Oh BOYsee

Oh boy, another  State Capitol

On my list of "5000 places to visit before I get too old, too tired, or too responsible with my money" I can tell you, with absolute authority, you would not have found Boise. One of the compelling reasons for that would be that I'd never even heard of Boise until last year. Another reason could be that, since hearing of the capital of Idaho, the anticipation of a first hand experience failed to conjure up sufficient excitement to actually make me plan a trip. But when some friends planned to visit Boise for a weekend away, and invited us along, I felt that a travel opportunity was knocking and since I'm a sucker for every travel adventure, I opened that door and we found ourselves travelling across Idaho to the capital of our Gem State.

It stands for Experimental Breeder Reactor

Boise (pronounced BOY-see - I know, its looks like a French word but it's pronounced American style) is four and a half hours west of Idaho Falls. We managed to take the 'scenic route', actually an exquisite scenic detour, that doubled the journey time but allowed us to enjoy many interesting side excursions, scenic views and we threw in a few mountain passes just for fun. As we headed out of Idaho Falls we stopped at the EBR1, the first nuclear power plant to generate electricity. It made history by illuminating the nearby town of Arco in 1951. What they neglect to tell you is that, in 1951, it only took four 200-watt light bulbs to illuminate the town. Today the town has grown somewhat, and it now takes 6 odd light bulbs to set the town a-glow. (Note: Arco is still not on my list of 5000 places to visit)

At this scenic overlook we bumped into a Capetonian

We headed north towards Sun Valley, the exclusive ski resort town and stopped for lunch at Sun Valley Brewing which is actually in Hailey. It's interesting to see the affluence in this area with the idyllic lodges, private planes and elite shopping and dining, all reserved for a privilaged handful of people that I doubt reside in Idaho for more than a couple of weeks per year. We drove through the Alexander Ross Pass - I find it's always a treat to take any mountain pass and this one, through the Sawtooth Mountains, did not disappoint. We continued through the uninteresting towns of Stanley and Idaho City (man, there are some seriously dull one-horse towns in Idaho) and finally arrived in Boise in the early evening. Although we could have done the journey in half the time I found our meander through the Sawtooth Mountains and 2 National Forests to be utterly enjoyable and not at all regrettable, even though we drove behind a novice motorcyclist, who took each of the hundred or so horseshoe bends of the single-laned Ponderosa Pine Scenic Route at not more than 4 and a half miles an hour. 

A tree lined downtown street and outdoor cafe

As the capital, Boise is the State's most populous city and probably the only city in Idaho with buildings taller than 3 stories. In fact, they are very proud of the U.S Bank Plaza with its ... staggering ... 20 stories. It stands on Grove Plaza in the centre of the downtown business district. This succinct area is bustling with atmosphere, and I was so impressed by the awesome young energetic vibe and modern, urban feeling of this wonderful little city. There are many delicious restaurants (a delectable find was Proto's, where the pizza is as good as Faccia Luna in State College and Lapa Flo in Joburg), bars (a pear cider comes to mind but I'm not remebering the names of the bars we visited), clubs (we saw 2 great bands) and shops (the record store, like the one in the movie Empire Records, was a highlight). This downtown area is created by a grid of streets that extend outwards from a rather busy central pedestrian area. I find it wonderful to be in a city that values the pedestrian, which is the antithesis of the ubiquitous (and much despised by myself) American drive-through: drive-through food, drive-through coffee, drive-through banking, drive-through pharmacy, drive-through mailboxes and I even found on wikipedia, I kid you not, a drive-through funeral viewing parlour, because getting out of your car to say your last goodbyes to that precious loved one may be too much to ask.

Now that's what I call a tree!

We spent a glorious afternoon riding our bikes along the Green Belt - a lovely park that extends for 22 miles along the Boise River. Of course in that afternoon we didn't cover all 22 miles - it seemed like an awful lot of exercise but I think we only covered 5 miles or so. The reason for this was not only our leisurely speed (yes I was setting pace) but also the fact that it is ridiculously scenic and we couldn't help but stop to take in the views of the river, the many bridges, the towering trees and even some local dogs taking a swim against the surprisingly strong current. Another setback was a sneakily located Brewery along the bike path which was rather too tempting on such a warm summer's afternoon. Although Idaho Falls also has a Green Belt, along the great Snake River no less, I couldn't help feeling a little green with envy as this area in Boise is so expansive, user-friendly, clean and picturesque. I shudder to think that there are probably many local residents who pay gym membership fees to sit on a stationary bike inside a building when they have this on their doorstep.

The brick facade of the Basque Market

I was surprised to find a Basque neighbourhood and even more surprised to discover that Boise is home to one of the largest communities of Basque immigrants in the world. The area is called the Basque Block and consists of restaurants and traditional eateries as well as a museum and cultural centre that preserves the heritage and language through exibts, collections, festivals, classes, and tours. We celebrated this wonderful find with tapas, paella and Spanish wine at the Basque market. I'm thrilled to know that this touch of Europe is only a four and a half hour drive away from my home. Next time I visit here I'll be sure to bring some extra dollars to procure some tapenade, chourizo and some of the many Spanish wines they had on offer. Why is the good stuff always so expensive?

On Wednesdays and Fridays they make Paella at noon on the pavement - conveniently we rolled up at 12.15 on a Friday

On Saturday mornings from 8.30am 8th Street is transformed into the Capital City Public Market. These farmer's markets are found across America and I am so pleased to see locals shopping locally for fresh produce, buying from the person who grew it. This market in Boise is certainly impressive (far better than the local version in Idaho Falls and better too than the Amish one in State College). They have a large selection of potatoes (obviously) as well as all types of fruit, vegetables, meats, fish, breads, cheeses and flowers. There's more to the market than the edible offerings and you can find jewellery, art and handmade crafts, candles, gifts, cards, etc. It makes for a great morning out and even though we only turned up at 11am we managed to visit many stalls, trying, nibbling and perusing without too much procuring - of course you wouldn't want to buy fresh flowers and some bison steaks for your hotel room.

It's a great city, and I must say I'm a little disappointed it's 4 and half hours away but I'm suspecting that Boise will be revisited numerous times while I'm an Idahoian. While I lived in State College it was always great to know that New York City was just 4 and a half hours away and while I'm not quite comparing Boise to the Big Apple, it will be my go-to urban choice for a while and should be on your list of 5000 places to see.

The centre of the city  - Grove Plaza