Merced Sun-Star

NEW ORLEANS - On a sunny spring afternoon, as the humidity rises and the temperature creeps toward 80, New Orleanians are enjoying a Sunday in their City Park.

It never ceases to amaze when I see Americans lined up at McDonald's from Toronto to Tokyo, Marseilles to Melbourne. All I can figure is that McFood doesn't intimidate people who lack language skills or a sense of adventure.

DETROIT Jacked-up gas prices could help boost attendance at the Henry Ford and Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Mich., this summer.

MIAMI When Miami banker David Schwartz takes his family to Europe this summer, they'll pick up a Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines ship in Barcelona, Spain.

What's it like to live in a far-off place most of us see only on a vacation? Foreign Correspondence is an interview with someone who lives in a spot you may want to visit.

Travelers who've caught the genealogy bug may want to make plans for a trip to Independence, Mo. The new $8 million Midwest Genealogy Center opens May 11 and houses microfilm and microfiche with Civil War histories, American Indian records, black family history records, passenger lists, plantation records and more.

When Americans hit the road it's usually for "sun and fun" or "bright lights, big city." But in the years after 9/11, Americans have also hungered for a slice of security and normalcy. A chance to get off the beaten path, away from it all to someplace quieter, older, less hectic.

ST. JOHN, U.S. Virgin Islands St. John is one of the best places in the world to go snorkeling, but snorkeling gets little respect.

PENOBSCOT BAY, Maine We've been stuffed with fresh blueberry pancakes and perfectly-crisped bacon, tempted with salads and pork in barbecue sauce and home-baked focaccia, sated with all the steamed lobster and corn-on-the-cob we can manage in a single sitting.

NEW YORK The three biggest U.S. carriers said Thursday they have again raised ticket prices, this time by $20 roundtrip, to recoup rapidly rising fuel costs.

WASHINGTON Major legislation to make the flying skies safer and more passenger-friendly faltered in the Senate Tuesday, a victim of squabbles between the parties.

WASHINGTON Amtrak is hoping live entertainment, exhibits and a national TV personality will lure people who don't normally take the train into its stations - and then inspire them to return to ride the rails another day.

ATLANTA Delta Air Lines announced a 3 percent pay raise for its nonunion employees, effective July 1.

NEWARK, N.J. A federal report is faulting a corporate jet pilot for an incident in which a flight attendant broke her leg during a landing at Teterboro Airport.

NEW YORK Drivers have long known that slowing down on the highway means getting more miles to the gallon. Now airlines are trying it, too - adding a few minutes to flights to save millions on fuel.

MODESTO, Calif. MODESTO, Calif. - Between airline upheaval, rising prices and the Internet, travel agents might feel as if they need vacations of their own these days.

MIAMI MIAMI - It has taken the entire day to get to St. Petersburg and as daylight turns to dusk over the tangle of sailboat masts at the city marina, I know that my complicated route - by train, bus and on foot - is going to cost me some sightseeing.