OCR Text |
Show ‘Travel GETAWAYS * ACCOMMODATIONS* FARES The Salt Lake Tribune WHEREARE YOU? Page H-2 TOM McCARTHEY SUNDAY, MARCH31, 1996 ATLANTA’S GAME; Page H-4 Marrakesh Sym izes th Frotic anc Unatteinalle EATING IN NEW YORK There are numerouseateries to choose from in NewYork. MedinaIs Soul ofCity, With Souks, Square And Odd Performers From upscale restaurants, midtown delicatessens, ethnic cafes and chicgrills, to coffee shops, luncheonettes and trendy dining rooms, the Big Applehasit ail The problem with dining in NewYorkis deciding whereto go. With so many choices, it isn’t easy to narrow them. And By Margaret Halaby SPECIAL TO THE TRIBUNE “T put you in charge of my store.” So saying, the ownerof this small store in one of the souks (markets) disappearsin the direc- the selection becomes even more important when the traveling party is made up of dif- tion of the spice market to look for worry-beads that I want to get for tions. The challenge for me on the latest escape to New York was the doorway, amazed at his trusting hislivelihoodto a total stranger. It is not yet 10, too early for tourists, but already Marrakshis areout in number. Three women walk past me wearing caftans, two in differ- myson-in-law. I remain standingin ferent ages, likes and expecta- to find restaurants that would satisfy the tastes of two chil- dren under 10, two adults, a ent shadesofblue, onein pink. One teen-ager and a young adult vegetarian. Pleasing the pal- of themhas henna designs stained on her feet. Several children run ates of six is never easy. With by. Twoold men pass, speaking the this sextet, I had difficult and Morrocan Arabic thatis so different from the Arabic with which I am familiar. It is cool here in the souks. The narrowstreets are covered with stimulating undertakings eyerytime. But it was rewarding. Relying on word of mouth and a couple of good guidebooks, I rose to the challenge. Most places panned out. Nobody was disappointed. Even Photos by Margaret Halaby Musicians perform at Marrakesh’s Djemaa el Fna square. iron slats laid 1-2 inches apart, allowing little sun through; some stores havelights on. It is also noisy when the food was mediocre. atmosphere more than made up for any culinary shortcomings. Unanimous favorite turned out to be Serendipity 3, (225 E. Charms of Marrakesh include Menara Gardens. 60th St.), a toy store-like restaurant featuring frozen hot chocolate, outstanding chili, was young. It symbolized all that was exotic and unattainable. Now thatI havelivedin the Middle East and visited North Africa several times, Marrakesh no longer seems so magical, but it still has many with a combination of Arabic and Berber music, motor bikes, shouts Of balaak (be careful), and constant conversation that characterizes Marrakesh. Ah, Marrakesh! The mere name charms: a history dating back to the 11th century, monuments of breath-taking loveliness, the gran- deur of the Atlas Mountains on the quickened my heartbeat when I southern horizon and souksfilled with riches. Located nearthe base of the Atlas Mountains in the southern part of Morocco, Marrakesh was founded in 1602 by the Almoravids, a Berberdynasty that first united all Moroccounderonerule. They were @ See MARRAKESH, H-7 wonderful salads and sundaes that last until Monday. This eclectic eatery had toys, food, service and style. A perfect spot for kids of all ages. Celebrities have been known to bring their children to this classic New York restaurant near Bloomingdale's. It was our good luck to find this gem. and The Jekyll’ & Hyde Club (1409 Sixth Ave.). The children loved the haunted house themeof Jekyll & Hyde. Special effects, actors and horror film clips added Scarytouches to the dining experience. While the foodis soso, the three-story restaurant is cleverly presented. Surprisingly, a numberof locals were seen eating there. ‘The SoHo Grill has excellent sandwiches, a never-ending beer menu, and a crowd of {1991 had nofatalities] and worse guides, the best choice for the honor is those working Mount McKinleyin years [1992 had 11],” says J.D. Swed, South District Ranger of Denali Na- Alaska. North America’s 20,120-foot high the benefits of paid, professional trip leadership more apparent. climbersstill prefer “McKinley.” By contrast, the fatality rate on guided climbsis closeto zero. Not only are guided clients much The most obvious dividend is safe- ty: Noneof the six climbers who died on Mount McKinleylast year was part of guided groups. Only one guided climber died in the last 10 seasons, which saw 38 deaths among McKinley mountaineers. And none of last year's 12 major gives you a good feel for the esoteric side of New York. groups, even though more than a quarterofall climbers were guided Onaverage, for every 200 climbers whohaveassaulted the mountain, one has died onit. Last year’s six deaths Of course you cannot eat in @ See McCARTHEY, H-7 about their record Maybe they're afraid of tempting fate. Brian Okonek, 20-time summiterof Mount McKinley, owns Alaska-Denali tional Park, But the 1 in 200ratio prevails, The 5 million-acre park and pre- than 1,000 climbers, represents the apogee of guiding. Nowhereelse are surprisingly reluctant to even talk with the long-term numbers. “There haye been better years point, assaulted everyspring by more rescue efforts involved guided good-looking young people. It for 1,220 climbers waseerily in line Guiding, based at Talkeetna, Alaska, whereski planes take off for McKinley’s mountaineering base camps. serve bears the Native American word for the mountain, “Denali,” but “T can't guaranteeit [safety]. It's not that kind of environment,” Okoneksays. Even when it seems most benign, he says, the mountain is relentlessly treacherous. safer, but more of them reach the summit. Last year, 53 percent of them “Walking ona glacier is often no moredifficult than on a snowy parking lot,” he says. “But if you fall in a crevasse, suddenly you might as well be hanging on a ropeoff El Capitan in got to the mountaintop, vs. 40 percent for unguided climbers. The figures are from mountaineering records kept by rangers at Denali Yosemite.” National Park. Thesafety and summitingstatistics The guide looks squarely at the danger present every moment, making every decision, big or small, a reasoned judgment call, Okonek says speak much louder than the guiding companies themselves. Owners and guides of the six companies authorized to operate on McKinley seem @ See McKINLEY, H-5 FO} 5 .3 isa : SPcoh 05281050, - ee — ' sa eay7———1_ DU, i nidey I pet 4 j everyday low fares, convenient ' flights, and Legendary Customer Syaey t Service,flies to all of these cities a\ : For details on the cities we serve Nwanssce\\ naan stiouss =a Amaritio Okara City” e LittleRock and available flight connections, ¢~Ctouisvite call yourtravel agent or Southwest Airlines. We'll get you headed in the right direction. ~~ eNastville_/ <i A Corpus ast < SOUTHWEST AIRLINES (Hobby & Intercontinental! 1-800-I-FLY-SWA(1-800-435-9792) 9) South Padre island ~ (Hartineeni PI intoandout ofDallas Love Fieldis subject to the requirements ska-Denali Guiding, Inc. Its amazing where you can go by traveling Southwest. Because now SouthwestAirlines, with our > apse Brian Okonek’ Storms on Mount McKinleyare life-threating. sa * Kitchen & Bar (103 GreeneSt.) By Mike Steere UNIVERSALPRESS SYNDICATE Should grateful adventure travelers ever dedicate a monumentto their : : © We found the two hippest places to dine were the SoHo Mount McKinley: Summit of Guided Adventuring Wnght Amendment. ©1996 Southwest i Airlines t |