Historic Vegas, Baby!

I swear, I’m not an old fogey. I just like history. And I’m not much of a gambler. So, when I’m in Las Vegas for one meeting or another, I try to find any remnants of “old Vegas.”

It’s harder than it sounds in a city that recreates itself every few years and—even during these tough economic times—is growing like mad. Let’s start with a couple of old-time casinos (it IS Vegas, after all).

The Golden Gate Casino is the oldest casino-hotel still in operation, having opened in 1906 as the Hotel Nevada. It survived the 22 years when gambling was outlawed (1909-1931) by offering “first class” rooms, some of which remain in use today. A great feature of the Golden Gate is the $1.99 shrimp cocktails (no, that’s not a typo).

Another historic casino-hotel is the Sahara, which opened in the early 1950s and was probably the first opulent property to open in Las Vegas, with the area’s first Olympic-sized swimming pool. It retains a tiny bit of an historic feel, but the rooms have been redone very nicely indeed. And you may remember that it is one of the five hotels robbed by the Rat Pack in the original Ocean’s Eleven.

Standing as a historic testament to kitsch is the famous Little Church of the West. It’s on the National Register of Historic Places and, in its various locations, has played host to more than 100,000 newly married couples in its 60-year existence.

Next on the list is the Old Mormon Fort, considered by many to be the birthplace of Las Vegas, and certainly the oldest historic building in the area. Originally just a stopover for travelers on the trail between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles, this area featured a natural springs and greenery, leading early explorers to name the area Las Vegas (“the meadows”). It’s known as Old Mormon Fort because in 1855 the Mormon Church thought this would be a great place for a settlement and built the fort that you can see today in 1855, just a few miles from the city’s main casinos.

The final stop on my tour of “Lost Vegas” is the Huntridge Theatre, which has an indirectly personal connection. For a few years, I spent quite a bit of time with Jerry Lewis—long story—and he once gave me a behind-the-scenes tour of the theatre, where he performed many times. It stands now as an example of Las Vegas’s willingness to trash the past, as its future remains in doubt despite being an architectural landmark AND having hosted top acts like the Rolling Stones, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Green Day.

Finally, I believe this statistic still holds true: On a per-capita basis, more Minnesotans visit Sin City than people from any other state (at least, we’re in the top five). Here’s hoping that you’ll get out of the casinos even for a little while to see what’s left of the city’s history . . . before it’s gone.

Blood, Sweat, and . . . Something Else

Ah, the smell of urine. It always will remind me of New Orleans’s French Quarter, thanks to the numbers revelers in town just to party for Mardi Gras or a trade show.

Sadly, “party” is mostly what people think about when they think of New Orleans. I, on the other hand, think of it for its history, recent and long past. In particular, during my most recent visit to the Crescent City, I was struck by how little had been done, even three years after Hurricane Katrina, to repair the poorer parts of the city.

Going back a little longer, though, New Orleans has been the site of many key battles, thanks to its key strategic location at the mouth of the Mississippi River. Unfortunately, they all seem to be known as the “Battle of New Orleans.”

The first, and likely best-known, battle took place during the War of 1812. It actually took place in 1815, after England and the United States had agreed to peace terms in 1814, although before the war was declared officially “over.” In this Battle of New Orleans, Andrew Jackson defeated a superior British force of the British in about 30 minutes. He pardoned and then enlisted Jean Lafitte to help win—an interesting decision that allowed the French pirate to live out his days as a respectable U.S. citizen. While many saw Lafitte as a liberator, others described him as a “butcher.” In early January, the National Park Service will host several events to commemorate the battle at the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, where you can visit the battlefield itself, as well as Chalmette National Cemetery.

A second Battle of New Orleans took place during the Civil War, when Union Admiral David Farragut captured the vitally important city with virtually no damage to his fleet. Visit Fort Pike—between Lake Pontchartrain and Lake St. Catherine—to see what life was like for soldiers posted here during the Civil War. Note that this was the last national park to open following Katrina and was heavily damaged during the storm.

 Taking a completely different approach to history, I would be remiss not to mention New Orleans’s illustrious jazz history. Long considered the birthplace of jazz, the city features the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park—yes, another national park. With a visit to the park, which features live performances and presentations many days of the week, you can get a taste of how important jazz is to the fabric of New Orleans.

I feel a little embarrassed to recommend high-end hotels, but visitors have to sleep somewhere, and I was struck by the local nature and commitment to the city at the following places:

• Hotel Le Pavillon is a good-sized hotel with some of the best service I have ever received from a hotel. Staffers will even accompany you wherever you want to go, should you need it. Plus, Le Pavillon features grandeur from a different age.

• Ashton’s Bed and Breakfast: It’s close to the French Quarter but far enough away to still be quiet and private and lovely.

On the food side of things, New Orleans does it like few others. The list of excellent places to eat is long—Antoine’s, Arnaud’s, Brennan’s and Broussard’s come to mind—but finding those lesser-known gems can be a challenge. Here are a couple I found superb:

• Stella! offers an interesting mixture of food, and an outstanding wine list that has gained national recognition.

• Mother’s Restaurant represents a different, more earthy, experience. If you go, you’ll get a blast of N’Awlins food with plenty of cold beer at a great price. As the current owner says about his diners: “Every gets fed. Everybody comes back.”

Finally, if you have a little extra time, tour some of the hardest hit parts of New Orleans. It will give you an appreciation for the damage that can be caused and sustained by neglect and mismanagement. For example, many parts of the Ninth Ward still look like a war zone; you can even take a “Catastrophe Tour,” offered by Gray Line Tours.

In contrast, Musicians’ Village offers a glimmer of hope. With beautiful little pastel homes built in the classic local style, the area shows what private citizens—aided by a little celebrity cachet, thanks to Branford Marsalis and Harry Connick, Jr.—can do to improve the plight of New Orleanians.

My Blue Heaven

As we descended to the airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, a colleague of mine said, “I thought Minnesota was green. This place puts the land of 10,000 lakes to shame!”

What caused my colleague’s reaction was the portion of the Appalachian Mountains that runs through the western part of North Carolina. This time of year—which is a great time to head south, by the way—many of the 120 species of tree in North Carolina have donned their “amazing Technicolor dream coats,” and are less green, more yellow, red, orange, and deep brown.

Before we leave our landing place, let me put in a plug for Charlotte. People who live there seem to feel a bit of an inferiority complex, thanks to being referred to as a “poor man’s Atlanta” for some time. However, Charlotte need not hang its head, with a number of interesting neighborhoods, a good business climate and lots of entertainment options.

I had dinner one night at Bonterra, and wow! It features a very broad selection of wines—more than 200 by the glass—and a number of great small plates. I particularly recommend the “Peeky-Toe Crab Cake,” even though I have no idea where the name comes from. Finish up your dinner with the Grand Marnier soufflé with dark-chocolate ice cream.

From Charlotte, it’s a fairly undemanding drive to the mountains of North Carolina, which are considered some of the oldest on earth. You can visit Mount Mitchell, considered the tallest mountain in the eastern United States at more than 6,600 feet. From the Blue Ridge Parkway, it’s a short drive to Mount Mitchell, followed by a quarter-mile, easy hike to the “summit.” In fact, it’s so easy that I made it to the top with a six-month-old strapped to my chest.

Speaking of hiking . . . Several hikes along the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway will take your breath away. Top of my list would be the Linville Gorge Trail, which is short but very strenuous. It’s worth the effort, though, for the view you get of Linville Falls.

One of my favorite spots for setting up home base is the funky town of Blowing Rock, near milepost 300 on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The only full-service town on the Blue Ridge Parkway, Blowing Rock was named for a nearby outcropping where, legend has it, many years ago a young Indian brave was saved from certain death when the prevailing winds blew him back up onto the rock from which he jumped.

A great place to stay in Blowing Rock is the Chetola Resort. If possible, I recommend staying in the Bob Timberlake Inn. The proprietors have done a truly remarkable job restoring an old property; it was hard leaving the library at all.

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t sing the praises of the Blue Ridge Parkway, also known as “America’s Favorite Drive.” More than 50 years in the making, and 469 miles long, the road features a variety of topographies that will keep your interest the entire time.

Meet Me in St. Louis

In recent years, I have been in St. Louis a LOT. I have hesitated to write about my visits, however, because—thanks primarily to the reason for my spending so much time there—my feelings toward the city are, at best, ambivalent.

Having started with that cryptic opening, let me say, brutally unpredictable weather notwithstanding, that Meet me in St. Louis would be a good thing to hear, as the area has much to recommend. Let's touch on a few.

When people think of St. Louis, if they do, a few things probably come to mind: Eero Saarinen's Gateway Arch, the Mississippi River, maybe the Cardinals.

The Arch, completed in 1965, is part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Park, which was established in 1935 to honor Thomas Jefferson and the westward expansion of the United States, accelerated by the Louisiana Purchase. Many people think the Arch is just a cool-looking sculpture on the banks of the Mississippi.

In addition to being able to ride to the top of the Arch via tram—not for claustrophobes—you can enter the Arch from either the south or north leg. On the north side, you can see photos and read about construction of the Arch, while on the south side, you'll learn about life along the St. Louis waterfront during the 1800s.

The Museum of Westward Expansion (its formal name) has a strong focus on Lewis & Clark, as you would expect, with some of the rarest artifacts you will see anywhere. For me, the most interesting parts of the exhibit showed how people in St. Louis lived nearly 200 years ago.

Just a couple of blocks away, you can visit the Historic Old Courthouse, where the Dred Scott case was tried. It's an amazing building, with gorgeous murals by famous artists throughout, but what most captures my imagination is a courtroom that has been restored to precisely how it would have been in the 1860s.

Sticking to our historic theme, and remaining within a few-block radius, I also recommend a visit to the City Museum. Opened about 10 years ago, it's unlike a lot of museums. Sure, it features opportunities to learn, but really it's about the guts of the city. By integrating everyday items like chimneys and brick facades into the displays, you get a feel for the city almost by "osmosis."

Finally, if you’re staying downtown and want to eat nearby, I will happily recommend a couple of restaurants near everything in this post:

• 400 Olive Urban Grille offers pretty heavy-duty dinners with lots of meat and good, quick lunches. The smoked prime rib sandwich makes for a very tasty, if sleep-inducing, lunch.

• J. Buck's makes the cut not so much because of its food—although that part of my experience exceeded my expectations—but because it was started by iconic sports announcer Jack Buck. Part shrine, part "American-style" restaurant and bar, this place is part of the fabric of St. Louis.

If you're interested in getting away from the city center, take a cab to The Hill, St. Louis's "Little Italy." Pretty much any Italian restaurant in this neighborhood will be excellent; I particularly enjoyed Zia's. Sorry, but I can't in good conscience recommend any other type of restaurant in this area.

I referred at the beginning of this post to Meet Me In St. Louis, a nod to a 1944 film starring Judy Garland. It offered an easy opening, yes, but the reference also allowed me to slip in a little obscure history. To wit: We can thank that movie for giving us Liza Minnelli, as Vicente Minnelli directed the film. Judy later married Vicente, and they had lovely (and loony) Liza.

And thank you for indulging my enjoyment of strange trivia!

Seattle, aka Oz

When it’s sunny, as it is more often than people think, the “Emerald City” of Seattle is one of the most beautiful cities around. It reminds me of San Francisco without so much dirt. Of course, when it’s raining in Seattle, as it does for months at a time, it’s still a nice place, but slightly more annoying—what with having to bring an umbrella everywhere.

Seattle seems to run on espresso and technology, so I’ll hit a couple of highlights of both. But I’ll also introduce a few things outside of those realms that might be of interest.

On the topic of caffeine, it’s generally known that Starbucks got its start in Seattle. What you may not know is that the original store still exists and that it is in historic Pike Place Market, so it looks like it did when it opened in 1971. I have to say that I actually prefer Tully’s, another Seattle coffee chain, but one that’s not quite so corporate.

Speaking of Pike Place Market... Everybody goes there for the “fish tossing,” which is fine. I also go there to eat at Bacco. It offers great Italian food and does its best to use only the freshest foods from the Pike Place Market.

On the technology side, Bill Gates’s house has become a Seattle landmark. Not sure you’ll get inside the 66,000-square-foot, $150-million spread on Lake Washington, but if you do get an invitation, be sure to ask to see Leonardo da Vinci’s 16th-century notebook, the Codex Leicester.

As for a place you might actually be able to see in person, consider visiting the Experience Music Project (EMP)/Science Fiction Hall of Fame (SFH). The EMP focuses on telling the story of rock and roll by tracing its roots in other genres. SFM is the first museum dedicated to science fiction writers, publishers, artists and filmmakers. Both the EMP and SFH are housed in a Frank Gehry-designed building that’s worth seeing in its own right. (I admit that I don’t quite understand why two such disparate experiences are under one roof.)

Now, for a little trip off the coffee/technology path… Elliott Bay Book Co. store has become one of my favorite book stores anywhere (and that’s saying something). It is what I think a book store should be, with a wide and deep selection, very knowledgeable staff, and almost daily literary events. Plus it’s a neighborhood place, where you can feel the pulse of the city, and the Elliott Bay Café offers a nice place to take a break from wandering the city.

On a completely different note, if you have a car and a little time, visit Lake Quinault and the Quinault Rain Forest. It’s probably a three-hour drive, but the rain forest is one of only three coniferous rain forests in the Western Hemisphere. The Quinault Rain Forest Loop Drive is an eye-boggling 30-mile drive around the lake, where you may see elk and deer, bobcats and black bears, and almost certainly eagles. With spectacular views of the Olympic Mountains, you may not want to get out of the car, but if you do, bring rain gear—the forest gets an average of 144 inches of rain a year!

Next time you visit the Emerald City, try to “look behind the [shower] curtain” and see more than what’s expected.