Tables with a view: Chicago

Dining can be about much more than food. I have always sought restaurants that have great views, devouring sights and nibbling lunch. Over the years I’ve developed a list of personal favorites like the Restaurant de la terrasse at the Samaritaine department store in Paris; George’s at the Cove in La Jolla; or the legendary Windows on the World, tragically destroyed on September 11, 2001.

Chicago, one of my favorite cities, offers a glittering cityscape at night and architectural splendors by day. Here’s my pick for how to spend one day eating and taking in the view.

Breakfast: McDonald’s at Chicago Place
This pick may come as a surprise, but it is undoubtedly the best view per dollar spent in Chicago. Chicago Place is a vertical shopping mall located at 700 N. Michigan Avenue. Head to the tenth floor and find the food court. It doesn’t look like much – look for the large dining room hidden past the counter. Floor to ceiling windows offer sweeping views down Michigan Avenue towards Tribune Tower and the bridge – the people eating in the food court don’t even know this view exists. McMuffin eating at its best.

Lunch: The Signature Room at the 95th
The highest restaurant in the country, on the 95th and 96th floors of the John Hancock Center. The food is quite good, although some critics grouse that it doesn’t live up to the prices. While that may be true at dinner time, lunch is a bargain, with most entrees priced $15 or less. The service is polished and the views are jaw-dropping. If you want to see the view by night, try their bar on the 96th floor. It’s a much more civilized way to take in the view than the public observation deck two floors below. For about the same price Joe Tourist pays for the observation deck, you can enjoy a signature martini in the swank surroundings.

Dinner: Everest
Chef Jean Joho has created one of the world’s best restaurants in a setting with incredible views. Located on the 40th floor of the Chicago Stock Exchange Building you can enjoy a seasonal menu of local ingredients filtered through the sensibility of the chef’s Alsatian roots. It isn’t cheap, but you get what you pay for – it’s worth every penny. Savor the Roasted Maine Lobster in Alsace Gewurztraminer Butter and Ginger as you end the day here, high above the sparkling lights and remember perhaps, your breakfast McMuffin.

Photo Credit: Kevin P. Martin

World Food in Your Mailbox: Austria

It's the time of year where I check up on what's new in Germany, Switzerland and Austria for winter travelers. In addition to skiers, I always have a few folks who want to take in some Christmas markets and Alpine charm. It's nice to warm up with warm drinks and pastries after taking in the postcard-perfect winter scenes.

While looking at some menus, I was pleased to discover that the most famous maker of Linzertorte now delivers their famous cakes all over the world from their bakery in Linz. Konditorei Jindrak is the most famous maker of the centuries-old recipe of almonds and raspberry jam. I might order one for Thanksgiving.

Photo Credit: Austrian Tourist Office

Steve Irwin 1962 - 2006

I was saddened to hear of the death of Steve “The Crocodile Hunter” Irwin earlier today. He died doing something he loves and I’ll bet he wouldn’t have changed how he lived his life, even if he knew how it would end up.

Press reports are focusing on his contributions as an environmentalist; I want to point out that his contributions to Australia’s tourism are incalculable. Although I never visited his Australia Zoo near Brisbane, I always recommended it to my clients who traveled to the area. They always had a wonderful time and brought back great pictures and video that they shared with me. Those that actually got to meet Steve usually called it the highlight of their trip.

Although he won’t be there in the future, I’m sure his legend will grow and continue to inspire people to come to Australia and learn about its wildlife that he loved so much.

Once Upon a Time at the Gas Pump

An article about King’s Canyon National Park in yesterday’s New York Times got me thinking about my trip there in 2003. I took my family on a great road trip – we flew to Las Vegas, rented a car and camped while visiting four National Parks: Death Valley, Sequoia, King’s Canyon and Yosemite.

I used to have an interesting little story from King’s Canyon. Less than three years later, it’s not so interesting anymore. It was the story I called “The highest price I ever paid for gas in the United States” (once upon a time).

On September 6, 2003 I paid $2.79 per gallon at the only gas pump in King’s Canyon National Park. It was shocking at the time. Sure, I’d paid more in Europe – probably that much per liter – but this was America! Still, we didn’t mind spending the money, the scenery was beautiful and it was very remote from any other competition. We paid our money, smiled inwardly, and went on our way. Today I looked up prices from that week on the Department of Energy website. The national average was $1.61.

After we returned home, I enjoyed telling people about that experience for a while and it never failed to impress. I forgot about it until yesterday when I read that article and it made me nostalgic for the good old days: three years ago.

Memorable Meals: Munich

I’ve gotten some feedback that some of you would like to hear about my favorite places to eat in the world. Today I’m beginning a series called “Memorable Meals” where I will write about those places that loom large in my memory, rather than my latest restaurant experience. I will, of course, include the latest information about the establishment in case you’re inspired to seek it out on your own.

There’s a German word, gemütlich, which means pleasant and congenial and has connotations of coziness. I found the embodiment of that word as I stepped through the doorway of a small 400 year old stone building in Munich’s Viktualienmarkt on a gray rainy evening. The Bratwurstherzl
restaurant is at least as old as the Viktualienmarkt, where meats and produce have been offered in the open air daily for nearly 200 years. I imagine that their earliest customers would feel right at home there today. Though it’s close to the heart of the tourist Munich, the majority of patrons always seem to be speaking German.

Here homemade bratwurst is grilled over beechwood coals and the local Hacker-Pschorr beer is tapped from a wooden barrel. Although there’s an extensive menu of Bavarian specialties, I wasn’t going to visit the Bratwurstherzl and skip the bratwurst. I ordered a plate of twelve sausages with Weinsauerkraut and a beer. Now before you get too excited about the twelve sausages, let me explain that traditional Bavarian bratwurst is made into small links about the size of American breakfast links.

The bratwurst was served on a heart-shaped tin plate with the Weinsauerkraut in a separate dish. It was quite simply the best sausage, the best beer and the best kraut I’ve ever had. Ever. The bratwurst was juicy without being greasy and was delicately perfumed by the beechwood smoke. The kraut was not too sour, filled with complex flavors, nothing like the hot dog topping we know in the States. The beer was sublime, with a wonderful yeasty, slightly floral taste and a long-lasting foamy head.

I think that this place is so special, that it’s worth visiting every time you’re in Munich to sample the old favorites and try new ones like traditional pretzels and schnitzels. My clients have come back with glowing reports after I recommended it to them. Why don’t you try it too?

Bratwurstherzl is located at number 1 Dreifaltigkeitsplatz not far from the Marienplatz subway station. They’re open seven days a week for lunch and dinner.

Photo Credit: Becky Gould

My Secret Cruise Ship Sport

It’s time to sail. All passengers were warned to be aboard 29 minutes ago. The gangplank has been run in and mooring lines are let go. The Captain and another white-shirted officer watch from the pier side bridge wing. He turns towards the helm position and gives an order to an unseen person. A long, earsplitting blast sounds from the ship’s whistle while the thrusters whirl to life and push the ship away from the pier.

Passengers are watching from the rail on the top deck, savoring the end of a day in port before heading to their cabin for a shower before dinner. A few, including myself, are focused intently on the street at the end of the pier; waiting for the inevitable drama. I raise my binoculars in time to see a taxi screech to a halt by the security gate. Three young women emerge waving their arms at the ship. They run, camera bags and backpacks flopping in every direction, down the thousand foot long pier. I can see by their expressions that they realize that a 962 foot long ship doesn’t stop for late passengers once it’s underway.

I’ve seen this happen on every Caribbean cruise I’ve been on – especially in ports with lots of bars. It never seems to happen in Oslo or Ketchikan, I guess because those ports don’t have a Señor Frog’s. If you miss the boat, you can rejoin at the next port – at your own expense.

This particular story has a happy ending, though. The girls are pretty and the gallant men of the Cozumel harbor patrol agree to ferry them out on the Pilot boat. So let this be a lesson for you: don’t miss the boat -- or, the next time you’re on a cruise, bring your binoculars out on deck when you sail away – that’s where I’ll be.

Photo Credit: Christopher Gould

Watch Your A** On This Plane

You can file this under oversensitive airline nit-picking if you want, but oh my aching tuckus.

I’m sitting on a flight ready to roll back from the gate, privately congratulating myself for scoring an exit row seat. Ninety-four minutes later, I didn’t feel so great, my backside was aching and I was happy to be at my destination.

A few weeks later, same thing: my smugness fades early and the extra legroom in the exit row isn’t a consolation. I realize that this is the same type of aircraft as before, a Canadair CRJ700, made by Bombardier Aerospace. I experiment with other seats on the plane and quickly determine that there’s far less padding on the seats in the exit row. This must be motivated by some safety concern on the part of the designers. Are they kidding? Do people really get bogged down in the cushy soft pads of other aircraft seats? In coach? Give me a break.

The CRJ700 is a very popular plane and is operated by lots of carriers including American, US Airways, Delta, Lufthansa, British Airways, and Air France among others. I like it for lots of other reasons, but it’s more fun to complain. For now, my clients and I will make do with less legroom.

Photo Credit: Bombardier Inc.

Two Model Resorts in the Caribbean Show the Way

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately about the impact of tourism on the places we visit – do we risk destroying the very things we seek? Last week, there was an in-depth cover story in Travel Weekly (an industry publication) that looked at the current construction boom in the Caribbean. Newer and larger resorts, hotels, condos and infrastructure are springing up from Aruba to Bahamas.

I’ve watched construction crews work all night on Paradise Island in the Bahamas and I’ve been in Cozumel on days when there were seven cruise ships in port. Certainly, I bear some responsibility for this – I’ve been selling the cabins on those very ships, I send my clients to the Bahamas, driving up the demand. I realize I’ve already been adapting to this boom for some time now: telling my Grand Cayman travelers what days to avoid town because of all the cruise ships; keeping up with new construction that impacts the experience at adjacent, formerly secluded resorts and so on.

I think it’s going to take some enlightened people in both the private and public sector to properly manage this. A great example of success is The Caneel Bay Resort on St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands and The Little Dix Bay Resort on Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands, two of my favorite places in the Caribbean. They should remain relatively unchanged due to the actions of one enlightened man, philanthropist Laurence Rockefeller. He established them to provide luxurious relaxation for his family and friends that was in harmony with the Caribbean ecosystem and culture that he loved so much.

Forty-some years ago, Rockefeller donated the properties to the Jackson Hole Preserve, an environmentally-focused nonprofit with ties to his family. To protect the land around the resorts, huge undeveloped tracts were donated to the U.S. and British Governments to create Virgin Islands National Park and Gorda Peak National Park, respectively. Today, the landscape surrounding both resorts is unchanged, and sensitive management by Rosewood Resorts allow the guest experience to be top-notch without deviating from Rockefeller’s original vision.

I am never worried about development affecting my clients’ experience when I recommend Little Dix Bay or Caneel Bay. That’s the model that should be sought – allow appropriate development, while preserving what attracts travelers in the first place. Let’s hope that it happens before it’s too late.

Old School Charm: The Warwick Hotel New York

My family and I spent a few days at the Warwick Hotel in New York last week. I was pleased to find it exactly as I expected based on years of selling it. It was a real classic New York hotel in a great location at the corner of 54th Street and Avenue of the Americas.

The great location and small lobby made it popular with showbiz types looking for little privacy. The Ed Sullivan Show used the Warwick for their guests, including the Beatles, who had to endure a crazy two-block trip to the Ed Sullivan Theater through throngs of fans. Cary Grant and Irving Berlin lived at the Warwick. Their photos and photos of many other notable guests are displayed around the second floor meeting rooms of the hotel. You’ve got to admire a place that attracted both Elvis and Elizabeth Taylor.

Why don’t we head upstairs on one of the great vintage elevators with the light up signs that read “THIS CAR UP.”

Our deluxe room was on the nineteenth floor and faced Avenue of the Americas with views down 54th Street, especially of the New York Hilton, which is located catty-corner from the Warwick. The room was pretty big, especially by New York standards and was attractively furnished with traditional dark wood furniture. Reproductions of antique Oriental prints softened the look. After a close inspection, I concluded that the standard of housekeeping at the Warwick was quite high. The bathroom was done in honey-toned marble and was provided with Gilchrist & Soames toiletries and adequately-sized cotton towels.

I know that some other rooms in the hotel do not have views; instead they open onto air shafts or look at adjacent buildings. I think most of these are included in the less expensive “Superior” room category. This is typical for a 1928 vintage hotel, designed before air conditioning. If you want the old school charm, sometimes you get an old school air shaft. If you’re concerned about this, you can always talk with a top-notch Travel Consultant who will get things properly arranged for you.

Other amenities in the room included plush bathrobes, ironing board and iron, safe and minibar. The minibar was unfortunately one of those that I call a Robo-bar -- equipped with electronic sensors, where if you even think about touching the contents, you get charged. You’re out of luck if you want to buy a six-pack of Diet Pepsi at Gristede’s and stick it in there; I ended up hoofing it to the ice machine on eighteen twice a day.

The bed was very comfortable, similar to the Westin Heavenly Bed. I didn’t hear any street noise – not sure if that was due to the double-glazed windows or being nineteen stories up. There were some minor things in our room that should have been repaired –a broken outlet cover and chipped paint on the door. These were the only things I saw that detracted from the overall excellent upkeep.

At the Warwick, the excellent staff was a really high point of the experience. Check-in was effortless and smooth and each employee was wonderful – every housekeeper, bellman and room service waiter we encountered greeted us as if they were truly happy to do so. I can’t tell you how many so-called deluxe hotels fail to observe this form of courtesy.

Overall, it was a very nice stay. We even lucked into the free Friday night at the Museum of Modern Art, located across the street. We did not eat at the restaurants or try the room service, so I can’t give you my opinion. I can say that Murals on 54, the restaurant featuring historic murals by Dean Cornwell, is well-regarded.

In future updates, I’ll try to address aspects of other hotels I critiqued on this trip: The Essex House, St. Regis, Hilton, Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton and Waldorf=Astoria.

An Airline Disaster: Independence Air

It’s been a month since Independence Air ceased operations on January 5. I was initially impressed with the fact that they gave advance warning that were shutting down, avoiding the debacle exemplified by Eastern Airlines when they folded without warning in 1991.

I’m not sure what to think about Independence Air now that there has been a month of post mortem. I feel especially bad for the employees, many of whom worked for Independence Air in its previous incarnation as a financially strong United Connection carrier. Published reports state that Independence Air began with a war chest of over $800 million – where did that go in eighteen months?

Log Cabin Living My Way: Old Faithful Inn

I stirred in the bed and rolled over, looking towards the open window, the cool air chilling me despite it being June. The sound was like a jet engine at full throttle, and I pawed for my glasses as my wife slept on, oblivious. An incredible sight was perfectly framed in the window opening, lit only by the moonlight. A vast white jet of steam and water shot into the air nearly 200 feet with terrific force while the powerful sound – a jet underlaid by moaning, continued. Dumbfounded, I watched for at least five minutes until it abruptly ended, the night silent except for the distant sound of coyotes calling to each other. I laid my head on the pillow and returned to sleep.

That nighttime interruption was one of many special experiences that I enjoyed while staying at Yellowstone National Park’s Old Faithful Inn. Dominating the Old Faithful Geyser Basin, and standing next to its eponymous geyser, the Old Faithful Inn has provided lodgings for weary Yellowstone travelers since it opened in 1904.

The day we arrived, we hiked through the upper geyser basin overlooking Old Faithful, and admired the seemingly perfect nozzle-like vent of Beehive Geyser. The sign said that Beehive geyser was as large as Old Faithful but only erupted once or twice a day at unpredictable intervals. We walked on, sure that we would never see Beehive erupt. That night, I discovered that because of our choice in lodgings, we were wrong, when Beehive Geyser’s nocturnal eruption awakened me.

The Old Faithful Inn is unlike any hotel I’ve ever stayed in. It is the largest log building in the United States and has a spectacular lobby that rises over 90 feet to the exposed ceiling. The centerpiece of the lobby is a massive fireplace made of local stone, its chimney rising through the space. As an historic building, the Inn retains a high degree of integrity with many of the original light fixtures and wood furniture still in use today. It has been designated a National Historic Landmark, the highest honor any historic building may receive in the U.S.

Our room was located on the second floor of the old building and had a view of the Upper Geyser Basin and Firehole River. The room included a sink, no bathroom, rough-hewn wooden walls, a metal-framed bed, dresser, wardrobe, chair and the coolest thing for me: an original rotary light switch to operate the lights.

If you’re not an historic building aficionado like me, allow me to explain -- used in the early twentieth century, these switches were usually abandoned or removed when buildings were rewired. They were kind of big and make a satisfying solid click when you rotated them. I had never seen one in use, although I’m not surprised that they could last 100 years because they seem so solid.

The new wings of the Inn, added in the 1920s, consist of larger rooms with private bathrooms many with views of Old Faithful Geyser itself. These rooms are more conventional and less rustic. I didn’t mind the shared bathroom that we had to use. It was close to the room, spotlessly clean and the whole time we were there, I never encountered another soul in there even though the Inn seemed to be booked solid.

The Old Faithful complex around the Inn includes the Visitor’s Center, and two other lodgings: The Old Faithful Lodge and The Snow Lodge, as well as shops and other concessions for visitors. On summer days it can seem that every visitor to the Park is there as the crowds around Old Faithful Geyser swell. I found it considerably more civilized in the evenings when the tour buses have departed and you and a few other guests enjoy the deserted landscape from the second floor porch while sipping a cocktail from the bar. You’ll feel as if Old Faithful is putting on a private show just for you.

London Realizes Improvements

Some of the initiatives that London has implemented to improve the lives of its residents and visitors should be recognized and lauded, especially their efforts to reduce congestion and improve air quality. A fee system called Congestion Charging has significantly reduced traffic congestion in Central London since being put in place two years ago and the retirement of the iconic red Routemaster double-decker buses aims towards reducing noxious emissions.

London will look dramatically different without the Routemaster and I, of course, lament the passing of these well-known symbols, but I won’t miss the unpleasant respiratory distress that frequently gripped me in there – runny nose, shortness of breath and sooty deposits in Kleenex. Those charming Routemasters, many dating from the early 1960s, were perhaps the worst polluters in London. You’d smile to see one approach until you were engulfed in a noxious cloud of haze as it passed.

In the end air quality wasn’t the only reason they are being retired. Another important factor is that their design isn’t very accessible for disabled passengers. New buses are lower to the ground, have wider aisles and accommodate wheelchairs far better. Transport for London is phasing out all Routemaster buses by the end of 2005 except on two so-called Heritage Routes that are convenient for tourists. The Heritage buses will be equipped with costly particulate air filters to significantly reduce emissions.

I recommend that all visitors seek out these rolling landmarks. If you want to experience the Routemaster buses on the Heritage Routes, one operates between Trafalgar Square and Tower Hill, and the other between the Royal Albert Hall and Aldwych.

While the improvements brought by the retirement of the Routemaster buses are yet to be fully realized, another dramatic initiative has already transformed London.

Congestion Charging for vehicles driving in Central London during the business week was championed by London Mayor Ken Livingstone. Citing studies showing London had the worst vehicle congestion in Europe and that drivers in Central London spent half their time stuck in traffic, local government pushed through the technology-based scheme.

Thousand of cameras in Central London record the license plate numbers of every car that drives in the designated Congestion Charging zone each day. Drivers must pay a £8 daily fee by 10:00 p.m. for the privilege of driving in the zone. Drivers may pay online, by phone, by mail, text message or at gas stations and parking garages; if they wait ’til after 10:00, a £2 penalty is added. After midnight the penalty is increased to £100, which they will kindly reduce by half if you pay within two weeks. If you delay another two weeks, they add £50.

As you may imagine, this makes people think long and hard about driving in Central London. With the excellent public transport network that includes buses, underground rail, light rail, boats and taxis, there are plenty of alternatives to driving. Because of this, traffic has been greatly reduced and public support for the program is so strong that London is considering expanding the zone to include Kensington and Knightsbridge.

I’ve seen that these changes are making London even more enjoyable for my clients. One particular benefit that I’m advising them to take advantage is to indulge in one of my favorite London experiences: the best taxis and taxi drivers in the world. The improved traffic flow makes them much more affordable because you’re much less likely to be paying for being stuck in traffic.