The Iron Cactus, an Austin native, is a chain restaurant specializing in margaritas. Good appetizers and a very nice margarita can be had here easily- but skip the dessert menu. The chocolate cake was dry and the flan tasted day-old. Iron Cactus is a relatively new addition to the Riverwalk, so time will tell if the margaritas will grow weak and sugary. I especially recommend the Mexican Martini- anyone who has lived in Austin is familiar with this margarita-like drink. Iron Cactus makes theirs with real agave nectar and it is perfectly tart and dangerously strong. For a recipe that will not quite live up to Iron Cactus, but will give you an idea if you can’t make it to the Hill Country, try this: http://www.randomfate.net/MT/2004/10/14/jacks-special-mexican-martini/

Casa Rio and the Riverwalk are inseparable. The food is fair, the service is decent, but the seating along the river and the people watching is unmatched. Their Ensalada de Colores comes with a dressing that I wish I could duplicate. The iceberg lettuce and mandarin oranges are nothing special, but with their house special lime vinaigrette dressing it becomes something amazing. Just don’t expect the same from any of the other food- even the corn tortillas are easy to beat.

One of the most popular hiking spots near San Antonio, Friedrich Park has trails of several lengths and difficulty.
The heavily wooded park is off of I-10 on the Northwest side of San Antonio. The park has wheelchair accessible trails as well as challenging mountainous trails.

Most of the trails look a bit like this- wooded, closed in and shaded. There are some places with a decent view of the surrounding hills, but assume you will be in shaded most of the time.
Bring your picnic, but not your dog! Sorry, pets aren’t allowed.
Check out the park website for hours and exact location:   http://www.sanaturalareas.org/fp/fpindex.html

You do need to cover your shoulders and wear pants to visit this Cathedral, as you do for most Catholic Churches in Italy. So on my visit, although it was a scorching 90 degrees outside, I was wearing jeans and a short sleeve shirt. No tank tops ladies!

The facade is worth more than a cursory glance. Here is one of the many carvings on the facade. You can see that the hands of Chris in this depiction are bright gold (well, if my photography were better you could see), from pilgrims rubbing and touching them.

Inside, you may be surprised at how dark the Cathedral is. Indeed, the lighting was terrible for my photos! But after your eyes adjust you’ll be treated to stained glass windows, beautiful tile floors and three ornate altars. I particularly enjoyed watching people light candles. The tall pillars made a beautiful arrangement as they melted, all different heights.

By far the most amazing thing about the Cathedral is the degree of sculpture on the spires. You can get an up-close view of this handiwork if you take the stairs to the top of the Cathedral.

Yes, you can walk around on top of the building, overlooking all of Milan. Don’t take the elevator if you can avoid it, the journey up is wonderful. Take your time to admire the many statues of saints, intricate spires and of course the skyline.

Getting to La Scala from the Duomo is quite easy. Walk through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and go slightly to the left. It isn’t an impressive building from the outside, but as people start to congregate in their ball gowns and cocktail dresses, the atmosphere gets a bit exciting. There are mostly Italians here, but plenty of foreigners too. We wait impatiently in the street and on the sidewalks, and the heat on this June day is punishing.

When the doors finally open we are shuffled in. I ask an older woman, sitting alone, to take my photo with the small poster announcing the performance.

The inside of the building is nothing special either, until you reach the theater itself. The doors open up and you lose your breath for a second. A beautiful, dramatic red and gold room leaps out at you and its elegance and grandeur makes it hard to believe you’re even allowed sit down.

There are floor seats and box seats at La Scala. The box seats are in two rows, two people in each row. There is nothing to be recommended in getting the second row- if you make a trip to Milan, plan to get tickets early and don’t cheap out on the seats! I spent the entire performance standing, craning my neck to see anything other than the right half of the stage. In general, box seats need to be further away from the stage as well. The closer you are, the more parts of your vision are obscured. In retrospect, this seems obvious, but it’s difficult to make that call when looking at a seating arrangement online and considering whether to pay 150euro or 65euro. Especially when the exchange rate is $1.70/euro! But going to an opera at La Scala is a once in a lifetime must-do: get the expensive seats.

So where DO the locals go to have fun? Here are a few suggestions that might help.

Beethoven Maennerchor Halle:
Beethoven is a cultural center that is open to the public the first Friday of each month and for special events such as Oktoberfest. There is a small cover charge, but there’s live music, beer and food is cheap, and you’ll have a great time. Most of the seating is outdoors, so dress appropriately. Everyone is welcome here, and you’ll find people of all ages and cultural backgrounds. Bring your dad! He’ll love it.

The Drink:
This cocktail bar near the Riverwalk has a casual lounge setting that 20 and 30somethings adore. On slow nights you’ll get great service and free nachos as well as a quiet, upscale place to have an after work drink. On Fridays or Saturdays after 10 expect to see a well dressed, lively crowd but a still relaxed environment.

Pedicab Bar and Grill:
Pedicab can be described as a dive bar. A one room establishment that only serves beer and burgers, you can often find live music on its small stage. The bar also has a loveable cat that will demand petting from unsuspecting guests. The crowd is mixed, but mostly under 35 in jeans and t-shirts.

The restaurant was decorated beautifully for Christmas, including a 6ft Santa, hundreds of ornaments glowing on the porch and garland around the bar. Outside of the Christmas season it may not look like much, but I assure you the food is worth a trip. Only open for Breakfast and Lunch, Front Porch has legendary Chicken Salad and Eggs Benedict and everything is reasonably priced. If you are passing by Niceville this is worth the detour. The only downside? The place is tiny; get there early or you’ll be waiting!

Probably the most famous spot to have breakfast in Milan is Zucca, a cafe just inside Gallerie Vittorio Emanuele. This cafe has a wonderful view of the Duomo and the plaza, and one can watch thousands of tourists and Milan natives pass by as you enjoy an overpriced cappuccino and pastry. I sat for an hour, eating an amazing chocolate croissant, writing postcards and waking up to the idea that I was in Milan.

The view out to the piazza is crowded with people, but nonetheless inspiring.

Stepping inside the Gallerie Vittorio Emanuele, the glass ceiling takes all your attention. Despite it’s beautiful architecture, the Gallerie was really built as a shopping mall. And a mall it is, with stores so expensive I hardly dare to window shop.

Further through the Gallerie you find a famous tile mosaic on the floor, the Taurus zodiac symbol. It is said that if you step on the bulls most delicate parts you will have good luck! All day long you can find tourists and locals stopping by to give the poor bull a stomp. Some of them do a dance, others twirl around a few times, and some just pause for a second, stomp down hard, and walk off as if nothing had happened! No matter what method you choose, you’ll be sure to have onlookers.

 
My favorite trip was to take Lift 2 or 6 to Kachina Peak- a beautiful vista and colder temperatures await you there. Take Honeysuckle down and admire the amazing view and huge bowls, and turn off at Lower Totemoff or Lonestar, or stay on Honeysuckle until you reach Winkelreid. Take Winkelreid down to Lift 4, then ride that up to go down Easy Trip, Japanese Flag and Lower Patton. Exiting Lift 4 can be a little confusing- you should ski all the way across the hill (get some momentum, you’ll need it!) to your left as you exit the lift. There you will find Easy Trip and some crazy skiers hiking to Hunziker Bowl.  Ski down Easy Trip, then all the way across the hill again under the lift to get to Japanese Flag. Lower Patton takes you to a lodge and a restaurant- a great place to stop for lunch if you don’t want to go all the way down to the base.

Kachina

To get back to the base, take Rubezahl Run, a very long, almost completely flat trail through beautiful forest. This is a very peaceful run, almost always empty, and I enjoyed it immensely. Don’t go to slow though- take advantage of the momentum when you get it because you don’t want to end up walking! Rubezahl will spit you right back out at Lift 1 so you can do it all over again!

Of course Taos is a haven for expert skiers as well, as there are plenty of black and black double diamond runs all throughout the mountain, often right next to a green or blue counterpart. As you ride Lift 1 you will be treated to the good, bad and ugly of skiers going down a hill of challenging moguls on Al’s Run. It makes for an entertaining trip up!

Stream on Path to Monterosso

Finally arriving, after thousands of stairs and about 5 hours of hiking, you will see beaches an your 5th lovely town.

First view of Monterosso

Don’t be fooled, as I was, the town actually stretches all the way around the hill that you see onto the other side of the bay. The train station is on this other side, down a long boardwalk that is often filled with people shopping, going to the beach and having drinks or gelato. Spend some time wandering around Monterosso, especially in the spring or summer, because it is a really beautiful place with a lot of interesting architecture, shopping and an almost tropical mediterranean environment.

When it was finally time to leave, I waited for close to 2 hours for a very late train. Luckily I was surrounded by friendly tourists and enjoyed these gorgeous flowers. I hope you do too!

There isn’t much that can rival perfect ski conditions. With luck, you too can experience them, even in New Mexico. We arrived one day after a fresh snow- with slopes perfectly groomed and the sun out again.
The trip up to Taos Ski Valley from Taos or Arroyo Seco takes 15-30 minutes, but it is not a steep climb. Most of the trip you are driving between two mountains, with a small brook on your right, so only the most fearful acrophobe will have trouble.

Arrival at the resort anywhere near opening time will mean a bit of a wait to park in the icy, inconvenient parking lot. Don’t worry though- whether you are Gila Monster 11 or Deer 14, the shuttle will come get you, normally right at your vehicle.

Riding the shuttle is a bit of an adventure by itself. The big trailer full of people, skis, snowboards and boots slides around the parking lot, bouncing, stopping and starting. But it sure beats walking! The shuttle drops you off in two locations- outside the Childrens Center or right at the lift ticket office. If it’s your first day at Taos Ski Valley, definitely ride to the ticket office to register for lessons, get lift tickets for the week, and just generally check everything out. Nearby are most of the restaurants, cafes, ski rental shop and travel office as well as condos.
There are not many ski in/ski out options in Taos, but the travel is worth it for great snow. There are tons of rental options in Taos village, including many homes with multiple bedrooms, bathrooms, internet, hot tubs- our rental house even had heated floors! So enjoy your stay, even inside away from the snow.