VISIT
Eureka, California
Gabriel Garden free folk art museum
featuring hundreds of wooden sculptures
For three decades, Eureka carpenter and gardener Romano Gabriel filled his front yard with wooden folk art sculptures of everything from flowers to caricatures of the pope. Part decoration and part propaganda, the Gabriel Garden gained international fame, with pieces exhibited in Europe and at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. After Gabriel’s death, the garden was restored and moved to a specially designed glass storefront in Eureka’s old town, where visitors can examine the hundreds of sculptures and read about Gabriel for free. Romano Gabriel Wooden Sculpture Garden, 315 Second St., 707-445-8775,
eurekaheritage.org
DINE
Washington, D.C.
Zaytinya modernizes Greek food, makes it all about the mezzes with a Med twist
Here in the Wild West, where ethnic restaurants tend to play by stereotypical rules, the notion of “contemporary Greek” sounds pretty foreign. But they’re ready for it in diverse D.C., where Zaytinya reigns supreme. Sleek and service-perfect, Zaytinya is all about small-plate mezzes – think tapas with a Mediterranean twist – and chef José Andrés has taken them to contemporary, and delicious, extremes. You don’t have to correctly pronounce dishes like Havuç Köftesi (carrot, apricot and pine-nut fritters with pistachio sauce) or Garides Me Anitho (sautéed shrimp with dill, shallots, mustard and lemon juice) to enjoy every delectable bite. Zaytinya, 701 Ninth St. NW, 202-638-0800, zaytinya.com
STAY
Saugerties, New York
Saugerties Lighthouse a B&B you can actually stay in, with spectacular views
A lighthouse bed and breakfast? Why not wake up to the sound of lapping waves? There are a few lighthouse B&Bs in this country, but in most you are really staying in the keeper’s cottage. At Saugerties Lighthouse, on the Hudson River 95 miles north of New York City, you are in the lighthouse itself. Built in 1869 with a sixth-order Fresnel lens, this beauty of brick and granite is at the mouth of Esopus Creek, reachable on foot at low tide on a winding trail through a nature preserve (check with the keeper on when the tide is low to get your suitcase through). There are two charming, if spare, 1920s bedrooms for rent, with a shared bathroom on the first floor. The views are spectacular as you are on a spit of land sticking out in the Hudson River. Rates start at $160 a night (limited electricity). Saugerties Lighthouse, 168 Lighthouse Drive, 845-247-0656, saugertieslighthouse.com
– Denver Post staff and wire reports
