When Bill Roccia was planning a trip to the Black Hills of South Dakota, he turned to his computer for help. Rather than cruise the many travel bulletin boards in cyberspace, he went into the membership directory of Prodigy, an on-line subscription service.
“I chose about 25 names at random that lived in that area,” said Roccia, who is from Mt. Ephraim, N.J. “I made a generic e-mail explaining my plans and asking for advice from locals, and sent it to all 25 people. The response was overwhelming: 23 of the 25 answered me, with all kinds of advice.
“I was told what to see, what to avoid, where to eat, etc. I found out I was going there the same time as the Sturgis motorcycle rally, and to make absolutely sure I had hotel reservations. In short, I learned much more than I would have by looking at travel brochures. I even made a few friends.”
Roccia’s experience, which he described to me by e-mail after reading one of my columns, prompted me to try a similar tactic. After considering various destinations, I settled first on the Great Smoky Mountains of western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, an area with lots of tourist appeal but not so widely and prominently known as, say, Walt Disney World, the Grand Canyon or New York. I went into the Prodigy members list and searched for names in or near Asheville, N.C., just east of the Smokies.
Prodigy provided 278 of them, but only their names and how to reach them by e-mail. I selected two, strictly at random. America Online, the biggest on-line subscription service, was more forthcoming. It provided 30 names in the Asheville area and 147 in or near Knoxville, Tenn., just west of the Smokies (I selected seven of each). In addition, America Online allowed me to search member profiles, which meant that, if a subscriber had provided the information, I could learn age, marital status, occupation and interests.
CompuServe, another major subscription service, keeps most membership information confidential, so I didn’t try to use it. Despite repeated tries, I was unable to access the member list that the Microsoft Network says is available to its subscribers.
I sent this message to all those I contacted: “My wife and I are planning to drive in the Great Smoky area and would appreciate suggestions on what to see and where to stay and eat. We like inns or B&Bs, and prefer local-style cooking. Is there anything we should avoid? I got your name from the membership directory and thank you for your help.”
I didn’t fare as well as Bill Roccia, but the replies were amazingly responsive. No one replied via Prodigy, but I got four e-mails on America Online.
“If you’re coming in autumn to see the leaves turning, you better make reservations early,” said Jason S. Sitzes, a 25-year-old student in Louisville, Tenn. “In Gatlinburg my wife and I enjoy the Burning Bush restaurant. It’s at the top of the parkway just before you go into the mountains. If you want quiet, don’t overlook Townsend–it’s beautiful, right by the entrance to the mountains on the south side and there are hotels and B&Bs in that area. In Townsend try the Kinsel House restaurant on Friday night. Great seafood buffet!”
David0721 (his moniker on AOL) didn’t reveal his full name, but said he is 47 years old, single and likes acting, singing, racquetball and cooking. “Check out the Albemarle Inn in Asheville (a B&B),” he said. “Nice folks, good food, convenient to everything. If you like `local food’ (as in Southern and greasy) there is a restaurant in Dillsboro that I can’t remember the name of right now, but you can’t miss it, the town is so small. That’s not my personal taste in food, but it is `local.’ “
My second query focused on that scenic, history-rich stretch of northwestern Arkansas from Eureka Springs to Ft. Smith. I said that we would be first-time visitors for a week because of business at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. It added, “We are in our late 40s and particularly enjoy history (Civil War and Frontier Days), Victorian buildings, the outdoors, good eating and preferably staying at inns or B&Bs.”
I sent this message to 10 Prodigy subscribers. Four replied. In CompuServe I discovered that if I punched in the first three letters of a popular surname along with the name of a community and state, I could get every name that matched in that area, plus the e-mail address. Thus, my message went to three Smiths, one Green, one Rosenbaum and one Rose. None replied. However, I got three replies from the 14 recipients of my message on America Online.
“This should be a beautiful time when you are here,” said Tom D. Ledbetter of Eureka Springs, via Prodigy. “As for Civil War history, be sure to visit the Pea Ridge Military Park on U.S. Highway 62 between Rogers and Eureka Springs. Eureka Springs has a wealth of beautiful Victorian homes, some of which have been converted to B&Bs. For a truly romantic getaway, try Sugar Ridge Resort (luxury log cabins) overlooking Beaver Lake.”
And there was this from Dorothy Brainerd: “Glad to hear you are going to visit Eureka Springs. I can recommend a lovely B&B. It is right next door to the Chamber of Commerce, has separate entrances, very elegant furnishings. Happens to be owned and managed by my sister.”
Responses such as these reflected not just the friendliness of those who sent them, but an eagerness to help a stranger. They reflected more honesty than I could claim, having contrived questions for imaginary travels. This bothered me a bit. I had manipulated presumably well-intentioned people and, in a sense, had electronically invaded their privacy.
On the other hand, the experience demonstrated the uncanny ability of cyberspace to make people and their knowledge instantly reachable.
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(Paul Grimes can be reached by e-mail at paulmark@aol.com)
