The Joy of Kirkwood

Lake Tahoe ski area's dynamite terrain and distinctive flavor

Kirkwood, the southernmost ski area in the Lake Tahoe orbit, is neither the largest nor the most famous  resort in the region. Then again, it is not the smallest or most obscure either. Like Baby Bear's Porridge, it is just right. While it participates in the Ski Lake Tahoe interchangeable lift pass that includes free daily bus from South Lake Tahoe, it feels like a separate world apart. With the lakeshore more than 30 miles away,it feels Sierra Nevada summits and valleys. It is also a self-contained ski resort with lodging stretching between to base areas and a small mall that is designated as Kirkwood's village. Every ski resort now has to have a village, doesn't it?

The ski terrain is stunning and so are the views. Four skiable/snowboardable peaks. A wonderful set-apart beginner area with the children's ski school at the base. For intermediate, advanced and expert snowriders, trails, slopes and bowls facing in virtually every compass direction so it is possible to ski or ride in the sun. Abundant wide cruising runs. Plenty of places to go off-piste. Snowcat skiing beyond the lift-served boundaries. Natural half-pipes. Hike-to terrain for those willing to earn their turns. A fine cross-country and snowshoe center for guests who prefer gentler winter pleasures.

With a higher base elevation (7,800 feet) than other Tahoe-area resorts, it tends to to capture lighter, fluffier snow, and with more conventional-speed lifts than high-speed uphill people overs and traverses from one sector to another, powder at Kirkwood tends to linger longer than at other Tahoe resorts. I skied there recently several midweek days after a storm, and while I didn't find any untracked powder, a lot of off-piste acreage remained unpacked.

Like much larger and more elaborate Squaw Valley on Lake Tahoe's North Shore, Kirkwood is crowned by chutes, cliffs and cornices to lure thrill-seeking experts.  

Kirkwood, 1501 Kirkwood Meadows Drive, Kirkwood, California 95646; 209-258-6000 (main number) 877-KIRKWOOD (snow conditions).

Earthbound Friendships Can Start in the Travel Blogosphere

After Emailing back and forth, we met fellow travel bloggers in real life and real time

I can't recall whether I found Audre and Dimitri's A Traveling Love Affair blog, or whether they found mine, but I've been reading about the peripatetic life with a lot of admiration and a little bit of envy, and we have occasionally corresponded. They have been traveling the world since 1995, by plane, train, bus, motorcycle, bicycle and automobile. Their individual itineraries are epic, starting with a nine-month trip from Jakarta, Indonesia, where they had worked to Istanbul, Turkey, where they spent five months. Most recently they traveled from Santiago, Chile, to Denver for a planned half year in Colorado.

When I found out they they were her, we speeded up our correspondence with an intention to meet personally. Yesterday, the intention to get together became reality. We were expecting a FedEx shipment of four fresh lobsters from Maine, and when I learned in the last minute that there would be six, I invited Audre and Dimitri in the last minute. They were free and joined us. You can read about our dinner here, but the interesting part, for me, is how in the 21st century, people we meet in the cyber-community of travel bloggers can easily turn into face-to-face friendships. When we follow each others blogs, we know quite a bit about each other before we ever shake hands.

This was the third time this year that I met a fellow blogger. Last March, travel blogger and travel ombudsman Christoper Elliott and I happened to be in Durango at the same time. I managed to catch him and his wife at the tail end of their breakfast, and we spent a bit of quality time over a cup of coffee before we went our separate ways. You can read about our coincidental presence in Durango here.

And from the food blogging community, I met Massachusetts blogger Don Lesser and got together with him, his wife and his sister when they came to Colorado for a wedding. They wanted Mexican food, and I wrote about our dinner at Juanita's here.

It's wonderful to put faces to cyberspace relationships, which is yet another thing that I've learned to treasure about the travel blogosphere.

American Airlines Levies a Standby Fee

Leaving on an earlier flight now carries a cost on the country's second-largest airline

Another formerly free airline service will soon require payment of a hefty charge on one more carrier -- this time, the second-largest in the land. Starting with tickets bought from February 22, American Airlines will charge $50 to passengers standing by for an earlier flight. The exceptions, of course, are elite members of the AAdvantage program, first, business and full-fare coach class passengers and military personnel, who still can fly standby without a charge. In a great example of airline newspeak, American claimed that it wasn't about the money but to improve the the boarding process by reducing crowd of hopeful standbys around the podiums. Yeah, right!

But wait! There's more! American recently announced that after May 1, it would begin charging non-elite passengers $8 for the use of a blanket and pillow on domestic , Hawaii and Western Hemisphere flights. Cynic that I am, I wonder whether they'll begin cranking up the air conditioning (or heating the cabin less) so that more passengers will be chilly enough to be willing to fork over 8 bucks for the privilege of being comfortable in the air. In the first and business cabins, and on overseas routes, blankets and pillows will still be free.

Other carriers also charge standbys. The fine print varies, but airlines charging for non-elite-level standbys include Continental ($25-$50) and Delta ($50); United surprisingly allows passengers to stand by free but charges $75 for specific seat requests. At Southwest, some passengers may pay a fare differential fee. While American is not the only carrier sock standbys with this additional fee, but two add-on charges announced in less than a month really underscores how deceptive low fares can be by the time you finish paying all the add-ons.

Free Airport WiFi Increasing

Weather-related delays spotlight the importance of this airport amenity

With storm upon storm crippling important Mid-Atlantic airports, on top of the chronic winter messes in New York, Chicago, New England and San Francisco, departure delays and missed connections seem more of a problem than ever. Reading a book or magazine, staring at CNN on monitors at the gate area or watching televised sports at a bar along the concourse is always an option, but in this obsessively wired time, there seem to be "better" ways to spend spare hours.

During the Thanksgiving to post-Christmas period when Google sponsored a very welcome "Free WiFi for the Holidays" promotion that ended on January 15, many delayed, stranded and connecting passengers got a taste of complimentary Internet access at airports across the land, even where they had not previous existed. Click here for my enthusiastic post when the service was announced. As I wrote then, I'm spoiled by Denver International Airport's free WiFi service, and whenever I have a spare half-hour or more in my home airport, I try to catch up on E-mail, write a quick blog post or do some quick research about wherever I'm heading. Last May, I had extra hours at San Francisco International Airport because of a lengthy mechnical delay. SFO did and still does have for-pay T-Mobil WiFi service. I paid but resented it.

Harriet Baskas, who covers airports for USA Today and also blogs at Stuck at the Airport, seems to be of the same mind as I. Her latest column, "Free Airport Wi-Fi takes Off," reviewed the status of others where WiFi is available. The USToday Airport Guide covers the country's top 25 airports with info about location, public transportation from the city parking, security checkpint, shopping food -- and WiFi and electronics charging stations availability.  And happily, free WiFi is is become ever more prevalent. Maybe it will even eventually come to SFO.

Rebirth for New Orleans' Roosevelt Hotel

Landmark Roosevelt Hotel, shuttered since in 2005, scheduled to reopen next spring

Having grown up in southwestern Connecticut with the Waldorf-Astoria as an icon in nearby Hew York, it's been strange to think of this grand mid-town Manhattan hotel as being part of the Hilton chain, and I'm find it even odder that there can be a Waldorf-Astoria anyplace but on the block between Park and Lex, and between 49th and 50th Streets. But my own reactions aside, I'm happy that New Orleans' revered Roosevelt Hotel (shown in an old postcard), closed since Hurricane Katrina more than three years ago, is coming back as a "Waldorf=Astoria Collection® Hotel" -- that odd-ball equal sign and trademark registration mark being the company's idea, not mine. Punctuation notwithstanding, the Waldorf-Astoria name carries a great deal of weight in the hospitality business.

The Roosevelt opened in 1893 as the Grunewald Hotel. The Cave at the Grunewald is thought by some people to have been the first nightclub in the US. In 1923, before "rebranding" had a name, it was rebranded as The Roosevelt to honor President Theodore Roosevelt. In 1965, a new owner renamed it The Fairmont, but locals still called it The Roosevelt. The renovation, reported by the Times-Picayune more than a year ago, is nearing realization and will be another important step in the city's long, difficult recovery.

When The Roosevelt reopens, planned for late spring 2009, it will have 505 rooms, including 125 luxury suites. The $135 million renovation will provide the usual bells and whistles: fine-dining and cocktail venues; "an entertainment space guaranteed to rival any other in the Gulf South"; state-of-the-art meeting and convention facilities; a 12,000-square-foot and fitness center; business center; private dining and suite butler service; outdoor pool and courtyard, and a specialty gift shop.

In more than a century of operation, The Roosevelt had its place in local history. Notorious Louisiana Governor Huey P. Long spent so much time in his suite that, according to Louisiana legend, he even built a 90-mile highway directly from the state capitol in Baton Rouge to the hotel. The Roosevelt also is known as having inspired Arthur Haley's 1965 bestseller, Hotel. People who recall that era will be thrilled about the restoration of the hotel, the reopening of the hotel's famed Blue Room and legendary Sazerac Bar.

In the golden era of supper clubs from the 1930s to the 1960s, the Blue Room hosted big-name entertainers, including Tony Bennett, Louis Armstrong, Ethel Merman and Sonny and Cher. New York-born Lou Kelener led the orchestra in the Blue Room from 1945 to 1971. He died in 2000, before Hurricane Katrina devastated his adopted city, but he would surely have been pleased to see "his" Blue Room restored with gleaming chandeliers and polished architectural details. The Sazerac Bar again will serve its signature Sazerac and Ramos Gin Fizz, two cocktails invented in New Orleans and popularized by The Roosevelt.

The Roosevelt is located at Baronne Street near Canal Street just outside the French Quarter. Stay tuned for a phone number and other details.

Beaver Creek's Marvelous Ice Music

Ice music in Beaver Creek's Crystal Grotto is a wondrous thing


A large, two-lobed igloo with stadium seating at the top of Beaver Creek's Centennial Express lift serves as the recital hall for a group of musicians who play on instruments made of ice. It is all the brainchild of Tim Linhart, long-time ice sculptor. He arrived in the Vail Valley in 1989 from Taos, New Mexico, began carving ice and has been doing so ever since. This winter, he has taken ice sculpture to the next level by designing a structure and creating instruments mostly of ice on which what he calls "ice music" can be played.

Over the years, he has sculpted eight playable violins, seven guitars, 15 cellos, a xylophone, an assortment of flutes, violas and his spin on a pipe organ that he calls a Rolandophone. The ice instruments change colors and cast different hues on the ice walls as the musicians play a mixture of pop, sing-along and country.

To create string instruments, Linhart packs a mixture of snow and water onto plastic instrument forms, then puts the top and bottom in a mold and crafts the sidewalls. He attaches the standard violin or guitar nack and regular strings. Percussion instruments are all ice. He and the musicians who play together are captivated by the clear, haunting sounds produced by ice instruments.

Crystal Grotto is the name for the cojoined igloos where ice music is performed this season. Remaining performances are at 1:00 and 3:00 p.m. on February 12, 13, 14, 20, 21, 27 and 28,  March 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 26, 27 and 28, and April 3 and 4. Guests must have a lift ticket or foot pass for one roundtrip chairlift ride.Crystal Grotto tickets may be purchased in advance or (space available) on performance day. Lift tickets are sold at the Beaver Creek Ticket Office. Crystal Grotto tickets are $10 for the 45-minute performance (except the 3:00 Saturday show when children 12 and under are free). When you enter and are offered a foam cushion, take two. And prepare to be totally enchanted.

Mexican Day of the Dead, Colorado-Style, Coming Up

Merry skeletons and plastic flowers contrast with Anglo Halloween

Right after Halloween with its spooky undertones and trick-or-treating comes El Diá de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead celebrated in Mexico, in Mexican-American communities and in parts of Central America. Actually, it is two days (November 1 and 2) and is the time when families celebrate "with" their deceased relatives by visiting cemeteries, straightening out graves, leaving bread and other favorite foods and beverages, replacing faded flowers (usually plastic, because fresh don't last) with new ones and keeping a companionable vigil that includes a merry picnic with their departed loved ones. It is a respectful day but one when happy memories are recalled.

Although the holiday is a melding of indigenous pre-Hispanic and Catholic traditions, the most distinctive iconography is of skeletons in everyday clothing and common settings. Decorating "sugar skulls" is part of the ritual. It is interesting that while Anglo Halloween traditions involve going out and getting stuff (i.e., candy) from other people, the Mexican tradition is to stay with the family, living or not, and give something to the deceased.

My husband and I fortunately happened to be in San Jose del Cabo during the Day of the Dead a few years ago, so of course, we visited the local cemetery. A display on the town plaza explained what the celebration was all about, and vendors of plastic stood set up at the cemetery gates. We walked through the graveyard, watching families perform and sensing that it was wonderful for families to remember the departed joyfully and respectfully.

I'll be right here, north of the border, for the rest of the week, but "Day of the Dead Changes, Grows" in today's Denver Post reminded me that we don't have travel from Colorado. "As it traveled north from its rural Mexican roots, the Day of the Dead has evolved from a simple Memorial Day-type family picnic to honor loved ones, into a lively public celebration of art and culture," wrote reporter Kristen Browning-Blas.

She also provided some background on the celebration and listed local places to see and get a taste of it. I think I'll try to get to the Longmont Museum & Cultural Center (right) and/or CU's Museum of Natural History to check out their displays. Longmont's collaborative exhibition was done with Ciudad Guzmán, its sister city in Mexico, and includes a series of special events, most were last week and earlier this week, but a couple, including a family celebration on November 1, are still to come. Check the museum's calendar for details.

In "Celebrating the Day of the Dead's Delicious Side" in today's San Francisco Chronicle by Gaby Carnacho, who grew up in Tijuana, who wrote, "Brightly colored tissue paper cutouts, or papel picado, decorate cemeteries as well as the homes of the deceased person's family as a signal to the soul that festivities await them on earth. The most significant offerings, though, are the food and beverages that people put on the altars; the deceased's favorite beer, candy and street foods are put on display while those keeping vigil often enjoy more traditional foods."

Maybe I'll be in Mexico or perhaps San Antonio or El Paso sometime in the future, but meanwhile, celebrations and displays right here in Colorado will hold me.