Hard to find, but totally worth it

(Departures.com) -- Several years ago a houseguest visiting me in New York said, "You've taken me to four bars and two restaurants, and none of them have been marked. What is going on?" It was the height of Manhattan's speakeasy craze, and although it may have gotten (and may still be!) a little out of hand, there was something irresistible about exploring an underground New York just for New Yorkers.

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In a city that sees 48.8 million visitors each year, the best way to claim a corner of one's own may be to hide it behind a secret phone booth, underneath a pizza stand, beyond the kitchen, on the other side of the wine cellar or in a train car. The same is true in other cities, of course, which is why digging for insider tips and word-of-mouth directions before a trip always pays off. The legwork is far more fun when the results are guaranteed.

Take, for example, La Petite Cuisine Paris. British ex-pat Rachel Khoo moved to town to train at the Cordon Bleu, and she ran this two-seat restaurant out of her 256-square-foot apartment. She served lunch just two days each week, on Wednesday and Saturday. Guests were treated to souffl , ragout or coq au vin, depending on the chef's inclination.

Khoo is closing her kitchen soon, so here are ten other word-of-mouth addresses worth investigating. Whether this list leads you to a hilltop spa in Mexico, a helicopter-access-only slope in the Canadian Rockies or a kitchen filled with Italian grandmas hell-bent on perfecting your pesto is up to you. When you've arrived, you'll know you're there.

Boulangerie de Croquignoles: Verbier, Switzerland

Verbier is that rare place in which travelers exercise and party in equal measure. A day of off-piste skiing isn't complete without a rich raclette supper, drinking and dancing. Crowning it all is one phenomenal secret address, located just outside the town square: Boulangerie de Croquignoles. The bakers begin their morning just as weekenders are ending their night. Knock on the window and a hand will appear, bearing a hot croissant in exchange for about $5. A most symbiotic relationship! The macaroons are also worth the trip. Route des Creux 22; verbier.ch.

Le Tunnel de la Collonge: Ambierle, France

In the cheese world, affinage, or the art of aging and maturing cheese, is a whole separate genius. Fromagerie Mons, in Roanne, France, is at the top of the game, supplying perfectly aged cheese to the world's best restaurants. Beginning in March, travelers can witness the aging process in a most alluring way, by venturing to the tiny town of Ambierle to spy the innovative aging tunnel the affineurs constructed in 2009. The entire operation is tucked inside an abandoned railway tunnel. Filled with shelves and shelves of the finest cheeses in the world, one imagines that if Willy Wonka had had an affection for dairy, not candy, Le Tunnel de la Collonge would have been his headquarters. 42820 Ambierle; mons-fromages.com.

Tutti a Tavola: Chianti, Italy

Learn to cook Italian from those that know best: mammas! Mimma, Lele, Franca and Simonetta are the women behind Tutti a Tavola, a hidden cooking school in Tuscany. (The name translates to "Everyone to the table.") If you inquire, these Italians mothers might invite you to stay on their own property -- think: incredible 18th-century farmhouses -- for a two- to four-day culinary course. That includes shopping with the mammas at the market, cooking with the mammas in the kitchen and joining the mammas at the table. Best of all -- just like an American mama -- they're pleased to visit you too. Each year they pop in to see former guests in America, Australia and beyond. Near Chianti; tutti-a-tavola.com.

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Happy Hummingbird: British Columbia, Canada

Ditch the same ho-hum run-and-go for something a bit more adventurous with Canadian Mountain Holidays (CMH). As the inventor of heli-skiing, they know a thing or two about secret slopes. Instructor Jean-Francois Lacombe suggests hopping a 12-minute flight from Calgary to the outfitter's private Valemount Lodge, where another ten-minute flight will take guests to a narrow ridgetop for a run dubbed "Happy Hummingbird." Lacombe says, "I love this run because of the cool landing site, great views and, of course, a great ski descent, from mountain top to the helicopter pickup at the bottom of the valley." With its (relatively!) central location and notable amenities, Valemount Lodge tends to book months in advance. Plan ahead. Near Valemount; canadianmountainholidays.com.

Carlson's of Fishtown: Leland, Michigan

Some New Yorkers go to the Hamptons to get away from it all. Mario Batali heads to Northern Michigan. "It takes less time for me to get here from New York than it would for me to get to Amagansett," he told the New York Times. Batali's choice of Midwest secret addresses for Departures is Carlson's of Fishtown, a hole-in-the-wall so obscure that Google Maps can't find it. No matter. In this tiny town, any native knows where to go for smoked whitefish p t , a famed local delicacy. 205 West River St.; lelandmi.com.

Verjus: Paris, France

In 2007, American ex-pats and avid cooks Laura Adrian and Braden Perkins began hosting private dinner parties as a way to make new friends in Paris. What started as a hobby soon became a business, as their "Hidden Kitchen" gained traction through food blogs and word of mouth. Soon it was nearly impossible to get a reservation for their ten-course meal, served two times a week in their home. On December 1, the couple took their culinary accomplishments out of hiding and opened Verjus, a restaurant near the Jardin du Palais Royal. Hurry, this won't be a secret address for long! 52 Rue de Richelieu; verjusparis.com

Spa En Vivo at Hotel Matilda: San Miguel Allende, Mexico

If you haven't been to San Miguel Allende, chances are it's on your list. The 469-year-old colonial city and artisan hub is the new must-see destination in Mexico, with two new luxury properties -- Rosewood San Miguel Allende and Hotel Matilda -- that opened just in the past year. This November, Hotel Matilda added a secret address to its features. In addition to its on-site 4,700-foot spa, it opened Spa En Vivo. This outdoor spa perched on a hilltop in the countryside allows guests to experience hand-blended apothecary treatments created from locally sourced ingredients in an environment that's every bit as natural. Enhanced by thermal pools, bamboo-encased treatment rooms, a yoga pavilion and a contemporary interpretation of a temazcal sweat lodge, it's so pleasant outside you may never want to go back in. Private hilltop in the countryside; hotelmatilda.com.

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Night Gallery: Los Angeles, California

As much as we love New York's pristine Chelsea galleries, they're a far cry from the gritty artists' studios in which the works are created. To narrow that gap and dig for a diamond in the rough -- and we do mean rough -- drive to L.A.'s Night Gallery. Canadian-transplant Davida Nemeroff opened the black box space in February 2010 as a safe haven for young artists and the collectors who love them. She now runs it with Mieke Marple. Need directions? Look for an unmarked former party supply store surrounded by taco shops in a dicey eastside neighborhood from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Tuesday through Thursday. Sound scary? Wait for Night Gallery's next show at the Chateau Marmont. Their first group show at Bar Marmont opened in October 2011 to rave reviews. 204 S. Avenue 19; nightgallery.ca.

Royal Mansour Marrakech: Marrakech, Morocco

The result of King Mohammed VI's marvelous mandate -- and budget -- to build the most beautiful example of Moroccan architecture in the world, and years of toil by more than 1,000 craftsmen, Royal Mansour Marrakech opened in June 2010 to much fanfare. The property includes 53 riads, each more opulent than the next. The winner, though, is the palace within the palace: Riad D'Honneur. Royal Mansour does not advertise, and in that sense alone, it's a secret address. It becomes even more so when one considers the intricate tunnels and passageways that run under the hotel, obscuring the Royal Mansour's most opulent feature of all: impeccable, invisible service. Rue Abou Abbas El Sebti; royalmansour.com.

Door 74: Amsterdam, the Netherlands

This Amsterdam stalwart speakeasy gets continued high marks for its consistently delicious cocktails, intimate booths and modern reservations system. Just call 31-0/877-844-980 in the morning to book a table and text the same number in the evening to confirm. Upon settling in, the menu arrives with specific instructions to further the clandestine nature of the place. Smokers are asked to walk to another bar, down the road, before lighting up -- lest they signal the secret address to passing pedestrians -- and patrons are instructed to say their farewells before exiting the bar. Reguliersdwarsstraat 74; door74.nl.

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Former NBA player recounts struggle with drug addiction

Boston (CNN) -- In the 14 years he lived as a drug addict, former NBA player Chris Herren had no shortage of moments that could have been his "rock bottom."

The earliest may have come when he was only 18, shortly after Sports Illustrated hyped the local star's matriculation to Boston College. Herren -- then one of the most highly anticipated freshmen basketball players in the country -- left BC after only one game after a positive test for cocaine.

Maybe it could have come a few years later, after he had transferred to Fresno State. Just days after one of the most brilliant games of his college career, he announced to a national audience at a news conference that he had once again failed a drug test.

Or maybe rock bottom came in 2001, when Herren's family and friends joined the packed crowd at Boston's Fleet Center to witness Herren fulfill his childhood dream of playing for the Boston Celtics. Even though he was in the starting lineup, Herren was nowhere to be found among the players warming up on the fabled parquet floor.

Instead, he stood in full uniform outside the Fleet Center in the pouring rain, waiting on a dealer just moments before the game.

Herren shot heroin into his veins before his mother's funeral, bailed on his wife and newborn son in the hospital to get drunk, and even had to be brought back to life once after an overdose.

But it wasn't any one of these moments that finally motivated him to get the treatment he needed to overcome his addiction. Herren did not have one singular moment of rock bottom.

"Addiction is rock bottom" he said in a recent interview. "I had 14 years of rock bottom."

Now three-and-a-half years sober, Herren looks back at those dark moments of his life with glib honesty and an almost macabre sense of gratefulness.

Making that buy on a street corner in his Celtics uniform? "Just another normal day in the life of an addict," he said.

Using heroin before a game? "I couldn't play without it in my system."

The overdose that almost killed him? "It was a blessing."

Burying his mother while he was on heroin? "When I tell the story about getting high before my mother's funeral -- the looks of disgust people give me -- those looks mean everything to me now."

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Herren said those looks of disgust help him stay on the straight and narrow because he had never before been on the receiving end of such confrontational shows of disapproval. No one had ever looked him in the eye and told him what he already knew: that he was a junkie.

"I used to tell myself that I was no good all of the time," he said. "But it's much harder to look someone else in the eye and say the same thing."

When Herren was finally ready to dedicate himself to getting clean in 2008, he was met with a new challenge, one as daunting as kicking heroin, and one that he says helps perpetuate the cycle of addiction: the cost of effective treatment.

"Unless you have the very best insurance, you'll only get eight or nine days," he said. "You can't expect someone to run the streets for 10 years and come out clean in 10 days."

Herren knew effective treatment for him was going to need to last more than 10 days, and because he squandered all of his earnings to feed his addiction over the years, he also knew there was no way he could afford to overcome it himself.

That's when Chris Mullin, his friend and former NBA mentor, emerged to give Herren the assist of a lifetime. Mullin, a Hall of Famer and a recovering alcoholic, arranged for Herren to spend nine months getting clean in the type of intensive rehabilitation that he knew Herren needed so badly.

Although Herren still doesn't know exactly how Mullin made that happen, he is sure of one thing: "If it weren't for Chris Mullin and his family, I probably wouldn't be here."

It was his inability to access effective treatment, combined with his desire to repay Mullin's kindness, that inspired Herren to launch his own nonprofit in 2011. In one year, the Herren Project has already privately paid for more than 100 addicts to receive the treatment they otherwise could never have afforded on their own.

Read more about addiction

Effective treatment doesn't come cheap. At Gosnold on Cape Cod, a place where Herren spent three of his nine months in recovery, treatment runs $17,500 a month, according to Gosnold CEO Raymond Tamasi.

But that doesn't deter Herren, who says that "for some cases, we've paid for three months if it's needed."

As part of his work with his foundation, Herren crisscrosses the country, visiting high schools, colleges and prisons to tell his raw and jarring tale. In 2011, ESPN Films wove together scenes from those assemblies for a documentary about him called "Unguarded" that chronicled his rise and fall from stardom amid his descent and emergence from the abyss of addiction. That same year, Herren wrote "Basketball Junkie," a memoir in which he refuses to spare readers a single anguishing detail about his harrowing journey.

But if anyone thinks Herren wasted his talent or his life, he doesn't see it that way.

"People come up to me now and pity me, they call me a 'poor thing,' " he said. "I was a 'poor thing' for 14 years. My life is second to none now."

That life is in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, these days, where Herren, 36, spends his days marveling over the routine tasks of waking his children up for school every morning and putting them to bed every night -- a ritual he calls his proudest achievement.

He also spends a lot of his time at a nearby gym, running his eponymous basketball clinics for boys and girls of all skill levels. Here is where Herren's life has come full circle. He spent 14 years using basketball to fuel his addiction. Today, his basketball clinics also have another purpose, this time a positive one: It might look like he is teaching kids the mechanics of a jump shot, or a pick-n-roll, or a full-court press, but what he is really doing is teaching them to discover their self-esteem.

And that's something Herren didn't get around to doing for himself until he got sober.

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How can I avoid costly vet bills?

(MNN.com) -- My dog has a preference for shoes, but some dogs and cats have a knack for finding and consuming more dangerous items, in spite of our best efforts to deter that behavior. When those things get stuck, pets often need a trip to the vet for emergency removal.

According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), more than 5,000 pets received treatment at the group's Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital in New York.

Many of the cases resulted in costly treatment for preventable conditions. The group's top five are dental disease, urinary tract disease, pyometra, foreign body ingestion and high-rise syndrome, with veterinary bills ranging from $400 to more than $3,000. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

1. Dental disease (Estimated cost: $400 to $1,000)

"Picture what would happen if you literally never brushed your teeth," says Dr. Louise Murray, vice president of the Bergh animal hospital. "With proper dental care, dental treatments are shorter, less complicated, less invasive and less uncomfortable for your pet."

Set a goal of brushing your pet's teeth at least three times a week, which can extend the periods between veterinary dental procedures. Finger toothbrushes make quick work of the task, but Murray says wet gauze wrapped around your finger will do the trick.

Rub the outside surfaces and avoid human toothpaste, which is toxic to pets. Don't miss this video on what happens during veterinary dental procedures. It will make you want to grab a toothbrush, fast.

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Chew toys also can help promote good dental health and prevent destructive behavior. ASPCA dog trainer Kristen Collins recommends investing in a variety of chew toys -- ranging from hard to soft -- to keep pets entertained.

"Supervise your dog really closely the first few times that she is chewing anything," she warns. Broken pieces can present a choking hazard. "If you have a power chewer, make sure those 'indestructible' toys are really indestructible."

Some pet toys, such as the Kong line, contain hollow centers that can be filled with peanut butter or other treats that may prove more enticing than your shoes. As pets age, their teeth can become more brittle, so consider softer gear.

Planet Dog has a line of Toys for Old Souls, and SmartBones digestible chew toys are made from dried chicken breast, an alternative to rawhide.

2. Urinary tract disease/obstruction (Estimated cost = $1,500+)

Feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD) typically leads to inappropriate urination outside a cat's litter box. According to Murray, this common condition affects male and female cats and can be avoided by increasing their water intake.

"Cats evolved in the desert; their ancestors developed to produce a very concentrated urine," she says. "Cats' prey in the wild was 80 percent liquid. We give dry food and the urine becomes incredibly concentrated. Tons of studies show more liquid in diet can help."

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Canned food, pouches or homemade moist diets contain more water than dry kibble. If your cat is finicky about food, start by adding a tablespoon of water to her kibble and increase the amount over time. Patience is key.

Murray notes that it can take months for cats to adjust to the change. During the transition, Collins recommends water fountains for dehydrated pets. "A lot of cats will consume water if they can play with it," she says.

Murray adds that stress can trigger FLUTD, so stock up on interactive toys, scratching posts and window perches to keep cats busy.

3. Pyometra (Estimated cost: $2,000)

Chronic exposure to hormones can cause female cats and dogs to develop cystic endometrial hyperplasia (CEH), thickening of the uterine tissue. This condition can predispose the animal to pyometra, a bacterial infection within the uterus.

Emergency surgery is costly, and Murray notes that both medical conditions are 100% preventable.

"Spay your pet," she warns. "Don't wait for this to happen. Instead of a spay that costs $200 or $300, now you have $2,000 ICU emergency bill."

4. GI foreign body (Estimated cost: $2,000)

While pets can ingest anything, Murray says that stringy items such as dental floss, ribbons and shoestrings can be particularly harmful for cats and dogs. Once ingested, these objects can become entangled and actually rip an animal's intestines. Keep these dangerous items out of reach.

Pet toys that become damaged can present hazards as well. Avoid toys that are small enough for pets to swallow, and remove toys that become torn or broken. Bones are strictly off limits.

"Do not give them bones, period, end of story," Murray says. "I can't tell you how many bones I've taken out with the endoscope or doctors have taken out surgically. Anything that's super hard will break their teeth."

MNN: Pets eat the strangest things

Collins likes teaching dogs the "drop it" command to help people and pets avoid potentially dangerous items. If your dog has something it its mouth, say "drop it" and show a high-value treat.

As soon as your dog drops the item, offer praise and give the treat. Repeat this step a few times and then move on to the next stage of saying the command without showing the treat each time.

"Train them well and you can use 'drop it' with various items," she says. "I used to live in Manhattan and used to walk dogs for friends and neighbors; 'drop it' is the best cue you can have. It can save their lives."

Of course, cats don't respond well to bribery, so Collins says to be vigilant about keeping their environment safe. Remove items they are likely to find chew-worthy and stock up on cat grass or other alternatives. Since boredom can lead to destructive behavior, interactive toys help in this area as well.

5. High-rise syndrome (Estimated cost: $1,500 to $3,000)

Tall buildings and curious cats can be a dangerous combination. Each year, Bergh animal hospital treats quite a few ruptured lungs and broken limbs that result from cats falling from tall buildings. Make sure windows are tightly framed and avoid letting cats free on the balcony.

"People think cats have good instincts and won't jump or fall from the balcony," Murray says. "A cat has no way to know how high they are. They came up in an elevator."

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Feds may also be joining Sandusky investigation

(CNN) -- Federal authorities may be conducting their own investigation involving Penn State and the sexual abuse allegations against Jerry Sandusky.

Sandusky, a former Penn State assistant football coach, is already being prosecuted by the Pennsylvania state Attorney General's Office over allegations that he sexually abused young boys over a 15-year period.

A Penn State spokeswoman said Thursday that the university received a subpoena from the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania requesting information about Sandusky and his charity. The U.S. Attorney's office also asked for information about former president Graham Spanier, and Tim Curley and Gary Schultz, two former school officials charged with perjury and failure to report a crime.

Prosecutors have alleged that Sandusky met his accusers through the Second Mile, the youth charity he founded. Sandusky has also been accused of taking one of the alleged victims across state lines to bowl games in Texas and Florida, an issue that federal authorities could be looking into.

Joe Amendola, Sandusky's attorney, said he has no comment on the matter. Sandusky, who faces more than 50 counts of child sex abuse, is currently under house arrest as he awaits trial. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Last week, Penn State said it has incurred nearly $3.2 million in combined legal, consultant, and public relation fees pertaining to the Sandusky scandal.

Almost $2.5 million of the fees stem from Penn State's internal investigation and crisis communications team costs. Roughly $500,000 has been spent on university legal defense services, the university said.

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2nd teacher accused in scandal

Los Angeles (CNN) -- A preliminary hearing for Martin Springer, the second Los Angeles teacher charged with lewd conduct with a child, was set Thursday for April 16.

The former Miramonte Elementary School teacher has been charged with three felony counts of lewd acts with a girl under the age of 14. He has pleaded not guilty.

Springer was released last Friday in lieu of $300,000 bond and fitted with a court-ordered ankle monitoring device.

On Thursday, Superior Court Judge Shelly Torrealba scheduled the April hearing date and denied a defense request to remove the device.

The defense had argued it "suggests guilt" and is "akin to an inmate walking into a courtroom in shackles during a hearing or trial."

Springer walked into court wearing sunglasses and a blue blazer.

The Los Angeles Unified School District board fired Springer hours after he was formally charged this month. He was the second teacher at Miramonte charged with lewd conduct.

Former Miramonte teacher Mark Berndt, 61, was arrested and accused of taking bondage photos of more than two dozen students in his classroom, including some with suspected semen-filled spoons at their mouths.

Berndt was charged with 23 felony counts of lewd acts with pupils, a sheriff's spokesman said. He is being held in lieu of $23 million bail.

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Suspected drunk pilot kept off Omaha flight

(CNN) -- A Chautauqua Airlines pilot was kept off a flight in Omaha, Nebraska, Thursday morning after he failed a blood-alcohol test, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration said.

Authorities said they were tipped off by a hotel shuttle bus driver, who called airport police to report he suspected the pilot was drunk.

FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said the agency is investigating the incident.

The male pilot, whose identity was not released, was scheduled to fly Frontier Flight 1894 from Omaha to Milwaukee at 6 a.m., according to the airline. Both Chautauqua and Frontier are owned by Republic Airways Holdings, Inc.

But shortly before the flight, a shuttle bus driver called the Eppley Airfield Airport Police to report his concerns about the pilot, said Chris Martin, director of operations for the Omaha Airport Authority.

"The pilot did make it through the checkpoint and he was met by our police officers near the gate of departure," Martin said.

Airport police talked to the pilot and handed the investigation over to Frontier Airlines, as well as notifying the FAA, Martin said.

Under the FAA's so-called "bottle-to-throttle" rule, pilots are prohibited from flying or performing any safety-sensitive operation within eight hours of consuming alcohol, or if they have a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.04 percent or higher. But Frontier Airlines spokeswoman Lindsey Carpenter said Frontier and Chautauqua enforce policies that are even more strict than the FAA's eight-hour rule.

The airline said 29 passengers and a three-person crew were on Flight 1984, an Embraer 145 aircraft.

"Because this is a personnel issue, we can't and won't comment on specifics other than to say that because of concern for the condition of the crew member, the crew member was replaced," Carpenter said. "Frontier and Chautauqua have a zero-tolerance policy for drugs and alcohol that has resulted in a 100% safety record for both carriers."

"Appropriate action will be taken with the crew member when our investigation is complete," she said.

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Suspected drunk pilot kept off Omaha flight

(CNN) -- A Chautauqua Airlines pilot was kept off a flight in Omaha, Nebraska, Thursday morning after he failed a blood-alcohol test, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration said.

Authorities said they were tipped off by a hotel shuttle bus driver, who called airport police to report he suspected the pilot was drunk.

FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said the agency is investigating the incident.

The male pilot, whose identity was not released, was scheduled to fly Frontier Flight 1894 from Omaha to Milwaukee at 6 a.m., according to the airline. Both Chautauqua and Frontier are owned by Republic Airways Holdings, Inc.

But shortly before the flight, a shuttle bus driver called the Eppley Airfield Airport Police to report his concerns about the pilot, said Chris Martin, director of operations for the Omaha Airport Authority.

"The pilot did make it through the checkpoint and he was met by our police officers near the gate of departure," Martin said.

Airport police talked to the pilot and handed the investigation over to Frontier Airlines, as well as notifying the FAA, Martin said.

Under the FAA's so-called "bottle-to-throttle" rule, pilots are prohibited from flying or performing any safety-sensitive operation within eight hours of consuming alcohol, or if they have a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.04 percent or higher. But Frontier Airlines spokeswoman Lindsey Carpenter said Frontier and Chautauqua enforce policies that are even more strict than the FAA's eight-hour rule.

The airline said 29 passengers and a three-person crew were on Flight 1984, an Embraer 145 aircraft.

"Because this is a personnel issue, we can't and won't comment on specifics other than to say that because of concern for the condition of the crew member, the crew member was replaced," Carpenter said. "Frontier and Chautauqua have a zero-tolerance policy for drugs and alcohol that has resulted in a 100% safety record for both carriers."

"Appropriate action will be taken with the crew member when our investigation is complete," she said.

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