Category: Best of Tahoe 2011
Best New Restaurant: Manzanita
Traci Des Jardins loves Tahoe. So when the award-winning San Francisco chef was offered the opportunity to open a restaurant here, she took it. “I’ve spent time in Tahoe my whole life,” says Des Jardins, who grew up on a farm in California’s San Joaquin Valley and is of Mexican and Louisianan-French Acadian descent. “I’m […]
Magic Mountain
Northstar-at-Tahoe’s Lookout Mountain is a “best” for multiple reasons. It’s undoubtedly the “Best Ski Resort Improvement” in Tahoe this century. Now featuring steep and varied terrain served by a speedy lift, the Lookout expansion added teeth to Northstar’s otherwise intermediate fare, as well as enough vert for even the deepest Tahoe powder days. Although it […]
Funding Martis Valley’s Future
Rarely does deverlopment lead to conservation. But such is the case with the Martis Fund, established in 2006 by DMB/Highlands Group (developers of Martis Camp), Sierra Watch and the Mountain Area Preservation Foundation with the goal of preserving several thousand acres of biologically and culturally rich meadow, forest and mountain lands. Martic Valley is the […]
Architectural Showcase
“All architecture is shelter, all great architecture is the design of a space that contains, cuddles, exalts or stimulates the persons in the space.” – Philip Johnson. Just as that influential American architect left his mark on how we live, work and play, so have the men and women designing homes in Martis Camp sought […]
Lake Tahoe’s Best Brewpubs
Benjamin Franklin once said “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” A simple formula—malts, hops, yeast and water—Tahoe and Reno brewpubs are crafting their own versions of the beverage, quenching our thirst and bringing us bliss. From light blondes to dark stouts, enjoy a local tasting tour of what’s […]
Grand Gathering Places: Martis Camp
Martis Camp is about community. About families gathering and friendships made. About creativity, fun and enjoying nature’s gifts. This mindset—that Martis Camp is a lifestyle rather than a development—is what has made it one of the most impressive planned communitis in the country. Here’s a look at some of the buildings, programs and amenities that […]
On the Road to Find Jack Wilson
It took me 35 years to close the loop between a term paper that I had written as a high school senior and the grave of Jack Wilson. That report was about the Ghost Dance, first practiced by the Northern Nevada Paiute Indians in 1889 in the Mason Valley, not far from Carson City. Its […]
Lake Tahoe’s Best Places to Stargaze
Lake Tahoe boasts up to 300 clear nights per year. The dry air and western on-shore marine airflow pattern are ideal for good “seeing,” as is the low atmospheric turbulence. I have been leading star parties at Lake Tahoe for ten years and have accumulated a list of my favorite sites (complete with exact latitude/longitude […]
The Coeur d’Alene Art Auction Brings Big Bidders to Reno
Beyond the blinking slot machine lights at Reno’s Silver Legacy Resort Casino, a Maynard Dixon landscape sells for $750,000, while a carved statuette of Pocahontas by woodworker Samuel Anderson Robb goes for more than $64,000. This is the Coeur d’Alene Art Action, where Western art aficionados gather—many in Stetsons and boots—to spend millions on depictions […]
Lake Tahoe’s Mark Shuey Teaches Martial Arts with a Cane
It’s hard to imagine exactly what Mark Shuey means when he says that a cane is not a crutch. That is, until he (gently) wraps the handle of said implement around your neck. A Southern Californian by birth, general contractor by trade and world-class martial artist by hobby, Shuey moved to Incline Village in 1977. […]
