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A Pre-Convention Chronicle Dedicated to the Proposition that Some Slight Exaggeration and a Little Varnishing of the Truth is Permissible if it Persuades You to Attend the 99th Annual Pow-Wow on the Shores of the Pacific Ocean
NAPA Convention Star-Gazers Can Journey into
Outer Space
by Harold Ellis
The San Diego area has several one-of-a-kind features, one of the most notable being the world’s largest telescope (the 200-inch) at Mt. Palomar, a 90-minute drive northeast of the city. Everyone has probably seen it in pictures but to the astronomy buff there is nothing to compare with standing in the visitors gallery and gazing at the giant. Built in 1947 at a cost of $6.5 million, it is a vital part of the network of equipment, including the 100-inch at Mt. Wilson near Los Angeles, used for extended study of the universe and other scientific projects by the California Institute of Technology at Pasadena.
Of more general interest, and in the city itself at Balboa Park (home of the world-famous zoo and other attractions), is the astonishing Reuben H. Fleet Space Theater and Science Center, built at a cost of $5 million and opened in March, 1973. The Science Hall is filled with do-it-yourself installations demonstrating basic scientific principles similar to those at many observatories. This unique planetarium is the largest in the United States. Instead of viewing the heavens from the planet Earth, through complex computer simulation it is possible to view any portion of the known universe from any conceivable vantage point, and at any given time in the last, or the next, 50,000 years.
Films are shown in the theater, which uses special screens, up to 50 projectors, and a 6-channel sound system to literally wrap you in light, images, sound and action. Shows can be seen seven days a week; it’s an experience long to be remembered and talked about.
This Year It’s San Diego!
The Town and Country Hotel and Convention Center in Mission Valley, San Diego, California, is the site of the 1974 NAPA convention scheduled for July 4, 5, and 6.
Southern California Reception Committee members urge you to plan your vacation around this annual convention in the garden spot of the Southwest. The Town and Country is a modern hotel-motel facility with one and two-story “Garden” accommodations and rooms and suites in a 10-story “High-rise.” There are three swimming pools, coffee shop, dining room, continental supper club and two cocktail lounges.
Outdoor games and recreational facilities are available. There is a therapy pool, sauna bath, and gift shops. Plenty of parking is available close to each room. A block away is a new shopping center with department stores, shops, theaters, and cafeterias.
The following list of rates should enable you to begin planning for this event:
Garden Rooms: Single, $18; Double, $22
High-rise Rooms: Single, $20; Double, $24
High-rise Room for Three, $28; for Four, $32
Lanai Parlor: $40; very large room with bath, wet bar, standing and sitting areas; connecting bedroom is $25 additional; entire suite will sleep eight.
All rooms are air-conditioned.
And What a Vacation Spot!
… World’s largest wild animal zoo
… 65 golf courses throughout the area
… Beautiful Mission Bay Park and Sea World are five minutes away
… Port of San Diego with flotilla of Navy warships, tuna boats, and private yachts
… Miles of sun-splashed beaches
… Dozens of excellent dining spots in Mission Valley and many more throughout the city
Join the fun-in-the-sun crowd next July in San Diego for your greatest vacation ever and a convention which, like all NAPA affairs, will be strictly sensational. – GS
Gale Sheldon, El Cajon, Calif. 92020