The Boise Fry Company is the best potato joint in the capital of America's potato state. How could it be anything other than amazing? We visited on our final day in Idaho, eager to fill our bellies with greasy goodness, and were not disappointed.
One of the most idiosyncratic aspects of Idaho, and Boise in particular, is its connection to the Basque Country. Because of geographic and climatic similarities to their homeland, thousands of emigrating Basques chose Idaho as their new home. Their influence remains strong throughout the state, but nowhere is it more celebrated celebrated than in Boise's Basque Block.
Founded in 1937, the Boise Art Museum has a premium riverside location in an Art Deco building just off Capitol Boulevard. We took a quick tour of the current exhibitions, and had the chance to meet an artist at work on her latest installation.
On a hilltop just outside Boise, the World Center for Birds of Prey introduces visitors to some of the planet's wickedest raptors. Established in 1984 by the Peregrine Fund, the center not only contains a wealth of information about hawks, owls, falcons and more, but also breeds them in captivity.
On Saturdays, traffic in downtown Boise comes to a standstill for the Capital City Public Market, which brings vendors together to sell organic veggies, clothing and artwork. It's a popular weekly event which we got to experience shortly before the onset of winter.
When you think of "Boise", the first thing that comes to mind probably isn't a thriving public art scene. But perhaps it should be. On almost every corner of the city, hidden in alleys, plastered across electrical boxes and even engraved in sidewalks, fascinating artwork can be found. There are bold, unmissable sculptures and paintings, but also subtle pieces which you might not even notice unless looking for them.
A window into the not-so-distant and none-too-glorious past of America's prison system, the Old Boise Penitentiary is probably the city's most popular historical site. Up until a riot forced its closure in 1973, the Old Pen is where Idaho's worst criminals came to serve their time, get shanked and wait for the gallows.
With over 23,000 students, 200 degrees and 100 graduate programs, Boise State University is the largest institute of higher learning in Idaho. But rather than for its academics or gorgeous urban campus, BSU is most famous around the country for its football program. And, of course, for the crazy blue turf of its field.
With just a little over two weeks remaining of our 91 days in Idaho, we pulled into Boise. We had originally planned on using the capital as the base for our entire three-month stay, but decided Idaho was too big to be stationed in just one spot. So we went on a road-trip through the state, and left our exploration of Boise for the journey's end. Did we save the best for last?
"Which one is it going to be?" I whispered to Jürgen after the pilots had finished up their morning briefing and were beginning to mingle with the passengers. "Hopefully that guy with the handlebar moustache!" As luck would have it, it was. The awesome dude with the handlebar moustache had seen his name on the placard we were holding, and approached us. "Quinn", he said, putting his hand out. "Eric Quinn".
