Some travel suggestions for your summer
People tend to ask me where they should summer - and sometimes I like to offer a more detailed idea of where to go - with a theme attached no less.
HELP COMMUNITIES
Gold Rush Country (Upstate California), CA
The old west becomes new again / An Napa alternative weekend for all seasons
Right in the Sierra Nevada foothills, this Gold Country area has it all: culture (becoming an official California Cultural District), outdoor activities, and culinary feats. Under the radar Bay Area getaway town, Nevada City, has the historical buildings and a few minutes drive away, Grass Valley, with its rich gold mining history, has the old-timey main streets. Recently, with the renovation of two longstanding hotels (National Exchange Hotel and Holbrooke Hotel) and a surge of Bay Area transplants, new restaurants have opened - like the sultry Lola Dining and the speakeasy The Iron Door (once connected to a tunnel system under the whole town). There is also the newly developed trailhead for the Deer Creek “Tribute Trail” and the “Angkula Seo” bridge, where a historic marker commemorates the native people, the Nisenan, with a new museum, shows at their Uba Seo Gallery and cultural center opening with their involvement.
Grass Valley and Nevada City
DISCOVER THE PAST
Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Travelers are finally able to access the Silk Road and this UNESCO gem.
Known as Central Asia’s cultural gem, combining influences from many cultures and invaluable Islamic heritage, Samarkand now has a newly developed 260-hectare artistic-cultural district finally opening up the city to visitors. Green areas, art galleries (with more than 100 masters residing within), artisan workshops, a Congress Hall, rowing canals, walking paths, wellness facilities, an eco-village (created by famous modern Uzbek artist Bobur Ismoilov), new hotels (from 5 star to 2 star), an observatory of historic Uzbek luminary Mirzo Ulugbek. Also they are unveiling their brand new international airport this year plus the expansion of China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railways connecting the city to other Stans and China. And this year is their first literary festival.
SEE ART
McCook, Nebraska
Unlikely art hot spot in the middle of the middle of the country
McCook has only 8000 residents, but has a future farmers group, a downtown arts district (opening this summer), an IDA International Dark Sky designation (awarded this year), a music festival, a storytelling festival, a chapter of the Nebraska Community Foundation, museums and Sehnert’s, a James Beard Award-winning bakery (only one in NE) and the only Frank Lloyd Wright house in the state, it is also the original home of Edwin Perkins, inventor of Kool-Aid, plus an emerging contemporary arts movement (helped along by the Arts Council). This includes Artbank opening shortly and Keystone opening (which includes the 6th Floor Project of Outsider Art, and 10 other creative businesses), the opening of Norris Alley (a creative placemaking inspired by one of 20th century’s greatest US Senators George Norris), McCook Community Foundation’s mural project, Nebraska Shakespeare to make this their rural hub, Knowlen & Yates cooking store opening, a new local food movement (Klooz Farm, Heritage Acres, Mac’s Drive In, Coppermill, a rebuilt and expansion of an century old brewery at Loop Brewing Company), McCook Community Kitchen hosting the community's first Juneteenth and Dia Des Los Muertos celebrations, Navajo painter Shonto Begay is opening a gallery here and there is Creation Station showing artists and offering creative opportunities for youth…And then there is the gorgeous nature — prairie chickens and lakes, whooping cranes (Sandhill Crane Migration - one of the last great animal migrations with new conservation efforts), Red Willow State Recreation Area now with new places to stay…all as the official midway point between Omaha and Denver with a train link for slow-life loving travelers.
DRINK WINE AND BE MERRY
Augusta, Missouri
America’s most unique and storied wine region reveals itself.
Literally millions of rootstocks were shipped to Europe from Missouri in the 19th century, saving the world’s wine industry and that all happened from Augusta. It is the country’s first AVA, and is home to about 130 wineries and five AVAs – they typically grow hybrid grapes like Chambourcin and Vignoles, which are interesting in and of themselves because most wine drinkers aren’t familiar with those grapes. Beginning in the early 1800s, European immigrants brought their culinary preferences with them, including the cultivation of grapes for making wine - examples include Stone Hill Winery (founded 1947, one of the first wineries to re-emerge after prohibition), Adam Puchta Winery (oldest continuously family owned winery in the country), St. James (one of the first to be launched after prohibition – one of the most awarded wineries in the US, very focused on sustainability and finding new cultivars). There is a surge of development and investment in the area - a destination restaurant, a five-star hotel and spa, a 12-hole golf course designed by Rees Jones, riverboat cruises aboard a luxury yacht, and a revitalized downtown with flower and coffee shops, a filling station, and a general store will open. They have also launched a trolley, carriage, and Gator utility vehicles that will take visitors around town and through vineyards. Conveniently, the Katy Trail – America's longest stretch of rails-to-trails – sits at the foot of downtown Augusta. No wonder they call this America’s First Wine Region.
FIND YOUR ISLAND
The Azores
The Caribbean alternative, or call it the Next Iceland if you must
Somewhere in the middle of the nippy Atlantic Ocean, a quick little four-hour flight from Boston no less, is where the subtropical UNESCO heritage volcanic islands of the Azores truly hide out. Magical, mystical green lushness, oversized volcanic craters now reimagined as lakes, steaming natural hot springs that puff out from the earth, blue hydrangeas in the thousands and more cows than humans – It’s Portugal’s secret island. Aside for the nine islands that make up the archipelago, there are a few small towns with a burgeoning dining scene and some new boutique hotels (White House, Maison), hot springs (similar to what Iceland has except that these are truly natural), endless adventure activities (surfing too) and of course new boating/yachting journeys around. TAP Portugal is now offering flights from all over - some direct and others with a free stop over in Lisbon or Porto.
IF YOU PREFER WINTER AND THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE
Western Australia
The final outback frontier
Not only is this where star Aussie Chef Paul Iskov sets up his new pop up bush dinners (with his company called Fervor - ingredients range from marinated emu, to green tree ants, lerp, wild flowers, lemon myrtle, wattle seeds, Quandong, sandalwood nuts and I could go on) it also is the least touristy part of the country. And a bunch of new spots have opened: El Questro, an outback station perched on a clifftop in the wild landscapes of Western Australia’s Kimberley region, is an oasis of privacy and recently opened. The only Ritz-Carlton in Australia in Perth. The WA Museum - considered to be one of the most significant museum redevelopments in the world, the new building integrates refurbished heritage buildings within the precinct to display the State collection in contemporary and innovative ways. The museum shares the stories of the people and the place, acting as a gateway to exploring Western Australia. Margaret River Gourmet Escape - the acclaimed food festival - will be held across three locations, including the Swan Valley (which has new wineries and helicopter tours that will take you there) and Perth as well as Margaret River. New cruises have kicked off this year to Rowley Shoals Marine park (three coral atolls in the middle of nowhere in the Indian Ocean off north western Australian coast 160 miles west of Broome). The atolls have Maldives-like water clarity, Belize-quality diving and snorkelling. As one of the world’s untouched natural aquariums, the chain of atolls are on the edge of one of the widest continental shelves in the world. Also, Quokkas are everywhere - worth going just to see their smiles.
SOMETHING VERY FAR AWAY FROM NEW YORK
Wakhan valley, Tajikistan
Off the beaten path nature meets barefoot luxury
Wakhan Valley is a rugged geographical region that sits mostly in northern Afghanistan but stretches over into Tajikistan. This area - The Pamir Highway - has finally opened up with access to the ancient silk road fortress in Namadgut where you can stop off to bathe in natural hot springs and experience its healing powers, climb the rocks above the city of Langar and discover ancient stone carvings, or gaze at the Milky Way from the mountains of Murgab. Tour company Remote Lands’ Pamir Highway Road Trip has created an itinerary based on this. Perfect for some breathing room.