Embracing Winter and Hockey in Ontario

When Canadians lovingly refer to “hockey barns,” they aren’t talking about NHL arenas.  They’re referring to smaller, older and a lot more intimate hockey rinks. They’re talking about a place like Jack Gatecliff Arena in St. Catharines, Ontario.

Many locals loathe it. Because the arena and hockey complex 

The entrance to Jack Gatecliff Arena leads to a small lobby where fans gather an hour before game time to be let upstairs.

it’s part of are tucked into a city block near the center of town, the parking is sparse. Hockey moms fill the complex lot early, and they often stay put for Niagara Ice Dogs games. That leaves just a small lot across the street for everyone else. Street parking is like a Wild West gun battle. Only those with sharp eyesight and cat-like reflexes make it.

But the award for snagging a spot is a hockey experiences unrivaled by anything in the U.S. Jack Gatecliff is a band box of an arena, complete with creaky folding wooden seats (rumored to be salvaged from Toronto’s grand dame, Maple Leaf Gardens), tight aisles and unbelievable sight lines. No where in the arena feels far from the ice.

Pity heavy-set fans who must squeeze down Jake Gatecliff's tight aisles.

The fans are fantastic, too. It’s a real mix. Fathers and daughters quietly focusing on the puck. Packs of old men clutching beers in their standing-room spots atop the aisle. Young mothers distracting their toddlers just enough to see how the game is coming along. They all have one thing in common. They’re into the game. They all cheer in unison when they’re supposed to, and groan together in disappointment after a missed shot. Honestly, a regular-season weekend game in December feels like the Stanley Cup playoffs. It’s fantastic.

I was told the unique bench-style folding seats came from Maple Leaf Gardens.

Get tickets at www.niagaraicedogs.net.

North Carolina: Camping at Hanging Rock State Park

Budget travelers rejoice. There is one way you and the family or wife or girlfriend or buddies can feel as if you’re on a real vacation without blowing wads of cash on hotel rooms. Camp out!

Listen, I’m no modern woodsman, but me and my family’s first foray into the great outdoors here in North Carolina was  … great. Choosing Hanging Rock State Park helped. Its 73 camp sites are spread out — moreso on the upper loop — and are close to trails, mountains and water features.

Accommodations include a small grill, a picnic table, a roomy spot to park your car or camper, and a nice, flat space for a tent. We stayed at site 10, which was right across from the path leading to the restroom and bathhouse facility.

The park’s top attractions are the five water falls. The Upper and Lower Cascade falls are easily the most popular. Both are a short hike from parking lots — Upper Cascade is a 0.4-mile jaunt from the vistor’s center lot — and both are well worth the stairs you have to climb to get back to your car.

Upper Cascades is a little beauty, producing a gurgling stream that continues to tumble down to a little rocky pool you can hike to if you’re gung-ho enough. Lower Cascades is bigger and more dramatic, with water streaming down a big cliff face into a placid pool of water. A pack of wild boys were trying to slide down a pile slick rocks, water-slide style, into the pool. Ah, youth. No doubt their tailbones were deeply bruised and sore the day after. It’s better just to stand there with your feet in the water and enjoy the calming sound of falling water.

Hiking the 1.3-mile Hanging Rock trail to the park’s namesake peak takes a bit more effort. The park brochure lists the trail as “moderate,” but that’s only for seasoned marathoners. Prepare to sweat, and avoid taking kids younger than age seven. This trail will blast your hammies.

Oh, but the summit is so worth the pain. It’s positively awe-inspiring, with views of Pilot Mountain and beyond on clear days. And the good news? It’s all downhill from there. On the trail, I mean. At least until you get to the trailhead, which is located at the east end of the Visitor’s Center parking lot.

Another beautiful spot, no matter what time of the year, is the 12-acre lake south of the Visitor’s Center. We went after Labor Day, when it had closed for the year, and the views of the empty beach, glistening water and blushing trees on the far shore were spectacular. The picnic pavilion, where we drank in these views, only adds to the scene. Like many park facilities, it was built from indigenous stones by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the late 1930s.

The family and I didn’t see everything the park had to offer. Here’s a tip for any camper — give yourself time to relax. We were on a breakneck 48-hour schedule that nearly led to divorce. Take at least a full weekend to enjoy this park, and space out your hikes so no one gets tired and cranky.

Even though I was a total baby, achy and crabby thanks to a caffeine-free breakfast, I enjoyed moments of pure outdoor bliss. And all it cost me was the $18 a night for the camp site. I suggest you get yours at www.nc.reserveworld.com.

For more information on the park, visit www.ncparks.gov.

The South’s Idyllic Small Town

Edenton, NC, is a tiny town missed by many vacationers on their way to the crowded Outer Banks. Their loss is always my gain. I think of Edenton as my own little secret Charleston.

Location is mostly to blame for its relative obscurity. Edenton is set on the shores of the Albemarle Sound, north of I-64, the main artery leading out to Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills. Travelers must drive two-land roads to get there, but the trip is worthwhile.

The town runs right up to the water, making it a boon for photographers. Its wealth of old-growth trees and relatively untouched marshy landscapes make it a destination for birders, too.

Given Edenton’s compact layout, the best way to explore it is on a bike. Many of the grand old homes feature small plaques showing the construction year. Dates go back to pre-Civil War.

The mill village features rows of tiny, boxy homes where cotton mill workers once lived. Many have been painted bright colors and occupied by empty nesters, second home owners and even families who value the tranquility and beauty of the town. At the center of the village is the rustic brick mill itself, which has been partitioned into condo units.

The best shaved ice in the world can be had at Edenton Steamers games every summer.

For me, there are certain musts on every visit. I love rocking on the back porch of the Barker House, home to a gift store and museum right on the waterfront. I always drive or bike through the mill village. I enjoy the shrimp and crabmeat at Waterman’s Grill, just steps from the Barker House.

And, in the summer, I always catch an Edenton Steamers baseball game, played in North Carolina’s last wooden ballpark. By the way, I also always get a helping of shaved ice at the game. The local vendors make their own syrup and douse the ice with it all the way to the bottom. Wild strawberry is a personal fave.

In terms of where to stay, there are several good options. The Granville Queen Inn is by far the most breathtaking of the B&Bs in the historic district. Birders should stay at the Trestle House Inn, where owner Peter Bogus has listed 137 varieties of birds and has placed four on the rare-bird list for the U.S. For families, the Hampton Inn on the outskirts of town offers a pleasant, out-of-the-way alternative and a great outdoor pool for the little ones.

For more information, log onto www.visitedenton.com.

Asheboro, NC: Richland Creek Zipline

Asheboro, NC – Ziplining is the stuff of mountainous Central American rainforests, which happens to be where the people from Richland Creek Zipline traveled to for inspiration. Consider them properly inspired, because their zipline course east of

Lock and load!

Asheboro and near the North Carolina Zoological Park is a blast.

A set of guides starts you off on a relatively tame line to show you how it’s done. You see who the real idiots of your group are — the ones who are going to scream like ninnies and hold everyone else up. Every group has at least one. Don’t worry, though. The guides are good about taking the ninnies across first so no one has to bother with their yipping and yapping.

From there, you climb up and zip to a series of platforms either built from the ground up or suspended from the tree tops. The second line, the fastest of the tour, is my favorite. Just remember to break at the end. The course of about 10 to 12 lines also includes a really long cable that allows you to bounce — watch how high and low the guides can go — and a really short line you don’t have to worry about braking on and can hang upside down from. You also get great views of the creek.

Keep your feet up, or it's good-bye shins!

Our group was huge –18 people — and the mercury topped out at 97. It was a scorcher even in the shade. Still, my wife, father-in-law and I enjoyed the two hours we spent zipping among the tree tops. Talking to the guides and watching everyone else zipline filled the time between our own zips, and the scenery was peaceful and beautiful. I highly recommend. Just remember to bring water.

www.richlandcreekzipline.com

North Carolina: Baseball Fun in Fayetteville

View from the children's play area at J.P. Riddle Stadium

Fayetteville, NC — Organized baseball finally has staying power in Fayetteville, a small city in southeast North Carolina near the Air Force base at Fort Bragg.

Fayetteville has long been a minor league city, hosting a rotating list of teams in the single-A South Atlantic League. But for the past eight years, the city has enjoyed college summer league play in the Coastal Plain League. The Fayetteville Swampdogs have quickly become a summertime tradition among the locals.

My two daughters and I went on a Saturday night, which happened to  be Military Appreciation Night. The turnout was insane. J.P. Riddle Stadium has a huge parking lot — all free, by the way — yet people still had to park in unmarked areas and along the access roads. We also waited about 30 minutes in the food line. The ballpark has only one concession stand with three windows. (Stick with hot dogs or chicken strips. The pizza is terrible.)

The kids’ area on the first base side, however, is great. I was a little peeved to pay extra for entry, but the money was well spent. From what is essentially a little fenced off yard, I kept an eye on my girls getting their faces painted and jumping in the bounce house and while watching a little of the game. That’s a novelty for me. Better still, I got a great view of the sky blushing pink and into a deep violet as the sun disappeared behind the pine trees. I can’t tell you who won the game, but it’ll be a while before I forget that sunset.

Swampdogs management has done a lot to improve J.P. Riddle from what was essentially a collection of aluminum bleachers in the late 1990s. I used to wonder why they bothered playing there, but I love the ballpark now. Not just for the stadium. I love getting a good feel for the local community that gathers there. I was reminded of the sacrifice soldiers make. Members of the Air Force were there with his or her children, trying to pack in as much quality time as possible before they had to leave for Iraq again.

Check out the Swampdogs at www.goswampdogs.com.

North Carolina’s Best Ice Cream

I found Chappell’s ice cream shack at the Candor exit off US-220 the same way people often find great food places. I just happened upon it.

While on an assignment in Pinehurst, the golf-mad town in the south central part of the state, the family and I were about to get back on 220 North when I spotted a little farmer’s market with baskets of fresh peaches. I saw Chappell’s next door and thought, “What the heck?” Wow, what a pivotal moment in my life. I ordered their homemade peach ice cream, made with local peaches of course, and promptly freaked out, in a good way.

Flecked with bits of peaches, the ice cream was both buttery and refreshingly peachy. Then I tried the strawberry cone my wife ordered. Holy moly. Maybe even better than the peach. Several weeks later, when we drove back specifically for the ice cream, I threw caution to the wind and ordered butter pecan. To me, butter pecan was always reserved for senior citizens who lost their tastebuds anyway and couldn’t tell how bland the flavor always seemed to be.

Chappell’s butter pecan, however, tasted buttery. Almost caramelly. And the pecans added a nice, crunchy contrast. Now, I always order it after the peach and strawberry seasons are over. I love those three flavors so much I haven’t tried the others, although I will.

But what I have tasted is simply spectacular. Better than any of the more celebrated spots across the state, easily. And what I really love about it is that it’s just a roadside shack by the highway, usually staffed with a couple of teenage girls who spend their downtime text messaging. It feels like no one else but the locals knows about it. Well, now you know. Sorry, locals.

Houston: The Place for Burgers

Becks Prime is a local chain of burger joints widely lauded by the locals as the best in town. As usual, they’re right. The city has 11 Becks Prime locations. I went to the one in Memorial Park just west of downtown, which is nice because it’s part of a golf course clubhouse. You can enjoy your burger as you sit outside and watch the sun-burned duffers chase around their precious little white balls. If I played golf there, I’d be eating burgers every day — and weighing about 300 lbs.

Why would I eat so many burgers? Because they grill the meat over mesquite wood coals. Because they pile on fresh tomatoes and grilled onions and guacamole and jalepenos, depending on which one you order. I tried the Bubba Burger, topped with grilled onions, tomato, Becks’ special sauce and shredded cheddar. Awesome. The fresh fries, seasoned with spices, are pretty good, too. 

For the weight conscious, Becks’ has tasty-looking salads with grilled chicken and all that. But you’re cheating yourself if you choose anything but a burger here. Fast for the rest of the day, enjoy a week of celery sticks, do whatever you have to do. A Becks Prime burger is so worth it.  Check them out at www.becksprime.com.

Cool Coffeehouses in the Valley of the Sun

Phoenix likes its coffee. Starbucks has 29 locations in the city, and I feel as if I’ve been to every one. But I intend to never go back again.

No hard feelings, Starbucks. I’ve just found something better — a pair of coffeehouses so full of character and interesting people that I couldn’t resist hanging out at both places despite a tight schedule. 

Lux Coffeebar is easily my favorite coffee house in Phoenix. When driving down Central Avenue, look for the chartreuse building with the blocky picnic tables out front. Inside, it’s all white with mod tables, chairs and couches, most of which are occupied by hipsters with laptops or retro hipsters with their newspapers. Yeah, it’s hipster central, which can be kind of annoying if you’re the kind of person who sometimes forgets to comb his hair in the morning. Even a mom with one kid in a stroller and another hanging from her arm looked better than me. Damn her. 

Then there’s the help, all young and tatooed and hyped up on caffeine, discussing independent film and bands too cool for my own good. They probably spent the previous night carousing at some club. And even THEY look better than me. Ack! It was almost too much for my caffeine-deprived psyche. But then I got my coffee, and suddenly I heard birds singing. 

Lux roasts its own coffee and the results are spectacular. If you doctor your brew, all the accoutrements are at a counter facing the window to the roasting room where they do their magic. And it is magic. I can’t tell you what I had. Kenya AA? But it was smooth and bold and delicious. I didn’t want to consume anything else. I’d bought a giant strawberry chocolate chip scone, though, and decided to nibble on it. Then I remembered, that’s the other thing about Lux. They always go beyond the blueberry muffin. I had an apple cinnamon muffin there once that tasted like apple pie. And this scone was unreal. Generally, strawberry baked goods are drab, but this time I actually tasted strawberry and chocolate throughout. Awesome.

So don’t be intimidated by the crowd. Wear black, act French and you’ll be fine. In fact, you’ll be even better once you get your coffee. 

A close second is Copper Star Coffee on 7th Avenue near Indian School Road. It’s in a vintage gas station — the pumps are still outside!– and is part of the Melrose District, a cool little neighborhood of bungalows and vintage furniture stores. Honestly, if I had money and could buy a second home in Phoenix, this is where I’d buy.

Copper Star is the quintessential neighborhood coffee place, where the workers (dressed more casually, thank goodness) hang out outside at one of the tables chatting when business is slow. I like what they’ve done with the place, leaving the cinderblock walls exposed and dressed with framed art and filling the space with couches and chairs. I like that you can tell it was a gas station. So often, old buildings get renovated beyond recognition, which takes some of the allure away. I wound up lounging on a couch as the sun came up, a nice start to the day. 

 

Lux Coffee Bar … 4404 Central Ave., 602-696-9976

Copper Star Coffee … 4220 N. 7th Avenue, 602-266-2136

Best Burger Ever

Burgers joints are like pizza places. Everyone has their favorite, and those opinions tend to be passionate. But trust me when I tell you the best burger on earth isn’t in the meat lover’s haven of Texas or the ancestral homeland of McDonald’s in Southern California. And sorry know-it-all New Yorkers. It’s not in Manhattan or Brooklyn or Queens or The Bronx. It’s in Gilbert, Ariz., of all places.

 

Joe’s Farm Grill serves up gourmet comfort food in what was once the childhood home of owner Joe Johnston. He remodeled the house into a spiffy, Mid-Century Mod restaurant that evokes the classic 1950s fast food drive-in. Except Joe’s is no drive-in. You order at the window inside and get a little buzzer that goes off when your order is up. And when you pay, you realize this isn’t fast food, either. I ordered the Farm Burger with cheddar and grilled onions, a side of fried zucchini slices and a dark chocolate shake. My total? A shade over $16. Oof!

I thought about taking my food to go, but most of the regulars eat there. And almost everyone parks it at one of the picnic tables surrounding the place. Joe’s is shrouded in trees, so shade isn’t a problem. With the breeze blowing in on an early March afternoon, the setting was idyllic. I sat down beneath a grapefruit tree with little kids running around everywhere and forgot I just dropped $16 for a cheeseburger.

Five seconds later, I’d inhaled my it and realized I would’ve paid double. Fresh-cut fries come with the burger, which is huge by the way, so you do get a lot for your money. But here’s why I know the Farm Burger is the best I’ve ever had:

a. It’s perfect without condiments, and I’m a condiments person. I didn’t want to fool with the savory simplicity of the ground beef, cheddar and grilled onions.

b. I ate so fast, I didn’t realize the giant slice of tomato and leaf of lettuce in the styrofoam container until it was too late. Same goes for snapping a photo of the burger. Sorry.

c. I was obsessed with the burger for the rest of the trip. Joe’s is a good 40 minutes from my hotel in central Phoenix, but I still considered getting in the car and driving back down there. Now that I’m 1,000 miles away, I definitely wish I had. Ah, regrets.

The zucchini slices were just as great. Luckily, I slowed down enough to photograph them before they were gone. I thought they’d be battered like onion rings, but it’s more of a breadcrumb and seasoning thing, like the fried eggplant in eggplant parmesan. The rich tomato dipping sauce is nice and zesty and so fresh I could actually taste the tomato. Honestly, I’m not a fan of the squash family, but these zucchini slices were exceptional. 

Finally, there was the double chocolate shake. I was pretty much in pain by the time I started on it. The 20-minute grace period between chewing and digesting had been breached. But we’re talking about a thick chocolate shake with little gobs of dark chocolate sauce suspended in the mix. I couldn’t stop. If you sat at the table next to me, this is what you heard:

Slurp.

“Good god I’m so full …”

Slurp.

“I can’t take another sip … “

Slurp.

“I won’t be able to eat again until Tuesday.”

Slurp.

“The pain is like knives!”

Slurp.

I am proud to say I didn’t down the whole thing. But I will admit I thought about fishing it out of the trash can soon after I tossed it, and I probably would’ve if there weren’t families with small children around. 

I waddled back to my car with the kind of satisfaction you only get when you’ve discovered something truly remarkable. Trust me, if you decide to drive down from Phoenix, you may think it’s awfully far to go for a burger. But keep driving. You won’t be sorry. 

 

Joe’s Farm Grill, 3000 E. Ray Road, Gilbert, Ariz., 480-563-4745

Hours: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily (closed Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas)

North Carolina: Burgaw Before Beach

Do you long for the small-town America portrayed in the movies? Slow down on your way to the Carolina beaches and spend a few hours in Burgaw. You’ll be thrilled by what you find.

The focal point of the town is expansive, tree-lined Courthouse Square, named for the 1937 Georgian

Burgaw's Courthouse Square in January

Revival courthouse perched in the center. Ringing the square are independently owned stores and civic buildings. And people are everywhere, doing their health walks around the square, shopping in the stores or enjoying at bite to eat at the soda fountain or Burgaw Antiqueplace, where a little restaurant serves homemade fudge and sandwiches served on bread baked that morning. It’s magic.

Like many small towns on the Coastal Plain, Burgaw’s history is tied to the railroad. Nothing was there until 1850, when the Wilmington & Weldon Railroad built a small depot. Gradually, a town sprung up around it and was incorporated in 1879.

That original depot is in the midst of a dramatic renovation that will create event and office space. Those efforts earned the town a spot on the North Carolina Civil War trail in 2008. Burgaw was the site of several attacks, including one attempt by Union soldiers to burn down the depot. Charring is still visible on the ceiling in the warehouse.

Today, Burgaw’s main claim to fame is the blueberry. The wet, sandy soil in the area made it ideal for highbush blueberry plants, and the first in the state were grown there in the 1930s. To honor this history — and celebrate the berry’s Renaissance as a super food — Burgaw hosts the one-day North Carolina Blueberry Festival every June. Get there early. Blueberry supplies tend to run thin by the late afternoon.

The festival is a great excuse to see Burgaw, but the town is a great place to visit anytime. Try an orangeade at the Dees Drug Store soda fountain. Have a terrific sandwich at Burgaw Antiqueplace, browse the merchandise there and take home some of the owner’s wife’s fresh, homemade fudge, which is nice and smooth as it should be.

Harrell's Department Store

And be sure to stop by Harrell’s Department Store. It’s a well-preserved and functioning nod to the past that has remained in the Harrell family since the dawn of the 20th Century. It’s one of the few places in the region that still sells men’s hats. But it also has pushed its apparel selection to the high-end.

If Harrell’s looks familiar, you may know it from the 1997 flick “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” Sarah Michelle Gellar tried to escape the villain by dashing through the store to the elevator in back. Then she dove through a plate-glass window. Ouch. A photo of the Harrell patriarch with Gellar and Jennifer Love Hewitt hangs in the small coffee bar area at the front of the store. 

Check out Burgaw. You’ll find a nice contrast to all the congestion and crowds that await you at the coast. You’ll probably want to go back and chill out on one of the benches on the square.