Blogs

I've just discovered three extremely cool, design-forward travel resources from Many Lands One Moon Publications and I'm sure you too will find them to not only informative, but just plain fun to browse.

• Travel Scribbles -The World in Words - travel articles and destination information from around the world
• Prow’s Edge Cruise Magazine - cruise information on cruises and cruising
• Travel Tidings USA - United States travel guide for US tourism information

All three boast super simple, almost minimalist design and yet they are user friendly and packed with helpful content.

A history-making snowfall in many parts of the northeast including the Big Apple! Better late than never. And the media can't get enough of it, nor can I, which explains how I came across this attention grabbing pair of sentences in today's New York Times article, "New York Region Digs Out After a Record Snowfall":

"The season's most popular sledding device is a something that looks like a beach toy — an inflatable plastic donut with a liner on the bottom of the hole. 'These tubes are all the rage,' said Mellissa Green, 39, of Brooklyn, who found her two young children after bedtime staring out the window at the snow."

Familiar? It should be if you listened to my rant on Tuesday, February 7 in the "Squaw Skiing Update and Truckee Dining" blog posting. Let's face it, every "kid" who has access to snow absolutely loves Tube Pro Snow Tubes!

We made it back to San Francisco just in time for evening massages at Bliss San Francisco followed by an early, less than savory [grumble] supper from x y z restaurant. There's plenty to recount about these two components of the W San Francisco, and indeed about this oft vaunted accommodation itself, so I'm going to pass the baton to my wife, Susan, who's designer background makes her particularly adept at critiquing elements that often slip past me undetected. Play this audio clip to hear her thoughts:

Yesterday offered up yet another bluebird day at Squaw Valley USA! I'm starting to get used to the perfect weather. In fact, this morning we were supposed to leave and head off to Benicia, California to catch up with friends, but the conditions were so sublime that we postponed our departure to ski a half day. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Rewind. Okay, yesterday... Susan took another lesson in the morning from 9-11 AM while I knocked out some work, then we rendezvoused at Mamasake, a "new-style Japanese" joint boasting the Raw at Squaw slogan. We'd eaten there earlier in the week and were pleased with the grub, and its location in the courtyard outside our condo made it an easy place to meet. Once again, we ate well, but left overly stuffed.

What a day in spectacular Squaw Valley! Plenty of super challenging runs in the middle of breathtaking views. Add in an excellent skiier to challenge me, and this was one memorable day. Unfortunately no photos because the camera seems to have disappeared, no doubt buried in one of our bags during the move over to The Village at Squaw Valley where we'll be spending the next few nights (until we head off to Benicia to catch up with friends that live on a sailboat.) Play the audio post below for a sound clip of our day.