THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 7, 1996 TAG: 9601050063
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E3 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: TRAVEL-WISE
SOURCE: STEPHEN HARRIMAN
LENGTH: Long : 120 lines
AMERICA'S MOST FAMOUS ship is going to be stretching her sea legs this summer on the eve of her 200th birthday, and you could be aboard.
The USS Constitution, the Navy's flagship and the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world, will set sail on 10 historic cruises in Boston Harbor on a ``Salute to the Nation'' cruise that will be a prelude to the Bicentennial Celebration of the Constitution planned for July 1997-July 1998.
They're not really cruises. Standard tug-powered turnaround programs is what they are. But they have a dual purpose, according to Cmdr. Michael Beck, the public-relations-conscious 64th commanding officer of the Constitution: to celebrate the ship's 200 years of service to the nation and to create an intellectual legacy based on a theme of citizenship. ``Since we cannot take the ship to the nation, we want to bring the nation to the ship,'' he says.
Each sailing will have 400 passengers, mostly students and teachers, and each sailing will be representative of various areas of the country and its territories. To receive a lottery form to participate, call (800) 713-0754 or e-mail the request to sails(AT)navtap.navy.mil.
Winners will be notified by April 15 and will be allowed to bring three guests. All winners will be responsible for their own travel arrangements; however, winners will also receive information on special discounts on certain airlines and hotels.
Sailings will be held Fridays and Mondays between June 28 and Aug. 23 from Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston. GENERALLY SPEAKING...
. . . January was a good month for generals in Virginia. In this month were born Gen. Henry ``Light Horse Harry'' Lee (Jan. 29); his son Robert E. Lee (Jan. 19); and Thomas J. ``Stonewall'' Jackson (Jan. 21 in what is now part of West Virginia). Consequently, two towns that claim these favorite sons hold celebrations that might be worth a visit.
Two museum houses in Alexandria, the Boyhood Home of Robert E. Lee and the Lee-Fendall House, will have a birthday party honoring Henry and Robert from 3 to 5 p.m. Jan. 21. Tickets are $6 for adults, $2 for children. Info: (703) 548-1789.
Lexington, where Robert E. Lee lived his last five years as president of Washington College (now Washington and Lee University) and where Jackson was an uninspiring professor at VMI for a decade before the the Civil War, the celebration weekend is Jan. 19-21. Special events are scheduled at W&L, the Stonewall Jackson House and at the cemetery where Jackson is buried. Info: (703) 463-3777. GET A JOB...
. . . Or at least learn a trade. Colonial Williamsburg is offering hands-on classes in basketmaking, cabinetmaking (both carving and joinery), leatherwork and millinery this winter.
Visitors will be able to learn - in one-on-one and small-group settings - these 18th century trades from people who are keeping those skills alive in the 20th century. Some classes start as early as Saturday; tuition ranges from $175 to $600. For more information or registration, call (804) 220-7108. YOUR MONEY'S WORTH
A ``Two-for-One-to Europe'' sale is on at Icelandair. The airline is offering round-trip air fares from New York and its other U.S. gateways (Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Baltimore/Washington) for as low as $418 for two - that's $209 round-trip per person. Flights are also available to Glasgow, Luxembourg, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Oslo at a higher rate. Tickets must be purchased by Jan. 31 for travel between Wednesdayand March 15. Travel agents have details, or call (800) 223-5500.
New Frontiers is offering low-priced (just over $400 and up, round trip) flights to London, Paris, Frankfurt and Madrid between now and March 31. New Frontiers is the American division of France's largest travel company and also offers deals on hotels and car rentals throughout Europe. Info: (800) 366-6387.
After 6 Hotel Services will offer New York City hotel rooms at up to 50 percent off beginning this week. Call (800) 515-2248 after 6 p.m. and get accommodations at one of over three dozen budget-to-deluxe participating properties.
1996 Orlando Magicard, an area-wide free card, provides savings of 10 to 50 percent at more than 80 establishments - lodgings, restaurants, auto and RV rentals, retail outlets. Contact: Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau (800) 551-0181.
Skican's Rocky Mountain Express package from New York to the Alberta Rockies, from $795 per person double occupancy, includes round trip on Air Canada, seven nights accommodations at either Chateau Lake Louise or the Banff Springs Hotel, six-day all-area lift ticket, transfers, maid service. Info: (800) 268-8880. TRY TO REMEMBER
A Harris Poll conducted for Shuttle by United of more than 1,000 air travelers nationwide, the poll found that: 38 percent said they never, ever visit the lavatory during a flight, 56 percent said they visit once or twice, 4 percent visit three times or more, and 2 percent don't know. Really. They just don't know. DUTCH UPDATE
Holland has a new toll-free tourist information number: (800) 953-8824. Callers can get information on travel packages, a culture and leisure discount pass, special events for 1996, and transportation and lodging. A separate number, (800) 598-8501, connects to the Holland Shop, which sells train passes and other items. THANK YOU FOR NOT...
Teens under 18 who sign a two-year no-smoking pledge will get a $100 discount toward any Offshore Sailing School course in 1996 for themselves or an immediate family member. The school has a half-dozen resort locations in Florida and the Caribbean. You can call (800) 221-4326 to get a free pledge form that will be kept on file for future activation. The deal, of course, is on the honor system. WISH I'D SAID THAT
Writer Susan Butler Anderson on the formula for a successful trip: ``Lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then, take half the clothes and twice the money.'' MEMO: Travel-wise is compiled from wire-service reports, news releases, trade
journals, books, magazines and the deepest recesses of the writer's
mind. Send comments and questions to Travel-wise, The Virginian-Pilot,
Norfolk, Va. 23501-0449; phone (804) 446-2904. by CNB