Photos courtesy of Idaho Stock Images and Yahoo! Travel Web site
Boise, Idaho
Not just a sack of potatoes
By Elizabeth Rhodes
Published: June 23rd, 2005 | 1:22pm
I’m from Boise, Idaho, and I love potatoes. But although Idaho is informally known as the “Potato State,” I don’t think there’s any correlation. I just happen to love starchy-goodness covered in salt, butter, cheese, and sour cream.
When I moved to the Chicago area in 2002, I discovered that people’s love for telling potato jokes is surprisingly strong and widespread. A word of caution: Whenever you tell a potato joke to an Idahoan, they immediately begin fighting the urge to kick you in the shins.
People think potato when they think Idaho for the same reason that I think huge, plastic yellow butt when I think Sir Mix-A-Lot. If edible exports were chart-topping singles, Idaho would be a one-hit wonder. But did you know that Boise, Idaho’s capitol and largest city, also exports the music of Built to Spill? I don’t think I can help Sir Mix-A-Lot, but here are a few new things to think when you think Boise.
Civilized Nature: Nestled against the Rocky Mountains in the Treasure Valley, “The City of Trees” is ideal for those who want to live in civilization but still fulfill their Daniel Boone fantasies on weekends. Opportunities for hiking, skiing, camping, kayaking, and river rafting are just outside the city limits. Bogus Basin is a ski resort that’s only a 45-minute drive up the nearest mountain. You don’t even have to leave the city to float the Boise River, which runs right through town; just grab an inner tube and jump in.
Church and State: Contrary to popular belief, liberals do exist in Idaho. Many of them live in the North End of Boise, which is where to go for organic food and assorted hemp products at the Boise Co-op (888 W Fort St, Boise, 83702) and ice cream at Goody’s (1502 N 13th St, Boise, 83702). Conservatives, however, are clearly in the dominant position and are supported by the large Mormon population. For some illogical reason, quite a few missionaries are sent to Boise. They travel in pairs and bike around the city wearing khakis, striped button-down Gap shirts, and big white helmets.
The Music: The Record Exchange (1105 W Idaho St, Boise, 83702) is the place to go for new and used CDs and records. Every high school music nerd dreams of working there. A wide range of mainstream, independent, and imported music is available, as well as albums by local bands such as folksinger Rebecca Scott and Built to Spill.
For the Peckish: Green vines cover the ceiling of Kulture Klatsch (409 S. 8th St, Boise,83702), the best vegetarian restaurant in town. Eat a delicious earth burger while listening to live performances by local hippie singer-songwriters. The service will be the slowest you’ve ever had, but it fits the relaxed, carefree attitude this restaurant is about.
Best Coffeehouse: Get your coffee at Flying M (500 W Idaho St, Boise, 83702), an independently owned coffeehouse located downtown. Jesus action figures and Nietzsche books are sold side-by-side in the gift shop. Local artists’ work is displayed on the walls, but if you’re lucky you’ll score the crayon-coloring table and be able to create some high-quality art of your own. Be sure to pick up a gumball poem and read the Boise Weekly while you’re there.
The View: Table Rock is a mesa on the outskirts of Boise that provides a beautiful panoramic view of the valley. Lovers, tourists, and pot smokers have gathered there for years. A massive, white glowing cross that has stood atop Table Rock since 1956 communicates Christianity’s importance to many Idahoans.
Crazy Local Diner: Boise’s nightlife is not exactly thumpin’, but Merritt’s Café (6630 W State St, Boise, 83714), is a great place to hang out after 2 a.m. There is a reason why Comedy Central’s Dave Attell targeted Merritt’s when in town filming an episode of Insomniac. The crowd is a strange combination of truckers, punks, oddball regulars, and insomniacs. They dine on deep-fried “scones” covered in powdered sugar. On karaoke night, they sing anything from Ozzy Ozbourne to Britney Spears to Garth Brooks. Don’t miss it.
The Biggest Insider’s Secret I’ve Got to Give: Shanty Town — at least that’s what my friends and I call it. Only a few Boiseans know about Shanty Town, and even fewer have seen it. It’s about a mile out of the north side of town, in the foothills. To get there, you must hop a fence and cross an old police shooting range. After following a dirt path for about 15 minutes and losing sight of the city lights completely, you’ll find a small group of abandoned houses. That’s Shanty Town. What’s disturbing isn’t that these houses were abandoned, it’s that when they were abandoned they were left completely furnished. Inside the houses, there’s a wide assortment of personal items: boxes of old Christmas cards dating back to the 1950s, an ancient upright piano with the lid fallen off and some keys missing, countless knives and forks, and a few dolls. When these people left, they must have left in a hurry, leaving everything behind.
Photos courtesy of Idaho Stock Images and Yahoo! Travel Web site
Issue #35
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