http://www.newsday.com/search/ny-trarm5254647jun17,0,7881375.story
THE ARMCHAIR TRAVELER
Inspired to retire early and hit the road
Spencer Rumsey
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
"Cheap Motels and a Hot Plate: An Economist's Travelogue,"
by Michael D. Yates (Monthly Review Press, monthlyreview .org; $15.95)
Put the words "economist," "cheap" and "travelogue" together in one
title, and I'm intrigued. The cover collage I could do without (I mean,
come on, five shots of the author and only one of his wife, Karen
Korenoski?). But the insightful analysis, the dry wit, and the driving
vision are truly impressive. You'd be surprised what this enterprising
couple can cook up on their $40, two-burner hot plate (some stores call
them "electric buffet ranges") - all because they were determined to eat
healthful foods (and save money by skipping fast food). Besides the
tasty recipes and the candid travel tips, what other guidebook provides
a resort town's median income? For decades, Yates was professor of
economics at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. When he turned
55, he and his wife figured he could afford to take early retirement
(another benefit of studying economics, I suppose) and hit the road,
spending as much time as they wanted living from place to place. One
goal of this book, Yates says, is to encourage others to do the same.
From Portland, Ore. ("best beer"), to Flagstaff (the "coolest town in
Arizona") to Key West, Fla., Mobile, Ala., and Estes Park, Colo., they
covered a lot of territory in their Dodge van. And they made many keen
observations that seldom find their way to the glossy travel books, such
as how "remarkably unhappy" some American tourists could be. Working as
a "guest service agent" at the Lake Hotel in Yellowstone (it paid $6.25
an hour, a quarter more than his wife made as a host in the hotel
restaurant), Yates said, "People hung around the hotel griping that
there was nothing to do, when outside there were marvels they might
never see again. It seemed that many people were here just to take
pictures, and never strayed far from their cars." This book is an
inspiration to get out there and make a difference in your life.
