Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
sort of case, much in the way townspeople probably approached their feudal lords
back in medieval Europe. One gray-haired gal complained about noise from her
noisy neighbors; a man wanted the mayor's help in starting an art gallery that
would somehow fund stem cell research; still another had a lot to say on traffic
problems at a certain intersection. Goodman listened politely to each, turning
to the staff members who accompanied him with questions or requests to follow
up. Everybody who came up got some sort of response and seemed to leave
satisfied . . . which may be the reason this former mob lawyer and all-around-ras-
cal will probably breeze into his next term as mayor.
Tip:
If you're not going to be in town during one of Goodman's official pow-
wows, drop by the bar at Triple George (p. 94) on a weekday between 5pm and
7pm. Goodman's often there nursing a martini; just ask the bartender when you
get in and go on over to say “Hi.”
IN THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
No oompa loompas toil here; still,
Ethel M Chocolates
(2 Cactus Garden Dr.,
just off Mountain Vista Rd. and Sunset Way in the Green Valley Business Park;
%
702/433
-
2500; www.ethelm.com; free admission; daily 8:30am-7pm)
is a
moderately interesting side trip, especially for chocoholics. If you hit it right,
you'll see chef-capped and hard-hatted workers actually toiling at gleaming cop-
per kettles, massive steel machines, and conveyor belts creating this exquisite
chocolate.
Informative wall text under the large glass windows will explain the processes
you're watching. On the opposite wall is a fairly interesting history of chocolate
(
fun fact:
The Mayan word “cocoa” meant “food of the gods,” and they used
chocolate as money). Problem is, because this fine candy is made without preser-
vatives and thus can last only 2 weeks on the shelves, it's only manufactured when
orders arrive. So you could show up to view an empty factory—there's no way to
know whether or not they'll be in production the day you visit (it's best to show
up mid-morning, as the work day often ends at 2:30pm, even when orders have
come in). But even if you do show up when there's nothing much happening, the
workers here do their best to sweeten the experience with unlimited amounts of
free chocolates, and I mean unlimited: I left with a smile on my face and a whop-
ping tummy ache. (Not bad considering the self-guided tour itself doesn't cost a
penny.)
Ethel M chocolates were a labor of love by the son of Mars Chocolates
founder, Forrest Mars, who came out of retirement to create this gourmet choco-
late alternative to the family's stock-in-trade: M&M's (he named the company for
his mother Ethel). His second love was botany, so outside the factory is an impres-
sive 4-acre cactus garden. Wander through before you leave; approximately half of
the plants you'll see here are from the American Southwest, the rest from Australia
and South America. The little water they get is provided by a “green” water recy-
cling plant which uses algae, bacteria, fish, snails and plants to remove pollutants
from the gray water that emerges from the factory. You can tour that as well by
walking to the very back of the garden.
