 Village of the Stars
Want some fine (read: delicious) dining? Then head to Baiersbronn, Germany. It has more Michelin stars per capita than any other city on earth.
DINE FAR OUT
If pig knuckles, sauerkraut, and blood sausage are all that come to mind when you think of German cuisine, plan a trip to the tiny Black Forest town of Baiersbronn, the country’s gourmet capital. Just two and a half hours from Frankfurt by car (or less, if that car’s a Mercedes or a Porsche), and only an hour from Stuttgart and Strasbourg, this tiny, picturesque home to 16,000 has three world-class restaurants that have six Michelin stars between them — more stars per capita than any other place in the world. To put it in perspective, in all Italy, there are just four restaurants with three stars each, and in Germany, there are only five (including the one in Baiersbronn). We suggest making reservations, as Michelin stars have a tendency to make seating scarce. — Charles Runnette
Restaurant Schlossberg
Just a stone’s throw from the Murg River, Jörg Sackmann, the chef and proprietor of this intimate and inviting 24-seat one-star restaurant, has developed a very distinctively un-German style, drawing on influences from Mediterranean, French, and Asian cuisines. He insists, though, that while his intense flavor combinations come from all over the world, his foodstuffs must be locally grown: He prefers hormone-free beef that was fed on the neighboring fields of wildflowers, and berries and mushrooms that were plucked from the nearby forest. Six courses for $142. Hotel Sackmann, 011-49-7447-2890, www.hotel-sackmann.de
Restaurant Schwarzwaldstube
Don’t plan any postdinner activities when you make a reservation at celebrity chef Harald Wohlfahrt’s grand yet homey three-star restaurant in the famed Traube Tonbach hotel. His French-inspired seven-course prix-fixe menus feature variations of well-loved Gallic creations like foie gras, confits, and fruit compotes, but none of it is light. Just forget about fat for one night and allow his incredible dishes — like fried fillet of red mullet with melon chutney and Thai curry sauce, and goose liver with Périgord truffles in puff pastry — transport you to another world. Entrées, $50 to $70. Hotel Traube Tonbach, 011-49-7442-4920, www.traube-tonbach.de
Restaurant Bareiss
Chef Claus-Peter Lumpp has made this cross-town two-star establishment one of Wohlfahrt’s toughest competitors. The elegant Louis XV–style dining room and Lumpp’s innovative blending of French-Mediterranean flavors with local dishes has helped establish dinner here as one of this town’s — and the country’s — culinary musts. The specialties include locally raised veal served with white asparagus, brook trout stuffed with cherry tomatoes and drizzled with herb vinegar, and dozens of homemade cheeses and caramels. If you have the eight-course meal, settle in for three enjoyable hours of savory bites and attentive service — not to mention the wines and spirits, of which there are more than 900 to choose from to celebrate the extravagantly long meal. Entrées, $53 to $61. Hotel Bareiss, 011-49-7442-470, www.bareiss.com
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UPGRADE
LORDS OF THE RINGTONES
What’s new and hot for cell-phone savants? The iPhone’s all the buzz, but it’s not the only name in town. — Chris Tucker
BECAUSE WE COULDN’T DO A PHONE PAGE WITHOUT MENTIONING IT
It’s not a Treo … it’s not an iPod … it’s an iPhone — the most hyped communications device since, uh, the telegraph. Fortunately, for Apple and the whole of society, the iPhone has turned out to be just about everything its worshippers expected: It has visual voicemail so you can see which messages you want to hear; savvy sensors that turn off the screen when you’re talking, thus saving battery life; and the best Internet browsing on any handheld so far (you can see real web pages, not just clips). Oh, and there’s a little music player too. $499 for the 4 GB model, $599 for the 8 GB one. www.apple.com
CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?
Speaking of the visual voicemail on the iPhone, there is a way to get into the game without having to face the gulp-inducing price tag of the Apple device. A little company called SimulScribe can transcribe your calls to text. When a message comes in, you’ll be notified and can then decide whether to read it, listen to it, or junk it altogether.
The service started out for BlackBerrys only, but Windows Mobile and other versions began launching it this summer. Free download; $10 per month for 40 messages, 25 cents per message thereafter. www.simulscribe.com
 1. Big Fun with a Tiny TV
If you think no airport line or cab ride should be devoid of Stephen Colbert, CSI: NY, or, at the least, some ESPN sports clips, you’ll love the Verizon Wireless V Cast Mobile TV, which moves light-years beyond the jerky cell-phone TV of 2004. It’s broadcast quality, showing 30 frames per second, which means sharp images, more or less fluid transitions, and mostly readable text. You might wish for stronger sound, but your linemates would hate you. Service is $13 to $25 per month, depending on the options you choose, with purchase of a phone ($150 to $200) and a two-year agreement. www.verizonwireless.com
2. Role-Playing
Spider-Man may have a double identity, but the Samsung SCH-u740 is a dual-hinge beauty that has even more roles to play. Just want to make calls? Open the phone vertically, like with a standard flip handset. Rather text-message? Open it horizontally, and type away on the full qwerty keyboard. The organizer and the camera function in both modes. Call quality, by the way, is great — loud and clear. $60 to $149 with a two-year agreement. www.samsung.com
3. Destination Found
Nobody will tell you to get lost once you flash the stylish Nokia N95 — and even if they do, you’ll find yourself fast with the help of the N95’s integrated GPS, which features maps of more than 100 countries, point-to-point routing, and directions announced in a crisp English accent. Also on board: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a 5 MP camera with Carl Zeiss optics and more editing options than you’ll find on many low-end cameras. And it all adds up to $749. www.nseries.com
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JUST SAY NO
Because Saying Yes to No Will Get You Everywhere
 Jim Camp, founder, CEO, and president of Coach2100 and author of No: The Only Negotiating System You Need for Work and Home (www.startwithno.com), is convinced that no is one of the most powerful negotiation tools around. We asked him to put his favorite word to work in a variety of scenarios. — Jenna Schnuer
The scene: You decide your employees need to go through a self-study training program for a new project.
How to put no to work: When you introduce the program to employees, tell them that they have permission to tell you that, no, they don’t plan to do the training. “If they don’t say no and they agree to do it, now they’ve made a commitment to move forward with it,” says Camp. “If they say no, the manager has someone to work with to help him or her discover the importance of the training.”
The scene: A consultant is ready to tell a client the problems with their latest marketing campaign.
How to put no to work: The key to this whole thing is to set an agenda, says Camp. Say, “Let’s talk about this before we get started here. Do you want me to tell you the truth, or do you want me to lie to you?” After they ask for the truth, you then say, “I’m going to give you my ideas, and when I’m finished, just say no to them if you disagree.” This, says Camp, “establishes what’s going to happen. For a consultant, that’s a critical piece of the puzzle.” If they respond with a no, say, “Obviously, I’m falling short. Let me see if I can go in another direction and help you see what I see. Is that okay with you?”
The scene: A parent can’t figure out why his or her teen refuses to do math homework.
How to put no to work: There’s a good chance the teen hasn’t made — or doesn’t yet care about — the connection between math and life outside the classroom. Respect that thinking by finding out his or her take on the topic. Say, “I’m not helping you discover mathematics. I want you to be comfortable saying no to me on this. Is math important to our society?” If he answers, “No,” open a discussion about the ways that math is important to daily life — and keep that discussion going until the connection is made.
NO RULES
WHETHER YOU’RE AT HOME, AT WORK, OR DEEP INTO PLANNING THE PTA BAKE SALE, KEEP JIM CAMP’S RULES FOR NO — AND FOR NEGOTIATION IN GENERAL — IN MIND.
1. The most dangerous negotiation you’ll ever be in is the one you don’t know you’re in.
2. No is not the end of the negotiation; it’s the beginning.
3. The professional negotiator embraces no and seeks no from the other party.
4. No is nothing more than a decision to be changed.
5. No helps influence and manage the emotions of the other party.
6. No breaks down barriers when it’s given with permission.
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PARTY ON
WHO WANTS TO BE A ROCK STAR?
Summer’s winding down, so it’s the perfect time to throw an end-of-season bash. But instead of hosting just the typical backyard-barbecue affair, why not add a little music to the mix? Your music, that is. This collection of karaoke entertainment options will get the party started — and keep it going for as long as your eardrums can take it. — Haley Shapley
Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol
Now it really is possible for anyone to be an American Idol contestant (as if Sanjaya weren’t proof enough). Pop in this video game and work your inner songbird with the goal of snagging an invite to Hollywood. Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson are on hand to offer their oh-so-constructive criticism, and if you achieve a certain score, you’ll unlock additional songs, including 1989’s “Straight Up” by Paula Abdul. $55, www.konami.com
SingShot.com
Gather around the computer and head to the virtual recording studio at SingShot.com, which provides free access to thousands of songs and allows people to record and post their versions of them. Site users can participate in contests and rate other users’ renditions. A microphone and a computer are all you need, but a powerful set of pipes doesn’t hurt either.
iKaraoke
It’s your own personal karaoke machine, small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. Plug iKaraoke into any iPod and you’ll hear songs without the lead vocals. You can pause, rewind, fast-forward, and even add the vocals back in if you get lost. The device works with any song (see “Staff Picks” if you need suggestions), and when you want to dazzle the other partygoers with your vocal stylings, attach it to a stereo and crank up the volume. $50, www.griffintechnology.com
SingStar Rocks!
Get ready to rock to classics and current chart toppers alike with this PlayStation 2 program. Click the party-mode option, and take turns duetting, passing the mike, or dueling. (Insider tip for winning the duel: If you sing so loudly that the other person can’t hear the music, his or her pitch is bound to suffer.) $50, www.sonystyle.com
WATCH AND LEARN
KARAOKE SCENES ON THE BIG SCREEN ARE SOMETIMES SILLY, SOMETIMES POIGNANT, OFTEN CRINGEWORTHY, AND USUALLY MEMORABLE. HERE ARE A FEW OF OUR FAVORITES.
Most Lovable Tone-Deaf Songstress
Cameron Diaz as a bride-to-be in My Best Friend’s Wedding
Best Performance by an American in Hong Kong, the Karaoke Mecca
Chris Tucker’s in Rush Hour 2, in which he played a loudmouthed detective
Most Meaningful Song Exchange
Between the unlikely friends played by Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson in Lost in Translation
Most Dedicated to Hitting the High Notes
The entire cast (they played karaoke pros) of Duets
STAFF PICKS: WHAT TO SING
THE FOLLOWING IS A SAMPLE OF THE CROWD-PLEASING SONGS THAT WE CUE UP WHEN WE’RE LOOKING TO TAKE THE STAGE TO AWE AND AMAZE (OR EMBARRASS OURSELVES,
AS THE CASE MAY BE).
“Crazy” by Patsy Cline
“Dancing Queen” by ABBA
“Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” by Elton John and Kiki Dee
“Girls Just Want to Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper
“I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor
“Livin’ on a Prayer” by Bon Jovi
“Ring of Fire” by Johnny Cash
“Since U Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson
“Sleeping Single in a Double Bed” by Barbara Mandrell
“Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond
“Tainted Love” by Soft Cell
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STAY INSIDE
The Great Indoors
We all know that we should get off the couch and spend more time outside. But the great outdoors can be, well, unpredictable. Storms hit. Or you paddle out on a surfboard and the sea becalms. Mountain climbing, white-water kayaking, and skydiving are scary. Never fear. From an indoor black-diamond ski run (the world’s first) in sweltering Dubai to Ocean Dome, the world’s only indoor beach, in Miyazaki, Japan, experiences that once could be had only in the embrace of capricious Mother Nature are being created by entrepreneurs around the planet. These North American options will get you started. — Heather Millar
WISCONSIN DELLS
Central Wisconsin
Price: Ranges from free to $40 for an eight-hour pass
Take the plunge at this year-round destination in the community of Wisconsin Dells, which is about 200 miles from Chicago and Minneapolis and in a region that gets almost three feet of snow each winter. At this self-dubbed Waterpark Capital of the World, you can careen down more than 200 waterslides, some as high as three stories. Be sure to try out the wave tanks, surfing slides, spas, cruise boats, and deck chairs. Who needs Florida or California when Wisconsin offers all this? www.wisdells.com
RAY’S MTB INDOOR PARK
Cleveland, Ohio
Price: $16 to $18 per visit
Ray Petro, a local contractor, built this 88,000-square-foot indoor mountain-biking pavilion with his life savings, a credit line, and the help of volunteers carb-loaded on $3,000 worth of pizza. Now in the dead of winter, Ray and other spoke junkies can curb, grind, and practice flips in the foam pit. www.raysmtb.com
U.S. NATIONAL WHITEWATER CENTER
Charlotte, North Carolina
Price: Rafts, $33 per person; kayaks, $15 for 90 minutes
Inspired by the white-water stadium built for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Jeff Wise, a software entrepreneur, developed this 307-acre complex along the Catawba River. Similar parks have opened in Paris, Athens, and Nanjing, but this $35 million extravaganza may be the world’s only multiple-channel, customized, recirculating white-water river. A 180-foot conveyor belt carries paddlers from the lower pond to the upper in under two minutes. No sweat-inducing portage necessary. www.usnwc.org
SALOMON CENTER
Ogden, Utah
Price: $20 for one hour in Flowrider’s perpetual wave; SkyVenture wind tunnel is TBD
Hoping to build on Utah’s reputation for adventure, the city of Ogden backed an $18 million renovation of a shopping center. Now sponsored by outdoor-gear company Salomon, the complex will soon offer visitors the chance to “skydive” in a SkyVenture wind tunnel, scale Utah’s largest indoor climbing wall, and hang ten in the Flowrider, which creates a perfect perpetual wave. www.salomoncenter.com
CHELSEA PIERS
New York City
Price: Varies, depending on sport and activity, but $45 for one hour of simulated golf
Just about any sport imaginable (baseball, basketball, bowling, ice hockey, swimming, and soccer, to name a few) is offered at this $120 million indoor sports complex that’s spread over four abandoned piers on Manhattan’s far West Side. For the latest in virtual-golf technology, tee up at the full-swing golf simulators, which are capable of re-creating 51 world-famous courses. The price here sure beats the $500 or more you’ll pay in greens fees at Pebble Beach. www.chelseapiers.com
EXPEDITION EVEREST
Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida
Price: $67 for park admission, $56 for ages three to nine
Thinking about climbing Everest? You might want to consider taking baby steps and trying the Disney version of climbing the world’s tallest mountain first: Walk through a park that re-creates the Himalayan lowlands, poke around the rammed-earth and stacked-stone buildings of Serka Zong village, and then board out-of-control rail cars that go backward and forward as they dodge an animatronic yeti. Recover by buying a prayer flag in the bazaar, er, gift shop. www.disneyeverest.com
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