Travel
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The Philadelphia Inquirer
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checkin Top 10 Early Ski Destinations From Orbitz.com:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Lake Tahoe, Calif./Nev. Park City, Utah Breckenridge, Colo. Vail, Colo Whistler, British Columbia Aspen, Calif. Mammoth, Calif. Jackson Hole, Wyo. Snowmass, Colo. (tie) Steamboat, Colo. (tie)
¢ See The Inquirer’s Special Ski Section on Nov. 28 in Travel.
Gadget Guru Less tangled travels In a more perfect world, all cords and cables for portable electronics would be retractable, reducing the hassle of tangles. The folks at Black Box are on the case with a 7-inch-square by 2-inch-deep faux-leather case that unzips to reveal five mobile accessories with retractable cables: a USB optical mouse, a USB cable, a retractable cable for wired networking, stereo earbuds, and a notebook AC power cable. There’s also a USB LED light with an 18-inch metal arm that bends but doesn’t retract. Each item pops into and out of its own slot molded into internal foam panels. Extension ranges from 2 feet for the mouse to 61/2 feet for the network cable. The AC power cable is not compatible with all notebook computers, but more AC adapters are in the works. Deluxe Retractable Cable Kit (RET-DLXE-KIT) is $38.95 at www.blackbox.com; 1-877-877-2269. — Judi Dash
CHRIS ERSKINE / Los Angeles Times
In summer the crowds at the Eiffel Tower make for long lines; a wise traveler might consider a night visit. After the sun sets, strobe lights flicker every hour.
PARIS on parade
Web Buzz For hiking and biking TrimbleOutdoors.com is an online mobile trip-planning tool for outdoors lovers. What’s hot: A massive network of hiking and bicycling recommendations. Use your GPS-enabled smart phone to find great trails, to geo-cache or to manage your workout performance. Find detailed trips shared by other adventurers, or create your own run, hike, or day of mountain or road cycling. What’s not: You’ll need to be an adventurer to navigate the maze of options. The easiest way to find a trip is to go to the search tab and type in a destination. After the Google map pops up, click on the icons to find information from hikers, cyclists, and others. Amateurs might want to stick to the website instead of adding a Trimble application to their smart phone — its AllSport GPS app costs $9.99. — Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times
THOMAS COEX / AFP / Getty Images
It seems impossible to exaggerate the importance of the sidewalk cafe.
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By Chris Erskine LOS ANGELES TIMES
ARIS — Grumpy, glorious Paris — where does a first-timer start? Well, I’m here to tell you that they mold a nice cornice, these people, and perform near-miracles with duck fat. Every block has an open-air cafe, chairs facing the street where young women in cotton dresses ride by on bikes, like beautiful little parachutes. If you enjoy such things, you’ll probably love Paris. The museums? Worth a look. But honestly, I couldn’t get out of the Louvre fast enough. It was so packed that the only way to get to the Venus de Milo was to crowd-surf across the heads and Nikons of a thousand tourists. Often, I enjoy such things, but not without air conditioning. The Louvre on a crowded summer day had, for me, all the appeal of Disneyland during a power outage. But the Musée d’Orsay, where the impressionists live? I could have spent a month amid the Renoirs, in the refurbished train station that is a masterpiece in itself. That was Paris for me on my first visit. For every disappointNapoleon’s coffin is six ment, there were a dozen pleacoffins within each other. sures. Best of all, everything you love about a major city is within walking distance. Then there’s the language, which rolls off their linen tongues like a torch song. No, I don’t know what you’re saying. Just talk. Mind if I dance? Paris won me over in a heartbeat. True, it is lousy with See PARIS on N4
A first-timer finds it nearly parfait.
Salt Lake City has been loosening its tie By Josh Noel
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CHICAGO TRIBUNE
ALT LAKE CITY — You already know about this place, so there’s not much to say, really. Center of the Mormon universe. Conservative living. Wacky alcohol laws. A buzz saw on your fun. Not so fast. “It’s a conservative place, but less conservative if you want it to
The city evolved, some say, by hosting the 2002 Winter Olympics, opening to ideas and cultures. be,” says Sarah Roderick, 35, a Mormon stockbroker and mother of three. “I don’t drink — I used to — but I can go to dinner with people who do, and everyone has a good time.”
You think Salt Lake’s party boys disagree? They don’t. Especially not since the state dumped a law last year requiring “membership” to drink in a bar — usually $4 for a temporary license, $20 for an annual.
“You have no idea how big a deal it was when we got rid of that,” Jeff Buist, 34, says as we sip beer at Red Rock Brewing Co. (yes, they even make beer in Salt Lake City). “Barhopping is in vogue now.” I didn’t quite hop bars, but on a Friday night I did hit two microbreweries where the healthy mounSee SALT LAKE CITY on N3 ADVERTISEMENT
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Today, more than 50 million Americans claim German heritage. There is an abundance of German American traditions, products, brands, words, celebrities, music and culture that are part of our everyday life and yet go unrecognized. At germanoriginality.com, we invite you to explore our heritage offers, trace your family roots and plan your heritage trip to Germany. Whether you finally stand in your forefather‘s church, uncover an ancestral document, meet with distant cousins, visit the pier of farewell or just explore our beautiful country, we welcome you to discover your heritage in Germany. Find special heritage-related offers at www.cometogermany.com/heritageoffers