Scottish distillery going for the green

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An Aberdeenshire, Scotland, businessman is entering a very old business in a very new way.

Euan Shand has announced he will construct a US$6.9 million green distillery in Huntley to produce malt and grain whiskies, vodka and gin.

The distillery will be powered by woodchips supplied by local firms who will replace the trees used in the process to give it a carbon neutral rating. It also will also have a "living" grass roof.

The operation, expected to employ about a dozen workers when it opens in 2008, will be on a two-acre site formerly occupied by a dairy farm. Shand, who runs Duncan Taylor & Co., bottler and seller of rare whiskies, also plans to have a visitors center, bottling plant and warehouse on the site.

ON THE WEB

• Official Aberdeenshire Site
• Aberdeen & The Grampian Highlands
• Castles of Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire

Touring New York City's beer gardens

"Between 1820 and 1860, 1.5 million immigrants arrived in America from Germany, bringing with them their own cultural traditions -- among them outdoor beer gardens.

"Unlike the bars in Irish neighborhoods, the German beer gardens catered to whole families, and public drinking was just one of their attractions. Although many of New York's historic beer gardens have disappeared, this summer you can still enjoy a cold one at any of these authentic beer gardens around the city."

So reads the introduction to Daniel Lehman's story on the am New York.com site.

He takes readers on a tour of authentic beer gardens in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island. A quick, informative read.

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ON THE WEB

• Beer garden history
• NYC's last original beer garden

What do you feed a visiting monarch?

Most of us like to sample the local cuisine when we travel, particularly abroad.

When the crown is on the other head and, say, Queen Elizabeth II and her hubby, Prince Philip, visited the colonies last week, what were the served at the White House?

Here are the menu and wine selections they chose, according to the Office of the First Lady:

Spring Pea Soup with Fernleaf Lavender
Chive Pizzelle with American Caviar

Newton Chardonnay Unfiltered 2004
Dover Sole Almondine
Roasted Artichokes, Pequillo Peppers and Olives

Saddle of Spring Lamb
Chanterelle Sauce
Fricassee of Baby Vegetables

Peter Michael Les Pavots 2003

Arugula, Savannah Mustard and Mint Romaine
Champagne Dressing and Trio of Farmhouse Cheeses

Rose Blossoms
Schramsberg Brut Rosé 2004

Oh, the photo above? Haven't you ever heard of the Queen Mug?

ON THE WEB

• Royal Garden Parties
• Food, glorious food, in Southern England
• Which English kings died after overeating?

The mummies of Guanajuato

William M. Dowd photos (Mummy photos provided)

The view from a hillside overlooking Guanajuato shows the colorful buildings and the triangular park at the center of the city. (See ground-level photo below.)

GUANAJUATO, MEXICO -- Guanajuato is a revered place in Mexico.

The historic central highlands community of 76,000 situated northwest of Mexico City is in the middle of one of the world’s richest silver mining areas, and the region has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the capital city of the state of the same name.

It is the home of former President Vicente Fox Quesada, and the birthplace of the late renowned muralist and cubist painter Diego Rivera who lived here with his wife, the late painter and activist Frida Kahlo whose life was chronicled in the 2002 Selma Hayek film “Frida.”

It has a large and varied arts and culture scene, helped along by the University of Guanajuato, founded in 1732, earlier than six of our eight Ivy League universities and 44 years before the U.S. became an independent nation. It hosts the annual Festival Internacional Cervantino, an event dedicated to the writer of “Don Quixote,” Miguel de Cervantes, that draws visitors from all over the world to attend readings, plays, concerts, dance and art exhibitions and even parades.

And, Guanajuato has mummies.

An unintentional tourist draw, to be sure. But, even though this beautiful city of rainbow-colored buildings and geometrically trimmed trees in the triangular downtown park known as Jardin de la Union is widely regarded as the cultural center of Mexico, it is taking advantage of the bizarre resource.

Fittingly, I first saw the mummies near the end of a long afternoon spent in various cafes and strolling the hilly streets of Guanajuato during the annual Day of the Dead festival, an event that coincides with our Halloween.

There is nothing as quintessentially Mexican as El Dia de los Muertos, a festival honoring the deceased that has been part of the culture since before the Spanish invaders. Originally held in July, but moved closer to All Saint’s Eve in November by Catholic priests brought here by the conquistadors, it is anything but a morbid or frivolous event. Families construct tiny temporary altars, festooned with large, colorful marigolds and chrysanthemums, near the doorways to their homes to welcome back the departed. At least one Guanajuato church has its three levels of steep steps turned into a public altar covered by candles, flowers and framed pictures of the dead.

Crowds stroll throughout this city built in a ravine and sloping up two mountainsides. Vendors line both sides of the cobblestone streets, selling foods, trinkets and crafts. I joined a stream of walkers headed for a large cemetery where they visited the graves of their loved ones, replacing wilted flowers with fresh, often washing down the stone or metal markers with pails of water purchased from entrepreneurial youngsters who set up shop at the cemetery gates.

Artwork for the Day of the Dead features skeletons involved in all sorts of earthly pursuits, playing instruments, dancing, drinking and eating. In Mexican culture there is nothing macabre about this, so it is easy to see why the Mummies of Guanajuato were so quickly accepted.

I was directed to the Panteon catacombs in the western part of the city, a very steep climb up the narrow Esplanada del Panteón that left me puffing for breath in the rarified area of the city’s 6,700-foot elevation. Not as staggering as Mexico City’s 7,350 feet but enough to make Denver’s famed 5,280-foot “mile-high” status seem paltry.

After a short pause to overcome my fears of cardiac arrest, I plunged on to the large, unremarkable concrete building known as El Museo de las Momias, the Museum of the Mummies. After paying a $2 admission fee to a bored but polite teenager who was more interested in her paperback novel than in chatting with a tourist, I was in.

I knew ahead of time that the mummies of Guanajuato were not intentional creations. Nothing of the Egyptian embalming arts about them. Thus, they’re in more of a raw state rather than neatly wrapped in ribbons of once-perfumed cloth and lying in stately repose.

These mummies are the curious product of the interaction of chemicals and gases in the local soil with dry air and erratic embalming techniques. There are more than 100 of them, and they cut across the economic spectrum of the city. Poor immigrants, children, revered community figures, criminals and clergy. All are represented.

They were first dug up between 1896 and 1958 for a simple economic reason. People of financial means paid a one-time grave tax that permanently ensured their departed a resting place. Others who could not afford the annual fee were in danger of having their relatives or friends exhumed and moved to a lesser graveyard to make room for the dead of families able to pay. Some families died out or moved away, leaving no one to pay the duty. Once the exhumations began, the accidental mummies were literally unearthed.

The group I walked through with showed all the reactions one could expect to this bizarre display of human remains frozen in various stages of decay – some dressed only in shoes and stockings, some fully clothed, many with head and body hair still intact, some displayed standing up, some with a limb or a head missing, most of them tiny in stature.

Shock, disgust, awe, black humor, gulps, empathy, smiles. You name it, it was visible. And that was just on the part of the visitors.

The grave tax law was changed in 1958, so no additional mummies have been exhumed, although many probably still are in their original resting places.

Now that I’ve checked that one off my list, I look forward to visiting some other offbeat museums such as the Banana Museum in Auburn, WA, the Toilet Seat Art Museum in Alamo Heights, TX, and the Cheese Museum in Cuba, NY. You’re never too old to learn.

Strollers pass by the maincured trees of the park known as Jardin de la Union.

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ON THE WEB
• AboutGuanajuato.com
• Mexperience: Guide to Guanajuato
• Language immersion experience
• Dowd's Guides

Cape Cod is a thick chowder of attractions

William M. Dowd photos

Shops and galleries are tightly packed on Provincetown's famous Commercial Street.

PROVINCETOWN, MA -- The man in the bow held one oar out of the water, feathering the other to act as a rudder. His partner in the stern gamely kept pulling with both oars. Slowly, the chunky rowboat turned, its prow now aimed directly at the Provincetown II, the largest Cape Cod Bay scenic cruiser, which was moored to the foot of MacMillan Wharf.

With a little more maneuvering, its crew managed to bring it alongside the cruiser, but it was a precarious spot. The usually calm waters of Provincetown Harbor were churned up by a steady stream of boats making their way to the processional lineup at the other side of the wharf.

"Hey, Father!" called a woman who had been hanging on the rail of the larger vessel, peering down at the rowboat bobbing 20 feet below. "Maybe you better bless 'em early. I don't think they can make it around again."

The priest obligingly shook the aspergillum, and a spray of holy water droplets from the wand went over the side and onto the rowboat and its occupants.

The scene was several years ago at the annual Blessing of the Fleet, a local tradition for more than a half-century. On this particular Sunday, it had begun 15 minutes early because that small interloper jumped the starting line. Each year some such oddity happens, which makes the culminating event of the three-day Portuguese festival so interesting.

This year the festival celebrating P-town’s Portuguese fishing village past is scheduled for June 21-23. For some it is the start of high season on Cape Cod, although some who mark the Fourth of July as the real tourist season regard it as merely an early bird special.

Whatever draws people to the Cape, and there is a stunning scope of activities on this storied 75-mile stretch of sandy soil jutting into the Atlantic Ocean, it has long been a primary domestic vacation spot for many throughout the Northeast as well as tourists from abroad, even in times of high gasoline prices such as the ones we're now enduring.

From Sandwich, the Cape’s oldest town, on the west just across the Cape Cod Canal from the mainland to Provincetown on the eastern end, it is a jumble of villages, art galleries, boat landings, iconic New England architecture and tourist kitsch. And, of course, the beaches, primary among them the protected Cape Cod National Seashore, a 43,600-acre legacy of the Kennedy Administration.

The Cape is a place that continually reinvents itself without throwing out its history. But the reinvention takes on different personae, from raucous P-town to reserved Sandwich.

P-town, for example, once was known primarily as a fishing port. Then it became better known for its art community. Now it’s known as a gay friendly vacation destination with lots of art galleries and a fishing community heritage that helps maintain its maritime atmosphere. A boisterous night life and a bustling Commercial Street shopping walkathon are legendary.

Many of its once-neglected alleys have been transformed into pedestrian pathways between neighborhoods. Buildings have been converted into charming little homes and B&B's with postage-stamp gardens. Some spots have become home to clusters of tiny stores that put less strain for rent and utilities on small-business owners.

The seasonal shops along narrow, bustling Commercial Street that runs the length of town are vying with the year-round businesses for tourist dollars. In a leisurely stroll, you come across everything from a Hallmark store to a drag nightclub, from fine dining to a saltwater taffy shop, from modern home decor offerings to antique finds.

Mid-Cape, Hyannis continues to trade on its history as a home to the Kennedy family, with a Kennedy museum on the main street in town and the famous Kennedy residential compound in adjacent Hyannisport still the target of gawkers and picture-takers. It is the most “typical American” spot on the Cape, with a hospital, radio station, the main office of the daily newspaper, a few shopping centers, a bustling main street, a small airport, loads of condos and hotels.

One of its biggest tourist draws is the annual Father’s Day classic car show that takes up several blocks of downtown and offers a visual feast for those into old Mercs and Fords and Chevys and Packards and more. I’ve visited it for several years, and each June the lineup seems to get longer and more fascinating.

The aforementioned Sandwich, on the west end of the Cape, is the quietest of the three benchmark communities. It is home to the Dexter Grist Mill, a working grist mill built in 1654 on Shawme Pond in the town center, to the Sandwich Glass Museum and to the Heritage Museums & Gardens, a sprawling year-round complex housing the J.K. Lilly III Antique Automobile Museum -– another spot for car buffs although obviously more formal than the Hyannis outdoor event, plus the Art Museum and 1912 carousel, plus various horticultural attractions.

The Cape can be a tough place to negotiate in high season – usually late June to Labor Day Weekend – for the uninitiated.

A view of Provincetown and Cape Cod Bay from the top of the Pilgrim Monument.

Travel is relegated mostly to a trio of main roads, which get backed up during peak hours headed to or from the beaches or to and from the nightlife.

The Cape proper extends from the Cape Cod Canal in the west to Herring Cove Beach in the northeast, shaped like the upraised arm of someone "making a muscle." It is traversed largely on routes 6, 6A and 28. Once you're off them, you'd better know the local layout intimately to avoid being caught hungry in the many cul-de-sacs and roads that dead-end at salt marshes or ponds.

I say “caught hungry” because this is a crowded place at feeding time despite the huge range if dining spots.

Logistically, since Route 6 (the Mid-Cape Highway) is a limited-access thoroughfare until you get past Orleans and head north, the principal dining clusters are mostly on routes 28 and 6A.

A four-mile stretch of Route 28 from the edge of Hyannis east to West Dennis on the Bass River is a prime example of how packed with dining variety the Cape's main roads can be.

At least 40 food-related spots are jammed into that span, from the fairly-new Oinky & Moo's southern barbecue in West Dennis to the self-explanatory old Riverway Lobster House in Yarmouth.

This is a good base of operations for families who like casual, inexpensive food plus proximity to inexpensive motels and elaborate miniature golf layouts, or for couples who need the nightlife. You never have to leave the locale to experience an astounding variety of foods: Irish pub, seafood, Thai, hot dogs and ice cream, soups and salads, Chinese, brunches, Mexican, Polynesian, pizza and the inevitable Dairy Queen, McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts spots and more.

Breakfast is a big deal on the Cape, what with most people wanting to just grab lunch on the run or pack a picnic to take along to the beaches or a trek on the Cape Cod Rail Trail bike pathway.

In West Yarmouth, for example, Molly's offers a traditional Irish breakfast (thick Irish bacon, sausage, black and white pudding, eggs, tomatoes, beans and home fries) for a paltry $8.50. I still think of the tiny slip of a girl I saw easily polish one off while her boyfriend toyed with a regular-sized ham and eggs.

And, Persey's Place, several blocks east of the Kennedy Museum, serves what it boasts is "New England's Largest Breakfast Menu" from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Recommended: such delightful oddities as hash Benedict, or chocolate chip/banana/walnut pancakes.

Once fortified, take a crack at climbing the Pilgrim Monument in P-town. The 252-foot tower was built to commemorate the Pilgrims’ first landing there. President Theodore Roosevelt laid the cornerstone in 1907. Three years later. President William H. Taft dedicated the finished structure. Climbing the interior stone steps is quite an undertaking, but worth it for the views of P-town and the bay from the observation area on top.

For those whose idea of a dream vacation is doing nothing but watch other people doing things, the Cape is a wonderland.

Watching the fishing boats unload a day’s catch at the Chatham pier on the southern tip of the Cape is an eye opener, and can be a nose-closer if you get too close.

Grabbing one of the many whale watching excursion boats heading into the bay or the ocean can be a relaxing experience in fair weather.

If you long for the simpler summer evenings of old, or for those who have seen it in movies but never experienced it, the Cape is a great place for strolling a sidewalk with an ice cream cone in hand. Or taking in a baseball game at any of the 10 fields that are home to teams of college-aged minor leagues in the 114-year-old Cape Cod Baseball League – Bourne, Brewster, Cotuit, Wareham, Chatham, Falmouth, Hyannis, Harwich, Orleans, and Yarmouth-Dennis. Factoid: One in seven major league baseball players get started in the CCBL.

In the final analysis, the words of the 1950s Patti Page hit song "Old Cape Cod" say it simply and precisely:

"If you're fond of sand dunes and salty air,
"Quaint little villages here and there,
"You're sure to fall in love with
"Old Cape Cod."

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ON THE WEB
• Cape Cod Online
• Cape events calendar
• State forests and parks
• Beaches
• Golf Cape Cod
• Insider's Fishing Guide
• Cape Cod recreation guide
• Boating & other watersports
• Cape Cod Bike Guide

Oregon broadens wine country venue

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The twice-annual Oregon Wine Country Tour is growing not only in attendance, but in geographic scope.

The Memorial Day Weekend tour set for May 26–28, has been expanded beyond Yamhill County and the Oregon coast range to encompass the entire Willamette Valley, featuring wineries in the Portland, Salem, Polk County and Corvallis areas, as well as rural Yamhill County.

More than 120 member wineries are scheduled to be open between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Some are open to the public only during these events. Some will feature food, music and other interesting events. All host wine tasting, with many charging a tasting fee.

The Willamette Valley is known for producing pinot noirs, but also turns out varietals from pinot gris and pinot blanc to chardonnay, riesling, syrah and merlot. Information on the members of the Willamette Valley Wineries Association is available online or by calling (503) 646-2985.

ON THE WEB

• Dowd's Guide to American Wine Trails
• Wine Northwest
• Willamette Valley Travel Guide

A new gimmick in airline food: quality

For those who complain that even in first class the food on airlines is wretched, Hawaiian Airlines begs to differ.

The airline has been experimenting with offering a tasting menu in first class, comprised of 20 different entrees on a rotation, with five available to choose from on any given flight. For lunch or dinner, customers will choose three of the five, and for breakfast they will select two of three plus will receive a fresh fruit plate.

The dishes have included the likes of Hawaiian crab cake with a pinneapple salsa, rock shrimp and lemon pepper ravioli with creamy sun dried tomato/basil sauce, and chicken tandoori with a tangy makhani sauce and sultana basmati rice pilaf," according to a company press release. In addition, they will be offering a Pomegranate Passion beverage which was created exclusively for the airline.

The tasting menu was introduced in March on the San Francisco-to-Honolulu route, but is being phased in system-wide this month.

ON THE WEB

• Hawaii's Official Tourism Site
• Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau
• InfoPlease: All About Hawaii

Washington wine country the place to be

The first winery license in the state of Washington was issued in 1962 when Columbia Winery was founded as Associated Vintners.

Now, just 45 years later, it has its 500th licensed operation, Sweet Valley Wines of Walla Walla. David McDaniels, one of three business partners, said, "We are honored to be a part of the wine industry in Walla Walla. So many others have led the way. What they have done will give us the opportunity to succeed. We look forward to continuing the legacy of producing world class wine for all to enjoy."

Washington, second only to California in U.S. winery rankings by state, had just 20 wineries in 1980 but that number has been on a steady increase since then, hitting the 155 mark by 2000, then adding 350 since then. There are nine American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) throughout the state.

Robin Pollard, executive director of the Washington Wine Commission, said in a statement, "As we pass this milestone, we are thrilled about the future for Washington wines. We aspire to become one of the top wine producing regions in the world, and we believe that our course is solidly set to achieve that goal."

The state's wine industry is not dependent on individuals to begin operations entirely on their own. There is a state-supported winery incubator building at the Walla Walla Regional Airport that is slated for expansion.

The state legislature has approved $500,000 for two more facilities, and the Port of Walla Walla is expected to add another $150,000. The Port's target is for five startup winery facilities designed for embryonic winemakers.

The buildings are designed for bonded wineries that produce about 1,000 cases annually as part of their business models. Tenants are accepted on a six-year residency plan, after which they must leave to make room for more startups.

ON THE WEB

• Dowd's Guide to American Wine Trails
• Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance
• Experience Washington
• Washington State Travel & Tourism

Did your hangout make the top 100?

Of all the gin joints in all the world, or at least in the country, which did the editors of Nightclub & Bar Magazine choose for this year's top 100?

Nightclubs and bars from all over the U.S. were chosen based on a number of criteria, say the editors, "including annual revenues, marketing and advertising effectiveness, promotional expertise, uniqueness to market, food and beverage programs and much more. This list is not a ranking of just the most high-end, of-the-moment nightclubs. Instead, it is a dynamic mixture of clubs, neighborhood bars, sports bars, family-oriented venues and more that for one reason or another deserve notice."

The following bars and clubs, listed in alphabetical order, made the Editors' Choice Top 100 for 2007. The city designated for each is the city in which it is located, or, if the concept has multiple locations, the city of its first location.

230 Fifth - New York, NY
40 Watt - Athens, GA
8150 - Vail, CO.
The Abbey - Hollywood, CA
AJ's Seafood & Oyster Bar - Destin, FL.
Aria - Boston, MA
Avalon/Spider Club - Hollywood, CA.
Beach Bar at the W - San Diego, CA
B.E.D. - Miami, FL
Billy Bob's Texas - Fort Worth, TX
Blue Martini - Ft. Lauderdale, FL
the bosco - Ferndale, MI
Body English - Las Vegas, NV
Bombay Club - New Orleans, LA
Broken Spoke Saloon - Sturgis, SD
Brother's Bar & Grill - Lacross, WI
Butter - San Francisco, CA
Cabo Wabo - Lake Tahoe, NV
Casbah - Atlantic City, NJ
Cherry - Las Vegas, NV
Chilkoot Charlie's - Anchorage, AK
Coyote Cantina - Santa Fe, NM
Coyote Ugly - New York, NY
Crobar - Chicago, IL
The Crocodile Café - Seattle, WA
Diablo's Downtown Lounge - Eugene, OR
e4 - Scottsdale, AZ
Eight 75 - Biloxi, MS
El Gaucho - Seattle, WA
Elements the Lounge - Seabright, NJ
ESPN Zone - Baltimore, MD
Excalibur - Chicago, IL
Fadó Irish Pub - Atlanta, GA
Flatiron Lounge - New York, NY
The Flying Saucer - Memphis, TN
Fox Sports Grill - Scottsdale, AZ
Galapagos Art Space - Brooklyn, NY
ghostbar - Las Vegas, NV
Good Hurt - Los Angeles, CA
The Green Parrot - Key West, FL
The Greene Turtle - Ocean City, MD
Ground Zero Blues Club - Clarksdale, MS
The Helix - Washington, DC
House of Blues - New Orleans, LA
Iguana's Cantina - New York, NY
Ivan Kane's Forty Deuce - Hollywood, CA
JET - Las Vegas, NV
Kahunaville - Las Vegas, NV
Key Club - Hollywood, CA
Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop - New Orleans, LA
The Library Bar & Grill - Tempe, AZ
Light - Las Vegas, NV
Lotus - New York, NY
Louie's Backyard - South Padre Island, TX
Mango's Tropical Café - Miami, FL
Mantra - Milwaukee, WI
Marquee - New York, NY
McGillin's Olde Ale House - Philadelphia, PA
Mercy Wine Bar - Addison, TX
Midnight Rodeo - San Antonio, TX
Mie N Yu - Washington, DC
MIXX - Atlantic City, NJ
mur.mur - Atlantic City, NJ
The New Crown & Anchor - Providencetown, MA
The New Sheridan - Telluride, CO
Ocean Club - Honolulu, HI
Pangaea - Hollywood, FL
Pat O' Brien's - New Orleans, LA
Pavilion Bar & Café - Charleston, SC
Pin-Up Bowl - St. Louis, MO
Pink Elephant - New York, NY
The Playboy Club - Las Vegas, NV
Pure - Las Vegas, NV
Purple Moon - Flint, MI
Rockit Bar & Grill - Chicago, IL
Ruby Skye - San Francisco, CA
rumjungle - Las Vegas, NV
Sharkeez - Huntington Beach, CA
Sherlock's Baker Street Pub - Houston, TX
Sloppy Joe's - Key West, FL
Snatch/Suite - Miami, FL
Stingaree - San Diego, CA
Stubb's Bar-B-Q - Austin, TX
Studio 54 - Las Vegas, NV
Tabú Ultra Lounge - Las Vegas, NV
Tangerine - Las Vegas, NV
TAO - Las Vegas, NV
Therapy - New York, NY
Tini Bigs - Seattle, WA
Tipitina's - New Orleans, LA
Tongue & Groove - Atlanta, GA
Tryst - Las Vegas, NV
VICCI - Austin, TX
Vine Street Lounge - Hollywood, CA
The Viper Room - Los Angeles, CA
Walnut Room - Philadelphia, PA
Whiskey Blue - Los Angeles, CA
Worship - Atlantic City, NJ
Yard House - Long Beach, CA
Zinc Lounge - Manhattan Beach, CA

Any way you put it, be careful in Mexico

Double-click on map to enlarge

BULLETIN:

EU VETOES TOURISM TO ACAPULCO AND MONTERREY

It for the first time includes to the port and that city

The government of the United States emitted a new alert for the Americans who wish to travel to Mexico, due to the recent acts of violence derived from the drug trafficking.

In this occasion he entered to the port of Acapulco and Monterrey in the list of risk for the residents or American visitors to this country.

In the public warning emitted yesterday by the Department of State reference to the danger in these cities becomes, in addition to the organizations that already had been mentioned in previous announcements, like Tamaulipas (particularly New Laredo), Michoacán and Baja California.

“In the recent months murders have happened type execution of Mexican civil employees in Tamaulipas (specially New Laredo), Michoacán, Baja California, Guerrero (particularly Acapulco), Nuevo Leo'n (specially the zone of Monterrey) and other states”, are indicated.

The text includes a special recommendation for the city of Oaxaca, in which it asks the Americans to review the conditions before traveling to that site, since many of the problems that caused the protests the last year have not been solved.

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Perhaps that's why you have to pay special attention to the nuances of language. The preceding news story appeared in Spanish in Mexico's El Universal newspaper and was translated into English on its Web site today.

It was based on the following "public announcement" from the U.S. Department of State:

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman

This information is current as of today, Fri Apr 20 2007 17:15:40 GMT-0400.

This Public Announcement advises U.S. citizens on security situations in Mexico that may affect their activities while in that country. This Public Announcement supersedes previous Public Announcements for Mexico dated January 18, 2007 and September 15, 2006. This Public Announcement expires on October 16, 2007.

Narcotics-Related Violence - U.S. citizens residing and traveling in Mexico should exercise caution when in unfamiliar areas and be aware of their surroundings at all times. Violence by criminal elements affects many parts of the country, urban and rural, including border areas. In recent months there have been execution-style murders of Mexican officials in Tamaulipas (particularly Nuevo Laredo), Michoacan, Baja California, Guerrero (particularly Acapulco), Nuevo Leon (especially in and around Monterrey) and other states. Though there is no evidence that U.S. citizens are specifically targeted, Mexican and foreign bystanders have been injured or killed in some violent attacks demonstrating the heightened risk in public places. In its effort to combat violence, the Government of Mexico has deployed military troops in various parts of the country. U.S. citizens are advised to cooperate with official checkpoints when traveling on Mexican highways.

In recent years dozens of U.S. citizens have been kidnapped in Nuevo Laredo with more than two dozen cases still unresolved and new cases of kidnap for ransom continue to be reported. No one can be considered immune from kidnapping on the basis of occupation, nationality, or other factors. Drug cartel members have been known to follow and harass U.S. citizens traveling in their vehicles, particularly in border areas including Nuevo Laredo and Matamoros. U.S. citizens who believe they are being followed should notify officials as soon as possible. U.S. citizens should make every attempt to travel on main roads during daylight hours, particularly the toll (“cuota”) roads, which are generally more secure. It is preferable for U.S. citizens to stay in well-known tourist destinations and tourist areas of the cities with more adequate security, and provide an itinerary to a friend or family member not traveling with them. U.S. citizens should refrain from displaying expensive-looking jewelry, large amounts of money, or other valuable items.

Oaxaca City - U.S. citizens traveling to Oaxaca City should be aware that from May to November 2006, protests in Oaxaca City became increasingly violent resulting in at least nine deaths. On October 27, 2006, a U.S. citizen was shot and killed in Oaxaca City as a result of the violence and disorder caused by ongoing civil unrest in the city. Many of the issues that were the basis for the protests remain unresolved. U.S. Citizens planning to travel to Oaxaca City should check on current conditions before beginning their travel.

Demonstrations - Demonstrations occur frequently throughout Mexico and are usually peaceful. However, even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and escalate into violence unexpectedly. During violent demonstrations or law enforcement operations, U.S. citizens are reminded to remain in their homes or hotels, avoid large crowds, and avoid the downtown and surrounding areas. Since the timing and routes of scheduled marches and demonstrations are always subject to change, U.S. citizens should monitor local media sources for new developments and exercise extreme caution while within the vicinity of any protests. The State Department reminds U.S. citizens to avoid participating in demonstrations and other activities that might be deemed political by Mexican authorities. The Mexican Constitution prohibits political activities by foreigners, and such actions may result in detention and/or deportation.

For more detailed information on staying safe in Mexico, please see the Mexico Consular Information Sheet at: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_970.html. For the latest security information, U.S. citizens traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department's Internet web site at http://travel.state.gov where the current Worldwide Caution Public Announcement, Travel Warnings and Public Announcements can be found. Up-to-date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the United States, or, for callers from Mexico, a regular toll line at 001-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays). American citizens traveling or residing overseas are encouraged to register with the appropriate U.S. Embassy or Consulate on the State Department's travel registration website at https://travelregistration.state.gov.

For any emergencies involving U.S. citizens in Mexico, please contact the closest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. The U.S. Embassy is located in Mexico City at Paseo de la Reforma 305, Colonia Cuauhtemoc, telephone from the United States: 011-52-55-5080-2000; telephone within Mexico City: 5080-2000; telephone long distance within Mexico 01-55-5080-2000. You may also contact the Embassy by e-mail at: ccs@usembassy.net.mx. The Embassy's Internet address is http://www.usembassy-mexico.gov/.

Tale tales and tastings on the Whiskey Trail

William M. Dowd photos

This statue of Booker Noe, legendary master distiller and grandson of Jim Beam, holds a place of honor 

on the main lawn at the Jim Beam Distillery in Lynchburg, TN.

The Labrot & Graham Distillery has something probably no other bourbon maker can boast about.

No, not the copper pot stills. True, they are reputedly the only such devices among the nation's bourbon distillers, handcrafted in Scotland by A. Forsyth & Son Ltd. And, no, not the fact that the distillery's Woodford Reserve bourbon is the only triple distilled bourbon made in Kentucky.

Master distiller Chris Morris

What it also has is a grave containing a human torso buried with two legs, three thumbs and no head.

The missing head was the result of an industrial accident; the extra thumb came from a distillery worker who lost it in an accident, didn't think there was much sense keeping it in his pocket, and tossed it into the grave before it was covered up. That, at least, is the gist of the way master distiller Chris Morris  tells the tale. No doubt an archaeologist in the far distant future is going to have some strange thoughts after happening on this site. And, don't even get me started on the ghost of the girl who died in a fire in the big house on the hill.

Woodford Reserve, named for the county in which its tiny hometown of Versailles (pronounced ver-sails, rather than the French vehr-sigh from which the name is taken) is located, is only the latest name for the facility that lays claim to the title of Kentucky's oldest bourbon distillery. It has been that since 2003, although the Labrot & Graham name that preceded it still is alive in some aspects of the operation.

It is located in the heart of Kentucky's famed Bluegrass country and maintains a relationship with the thoroughbred horse racing community through various business sponsorships, including being the "official bourbon" of the Kentucky Derby.

The present distillery is largely maintained on 72 acres in a series of sprawling stone buildings, such as the distillery itself, dating from the 19th century and one reason the complex has been designated a National Historic Landmark. The original distilling works was built in 1812 by Elijah Pepper, then became the Oscar Pepper Distillery, then the Labrot & Graham Distillery in 1878 through 1941. Brown-Forman, now one of the world's largest alcoholic beverage companies, bought it in 1968, sold it in 1971, but, in a burst of renewed interest in bourbon making, re-purchased it in 1994, spending more than $7 million to restore and refurbish it.

The history of Woodford Reserve is not unlike that of the nation and the industry. Growing in fits and starts, leaps and bounds, straddling epochal events in the history of a still-young country, bouncing back from such seeming industry death-blows as Prohibition, yet always persevering.

That is what makes a trek along the American Whiskey Trail so fascinating.

Throughout the country, tens of thousands of visitors annually visit various wineries that cooperate in tourist-oriented wine trail groupings. Each trail has its individual attractions, but all emphasize winery visits, festivals, B&Bs, dining, sight-seeing and the like. The American Whiskey Trail is a much longer trek to fewer places, but a fascinating concept nonetheless.

The Trail, sponsored by the Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. (DISCUS), includes seven historic sites and six operating whiskey distilleries spread over a five-state area from New York to Tennessee by way of Pennsylvania, Virginia and Kentucky.

If that seems a slightly awkward construct, perhaps it is. But it shows the erratic progression of whiskey making throughout America history.

From the north, the American Whiskey Trail begins at historic Fraunces Tavern Museum in Manhattan where Gen. George Washington bade farewell to his troops in 1783 and ends at the site of the new George Washington Distillery Museum on the grounds of private citizen Washington's home at Mount Vernon, Va. There they refer to that site as the gateway to the trail. Geographic chauvinism obviously is dictated by where you live, one supposes.

Numerous historic stops on the Trail have a George Washington whiskey connection. The Trail includes Gadsby's Tavern Museum in Old Town Alexandria, Va., across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., where early American leaders often met to discuss issues of the day and where at least twice Washington attended the annual Birthnight Ball held in his honor.

I found it intriguing to stroll around the two-building complex, within sight of the nation's capital yet with the echoes of long-ago formal dances and ribald debates over tankards of ale, beer and whiskey still emanating from the wooden floors and plaster walls.

The Trail also hits the Woodville Plantation in Allegheny County, PA, built by Gen. John Neville, a Revolutionary War figure and close friend of Washington, and the Oliver Miller Homestead in South Park, PA, which was a focal point of an 18th century dispute in which President Washington dispatched troops to enforce federal law taxing distilleries and whiskey.

An array of whiskey artifacts at the Oscar Getz Museum.

Other historic sites are the Oscar Getz Museum in Bardstown, KY, which has a collection of rare whiskey artifacts dating from pre-colonial to post-Prohibition days, and the West Overton Museums in Scottdale, PA, a former distillery center and part of what is billed as the only pre-Civil War village in Pennsylvania still intact.

Among the first Europeans to practice their whiskey making skills in this country were Scotch-Irish farmers in western Pennsylvania.

They were not alone in distilling whiskey, but they were among the feistiest and most productive. When the Continental Congress put a tax on whiskey production, they refused to pay, thus touching off the Whiskey Rebellion of 1791 to 1794.

So acrimonious was the dispute that President Washington sent troops to quell the uprising. When the whiskey makers continued to resist, he and Virginia Governor Thomas Jefferson cooked up a deal to break up the concentration of resistance. Jefferson offered 60 acres of land as an incentive for moving to the Kentucky region (then part of Virginia), building a permanent structure and growing corn.

Many took advantage of the offer but found that no family could eat 60 acres' worth of corn a year, and it was too perishable to ship out for sale. The Scotch-Irish instead used it to make whiskey in place of much of the wheat and rye they were used to employing. Coincidentally, the presence of massive limestone formations, part of an underground shelf that extends from southern Indiana down through Kentucky and Tennessee, filtered and "sweetened" the water, which helped make a smoother distilled spirit, the one that came to be called bourbon for the Kentucky county in which it was produced.

The definition of whiskey, by the way, is a liquor produced from the fermented mash of grains such as barley, corn, and rye. That would include the likes of Canadian or Scotch whisky (no "e''), Irish whiskey, rye and bourbon.

Bourbon, however, is a special case. All bourbons are whiskies, but not all whiskies are bourbons. The legal definition of bourbon was codified in 1964 by a congressional resolution requiring that it be a minimum of two years old, at least 80 proof (40 percent alcohol), made from a mash of at least 51 percent corn (most distillers use at least 70%), and aged in charred new American oak barrels, from which the once-colorless distillate draws its amber color and vanilla and caramel flavors. The Tennessee whiskies -- Jack Daniel's and George Dickel, for example -- begin as bourbon but then are put through a charcoal filtration process that leaves them in a niche of their own.

The operating distilleries open to the public as part of the Trail are Jim Beam in Clermont, KY, Maker's Mark in Loretto, KY, Wild Turkey in Lawrenceburg, KY, Woodford Reserve in Versailles, KY, George Dickel in Tullahoma, TN, and Jack Daniel's in Lynchburg, TN. It also includes two rum distilleries in Puerto Rico and the American Virgin Islands.

A touch of irony: Today, no bourbon is produced in Bourbon County.

AN AMERICAN WHISKEY TRAIL ALBUM

It's all in the wrist in creating the signature hot wax drip on a bottle of Maker's Mark. Dip, pull back, twist, 

and put it down as the assembly line rolls on. Shades of Lucy and Ethel working at the candy factory.

A distillery worker at Woodford Reserve rolls out American white oak barrels just filled with new bourbon 

whiskey prior to loading them up for placement in aging houses elsewhere on the grounds.

Lynn Tolley, great-grandniece of Jack Daniel and one of the distillery's official tasters, also conducts tastings for 

special guests and runs the historic Miss Mary Bobo's Boarding House restaurant in Lynchburg, TN.

A public room on the first floor of historic Gadsby's Tavern in Old Town Alexandria, VA.

A tour guide explains the grain mixture that goes into creating sour mash at the 

                                                                                George Dickel Distillery in Tullahoma, TN.

Music is as much a part of rural life along the American Whiskey Trail as is whiskey. Here, Hickory 'n' Friends 
play some bluegrass for visitors at the Jim Beam guest complex in Clermont, KY.

Master distiller Jimmy Russell (right) shows visitors a fermentation vat being filled 

with mash at the Wild Turkey distillery in Lawrenceburg, KY.

All the bourbon produced at Maker's Mark in Loretto, KY, runs through these collectors 
before being put into barrels for aging.

A sight to gladden the heart of any bourbon fan: Bottle filling time at Maker's Mark.

The chemical reaction going on in this 20,000-gallon cypress plank fermentation vat 
results in a substance resembling cooked oatmeal.

                                         Actor William Sommerfield, in the person of George Washington, greets an invited crowd to the 

grand re-opening of the rebuilt whiskey distillery at Mount Vernon, VA.

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ON THE WEB
• American Whiskey Trail
• Fraunces Tavern Museum
• Gadsby's Tavern Museum
• Woodville Plantation
• Oliver Miller Homestead
• Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History
• West Overton Museums
• • Dowd's Guides hone page

A new water taxi for an Old Town

Washington, DC, and Old Town Alexandria, VA, both are major tourist draws. The problem with trying to see both is that most people don't like braving auto traffic to get back and forth across what separates them -- the Potomac River.

Next spring, they'll have an alternative: a water taxi service.

Two new 99-passenger boats will link Old Town with National Harbor, the 1.25-mile-long waterfront development under construction just south of the Wilson Bridge in Prince George's County. The service, operated by the Potomac Riverboat Co., will begin daily service next April, running 20-minute trips on the half-hour between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m.

National Harbor is a 300-acre, mixed- used development that will include five hotels -- including the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, the largest such facility on the East Coast, thousands of residential units, tree-lined promenades with scores of shops and offices, and a marina.

The Potomac Riverboat Co. has been operating on the Potomac for more than 30 years. It already has a five-vessel fleet providing water taxi service, cruises and charter trips between Washington, D.C., Alexandria, Georgetown and Mount Vernon.

ON THE WEB
• The Fun Side of the Potomac
• Historic Alexandria
• Walking Tour of Old Town

Run Four (the) Roses in New York City

Long, long ago, in a market not so far away from where I now live, Four Roses was a commonplace whiskey brand. I can still recall seeing it on the bar shelves at the homes of family friends, and pictures of it in magazines and on bulletin boards.

Even today, Four Roses ads, such as the 1954 version shown here, are popular with ephemera collectors and auction house regulars.

This particular Kentucky bourbon wasn't of interest in my household, where Dad was a strict Jim Beam and I.W. Harper man, but it was available in enough places for me to sample a sip or two in my maturing years.

But Four Roses, although made in Lawrenceburg, KY, had not been sold domestically in decades and wasn't re-introduced to Kentucky's limited retail market until five years ago. Its primary market was Japan -- fittingly enough since it is owned by Japan's Kirin Brewery Co., which bought it in October 2001-- and Europe.

This week, Four Roses came back in New York City, where I first encountered it lo those many years ago.

It will be available in small-batch and single-barrel versions at a limited number of restaurants, bars and liquor stores as part of an expansion campaign.

Jim Rutledge, master distiller, said today in a statement, "The relevance of New York is important as we re-establish Four Roses in the U.S. Our barrel inventories have increased to the level that can now support the introduction of Four Roses bourbon into other select markets.”

New Mount Vernon enterprise barrel of fun

William M. Dowd photos

MOUNT VERNON, VA -- As the white-gloved volunteers carefully doled out tiny pours of the surprisingly golden liquid into tiny plastic cups, the tall, white-haired man regally strolled the ground accepting congratulations and handing out compliments to his staff.

Not just another spring afternoon at Mount Vernon, especially not with the presence of the Father of Our Country, in the costumed person of William Sommerfield, and his distiller James Anderson, played by a very convincing Terry Burgler who had the surreal experience of chatting with "his" own great-great-great-great-great nephew who was paying a visit.

"I can't believe how tall the family has become over the generations," Burgler remarked to me with a grin. "It must be something in the water -- or in what we do with the water."

This particular day was the one on which George Washington's rebuilt whiskey distillery was to be opened, receive its special sales license from the Commonwealth of Virginia, and receive visitors of all sorts, from media to politicians to volunteers and neighbors.

Perhaps most important were the costumed master distillers from whiskeymaking operations throughout Kentucky and Tennessee who have been working together for several years to get the historic operation up and running after an absence of 193 years following a fire that burned it to the ground.

Washington is commonly known as "first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen." Most people don't know he also was among the first successful commercial distillers in the colonies and then the new nation.

Washington's 22,250-square-foot facility located next to his four-story stone gristmill, which itself opened to the public in 2002, three miles from the main mansion house was huge by the standards of his day. He and Anderson, a Scottish immigrant, oversaw a distilling operation that turned out nearly 11,000 gallons of rye whiskey a year compared to the average output of 650 gallons from other Virginia distilleries.

The distillery, which housed five copper pot stills that were used year-round, began operation in February 1797 and Anderson and his son, aided by six slaves, continued its work after Washington's death in December 1799 and Martha Washington's death in 1802. Washington's nephew, Lawrence Lewis, inherited the distillery and the Andersons moved away. The last recorded distillations were in 1808.

The project was largely underwritten by the Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. (DISCUS) and its member companies, with the support of the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America, to the tune of $2.1 million.

Some whiskey had been produced before the distillery reconstruction was completed, and that was what was being doled out that day. My tasting notes on the small samples showed some pleasant surprises.

"Remarkable color for something only in the wood for a year. ... Obviously, the maturation process had been sped up by using small, 10-gallon casks which surround the raw whisley with very accessible oak. ... Fine nose, promising spciness and herbal nuances. ... Much of the expected initial heat usually present in young whiskey was missing, leaving a warm yet palatable initial taste, along with the expected spice from the rye grain, and a satisfactory finish. ... All in all, a definitely promising young whiskey that I'd love to re-taste a year or two from now."

Virginia usually allows only stores operated by its Alcohol Beverage Control to sell distilled spirits. State Sen. Linda T. "Toddy" Puller, original sponsor of the bill that had to be passed to license Mount Vernon to sell its whiskey, was among the guests at the grand opening.

"I'm pleased to play a role in revitalizing a piece of Washington's legacy. We recognize the importance of keeping Washington's spirit alive -- in all respects," she said.

Washington's neighbors in nearby Alexandria, now a suburb of Washington, DC, were interested in his spirit and spirits as well. Much of what he and Anderson distilled was sold in Alexandria stores, particularly George Gilpin's general store. What was peddled in those days wasn't moonshine because it was a decent quality spirit -- 60% rye, 35% corn, 5% malted barley, but it was generally unaged and, therefore, colorless.

The Mount Vernon operation also turned out apple, peach and persimmon brandies, vinegar and some specialty whiskies such as a "rectified" style that was filtered to remove impurities, and a cinnamon-flavored style. The common whiskey cost 50 cents a gallon, the rectified and extra-distilled about $1 a gallon, and brandy $1 and up.

Whether the rebuilt distillery will turn out more than the basic rye whiskey will be known as the project matures. It is a completely functioning distillery, probably the only one in the world using an authentic 18th-century process, housed in a three-story brick, stone and wood structure with one floor devoted to an embryonic whiskey museum.

Everything has gotten off to a flying start on the manufacturing end, thanks to the efforts of master distillers and blenders Jerry Dalton (Jim Beam), Jimmy Russell (Wild Turkey), Chris Morris (Woodford Reserve), John Lunn (George Dickel), Gerald Webb (Diageo North America), David Pickerell (Maker's Mark), Ken Pierce (Barton Brands) and Joe Dangler (Virginia Gentleman).

While they've gone back to their real-life jobs, costumed distillers will be working at Mount Vernon each day April through October. Small bottles of Washington's whiskey will go on sale on premises, probably in mid-summer.

(ABOVE: Clear whiskey distillate runs from a collector barrel to a wooden chute leading to storage casks in the basement of the distillery.)

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ON THE WEB
• George Washington's Distillery & Gristmill
• Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S.
• American Whiskey Trail

Chavez vs. the spirits

If you're visiting Venezuela between now and Monday, April 9, don't expect to find it easy to get a cooling gin and tonic or cachaça in the afternoon.

President Hugo Chavez has banned the public sale of such beverages before 5 p.m. until after Easter Sunday, supposedly to reduce road deaths caused by drinking and operating vehicles in the traditionally heavy Easter week traffic.

There may be something to the safety idea. Venezuelans are known as two-fisted spirits drinkers, and in 2006 ranked seventh in the world in the importation of Scotch whisky, according to the Scotch Whisky Association.

Not that imbibing has halted in the capital city of Caracas. The Reuters news service notes "It is almost as easy as ever to get a drink in Caracas, although bartenders have to be careful. In restaurants, beer or whiskey bottles are removed from tables, and some even serve wine in coffee cups."

Chavez, whose "reform" moves usually have an anti-United States angle, says whiskey drinking is an affectation of the U.S. He already had cracked down on the illegal but popular practice of selling beer and rum from trucks in public and drinking on the streets.

ON THE WEB
• CIA Worlds Factbook: Argentina
• Think Venezuela: The Tourism Directory

TAP New York is ... on tap

New York's longest-running beer and food event will mark its 10th anniversary later this month.

The annual TAP New York extravaganza, sponsored by the Hudson Valley Beer and Food Festival, is scheduled for the weekend of April 28-29 in the base lodge at Hunter Mountain in the Catskill Mountains.

Although the organizers stress this is a food and beer event, the craft brewers bringing in their beers to compete for the Matthew Vassar Cup and the F.X. Matt Memorial Cup are the main drawing card.

The list of confirmed brewery participants (LI denotes Long Island):

• Black Forest Brew Haus & Restaurant, Farmingdale, LI
• Blue Point Brewing Co., Patchogue, LI
• Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown
• Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn
• Brown's Brewing Co., Troy
• Butternuts Beer & Ale Co., Garrattsville
• Chatham Brewing Co., Chatham
• Cooperstown Brewing Co., Cooperstown
• The Defiant Brewery, Pearl River
• Gilded Otter, New Paltz
• Great Adirondack Brewing, Lake Placid
• John Harvard's Brew House, Lake Grove, LI
• Heartland Brewery, Manhattan
• High Point Wheat Beer Co., Butler, NJ
• Ithaca Beer Co., Ithaca
• Keegan Ales, Kingston
• Kelso of Brooklyn
• Roosterfish Brewing Co., Watkins Glen
• Saranac/Matt Brewing Co., Utica
• Six Point Brewery, Brooklyn
• Southampton Publick House, Southampton
• Southern Tier Brewing, Lakewood
• Unibroue, Chambly, Quebec

The event began in 1997 as the Hudson Valley Beer and Food Festival, originally hosted at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. As it outgrew that venue, it was moved in 1999 to Hunter Mountain.

The food theme this year will be the best of the past decade.

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ON THE WEB
• Town of Hunter
• Guide to the Catskill Mountains

Read all about it! (for a price)

William M. Dowd photo

LEDYARD, CT -- As she flipped through the "complimentary" copy of The Providence Journal left at the door of our guest room at the Foxwoods Resort & Casino, my wife shared with me what she considered the hottest story in the newspaper.

"Look at that sticker," she said, pointing to a square piece of paper attached to the front of the third section. "I thought this paper was supposed to be complimentary for guests."

The note informed us, "A copy of the Providence Journal is included with your stay. If you do not wish to receive the newspaper, please contact the front desk for a $.13 refund daily, or a $.50 refund on Sunday."

Regretably, this is a legitimate gimmick, although a cheesey one. It does nothing to benefit the consumer who is placed in the position of first ascertaining that he or she is being unexpectedly charged for something then having to take action to change the situation or end up footing the bill, small though it is.

Under the industry's Audit Bureau of Circulations rules, newspapers can sell bulk batches of their product at half-price and still count them as individually full-paid circulation.

What this boils down to, dear traveler, is that this 50-cent newspaper actually went for only a quarter to the Indian casino hotel, and it passed along more than 50% of its discounted price to its guests. Human nature being what it is, they no doubt figured, correctly, that few people would ever ask for their 13 cents back. So, it was a great deal for the newspaper and the resort.

Just a tip for one more thing to keep an eye on during your travels.

Soft drink freebies for summer

Forget the recent reports on soft drinks' contributions to obesity, diabetes and tooth decay. It's summer!

The Magic Springs amusement park in Hot Springs, AR, has announced that visitors will be able to drink all the soft drinks they want at the park for free this summer.

As a nod to good health, they'll also be offered free sunscreen creams and free use of riding tubes in the Crystal Falls waterpark.

ON THE WEB
• Arkansas amusement parks, theme parks, waterparks and zoos
• U.S. amusement parks

NY dairy develops wine ice creams

U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton says her favorite ice cream is made by a central New York dairy named Mercer's.

With all the ice creams made in the state she represents, I've always wondered why Mercer's. Now I have an idea. The Boonville company has come up with wine-flavored ice creams.

It took two years of experimentation, but Mercer's Dairy has created Ala Port Wine, Peachy White Zinfandel and Red Raspberry Chardonnay ice cream flavors. Cool stuff, and already being purchased by trendy New York City restaurants.

This ice cream, by the way, is not kid stuff. It has an alcohol content of 5% and will not be sold to minors.

Mercer's, which makes about 40 other flavors, purchases a lot of its milk from various New York state prisons that maintain dairy herds.

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ON THE WEB
• Village of Boonville
• Oneida County Convention & Visitors Bureau

Newest NY Indian casino set to debut

The Seneca Allegany Casino, located in the western New York city of Salamanca, will hold its official grand opening at noon Friday, March 30.

That's just 18 months after the groundbreaking for the $160 million project that includes a 212-room resort hotel with three new restaurants, a spa and salon, indoor swimming pool and a 68,300-square-foot casino housing 40 table games and 2,235 slot machines. It success the Seneca Allegany Casino which opened as a temporary facility on May 1, 2004.

Officially, the facility is located on the Seneca Nation of Indians' Allegany Territory in the city of Salamanca. The 6,100-resident city is the only one in the United States built entirely on an Indian reservation. It once was an important railroad center, serving as the junction for four railroads -- the Erie, Atlantic & Great Wester, the Pennsylvania, the Rochester & Pittsburgh, and the Buffalo.

"This is one of the most significant developments in this region since railroad engines first rolled into Salamanca," said Brian Hansberry, president and CEO of the Seneca Gaming Corp.

The Seneca Nation of Indians, through its wholly-owned Seneca Gaming Corp., also operates the Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel in Niagara Falls, NY.

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ON THE WEB
• The Seneca Nation of Indians
• City of Salamanca
• Allegany State Paerk
• Western New York Railroad Archive
• Western New York Travel Guide

Myanmar winery a drop in the tourist bucket

It once was Burma. Now it is Myanmar.

It once had no vineyards. Now it has one.

The southeast Asian nation's first such enterprise, started by a German entrepreneur in 2004, now is producing reds, whites and roses at the Aythaya estate. That in itself is news since foreign investment in the military-governed nation is rare. And, when such an enterprise takes hold and even has the potential to lure tourists, even a mere handful, it is even bigger news.

Bert Morsbach, interviewed by the Associated Press, said, "Had I not been convinced that we can make a quality wine up in our mountains, I would not have started the project. ... That was a gamble, I must admit, but so far the government has been very cooperative and it looks as if this is going to stay that way."

Morsbach imported vines from France, Germany and Italy and planted them in the hills, seen above, above Inle Lake of in eastern Myanmar. He and chief winemaker Hans Leiendecker say growing conditions on their 23.5-acre vineyard are excellent, with the limestone soil similar to that of Tuscany and southern France and a climate similar to California's wine country.

"A huge asset in our favor: 150 days of sunshine," Morsbach said.

Their wines have been getting positive reviews, the best of them for a rose made from the Italian Moscato grape, which is the winery's top seller.

Production was a mere 20,000 bottles as recently as 2004, most of which have been snapped up by tourists as a curiosity, but has been ramped up to 100,000 bottles this year. Additional grapes will be grown by contract farmers.

Morsbach, 69, who plans to retire in Myanmar, said he and some investors have put $1.5 million into the project, are expanding tourist facilities at the winery which already includes five guest rooms, a restaurant and swimming pool, and have rebuilt an abandoned Buddhist orphanage adjacent to the vineyard and are supporting more than 80 orphans there.

ON THE WEB
• CIA World Factbook: Myanmar
• An Introduction to Myanmar
• Official Government Web Site

Milwaukee moves a piece of history

Perhaps no other American city is as closely linked to beer as Milwaukee.

Thus, even though it no longer is used to produce the white beer for which it once was known, when the city's oldest surviving brewery building gets re-located, it's news.

The 1853 Gipfel Union Brewery building, which was part of the city's old Brewery Row but ceased turning out beer in the 1890s, was relocated this week to a site one block away. The brick structure will be renovated as a restaurant in a new condominium development.

In 1998, the city blocked the owner's plans to demolish the landmarked building. The move was financed by a grant from the Wisconsin Historical Society and two developers, the Bradley Center Sports & Entertainment Corp., which has owned the building since 1999, and Ruvin Development, which will incorporate the landmark into its new $160 million retail-office complex.

"(Moving the Gipfel) actually did a better job of approximating its historical context than it was sitting in the parking lot surrounded by the Bradley Center," says Matt Jarosz, former chairman of preservation commission and director of the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee's historic preservation program. "Only a block and a half away — that seemed as sensitive a move as one can think of. This is an important icon in the brewing capital of the country, so it seemed like a reasonable request."

ON THE WEB
• Visit Milwaukee
• Beer Capital of the World
• Milwaukee Beer Festival
• Museum of Beer & Brewing