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Saipin Chutima, Lotus of Siam is one of the 2010 Semi-finalists for James Beard Foundation
The category is Best Chef in the Southwest. Here at OffbeastTravel we know how good she is. We've eaten and loved Lotus of Siam The restaurant she and her husband own and run in Las Vegas. In fact, some people consider it to be the best Thai restaurant in the country. We can agree with that. Congratuations Saipin Chutima.
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Current Features
| Muscle Shoals Alabama Intrigues With Southern Music and Cultureby Patrice Raplee. A lone musician sits by the edge of the Singing River; it's serenely flowing pace and lush, green surroundings inspire him to write a
song. he is awaiting his recording session in the famous studio located behind him. Julian Lennon walks back to the Sheffield, Alabama studio and
goes on to record his melodic 1984 debut album, Valotte that would eventually go platinum. Slideshow
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| Tarquinia: Discovering the Enigmatic Etruscansby Troy Herrick. Tarquinia is a charming medieval hill-town encircled by 8 kilometers of turrets and fortifications. Characteristic of this region of Italy, the most
important families in the middle ages protected themselves inside stone towers. Hundreds of years ago there were as many as 100 towers but now only
about 20 remain. With a little digging however, visitors soon discover that Tarquinia’s Etruscan past is the real secret. Slideshow
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| The Rosenstrasse Rebellion: Berlin monument to the protest by German women to save their Jewish husbandsby Neala Schwartzberg. On February 27, 1943, the war was going poorly for the German army, but Hitler was still bothered by the problem
of the 2,000 Jewish men remaining in Berlin. He wanted to exterminate all the Jews, but he didn't count on the courage of their German wives. Slideshow
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| Pensacola: A local girl discovers the historical and culinary attractions of her hometownby Suzanne Wright. When I was 14, my father—who was in the U.S. Navy—moved us to Pensacola, Florida. It was our final move as a military family. Since my college graduation and subsequent out-of-state relocations, I’ve returned numerous times to visit family.
But only recently have I played tourist in my hometown.
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| The Palazzo in Las Vegas: Luxury Can be Greenby Neala Schwartzberg. The first in the series of LEED green hotels, the Palazzo doesn't sacrifice luxury when it went eco-friendly.
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| Discover the Medieval Secrets of Three Towns: Bambergby Maureen C. Bruschi. If you’re planning a trip to Germany’s Bavaria, you’ll find plenty of medieval towns and attractions to visit. But if you want to avoid
the tourists, here are three very special places. Bamberg. Arched stone bridges, road bridges and wooden bridges weave back and forth across the River Regnitz, transporting you to the artificial island and medieval
town of Bamberg. Slideshow
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| Explore the Bavarian Town of Bayreuthby Maureen C. Bruschi. Bayreuth, the largest city in Upper Franconia, is best known for its ties to composer Richard Wagner. But there
is more to the town. Slideshow
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| Discover the Medieval Bavarian Town of Regensburgby Maureen C. Bruschi. Regensburg, located in southeast Germany where the River Danube and Regen River meet, is one of the country’s oldest towns. The Steinerne Brücke
(Stone Bridge) is a great place to begin your visit. Built in the 12th century, Steinerne Brücke sits on 16 immense pillars, reaching more than
1,000 feet across the Danube River. Slideshow
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| Reykjavik, Icelandby Patrice Raplee. Reykjavik, Iceland, in winter is indeed a splendor to behold. The mid-sized city is a combination of Nordic architecture dating back to the late 1700s, to very modern,
clean-line edifices. The various architectures meld together quite well and during the winter holiday season, are adorned with colorful lights and
displays that light up the entire town. Slideshow
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| Iceland Beyond Reykjavik: Exploring the unique countrysideby Patrice Raplee. In addition to Iceland’s exciting capital of Reykjavik, and seasonal celebrations, there is the countryside. The landscape of Iceland is unlike anywhere
else on the planet. The temperate climate provides an ideal atmosphere in winter or summer to explore Iceland’s
varied topography. The geological formations of the country can’t be found anywhere else in the world and add magnificence to Iceland that draws visitors
back to explore further regions of this dynamic island. Slideshow
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| New Year's Eve in Reykjavik Icelandby Patrice Raplee. With the country’s dark winter days, holidays take on a special and lively characteristic. Iceland’s
famous New Year’s Eve Celebration is the largest in Europe. Millions of fireworks are set off throughout Reykjavik during this auspicious evening with community bonfires that take place all over
the city. Musicians perform traditional Icelandic music and residents and visitors gather before the enormous bonfires to visit, celebrate and prepare for
an evening of magnificent pyrotechnics and fun.
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| Taking the Chicken Bus to Nebaj, Guatemalaby Rick Neal. The first streaks of daylight brush the sky as I approach the bus station in Huehuetenango, Guatemala. I can see my breath in the cold air as I search for
my bus among dozens of worn-out Bluebird models strewn across the gravel lot. Mine is near the back, the most beat-up warhorse of them all.
The destination is barely visible scrawled across the front: Nebaj. Slideshow.
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| Discovering Vancouver, British Columbiaby Patrice Raplee. The city lights shimmer, casting reflections on the harbor, as a cool breeze drifts inland. Pedestrians button coats and stroll down the avenue gazing in
colorful boutique windows and pointing out their favorite architecture against Vancouver, British Columbia’s beautiful skyline.
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This Just In...
Looking for past press releases?
We've archived them at Press Release Archives
Vanderbilt Treasures Return: Gothic Art in the Gilded Age Exhibit to Open at Marble House in May For the first time since 1927, Alva Vanderbilt's extravagant collection of more than 300 Medieval and Renaissance art objects will be on display at Newport Rhode Island's Marble House. read more at Vanderbuilt collection returns home for new exhibit
Native Trails in Scottsdale Arizona: Free Noontime Native American festival Every January through April the outdoor amphitheater at the Scottsdale Civic Center Mall, just north of the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, comes alive with Native American music, dance, art and traditional food. Read more at Native Trails at Noon
See your verse in cement in St. Paul - sidewalk poetry contest Sidewalks are the blank pages of our city as a book, writes Marcus Young Artist-in-Residence City of Saint Paul. Thanks to this innovative program, people of St. Paul are having their verses inscribed on the foot paths of the city. And the contest is now open for new contributions. Read more at St. Paul Poetry on the Sidewalk Contest
Richmond Canada: A cranberry tribute and speed skating for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games Richmond, Canada is not only the site of the Speed Skating competition for the 2010 Olympics, it is also cranberry country. So it seemed natural to use 13 million of them (weighing about 30,000 pounds) to form the Canadian Olympic Committee's iconic logo complete with maple leaf, torch and the Olympic rings. Read more at Richmond Canada Celebrates the Olympic Games with Cranberry Tributes
Giant Alligators Invade Gatorland: Mile of Monsters features ten of the most notorious reptiles in captivity Gatorland is home to thousands of alligators and crocodiles, but some of the biggest and baddest reptiles alive can be found ruling the lakes and exhibits at the Alligator Capital of the World. Read more at Gatorland's Mile of Monsters
Tombs of Giza: New ones discovered, and a startling finding about the builders A collection of tombs that belong to workers who built Khufu’s pyramid (better known by his Greek name of Cheops) has been discovered on the Giza plateau, just outside of Cairo, Egypt. Read more at New Tombs Discovered in Giza
British Virgin Island - First Annual Kite (Boarding) Jam, March 1st through 5th, 2010 BVI Kite Jam will be a five-day event aimed at building awareness of the destination to the international kite boarding community and will highlight BVI as a Mecca for this growing sport. BVI provides the perfect weather conditions and winds necessary for kite boarding. Read more at British Virgin Islands Kite Boarding Jam
History Within History at Calico Ghost Town: Civil War re-enacted on streets, hills of old West mining town Calico, like the State of California, did not participate in the Civil War. But the dusty hills and sagebrush of the town lend itself to quite the staging for a Civil War re-enactment, February 13th through 15th. Read more at Civil War Re-enactment in Calico, CA
Chinese Culture Days at Missouri Botanical Garden Immerse yourself in traditional Chinese arts, music, culture and cuisine with Chinese Culture Days May 15th and 16th at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Read more at Chinese Culture Days in St. Louis
Traverse City Michigan is a winter playground for skiing, snowshoeing and more Winter is Traverse City's second busiest season - and once those fat white flakes start floating down from the sky, people start celebrating. Read more at Winter in Traverse City, Michigan
The International Civil Rights Center and Museum opens in Greensboro North Carolina: celebrate the famous Woolworth lunch counter sit-in On February 1, 1960, four young students told the world that they had enough. They walked into the F.W. Woolworth lunch counter for “whites only” and sat down. The 50th anniversary of that the sit-in movement will be the grand opening of the International Civil Rights Center & Museum in Greensboro, N.C. Read more at International Civil Rights Center and Museum Opens
The Nightclub & Bar Magazine has just announced today the finalists in the 2010 Nightclub & Bar Awards program. Are your favorits here? And, new places to try across the country. Read more at Bars and Nightclubs Award-winning finalists
Scottsdale, Arizona Recognizes Green Initiatives - 2009 Orange Tree Golf Resort, Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Gainey Ranch, and Desert Botanical Garden (as well as O’Neil Printing) were recognized for exhibiting outstanding sustainability practices. Read more at Scottsdale Arizona Green Awards
Québec Winter Carnival - 2010 For its 56th annual presentation, the Québec Winter Carnival in association with Loto-Québec will be offering visitors a unique winter experience from January 29 to February 14, 2010, with an all-new theme – the Carnival makes you dance! Read more at Quebec Winter Carnival
The London Jewish Museum of Art: New home of Marc Chagall holocaust drawing and highlight of new exhibit London Jewish Museum of Art has just acquired a previously unknown Marc Chagall drawing, one of his rare creations with a holocaust theme. This is a previously unknown drawing, and brings the total number of these creations to... three. Read more at New Chagall Holocaust drawing at London Jewish art museum
Burj Dubai: World's tallest building opens January 4th in Dubai, United Arab Emirates Although it will certainly be the world's tallest building no one is talking about exactly how tall is the actual building. Read more at Burj Dubai wrests title away from Taipei 101 in Taiwan
Remota Hotel is well-named - explore Patagonia in Chile with a luxury base Enjoy the slide show of Remota Hotel in Chile and explore Patagonia See it at Remota Hotel
Ten Reasons to Visit Aquitaine, France Aquitaine is an ideal vacation spot year-round: mild weather, great beaches, beautiful villages, and terrific food and wine. Not to mention nonstop festivals.
Hôtel Gavarni: First independent hotel in Paris to earn the European "eco-label" This label is awarded to businesses for their eco-friendly efforts, but it doesn’t come easy. In order to be eligible for the label, businesses must meet 84 strict ecological criteria. Read more at Hotel Gavarni "Green" Luxury
Nightly Lighting of the Grain Silos in Québec City's Old Port -- Aurora Borealis The grain silos in the city's Old Port have come to life starting on October 31, draped in a luminous veil that lights up the night. Robert Lepage and Ex Machina will once again be working with the lines of this imposing architectural structure, installing permanent lighting that will turn on every evening from nightfall until 11:30 p.m., for the next five years. Read more at Quebec City Nightly Aurora Borealis