Roadside America: El Paragua Restaurant, Espanola, New Mexico

by Laurel Miller on

The little city of Española lies just 25 miles north of Santa Fe. It sits on the crossroads of SR 68 and NM 76 (aka the Taos Highway), which leads to the village of Chimayo, famed for its handwoven blankets, Santuario, and chiles. Española is also surrounded by some of the region’s famous Indian pueblos. Until about five years ago, I never saw any reason whatsoever to stop there, aside from filling up my gas tank. When you’re a dusty town located between some of a state’s biggest tourist attractions, you tend to get overlooked.

It’s my obsession with New Mexican cuisine – and posole (a dried hominy soup) in particular – that led the owner of a Santa Fe street food cart to tell me about El Paragua. I can’t recall our conversation, but he basically told me if I wanted to taste some of the best food in New Mexico, I should hightail it up to Española.

So that’s what I did. I pulled up to a large, imposing hacienda constructed from massive blocks of hand-hewn stone, located all by its lonesome on the corner of NM 76 and Highways 84/285. Inside, it was dimly lit, all rustic wooden beams, (vigas), terra-cotta floor tiles, and those same stone walls. El Paragua looked like an old-school Mexican restaurant and to a certain degree, that’s what it is.

El Paragua started out as a roadside food stand in 1958. Brothers Larry and Pete Atencio, the sons of plumber Luis Atencio, decided they were going to sell their mother Frances’ tacos and tamales. They added a table, and opened for business. Luis provided the boys with a multi-colored beach umbrella (paraguay) for shade, and El Paragua was born.

In 1966, the Atencio family converted their tack room into a restaurant, and continued to add expansions over the years (including converting Luis’ plumbing shop). Today, El Paragua is legendary for both the quality of the food (the Atencio’s are still actively involved in the daily operations, and use Frances’ recipes) and the service, which is unfailingly warm and friendly.

Let’s get to the important stuff, shall we? Never have I tasted posole or carne adovada that comes even close to touching El Paragua’s. Every dish is an explosion of flavor. The posole is a rich, well-seasoned, porky broth brimming with hunks of fork-tender meat, chewy morsels of hominy, and a goodly amount of chile (I prefer mine Christmas); eat it with greaseless puffs of sopapilla drizzled with honey. The fiery adovada sauce is brick-red and earthy, the pork succulent. The plate comes with a side of whole frijoles mixed with chicos (smoky bits of dried, then cooked, corn). The tortillas are made in-house. If you’re in a hurry, there’s also the parking lot taco-stand, El Parasol, a tribute to the original El Paragua. What’s not to love about quarts of green chile to go?

I now plan my New Mexico visits around El Paragua, to maximize the number of meals I can have there. If food is love, then El Paragua is a long-distance relationship worth staying in.

[Photo credit: Flickr user alasam]

Big City Scavenger Hunt A Fun And Informative Quest

by Chris Owen on

Remember scavenger hunts? The game where individuals or teams go out into the world to gather the items on predetermined list? Whoever gets them all first wins? Great.

In a unique twist on the game, UrbanQuest is a scavenger hunt in a great city that ends at a restaurant where reservations have been made. Along the way, “Questers” learn their way around the city in a fun and challenging way and everyone is a winner.

Held Amazing-Race style, groups of Questers download their clue package online then hit the streets to solve interesting puzzles that force teams to be resourceful. The final destination is a mystery restaurant where UrbanQuest has made a reservation for you. Timed to take about an hour and a half to complete, reservations are made for two hours after starting to allow some extra time for slow teams.

After buying a Quest online, it can be launched from your My Quests pages anytime. While the exact restaurant will be a surprise, you’ll pick a general category, just to be sure it is the kind of food the team will enjoy. Get stuck on a clue, see hints and answers on the included clue package that you printed off before starting.

In New York, for example, two Quests are offered. A Walk In The Park is a Quest in Central Park and another one sends Questers around Rockefeller Center. Each is priced at $28.99 per person + tax and the meal.

UrbanQuest is currently available in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Washington DC, Chicago, Indianpolis, Louisville, Baltimore, Boston, Princeton, Cincinnati, Portland, Philadelphia, Nashville and Seattle plus a number of Canadian cities and some international destinations with more cities on the way. UrbanQuest customers who have successfully completed a Quest are invited to be QuestTesters, trying out new Quests before they become available to the public

UrbanQuest looks to be great for dates, groups of friends, family outings or office team building and can be gifted via e-gift cards.



[Flickr photo by krandolph]

It’s Cheaper To Fly To Maui Than … Cleveland?

by Kyle Ellison on

If you live in the San Francisco Bay area, yes, it is.

No, the beaches of Lake Erie didn’t suddenly become in high demand. Rather, Hawaiian Airlines just doubled the amount of non-stop flights on its direct routes to Maui out of Oakland and San Jose. To celebrate this momentous occasion the airline is offering unheard of fares that will leave you digging through your closet for that old aloha shirt.

So what kind of fares are we looking at?

Let’s take a look:

For travel purchased by October 8 and completed by December 13, round-trip tickets are going for as low as $290.

A flight to Cleveland during the same time period? How about $410.

This is just another example of off-season travel offering up affordable deals to destinations frequently lumped into the “too expensive” category.

Need more reasons to visit the islands during the fall? How about football on TV by the time you wake up.

Everyone loves a mai-tai in the morning!

US Hotels Offering Halloween Packages And Programming

by Jessica Festa on

Want to celebrate Halloween on the road this holiday? Stay at one of these U.S. hotels offering festive packages and programming.

The Sanctuary Hotel
New York, NY

Located in the heart of Manhattan, The Sanctuary Hotel is offering a “Haunted Hotel” package this Halloween. Along with luxurious accommodations, guests staying from October 29 to November 4 will receive:

  • A tour of the city in a hearse, highlighting everything from haunted buildings to where famous mobsters got whacked
  • A basket of sweet treats from Dylan’s Candy Bar in your room
  • A classic horror film screening in the hotel lobby on Halloween Eve, complete with popcorn and candy
  • Breakfast buffet each morning
  • Wi-Fi

Rates start at $554 per night based on double occupancy. Click here to book. Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa
Sonoma, California

The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa is home to many eerie legends. For example, in the evening when the fog rolls in from the bay, people have claimed to see a hauntingly beautiful woman named Victoria strolling the hallways of the inn in period dress, sipping a Sonoma Pinot. Her heritage can be traced back to the founding fathers of Sonoma Valley, and she is said to have celebrated her wedding and many anniversaries at the resort. Additionally, the property was once a sacred healing ground for Native Americans, and guests have commented on the otherworldly presence at the inn. To help celebrate their ghostly past, the property will feature ghoulish offerings during September. Halloween-themed cocktails like the “Bloody-Tini” and the “Twilight Cocktail,” pumpkin-inspired spa treatments, a spirited seasonal wine and dinner pairing and tours of nearby haunted sites, like the Sebastiani Theatre, The Blue Wing Inn and the former Sonoma Asylum will all be available.

Rates start at $229 per night based on double occupancy. Click here to book.

Hotel ZaZa Houston
Houston, Texas

At Hotel ZaZa Houston, guests can enjoy a full weekend of tricks and treats this Halloween. From now through October 27, guests can enjoy:

  • One night of luxury accommodations
  • Admission for two to Bone-Appetit Pumpkin Sculpting on October 27th from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. with Executive Chef Jonathan Jones
  • Two complimentary drinks from the Witches Cauldron
  • Admission for two to Monarch’s Dancing in Dark Halloween Party on October 27, from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., featuring nationally acclaimed DJ Lady Bunny
  • Parking
  • Wi-Fi

Rates start at $299 per night based on double occupancy. Click here to book.

Congress Hall Hotel
Cape May, New Jersey

To help get you in the mood for Halloween, Congress Hall Hotel is offering a “Phantom Ball” package. From October 26 to 28, participating guests will receive:

  • Two nights of accommodation
  • A $20 breakfast voucher for two each morning at the Blue Pig Tavern
  • Two tickets to Congress Hall’s “Phantom Ball” on Friday night
  • Two tickets to a Cape May ghost tour on the Victorian streets of Cape May on Saturday

Rates start at $284.28 per night based on double occupancy. Call 888.944.1816 to book.

The Stanley Hotel
Estes Park, Colorado

If this hotel could scare horror writer Stephen King, it must be terrifying. The Stanley Hotel is said to be a hot spot for ghosts, especially in room 217, the very room that served as the inspiration for King’s novel, “The Shining.” The property has also been featured in several episodes of “Ghost Hunters.” As if this is not enough, the property is featuring themed events, including:

  • Accommodations
  • Two tickets to the Shining Ball (October 27)
  • The chance to go on a five-hour ghost hunt with on-staff paranormal investigators and learn how to use ghost hunting tools and test their new skills in some of the property’s most haunted locations that are inaccessible to the general public

Rates start at $299 per night based on double occupancy. Click here to book.

The Ranch at Rock Creek
Philipsburg, Montana

This holiday, The Ranch at Rock Creek is offering a festive “Halloween at the Ranch” package for guests staying between October 31 through November 3. The promotion includes:

  • Three nights of accommodation in a Western-style luxury lodge
  • Non-stop festive activities, like trick-or-treating, pumpkin carving, a costume contest, bonfires with spooky ghost stories, a photo scavenger hunt, and trips to the Granite County Ghost Hall of Fame and famous Sweet Palace Candy Shop for Halloween treats
  • Free accommodations for children under 17
  • A fall-inspired pumpkin scrub treatment for two at their onsite Granite Spa

Guests can also take part in the ranch’s usual fare, like carriage rides, horseback riding, sporting clay shooting, archery, fly-fishing, hiking, mountain biking, bowling and more.

All-inclusive rates for this package start at $850 per person, per night (aside for children under 17). Rates include all activities, luxury lodge accommodations, gourmet dining, premium beverages, two pumpkin scrub spa treatments and airport transfers. Email welcome@theranchatrockcreek.com or call 406.859.6027 to book.

Harbor Beach Marriott Resort & Spa
Fort Lauderdale, Florida

At Harbor Beach Marriott Resort & Spa there is fun to be had for kids and kids at heart throughout Halloween week with its “No Tricks Just Treats” package. From October 26 to November 3, guests will receive deluxe accommodations and a special trick-or-treating experience throughout the common rooms. Additionally, from October 27 to 28 and on the 31, themed activities will be held, including:

  • A Halloween obstacle course
  • Halloween mask/costume making
  • Themed arts & crafts
  • Traditional Halloween games
  • Themed cookie decorating
  • A family-friendly Halloween dive-in film on Halloween day

Rates start at $319 per night based on double occupancy. Click here to book.

Hershey Lodge
Hershey, Pennsylvania

Halloween is all about candy, so what better place to send it than the country’s chocolate hub, Hershey, Pennsylvania? The Hershey Lodge is offering a “Holiday in Hershey” package, which includes:

  • Deluxe accommodations
  • Breakfast with the Hershey’s product characters
  • One-day admission to Hersheypark in the Dark, their family-friendly Halloween alternative at Hersheypark
  • Admission to Hershey Gardens and The Hershey Story’s Museum Experience

There will also be Halloween-themed activities for kids, like a “Witches Brewed Children’s Tea” on Saturdays at 12:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. where children can come in costume to sample hot chocolate, orange and white chocolate teas and a variety of finger foods. The tea also includes pumpkin decorating, Halloween-themed storytelling and a kid-size apron. The cost is $40 for an adult and child, and $18 for each additional person.

The package is available Fridays and Saturdays from October 19 through November 3, with prices starting at $399 per person. Click here to book.

The White House Inn
Wilmington, Vermont

Ghosts and legends are a big part of Vermont’s culture, and have been for hundreds of years. To help celebrate the state’s heritage, The White House Inn will be hosting an eerie event on October 27. With the help of the inn’s own ghost, a baroness who haunts the halls, a séance and haunted tour will be held along with a three-course dinner. There will be two seatings, one at 7 p.m. and one at 9 p.m. The event will be led by a member of the New England Ghost Project, the area’s leading paranormal investigation team.

Rates start at $349 per night based on double occupancy. The dinner and séance event is $100. Click here to book.

Kalahari Resort
Sandusky, OH

If you’re looking to get wet this Halloween, Kalahari Resort boasts being home to the largest indoor waterpark in the country. Not only that, but this holiday, they’ll also be hosting a “Halloween Happenings” weekend from October 26 to 28. Festivities include Halloween coloring contests, arts and crafts, trick-or-treat bag designing, pumpkin painting at Safari Adventures, creepy cookie decorating, pumpkin bean bag toss, candy corn bingo, hula hoop competitions, costume parties, limbo competitions, Trick-or-Treating around the resort and more. With the package, guests will receive:

  • Admission to Kalahari’s indoor waterpark
  • Four black-light mini golf passes
  • Four Safari Adventures Animal Park passes

For a two-night package for up to four guests, prices range from $499.98 for a Hut Room to $579.98 for a Nomad Room or Lodge Suite. Click here to book.

Photo Of The Day: BART Blur

by Alex Robertson Textor on

The blur of public transportation is an atmospheric, if possibly overplayed, representation of travel itself. This particular blur, of a BART train and station, owes much to the yellow floor safety line, which grounds the image.

This blur was snapped by Flickr user kiddie1997. For me, it prompts memories of living in San Francisco, an association I was feeling particularly keenly today to begin with thanks to the slow, insistent rain outside, so reminiscent of a San Francisco winter.

Upload your best images to the Gadling Group Pool on Flickr. We choose our favorites from the pool as Photos of the Day.