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		The Turning Of The Leaves Reprinted from January 2006 Issue -by SONDRA WILSON Each fall, Princess Cruises does a few fall foliage cruises to New England and Canada. We chose the last cruise of the season hoping for the best fall colors. We spent a few days in New York City first and played tourist. Our hotel, the Sheraton Manhattan was in a great location. Fifth Avenue was a few short blocks away, Times Square was right down the street, and the theatre district was right behind our hotel. But the hotel was expensive and the rooms were not that nice. That seems to be the case with many of the hotel rooms in the city unless you are willing to pay huge amounts of money for luxury. So it still is a matter of location, location, location. We did the “hop on hop off” bus for the day. It is a great way to see the city at a reasonable rate of $80 for two people for the entire day. We chose two stops, first in SOHO for lunch and then the site of the World Trade Center. Buses come by frequently so getting on and off is easy. New York is a kinder city since 9/11 and everyone we met in New York was very nice and friendly. We also went to the theatre that night to see Wicked. It is one of the hottest shows on Broadway, George wasn’t impressed, but I loved it. I have always wanted to sail out of New York City. To stand on the deck of a ship and see New York harbor, the Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island the way my grandmother must have seen it when she came to New York from Poland as a little girl was an emotional moment for me. Our first stop was Newport, Rhode Island where the very rich built “cottages”, huge mansions along the ocean. The town is very quaint and the very old buildings, many of which were on the national historic list, were great. A highlight for us was stumbling upon the yearly Seafood Festival where we listened to music and devoured some great seafood. I would definitely put Newport on my list of places to return to. Boston was a real surprise for me. I signed up for a culinary tour with a chef of Boston’s little Italy and it was fantastic. We toured everything from a bakery to a meat market and learned a great deal about buying the best Italian foods. Bar Harbor was our only stop in Maine. The Acadia National Park tour gave us the opportunity to see the fall colors in all their glory. A lobster roll, a hot dog bun grilled and stuffed with a mix of lobster meat and mayo, was George’s choice for lunch. Some of the world’s best clam chowder was also on the agenda. A quaint town with its share of souvenir shops, Bar Harbor was another delight. St. John, New Brunswick was our first stop in Canada. If you look on a map it is obvious why we were there, but the town was disappointing. It just wasn’t pretty and I could have skipped that. Halifax, Nova Scotia was great. It was exactly what I expected; clean and pretty with a lovely waterfront and a vibrant city, it was an enjoyable stop. Their Pier 21 has huge historical significance for most Canadians just as Ellis Island does to the Americans. Our afternoon tour to Peggy’s Cove with its famous lighthouse and craggy coastline reminded me of some of our Puget Sound areas. It was great to get away from the city and see some of the cove areas. As we pulled out of Halifax a lone bagpiper stood on the pier while we sailed away. It was my last glimpse of Canada. The cruise was a great way to see the area. We had wonderful crisp fall weather. If you want to go this fall you absolutely must book right away. With only 3 departures it sells out very early. We can also arrange a pre or post stay for you in New York with theatre tickets, tours and dining recommendations. Then, because you are already on the East coast, we can assist with additional stops. Just call one of our travel experts for help with reservations, but don’t delay or you will miss out on a great experience. Sondra Wilson is preasident of Carlson Wagonlit Travel in the Tri Cities.