Issue Date: February 13, 2005
For value, try a big-city B&B
Looking for big-city accommodations with personality and charm? Consider a bed and breakfast.
Some B&Bs are simply guest rooms in private homes; others are veritable inns. Like their country cousins, many have four-poster beds, antiques and gardens. And they can offer value in a world of $200-a-night hotel rooms. Just don't expect movies on demand. And if you don't want to share, ask whether baths are private.
A taste of five cities:
New York. Abingdon Guest House, in two 1850s Greenwich Village townhouses, has nine themed rooms and a small garden. From $159 for a double.
Boston. Appleton Street-Herbst Haus, a beautiful 1870s Victorian in the trendy, historic South End, has just two guest rooms, both with 12-foot ceilings and queen beds. Doubles from $125.
Washington, D.C. Dupont at the Circle, two 1885 townhouses within walking distance of the subway, has six guest rooms, a two-room suite and a studio apartment. Antique furniture is a hallmark. Doubles from $140.
Chicago. Windy City Urban Inn, a vast 1886 Victorian in the beautiful Lincoln Park neighborhood, has five guest rooms and a suite in the main house and three apartments for extended stays in the coach house. Spacious public rooms have fireplaces and antiques. From $115.
Phoenix. Maricopa Manor, a 1928 Spanish-style inn minutes from the intersection of Central and Camelback, has seven suites, many with decks overlooking gardens. From $89 a night.
Everett Potter is an award-winning travel writer based in suburban New York City.
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Sweetly natural
This delicious side dish is packed with nutrition. Sweet potatoes, onions and almonds are powerhouses of antioxidants and other nutrients -- in fact, almonds are among the most nutrient-dense foods, containing high concentrations of vitamins and minerals per calorie. Plus, olive oil and almonds contain monounsaturated fat -- the good type.
Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Onions
2 large sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds), peeled and cut in 1-inch chunks
2 medium Vidalia or other sweet onions, cut in 1-inch chunks
3 Tbs. olive oil
1/4 cup amaretto liqueur
1 tsp. dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Toss first 6 ingredients in a shallow medium-sized baking dish. Cover; bake 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 20 minutes more. Sprinkle with almonds. Makes 6 cups. Serves 6.
Per serving: 251 calories, 4g protein, 9g fat (1g saturated), 41g carbohydrates, 0g cholesterol, 5g fiber, 27mg sodium.
For more great recipes from USA WEEKEND, visit allrecipes.com.
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Pick your flowers now -- from seed catalogs
It's time to plan spring planting. Here are tips for ordering from seed catalogs:
The Catalog. Look through the real thing instead of browsing online. Good seed catalogs become reference tools in coming months. My favorites can be ordered at seedsofchange.com, thompson-morgan.com and selectseeds.com.
The Options. Browse through your catalogs several times, considering your climate and skill. Even though I'm not a beginner, I still stick with seeds that are easy to grow, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, sunflowers, cosmos, sweet peas, nasturtiums and amaranths. (Thompson & Morgan's catalog, one of the most detailed, helpfully marks easy plants with an E.)
The List. If you're anything like me, after you've written your seed wish list, trim it in half -- you can easily get swept away! Thankfully, seeds are an inexpensive extravagance, and extras can be passed on to friends.
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Cheaper digital prints
Americans love to shoot digital photos, but we print only a third of the pics we snap. Cost might be one reason: Using high-quality photo paper on a special home printer can cost you 60 cents a print! But some retailers and photo Web sites are lowering costs dramatically, especially if you can take advantage of the in-store services to avoid shipping charges. Examples:
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