Sunny McCoskey, the main character in Nadia Gordon’s Sunny McCoskey Napa Valley Mysteries is a serious foodie. Most of Sunny’s time is spent in California’s verdant Napa Valley solving murders and other quandaries. Nadia Gordon has given us a taste of where Sunny would eat and drink if she were to spend a weekend in the foodie heaven also known as San Francisco.

How to Eat Like Sunny McCoskey in San Francisco

There are two great ways to start a day of hardcore eating in San Francisco, and they’re both in the Mission. If it’s a weekday, then it has to be Tartine. Not fertile ground for the grapefruit and wheat germ crowd, the thing to get is a morning bun crackling with buttery sugar and a sublimely creamy cappuccino, then take your seat, if you can find one, among the apparently endless supply of hip-looking local freelancers. If it’s a weekend, head for Universal Café. Hopefully, you drank a little too much last night (extra points if you’re still dolled up in your club gear) and could really use a bellyful of ballast in the form of French toast with apple-quince compote, pumpkin seed praline, and whipped cream, or perhaps soft scrambled eggs with spinach and sharp white cheddar, mixed greens, and toast, or else poached eggs and creamy polenta with leeks, wild mushrooms, and sun-dried tomato pesto. Be sure to order a side of banana bread with cream cheese for the table, otherwise whoever got the French toast will be besieged by uninvited bite-nabbers. Beware the bottomless coffee cup. I’ve left the place hovering a few feet above the sidewalk.

You’re probably good until dinner, but why not squeeze in a little lunch, since you’re here? Many restaurants have tried and failed to unseat Slanted Door, but it remains my favorite lunch spot, now at home in the Ferry Building Marketplace on the Embarcadero. You can’t sit outside, but you can have a lovely walk by the bay getting there, strolling past the palm trees and the oversized partially embedded bow-and-arrow sculpture no one seems to understand the meaning of. And of course there’s the whole Marketplace to explore, with its gourmet cheeses, chocolates, wines, and whatever else you could need. Once at Slanted Door, I like to order the grapefruit and jicama salad and the chicken clay pot with chilies and fresh ginger and something from the delightful collection of German Rieslings that pair beautifully with most everything on the menu. I also like the staff at Slanted Door. Our waiters always seem to be nice people who are knowledgeable about the food and wine being served. Go figure! Slanted Door also serves afternoon tea 2:30 to 5:30 daily, which is a great little squeeze-in meal with rolls and noodles and tea to get you through to dindins. (As you head back outside, make a left on Embarcadero and stroll down to TCHO, San Francisco’s only chocolate factory. Stop at their beta store to sample the excellent product and you might just meet the makers themselves.)

Speaking of dinner, it’s time to spruce up and head to Quince in Pac Heights. No matter where you start, even if it’s a couple of states away, wear comfortable shoes and walk so you’re sure to have an appetite. I still regret the last few bites I sent off to the compost heap at my last visit. Wine list? Amazing. Bring your wallet. Pastas? Yes, please, several. Heavenly local organic produce rendered delicious in inventive but not silly ways? Yep. What about the meat? Is there no meat? Relax, there is meat, and it’s wonderful. If you’ve been to Oliveto in Oakland, Bay Wolf in Piedmont, or Chez Panisse in Berkeley, you have an idea of what to expect, which is to say simplicity in the Mediterranean vernacular executed at its near-perfect best.

There are perhaps fifty more places we should really patronize before dawn to say that we truly ate our way through the best of San Francisco, but I’m sure you’re ready to dance the night away by now, or else flop on a bench down the street from the restaurant and moan in a happy agony of excess. Tomorrow is another day, which you might start with a jolt of Blue Bottle Coffee and chase with a cupcake or two from Miette, but that’s another story. Hang on, there’s still time to roadtrip up to San Rafael for pollo al horno and plantains at Sol Food. Open until 2am on Friday and Saturday nights!

Cheers,
Hannah
Entertainment Marketing Manager

Nadia Gordon’s newest Sunny McCloskey Mystery, Lethal Vintage, is available now. Read an excerpt!

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Today I write to you from the Brecon Beacons mountains in Wales, where I just had a ride that could very well be put on my next list of top rides. I travel the globe riding horses, experiencing some of the world’s most beautiful places. These are destinations like today’s ride. They may be amid the moors on the top of a mountain in Wales or like one of my favorite rides, the floor of a volcano on Maui.

For now, here are my top five favorite rides.

Ring of Kerry, Ireland- If you are riding in this part of southwest Ireland, look up the O’Sullivan family, who have been leading treks around Killarney for decades. They’ll make sure you’re on a strong Irish horse and in a comfortable saddle as you climb into the verdant mountains to ride above valleys that cascade into glassy lakes. I rode with Aoife O’Sullivan, who recounted Irish folklore as we sat on a craggy cliff, where we enjoyed hot tea and sandwiches, before climbing up an old mass road to take in the very best views of Dingle Bay’s bright blue waters.

Haleakala National Park, Maui- This is one of my most unusual adventures. I never thought that I would be able to ride a horse into the crater of a volcano. At Haleakala National Park on Maui, I ventured down the Sliding Sands Trail into Haleakala volcano. You’ll want to be on a fit horse accustomed to this surreal and harsh environment. The altitude changed quickly as we descended to the crater floor amid the shiny and rare Haleakala Silversword and unearthly colors.

Cappadocia, Turkey- The people of Central Turkey were so warm and welcoming as we rode from village to village through Cappadocia’s lunar-like landscapes. My guide Ahmet Diler, who had grown up in Cappadocia, seemed to know everyone. Everywhere that we went we were welcomed to stop for tea or to cool off by drinking ayran, a popular drink in Turkey that tastes like thin, salty yogurt, and other snacks. I rode spirited, but manageable Arabian horses through bizarre sandstone fairy chimneys to first century churches carved into the rocks and mysterious underground cities.

Traditional Horse Drive, Iceland- This is one of my favorite rides, but I recommend it only for the brave. I ride a lot, but after only a day of riding Icelandic horses in Iceland, I was nervous to be leading a herd of fifty horses through the treacherous lava fields en route to Gullfoss, Iceland’s Golden Waterfalls. Icelandic horses are strong and surefooted. They also have distinct gaits or ways of moving. One of these is the tolt, which to me feels like I am gliding along on horseback. It’s a magical feeling, especially when you are running with a herd of horses.

Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica- If you want a spectacular light show, ride to the base of Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica at sunset. I couldn’t believe how close we were able to ride to the famously furious volcano. I could see the smoke billowing from the top of the cone. Bright red lava rumbled down its side, as we cantered through the farmland below.

Darley Newman, author of Equitrekking and host of the popular PBS show of the same name.

Don’t forget to enter the Equitrekking sweepstakes for a chance to win a roundtrip ticket to Iceland for you and a friend!

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THE PRINSENGRACHT

LENGTH : MEDIUM

The Prinsengracht (Prince’s Canal), named after the sixteenth century prince William of Orange, forefather of the Dutch royal family, cuts through the heart of Amsterdam, with a host of fascinating stops along the way.

Take tram 3 to the corner of Marnixstraat and Willemstraat, then walk up Willemstraat, turn right onto Brouwersgracht, and right again onto Prinsengracht. A few steps along Prinsengracht you’ll find the Noordermarkt, on which stands the seventeenth-century Noorderkerk (North Church) (1), built as a place for Amsterdam’s poor to worship. On Monday mornings the Noordermarkt hosts a fun flea market, and on Saturdays an organic farmers’ market. Continue down Prinsengracht to visit the sobering Anne Frankhuis (2) (#263), where the young Anne Frank wrote her famous diary while hiding from the Nazis. Carry on along to the Westermarkt, where the Westerkerk (West Church) (3), the Noorderkerk’s upperclass cousin, commands great views from the top of its tower. Further down Prinsengracht, drop into the Frozen Fountain (4) (#645) for cutting-edge furniture by young Dutch designers, then stop at Café de Pieper (5) (#424) for a beer at the atmospheric seventeenth-century “brown café.” Continue on, looking out for the monumental neoclassical Paleis van Justitie (6) (Court of Appeal) #436—once the city orphanage—and the Renaissance influenced Milk Factory (7) (#739–741), where the city’s milk supply was first sanitized in the nineteenth century. Grab a bagel at Village Bagels (8) (Vijzelstraat #137) on the corner of Vijzelstraat, stop further along Prinsengracht at Le Zinc et Les Autres (9) (#999) for a fantastic French dinner (it’s open evenings only). Further along Prinsengracht you’ll come to the Amstelveld square, with its unusual wooden church, the Amstelkerk (10). Built as a temporary structure in the seventeenth century, it’s still in use today. Opposite, at #756, is the Catholic church De Duif (The Dove) (11), built in the late eighteenth century. Continue on, picking up tram 4 where the Utrechtsestraat bridge crosses Prinsengracht.

Purchase City Walks: Amsterdam

Cheers,

Hannah Cox
Marketing Manager

Text © 2006 Amelia Thomas
Maps © 2006 John Spelman

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International Spy Museum

Go undercover for an exciting glimpse into the world of intrigue and deception.

Get in line for one of the hottest museum tickets around. Lines at the International Spy Museum (1; 800 F St. NW) can be long in the summer, so consider reserving online. The excitement builds while you’re in line, and kids get drawn in by video screens showing interviews with former spies. High-tech lighting and décor set the mood, and you’ll find yourself whisked upstairs on an elevator to the identity room, where you’ll choose a cover; kids will revel in choosing from the various identities. Then, you’ll enter the briefing room to see a thrilling film about spies. The next stop is an espionage-training area, where kids get to see films and ogle getaway cars, cipher machines, a KGB necktie camera, and a real shoe with a heel transmitter, along with countless other spy accoutrements.

Throughout, there are fun places for kids to experiment with spy stuff. Some of the permanent exhibitions may get a bit dry, and the Cold War galleries may be scary for younger kids. Afterward, head downstairs to the Spy City Café for hot dogs and sandwiches with cheeky spy titles, like the Red Square Dog; try to nab one of the booths, which have fun graphic facts on the tables. Wrap up at the International Spy Museum Store, which has a great stash of books, toys, spy stuff, and T-shirts.

Purchase City Walks with Kids: Washington, D.C.

Cheers,

Hannah Cox
Marketing Manager

Text © 2008 by Christina Henry de Tessan
Illustrations © 2008 by Jessica Hische
Text by Ingrid Roper Catron

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The Loop Architectural Walk

Home to countless design marvels, Chicago has broken new ground architecturally for more than a century. This overview points out some of the Loop’s highlights.

Bus: 156. El: Quincy (Brown, Orange lines).

Begin at W. Randolph Street and N. La Salle Street at the James R. Thompson Center (1; 100 W. Randolph Street). The design of this controversial building, with its unusual sloping glass façade, was unprecedented when it was erected in the 1980s. Enter to view the soaring rotunda. Out front is Jean Dubuffet’s renowned sculpture Monument with Standing Beast. Head east to N. Dearborn Street to view the relatively diminutive, ornate Delaware Building (2; 36 W. Randolph Street), the oldest building in the Loop. Continue one block, turning right on N. State Street at the massive Marshall Field’s building (3; #111). Although now a Macy’s, Marshall Field’s was a beloved Chicago institution dating back to1853. The jewel in its crown is the ceiling’s Tiffany Dome, the largest glass mosaic of its kind. On the next block you’ll spy the terra-cotta Reliance Building (4; W. Washington Street), an icon of the Chicago school of architecture. Continue south to the Carson Pirie Scott Building (5; 1 S. State Street), a Louis Sullivan building famous for its elaborate entrance. Turn right on W. Madison Street and left on S. Dearborn Street to cross through the plaza (6) south of the First National Bank of Chicago, a relatively new building with a curved façade. Turn left on N. Clark Street, right onto W. Monroe Drive, and south on N. Franklin Street to get to Sears Tower (7; 233 S. Wacker Drive).

Purchase City Walks Chicago

Cheers,

Hannah Cox
Marketing Manager

© 200 Christina Henry de Tessan
Maps © 2007 by Bart Wright

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