TRAVELLING IN AMERICA

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22373, 21 September 1934, Page 15

TRAVELLING IN AMERICA

Only 15 days’ trip from Auckland is that fascinating part of America called California. It' is always sunny there, and one of the most marvellous holiday resorts in the world. That is what Miss Bessie M'Gregor, of Mount Linton, who has just returned from a three months’ visit to Honolulu and America, told a Southland Times reporter during last week.

Miss M'Gregor spent much of her time in Los Angeles, and was much interested in the life there. She saw quite a lot of the New Zealand film star, Colin Tapley. and was lucky enough to be escorted through the Paramount studios —a privilege few enjoy. It is quite impossible to bq allowed into the film studios unless one is personally conducted by a member ’of the acting fraternity, and Miss M‘Gregor was intensely interested in her peep into Paramount. The studios are marvellous erections, and are all lavishly furnished. She met many film celebrities while there, saw- a film being made, and was impressed by the cleverness of the fake photography. The actors and actresses give their whole life to their work, which is strenuous to a degree, and are the friendliest people imaginable and, she found, intensely interested in New Zealand. Contrary to expectation, one docs not hear much American “slang,” but the people have brought conversation down to a fine art, and are very apt and to the point in their expressions. The whole atmosphere, of course, is artificial, and the young girls are heavily made up. Blondes are definitely in vogue, and Miss M'Grcgor says that one grows rather tired of the inevitable platinum blonde in every Los Angeles cabaret. Cabaret, by the way, is an unheard of word over there—“ Bowl ” is the definition used itf America, and this is probably accounted for by the fact that the tables in the “bowls” are set round in tiers and one lias to walk down and round to reach the dancing floor. The men do not dress for “ bowl ” parties, and it is quite natural to see a charmingly-dressed girl escorted by a man in a sports suit. Del Monte is the only place where the men wear dinner jackets. The girls, of course, arc always superbly dressed, iced satin and checked taffeta being the most popular materials, and brown the colour of the moment. All the evening frocks sweep <o the ground, although the day frocks are surprisingly short. American girls have small figures and particularly neat feet and ankles. Shoes are very attractive, and wearing apparel is cheap. Most of the older American women, Miss M'Grcgor noticed, had long hair which they allowed to grow grey naturally. They are not such followers of artificial aids to beauty as the younger generation.

Miss M'Gregor travelled through the Grand Canyon, which consists of 210 miles of the most wonderful scenery, and she visited Yoshmite, which reminded her of New Zealand. Del Monte also is a most fascinating and pretty place, and has a huge hotel which is the haunt of all the film colony who need a holiday. At Del Monte cycling is very popular, and there arc thousands of bicycles parked outside the hotel there. Miss M'Gregor and a companion tried a tandem, and found it very exhilarating. Del Monte was the only place where she saw a Union Jack. The British people, of course, are sincerely loved by the Americans, and the Royal Family arc constantly referred to. British pictures are very popular, and photographs of Ascot and similar functions arc eagerly studied. The picture shows arc nearly always half vaudeville and half film.

The hotels, of course, are quite “ super,” and service is the cry. Every hotel has its own beauty parlour, and one can receive attention to one’s slightest need at any hour of the day or night. Work never* ceases, and a shop assistant would think nothing of working 12 or 14 hours a day if need be. Sunday seems to be forgotten ns a day of rest, and public work continues then as on a week day. The celebrated A inice, M'Pherson has a great following in California. .She has built a huge temple, which will seat 5000 people, and it is never empty when she is lecturing. Miss M'Gregor attended one of these lectures, and Aimec MT’hcrson, who is attractive in appearance, was robed in white with a white cross and a shoulder spray. She talked for two hours and a-half, and had people acting her words in the background. It is said that she has done more for charity than any other person in California. Los Angeles is one of the tidiest places in the world. The streets are always spotlessly clean. Generally speaking, the architecture is Spanish, and the rdens round the houses are wonderful. Santa Barbara spells luxury and possesses par-

ticularly palatial homes. It is the holiday resort of the wealthy New York people who like to have homes on the coast. The general strike was declared when Miss M'Grcgor was in San Francisco, and for five days she was marooned there in a 23-storeyed hotel. During this period there was absolutely no service and simply nothing on the road at all. One had to have special passes to got in and out of the hotel and also passes for meals. Japanese servants and cooks were called in to take the place of the strikers, but no attempt was made to stop the strike until the strikers themselves grew hungry and decided to go to work again. As picture shows and every other form of entertainment were definitely off for the five days Miss M'G rogor and her friends used to visit Chinatown, which, although only two blocks from the heart of the city, might be Shanghai itself. There is even a telephone exchange in Chinatown with 23,000 subscribers. There is a large yellow population in California, and all the people are cosmopolitan. The chief cry in America is personality. Without personality nobody gets anywhere. The people arc all carefree, healthy, and happy, and out to enjoy every minute of life. However, Miss M'Grcgor maintains that it is a marvellous place for a holiday, but not altogether desirable as a home.