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My Favorite Bike Ride on Cape Cod

Cape Cod is so close to Boston that I often drive there on a day trip, which is exactly what we did yesterday to meet my cousin, Peter, and his family in town from Dallas. I took them on a ride we do each summer. We start on Main Street in Orleans in the lot next to Orleans Cycle and head out on the Cape Cod Rail Trail toward Eastham. Soon we pass the velvety marsh, where red-winged blackbirds sit atop the swaying cattails and cormorants dry their wings on floating docks. At Locust Road, we veer right off the CCRT and cross over Route 6 to reach the Cape Cod National Seashore Visitor Center. This is the start of a 2-mile bike trails that sweeps up and down through the forest and marsh, leaving you off at Coast Guard Beach, recently named one of the top 10 beaches in America. However, I think the beach up the road, Nauset Light, is even more scenic, backed by towering dunes. We lock up our bikes and walk down to the sweeping beach. Yesterday, there was at least 20 seals popping their heads out of the surf. 

 
Once back on the bikes, we take Cable Road past Three Sisters Lighthouses, three absurdly small lighthouses built in the mid-19th century. A left turn at the end of the road and a right turn on Brackett Road leads us back to the CCRT. Turn left towards Orleans and you’ll soon smell the fried clams of Arnold’s, a lobster-in-the-rough restaurant (cash only) beloved by my family. Stand in the long line (most likely out the door), order from their vast selection of seafood, including lobster, fried clams, scallops, shrimp, and mounds of tender onion rings and grab a seat at one of the outdoor picnic tables. Afterwards, play a round of miniature golf or grab a brownie sundae. Continue on the CCRT through a tunnel and you’ll arrive back at the Orleans Cycle parking lot in less than 30 minutes. A perfect summer outing. 
 
Nauset Lighthouse, Cape Cod 
 

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Four Seasons Makes Its Debut at Oahu’s Ko Olina Resort

Two summers ago, I had the pleasure of staying at the JW Marriott Ihilani Resort with the family on Oahu’s blossoming leeward coast. Part of the umbrella Ko Olina Resort (which also includes Disney’s Aulani and Marriott’s Ko Olina Beach Club), this is the quiet side of the island. We snorkeled with wild dolphins straight from the Ko Olina marina, saw the ring of Saturn one night stargazing through a powerful telescope, listened to live Hawaiian ukulele music on the beach, and dined at some of the finest restaurants on the island including Roy Yamaguchi and Peter Merriman’s Ko Olina outposts. After a yearlong, $500 million renovation, the JW Marriott Ihilani Resort has now transformed into the Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina. The Four Seasons had a lot to work with including spacious rooms with oversized balconies that offer expansive views of the ocean at night. We left the screen door open to hear the waves rolling ashore. The beachfront locale is also home to a stingray pool and a separate building that houses a large spa and tennis courts. I’m excited to see what the Four Seasons has done with the property. 

 
While we’re on the subject of the Four Seasons, the company just announced that they would take over management of the Viceroy Anguilla, a perennial client favorite. When it reopens in October, the property will be called the Four Seasons Resort and Private Residences Anguilla. It will be the second Four Seasons Resort in the Caribbean, along with Four Seasons Resort Nevis. 
 
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Top 5 Favorite Spring Drives, Asheville to Great Smoky Mountains

It actually hit 55 degrees in Boston on Saturday. After the hellish winter of arctic temperatures and far too much snow, that’s a miracle. Even better now that we have one more hour of daylight now that Daylight Savings Time is underway. Needless to say, most of America is ready to say goodbye to Polar Vortex and hello to Spring Fever. The five phenomenal drives I describe this week should get you in the mood.

 
The 80-mile stretch of roadway between Asheville and Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the Blue Ridge Parkway is a joy anytime of year, but it’s hard to top springtime when fragrant mountain laurel and colorful rhododendrons line the route. Get into the spring spirit by roaming the magnificent grounds of the Biltmore estate in Asheville. From beginning to late spring, the gardens come to life with the tulip bloom followed by multi-colored azaleas, rhododendrons, and roses in the resplendent rose garden. Spend the night at the historic Grove Park Inn, which turns 101 in 2014. 
 
Then it’s time to hit the High Country, where the drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway reaches its highest elevation at 6,047 feet, surrounded by row after row of ridges like the flanks of Mount Pisgah and Cold Mountain, the setting for the best-selling novel. There are numerous opportunities to stretch your legs and stroll to lonely mountain streams and waterfalls. Once in the Great Smoky Mountains, realize there are more than 1,600 kinds of flowering plants within the boundaries of the park, forming the best natural greenhouse in America. A good place to stop and smell the flowers is the self-guided Harwood Cove Nature Trail that begins at the Chimneys Picnic Area.
 
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Clark Art Institute Launches Free Snowshoe Program

Located in Williamstown in the Berkshire Mountains of western Massachusetts, Clark Art Institute is a treasure trove of Impressionist paintings by Monet, Degas, and no fewer than 30 works by Renoir. American artists are well represented by rooms of Homers, Sargents, and Remingtons. The grounds are also exquisite, set on 140 acres of rolling hills and forest. And now the museum wants you to venture outside as well as inside, offering visitors a chance to borrow a pair of snowshoes for free. The Clark has installed a snowshoe rack and benches adjacent to the west side of its Manton Research Center building. Snowshoes are available in three sizes for both adults and children to borrow. While there, see the Turner and Constable show, on view through March 10th, along with a show on Thomas Gainsborough’s drawings, on view through March 17th. 

 
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Salt Lake City’s Urban Renewal

Not unlike many cities in North America, the wide streets of downtown Salt Lake City were practically deserted once the business day ended. Workers might stay late to catch a performance of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir or have a business dinner at Christopher’s Prime Steakhouse, but there were relatively few options to lure you to the downtown corridor. 
 
Fast forward two decades later and Salt Lake City has become one of the most desirable cities to live in the country, a low-key version of Denver surrounded by similar majestic peaks. With its proximity to Alta, Snowbird, and Park City and the promise of a healthy lifestyle, Salt Lake City has seen a population explosion spurred on by folks yearning for a better quality of life. No longer is the city, home to the headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, lacking in diversity. In fact, the latest figures show that almost half of the population of 170,000 is not Mormon. An ethnic population hovering around 35 percent has led to an explosion of indigenous fare and a growing reputation as a foodie destination. Even a thriving bar scene has started to emerge downtown.
 
The full story on Salt Lake City’s urban renewal can be found in the November issue of Global Traveler magazine. 
 
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Backroads Family Breakaway to Switzerland, First Stop Kandersteg

Having just returned from Switzerland last night, I have to admit that the Backroads trip my family was just on was as close to perfection as it gets in the world of travel. It wasn’t merely the stunning Alps scenery around every bend or the two exceptional group leaders, Agata and Gosia, who led the 6-day jaunt seamlessly with a confident dose of professionalism and buoyant personalities. The families on this trip were wonderful, all yearning for a dose of adventure to celebrate a momentous occasion like a son or daughter soon leaving for their first year of college. After a week of hiking, biking, and kayaking together, swapping anecdotes about our lives, I consider them all friends. But the real reason I think this trip excelled was the itinerary. I’ve been on two other Backroads trips, biking around the Big Island and a multisport trip to Costa Rica, and spent far too much time in shuttles or transfers to the next destination. Switzerland, especially the Swiss Alps, is blessed with an intricate network of trains, gondolas, and ferries that can connect with endless opportunities for high adventure right outside your hotel doorstep. You never have to travel far.

Our first gondola ride took us from the small mountain resort town of Kandersteg up 5,500 feet to Oeschinensee, a glacially carved lake filled with cobalt blue waters. We hiked along the shoreline, passing under countless waterfalls, as we rose some 1,000 feet to a mountain hut. We peered up in awe at 12,000-feet Blümlisalp and its fresh coating of sparkling white snow atop its jagged-edged peak. A worthy introduction to these majestic mountains and their lofty altitudes. I would spend the rest of the week looking up at the staggering beauty every chance I had. 
 
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New Brunswick Week—The Reopening of the Algonquin Resort

First opened in 1889, the Tudor-style Algonquin Resort is one of a handful of classic resorts built by the Canadian Pacific Railroad, alongside other gems like Chateau Frontenac and the Fairmont Banff Springs. Based in the charming seaside town of Saint Andrews by-the-Sea on New Brunswick’s Bay of Fundy, the Victorian grande dame was in dire need of a facelift. Thankfully, New Castle Hotels and Southwest Properties came to the rescue, purchasing the hotel from the provincial government in 2012 intent on restoring the national treasure. After being closed for 18 months, the resort officially reopened yesterday with a celebratory ribbon-cutting. Unfortunately, I missed meeting the New Brunswick Premier because I had to first make a pitstop.
 
Talk to any local from St. John or Fredericton and mention that you’re on the way to St. Andrews and they’ll tell you to get off Route 1, Exit 45, for lunch at Ossie’s. The lobster-in-the-rough joint is known for its lobster rolls, fried clam plates, and extra-thick milkshakes. Being the Jane and Michael Stern fan that I am, there was no way I was going to miss this opportunity. The lobster roll was a mere ten bucks, with mounds of fresh lobster toppling out of the perfectly toasted bun. After devouring it in a matter of seconds, I drove down the road to another New Brunswick favorite, Oven Head Salmon Smokers. Taking advantage of the salmon farms found in the Bay of Fundy, owners Debbie and Joseph Throne have been smoking salmon since 1986. At President Obama’s inauguration, the smoked salmon came from here. I tried the smoked salmon, salmon jerky, and salmon pate and all were exceptional, the reason why people call with orders from as far as Japan. 
 
Less than 30 minutes later, I arrived at the Algonquin and its signature red roof, which never looked better. Inside the long lounge area and adjacent Braxton’s Bar, there’s now a sense of style that was sorely lacking. Toronto designer Robynne Moncur has added fireplaces, modern chandeliers, and innovative touches like century-old floor plans hanging from the walls. The rocking chairs are still found on the long verandah, now next to outdoor lighting and fire pits. On the second floor, spacious balconies have been added to 16 Patio Suites so that the chaise lounges can be bathed in morning sunshine. Across the street is a large indoor pool, new fitness area, and 3-story water slide. Complimentary bikes are available for a spin and Starbuck’s coffee is available in the gift shop for free. Add the signature 18-hole golf course, outdoor pool, and, of course the exemplary restaurants, boutique shopping, and whalewatching St. Andrews offers, and you understand why folks are excited about having a world-class resort back in town. It’s no surprise that The Algonquin is Canada’s first Autograph Collection hotel, Marriott International’s upscale portfolio of independent hotels.
 

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