Departures
Issue: November/December 2009
Soothe & Snack
Sinful bites meet angelic eats at Seattle's Spaahh
It's about time ... A spa has finally come out with a menu substantial enough to keep you satiated for more than five minutes. Spaahh, located in Hotel 1000, recently launched its spa menu featuring "sinful indulgences" and "angelic morsels" from the hotel's BOKA Kitchen + Bar. Such dishes as the BOKA burger (above), with extremely addicting truffle fries, and a grilled cheese sandwich served with sweet pickled peppers and a roasted tomato bisque highlight the sinful side of the menu. A baby lettuce salad, sugarcane-skewered mini crab cakes and a wild Alaskan king salmon burger shine on the angelic portion of the menu—lighter, yet you'll feel like you ate more than a handful of wheatgrass with a side of two lentils. And don't forget to try the coconut mojito. It'll leave you wondering why all mojitos aren't made with coconut cream.
Best bet: Order before you go in for one of Spaahh's amazing treatments—such as one of the 75-minute Décleor facials—and your food will be waiting for you when you come out. (206) 957-1000, www.hotel1000seattle.com.
A Grand Venture
The only town that can possibly upstage Las Vegas is Las Vegas, and MGM Mirage is putting all its chips on the table with its CityCenter project, scheduled to open in Las Vegas in December. Billed as the most expensive privately funded construction project in the history of the United States ($8.5 billion), the 67-acre hotel and casino complex boasts six state-of-the-art towers stacked with nearly 6,300 hotel rooms, a half-million-square-foot shopping center, and restaurants from celebrity chefs including Wolfgang Puck. Finally, because every castle needs a king, Cirque du Soleil will launch a groundbreaking production based upon the music and legend of Elvis Presley—who promises to never leave the building … he can't find the exit.
Better Than a T-Shirt
A cooking class provides a lasting taste of Thailand
One of the great joys of travel is the opportunity to sample exotic cuisine: foreign delicacies, curious flavors and unfamiliar ingredients. Problem is, you can't take your favorite dish home with you.
Or can you?
In Thailand, an exotic foodie's Shangri-La, demand for Thai recipes and preparations has grown so precipitously that Thai cooking schools are springing up all over the nation. At the Amita Thai Cooking Class in Bangkok, fourth-generation Thai chef Piyawadi "Tam" Jantrupon (her great- grandfather cooked for noble-class families) instructs students on the finer points of Thai cuisine from her home on the Chao Phraya River. "Everything must be fresh," she stresses, and class begins with a stroll through Jantrupon's herb garden, where students gather basil, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and other fresh ingredients. In the outdoor kitchen, Jantrupon then demonstrates traditional Thai cooking techniques such as grinding fresh herbs with a mortar and pestle, preparing sticky rice and wrapping chicken bits in pandanus leaves. By the end of the hands-on, four-hour course, you will have mastered such favorites as tom yum soup, pad thai and satays—souvenirs to savor over and over again with your friends back home. www.amitathaicooking.com.
Our World in Numbers
2Longest winning streak by Washington State University in the 101-game history of the Apple Cup. The Cougars seek their first three-game winning streak in the 102nd Apple Cup, Nov. 28 in Seattle.
8Longest winning streak achieved by the University of Washington in the Apple Cup. The Huskies accomplished this feat twice—between 1959 and 1966 and again between 1974 and 1981.
79.52Longitudinal position, in degrees west, of the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal.
79.92 Longitudinal position, in degrees west, of the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal. Due to the curvature of the Isthmus of Panama, the Atlantic entrance is farther west than the Pacific entrance.
30,000Approximate number of lights on the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center in New York City.
5Approximate length, in miles, of wire needed to connect the lights to each other.
Timing Tips for Great Airfares
That old saying, "To every thing there is a season," is especially true when it comes to snagging great airfares. That's because, in addition to monitoring the ads and signing up for airline fare alerts, you can also save big bucks (and avoid crowds) by visiting vacation hot spots during the "shoulder season," the weeks or months just before or after a location's traditional peak season. Since fares are based largely on supply and demand, consider booking that trip to Mexico right after spring break. Flights to Hawaii, lovely most anytime, are usually less expensive between mid-January and March. Airfares for most European destinations dip dramatically from November through March.
Fares are generally higher around holidays, but they often drop on the actual date of the holiday, says Steve Pomranz, AAA Washington's Vice President for Travel Services. He also notes that prices are usually lower for flights on Tuesdays and Saturdays than they are for other days of the week. "The more flexible you can be, the greater the likelihood that you will be able to save money," he adds.
What happens if you jump in and buy what you think is a great airfare only to discover days or weeks later that the price has gone down? If you can match your trip by itinerary, cabin and class (often the deal-breaker) to the same trip at the lower fare, most airlines will rebook your flight and refund the difference, usually in travel vouchers or credits. Unfortunately, change fees may offset the savings.
Nordic dreams
Endless trails—and refreshments—line the Methow Valley
Though Washington's Methow Valley is replete with sumptuous bakeries and restaurants, impressive galleries and convivial pubs, the region's most precious winter jewel might be its network of cross-country ski trails. You don't need to strap on the planks to appreciate this valley, but it sure helps rationalize all of the baked goods and ales.
More than 120 miles of groomed trails crisscross the valley, ducking into pine forests and spreading wide (for skate skiing) over pastures. Ice skaters can circle the ice at Winthrop's outdoor rink or, when weather conditions allow, meander along Patterson Lake beneath Sun Mountain Lodge, an ideal place to gather at the end of the day.
Start your day with a cup of Blue Star Coffee, available at Mazama General Store, Local 98856, Cinnamon Twisp and the Rocking Horse Bakery. You can quench your thirst later at the Twisp River Pub, whose eclectic menu includes steaks, seafood and Asian-inspired stir-fries.
