Travel letters: Visiting Syracuse, Italy; tipping; Ellis Island and more

Reading John Henderson’s article “Sicily’s Open Secret” (July 3) reminded me of the pleasure my wife, another couple and I had in Syracuse, on the southeastern side of the Italian island, in October.

I would recommend staying in the island neighborhood of Ortygia rather than the mainland section of Syracuse. (It is separated from Syracuse by a small channel.) Other than the archaeological park, most of the places you would want to visit in the city are in Ortygia.

We would recommend Antico Hotel Roma 1880. Wonderful location next to the cathedral. Very helpful staff, good rooms and an excellent breakfast on the patio make it enjoyable hotel.

For dinner(s), we found Sicilia in Tavola to be excellent. It specializes in pastas and local seafood; we tried multiple plates and they were all very good.

Make a reservation a couple days in advance because it is very popular but not large.

Derry Seaton, Claremont

Tipping in Asia

I went to Japan, Taipei, and Hong Kong last fall, and I was concerned about tipping. I did not want to offend anyone, especially in Japan, the land of my ancestors.

I was told in advance that tipping after a dinner in Japan was considered offensive, so I did not tip there. I did tip in Taipei and Hong Kong.

The other issue relating to what currency to use for tips was easy: I used my credit card for meals. That solves the question of which currency and how much cash to carry, important because our stay in each place was often just one day.

Larry Ishii, Chino

Exquisite experience

On June 7, 2015, the Travel section published an article on Paris museums by Donna Kato (“As Glamorous as Louvre, but Without the Crowds”). It recommended the Musée Jacquemart-André. I held onto this article because I knew we were going to France for the European soccer championship tournament a year later.

What an exquisite museum experience. While Versailles was extremely crowded and the Louvre took us two days to cover, the collection Kato recommended was right on target. Thank you for the recommendation.

Sue Raitano, Los Angeles

Immigrants’ courage

I was delighted to read the article “Immigrants’ Isles,” by Christopher Reynolds, in the July 3 Travel section, because I remembered how excited I was the first time I visited Ellis Island, knowing my relatives had walked through those doors.

I couldn’t wait to take my mother back for a visit, and I watched her sit in the Great Hall and reflect on the fact that her mother (my grandmother), a 16-year-old orphan from Armenia, had arrived there to go through the process of being examined, accepted or rejected, not knowing a word of English.

It brought home the real courage of our immigrants. No matter the ethnicity or circumstance, it would be scary to permanently leave your homeland for foreign shores.

I tell everyone visiting the two national parks to take a picture of the Statue of Liberty but spend your time at Ellis Island.

Arleen Tolle, Long Beach

Skip the train

Your article on the Grand Canyon Railway (“The Grand Canyon Railway Kids’ Ticket Deal,” June 19) needs some “buyer beware” information.

That iconic steam engine seen with the article, as well as prominently displayed on AAA travel posters, runs only on special occasions. Two years ago, my wife and I bought the entire package deal, and the train used older-era diesel engines.

Although the hotel is nice, the buffet-style breakfasts and dinners are short on selections and quality. Part of our deal included lunch at the Grand Canyon and a bus tour. Sounds good, but by the time we get there and had another fair-quality lunch, the bus tour (with windows so high it was hard to see out) was a quick stop at four or five points, then we had maybe an hour on our own before the train departed.

There’s also the matter of on-train “entertainment” by musicians who expect tips from the captive audience. Some seats had partly obstructed views. The “outlaw gang” that boarded for a “train robbery” kept the cash they “robbed” from the passengers. The train was nice but definitely not a fast means of getting to the canyon.

We would not buy the package again.

John Powell, Downey

Gone in 60 seconds

Yeah, that’s what I go to the Sierra for, the empanadas mentioned in Chris Erskine’s “Eastern Sierra Skyline” (Travel’s Special Road Trip section, June 26), LOL. But Erskine’s intro – “The Summer Road Trip? As American as Baseball, Apple Pie and Willie Nelson” – was beautiful.

By the way, there is always parking if you drive to the end of the lot at Erick Schat’s Bakkery in Bishop; what you really want is the fresh sourdough and sheepherder’s bread. Grab it and take it to the bakery section, where there is hardly ever a line.

Grab an apple tart and some chocolate macaroons, maybe a truffle, some fresh orange juice and be gone in 60 seconds.

Rich Holland, Aliso Viejo