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NMI lands on travel section of New York Times
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Posted on Apr 02 2005
The Northern Mariana Islands got a major boost in its promotional effort—for free—after being featured in the Travel section of the highly respected newspaper The New York Times.
James Brooke, the Northeast Asia correspondent for The New York Times’ Tokyo Bureau, wrote about the Commonwealth in an article published on the April 3, 2005 edition of the newspaper, describing the CNMI as a “soothing beach therapy and a quick America fix” for the expatriate families in Asia.
Brooke was on the island during the latter part of November last year to write about the local garment industry and the impact the lifting of the worldwide quota restrictions would have on the CNMI.
Brooke tells of staying at the sprawling Pacific Islands Club, of historical artifacts from World War II that litter Saipan, the Mariana Resort and Spa, the Suicide Cliff, Last Command Post, the Grotto, Mañagaha Island, and the different restaurants on the island.
“Without the jet lag of a Pacific crossing, you can fly direct from Seoul, Tokyo, Osaka, Shanghai or Hong Kong for a long weekend on the capital of the Northern Marianas, a 15-island, American possession. At 1,460 miles south of Tokyo, Saipan is far closer to China and Japan than it is to Hawaii. And with a weak dollar, a vacation in this western toehold of the American economy is a pleasing respite for families on a budget,” he said in part of the article.
Describing a trip to the Grotto, Brooke says: “The trek took us to the Grotto, where a pool of aquamarine water is cupped in dark volcanic rock. Down a forest trail small branches whacked helmets. Then we stopped near a limestone cave where diehard Japanese soldiers hid out for months after Japan’s surrender. At the mouth of the cave, there are Japanese-era beer bottles. Deeper inside, there are white objects. Real bones, the guide said.”
Entitled A Taste of Home for Americans Living in Asia, the 6,800-character article can be accessed at http://travel2.nytimes.com/2005/04/03/travel/03kids.html.
