TRV_W09_STLUCIA

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www.metrotravel.comMONDAY, 28 FEBRUARY 2011

00 travel

What’s inside

Thecelebrity

chef’s tour ofLos Angeles

{page 02}

Hot hats forthe slopes

this season{page 06}

Street foodand more in

Shanghai {page 04}

we live where you’re going

{page 03}

Fun forall in

St. Lucia

TRAVELMETRO WORLD NEWSMonday, 28 February 2011www.metrotravel.com

Shanghai for foodies {page 04} + Top 5 Roman remains {page 05}

}

Get thathot hat

for the slopes {page 06}

THE CELEBRITYCHEF’S TOUR OFLOS ANGELESHIGHLIGHTS {page 02}

we live where you’re going

{page 03}

Godeeper in

St. Lucia


02 travelGET INTO MY CITY: LOS ANGELES

Been therebefore?Chateau Marmont(chateaumarmont.com) isgreat although it’s moresceny than it used to be.It’s now known for Lind-say Lohan but back in theday, this was where GretaGarbo lived and JimBelushi died. Sit in thegarden and order stickytoffee pudding and a potof mint tea. It’s got thisincredible old-Hollywoodglamour feel and you al-ways see someone famoushere, hence the strict nocamera rule.

It’s a running joke in

LA but everyone goes tothe ‘night club ofexercise’ the RunyonCanyon. It’s a three-milehike into one of the grandcanyons and people treatit like the runningrunway. I would also goto Griffith Park, LA’sanswer to New York’sCentral Park, just waycheesier. They have freeyoga classes three times aday and an amazingobservatory where youcan look through the tele-scope and see incredibleview of LA. There are alsoloads of hiking pathsaround here as well asmerry go-rounds,horseback riding and golf.

LA is in the middle ofamazing cultural ren-aissance. It’s a bit likeSan Francisco and

New York combined, with amixture of art, food and cul-ture that isn’t as shallow asit’s reputation. One of thethings I love is that you cango to the beach in the mid-dle of February, whichmakes everyone outside the

city super jealous. When thesun rises, it scrubs the skyand you can see both theocean and the snow-cappedmountains, which are onlyabout 30 minutes away bycar. It’s an iconic and beauti-ful place.

A whole lotta LA …

Voyeur

CONTRIBUTED

First time?Go to Santa Monica. It’stouristy but so ‘Baywatch’it’s awesome. Rent bikesand ride along the beach.Annenburg Beach House(beachhouse.smgov.net) isa free beach resort whereyou can reserve a spot onthe day and only pay asmall parking fee. Havelunch at the ‘Café at theGetty Villa’ (getty.edu). Itbelongs to the Getty fami-ly, and it feels like you’vebeen transported to theset of some crazy film setversion of Tuscany. Thebest outdoor music venue

is the Hollywood Bowl.People bring food andwine and enjoy being out-side under the stars. Go toa Dodger’s baseball gameif you have the time. If

Hollywood Bowl

SASHA PERL RAVER

Shopping!Lots of people go to RodeoDrive but personally, I thinkit’s crazy, as all you get hereis Pretty Women style stuff.I love Sunset Junction andin particular the Silver LakeFarmers Market (sunsetjunction.org). It’s afoodie haven where youcan get the mostincredible selection of pro-duce including vanilla,lavender and sweet onionsugar. It’s full of hipster

stuff to buy nearby andthere is an amazing recordstore I go to called

Vacation Vinyl. Abbot Kin-ny in Venice is where I gosearching for antiques.

xxx

CONTRIBUTED

Eat‘Best fish taco inEnsenada’ is a tiny littlefish taco stand - and youcan only get fish ($1.50)and shrimp ($2) fillingbuts it’s like going toMexico and back. (best-fishtacoinensenada.com). Track down LA’s mo-bile food trucks via twit-ter. The first to tweet itswhereabouts was Kogi(http://kogibbq.com),that serves Korean bar-becue tacos.

Most people living inLA don’t have regular 9-5 jobs, so brunch issomething that is takenvery seriously. You canonly have brunch orlunch at Square One, asit closes at three.(squareonedining.com)

Chateau Marmont

NIKOLAS KOENIG

Stay inYou’ll be close to Holly-wood Boulevard andWalk of Fame if youstay at The HollywoodRenaissance. They alsoput movie candy onyour pillow at night.($239, renaissanceholly-wood.com).

Go outLas Perlas does incredi-ble margaritas, they arealmost like a meal andyou can get very tipsyon just one. The barstaff here is super cute.(lasperlas.la)

I love Voyeur fordancing. Some of thedancers are topless;others dangle fromnets and some dance inglass boxes. It’s not astrip club. The wholeact is based on the1930s. The masks andtop hats feel veryMadonna circa her ‘Ex-press Yourself’ days.(voyeur7969.com)

Square One

SASHA PERL RAVER

LA local and celebrity chef on the Food Network’s ‘Private Chefs of Beverly Hills,’ Sasha PerlRaver knows exactly where the cool kids hang out and dine If you don’t catch her cycling along

Venice Beach or drinking strawberry cocktails, she’s probably hiking the Hollywood Hills ortaking part in a free yoga class in Griffith Park She knows where the celebs chill out, the places

to shop and the coolest things to see. SASHA PERL RAVER [email protected]

For more informationcheck discoverlosan-geles.com


03travelTRAVEL WITH A TWIST: GET OUT OF ALL-INCLUSIVE

“The Caribbean hasan island foreverything. Butwhat if you want todo it all at once? Theanswer’s in St Lucia.”

This stunning island with itsfamous forested peak com-bines the best of what theCaribbean has to offer: thescenery, the sites, the sandand the super hotels andrestaurants.

Water babies will love ithere - St Lucia has some ofthe best diving in theCaribbean, with naturalcoral around the underwa-ter volcano that surroundsthe island as well as artifi-

cial sites grown from ship-wrecks. The perfect place tohead underwater is AnseChastenet beach, in themiddle of a marine parkwith a fish-heavy reef justten metres from the sand.Book through Scuba St Lu-cia (singles dives from $39;00 1 758 459 7755,www.scubastlucia.com).

From mid-March to theend of July, St Lucia hassome shy and rather elusivevisitors – turtles. They’remost likely spotted on thewild sweep of Grande Ansebeach. Embark on a viewingwith Jim Sparks (00 1 758452 8100; €9). You’ll stay ina tent right on the sandwith only candles for com-pany, and you’ll have from4pm until 6.30am to see theshelled creatures.

If you’re keen on sight-seeing, you can drive rightup to the belching, bubblingSoufrière Volcano – a re-minder of the island’s ori-gins and the reason itsbeaches come with blacksand (admission $1.25). Butit’s the surroundings thatmake the trip. This part ofSt Lucia is stunning, withthe peaks of the Pitons ris-ing from the coast, and a

maze of inland roadshemmed by old plantationsand sleepy, pastel villages.

The potholed, meander-ing roads of this islandmean you’ll soon want abreak from driving. Consid-er swapping four wheels forfour legs on a trail roundcrumbling Morne Coubarilsugar plantation (every day9am-4.30pm, $10): a horse-back tour here takes in the

dramatic sweep of beach atits very edges, the old man-sion at its heart, and the var-ious methods with whichthey cultivate coca, copraand manioc.

Party time comes at theend of the working week inSt Lucia, with casual Fridaynight parties in small vil-lages and towns. In paint-box-coloured Anse-La-Rayetowards the south of the is-

land, Fish Friday marks theend of the week with stallsof fresh seafood laid out bythe residents, and musicthrobbing from soundsys-tems strung high above thepavements. In Gros Islet, atiny town near Rodney Bay,the party is louder, livelier,and packed with touristsand locals drinking beer inmakeshift bars and eatingspicy Caribbean specialities.

DINING WITH A VIEW Dasheene

For the best views on St Lucia– the blue sparkle of theCaribbean sea flanked by thetwo Piton mountains – eat atDasheene in Ladera Resort(00 1 758 459 6614,www.ladera.com). The foodis a gourmet take on Creole(try the beef on greenbanana mash).

3EXCITING

THINGS TODO

BE ROMANTICTi Kaye

The height of romance, TiKaye’s clapboard cottagescome with muslin-drapedbeds and stunning views outto sea. The Creole restaurantis superb too (cottages from$190B&B, www.tikaye.com).

DISCOUNTSHOPPING Pointe Seraphine Mall

The island’s duty free storesare the ideal place to pick upsomething extra special – di-amonds and big namewatches come withsignificant discounts. Thebest selection is at PointeSeraphine mall in Castries,where the cruise ships dock.

Horseriding, an alternative use for the beach

ST LUCIA TOURISM

The sides of St. LuciaBe sure to leave your all-inclusive hotel and explore the Caribbean island of St Lucia From

beaches to lush rainforests, there’s something for everyone, whether you’re a beach bunny, awater baby or a party animal Highlights include diving, nesting turtles and a live volcano

AMANDAHYDEMETRO WORLD [email protected]

Quick tipsHewanorra InternationalAirport in the south of theisland is served by many in-ternational airlines.Avoid driving throughSoufrière unless you’re go-ing with a guide or haveclear directions. Some resi-dents don’t appreciatetourists and their 4WDs re-versing up the narrowstreets! Don’t change your cash toEastern Caribbean dollars,American currency isaccepted everywhere andyou’ll get a better deal ifyou need to change anyback.Fish Friday in Anse-La-Raye

ST LUCIA TOURISM


04 travelGOURMET TRAVELLER: SHANGHAI

“The dishes here areslightly sweeterthan most Chinesecuisine”

It’s a rare city that straddlesOld World and New, devel-oping and developed, butShanghai is one of them. It’sa city desperate to grow up,so skyscrapers shoot up,while traditional life thrivesin the alleys between them.

This duality trickles downrather deliciously to thefood. Those skyscrapers at-tract restaurants boastingtop chefs with ambition tomatch the city’s, and thelanes are ablur with steamfrom a thousand mom-and-pop kitchens. So you can eatfor €5 a day or €50.

The dishes here are slight-ly sweeter than most Chi-nese cuisine; a keyingredient is sugar, nothingmore complicated than that.Shanghaining are obsessedwith freshness (xinxian) –even the supermarkets carrylive fish, turtles, snakes – so

local delicacies vary by theseason. In winter migrantworkers push coal stovesroasting corn and sweet po-tatoes, and windows fog upfrom hotpots of boilingbroth for dipping meat andveg in. On summer nights,sweaty clubbers squat onpavement stools chewing onskewers of squid and pork.And in September hairycrabs appear, scaling theiraquariums with fuzzy claws.

And that’s just the cheapeats. In high-rise hotels in-cluding the Grand Hyatt starchefs serve platters of crispyMandarin fish doused insweet, sticky sauce, drunkenchicken and shrimp, (namedfor the spirits they’re sim-mered in), and sweet andsour pork ribs.

Flash restaurants get aspot on the river Bund, theold British enclave of Art De-co riverfront manors: the

Whampoa Club is notablefor its modern take on localspecialities and sumptuousgilded décor. In the leafyFrench Concession areayou’ll find a range of atmos-pheric dining rooms ingrand walled mansions. Thecuisine here is so popularthat even the foreignerscook it. Take a number atTaiwanese chain Din TaiFung and you’ll be rewardedwith xiaolongbao (soup

dumplings) widely consid-ered to do the finest any-where. Ditto at Singaporerestaurant chain, CrystalJade. The menu here is over-whelmingly Shanghaineseand it’s got the busiest reser-vation log in town. That’sflattery in its sincerest form.

HAIRY CRABS

In autumn the fuzzy-clawedcrustaceans are so plentifulthey literally spill onto thepavements from their aquari-ums (so watch where youwalk). But that does nothingto reduce their value.Steamed and dipped in vine-gar they are Shanghai’s mostcoveted delicacy.

5DISHES TO TRY...WHENYOU’REHUNGRY INSHANGHAI

LANZHOU LAMIAN (FRESHLY-PULLED NOODLES)Old hands knead dough thenpull with strategically-placedfingers until it looks as ifthey’ve unwound a ball ofwool. It’s then plunged intoboiling water and three min-utes later you have a bowl offreshly-pulled noodles.

JIN PAI KOU ROU

This braised side of pork isserved with bamboo shootsand bok choy - plus a lot ofthe pork fat. TheShanghainese simply bungthe fatty meat onto a platewith the simmered greens.Contrary to expectation, thepork is the best thing aboutthis dish.

SHANGHAINOODLESShanghai’s noodles are thethickest in the East. Here,they serve them with chick-en, pork or shrimp, shreddedcabbage, mushrooms, eggand spring onion. Lots ofsugar, oil, soya sauce andshaoxing wine give them adelicious greasiness.

XIAOLONGBAO

These tiny soup dumplings(xiao is ‘small’ in Mandarin)are stuffed with all types ofmeat and veg plus a dollopof gelatin that melts intobroth when steamed. Coolthem then poke with a chop-stick to release the pressurebefore eating, otherwisethey squirt dangerously.

Quick tips

EATChina’s leading high-fash-ion brand just got its ownrestaurant: Shanghai TangCafé. The lacquer-and-silkdécor is an extension ofthe label’s vivid clothing.Food is Shanghainese withextra sprinklings of pome-granate and foie gras. www.shanghaitang.com

STAYThe glammest hotel launchlast year was the LanghamXintiandi: central, sybaritic,sexy. The neo-Sixties build-ing, is a new Shanghailandmark. From €200, xin-

tiandi.langhamhotels.com

TRAVELLINGAs world-class cities go,Shanghai is possibly thesafest and cheapest. Taxisusually cost about €2.5, themetro is €35 cents a trip.

Fresh and sweetcuisine in Shanghai

Street food is cheap and plentiful

ELLEN HIMMELFARB

For more informationcheck out www.meet-in-shanghai.net

ELLEN HIMMELFARB ELLEN HIMMELFARB ELLEN HIMMELFARBELLEN HIMMELFARBELLEN HIMMELFARB

The food in this vibrant Chinese city runs from high to low Ingredients are so fresh you can buy live animals—including turtles and snakes—in regular supermarkets And sugar’s a main ingredient We’re there

ELLENHIMMELFARBMETRO WORLD [email protected]

Shanghai Tang Café


05travelTOP 5: ROMAN SITES

1ELIXIR

Thermes Sextius, Aix enProvence, France

Thermes Sextius is a newspa set on the site of thetowns’ old roman bathsbuilt in 122 AD by the Ro-man Consulate. The hot,mineral-rich watersupplied to spa comesfrom the limestone rangeof the Mont Sainte-Victoire, one of the mosticonic natural backdrops inProvence. Inside the spa,you can see the originalRoman springs beneaththe glass floor. Aix is a typi-cal Provencal town withtempting cafes as well as100 spring water fountainsscattered around town. www.thermes-sextius.com

2POSH

The Roman Baths, Bath,England

Founded in 75 AD by theRomans, the Pump Roomsand Roman Baths are a UN-ESCO World Heritage Site.Dedicated to the goddessSulis Minerva, the bathsare still fed by one of thepurest hot springs inBritain. Key attractions in-clude the Sacred Spring,Roman Temple, the bath-house, and the PumpRooms, the opulent 18thcentury dining room over-looking the springs. Enjoyafternoon tea here, thendrink from the fountain.The sulphuric taste, thewater has health benefits. www.romanbaths.co.uk

5GOD-LIKE

Ephesus, Selcuk, Turkey The ancient city of Ephesuswas once the secondbiggest city in the RomanEmpire and its ruinsinclude an amphitheatre,market place, library, foun-tains, public toilets, hugebasilica and even a broth-el. The remains of the Tem-ple of Artemis, one theSeven Wonders of theWorld, can be seen here.The marble monumentwas partly destroyed byfire in 262AD so all that re-mains is a single column ina swamp. See souvenirsfrom the temple in thenearby Ephesus Archaeo-logical Museum.www.tourismturkey.org

3FIT

Hadrian’s Wall,Scotland

After visiting England inAD 122, Emperor Hadriandecided to build a borderwall that would ‘separatethe Romans from the Bar-barians’ in Scotland. Threelegions and six years later,the result was Hadrian’sWall, one of the most im-posing legacies of the Ro-man Empire. There’salmost 250km of UNESCOHeritage site to explorehere, including 120km ofRoman wall running acrossBritain’s ‘neck’ as well asvillages, museums, fortsand rivers. www.hadrians-wall.org

4ICONIC

The Coliseum, Rome,Italy

Some of the most iconicremnants of the RomanEmpire are to be found,surprise, surprise, in Rome.Inaugurated in 80 AD andcapable of squeezing inmore than 50,000 specta-tors, Rome’s Coliseum wasbuilt to host mortal com-bats between prisonersand wild animals. Fast-for-ward two thousand yearsand it’s still one of thecity’s biggest attractions,with tours that show thechambers where animalsand fighters were cagedbefore being let out intothe arena.en.turismoroma.it

“Find out moreabout one of themost fascinatingempires in history”

Although the recent Romanadventure “The Eagle”didn’t burn up the boxoffice, it got us curiousabout history. Many Romanremains are beautifully-pre-served, giving a feel for thepower and ambition of thatmighty empire, as well asfor daily life for Romans,whether they wereshopping at a market orwatching a gladiator. Take alook at five of the still-standing must sees.

For more informationcheck out www.xxx

Gladiators, baths & god GETTY IMAGES GETTY IMAGESP. MOUAÏL CONTRIBUTED CONTRIBUTED

Visit some of the world’s most mind-blowing Roman sites See how these architectural gems have influenced thecities they stand in Make sure you understand the reason they were built to appreciate their beauty and value

ROMINAMCGUINNESSMETRO WORLD [email protected]

3 STYLISH WAYS TO KEEPYOUR HEAD WARM

Kids will love this fun beaniewith a bobble, which comesin contrasting coloursincluding green, red andpurple. €15,

www.columbia.com

1 COLUMBIA

SNOWTOP BEANIE

The leggy spider stops thisheart-studded hat from be-ing too girlie. It’s an eye-catching design from topCanadian ski and boardingbrand Spyder is 100% AcrylicCashmere. €15,

www.spyder.com

2 SPYDER LOVE HAT

Get noticed on the slopeswith this brightly-striped,slouchy beanie hat, comes inorange and blue, pink andblack. €30, ellis-

brigham.com

METRO WORLD NEWS

3 VOLCOM

DRAMA BEANIE

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www.metro.xxxxxMONDAY, 28 FEBRUARY 2011

06 travelGADGETS: SKI AND BOARDING HATS

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