Gateway Arch's walls

Gateway Arch's walls
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Concrete walls intended to deter terrorists from attacking the Gateway Arch will soon give way to a more aesthetically pleasing design.
The new barriers will consist of concrete posts sheathed in metal to fit in better with the stainless-steel look of the shimmering, 630-foot-tall monument along the Mississippi River's banks.
Officials hope to have the old concrete walls removed some time next year.
T-shirt shops mustwrite down their price
KEY WEST, Fla. (AP) -- A new ordinance for T-shirt shops seeks to curb bait-and-switch schemes with unwitting tourists.
Workers must now have a written confirmation of an agreed price before putting custom lettering or decals on T-shirts.
Tourists have for years complained that they had been overcharged for T-shirts after they were customized. Some paid with credit cards and were surprised to find a much higher than expected price for the shirts when they received their statements.
The new rules were established after a series of undercover stings by code enforcement and police.
Shanghai is in talkswith Disney for park
SHANGHAI, China (AP) -- Authorities in Shanghai, where Universal Studios is building a theme park, are also consulting with The Walt Disney Co. about opening a Disney version there. Disney is focusing now on building a park in Hong Kong that's scheduled to open in 2005-2006.
Shanghai and executives from Universal signed an agreement last December to build a park due to open in 2006 in Pudong, a sprawling area of eastern Shanghai. The park will be a mix of Hollywood and traditional Chinese themes.
The Shanghai park would give Universal an edge over Disney in the booming Chinese tourism market and could draw visitors from other wealthy coastal areas who might otherwise go to Hong Kong for theme-park thrills.
Will N.C. farmers opentheir barns to tourists?
SANFORD, N.C. (AP) -- Farmers in North Carolina are getting help with another way to make money off their land -- tourism.
A state agritourism office was created in August to coordinate the effort, and agritourism director Martha Glass has been visiting farms around the state to determine what they could offer visitors. She developed a Web site listing about 50 farms, including dairy farms, produce farms, nurseries, vineyards and an ostrich ranch.
Farmers are finding that tourists will pay for the privilege of visiting a working farm and that picking berries, apples, pumpkins and other seasonal produce is seen by many families as a fun outing.
To see the list, go to the www.ncagr.com Web page and click on "General Store" and "Agritourism."
Cruises popular duringannual whale migration
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (AP) -- Gray whales will soon begin their annual migration from Alaska's Bering Sea to the California coastline. And that's why whale-watching is so popular in Santa Cruz between January and March.
The migrating whales pass through the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and can be seen with binoculars from the coastal bluffs of Davenport. Whale-watching tours also depart regularly from the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf, Santa Cruz Harbor and Moss Landing Harbor.
Dolphins, sea lions, sea otters, orcas, humpbacks and blue whales are also often seen in the area.
Whale-watching tours run about three hours; prices range from $15 to $40, depending on the tour company. For more information, call (800) 833-3494 or visit www.santacruz.org.