The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1889-03-29
CHAPTER NNNIN,

Hotels are one of the strongest attractions
i'll America to Americans, especially the
ladies.
When we Europeans travel, We alight at Il
hotel, because it is impossible that we should
have a pitching place Of our own in each
town we visit, or friends able to receive Us;
i'll other words, VIC 20 10 the hotel, because
We cannot help it. When we leave our good
bed and table, and set out to see the world q
little VIC say to ourselves: The worst of it is
that we shall have to live in hotels perhaps
for month or two; but, after all, it cannot
be helped, we must put up with hotels since
VIC have made up our minds to see Switzcr-
land, or Scotland, or Italy" Our object in
travelling is to see new countries, make pleas
ant excursions climb mountains, etc, and TO
attain that object we must use the hotels as a
convenience as a sad necessity.
In Europe, the hotel is means to an end
In America, it is the end.
People travel hundreds, nay thousands OF
miles for the pleasure of putting upnt certain
hotels, Listen to their conversation and you
will find that it mainly turns, not upon the
fine views they have discovered, or the cx-
cursions and walks they have enjoyed, but
upon the respective merits Of the various
hotels they have put up at. Hotels are for
them what cathedrals monuments and the
beauties of nature arc for us.
In February, 1855 went to see the .lmcri-
cans take their pleasure in Florida During
the months Of January, February and March
nocks of society people from the tbwns in the
north on tn Elarida ,pbn,a bn cpn ir worry,
and the orange trees are in fun beauty Of
fruit and flower jacksonville and St Au-
gustino are in winter what Saratoga, New
port and Long Branch are in summer, the
rendezvous of all who have any pretensions
to place i'll the fashionable world.
But what do they do at Jacksonville and
St. Augustine, nll these Americans in search
of "good timc2" You think perhaps that,
in the morning, they set out in great numbers
to make long excursions into tho country or
on the water that picnics, riding parties and
such out of door pastines are organized.
Not so. They get up, breakfast, and make
for the balconies or piazzas of the hotels,
there to rock themselves two or three hours
in rocking chairs until lunch time; after this
they return to their rocking chairs again and
wait for dinner Dinner over, they go to tho
drawing room, where there are more rocking
chairs, and chat or listen to IN orchestra
until bed time. Aud yet, what pretty Gu
virons tho little town of Jacksonville has, for
instanccl For miles around stretches a villa
dotted orange grove.
And tho table d'hotc!
In France we look well at the bill and
ct,1y RI tbo III prs,
them discreetly and artistically i'll the mind
before making their acquaintance moro fully
on tho palate. We are gournets, In America
the question seems to be not, (which of these
dishes will go well togetherf' but, "How
many Of them Gun l manager" 1t is SO much
day: the moderate caters pay for the glut-
tons.
You SEQ women coule down at S to break
fast in silk attire and decked i'll diamonds.
And what breakfast First an orange and
bnnnta to frcshcn. tho mouth and whee TIM
appetite; then fish, bacon and eggs or ONO
let, bcefsteak or chop with fried potatoes,
hominy cakes and preserves.
"How little you eat, you French pcople!"
aid an American to mo one day, as was or
dering my breakfast of cafe au loit and bread
and butter
"You arc mistaken" I said, "only VIC do
not care for our dinner at S O'Clock in the
morning."
The larger the hotel is the better the Amer
leans like it. A little, quiet, well kept hotel,
where, the cookery being done for twenty or
thirty persons instead Of thousand, the beef
has not tho same taste as mutton; a hotel
where you are known and called by your
name. where you are not simply No. SIS like
convict; this kind of pitching place does
not attract the American. He must have
something large, enormous, immense He is
inclined to judge everything by Its size.
Jacksonville and st. Augustine boast
score of hotels, each capable of accommodate
ing from six hundred to thousand guests
These hotels arc full from tho beginning Of
January to the end Of March
have almost always accepted with reserve