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Exploring historic Las Vegas, New Mexico

by Thomas Wilmer

An Audio exploration with on-location audio interviews

Urban Émigrés find paradise in historic Las Vegas, New Mexico

At one time Las Vegas, New Mexico was the largest town in the entire Southwest. The advent of the Santa Fe trail brought thousands of wagon train emigrants passing through the region en route to the promised land in west.

The advent of travel by rail routed the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe railroad through Las Vegas, spurring a major boom in businesses. Even though the Amtrak serves Las Vegas today, the main east-west railroad routes diverged through Albuquerque long ago.

Today, the physical legacy of the boom times is poignantly preserved by a plethora of stunningly beautiful stone and brick and wood clad Victorian era businesses and homes in Las Vegas, New Mexico. There remains more than 900 historic buildings in town listed on the National Historic Register.

From food to culture and living history, Las Vegas is a must do for anyone planning an exploration of Northern New Mexico.

Join the conversation with three modern day immigrants who left big city life on the East Coast and West Coast to happily hunker down in an under-the-radar paradise.

Jan and Frank Beurskens and Cindy Collins share their stories of discovery and settling in the real Las Vegas in the heart of Northern New Mexico.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE AUDIO INTERVIEW

Renaissance in Las Vegas, New Mexico anchored by historic Hotel Castañeda

A conversation with architectural-visionary preservationist Allan Affeldt

 Allan Affeldt is the owner and visionary of the historic Hotel Castañeda, located adjacent to the Las Vegas, New Mexico train depot. Back in 1898, with the Santa Fe railway’s mainline connecting Chicago and Los Angeles with a depot stop in Las Vegas, the Hotel Castañeda opened for business–catering to railroad passengers as the first of many legendary Fred Harvey trackside hotels across the west.

Sadly, the grand dame of Las Vegas, New Mexico eventually fell into disrepair and sat semi-boarded up for almost a half-century.Fortunately, architectural preservationist, Allen Affeldt came along and saved the Castaneda– birthing new life into the historic railway hotel.

His multi-million renovation followed close on the heels of his award-winning rescue and restoration of Winslow, Arizona’s historic Fred Harvey Hotel La Posada. Come along and join Allan Affeldt to discover the rest of the story.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO Allan Affeldt’s audo interview

The original Las Vegas—New Mexico’s history, architecture, culture and cuisine


Come along and join us at the historic Plaza Hotel for a meet up with Dennis Ditmanson, retired National Park ranger with three decades in the field, including a stint at the nearby Fort Union National Monument.
We’ll then visit with Yale-graduate architect, Elmo Baca a downtown revitalization expert, historic preservation consultant, proprietor of the Indigo Theater, and a multi-generation Las Vegas resident.

Next up is Sarah Jo Mathews, proprietor of the Prairie Hill Café and Byron T’s Saloon located in the Plaza Hotel in heart of old town Las Vegas.

Mathews shares her passion for not only the historic town of Las Vegas, her diner and saloon, but also the memorable things to do and see in the surrounding area.

As a side-note, when the historic Plaza Hotel first opened back in 1882 it was touted as “The Belle of the Southwest” and the fanciest hotel in all of New Mexico Territory.

The hotel remains as an elegant grand dame, so much so, that it is a frequent Hollywood film location site dating from Tom Mix silent pictures, to the Longmire series, Easy Rider, Vampires, No Country for Old Men, and more.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE PODCAST INTERVIEW

Note to ghost hunters: the Plaza also has a reputation as one of New Mexico’s most haunted hotels

Artists, murals & thrifting in Old Town Las Vegas, New Mexico


Join correspondent Tom Wilmer in Old Town Las Vegas, New Mexico for an exploration of local art and artists as well as a legendary antique shop, Plaza Antiques, in the heart of Old Town Plaza, for a visit with Melissa and Andy.Join correspondent Tom Wilmer in the heart of Old Town, Las Vegas, New Mexico for an exploration of local art and artists as well as a legendary antique shop—they’re all located on the historic Old Town Plaza, with the iconic Plaza Hotel as the neighborhood anchor.

Next up is Rachel Relin, artist and proprietor of Weave and Gather, situated catty-corner from Plaza Antiques. Rachel shares tales of how she and her husband fell in love with Las Vegas and pulled up anchor in Boulder, Colorado to settle in Las Vegas. Of course Rachel also shares her passion for showcasing an array of art, weavings, rugs and textiles.

We’ll then stop in at El Zocalo Cooperative Art Gallery—a collection of local and regional artists showcasing and selling their work. We’ll chat with artist and volunteer staffer, Meredith Britt.

Last but by no means least, we’ll stop in at Old Town’s legendary Charlie’s Spic & Span Café for a breakfast visit with local artist and social activist, Rock Ulibarri to learn about his passions, missions and his renowned mural in the heart of Old Town, “The People’s History of El Norte”.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE AUDIO INTERVIEW

Exploring the Giant Skillet in Las Vegas, New Mexico and a visit with the National Park Ranger at historic Fort Union

Correspondent Tom Wilmer visits with Isaac Sandoval owner of the Skillet in Las Vegas, New Mexico followed by a visit with Ranger Mike Weinstein at Fort Union National Monument.

Isaac Sandoval is the owner and creative visionary at the Giant Skillet eatery in the heart of downtown Las Vegas, New Mexico. Sandoval’s Giant Skillet is a super popular eatery and gathering spot for locals and visitors alike.

We’ll then head out to explore historic Fort Union that served as the largest U.S. Army outpost in the West from 1851 to 1891. Located 30 miles from Las Vegas, New Mexico, the Fort Union National Monument is situated within a sweeping valley of short grass prairie, and along the eroded Santa Fe Trail.

Today remnants of the fort’s adobe walls remain. Come along and join National Park Service ranger, Mike Weinstein for a visit with correspondent Tom Wilmer at the park’s interpretive center.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE AUDIO INTERVIEW

Hermits Peak Watershed Alliance—stewarding Northern New Mexico’s land

The Gallinas river was devastated by the largest fire in the state’s history, the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon fire in 2022. The fire ravaged more than 342,000 acres, including a majority of the upper Rio Gallinas watershed.

The fire destroyed more than 900 structures, including 300 homes. Subsequent floods contaminated watersheds and resulted in drinking water emergencies and mandatory water cuts.

Two years later the surrounding communities and environment continue to experience long-term impacts from flooding, water quality degradation, loss of vegetation, and decreased soil stability and siltation caused by the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon fire.

Come along and join correspondent Tom Wilmer for a riverside visit with Lea Knutson, Executive Director of the non-profit Hermits Peak watershed Alliance to discover the rest of the story.

Hermit’s Peak Watershed Alliance’s mission is to foster land stewardship to ensure the long-term vitality of the region’s watersheds surrounding Las Vegas New Mexico.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE AUDIO INTERVIEW

New Mexico Highlands University—nurturing our forests

Correspondent Tom Wilmer visits with grad-student Noah Aragon, serving as a Crest, field & lab technician at New Mexico Highlands University, Department of Forestry in Las Vegas, New Mexico. Aragon shares insights about the Forestry Department’s multiple missions to shepherd our forests.

New Mexico Highlands University‘s Department of Forestry houses the Forestry and Conservation Management programs. Areas of study focus on the management of forest and rangeland ecosystems, the natural resources and biodiversity they contain, and the ecosystem services they provide.


CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE AUDIO INTERVIEW

Main Street de Las Vegas propels a vibrant Northern New Mexico community

Michael Peranteau shares insights about the community non-profit that shines a light on local businesses in Las Vegas, New Mexico. For the last six years Michael Peranteau has been the Executive Director of Main Street de Las Vegas. There are about 2,000 Main Streets in America and 30 in New Mexico. Raised in Houston & Albuquerque, Peranteau moved to Las Vegas, New Mexico eight years ago after retiring from the art world in Houston. He has become a serious Main Street convert and loves his work with downtown businesses.


 CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO correspondent Tom Wilmer visit with Micheal to discover the rest of the story.

You are invited to subscribe to the seven-time Lowell Thomas Award-winning travel podcast, Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer, featured on the NPR Podcast Directory, Apple Podcast, and more than twenty other podcast hosting sites including iHeartRadio and Spotify

Plaza Antiques on the Plaza in Old Town Las Vegas, New Mexico
With Las Vegas, New Mexico at 6,500 feet above sea level snow sometimes dusts the town with nearby ski resorts as popular wintertime activities for locals and visitors alike
The Montezuma Castle in Las Vegas, New Mexico
historic Fat Crow Press Building in Old Town Las Vegas, New Mexico
Michael Peranteau
View from Old Town Plaza
Sarah Jo Mathews, proprietor of the Prairie Hill Café and Byron T’s Saloon located in the Plaza Hotel in heart of old town Las Vegas With Elmo Baca
Noah Aragon planting seedlings
Classic Southwest architecture abounds in the region
Old Town Las Vegas New Mexico abounds with historic architecture
Historic Las Vegas New Mexico train depot

Reinvigorating Tulsa’s Black Wall Street with sneakers

Venita Cooper shares her journey that led her to Tulsa, her sneaker shop, and her award-winning tech startup.

Join correspondent Tom Wilmer for an insightful visit with Venita “Coop” Cooper at her trendy Silhouette Sneakers & Art in the heart of Tulsa’s Black Wall Street, Greenwood District.

Listen now and experience Coop’s story

Coop’s Silhouette Sneakers & Art is a curated retail experience that brings limited and authentic sneakers and streetwear to Tulsa.

Coop also shares fascinating insights about her brilliant startup, Arbit. Succinctly, it’ a pricing algorithm that empowers both buyers and sellers in the sneaker resell market. Coop says. “It’s not a marketplace. It’s an unbiased pricing B-to-C tool that informs buy and sell decisions in all sneaker marketplaces.”

“Our boutique features an art gallery showcasing a rotating selection of street-inspired art. We also deliver programming that links sneaker culture enthusiasts and cultivates a new generation of sneakerheads”.
– Venita Cooper, Owner/Founder of Silhouette Sneakers & Art

Silhouette Sneakers & Art located in Tulsa’s Historic Greenwood District showcases everything from custom and high-end shoes to vintage apparel and modern streetwear.

Shop for a unique pair of Yeezys, Nike Air Force Ones or Jordans while admiring the art gallery of rotating, street-inspired art. Other brands featured at Silhouette are Adidas, Converse, Fear of God, John Geiger, New Balance, Off-White, Saucony, Supreme and Vans. Meet other sneaker culture enthusiasts or add an exclusive set to your collection when visiting Silhouette Sneakers & Art.

Coop’s Sneaker shop is located in the exact spot where a shoe store reposed before it was arsoned in the 1921 Tulsa race massacre.

A central theme in Coop’s mission is to revitalize the Greenwood District and this is why she located her shop in the heart of the neighborhood—on the same footprint as the shoe store that was destroyed during the 1921 massacre.

Excerpt from a May 24, 2021 New York Times article about the terror attack on the Greenwood neighborhood:

Brick and wood-frame homes dotted the landscape, along with blocks lined with grocery stores, hotels, nightclubs, billiard halls, theaters, doctor’s offices and churches.

Greenwood was so promising, so vibrant that it became home to what was known as America’s Black Wall Street. But what took years to build was erased in less than 24 hours by racial violence — sending the dead into mass graves and forever altering family trees.

Hundreds of Greenwood residents were brutally killed, their homes and businesses wiped out. They were casualties of a furious and heavily armed white mob of looters and arsonists. One factor that drove the violence: resentment toward the Black prosperity found in block after block of Greenwood.

The financial toll of the massacre is evident in the $1.8 million in property loss claims — $27 million in today’s dollars — detailed in a 2001 state commission report.

For two decades, the report has been one of the most comprehensive accounts to reveal the horrific details of the massacre — among the worst racial terror attacks in the nation’s history — as well as the government’s culpability.

Silhouette storefront, Greenwood District
Photo credit: Thomas Wilmer
Downtown skyline, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Photo credit: Thomas Wilmer
Experience more travel stories on his award-winning podcast, Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer.
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Nashville’s Museum of African American Music

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Culture Editor Tom Wilmer visits the National Museum of African American Music located in the heart of downtown Nashville, Tennessee.

Nashville’s new National Museum of African American Music’s mission is to showcase the central role African Americans have played in weaving the fabric of America’s soundtrack.

Nashville is a fitting home for the only museum in America with a surgical dedication to showcase the impact that African American music has had on the fabric of the country’s culture. Numerous African American musicians – including Jimi Hendrix, Ray Charles, the Fist Jubilee Singers and Little Richard, fine-tuned their early career trajectories while performing at various Nashville music venues.

Distinctive areas throughout the museum offer thematic presentations such as One Nation Under a Groove-featuring the story of R&B in post WWII America while the Rivers of Rhythm Pathway is graced with captivating interactive panels keyed to an animated timeline that links the evolution of Southern religious, blues and contemporary R&B and hip-hop genres.

Digging deep in to the evolution of the African American religious experience, Wade in the Water displays the evolution of religious music—from indigenous African music that survived through throughout slavery and evolved via African American spirituals and hymns with a pinnacle during the 1940s to 1960s “Golden Age of Gospel”.

The museum does a deft job connecting the dots to show how the influential gospel vocal groups influenced doo-wop, R&B and soul music.

In addition to dynamic multi-media displays, the venue offers a state-of-the-art performance hall to screen films, lectures and live stage concerts by local and international musicians.

This is just a sampler of the numerous captivating interactive displays that you will experience at the museum. And the NAAM Museum is conveniently located smack in the heart of Nashville, literally just steps away from the Ryman Auditorium and the Country Music Hall of Fame.

 

Nashville's Museum of African American Music image via Tom Wilmer for use by 360 Magazine
Nashville's Museum of African American Music image via Tom Wilmer for use by 360 Magazine
Nashville's Museum of African American Music image via Tom Wilmer for use by 360 Magazine

Space Station Vacation

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Culture Editor Tom Wilmer shares insights about civilian journeys to the International Space Station

By Tom Wilmer & Elizabeth Saylor

Today, even the best ultimate destination vacations are hampered by Covid-spector realities. Ubiquitous masks, goggles, testing and social distancing subconsciously ratchet up anxiety levels while simultaneously reducing pleasure and awe.

But what if there were a getaway promising out-of-this-world scenery, once in a lifetime thrills, a chance to make history and come away from it with a life-altering view of humanity’s totality — all possible without requisite plague masks, twinges of anthropophobia and hand-sanitizer-cracked hands?

Well, by thinking outside the box (or sphere, in this case), Directed by Roman Chiporukha and Erica Jackowitz, husband-and-wife co-founders of Roman & Erica, Inc., NYC-based lifestyle and luxury travel firm is the first company to offer such an epic adventure. Partnering with Axiom Space, seats are now available for a 10-day total “private astronaut” space flight  experience to escape earth’s confines, designating a low-earth-orbit space station as “home” for eight of those transformative days.

It’s only natural that Mike Suffredini, former director of NASA’s International Space Station, would be willing to lend his expertise as Axiom’s CEO to help  people experience the numerous social, economic and even cognitive benefits of space flight.

Hyperbole aside, space travel really is life changing. There’s even a term for visualizing earth from space: the “overview effect”, which is a profound sense of interconnectedness and euphoria whereby the viewer sees earth’s fragility, beauty and the oneness of all living things. Astronauts have even reported the cognitive changes re-made their perceptions of life’s purpose. Earthly, holiday vacation digital media memories are no match for life-affirming adventures beyond our atmosphere.

Aside from personal enlightenment, other private space-travel benefits are innumerable. For the industrially inclined, research and development opportunities from space’s microgravity/extreme environment will drive future discoveries unavailable on earth.

Scientific endeavors in the field of medicine, e.g. regenerative medicine, pharmaceutical R&D and accelerated-disease modeling– along with unparalleled possibilities for advancements in fluid physics and protein crystallization modeling, make the science/space coupling full of potentially profound discoveries.

Axiom Station will be constructed while attached to the ISS and, at the end of the ISS’ life, detach and operate on its own into the future.

And if a private astronaut’s proclivities are humanitarian, what better stage could there be to deliver a compelling message encouraging specific global behavioral change. No doubt, messages encouraging climate change awareness would strike an impressive cord with our delicate blue-dot planet framed by the cosmos.

So, how does one sign up for the trip of a lifetime?  Of course, would-be adventurers must be very healthy, and a thorough medical evaluation with a physician’s clearance is required. Once greenlighted physically, a 15-week astronaut training (spread out over almost two years) is held at space agency facilities — with the training purported to be an incredible experience even with feet planted on terra firma.

The launch team usually consists of three private astronauts and one career-commander astronaut. Learning to function as a team is crucial not just for safety reasons, but for building mental health ease and camaraderie. The fact that training  takes place in the same ultra-sophisticated, beyond-cutting-edge-tech facilities used by hero astronauts is heady stuff.

And then there’s the cost. With an all inclusive price tag of $55 million, it’s obviously out of reach for nearly all who may want to sail toward the stars… BUT for those who can afford to sign up now, their journeys will pave the way for the next wave of civilian astronauts and, within a relatively short period of time, drive down costs enough to enable hundreds, and eventually thousands, of eager space explorers to afford the mind-bending travel.

Though Roman & Erica, Inc. sold out the October 2021 flight, an extraordinary accomplishment, two seats are still available for the April 2022 launch. “We are the first travel company to successfully sell private astronaut seats for the ISS mission and are literally travel agents to the stars! It’s outta this world,” said Roman Chiporukha, CFO & Co-Founder of Roman & Erica, Inc. “We are thrilled to partner with Axiom Space. They are virtuosos in the private astronaut space and in the process of building the replacement to the International Space Station which is incredible!”

It’s been whispered that Tom Cruise is supposedly going for a 30 day mission in Oct 2022 with Mission Impossible director pal, Doug Liman. That would leave an extra seat, possibly, to chat up Top Gun while hurtling through space– hard to resist, right? After that, it’s your race to make a reservation with history. And if you’re not keen on travel to outer space, Roman & Erica will be happy to sort whatever else you’re interested in. We hear they have a waiting list to become a member and frankly, we are not surprised.

In this illustration, a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft is shown in low-Earth orbit. NASA is partnering with Boeing and SpaceX to build a new generation of human-rated spacecraft capable of taking astronauts to the International Space Station and expanding research opportunities in orbit. SpaceX’s upcoming Demo-1 flight test is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Transportation Capability contract with the goal of returning human spaceflight launch capabilities to the United States.

Air Travel COVID Glitches

Air Travel COVID Glitches

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360 Magazine Culture Editor, Tom Wilmer reports on the numerous glitches in the process of traveling safe in the air.

The day before I checked in for an early morning flight to Austin, Texas via SFO and Houston, United Airlines was advertising their promise to maintain empty middle-seat flights. But something went haywire at United overnight, as two of my three flights to Austin were packed to the gills with most middle seats occupied—it would have been all three flights, but I was upgraded to first on one leg.

When I checked in for my flight, a notice popped up on my phone from United informing me that it would be a fairly full flight and they offered alternative flights as an option. Nice gesture but rerouting would have entailed a delay until the following day to get to my destination—with no guarantee that the alternate flight option would have blocked middle seats.

As of this writing, virtually all airlines proudly tout mandatory mask requirements for all passengers—but while en route onboard my flights, the dutiful masked passengers dropped their face coverings as flight attendants dispensed beverages (water) and cookies. So there I was, mere inches from my seat mate, both of us doing our duty, wearing our masks – but now protecting only our chins, from the evil, invisible germ. And throughout the cabin it was the same, basically mask-less, scene.

Arriving at Austin/Bergstrom’s TSA cattle chutes, Social-Distancing sticker reminders adorned the concrete floor, every six feet…and the queued-up passengers were actually compliant in their attempts to maintain their distance — that is until we were flagged past the TSA ticket/identification checker. As passengers queued up to take shoes off, extract make-up bags, computers etc., they suddenly, randomly squished frantically up to within three or four inches from one another.

Throughout this collapse of proper social distancing, TSA workers ignored the traffic jamb and continued barking out reminders to remove laptops etc., from bags—but zero, zippo, nada, commands were interjected to maintain proper social distancing as the jumbled-up passengers squished toward the x-ray bag tunnel and body scanner.

Transiting through Denver’s DIA Airport, gaggles of Boulderites, and Denverians dutifully and proudly wore their masks. However, salted in to the hord of obedient, transiting passengers were the all-too-frequent mask less rogues with chins held high and chests puffed out proudly.

The reality of traveling by air today is akin to rush hour commuting by automobile. One moment you’re flowing along at a comfortably safe, even clip while maintaining a proper distance between you and the car ahead. A split second later the flow of traffic snarls up and you jamb on the brakes—Traveling by air is much the same, it’s a continual battle to protect yourself and maintain a bubble of safety.

Calistoga—The Other Napa

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360 Magazine Culture Editor Tom Wilmer reports from the town of Calistoga in Napa Valley.

Mention Napa Valley and the first thing that comes to mind for many is wine, world-class wine. The Valley has been producing fine wines for more than a century, but it really wasn’t until a cadre of Napa wines kicked-ass at the now legendary Judgment of Paris in 1976 that things started to go viral.

A bind tasting—that the French just knew would reconfirm their illustrious worldwide status, was crushed when Napa Valley wines rocked their boat. Napa Valley winners included Stag’s Leap, Heitz Cellars, Clos du Val, Ridge Vineyards, Freemark Abby Winery and Mayacamas. Chateau Montelena’s legendary Chardonnay led to the cool film, Bottle Shock that humorously chronicles the classic event. And the French are still pissed.

Today, Napa is a viral destination for wine seekers from around the world. In some respects Napa Valley has become a victim of its own success. During the height of the summer travel season you’ll likely encounter bumper-to-bumper traffic on the main artery, highway 29 wending through the Valley—and wine tasting fees sometimes exceed $80 per person—without a credit applied to a subsequent purchase.

So, the caveat is try and plan a trip during the off-season to avoid the lines and traffic. But there’s also a semi off the radar Napa, and that’s the town of Calistoga in the Valley’s northern reaches. Calistoga is home to the legendary Chateau Montelena Winery, and iconic health spas with historic thermal mud baths that date from the town’s post-Gold Rush roots as one of California’s oldest spa destinations.

A drive through downtown Calistoga along Lincoln Avenue is like taking a trip back in time. There’s a palpable Mayberry R.F.D., small-town feel that’s guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. Outstanding is the historic circa-1868 Napa Valley Railroad Depot (California’s second oldest train depot), and ample historic architecture throughout downtown–with many structures dating from the late 1800s. A palpable bonus is the locals’ welcoming, and truly friendly attitude toward visitors.

 

Anchoring the heart of Lincoln Avenue is the Mount View Hotel that has graced downtown Calistoga with its Art Deco motifs since 1919. Hotel owner Michael Woods is such a passionate community booster that he donates 50 percent of the hotel’s profits to local and regional nonprofit organizations.

Woods and his family have gone to great lengths to seek-out authentic Art-Deco furnishings and lighting to maintain and enhance the hotel’s vintage period-ambiance.

Derrick, General Manager at the Mount View shows off the Art Deco motifs at the hotel.

A bonus of a stay at the Mount View is the full-service spa—with a modern twist on the iconic mud bath. Out back there’s an inviting swimming pool (heated year-round) and detached, quaint cottages.

Flanking the hotel’s lobby on one side is a sports bar, and on the opposite flank, the Veraison restaurant specializing in locally sourced cuisine, and of course, an ample wine list of locally produced specialties, including a selection of wines produced by restaurant owner, Dan Kaiser’s parents.

 

Click here to listen to the KCBX/NPR Podcast to listen to the Mayor of Calistoga talk about his passion for his town

Click here to listen to the KCBX/NPR Podcast to listen to the story of the Mount View Hotel

 

Wine tasting can be a fun and unpretentious experience in Calistoga–like at Tank Garage located in a repurposed gas station.

Wine tasting is fun at the Tank Garage Winery in Calistoga


Kona Coffee Fest

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360 Magazine’s Culture Editor, Tom Wilmer shares highlights of the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival on the Big Island of Hawaii November 1st through November 10th.

Celebrating its 49th year, the ten-day affair is Hawaii’s oldest food festival. Of course the legendary Kona coffee is the anchor, but music, art, crafts, dance and farm tours are integral aspects of the event.

The festival is an affair that locals savor and look forward to all year, with months of behind-the-scenes advance planning. A popular event with the locals, chefs, and consumers alike is the KTA Super Store’s Kona Coffee Recipe Contest.

There are festivals around the world that are crafted primarily for the tourist, but this is one of those special events that’s propelled by passionate islanders–and visitors are instantly welcomed in to the fold and quickly feel the Aloha of being a member of the island family.

The festival kicks-off November 1st with a sunset Lantern Parade strolling down Alii Drive in the heart of historic Kailua Village.

A sampler of other cool events include a coffee and arts stroll though Holualoa Town, cultural activities and demonstrations with local artists at the Donkey Mill Art Center, and the Miss Kona Coffee Scholarship Competition at the Aloha Theater—and those are just samplers from one day in the festival line up.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FESTIVAL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Did you know there are more than 600 Kona Coffee estate-producers within the Kona District—and if it ain’t grown in Kona District-it ain’t Kona Coffee.

Coffee has been a part of Hawaii’s agricultural fabric for more than 200 years. It was the immigrants, many who were looking for an alternative to working in the sugarcane fields, who propelled the coffee industry on the Big Island and throughout the State of Hawaii.

Symbolic of Hawaii’s multi-cultural roots, the pioneering coffee workers and planters’ roots read like a page from the United Nations—China, Portugal, Korea, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Japan, Hawaiians and Europeans—and today fifth and sixth generation coffee farmers continue the tradition.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE PODCAST INTERVIEW AT THE LIVING HISTORY COFFEE FARM

The Festival honors the historic cultural roots with living-history farm tours, coffee picking and other hands-on farm experiences, a Kona Coffee 101 Seminar, and the Kona Historical Society’s Annual Farm Fest.

Greenwell Farms is hosting a “seed to cup” tour that includes a close-up look at the harvesting, process, and of course tasting Greenwell’s 100% award-winning Kona Coffee.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN to CHAI at GREENWELL FARMS’ KCBX/NPR ONE Podcast

For the coffee purest, be sure to mark your calendar to experience the Kona Coffee Cupping Competition. A panel of judges from around the world will conduct side-by-side blind tastings of more than 50 entries.

Grand Finale—a Taste of Kona at the Sheraton

An evening of culinary delights featuring local Island Chefs and a fabulous silent auction. Music and dancing under the stars with award-winning Kahulanui- a nine piece Hawaiian Swing Band from the Big Island of Hawaii.

Certified cupping judges who have spent three days scoring Kona’s top farms in the prestigious Kona Coffee Cupping Competition will be on-hand to discuss results. Tickets are $50 general and $80 VIP (includes table seating) and can be purchased online at eventbrite.com and search The Grand Finale… A Taste of Kona! Come meet the winners from the Kona Coffee cupping contest and the Kona Coffee recipe contest at the Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa at Keauhou Bay.

Click here to listen to KCBX/NPR ONE Podcast interview with Festival Board President Valerie Corcoran.

Why Knoxville Rocks

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360 Magazine Culture Editor, Tom Wilmer explores Knoxville—the third largest city in Tennessee.

When people think of Tennessee, Nashville and Memphis get the prime spotlight, and they most often make the top of the to-do list for travelers. But Knoxville has an abundance of attractions that are alluringly unique.

Knoxville’s first iteration as a world-class travel destination happened with a bang when the town hosted the 1982 Knoxville World’s Fair. Today the two remaining iconic vestiges are the Sunsphere tower, and a stunningly beautiful riverside performance amphitheater.

Knoxville is graced with historic architecture, both in the urban core, and surrounding residential neighborhoods, but its the friendliness of the people is an essential ingredient that makes the town so attractive.

Most of the businesses are locally owned. There’s been a recent explosion of new upscale eateries (more than 80 in the urban core) and trendy brew pubs that keep the downtown core hopping in to the wee hours of the night. Festivals like the annual Rhythm and Blooms Blues Festival in May is just a sampler of the live events that take place downtown throughout the year.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW KNOXVILLE VIDEO SLIDE SHOW

Outdoor hiking, biking and kayaking are viral endeavors for locals and visitors alike. Knoxville rightfully touts its super popular Urban Wilderness with more than 1,000 unspoiled acres right in the heart of the city.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE NPR One/KCBX PODCAST INTERVIEW with Angie Wilson at Visit Knoxville to hear the backstory on just why this vibrant town bustles with new, locally-owned businesses.

Carol Evans shares insights about the city’s Urban Wilderness adventures for hikers, bikers. and kayakers. Sam Carlton at the four-star The TENNESSEAN Hotel talks about the Knoxville World’s Fair back in 1982, and how the momentum instilled by the fair continues today.

Tom Bugg, general manager at the city’s two historic theaters—the Tennessee and the Bijou Theatre—paints a vivid picture of Knoxville’s past and present, and how the renovation of the theaters served as an economic stimulus for other downtown revitalization projects.

David Butler, executive director at the Knoxville Museum of Art talks about community engagement through showcasing regional art, educational outreach and gratis admission.

The 1982 Knoxville World’s Fair “Sunsphere”still graces the skyline in the heart of town

Lodi—Napa without the crowds

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360 Magazine Culture Editor, Tom Wilmer explores Lodi, California’s exemplary wine, cuisine and culture.

Lodi has been chugging along as a major wine and grape producer for more than a Century.

Located in the San Joaquin Valley a hundred miles inland from San Francisco and a five-hour drive from Hollywood, Lodi is a highly recommended weekend wine getaway.

Why? You’ll discover truly world-class family run wineries and businesses with the added allure of a small town innocence where the people are friendly and welcoming.

Liz Bokish at Bokish Vineyards

Liz Bokisch savors her wine at Bokisch Vineyards. Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer

Lodi has long been legendary for their Zinfandel—producing more than 40 percent of all premium Zin sold in California. But, Lodi does not get the media-buzz like Napa Valley—and in a way that’s a good thing as it offers an opportunity to experience a world-class wine region that has not gone over the top.

Word Class? Yes. In 2015 the prestigious Wine Spectator proclaimed Lodi as the Wine Region of the year.

Michael David Winery

Michael David;s brilliant Seven Deadly Zins label propelled the winery from a boutique operation to 700,000 case production in 2018. Today FreakShow is a star label. Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer

Lodi was awarded Wine Enthusiast’s coveted “Wine Region of the Year” in 2015, and in September 2018, USA Today’s Readers’ Poll awarded Lodi with second place in the Top 10 Best Wine Regions in America.

Lodi winemakers regularly walk away with double-golds at wine competitions. Mettler Family Vineyards’ winemaker Adam Mettler, was recipient of Wine Spectator’s prestigious 2018 Winemaker of the Year award.

Mettler Family Vineyards tasting room

Mettler Family Vineyards tasting room in Lodi, California. Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer

There are also delightful upstarts like Ms. Sue Tipton. She didn’t even think about becoming a winemaker until she was 50 years-old—and when she did, she decided to only craft white wines.

Everyone told her she wouldn’t make a go of it unless she also made reds.

Tifton plowed ahead in spite of the naysayers and it wasn’t long before her Voignier won the “Best in the State of California” at the 2016 California State Fair.

Acquiesce Winery awards

Just a sampler of Acquiesce Winery’s award winning white wines. Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer

Come for a visit and you will be pleasantly comforted by the absence of bumper-to-bumper traffic—it’s stone cold refreshing—and savor the preponderance of laid back family run wineries.

It’s no accident that Lodi Wine is slated to be the official wine of the 2019 Amgen Tour of California.

old vine zin at Lucas Winery

Lucas Winery”s old-vine zin planted in 1933 aren’t the oldest zinfandel vines in Lodi–some date from the 1880s. Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer

Wine is just one of the many cool ingredients that make Lodi such a tempting destination—there’s also a burgeoning culinary scene with, of course, a downtown microbrewery.

At Wine & Roses Inn and Spa—you’ll meet, and hopefully have time for dinner prepared by James Beard award-winning chef—Bradley Ogden, a true California culinary legend and trendsetter.

Chef Bradley Ogden in the kitchen at Wine & Roses Inn, Lodi, California. Photo Credit: Lodi Wine Commission

Chef Ogden came to national attention in the early 1980s at Kansas City’s famed The American Restaurant shortly after graduating from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America.

Ogden served as executive chef at San Francisco’s Campton Place Hotel before opening his first restaurant, The Lark Creek Inn, in 1989.

Over the years, he’s been involved in dozens of legendary California restaurant operations, including One Market in San Francisco, his namesake eatery in Las Vegas at Caesar’s Palace, The Lark Creek Inn, Larkspur, and Root 246 in Solvang.

Ogden recently settled in Lodi, California, where he serves as culinary director at Wine & Rose Resort & Spa’s Town House restaurant.

Wine & Roses Inna and Spa’s evocative architecture. Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer

Wine & Roses Spa

Wine & Roses Spa in Lodi, California. Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer

tranquil vista at Wine and Roses Inn Lodi, California. Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer

Lodi kayaking

Kayaking on Lake Lodi. Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer

morning outing with Headwaters Kayak Company in Lodi. Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer

Listen in to the Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer KCBX/NPR One audio podcast series to hear the stories and tales of the Lodi wine world as told by the locals:

Click here to listen to the Podcast interview at Lucas Winery

Click here for Lodi overview, kayaking, biking, and agricultural history podcast

Wine tasting venues in Lodi are cozy and inviting–like this romantic setting at Macchia Winery. Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer

Click here to listen to Chef Bradley Ogden’s Podcast interview

Chef Bradley Ogden dinner at Wine and Roses Inn, Lodi, California. Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer

Sunset in the fields at Acquiesce Winery Lodi, California. Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer

Old water wagon at Oak Farm Winery Lodi, California. Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer

Lodi Wine Trail. Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer

Back in the day in Lodi, California. Photo Courtesy Lodi Wine Commission

You are invited to subscribe to the Lowell Thomas Award-winning travel show podcast, Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer, featured on the NPR Podcast Directory, Apple Podcast, the NPR One App & Stitcher.com. Twitter: TomCWilmer. Instagram: Thomas.Wilmer. Member of the National Press Club in Washington D.C.

Texas Country Musician–from Nashville to NASA

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Tom Wilmer 360 Magazine Culture Editor reports from the heart of Texas in Burnet County where he visits with a Texas country music legend.

John Arthur Martinez performing deep in the heart of Texas

John Arthur Martinez has written more than 700 songs, and produced 13 albums including his latest, San Antonio Woman.

One of Martinez’s songs went intergalactic—accompanying the crew of the space shuttle Atlantis.

John Arthur Martinez’s music accompanied the Space Shuttle Atlantis astronauts company while orbiting the earth. Photo Credit: NASA

Martinez, a veteran of the TV series Nashville Star, visits with correspondent Tom Wilmer at the Trailblazer Grill in the Highland Lakes town of Burnet.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO JOHN ARTHUR MARTINEZ KCBX/NPR-ONE PODCAST INTERVIEW

Music segments included in the Podcast: An Early Thursday Morning, The Ride, and Making Good Time used with permission of the artist, John Arthur Martinez.

 

You are invited to subscribe to the Lowell Thomas Award-winning travel show podcast, Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer, featured on the NPR Podcast Directory, Apple Podcast, the NPR One App & Stitcher.com. Twitter: TomCWilmer. Instagram: Thomas.Wilmer. Member of the National Press Club in Washington D.C. Underwriting support provided by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.