Paris: merry and macabre

Author: By Richard P. Carpenter, Globe Staff

Date: SUNDAY, August 18, 1996

Page: M8

Section: Travel

- The Fun Fair Museum. Rides, street entertainers, organ grinders and magicians re-create the fun fairs of olden times. There are 14 ancient merry-go-rounds in good working condition and 16 shop stalls. (At 50 rue de l'Eglise; telephone 33 1 45 58 31 76.)

- The Catacombs. Sixty-five feet underground, visitors find a maze of galleries containing the resting places of Parisians who walked the Earth in the 18th and 19th centuries. A tour of these former quarries includes the macabre art of the period. (At 1 Place Denfert-Rochereau; phone 33 1 43 22 47 63.)

- The Wine Museum. Here, not far from the Eiffel Tower, the cellars of the Abbey of Passy, dating to the 14th century, have been remarkably well preserved. Wax figures and artifacts from the past recall the life of the winemakers of old. And, of course, there is wine to sample. (5 square Charles Dickens; phone 33 1 45 25 63 26.)

- The Museum of Fashion and Costumes. In the Palais Galliera, revolving exhibits present 70,000 articles representing three centuries of clothing, from the splendors of the 18th century to the outfits of modern designers. Accessories are included. (At 10 avenue Pierre; phone 33 1 47 20 85 23.)

Travel Trivia: This one may take some research: What is the only state whose name shares no letters with the name of its capital?

In a name: We learn from Out West, an offbeat quarterly newspaper, that just beyond Hope, Idaho, there is a lodge and RV park named Beyond Hope.

Quotable: ``Jordan has a strange haunting beauty and a sense of timelessness.'' -- King Hussein.

Helpful hint: Many people (even Robert B. Parker's fictional investigator, Spenser) mistakenly call Boston's premier park the Public Gardens instead of the Public Garden. So here's a tip from Larry Meehan of the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau: Just remember that Boston is a singular destination, and you'll have no trouble remembering to use the singular: Public Garden. (The same holds true for the nation's oldest public park: It's Boston Common, not Commons.)

Sky-high gripes: Seven in 10 business travelers say airline seats are uncomfortable and nearly that number say the food is poor, according to a survey conducted for Yessawich, Pepperdine & Brown.

Tour guide joke: (Essex River Cruises). You'll notice that terns fly in pairs. That's because one good tern deserves another!

What it costs: Hawaii is the most expensive state to vacation in, and North Dakota is the least costly, according to the American Automobile Association. The AAA says a family of two adults and two children can expect to pay $383 a day for meals and lodging in Hawaii but only $142 in North Dakota. (But people have visited Hawaii for a lot less, through vacation packages.)

Advice to go (for spies only): For all you would-be spies, ``The KGB Guidebook to the Cities of the World,'' published by Top Secret, offers these tips: If you're being tailed in London, head for Harrods and lose yourself in the crowds. And if you're in New York and want to secretly pass information, the Bronx Zoo is an excellent place to do so.

Who's confused? The movie ``Alaska'' was filmed in British Columbia.

On the menu: Typographical errors can produce unintentionally amusing results. Take the one that appeared in our own Travel section recently: ``Gieske had to endure delicious, high-caloric meals such as veal Oscar and Dover sole, accompanied by expensive wives and cognacs.'' (With thanks to sharp-eyed readers Mike Robinson of Arlington and Nancy Yucius of Brockton.)

Busing it: Walt Disney World in Florida is the nation's top motorcoach attraction. The rest of the top 10, in order, are Washington's monuments and museums; Niagara Falls, N.Y.; Grand Ole Opry/Opryland in Nashville; Mount Rushmore and Black Hills, S.D.; Pennyslvania Dutch country; Yellowstone National Park; the Statue of Liberty; Cape Cod; and Cape Canaveral.

Mailbag: Warren Himmelberger of Wellesley sends us yet another example of British words and their US equivalents: We say ``shoulder'' of the road; they say ``verge.''

Eastern Kentucky, no doubt: Kentucky Fried Chicken has opened its 100th store in China.

Did you guess it? Travel Trivia answer: South Dakota is the only state whose name shares no letters with the name of its capital -- Pierre. (With thanks to Ben Gould of Carlisle, who also lists three pairs of states that border each other yet have no letters in common in their names: Utah/Wyoming, Alabama/Tennessee and Ohio/ Kentucky.)