lonely planet magazine (us) spring 2016 sample
DESCRIPTION
Uncover the Unexpected – at home and on the go. Designed exclusively with North American readers in mind, Lonely Planet offers fresh travel ideas, practical tips and advice, essential information and stunning photography. Every issue will contain travel discoveries, inspiring photographs and the stories behind them, trip ideas and more. The spring issue features Lonely Planet’s “Best in the U.S. 2016” list – a diverse mix of cities, regions and states across the country. Many of these destinations are overlooked and hidden gems, with new reasons to visit in 2016. International destinations include Sicily, Laos, Iceland and Argentina. Be sure to read the conversation with actor Andrew McCarthy about his life in travel.TRANSCRIPT
SPRING 2016
Uncover the
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TRAVEL WITH US TO
SICILY
LAOS
ICELAND
ARGENTINA
+25BEST PLACES IN AMERICA TO VISIT RIGHT NOW
BE
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/ IC
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TRAVEL WITH US TOTRAVEL WITH US TO
+25+25
FEATURES
page 44
2016 Best in the U.S. List
Where in the U.S. should you go this year? Try one of our 10 great destinations.
page 74
Two Sides to Argentina
Explore the contrasting landscapes and cultures of Argentina, from the urban allure of Buenos Aires to the Patagonian plains, where gauchos roam.
page 64
The Culture of Laos
Squeezed between Thailand and Vietnam, Laos combines some of the best elements of Southeast Asia in one bite-size destination.
page 54
Iceland’s Magic Circle
The 830-mile Ring Road will take you full circle around Iceland’s breathtaking countryside.
Spring 2016 Volume 2 / Number 1
// Barista at Porchlight
Coffee & Records, Seattle
All prices correct at press
time. Prices for hotel rooms
are for double, en suite rooms
in low season, unless other-
wise stated. Flight prices are
for the least expensive round-
trip ticket. JOD
Y H
OR
TO
N
“The real voyage of dis-
covery consists not in seeking
new landscapes, but in having
new eyes.”Marcel Proust
contentscontents
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easy trips
contents
// Olympic Sculpture Park,
Seattle
great escape p83An itinerary for exploring the gorgeous island of Sicily.
postcards p95Lonely Planet readers share their travel photos.
mini guides p101Buenos Aires
Eat your way through Argentina’s capital.
Croatia
Get to know the beach hot spot everyone is talking about.
Delhi
Discover historic sites, bazaars and delicious food in India’s capital territory.
Lisbon
Spend a night (or two) out on the town in Portugal’s hub.
Monaco
Do one of Europe’s glitziest, most expensive spots on a dime.
Hong Kong
Get the most out of a stopover in one of Asia’s most energetic cities.
JOD
Y H
OR
TO
N
globetrotter p7
5 Spots
A global list of the hot spots you need to know about now.
10 New Ways
Fall in love with the Big Apple all over again.
Amazing Places to Stay
Hotels that feature the best of technology.
Arrivals
Travel news.
Inside Knowledge
A cruising expert tells how to make the most of shore excursions.
Gear
Family travel essentials.
What to Eat Celebrated chef Zoi Antonitsas on what and where to eat in Seattle.
easy trips p33Ideas for seven spring getaways, including Charleston, San Diego and Toronto.
ON THE COVER:
// A tuk-tuk passes Wat Mai, one of the largest Buddhist temples in Luang Prabang, Laos. Cover Photo by Matteo Colombo/Getty Images
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WELCOME TO T H E S P R I N G E D I T I O N O F LO N E LY P L A N E T .
This issue is packed full of fresh travel ideas, whether you’re planning
a family, couple or solo adventure. We’ve included exotic journeys to
places like Laos (p. 64), as well as let’s-book-them-now getaways, such
as our top 10 U.S. destinations (p. 44) for 2016. There are some interest-
ing picks on this year’s top 10 list, and I have to admit I was surprised by
a few, in a good way.
We are also highlighting some spots that have been on my personal
list for quite some time: Sicily (p. 83), Argentina (p. 74) and Iceland
(p. 54). I’ve become totally enchanted by Sicily’s beautiful beaches, the
Argentinian spirit (the country is celebrating 200 years of independence
this year) and the otherworldly landscapes of Iceland. If you’re anything
like me you’ll be furiously marking pages and taking notes on all three
destinations.
Actor and travel writer Andrew McCarthy (p. 116) joins us to talk
about his journeys. I loved learning about how he made a second (!)
career in travel, and I enjoyed reading his anecdotes about traveling with
his kids. We all see travel through diff erent fi lters, and it’s a joy to see it
through Andrew’s eyes.
Also in this issue . . . Eat with us in culturally diverse Seattle (p. 26),
plan a weekend to sunny Charleston (p. 37) or thrilling Toronto (p. 34),
learn all about how to take advantage of free time on shore while cruising
(p. 20), and much more.
Happy travels,
Lauren
@laurenrfi nney
Here’s to a season full of possibilities and discoveries.
Here I am doing the EdgeWalk at the CN Tower in To-
ronto – it’s 1,100 feet in the air! Clearly, I was terrifi ed.
Charleston, where I have family, has always been a place of continual discov-ery for me, whether through the city’s distinctive food, history or culture.
Our Argentina feature highlights the contrasting cultures of Buenos Aires and Patagonia.
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5 SPOTS TO TALK ABOUT RIGHT NOW
10 NEW WAYS TO FALL IN LOVE WITH NEW YORK
AMAZING PLACES TO STAY THAT HAVE GONE HIGH-TECH
ARRIVALS TRAVEL NEWS GEAR FOR FAMILY TRAVEL
INSIDE KNOWLEDGE HOW TO PLAN SHORE EXCURSIONS
WHAT TO EAT . . . IN SEATTLE
globetrotterglobetrotterA WORLD OF TRAVEL NEWS AND DISCOVERIES
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LONELY P L ANE T / S p r i n g 2 0 1 610
1. FIND A MOMENT OF PEACE IN A SECRET GARDEN.
Lush, quiet gardens are all over the city, but not
everyone knows where to fi nd them. A few of our
favorite spots of respite include the garden at Church
of St. Luke in the Field and Jeff erson Market Garden,
both in the West Village, and the New York Marble
Cemetery, in the East Village. If you’re in midtown
and need some silence, visit Tudor City’s two parks
on East 42nd Street, or Greenacre Park, on 51st Street.
• greenthumbnyc.com
2. VISIT A FOUNDING FATHER’S HOME.
Thanks to the Broadway smash Hamilton, there’s
been an enormous interest in the life story of Alex-
ander Hamilton, one of the United States’ founding
fathers (you might know him as the face on the U.S.
10-dollar bill). Born in the West Indies, Hamilton
came to NYC at age 17 to study at Kings College
The Highline, on the west side of Manhattan ILLU
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globetrotter
(now Columbia University). After serving as the fi rst
Secretary of the Treasury, he commissioned a house
in the area now known as Hamilton Heights. It was
fi nished in 1802, two years before Hamilton was fa-
tally wounded in a duel with Vice President Aaron
Burr. The renovated house is now a National Park
Service site at St. Nicholas Park.
• Admission is free; nps.gov/hagr
3. CHECK OUT BROOKLYN’S CHERRY BLOSSOMS.
Each April and May the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is
abloom with dozens of varieties of fl owering cherry
trees, making it one of the best blossom viewing sites
outside of Japan. Take a stroll through the Cherry
Esplanade and the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden
when the trees are in bloom.
• Admission $12 (free Tuesday and 10–noon Saturday);
bbb.org
Think you know all about the Big Apple?
Take another look. From spring cherry
blossoms in Brooklyn to craft beers in the
East Village, here are some lesser-known
ways to enjoy the city.
By Lauren Finney
10 NEW WAYS TO FALL IN LOVE WITH . . .
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EAST VILLAGE MERRY.10
4. BOARD A TRAIN IN BLOOMINGDALE’S.
If you head to the sixth floor of Bloomingdale’s 59th Street
flagship location and walk through the housewares depart-
ment, you’ll find Le Train Bleu, a restaurant designed like
the luxury French night express train the Calais-Mediterranée
Express. Open since 1979, Le Train Bleu has stayed relatively
hidden as a mostly-locals spot to enjoy a delicious lunch or
brunch while taking a break from all the retail therapy.
• Entrees from $18; bloomingdales.com
5. GRAB BAKED GOODIES IN THE LOBBY.
Follow your nose to Arcade Bakery, in a Tribeca office build-
ing on Church Street and you’ll be rewarded with pains
au chocolat, babkas and other irresistible baked goods, all
made fresh in the lobby. A former ATM vestibule is now
the serving counter, and drop-down tables are tucked into
cozy wood-paneled cubbies – but can you make it that far
before devouring your baguette-dough pizza?
• Babka from $4, pizza from $9; arcadebakery.com
6. EXPERIENCE MAGIC AT THE WALDORF ASTORIA.
In an elegant suite of the storied Waldorf Astoria hotel,
Steve Cohen, aka The Millionaires’ Magician, is putting on
one of the best shows in Manhattan. Chamber Magic, featur-
ing Cohen’s mind reading tricks, sleights of hand and more,
will impress even the most skeptical of guests.
• Tickets from $85; chambermagic.com
The food at Jimmy’s No. 43
globetrotter
Next door to the build-
ing that was demolished
in the 2014 East Village
gas explosion is subter-
ranean watering hole
Jimmy’s No. 43, whose
kitchen was devastated
by the blast. Jimmy’s is a
real neighborhood joint,
full of dark wood, low
lighting and question-
able characters – and
excellent craft beers
and ciders. Adding to
the mix in an only-in-
New-York pairing is Tito
King’s
Kitchen,
a Thai
and
Filipino
street food venture
from chef King Pho-
janakong, now serving
out of Jimmy’s. Because
nothing goes together
like pork belly adobo
tacos and IPAs.
• Open from 2 p.m.
weekdays, from 1 p.m.
weekends; jimmysno43
.com
7. CELEBRATE CARNEGIE HALL’S 125TH YEAR.
On May 5 the historic concert hall will celebrate its 125th
anniversary with a gala and performances from renowned
artists including Renée Fleming, Yo-Yo Ma, Jessye Norman
and James Taylor. Performances throughout the season
range from student recitals to the San Francisco Symphony.
Check the website for the schedule of public walk-in tours.
• Tour tickets $17; carnegiehall.org
8. VISIT AN URBAN ROOFTOP FARM.
Brooklyn Grange was formed in 2010 as an urban rooftop
farm and is now the world’s largest rooftop soil farmer,
producing over 50,000 pounds of organic produce per
year. Visit either of the two rooftop farms – in the historic
Brooklyn Navy Yard and just across the East River in Long
Island City.
• Farm tours $10; brooklyngrangefarm.com
9. GET UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH GANGSTERS.
The Museum of the American Gangster has only two rooms,
but the tour will take up to an hour given the curator’s ex-
tensive knowledge on all things mobster. The museum sits
above a former East Village speakeasy that Al Capone, Lucky
Luciano and John Gotti were known to frequent. Take a
tour of the speakeasy, then browse artifacts ranging from
bootlegger cash to tommy guns to vintage whiskey bottles.
• Admission $20; museumoftheamericangangster.org
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Brooklyn Navy Yard and just across the East River in Long
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VIRGIN HOTEL ÿ CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
TECH-SAVVY TOOLS: Those familiar with Virgin Airlines
won’t be surprised at everything that Virgin’s hotel
brand has to off er. Control your entire experience
with their Lucy app: check in via barcode, adjust your
room’s temperature from anywhere within the hotel,
use your mobile device as a TV remote control, order
room service, request housekeeping items and chat
with the concierge.
PLUS // Virgin has patented their Lounge Bed, which
features an ergonomically designed padded headboard
and a corner seat – helping guests work on the go.
They also have done away with fees for early check-in
and late checkout. Look for Virgin Hotels to open in
Dallas, Nashville and New York City next. From $225;
virginhotels.com
Terminal 1 connecting tunnel at Chicago’s O’Hare
International Airport
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globetrotter
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ECCLESTON SQUARE HOTEL ÿ LONDON, ENGLAND
TECH-SAVVY TOOLS: Once the residence of Queen Victo-
ria’s granddaughter, Princess Victoria, the hotel is now run
by 20-something hotelier Olivia Byrne and her younger
brother, James, so it’s no surprise that the hotel is a millen-
nial’s dream. Electronically adjustable beds, iPads and mar-
ble bathrooms with “smart” glass walls and fog-free mirrors
with hidden TVs are just some of the amenities you’ll adjust
to quickly during your stay.
PLUS // Additional perks include afternoon tea brought to
your room, L’Occitane products and access to the private
Eccleston Square garden, opposite the hotel. There’s also a
new menu by chef Didar Papito for the restaurant Bistrot
on the Square. From $175; ecclestonsquarehotel.com
ELECTRONICALLY
ADJUSTABLE BEDS,
IPADS AND MARBLE
BATHROOMS WITH
“SMART” GLASS
WALLS AND FOG-
FREE MIRRORS WITH
HIDDEN TVS ARE
JUST SOME OF THE
AMENITIES YOU’LL
ADJUST TO QUICK-
LY AT ECCLESTON
SQUARE
HENN-NA HOTEL ÿ NAGASAKI, JAPAN
TECH-SAVVY TOOLS: “Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto.” While tips to the staff ar-
en’t necessary, you might be inspired to off er that specifi c thank-you to the
desk clerk at Japan’s new Henn-na (Strange) Hotel, the world’s fi rst hotel
staff ed entirely by robots. In addition to three “warm and friendly”
multilingual front desk robots – including a dinosaur and a fe-
male android – the property has porter, bag check and in-room
concierge robots.
PLUS // Other high-tech features include facial recognition for room entry
and in-room tablet terminals for accessing hotel information and controlling
room features. The 72-room hotel, which opened in 2015 on the grounds of
theme park Huis Ten Bosch (House in the Forest), plans to double its num-
ber of rooms this year. From $75; h-n-h.jp/en
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HENN-NA HOTEL ÿ NAGASAKI, JAPAN
globetrotter
what to eat inseattle
ACCLAIMED CHEF ZOI
ANTONITSAS TAKES US ON
A TOUR OF HER HOMETOWN’S
ECLECTIC FOOD SCENE, FROM
FARMS, FOOD TRUCKS AND
TAVERNS TO THE BEST BRUNCH,
FINE DINING AND ETHNIC
RESTAURANTS.
BY LAUREN FINNEY
PHOTOGRAPHS BY JODY HORTON
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westward’s braised ander-
son ranch lamb shoulder
with onion salad, tzatziki
and pomegranate molasses
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Pack & Play
Families travel together now more than ever. Here are essentials to take on your next road trip or plane ride.
globetrotter
Red Arrow Yucca Mat, $79 (fawnandcub.com). A cool diaper changing mat keeps your car clean and can be shoved out of the way under the seat, freeing up storage space.
Kikkerland Booklight Clothespin, $8 (kikkerland .com). This battery-operated book light is a great alternative to interior lights; it can also double as a miniflashlight.
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 digital camera, $279.99 (getolympus.com).
Hydro Flask 12-oz. bottle, $21.99 (hydroflask.com). BPA-free stainless steel with a powder finish, these bottles keep beverages temperature-regulated all day and are ideal for small hands.
The Honest Co. four-pack wipes, $3.95 (honest.com). These plant-based natural wipes keep kids clean and are gentle enough for minor sticky spills.
IDEAL FOR
SMALL HANDS
WATERPROOF
SHOCKPROOF
FREEZEPROOF
DUSTPROOF
CRUSHPROOF . . .
KIDPROOF
PHOTO CREDIT GOES HERE
Caption goes herecaption caption caption caption
easy trips
Ready for a spring adventure?
Featuring
San Diego, California
Toronto, Ontario
Isla Mujeres, Mexico
Charleston, South Carolina
and more!
QUICK ESCAPES FOR SPRING
// Sunset Cliffs, Ocean Beach, San
Diego. A city ordinance against cliff
jumping isn’t always a deterrent at
Sunset Cliffs, where locals have been
jumping for decades.
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No-hassle getaways
to help you bid farewell
to winter
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LONELY P L ANE T / S p r i n g 2 0 1 634
PUMP UP THE ADRENALINESurprise! Canada’s largest city has plenty for thrill-seekers.
With its towering skyscrapers and 5.5 million res-
idents, TORONTO is known as a center of com-
merce and culture, but it also has a variety of
activities for adventure-seekers. Whether you’re
an extreme adrenaline junkie or just looking for
a little rush, Ontario’s capital has thrills aplenty.
Knock this off your bucket list: walk 1,168 feet above
ground – that’s 116 stories – around the roof of one
North America’s tallest buildings. At the CN Tower’s
EdgeWalk ($195; edgewalkcntower.ca), daredevils
get harnessed in and take a 30-minute, “hands-
free” walk around a 5-foot-wide ledge.
It only lasts about eight minutes, but a tour with
Toronto Heli Tours will be eight minutes of pure
adrenaline 2,000 feet in the air. Tours start at Billy
Bishop Toronto City Airport; you’ll fly over the city’s
most iconic buildings, including the CN Tower, at
speeds averaging 100 miles per hour (from $99;
helitours.ca).
If you prefer being closer to the ground, try your
hand at ax throwing (batlgrounds.com), or feel the
wind in your hair during an electric bike ride on
Toronto’s shoreline (ezriders.ca/rentals).
easy trips Toronto,Ontario
GET THERE
If you can get a flight into Billy Bishop Toron-
to City Airport, on Air Canada or regional
airline Porter (flyporter.com), take it. The air-
port, on Toronto Island, gives you traffic-free
access to Toronto: it’s a short walk through a
pedestrian tunnel or a hop on a ferry to the
city proper.
STAY
To be in the middle of it all, you’ll have to
pony up. Try Le Germain Hotel (from $250;
germaintoronto.com), a boutique hotel in
the central entertainment district, or trendy
Thompson Toronto (from $229; thomp
sonhotels.com).
DO
You’ll have to work for your meal with
the Culinary Adventure Company. A chef
guides guests in a wooden canoe (you
have to help row) to the Toronto Islands
and prepares a gourmet picnic there. On
the way back, enjoy the stunning view of
the Toronto night skyline ($149 per person;
culinaryadventureco.com).
See Lonely Planet’s Canada guidebook and seetoronto now.com for more information.
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WALK ON THE EDGE // TOUR THE SKIES // THROW AN AX
FOR STUNNING
SCENIC VIEWS, VISIT THE
SCARBOROUGH BLUFFS, A
9-MILE STRETCH OF GLACIAL
CLIFFS ALONG THE LAKE
ONTARIO SHORE,
IN THE EAST END
OF TORONTO.
Scarborough Bluffs, Toronto
S p r i n g 2 0 1 6 / LONELY P L ANE T 35
UNPLUG & UNWIND
Just a 25-minute ferry ride from touristy Cancún
lies ISLA MUJERES (the Island of Women). This
oasis offers a much more low-key experience
than you’ll find at the mainland’s hotel zone (aka
ground zero for spring break revelers). On Isla
Mujeres you can bask in warm, shallow waters,
go snorkeling, visit Mayan ruins or do nothing
at all.
Head to Playa Norte (North Beach), the island’s main
beach, for sparkling, electric-blue waters and a crushed
coral beach. Playa Lancheros (Boatman’s Beach), on
the west side of the island, is another option and some-
times has free musical events on Sundays.
Take a tranquil stroll to Punta Sur on the southern
tip of the island to see a romantic lighthouse and Ixchel
ruins (about $1.75 admission), or try your hand at the
over-the-water zip line at Garrafon Natural Reef Park
(about $60; garrafon.com).
Even more remote is Isla Contoy, a national park
about 19 miles north of Isla Mujeres that allows only
200 daily visitors. The island is a sanctuary for more
than 150 bird species and is a nesting place for sea tur-
tles, while the nearby Ixlache Reef is teeming with ma-
rine life. Snorkeling tours can be booked through the
Fisherman’s Cooperative Booth on Isla Mujeres (about
$50 per person).
STAY
Na Balam Hotel (from $75; nabalam.com)
has 31 rooms, many facing Playa Norte, and
offers yoga and meditation classes. The
large, oceanfront Hotel Playa La Media Luna
(from $195; playamedialuna.com) offers
many traditional hotel services but main-
tains an intimate feeling.
DO
Bikes are a great way to get around the
island, with prices starting at about $7 a day.
Golf carts are also a popular way to travel
and can be rented for about $36 a day.
Do Mexico during spring break – without the spring breakers.
easy trips Isla Mujeres,Mexico
AT ISLA MUJERES
TURTLE FARM, 3 MILES
SOUTH OF TOWN, YOU
CAN SEE ENDANGERED
SEA TURTLES IN
VARIOUS STAGES OF
GROWTH AND LEARN
ABOUT THE ISLAND’S
EFFORTS TO PROTECT
THEM. YOU CAN ALSO
SEE OTHER OCEAN
CREATURES,
INCLUDING BABY
SEAHORSES ($1.75
ADMISSION).
GET THERE
Most major airlines fly to Cancún Interna-
tional Airport, with airport shuttles, bus-
es, taxis and vans running to downtown
($2–$30). Passenger ferries from Cancún to
Isla Mujeres depart from several locations,
including El Embarcadero, Playa Tortugas
and Playa Caracol. Ferry rates run about $4
to $7.50 per person.
The reef surrounding El Farito lighthouse is a popular snorkeling site. Below: Playa Norte
See Lonely Planet’s Mexico guidebook for more information.
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2016 Ready to explore some of the 3.8 million square miles in America’s 50 states? Here are 10 destinations to consider now. Some of them will surprise you.
BEST in the U.S.
Natchez, Mississippi
Yellowstone National Park
Birmingham, Alabama
Alaska
Northwest Arkansas
Somerville, Massachusetts
San Antonio, Texas
Southern New Mexico
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania1
LP032216_BUS.indd 45 2/19/16 12:39 PM
2016
BEST in the in the U.S. U.S.
America’s 50 states? Here are 10 destinations to consider America’s 50 states? Here are 10 destinations to consider
3
The National Park Service
turns 100 in 2016, and
where better to celebrate
than where it all began: in
the geyser-studded land-
scape of Yellowstone. The
eerily regular Old Faithful
geyser, the park’s biggest
draw, just got a springy new
boardwalk made from recy-
cled tires to accommodate
the millions of annual visi-
tors. But with nearly 3,500
square miles of wilderness
(mostly in Wyoming), it’s
not all about boiling steam
vents, bubbling mud pots
and psychedelic hot springs.
Go wolf-spotting in the
Lamar Valley, take a Wild
West tour by horseback or
stagecoach, zoom through
some the country’s best
snowmobile territory, and
explore the gateway towns,
including Gardiner, Mon-
tana, all gussied up for the
centennial.
nps.gov/yell
lptravel.to/Yellowstone
Yellowstone National Park
Could Birmingham be the coolest city in the South? The once in-
dustrial Avondale neighborhood east of downtown has trans-
formed, with a surge of pubs, breweries and good eats, like the
drool-worthy barbecue and traditional Southern dishes at Saw's
Soul Kitchen (sawsbbq.com). Night owls take note: your nu-
merous options include Marty’s PM, a friendly bar packed with
comic book art and Star Wars memorabilia and featuring an
ecletic live music lineup, and beers in the Garage Café’s back-
yard junkyard (garagecafe.us). For history buffs, the place to go
is the Civil Rights District, notably the Civil Rights Institute, the
16th Street Baptist Church and the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame.
birminghamal.org
lptravel.to/Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama4
3 Bison along the Firehole River, at Midway Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park
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1. Drive the rugged 414-mile
Dalton Highway, one of only
two roads in North America to
cross the Arctic Circle.
2. Explore Wrangell-St. Elias
National Park & Preserve. For
every eight tourists who track
north to Denali, only one intrepid
traveler tackles this little-known
wilderness area.
3. Visit Nome, on the ice-encrust-
ed shores of the Bering Strait.
Most visitors arrive in early
March to cheer the end of the
Iditarod dog-sled race, but ded-
icated wilderness birders prefer
June and November.
4. Take the summer-only ferry
MV Tustumena to the elongat-
ed Alaska Peninsula and the
barren, windswept Aleutian
Islands that lie beyond.
Extremes of Alaska
“The Last Frontier” state is
one of the few places in Amer-
ica where you can still get up
close to nature’s extremes.
Alaska5
Last year during a tour of Alaska, President Obama became
the first sitting president to cross the Arctic Circle. Why not
follow in his footsteps? If you don’t care to venture quite that
far north, visit Denali (formerly known as Mount McKinley),
North America’s tallest peak. Experienced mountaineers can
ascend on foot; others can view the 20,310-foot-high moun-
tain in style from the Denali Star train or bump through the
Denali National Park & Preserve by bus. The bittersweet rea-
son to go to Alaska now: glaciers – see them while you still can.
Exit Glacier, at Kenai Fjords National Park, receded 187 feet be-
tween 2013 and 2014. Also, this year is the 100th anniversary
of the death of America’s favorite chronicler of the north, Jack
London. Let 2016 be the year you heed the call of the wild.
travelalaska.com
lptravel.to/Alaska
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Volcanic rock formations in
Suðurland (South Iceland)
EXPLORE ICELAND’S ELEMEN-
TAL BEAUTY ON A JOURNEY
ALONG THE COUNTRY’S 830-
MILE RING ROAD, TAKING
IN HAUNTING LAVA FIELDS,
WILD COASTLINE, POWERFUL
WATERFALLS AND MAJESTIC
ICE CAPS.
By Oliver Berry
The The The The Magic Magic Magic Magic
By Oliver Berry
Magic By Oliver Berry
CircleMagic CircleCircleMagic Magic CircleCircleMagic
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rips through
the Bárðardalur lava field
in North Iceland’s Mývatn
region.
t’s midmorning on Iceland’s east coast, but it might as well be midnight. Fog cloaks the road, blending land, sea and sky into a spectral gray. Now and then, black peaks materialize from the gloom, and slashes in the cloud reveal sudden glimpses of coastline: rocky cliffs, grassy dunes and wild beaches of black sand. Gulls bank and wheel in the wind. It’s like driving into a whiteout. Or at least it would be, if it weren’t for the fact that it’s still midsummer, and the first snows are still months away.
Wild weather is par for the course on Iceland’s Ring Road – or Route 1, as it’s designated on highway maps. Circling around the island’s coastline for 830 miles, the road, completed in 1974, is an engineering marvel and a national emblem.
Skimming the edge of the Arctic Circle at a latitude of 65° N – the same as central Siberia – the Ring Road is about as close to wilderness driving as Europe gets, tra- versing volcanic deserts, mountain passes, plunging valleys and barren plains. Gas stations are few and far between. Often, the only signs of habitation are remote farms and weather stations. It’s not unusual to go for hours without passing another car – perhaps not surprising on an island of just 320,000 people scattered across an area about the size of Virginia.
Naturally enough, all distances along Route 1 are measured from Iceland’s capital, Reykjavík. Even here, among the art galleries and pubs, hints of Iceland’s wilder side are easy to find. Looking north across the bay of Faxaflói, a craggy finger of land extends along the horizon, terminating in the snow-capped summit of Snæfellsjökull, the setting for Jules Verne’s classic adventure tale, Journey to the Center of the Earth. The volcano remains a brooding presence as the Ring Road heads north from Reykjavík’s suburbs, a reminder that the forces of nature are never far away.
Verne wasn’t the first writer to find inspiration among the fjords and valleys of Iceland’s west. To Icelanders, this area is synonymous with the sagas, the tales that are a cornerstone of Icelandic culture. First written down by historians in the 12th and 13th centuries, but rooted in an older tradition of oral storytelling, these tales of family feuds, doomed heroes, warrior kings and tragic romances are part genealogy, part
history, part drama. Many Icelanders can read the sagas in Old Norse, and some can recite passages by heart, just as their ancestors did centuries ago.
“The sagas are still part of Icelandic culture,” says Sigriður Guðmundsdóttir, who runs the Settlement Centre, a museum in the coastal village of Borgarnes, 45 miles north of Reykjavík. “They’re Iceland’s first novels. They record our history, but also remind us who we are. They’re about self-reliance, fortitude, honor and stoicism. These are very Icelandic qualities.”
As the Ring Road swerves inland across the humpbacked hills northwest of Borgarnes, it passes many locations from the sagas: a farmstead featured in Egil’s Saga, and a hot spring where the hero of Grettir’s Saga soothed his battle-weary bones. While most of the stories are rooted in fact, many have a fantastical streak that stems from Iceland’s collection of myths and legends: strange tales of trolls, giants and dragons, as well as the island’s huldufólk (hidden folk) of gnomes, dwarfs, fairies and elves. Many locals still believe in the existence of these creatures – though they’re reluctant to admit it – and there are stories about bad luck befalling people who unwittingly disturb the huldufólk.
“Icelanders are very practical,” says Stefan Boulter, an artist who lives in Akureyri, Iceland’s second-largest town, set beside a coastal inlet 240 miles north of Reykjavík. “But we also have a dreamlike side too. "I suppose it’s not surprising we have active imaginations. So would you if you spent half the year in the dark,” he says, referring to Iceland’s long winter nights from October through April, when there are only brief spurts of daylight.
Iceland’s legends were also an important inspiration for J.R.R. Tolkien, a scholar of Old Norse and the sagas. “The Lord of the Rings films may have been filmed in New Zealand, but they should have been made in Iceland,” says Fjóla Guðmundsdóttir, who works at the Glaumbær turf houses near Skagafjörður, a deep coastal fjord between Akureyri and Borgarnes. Many Tolkien enthusiasts believe Iceland’s turf houses, built from peat bricks topped by grass roofs, may have given Tolkien the idea for Bilbo Baggins’ underground home, Bag End. They certainly resemble hobbit
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Laos is Southeast Asia’s most overlooked country – an
enigmatic nation shaped by powerful external forces,
where mid-20th-century monuments sit alongside an-
cient Buddhist temples, and snails and frog legs are on
the menu. BY MARCEL THEROUX
Buddhist monks in Luang
Prabang; Opposite: gather-
ing alms at daybreak
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On a narrow terrace overlooking the
wide, brown Mekong River, a doz-
en men are gathered in the shade of
a bamboo thicket to play a game that
is distinctly French. Pétanque, pro-
vincial France’s lawn bowling game, is
an obsession in Luang Prabang, the
jungly second city of the tiny nation
of Laos. The players – guides, teach-
ers, tuk-tuk drivers – compete fiercely,
launching the steel balls with an abrupt
backhand throw that resembles a cobra
strike. “Everyone plays,” explains Som
Phon, one of the spectators. “You let
go of all your stress, your suffering.”
Poor, weak and landlocked, Laos
has had its history determined by pow-
erful outside forces: France, Thailand,
Vietnam, China – even Russia and the
United States. Each of them has left
some mark on this nation.
A few miles from the pétanque
court, 40-year-old Pon Panyatip is
hard at work kneading risen dough
and shaping it into baguettes. His up-
per body is toned from turning out
3,000 batons a day. As fast as he can
make it, the dough is deposited in the
wood-fired oven. Isn’t he fed up with
the sight of baguettes by now? He
shakes his head. “Sometimes I eat them
in the morning and the evening. I have
them with butter, chili, dried beef or
shrimp paste.”
France governed Laos as a pro-
tectorate for more than half a centu-
ry, until 1954. The customs, food and
language here are subtly marked by
the vanished French presence, but
the country’s most distinctive Gal-
lic inheritance is in its architecture.
The heart of Luang Prabang is a fin-
ger-shaped promontory that sits at
the confluence of the Mekong and the
Nam Khan rivers, and it is where the
French supervised the construction
of long, leafy avenues of whitewashed,
two-story houses.
Vientiane deposed Luang Prabang
as capital of Laos in 1563, but the lat-
ter is by far the more beautiful. Luang
Prabang still has the somnolent green
charm that originally attracted the
French. It is bewitching and quiet; at
dusk, the streets are empty of cars. The warm breeze carries the jas-
mine-like scent of teak flowers. The jungle envelops the city, and the
Mekong flows south, bearing your troubles away.
Under the French, Luang Prabang was a backwater that attracted
a certain kind of unambitious, pleasure-seeking official. The writer
Norman Lewis, a visitor here, said they seemed like the outcome of
successful lobotomy operations – “untroubled and mildly libidinous.”
Some of the French couldn’t tear themselves away after Laos became
independent. Yannick Upravan’s grandfather, Henri, was a French sol-
dier who traveled from Marseilles to serve in the First Indochina War
(1946–54). “He came to fight and kill, but he fell in love. It happened a
lot like this,” says Yannick, a youthful green-eyed 40-something. Henri
never went home.
Today, Yannick is the chef-proprietor of L’Elephant, a restaurant in
an art deco corner building, which once belonged to his grandmother,
a Laotian woman who married Henri and bore him six children. Its
shady interior is a respite from the midday sun. The scent of frangipani
blows through the shutters from the Wat Nong Sikhounmuang temple
across the road.
Yannick’s menu is classic French, with nods to his Laotian heritage:
he serves an estouffade (stew) of Mekong perch, and duck with a sharp
sauce made from bael fruit instead of orange. He imports snails and
much of his wine from France, but sources his grenouilles (frogs) in
Laos. “The Lao also eat frog,” he explains, “but they eat the whole thing:
head, legs, skin and body.”
The French were neither the first nor the last to leave their cultural
stamp here. This is a place where global forces have collided: it’s been
the meeting point of Hinduism and Buddhism; the buffer between the
French and British empires; and it’s where the Soviet Union and the
United States faced off in a proxy war.
When the French arrived in the 19th century, Laos was frag-
menting and falling into the hands of Siam – today Thailand. The
French propped up the Lao monarchy, stitched the fragile king-
dom together, and built the royal family a palace in Luang Prabang.
Vietnamese-backed Marxist rebels later overthrew the government
of Laos in 1975. The king was deposed, ending a 600-year royal dynas-
ty. The country has been a communist one-party state ever since. The
king, his queen and his heir were sent into internal exile for “re-ed-
ucation.” They never returned. How and when they died is still the
subject of much speculation. A few royals still live in Luang Prabang.
The daughter of the crown prince runs the Villa Santi hotel, though,
perhaps understandably, she keeps a low profile.
Fifty-eight-year-old Hongkad Souvannavong was one of those charged
with creating unifying symbols for the People’s Democratic Republic.
Trained as an architect in Moscow and Cuba, he was tasked with de-
signing Laos’s National Assembly building in 1990. I meet him in the
capital, Vientiane. It takes about an hour to fly there from the airport in
Luang Prabang, whose curving Asiatic roofs are another of Hongkad’s
creations. Vientiane is a hazy, sprawling city on the Mekong. There is
more communist iconography in evidence, and the mishmash of styles
hints at a city with an identity crisis.
Dressed in a loud silk jacket, with a bejeweled Rolex on his wrist,
Hongkad is upbeat and energetic. A polymath, he also invents musical
Opposite:
Coffee and pain
au chocolate at
a café in Luang
Prabang; River-
boats are still a
popular form of
intercity travel
in Laos.
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ntina
FROM THE WILD PATAGONIAN PLAINS, WHERE
GAUCHOS ROAM, TO COSMOPOLITAN BUENOS AIRES,
THE POLO CAPITAL, THIS IS A LAND OF CONTRASTING
PEOPLE, CULTURES AND LANDSCAPES.
By Orla Thomas / Photographs by Philip Lee Harvey
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Clockwise from top left:
Panama-style hats are de rigeur.
// colorful buildings in Buenos
Aires // a player for the Chap-
aleufû polo team // beer o’clock
in Palermo Viejo
tBUENOS AIRES
Two horses with clipped manes thunder from the shadow
of a tall building that’s cast across a perfect lawn. They
gallop flank to flank, their mahogany coats gleaming with
sweat in the spring Buenos Aires sunshine. The riders grip
tightly with their knees as they raise mallets aloft and
descend on the ball, like cavalrymen charging into battle.
With a deft flick of the hand, leaning at an angle so acute
he seems almost certain to fall, one of the players sends
the ball sailing through the air.
The Campo Argentino de Polo in the Palermo district,
the “Cathedral of Polo,” is where the sport’s most
prestigious tournament, the Argentine Open, takes place
each November and December. This stadium is to polo
players what Wembley is to soccer players and rock stars.
But for some, the show doesn’t really begin until the day’s
final game has been played, and the spectators descend on
the champagne bars and hospitality tents lining a long
promenade between two grounds.
Essentially a catwalk, at dusk it fills with polo groupies.
Deeply tanned women showing off their cosmetic
enhancements vie for attention with leggy off-duty
models hired to promote the event’s sponsors by striding
about in branded T-shirts, matching hot pants and
towering platform shoes. Men mostly sport floppy mid-
length hair, Ralph Lauren shirts and blazers, and leather
loafers. The trouser of choice for both sexes is a pair of
tight white jeans, proudly announcing the wearer’s
invariably tiny bottom.
It is a look made famous by the cover of English author
Jilly Cooper’s racy novel, Polo, and the wealthy set she
fictionalized is much in evidence here. Polo is known as a
pursuit for the very rich. In a single game, one player uses
around eight ponies; the best sell for up to $150,000 apiece.
Add to this the cost of transporting a stable and grooms
along the annual global polo circuit (Britain and
continental Europe during the northern hemisphere
spring and summer, then on to Argentina and Palm
Beach), and you get a feel for the sums involved.
Carolina Beresford is an insider in this world. She
works for the polo news website PoloLine, and is waiting,
mic in hand, to interview players from the winning team,
Alegría. A striking Chilean-Irish redhead, she has lived in
Argentina for seven years and comes from a family of polo
players; her uncle, Gabriel Donoso, was Chile’s greatest
ever, although he was fatally injured in a match in 2006.
“It’s an incredibly dangerous game – and an incredibly
difficult one,” Beresford says. “Winning is more down to
the horses than the players, but managing them is a real
skill; it’s so fast, and you’re relying on a living creature. A
horse is not like a car; they’re unpredictable. Players spend
more time with their horses than with their wives . . . and
I’m not kidding.”
LP032216_ARG.indd 76 2/19/16 11:38 AM
The Campo Argentino de Polo in the Palermo district,
final game has been played, and the spectators descend on
WHERE TO STAY
You’d be hard-pressed to find something more hip than Home Hotel, in the desirable Palermo Hollywood neigh-borhood. The stylish property offers excellent service and has a gorgeous back garden (from $215; homebuenos
aires.com).
WHERE TO EAT
For a traditional parrilla (Argentine steakhouse) that’s impressive but still fairly priced, try Don Julio (parrilla
donjulio.com.ar).
Chan Chan is an arty Peruvi-an joint serving ceviche and rice dishes worth the wait; closed Mondays (4382-8492).
A traditional bodegón (similar to a bodega) serving cortado (coffee with steamed milk) and tapas, El Preferido de
Palermo was a favorite of literary local Jorge Luis Borges (4774-6585).
In Argentina, polo isn’t entirely the exclusive sport
it is in other countries. Anyone can turn up at the stadium
and buy an inexpensive ticket for the stands, where people
keep cool with beer and ice cream, and hold aloft home-
made banners for their favorite teams. “Here, the top
players are magazine cover stars, and taxi drivers know
their names,” Beresford says. “It’s not like England,
where it’s a more niche sport, associated with elitism
and snobbery.”
Argentines are the undisputed kings of polo – claim-
ing seven out of the eight players in the world with the top
handicap of 10 goals – but the reason they’re so good is a
sim-ple one, Beresford says. “In Argentina, the access to
horses is above anywhere else. In the countryside, kids fin-
ish school and get straight on a horse; they live and breathe
that life.”
A GAUCHO RACES TO THE GATE
There is palpable excitement as players start to mingle with
spectators on the promenade – some are still in uniform,
their white polo jeans sullied by grass stains. Victors are
offered glasses of Chandon sparkling wine; losers receive a
commiserating kiss – one peck, right cheek to right cheek,
the local standard. People chat and flirt in Spanish and
English until they are cast into shade and start trickling
toward the beelike black-and-yellow taxis waiting at the
stadium gates.
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great escapeSICILY
Historic architecture, hilltop towns, fabulous food:
Sicily is Italy in overdrive. TAKE A TRIP AROUND THIS
MESMERIZING CORNER OF THE COUNTRY, from Mount
Etna’s volcanic slopes to the black beaches of the
Aeolian Islands. / BY OLIVER BERRY
The beach at Pollara on the
island of Salina, one of the
seven Aeolian Islands off the
coast of Sicily
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Work on the
Chiesa di San Michele
began around 1700
but was not completed
for another
150 years.
LP032216_GES.indd 86 2/19/16 11:03 AM
postcardsThe Registan ensemble was the main reason we were drawn to
travel around Central Asia. I have been to many countries and
rarely does my mouth drop open. The Registan was an exception.
The mosaic fascias and turquoise and azure blues of the domes lit
up by the sun were just breathtaking. This was one of the most
stunning sights I have ever seen.
Aaron Morris
spent three
weeks in four
of Central
Asia’s “’stans.”
WHERE
YOU’VE
BEEN
AND
WHAT
YOU’VE
SEEN
SAMARKAND, UZBEKISTAN Domes Day
Send your best new
travel photos (at 300 dpi),
along with the stories
behind them (in 100 words
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yourself to postcards
@lonelyplanet.com.
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S p r i n g 2 0 1 6 / LONELY P L ANE T 101
mini guides6 TEAR-OUT
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