How to beat jet lag: Tips from 4 high-flying elites who travel the world for work
Nearly a week after I've returned, my internal clock is still in shambles. My body's alarm rings at 5 a.m. and by 8:30 p.m. an irresistible urge to sleep kicks in. My usual "afternoon slump" at work now kicks in before lunch, and midday meetings feel like a fight for my life to stay awake.
Don't make my mistake — jet lag can cause brain fog, excessive fatigue, moodiness, and digestive issues, which can prevent you from staying focused and making quick, clear decisions.
But there's a better way to travel, according to people who do it constantly for work and still arrive ready to perform their best.
To prepare for next time, I asked for advice from frequent fliers — from a pro athlete who competes across timezones to a CEO who takes meetings across the world. Here's what really works, according to science, and how you can get back to peak performance faster after a long flight.
The entrepreneur behind a popular jet lag app says light is the best defense
Mickey Beyer-Clausen, a 50-year-old Danish entrepreneur, is the co-founder and CEO of the Timeshifter app for reducing jet lag.
Now based in New York, he all but grew up on a plane as his mom worked for Scandinavian Airlines. His subsequent career has forced him to grappled with the strain of crossing time zones.
"I started traveling more and more and for business, and I'm not 20 anymore. I really struggle with jet lag," he told Business Insider.
Jet lag happens when there's a disparity between your surrounding time zone and your internal clocks (yes, plural — research has found different systems and tissues keep time separately, with the brain as a sort of overseer).
Working with the top researchers on circadian rhythms (the natural 24-hour cycles of the body), Beyer-Clausen found reducing jet lag is all about realigning the brain's master clock so it can "act as the conductor of the orchestra of all the clocks you have in the body."
One of the biggest timing cues for your brain is light, which signals it's time to be alert, while seeing darkness tells the brain to wind down and get ready for rest.
If Beyer-Clausen is traveling from New York to Copenhagen, six hours ahead, he'll prepare by seeing morning light earlier and earlier in the days before his flight. He also adjusts his nighttime routine to be earlier by avoiding light sooner — that includes no phone screens. He creates a dark room for sleep at 10 p.m. and then 9 p.m. compared to his usual bedtime of 11 p.m.
An executive coach plans ahead to switch time zones before traveling
Julian Hayes II, a 39-year-old executive coach based in Tennessee, who regularly travels internationally, and constantly works with frequent fliers.
He has an involved routine of fasting on the plane and exercising on arrival to fend off jeg lag symptoms. But his biggest recommendation is to prevent jet lag in the first place by getting acclimated to a new time zone early.
A few days before a flight, he shifts his sleeping schedule about 30 minutes at a time to more closely align to where he's traveling.
A good rule is that it takes about one day per time zone you're crossing to get acclimated. A trip from New York to Europe, for instance, might take you about six days to recover from completely.
A pro athlete swears by the 'NBA nap' and basic supplements
For NBA star Kevin Love of the Miami Heat, travel is a constant part of his schedule, and his job depends on showing up physically and mentally dialed in. For instance, he might play a game in sunny, southern, East Coast Miami then fly two times zones over to Minnesota for a game a day later. A key part of his health routine is the "NBA nap," a quick snooze before a game to boost alertness.
Love supercharges his nap by drinking an espresso just before dozing which, according to him, ensures that he wakes up fully energized after about 20 to 30 minutes. For peak performance, he follows up with a freezing shower, based on research that cold showers can boost alertness and mood.
"I don't do it every day but I do ice-cold showers when I need to really wake up and get that, boom, dopamine hit," Love said. "My mind is working at a very high level as well as my body being just refreshed."
While Love's coffee-sleep-icy shower strategy can help you feel better in the moment, they don't address the root cause of jet lag.
The true star of Love's regimen is how he unwinds.
He has magnesium and tart cherry juice, two natural ingredients that can improve sleep quality and recovery after exercise. Love also takes supplements with melatonin, a hormone that your body naturally produces to make you sleepy.
Melatonin is the only supplement that helps the underlying problem of jet lag, Beyer-Clausen, the jet lag app founder, told me. That's because the body isn't sure when to produce the melatonin you need to fall asleep.
If you're struggling to adapt to your new schedule and short on natural melatonin to get you to sleep, store bought is fine. Just be mindful the product you choose actually contains melatonin and in the right dose (experts typically recommend 1-3 mg).
A private jet nutritionist eats low-carb breakfasts and low-fat dinners to curb fatigue
Jenna Daou's job is all about helping elite jet setters minimize any disruption to their routines by providing custom-designed, nutritionally-balanced meals for travel.
As a nutritionist for private jet company VistaJet, she's picked up a few pointers for healthy eating in the air.
"Your digestive system and metabolism are linked to your internal clock, and when and what you eat can either help realign your circadian rhythm or throw it further off," Daou told BI.
Eating for the local time zone can help mitigate symptoms of fatigue, she said. For instance, she aims for high-protein, low-carb breakfasts to promote stable blood sugar, and high-carb, low fat meals in the evening for good digestion, relaxation, and natural melatonin production.
Daou said she keeps her meals light when she's flying, and sticks to her usual habits of getting plenty of protein and fresh fruit during the day, and winding down at night with a cup of herbal tea and a book.
"Consistency is something I really value in my routine, it keeps me grounded, especially when I'm traveling," she said. "I do my best to recreate that same sense of calm and familiarity, even when I'm flying overnight."
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Business Insider
39 minutes ago
- Business Insider
81 and working to survive
Noah Sheidlower spent two days following Lydia and Bill Hinds, a married couple of nearly 30 years, who say they're just scraping by in central Connecticut. He reviewed their financial records for this story. He also interviewed more than 90 workers in their 80s and 90s, and 30 researchers and nonprofit leaders focused on older Americans at work. This story is part of a series on people working past 80. Lydia Hinds, 81, collapses onto her red couch, takes a deep breath, and lets out a defeated yell. She just returned home from what was supposed to be a five-hour shift wiping down appliances and helping customers at a Home Depot in Berlin, Connecticut. In the first four hours, she paused several times to catch her breath, so she clocked out an hour early. "I feel trapped working, but I can't stop working," Lydia says, sitting up to cuddle her basset hound, Brigette. Her husband, Bill, gives her a kiss but lets her be. The 90-year-old would like to get a job to help Lydia pay the bills, but because of health problems, there's little he can do. "I feel so guilty that I can't work," Bill says. "You can't work because of your age and your health issues," Lydia snaps back. "There's no sense feeling guilty about it." A certificate for a regional award that Lydia received from Home Depot, praising her dedication to the job, sits on their coffee table. Since starting in 2022, she's received two promotions, despite being unable to climb ladders or lift heavy objects because of her heart failure diagnosis last year. In a photo attached to the award, she's smiling from ear to ear. Now, the best Lydia can muster is a muted grin. If she stopped working and lost her $300 weekly pay after taxes, she and Bill fear they couldn't afford rent. A few weeks back, they had 44 cents in savings. They weren't sure what they would eat for dinner. Three printed-out job applications for remote customer service positions lie near her award. She doubts she'll get further than one interview, but each application is a glimmer of hope. "What company would hire an 81-year-old?" Lydia asks. "Hopefully one of them." A better-paying, less intense job could give them the boost they've yearned for, especially as Lydia's weekly hours some weeks have been cut from 22 to 17. Lydia is one of over half a million Americans over the age of 80 who still work as managers, retail salespeople, lawyers, drivers, and other jobs — over 4% of the Silent Generation. That number has gone up to 4.2% from 3.6% in the last decade due to various factors making full retirement impossible or undesirable for a growing number of seniors, according to a Business Insider analysis of Census data. "We do know that the 75-plus demographic is the fastest growing segment of the workforce," says Carly Roszkowski, vice president of financial resilience at AARP. Americans age 75 and over are twice as likely to be in the workforce now as they were in the early 1990s, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Those in their 80s or older are part of the Silent Generation of Americans born between 1928 to 1945. They grew up against the economic backdrop of the Great Depression and World War II, and learned to be financially cautious after seeing what their parents endured. However, they didn't have access to the same kind of personal finance advice and tools that are prevalent today. In recent months, more than 90 workers aged 80 and older told Business Insider in interviews how health challenges, loneliness, and increased cost of living all play into their decision to work at their age. Over a dozen say all they could find were minimum-wage jobs, and many work despite medical diagnoses. The financial strain bleeds into their relationships with spouses and children, and exacerbates a pervasive feeling of isolation. Right now, the Hindses take in $4,600 a month from their Social Security, Bill's pension from a TV station in Connecticut, and Lydia's monthly wages. Monthly rent for their one-bedroom apartment in a 55-plus development is $1,400, their car payment is $625 a month, their car insurance is $236 a month, and their Medicare combined is $426 a month. On top of that, they have emergency medical expenses, medications, grocery and gas bills, and utilities. They're left with close to nothing at the end of the month. "I keep thinking, 'What happened that we can't go out?'" Lydia says of the couple's social life. "But the rent's gone up, and it's eaten up most of the Social Security money. We're in deep trouble." Business Insider's '80 over 80' series draws on interviews with more than 80 people who are working past their 80th birthdays about their careers, retirement planning, living expenses, healthcare, and life lessons. Fill out this form to contribute to the series and read more here: How these 80-somethings are stitching together work, savings, and Social Security to get through the month The anti-aging secret these 80-somethings swear by: work Meet the 90-somethings with lessons to share on life, work, and money I'm 88, still working, and living with my stepdaughter. I lost most of the half a million I saved, but I still feel fulfilled. I'm 85 and don't have retirement savings — but I'm not too worried about it Healthy enough to work into their 80s Bill and Lydia say their financial mistakes were ones anyone could make. They never gambled, their investments weren't too risky, and they worked in decently paid jobs their entire careers. Still, some miscalculations, unavoidable health issues, and poor timing have put them in a wobbly financial situation. "Every month when it's time for my Social Security check, I get really tense. I'm so afraid it's not going to come," Lydia says. "If we don't get that, we're out of here. We're on the street." The number of cost-burdened households — those that spend more than 30% of their income on housing expenses — age 65 and older has steadily risen since the early 2000s. Research from the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University found that among adults age 75 and older who live alone in metro areas, only 13% could pay for assisted living without having to dig into their assets. "I wish I had saved just $20 a week in my retirement account all those years ago," Lydia whispered during her shift. Even a small nest egg would relieve her stress. She has under $1,000 left in her 401(k) from Home Depot, down from nearly $10,000 at its peak, as she pulled out money twice for medical and day-to-day costs. In 2022, Bill and Lydia needed additional income. During the pandemic, they'd both suffered from health issues, including Bill breaking his leg, which kept them from working. They relied solely on Social Security, Bill's small pension of $335 a month from his time at the local TV station in advertising sales, and some savings. But when they couldn't sustain their lifestyle anymore that year, Lydia drove down the road to the closest Home Depot and applied for a job. Home Depot hired her at $16 an hour in the electrical department. She was 79. "I loved it at first, and I still enjoy my customers," Lydia says. "But when I started there, I didn't know I had heart failure." When Lydia noticed tasks like sewing curtains and gardening knocked her out, a doctor found that her heart was not pumping nearly enough blood. At work each day, she's expected to clean appliances, keep aisles tidy, and help customers with their needs for $19.55 an hour. Still, she kept her sense of humor. "When I got the echocardiogram, I joked with the doctors and told them, 'I forgot to tell you I'm pregnant,'" Lydia says. "They got a big laugh out of that." As her condition worsened, she would have to catch her breath just from walking down an aisle. Conversations with customers and coworkers, who call her "Ms. Lydia," keep her ignited. She says she's thankful that Home Depot has given her time off with pay, as part of her sick leave benefits, to go to doctors' appointments. She used Connecticut's paid family medical leave for six weeks because of her heart failure diagnosis. Home Depot didn't respond to a request for comment for this story. Lydia isn't alone in her battle between work and health. Similar circumstances have pushed many of those who are healthy enough to continue working. Others in her position may need the income, but aren't physically able to work. Beth Truesdale, a research fellow at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, says a "shocking number of people" are pushed out of the labor force in their 50s and 60s, let alone their 70s and 80s. The percentage of people who are working drops sharply starting around age 51, across all genders and education levels. Truesdale's calculations from 2020 showed a roughly 20-point fall in the percentage of people working at age 61 compared to 51. That's not mainly because of early retirements, she says. It's because of factors like poor health, caregiving responsibilities, and physically demanding roles. Dozens of older Americans told BI over the last year that they had no choice but to retire earlier after a diagnosis or injury. Many rely solely on Social Security, which is about $2,000 monthly on average. Lydia's coworker, Tony Sparveri, 80, works for a similar reason as her. He started part-time at Home Depot two decades ago in the gardening department before transitioning to a full-time kitchen and bath design consultant. He's not on his feet all day, and says the work makes him feel youthful. He earns more than Lydia and works mostly for financial reasons, as taxes on his home and rising costs have burdened him and his wife. "Mentally and physically, I feel really good, and that's a blessing," Sparveri says. Still, he's concerned that many older people will continue to be hurt by rising prices and economic uncertainty. "People are suffering, and I don't want to put myself in that position." Love keeps them going through financial ups and downs One afternoon, Lydia searches every nook and cranny of the apartment in search of a CD by Bill's former jazz ensemble, recorded in 1996 with jazz pianist Bill Mays. He walks to a cabinet and pulls it out. She puts it into the CD player and starts dancing, humming the melody to the first track. Bill looks on with a slight smile. He started playing piano when he was 3, performed with a swing jazz band, and hosted an FM jazz radio show in Austin. "Most of those people are dead," Bill says of his old bandmates. "Well, you're not," Lydia quips. Bill and Lydia have lived in their current apartment for six of their nearly 30 years of marriage. This is Bill's second and Lydia's third marriage, and each has children from previous spouses. Lydia lost much of her savings in her 40s when her second husband abruptly closed one of the successful office and mail service stores they started together. He declared bankruptcy very shortly after. "It all went down the tubes," she recalls, noting she was able to get a previous job back shortly after. "I still don't know how I got through that." They didn't know each other at the time, but while Lydia was recovering from that financial setback, Bill was making $90,000 a year from performances and his work at the TV station. Lydia met Bill through a dating service in 1995. He picked her up for their first date in a white limousine, wearing a camel-hair coat. "I was going on dates with three women at the time, but when I saw her, I dropped them all," Bill says. "He had glasses three times bigger than he needed, which I took care of," Lydia jokes. Like any marriage, theirs has had its ups and downs. After a brief stint in Florida, they returned to Connecticut and spent most of their savings on a house that required more repairs than they had expected. Lydia had moved on from the now-closed mail stores and was working as a real estate agent, but says she rarely made enough money to be comfortable. Bill had left the TV station in 1994 to focus on his band and was playing at weddings, teaching piano lessons, and selling pianos. They had been able to save a little throughout their career, but never enough to think they could retire. "We put almost all of our money into that house," Lydia says. She says they bought it for $185,000 in 2002 and spent more than $100,000 on renovations. "It looked a lot better, and we figured we'd flip it and do OK." Then the 2008 recession hit "like a ton of bricks," Bill says. At the time, they had $75,000 invested in the market, but as the market fell, they pulled from their account to pay for their increased mortgage and property taxes. The couple hoped they'd get some money out of the home they'd renovated. But they defaulted on their mortgage in 2015, and a forced sale brought only $115,000. They filed for bankruptcy. The income from a side business Lydia had started to help people downsize their homes, and the piano lessons that Bill gave, weren't enough. They were among the more than 10 million Americans who lost their homes due to the Great Recession. The S&P 500 took over five years to fully bounce back after dropping more than half its value from its high in 2007 to its lowest point in 2009. For thousands of households approaching retirement age, this meant working longer after their savings shriveled. "I take a lot of responsibility. We've made mistakes, but also, who knew a recession was coming?" Bill says. "We all make mistakes, honey," Lydia says. While Americans on average are saving close to the recommended 15% of their income for retirement, many in their 80s and 90s grew up before financial education and 401(k)s were prevalent. Not saving enough was a common regret among the over 3,800 older Americans who shared with BI their retirement regrets and what aspects of their lives they would redo if they had the chance. Maura Porcelli, a senior director at the National Council on Aging, says the organization "saw people who thought they had done their due diligence in planning for retirement, the sort who thought their monthly budgets were going to be sufficient, who had all those hopes dashed." "We know that a good number of older adults are susceptible to a major life event that can knock out a major chunk of their savings," she says. According to the Federal Reserve's Survey of Consumer Finances, the bottom fifth of households headed by someone 75 and older had a net worth of about $75,000 in 2022, including equity built up in their homes. For now, the Hindses are bracing for another life-shattering event. "If I lose her, I don't know what I'm going to do," Bill says. "She feels the same way." Working to survive and holding on to each other Some days after work, Lydia sits at her computer and applies for any job she could reasonably do. She tries to appear as sprightly as possible in her applications, sometimes emphasizing how she graduated from the University of Hartford mid-career in 1994. Though she omits her age from her résumé, she suspects that employers have been able to tell, preventing her from landing anything higher-paying than Home Depot. To counter her many rejections, she started building an online business selling funny gift cards, bags, and clothes. She hired a company to design her website, which cost a few hundred dollars. She works with a print-on-demand company to secure merchandise. She hopes it will take off enough that she can work fewer hours at Home Depot. There is little concrete data about the prevalence of potential ageism among workers in their 80s. Companies are prohibited from age discrimination against workers 40 and older per the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. Many of the dozens of workers BI spoke with say they suspected their age hindered their progress at work or hurt their job applications. "Managers are already thinking that 60 is too old, so there's little hope for someone who is much older," says Janine Vanderburg, who founded the anti-ageism nonprofit Changing the Narrative. "Many of the job boards for older workers are focused on lower-paid jobs where there's a demand. If you cannot pay your mortgage, your rent, whatever it is, and you need to work, it's better to do something than nothing." Though programs like the Senior Community Service Employment Program help lower-income Americans 55 and older get job training, the two dozen aging and work researchers and organization executives BI spoke to agreed there should be more resources for older Americans in the workplace. This could include more conversations with workplace leadership about advocating for older workers, more training on technology topics like AI, or local legislation codifying more protections against ageism. Lydia and Bill hope to move out of their apartment before their rent rises again. It's increased by nearly $300 a month since they moved in 2019, but they have nowhere to go. They're waiting for an open cottage at a nearby care facility, which would cost $1,650 for a one-bedroom unit, but they've rethought whether that would be feasible financially. "I want to be in a place where if something happens, we're still together — or at least we can visit each other easily," Lydia says. With all the financial strain, some days, Lydia wants to give up and say, "The hell with it." The couple attributes their longevity to their connection. They say they rarely fight, and when they do, it ends with laughs and comfort. "We're soulmates," Lydia remarks, pointing to Bill. Their relationship is vital because many people in their community, she says, are not well enough to live active lives. Plus, Lydia no longer speaks to her daughter after years of a souring relationship. Bill's relationship with his children is tighter. For his 90th birthday, most of his family flew to Connecticut. They're about to become great-grandparents. It's hard to maintain friends on a budget, Bill says. They've set aside some money to visit a friend on Cape Cod in October, and Bill has plans to see a film with a friend. One of the downsides of aging, he says, is losing friends left and right. Many have died, while others have drifted away. Their Christmas dinner table of 10 a few years ago has dwindled to just three. Amid financial frustrations and loneliness, they find moments of solace. Now and then, they drive the half hour to Hartford in their 2023 Hyundai Elantra for a concert or to the shore with their dog. But often, it's the little moments that distract them from their financial anxiety. For the first time in five years, Bill sits at the piano in their community's clubhouse. He strikes a few chords, cringing as the notes sound slightly too dissonant for his liking. "I have perfect pitch," Bill says. "When I shout, he can tell me what note it is," Lydia whips back. From memory, he plays selections from Claude Debussy's "Clair de Lune" and Frédéric Chopin's "Nocturnes," missing a note here and there to his frustration. Tears stream down Lydia's face as he serenades her with the out-of-tune piano. When he finishes a prelude, she hugs him tightly. It's moments like these that keep her going, she says, holding his hand on the walk back home. Once there, Lydia takes a green binder and places it on her coffee table. In it are 30 pages of notes in preparation for a September trip to New York City for Bill's 91st birthday. A dozen pages are devoted to receipts, directions, and other logistics, like a fancy Italian dinner at Carmine's and a $550-a-night hotel room on Broadway. But given their finances, they've canceled the dinner and are just doing a day trip without a hotel stay. They want to save for Lydia's birthday in August. "I wanted to do something special, but we can't swing it," Lydia says, grabbing a tissue to wipe her eye. "A lot of people don't make it to 91." One page sticks out. It's a receipt for the Broadway musical "Buena Vista Social Club": Two front-row balcony tickets cost her $700. She's paying $50 a month through November via a buy now, pay later app. Bill has long loved the music, and though the tickets were out of their budget, she says it's worth it. For just a day, they will feel wealthy. Nothing, not even the medical bills protruding from her desk, her dwindling paystubs, or a dozenth new medication, would get in the way of that.
Medscape
a day ago
- Medscape
Mitral Valve Replacement Linked to Higher Endocarditis Risk
TOPLINE: Patients who underwent mitral valve replacement had a more than threefold higher 10-year rate of infective endocarditis than those at moderate risk for the disease, whereas undergoing mitral valve repair was not significantly associated with the risk. METHODOLOGY: Researchers used Danish registries to examine the 10-year incidence of first-time infective endocarditis among adults who underwent a first-time mitral valve replacement (n = 1220; median age, 67 years; 52.1% men) or repair (n = 3239; median age, 66 years; 72.0% men) between 2000 and 2020. Incident infective endocarditis was defined as a diagnosis with 14 or more days of hospitalization or as hospitalization of less than 14 days if the patient died during the stay. The outcome was compared with patients at a moderate risk for infective endocarditis (n = 209,517; median age, 75 years; 54.4% men), including those with cardiac implantable electronic devices, congenital heart valve anomalies, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, rheumatic heart disease, and nonrheumatic degenerative valve disease. Each of the three study groups was compared with matched control individuals from the background population. TAKEAWAY: Over 10 years, infective endocarditis occurred in 6.1% of patients who underwent mitral valve replacement, 1.6% of those who underwent mitral valve repair, and 1.7% of those at a moderate risk for the disease. Undergoing mitral valve replacement was associated with a significantly higher 10-year rate of infective endocarditis (adjusted hazard ratio, 3.52; 95% CI, 2.73-4.52) than having a moderate risk for the disease; undergoing mitral valve repair showed no such risk. Compared with control individuals, the 10-year rate of infective endocarditis was about 66-fold higher among patients with mitral valve replacement, 14-fold higher among those with mitral valve repair, and 10-fold higher among those at a moderate risk for the disease. About 68%-77% patients in all three groups redeemed antibiotic prescriptions after discharge and before the occurrence of infective endocarditis, with no significant differences among groups. IN PRACTICE: 'Future studies may clarify whether antibiotic prophylaxis should be utilized equally for both [mitral valve] replacement and repair,' the researchers reported. 'The analysis of Danish registries represents an outstanding opportunity to define the contemporary risk of [infective endocarditis] after MV [mitral valve] repair and MV replacement, providing insights for implementing preventive strategies and surveillance programs for patients who have undergone prosthetic MV replacement and promoting new investigations on preventive treatment requirements between patients who have undergone MV repair and those who have undergone MV replacement,' Daniele Giacoppo, MD, of the University of Catania, Catania, Italy, wrote in an editorial accompanying the article. SOURCE: This study was led by Amna Alhakak, MD, of Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was published online on July 11, 2025, in the European Heart Journal. LIMITATIONS: This study was observational and did not imply mitral valve interventions caused infective endocarditis. The risk for confounding factors remained with the use of moderate-risk group as comparator. Microbiological data was unavailable for the entire follow-up period. DISCLOSURES: This study received a grant from the Research Fund of Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital. Several authors reported receiving honoraria, travel grants, research grants, and lecture fees from various pharmaceutical and healthcare companies including AstraZeneca, Bayer, and Novo Nordisk Foundation. This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
Eater
2 days ago
- Eater
Llama Happy Hour and Fried Watercress: What to Eat and Drink on Quirky Vashon Island
A 20-minute ferry ride from West Seattle, rural Vashon Island and its artisanal, arty spirit are forever saved from suburbanization by the lack of a bridge. But that shouldn't stop you from visiting. There's a vibrant cluster of high-quality restaurants, bakeries, shops, and cafes in Vashon Uptown (only mainlanders call it 'downtown'), which is only a seven-minute drive (or bus ride) from the ferry terminal. You can also commune with camelids at Llama Happy Hour and visit Oscar the Bird King, a giant recycled wood sculpture by Danish artist Thomas Dambo. Dubbed a haven for people too eccentric to live in Seattle, it's the only Puget Sound island without coastal commercial spots, notes Chris Austin of Vashon Tours. The island's 10 commandments caution, 'Thou shalt not make for thyself any carved image…that is not funky and brightly colored,' while woe will befall those who 'paint their houses beige and make their properties look like suburbia,' according to A Rough-Hewn Guide to Vashon and Maury Islands, a suitably whimsical book. And while you're visiting, you should eat and drink at these places: Breakfast The mushroom Swiss croissant at Vashon Baking Company. Nichole Banducci Vashon Island Baking Company has been beloved for its sweet and savory croissants and other baked goods for over 35 years. The hot mushroom and Swiss cheese croissant, packed to the gills with 'shrooms, and Maple Bacon Pecan Croissant, wonderfully crunchy and maple-y, are just two delights available here. Two wood benches in front allow for thoughtful people-watching. Breakfast alternative: The cozy living room-like, art-filled Cafe Luna is revered for its quiche (like 'deep-dish pizza,' is how a fan described the monster-sized slice), pastries like chocolate chip-packed croissants, coffee, smoothies, and grilled paninis. Morning Break Oscar the Bird King. Sharon McDonnell The Vashon Island Coffee Roasterie comes with a side of coffee history. This long white wooden store was the first location of the Seattle's Best Coffee chain. Specialty coffee pioneer Jim Stewart started his first coffee roaster in 1969 on Whidbey island, and after moving to Vashon in 1982 turned the century-old building into a coffee roastery called Stewart Brothers. After winning a regional coffee tasting contest (and hearing a company had dibs on the Stewart Brothers name), he renamed it Seattle's Best Coffee, then later sold it. When Eva Solea, who opened an herb, spice and organic food store about a block away in 1972, wanted to expand, she acquired the vacant building, along with its original coffee roasting equipment. Stewart, then retired, became her coffee mentor. Her family still sources coffee beans from his nonprofit Vashon Island Coffee Foundation, roasts it with his vintage machinery, and her shop, Minglement, is inside. Lunch Teriyaki at Pop Pop Bottle Shop. Pop Pop Bottle Shop A casual eatery with a teriyaki menu and bottle shop with a big selection of local craft beers, local ciders and global small-producer wines, Pop Pop Bottle Shop is owned by Adam Chumas, the former beverage director for Tom Douglas restaurants, and his partner, Christina McFadden. He's often at the cash register or pouring pints; she designed the bright, airy look with its long wood communal tables and bar. The liquor cases sport headings like 'Weird,' and contain finds like Sage Rat Wines (a reference to a local nickname for ground squirrels), Litha, a farmhouse ale brewed with chamomile, lavender, sage and spelt from Propolis Brewing in Port Townsend, and 'spontaneous wild ales' blended with peaches or grapes from de Garde Brewing in Tillamook, Oregon. Lunch alternative: Nepali food and gluten-free, no-refined-sugar and vegan baked goods are popular at Anu Rana's Healthy Kitchen, a bakery and café a Nepalese family opened in 2016. Momos (dumplings), Nepali-spiced salmon, butter chicken and tofu curries, and peanut noodles with kale are among the prepared foods staff will happily heat up. Pistachio, caramel and date tarts, peanut butter chocolate chip brownies (both made with almond flour sweetened by maple syrup) and pumpkin pie with cashew cream, tea and boba (bubble tea) are also local favorites. The boba comes in unusual flavors, like dragonfruit, mango and coconut, and in 31 combinations. Happy Hour Cider at Dragon's Head. Sharon McDonnell Cider tastings at Dragon's Head Cider offers (five 2-ounce or four 4-ounce pours) accompany a menu that includes applesauce donuts with strawberries and whipped cream cheese, a pulled pork sandwich with apple BBQ sauce, and anchovy-garlic whipped ricotta crostini with hazelnuts and peppers. In summer, its orchard is open Friday through Saturday with outdoor seating on Adirondack chairs and hammocks. Nashi Orchards, a pear and apple cidery offers tastings (but no food) on weekends (or weekdays, by reservation) in a sleek environment. Owners Jim Gerlach and Cheryl Lubbert became cider-makers by happenstance after buying a Japanese-style house with a 300-tree orchard in poor condition on Vashon in 2005. After much TLC and learning the business from scratch, they began selling cider in 2013. The llama farm Vashon Llamas is strictly BYOB and reservation-only: You bring wine, beer, and food, they supply a table, chairs, servingware, and llamas (who approach your table in summer). Dinner option one and a ferry ride back to Seattle The beef noodle bowl at the Ruby Brink The Ruby Brink A restaurant, bar, and butcher shop featuring produce from a long list of local farms and Asian touches, The Ruby Brink, acclaimed for its noodle bowls starring roasted and pickled vegetables, is a must-try. The spicy beef noodle bowl with ginger, mushrooms, jalapenos, 24-hour bone broth, and Korean hot sauce, topped by microgreens and edible flowers, is fantastic. So is the asparagus soup with shiitake mushrooms, leeks, and Aleppo pepper, and the brownie with sourdough starter. The menu's 'Things with Rice' section features a house-fermented and house-pickled vegetable bowl with kimchi slaw, while house-made hunter sausage with pickled mustard seed mayo stars on the 'Things on Bread' section. A Bloody Mary made with Korean peppers and pickled leek brine is on the cocktail list, overseen by Jake Heil, an ex-manager of Portland's Multnomah Whiskey Library. Dinner option two and a later ferry ride or an overnight stay on the island For superb Thai food, lesser-known dishes included, many Seattleites take the ferry to May Kitchen + Bar. Pad Thai, that old standby, is here served in a banana leaf with bits of banana blossom. And while you may not be inclined to order the fried watercress, one bite of the heap of greens deep-fried in rice flour and doused in tangy tamarind sauce will convert you. Don't let the unprepossessing façade fool you (look for the elephant statue on the roof, a symbol of Thailand), the interior is filled with beautiful carved teak, mahogany walls, and gilded lotus petal lighting fixtures. If you do stay here for the night, an ideal place to soak in the serenity of Vashon is Lodges on Vashon, a cluster of Scandi-chic wood-framed cottages with indoor and outdoor fireplaces snuggled amid evergreens, yet centrally located in Vashon Uptown. Eater Seattle All your essential food and restaurant intel delivered to you Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
