On The Go

On The Go

Five reasons to hit Sin City this summer — and none of them are on the Strip: 1. Swim with card sharks If the $10,000 main event, which starts on July 7 at the Rio, is too rich for you, try to win... Read on

Five reasons to hit Sin City this summer — and none of them are on the Strip:
	 
 
	 
1. Swim with card sharks 
	 
If the $10,000 main event, which starts on July 7 at the Rio, is too rich for you, try to win your way in with satellites that start at $75. Daily tournaments starting at $1,000 give you a chance to win a coveted World Series bracelet, or take a shot at one of the cash games.
	 
 
	 

	 
2. Dance with the world’s top DJs 
	 
Ready to sweat? Tiesto, David Guetta, Swedish House Mafia, Paul Oakenfold, the Crystal Method and Steve Aoki will be among those waiting for you at the Electric Daisy Carnival at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on June 24-26.
	 

	 
 
	 
3. Hit a high score 
	 
The Fremont East area downtown, with cool indie bars including the Griffin and Downtown Cocktail Room, is where you’ll find the new Insert Coins Las Vegas. It’s a video arcade/nightclub — yes, gaming geeks meets bottle service — where you can try to score with local hotties while showing off both your old-school (Colecovision!) and new-school joystick skills.
	 

	 
 
	 
4. Can you say kaiseki? 
	 
Raku, the Spring Mountain Road robatayaki that’s the best Japanese restaurant in town, keeps getting better and more ambitious. Now it has a kaiseki tasting menu, starting at $100 for 10 courses. Call at least three days in advance.
	 

	 
 
	 
5. Wine down in Summerlin 
	 
Marche Bacchus, an already solid waterfront bistro and market in the charming Summerlin area, recently hired Alex Stratta (yes, the man whose two-Michelin-star restaurant at Wynn Las Vegas bizarrely closed this year) as a consultant. Joe Swan, who cooked at Alex, is now Marche Bacchus’ chef de cuisine. Expect some serious wine pairings.

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DEALS: Japan

May 24, 2011 , ι Chris Bunting

Apocalypse averted -- coolness. Pop a bottle. "But what have you done for me lately?" Earth asks with absolute disregard to the buzz it just killed. OK. Regroup. Book this four-night vacation to... Read on

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POSTCARD: India

May 16, 2011 , ι Sharilyn Neidhardt

ENCOUNTERING India for the first time is much like getting up close and personal with an elephant. Elephants are gigantic and intimidating. They smell funny. India itself is huge, complex,... Read on

Sharilyn NeidhardtA NOSE FOR IT: The thick-skinned athletes of Jaipur.

ENCOUNTERING India for the first time is much like getting up close and personal with an elephant. Elephants are gigantic and intimidating. They smell funny. India itself is huge, complex, intimidating. It also smells weird.

My first elephant encounter was in Jaipur, on the grounds of the Rambagh Palace, the former residence of the Maharaja of Jaipur. Now it’s a hotel. This is not your typical hotel — as you might expect from a former palace, there are plenty of bells and whistles. Rooms are, well, palatial. There’s an astrologer on call. There are on-site polo grounds.

Polo played on ponies is a fast-paced game which requires great skill and horsemanship. That’s not what you come here for, though. At Rambagh Palace, elephant polo is the thing. Elephant polo is played in various parts of South Asia, from Nepal to Thailand. It’s a very serious sport — there is even a World Elephant Polo Association.

Elephant polo is not like regular polo — these beasts are not what you would call speedy, under the best of circumstances. The polo match is played with two people on each elephant: the mahout (Hindi for “guy who drives elephant,” loosely translated) who steers the elephant and the player who tells the mahout where to aim the elephant to get a shot at the polo ball. Mahouts are usually the owners of the elephants and have long relationships with the animals, who can live to be 70.

The players were tourists like me, helped onto the back of the elephant with the help of a stepladder, and given a long-handled mallet with which to strike the ball.

The mahout rides just behind the elephant’s head, with his legs pretty much around the elephant’s neck. I was perched much farther up, in a saddle which felt precariously perched in the rise of the elephant’s back.

Elephant motion is somewhere between a lumber and a sway, more difficult to get used to than I thought it would be. In the midst of this disorienting state, I was meant to use an eight-foot pole with a club at the end of it to accurately pass a soccer ball to my teammate, another woman perched awkwardly on another elephant.

My teammate and I swung our clubs into the turf far more often than we connected with the ball. I did not score, but my teammate, Claire, also a guest at the palace, managed one goal. In a final humiliation, one of our opponents’ elephants actually kicked the ball through the posts later in the game, so that I was outscored by a mammal that doesn’t even have thumbs. Clearly, I was not designed to be an Elephant Polo champion.

The game was terrifically fun, despite my basic lack of aptitude. The lazy pace of the game seemed to suit the super-hot summer day. The elephants were gaily painted and seemed to enjoy rambling around on the field. I think I even caught one sort of smiling.
	 
Elephant polo arranged by Micato Safaris

	 
Learn more about the palace at 
	 tajhotels.com

	 .

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NEWS: May 3

May 03, 2011 , ι Chris Bunting

SCHNELL — YOU wanted more service to Berlin, you got it. As of this past Sunday, Airberlin is flying nonstop between here and there four times a week: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays... Read on

Shutterstock

SCHNELL — YOU wanted more service to Berlin, you got it. As of this past Sunday,
	 Airberlinis flying nonstop between here and there four times a week: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays (
	 airberlin.com).
	 
TUSK LOVE— SURE, $4,400pp might seem pricey for a week-long safari through Kenya when it doesn’t even include the airfare to get there, but keep this in mind: If you sign up for
	 Extraordinary Journeys Africa’s 8-day “Great Cats and Magnificent Elephants” itinerary, they’ll adopt an elephant on your behalf (
	 ejafrica.com).
	 
IN LIKE FINN— THINK Finland’s nothing more than herring and cellphones? You need to get out more. Don’t worry, not actually to Finland — just San Diego, for the city’s 28th annual
	 FinnFest. It’s five days (Aug. 10-14) of food, music, films, sports and other guaranteed forms of Nordic weirdotainment (
	 finnfest2011.com).

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JUST BACK: Scotland

April 20, 2011 , ι Jae-Ha Kim

Denton Morris

When author Dan Brown first visited Rosslyn Chapel in Midlothian, Scotland, the small, working church wasn't on any tourist maps. Though located just seven miles south of Edinburgh, Rosslyn didn't have the same cachet as, say, the more famous and majestic Edinburgh Castle.
	 
But thanks to Brown's bestseller, "The Da Vinci Code" — which prominently features Rosslyn — the little chapel that could continues to be curiosity.

	 
Just to jog your memory, both the book and the film begin with a murder at the Louvre in Paris. In search of the Holy Grail, the hero travels to France, England and finally Scotland to learn the mysteries of two religious groups that may have led to the killing. 

	 
So what's all the fuss about? From the outside, Rosslyn Chapel isn't much to look at. Overlooking the North Esk River, it's a miniature church in a quiet town. Inside, the stained glass windows are the only bright elements. The 15th-century cathedral is dark and dusty, even when it's sunny outside. 

	 
But then there are the intricate carvings that defy categories: angels in Masonic poses, ears of corn and other plants, Green Men with mischievous grins and snake-like foliage for their bodies.

	 
The most famous of the carvings is known as the Apprentice Pillar. According to the legend, the head mason was instructed to build an even more intricate creation than his previous pillar. While consulting with his master, the underling took it upon himself to finish the pillar. His work was so beautiful and well-executed that the mason killed him in a fit of jealousy. (The chapel's gift shop sells replicas of the famous pillar for about $60.)

	 
Whether this legend is true or not is debatable. But it's clear that the craftsmen who had a hand in building Rosslyn Chapel had a sense of humor. Overlooking the Apprentice Pillar is the head of the enraged mason, whose fate is to forever view his student's superior work. The heads of the student, as well as his mother, overlook the mason's inferior carving.

	 
Founded in 1446 by Sir William St. Clair — the last prince of Orkney — Rosslyn Chapel was originally known as the Collegiate Chapel of St. Matthew. Intended as a much bigger cathedral than exists today, those plans ended when Sir William died in 1484.

	 
Brown asserted in his book that the Rosslyn Chapel was built on the site of an ancient temple frequented by the Christian military order Knights Templar, and that a subterranean chamber exists underneath the chapel.

	 
Tour guides are quick to point out that all this makes for a good story, but the story isn't necessarily true.

	 
Still, tourists jostle inside to get the best view. Some hope that this was the last stop for the Holy Grail. Others are just curious to be at a place that had been so well documented in a fictional book. 

	 
Rosslyn is a working chapel and — besides being available for film shoots — may be booked for weddings.

	 
You may reach Jae via her Web site at www.jaehakim.com
 or follow her on Twitter @GoAwayWithJae
.

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GO NOW: Tasty getaways

April 11, 2011 , ι David Landsel

DID reading that Barcelona story in this week's Travel section make you hungry? Us too. But maybe you've got no time or money for Catalonia just now; totally understandable. But we'll bet you do... Read on

Joel Viehland is chef at Connecticut's Community Table.

DID reading that
	 Barcelona story in this week's Travel sectionmake you hungry? Us too. But maybe you've got no time or money for Catalonia just now; totally understandable. But we'll bet you do have time for Connecticut. Or Westchester. Or Long Island.
	 
What do all of those places have in common? There are terrible suburbs there. But! Not all of the suburbs are terrible, some places there aren't even suburbs (yet) and damn, is there some good food and drink, sometimes hiding in plain sight, all waiting to be eaten. And drank. Or is it drunk? (In at least one case, we're guessing you're going to be.) Anyway - here's where you go. Have fun.
	 
GO LUXE IN LITCHFIELD 
	 
Countless weekenders drive a lot further away from New York looking for a little peace and quiet, but that doesn’t make them smarter than the ones who’ve discovered Connecticut’s quiet Litchfield Hills, an oft-overlooked region just an hour or so from the hustle of the city, with quaint villages like Norfolk and Kent, beautiful country roads and unspoiled backcountry — not to mention some really good eats.
	 
How to do itIf you can swing the cost, check in to
	 Winvian, an exclusive retreat tucked away on a bucolic back road just outside of the postcard-perfect town of Litchfield. Here, Chef Chris Eddy oversees one of the top dining rooms in the state; overnight guests stay in one of 19 whimsically decorated accommodations that defy attempts at description. (Non-guests are welcome to join for lunch or dinner, providing they make reservations in advance.) And while you could spend an entire weekend — maybe your life? — hanging out in, say, their ultra-luxe Treehouse (really: a Jacuzzi tub up in a tree — why would you ever leave? Just keep sending for more Champagne), make time to get in the kitchen with Chef Eddy, who launched the Cooking School at Winvian this spring, offering everything from short courses in pastry making to six-week intensive programs (rooms from $650,
	 winvian.com). When you tire of lazing around in the lap of luxury, there’s plenty else in the region worth sniffing out — while it’s a little early for farm stands, you can trust that whatever’s good and local and available, you have a good chance of finding it on the menu at
	 Community Tablein nearby Washington. Worth the drive from New York on its own, this rustic chic BYOB serves homey breakfasts and smart New American dinners. Make sure to try the Connecticut cheeses. And the Connecticut wine. Yes, there really is such a thing (223 Litchfield Turnpike;
	 communitytablect.com).
	 
BEER AND PASTA 
	 
You want to talk about overlooked, let’s take a peek at Westchester County. Yes, it is suburban. Yes, a lot of those suburbs are best left to those who’ve chosen to live there. But let the Negativity Patrol focus on the Elmsfords, the Yorktowns — we’ll be in line for some of the best local-roast joe at Coffee Labs in Tarrytown, having one of the best dinners we’ll eat all year at the needs-no-introduction Blue Hill at Stone Barns, or putting our names in for dinner at North, a smart farm-to-tabler that’s putting ho-hum Armonk on the culinary map.
	 
How to do itYou could spend a whole weekend up here — that
	 Ritz-Carltonin White Plains isn’t too shabby and sometimes has great deals (book their Reconnect Rate for as little as $199;
	 ritzcarlton.com) — but you could also just start off by playing hooky one Thursday or Friday and hopping the Metro North up to Pleasantville. From the station, it’s just a quarter of a mile on foot to the
	 Captain Lawrence Brewing Company, known to the suds-crazed as brewers of some of the best beer flowing in our little corner of the planet. And by little corner we mean Brooklyn, too — no knock on the likes of Sixpoint, but even those guys would agree that brewmaster Scott Vaccaro is really, really good at what he does. Try the Cap'n's crisp, clean Liquid Gold or darkly delicious Smoked Porter out of a good tap and you’ll see exactly what we mean. Seasonal brews such as the epic Rosso e Marrone sour have won serious acclaim. Thursday and Friday afternoons are for tasting and retail sales only; Saturdays, you can tour the brewery (99 Castleton St.;
	 captainlawrencebrewing.com). Hungry? There’s nothing like drinking a little too much beer to make you feel more relaxed about eating a monster plate of pasta. Get just that over in workaday Port Chester, home to one of the lesser-known Batali/Bastianich efforts, the smartly renovated
	 Tarry Lodge. This historic roadhouse just steps from the Connecticut line is now one of the best spots in the suburbs for a leisurely weekend lunch. Their Fusilli alla Crazy Bastard, rich with goat cheese and tarted up with sauteed greens and is easily your first stop — oh, and yes, they have Captain Lawrence beer on tap, too. Carbolicious! (18 Mill St.,
	 tarrylodge.com)
	 
ALL FORKED UP 
	 
No offense to the Hamptons — love them, mean it — but for a truly relaxing weekend, any savvy New Yorker knows that you’ve got to go north. Cute town after cute town stretches out between gross Riverhead and the eerily gorgeous, end-of-the-worldish settlement of Orient. (Have you been down by the water in New Suffolk on a sunny, summer afternoon? Perfect!) Wherever you are — even in Riverhead, hello Cliff's Rendezvous — you don’t go hungry. And you also don’t have to take out a second mortgage for your dinner. Or sacrifice your firstborn for a table. Like in the Hamptons. In case you didn't get where we were going with that.
	 
How to do itIf we had to choose just one North Fork town to plant ourselves in for an entire weekend, it would easily be Southold, which is about the least-ruined town you’ll find on development-mad Long Island. Southold is essentially perfect, a fantasy sprung to life — nice old shaded streets, historic homes with American flags, rippling on the breeze. Antiques. Also, out of all the great places to eat in the region — from the farm stands with their epic pies to fancy Greenport addresses — your best bet is the
	 North Fork Table & Inn, a marvelous restaurant with rooms that is more than just good for Long Island — it’s really, really good, both as a place to stay and a restaurant. Chef Gerry Hayden’s talent for marrying the crunchy farm-to-table / ingredient consciousness trend with true flair and style has garnered him some serious notice. You should also be paying attention (rooms from $200, 2 night minimum on weekends;
	 northforktableandinn.com).

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DEALS: April 5

April 05, 2011 , ι Chris Bunting

■ ARIZONA $129 and up at the Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale, valid 6/1-8/31 (www.fourseasons.com ). ■ FLORIDA $150 and up at Sandpearl Resort “Suite Sale,” offering 20 percent in savings.... Read on

Barbara Kraft

■
	 ARIZONA $129and up at the Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale, valid 6/1-8/31 (
	 www.fourseasons.com).
	 

	 

	 

	 

	 

	 

	 

	 

	 
■
	 FLORIDA $150and up at Sandpearl Resort “Suite Sale,” offering 20 percent in savings. Stay a minimum of three nights, valid for stays through 8/31 (
	 www.sandpearl.com).
	 

	 

	 

	 

	 
■
	 CARIBBEAN $299ppfor a five-night cruise aboard Celebrity Century, roundtrip out of Miami, stopping in Jamaica and Grand Cayman. Depart 4/16 (
	 www.celebritycruises.com).

■
	 SAN JUAN $195and up “LUXE at the Suites” package at La Concha Resort. Includes a $50 debit card and more. Valid 6/1-9/30 (
	 www.laconcharesort.com).

■
	 COLORADO $117and up at Manor Vail, and $170 and up at The Gant in Aspen. Book by 4/10, stay 5/19-9/30. Use promo code D2RHY1 (
	 www.destinationhotels.com).

■
	 WESTCHESTER $139and up at the Tarrytown House Estate, including a $25 food credit. Use booking code “Spring” (
	 www.tarrytownhouseestate.com).
	 

	 

	 

	 

	 
■
	 BARBADOS $469ppfor RT air from JFK and three nights at the Allamanda Beach Hotel. Valid through 4/15 (
	 www.jetblue.com).
	 

	 
■
	 DALLAS 80% OFFat the Rosewood Crescent Hotel, offering original 1986 room rates of $100 in honor of its 25-year anniversary over select summer holidays. Book starting tomorrow (
	 www.rosewoodhotels.com).

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GO NOW: Camelot

March 31, 2011 , ι Gretchen Kelly

Courtesy of Starz

Starz fans already seduced by its blood-'n'-guts series "Spartacus" would be sage to tune in to the premium channel Friday, April 1, for a second serving of flesh and fantasy: the two-hour premiere of "Camelot".
	 Eva Green, in all her lithesome beauty, plays the oft-bare-breasted sorceress Morgan (above), while
	 Joseph Fiennesturns Merlin into a medieval Tony Robbins, coaching a young
	 Jamie Campbell Bower, starring as King Arthur, to self-help that fabled sword out of the stone.

Visit Wales

The series scripts Camelot as “an ancient place of power, a Roman fortress.” The real-life Camelot Starz fans can explore fits the series to a T —
	 Caerleon (above), an ancient Roman fortress and gladiatorial forum in Wales, has long been known as the seat of Arthur’s legendary roundtable. Just a two hour drive from London, the village rivals Bath as one of the best preserved Roman ruins in Britain.

Visit Wales

Camelot fans will find the massive shape of a round table rising from the ground (the source of the Arthurian legend, some say). It's actually the remains of a gladiatorial arena used by legionnaires back in Spartacus' day. Around the streets of the charming medieval town built atop the Roman ruins are epic-sized wooden sculptures of Arthur, dragons and warriors, carved by a Caerleon artist, inspired by the ancient legends. Locals will take travelers by the hand and tell them how the bloody, gladiatorial forum, now partially excavated, came to be transformed into Arthur’s round table. The nearby
	 National Roman Legion Museumwill delight fans of both shows with a wealth of Roman treasures and clues to the secret's of King Arthur.

Visit Wales

Also on the Camelot pilgrimage trail are a host of castles with connections to the famed King and Wizard, too.
	 Dinefwr Castle (above), just outside the town of Llandeilo and about an hour drive away from Caerleon, is a stunning edifice set in a National Park, surrounded by a web of magical walking trails. It's said that Merlin holed himself up in a cave below the castle and summoned up a bevy of fairy beauties for his pleasure — as bare naked as Eva Green is in the premiere herself.
	 

	 
A short distance away, the town of
	 Carmarthenis supposedly the birthplace of Merlin. There’s a “Merlin tree” historically connected to the famous mage on exhibit at the
	 Carmarthenshire County Museum
, and just outside of town, on the A40 Highway, Merlin’s Hill is believed to be the place where another seductive sorceress, Vivien, magically imprisoned Merlin for all time.
	 

	 
If you want to actually stay in a castle that has Camelot connections, there’s
	 Ruthin Castle Hotel
in North Wales. The magnificent, 19th-century castle — with its king-sized rooms and peacocks on the lawn — was once a wooden fort in King Arthur’s day. It was here the young warrior was said to have disguised himself for a night of lust with a local warlord’s wife. The Prince of Wales’ suite, with its bathtub big enough for two and silken canopied bed, seems designed to help traveler’s repeat Arthur’s nocturnal romps.
	 

	 
Deal:An official Camelot tie-in package, offered by
	 Go-Today.com, starts from $1,149 per person. It includes a roundtrip flight to the UK from NYC, six nights' accommodation, breakfast, a five-day rental car and passes to more than 30 castles and historic attractions including the ones mentioned above.
	 

	 
More info:Visit Wales has loaded a new microsite,
	 visitwales.com/camelotwith a virtual treasure map to the legendary sites connected with King Arthur. There is also a sweepstakes, including business class flights to London and Wales for two to explore the myths and magic in person.
	 
Follow the author on Twitter 
	 @gretchenkelly

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DEALS: March 29

March 29, 2011 , ι Chris Bunting

■ ANGUILLA BOOK 5, STAY 7 nights at the Anacaona Boutique Hotel. Rates after discount start at $107 a night. Valid 4/1-12/16 (www.anacaonahotel.com ). ■ PUNTA CANA $660pp for RT air from Newark... Read on

■
	 ANGUILLA BOOK 5, STAY 7nights at the Anacaona Boutique Hotel. Rates after discount start at $107 a night. Valid 4/1-12/16 (
	 www.anacaonahotel.com).
	 

	 

	 
■
	 PUNTA CANA $660ppfor RT air from Newark and three nights at the NH Real Arena. Book by 4/2, travel through 9/30. Use promo code CV13363 (
	 www.covacations.com).

■
	 KEYSTONE BOOK 1, STAY 2nights at the Keystone Mountain Resort as it wraps up ski season. Valid through 4/9, rates start at $75 a night (
	 www.keystoneresort.com).

■
	 TURKS & CAICOS $719ppfor RT air from NYC and six nights at the Royal West Indies, located on Grace Bay Beach. Book by Thursday, travel 5/1-6/30 (
	 www.b2cvacations.com).

■
	 CANADA $799ppfor a nine-night cruise aboard Caribbean Princess, RT out of Brooklyn, stopping in Sydney, Prince Edward Island and Halifax, Nova Scotia. That’s 33 percent off brochure; depart 5/17 (
	 www.cruises.com).

■
	 DAYTONA BEACH $80ppand up at The Shores Resort & Spa (based on quad occ). The Stay + Play Family Beach package includes a $100 dining credit and beach pack. Book by 4/20, stay through 5/26 (
	 www.shoresresort.com).

■
	 SAN FRANCISCO $169and up “Get Pumped” package at Personality Hotels’ three properties in the city includes a $10 gas card and complimentary valet parking. Book by 4/16, stay through 12/30 (
	 www.personalityhotels.com).

■
	 TAMPA $189and up at the Innisbrook Golf & Spa Resort, including up to a $75 resort credit to match whatever air/gas charges you incurred on the way down. The “Pass On Your Gas Charges” package is valid 4/1-9/5 and includes breakfast (
	 www.innisbrookgolfresort.com).

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UPDATE: WPA Guides

March 28, 2011 , ι David Landsel

When was the last time you picked up a guidebook? Chances are, when planning a vacation, you’re increasingly turning to the Internet, not the Travel section of your friendly neighborhood bookstore.... Read on

While they may have a leg up on, say, a 2007 Fodor’s Guide, all the Tripadvisor ratings and Yelp reviews in the world can’t diminish the charm of the WPA Guides, which, approximately 75 years after their printing, still retain a unique appeal for their literary-minded look at life in these United States. (Back then, there were just 48 of them.)

More than just a tool to help you find the nearest Presbyterian church or a convenient tennis court, the guides, part of the Depression-era Federal Writers Project, included thoughtful essays on history, life and culture in each destination, as well as blow-by-blow tours through city neighborhoods and other information that in many cases remains at least partially relevant (or interesting) today.

Two of the guides — San Francisco and Los Angeles — are enjoying a second run, thanks to a reprinting by the University of California Press, in an effort spearheaded by David Kipen, a former book critic at the San Francisco Chronicle. Kipen is now proprietor of Libros Schmibros, a lending library and used-book store on the east side of Los Angeles.

For more about the guides, visit ucpress.edu
.

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About the Authors

DAVID LANDSEL Post Travel Editor since 2004, he has visited all fifty states and every continent at least once. He prefers his native New York State to just about anywhere.

CHRIS BUNTING California born. German blooded. Asia minded. Chris Bunting brings his unique brand of worldliness to his informative travel writing.