Letters: Alaska ferry, a changing Las Vegas and more

Regarding “Striking Real Riches,” by Rosemary McClure, July 10: I am surprised that no mention was made of the Alaska ferry (officially the Alaska Marine Highway System), leaving from Bellingham, Wash., as a way to get there.

We traveled to Alaska this way, as do thousands of others, and found it delightful to get off the ferry, stay for a few days in cities along the way, and get back on.

We were able to spend several days in Skagway that way.

Jim Seim, Beaumont

Vegas shopping mecca?

The “Tee Time in Vegas” blurb by Jay Jones in the July 10 Need to Know column about new nongambling things to do in Sin City is additional support for the shopping, entertainment, dining movement that seems to be pushing aside gambling as the anchor tenant in this city.

People continue to visit Vegas by the millions, but it seems that Bugsy Siegel’s dream of the quintessential gambling mecca may be headed toward its final roundup. Or maybe it’s just a lull in the natural order of things for Vegas, a city that tends to reinvent itself every 10 years or so.

Let us try to contain our surprise and amazement if in a few years a mega-casino that dwarfs anything now in Vegas is built. Like a pendulum, things tend to swing back to their origin.

Bill Spitalnick, Newport Beach

Doggone picture

Regarding “Our Favorite Road Trips”: The June 26 special travel section article “Your Road Dog,” by Karen Schwartz, struck a chord: My family camps locally with our two beagles, and I consistently I run into people who don’t understand there is a reason there are laws about controlling your dog with a leash or a fence.

The article pictures two dogs preparing for a road trip with no leashes. Not having your dog on a leash always ends badly. You should display an understanding of a basic law that exists for the safety of a family trying to enjoy a road trip .

L.A. Times, shame on you.

Bill Cohee, Whittier