Boise: Practicalities
Greyhound buses and the Boise-Winnemucca/Northwestern Stage Lines stop at 1212 W Bannock St. The city's Boise Urban Services (BUS) (tel 208/336-1010) run a fairly extensive local bus service - fares are 75¢ adults, 50¢ youths (6-18 yrs), 35¢ flat fare on Saturday. The visitor center (April-Sept Mon-Fri 10am-6pm; Oct-March Mon-Fri 10am-3.30pm; tel 208/344-5338, ) is in the Boise Center next to The Grove plaza. Downtown's best place to stay is either The Grove Hotel , 245 S Capitol Blvd (tel 208/333-8000 or 1-800/426-0670; $130-160), which has luxury accommodation in large, well-appointed rooms, many with great views over the city and mountains beyond, or the Owyhee Plaza Hotel , 1109 Main St (tel 208/343-4611 or 1-800/233-4611; $100-130), a renovated, older hotel in the heart of downtown with an outdoor pool and free airport shuttle. If you're on a tight budget try Sands Motel , 111 W State St (tel 208/343-2533; $35-50), within easy walking distance of downtown, although the rooms are a bit tatty and it can be noisy. The best B&B is the Idaho Heritage Inn B&B , 109 W Idaho St (tel 208/342-8066), a lovely Victorian building that was once the residence of Governor Chase Clark and later Senator Frank Church. If you're camping , head a couple of miles northwest of downtown to On The River RV Park , 6000 N Glenwood (tel 208/375-7432 or 1-800/375-7432), which has shady tent sites for $15 beside the Greenbelt and Boise River.You're spoilt for choice when it comes to eating in Boise. Milford's Fish House in the Eighth Street Marketplace, 405 S 8th St (tel 208/342-8382), serves good fresh fish and has a wide selection of beers; popular among locals is Goldy's , 128 S Capitol (tel 208/345-4100), where you can create your own breakfast combos. Of the city's many good ethnic restaurants , try Aladdin , 111 Broadway (tel 208/368-0880), for Egyptian food and belly dancing on Fridays or Bar Gernika , 202 Capitol Blvd (tel 208/344-2175), for Basque specialties - particularly good are the range of tapas. Other fine downtown bars and restaurants include the bustling Bittercreek Alehouse , 246 N 8th St (tel 208/345-1813), with its huge selection of beers; the Grape Escape Wine Bar , 800 W Idaho St (tel 208/368-0200), serving good-value Latin dishes; and Bardenay Restaurant & Distillery , 610 Grove St (tel 208/426-0538), which meticulously distills its own gin, rum and vodka in America's first legal distillery/pub, and features an excellent menu. After dining, check out The Big Easy , 416 9th St (tel 208/367-1212), one of Idaho's top rock venues.
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