Venturing beyond Los Angeles’ tinsel

Press, 4 December 1979, Page 14

Venturing beyond Los Angeles’ tinsel

TUESDAY TRAVEL.,. I ■ - '-

Although the number of New Zealanders to visit the United States in recent years has been steadily increasing, many have not had the chance to venture beyond southern California. Governed by stopover limitations on excursion tickets to London, travellers frequently are forced to spend their 48 hours within the tinsel borders of Los Angeles.

And that is a pity, for America offers visitors with the time, the freedom and inclination to explore its hinterland, so much more than Universal Studios and Disneyland. Certainly the vastness of the continent can over-awe New Zealanders accustomed to crossing from one side of their country to the other in just a few hours.

Now that airlines in the United States offer domestic passengers 50 per cent discount fares and special low rates for unlimited internal travel, flying has never been cheaper. Frequent services also make it possible to cover great distances in a surprisingly short time. For instance, the itinerary set bv the United States Travel Service for our party took us from Los Angeles to Phoenix, the Grand Canvon, New Orleans, Houston, San Antonio, San Diego and back to Los Angeles—a 10 day round-trip of 7000 km, not all of which was by air. From San Diego to Los Angeles we travelled by Greyhound bus and Amtrak took us on its

ribbon of steel from New Orleans to Houston. Ah, New Orleans—can any other city in North America be so warm and colourful? If so I've yet to find it. fhe heart of New Orleans beats strongly in its French Quarter, the birthplace of jazz, and at night the Quarter still swings to a score or more .of Dixieland bands in bars and halls where the price of a drink buys a memorable evening's entertainment. New Orleans is also a gourmet’s paradise. At Brennans in Royal Street a seven-course breakfast including soup, eggs Benedict, strawberry crepes and wines certainly makes a change

from toast and coffee. But it can cramp one's style for the rest of the day, particularly if you are invited to a Creole brunch at Broussards thre? hours later and. at night, to dinner at Antoine's, the city's oldest restaurant. A fun way of exploring the city is by caleche drawn by horses seemingly competing with each other in the Easter bonnet stakes. For the romantics there are cruises up the Mississippi ranging from one hour to tw.> overnight excursions. A minimum of five days is needed to really savour and enjov New Orleans to the full. This citv genuinely has too much to offer for those with less time.