This is another in a series of travelogues I’ve written after our various trips for the purpose of boring our friends to death with details about our vacation. The upside is, this saves you the agony of listening to us go on and on in person. If this description isn’t enough for you we do have a few hundred photos we would be happy to show you (some we can actually e-mail because I’m getting better with my new Digital Camera). We do hope that if you ever take a similar trip this may be helpful to you in planning.

THE ITINERARY This trip began with a couple of days in Montreal, then, we boarded the Crystal Symphony for stops at Quebec City, Sydney and Halifax Nova Scotia, Bar Harbor, Maine, Boston, Newport, Rhode Island and New York City where we disembarked and stayed for 4 days before flying home – a total of 19 days.

FALL COLORS This itinerary is designed for those who wish to watch leaves turn various colors. Unfortunately, Mother Nature didn’t cooperate. Except for a few isolated trees in Quebec and Maine, the only “Fall Color” we saw was green. (Hence the title for this piece). But, when you think about it, green is good when, like us, you’re used to seeing nothing but brown or blackened hillsides every fall.

We asked a number of experts to offer reasons for the trees failure to turn. One expert, a cab driver, told us it was too early (we left home on September 13th, Patricia’s Birthday). A second expert, a street artist, told us it was still too warm (it was indeed balmy for most of the trip) and finally, an expert who lives in New York told us it had rained too much over the summer. They are probably all correct.

AIR CARRIERS Like all United’s “Mileage Plus” Frequent Flyers we worry about the Airline’s bankruptcy. What about all those miles we’ve accumulated? Will we lose them? Will United merge with an airline we don’t like? Life for United Frequent Flyers is full of uncertainty.

So, we chose to use up a big chunk of our miles to travel First Class from LA to Montreal and from New York back home. Because there was no United direct flight to Montreal we routed through Pittsburgh on USAir (United’s “travel partner,” whatever that means). If any of you are worried about service aboard a bankrupt airline, don’t be. All flights were on time, the food was decent in First Class and all the Airline personnel were friendly, efficient and went out of their way for our comfort. Plus, none of the flights were full, so we had lots of elbowroom.

O CANADA We have several observations about Canada based on the week we spent in Quebec and Nova Scotia. Our opinions are also formed through more than 15 years of travel in Canada to participate in workshops during the mid-80’s and the 90’s.

THE BUREAUCRACY Everyone, or at least NEARLY everyone we encountered in Canada was charming, helpful, friendly and apologetic for the stance taken by their government on the Iraq war. The only exception were employees of the Canadian Immigration Service at the airport in Montreal. Like most major international airports, flights seem all to arrive at once. There were probably 1,000 passengers trying to get to six immigration agents. They did not use ropes to make lines orderly so what appeared to be several different lines actually funneled into one Agent’s stall. It took us an hour and 15 minutes to make it from the back of the line to the front. When we finally reached the booth the agent was surly and rude. I guess we fit their “Terrorist Profile.”

If you can possibly avoid the Montreal airport, we’d advise it.

THE CANADIAN SAFETY NET Canada is far more Socialistic than the United States. Taxes are oppressive. The Income Tax rate for middle income taxpayers is 50% and the sales tax is 15%. Canada’s unemployment rate is much higher than the US. No doubt generous unemployment and public assistance payments exacerbate the problem.

One Cab driver told us, “Half of us work to support the other half who are too lazy to get up in the morning.” He told us that the unemployment benefit is $320 Canadian a week, about $8 an hour, just below the minimum wage.

Our tour guide in Sydney, Nova Scotia showed us the site of a steel mill that was at one time the largest in the Western Hemisphere. The plant closed in the 1970s and no major employer has been enticed to replace those jobs. Our guide blamed the closing on “Corporate Greed.” He was surprised when I suggested that perhaps outrageously high tax rates on businesses chase potential employers to Ireland and other low tax, business friendly environments. It had never occurred to him.

Home ownership is encouraged through the Social Security System. One can borrow up to $20,000 Canadian from his “ pension” (meaning the social security system) for the down payment on a house. That loan must be repaid at $2,000 per year, but there is no interest charged.

“Pensions” start at 65 and the mandatory retirement age for all working people is 70.

THE CANADIAN HEALTH PLAN Canada’s highly touted health plan is nearly bankrupt. I actually saw an infomercial on the Canadian News Channel offering health insurance to cover all the things the Health Plan doesn’t cover. That‘s a first. You’ll remember Canada has a “Single Payer” system. Naturally the government is the single payer. Theoretically under such a system, you would never need supplemental insurance.

Canadian Hospitals are expected to raise all of their capital and a portion of their operating budgets through local fundraising. This means full employment for fundraisers, but it also represents a form of “Double Taxation” on Canadian citizens.

BILINGUALISM While Canada is officially “Bilingual,” you’d never know it in Quebec. While all nine English speaking provinces have street signs in both English and French, Quebec is “French Only.” While everyone seems to speak English, all street signs and official postings are only in French.

SEPARATISM French Quebec’s quest to be separate from the rest of Canada has received much press in the United States. Less well known is that the Quebecois Party (the separatists) was defeated in the last election. Our tour guide told us there’s now little chance the issue will come up again, particularly since the citizens of Quebec learned that if they “separated” they would have to take their share of the National Debt with them.

MONTREAL We arrived in Montreal on a Saturday. We expected cool weather, but it was a very humid 80 degrees. Naturally we had all the wrong clothes.

There are 3.2 Million people in Montreal and suburbs. Quebec has about one-third of the total population of Canada. Another third lives in neighboring Ontario which means that the two Provinces could pretty much dominate Canadian politics. The final third of Canadians live in the other eight Provinces stretching across seven time zones from the Yukon Territory to Newfoundland. Happily for them Quebec and Ontario seldom agree on anything, so the less populated Provinces continue to have Political clout.

Our Hotel in Montreal arranged, as part of the package with the Crystal Cruise Lines was the Ritz Carlton. As you might expect, it was beautiful and the service superb. It’s located just a few blocks from McGill University and is very convenient for shopping and site seeing. Since we had a limited time in Montreal, we decided to start in “Old Town.”

Getting there was a challenge because it was the day of the Annual Montreal Marathon. There was a Bicycle Division and a Wheel Chair Division in addition to the runners, so it lasted the better part of a day, snarling traffic and inflaming the tempers of cab drivers. The following week had been declared “auto free,” so no cars at all would be allowed in Montreal. I’m glad we left town before that happened.

Shops in Montreal were open from 12 to 5 PM on Sunday. In other Canadian cities we’ve visited most businesses are closed on Sunday.

In Old Town we visited the “Basilique de Notre Dame de Montreal,” the Cathedral said to be the most beautiful in the Western Hemisphere. We certainly wouldn’t argue with that. We’d urge you to go see it when you are there. Mass was underway when we arrived, so we stayed and listened even though only French and Latin were being spoken. It was a very moving experience.

Old Town has many old buildings to visit, shops in which to browse and restaurants to savor. Montreal’s Tourist Bureau claims the “Best Food in North America.” We’d vote for New York, but Montreal is certainly in the top five.

That evening we went to “L’Autre Saison” for an outstanding dinner. It is located on an upscale shopping street, Rue Crescent, near the hotel. By the time we got there, the shops were closed, but it’s a place we’ll visit during the day on our next visit.

A FINAL NOTE ON MONTREAL One thing that really surprised us is that Montreal is much like San Francisco. Street people, all aggressively panhandling, are everywhere and, the streets were littered with garbage everywhere we went. We thought it might be a Provincial problem, but when we got to Quebec City we found exactly the opposite: immaculate streets and few “Homeless.”

THE LAURENTIDES On Monday we took a Bus tour of a winter and summer resort area about 60 miles northwest of Montreal called the Laurentides. The area is very beautiful, but obviously would have been more so if the trees had been in the process of “turning.” We had lunch at the Hotel Le Chantecler at Ste. Adele and it was here we made our first new friends, Dick and Marge Jardeen of Seattle who were with a tour group called “Jazzdagen.” More about the Jazz later.

THE CRYSTAL SYMPHONY After our Laurentides tour we boarded the ship. Since we had been on her sister ship the Crystal Harmony earlier in the year we knew pretty much what to expect – a first class experience. Everything about the Crystal ships is top notch. The food, the accommodations, the crew, the entertainment were all superb. The Staterooms on Symphony are larger than on the Harmony and particularly the bathrooms are much more spacious. I went into some detail about the ship in my last travelogue on our trip to Mexico earlier this year, so I won’t bore you with more details here. We recommend both ships without reservation.

JAZZ Each Crystal Cruise has a theme, this one happened to be Jazz. In addition to the regular entertainment, they invited two Jazz groups onto the ship who played every day.
A big band Jazz Group, led by Bill Allred, played all the old big band standards including Stan Kenton, Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman. Jeff Barnhart a Jazz singer/pianist (occasionally joined by his wife, a jazz flutist) played Progressive Jazz, Ragtime, Dixieland and the Blues. It turned out that Jeff was also a Rotarian, a member of the Rotary Club of New London, Connecticut. We bought several of his CDs.

The tour group “Jazzdagen” is sponsored by a travel agent from Southern California who books Jazz groups onto ships and then arranges for group discounts for Jazz aficionados. In addition to ocean going Cruise ships they also do Mississippi River Boat excursions.
I can put you in touch with them if you’re interested.

NEW FRIENDS We began making new friends as soon as we boarded the ship. Our cabin neighbors were Peter and Judy Friedman from Boynton Beach, Florida. Peter is a travel agent who had a group on board. The coincidence was that on our last trip our neighbors had been Gregg and Laura Freedman of Sierra Madre.

We sat at a table of 8 for dinner. By the second night we were all fast friends. The group included Art and Martha Danielian of Irvine and Bob and Barbara Yeager of Portland. We’re planning a reunion after the first of the year.

QUEBEC CITY: Our favorite port was Quebec. We were there two days and started by taking a city tour to see what we’d like to come back and explore. We visited the “Plains of Abraham” where a famous battle between the English and the French was fought. I had always thought the “Plains of Abraham” was some sort of Biblical reference, but our guide explained that a farmer named Abraham “Something-or-other” grazed his cattle there in 17th Century Quebec.

Quebec is the only fortified city in the Western Hemisphere, with gun emplacements manned by Canadian soldiers pointing out over the St. Lawrence. American tourists commonly think the greatest potential threat to Canada is from overseas, as with the United States, but the guns aren’t pointing east toward Europe. They’re aimed South toward the United States. Every invasion of French Canada by the British did not come from the sea, but by land from the south, most often with American help.

The current fortifications were built in 1840 because of threats made by Americans. Lucky for Canadians, American attention was diverted to Mexico a few years later.

The great landmark of Quebec is the Chateau du Frontenac, now a first class hotel. It dominates what is known as the “Upper Town” and it is surrounded by historic sites to see and explore – shopping, too. Here we visited the oldest church in North America, the Basilique de Notre Dame built in 1618. From here you can take a funicular to the “Old Town,” at the foot of the steep hill, cite of the first settlement. It is now restored and is a great place to browse. If you want to walk either down or up the hill there is a set of stairs called the “Breakneck Steps.” You’ll see many tourists coming down the steps, but few going up.

In Old Town we ate in a charming restaurant, “Le Marie Clarisse.” Maple Syrup is one of the great local products (Vermont is just a few miles to the south), you’ll find many unique uses of it in your food. For lunch, I had a lobster salad with maple dressing and “Maple Vegetable Soup.” It was surprisingly good.

ON TO NOVA SCOTIA We spent two days at sea (and “at river” since much of that time we were on the St. Lawrence) and then two days in Nova Scotia, first in Sydney and then in Halifax. “Nova Scotia” which means New Scotland was first settled in the 17th century.

There’s not much to see in Sydney, except the aforementioned abandoned steel plant. There is a “Colonial Williamsburg” style fort where locals dress in ancient dress and act out the part of colonists. Those who saw it enjoyed it. We elected to rent a car and driver.

We negotiated with a taxi driver to take us around and he readily agreed. He turned out to be an amateur Astrologer.

“What’s your birthday,” he asked as we got in the car. Patricia responded for both of us.

“You’ve been married for many years,” he said.

“Only 6 ½,” I responded.

“Right!” he said.

“You’re retired,” he tried again.

“No, I’m still working full time,” I replied.

“Right!” he said.

“You’re self employed,” he tried one more time.

“No, I work for a large Health System,”

“Right!” he said immediately. “So, you’re a doctor” he now thought he was on the right track.

“No, I’m a fundraiser,” I said. After which, he stopped offering predictions. This may explain why he’s still driving a cab in Nova Scotia, it was obvious his psychic skills needed honing.

Thinking I would be interested he took us to see the local hospital, which was unremarkable. If you’ve seen one you’ve seen them all.

Then he showed us the aforementioned abandoned steel plant and asked if we’d like to see “North Sydney.” Why not?

Twenty minutes later we arrived in North Sydney, which bore a great resemblance to Sydney. Our first stop was the hospital. He was nothing if not attentive to my interests.
Then he took us to a bluff from which we had a terrific view of the abandoned steel plant in Sydney.

I can’t say Sydney was our favorite port, but we did see a really wonderful Celtic music and dance show after our “tour” concluded. We enjoyed it immensely.

In Halifax we took the “Walking tour of Historic Halifax,” which included a stroll through their Victorian Garden and a tour of the “Citadel,” a fortress built in 1810 for protection from us during what Canadians call the “Anglo American War” known to us as the “War of 1812.” The guns in the Citidel have never been fired. We also went to the Parliament Building which the locals boast is the “oldest and smallest in Canada.”

Halifax was the “Ellis Island” of Canada, being the port through which all aspiring immigrants came. Many simply stayed in Nova Scotia making it “the most ethnically diverse of all Provinces.” There are about 140,000 people in Halifax which holds about half the population of the Province. One final factoid, Halifax has the 2nd largest natural harbor in the world. Only Sydney Harbor in Australia is larger.

HURRICANES While we were in Nova Scotia Hurricane Isabelle was striking the coast of Virginia. A week later when we were safely settled in New York another hurricane struck Halifax (a very rare occurrence). We were definitely followed by good fortune on this trip.

AT LAST THE GOOD OLD U.S.A. Our next port was Bar Harbor, Maine. Before being allowed to disembark, as always when you enter U.S. waters, Immigration Agents came on board to review our passports. Before 9/11 this was a pretty perfunctory exercise. The agents would smile at you and chat with each other while they stamped your passport, then would be treated to lunch in the Captain’s mess.

Not anymore. Now they are very serious as they grill you and minutely study your passport. Never mind that you don’t fit the terrorist profile. They were just as surly and rude as the Canadian agents had been. One of our friends said, “If this was the Mexican border they’d be waving us in.” Too true.

I have a theory that Immigration Agents of all nationalities have, since 9-11, become paranoid and very sensitive to the criticism directed at them. Maybe they’re afraid if they aren’t surly and rude we won’t think they’re very serious about catching bad guys.

BAH HABAH First let me say emphatically that during the entire day we were in Maine we never heard anyone refer to the place as “Bah Habah.” Bar Harbor, located on “Mt. Desert Island” in Acadia National Park, has about 6,000 permanent residents.

Our tour guide in Bar Harbor, was a transplanted southerner named Tom who was a regular encyclopedia of his adopted state. He told us that Bar Harbor was developed by John D. Rockefeller Jr. and is still a favorite hangout for Rockefeller family members.

As we passed a cove full of lobster traps he pointed out that each lobsterman has a different color buoy marking the location of his trap. Family feuds have lasted for generations because a lobsterman was caught raiding the wrong color trap. Tom explained a “harvested” lobster must have claws between 3 ½ and 5 inches or it will be thrown back. Smaller ones are not mature and larger ones are “breeding stock.” He also told us lobster pots are checked often because, “lobsters are cannibals and if you leave them unattended too long you’ll likely find 3 empty shells and one well fed lobster.”

One final thing of interest, to us anyway: Most of the island is covered with pine forest. Tom told us that in 1947 there was a fire that burned “a third of the island down to the granite.” There had never been much wildlife on the island because he said “only woodpeckers and squirrels thrive in a pine forest.” After the fire “shoots began to come up through the rock” The first plants to sprout were blueberries, which are, he told us, stimulated by fire. Ash and Birch trees began to grow and soon wildlife such as Beaver and Moose came to the new forest. There were pine sprouts too, but it takes them much longer to grow. Of course it is the Ash and Birch trees that “turn” in the fall and provide the beautiful colors we had hoped to see.

Tom said it will be a hundred years before the pines reach their full height, at which time the ash and birch trees will begin to die for lack of sunlight and the wildlife will go away again. Some on the island would like to cut down the pine trees to keep the forest for colorful ash and birch trees. Because it’s a National Park, environmental legislation prevents cutting the pines so; ultimately, the beautiful birch and ash trees will be choked out. So much for “old growth forests.”

The end of our tour was “an Old Fashioned Lobster Bake.” We looked forward to it eagerly, primarily because we were hungry, but it sounded as if we were in for a real treat. Neither Patricia nor I had ever been to a “Lobster Bake”, and I’m not really sure what we expected. I guess we thought it would look something like Lobster Newburg. What we got was a whole lobster – head, eyes and all – and the utensils consisted of a nutcracker and a pick. We did our best, but agreed we should have opted for a Lobster Salad.

BOSTON Our next port was Boston, a city for which we have great affection. We often visited our friends Jack and Mary Donovan in Marblehead and this was our first visit since Jack died tragically of cancer a few years ago. We had hoped to have lunch with Mary while there, but, at the last minute a friend had a medical emergency and she wasn’t able to come.

Years ago Patricia and I came to Boston to visit Jack and Mary. They took us to “The Black Rose,” an Irish Pub near the Faneuil Hall Marketplace. At night the pub is a “Real Irish” pub, populated almost entirely by young Irish immigrants. It rocks with Celtic music and good cheer. I remember when we arrived at the Black Rose there were no parking spots, so Jack parked in a “No Parking” zone. The problem was a Policeman was standing there watching us park.

“Won’t you get a ticket?” I asked Jack. “Nah,” he said, “there’s no place else to park.” We smiled pleasantly at the Policeman who smiled back. Jack didn’t get a ticket either.
Jack once told me that the traffic laws in Massachusetts are really only “suggestions.”

This time in Boston we did some shopping, adding many frequent flier miles to our account via our Mileage Plus Visa Cards. Then we went to the Black Rose for lunch to renew our memories of that time with Jack and Mary. The lunchtime crowd is more of the “business suit” type, but the staff is still right off the boat from the “Old Sod.”
I had the best corned beef sandwich I’ve ever eaten. Try it next time you’re in Boston.

NEWPORT Next port, Newport Rhode Island. Here we were met by our friends George and Tina Skovran who live in nearby Charlestown, at least they live there in the summertime. In winter they can be found in their motor home somewhere in Florida.

One of the things one must do in Newport is visit one of the mansions previously owned by a “Giant” of the late 19th century industry. Now the properties mostly belong to the Newport Conservancy which has restored the homes and manages their care. Tours are available which helps pay for the upkeep. We went to “The Breakers,” a beautiful 70 room,138,000 sq. ft. “Summer Cottage” built by Cornelius Vanderbilt II.

Son of the Railroad baron, the junior Mr. Vanderbilt never spent a night in the place. It was occupied by his niece, Gladys and a staff of 40, in the summer anyway. In the winter the Vanderbilts could be found in their 150 room estate at Hyde Park.

After touring the Breakers, George and Tina took us to their home, on the water in Charlestown, for lunch and a lot of good conversation.

THE BIG APPLE After a day at sea we sailed into New York Harbor. Unfortunately, we arrived at 5:30 AM so we had to get up in the middle of the night to experience the sail past the Statue of Liberty. It was a thrilling site and I’m glad we did it. However, I’m told if you take the cruise on a reverse course from New York to Montreal you’ll pass the Great Lady at a more respectable hour.

Patricia and I love New York. We spent 4 days there and it’s nowhere near enough time.
As usual we stayed at the Waldorf. This trip we took the “Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island” cruise and visited Ground Zero. We also toured Radio City Music Hall. We’ve been there several times for the Rockettes Christmas show, but I’d never taken the tour. It is the largest such venue in the country and it’s fascinating to see the inner workings. We also met a real Rockette, Debbie.

Dressed in her Rockette costume Debbie circulated among the tourists, allowed us to have our picture taken with her and asked if we had any questions. One tourist asked, “How old is the youngest Rockette?”

“Eighteen,” said Debbie.

“How old is the oldest Rockette?” persisted the tourist

“Nineteen,” she said without a moment’s hesitation.

Take the Radio City Music Hall tour when you’re in New York, you’ll love it.

In previous travelogues we’ve covered some of the things we like to do and places we like to eat, so I’ll only give you a few highlights.

Traffic was miserable during our entire visit because it was United Nations week. New Yorkers hate the United Nations. Diplomats park wherever they want, stop traffic when they feel like it and generally treat New Yorkers like dirt. New Yorkers are all convinced their taxes could be cut in half just by collecting the U.N.’s outstanding parking tickets.

One of the things we hadn’t done on previous trips was visit Patricia’s childhood neighborhood in Brooklyn, so, we hired a driver on a rainy day to take us there. We weren’t able to find the brownstone she lived in near the corner of 55th St. and 5th Ave. but, we did find her Catholic school and the Church in which she was Baptized, Our Lady of Perpetual Help at 59th and 5th. It was particularly meaningful to us because her Grandfather, CEO of Mahoney and Sons Construction, built the Basilica during the
Mid-1920s.

Six months before we were scheduled to be there we bought tickets for “Gypsy” on Broadway because we wanted to see Bernadette Peters perform. We worried right up until we arrived at the theater that we’d find a little printed piece of paper in the program announcing that “Tonight, the part of Mamma Rose will be played by Jane Smith.” But, it wasn’t so. The usher told us that Ms. Peters has not missed a single performance in nearly a year – 8 performances a week. She was spectacular. It was the only time in my life I have ever seen a performer in a musical receive a standing ovation before the end of the show. They had to stop the entire show for about 5 minutes until quiet was restored. We loved it and recommend the show to you if you’re going to be in New York.

BATTERY PARK After we went to Ellis Island we strolled through Battery Park, where the cruise begins and ends. We discovered a shrine where the Bronze sculpture that formerly graced the Twin Towers courtyard has been moved. In 2000 we came to New York for Christmas and visited the “Top of the World” Restaurant in the World Trade Center for lunch. While strolling around the lobby we had seen this sculpture, a large bronze globe. Now it is badly dented and cracked and sits in a special spot in Battery Park. Around the globe a small shrine has developed – flowers, photos, and notes written by loved ones of the people who were murdered that day. Very, very moving.

DINING IN NEW YORK As mentioned earlier, we think New York food is the greatest. Here are some of the places we particularly like.

SAN MARTIN A Spanish (not Mexican) restaurant on 49th between Lexington and 3rd Avenue where we traditionally have our first dinner upon arriving in New York. We’re never disappointed.

GIAMBELLI’S We went to our favorite Italian Restaurant, Giambelli’s, with our new friends the Danielians, who were also staying over for a few days in New York. When you arrive at Giambelli’s you’ll notice an elderly gentleman seated in a booth at the very back. This is Mr. Giambelli himself, age 88, who makes the rounds of the customer’s tables to make sure the food is exceptional, which it always is. When he visited our table we told him how much we enjoyed his restaurant. He ordered a “Grappa” for us and sat with us for almost an hour. He gave us a picture of himself with the Pope and told us that the Pontiff had eaten at Giambelli’s when visiting New York. No need to wonder who picked up that check. He has operated this restaurant on 50th street across from St. Patrick’s Cathedral for 50 years and lives in an apartment upstairs. His 60 employees are his family and he told us that after 9-11 he kept all of them on full time, even though there was little business. No wonder they are so loyal.

RIVER CAFÉ The best view of Manhattan’s skyline is at the River Café at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge in Brooklyn. After dinner at Giambelli’s, Art, Martha, Patricia and I took a cab there. If you have been there, you know it’s one of the most expensive restaurants in New York, but, worth it. You have to call a month in advance for a reservation, which we hadn’t done this time. We called to see if they had a cancellation and learned they have a room especially for those who only want to enjoy the view and have coffee and dessert. They call it the “Cas” room, as in “Casual” and no reservation is required. We loved it. Check it out.

MONTPARNASSE On 51st between 2nd and 3rd Avenues this neighborhood French Restaurant has become one of our “Hang Outs.” We went to dinner there with our new friends the Yeagers who were also staying over and as always had an outstanding meal.

LEVER HOUSE RESTAURANT The Lever Brothers Building at 53rd and Park is home to the “Lever House Restaurant.” We found recommendations for it in various publications, so we made reservations for dinner. The food was great, but it was the service that stood out. We recommend it, too.

OSCAR’S This is the restaurant at the Waldorf. For breakfast, lunch or dinner, it is among the best. There may be a line waiting to get in, particularly in the morning, but, it moves quickly, the service is good and the food far superior to the ordinary hotel restaurant.

NEW YORK PIZZA I don't know why pizza in New York is so much better than anywhere else, except perhaps Chicago – which is a different product, of course, thick crust versus thin. Pop into any of the neighborhood "hole in the wall" Pizza joints you'll find nearly everywhere in Manhattan and you won't be disappointed.

A FINAL NOTE: This was a great vacation. We recommend you try it, but, don't be disappointed if the only color you see is green.