Howdy, dear readers! How’ve you been lately?

For much of April, I’ve been endlessly recovering from walking pneumonia, planning an impending/exciting/fun/eventually romantic/hopefully-not-too-exhausting month-long trip to Europe (more on that next week) and writing two Los Angeles-area guides for USA Today.com‘s travel section, which I’ll happily share just as soon as they’re ready.

What I haven’t been doing? Writing anything new here on Travels With Two.

A lovely coincidence, then, that my guest post for Boingo Wireless has just been published!

Boingo, my favorite international Wi-Fi-hotspot provider, has asked me to share my top five off-the-beaten-path pursuits when visiting Los Angeles (or even just LAX, our semi-delightful airport). I hope you enjoy these recommendations for exploring my home city, and become inspired to seek out your own adventures here.

Here’s the link, and I wish you a great weekend — wherever you are!

Melanie Waldman’s Eclectic Guide to LA 2012: Roller Derby, Dumplings and Pop Art

Travels With Two

A wintry slice of the Rocky Mountains, between Carbondale and Basalt, Colorado

Continued from
Driving the American West: Moab to Arches

 
By the time I cruised up from southeastern Utah into Western Colorado, I was worried I might have had my fill of beauty and could see no more. But it turns out that my eyes were well prepared for another onslaught.

In the late afternoon light, I followed the icy blue Colorado River into lilac light, its banks rimmed with dark red grasses and winter-orange trees. Yellow trains chugged through towering passes and signs warned of road-roaming elk. Snow-draped mountains gave shelter to fir trees, cabins and twinkling lights, a stateside Switzerland in a Christmas snow globe.

I said aloud: “I can’t believe my friend gets to LIVE here!”

My friend and fellow travel writer Kara Williams lives up yonder mountain way with her delightful husband and two huggable kids, and happily for me, she invited me to hang out at her home for a few days. Between the laughing, the fresh coffee, the cozy quilt action and laundry facilities, my stay there was as lovely as any bed & breakfast I’ve ever stayed in, anywhere.

No need to despair over the fact that Kara’s not actually running an inn, however; there are plenty of places up this way where you can stay, too.

Together, Kara and I explored the cute shops and street art of Carbondale, the dog- and ski-bunny-filled streets of Aspen and the Old West charm of Glenwood Springs. In the latter, I failed to photograph our visit to some “vapor caves,” a unique and rocky experience where you can sweat out the evil humours within and then treat yourself to a kick-ass massage.

I was thrilled to see my pal (who I hadn’t seen since our visit to the Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain near Tucson, Arizona), get some use out of my new parka, eat at wonderful restaurants, try Colorado-made wine, and see a stunning swath of America that had heretofore eluded me.

And hooray: I’ll be headed back this way this summer for TBEX, the annual travel bloggers’ conference!

Mountain hikes in the sunshine, anyone? Why, yes…I thought you’d say that.

This bronze sculpture of Freidl Pfeifer, one of the founders of Aspen as a ski resort, stands at the base of Aspen Mountain

The Silver Queen Gondola in Aspen costs $33 US per person, but you get a $5 refund if you bring your ticket back to the front desk; we opted instead to enjoy Aspen Mountain from the ground, over lunch

Delighted in a delicious turkey burger, sweet potato fries and J.T. Scrumpy's hard cider beside the pool at Aspen's Sky Hotel, which sits near the base of Aspen Mountain

The lobby of Aspen's Hotel Jerome reflects its origins as the 1889 pride of a former silver-mining town

The Hotel Jerome's J-Bar is a traditional saloon that attracts real-life cowboys

Aspen is full of art galleries, snow and adorable dogs

The streets of tiny Carbondale, Colorado are full of art like "Free Mind" (which incidentally, could be yours for $38,000)

Tried and loved Colorado's own earthy Woody Creek Cellars Merlot at the delicious, cozy and locally-focused Six89 Restaurant in Carbondale

Amtrak's California Zephyr takes a gorgeous mountain journey from Glenwood Springs to Denver

Downtown Glenwood Springs, steeped in the infamous history of Doc Holliday, is full of vintage -- and sometimes sagging -- frontier architecture

I took my traveling companion, Rusty, to Glenwood Springs' Hotel Colorado, home of the first Teddy Bear; in 1900, when hotel guest Teddy Roosevelt failed to shoot a bear in the nearby woods, maids here made him a stuffed bear from scraps of cloth -- and his daughter Alice named it Teddy

Heading through Moffatt County, Colorado, I passed this dilapidated silver mine, a relic from the area's late 1800s boom era...before it became even more famous for its skiing

Pausing to look at the ice and snow on the White River in Moffatt County, I breathed in the crisp, clean, cold air and felt it all the way to my toes

RESOURCES

Aspen, Colorado
Hotel Jerome
Sky Hotel
Aspen Mountain’s Silver Queen Gondola
Carbondale, Colorado
Six89 Restaurant
Bonfire Coffee
Glenwood Springs, Colorado
Hotel Colorado
The Pullman
Yampah Hot Springs Vapor Caves
Amtrak’s California Zephyr

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Soon continued in
Driving the American West: Central Wyoming

Travels With Two

Wilson Arch outside Moab, Utah

Continued from
Driving the American West: Monument Valley to Canyonlands

From the Needles section of Canyonlands, I stumbled across Hole ‘N the Rock, a ragtag collection of kitsch that forms the ultimate roadside attraction. It’s places like this that make you realize that a road trip is utterly unlike other kinds of travel…and that’s a wonderful thing.

I then eased on into a two-night stay in Moab, Utah, a few friendly blocks’ worth of a river walk, pueblo architecture, and darn fine brewpub or three. At my favorite, the Moab Brewery, I was seated beside two long tables of teens in shiny formal wear, celebrating before their high school’s Sadie Hawkins Dance.

And I treated myself to a glorious half a day at Arches National Park, a relatively small swath of dazzling erosion.

*Sigh.*

I miss Utah.

In the outer reaches of Moab, Hole N" The Rock is a kooky roadside attraction with art made from junk, a petting zoo, a souvenir shop, a motel, and a tour-able family dwelling built into this here rock

The work of metal sculptor Lyle Nicholls is all over the lot at Hole N" the Rock, including this replica of Mater from the animated movie "Cars'

Moab's shops are full of Western art, souvenirs and clothing

I loved my stay at the cozy, remodeled Ramada; and to think, I chose it at random when the Best Western across the street was full

This was the view of the La Sal Mountains from just outside my second-floor room at the Ramada Inn

Eddie McStiff's is a Moab institution, a lively pizza pub tucked into the back of a Western-style mini mall

At the Moab Brewery, I was really taken with this locally-made Utah wine; nearby, the Castle Creek Winery itself offers tastings of all its wines

A popular stop with park-goers, the Love Muffin Cafe has great espresso drinks and baked goods, including gluten-free pumpkin-chocolate chip muffins

Moab's Mill Creek Parkway at dusk; taking a walk along here is a lovely way to start or end a day here

The entrance to Arches National Park, four miles from Moab

Arches offers more than arches

The La Sal Mountain Range rims the park, creating a stark contrast with the dry, sandstone landscape

The unique sandstone formations here are the product of erosion over approximately eleventy gabillion years

One of the many, um, arches, in Arches

Sometimes the park looks like a mysterious badland, strewn with castle ruins

Striping the terrain are bands of iron-rich, non-oxidized sandstone that have turned green

The non-oxidized rock is one of the most unusual shades of green I've ever seen

The hills around Arches are also full of milky quartz

The small park takes only about two hours to explore by car, but is full of amazing, surprising shapes

RESOURCES

City of Moab, Utah
Hole N” the Rock
Ramada Inn Moab 
Eddie McStiff’s
Moab Brewery
Castle Creek Winery
Love Muffin Cafe
National Park Service website for Arches National Park

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Soon continued in

Driving the American West: Western Colorado

Travels With Two

Utah's Monument Valley

Continued from
Driving the American West: Mojave Desert to the Grand Canyon

 
Days three to five of my Great Big American West Road Trip? Simply awesome.

I cruised from the Arizona high desert into Utah’s Monument Valley, a rocky, orange landscape that looked a heck of a lot like the Pixar movie Cars. Probably because it was the inspiration for the Pixar movie Cars.

I spent the night in a quiet, riverside motel on a lonely stretch of highway in Mexican Hat, a town named for a huge rock shaped like a sombrero.

After a couple of gravelly switchbacks beside towering sandstone mesas, I headed into the Needles section of Canyonlands National Park to find snow, ponds, rabbits, mountain bluebirds and enormous rocks shaped like everything from arrowheads to tiramisu.

Then I wandered my way through Canyonland’s Island in the Sky, a winding expanse of craters that rival the Grand Canyon, rimmed by the snow-capped La Sal Mountains.

I feel like my eyes have been popping out of my head for a week now…

Just before the Utah state line, a Burger King in Kayenta, AZ hosts the World War II Navajo Code Talkers Display

The display features artifacts, documents, and photos that detail the important Navajo presence in the war

The river view from The San Juan Inn, my home for a night in Mexican Hat, UT

Mexican Hat, the town's namesake, looks like a sombrero

The Garden of the Gods switchback in the Monument Valley

Taking switchbacks in the Monument Valley allow a closer look at sandstone formations like these, in the Garden of the Gods

A winding road down the center of the Needles section of Canyonlands

The La Sal Range seen from a high point in Needles, Canyonlands

They don't call it Needles for nothin'

...though many of the rocks here look more like tiramisu, if you ask me

Hawk perched on a rock in Canyonlands

A wintry pond in Needles, where I saw rabbits and ducks

In early March, some parts of Canyonlands were peppered with snow, while others were very dry and windy

Gnarled tree in the Island of the Sky area

When you see signs in Canyonlands that say "Open Range," believe them

Little furry goats in Island of the Sky wander close to the road, so drive carefully

Some sections of the Island in the Sky reminded me of the mythical kingdom of Mordor from The Lord of the Rings

Buck Canyon in the Island of the Sky is, for my money (an entrance fee of $10), just as grand as the Grand Canyon

RESOURCES

Monument Valley
Burger King Navajo Code Talker’s Display
San Juan Inn in Mexican Hat, Utah
National Park Service website for Canyonlands National Park

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Continued in

Driving the American West: Moab to Arches

Travels With Two

The South Rim of the Grand Canyon

Continued from
Go West, I Said

 
The first two days of my road trip around the American West were just spectacular:

There were tumbleweeds, Joshua trees and enormous crows beneath a metal-bright blue sky.

I raced mile-long technicolor trains and waved to other drivers, grinning like a fool.

I stayed the night in a former brothel along Route 66, where I had a damn fine cappuccino.

And then I walked along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, eyes agog.

It’s really good out here.

In the middle of the Mojave Desert, I hopped off the freeway to follow Historic Route 66 for a bit -- and was captivated by this abandoned trading post

The closer I got to Arizona, the sandy Mojave soil became darker and the clouds stretched long across the sky

After six hours of driving, I pulled into Williams, Arizona along the old Route 66

Williams calls itself "Gateway to the Grand Canyon," and is the starting point for the Grand Canyon Railway

View from the Grand Canyon Railway depot in Williams, Arizona at 5pm in late winter

Across the street from the train depot, my home for the night: The Red Garter Bed and Bakery, a former 1897 saloon and brothel

Yes, the mannequin in the window of the Red Garter IS a hooker

Room No. 2 at the Red Garter, with a cozy bed and free wi-fi

Red Raven Restaurant, which was recommended to me for dinner by Deb at the Red Garter

At the cozy Red Raven, I had a delicious dinner of salmon with pesto, asparagus and mashed potatoes, and a fine Pinot Noir

A wander around Williams takes about 45 minutes, and you'll see lots of Hopi images

And what would a Wild West town be without a wooden Indian, I ask you? (*sigh*)

After the 30-mile drive up from Williams, this was my first glimpse of the Grand Canyon in 22 years!

The walking paths around the South Rim of the Grand Canyon were, in early March, cleared only slightly of ice and snow

The snow and ice on the Canyon itself? Much easier to manage -- and gorgeous

Yes, the Canyon is incredible, but the gnarled trees -- and sheer number of languages you'll hear spoken -- are also impressive

Stumbled across the mule corral near the South Rim, and fell in love with these woolly cuties and their trippy tails

I took a park shuttle driver's advice and saw the 2o-minute movie at the Grand Canyon's South Rim/ Mather Point Visitor's Center (narrated, of course, by Peter Coyote), and learned a lot about this natural wonder -- definitely check it out if you find yourself up this way

RESOURCES

The town of Williams, Arizona
Red Garter Bed and Bakery
Red Raven Restaurant
Grand Canyon Railway
National Park Service’s Grand Canyon website
Info on the film, Grand Canyon: A Journey of Wonder

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Continued in

Driving the American West: Monument Valley to Canyonlands

Travels With Two

Call it a test of my own gumption or a simple thirst for adventure:

I’m hopping in my car and hitting the road to explore the American West!

In an effort to banish writer’s block, stir up my routine and physically reconnect with my passion for travel, I’m uncharacteristically striking out on my own to visit:

• The South Rim of the Grand Canyon in northwestern Arizona
• Monument Valley, Arches and Canyonlands in southeastern Utah
• Glenwood Springs, Basalt, Carbondale and more in western Colorado
• Yellowstone National Park Jackson Hole and the historic town of Cody in northern Wyoming
• The Thousand Springs Scenic Byway and Boise in southern Idaho
• Bend and Crater Lake Portland in northwestern Oregon
• The west coast of Oregon
• Lassen Volcanic National Park in northern California

Travels With Two

Literary mural at Caulfield's Restaurant in Beverly Hills

Hotel restaurants in Los Angeles generally provide a swanky night out, even for locals. These days, they’re where couples go to be seen booth-canoodling while drinking artful cocktails and elegantly mainlining macaroni and cheese.

Caulfield’s Restaurant at the Thompson Beverly Hills hits all these notes, providing a romantic evening out in L.A. that feels removed from its busy city street corner — as well as from the present day.

The Thompson Beverly Hills is a modern, stylish boutique hotel full of dark wood, pale suede and stainless steel, but Caulfield’s is a slightly different animal: the glassy glow from the marble-topped bar, the padded leather booths, low lighting and jazzy soundtrack vibe the late 1930s and early 1940s. Murals of famous writers (including J.D. Salinger, creator of Holden Caulfield) make a tenuous allusion to a literary haunt,  but I feel this is simply a great place to take a deep breath, settle in and linger over a well-crafted cocktail and a delicious meal.

The bar manages to be modern and vintage at once

The drink menu is a mix of classic and high-falutin’ ingredients (e.g., amaro, an Italian herbal liqueur), with something for every taste in the booze spectrum.

The Stiletto, a delicate blend of vodka, cucumber and strawberry, apparently turns some guys off with its girly name, but Adam chose to think of it as an alley-fight switchblade rather than a high-heeled shoe. I preferred my Caulfield’s Martini a bit sweeter (it was perfect with the addition of a little citrus), but would go back just for the sophisticated tequila-agave Siciliano.

Clockwise from L: Caulfield's Martini, the Stiletto and the Siciliano

Cuisine here is French bistro by way of a California farmers’ market, with bold, simple arrangements of flavors. There’s a full raw bar menu, with cheese and charcuterie aplenty, but we chose to focus on the dinner menu. And by “focus,” I mean “eat almost the entire.”

You can raw bar it up or sit down to a multi-course dinner

Loved the tender brussels sprouts with bacon, as well as the brightness of the chopped salad with grapes, chickpeas and a little feta. As an East Coaster by birth, I’m highly critical of crab cakes, but theirs were stars: light and lemony, full of honest-to-God crab.

The short rib ravioli in parmesan broth was every bit as sexy as it sounds, managing to be simultaneously creative and cozy. And the whole branzino with grilled onions? One of the most beautifully-cooked sea creatures I’ve ever eaten.

Caulfield's crab cakes and short rib ravioli are standouts

But while the menu has a lot of comfort food to offer, I don’t feel these are their standouts. Their mac-and-cheese is the same hearty recipe from sister restaurant Magnolia, and while I found it rich and satisfying, a little crunch and a drizzle of truffle oil would certainly have given it more depth. The chubby little chicken pot pie scored with a thick, flaky crust, but its lightly-spiced interior stew was merely a secondary character in the story.

The key lime pie, though, was a slice of pure wow. We’ve had the pleasure of sampling this delight all over Key West, and Caulfield’s silky, pistachio-dusted, graham-wedged version delivers a Florida-worthy pop of citrus. We weren’t remotely hungry by the time dessert arrived, and yet we annihilated our wedge as if it was the end of our last meal.

Well hi there, key lime pie

My takeaways: come here for warm, friendly service; cozy booths and a bit of sparkle that encourage lingering; and rather than sticking to starches, immerse yourselves in the artful salads and proteins. Walking past tourists and their rolling luggage in the hotel lobby made me feel like I was traveling here, but once I was settled into a banquette, I felt like we were in a vintage version of home.

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Caulfield’s, 9360 Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills, CA 90212
(800) 441-5050 or (310) 273-1400
Open seven days a week from 8am to 11pm, for breakfast, lunch and dinner

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While our meal was provided courtesy of Caulfield’s, all observations and opinions are my own.

Travels With Two

The main pool at The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain in Arizona

I recently stayed in a unique resort that allowed me to explore Arizona’s Sonoran Desert while never straying far from a pool, spa or cocktail.

The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain is 90 minutes from Phoenix, 30 minutes outside Tucson, and in the middle of saguaro-cactus nowhere. But for couples looking to utterly escape their usual grinds, it’s relaxing, surprisingly educational and pretty darn romantic.

Oh, yes…and there are s’mores. While I don’t often gravitate to deserts as a traveler, I was intrigued by the concept of such an isolated luxury resort. Having come all the way out here, I ended up spending a truly delightful 2 1/2 days here catching up with my friend Kara of The Vacation Gals.

It didn’t take us long to figure out that this unique place is ideal for all sorts of vacations: destination weddings, family trips, spa weekends and second/third/fourth honeymoons. We were surrounded by folks doing all of the above.

The resort does a great job of connecting its guests to the surrounding landscape. Dove Mountain was a sacred site to the Hohokam tribe of Native Americans who all but disappeared from the area circa 1450; both mountain and tribe are now honored here with a small museum of artifacts and a daily Sunset Ceremony.

The latter was a stirringly spiritual way to welcome each evening, with a golden-hour blush of rosy sun on the mountain’s red rocks, the trill of a handmade flute, and the recitation of Hohokam history and blessings by a tribal ancestor.

The Sunset Ceremony, performed fireside each evening on the front patio

Each morning, Kara and I got up a little early and took desert hikes before the sun really picked up steam. (Definitely pack hats and sunscreen for a visit here, and know that shade umbrellas, cold water and air conditioning are in plentiful supply.) We tackled a few challenging hills, twists and turns on the well-cleared paths, spying small lizards, roadrunners and late-season wildflowers amongst the rocks, saguaros and sagebrush.

If you want to learn a little more about the lay of the land, you can head out into the desert on a 4×4 adventure, tag along with a group for a guided morning stroll, or book a private Native American Petroglyph Walk for two with a snarky naturalist who’s like an American version of the Crocodile Hunter.

And by the way, yeah — I said petroglyphs: there are a big handful of ‘em right in the backyard, visible through handy little pinhole ‘scopes. Also for your viewing pleasure, there’s a big terrarium exhibit set up in the lobby each day, full of desert creatures like snakes and tarantulas. You can either lean in and learn…or give the creepy-crawlies a wide berth.

My pal Kara and I hiked along the resort's desert paths each morning

I preferred to engage with the food and wine at the restaurant’s signature restaurant, CORE Kitchen & Wine Bar. The poolside grill and the offerings at Ignite weren’t particularly thrilling or creative, but CORE knocked my socks off. Breakfast was all about light, fresh burritos (big enough to split if you’re not ravenous), Peet’s Coffee and inventive fruit-smoothie combinations out on the shaded back patio, while dinner was a downright sexy affair.

Pre-meal, I loved the temperature-controlled room o’ wine, as well as the charming and knowledgeable barkeep with a heavy pouring hand. There are lots of South Australian wines to try here, as well as an Arizona offering or two. (And yes, there are wineries in Arizona. Who knew?)

The dining room is all about soft-glow lighting, with warm red fabrics and dark wood, and the food is artfully arranged and pretty darn delicious across the board; it’s worth it to keep yourself a little hungry in the afternoon in order to splurge on a big dinner. Standout dishes are the pan-seared quail; the pork tenderloin with onion chutney; and the (decidedly non-local) grilled cilantro Gulf shrimp with avocado and grapefruit.

Dinner at the CORE Kitchen and Wine Bar is a sexy affair

If dinner indoors doesn’t feel special enough for your particular occasion, you can book dinner in the pool. The Turquesa Latin Grill offers a three-course “Under the Stars” menu where you kick off your shoes and wade up to your seats at a candlelit table. Sounds both romantic and like a fancy excuse to wear flip-flops to dinner.

For dessert, go for a little s’mores action. Ask at the front desk about purchasing a s’mores kit ($25 US) that’ll last you at least two nights, then head out back to the clay fireplaces, have a seat on blankets beneath the stars, and toast yourselves a tasty treat. Afterwards, if you want to see more of the night sky, look into booking a stargazing tour.

The S'Mores Kit, inside and out

And while you can go golf yourselves silly at the clubhouse and then lounge on plush couches over mesquite barbecue, I’d vote for whiling your afternoons away at the spa.

There’s a swanky private pool out back where you can loll in spacious cabanas or splurge on a shatter-proof bottle of Champagne, and the treatments here use desert-y ingredients like aloe, sage and indigo. I was buffed sparkly clean and soft by the Desert Morning Dew ($175 US, 75 minutes) and would love to try their Mentoring Massage for Two treatment ($225 US, 75 minutes), where a massage therapist shows you how to rub each other down, then sends you home with a wink and some aromatherapy oil.

Yours truly lounging at Dove Mountain's spa pool

I found the service here warm and friendly, largely administered by twenty-somethings who proved to be fast-thinking and professional. Decor is a soothing blend of modern furniture and Southwestern fabrics, and rooms with mountain views allow you balcony seats each evening for the Sunset Ceremony.

A big fluffy bed tricked out with a little bit o' the Southwest

Final verdict? If you or your partner have never been to the Arizona desert or have already fallen in love with it, I’d definitely recommend Dove Mountain for a unique and restful weekend escape.

View of Dove Mountain at golden hour from my 6th floor room

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My ride from the Phoenix airport, Premier Executive Suite, dinner at CORE and spa treatment were provided by
The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain, but all opinions and observations are my own.

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Travels With Two