Kids in America

Forty years ago, when I travelled around the United States (pictured left in Miami at the age of three) with my family, we didn't have a guide book.

Here are six facts from a guide to the USA for children I wrote, part of a series which The Times described as 'Fun, easily accessible...and witty'.

DID YOU KNOW?....

Uncle Sam is a cartoon character of an old, honest man with a long white beard who represents the United States. No one knows for sure who created him – way back in the 1800s – but it is thought that his name comes from his initials ‘U.S’ which are the same as those of ‘United States’.

The first skyscrapers, like the famous Empire State Building, were built by Native American Indians because many of them do not have a fear of heights. Even today nearly half of all skyscraper builders are Native American because as high up as eighty floors they don’t need to wear safety harnesses.

In winter in some parts of America it’s so cold that children need to wear special fur-lined snowsuits to school which cover everything except their eyes. In Minnesota it sometimes gets to minus 50 degrees with 50 inches of snow – about half as high as a front door.

The Dutch bought the island of Manhattan in 1624 from the Native American Indians for some beads worth about £15 and called it New Netherland. When the English took it from them in 1664 they called it New York after the Duke of York.

The Statue of Liberty was a present from France to celebrate the French and Americans working together during the Revolution. It took hundreds of people ten years to make and had to be sent in 350 pieces to New York where it took a year to put together in the harbour in 1886.

Wall Street in New York got its name from the high wooden wall the Dutch built in 1653 to defend themselves against attacking Indians. The very first traders met under a buttonwood tree in 1792 and the street is still known all over the world as a centre for trading.

Scooby Doo's Guide to Greece

Now that the condemnations of Greece are rolling in, many of them along the lines of how the country has made a 'dog's dinner' of its economy, I thought it timely that I put up my Scooby Doo's guide to the country. With some pundits claiming that 'THE history of Western civilisation is expected to come full circle as Greece brings it crashing to the ground', it made sense to take things back to basics with some simple facts from my children's guide to Greece.

• Greece is the land of olive groves, retsina (wine), kebabs, feta cheese, vine leaves, fishermen, ferries to islands, sun, sunbathers and goats.
• Greece used to have money called Drachma, but now people spend Euros like in many other European countries.
• The olive branch (which is a sign of peace) and the Olympic torch are symbols of Greece.

In the TV series It's All Greek To Scooby, the kids go to Greece for spring break and of course end up in the middle of another mystery, when Shaggy buys a "lucky" ancient Greek amulet that actually attracts some kind of monster... Watch Scooby doo and Scrappy doo in Greek.

Certain experts are claiming that the world of science, art and democracy born in Athens 2500

years ago is now going to hell in a handcart.

Scooby-Dooby-Doo, Where Are You?

We got some work to do now.

Scooby-Dooby-Doo, Where Are You?

We need some help from you now.

How to become a Travel Writer

Susan Grossman runs travel writing workshops (see below) for those who want to break into the business. Here Susan gives some invaluable advice:

‘Years ago when I was writing travel reports for Holiday Which? magazine we weren't allowed to accept as much as a coca cola from a hotelier for fear of being 'compromised' or having our 'integrity' shattered in a million pieces. Nowadays apart from the odd magazine and 'a' newspaper that could well be on the way out, travel editors couldn't care less how much 'hospitality' you've had, whether there was champagne flowing out of your ears or you were put up in the suite they usually save for celebrities and heads of state.

What editors want is to keep advertisers happy, with a feature that's topical, and to stay in budget. That's not to say that if someone famous comes along and demands a vast fee they won't pay it, they just won't pay you very much if you're sharing the issue. What always amazes me is that in the twenty plus years I've been contributing to the travel pages of magazines and newspapers, the fees for freelancers have gone down. And that's goes for pictures too. Still, with a lot of hard work and a lot of travelling you can just about make a living out of travel writing, and if you add up what you would have had to pay out for the 'holidays' you've had for free, you're positively rolling in it.

It's a fine line to tread, the negotiating with the tour operator for a 'facility trip' and the editor who you want a commision from, with you in the middle playing one off against the other. Making it all work, often falls down to the pitch. Lots of writers are fine once they are 'in' with a particular editor and their commissions come thick and fast. But once an editor moves on (or these days gets fired) things start to toughen up. Real pitches take a lot of thought and hard work and without a decent one, you're unlikely to get a commission. To make decent money you need to write to get three or four features out of each journey. It's a lot easier than you might think and freelancers who always seem to be busy have cracked it. When I was a magazine editor I had to laugh. I commissioned a good freelancer to write something for my magazine. On his return he produced a very 'thin' account of the place. 'Didn't anything else happen?' I asked him. 'Well', he said, pausing, 'it did, but I sold the rest to 'Hello'.

Susan Grossman's 'Pitching to Editors' workshops run regularly at RIBA, W1.

Her next one-day workshop: 'Pitching to Editors' will be held on Friday 23rd April or Saturday 24th April. For more details:

www.susangrossman.co.uk or http:/uk.Linkedin.com/in/susan17grossman

Or email Susan directly: susangrossman@tiscali.co.uk

A Taste of Amsterdam

Steeped in history, Amsterdam features exquisite examples of its 17th-century Golden Age legacy. Protected monuments abound, and it is easy to imagine Rembrandt strolling the charming canalside streets, sketchbook in hand. World-class culture is here, too, in the dazzling, newly expanded Hermitage, as well as the classic art and historical museums, many of them revamped for the 21st century. Of course, there are plenty of contemporary distractions in this city that boasts beautiful boutique hotels, eclectic modern restaurants, chic cafes and vibrant nightlife. And let’s not forget that urbane Amsterdam is also one of the world’s most livable cities and its forward thinking policies on social issues and transport are now being emulated around the globe.

Whether you want to eat in a shiny, modern eatery complete with designer fare and décor, or you desire a restaurant that is traditional, French and Michelin-starred, there have been some exciting new additions in the city, where visitors can enjoy modern French/Italian dishes atop a disused railway bridge at Open! A truly modern restaurant in an enormous glass container surrounded by water on an old railway bridge. It’s a lovely spot for a French-Italian dinner and worth a look for just a drink or a snack. Or there's Yamazato, the only Michelin-starred traditional Japanese restaurant in Europe, offering a superlative, authentic experience. Set in a Japanese garden with carp-filled lake. If you don’t want to go the whole hog, try the lunch box with a selection of dishes. Reservations are essential.

Travelling by bike in Amsterdam is, quite simply, a joy. The city’s longstanding and forward thinking transport policy that penalizes and restricts car use means that trafiic is kept to a minimum. With flat terrain, readily available bike hire including Orange Bike and the prevalence of cycle lanes, means there is little reason not to travel by two wheels.

For a novel way to arrive in Amsterdam, why not follow the 15-km, signposted cycle route around Schipol airport and into town? Many airlines let you bring your bike for free, although it may need to be in a purpose built box; check with your carrier. Otherwise hire a bike at the airport on arrival, use it to get around town, and then just drop it off on your return.

This text appeared in AA Essential Amsterdam.

Chalet Ana – Eco Baby

As a travel writer, I am paid to be critical, but I find it hard to fault these eco apartments in Les Angles, French Pyrenees. Named after the couple's daughter, Chalet-Ana has clearly been created with love and is one of the few places I can remember staying in that felt like a real home from home. Four days after I left, my friend, who has very finely honed critical faculties, checked in with her partner, on my recommendation, texting me: 'Loving it, loving it, loving it'. This is the first time I have been inspired enough to write a report for Tripadvisor, where you can read my full review.

The Greening of LA

Visitors to LA can hire an electric car, stay in a green boutique hotel, eat locally grown produce at sustainable restaurants and even drown their ecological sorrows in an eco night-club. A million trees being planted over the next few years will result in a visibly greener city. The USA may be bringing up the rear in the fight against global warming, but Los Angeles offers a glimmer of hope. Its citizens are pioneers in going green, and use 30% less energy than their fellow Americans.

Good to Go

Driving around wealthy parts of LA, it can seem as if every other car is a Toyota Prius. These electric/petrol hybrids are the most fuel-efficient car on the road today and drivers of hybrid vehicles park for free at all meters in the city. Such vehicles are probably the best hope for the city with the highest per-capita car ownership in the world; LA may boast one of the US’s largest fleets of natural gas buses, but hardly anybody uses them.

The Green Carpet

Never one to ignore the latest trend, Hollywood has jumped on the environmental bandwagon with (sometimes misguided) enthusiasm. A joke circulating about one particular starlet has her gushing: ‘I love those Prius cars and I really want to save the environment… so I bought two’. Julia Roberts, a spokesperson on environmental issues, made much of installing solar powered panels on her home. Unfortunately, the house was an unnecessary, enormous new build that cancelled out the benefit of a thousand such panels. But film stars like Jennifer Aniston and George Clooney are turning away from gas-guzzling stretch limos and instead rolling up to LA’s Oscars in less-ostentatious hybrid ‘town cars’.

Eating to Save the Planet

Forget lactose-intolerant herbivores, the latest food fad to hit LA are ‘locavores’ – people who only consume food produced within a 100-mile radius. While you might not want to go that far, don’t miss sampling delicious Californian produce from farmers markets and gourmet restaurants throughout the city. At Lobster, diners can save two birds with one stone, tucking into Californian seafood and seasonal produce while sitting under a solar-panelled roof.

Eco Chic

Saving the planet no longer means wearing a hair shirt and no one knows this better than the glamorous Angelinos. In LA, green is very much the new black. Guests of the exquisite Venice Beach Eco Cottages can relax in non-toxic, sustainable luxury, and even an energy efficient hot tub made of plastic milk jugs, and congratulate themselves on the tiny carbon footprint resulting from their stay.

Drink to the Future

On sustainable wine-tours, you can travel in a biodiesal van, visiting vineyards that use organic and biodynamic techniques to grow their grapes. And, at the end of the day, you can make a paperless reservation for Ecco Ultra Lounge, the country’s first energy-efficient nightclub. Here, hedonists with a head for the environment dance in front of an eco amp and relieve themselves of the organic cocktails at the club’s waterless urinals.

This article appeared in the Spiral guide to Los Angeles

Europe's Trendiest Hotel?

I usually resist Valentine's day, particularly those over-staged, over-priced three course dinners that appear to be so popular with couples with nothing to say to each other. But this February 14th, my husband and I took off by bike to a new, local hotel in Bermondsey recently voted one of Europe's trendiest hotels in Tripadvisor's Travelers' Choice Awards.

And for just over a hundred pounds, we had a night, dinner and breakfast in not necessarily the most stylish or trendiest hotels I have stayed in in Europe, or even in London, but certainly one of the friendliest. That may not be a criteria that is automatically high on your list when choosing hotels; nor was it mine, but I have come to think it is just as important as location, facilities and certainly style. We arrived to a smiling face at reception and a welcoming bar/restaurant (this is somewhere I would spend time as a woman on my own) before landing in our well designed room. Having spent one gruelling evening in Las Vegas waiting for ice to be delivered (admittedly, the Venetian has 3,000 rooms, but it was also half an hour walk to the bar), I was delighted to receive our bucket in the Bermondsey Square Hotel within minutes.

I liked the way they provide keyboards for you to use with the flat screen iMac in the room, should you be here on business, and appreciated the girl in reception happily hunting for an umbrella for our foray into the winter drizzle. We had dinner in the Woolpack - a wonderful, genuine mix of very drunk locals fresh from a funeral, gaggles of gay guys sipping chilled sauvignon blanc and appreciative smokers inhaling deeply in the back terrace in the rain. We were glad to have avoided the flakey and pretentious Garrison that somewhat inexplicably insists on describing itself as a pub.

I really liked the 'Meet the Street' section on the hotel web site – this an operation fully rooted in its local community. We got a free paper, unasked for late check out and a lovely breakfast with tea served in a brightly coloured teapot complete with knitted tea cosy. It is worth noting that the Bermondsey Square Hotel's friendliness isn't confined to its human guests: a doberman was being welcomed with a big smile for its five day check in just as me and my valentine were leaving. We can't wait to come back in the summer.