on... LONG ISLAND, N'Y. - The other day I decided to take a trip to New York's famous (now infamous) Tirnes Square. In order to do that, I drove to Queens, using the well-known Long Island Expressway, left my' car in the Alexander's parking lot and took the 'E' train right to the 42nd Street. By using method of travel, I saved my- self approxinately three American dollars. Still, a ride in the New York subway will cost you only 35 cents one way. That's not bad for the distance I had to cover from Queens to Manhattan. It is very easy not to bypass Times Square as 42nd Street signs are plastered all over the station which is not the cleanest in the world. Once outside, the familiar sight greets you from a distance. About 20 years ago (that's when I first walked down Tumes Square) the gene'ral atmos- phere was quite different from that you'll encounter today. Those days, one could take kids along for a leisurely stroll on 42nd Street. And the movies were much of the family- type, including Walt Disney shows. An X-rated movie was a no-no and pronography was unheard of. But, things have changed in those 20 years. Now, believe It or not, Times Square is no longer a place for a wide-eyed youngster, unless he's well versed in the world of sex, pornography and peep shows. Basically sex is the main tourist attraction on Times Square, between Broadway and Elghth Avenue. I counted some 50 sex shops, 25-cent peep shows, sex- oriented book stores, cinemas and live shows. Sex is peddled here on grand scale in various forms - mainly using audio-visual devices. One book store, for instance, was offering a number of sex-citing things: glossy porno magarines from Sweden, Denmark and California; sex manuals from around the world complete with explicit photos showing couples during sexual activities; porno peep shows where nothing is left to the imagination; porno movies (home made, so they say) for approximately $15 a reel in spectacolor and, finally, an assortment of love aids. Usually, a shop like tie one I was in, is always packed with curious custoiers. A man at the cash register urges then to buy the porno rraterial at "special" rates. He assures you that your wife or a girlfriend will be "thrilled to death" looking at the goodìes.~ -fe also tells you not to waste too much time in his store just browsing around. Time is money. Next to a book store (or magazine shop) thero.is always a movie house, featuring the latest porno films. Normally a customer is asked to pay a five-dollar admission fee for a hard-core porno show. But, like in any business, you can find bargains - just look around. The films shown in these theatres are something else. They are of mediocre quality and inferior sound. Plot is non-existent. Lately, porno movies are featuring "stars" and introducing a slightly higher-calibre photography. It simply means, the sex WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 1976. PAGE 5 scenes are more vivid and the "actors" (riaked of course) look better on the screen. One unfortunate aspect of porno movie houses is that they are often patronized by homosexuals. They are causing problems to the theatre owners and needless to say, some embarrasment to the heterosexual customers. But, there is also the "other side" of the operation: some movie houses now temploy" cail girls who solicit would-be customers in the aisles. I'm tolcd that in some porno movie houses prostitution is whole heartedly encouraged by the management. Usually, an owner of a hard-core porno house will receive a "cut" for allowing the use of his pre- mises. This way, the money stays in the "family" and everybody is happy. The live porno shows in New York are not doing as well as expected for a number of reasons. First., only simulated sex acts are permitted on the stage. Secondly, the price for such an undertaking is very steep. And, the live performers are hard to corne by. The ones who are in the business demand high performers' fees, but at the same time cust- omers are slow in accepting simulated (faked) sex acts between two consenting adults. One operator told me: "Look man, we ain't gonna give up yet. I need more time to make it big. We need new chicks and new guys and less cops". On Times Square, a visitor can also find a few body rub parlors. The body rub business is about to expire - not enough interest, I was told by one pretty attendant. Most body rub places are bawdy houses and often they rub the custoners the wrong way. Understandably, Toronto appears to be a better place for body rubs; the cheating is done with somewhat better results. Isn't it funny how every now and then you come across a place where time seems to have stood still and things are as they were when the place was built. I've been to farm- houses and old churches where both the building and the occupants have thoroughly resisted change and advance- ment and standing inside such ptaces has always given me the feeling that if I concentrated hard enough I could. transport myself back to the time when the structure was built. Warm spring air and pungent odours of new flowers and trees sprouting leaves has given me a terrible case of 'cabin fever' lately so I've longed to be out of the office more than usual and this has been coupled with a desire to get out in the country and just explore. So it wasn't too unusual that last weekend I found myself out driving aong those very country roads I had been yearning to sec all week. As I had my camera along I was keeping a sharp eye out for scenic pictures so when I spotted a sign ahead that pointed the way to a falîs, I turned in that direction and visualized, somewhere up the road, a large rock cut over which spuîed crystal clear ana icy cold water cascading down into a beautiful lake, the surface of which was undis- turbed except for the waterfall. My quest took me through many hairpin turns, bad spots in the road and over narrow bridges that gapped small bodies of water but nowhere did I sec any signs of a waterfall so I was beginning to wonder if I shouldn't get out the map and try to determine how far in off the highway I would have to w4nder to find it. Before Ihad a chance to do so the road took a couple more viscious turns and then ran straight to a bridge which looked to be use- able but which was barcaded thus preventing me from con- tinuing in that direction any further unless I was willing to walk. I stopped the car near the closed off biidge and got out to have a look. No waterfall in sight but the scenery was both beautiful and as yet untouched for the season by hordes of tourists. A floating dock was tied up to the bridge and tied up to the dock was a navy barge and a tug boat. On the deck of the barge lay an assortment of equip- ment and piled on one end was a combination of red and black channel markers, still fresh from the factory and not yet numbered and ready to drop into the water to warn boaters where the deep water channels were located. The whole scene was very beautiful and tranquil and as I gazed around to sec what pictures might present them- selves I realized that right behind me was a large building that appeared to be some kind of resort. That in itself was not too surprising but what was surprising was that this building, which had been added to many tirnes, was in tip top shape with a fresh coat of paint,lawn chairs sitting out front neatly in place and windows that sparkled with cleanliness. Perhaps the biggest surprise of all was that the small parking lot in front was almost completely full of cars. I was amazed, surely all these cars couldn't have made that long trek in from the highway, but for the life of me I couldn't sec any signs to indicate that there was a town or village nearby. I found a place and parked the car and decided to investigate this oddity further. As I walked back to what I discovered was a resort hotel I smelled food cooking and I could hear the tinkle of dinnerware. It was rather astounding to think that this building even stood here, looking as new as the day it was made, but to have a dining room operating so early in the season and a parking lot full of customers was unbelievable. I had to find out so I marched right in the front door of the hotel and I was immediately thrust back 30 years. Everything was exactly as a resort hotel had been 30 years ago even to the smallest detail of having a writing stand at which you could sit to write cards and letters to the folks at home. The only modern intrusion was a large television set mounted near the ceiling at one end of the room. Amazed, I gazed around and I noticed I too was being watched by a dozen people, all over 60 and all reclinging in large comfortable chairs in the living room which had a huge fireplace. I asked the desk clerk if the hotel had a dining room and although he looked insulted he politely replied yes and he could provide a table in about 20 minutes. Not only was this hotel flourishing in early May but the dining room was full and I should have reserved! Well to make a long story short the meal was excellent, reasonably priced and the service was beyond reproach. The waitresses wore all white and the floor glistened with countless coats of varnish. I stepped back into history for an hour and a half in that dining room and relaxed more so than I have done at dinner for a long time. It was dark when I left and I almost didn't find the main highway again but you can be assured lIl make efforts to return to to that idyllic spot for another unforgettable meal and a chance to escape the pressure of our ultra modern world. The $1,500 Ontario Home Buyers Grant. Who will get it? How? When? Why? Ontario understands how important it is to have a home of your own. And we'd like to help out with a grant of $1,500 toward your first home. It's part of an overall plan to make more homes available in Ontario. And stim- ulate our economny. So it's good for all of us. The answers to your questions can be found in a handy booklet specially prepared to help you understand every detail of the Grant. For your free copy, write to: Ministry of Revenue, Ontario Home Buyers Grant, Queen's Park, Toronto"M7A 2C9. For more information, telephone us (free of charge) by dialing "O" and asking the operator for Zenith 8-2000. Residents within the Metro Toronto local calling area should dial 965-8470. W. Darcy McKeough Treasurer of Ontario Ontario William Davis Premier Arthur Meen Minister of Revenue