by MacKenzie Geidt, Sunset assistant travel editor

There's nothing quite as reaffirming as having a reputable source like the New York Times justify one of your greatest vices.  Imagine my guilt-alleviated delight in reading last week's NYT article on the up-surge in candy consumption during this economic crisis: When Economy Sours, Tootsie Rolls Soothe Souls.  Of course I'm turning to candy to lift my spirits!  It's a win-win situation: I get to pig out and feel comforted by gummi grapefruit, and I'm ALSO contributing to the economy.  Beautiful.  (Hershey, you owe me big-time for those 8.5 percent fourth quarter profits....payable in Almond Joys...)

I'm happy to share with the candy gluttons of the world that there's a brand-new place to indulge in Park City: Sugar Buzz Candy Boutique.  And of course it's in an adorable m&m blue cottage, just how a candy boutique should look (it's one block off of Main Street, on Park Avenue, right below the town lift).  

I'm ashamed to say that I walked out of here with $20 worth of candy (that buys you a LOT)....but can you really blame me given the selection??  (they've also got cupcakes and a Illy coffee bar....)

I love this place.  It's a good thing I don't live nearby, or I guarantee you I'd have to work out some sort of direct deposit program with them.

In San Francisco, here's where I get my fix: Sweet Dish on Chestnut Street in the Marina, The Candy Store on Vallejo Street in Russian Hill, and Miette Confiserie on Octavia Street in Hayes Valley. 

Where else can I get my sugar fix in the West?  If you've got a favorite candy shop, drop me a line.  Trust me, I really wanna know! 

By Lisa Trottier, Sunset senior editor

Our favorite way to celebrate these sparkling sunny-and-70s days we've been getting? Find an outdoor seat with a million-dollar view that can be had for the price of a drink. Then park yourself there for a good slice of a sun-soaked afternoon. Three favorites we hope to hit this week:

Auberge du Soleil Bar

Nab a seat on the wraparound deck at the bar for the same above-the-vineyards view of Napa Valley the folks at the restaurant pay big bucks for.

180 Rutherford Hill Rd.
Rutherford, CA
707/963-1211

Sam’s Chowder House

A cheery white or blue Adirondack above the lapping waves at Pillar Point Harbor is a great place to watch the light go golden and the sailboats rock back and forth.

4210 Cabrillo Hwy N
Half Moon Bay, CA
650/712-0245

Farley Bar

Kick back in a rocking chair on a long covered porch at Fort Baker’s swank Cavallo Point resort. Take in the expanse of grass that was once a military parade ground and, beyond that, the tippy top of the Golden Gate Bridge peeking out above the Marin Headlands. When night falls, circle around the cozy firepit.

601 Murray Circle
Sausalito, CA
415/339-4700

The Times Trifecta

by Anna Nordberg, Sunset's special projects editor

Okay, so I know that a blog about the best online writing about the West maybe shouldn't include The New York Times in its title, but I couldn't help noticing that several of the paper's sections splashed huge images of the left coast on their front pages this week. Given how New Yorkers feels about anything west of tenth avenue, I thought this was big news.

First off, the locavore movement that pretty much started right here in Alice Waters' vegetable patch got national attention with a story about Michelle Obama breaking ground for an edible garden on the White House lawn. And as amazing as the first lady looked wielding a rake in a cinched sweater dress and boots, I got even more excited about the corresponding picture (above), on the front page of the Times' Sunday Business section, of a radiant Alice Waters hefting a cabbage. The story went on to discuss how the local food movement, which started out West, is finally getting an audience in Washington.  

And last week, the travel section gushed over some awesome-looking sled dogs in Montana, and the joys of "mushing" in Yellowstone (for those of you who haven't picked up Call of the Wild lately, mushing is the verb for dog-slegging).

The section also covered the affordable joys of the sleepy Angel Fire ski resort in New Mexico. (You can find a list of Sunset's favorite ski resorts here).

Finally, the Times' Freakonomics blog talked about the most walkable cities in the U.S. And where would most of those cities be? You guessed it. Right here in the West.

All photos courtesy of The New York Times

Whale watching on Whidbey Island

That’s right, the Eastern Pacific gray whale is en route from Baja to the
Arctic by way of Puget Sound—and the cozy-luxe Inn at Langley is giving them
(and you) a rather warm welcome.

Photo by Lara Ferroni

Starting this weekend, $265 buys front-row suites to the Saratoga Passage, a popular whale feeding ground, plus breakfast and a three-hour (a three-hour tour...) for two aboard the 100’ Mystic Sea (valued at $120), where whale sightings are almost guaranteed. If you don’t see any of these massive sea creatures, though, hearing their faint calls off the balcony as you sink into bed is second best.

By Rachel Levin, Sunset senior editor

Shot o' the day
Live from Lake Tahoe. Looks like spring got a head start at Alpine Meadows...

Photo by Drew Peters

by MacKenzie Geidt, Sunset assistant travel editor

First I read that San Francisco's Tonga Room may close, which is bad enough.  THEN I hear that the tiki totem in Capitola has been stolen!  Apparently even the tiki isn't safe from bad news these days.

Some of you may have read yesterday's Santa Cruz Sentinel and come upon this headline: "Beloved tiki swiped from Capitola Esplanade Park".  Looks like we've got ourselves a tiki heist!  The 3-foot tiki totem was noticed missing from its shoreline perch on Sunday, March 22, and is still missing in action.  (Doesn't the tiki bandit realize what kind of bad juju stems from stealing a tiki?! Don't they remember the Brady Bunch Hawaiian episode?!)

I was dismayed to hear this news, but I was positively distressed to read the paper's sub-headline: "Totem's mention in Sunset Magazine may have prompted thief." And reading further, the woman who reported the missing tiki made a claim that someone may have been prompted by the Sunset article on Capitola and "nabbed the tiki to make a quick buck."

It's true that our March issue featured Capitola as one the West's 20 BEST small towns. We paid homage to the charms of this Mediterranean jewel right in our backyard: the amazing Gayle's Bakery & Rosticceria, Paradise Beach Grille, Cava Wine Bar, Capitola City Beach, Shadowbrook Restaurant, and the Inn at Depot Hill.  We've got nothing but love for Capitola!

Now to address the weak claim that our homage may have served as inspiration for the crime: Nowhere in the article do we either picture, or even explicitly mention the tiki totem. We state that "The tiki gods smile on the capitol of perfect surf," but there's NO mention of the actual tiki statue in the photos or text.  Now, I'm no Nancy Drew, but since the tiki's initial erection was clouded with controversy (read the Sentinel article for details), it seems far more likely that the heist would've been fueled by a residual tiki dissenter from the days of the City Council debacle.

In any case, the tiki must be returned! Clear Sunset's good name and pacify the tiki gods! You can even call the anonymous tip line if you have information on its whereabouts: 831-475-2791.

In the meantime, I don't know about you, but I could use a tropical cocktail! Check out Sunset editor-at-large Peter Fish's round-up of the West's best tiki bars. Or stay at home and use Sunset's favorite mai tai recipe, and keep your fingers crossed for the tiki's safe return.

by Lisa Trottier, Sunset senior editor

Talk about a mood lifter. Next time you have a stressful day, point your car away from whatever is bugging you and toward the InterContinental San Francisco, a shiny tower of a thing that opened a year ago a block from the Westfield Shopping Centre. Well, it’s their anniversary, and apparently that’s put them in a buoyant mood.

First, they’ll valet park your car for free (that saves you $50 right off the bat). Then they’ll give you a room for two for $178 (the higher up the better--the views from this hotel can be phenomenal). They’ll send you off for two free cocktails at the bar (try one of the sake concoctions), hand you $50 in funny money to spend at the spa, and hook you up with a breakfast buffet before you go.

$178--this from a hotel that a few months ago was listing its starting rate in the mid-400s.

Two tips on dinner if you decide to bypass the hotel’s own elegant Luce and venture out. If you’re feeling like you just saved a mint and you’re ready to blow it, walk two blocks east to the St. Regis at 125 Third St. for an elegant dinner at Ame. If, on the other hand, you just spent your last $178, walk three blocks north to Little Delhi at 83 Eddy. The ambience won’t measure up to the Intercontinental--not even close. But you’ll have some of the best Indian food in the city without a mood-busting check.

The Intercontinental:
415/616-6500
888 Howard St., San Francisco

by Anna Nordberg, Sunset's special projects editor

The San Francisco Chronicle has an interesting piece about gyms and how energy inefficient they are. Basically, it's a call to all of us to think about the West and its mountains, trails, and lakes as one giant exercise machine. So get outside instead of sweating away on the hamster wheel—it'll feel good.

The New York Times celebrates that great Western food euphemism, the rocky mountain oyster (aka, um, a steer's private parts) and the people who still eat them.

And finally, a taco truck in Los Angeles shows that Twitter really is taking over the world.

Eating cheese in Petaluma

By Rachel Levin, Sunset senior editor

Calling all hard (and soft) core cheese fans, the California Artisan Cheese Festival is this weekend--so pop your lactose pill and head on up to Petaluma where our favorite cheese whizzes from around the state have gathered for four days of presentations, pairings, lunches, and gala dinners. Okay, I know, why didn’t we post this earlier as most of the events are already SOLD OUT. Cheese and wine pairing with Quince chef Michael Tusk? Sold out. Learning to navigate your way around a cheese counter with Laura Werlin? Sorry. Best of blue cheese and beer? I know, I’m pissed, too.

Still, you can visit the festival web site to see what is still open to the public--like cheesemaking demos and tastings at the Artisan Cheese Marketplace and talks on cheese trends by legends Sue Conley and Peggy Smith of Cowgirl Creamery.

Cowgirl Creamery's Mt. Tam (yum)

Or, skip the crowds and plan your own cheese course. Many of the all-stars from the festival offer tours, classes, and tastings throughout the year, too:

Cheese School of San Francisco Tons of classes ongoing. One fun one upcoming: Cooking for cheese lovers ($95)

Cooking School at Cavallo Point in Sausalito, Cheese Tasting Intensive, April 9 ($75)

Cowgirl Creamery Thursday 11:30 a.m. tours ($30) at their new Petaluma Creamery, Friday 11 a.m. tours ($3) in Pt Reyes

From left: Randal Bays, Susan Waters, James Keane, Catherine McEvoy
at Friday Harbor Irish Music Camp
Photo by Bob Midden

By Margaret Sloan, Sunset production coordinator

In honor of Saint Patrick’s day, I must confess I play the Irish flute. It’s my favorite thing to do. In fact, I just spent six days on San Juan Island at the Friday Harbor Irish Music Camp learning to play traditional Irish music from some of the best traditional players in the world (I studied flute with Catherine McEvoy). The weather was cold, but the music was brilliant. Three classes a day taught us how to play tunes, form a band, and hear the music in a completely new light. After dinner, students and teachers gathered to play, sing, and dance in sessions (or, in Irish, seisiúns) that raged all evening, lasting until the wee hours of the morning.

And I discovered that Northwest Washington is a hotbed of traditional Irish music, if you know where to look. Below is a list of year-round seisiúns currently alive and well (Most of these venues have Saint Patrick’s day festivities too.)  A message from the musicians who told me about these sessions: While listeners are always loved and appreciated, many sessions welcome only experienced players; ask first before breaking out your instrument.

Skylarks Hidden Café
1308 11th St Ste B
Bellingham
360/715-3642
Session every Sunday, 7-10 p.m., all ages welcome

The Irishmen
2923 Colby Ave
Everett
425/374-5783
Every Monday, 7-10 p.m.

Paddy Coynes Irish Pub
Seattle location
1190 Thomas St.
206/405-1548
Every Sunday, 6-9 p.m.

Tacoma location
815 Pacific Ave.
253/272-6963
Every third and fifth Wednesday, all ages welcome

Murphy’s
1928 N. 45th st
Seattle
206/634-2110
Every Monday, 8-10:30 p.m.

The Global Bean Coffee Traders
2021 N.W. Myhre Rd., Ste. 101
Silverdale
360/692.9582
Second and fourth Wednesday, 7-9 p.m.

Fadó Seattle
801 1st Avenue
206/264-2700
Every Sunday, 4-6 p.m.

Sirens
823 Water Street
Port Townsend
360/379-1100
Every Tuesday 7 p.m.