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teas may be offered Sorne hosts -
<br />they are more the exception than the
<br />rule - have no truck with such dainty
<br />fare, they serve such stick- to -your -rib
<br />items as hot cereal, eggs and bacon or
<br />sausage, French toast, pancakes, waf-
<br />fles, omelets, quiches, crepes, fritters
<br />and roast -beef hash However, in these
<br />days of thinking thin, many people
<br />don't care for a bq breakfast, so the
<br />continental one fills the bill nicely If a
<br />heartier meal is preferred it may be
<br />available for an extra charge
<br />Most B88 proprietors do riot pro
<br />vide other meals, although afternoon
<br />tea with cookies or crackers iscoming
<br />into vogue Some hosts serve wine and
<br />cheese or hors d'oeuvres at cocktail
<br />hour -a custom almos! de rrgeur in
<br />California and, 1 suspect, in other areas
<br />where there is a good deal of compel
<br />lion (in all fairness, many proprietors
<br />offer these little extras simply because
<br />they enjoy making their guests feel at
<br />home I A cold or even a hot meal may
<br />not be out of the question for the fam-
<br />ished traveler who arrives at drnner-
<br />►rme, and some inns serve dinner reg-
<br />ulariv However, It is best to check
<br />ahead dinner is available at some
<br />places if arrangements have been
<br />made in advance Othervose, the pro-
<br />prietor can probably recommend a
<br />The In at Stockbridge, in Massa
<br />chuserts, offers skiers a cozy respite
<br />good restaurant neatby
<br />When you arrive, you may t,v greet
<br />ed by a srngre wornan or roan, two
<br />women, two men, a man .,rid a worn -
<br />an partner, a married couple or a farm
<br />ly, your host may be erthor young, old
<br />or middle-aged No particular combrn-
<br />atron or age range see ns to have the
<br />corner on success Usually- the host'
<br />personality determrres if the atmos-
<br />phere is casual or Icrmal Guests may
<br />be welcome to wander into the krtch
<br />en, they may gather arour.r the table
<br />for breakfast, or they may help therm
<br />selves from a buffet and retire to their
<br />rooms Some proprietors inspae their
<br />visitors to pen poems about them,
<br />others are savvy, alert to cpporlunrties
<br />for publicity, such as the BbB owner
<br />I encountered a few years ago in the
<br />Midwest when I arrived at the estab
<br />Irshment, after having driven many
<br />miles, I discovered that the enterpns
<br />rng innkeeper had made arrangements
<br />for my visit to be covered try two telev,
<br />stun and three radio stations and both
<br />local newspaper;
<br />In chuwona BbB accommodations,
<br />there are a few points to consider If
<br />you are a smoker, find out it the place
<br />has a no -smoking policy, otherwise,
<br />you might end up out on the porch try
<br />rng to enjoy a cigarette in a dale If the
<br />house is adjacent to a restaurant or a
<br />tavern, your sleep might be pietced by
<br />the sounds of merriment in the � ee
<br />hours For similar reasons, make sure
<br />ycur room doesn't front a busy street
<br />Be wary if the house or the yard shows
<br />neglect, ch nces are the inside will also
<br />bC.1bogdJAfinal word of caution
<br />small mom-and-pop establishments,
<br />unlike larger places, are not usually
<br />subject to local bylaws they may lack
<br />liability insurance, and their fire prev-_
<br />features and sanitary standar(!,
<br />may leave much to be desired
<br />Small children are not generally wel-
<br />come at BBB establishments At those
<br />places in which they are allowed, the
<br />host's own children may provide diver
<br />Sion Very often a friendly dog or cat
<br />adds a homey touch If you are not
<br />partial to children and You net ice toys
<br />scattered around the yard, or if you are
<br />allergic to animals and see a doghouse,
<br />you'd best drive on
<br />With the exception o1 inns, most
<br />BB 8 places do not feature swimming
<br />pools, tennis courts and other recrea-
<br />tronal facilities However, many are sur-
<br />rounded by woods or cross-country ski
<br />trails Some places are equipped with
<br />indoor diversions, such as books and
<br />magazines, video tapes, board games
<br />and jigsaw puzzles, which can be a
<br />boon if your vacation gets rained out
<br />The intimacy and sociability of a
<br />BBB home can become a bit sticky,
<br />given the wrong mix of people How-
<br />ever. I believe that BB S visitors tend to
<br />be a friendly, tolerant lot, who enjoy
<br />different kinds of people I've heard
<br />stones about guests who were eager to
<br />pitch in and help out when a problem
<br />arose Perhaps BBB accommodations
<br />are answering a real need for human
<br />contact, felt no: only by guests, but
<br />also by proprietors People don't open
<br />their homes to strangers sole'y be
<br />cause of the profit motive, running a
<br />BbB establishment is not that lucra-
<br />tive Many BbB owns shave told me
<br />that their real reason for going into the
<br />business was to escape from the cor-
<br />porate world ,rid live in a more
<br />humane way Most said they were glad
<br />they had made the change I, too, am
<br />glad they made the change --BBB
<br />hosts are offering growing numbers of
<br />travelers a home away from home
<br />Norman T S#nlpson is the author of
<br />the Country runs and Back Roars senw
<br />and Bed b Breakfast, Ame-,an S:yle
<br />
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