Online - December 24, 2005

Sweet Home

DailyCandy Hometown Picks

For some wacky reason, we thought this would be the right weekend to share part two of DailyCandy’s hometown picks. (Not that we’re out making passes at our sophomore crushes or anything.)

Bowled Over in Boulder
The real question: Why would anyone ever leave? The North Boulder shopping center (Broadway and Alpine Avenue) is the place to be on weekend mornings. Get a Sweet Dreams cookie at Breadworks, a bagel at Moe’s, and coffee at Vic’s, and you’re fueled for the steeps and bumps at Eldora Mountain. Hit Frasca Food and Wine, recently opened by French Laundry alums, for dinner, and hole up at the Hotel Boulderado.

Georgia on My Mind
The Blue Ridge Mountains are home to delights such as Helen, a tiny Bavarian-inspired village, and the Chattahoochee River, which makes for great tubing when it’s warm. Skip the Appalachian Trail for the lesser-known Benton MacKaye. If thrill-seeking is your thing, you can’t beat the views at Tallulah Gorge. Oh, and no Deliverance jokes, please. (Even though, yeah, it was filmed here.)

A Far Way to Fargo
North Dakota in the winter? Uuf-da! Make the sleek Hotel Donaldson your base, slap on snowshoes, and head to the Edgewood Chalet for cross-country skiing and tubing. Catch a midnight movie at the vintage Fargo Theatre, then follow the locals to Old Broadway Restaurant & Pub (22 Broadway; 701-237-6161) for dancing and gambling.

Keystone in the House
First stop, Harrisburg, a.k.a. the San Fran of the east. (That was news to us, too.) Our three favorite stops are Stallions (706 North 3rd Street; 717-232-3060), where everyone’s welcome and the music is tight; The Pep Grill for Friday night jazz; and ABC, the Appalachian Brewing Company, for kicking back with a handcrafted beer.

Next stop, Pittsburgh, pretty home of the mighty river trifecta. Have sushi at Umi, then head downstairs to Soba for drinks. Craving more local specialties? Enrico Biscotti Co. serves macaroons right out of the oven; Primanti Bros. thrills grease lovers with specialty sandwiches topped with fries.

Sally Sells Seashells by the Seashore
Sunny San Diego? Lucky you. Start the day with a kayak, surf, and snorkel at La Jolla Cove and an om at The Self-Realization Fellowship Meditation Gardens. Slip out of your bikini and into something more comfortable at Jep Boutique and go to Lou’s Records for hard-to-find sounds. End the day with a killer sunset and Baja-style lobster on the beach at Las Olas (2655 Highway 101, Cardiff by the Sea; 760-942-1860).