Month: July 2017
Location: Boise
When people think of Idaho, they associate it with potatoes. I always thought of it in the same vein as
Washington or Oregon, a classic Northwestern State with mountains and mild
weather. In terms of picking a place, I
did not know much beyond Boise, so that’s where I was going. I arrived in Boise on a Friday afternoon
and soon realized that Idaho is a long State – lengthwise – and Boise is
towards the lower part of the State.
This means that it is closer to Nevada than the Pacific Northwest, and
thus hot like a desert. But it did look
clean, and with mountains in the distance, definitely a city that I could end up
liking.
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| My roomie |
My hotel said that they had a free shuttle service from the
airport though I couldn’t see a van with my hotels name on it. So I sat at the bench and called them, only to hear that it should already be there.
Fortunately, a gentleman came and asked if I was waiting for a ride and
only then I saw that the van was serving more than one establishment. I arrived at ‘Hotel 43’ and at check-in asked why it was named so. They said that Idaho was on the 43rd
parallel, the 43rd State in the Union and the hotel was built during
the 43rd Presidency. Well,
that seemed like a good enough reason, though the last one was stretching it a
bit. As I entered my room I noticed that
I wasn’t the sole occupant. Sitting on a
chair was a Teddy Bear wearing the Hotel bathrobe, with a note that I could purchase
him from the gift shop if I wanted to.
Never in my travels have I been welcomed with a plush toy. There’s a first time for everything and I for
one wasn’t complaining.
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| On my way |
There were a couple of places that I wanted to visit in the
afternoon and so I set off immediately. Like
many of the other cities that I have visited recently, the downtown looked spotless. I passed through what looked like
a shopping area, with a central fountain that sprayed water from the floor and
kids running through it trying to catch the jet; all while their parents drank beer
nearby. I was going to a place called ‘The Basque Museum & Cultural Center’
in what was called the “Basque District”. I had no idea what that meant or referred to,
just that this place had shown up in the list of museums in the city. I had absolutely no idea
on what to expect from this place.
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| I had no knowledge of this culture |
As I turned on the street where the museum was located, I
did find it to be different than the others and from what I have seen in the
pictures, very “European”. I entered the museum along with an elderly
couple at 3:50 pm and was told that they were closing in 10 minutes. However, the gentleman at the counter was
extremely friendly and said that we could do a quick tour if we
rushed. He joined us as a tour guide and
it was then that I learnt that Basque is a region shared between France and
Spain and which has its own unique culture and customs. Being denied their own independent country,
many natives have gone abroad looking for a better life, Boise being one of the
largest settlements. I asked the
question which needed to be asked, “Why
Boise of all places”. Well, it seems
that Basque folks are primarily “Sheep
Farmers” and this region was ideally suited for that, whatever that means!
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| Starting my culinary adventure in Boise |
There wasn’t much time, so I rushed through the couple of
galleries containing history of Basque people in America and a display with
some of their local art and items that one may find in their household. Before leaving I asked if there were any
restaurants with Basque cuisine and of course there were a few on the block,
including one across the street. It was
called ‘Basque Market’ and besides
being a restaurant, it doubled as a grocery store of sorts for some Basque
products. I walked through it and found
a delicious looking thing called “Chocolate
Cream Pudding” in their refrigerator.
The proprietor endorsed it wholeheartedly and so I grabbed a table
outside and gobbled it down. This would
have to do in terms of food till dinner time which was hours away.
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| 'State Capitol' |
As with any other State Capital, I wanted to visit the ‘Capitol’. It’s not difficult to spot that building in
any city owing to the dome and this one was just a couple of blocks away. One of the reasons that I like visiting the ‘Capitol’ buildings is because they are
usually located within a park and everything around it appears to be quite, no
matter how bustling the city. As I
entered the building, I wasn’t expecting anything as pretty as the one in Utah,
but this one wasn’t shabby; not at all.
It was majestic, with a central foyer around which spiral staircases went
upwards and down. I went upstairs and
was able to visit the “House” and “Senate” rooms which looked
fantastic. Being vacant at this time, I
was able to walk through the floor and the chairs in the balconies. I always appreciate when places such as these
are so easily accessible to public and for them to see where their elected
officials gather to make decisions on their behalf.
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| The beautiful interior |
The building had multiple levels, including two long wings
that extended on either side. I could
see sunlight coming in through the roof, but I did not recollect seeing these
wings on the outside. That’s when I
realized that these corridors were actually below ground with a garden on
top of it. And to think that this is a
Government building! There certainly was
a lot to explore, including an exhibit on the history of Nuclear Waste dump in
Idaho and some conflict that arose because of that. I walked through the building and it took
longer than I thought, which is always a
good thing. Now it was time to see how
Boise measured up in the evening.
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| My first stop at 'The Mode Lounge' |
I had identified a few places that I wanted to visit and
they were quite close to each other. As
I approached the first location I could see why, since this appeared to be the
epicenter of all things social in downtown Boise. The people had assembled and were on the
patio of the numerous bars and restaurants lined up along the street. I stopped at a place called ‘Red Feather Lounge’ and saw that it was
full, with no place to sit at the bar. So
I went to a place across the street called ‘The
Mode Lounge’ which had absolutely no one.
I chatted with the bartender and she told me about a drink on their
menu which is limited to 1 per person; always interesting when that’s stated on
the menu. I did not get that, though my
cocktail was interesting in its flavor profile.
I did like this place though, especially its creative light fixtures
that looked like the tops of wine glasses.
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| The drink was better than what was playing |
I went back to the ‘Red
Feather Lounge’ and learnt that I had been in the wrong place earlier. This one had ample space and looked more like
a cocktail bar than the boisterous one next door. I stayed there for a while and then went to
another place just around the corner called ‘Press
& Pony’. Now, this had all the
makings of a “Speakeasy” with a dark
curtain for an entrance and an interior that looked like an apothecary. Plus the bartender was wearing a waistcoat and
a mustache that “Hercule Poirot”
would have approved. There was also a
group of young ladies who looked like they were part of a bridal party and so
all bets were off. I ordered a drink which
tasted like something filtered through an ashtray and so for the first time in
a long time, I returned it back.
Typically I would not do it, but if this place prided itself in making
cocktails then why not. I told him that
I didn’t want him to remake it, but rather fix it. He made it a bit better, but definitely not
something that I would be ordering again.
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| Behind those curtains are Waffles and Fries! |
Before leaving I asked him directions to the bathroom and he
directed me towards another dark curtain, which took me to a whole new
establishment - in fact 2 of them, “Boise
Fry Company” and “Waffle Me Up”. Since Boise is known for potatoes, it made
sense that someone decided to open a restaurant dedicated to fries. That’s what “Boise Fry Company” was, a restaurant whose menu consisted of
different types of fries. And that
wasn’t the only thing. It had a wall
with taps of different types of ketchup and sauces. You could get as many as you wanted to go
with your fries. The tag line of this
place was “Fries with a side of Burgers”. Now, whoever thought of putting this in a
location so that every drunk from the bar who heads to the bathroom sees the
ultimate junk food, deserves an award for entrepreneurship. Plus, let’s not forget the waffle place which
provided both, sweet and savory waffles.
Man, I could just spend an evening behind these walls and get
everything. But I had dinner plans and
other places to visit.
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| I was staring at it for 10 minutes |
There was time for one more stop before dinner and I saw
that there was a place nearby called ‘Whiskey
Bar’, magical words together! So I went there and saw that
while the place was big and a decent one to pass off as a salon, it was quite
empty. I got a cocktail there and then
it was time to head back. I did see
another lounge next to it which looked interesting and worth exploring
tomorrow. I was having dinner at a
restaurant called ‘Chandler’s’, which
called itself “The home of the 10 Minute Martini™”
– yes, they trademarked it. Well, it was
also in my hotel so if the martinis were indeed as advertised, I wouldn’t have
to travel far afterwards. I arrived
early and sat at the bar and despite urging from a young woman who came over
from her table and told me to order the “Bartender
special”, I went with what they were most known for. The reason why it’s called a “10 Minute Martini™” is because the
bartender makes it and then puts it on ice for exactly 10 minutes while you
look at it. It certainly was chilled to
perfection and perhaps something “007”
could add to his order. The dinner was
very good, as was the ambiance with the live jazz. I could have hung around for another nightcap
but they were closing and so I headed upstairs to my Teddy Bear, satisfied with
the way this day had gone.
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| Saturday Markets are the best |
I left my hotel the next morning with an intention to go to
a coffee shop and hang out till my first activity of the day. But I saw that there was a street market in
progress next to my hotel and so decided to walk through. It is always interesting to see the local
farmers and produce, but what I truly like at a street market is the various
food stalls…let’s face it, everyone does.
There were certainly many options here, and the one I passed by twice
before coming back to it was the mobile version of the restaurant that I had
seen yesterday, ‘Waffle Me Up’. Their savory waffle looked interesting and
despite there being no proper tables to sit, I ordered one. There was a dodgy looking bench which was in
blazing sunshine and so I sat there and wolfed down my waffle – which was quite
good.
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| Starting point of our tour |
I walked up to a place called ‘District Coffee House’, which was your typical local coffee shop
with locals comfortably entrenched. The
décor was eclectic and I stayed for a drink before going to “Basque District” for a “Historic Downtown Walking Tour” – not
sure if “Historic” referred to the
downtown or the tour! I arrived outside
the museum that I had visited yesterday and saw that a group had assembled
around a lady who was going to be our tour guide. It was a decent sized group and the lady
encouraged us to stay hydrated since it was a hot day. We started inside a courtyard of a house
which was one of the examples of the housing that Basque immigrants lived in
upon their arrival in Boise. It was simple on
the outside and though we couldn’t go inside, were told that it was
comfortable. Well, people were crammed
in these housings though and life wasn’t all easy, as this community struggled
to establish themselves in a foreign land.
However, they had their art and culture to sustain them and that was
evident everywhere…I mean, even the sidewalks had poetry and music engrossed
within tiles.
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| Looked like racquetball to me |
We did go inside a building where the “games” were in progress and peeking through the window, we saw
kids playing what looked like racquetball on a court. It seems that this game is the most popular
form of recreation for kids who hone their skills to compete in tournaments
such as the one that was in progress. We
left the building and continued our trek into other areas of the city including
some famous buildings such as the oldest standing structure and a “Fondue” restaurant which used to be a
Firehouse and which still has a fireman’s pole running through the main
hall. The irony of having a fondue place
in an old firehouse wasn’t lost on us.
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| The "stinky" alley of art |
We had a nice set of visitors on the tour, including a
gentleman who mentioned that he had lived in India for a period of time and
spoke immaculate “Hindi” with
me. We walked past the government
buildings as well as the ‘Capitol’
that I had visited yesterday and all the time our guide was feeding us tidbits
of information about the city as well as encouraging us to visit the mountains
a few miles away. We had entered the
main restaurant row where I had spent my evening and there was a street market
in progress, along with other summer patio activities. Our guide took us through something known as ‘Freak Alley Gallery’, which is an alley
where artists come to express themselves via murals and paintings on the back
walls of the businesses. It reminded me
of the “Gum Wall” in Seattle, though
much less disgusting to look at. While
the art was extraordinary, this was still an alley between restaurants, meaning
we were passing by a lot of dumpsters which were stinking up the place. If only that particular aspect could be
figured out, this would be a fantastic destination.
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| Basque restaurant |
We were running overtime and since I had a packed schedule
for the afternoon, I bid the guide and our group a farewell and left the
tour. Our guide had recommended a Basque
restaurant named ‘Bar Gernika’ for
lunch and even told me what to order. It
looked like a “Dive Bar”, but had a
friendly person behind the bar, which wasn’t surprising since these people are
known for their hospitality. I ordered
as instructed by our guide, which included “croquettas”,
a must in every Basque meal. This wasn’t
on my list for lunch today, but it would have been a shame to pass up
on trying a new cuisine. I was glad to
have come and after a brief halt, called an ‘Uber’ for my next stop.
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| The "Goddess Fest" |
‘Boise Art Museum’ is located in a park and I
could see some activity going on outside.
As I got my ticket for the museum I was told that photography was
prohibited, with or without flash. I
really do not understand why the museums would enforce this policy, but I
wasn’t going to argue. The museum itself
is not too big, but has a decent collection.
It did not take me that long to walk through it and upon coming out, I
decided to check out the festivities in the park, which was called “Goddess Fest”. It looked like a free spirited gathering
which besides the tents of arts and crafts, included activities such as “Psychic Reading”. I even saw
something to do with aura’s and souls!
But there was something peaceful about the place – including the folk
music that was being performed. No
matter what your beliefs, perhaps the world does need these harmonious gatherings to spread joy and “every
good thing” – their words.
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| The entrance to 'The Old Idaho Penitentiary' |
This was in stark contrast to the next place I was visiting,
something I never thought that I would do in a town such as this – ‘The Old Idaho Penitentiary’. Opened in 1872, for over 100 years this was
where the State sent its most hardened criminals. Since its closure it has become a
destination for tourists and came up as a recommended stop while in Boise. Obviously it was on the outskirts of the town
and the afternoon had gotten hot when I arrived there. From the outside it looked like a crumbling
fort and as I walked in through the gates into the courtyard, I saw that
several buildings were in ruins. I was
given a map of the premises and besides the buildings housing the prisoners,
there were other locations like the “galley”,
“solitary confinement”, “maximum security block” and the “gallows”; which I was told was a
popular spot. Also popular today was the
only air conditioned building on the site, which was hosting an exhibit on
firearms.
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| Most of it was in ruins |
I started by walking through the ruins before moving into
some of the buildings, including one which had an exhibit on tattoos. I guess this was where the prisoners came to
get their art work done. At the very
back was “solitary confinement” and
these were small rooms with barely enough space to even stretch out on the
floor. And speaking of floors, there
wasn’t much there either. I am sure the
passage of time had eroded the tiles, but I suspect it wasn’t a very
comfortable spot. I ended up in the air
conditioned building and saw that there really were a lot of firearms. I am far from a gun enthusiast, but for those
people, this place is a shrine. If I
had seen this exhibit elsewhere, say in a museum, I may have been
impressed. But over here, it just made
me uneasy.
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| The creepy cell block |
There had been a growing dread within me and entering the
cell blocks did nothing to alleviate that.
Seeing those small cells over multiple levels was a bit disturbing,
especially since outside each cell was a photograph of one of its inmates along
with their crime and punishments. Some
of those inmates had been kids with their whole life thrown away because of one
mistake, most likely due to poverty. There
were open cells where one could go in to “experience”
the conditions, but there was no way I was going to do that. The “maximum
security” block was darker than the others and when I realized that I was
the only person inside that building, I couldn’t leave fast enough. But nothing filled me with more anxiety that
the visit to the “gallows”. On the wall were pictures of all of the men
executed in that building along with their stories. There was a “viewing room” for the family of the victims and the room where the
actual hanging took place. The exit to
this building was down a flight of stairs and before exiting you saw the room
where the trapdoor opened and the hanged man was lowered. To know that barely a few feet away from
where I stood a number of men had died, wasn’t something that I want to
experience again.
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| Once is enough at this place |
I was ready to leave this place, but I stopped over at the “women’s block” and similar to one
housing the men, this also had photographs and stories of the women who had been there, couple
of who once climbed over the tall prison wall by stacking chairs! There was also a sign encouraging prior "residents" to come forward with their story, their anonymity being respected. I bought myself a bottle of water from the “gift shop” and gulped it down, waiting
for my ‘Uber’. Never in all of my travels had I been so glad
to get away from a place and as we drove away, it felt like a weight being
lifted from my shoulders. I do not
believe in the paranormal or the spirits.
But there was something haunting about this place and when my driver
mentioned that they do “Halloween”
tours at night, I thought of no better place than this, even more than a made
up “haunted house”.
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| Now that's one way to relax |
More than ever I was ready for a drink and I was dropped off
in the downtown at a place called ‘Reef’. This is a good old fashioned “Tiki Bar” and as such has a very
relaxed ambiance, which was perfect.
There were some unique cocktails and after a couple, I felt better and
proceeded to the place I had seen yesterday evening, called ‘Amsterdam Lounge’. Well, the name sounds cool, but I was the only
person in there and so unlike the earlier place the vibe was low. Next, I stopped at the ‘Bar in Grove Hotel’ which was exactly what the names stated, a bar
in a hotel lobby. But the cocktail
wasn’t that bad, though once again, it wasn't exactly a boisterous place. In my search for good cocktail places, one of
the names that had come up was ‘Capitol
Bar’. It was away from downtown, near the place I was going for dinner. It had a “neighborhood bar” feel, with everyone knowing each other and
though it was unlike the “speakeasy”
bars that I prefer, I liked it.
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| Back room of 'State & Lemp' |
I was going to a place called ‘State & Lemp’, which offered a multi-course tasting menu with
wine pairings. Although it is a restaurant, it operated more as a “dining club”, with family style
seating. I arrived just as the first
batch of diners was finishing and so was directed to the back room and handed a
glass of wine as I waited. Soon my
fellow diners joined me in there as the noise level increased in that tiny room, till we were all directed to our table. I was sharing mine with a couple and a gentleman who was from England and had a remarkable life story, which he told us over the next few courses and glasses of wine. He had been fortunate in his career to retire young and then spent his life climbing mountains all over the work, including‘Everest’
which he claimed to have climbed 3 times.
Once would have been enough in my opinion, but what do I know. He was now driving cross-country in an “RV” – which was in the restaurant
parking lot – en route to Seattle to see his daughter. It was a fun evening chatting with him and
the couple and a very satisfying end to the day.
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| Start of the "Brunch Tour" |
Next morning was my final one and after checking out of my
room, I left my luggage at the front desk and walked over to a restaurant
called ‘Saint Lawrence Gridiron’, the
first stop of a “Walking Brunch Tour”. For this first stop we would be sitting
outside and our guide had arranged for a table for a dozen or so people. I saw that one of the ladies was also on my
walking tour yesterday and I learnt that she was visiting from Phoenix to write
a travel piece for a magazine. Others
included a local couple who had a bunch of their friends visiting from other
places, and it looked like a fun group.
We started with a brunch dish with a paired cocktail – yeah, it was that
kind of a tour – and our guide said that the chef had come in on his day off just for this. It was a good dish and we
left after thanking him.
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| Inside 'Juniper' |
Our guide was providing some insight about the food scene in
Boise and we walked over to the place I had discovered by accident on my first
evening, ‘Waffle Me Up’. We had the
same waffle that I had tasted from their truck at the farmer’s market
yesterday. I did not mind that a bit and
it also allowed me to try some of the sauces on offer by the ‘Boise Fry Company’. The next stop was at another popular brunch
spot called ‘Goldy’s Corner’, where
we assembled in their bakery section. I
almost sank into my soft couch as we had a tasting of the “Breakfast Burrito” and another cocktail. Our final food stop was at a restaurant
called ‘Juniper’, another popular
destination for food in Boise. We had some
unique “Pesto Scrambled Eggs”, along
with an outstanding cocktail, which was a nice finish to this part of the tour. However, there was still a dessert stop.
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| Well, if they say so! |
Prior to that our guide took us through the same artist’s
alley that I had been through yesterday and people on this tour were fascinated
by it all and were spending a lot of time in taking pictures and asking
questions. This was making me nervous
since I had to go to my hotel to collect my bag and meet my scheduled ride to
the airport. While I could have just
left, I did not want to miss out on the final treat, which was a Milkshake. Our guide had said that it would be one of the best ones that I would have
had. So, when we arrived at the stop
called ‘Moon Café’, I asked the
server to make mine “To Go” and as
soon as I had it in hand, bid farewell to my fellow members and left. The drink was indeed good and I had finished
most of it before crossing a block.
I arrived at the hotel and I need not have worried, since my
ride was late. At the airport it was fairly easy to get to my gate, though I would have a connection
in Denver this time. Boise had surprised
me on many levels. Firstly, it was
nothing like the cities of the Pacific
Northwest, especially with it's hot weather.
But more than that, it was a vibrant place, with food,
drink and culture to rival any other major US city. This would not be on top of any tourist’s destination
– well unless you are from Basque region – but it should be. I had just as much fun here as I would
anywhere else, despite the visit to the penitentiary. The surprises never end and I was glad to
have found another place which I wouldn’t have, if not for this journey. Idaho is definitely much more than potatoes
and I look forward to visiting the Northern mountains next time.
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