Bishop’s Lodge

Built into the hills, every lodging building is on a slightly different elevation, accessible by windy roads or walkable paths. The rooms are warm and just slightly rough enough to feel authentic. My private, rustic patio was my favorite part. With horseback riding (very mellow, friendly horses), a spacious pool and wonderful, enthusiastic chef, staying at Bishop’s Lodge pays homage to its hilly terrain.

My room at Bishop’s Lodge with a charming, private patio.

Eldorado Hotel & Spa

When you want to get right into the heart of the city so that just about everything is a short walk away, the Eldorado Hotel & Spa is a great choice. It is grand and cosmopolitan but comfortable. I spent two days there and was so impressed with the level of customer service. Extreme politeness and accommodation. Even the folks in housekeeping couldn’t stand to see my necklaces laid out on the counter so they hung them up for me on hooks I hadn’t even noticed. It was like having my mom there!

Eldorado Hotel Lobby.

Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado Santa Fe

I ended my trip with a real splurge, a night at The Four Seasons Santa Fe. It looks like a village and each room feels like your own, private getaway. I lounged on the chaise on the patio; stretched out in the King Size bed, hung up every item of clothing I had in the spacious closet even though I was leaving the next morning. And mostly, I walked around barefoot on the heated bathroom floor. What a wonderful luxury.

The firepit at The Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado Santa Fe.

At the Four Seasons, the rooms are all like individual homes. Look at that big sky.

My room at the Four Seasons Rancho Encantado Santa Fe.

I enjoyed a cocktail on the patio around a large, elegant firepit while watching the sun set. Then I joined a group for dinner where we met Executive Chef Andrew Cooper, a charming, energetic, young chef. He carries on the legacy of preparing great dishes with simple, very well-chosen ingredients shared by his predecessor Chef Charles Dale, whose meal I so enjoyed when he visited Denver last year. Dale just opened his very own restaurant, Bouche Bistro. I wish I’d had time to go there – next time.

Course after course, Chef Cooper gave us an indication of what they serve at Terra, making the most of local ingredients. My favorite was the salmon, prepared “sous vide,” in a sealed bag, long-cooked in water. It was tender and tasted so good.

There are many, many wonderful lodging options in Santa Fe from budget to extravagant.  The fortunate thing is that, with such a small city, you can pick the right place for your preferences and budget and still be able to get around the city easily, seeing all that it has to offer.

An example of art that can be found in area hotels, such as this in the Hotel Santa Fe.

The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe is just one example of the many museums in the city. Note, this is the exhibit that originated in Denver.

The highest concentration of art can be found immediately outside of downtown Santa Fe on Canyon Road. A historic neighborhood with charming adobe dwellings and curved streets, Canyon Road has more than 100 galleries of all different styles. The gallery staff are happy to talk to you about the works of art, some of them their own. It’s a great experience to have the artist tell you what they were thinking and trying to accomplish when creating a work of art. One can walk between downtown and Canyon Road but the free shuttle also gets you there in minutes.

Even a rainy day didn’t dampen enthusiasm for the many, charming galleries along Santa Fe’s Canyon Road.

The village of Madrid  pronounced with the emphasis on the Mad, is a historic mining and ghost town on the Turquoise Trail in the Ortiz mountains. It is now an artists colony and has a cute collection of shops and restaurants. One of the very popular hangouts is the The Mine Shaft Tavern. You can just imagine smudged up, exhausted miners bellying up to the stand-up bar (4 inches higher than normal so the men could stand up straight after being hunched over all day in the mines) to order a well-deserved drink. Today, we can get a well-deserved cucumber margarita, rimmed in chili salt and a beef brisket sandwich with cherry BBQ sauce.

A tender beef brisket sandwich at the Mineshaft Tavern.

The Madrid Old Coal Town Museum, adjoining the restaurant is fascinating. Find out what life was like and why Walt Disney found inspiration for Disneyland in this small town.

A vintage car in the Old Coal Town Museum.

One of the most beautiful, artistic displays in all of Santa Fe may just be the stars. Out in the countryside, near the  High Feather Ranch and B & B discover just how many stars there are in the sky with Peter Lipscomb of Astronomy Adventures. Whether you come as a group or meet up with others, Lipscomb’s telescope, totally awesome laser pointer and enthusiasm makes for a special and educational evening and makes you feel very, very small.

I enjoyed delicious huevos rancheros at Hotel Santa Fe where I met well-known and well-loved Santa Fe chef Matt Yohalem who talked to me and the group I was with about how wonderful it is to have a year-round farmer’s market in Santa Fe that is ever-growing. Drawn in by his enthusiasm for eating local, we eagerly followed him down the street to the Santa Fe Farmer’s Market located by the Railyard district, an up-and-coming, chic, redevelopment with galleries, shops, restaurants, a park and soon a movie theater.

Some of the non-food items you’ll find at the Santa Fe Farmer’s Market. Beautiful colors!

Farm-fresh eggs at the Santa Fe Farmer’s Market. Pure beauty, don’t you think?

Just look at those radishes and chilis!

Matt knows the growers and has a good sense for what they’ll have each week. He knows who he’ll go to for eggs, who he’ll go to for lettuces and so on. He’s never completely sure what he’ll wind up with but he knows it will be fresh. As he told us, grocery store eggs can be 6 weeks old but at the farmer’s market they are maybe 6 HOURS old. Matt did a lot of shopping while we were there.

Chef Matt Yohalem did his usual serious shopping at the Farmer’s Market. What he found that morning would be dinner that night.

While Matt went back to his restaurant to plan out what he was going to make with everything he bought, we went on a Culinary Walking Tour put together by the Santa Fe School of Cooking. Our very passionate guide, Lois Ellen Frank, took us to three of Santa Fe’s most popular restaurants, La Boca, the restaurant at the Inn of the Anasazi and Il Piatto Italian Kitchen. When you go to Santa Fe, be sure to schedule one of these walking tours from the Santa Fe School of Cooking. It’s a great way to sample multiple restaurants, meet the chefs, get foodie insight and walk off a couple of calories between stops.

Some nibbles at La Boca.

At Il Piatto, Chef Matt made us delicious things with the items he had bought at the Farmer’s Market.

Gazpacho from Il Piatto. Chef Matt purees the soup but leaves some of each of the ingredients that went into it in chopped form to show you what’s in your soup.

Somehow, I managed to be hungry again a few hours later. My stomach was, unfortunately, learning to expand (thanks to those elastic-wasted eating pants) to accommodate all of the good food I was eating. Not coincidentally, my rear end and thighs were expanding too.

To ease into the night’s eating frenzy, er, I mean dinner, I got a lesson in mixology from Chris “The Barman” at Secreto, the bar at the St. Francis Hotel. Chris is a high-energy guy who crafts cocktails with the same care and deliberateness that the chefs do with their food. Here he is demonstrating the importance of shaking a drink with verve.

Chris “The Barman” emphasized the importance of shakin’ it good and he should know. He’s a master “mixologist.”

I moved on to the Inn at Loretto for a luxurious dinner. There, I had the most tender short ribs ever with scallops. See their pretty patio?

I love curtains on a patio. I can imagine how great a party or wedding would be out here at Inn at Loretto’s patio.

A dessert flight at La Posada de Santa Fe, known as the “arts hotel” because of its curated art collection and history of being something of an artists’ salon,  topped off the evening.

I sampled some of the chef’s favorite desserts at La Posada including bread pudding and a Mexican chocolate moose that was to die for.

Santa Fe has always felt like a big city to me but it really isn’t. The main city population is just 68,000. It’s the culture that is big, giving the sense of grandness, which it certainly has. There is some urban sprawl but it’s a good thing, making available additional opportunities for great eating, lodging and experiences, like Santa Fe Spirits which I’ll tell you about below. I’ve only spent a day or two in Santa Fe at a time over the years so I was anxious for five full days of exploration.

Here’s a wrap-up of day 1:

Fuel Up:

To some it may seem silly that my first stop was to a donut shop but to others, I can see you out there nodding and saying “of course!” You’re my people! Whoo’s Donuts are made fresh from scratch daily. The decor is funky and the donuts are delicious. I sampled two donuts – one that had bacon in that is caramelized with chilis to give it some oomph and a blue corn cake one with lavender/blueberry frosting. I should have taken pictures of them before I dug in but, well, I dug in too fast. Sorry.

Whoo’s Donuts with creative flavors that give a nod to Santa Fe like the divine Blue Corn/Blueberry Lavender with a tender yet substantial enough flavor so that you know what you ate. No “spun sugar” donuts that melt in your mouth before you could really taste them.

After a donut, what comes next but some chocolate, am I right? Thankfully, The ChocolateSmith is about three steps away.  Delicious chocolates and cute, cute shop. Both places are owned by a young couple. I got to meet co-owner Kari Keenan. See her picture below but first you get to look at some of the chocolates.

ChocolateSmith chocolates.

This is Kari Keenan, co-owner of ChocolateSmith and Whoo’s Donuts. Lovely owner. Cute shop.

Something to see:

Santa Fe is known for its culture and rich history. I combined both with a visit to the New Mexico History Museum. I wish I’d had a lot more time here because exhibits like “Telling New Mexico: Stories from Then and Now,” the museum’s main exhibit gives interesting and extensive information about Santa Fe’s history. The new exhibit, “Cowboys Real and Imagined” was also great, well-laid out mixing video, artifacts (sometimes combined) and hands-on items that give a complete picture of the role and perceptions of cowboys throughout history. I’d recommend this museum be your first stop so that you can have a better grasp of New Mexico’s history and pride. It would help you appreciate everything you are going to experience from here on out, even more.

The museum is within the New Mexico History Museum/Palace of the Governor’s complex, combining the state’s newest museum with the oldest. Part of the museum is also in the Palace building, the oldest public building still being used in the country. It is outside of the Palace of the Governors that you’ll see Native Americans lined up selling their wares. They are there as part of the Native American Artisans Program in which crafts people have to show standards of authenticity. It’s a lottery system as to who gets to sell there on any given day so the selection changes often and is the only opportunity buy directly from the source. Also within that campus is The Press at the Palace of the Governors, a working press and exhibit that includes a recreation of Gustave Baumann’s print studio. Okay, that name doesn’t ring a bell for me and probably should but it was very cool to see. I met Tom, the head printer and he does beautiful work and has the coolest eye glasses ever.

The Press at the Palace of the Governors. This part is a recreation of an old printing press but there is a real, functioning press in the building too.

Time to eat again: 

All that history-learning made me hungry so I simply walked across the plaza (where live music is often playing), to have pizza at Rooftop Pizza. The combinations are all inventive. I ordered the Number 10: lobster, shrimp, mushrooms, apple-smoked bacon, leeks, truffle oil, alfredo sauce and flour cheeses on a blue corn crust. Let me sum up my review by saying there were audible moans of pleasure.

Lobster and shrimp pizza slice from Rooftop Pizza.

Marble Brewery doesn’t serve food on-site but you can have Rooftop Pizza, in the same building, deliver to the brewery. Handy, especially for enjoying on their outdoor patio overlooking the Plaza.

How’s this for a cool place to shop? This is where Rooftop Pizza and Marble Brewery are.

Time to stroll: 

Stuffed silly from lunch, I strolled around the Plaza and soon discovered Sena Plaza, a wonderful surprise. The site of the oldest home in Santa Fe, the beautiful and lush courtyard now houses La Casa Sena Restaurant and many shops.

A romantic place for lunch or dinner, La Casa Sena.

Todos Santos confection shop inside the Plaze de Sena. You must stop there for some of his chocolates and to see this fun/funky place.

A spirited tour:

Back in Denver, I’d heard about (and sampled) the spirits of Santa Fe Spirits. I had really, really, I mean really liked what I  tried and was excited to be able to visit Santa Fe Spirits on its home turf. I met the owner, toured his facility and sampled even more of his delicious spirits.

Founder, a charming Englishman, Colin Keegan tests one of his spirits during a tasting. This one was my favorite – very herbal.

Man, it had to be hard getting that apple in there! Actually, it involves putting a baby apple in the bottle, suspending the bottle with a crocheted sling (which Colin hesitates to cop to making by hand) and letting the apple grow inside the bottle. Isn’t that cool? And isn’t Colin even more charming for crocheting?

Time to rest and…eat some more!:

I’ll be staying at a few places over the course of my visit. The first was Bishop’s Lodge up in the hills, affording beautiful views.

Spacious room, with a private patio at Bishop’s Lodge. Loved those robes!

I enjoyed a delicious meal by Chef Chris McLean with Santa Fe-inspired items like rattlesnake-rabbit sausage (delicious and yet alarming), 16-hour braised beef short ribs and venison stew. Dang it! Again, I dug in before taking a picture!  He regaled my fellow diners and I with entertaining stories about his time as personal chef for the President of Guam and meeting the actual Queen of Sheba.

A little something of a view from Bishops Lodge. Could you cope with that?

Exhausted, I turned in for the night to prepare for Day 2.

This review focuses on the merits of this movie only and does not address its portrayal of the book by F.Scott Fitzgerald.

I am not a film maker, nor do I claim to be a film expert. But if I was ever to teach a class on how NOT to make a movie, I would use The Great Gatsby (directed by Baz Luhrman) as an example of disastrous moviemaking. I sincerely believe the people involved in this film reached for greatness and did it with passion. But they failed.

It is as if everyone involved threw their ideas together for a movie, then pursued them independently and expected a well- crafted product. Instead, a mish mash of clever images, disjointed story-telling and soulless performances emerges on the screen.

Visually, the film is a 3D feast. Decaying celluloid images open the film, morphing into an Art Deco Picture Palace where you gaze through a Stereoscope at flip books and colorized 1920’s footage crafted in Chromophotography whose Talkies characters’ lips move out of sync, while 3D floating words suddenly whirl around to coalesce as excerpts of Fitzgerald’s book. The eye and brain are overwhelmed by this dizzying array of special effects gimmickry. The exhausting avalanche of imagery in the first third of the movie thrusts you into a Roaring 20’s Fantasyland, full of palatial mansions, elaborate parties, jazz on ghetto balconies, and fabulous fashions. Glorious, lush, extravagant costumes are the only true star and steal this show from start to finish.

Musically, this film takes risks with mixes of 1920’s jazz, Wurlitzer organ jams and JayZ/Beyonce/Alicia Keys. A surprising mélange that mostly works. But such time bending is spotty and these musical interludes are the only method in which the present is overtly melded with the past. It hints at an effort to make this a timely story, perhaps addressing the divide between the haves and have nots.  Instead, these musical snippets are pop-up ads for a  2013 Power Couple, cheap pandering to a younger demographic. Shame.

I applaud the risks taken in this movie, but is it good story telling? Does it help or hinder the viewer in understanding the people inhabiting this world? Sadly, all this cleverness  lacks emotional depth and distances the viewer. It never drew me in to this  world.  The viewer is a disrespected outsider, gazing in at the fabulousness of this self-involved, claustrophobic, indulgent mess.

Disrespected too are black people and women, treated as mere wallpaper caricatures. Black men are jazz musicians or voiceless laborers. Black women are wide-eyed, writhing speakeasy dancers. The lead female is Daisy (British actress  Carey Mulligan), an ever tipsy spoiled brat. Soft, vapid, weak, all this  watercolor gouache of a central female figure does is flop about , whimper and smile impishly at her  dastardly racist husband Tom (cunningly played by Joel Edgerton). Like him, I never felt anything for her except annoyance.

I did not give a damn about anyone in this movie. After spending two hours with these people, I felt nothing except contempt. Everyone is narcissistic, indulgent, and corrupt. Gatsby (a too perfectly handsome Leonardo DiCaprio) is wholly absorbed by his wants. Nick ( forgettably performed by Toby McGuire) is a gauzy thin cutout talking head wandering through the film, yet has no character development, and is unbelievable. Even his  voice as narrator is confusingly inconsistent. One moment he’s a sanatorium patient, ill and defeated; then his  voice becomes that of a giddy teenager describing his earlier days. Bizarre! This movie really hates Nick, ignoring his character development. He’s forgotten, left dangling at the end. Like the viewer.

Lotta Buddah Says:

After reading Phil Noir’s review of The Great Gatsby, I feel the movie needs someone on its side. Phil makes a lot of good points: the beginning of the movie feels rushed with a collage of scenes that summarize the first third of the book into a couple of movie minutes; there are a couple of plot lines added/varied from Fitzgerald’s original that serve no purpose; and Tobey McGuire’s performance had me wondering how Peter Parker got back to the 1920’s.

That said, this movie does a great job making F. Scott Fitzgerald’s nearly century old novel relevant and appealing to today’s youth. While Downton Abbey may have reignited our interest in the roaring 20’s, the costumes, music and movie production will perpetuate our fascination with this decade. Our Phil Noir was convinced that the inclusion of hip hop music was meant to relate the disparity of wealth present in the 20’s to that which has developed today. However, as this was the only detail that could make this implication, I feel the music was simply for aesthetic appeal. Of course, Leonardo DiCaprio added his fair share of aesthetic appeal to the movie as well.

While it’s true that you leave the movie angry and disappointed with just about every character for letting their flaws get the best of them, that was, after all, the lesson of Fitzgerald’s novel. DiCaprio expertly portrays Gatsby’s anxiety and desperation to rewrite the past, Mulligan is an accurately beautiful but spoiled Daisy Buchanan, and Tobey McGuire’s inherent passiveness make him Daisy and Gatsby’s ideal third wheel.

So, could The Great Gatsby do with some more editing? Yes. But this movie will fulfill your expectations of a 2013 take on 1920’s glamour, while still portraying the age-old lesson that you can’t change the past, no matter how wealthy you are.

Wazee Supper Club’s familiar checkerboard floor. The benches along the back wall were sat on during the funeral of Buffalo Bill Cody. Pull that fact out when you’re eating there. Photo courtesy CDM Communications.

I first went to Wazee Supper Club in high school back when the corner restaurant stood in the shadow of the crumbly viaduct above. Back then, Wazee was just a tad too far away from the comfort of Larimer Square to be considered a safe neighborhood. So going there was a treat not only for the food but also for the slight element of danger it suggested. Everything has changed about that scenario, except the good food, which has only improved. Wazee Supper Club is now in the heart of chic LoDo renewal and has a spiffed up look and menu to go along with it.

A few things remain from those early days (and the many days long before I ever set foot in there) like the big windows, black and white checkerboard floor, antique fixtures and the dumb-waiter that raised hot food up to the second floor and  lowered empty dishes down again. A lot more is new, including the spring menu items we were anxious to try out.

We started off with the big guns, Absinthe, the “Green Fairy.” Having never had it, I had to try this mystical drink that is making a comeback after being banned in the early 1900’s due to its Bohemian nature and addictive qualities. Wazee does it up right by serving it in a petite glass with a sugar cube resting atop a silver, leaf-shaped absinthe spoon. I was directed to drip water onto the sugar cube so that it would dissolve into the absinthe. To show off the Absinthe Fountain they use for large groups, Rita, the very entertaining and knowledgeable manager brought over a tall glass beauty so I could turn the spigot ever so slightly to get my drips. Sure enough, the sugar cube melted turning the clear liquid foggy. The initial flavor was of licorice with the dusty finish of whiskey. As the evening went on (I nursed it along not being sure what to expect from its effects), it opened up to a more herbal flavor with a mellower finish. I swear my mind become sharper in the day or two since having it. I’ll just have to return for another, or for one of the absinthe cocktails to see if absinthe is the cause. By the way, the absinthe I chose, Absinthe Verte, came from local company, Leopold Bros. Fine product, gentlemen!

The absinthe fountain, brought out for larger groups, lets everyone drip just the right amount of water to dissolve their sugar cube and dilute their absinthe. Photo courtesy CDM Communications.

Onto the food. We started with one of the spring menu items, House Made Veal Ravioli ($7) with asiago, browned butter, anchovy and parsley pesto with pasta made from scratch, on site. It was garlicky and toasty. In need of some crispy greens, I ordered a small chopped Caesar salad ($5) to accompany my dinner. The dressing was just right – not too garlicky or lemony. It was a good, crispy foil to the Smoked Chicken Ciabatta sandwich ($9) which I was worried would have the kind of crusty bread that nearly breaks your teeth. Instead, the bread was soft yet substantial, standing up to the truly delicious piece of smoked chicken (smoked on-site in a smoker built by the chef), with bacon, asiago, tomato and an arugula aioli served with a pile of fries. It was a full-bodied sandwich with great flavor and texture.

Seared ahi tuna, arugula and golden beat salad. Photo courtesy CDM Communications.

My date ordered another spring menu item, the Tuna Beet Salad ($15). Beautiful and flavorful with oranges, golden beets, arugula, goat cheese, red onion and a soy vanilla porter dressing, the only complaint was that the delicately flavored ahi tuna got lost in the full-o-flavor salad. To appreciate the tuna fully, he ended up eating it separately, savoring it before digging into the hearty salad. I can imagine some of that smoky chicken shredded over that salad and, actually, the tuna with the Caesar for a better balance.

We’ll return another time for the pizza that made Wazee famous. Our waiter Dan, with the most interesting mustache ever, said the Margherita with its simple sliced mozzarella, sliced roma tomatoes and marinara was his favorite – with the addition of some chicken and bacon.

Creme Brulee and New York Style Cheesecake at Wazee Supper Club. Photo courtesy CDM Communications.

After hearing three people around us order the Crème Brule, we figured there had to be a reason. There was. Plump, fresh blueberries and raspberries perched on the hard surface of the golden, torched shell that broke and tipped, stabbing the delicate custard below.  It was yummy but enough for two, as was the giant, thick slab of New York Style Cheesecake my companion ordered. When you go, order a couple and go halvsies to get a variety.

My reunion with Wazee Supper Club was a happy one. I found the place better than I remember, in every way. I promise, it won’t be another 20 years. We’ll be back soon if only for me to get another dose of, um, mental clarity from that absinthe!

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Mary Poppins, photo courtesy Denver Center.

mature, responsible adult but from the moment the first note sounded from the orchestra, she was a seven year-old-girl, giddy over all of her memories of the Julie Andrews/Dick Van Dyke movie (I could just tell). She applauded joyously at her favorite songs, at the wonderful, magical effects and at the high-energy dance numbers.  I had as much fun watching her as I did watching the show because that kind of giddiness (whether internal or as external as hers was) is what Mary Poppins is all about.

The effects are fun, whether it’s merely from the changing set screens and lighting, to the house that opens up and spins around like a doll house or Mary’s seemingly bottomless bag (of tricks). The costumes are beautiful. The music engaging. The actors excellent. And the spirit, wonderful. There’s really nothing negative I can say about the show. And how could I since I realized I’d had a smile on my face the entire show. How the couple on the other side of me could say “this is boring” and leave at intermission is beyond me! It’s action, romance, whimsy and charm set to music and flying through the air. What’s not to like?

Thank you, Mary Poppins, for blowing into town again, making grown ups feel like little kids again. We wish you were here longer. Five days isn’t long enough.

Mary Poppins The Hit Broadway Musical plays only through May 5. Get tickets by calling 303-893-4100 or online at www.denvercenter.org.

GALVESTON Landing in Houston, I rented a car and headed straight for the coast. Galveston is on my mind, and thankfully the trip was fast through the Houston sprawl. Crossing a playful bridge onto Galveston island, glimpses of shimmering gulf waters caught my eye and warmed my heart. Hmmm – o.k., maybe Texas does have something to offer. My list of must-see attractions included The Strand, historic mansions and neighborhoods, and of course the beaches. On all counts, I was pleasantly surprised, dare I say, even “smitten” by this slightly tawdry southern belle? Galveston is a sub-tropical garden, with a treasure trove of fascinating history and seaside attractions. Exactly what I needed to erase memories of cold winter days and snowstorms!

The shimmering gulf waters of Galveston.

PORT ARANSAS After a couple of days in Galveston, my wanderlust drove me to head further south along the coast to explore more. After a four hour drive through perfectly flat, green farm fields, and no frills small towns, I found Port Aransas. “Port A” to the locals, is a charming Texas island town with miles of sandy beaches, wildlife refuges and loads of kitschy fun. Spring along the Gulf Coast is temperamental, and a stubborn cool wind chilled my plans to sprawl in the sun on the soft sand. Though walks along the beach were pleasant, and wildlife viewing at area bird sanctuaries was rewarding, curiosity beckoned me to abandon the coast and head inland for new adventures. With flat, straight, well-maintained highways, and no severe winter freezes, driving in this part of Texas was fast and easy; another thing I had to grudgingly admire.

Port Aransas Marina

SAN ANTONIO I saw San Antonio slowly emerge out of the brush and cattle ranches, with a concentric necklace of highways that are easily navigated. Soon the towers of downtown appeared on the horizon, and signs led me to the geographic and spiritual heart of the city. My destination was the most famous single spot in all the giant state of Texas and its symbolic center.

The Alamo: A compound of historic structures, courtyards and gardens, the Alamo was packed with tourists from around the globe. Amazingly, there is no admission fee to tour any of the attractions! For two hours I wandered the grounds, enjoying the excellent museum that details the history of both the region and the battle. Touched and impressed by the story and history of this place, my appreciation grew.

The Alamo, San Antonio, TX.

The River Walk: Leaving the hallowed grounds of the Alamo, I craved something fresh and fun, and I found it in the nearby River Walk. Along with the Alamo, this is the most popular attraction in all of Texas, and at times it felt like the whole state was walking the narrow pathways with me. Along the scenic oldest stretches, filled with cafes and bars, it became an intimate experience, jarring and incongruous after speeding through the vast isolation of rural and semi-rural Texas. Possibly more than any other American urban space, excluding NYC subways, strolling the River Walk is a tango of strangers, rubbing against each other in a shared desire to get somewhere. Bad if you’re agoraphobic. Great if you crave energy and connection. I relaxed and went with the flow. Impossibly romantic, bordering on cute, I found the River Walk among the most compelling spaces of my travels in America, or even abroad. Like Santa Fe and San Francisco, it has a sense of place; but it is unique in its intimacy and density of experience. At night, it transforms into a magical oasis of dancing lights and mariachi songs. Once again, a Texan has caught my eye and I found myself reluctantly falling in love.

San Antonio’s famous River Walk.

A Night in old Havana: Among the many lodging options in central San Antonio, the Hotel Havana called to me with its quiet location overlooking a tranquil, more natural branch of the River Walk.  with wooden floors creaking beneath my feet as I climbed to my room, my imagination convinced me that Hemingway would emerge from a room at any moment. My room was full of character, framed by plantation shutters. The bed and simple bathroom were well-appointed, and smelled of sandalwood and tobacco leaves. Old photos greeted me, and my dreams of a Cuban tropical fantasy felt true. Before turning in for the night, I grabbed a nightcap in the adjoining bar, Ocho, with its greenhouse conservatory architecture and wall that opens to take in the views and heady jasmine flowers of the River Walk below. I slept late and headed out for another day exploring San Antonio.

My room at Hotel Havana.

Ocho, next to the Hotel Havana.

The River Beckons: I wandered the River Walk, enjoying the lush foliage, dappled sunlight and many historic architectural details. Hokey, but irresistible, I took a ride on one of the colorful boats plying the waters. Pleasant and worthwhile, like the River Walk pathways, it can be a cramped and intimate experience with strangers. The boat guide plugged businesses along the way while also providing useful narration. The ride completed a scenic loop after 35-40 minutes.

History is Everywhere: Emerging from the subterranean watery world, I followed signs to the King William Historic District and was delighted by the narrow old streets lined by drop dead gorgeous old mansions and lush landscaping. Graceful old oaks stretched over the streets and created verdant tunnels, cool escapes from the sun. Many fine old homes are open for tours, but I prefered to roam the streets and ended in SouthTown, an artsy enclave in its infancy. Sipping a latte in a café, I pondered how this is a city full of history and attractions, yet lacking continuity. San Antonio feels like a city striving to become more than the sum of its parts. The pieces are there, and with strong leadership it is poised to become a truly great urban center.

A home in the King William Historic District, San Antonio.

The Last Resort:For my last night, I left the city to indulge myself in a resort experience at The Westin at La Cantera Hill Country. On the northern edge of San Antonio at the entry to the Texas Hill Country, La Cantera is carved into the limestone bluffs, the foundation of San Antonio, quite literally. The resort overlooks city lights and deep green, undulating hills. The place is grand yet comfortable with posh decorating, numerous restaurants, a spa and one of the best martini’s ever.  Lush courtyards, pools and waterfalls beckoned me outside. An idyllic escape from reality, with resort amenities like golf, tennis, pools, spa and health club, I didn’t know what to do first.

Some of the pools at The Westin La Cantera Hill Country.

A view of the Hill Country from the patio of the Westin La Cantera Hill Country resort.

Not the rugged High Rockies of my beloved Colorado, the Hill Country’s rolling hills were beautiful and offered their own charms. Relaxing in the warm pools of La Cantera, I realized Texas had become a new place to me, full of surprising beauty both natural and crafted by man. Now I’m not saying I want to move there, but the Texas Gulf and San Antonio offers much to enjoy. Even to those of us who live in the most beautiful state of all. Some rivalries never really die!

Stay tuned for T. Ravlin Lyte’s experiences at San Antonio’s Fiesta 2013, coming soon.

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Whether you like opera or not, you’ve probably heard of the Met, the Metropolitan Opera. Clever artistic folks that they are, they

“Guilio Cesare”, Photo courtesy Robert Kusel-Lyric Opera Of Chicago-Pascal Victor.

began broadcasting their opera seasons across the country in movie theaters where there’s never a bad seat and opera glasses are not necessary. Neither are tuxes, gowns, opera gloves or snooty attitudes. But you do get eat popcorn and cheesy nachos! How awesome is that?!

Putting full-length operas in movie theaters is brilliant. It makes it accessible to those of us who will never make it to New York to attend a Metropolitan Opera performance in person. And, hopefully, it will encourage those not familiar with opera to give it a try, which will hopefully lead to taking advantage of the top-notch opera performances we have locally with Central City Opera and Opera Colorado!

In Good Taste Denver is proud to offer free tickets to see selections of The Met’s seventh season either live or in encore presentations at local theaters. To enter to win tickets to the performance below, simply email me at: ingoodtastedenver@gmail.com with your name and the name of the opera you want tickets for. Winners will be randomly chosen and contacted on the deadline day. 

REMAINING PERFORMANCES: 

Handel’s Giulio Cesare - Encore – CONTEST ENDS 5/9.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013 (6:30 PM MST)
Expected Running Time: 4 hours 35 minutes
Tickets are for the following theater: Highlands Ranch 24 with IMAX.

The opera that conquered London in Handel’s time comes to the Met in David McVicar’s lively production. The world’s leading countertenor, David Daniels, sings the title role opposite Natalie Dessay as an irresistibly exotic Cleopatra. Baroque specialist Harry Bicket conducts.
Tickets available for purchase here: http://www.fathomevents.com/#!giulio-cesare-encore

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Jim Chesebro and Cyd Crouse started Tentiko just this past December. According to Chesebro, they offer  ”authentic, local experiences and hands-on, insider access to Denver’s creators and artisans.” That can be anything from sausage making with chef Mark DeNittis to a dinner and whiskey tasting with one of our famous distillers.

Tentiko got its start when Chesebro started thinking that buying/owning stuff wasn’t what he wanted to do with his life.  ”I was much more interested in creating memories through my life experiences. And part of that was wanting to explore the unique and authentic experiences that could be enjoyed right here in Denver. There wasn’t a single spot I could go to find and book all the awesome things we could do in the city. So we’ve created Tentiko as a marketplace where people can discover and book unique experiences.” Awesome, right?

What’s even more awesome is that Tentiko is offering In Good Taste Denver readers an exclusive discount to two upcoming classes!

1. April 21 – Cupcake Decorating and Bakery Tour. Get a behind the scenes tour of Cake Crumbs Bakery. Then learn how to decorate cupcakes from the experts and walk away with your handiwork.

2. May 4 - Print Your Own Cards with an Antique Letterpress. Learn how to carve your own printing block and create linocut cards on an antique letterpress.

Receive a 15% discount by entering the code: ingoodtaste during the second step of registration. Class registration is normally $45.

The results from a recent Tentiko puppet making experience.

Tentiko’s recent sausage-making class.

Check out Tentiko’s blog here:  http://blog.tentiko.com/ as well as upcoming experiences they are planning. It looks awesome. Good luck to them!

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