Tahoe's Great Snow at Great Prices

Lake Tahoe's ski areas are having their best year in at least four years. More snow has fallen and more skiers are hitting the slopes, much to the relief of those in the travel industry here. In the Colorado Rockies, Lake Tahoe's main competition for skier travel, snow arrived late and the amount disappointing. Tahoe, meanwhile, luxuriates under blankets of fresh snow that seem to arrive each week on schedule, with a few days of brilliant sunshine in between. On a trip to South Lake Tahoe last week for the Society of American Travel Writers conference, resort operators said that they are thrilled. The slopes were filled with skiers from all over the world. "There's no other lake like this and no other ski destination like this in the world," said Andrew Strain, Heavenly's vice president. But the economic recession has taken its toll. Resorts last fall responded by heavily discounting season passes to stimulate business and it worked. If you bought last year, you could get unlimited skiing passes for some of the major areas for under $400, including at Heavenly (top right). I met a woman from Placerville who purchased a season pass for the Sierra-at-Tahoe resort for $369 for the entire season (the only restriction: it can't be used on Saturdays) together with ski rental for the season for only an additional $109. At Harrah's, the casino seemed quieter than usual, but late afternoon there was a steady stomp of skiers late heading back to their rooms to change for drinks and dinner. The hotel has terrific midweek ski-and-stay packages for getaways. I had some good meals, with two standouts: Ciera, an upscale steakhouse at the Montbleu Resort and Evans, an elegant little neighborhood restaurant serving California cuisine with some Asian influences. For those who don't ski, there's wonderful snowshoe and cross-country skiing opportunities at quiet, lovely Camp Richardson (see photos) where the Beacon Grill is open for hot chocolate, drinks and a good selection of beer served in front of big picture windows overlooking that oh-so-lovely-blue lake.

San Francisco's Chinatown -- by App

San Francisco's Chinatown, a travel guide app for IPhone and IPod Touches, is available now on iTunes. I included more than 50 places in this historic neighborhood of San Francisco, which has been the heart of the city's large Chinese community since the Gold Rush. The app contains descriptions of small, tucked-away dim sum parlors, elegant seafood restaurants, the narrow alleyways that locals have used for generations to quickly wind their way through the neighborhood and avoid the tourist traffic, historic sites, unique and not-so-unique shops, quiet temples and hidden museums. The app also features interactive maps that you can use as you're exploring Chinatown and more than 150 photographs so that you can plot your day trip or weekend getaway before you leave home. The app's for sale for .99 cents, much less than a cup of coffee, through iTunes. Look for my North Beach/Fisherman's Wharf app in a few weeks.

Five Favorite Free Things in San Francisco

With the holidays over you might be looking at your bank account and thinking that it's time for some frugality. Luckily, there's a lot you can do in San Francisco without spending much money. Here are five of my favorite free things in the city. There are many more that I can think of but these were the first that came to mind. What are your favorite free -- or relatively cheap -- things to do in San Francisco?

*The San Francisco Botanical Garden. In 20009, there was a bit of a panic when city officials floated the idea of charging an entrance fee here, but the move was quashed by a group of passionate garden supporters. This corner of Golden Gate Park, which houses 7,000 plants from all over the world, is one of the loveliest and most peaceful places in San Francisco. Free guided walks start at the bookstore each day at 1:30 p.m.
*San Francisco's Public Libraries. When I first moved to San Francisco I was charmed by the neighborhood libraries, some of which are little architectural gems. I'm lucky to live just a couple of blocks from one of them, the Richmond library, an Andrew Carnegie-funded facility from the early 1900s which completed a beautiful renovation just last year as part of the city's neighborhood library improvement plan. Check out the Friends of the Library site for talks, presentations and book club events at the libraries -- and also the Book Bay, the Friends' bookstore at Fort Mason, where there are good deals on books.
*San Francisco City Guides. I've taken more than a dozen walking tours with this local nonprofit organization and am always amazed by how the volunteer guides can turn what seems like the most mundane of city blocks into something fascinating. But San Francisco's history is like that. My favorite is the Sutro Park tour (Saturdays at 2 p.m.) which describes the life of Adolph Sutro, the San Francisco mayor who built the huge cliffside swimming facility and the private steam train that carried thousands from downtown to the edge of the Pacific (the Land's End walking trail is the former railroad grade).
*Amoeba Records. Okay, maybe in the era of iTunes and Netflix, there's no need for an actual physical music and DVD store. Maybe. But spend an hour in Amoeba and you'll discover albums and movies you'd never find online. The store, at 1855 Haight Street, also hosts free concerts.
*Crissy Field. The best free activities in San Francisco usually involve simply walking and taking in the scenery. There's no better place than Crissy Field, 100 acres of shoreline with views of the Golden Gate Bridge, the bay and Marin headlands and the downtown skyline. You'll see a variety of birds in the lagoon, a parade of joggers and walkers, and windsurfers skimming the waters of the bay. The new visitor center on the east end at the parking lot is set to open any day now and, like a bookend on the walking path a mile or so to the west, you'll find the cozy Warming Hut and bookstore/gift shop.

A New Star in Point Reyes

There's a new little star -- stellina, in Italian -- in Point Reyes Station. After reading reviews that described Osteria Stellina as a restaurant worth driving long distances for, I headed over with a friend on a recent sparkling clear day.
Stellina is smack in the middle of this small West Marin town, across the street from Toby's Feed Barn and a few steps from two other of my usual stops: Bovine Bakery and Point Reyes Books. It's a casual place (everyone seems to be in jeans and hiking boots) , in a corner building where a bare-bones Mexican restaurant once stood.
The food reminded me a bit of Delfina in San Francisco, with clean flavors of simple, local ingredients prepared very well. We started with conserved tuna and bean salad that had a hint of fennel, then split a pasta dish and entree: orecchiete with rapini and housemade sausage and a Tomales Bay seafood stew full of mussels and clams in a rich flavorful broth. The earthy, crispy bread served to sop up the broth is from Brickmaiden, a bakery set up in a backyard cabin of a nearby house that produces one of my favorite breads in the world. Everything was delicious and, to cap it off, the dessert was a dreamy -- and tangy, creamy -- chevre cheesecake topped with caramelized almonds and surrounded by huckleberry sauce.
You can't visit this area without taking a long walk somewhere beautiful -- this is, after all, a terrific place for a weekend getaway. We headed out to the long swath of white sand and surf at Limantour Beach in Point Reyes National Seashore for a stroll and nap in soft, cushy dunes. The beach, a Marinite favorite for dog walking, kite flying, bird watching and simply enjoying, is about a 20- to 25-minute minute drive west of Point Reyes Station.
My life isn't usually this decadent but this was the second day of great eating. The previous day I met up with two friends at Della Fattoria in downtown Petaluma. Lunch at this bakery-cafe turned out to be sandwich heaven because of the lovely breads made from a variety of organic flours that Della Fattoria bakes in its wood-fired brick ovens (in San Francisco, the loaves are sold on Saturday mornings at the Ferry Building). We split three grilled panini: a croque baton of ham and gruyere, a gruyere and apple and a smoked salmon and egg salad, which were served with a crispy green salad. Sorry that I forgot my camera that day. Trust me, these are some terrific sandwiches.

San Francisco's Best Burger?

After years of wondering what the fuss was about, I finally made it over to the corner of Mission and Silver in San Francisco's Excelsior District to try a burger at Joe's Cable Car restaurant. This is the place that's often cited as serving up the best burgers in the city. The reason is relatively simple: they grind their own beef steak fresh every day. I brought my nephew, Nick, an ice hockey player who knows burgers. We loved the atmosphere: kitschy, bright and with lots of crazy stuff hanging from the walls and the ceiling. Wonderful neon signs illuminate the big windows. It's hard not to smile when you're seated at one of the comfortable booths and look around at the surroundings. The choices on the menu are straight-forward: you choose patties of 4, 6, or 8 ounces and toppings, including the usual cheese, bacon, mushrooms, grilled onions, etc. We were served in a few minutes. The sesame bun was toasted and the meat was very good, no question about it. The fries, however, were disappointing. They lacked that nice crispness that make fries irresistible. And, although I enjoyed it, my 6-ounce burger, which came to $13.75, was plopped and served unattractively on a small black styrofoam plate. For a premium burger at a rather hefty price I expect a real plate. But if you're looking for a fun, casual evening and a real meat burger, head to Joe's. You may want to bring your own plate, though.

Fall Color at its Peak -- Here in California

In the Eastern Sierra, the aspen, poplars and cottonwoods are at their peak of fall color this week and, with the weather report forecasting a sunny weekend, it's the time to go. I wish I could get away. For me, this year, looking at photos like these will have to do. Next October, I'm there.
The photo of June Lake (above) in the Eastern Sierra is by Greg Newbry and taken last Friday. The Napa Valley vineyard photo is by John Poimiroo, longtime tourism official at Yosemite and for the state of California. He shot it last weekend.
John, who is behind the wonderful web site, www.californiafallcolor.com, points out that Lake County is a good place for fall colors. It's a closer drive to San Francisco than the Eastern Sierra. The leaves turn first along the shores of Clear Lake and then in the higher elevation on Cobb Mountain. "The cottonwoods are a riot of gold at Forest Lake, backgrounded by dogwoods and oaks," he says. And, "Near Loch Lomond off CA-175 at 2,500 feet at the site of the historic 19th century Salmina's Resort, the trees are at their prime color." Thanks for the report, John.

Walt Disney Museum Makes its Debut

The Presidio just keeps getting better and better. Yesterday, what is destined to become a star attraction opened: the Walt Disney Family Museum.
Diane Disney Miller and Walter E.D. Miller, daughter and grandson of the creator of Mickey Mouse, Disneyland and dozens of beloved movies, cartoons and TV shows, designed a place where they and the public can celebrate the life, the work and, most of all, the inventiveness of Walt Disney, the man -- not the big corporation he founded.
It's located in one of those handsome red-brick barracks buildings that line the Presidio's old parade ground. Inside, there's no doubt where the $110 million that the Walt Disney Family Foundation spent went: everything in the building was renovated with high quality materials, and the result is stunning, including one gallery with floor-to-ceiling plate glass windows overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge.
The museum is expected to draw 450,000 visitors a year, 80% of them 45- to 65-year olds, said Richard Benefield, museum director. It's a "walk down memory lane" for baby boomers who grew up with Disney.
The museum does not disappoint. Those who love Disney will spend hours here and even those with just mild enthusiasm for his creations will enjoy it. Anyone interested in animation and movie-making will visit again and again.
For one, it's a terrific history lesson in Americana. The ten galleries trace Disney's life from his childhood in the Midwest, the move to California, the struggles in building his business and, most of all, the creativeness in designing his enchanting characters, the first animated movies and, finally, Disneyland.
There are scores of interactive exhibits, display cases of fascinating memorabilia and large video screens playing snippets of movies and interviews with the main himself. Even some of the controversies are addressed: you can listen to Disney's testimony before the House Un-American Committee where he stated that he thought the studio strike that shut down his studio for several weeks was the work of Communists.
One of the final galleries contains a model of Disneyland as Disney envisioned it (left). There's also a large gift shop with merchandise unique to this museum (which is operated separately from Walt Disney Co.), a small cafe and a theater that shows Disney movies three times a day (separate admission charge).
Tickets are $20, with discounts for seniors, students and children. They are sold online at www.waltdisney.org using a timed-entry system allowing 60 visitors to enter every 50 minutes. Local residents may enjoy museum membership that allows unlimited visits per year.

Epicurean Travel Radio

Catch me on the Epicurean Travel radio show on Thursday Oct. 1, at 8 p.m on KUSF-FM 90.3 in San Francisco.

I'll be talking about what to look for while wandering the Ferry Building and the Embarcadero.

Photo at left is from the market last Thursday.