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A Toast to High West Distillery

The Park City ski area has had a lot of changes over this past year, with the opening of the new Montage resort in Deer Valley and the unveiling of both the Waldorf Astoria Park City and Hyatt Escala Lodge at Canyons ski area. But my favorite debut is the first distillery to open in Utah since Prohibition, High West Distillery and Saloon. One snifter of the small-batch rye whiskey and you might suddenly have that extra edge you need to attempt that black diamond trail. Remember it’s the whiskey talking, son, so don’t do anything rash.
 

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Row 34, A Great Addition to Portsmouth

Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is a smaller version of Portland, Maine, with its own great dining scene, one that I discuss in an upcoming story for Yankee Magazine. A 75-minute drive north of Boston, it’s ideal for dinner or an overnight. Lisa and I stayed at the Ale House Inn for a night in October and had a fun visit. This past Wednesday, I met my friend, Joel, in town from Seattle at Row 34. This is the sister restaurant to Row 34 in Boston’s Seaport District, a favorite that I always put on itineraries for clients headed to Boston and New England. We sat outdoors and dined on lobster rolls and a shrimp banh mi. They also feature their Row 34 oysters, farmed locally in Duxbury, Massachusetts, by one of the co-owners, Skip Bennett. If you can’t find a room at the Alewife Inn, check out the Residence Inn, just down the block from Row 34 and within easy walking distance of the historic buildings at Strawberry Banke and other excellent dining spots like Franklin Oyster House. 

 
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Time to Go Apple Picking

There’s no better fall activity in New England than hitting an orchard, trying the variety of apples, buying homemade cider, and tasting the warm, just made doughnuts. We have photographs of the kids picking apples every year, and like the trees, they seem to sprout up far too quickly. My son has a short break from college and is coming home tonight, so I’m hoping to get to the orchards on Sunday. I’m a fan of cortlands and macs, which are probably gone by now, but I don’t care. It will be great to get out there and climb those trees, even when I’m not supposed to be climbing those trees! Have a great Columbus Day Weekend and keep active! 

 
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Book Rooms Now For Next Summer’s Fête des Vignerons in Vevey, Switzerland

I had the pleasure of having lunch last week with PR Maven, Gayle Conran, and Cindy Maghenzani, head of communications for Switzerland’s Lake Geneva Region. They reminded me that next summer, from July 26 to August 11, 2019, the Fête des Vignerons or Winegrower’s Festival returns to the glorious lakeside town of Vevey, located between Lausanne and Montreux. Why is this significant? Because the event only occurs once every 20 years! Join singers, dancers, wine experts, and loads of other performers for the extravaganza. It would be wise to book rooms now to ensure you have a place to stay. Grand Hotel du Lac, the property Lisa and I stayed on our last visit is a great choice, especially since it’s celebrating its 150th birthday, as Everett Potter reports in his latest column for Forbes. While in Vevey, visit the relatively new Chaplin’s World, where Charlie Chaplin spent his last years, and the majestic Chillon Castle, always a must-see sight when I’m in the area. 

 
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You’re Never Too Old to Row Across the Atlantic

Earlier this year, I wrote about Leo Rosette, 59, of Marshfield, Massachusetts. Forced to retire from the US Marshals Service after 20 years, Rosette wanted to prove to himself that he wasn’t too old to try new things. Like rowing across the Atlantic Ocean! After 101 days living in a 5-by-3 foot boat, Rosette made it to Guadeloupe this week, becoming the oldest American to ever row across the Atlantic. He faced heavy storms, surging waves, blustery winds, and the hot sun, losing 30 pounds in the process. Yet, he was happy to reach terra firma, joking with reporters: “I don’t think I can row any farther.”
 

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Catch Trentemøller on His North American Tour

I have a good friend in Boston who’s a music critic and he often invites me out to catch bands I’ve never heard of. Last night, he invited me to see the Danish king of electronic music, Trentemøller, playing with a full band. As soon as we walked into this small danceclub, we knew we were in for one of those special and rare musical moments. Man, it was rocking with a funky bass, fast-playing electric guitar and drums, and Trentemøller’s hypnotic and very unique grooves on the synthesizer. Every now and then, a woman would sing high above the music to produce an ethereal quality. People were dancing their asses off as the music blared through the venue. You couldn’t help but shake in your shoes the groove was that good. I agreed with the guy behind me who was screaming, "Sign Me Up!" Boston was the start of their tour in North America and if you live any where near any of these cities, I would definitely check it out. It was that much fun!
 

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Hike the Brandywine Gorge Trail, Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Nestled between Akron and Cleveland along a 22-mile corridor of the Cuyahoga River is one of America’s newest national parks, Cuyahoga Valley. This pastoral chunk of land attracts horseback riders who ride on meadows in a former farmstead, bikers who pedal along the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath, and hikers who take advantage of the 125 miles of paths. The highlight of the park is the 1.5-mile Brandywine Gorge Trail that leads to one of the prettiest waterfalls in the Midwest, Brandywine Falls. At a height of only 60 feet, Brandywine is not a long drop. Instead, it’s terraced like the tiers of a wedding cake, with frothy water tumbling down the color of a creamy white frosting. The boardwalk brings you right up to the falls, surrounded by moss-covered stone and shaded by a stand of eastern hemlocks. Once you get your fill of Brandywine, visit the two other waterfalls in the park, Blue Hen and Buttermilk. 

 

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