A handy new 50-page restaurant guide is...

A handy new 50-page restaurant guide is available free from the New York Convention & Visitors Bureau. Names more than 400 dining spots in all five boroughs. Addresses, telephone numbers, hours, prices. Other information on nightclubs, discos, lounges. Restaurant choices range from the renowned Russian Tea Room and “21” to Rosa’s Place, the Jade Sea at South Street Seaport and Grotta Azzura in Little Italy. Prices run the scale from expensive to reasonable. Areas covered include Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Upper/Lower Manhattan. Popular with Wall Street-types: Fraunces Tavern (New York’s oldest restaurant) featuring American/continental cuisine. This is where Gen. George Washington bid farewell to his troops following the Revolutionary War. The booklet also directs visitors to Hamburger Harry’s, which a leading New York publication praised for “the best hamburgers in New York City.” Romantics line up at The Sign of the Dove (operates out of an elegant brownstone in Upper Manhattan in a garden-like setting.

For copies, write to Restaurant Guide, New York Convention & Visitors Bureau, Two Columbus Circle, New York 10019.

Week’s Best Bet

A summer special for vacationers: three days, two nights at the Gene Autry Hotel in Palm Springs for $140. The price (for two persons) includes a dinner, use of the hotel’s tennis facilities plus other lesiure activities. Guests are given the option of a trip on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway or a day for two at the desert’s new Oasis Water Park. The offer is good until Sept. 24. (This is the 25th anniversary of Autry’s hotel, 4200 E. Palm Canyon Drive.)

For reservations, call toll-free (800) 443-6328.

On the Lake

Beginning Oct. 1 The Nautical Inn at Lake Havasu will offer a special autumn package (three nights, four days for $119 per person, double occupancy, that includes accommodations, a welcome cocktail, two breakfasts, two dinners and a choice of golf/tennis). In addition, the resort will feature a five-day, four-night rate ($149 per person) with additional meals. The Nautical Inn rises in an English-style village that showcases shops/pubs. Activities: fishing, water skiing, parasailing, boating.

Call toll-free (800) 892-2141. In Arizona, dial (602) 855-2141.

Weather Wise

American Express has launched a weather forecast service for travelers. Vacationers dial AE to obtain up-to-the-minute details for more than 600 destinations (both in the United States and abroad). Temperatures, humidity readings, sky conditions. A minimum of two updates daily. Ski reports provided in winter (details on snowfall), along with information on highway conditions.

For a list of destinations, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to 1-900-WEATHER, 261 Central Ave., Farmingdale, N.Y. 11735.

Holland by Rail

For the first time, travelers can buy a Benelux Tourrail pass in the United States that’s good for discounts in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg. The pass can be used for five days during any 17-day period. (In Luxembourg the ticket is also good on buses.) Both first- and second-class passes: $72/$107 for adults, $51/$76 for juniors.

Details from the Netherlands Board of Tourism, 90 New Montgomery St., Suite 305, San Francisco 94105, or telephone (415) 543-6772. At the same time, ask for copies of the following helpful guides: “Touring Holland by Rail,” “Events in Holland,” “Accommodations,” “Hints for Your Stay in Holland.” The latter covers dining, nightclubs, hotels, customs formalities, climate, shopping.

B&B; Guide

A free bed and breakfast directory produced for the California Office of Tourism is still available. The 48-page, digest-size booklet names B&Bs; throughout the state. Listings arranged by region. The booklet includes several favorites of ours: the Petite Auberge in San Francisco, Saint Orres at Guala, Madrona Manor in Healdsburg, J. Patrick House in Cambria, La Mer in Ventura, Britt House in San Diego. A total of 268 inns. In addition, the directory lists B&B; reservation services, publications and associations, and contains color photos and drawings along with a map of California.

Copies from the California Department of Commerce, Office of Tourism, P.O. Box 9287, Van Nuys 91409.

On Foot

An international peace walk in October will bring together 200 Americans and 200 Soviet citizens for a monthlong visit in Soviet Georgia. Trucks will carry hikers’ gear. Meetings to be held in towns/villages en route. The group will camp/spend nights with local families, visit vineyards during harvest time. An opportunity to see both the Black Sea and the Caucusus Mountain areas. Afterward the group will fly to Moscow for a couple of days of sightseeing.

Write to International Peace Walk, P.O. Box 2958, San Rafael, Calif. 94912. Call (415) 453-0792.

A Letter From Mexico

Carmen McDaniel sends along this invitation: “Mi Casa is a colonial house that’s open all year round in San Miguel de Allende. Secluded, rooms individually designed to be a romantic delight: fireplace, sun porch, etc. Near Bellas Artes and Instituto Allende art schools and only two blocks from the Jardin, the main square of San Miguel. Rooms with a continental breakfast are $35/$45 U.S. A 10% reduction for guests who remain seven days or longer. Day-trips to Guanajuato, Queretaro, Dolores Hidalgo.”

Write to Carmen McDaniel, Canal 58, ATDO 496, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico.

Reader Recommendations

California--Pat Lile, Pasadena: “I needed some rest and relaxation and found it close to Los Angeles. Virginia’s Hideaway, P.O. Box 40543, Pasadena, Calif. 91114. In Pine Mountain near Frazier Park. Reasonable rate of $65 a night. The inn is amid pines, lots of blue skies.”

California--Toby O’Connell, Thousand Oaks: “Pelican Cove B&B;, 320 Walnut Ave., Carlsbad 92008. Romantic, outstanding. Rates: $95/$125.”

Louisiana--Brenda Loree, Ventura: Enjoyed Hotel Acadiana, 1801 Pinhook St., Lafayette, La. “Paid $45 for my large room with a wet bar.”

Michigan--Charles P. Finlan, Tucson, Ariz.: Enjoyed the Mayflower B&B; Hotel, 827 Ann Arbor Trail, Plymouth, Mich. 48170. Rates: $63.50/$80.50.

England--Beverly Swain, Burbank: “A delightful Cotswold stone house offering hospitality, lovely gardens, a heated swimming pool, private bath (able to accommodate two/three persons). Paid 12 per person per night. Contact Dr. and Mrs. I. A. Wilkinson, The Woodleys, Toddington, Cheltenham GL54 5BY, England.”

Ireland--Patti Garrity, Manhattan Beach: “For extraordinary horseback tours, write to Donie O’Sullivan, Killarney Riding Stables, Ballydowney, Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland. For other such riding holidays, contact Ellie Phayer, Hoofbeats International Inc., 182 Hillside Ave., Englewood, N.J. 07631.”

Austria--Evelyn and Richard Fox, Ventura: “We had a most delightful dinner at Niky’s Kuchlmasterei, 1030, Obere Weissgerberstrasse 6. Dinner for two was about $60 U.S. with wine.”

Italy--Ginger Bebe, Summerland, Calif.: “Immaculate, newly renovated Hotel Le Vigne, Piazza Santa Maria Novella No. 24, Florence, Italy 50123. A 10-minute walk to the major sites. Rates: $32/$60 U.S.”

France--Estella Hayes, Los Angeles: “Enjoyed Quality Inn, 92 Rue de Vaugirard 75006, Paris. Rates: 580 francs single, 650 francs double.”