The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-04-10
A BRIGHT BRITON.
His Views On Travel in
America.
BITS OF SOUND ADVICE
A Member of Parliament Who Wan
dered About With His Eyes and
Ears Open.
T. W. Russell. NJ. P, in the London Graphic.

T. W. Russell NJ, P, in the London Graphic.
An Englishman's first instinct on arriving
at the conclusion of journey is to call
cab He had better not indulge his fancy in
New York. A passenger arriving by any of
the liners at Liverpool would at once secure
his luggage, have it conveyed to cab, tip
the porter, ami, on being set down at his
hotel, weald pay the cabman, say, half-a-
crown. They manage things otherwise in
New York. Heavy luggage must, in the
first place, be expressed" at charge OF
one shilling and siXpence each package. Ii
there are ladies in the party this item may
mount up to something considerable. But
having disposed of the heavy trunks, what
about toe smaller impediments? "Oh," you
say, that may 90 on the cab" Very
good. And off you go In ramshackle
equipage, with an Irish driver possessing
none Of the fun of the old country. On
arriving at the hotel you ask what the fare
amounts to? And then the Englishman's
gorge rises. He is accustomed to stepping
into a London hanson and driving longer
distance for a flurin. But the Hibernian
charloteer graYely calls tor IS. 81 or So, just
according to the humOr he may be in. And
it has 10 be paid. There appear to be no
cab regulations in New York. And IL
there were, nobody imagines that any
authority could or would enforce them.
The result is that when the traveller finds
himself in his room, 1t has probably taken
twenty-five shillings to convey him and his
luggage from the landing place to tho hotel
This, OF course, Is sim ply gorgeous swim
die And the way to avoid it is, fortu-
nately. equally simple.
The Americans travel with single big
trunk. Everything goes into it as into a
handbag. This NOah's ark can be Eek
pressed" at the same charge as q dressing
case. And this done, Uncle Sam makes for
the streetcar and reaches his hotel for 8
Te HI -, sN H,,k IL
little short of scandal that the law should
not protect strangers. They are unmerci-
fully fieeced. A drive of two hours round
Boston cost our party So. or 81 shillingsI
The only safe plan is never to enter a cab
IN the United Stales
As TO the hotels, something pleasant and
unpleasant may be said. In all the cities
these establishments are of the most pala-
tai character, and are conducted on both
the American and European plans. No one
should enter a house conducted on both
plans. Should he do SO the experience of
our party may be his We had written
ahead to secure rooms on the American plan
at one of the Fifth-avenue hotels. The
charge was S. or 81. per day. Arriving
late al n ght we were "skied" in garrett
The electric bells we're out of order. The
pressure was not sufficient to send hot water
up TO the tap and in the morning the supply
OF cold water also gave out. A bath was
out OF the question. The smell from the
tap Itself suggested that it had direct con-
neetion with the main sewer. But all this
might have been tolerated for a night.
Judge of our surprise, however, when, on
entering the dinng-rOOm, we were calmly
Informed that 10 food was supplied on the
American plan after p. NJ, and thatif one
desired supper it should be served on the
European plan. In other words, we were
expected TO pay 81 a day for board and
lodging on the American plan, and pay for
our supper in cash. because the Boston train
happened to be latel This, of course, was
sheer lmpertinence. But We had TO submit
1t was too late to go elsewhe e. Atanother
OF these gorgeous establishments we ex-
perienced another piece of sharp practice.
The terms were 81 80 per day, or 30s each
person.
But on our arrival we stepped into the
wrong room for luncheon, i. e., into the
room for visitors on the European plan.
The bill had to be paid in cash, and we had
the extreme satisfaction of paying lis Cd
for two luncheOns in addition to a charge
Of sos per day. These are samples of the
impudent swiHdles that await the traveller
who is not prepared for them. The only
safe plan, therefore, is to go to a house
conducted on either one plan or the other.
much prefer the American system. Un-
der 1t the traveller knows what be has to
pay. On the European plan it would take
senior wrangler to find out what any meal
is to cost.