The ease with which US-302 now crosses the middle of the mountains belies the effort that went into cutting a road through Crawford Notch , halfway between Franconia and Conway. Just north, the magnificent Mount Washington Hotel stands in splendid isolation in the wide mountain valley of BRETTON WOODS . Its glistening white facade, capped by red cupolas and framed by the western slopes of Mount Washington rising behind, has barely changed since the hotel opened in 1902. In its heyday, a stream of horse-drawn carriages brought families (and their servants) up from the train station, deliberately located at a distance to enhance the sense of grandeur. Displays in the grand lobby commemorate the Bretton Woods Conference of 1944, which laid the groundwork for the postwar financial structure of the capitalist world, by setting the gold standard at $35 an ounce (it's now $350) and creating the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

Restoration has ensured that the hotel remains marvelously evocative, with its quarter-mile terrace and white wicker furniture, and the place is worth checking out even if you're not staying. Weekend golfing and tennis packages are available, and there's skiing in winter

Bretton Woods

• Bretton Woods

New Hampshire cities


All U.S. city guides