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"The Best of Aspen\nWhether you're an alpine sports adrenaline junkie or prefer more urbane leisure pursuits, Aspen offers an unparalleled mix of attractions. AD reports on the best places to eat, shop, and stay in this fabled resort town\nAspen Meadows Resort\n\n Bauhaus designs are hardly what you expect high in the Rockies. Yet in 1953 Austrian \u00E9migr\u00E9 Herbert Bayer\u2014a former director of printing and advertising at the legendary German school\u2014completed the first of his many buildings for the campus of the Aspen Institute. Today parts of the campus also serve as a glorious hotel. Its 98 spacious suites (where such distinguished guests as Bill Gates and the Dalai Lama have slept) are furnished with vintage Bertoia chairs and Breuer occasional tables, and they offer stunning views in all directions. Be sure to explore the grounds of the property. Scattered across its 40 acres are examples of Bayer's innovative works of land art, sculptures by artists such as Mathias Goeritz, and even one of Buckminster Fuller's geodesic domes. 845 Meadows Road, 800-452-4240; dolce-aspen-hotel.com\nViceroy Snowmass\n\n A scenic, 20-minute drive from downtown Aspen, this Gold LEED\u2013certified resort has proved popular with families and international jet-setters alike thanks to its sleek, apartment-style rooms designed by Jean-Michel Gathy and its direct access to beginner-friendly Snowmass mountain. When you're sore from the slopes, relief awaits at the Viceroy's pristine spa. Take a dip in the heated soaking tub, then indulge in a full-body \"healer's\" massage, which is made all the more restorative by the forceful use of Thai herbal compresses. Afterward, refuel at the hotel's restaurant, Eight K, where chef (and former professional snowboarder) Will Nolan prepares locally sourced dishes, or at the Kelly Wearstler\u2013designed Nest Caf\u00E9. 130 Wood Road, 970-923-8000; viceroysnowmass.com\nThe Little Nell\n\n With its unrivaled ski-in/ski-out access to Aspen Mountain (a.k.a. Ajax), this stylish alpine lodge has long been the accommodation of choice for VIPs and a favorite hangout among locals. Not wanting to rest on its laurels, however, the Little Nell continues to undergo improvements. Designer Holly Hunt, who redecorated a majority of the guest rooms in late 2009, is in the midst of transforming the hopping lobby lounge, while Bentel &amp;amp; Bentel (the architectural firm behind such acclaimed Manhattan dining spots as The Modern and Craft) has been tasked with an overhaul of the beloved Montagna Restaurant that will be undertaken this spring. Since the departure of chef Ryan Hardy, this venue has fallen under the culinary leadership of Robert McCormick. Not to worry, loyalists, the hot chocolate\u2014legendary, and for good reason\u2014remains. 675 East Durant Avenue, 888-843-6355; thelittlenell.com\nMoncler\n\n Aspen is one of only three American cities (New York and Chicago being the others) with a stand-alone shop from this Italian sportswear company. Displayed against walnut-colored wood paneling is an array of Moncler's signature chic, quilted-down jackets. 432 East Hyman Avenue, 970-544-5558; moncler.com\nRalph Lauren\n\n The cool mountain air has been known to strike visitors with a sudden and uncontrollable craving for cable knits. The natural (if not exactly local) remedy is a trip to the Ralph Lauren corner boutique, which showcases the best of its vintage-inspired RRL collection in addition to several other lines. 501 East Cooper Avenue, 970-925-5147; ralphlauren.com\nBaldwin Gallery\n\n For nearly two decades, this commerical gallery has been a beacon for serious contemporary art collectors. The space feels transplanted straight out of the prime gallery blocks in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood, thanks to an impressive roster of international artists that includes Jennifer Bartlett, Eric Fischl, and Donald Baechler. 209 South Galena Street, 970-920-9797; baldwingallery.com\nIsberian Rug Company\n\n Founded in 1967 by Stephan Isberian, a fourth-generation rug dealer, this gallery stocks a wide range of carpets\u2014from antique Ushaks to graphic kilims to contemporary minimalist designs. They're precisely the sorts of things you'll want underfoot after a hard day on the slopes. 516 East Hyman Avenue, 970-925-8062; isberianrugs.com\nAspen Art Museum\n\n Currently located inside a former hydroelectric plant on the outskirts of town, this small but formidable institution will move in 2013 to a downtown building designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban. That 30,000-square-foot venue will triple the existing exhibition space for the museum's inspired programming, which, under director and chief curator Heidi Zuckerman Jacobson, has included shows of cutting-edge artists like Mamma Andersson, Mark Bradford, Jim Hodges, and Huma Bhabha, whose new series of large-scale painted photographs go on view December 9. Up next: a survey of works by abstract painter Mark Grotjahn in February. 590 North Mill Street, 970-925-8050; aspenartmuseum.org\nCasa Tua Aspen\n\n An outpost of the Miami Beach hot spot, this year-old restaurant occupies what resembles a two-story ski chalet smack in the center of town. The top floor is a member's-only club, but anyone can dine downstairs, where robust northern Italian dishes like fettucini with guanciale and mushrooms are served in a refined but casual space.\n\n 403 South Galena Street, 970-920-7277\nSteakhouse No. 316\n\n Restauranters Samantha and Craig Cordts-Pearce preside over a small empire of popular local dining spots, including the Wild Fig, Brexi Brasserie, and CP Burger. The couple's latest and swankiest creation is Steakhouse No. 316, which debuted this past summer inside a converted Victorian mining cabin. (Currently closed, it opens for the winter season on November 25.) The interiors have been dramatically transformed with the addition of black wainscoting, red velvet wall coverings, and plush banquettes. Splurge on the porterhouse, which arrives in a cast-iron skillet.\n\n 316 East Hopkins Avenue, 970-920-1893\nMatsuhisa Aspen\n\n When the idea of a new sushi restaurant coming to Aspen was floated to a group of locals, they immediately objected, \"But we have a Nobu!\" Occupying a Victorian house, chef Nobu Matsuhisa's Aspen outpost (opened 13 years ago in collaboration with Nobuko Kang) still serves the best Japanese food in town. 303 East Main Street, 970-544-6628; matsuhisaaspen.com\nJ-Bar\n\n Located inside the Hotel Jerome, this wonderfully authentic saloon dates to the late 19th century, when it served as a watering hole for silver miners. Prohibition transformed it temporarily into a soda shop, but temperance was not (and is not) in this town's nature. The Aspen Crud, a concoction held over from that time, masks three shots of bourbon with five blended scoops of vanilla ice cream\u2014perfect for those who prefer to drink their dessert.\n\n 330 East Main Street, 970-920-1000"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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