TOURIST TRAPS

TOURIST TRAPS
There's fun to be had
No self-respecting native would admit having fun at the local tourist trap, but that shouldn't stop the rest of us, so says Budget Travel magazine in its February issue. The magazine lists the country's eight best tourist traps. They are:
Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, where you'll find the Walk of Fame, the Kodak Theatre home-of-Oscar tour, the Hollywood sign seen from Grauman's Chinese Theatre and Frederick's of Hollywood.
The Tonga Room in San Francisco's Fairmont Hotel, where you can sip a "Bora Bora Horror" and take in an outrageous fake tropical storm over the pool every half hour.
Sunset celebrations in Key West, including the Mallory Square show with cats who jump through flaming hoops at the Hilton.
Ye Olde Curiosity Shop in Seattle, with an inventory that includes shrunken heads, fleas wearing dresses and three mummified humans named Sylvester, Sylvia and Gloria.
The Hope diamond at the Smithsonian Institution's gem collection in Washington.
Durgin-Park in Boston, where you'll eat prime rib and chowder at communal tables as diners have done since 1855.
Caf & eacute; du Monde in New Orleans, a place to have coffee with chicory, eat beignets and take in the performances and horse-drawn carriages of Jackson Square.
The Circle Line in New York City, a three-hour cruise around Manhattan complete with corny jokes from the tour guide.
Associated Press