 Golf Reservations
Native American tribes have long been big in the casino business. But lately, they’ve taken up a new game: golf. With access to land and generous ancestral water rights, tribes from coast to coast have the resources required to build some of the country’s finest courses. The result is world-class golf at reasonable prices. So pack your bags — and your clubs. These are a few tribal links you’ve got to play. —Josh Sens
1 We-Ko-Pa Golf Club
The Fort McDowell Yavapai nation in Arizona offers two courses mere minutes from Scottsdale, the challenging Cholla and the more forgiving Saguaro, to satisfy players of all skill levels. Stunning desert views come into play at every hole. $45 to $195, (480) 836-9000, www.wekopa.com
2 Barona Creek Golf Club
Ranked among the top five courses in California, these links have an undulating layout that bucks through the foothills east of San Diego. The greens are sloping, and putts roll lickety-split.
$65 to $150, (888) 722-7662, www.barona.com
3 Paa-Ko Ridge Golf Club
Carved along the shadow of the Sandia Mountains in New Mexico (about 20 minutes northeast of Albuquerque), this celebrated course rises to elevations of 7,000 feet and requires the golfer to make shots over arroyos as well as downhill drives through piñon and ponderosa forests. $59 to $79, (866) 898-5987, www.paakoridge.com
4 Shenendoah Golf Club at Turning Stone Resort & Casino
Roaming from pine forest to windswept pasture, this award-winning course in upstate New York can feel like two tracks in one. The surrounding landscape is picturesque, and the course conditions are worthy of the PGA Tour. $95 to $140, (877) 748-4653, www.turningstone.com
5 Lake of Isles North Course at Foxwoods Resort
Just outside Norwich, Connecticut, is Lake of Isles. The South Course is open only to members, but the North Course will feel like your own private club. Acclaimed architect Rees Jones tests your game with island greens, island tees, and fairways that bend through more than 900 acres of rolling New England hills. If your skills aren’t sharp, book a lesson at the club’s state-of-the-art golf academy. $125 to $195, (888) 475-3746, www.lakeofisles.com — J.S.
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Made-to-Order
 Last week, UPS delivered a pair of shoes that I had ordered online. But these were no ordinary shoes. These were shoes I had designed myself. —Jill Becker
Lately, there’s been a constant buzz about all the cool websites where you can design your own [fill in the blank here]. Naturally, I decided to join the masses and test the waters. The first thing I discovered: The options are endless, from customizing a pair of jeans (www.tailormade-jeanswear.com) to creating the ultimate party dress (www.dressbydesign.com). I, though, needed a new pair of shoes for the summer, so I opted to create a kicky pair of espadrilles through Ann Roth (www.annroth.com). Being that the site belongs to an independent, Atlanta-based designer, it doesn’t have some of the bells and whistles that a lot of custom-order websites like Nike (www.nikeid.com) and Lands’ End (www.landsend.com) do, but after filling out a quick questionnaire — there’s even a shoe personality quiz, in case you’re having trouble deciding — I was able to convey my desired style of shoe, type and color of fabric, and even the material that would tie around the ankle. Roth processed the information, and a few days later, I received an e-mail with several sample designs. I chose a dapper pair with a mod paisley fabric at the toe and two different coordinating ribbons for the tie. My one-of-a-kind Chocolate Mint (so dubbed by Roth) shoes won several fans on a recent outing, and at $140, they didn’t cost any more than what a similar pair of designer sandals would. And they fit like a dream — which is, in fact, one of the major advantages of these create-your-own sites.
Take MakeYourOwnJeans.com , for example, where the first step is to input a series of measurements — a move that ensures you will end up with a perfect fit, whether you’ve got a long waist, big hips, or short legs. Runners and other athletes especially appreciate being able to custom-fit their footwear, a service offered through not only Nike but Adidas (www.miadidas.com) and Converse (www.converse.com). Imagine: no more blisters!
But the real fun is in creating your own custom apparel, clicking away between choices like short sleeves or long, stripes or solids, cotton or silk, and buttons or zippers. And there are sites out there for just about anything — whether you’re wanting pieces for a weekend hiking trip (www.beyondclothing.com) or a Monday-morning business meeting (www.makeyourownsuits.com). There’s even a site where you can design your own prom dress (www.promgirl.com) and your own underwear (www.dtclothes.com) . Personally, I think I’ll stick with shoes for now.
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Where’s the Beef?
 Vegetables: the other, other white meat — if you’re a vegetarian, anyway. Regardless of your food-group leanings, though, you can’t help but enjoy these havens for herbivores across the nation. — Becca Hensley
Sage’s Cafe, Salt Lake City
Flip out over faux escargot and artisan-crust pizza at Sage’s Cafe, where award-winning chef Ian Brandt infuses art into every aspect of his culinary preparation. Plus, using yield from his own garden and local organic ingredients, Brandt has made sure that his wind-powered café is green in every way. 473 East 300 South (Broadway),
(801) 322-3790, www.sagescafe.com
Leaf Vegetarian Restaurant, Boulder, Colorado
Sip enviro-friendly wine and organic vodka martinis at Leaf Vegetarian Restaurant, located just off Boulder’s hip Pearl Street mall. This global-fare-focused eatery offers dishes such as artichoke guacamole, heirloom tomato Caprese, Jamaican jerk tempeh, and harissa eggplant in sophisticated, tranquil digs. 2010 16th Street, (303) 442-1485, www.leafvegetarianrestaurant.com
Green Zebra, Chicago
Offering a contemporary setting and dedicated to the celebration of the five senses and a slower pace, Green Zebra thrills with its heady five-course tasting menu, which features seasonal specialties like a crisp chickpea pancake with toasted pine nuts, basil, and marinated radishes. 1460 West Chicago Avenue, (312) 243-7100, www.greenzebrachicago.com
Millennium Restaurant, San Francisco
The granddaddy of upscale vegetarian dining, the swanky Millennium, located within the Hotel California on Union Square, awakens even the most die-hard carnivore’s inner herbivore. With Vermeer-like tile on the floor, a zinc bar, and faux-lizard-leather upholstery, this mecca matches its aesthetic elegance with elaborate dishes like edamame gnocchi and stuffed-truffle roulade. 580 Geary Street, (415) 345-3900, www.millenniumrestaurant.com
Real Food Daily, Santa Monica
A cult following flocks to this tasty restaurant to gobble up Ann Gentry’s ingenious seasonal vegan comfort food. A celebrity favorite, this diva of the meatless serves up delicacies like TV Dinner: a baked loaf of tempeh with mashed potatoes, vegetables, and gravy. 514 Santa Monica Boulevard, (310) 451-7544, www.realfood.com
Candle 79, New York
A veggie hangout worthy of the Upper East Side, Candle 79 is the more sophisticated sister of already famous vegetarian café the Candle. The chic bi-level restaurant, with floor-to-ceiling windows, offers unbelievably delicious vegan dishes. Try a seaweed salad and the pumpkin-crusted seitan paired with a kosher Chardonnay. 154 East 79th Street, (212) 537-7179, www.candlecafe.com
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How Is a Woolly Mammoth like a Customer? Funny You Should Ask.
 Anthropologists don’t study engineering or finance, which begs this question: Why are companies like Intel and Wells Fargo hiring them? Because the fundamental question in business is, what do people want? And face it, humans are strange creatures; if they weren’t, anthropologists wouldn’t have jobs. Here’s Marsha Shenk, a business anthropologist, explaining what early humans can teach us. — Tracy Staton
Why is there so much interest in business anthropology?
Because everyone’s trying to innovate. Since the first human community, people have been figuring out things they hadn’t been able to do … [Unfortunately] today’s leaders aren’t in great shape to set that up.
How did people do it in the past?
They’d notice that, say, I’m able to throw stones at a predator, but I don’t remember which herbs are good for a sick child, and you do. I’d ask you for help, and you’d ask me. People would set up exchanges, so they’d get to do what they did well and get help with what they didn’t.
Sounds great. Why don’t we operate that way?
It’s counterintuitive. Most modern Westerners go to schools that teach us to know the answers rather than to be grateful for what others know.
What should savvy managers do, then?
Make it easy for people to make offers to each other. Make it easy for people to admit they aren’t doing something well. Then people can do their best work together.
Find out more at www.bestwork.org.
I Feel like Somebody’s Watching Me
Wondering how an anthropologist could help your company? Just take a look at these three successful case studies.
1 A new CEO at Pfizer Pharmaceutical wanted company scientists to operate differently, but they balked. Anthropologist Marsha Shenk asked them what they’d define as a more effective operation. The scientists realized that ever since they were grad students, they’d been in business to keep their projects funded for as long as possible — because in science, funding is a status symbol. But in business, it’s more efficient to kill projects that don’t show potential for big financial payoffs. About-face! They moved from judging themselves by how long they could string a project along to how quickly they could quash it.
2 After observing, recording, and videotaping families at breakfast, anthropologist Susan Squires realized that moms want their kids to eat nutritious food, dads prefer to eat comfort food that reminds them of childhood, and kids want to eat fun or sweet food (like cereal that turns the milk blue). Plus, everyone eats on the go. So Squires recommended developing a breakfast food that was healthy, portable, and fun. The result? Go-Gurt, which brought in $37 million during its first year in the dairy section.
3 A small hotel chain wanted to pull a Madonna and remake its identity. A team of anthropologists observed guests for days, recording words and body language. They also handed out disposable cameras and then used the pictures from them to get guests to talk about their trips. One finding: The hotels essentially ignored kids. Now when families arrive, the hotels check in the kids instead of the parents. That and other changes have boosted the chain’s leisure business by some $500,000.
Sources: Marsha Shenk, the National Association for the Practice of Anthropology, and Inc. Magazine.
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A Little Slice of Zest
Lemon yellow — and the juicy fruit it comes from — is suddenly everywhere, from runways to roadways.
Here you’ll find everything you need for a shot of fresh-squeezed style. Hello, yellow! —ROB BRINKLEY
1 The Art of Shaving’s Lemon Essential Pre-Shave Oil. $22, (800) 493-2212, www.theartofshaving.com 2 Samsonite’s polypropylene-shelled 200 Series Oyster Cartwheel. $180, www.samsonite.com 3 Ross Lovegrove’s Supernatural Chair for Moroso, in fiberglass-reinforced polyamide. $180, (800) 447-6662, www.momastore.org 4 Blenko for notNeutral Splayed Vase. $136, (866) 781-9494, www.velocityartanddesign.com 5 Bliss Lemon+Sage Soap Slab. $16, (888) 243-8825, www.blissworld.com 6 notNeutral Hot Season Pillow. $50, (800) 270-6511, www.notneutral.com 7 Björn Dahlström’s cotton Stilla tablecloth for Marimekko. $76, www.marimekko.com 8 No-iron gingham shirt in cotton broadcloth. $75, (800) 274-1815, www.brooksbrothers.com 9 Lamborghini’s 500-hp, 10-cylinder Gallardo. Approximately $175,000, www.lamborghini.com 10 Limoncello di Capri, the classic after-dinner liqueur of Italy, where they drink it straight or over ice. $22, at fine liquor stores, www.limoncello.com 11 Dualit’s two-slice Vario Toaster with timer and slide-out crumb tray. $230, www.dualit.com
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