BOISE, Idaho — Travel Editor William O'Connor for The Daily Beast said one of the reasons his crew choose Boise as the next destination for Mountain West tourists is a "demographic quirk" referring to the considerable and influential Basque population.
The Daily Beast, an American news and opinion website that focuses on politics and pop-culture, published an opinion piece on what O'Connor found "in the heart of potato country... a city full of charm."
Different than national rankings, the article talks about the western charm Boise has over big cities like Denver and what makes people fall in love with it, in O'Connor's opinion.
"The early 20th-century frontier-style cast-iron buildings are largely intact" and "the city isn’t full of menacing and pedestrian-unfriendly post-modern or brutalist towers," O'Connor said.
After cycling around the North End, O'Connor explained he understood why so many visitors want to live in Boise.
The neighborhood draws people in with its Victorian homes, well-manicured streets and "cute restaurants, stores, and coffee shops," O'Connor wrote.
While in town O'Connor's crew said Txikiteo, the new Basque restaurant, was their favorite place to grab a bite to eat, as well as the Modern Hotel's restaurant.
The other big reason Boise has so much appeal is it's proximity to the outdoors, O'Connor said. After a short 45-minute drive, a person can join a three-hour rafting trip on the Payette River and be back in time for dinner.
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