Nation's Highway System Highlighted by ``Blue Highways'' Author

    COSTA MESA, Calif.--June 30, 2002--WESTWAYS readers take in Southern California's best campsites in the magazine's July/August featured cover story.
    Writer Tom Stienstra, also author of the California Camping guidebook, describes the best campgrounds for families, hiking, romance, group outings and beach overnights.
    WESTWAYS also takes readers out to the nation's highways where American culture is embedded in asphalt and cement. William Least Heat-Moon, most noted for his travel memoir "Blue Highways: A Journey Into America," contributes recollections about America's roads for AAA's centennial.
    Legislative Update brings Club members current on the delay of the state ban on gasoline additive MTBE (methyl tertiary-butyl ether). The Auto Club supports the MTBE phase-out and also supports maintaining and strengthening California's clean-burning gasoline standards, already the highest in the nation. More steps are necessary, according to the Club.
    City Views features a two-page spread on Hong Kong, where culture, shopping, Cantonese cuisine, luxurious hotels and tea come together. WESTWAYS offers readers tips for getting oriented in the commercial center that receives 1.2 million visitors a year from the Americas.
    WESTWAYS Travel Editor Elizabeth Harryman and contributor Paul Lasley offer the lowdown on recreational vehicle "RV" vacations that are gaining in popularity. The duo offer information and tips on motorhome travel from Harry Basch and Shirley Slater, who have become the leading travel spokespersons on RVs and RV vacations.
    Some of the country's most comprehensive specialized art collections housed in smaller American cities are highlighted in this issue. The Berkeley Art Museum's Hofmann painting collection, the Chinese bronzes of the Saint Louis Art Museum and British sporting art from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts are featured.
    WESTWAYS shows toy cars issued for Matchbox's 50th birthday and tells readers how to power up on the road with portable inverters, generators, power packs and solar electric systems so vacationers can bring along toaster ovens, curling irons and computers.
    The July/August WESTWAYS takes a look at vehicles that combine good looks with safety, such as the Honda Odyssey, the Volvo S60 AWD and Mercedes-Benz ML500.
    Off-Ramp features a photograph of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum from the Corporate Archives of the Auto Club. Completed in 1923, the Coliseum still retains its elegant classical lines and remains an important location for sporting and cultural events. It was designated a State and National Historical Landmark in 1984.
    WESTWAYS also features Southland restaurants where readers can enjoy the bounty of summer:

--  Bon Appetit:    Napa Rose (in Disney's Grand Californian Hotel)
                    Arterra (in the San Diego Marriott Del Mar)
                    Roy's, Rancho Mirage
                    Mako, Beverly Hills
                    Sushi Katsu-ya, Studio City
                    Nu, Santa Barbara

--  Calendar:       Arts, Entertainment and Activities

--  Wine Cellar:    Organic Wine-making

    WESTWAYS, the lifestyle magazine for Southern California, features automotive, travel and lifestyle news and features. For more information, call Carol Thorp or Elaine Beno at 714/885-2333.