10 FOR THE ROAD
Top spots to reel 'em in
The top 10 places to go fishing with your family, according to cable TV's Sportsman Channel:
1. Clear Lake, Calif. (bass) 2. Sitka, Alaska (salmon, halibut) 3. Ecofina Creek, Fla. (catfish) 4. Lake Sinclair, Ga. (crawfish, crappie) 5. Guntersville Lake, Ala. (bass) 6. Venice, La. (red fish, trout) 7. Lake Ontario, N.Y. (salmon, lake trout) 8. Clinton Lake, Ill. (largemouth bass) 9. Cape Cod, Mass. (Atlantic striper) 10. Rogerson, Idaho (walleye, trout)
CRUISES
Swan song for the Delta Queen
Next year might bring the last dance of the Delta Queen, the 81-year-old doyenne of American paddle-wheelers. Its new owner says the boat's exemption under a 1968 law that bans wooden superstructures in some bigger passenger vessels expires in November 2008. The ship, on the National Register of Historic Places, will make its last scheduled Mississippi River sailing from Memphis, Tenn., on Oct. 31, 2008. Then its future is unclear; it might see service abroad or become a hotel and museum. For cruises, call 800-434-1232 or go to www.majesticamericaline.com.
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[LOS ANGELES TIMES]
TEXAS
Big digs in the Lone Star state
"Live Large. Think Big." That's the slogan for Dallas, and it also describes the design philosophy behind the new Ritz-Carlton there. The 21-story hotel, which opened this month, has 218 rooms, an outdoor swimming pool, a ballroom, a 12,000-square-foot spa, 14,000 square feet of meeting space and seven dining and social spaces, including Fearing's Restaurant, presided over by celebrity chef Dean Fearing. The hotel, within walking distance of American Airlines Center, has its own trolley stop along McKinney Avenue. Nightly rates start at $329. Go to ritzcarlton.com.
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[NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE]