Join us on a virtual tour to America: city vs nature edition

This week we’re taking you on a virtual Contiki tour to America (the city vs nature edition)! We’re comparing the best and bustling US cities with the wonderfully wild national parks, to help you plan your next trip from your home. A country of beautiful contrasts – from stretching redwood forests to cultured San Francisco streets – we’re bringing the best of the eclectic USA to you. Start with a whirlwind 360° adventure to the coolest US travel spots, followed by Trip Manager insights on the best city and nature locations, plus an irresistible s’mores recipe to get your teeth into…

1. The fast-paced city edit

Discover the best of the USA in 360

Join us on a virtual Contiki video tour of the most unforgettable and contrasting locations – from the Grand Canyon to the Las Vegas strip.

Taste the trip at home… with NYC bagels

What could be more New York City than a batch of classic, chewy, delicious bagels? Top tip: no trip to the city is completely without a visit to the iconic Russ & Daughters cafe where they serve fresh bages every day. Here’s how to make this rather complicated bake at home thanks to the The Curious Chickpea.

This recipe makes eight bagels!

Ingredients:

For the bagel dough

• 600 g / 5 cups bread flour
• 4.5 g / 1 1/2 tsp instant yeast
• 14.5 g / 3 tsp fine sea salt
• 350 g / 1 1/2 cup water (90-95 ºF)
• 28 g / 1 tbsp + 1 tsp barely malt syrup

For the poaching liquid

• 8 cups water
• 1 tbsp barley malt syrup
• 1 tbsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp salt

For the toppings

• 2 tsp minced dehydrated garlic
• 2 tsp minced dehydrated onion
• Poppy seeds
• Sesame seeds
• Flaked salt

Method:

1. In the food processor: Add dry ingredients into the food processor and pulse to combine. In a separate bowl combine the warm water and barley malt syrup and stir to dissolve the syrup. Then add the water mixture to the flour. Process until the dough comes together into a ball. Let rest for 10 minutes.
2. In a stand mixer or by hand: Add dry ingredients and wet together in a large mixing bowl or the stand mixer bowl, and mix with a wooden spoon or with a damp hand until it forms a rough, shaggy dough. Then knead for 3 minutes, either in the stand mixer on lowest speed using the dough hook or by hand on a clean and floured counter. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes, then mix or knead again for an additional 3 minutes.
3. At the end of either kneading method, turn the dough onto a clean, floured counter and knead for 1 minute, adjusting the dough by adding more water or flour if necessary. {If kneading by hand, do these adjustments in an additional minute at the very end of kneading}. You should end up with a barely tacky dough. Form it into a smooth dough ball.
4. Place seam side down in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Let rise for 45-75 minutes until around doubled in size.
5. After the rise it’s time to shape the dough. Prepare a baking sheet by covering it with parchment paper or a silicon mat and spray with oil. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces (~120 g each) and roll each into a ball. To shape the bagels you can either (a) poke a hole in the middle of the dough ball and gently stretch the hole until it’s an inch or two wide or (b) roll until 8-10″ long then wrap around your hand and roll the two ends under your palm to seal [see photos in post for visuals]. Place shaped bagels on the greased baking sheet. When all are shaped spray with more oil and then cover with plastic wrap. Place in fridge and leave overnight, or up to 48 hours.
6. On baking day: test dough to determine if it’s fully proofed by placing it in a bowl of water. If it floats it’s ready to go, if not, leave it out on the counter to finish rising at room temperature, retesting regularly until ready.
7. Preheat the oven to 500 ºF.
8. If making everything bagels, place the dehydrated granulated onion and garlic in two small heat proof bowls and cover them with boiling hot water to rehydrate so they don’t burn while the bagels bake.
9. Bring 8 cups of water in a large pot to a boil. Turn heat to medium high to maintain a steady boil and add the salt, baking soda, and barley malt syrup. Boil the bagels 2-3 at a time, taking care not to over crowd the pot, for 60 seconds then flip and boil an additional 45-60 seconds. Strain and place bagels back on the baking sheet. Top with your desired toppings while they’re still hot and wet for optimal sticking. If using seeds, gently press them into the dough after topping. Repeat with remaining bagels.
10. When the oven is pre-heated and bagels are all boiled and toppings added, place the baking sheet into the oven on the center rack and turn the heat down to 450ºF. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the baking sheet and bake an additional 8-10 minutes until the bagels are a dark golden brown. If you didn’t use barley malt syrup in the poaching liquid, they will not brown as darkly or richly.
11. Let the bagels cool at least 15-20 minutes before cutting into them. For long-term storage cut the bagels first, then place in a freezer safe ziplock bag and freeze until ready to eat. Just take them to partially defrost, ~15-20 minutes, before toasting them.

Trip Manager Kiran Simmons says:

The USA has some of the best cities in the world: melting pots of cultures, cuisines and quirks. From the buzz of Times Square to the laid back vibes of San Fran and sunny glamour of LA, you can find everything your heart desires here. Great food, great nightlife, great people and unforgettable attractions. The national parks are great, but sometimes nothing beats exploring an urban jungle like NYC.

The standout experience:

Contiki’s LA to the Bay trip includes San Francisco – a city that will constantly surprise you. I love taking my travellers on their first walking tour here, as there are so many interesting things to see and characters to meet. We also do a street art tour, where we head through the historic Mission District and check out the amazing murals, colourful graffiti, and most importantly learn the stories behind them. I tell my travellers how each mural intersects with the city’s social movements such as civil rights, feminism and anti-gentrification movements.

The Contiki Day Song:

Get your virtual Contiki tour to America started with a classic. Road Trippin’ – The Red Hot Chilli Peppers will bring the bring the American dream to your home.

2. The go slow wild edit

Chill out with a Yosemite National Park tour

Can’t travel to Cali now? We’ve got you with our virtual Contiki tour to America and the epic Yosemite National Park. Just breeeeeathe in that beautiful nature.

Taste the trip at home… with classic S’mores

Blogger duo Like Mother Like Daughter have cracked the ultimate S’more Indoors recipe. You’re welcome…

Ingredients:

• Graham Crackers
• Marshmallows
• Milk chocolate bars (Hershey’s for American authenticity)

Method:

1. Set your oven to broil or grill.
2. Break each of your Graham Crackers in half down the middle. Line a baking sheet with as many Graham Cracker halves as s’mores you want to make.
3. Top each cracker half with one marshmallow. You can cut the marshmallows in half and place them on that way, if you want to prevent them from rolling off.
4. Cook in your oven on the middle rack, for about 1-2 minutes, until marshmallows start to turn golden. Watch closely the whole time.
5. Top each marshmallow with a piece of chocolate (3 pieces of a Hershey’s bar) and a second Graham Cracker half.
6. Allow s’more to set for about a minute. Enjoy!

Trip Manager Melissa Sanders says:

Sure, the USA has some cool cities but I’ve always preferred its wild side. New York can be compared to London, LA to Sydney, but nothing can compare with the North American National Parks. Walking in the shadow of Yosemite’s towering redwoods, hunting waterfalls, stopping for picnics and swapping stories round the campfire at night… these are my fondest memories of America. The Grand Canyon has to be seen to be believed, too.

The standout experience:

Contiki’s Wild Western trip is for nature lovers. When we head into the Grand Canyon National Park it’s all about giving my travellers choices. The dimensions of this place make your mind boggle, so my favourite way to appreciate its absolute vastness is to take to the skies and check it out via chopper. Some experiences in life you just can’t put a price tag on. But if you’d like to stay a bit more grounded, you can hike along the rim, or even hire mountain bikes and explore this epic place on two wheels. 

The Contiki Day Song:

For a chilled American sound, you need Mr Jones by Counting Crows in your life.