Monday, March 11, 2013

Famous Potatoes

"Where are you from?"

"Boise, Idaho."

"Wait, you mean Iowa?"

"No, Idaho."

"Oh, like potatoes!"

"Yeah."


Thank you, Idaho, for having your claim to fame being a starchy vegetable that attracts these nasty little creatures:



Apparently we're not too embarrassed about it either, as the official state license plate is:



In fact, we even have a license plate with a potato on it!


So what greatness has Idaho to offer besides an abundance of solanum tuberosum?

Well, aside from breathtaking scenery, great skiing, and the world's only blue Astro Turf, Idaho's prime destination is appropriately its capital city, Boise. The name "Boise" (from les bois, or the woods) as well as the city's nickname "City of Trees" are a bit misleading. For those from, well, pretty much anywhere else, they're used to living around this:


So when your plane is about to touchdown in Boise and you see this out your window,


you are absolutely justified in your confusion and overwhelming panic that you got on the wrong flight.

Boise is, in fact, a high-desert plain. The name simply comes from the somewhat wooded areas surrounding the Boise river, which are indeed quite verdant in comparison. So, you can blame the weary explorers who were ecstatic to see something other than sagebrush!

Aside from the misleading name, Boise really is quite a fantastic place to be, whether you're visiting, living, or just oddly curious about cities in the north west.

This isn't necessarily a set of arguments for why Boise is the best, but rather simply an outlet to feature what is the best in Boise. So if you're a resident and are looking for something new to check out, or if you're new to the area and want an insider's perspective, you've come to the right place!