A Washington Post article by
John Briley answers the question: You’re going where? Boise

Briley has been writing professionally since 1993. He has published dozens of travel, health and lifestyle pieces in numerous publications. His website is johnbriley.com

John comments on Idaho’s capital city, saying:

there is so much more than potatoes, blooming with artsy and independent delights. Plus, a river runs through it.

Of course those of us who live in the beautiful city of trees are very much aware of the value of the Treasure Valley and how special it is to live in the scenic Gem State. We are happy you enjoyed your visit to Boise, John. Follow this link to John’s Washington Post Article about Boise where John writes a monthly series “You’re going where?” highlighting the best vacation destinations you’ve probably never considered.

The article includes places here in Boise you will definitely want to visit:

• The Idaho Sate Capitol building – our state’s most-treasured building.
• JUMP (Jack’s Urban Meeting Place) – J. R. (Jack) Simplot, an Idaho entrepreneur was a model of the pioneering spirit. After passing away in 2008, he left behind his legacy and astounding collection of vintage tractors. Instead of building a typical tractor museum, his family decided to build JUMP to honor Jack by giving our community opportunities to continue to inspire, grow, and innovate.
• Freak Alley Gallery – Freak Alley Gallery was born on Dec 15th of 2002. What began as a line on a door has grown to be “The largest outdoor gallery in the Northwest”.
• Boise Contemporary Theater – inspires our community to examine our perspectives and better understand ourselves, each other, and the world around us by creating thought-provoking stories of the human experience.
• Fork Restaurant – creative, farm-to-table American dishes and craft cocktails served in a vibrant, brick-and-wood space.
• Bardenay – as the nation’s first restaurant distillery, Bardenay set an industry precedent by combining a full service restaurant and bar with a distillery.
• Goldy’s Breakfast Bistro – located in the heart of downtown Boise, Idaho. Goldy’s takes pride in its made to order breakfast using as many fresh local ingredients as possible to provide a variety of choices.
• The STIL (Sweetest Things in Life) – create high quality, locally based, hand-crafted artisanal ice cream.
• The Record Exchange – a family-owned independent music store.
• Basque Market – serving Spanish-style pintxos (Basque for tapas) and meat & seafood paella.
• Crazy Neighbor – retail accessory shop with an eclectic product line.
  Offering a broad mix of fashion accessories for both men and women, as well as a complete line of stage makeup, wigs and specialty products for individuals, performers and stylists.
• Dunia Marketplace – Idaho’s only nonprofit fair-trade store selling hand-made items from local and global artisan families.
• Inn at 500 Capitol – Centered in the heart of downtown Boise, Idaho.
• The Modern Hotel and Bar– a re-animated Travelodge located in downtown Boise’s Linen District.
• Hyde Park – an older neighborhood with tree-lined streets is on the National Register of Historic Places.
• Boise River Greenbelt – a 25-mile path that runs along the river next to parks and the famous blue turf of Boise State University.

As I recently returned from a short trip to my native country, Romania, I thought I should share some things that impressed me positively there.  Maybe there are Romanians here that haven’t been back for a while, and would like to hear how things are going,  and sometimes we can all benefit from looking at how other people do things…

Romanians seem to be happily adapting to being part of the European Union. Highways are being built, and the natives are taking to them like ducks to water. Roads are improving, stores are full of beautiful things, you can’t go a few paces without stumbling over a restaurant or café, or terrace…the food, I could write a whole book about it, but others have already done it better than I could. Anyone who has visited Romania would agree that the food  is plentiful and very tasty, and by our standards, not very expensive.

A couple of things I noticed in the houses I visited: one is a little device that people can attach to their faucets and save water; especially in houses with  young children, that’s  great to have, because even if the children forget to turn off the faucet, the water won’t run…it’s of course motion activated. Similar devices exist here, of course, but I haven’t seen them widely used in residences, and that may be a good idea to implement, or to start asking builders about…

The other improvement that I noticed was the windows opening two ways, like a regular window to the side, or the same window could be tilted and opened only on top. I believe it’s a question of double hinges, but I am no expert. I am sure builders would understand how that is done. Great safety feature for children or pets, especially on higher floors, and a wonderful way of enjoying the last warm and sunny days of Indian Summer…

It was great seeing how Romania has changed, and visiting family and friends that I haven’t seen in a long while. It is even better coming back to my wonderful friends and the place I’m proud to call my home: Boise, Idaho, the United States of America.

~ Cristina Pescaru