Yesterday, with Matt Damon by our side, we told you about some great charities. Here are some more ways to give back this holiday season (and anytime):

You love: A well-fed world
Give to: Heifer International
Why: Heifer livestock and training help poor villages from Appalachia to Zambia alleviate hunger and become self-reliant

You love: Having healthy neighbors
Give to: Doctors without Borders
Why: These doctors have seen 11,000 patients since August, opened dozens of cholera treatment centers throughout Zimbabwe, and are still going

You love: Keeping it in the family
Give to: Orangutan Foundation International
Why: Our closest relatives are quickly disappearing from places like Borneo and Indonesia because of deforestation and palm oil production

You love: Feeling good about America's future
Give to: Bent on Learning
Why: The organization helps New York Public School students "focus their energies"

You love: You're not sure yet
Give to: Charity Checks
Why: You set the dollar amount, they choose the charity that needs it--and there are about a million

You hate: Your carbon footprint
Give to: Climate Care
Why: To reduce it

Further reading:
* Condé Nast Traveler's 2008 World Savers Awards
* Make a Difference: Resources for caring travelers
* Travel Question? Ask Condé Nast Traveler

by John Oseid

"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights." Article 1 of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights is as noble and absolute a proclamation as there is. But how many of us are familiar with it? Now's your chance to brush up on your human rights awareness.

To celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the declaration's signing, top musicians from around the world gathered (digitally) in the U.N. General Assembly to implore that the struggle for rights continue. The thrilling result is the above video to the anthem "The Price of Silence." Think of the project as "We Are the World" for the new century, except this time the star performers actually come from around the world.

Proceeds from the song go to Amnesty International; you can contribute by buying it off iTunes. The video was produced by alternative media LinkTV, which has lyrics and artist profiles on its Web site.

After actor Laurence Fishburne delivers a stately intro, Stephen Marley and Natalie Merchant get the show started. My favorite Mexican pop star Julieta Venegas chimes in with Andrea Ecehverri of the Colombian alternative rock duo Aterciopelados. "The Price of Silence" is, in fact, a reworking of "Canción Protesta," off their 2006 album Oye.

Lately, I've been hearing a lot about the Zimbabwean-American songwriter Chiwoniso. After hearing her sing a few strong verses in Shona for "The Price of Silence," I'm eager to explore her music more. Exiled Tibetan singer Yungchen Lhamo sings a prayer, while others add Arabic and Urdu touches. One-time exiled South African elder statesman and jazz trumpet star Hugh Masekela (and former husband of Miriam Makeba) lends his 69-year-old voice to a little rap:

If you're not jealous of your freedom
You're going to find yourself in serfdom
If you're not jealous of your liberty
You're going to find yourself in slavery,
Fight for your rights!

Throw in some verses by Natacha Atlas and Sudanese rapper Emmanuel Jal--more to come from him in a future post--and you've got a collaboration that is stirring and timely. Oh, and it's got a really danceable groove.

More music:
* The acclaimed, socially active Colombian duo Aterciopelados' brand-new album Río is getting major praise. Here's the psychedelic video to the title track, a prayer for the salvation of the dirty Bogotá River.
* If you're feeling nostalgic, here's Bob, Billy, Bruce, Tina, Huey, Lionel et al, giving their all for "We Are the World."
* Boom Box: An unabashed gusto for music of the world.
* Make a Difference: Resources for caring travelers.

This week, Daily Traveler reader j_goettel asked: How do you feel about tipping flight attendants?  They are so hassled (especially nowadays) and work so hard, I think it would help their spirits a lot.

Very thoughtful of you, j_goettel. This issue seems to pop up from time to time, but it comes as a surprise now, considering that even workers who traditionally get holiday tips are expecting less generous payouts this year.

Here's something from "Confessions Of...A Flight Attendant" that ran two years ago in Budget Travel:

Tipping is not encouraged by the airlines, but greatly appreciated by the staff. The key is insisting that we take the money; we're not allowed to accept it on the first attempt. I make doubly sure to attend to the needs of anyone who has tipped me, sometimes throwing in a free round--and the drinks are always strong. Another way to the crew's heart is to give them snacks. Day in, day out, we stare at the same dull airline food. So we're overjoyed when a passenger treats us with fancy chocolates or even packaged trail mix. Simply wait until boarding is complete, hand the gift to a flight attendant, and say, "This is a little something for your crew."

Its author chose to remain anonymous, which should tell us something. The DT's airline industry expert, Barbara S. Peterson, says she has heard of fliers bringing gifts of candy and cookies to the gate in a somewhat transparent ploy to get a better seat, but she has rarely observed passengers doing so in flight.

Another thought, this time from a Condé Nast Traveler editor: "This may be old-fashioned, but I think the best thing to do is ask for their names and then write letters to the customer service department of the airline praising them; I think the letter goes in their files."

When the New York Times posted this column asking why flight attendants aren't tipped, it sparked a lively debate. Reader comments were varied, running the gamut from some flight attendants who didn't like the idea and found it demeaning to those who thought, "Why not?"  That was two years ago, though. What do you think, readers?

Matt Damon on Americans abroad at Condé Nast Traveler's 2008 World Savers Congress. 

In Condé Nast Traveler's September cover story, Matt Damon told us that a chance encounter with a young Zambian villager set him on his current path as founder of H20 Africa, a foundation that supports clean water programs all over the continent.  While we may not have access to Damon's wealth or his A-List friends, many of us--as travelers and as global citizens--have been similarly touched on our own road trips.  So this year, why not consider giving a gift that gives back?

You love: A world full of healthy children
Give to: Condé Nast Traveler's Five & Alive Fund
Why: Nearly 11 million children die every year before the age of 5 and almost all from preventable causes

You love: Ghanaian kenkey bread
Give to: Hot Bread Kitchen
Why: The bakery preserves culturally diverse breadmaking techniques and ingredients, gives jobs to immigrant women, and hopes to provide its bakers with ongoing ESL classes

You love: Rhinos and tigers and polar bears--oh my!
Give to: The World Wildlife Fund
Why: To protect the future of nature

You love: That after all these years, David's pecs are still in good form
Give to: Fondo per L'Ambiente Italiano
Why: According to our resident Italy expert, the group does a great job of conserving gorgeous churches, historic houses, and monuments

You love: Sprawling views, not views of sprawls
Give to: The Nature Conservancy
Why: The conservancy teams up with organizations all over the world to buy wilderness areas that would otherwise be subject to development

Check the Daily Traveler tomorrow for more ways to give back.

Further reading:
* OneXOne, another of Damon's passion projects
* Condé Nast Traveler's 2008 World Savers Awards
* Make a Difference: Resources for caring travelers

Emirates' 777 with efficient GE engines. 

by Brook Wilkinson

I drove to San Francisco Airport on Monday to attend a press conference for the arrival of Emirates Airline's new "green" nonstop flight to Dubai. You think that sounds hypocritical? Most of the other journalists in the room had been flown in from across the country. Emirates was patting itself on the back for shaving 250 nautical miles off the 7,400-mile route from Dubai to San Francisco, which saved 13,000 pounds of fuel.

Kudos for that. However, Emirates' arrival at one of the country's most gay-friendly cities has touched off a controversy over their hiring practices. According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, Emirates flight attendants must not become pregnant unless they are married, and cannot be openly gay--premarital sex and homosexuality are both illegal in the United Arab Emirates. They also can't gain too much weight, and aren't allowed to eat or smoke while in uniform. The airline refutes these claims, saying that "Emirates is in full compliance with the laws of the city of San Francisco, the state of California and the United States." However, those anti-discrimination laws only apply to employees based in the U.S. How likely is it that His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al-Maktoum--the CEO of Emirates Airline--is defying the laws of Dubai, a state governed by his own nephew?

Further reading:
* On the Fly: The airline industry
* Repsonsible Traveler: Making a difference

Not a stowaway. It's JETEYE.

by Guy Martin

Today's "smart" antiaircraft munitions are sort of like the Hounds of Hell disguised as rockets: Once their nose-mounted infrared seekers lock on to the heat signature of the engine exhaust, it's damn near impossible to throw them off.   

Used to be, pilots would drop ultra-hot flares that would (occasionally) confuse the seekers. In the last decade, we developed the battlefield tech to track and blind the missile's infrared eye--in the few seconds of flight that the missile has to the jet--by zapping it with an extremely powerful laser. A ray gun, basically.   

Cool, no? It gets cooler:   

A sleek new iteration of the ray gun is now being tested under a $102 million R&D program sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security. The new wrinkle here is that the technology was developed for--and is being tested on--passenger liners, specifically, on three American Airlines Boeing 767s that ply the route between JFK and LAX.    

The system, called JETEYE, was conceived and manufactured by the Electronic Warfare Division of Nashua, New Hampshire's BAE Systems, a defense contractor that supplies the Army and the Air Force with similar technologies for the battlefield. 

As its battlefield cousins do, JETEYE senses the incoming missile's infrared tracking signal (with which the missile paints its target) and pulses a super-intense beam of light into the missile's reticle, or eye, scrambling its brains. Result: one really drunk missile.   

by Julia Bainbridge

Well, it's about a year since absinthe became legal in the States again, and a number of cocktail geeks who had been fooling around with the green fairy on the down-low are now out and proud with their relationships. Within months of the ban being lifted, Marteau, Pacifique, Trillium, and Taboo all came onto the spirits scene.

The Hemingways of the world loved the stuff in the early twentieth century, when it was the poetic (and somewhat painful) drip of water over sugar. (Note from Oregon-based bartender and spirits writer Jeffrey Morgenthaler: "The ritual of lighting a sugar cube on fire and dropping it into absinthe is inauthentic, a recent invention, and a potentially dangerous ceremony centered around the consumption of illegitimate absinthes of inferior quality.") Now the green hour of the day is back, and instead of drip, drip, drip, it's shake, stir, strain, as bartenders nationwide are mixing absinthe into cocktails. New York's own cocktail guru Kevin Patricio shared with us a recipe he created for this year's Moth Ball, using Le Tourment Vert.

Champs L'Absinthe
0.75 oz. Le Tourment Vert absinthe
0.5 oz. elderflower cordial
0.25 oz. Benedictine
Dash Fee Brother's Orange Bitters
1 oz. cava or prosecco
Orange twist
In a cocktail shaker, add Le Tourment Vert, elderflower, Benedictine, and bitters. Fill with ice and shake vigorously. Pour into a champagne flute. Garnish with an orange twist.
(Note: Twist should be the size of a thumb print and have as little pith as possible.)

Further reading:
* Read more here from Jeffrey Morganthaler's Q&A with Pacific Northwest absinthe distillers.
* Here, our friend Jamie Boudreau of Spirits and Cocktails shares his thoughts on absinthe's new school.
* For a little more background on the proper absinthe ritual, check out the Absinthe Museum of America, the Virtual Absinthe Museum, and the Wormwood Society.
* Clear up misconceptions with Salon.com's "Everything you know about absinthe is wrong."

Guest Daily Traveler,
Drinkboston's Lauren Clark

The year is coming to a close, and the Daily Traveler is looking back at our favorite Catch of the Day posts with glee (and big tummies). Check out our top five:

* Welcome to Catch of the Day: The day the gluttony began
* Mollie Chen finds her sandwich soul mate in Boston
* While in Boston, drinks blogger Lauren Clark gave us a boozy tour
* The Business of Burgers
* Julia Bainbridge fell in love with Austin

Wait! We're still hungry...
* Chicago chef Shaw McClain has his own take on New Zealand cuisine
* We had cassoulet for Thanksgiving

And we can't wait to munch our way through 2009.

Venice, anyone?
In St. Mark's Square.

Go backstage at the Peking Opera. Ponder the cosmos at the Hawaiian observatory. Mush a team of huskies through Lapland. For the fourth year in a row, the editors of Condé Nast Traveler have searched for the world's rarest and most rewarding special-access tours, finding 32 gems you'll never forget. Below, challenge a champion in China.

THE EXPERIENCE: Play table tennis with Zhang Yining, the current women's team and singles Olympic champion. You'll spend 60 to 90 minutes playing a few rounds, with time for photo ops and a chat about her Olympic experience. Your visit will include a tour of the facility where Olympic badminton and martial arts hopefuls also train, and the chance to meet and speak with the center's staff and coaches.
Cost: $16,500; also available is a similar experience with Wang Tao, the '92 Barcelona Olympics doubles champion, for $9,800, and a two-hour lesson with Wang Tao's former coach for $500.
Source: Guy Rubin, Imperial Tours (888-888-1970; guy@imperialtours.net; imperialtours.net).
BEST FOR: Those who want bragging rights--how many people can claim to have played an Olympic champion?
BUT BEWARE: Because of her rigorous training schedule, Zhang Yining has limited availability January through September.

For 31 more one-of-a-kind experiences, check out this year's Dream List.

by Ondine Cohane

As we head toward the holidays, I thought I would take the opportunity to highlight some of my favorite discoveries of 2008. They're not all new, but they are certainly still buzzworthy.

Destinations:
* Ecuador blew me away with its natural beauty and crazy topography, its friendly people and bang-for-the-buck prices. I especially loved Hacienda Zuleta, a couple of hours outside Quito. This family-run farm and historic hotel sits in a bucolic location--you can explore the countryside by horseback.
* Another getaway I discovered this year was Maratea in Basilicata. South of Amalfi and blessed with the same picturesque coastline, it is relatively undiscovered, and hotels come at a fraction of the price of its more well-known neighbor. La Locanda Delle Donne Monache, in a former convent, has just undergone a huge overhaul under new ownership, but the rooms still start at a reasonable 120 euros.
* I made my first trip to Portugal this year. The UNESCO-designated Douro Valley is a beautiful and easy trip from Porto, and the wines there are surprisingly complex and affordable.

Hotels:
* Borgo Santo Pietro in Tuscany was one of the best openings of the year. This former lodging house for pilgrims outside of Siena is a model of what a small country inn escape should be.
* On the other hand, Barcelona's new Murmuri is close to the action but still a retreat--and stylish to boot.

Have you seen this woman?
 

* Where's our friend, Wendy Perrin? On a cruise around the world. But how safe is she? (ShipCritic)
* Careful how you pack your expensive underwear (New York Times)
* SNOLA. Weird weather hits the American South
* Solar-powered luggage (Gulliver, Economist.com)
* French song, Italian countryside, Japanese company, American actor. 

 

by Sara Tucker

The world is experiencing a noise pandemic, one that is literally killing birds, whales, and yes, people. And it is getting worse every year.

Traffic is the big culprit. Car alarms, lawnmowers, radios, and construction equipment add to the din, fraying nerves and raising tempers in places as far-flung as Paris, Buenos Aires, and Cairo.

Human noise has spilled over into the oceans, where marine mammals are under auditory siege from seagoing vessels, seismic surveys, and military sonar.

In Japan, the "way of silence" venerated by Zen scholars has fallen victim to a plague of loudspeakers, says longtime Japan observer Ronald E. Yates. A national fondness for the PA system has resulted in a bombardment of "announcements, sales pitches, warnings, reminders, and commentaries--all from loudspeakers which have been placed strategically just about everywhere humans might eat, sleep, work or roam."

The loudest city in America is said to be San Francisco, where "noise from traffic is putting nearly 1 in 6 San Francisco residents at risk for heart disease, high blood pressure and other stress-related illnesses."

Too much noise "can literally suck the life out of you," Salon reports. "Recent studies reveal that noise can be harmful to human health, just like water or air pollution, damaging not only hearing and sleep but raising our blood pressure to dangerous levels. According to the World Health Organization, noise pollution is responsible for tens of thousands of deaths a year."

How do we cope?

The Simpsons Movie trailer.

by Beata Loyfman

As promised in Travels in TV Land, Part 2, this week we bring you travel deals in the Springfield of The Simpsons. Daily Traveler reader greggo72 guessed that the home of the animated family is actually Springfield, Vermont. Here's why:

"Springfield, Vermont, hosted the premiere of The Simpsons Movie on July 10, 2007. It has just under 10,000 people (animated Springfield is also quite small). The mayor has a Boston-esque accent like JFK and Massachusetts isn't too far from Vermont. Also, animated Springfield seems to be culturally/socially up to date like a northeast city (not like cities in the Midwest) and isn't far from airports or the ocean."

Well, greggo72, you make a compelling argument. And so in the spirit of giving, here are some suggestions for your next trip to Vermont's machine tool capital (betcha didn't know that):

Check into a cozy room at Hartness House, a 1904 mansion converted into a charming B&B. Rooms are decorated in traditional early twentieth-century florals and antiques. Some even have fireplaces. A unique aspect of the house: It has a telescope observatory. Lucky for you, rates start at just $99.

If you're eager to check out the movie theater where The Simpsons Movie premiered...well, you can go online and look at pictures because it was burned down by a disgruntled tenant last summer. D'oh!

After you're done exploring Springfield's other attractions, such as the Eureka Schoolhouse built in 1790, drive two hours north to visit Burlington, the healthiest city in the U.S. Maybe you could figure out what makes these residents so fit.

Further reading:
* Travels in TV Land Parts One and Two
* Boldface: Celebrity Travels

by Barbara S. Peterson

Air Jamaica's new chief was in New York this week to reassure passengers and investors about the airline's future, despite recent speculation that its days were numbered. Bruce Nobles, an airline industry veteran, told reporters that the airline is definitely in the game for the long haul. When I spoke to Nobles earlier this week, the Jamaican flag carrier had just announced a big sale, slashing fares by as much as 40 percent for trips between January 9 and March 31.

The carrier, which the Jamaican government has said it wants to privatize, has been around for nearly 40 years, but lately it's been battered by the same forces sending other airlines into the red. Traffic is down between 10 percent and 15 percent. Nobles, who has run airlines as diverse as the Trump Shuttle and Hawaiian Airlines, said his role now is to get the airline in good enough shape to attract a well-heeled investor. "We're focusing on getting the airline right-sized and profitable," he said. "But our overriding objective is to get the airline back on time"--an allusion to the airline's somewhat less-than-stellar on-time performance. Nobles has already made his mark there: On-time performances were greatly improved in November. 

The airline expects to carry about 1.6 million passengers this year, about the same as last year. But planes should be fuller since the airline stopped flying to London, retiring its A340 widebodied aircraft and leaving itself with a fleet of 14 narrowbodied jets. On the plus side, other airlines are cutting back in the Caribbean and, Nobles said, "we've got a real opportunity here" to strengthen the brand. Its most popular routes are from Jamaica to New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Orlando as well as to Canada.

Further reading:
* Check out Air Jamaica's Web site for major deals
* On the Fly: The airline industry

2008 is coming to a close, and the Daily Traveler is looking back at our favorite posts with glee. Check out our top five from a year in Boom Box with John Oseid:

* Julieta Venegas: A Waifish Mexican Rocker You've Never Heard Of
* Tcheka's New Spin on the Cape Verde Sound
* Carla Bruni: First Lady of Chords
* Wyclef Jean: Haiti's Swagger Man
* "Mama Africa" and the Soweto Gospel Choir

What are your favorites, dear readers? And what would you like to see our Boom Box rock out next year? Let us know your thoughts.

by John Oseid

Last week I witnessed a bunch of rambunctious Brazilians tear up Brooklyn. Nobody called the cops; it was a musical melée confined to BAM, downtown Brooklyn's great Beaux Arts theater-turned-progressive art house. By the middle of the Red Hot + Rio 2 show, beach balls were flying around the hall and musicians and fans alike were cramming the aisles. Fire codes were broken, for sure.

Red Hot + Rio 2: The Next Generation of Samba Soul lived up to its billing. New Yorkers were treated to a handful of young Brazilian artists they've had few chances to hear before. The show was a follow-up to the hugely successful Red, Hot + Rio, an acclaimed 1996 album and series of AIDS benefit performances built around Tom Jobim's bossa nova tunes. This year's crew performed mostly seventies soulful samba/funk/rock classics by Jorge Ben Jor and the late Tim Maia. Proceeds from the show go toward the New York-based BrazilFoundation, which works on health issues and community and cultural development in Brazil. Check out the site for how to make a contribution.

In Condé Nast Traveler's December issue, writer Boris Kachka has done the (sometimes embarrassing, sometimes quite costly) work to find out the who, what, where, when, and how of giving gratuities in 26 countries. Below, some tipping snippets from Australia and New Zealand.

At Restaurants: Ten to 15 percent for the waiter.
At Hotels: One dollar per bag (in either Australian or New Zealand dollars, depending on where you are); $10-$20 to the concierge for a favor; $1-$5 per day to the housekeeper, depending on how messy you are.
Guides and Drivers: Ten percent for cabdrivers; $50 per person per day for a private guide; $5-$10 for a bus-tour guide; $20 per day for a private driver.
Who Else?:  Ten to 15 percent for beauty and spa treatments; tip Aboriginal and Maori guides exactly what you would others.
Dollars Accepted?:  Reluctantly.
Note: "Twenty years ago, you'd be fired if you accepted a tip," says Donna Thomas of New Zealand Travel. Since then, tipping has spread "because Americans forced it on people." Be discreet and prepared to have your tip refused, especially in New Zealand, where people are particularly reserved.

Further reading:
* Tipping Guide: Brazil and India
* Tipping Guide: Jordan
* Etiquette 101: India
* How not to embarrass yourself in China
* Quiz: Test your Mediterranean etiquette smarts

The cabin at Spring Bay Inn,
Orcas Island, Washington.

by Brook Wilkinson

An assignment for Condé Nast Traveler brought me up to Washington state's San Juan Islands a few weeks ago. When I asked expert travel planner Sheri Doyle of Pacific Northwest Journeys where I should stay on Orcas Island, she raved about the Spring Bay Inn. I booked a night at Spring Bay, and was lucky enough to be among the first guests to stay in the inn's new lakefront cabin. The setting was divine, the cabin both spacious and cozy. If only I'd known about the deal Spring Bay would soon be offering: a second night free. Yes, absolutely free.

I could have easily spent an entire week at Spring Bay, borrowing the kayaks to paddle around the islands, soaking in the outdoor hot tub, cuddling up to the crackling wood fire, and hiking around the 57-acre property. Innkeepers and former California state park rangers Sandy Playa and Carl Burger bought the land, which abuts a state park, almost 20 years ago in order to save it from development. They just recently moved into the main building themselves, and renovated the cabin--where they used to live--to accommodate guests. Right now, they're offering one night for $240, and a second night free between Sunday and Thursday. Normally this deal would be good through February, but they've agreed to extend it through May 26, 2009, just for Daily Traveler readers.

The San Juans in winter? It's not as crazy as it sounds. The Olympic range actually protects the islands from much of Seattle's rain, and the temperature rarely dips below freezing. And the San Juans are the perfect pastoral antidote to your big-city blues. (If you go, make sure to visit my second-favorite find: Orcas Island Pottery.) So start making plans for your winter getaway, at 50 percent off.

Further reading:
* Quick Trips: High art in Minneapolis, mid-century architecture in Palm Springs, minimalism in Beacon, and good grooves in Austin
* Responsible Traveler: Making a difference

by Julia Bainbridge

For generations, Moroccan women have used argan oil to combat desert wind-chapped skin. Very different conditions in New York call for the same beauty regimen; after doing a no-glove test of Kahina--Giving Beauty's organic argan oil on my hands this morning, I finally caught up to these women's speed. Argan oil, packed with vitamin E, essential fatty acids, and antioxidants, is just the thing to stay hydrated through the bitter winter.

Kahina--Giving Beauty's argan oil gives more than just smooth skin. Ten percent of the company's profits go to the Berber women who, by law, are the only people allowed to extract the oil from the nuts of argan trees. For most of these women, such work is the only road to financial (and social) independence. "These women can't even write their own names, yet they produce the most amazing product," says Kahina--Giving Beauty founder Katharine L'Heureux. Now, though, many of them can write their names: Many Berber women have been learning to read through argan cooperative literacy programs, and their signatures now appear on Kahina--Giving Beauty's surprisingly contemporary-looking products.

Further reading:
* Alaffia's Bicycles for Education in Togo, West Africa
* The Samburu Project: Clean Water for Kenya
* Amazing: Simple ideas done right

Keep your ears open at the
Hay-Adams hotel lounge,
Off The Record.
Photo: Concierge.com

A Daily Traveler reader recently asked: My parents and I want to take a last-minute getaway before the holidays. We live in Providence, Rhode Island, and it would be from December 19 to 26. We could fly up to three hours from Providence or drive six hours, and we want to go somewhere with plenty of cultural and ecological things.

We've put our heads together and come up with two options. If you want (read: can brave it) to go north this time of the year, Montreal is a little more than three hours by plane but worth the extra travel time. Crisp by day and cozy by night, the city is all-the-time festive. In Condé Nast Traveler's 2006 "Dispatch from Canada's New Culinary Front," Renaissance Man Mark Schatzker gives us the (not-so) skinny on poutine and duck fat-fried potatoes to be had in Québec. Restaurant DNA and M:brgr are two of our newly opened food favorites. (What says culture like practicing your order of roast sablefish with raisin brown butter in French?) The former is essentially around the corner from Hotel Gault, a renovated textile warehouse with 30 loftlike suites, and down the street from Olive & Gourmando, where you can surrender to bowls of café au lait and oversized palmiers for breakfast. For a handle on the city's music scene--Montreal has a long-standing reputation for breeding great bands--surf hour.ca and montreal.mirror.ca. Le National, a two-tier concert hall with pristine balcony boxes and plush red banquettes, and Église St-Jean Baptiste, a Catholic church with stunning acoustics and a monumental handmade brass-and-wood organ, are two spectacular venues. The city's also full of art--browse the Belgo Building's five floors of small contemporary galleries--and parks. And don't leave Montreal without checking out Little Italy's Marché Jean-Talon, a fantastic market open year-round. (Note for the green-minded: Montreal is the first urban center in the world to sign National Geographic's Center for Sustainable Destinations' Geotourism Charter. Read more here.)

For a southern option, why not Washington, D.C.? The presidential hooplah has died down a bit, but there's still a thrilling buzz in the streets, and you'll have a better view of the Capitol Building than you can get on C-SPAN. Across Lafayette Square from the White House, the Hay-Adams hotel has great views of the city. A 2008 Gold Lister, rooms at this former residence of politician John Hay and author Henry Adams feature carved plaster ceilings and custom Italian beds with Frette linens. As for grub, you can go global with Komi, Chef Johnny Monis's heavily reviewed Greek-Mediterranean spot, or comfort yourself with American bistro fare at Cathal Armstrong's Restaurant Eve. Finally, you're looking for culture, you say? The Smithsonian Institution has 17 museums in Washington, including the National Museum of the American Indian and the National Air and Space Museum. Since it's so nippy, we don't recommend a road trip to the Appalachian Trail; rather, try ice skating in the sculpture garden at the National Gallery of Art.

Enjoy your time with your family, and please report back on the trip! Other questions? Just comment below.

 

by Mollie Chen

Temperatures dipped below 20 degrees this weekend, which immediately got me thinking about soup. It seems as though every place has its own version of a restorative winter one-pot meal. Whenever I visit my grandmother I ask her to make her lion's head stew, which has a rich soy sauce-based broth, huge ginger-laced meatballs, and slippery cellophane noodles. In Mexico, I go for a huge bowl of spicy posole, with plenty of cabbage, radishes, cilantro, and lime mixed into the hominy-and-pork stew. And last year, when my friends and I were in Hanoi during an unseasonably brisk week, the aromatic pho sold at every street corner kept us warm and happy.

Last night I tasted what might be my new favorite cold-weather remedy. Chef Nate Appleman and sommelier Shelley Lindgren, of San Francisco's SPQR and A16 restaurants, were in town to celebrate the publication of their new (and fantastic) cookbook, A16 Food + Wine. They put on a stellar dinner at the James Beard House where the highlight (at least at my table) was Appleman's minestra maritata, a thick and savory soup with bright green ribbons of dandelion greens and rapini, plus fatty shreds of pork and shavings of Parmesan. As soon as I got home I looked up the recipe and found the secret behind the light, yet ultra-rich broth: Appleman begins with two different brodos, one made with Grana Padano rinds and one made with prosciutto trimmings. Brilliant! Use up leftover cheese and meat bits and make a delicious dinner--that's the kind of recession eating that I can sign up for. See the recipe after the break.

Daily Traveler reader dsales says: "We're planning a trip to southern Africa in January, and we plan to visit Victoria Falls. Our travel agent says it's safe to stay at the Victoria Falls Hotel in Zimbabwe. With the current troubles in that country, we'd like a second opinion about safety."

The U.S. State Department's Web site states the following under country-specific information: "Because the political situation in Zimbabwe remains fluid and subject to change at a moment's notice, American citizens should carefully evaluate the need to travel to Zimbabwe at this time."

Given the above, Premier Tours consultant and top travel specialist Julian Harrison says:

"I personally believe that the Zimbabwe side of Victoria Falls is relatively safe at this time as it is not caught up in the same political turmoil taking place in other major cities.  To date, it is also free of the cholera outbreak plaguing the country. However it is important to note that high unemployment has left the people of Zimbabwe desperate for survival, and this invariably leads to an escalation in crime.  Also, the excessively high rate of inflation is playing havoc with pricing of goods and services.  In addition, the dire economic situation has generally resulted in a lack of adequate health care facilities, which can pose a serious problem should emergency treatment be required."

We hope this helps, dsales. Have more questions, anyone? Please comment below.

"Wizard," one of my favorite
Charlotte Pinson characters.

by Mollie Chen

This holiday season, I am trying to be more thoughtful about how I spend money, which means hunting for one-of-a-kind items from independent companies instead of springing on haute designer goods. This past weekend I found some treasures at the Handmade Holiday Craft Fair at Brooklyn's Third Ward and Fort Greene's weekly Brooklyn Flea. Don't let the "craft" and "flea" fool you: At these events it's more vintage-inspired jewelry and quirky tote bags than crocheted tea cozies and macramé necklaces.

I'm also seeking out up-and-coming designers. Just the other night, I wandered into artist Charlotte Pinson's show at Albertine in the West Village. The 25-year-old Houston native didn't go to art school, per se, but she does have an impeccable eye and a whimsical painting style. Her "canvases" are T-shirts, dresses, and scarves, which she hand paints with dreamy scenes that are fantastical--some of them downright bizarre--but still wearable. (Pinson also recently created a capsule collection with lingerie and loungewear brand Lola Haze.) I picked up a stormy slate gray and cobalt scarf and am thinking of ordering a custom-made T-shirt for my little sister . . . if she's good, that is.

The show inspired me: I now have a running list of favorite independent shops in New York (Albertine's got a top spot, of course). For vintage and offbeat cookbooks I love the wonderful and overstuffed Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks; for affordable silk dresses and tops I swear by Yumi Kim; and for vintage dresses, boots, and bags it has to be the Lower East Side's Edith Machinist. What are the special shops in your hometowns? Or what are gems people can't miss when they travel? Please share your favorites with us!

Further reading:
* Charlotte Pinson's Web site
* A Brooklyn Flea Kind of Sunday
* Word of Mouth: The buzz worldwide

Honest Abe would approve: Equinox has maintained its dignity through a recent facelift.
Photo: Equinox Resort & Spa

by Ondine Cohane

The winter after my mother and I moved to the United States, one of the first places we visited outside of New York City was Manchester, Vermont. The whole town was covered in perfect layers of snow; we skied at nearby Stratton mountain and drank hot chocolate in front of the fire. Growing up, I didn't stay at hotels very much (I am more than making up for that now), but on this trip I had the treat of snuggling in at the Equinox Resort. I remember its cozy, but historic aura: the hotel opened in 1769 and hosted the Lincolns on their holidays as well as some of the founding fathers.

Recently I received word of Equinox's $20 million makeover by New York-based interior designer Geoffrey Bradfield, bringing the property back on my radar. I haven't made it up there yet, but apparently in addition to a complete overhaul of the rooms, the resort now has a Chop House restaurant (there are five restaurants on-site) and a 13,000 square foot spa with an indoor swimming pool. The photos of the place look lovely--modern, airy, and full of light--but Bradfield and his team kept the sense of scale that the architecture demands. The open-air fire pit looks like a cozy place to enjoy a drink after-hours without freezing.

With winter almost here, it is the perfect time for skiing, but if you plan a trip to Equinox some other season you can also go fly fishing, hiking, or golfing at the 18-hole course designed by Walter Travis and Rees Jones. There's even a falconry school. A recent $999 deal I spotted online includes three nights at the hotel with $999 in credit to use at the spa; Equinox usually has some sort of great package deal. And only a four-hour drive from both New York and Boston, it's the perfect long weekend getaway.

Recession Special: Stylish International House in New Orleans has a "three nights for the price of two" holiday special running until the end of the month.

Further reading:
* Equinox Resort & Spa Web site
* Word of Mouth: The buzz worldwide

* Sen. Harry Reid smells tourists

* Happy 100th roundel logo!  What's a roundel, you wonder?  Ask a Londoner

* Art Basel Miami or Lebowski Fest NYC?  Right now, we're feeling the White Russians

* If you're heading to St. Helena, offer the old timer a head of lettuce

* Reality TV leaves no stone unturned, not even the TSA