| Page 2 of 2 < |
Message Center
My advice to United: Fix your stupid EasyUpdate!
Dan Wasserman, Ashburn
Hip Hoboken
I ENJOYED your piece on Hoboken ["Hoboken, N.J.: Start Spreading the News," June 25], but was surprised you didn't mention the new Latin and Asian immigrants. The city's history reflects the many waves of immigrants to our shores -- including my Irish forebears, Frank Sinatra's Italian parents and the Dutch founders from whom the city's name derives. During my last visit a few years ago, I was not surprised to learn that the church on Hudson Street where my mother and father were married ran a Sunday schedule of Spanish and English Masses.
Herb Hagerty, Washington
I LIVED in Hoboken from 1973 to 1988 -- the first of the fleeing-from-New-York brownstone generation. You hit on some of the high points dead-on, but missed two institutions. One is Marie's Bakery (261 Second St.), whose outstanding bread is exported under the name Policastro. Whenever I visit, I always bring back a few loaves. The other is Schnackenberg's (1110 Washington St.). Two old ladies ran it when I moved there, and I think they might still be there. They make (or made) cheap, traditional sandwiches and chocolates.
When I moved there, "nobody" went anywhere west of Willow Avenue. Now gentrification has spread from the river to the Palisades and has oozed northward to Weehawken and southward to Jersey City. As they say in Hudson County, who'd a thunk it?
Claire Walter, Boulder, Colo.
Fish-by-the-Gram Scam
TRAVELERS TO Venice, beware. At our waiter's urging, one of our party ordered flounder at a modest restaurant, Ristorante La Feluca, and didn't notice the parenthetical "(100 grams)" preceding the price. That's 3 1/2 ounces of the whole fish pre-cooked. The bill was $112 for a single portion of fish!
A few other restaurants that prey on tourists play the same game, guessing that we won't do the math.
C. Stern, Washington
Non-Moldy B&Bs
SOME MONTHS AGO, you published a letter from someone who had stayed in several bed-and-breakfasts in Ireland and encountered mold in every one. My wife and I recently returned from a trip to Ireland during which we stayed in four B&Bs. We found mold in none of them, even though every day of our trip but one had rain.
We selected our B&Bs from "Bed and Breakfast Ireland," by Elsie Dollard and Susan Causin, and were referred to one by a place listed in the book that was full.
Bruce Wood, Wheaton
Doing the Math
MY WIFE and I are planning a trip to St. Martin. I looked online at all of the travel Web sites that tout booking vacation packages as being cheaper than booking direct.
However, after checking Expedia, Travelocity, American Express and Orbitz, I found that by booking direct through the airline (American) and the hotel (Grand Case resort), and using American to book the car, I came out ahead, with air, hotel and car being the same price as air and hotel alone would have been through the Web sites -- even $100 less.
Does it take some time? Yes! But I saved more than $300 -- the price of a dinner or two in pricey St. Martin.
Richard Ramlall, Herndon
Write us: Washington Post Travel section, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071. Fax: 202-912-3609. E-mail: travel@washpost.com. Provide your full name, town of residence and daytime telephone number. Letters are subject to editing for length and clarity.
.
