TRIP TO AMERICA.

Northland Age, Volume 24, Issue 48, 26 March 1925, Page 7

TRIP TO AMERICA.

INTERESTING IMPRESSIONS. (Continued) Washington we went direct to New York—truly the "Wonder City”— and spent a fascinating and delightful fortnight there, staying at the Biltraore Hotel, which is in itself a wonderrul sight with its many differeut restaurants, ballrooms, orchestras' and Italian gardens. The service here is very fine, everything being done for one’s comfort. Through the kindness of Mr. Ira Jones, manager in N«<r York of the Studebaker Corporation, I had a letter of introduction and who placed a car and chauffer at our dis. posal for a day, we were able to do The New York Sights

thoroughly. We went right from, the slums to the millionares’ homes all of which was intensely interesting. Also through the same gentleman’s kindness 1 was taken round the business section and into the famous Stock Exchange on Wall Street. This was a most interesting experience; and one I believe few outsiders are privileged to have. The first two things that most when you arrive in New York are the towering buildings and the enormous volume Of traffic. Here all is hustle, bustle, and rush, and the din and rattle from the street cars and overhead electric trains, to sav nothing of “■»>.- the continual purr of the automobiles, is rather nerve racking for a wnile, but it is wonderful how quicklv you get used to it The traffic is so immense that it is just one continual pushing the other fellow out, and it is very seldom you see a car or taxi that has not got battered-in mudguards or damaged somewhere. At every corner there is a line of five or six cars abreast and hundreds long, waiting for the signal to cross. Fifth Avenue and Broadway especially are wonderful sights with never ending streams of cars and people day and night—for New Yoik never sleeps. One can look out of one's window at 3 or 4 s.m. and watch the ceaseless traffic. On Filth Avenue the traffic is regulated by electric lights, elsewhere by police. The main traffic is given 00 seconds and then then held up, and the cross traffic given 30 seconds. No car or vehicle must pass a certain maik across the street once the signal is given. This, provided you are content 10 wait, makes it very simple and sate for pedestrians, and is a very fascinating sight to watch the thousands of people waiting at every corner for the sign to cibss. Especially is this the case between 4 and 0 p.m , when thousands arc streaming along- ? hundreds, disappear underground^to catch their various electric trains, and hundreds rise up above to catch their various elevated eleclric trains. All railroad approaches to New York are underground, and huge electric engines are used for this purpose. When we arrived we came in by the Pennsylvania Railroad- This line goes right underneath the Hudson River, and for the last half to threequarters of an hour you are travelling underground all the way. On 1 op arn ~mre we left by the New York H*i!j o ad. This station is right underneaihifce Biltmore Hotel, and we • simply stepped out into the elevator on our floor and out Of it into our train. Here againyour first half-hour’s travelling is all underground. Underground in New York is almost as busy as one on the surface. The much talked of sky scrapers arw-»U'ilown town” in the real business section, the highest being the Woolworth building, 59 stones high. VVe went up to the top. An express elevalor takes you to the39'h floor, and from there all stops

to the 59.i1. The view from the tower is magnificent, the entire city, its rivers and a harbour, the immense Brooklyn and Manhatteu budges lay like.toys below, Tha Woolworth, although the highest, is noi the largest building. The Equitable life and Singer buildings have the biggest floor _ space. Broadway at night is one of the * wonder sights of the wotld—justly called The "Great While Way.” its millions of electric lights and slßs, the latter so wonderful that one stands dazed in front ol them. Among tha many thousands of signs all of which are beautiful, I must mention one advertUsmM ihe Oakland car. This one is just abSfe where " rimes” Square and Broadway meet, it is of a full sized touring car, with passengers, going along with dust fly tog aud the ladies veils blowing out. All this is in moving electric lights 1 high up over the buildings, and it looks 1 tor ail the world as if it were coming down 1 "rimes” Square into Broadway. Anothone was W rigley’s Spearmint, taking up the entire front of one block, witti fountains playing and a full sized peacock with every feather gleaming, and Spearmint figures dancing and throwing coloured ggballs about. These were only two ol _. many thousands. All the theatres are 1 centred on Broadway, and if one stayed in New York for three months one could go to a new show every night. One of the most enjoyable was “Sally” staged at the New Amsterdam—a gorgeous production—and alterwards we went on toZiegfeld's famous Midnight Frolics on the roof pf the same theatre. Here one has suppt r

and dances in between the acts of the show, which lasts till 2 a.m., the stage being worked backwards and forwards over the dancing floor. Only the very best artists are employed in this show, and we saw some wonderful “turns”. Fifth Avenue, the home of all the most exclusive and expensive shops and cafes, is a wonderful sight at any hour, blit especiallv so in the afternoons. Here are to be seen hundreds of gorgeous cars and beautifully dressed women with their escorts out shopping and making for the fashionable dancing restaurants. Here again the flower shops are very beautiful.

While in New York we were fortunate enough to strike the International Flower Show at which we spent an afternoon. It would be hard to imagine anything as beautiful as the exhibits—the roses especially—some of them on stalks six to seven feet in length, in all colours and arranged in hundreds ; carnations as large as teacups, tulips, hyacinths, and lily of the valley, the most beautiful orchids in every imaginable shade. It was a feast of beauty colour aud scent. Altogether New York was wonderful—so much life and gaiety rush, and colour, luxury and wealth everywhere. We had such a grand tune here that it was hard to tear oursevles away, but move on we had to, and now begins our 3800 mile train ride. Back to San Francisco. This we did in easy stages. Our first stop was Niagara Fails, and to attempt to describe them would be foolishness on my part They are stupendous and make one think Your first remark on seeing them is, “Well where on earth does all the water come from ?” But just take your map and you will sec ! Lake Ontario is 300 feet below the level of Lake Erie. The two are j lined by the Niagara River, and nine miles from its mouth this broad stream plunges over a great escarpment 165 feet high, forming Niagara Falls. Viewed from any point the Palis are sublime in grandeur. There are two distinct Falls—the American and the Canadian—the latter being the horseshoe one. Here you get your first peep of Canada and you cross over into this Dominion to view the whirlpools and rapids. While on the Canadian side you take a rather interesting ride in a Spanish Aerial Cige right across the big whirlpool. This is most exciting an I thrilling. It was very cold here, with snow several feet deep and covering everything which added to the beauty of the scenery. While driving from one spot to another here our car skidded badly on the ice and nearly turned over. (To be continued)