Boise Guardian » Tourism

Thoughts From The Road

dave — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 04:53:47 +0000

The day job has the GUARDIAN on the road making photographs and observing the “American Condition.” We share some random observations.

–The new bridge across the Coloorado River below Hoover Dam is a great time saver if you are headed south of Las Vegas, but you can’t see it (or the dam) as you drive across. Thee is a parking lot and pedestrian access on the north end of the bridge.

–Arizona entrepreneurs have figured a way to sign up residents to buy solar panels for their rooftops. The the deals amount to obligations to purchase, but are to be repaid with the money earned by selling power back to the electric company that is forced to purchase the power. The real money is in the “Renewalable Energy Credits”–a mini version of the windmills lumped into thousands of invididual homeowners.

–Old semi-trailers are used along the freeways as billboards. Either to skirt a billboard law or just because they can be moved easily.
–Trucks outnumber cars by at least two to one on I-10 from Phoenix to El Paso, Texas.

–From El Paso to San Antonio you really have to WANT a speeding ticket…the speed limit is 80 mph. Some of the trucks actually go that fast, but the 585 miles stilll go slow, even at 80!

–Amazed at the number of people who choose not to watch news or read papers. A friend in boise gave up news for Lent and liked it so much he has adopted the practive permanently.

–Motorhome culture in Arizona provides lots of jobs. The big ones are everywhere–even with gas at $4 per gallon.

–Border Patrol seems to be everywhere. The inspection station at Sierra Blanca, Texas permanently blocks I-10 just like at a border crossing. Dogs sniff vehicles and the armed agents check everyone passing through…both reassuring and disconcerting.

Boise Government Dawn Of “Common Sense”?

dave — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 18:47:24 +0000

We don’t know who is behind floating a new approach to Boise River recreation laws, but we sure hope it holds water.

Team Dave’s weekly PR note on the city website talks of a common sense approach to ordinances aimed at creating a safe river float–including reducing splashing offenses from misdemeanor crimes to infractions. That way coppers can issue tickets and not be forced arrest offenders…no word on where the dripping wet scantily clad river jumpers and surfers will put their tickets.

Some excerpts from the Mayor’s Memo:
“Jumping into the river while floaters aren’t present would be legal; however, the city does not endorse or encourage this dangerous activity. Anyone who jumps does so at his or her own peril.

“For years the city has banned the practice of river surfing or “boogie boarding”, but we know that many people enjoy it. The new rules will give the parks department authority to designate certain stretches of the river as boogie-board-friendly.”

Nice to see an attempt by the council to go with the flow.

The City Council will formally consider these changes in the next few weeks; if they’re approved, coppers will emphasize education over enforcement during the early float season to help everyone become acquainted with the new rules.

Local Banker To Join GBAD Board

dave — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 17:51:09 +0000

The GUARDIAN has learned of the imminent appointment of Rob Perez, a local banker, to the Greater Boise Auditorium District Board. He will be confirmed at the Monday meeting to fill the vacancy created by the departure of former board member Mike Fitzgerald.

The following bio was provided by the District:

Rob Perez joined Idaho First National Bank as a management trainee in 1979 which began a 31 year career encompassing a variety of lending and credit management roles. After 13 years with the Bank’s corporate banking division, the last 7 years of which was spent as group manager, Rob left to start the bank’s first Commercial Real Estate Division.

By then Idaho First had changed its name to West One Bank and had sold to U.S. Bank of Portland. From 1996 until 2001 Rob served as Senior Vice President and Intermountain Division Manager for U.S. Bank, which encompassed production offices in Boise, Spokane, Reno, Las Vegas and Salt Lake City and involved a loan portfolio in excess of $1 billion dollars.

In 2008 Rob left U.S. Bank to help found Western Capital Bank, an FDIC insured commercial bank focused on serving businesses and professionals. Today Rob serves as the President and CEO of Western Capital Bank and a Director of the Bank Holding Company, Western Capital Corporation. WCB is the only Boise-based bank with a 5-Star rating by two independent rating services.

Navy Contract Reads Like Dream Ski Vacation

dave — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 15:43:16 +0000

If you are swishing the Warm Springs run at Sun Valley and find a guy following you with machine gun and a bumper sticking reading, “WE GOT OSAMA,” you just might be in the middle of a training exercise.

We feel a bit like the Wikkileaks guy in England, but since the information is already on the internet and appears to be a legitimate U.S. Gov posting, we have decided to share what is either a dream vacation, a recruiting film production, or an attempt to boost the economy of a lucky ski resort–like SUN VALLEY.

The Idaho ski resort is no stranger to the Navy, having provided hospital-type care facilities during WWII.

“Ski passes, helicopters, guides, snowmobiles, lodging above 5,000 feet elevation, and back country guides” are all included included in what appears to be a Navy Seal “education and training” bid specification.

Check out THE LINK.

No related posts.

GUARDIAN Apology, Out of Contact

dave — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 03:39:24 +0000

For all those who have wondered why so little new material has appeared, it’s because the day job has the GUARDIAN in Asia.

We paid a brief visit to Yangon, Myanmar (Rangoon, Burma) where we stopped by Aung San Suu Kiy’s home. She was under house arrest for nearly 13 years, but it was hardly a cramped cottage. The walled estate at 54 University Road is next to the U.S. Embassy.

She offers “hope” to the impoverished nation, but is by no means a shoe-in. Everyone we talked to had a very specific “wait and see” attitude. She is on the front page of newspapers and draws rock star-type crowds–a far cry from Romney!

At the moment we have internet connection over breakfast on the beach at Koh Samui Island in Thailand. We visited a school and found that elementary kids are getting computer training.

The island is full of Russian, Swedish, and Aussie tourists who have Totally outstripped its capacity to offer infrastructure like sewer, water, and internet connections.

We will be back early next week.

Forget Convention Center Expansion, Fix What We Have

dave — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 22:18:40 +0000

As 2012 opens the calendar we can plan on all sorts of schemes to attract visitors, create jobs, woo businesses, and otherwise grow ourselves into prosperity. The G-BAD boys and girls have expansion on their collective mind.

How about simple fixing up existing Greater Boise Auditorium District facilities and make them better–not bigger?

The Wall Street Journal published a story Saturday (Dec. 31) which revealed that cities from “Boston to Austin” are building bigger convention centers at a time when the convention business is totally over built as it is. A Boston Globe writer is quoted as declaring convention center building as “a racket.” The WSJ piece cites Boston, Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Phoenix, Austin as places that continue to expand facilities and fail to live up to predictions.

Those cities and many others across the nation all cite surveys with the central message of, “If we build it they will come.” Problem is, they don’t come. Convention business is on the decline and it isn’t just a “bad economy.” In 2010 the industry reported 86 million conventioneers compared to 126 million in 2000.

The GUARDIAN has reported frequently on the need for directional signs for visitors. With at least $11 million in room taxes burning a hole in their pocket, we think directional signs, promotional maps, and more “user friendly” policies like free parking could go a long way toward enhancing the visitor experience and getting repeat customers. More construction and higher overhead aren’t exactly selling points that attract visitors.

We could fix up Table Rock as a “Vista Viewpoint” to view the entire valley, open the Boise Depot to the public daily during summer months and include some free bus shuttles–that way visitors would have a feeling they are getting something for the taxes they pay at hotels.

Mayor Dave Bieter constantly declares, “Boise is the most remote city in America for its size.” He is correct and that is one reason we will never be a destination travel location. Better to attract folks wishing to experience the Payette and Salmon Rivers, Sawtooth Mountains, and great skiing (when we have snow) than to attempt to compete with less remote cities featuring naked dancers, Mickey Mouse, Broadway Shows, or Lake Michigan shoreline dotted with museums.

One of the signs of “worldliness” is knowing one’s place in the world. And Boise’s place is not as a major convention city which has no directional signs and closes it’s best assets to public access.

The WSJ story also noted cities tout expansion of facilities as a sign of local pride and confidence rather than just a way to build more hotel rooms and restaurants.

BIGGER Isn’t Better, BETTER Is Better

Priming the News Pump–Choose Your Topic

dave — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 03:39:08 +0000

With many of our readers gone and much of the legacy media not reporting any news, we are left to fend for ourselves with some “make news” topics of discussion.

The GUARDIAN has been reporting from Hawaii the past week where we shared top visitor billing with the Obama family, hence little in the way of new topics to discuss. We photographed the guy at the right, but all he wanted to talk about was insurance!

–We met people from Utah State who not only didn’t visit the Famous Potato Bowl, but didn’t think much of it.
–We met lots of BSU supporters, watched the “Body Shop Bowl,” in Vegas and again not much good was voiced. It appears the plethora of college bowls is self destructing. Even the Hawaii Bowl was played to a nearly empty house.
–There is a lot of action in the field of waste-to-energy projects in Ada, Kootenai, Clark, Freemont, and Bonneville counties and from our standpoint it looks like various government credits are the driving force rather than electricity generation.
–The hang glider folks will probably get “grandfathered into using Hammer Flat if they play nice with Idaho Fish and Game. The best flight path right now is to give Director Virgil Moore a way to ALLOW recreational use of the land rather than bombing him into submission.

Idaho Legislative Turkey Trot Redux

dave — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 15:44:25 +0000

We previously questioned the propriety of a visit to Turkey by no less than 10 Idaho legislators and their spouses recently–especially after finding it was funded mostly by the Pacifica Institute, an organization with a less than stellar reputation on Google. More thought prompts the following questions:

#1–Would the legislature appropriate funds to send 10 of its members on the “goodwill” trip to Turkey?

#2–If the answer is “no,” why did they accept the foreign sightseeing package which couldn’t even be disguised as a “campaign contribution?”

Legislators Have No Business In Turkey

dave — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 17:12:12 +0000

Whenever states enter into the international arena of business and diplomacy you can figure there is something wrong with the plan.

The local news outlets played it pretty straight yesterday when news was received that a delegation of Idaho legislators and their spouses was safe following a terrorist blast in Ankara, Turkey. This was nothing more than a junket payed for by the Turkish government in our opinion. It could be only a tourist promotion, but the Turks have been hustling public officials for several years. WHY?

Over the past 40 years the GUARDIAN has witnessed visits from officials in Taiwan to the legislature at a time when the island nation was struggling to remain independent–the USA does not recognize Taiwan today as a country, but various states have trade offices in Taipei.

We also saw farmers sucking up to a Libyan delegation claiming to be interested in Idaho wheat–they wanted hard red, but we grow soft white. A complex sale agreement was worked out, but the actual grain was not grown in Idaho. The reason for the Idaho interest turned out to be former Senator Frank Church’s opposition to selling US-made C-130 aircraft to Libya which could be used against Israel. The deal even had an “anti-Zionist” clause.

One politico appeared on Channel 7 saying he had taken the bait last year and had a most pleasant trip, noting the Turks are interested in Idaho beef. The legislature has no beef to sell. Ranchers have beef, but they didn’t get the freebie. We think there is a move to “BUY” political support for Turkey which has a lot of politics and diplomacy on its plate with the European Union, USA, Russia, and Israel at the moment. There is also an Islamic group called the “Gulen movement” which may be using local officials as pawns in an international chess game centered around charter schools of all things.

We got a call from one local official who said he turned down the offer for a free trip to Turkey–airfare was NOT covered–because it was simply against the law. The local guy told us there was so much value in the gift that it would have clearly violated the Idaho ethics law. He was invited solely based on his official position.

Seems HAWAII has a little better handle on ethics issues.

Can’t Find Local Officials? Try Valley County’s Tamarack Resort

dave — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 05:43:45 +0000

If you can’t find your local mayor, city councilor, or county commish, try looking at Tamarack Resort in Valley County.

These members of the “Treasure Valley Partnership”–comprised of local elected officials–are spending YOUR tax money for hotel rooms, travel, and rental houses to meet and discuss a topic near and dear to Treasure Valley residents: How to promote Treasure Valley as a tourist destination, attract conventions and visitors to the area. Local venues apparently were not adequate for the two day “retreat.”

They need to take a lesson from the bankrupt Tamarack and the economically depressed Valley County!

PREVIOUS POST.

No related posts.