Coast-to-coast road trip needs your help

With little more than a suitcase full of clothes, a cellphone and a laptop, I’m embarking on a cross-country road trip Monday from New York to Los Angeles. As an amateur rock musician and enthusiastic consumer of such, music will be my guide. No, scratch that. How about you be my guide? Beyond a rough outline of cities to stop in, I’m relying on you to tell me which sights to see. Send e-mails to mark.milian@latimes.com or, for those on Twitter, www.twitter.com, send to @mmilian. I’ll post updates and photos on the Travel section’s Daily Travel & Deal Blog, latimes.com/dailydeal, and at Daily Travel & Deal Blog www.twitter.com/mmilian. Plus, of course, I’ll credit readers when I visit a place they suggested. Then I’ll write a story for the Travel section later this summer.

-- Mark Milian

Tune up your sea chanteys and board the double-mast schooner known as the Bill of Rights for cruises along the Ventura County coast. The three-hour sails aboard the 129-foot-long vessel depart from Channel Islands Harbor at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. The cost is $45 adults, $40 seniors (55 and older) and $35 for children 12 and younger. Reservations are recommended. Contact: Island Packers, www.islandpackers.com, (805) 642-1393.

Be my guide

Tall ship sail

-- Susan Derby

Shanghai luxe

The exclusive Peninsula Hotels group, which runs luxury lodgings in eight cities, including Hong Kong and Beverly Hills, has begun taking reservations for its ninth hotel, opening Oct. 19 on the waterfront Bund in Shanghai. Nightly rates start around $470. The 235-room hotel will blend high-tech perks, such as in-room fax-copiers and unlimited VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) calls, with retro touches such as Art Deco design and Sunday tea dances in the lobby, general manager Paul Tchen said. Info: www.peninsula.com.

-- Jane Engle

Water safety

Redondo Beach-based Ecousable is launching an innovative product for travelers: stainless-steel water bottles with portable purifiers. The patented Seychelle Filters fit into the company’s sleek PCB-free bottles. In particularly dodgy areas, a chlorine tablet can be placed inside the bottle and the filters will kick out the water-borne crud and chlorine. On average, each filter lasts through about 100 gallons. A 25-ounce bottle with filter, $39.99; replacement filter, $24.99. Info: www.ecousable.com.

-- Krista Simmons

New welcome

California Welcome Centers have opened in Truckee and Tulare, making 14 of the visitor-information facilities throughout the state. But don’t look for one near Los Angeles: It hasn’t had one for about two years. Spokeswoman Susan Wilcox said the California Travel & Tourism Commission is seeking a spot in the region. Anyone have a freeway-close building to rent? Meanwhile, the Truckee center will focus on High Sierra sights and activities, and the Tulare Center in the Central Valley will focus on Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Park, Giant Sequoia National Monument and Yosemite National Park. Info: www.visitcwc.com.

-- Rosemary McClure