the public only for a hefty price), a luncheon at the home of the Marchioness Violante Guerrieri Gonzaga, and a few inevitable sites, like the Colosseum.

The full-day excursion begins at the Fontana dell'Acqua Paola on Janiculum Hill, followed by a visit to the Tempietto (tomb) at Donato Bramante's San Pietro church in Montorio and a walk across Baccio Pontelli's Ponte Sisto bridge to see Borromini's illusory corridor at the Palazzo Spada in Rome's historic district, where the courtyards of Renaissance palaces will be open. Later, the tour stops for a private lunch and reception on the rooftop terrace of the Marchioness's Palazzo Taverna before heading to the Via Veneto neighborhood and the ancient baths at Caracalla. It finishes with a rarely seen view of the city through the keyhole of a door on Aventine Hill.

Alexandra Massini, the hotel's resident art historian, is the guide. The tour, as well as lunch and transportation, can be customized but must be booked at least 10 days in advance and at least three weeks ahead if participants plan on lunch at the Palazzo Taverna. Rates start at 1,345 euros, or about $1,790 at $1.33 to the euro, for five and vary for smaller groups and individuals. Those rates do not include the hotel, which starts at 290 euros for a room with a twin bed. Reservations: 39-06-3509-2040 or romhi.concierge@waldorfastoria.com.

A version of this article appears in print on 07/20/2014, on page TR3 of the NewYork edition with the headline: Lights, Camera, Action ... Vacation!.


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In Transit Blog: In the Tetons, a Camp for Runners

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 19 Juli 2014 | 17.35

Photo Running in Jackson Hole, Wyo.Credit Eric Orten

Eric Orton, the motivational coach made famous in Christopher McDougall's book "Born to Run" and the author of "The Cool Impossible," will help athletes hit their strides in his new running camp based in the Teton mountains in Wyoming.

Called Eric Orton's Cool Impossible Run Camp, Orton has teamed up with Jackson Hole Mountain Resort to host two four-day sessions. The camp's itinerary is designed for experienced runners of all levels, which means participants should be able to comfortably run two to three hours minimum upon arrival.

Each day will include a training run focused on efficiency and economy, ascending and descending, proper intensity, strength running and managing endurance on mountain trails. The camps emphasize a team approach, but all runners will receive personalized training and technique advice.

The four-day camp costs $899 and will be held Aug. 13 to 18 and Sept. 10 to 14. Host lodging is Hotel Terra and Teton Mountain Lodge & Spa, both located in the heart of Teton Village and at the base of Jackson Hole Mountain. The camp cost includes all meals and 25 percent off lodging at both properties.

Perhaps equally important to runners in need of down time — yoga and spa treatments are available.


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T Magazine: Accommodations | A Buzzy Hotel Oasis in West Hollywood

In West Hollywood, the San Vicente Inn is gradually being transformed by the boutique hotelier Jeff Klein, who is garnering lots of attention for turning the historically gay, seedy hotel into a clean and chic place for the young and beautiful to shack up on a budget (rooms range from $99 to $209 per night). Now known as the San Vicente Bungalows, the 29-room property has undergone basic renovations — like spiffed-up bathrooms, now stocked with Malin & Goetz products — that are attracting the 20- to 30-something international jet set. In addition to bright and cozy digs, guests enjoy free breakfast and can rent beach cruisers ($15 for 4 hours) to ride out to places like Venice Beach and Santa Monica, each just about 45 minutes away by bike. Even the locals are popping in for a swim — access to the pool and newly landscaped grounds is $35/day. Eventually, the now-charming place will get a complete makeover. So T checked into the buzzy little oasis to memorialize things as they stand now, while summer is in full swing.

845 North San Vicente Boulevard, West Hollywood, thesanvicenteinn.com.


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In Transit Blog: Airbnb Unveils Warm Logo as It Gets Cool Legal Eye

Photo Airbnb's new logo, whose design users can customize.Credit

Airbnb, the online lodging site that has recently provoked the ire of local governments in Barcelona, San Francisco and New York City, is out to win the public's affection with its new logo — an inverted, loopy heart.

It has a name, too: the bélo.

Joe Gebbia, a founder of Airbnb, explained that the French-inflected neologism comes from the word "belonging."

"It's a symbol that goes beyond representing the company and represents that things can be shared," he said. "This is much more than a corporate logo."

Whether the bélo supplants the peace sign remains to be seen. For the moment, those who stand to benefit from the company's rebranding are its hosts, who can customize the logo by color and design and print their individualized creations on mugs, T-shirts, stickers, even notepads.

"We're giving hosts the tools to brand themselves within our larger brand," Mr. Gebbia said.

Meanwhile, government officials like Eric T. Schneiderman, the New York State attorney general, would like to bring governmental oversight to the entrepreneurship of those hosts. Last fall Mr. Schneiderman subpoenaed Airbnb, which has listings in 34,000 places in 192 countries and is valued at close to $10 billion, for information on thousands of hosts in New York City. Some, he argued, may be violating a 2010 state law that bars renters from subletting properties for fewer than 30 days if they are not present.

Mr. Schneiderman was not after individual apartment owners — neither the legal kind who rent rooms in their homes while they're present and whom Airbnb has featured in a promotional campaign in New York City this summer, nor those who rent out their homes while they're away for a weekend, technically illegal though that might be.

In a New York Times Op-Ed piece, Mr. Schneiderman wrote that he was targeting "large, commercial enterprises with dozens of apartments — truly illegal hotels."

In May, Airbnb and New York officials reached an agreement: Mr. Schneiderman would get the information he was seeking about Airbnb hosts, but it will be stripped of names and other personally identifiable information.

That the company's warm and fuzzy rebranding comes on the heels of the dispute is purely coincidental, said Nick Papas, a spokesman for Airbnb. "This initiative began more than a year ago and was part of our ongoing effort to strengthen our brand around the world," he said.


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In Transit Blog: Bilbo Baggins Slept Here

Photo A stop along the way in a tour in New Zealand exploring the world of Tolkien characters.Credit Hobbiton Movie Set Tours

It's dinner and a movie … set. The Hobbiton Movie Set in New Zealand, as seen in the screen adaptations of J. R. R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy and "The Hobbit," is offering night tours of Bilbo Baggins's homeland.

The new dinner tours (adults, 175 New Zealand dollars, or about $150 at 1.16 New Zealand dollars to the United States dollar; ages 10 to 14, 140 dollars; ages 5 to 9, 100 dollars; and younger, free) take visitors on a guided stroll through the Shire at dusk, followed by a banquet at the Green Dragon. The latter is recognizable from "The Hobbit" as the place where Bilbo began his journey with the dwarves, and it is celebrated in song by the hobbits Pippin and Merry in "The Return of the King."

All exterior shots of the Shire were filmed here, and the interior of the Green Dragon, which last year was transformed into a fully working pub, seems straight out of Middle Earth. It's a location that organizers say draws some 240,000 guests a year, though the evening tours are limited to 48 diners.

Dinner is followed by a lantern-lit visit to the set, with welcoming hobbit holes festively illuminated and chimneys smoking, reminiscent of the events of Bilbo's "eleventy-first" birthday, as seen in "The Fellowship of the Ring." Other recognizable Shire set locations include the mill, the bridge and the party tree, where Bilbo made his farewell speech and disappeared using the One Ring. The tours, which last four hours, include a banquet dinner, a drink from the Green Dragon's Southfarthing line of craft ales and transportation. They are offered every Wednesday. Reservations: hobbitontours.com.


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In Transit Blog: By the Bees on My Chinny Chin Chin

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 18 Juli 2014 | 17.36

Photo Justin Hiemstra won a trophy at last year's competition for being the crowd's favorite.Credit Clovermead Apiaries

Beauty is in the eye of the bee-holder. At least, that's the case in Aylmer, Ontario, on July 25, when Clovermead Apiaries hosts its 10th annual Worldwide Bee Beard Competition. The event brings together teams of insect aficionados who strut their stuff on a catwalk — while covered in thousands of confused bees — in a contest for charity to crown the queen (or king) of bee beards.

"Bee beards are wonderful, but they're really tickly," said Chris Hiemstra, a third-generation beekeeper and the co-owner of Clovermead Apiaries. "It takes well over a thousand stings in one shot to kill a person, so if you get a sting or two it's no big deal."

To create the spectacle, a caged queen is affixed to the beard model's chin, drawing the rest of the hive to the model like, well, bees to honey. Teams, led by "bee whisperers" skilled in the obscure art of bee grooming, spend 20 minutes shaking and smoking their charges into position.

"It's like a pheromone perfume, so they're going to snuggle up with their queens somewhere around your chin part," said Mr. Hiemstra, who will serve as the master of ceremonies for the event. "Each bee has six legs, so it's kind of like monkeys in a barrel: Everyone's hanging on for dear life on your neck."

Bee bearding is a spectacle that traces its origins to country fairs, Mr. Hiemstra said. Keepers wore bee beards to attract more customers — ultimately selling more honey. Spectators at Clovermead are invited to pose for photos with the swarm (and beards) after trophies — one champion, one crowd favorite — are awarded. The competition awards 2,500 Canadian dollars to the champion's favorite charity, 2,000  dollars to the crowd favorite's charity, and 500 dollars to the other contestants' favorite charities.

Admission to the 7 p.m. event is 12 dollars per person, or 55 dollars for a group of five. In case of rain, the competition moves to 2:30 p.m. Saturday.


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In Transit Blog: South Africa Cycling, With Cultural Side Trips

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 17 Juli 2014 | 17.35

Photo Table Mountain in South Africa.Credit VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations

VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations' new tour, Cycling South Africa: Cape Town and the Garden Route, includes more than sightseeing.

Also on the itinerary are a visit with a traditional healer and a home-cooked meal with a Cape Town family who will share their accounts of the first free elections in South Africa two decades earlier.

Other highlights during the nine-night trip, which debuts in January 2015 and stretches from cosmopolitan Cape Town to the coastal Garden Route, include a stop at the African Penguin Colony at Boulders Beach, cycling along the Swartberg Mountains and the base of Table Mountain before traveling to the top via cable car; a donkey cart ride; a visit to an ostrich farm; and wine tasting at local vineyards while pedaling the Franschhoek Wine Valley route.

The tour, rated easy to moderate, also takes travelers to see the greenery at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and the colorful proteas, or sugarbushes, in Cape Point Nature Reserve.

Price without airfare is $3,195. Air packages are available, as are pre- and post-trip options of a safari at Kruger National Park and a visit to Victoria Falls.


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