Travel Wire 96-05, 11 July 1996
PRF
TRAVEL WIRE - Number 96-05
MARKETPLACE EDITION
11 July 1996
© 1996 LSA Travel
The following is a digest of recent and timely travel information. It
is prepared as a public service for users of the Internet and selected
Internet Service Providers. It is distributed only to those newsgroups
to which its content is pertinent.
In this issue:
||| AIRLINES/AIR SERVICE |||
||| CAR RENTAL |||
||| CRUISE LINES |||
||| AMERICA - NORTH |||
||| ASIA |||
||| EUROPE |||
||| THE INTERNET AND WWW |||
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||| AIRLINES/AIR SERVICE |||
--*RENO AIR
will add new service between Colorado Springs, Colo., and Albuquerque,
N.M., on 01 August. The line will also add a second Reno-Denver
flight, a fourth daily San Jose, Calif.,-Reno flight and an 11th daily
Los Angeles-San Jose, Calif., flight.
--*WESTERN PACIFIC
will launch daily service in September from its home base in Colorado
Springs, Colo., to Ontario, Calif. and Orlando, Fla. The Ontario
flights will begin on 05 September and Orlando on 06 September. Expect
low introductory fares in each market.
--*ALASKA AIRLINES
proposes to operate between Los Angeles and the Mexican resort
communities of Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo beginning 04 November. The carrier
said it will operate four weekly nonstops, the first, using MD-80
equipment. The seasonal service would operate through late April,
1997.
--*MIDWEST EXPRESS
will expand its Kansas City, Mo., schedule with the addition of
nonstop flights to Boston and Omaha, Neb., on 09 September. Service in
both markets will be offered on weekdays (Mon.-Fri.).
--*ECUATORIANA,
the national airline of Ecuador, has received Transportation
Department approval to operate from Ecuador to Miami and New York
using a DC-10 wet-leased from Brazil's VASP. Service was scheduled to
begin last week. The wet-lease arrangement is a solution to a U.S.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) prohibition on Ecuadorian air
carriers operating on their own into the U.S. on the grounds that that
country's safety/oversight standards do not meet FAA requirements.
||| BUSINESS TRAVEL |||
--*Nothing this issue.
||| CAR RENTAL |||
--*AVIS SOLD
HFS, Inc., said it has agreed to buy Avis, Inc., the world's
second-largest rental car company, in a transaction valued at US$800
million, involving US$500 million in cash and US$300 million in HFS
common stock. For HFS, the world's largest franchisor of hotels and
residential real estate brokerages, the deal marks its
long-anticipated entry into the car rental business. Avis operates
under an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), which is managed and
controlled by an outside trustee, U.S. Trust. Members of the ESOP
would receive about twice the latest valuation of their shares in
cash.
||| CRUISE LINES |||
--*HOLLAND AMERICA LINE
was given 13 new permits to sail in Glacier Bay National Park this
summer as a result of an overall increase in permits to cruise
companies awarded by the National Park Service. Through September, the
cruise line will increase its sailings in the Bay from 62 to 75. As a
result, guests on some Glacier Discovery itineraries will receive a
bonus visit that was not originally scheduled.
--*CUNARD DYNASTY
An early-booking savings program has been announced on Dynasty Fall
‘96-Spring ‘97 trans-canal cruises and Summer ‘97 Alaska cruises.
Contact or e-mail your travel agent for details.
||| HOTELS |||
--*Nothing this issue.
||| AFRICA |||
--*Nothing this issue.
||| AMERICA - NORTH |||
--*COUTURE IN CLEVELAND
Now through 03 November. The Western Reserve Historical Society is
presenting 45 years of clothing designed by James Galanos, considered
by many to be the equal of the great European couturiers.
--*PHILADELPHIA
It's the last two months to enjoy the great Cezanne retrospective at
the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The exhibition, in its only U.S. stop,
will close on 01 September.
--*ARKANSAS PEACHES
Like peaches? If so, you might want to be in Clarksville, Ark., for
the Johnson County Peach Festivities. Arkansas' oldest outdoor
festival starts on 12 July with lots of peachy events and tops out on
the weekend with peach eating contests, jam and jelly tastings and
lots of peach cobbler. For more information, call (501) 754-2340.
--*LAHAINA SPRUCE-UP
Until spring, 1997, Lahaina town on Maui, Hawaii, will be undergoing a
major face-lift, which means streets will be torn up and traffic
re-routed. To prevent a downturn in business, however, construction is
taking place between 10:00 p.m. (2200) and 8:00 a.m. (0800). During
the construction period, the Lahaina Town Action Committee is hosting
a series of daily events called "It's a Hula Party on Front Street."
The program features hula dancers, live jazz, canoe races, contests,
sunset torch lightings and other activities.
--*SPONSORS FOR NATIONAL PARKS
The U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee has passed a
bill (S.1703) that would allow corporations, individuals and
foundations to become official sponsors of the National Park Service.
Sen. Frank Murkowski (R-Alaska), who drafted the bill, said he wants
to raise US$100 million a year to eliminate an estimated US$4 billion
maintenance backlog at national parks. Sponsors who be prohibited from
saying they are endorsed by the park service, advertising in national
parks, selling their products or services in parks or sponsoring
individual parks.
--*WATERMELON DAY
On Saturday, 17 August, Vining, Minn. (Pop. 87), expects to welcome
more than 2,500 guests for its annual Watermelon Day. Enjoy melon,
live music, bingo, a farmers market and a parade. For information call
(218) 769-4185.
--*CORN AND APPLE FESTIVAL
23-25 August, Morden, Manitoba, Canada. First staged for Canada's
centennial in 1967, this huge manifestation of agricultural pride is
held in the middle of Manitoba's corn and apple belt. Folks come from
all around for over 23,000 cobs of hot buttered sweet corn and
hundreds of gallons of fresh apple cider...all of it free! For more
information, call (204) 822-5630.
--*CHARLESTON RESTAURANT RENAISSANCE
A restaurant revolution has been sweeping this South Carolina city in
recent years, bringing an influx of talented young chefs who are
looking at the cuisine of the region with a contemporary eye. This new
"low-country" cooking is an amalgam of the various cultures who have
settled here and makes delicious use of local ingredients. Here are
some places to try the next time Charleston is your destination:
^^Anson^^ (803) 577-0551
One of the more eclectic spots in town, with choices ranging from
focaccia and pastas to she-crab soup. Dinner daily.
^^Carolina's^^ (803) 724-3800
One of the most romantic and best dining rooms in Charleston, offering
both Asian and Southern dishes. Dinner daily.
^^Hyman's Seafood Co.^^ (803) 723-6000
A well-priced, "down home" place for crab cakes, she-crab soup, fish,
oysters and po' boy sandwiches. Open daily, 7:00 a.m. (0700) to 11:00
p.m. (2300).
^^Louis' Charleston Grill^^ (803) 577-4522
Attractive and well-balanced offerings in a "knockout" of an interior
space in the Hotel at Charleston Place. Dinner daily.
^^Magnolias^^ (803) 577-7771
Looks like a "smart bar and grill," with one of the city's best chefs
offering straight-forward main courses. Lunch and dinner daily.
^^Slightly North of Broad^^ (803) 723-3424
A cavernous, open dining room with a casual, congenial feeling. The
chunky jambalaya is a winner. Lunch Monday to Friday. Dinner daily.
||| AMERICA - CENTRAL |||
--*Nothing this issue.
||| AMERICA - SOUTH |||
--*Nothing this issue.
||| ASIA |||
--*SKIING IN TOKYO
A new indoor ski dome has just opened in Tokyo. The steel structure
features a 262-foot vertical drop and let's you ski year around.
Figure on paying around $100 for clothing and equipment rental and
chair-lift fees. More information is available through the Japan
National Tourist Organization (JNTO) at (212) 757-5640 in New York.
Or, in Tokyo, call the La La Port Ski Dome at (81-474) 32-7000.
||| CARIBBEAN |||
---*Nothing this issue.
||| EUROPE |||
--*BIKING IN ZURICH
Between now and 26 October 1996, you can use one of 50 free bikes in
Zurich for sightseeing. To get one, you'll need a deposit of
approximate US$17 and a valid passport. The bikes are available at the
Werdemuhplatz, Theatreplatz and Tessinerplatz rail stations weekdays
from 7:30 a.m. (0730) to 9:30 p.m. (2130). Further information can be
obtained from the Organization for the Canton of Zurich, fax (41-1)
825-5217 in Zurich.
--*ART IN EDINBURGH
The National Gallery of Scotland is mounting the first ever exhibition
of early works by Velasquez (1599-1660), the great Spanish artist. 08
August-20 October.
--*FLOWERS IN LONDON
Now through 29 September, the Dulwich Picture Gallery is presenting an
exhibition of Dutch Flower Painting, 1600-1750. At the time the
paintings were created, one tulip bulb could cost as much as a mansion
in the Hague.
--*SALZBURG, AUSTRIA
The Rupertinum gallery is hosting an exhibition of works by the
Austrian expressionist Oskar Kokoschka (1886-1980). The exhibition
will hang between 20 July and 13 October.
--*FROM MADRID TO SEVILLE
Perhaps the nicest way to travel between Madrid and Seville is on the
train known as the A.V.E. (Alta Velocidad Espanola) - one of the
fastest high-speed trains in Europe - a journey taking just two hours
and 30 minutes. The train tends to run full so make your plans as
early as possible. Contact or e-mail your travel agent for more
details.
--*LES DIABLERETS, SWITZERLAND
15 July through 10 August is the time to celebrate the Rosti Festival
in Les Diablerets. The town spends this time celebrating rosti, a
large skillet cake made with layers of sliced, lightly fried potatoes,
onions, bacon and lard (not for the cholestorally challenged!). Locals
demonstrate alpenhorn making, skittles and wooden roof tiling.
--*ANDORRA FESTA
From 25-27 July Escaldes-Engordany, Andorra celebrates the Festa
Major. Enjoy local dishes such as costelles a la brasa and grilled
lamb chops with garlic. At night there is folk dancing and live music.
--*SABENA CHATEAU VACATIONS
A stay at a Belgian chateau is the highlight of these five-day
getaways being offered by Sabena Belgian World Airlines. The "Enjoy
Your Chateau" program features roundtrip air, Friday and Saturday
nights at one of Sabena's two deluxe hotels with breakfast, two nights
with breakfast and dinner at one of the selected chateaux in the
Belgian Ardennes and an Avis car rental. The vacations are available
through 31 October with departures from New York, Boston, Chicago and
Atlanta. Your travel agent has the details on rates as well as
connections from other U.S. cities.
||| MIDDLE EAST |||
--*Nothing this issue.
||| PACIFIC AND AUSTRALASIA |||
--*Nothing this issue.
||| SPECIAL: |||
--*Nothing this issue.
||| THE INTERNET AND WWW |||
(N.B., I check these before posting. However; there may be changes
before you read this. This, of course, is out of my control. I
apologize for any inconvenience.)
--*HAWAIIAN ARCHITECTURE
Here's a site which documents the restoration of the Ewa Planatation
Villages in Ewa, Oahu.
http://www.lava.net/~ada/
--*ACTIVITY PLANNING ON MAUI
Check out Tom Barefoot's page for all sorts of activities. Print out a
daily planner.
http://www.maui.net/~barefoot/
--*HAWAII SKIN DIVER MAGAZINE
http://peacock.com/skindiver/
--*LEAVE THE DRIVING...
to Greyhound. Check out the Greyhound Internet Station at
http://www.greyhound.com/
--*AND FOR THOSE IN CANADA
http://www.greyhound.ca/
--*BRITISH TRACKS
From the nation that gave us "train spotting" as a hobby, check out
http://www.pcpages.co.uk/railuk
--*RESTAURANT FINDER
http://www.dinesite.com/
--*HONEYMOONS
http://www.honeymoons.com/
--*SAFARI INFORMATION
http://www.onsafari.com/
||| IT'S BEEN SAID... |||
--*No words of wisdom this issue.
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