Hudson Bar, Hudson Hotel, New York A hedonist’s haven, this garden of earthly delights activates all the senses. The glowing glass floor creates the perfect ambience for imbibing the bar’s otherworldly signature drinks. 356 West 58th Street, (212) 554-6000, www.hudsonhotel.com
Matbaren (Food Bar), Mathias Dahlgren restaurant, the Grand Hôtel, Stockholm
Michelin-starred chef Mathias Dahlgren prepares his own take on traditional Swedish food and drinks while designer and creative director Ilse Crawford honors the history of Scandinavian design. Lining the floor are earthy-colored, geometrically patterned encaustic tiles that evoke the robust pleasures of a Swedish summer day. Södra Blaiseholmshamnen 6, 011-46-8679-35-84, www.mdghs.com
Pelican Bar (near Jake’s Resort) at Treasure Beach, Jamaica Forget snorkeling. Instead, gaze at the undersea world through the Pelican’s rough-hewn timber floor, which is poised on a sandbar 400 yards off the south coast of Jamaica. Surrounded by water and accessible only by boat, this is the place to guzzle and gape — or to cast a line. Calabash Bay, Treasure Beach, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica; (876) 354-4218; www.jakeshotel.com/pelican_bar.htm
The Whiskey, W New York — Times Square Is it you, or is the floor moving? Beneath the acrylic lava-lamp-like disco floor, globs of multicolored oil undulate woozily. Mirrored tiles along the wall and a DJ booth that seems to float intensify the dizzying effect. 1567 Broadway, (212) 930-7400, www.starwoodhotels.com
The Blue Bar, the Berkeley, London A sleek black crocodile-print-leather floor flows across this fantastic David Collins–designed drinking establishment, which also features a white onyx bar, lilac crosshatched leather chairs, and cream faux-ostrich-leather stools. All are surrounded by cobalt walls awash with an eerily iridescent scarlet. Wilton Place, Knightsbridge, London;
011-44-20-7235-6000; www.berkeleyhotellondon.com
Bistro Moderne, Houston The bar’s intricate mosaic-tile floor was imported from France (as was the restaurant’s award-winning chef) and is reflected by a mirrored ceiling, which effectively frames the room in dancing light. 2525 West Loop South, (713) 297-4383, www.bistromoderne.com
Eno at the InterContinental Chicago The floor of Eno’s wine-tasting room looks like a river of Cabernet Sauvignon. Made from burgundy leather, it adds to the intimate wine-cellar ambience, which is further established by racks of wine bottles in the main bar area. Not an oenophile? No worries — this is also the place to go for cheese and chocolate. 505 North Michigan Avenue, (312) 321-8738, www.icchicagohotel.com
The Arctic Icebar, Helsinki
Chill out: Everything in this igloo-like bar is made entirely of ice — including the slippery floor. Throw on a reindeer skin and then sip some vodka from an ice cup. Enter from restaurant La Bodega, Yliopistonkatu 5; 011-358-9-278-1855; www.arcticicebar.fi
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Take Your Show to Go
A roundup of the latest and greatest in travel technology. — Chris Tucker
 Sony GPS-CS1KA image tracker, $150
In this GPS-guided world, it’s almost impossible to wander off the beaten path. Sony’s GPS-CS1KA device synchronizes with your digital camera or camcorder, and using latitude, longitude, and time readings, it produces a virtual map that shows exactly where you took each photo or video. Whether you’re backpacking in Utah or exploring your new neighborhood, this gadget helps keep the record straight. www.sonystyle.com
Meridian F80 home entertainment system, $3,000
Competitors are cringing as Meridian Audio brings its revered name to the portable market with the small but powerful F80 — the best marriage of convenience and quality sound to date. The F80 (one of several products that have been developed under a joint collaboration between Meridian and automaker Ferrari) plays CDs, DVDs, and AM/FM radio, and it can also connect to your iPod. A robust subwoofer at the rear of the unit delivers those all-important bass notes. www.thef80.com
Toshiba Qosmio G45-AV680 Notebook, $3,199
Surround-sound technology, 1080-pixel playback resolution, and a high-definition DVD-R optical drive — a few years ago, you’d have needed your own media room for all of that. Now those features and many more make Toshiba’s newest laptop a tip-top device. And with the HD DVD drive (the first on a U.S. notebook), you can burn up to 30 GB of video, photos, and music onto a single disc. www.toshibadirect.com
StarTech Wi-Fi Detective, $75
We await the nirvana that will come when wireless networks cover entire cities, but until then, the Wi-Fi Detective, which can quickly find wireless hot spots, is a great solution for those must-connect-now moments. The LCD screen provides the name and signal of each spot, and — bless you, StarTech — the battery automatically recharges whenever the device is connected to a USB port. www.startech.com
Logitech Kinetik 15.4 Backpack, $100
When you need to tote that Toshiba — or another laptop — opt for style and security with this innovative case from Logitech. The exoshell casing shields the computer from bumps and bangs, and the contoured back panel goes easy on your personal architecture. www.logitech.com
Spot Satellite Messenger; $150, plus service fees
You’ll never be out of touch, even when you’re beyond the range of cellular coverage, if you have this ingenious little device. Emergency responders can track you with GPS should you go missing, you can send a help message to friends when assistance is needed, and the nifty Check In function lets worried loved ones know that you made it safely to your destination. “Lost?” the kids of tomorrow will ask. “How did people ever get lost?” www.findmespot.com
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They’re All Great Pumpkins, Charlie Brown
Sure, it’s worth waiting for the Great Pumpkin. But as far as we’re concerned, Linus was right: Any pumpkin is a great pumpkin, which means, well, you don’t have to wait quite so long. From the tiny ones we line up on our desk every October — such seasonal spirit! — to the behemoths that competitive pumpkin farmers cultivate, to the sugar pumpkins, whose pulpy insides go into some of our favorite foods, we’re off our gourds about the (usually) orange wonders. We even love the canned stuff. — Jenna Schnuer
TREATS (Not Tricks) You might know all you need in order to carve the scariest (or chicest) pumpkin in the patch, but how about paying tribute to the versatility of the pumpkin and whipping up some tasty treats from all that inside goodness? We’ll show you how.
1½ cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon salt
1. Mix together the milk, pumpkin puree, egg, oil, and vinegar. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Stir into the pumpkin mixture just long enough to combine.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium-high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.
Tip: Don’t throw away the pumpkin seeds — they make a tasty (and quick) treat when fixed just right. Try this mixture: Combine 11/2 tablespoons margarine, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon garlic salt, and 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce with
2 cups pumpkin seeds. Mix thoroughly and place in a shallow baking dish. Bake for
one hour at 275°F., stirring occasionally.
Seeds of Wisdom
In 2006, American Stephen Clarke went head-to-head with a pumpkin and became the fastest pumpkin-face carver in the world, setting the record at 24.03 seconds, according to Guinness World Records.
The world’s largest pumpkin (thus far) was a 1,502-pound pale-orange giant grown by Ron Wallace of Rhode Island.
The pumpkin’s closest relatives include watermelons and squash.
Go beyond orange. The fruit (yes, a pumpkin is a fruit) also comes in white, green, red, tan, and an odd shade of blue, according to PumpkinNook.com.
Eighty percent of all American pumpkins go on sale in October.
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DE-VINE (and Sincere) PATCHES Coast to coast, there are pumpkin patches aplenty waiting for you to drive up and haul away their grown-on-the-vine goodness. But don’t just pick your pumpkin and skedaddle; these farms offer autumn fun that your family will remember long after the season is over — from haunted barns to ever-so-tasty apple-cider doughnuts to, yes, pig races. Because weather and demand can affect the schedules of pick-your-own patches, please call ahead before you hit the road.
Terhune Orchards Princeton, New Jersey
(about 50 miles southwest of Newark)
330 Cold Soil Road
(609) 924-2310
www.terhuneorchards.com
Pick-your-own patch open daily, and Fall Family Fun weekend events on Saturdays and Sundays through October 28.
The Pumpkin Patch Sauvie Island, Oregon
(about 10 miles northwest of Portland)
16511 NW Gillihan Road
(503) 621-3874
www.thepumpkinpatch.com
Open daily through October.
Stonycreek Farm Noblesville, Indiana
(about 25 miles north of Indianapolis)
11366 State Road 38 East
(317) 773-3344
www.stonycreekfarm.net
Pumpkin Harvest Festival runs daily through October 31.
Butler’s Orchard Germantown, Maryland
(about 50 miles west of Baltimore and 35 miles north of Washington, D.C.)
22200 Davis Mill Road
(301) 972-3299
www.butlersorchard.com
Pumpkin Festival every weekend in October.
Lovell’s Lacy Orchard Hopkinsville, Kentucky
(about 90 miles northwest of Nashville, Tennessee)
22850 Coal Creek Road
(270) 269-2242
www.lovellslacyorchard.com
Pick-your-own patch open daily through October 31.
Dewberry Farm Brookshire, Texas
(about 40 miles west of Houston)
7705 FM 362
(281) 934-3276
www.dewberryfarm.com
Open weekends in October and November.
Bengtson’s Pumpkin Farm Homer Glen, Illinois
(about 30 miles southwest of Chicago)
13341 West 151st Street
(708) 301-3276
www.pumpkinfarm.com
Pumpkin patch open daily through October 30.
Sky Top Orchard Zirconia, North Carolina
(about 35 miles north of Greenville, South Carolina)
1197 Pinnacle Mountain Road
(828) 692-7930
www.skytoporchard.com
Open daily through Thanksgiving.
Hardin Farms Grady, Arkansas
(about 70 miles south
of Little Rock)
Highway 65 South
(870) 479-3978
www.hardinfarms.com
Pumpkin season runs through October, and the farm is open Wednesday through Sunday; call for hours.
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Bring the Great Outdoors Inside
With autumn on the wane, the opportunities to spend leisurely days outside, just frittering the hours away, are coming to an end. Luckily, though, this fall a bevy of designers and artists have taken inspiration from the great outdoors and come up with all kinds of housewares that can turn your home (or, for taste’s sake, just a few areas in your home) into a shovel- and snowshoe-free winter wonderland. — J.S
1 Lamp shade in twitchen (shown), fern, or pink meadow; by Noodle; $120 (price includes shipping). 011-77-12-67-62-56, www.noodleonline.com
2 Rack Deer Park, by Pols Potten, $75. (877) 753-5537, www.lekkerhome.com
3 Sun Jar, $40. (888) 365-0056, www.uncommon goods.com
4 Dish towels hand-stamped with chickadee, deer, or bunny print, by Lisa Price; $15 each.
www.artgoodies.etsy.com
5 Charger plate, by Tord Boontje, $70. (866) 888-6677, www.mossonline.com
6 Log box, by Roost, $23 and $32. (415) 864-4988, www.roseandradish.com
7 Tile in River Rock, Grass, or Mountain Stream; by Imagine Tile; $8 per square foot. (800) 680-8453, www.imaginetile.com
8 Mushroom lamp, by Helco, $110. (415) 864-4988, www.roseandradish.com
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What a Tasty Job!
According to the 2007 Job Satisfaction Survey Report, 80 percent of workers are digging their current jobs. The folks on this page certainly do. But wouldn’t you, if your job involved tasting ice cream or drinking beer all day? Here are our top seven picks for the ultimate taste-testing jobs out there. — Kevin Raub
John Harrison, official taster, Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream
Harrison is known in the taste-testing world as the man with the million-dollar taste buds. That’s right: The bumps on his tongue are insured for a cool million. Harrison uses a 24-karat-gold spoon to taste the various ice creams in Dreyer’s arsenal; according to him, anything else taints the flavors. He reckons that he’s gulped down more than 180 million gallons of ice cream since birth, and his taste buds are still in their prime.
Brad Kintzer, product developer, Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker
A self-confessed cocoa addict, Kintzer divides his work for Bay Area artisan chocolatier Scharffen Berger between two tasks: traveling the world (13 countries to date) in search of the ultimate cocoa bean and navigating chocolate’s 1,000 flavor compounds to the tune of up to half a pound per day. “Like with wine tastings, I should probably spit out the chocolate, but I don’t,” he says, undoubtedly with a sugar-induced grin.
Ambrose Lee, food scientist, Jelly Belly Candy Company
Lee’s gig as the chief food scientist at Jelly Belly is a blessing and a curse. For every Buttered Popcorn (his fave), Watermelon, and Green Apple Jelly Belly, there’s also a Grass, a Roasted Garlic, and a Black Pepper one. To come up with the company’s 50 official flavors, Lee blends, purees, and mixes throughout the day to produce an array of flavors. He guesses that in his 26 years on the job, he’s tasted about 117,000 Jelly Belly beans. At home, he sticks to more substantial foods.
Steve Dressler, brewmaster, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
In his 25 years of providing sudsy service, Dressler has tasted about 90 percent of the artisan-brew bottlings that have departed the Sierra Nevada brewery in Chico, California. That’s a lot of beer. “I have also, on many occasions, been called at home on weekends or holidays to come into the brewery and taste beer for release,” he reports. “I have never minded this chore.” Neither would we.
Kimberly Sheridan, chief flavor architect, Kettle Foods
Sheridan takes her job developing flavors for Kettle-brand potato chips with appropriate seriousness. She taste-tests only between eight and 11 a.m. in order to ensure a consistent experience. Whenever further research is required, she grabs a bag of Island Jerk or Buffalo Bleu chips and sits near the creek running through the restored wetland that’s adjacent to the Kettle Foods offices to see if that changes her perception of the flavor — not a bad day at the office.
W. Park Kerr, founder, El Paso Chile Company
Kerr, founder of and chief salsa eater at the El Paso Chile Company, estimates that he has eaten salsa every day for at least 45 years. That translates to a laundry list of interesting flavors (raspberry chipotle, anyone?). The eccentric Mexican-food lover has been known to taste-test in nothing but shorts and cowboy boots. Scary. But still, it’s a pretty good job.
Christopher Jordan, director of Green Coffee Quality, Starbucks Coffee Company
As a member of the 10-person Coffee Master Taster team at Starbucks, Jordan tastes 25,000 cups of joe per year, sometimes sampling as many as 100 per day. He doesn’t smoke, nor does he ever sit down to a plate of enchiladas before taste-testing — spicy foods, onions, and garlic are out for him. And unlike some of the taste-testers mentioned in this article, Jordan does use a spittoon; otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to sleep at night — and nobody wants a job like that.
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