These
spooky spots feature countless modern tricks. Simple corn mazes and scarecrows on a
stick have nothing on these top-rated haunts from across the US.
These creepy haunted houses feature the latest in cutting-edge,
high-tech tricks and treats guaranteed to keep you on your toes and
screaming in fright.
THE DARKNESS HAUNTED HOUSE (St. Louis):
With $1 million in renovations, the Darkness guarantees a scare. Be
sure to check out the new TerrorVisions in 3D, featuring manic circus
clowns, as it is lauded as the best 3D haunt ever (Tickets start at
$15, scarefest.com).
BATES MOTEL (Philadelphia): The Bates
Motel grabs patrons' attention during the haunted hayride with huge
pyrotechnics then confuses them with 12 fog machines and animatronics
run by computerized controls (Tickets start at $12,
thebatesmotel.com).
13TH GATE HAUNTED HOUSE (Baton Rouge,
Louisiana): While plummeting 13 stories in the old services
elevators, be sure to notice the elaborate Hollywood-quality special
effects at this top-rated venue (Tickets start at $20,
midnightproduction.com).
HOUSE OF SHOCK (New Orleans): Before
you set foot into the 20,000 square foot House of Shock, take in the
stage show, which shoots flames 75 feet into the air. Inside, the
newest addition is a wall of metal barrels that fall inches from your
head (Tickets start at $20, houseofshock.com).
HOUSE OF TORMET (Austin): Can't make
it all the way through House of Torment's new Rise of the
Abominations with thrilling animatronic monsters? Scared guests will
be ushered out to have their picture taken and posted on the "Wall
of Shame" (Tickets start at $15, houseoftorment.com).
NETHERWORLD HAUNTED HOUSE (Atlanta):
Netherworld's multi-level haunted house features a spinning tunnel
that turns your stomach and keeps you guessing. And beware of the
animatronic Lava Monster (Tickets start at $20, fearworld.com).
DENT SCHOOLHOUSE (Cincinnati): Patrons
set off moving props when triggering infrared sensors then walk
through the Claustrophobia Room where air bags push in from the
walls. On the way out, don't touch the walls - packed with
low-voltage electricity, they will shock hands (Tickets start at $13,
frightsite.com).
Bon
Appétit's September issue lists its annual Top 10 Best New
Restaurants. The following is a list of the restaurants along with a
recipe from that restaurant which is available on the Bon Appétit
website.
Spring
Hill: 4437 California Avenue SW, Seattle; 206-935-1075
- Without
much fanfare, the Pacific Northwest has become one of the most
exciting foodie destinations in America. Between Seattle and
Portland, there are an increasing number of top-notch, chef-driven
restaurants--and Mark and Marjorie Fuller's Spring Hill in West
Seattle is at the top of that list. Mark shows respect for the
region's amazing seafood (Kumamoto oysters, Dungeness crab), but also
has the culinary skill to play with texture and flavors. His food
manages to be beautiful without being ornate. The sleek space, which
Marjorie works with confidence, and the dazzling open kitchen only
add to the lofty dining experience.
- Go
to the Bon Appétit website to get Spring Hill's recipe for Black Cod
with Fennel Chowder and Smoked Oyster Panzanella
Cakes
& Ale: 254 West Ponce de Leon Avenue, Decatur, Georgia;
404-377-7994
- At
the age of 27, Billy Allin gave up his job as a money manager and
enrolled in culinary school. After graduation, his cooking skills
landed him gigs at renowned restaurants, including Chez Panisse in
Berkeley and Watershed in Decatur. With his farm-to-table cooking
philosophy fully established, Allin and his wife, Kristin, decided it
was time to open "the restaurant where we would want to eat,"
he says. That restaurant is Cakes & Ale (from a phrase in
Shakespeare's Twelfth Night meaning "the good things in life"),
located east of downtown Atlanta. The couple's ideal restaurant turns
out to be a 50-seat neighborhood spot where the kitchen staff often
answers the phone when you call to make a reservation, and a
chalkboard announces the daily menu, which features simple, precise
dishes like braised rabbit grits with saba vinegar and spring onion;
buttermilk-rhubarb fool; and the addictive arancine here.
- Go
to the Bon Appétit website to get Cakes & Ale's recipe for
Citrus Arancine with Pecorino Cheese
Bar
Jules: 609 Hayes Street, San Francisco; 415-621-5482
- "How
many bowls of clam chowder can you make before you lose your mind?"
That was the question Jessica Boncutter asked herself just before
quitting her job at a popular San Francisco oyster bar. After she
resigned, she headed for London to take a break and hang out with
friends--and that's when inspiration hit. "All of my friends
were opening restaurants over there, and I said to myself: If they
can do it, I can do it." When she returned to the Bay Area, she
got to work on Bar Jules, a bohemian lunch and dinner spot in San
Francisco's Hayes Valley neighborhood. The chalkboard menu,
consisting of fewer than ten dishes, is big on California produce and
sustainable ingredients, which, to be honest, is nothing new in San
Francisco. What is new is that there's no mantra on the menu, no
stuffiness in the dining room--and there are no reservations. Chef
Boncutter's simple food includes everything from a perfectly cooked
wood-grilled burger to the lamb stew below. One thing you won't find
on the menu? Clam chowder.
- Go
to the Bon Appétit website to get Bar Jules' recipe for Lamb with
Preserved Lemons
No.
7: 7 Greene Avenue, Brooklyn;
718-522-6370
- The
walls are brick and plaster. The ceilings are pressed tin. And the
waitstaff is straight out of an American Apparel catalog. In short,
it's a quintessential Brooklyn neighborhood joint. But the first sign
that No. 7 is doing things a bit differently than your average
hipster restaurant is the fried broccoli appetizer: an entire head of
broccoli covered in an impossibly crisp tempura batter and paired
with a hummus-like black bean sauce and a dill and grapefruit salad.
It's a mishmash of disparate ingredients that somehow succeeds. The
same goes for the deconstructed romaine salad (romaine heart,
mozzarella-wrapped quince, lemon) and the pumpkin-seed-crusted tofu
featured below. The risk-taking, slightly theatrical menu comes from
chef Tyler Kord (left), who worked at Jean-Georges Vongerichten's
Perry St before opening No. 7.
- Go
to the Bon Appétit website to get No. 7's recipe for
Pumpkin-Seed-Crusted Tofu with Lemongrass Broth, Rice Noodles, and
Poached Eggs
Woodberry
Kitchen: 2010
Clipper Park Road, Number 126, Baltimore; 410-464-8000
- In
the early 1990s, long before sustainable, local, and organic became
the calling cards of chefs everywhere, Spike Gjerde was showcasing
the abundance of the Chesapeake Bay. With the opening of his latest
spot in the historic Clipper Mill complex--a brick-and-wood space
that has the look and feel of a restored farmhouse--Gjerde takes his
farm-to-table commitment to the next level. A wood-burning oven is
the centerpiece of a kitchen that turns out dishes like roasted
Rappahannock River oysters, Roseda Black Angus Farm hanger steak, and
fantastic flatbreads.
- Go
to the Bon Appétit website to get Woodberry Kitchen's recipe for
Spiced Pear Flatbreads with Goat Cheese and Mustard Cream
Continue reading "Bon Appétit Names Top 10 Best New Restaurants " »
Every year Skytrax, a company that
specializes in aviation research, organizes a massive consumer
satisfaction survey to determine the best airports in the world. This
year 8.6 million passengers at 190 airports offered up their opinions
on everything from airport navigation to culinary options to
amenities, in order to establish this year's winners. For the first
time in seven years Hong Kong fell to second place, beat out by
Incheon Airport in South Korea. Still, Skytrax reports that the top
three contenders were neck-to-neck, making this year's contest the
closest ever.
Some of the winners have amenities as
wide-ranging as golf courses, casinos, spas, and indoor gardens,
making them veritable destinations in their own right (and making it
easy to see why consumers love them). Surprisingly, not one airport
in North America made the top ten, not even the Dallas/Fort Worth
airport, which won first place in the region.
1. Incheon International Airport: In
addition to placing first in the world (up from third place last
year), this light-filled airport in Seoul, South Korea also won first
in class for cleanliness. It's easy-to-navigate layout (only one
terminal) also makes it a favorite among consumers, but what really
catapulted this Korean masterpiece to first place are all of the
extras--everything from a golf course, casino, and spa, to seven
indoor gardens and a museum dedicated to Korean culture that houses a
collection of relics covering 5,000 years of Korean history.
2. Hong Kong: After seven years on
top, Hong Kong must be smarting after losing first place to Incheon.
Still, there's nothing painful about layovers at this airport. Like
Incheon, it's single-terminal layout makes navigation easy and you
won't go hungry here-- the airport placed first in class for dining.
The design is first-rate with awesome views over Hong Kong and while
the city is only 25 minutes away by shuttle, you might not want to
leave before exploring what the airport has to offer--you can do
everything here from watching a movie, to having your nails done to
catching a round of golf or shopping a string of boutiques (Prada,
Gucci, Versace) that rivals New York's Fifth Avenue.
3. Singapore Changi: Changi in
Singapore may not be as futuristic in design or airy and light-filled
as the top two winners this year, but what it lacks in outward
design, it more than makes up with interior appeal. Not only did the
airport place third worldwide, it also topped the "best
amenities" list. At Changi, it's not hard to relax before a
flight--travelers can nap in one of the napping areas, unwind on an
orchid-filled indoor nature trail, get a massage at their spa, catch
a movie at their 24-hour theater, or even cool down in the rooftop
swimming pool.
4. Zurich: Moving up to fourth place
from eighth place last year, Zurich also ranked first among all
European airports. Sure, Zurich boasts its fair share of
between-flight amenities, including an IMAX theater, a planetarium,
and a museum which contains over 3,000 objects pertaining to the
history of transportation, but it's really their dedication to
customer service that has kept them moving up the ranks year over
year. Zurich airport ensures that customers are happy and things are
running smoothly with a central office that coordinates everything
from airline arrivals and baggage to customs and security.
Continue reading "Top 10 Best Airports of 2009" »
Gentlemen's
Tonic is an upscale grooming salon that affords the modern man a
traditional barbershop and offers services like massages,
facials, pedicures and other spa-type services for men. The
establishment comprises elements of old and new: wood, leather and
marble are mixed with high-tech music consoles and LCD screens in
each of the private haircutting stations and treatment rooms. The
services and products have been carefully selected and personally
tested for quality and effectiveness and are designed to promote a
sense of well-being and vitality.
Gentlemen's
Tonic is the perfect antidote to the rigors and stresses of the
outside world.
The National Park Service will offer fee-free weekends this summer to encourage cash-strapped families to visit national parks -- and to help boost local economies. All 147 National Park Service sites that charge entry fees will waive them on August 15 and 16. The fees at these parks normally cost from $3 to $25, so it's a nice savings.
