Readers recommend

United States: By the book

“A writing instructor passed a tip along to us that proved to be useful during a recent car trip across the country: Ask at local bookstores for recommendations for local, reasonably priced restaurants. Those who work in bookstores generally do not receive haute cuisine wages and are knowledgeable about their community, the local culture and their neighborhood, so the recommendations they passed along were always excellent and sensibly priced.”

Bill and Cynthia Tilden

Oakland

*

Hawaii: High adventure

Skyline Eco-Adventures, P.O. Box 880518, Pukalani, HI 96788; (808) 878-8400, www.skylinehawaii.com. “This Maui eco-adventure is a great stop either before or after viewing the crater at Haleakala National Park. There were six in our group, ages 18 to 80, and all had a great time, flying over gulches on a zipline [cable]. We were expertly hooked on each line by the safety-conscious owner and two guides. Each stop on the adventure came with a discussion of the endangered birds and plants in Hawaii.” $69 per person ($59 if booked online).

Julia Frey

Los Angeles

Send recommendations to “Readers Recommend”/Travel, L.A. Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012; fax (213) 237-7355, e-mail travel@la

times.com. Please include your name, address and phone number, and also the address, phone number and Internet site of the place or person you are recommending.