The Glint of Technology and an Old West Spirit in Boise, ID

Boise, Idaho, is an odd mix of the Old West and new technologies. Surrounded by the Owyhee Mountains and astride the Boise River, the city, Idaho’s capital, has some neighborhoods that retain the feel of a frontier town and others that resemble Silicon Valley.

By MARK A. STEIN The New York Times

There are plenty of businesses like timber and mining companies, notably the wood products giant Boise Cascade. And, this being Idaho, Boise is the home of the world largest potato processor, the J. R. Simplot Company.
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The city has also attracted a lot of computer companies like Micron Technology, the maker of memory chips, and Hewlett-Packard, which manufactures laser printers.

AIRPORT

Boise Airport was once as plain as its name, but it is in the middle of a $100 million project to replace most of its old terminal with a double-deck building to move passengers in and out more quickly.

Construction began in the spring of 2001 but has been delayed to accommodate more security measures, said Larissa Stouffer, an airport spokeswoman. The terminal, originally scheduled to open fully in February, is now expected to be ready this spring. It will have expanded food courts as well as more room for baggage inspection and other security tasks.

In the meantime, roads have been redirected, short-term parking has been relocated and passengers have been asked to navigate a footbridge from the partly completed terminal to a concourse from the old terminal. Once the building opens fully, the old terminal will be razed for another food court and a Horizon Air concourse. This phase of construction will last about 18 months, Ms. Stouffer said.

HOTELS

The GROVE HOTEL (208-333-8000, $124 to $144) is built atop the Bank of America Center, a sports arena. It has 254 rooms, including 20 suites and 4 condominiums, and is near a park with a jogging path. Indoor parking is a plus during the winter, said Wendy Citron, a Hewlett-Packard executive who flies to Boise at least three times a month.

The OWYHEE PLAZA HOTEL (208-343-4611, $62 to $160) opened in 1910 and has been a landmark since. The exterior is unremarkable, but a recent renovation has restored the Old West charm of the interior and added modern conveniences.

RESTAURANTS

The COTTONWOOD GRILLE (208-333-9800, $80 for dinner for two, including wine and tip) has a ski lodge feel with its floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace and its picture-window views. The menu offers locally caught trout and locally grown beef as well as shellfish and a decent wine list. "They have a salmon with a crust of horseradish that’s really good," Ms. Citron said. "It’s also really quiet, so it’s good if you want to have a business meeting."

The GAMEKEEPER (208-343-4611, $90) in the Owyhee Plaza Hotel has a menu rich in game, including venison, elk and caribou, as well as traditional steaks, chops and fowl.

LOCK, STOCK AND BARREL (208-336-4266, $70) specializes in prime rib and steaks, and sells more than two dozen types of beer. Reservations recommended.

ONATI (208-343-6464, $50) is a family-style restaurant serving basic but authentic Basque cooking — lamb, fish and pork — and authentic Basque wines. Hidden in a dumpy part of town, behind the Ranch Club bar, it is worth going out of the way.

ENTERTAINMENT

KULTURE KLATSCH (208-345-0452) is a music club disguised as a vegetarian restaurant. A good place for coffee and dessert and some country and folk music.

For comedy, there is only one choice, FUNNY BONE (208-331-2663), but fortunately it is a good one. The club is in the Eighth Street Market Place and has shows Wednesdays through Sundays.

Very small but very popular, TOM GRAINEY’S SPORTING PUB (208-345-2505) features local rock bands and other live music.

ON YOUR OWN

The BOISE ART MUSEUM (208-345-8330) will be exhibiting Egyptian objects from the Semitic Museum at Harvard, the University of Utah’s Egyptian collection and private collections from March 8 through June 29.

Summer stagecoach and winter sleigh rides are available at BOGUS CREEK OUTFITTERS (208-887-7880).

At the WORLD CENTER FOR BIRDS OF PREY (208-362-8687) visitors can see wild falcons, eagles and California condors.

The BITTERCREEK ALEHOUSE (208-345-1813) sells beers from several regional microbrewers, including locally made Sockeye Pale Ale. Boise also has a microdistillery, BARDENAY (208-426-0538), which sells its own vodka, rum and gin.

BUSINESS LORE

Boise’s downtown sports arena, the Bank of America Center, is looking for a new corporate sponsor. Bank of America has asked to be released from its 10-year obligation to pay to have its name on the 5,000-seat arena, which opened in 1997 as the home of a minor league hockey team. The bank said it wanted to focus on Olympic sponsorships.