Travel Tips

Radio Guest List–The Ritz Carlton, Lake Tahoe in Truckee, California–August 4, 2018

On location in Lake Tahoe for this week’s Peter Greenberg Worldwide broadcast, from The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe in Truckee, California, spending some quality time with Fire Chief of the North Tahoe Fire Protection District, Mike Schwartz, and a visit to the coolest station assignment in the U.S. Coast Guard–their Lake Tahoe base.

Joining Peter is Scott McCartney, Travel Editor for The Wall Street Journal, reporting on airline fees– including the ones that exist for no apparent reason. Wendy David, Mayor of South Lake Tahoe, discusses maintaining the largest alpine lake in North America and the challenges that come with balancing development and preservation. Fire Chief Schwartz talks about the special challenges operating in Lake Tahoe’s district that extends 32 miles around the lake as well as using drones for backcountry rescue. Curator Barbara Bogucki and Executive Director Lora Nadolski of the Tahoe Maritime Museum share Lake Tahoe’s rich boating history and the role it played in creating the resort destination.

Amanda Burden, Editor & Publisher of Edible Reno-Tahoe Magazine, discusses the evolution of a once “meat and potatoes” and “casinos and buffets” town. And Mark Jeffers, Executive Chef at The Ritz-Carlton, reveals how he conforms his recipes to the altitude, the special story of the hotel restaurant’s smoker as well as his secret to making soft ribs in the Northstar location. There’s all this and more as Peter Greenberg Worldwide broadcasts from the Ritz Carlton, Lake Tahoe in Truckee, California.

Click here  to listen to the show streaming from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 4, 2018.

Have a travel question? Ask Peter. Call 888-88-PETER (888-88-383), email him at peter@petergreenberg.com, or tweet your questions to @PeterSGreenberg (include #AskPeter).

Scott McCartney, Travel Editor for The Wall Street Journal, joins the program to talk about airline fees: the ones that exist for no apparent reason as well as the ones that come with flying out of the U.K. and the reasons behind airlines not wanting to fully disclose them. He also expands on situations when choosing one flight over the other may seem better and more convenient but why those flights actually aren’t.

Wendy David, Mayor of South Lake Tahoe, discusses maintaining the largest alpine lake in North America and the challenges that come with balancing development and preservation. She also talks about one of her favorite places on the lake and why millennials are buying and building up a storm in Lake Tahoe.

Amy Berry, CEO of Tahoe Fund, explains the organization’s mission and expands on working with public agencies to build the very anticipated trail around the perimeter of Lake Tahoe. Amy then discusses tree mortality including the staggering number of trees that have fallen and how the non-profit is working to better understand why it’s happening to some trees and not others.

Curator Barbara Bogucki and Executive Director Lora Nadolski of the Tahoe Maritime Museum, join the show to discuss Lake Tahoe’s boating history and the role it played in creating the resort destination we know today. They share the story behind their well-known sunken boat that was brought up from the bottom of the lake. They also explain why they’re having to turn away boats from people who want to turn them over to the museum.

Amanda Burden, Editor & Publisher of Edible Reno-Tahoe Magazine, tells the story of a once “meat and potatoes” and “casinos and buffets” town. Amanda comments on parts of Tahoe’s gaming culture, why bars are still king and her top choices around the area for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Plus, she reveals her favorite restaurant.

Mark Jeffers, Executive Chef at The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe’s restaurant, Manzanita, talks about conforming recipes to the altitude and why it affects baking specifically. He then shares the interesting story about the hotel restaurant’s smoker, shares his secret to making soft ribs and how Manzanita compares to other top restaurants in Northern California.

Mike Schwartz, Fire Chief at the North Tahoe Fire Protection District, stops by to talk about the challenges of operating in a landscape like Lake Tahoe’s, the 32 miles around the lake that make up the district and the Coast Guard’s presence in this bi-state federal lake. Additionally, Fire Chief Schwartz discusses using drones for backcountry rescue, fires and why it’s becoming mainstream and effective.

Heather Segale, Education and Outreach Director at the University of California Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center, expands on the research they’re doing in Lake Tahoe and how the knowledge they gather is being applied to other bodies of water around the world. She then reveals why Lake Tahoe is so clear, how science played a key part in returning it to this state of clarity and the biggest challenges they’re currently facing in terms of conservation and how these relate to tourism.

Tim Hauserman, Local Author, Hiking Expert and Lifelong Lake Tahoe Resident, speaks about Lake Tahoe’s 170-mile Rim Trail, the impressive number of times he’s hiked it and the trails he recommends for hiking newbies. Tim then explains how these trails have changed over the years. He also reveals what the challenges of living in Lake Tahoe are, his favorite places to eat around town and even the best place for a date night.

Mark McLaughlin, Author and Weather Historian, tells the untold story of the Tahoe-Sierras as well as more history including a story on cannibalism. Mark then shares his favorite story about the Lake (and the woman, who made history, behind it). He further addresses all of the myths that come from the lake’s history of not recovering drowning victims’ bodies due to its depth and low temperatures.

Sylas Wright, Editor in Chief at Tahoe Quarterly, speaks about Lake Tahoe and how, thankfully, not a lot has changed in the efforts of the community to maintain the lake. Sylas then comments on the “refreshing” temperature of the lake, as the locals like to call it, and the places in town where the people who actually live there year-round go for food.

Bruce Seigel, General Manager at The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe, speaks about the Northstar location, the ski opportunities (bunny slopes included) and why the destination remains great in spite of the seasons changing. Bruce also reveals where many of their visitors come from and how some people have decided to live at their residences full-time, not just during the summer.

By Alessandra Taryn Bea for PeterGreenberg.com