I RECENTLY made my second visit to your beautiful city and had the time of my life.

Highlights included the wonderfully- talented Ghost Trail walker (Charles Hunt); the delightfully yummy Turkish cuisine (Kapadokya); the torching of Guy Fawkes at The Fox (and the great fireworks!); a rehearsal of the glorious Micklegate Singers; the lovely people at North Yorkshire Business and Education Partnership and nice young man at the ARC Archeological Centre. Everyone and everything was perfect.

I've told everyone I know, forget the filth and rudeness of London and make the trip north to beautiful York.

Beth Hunt,

Peachtree Street Suite 2800,

Atlanta,

Georgia, USA.

....I TRAVELLED to York one Saturday to do some Christmas shopping in your marvellous city. I visited the hot punch stall at the top of Shambles at around 2pm.

After finishing my shopping I thought the spices would be a good idea for a present for some of my friends and ran back to the stall at about 5pm.

As I got there the man was just about to drive off. I tapped on his window and asked if I could buy a box of spices from him. He glared at me, gestured to the back of his van then rudely wound his window back up.

Again I tried pleading with him to sell me his spices, he shouted back at me, "Look love, I'm all packed up". He was so rude and aggressive, he made a grown woman cry.

I had come from Manchester to sample the Christmas spirit of York that I've loved ever since I was a small child. I have been coming every year since I can remember.

I won't come back in a hurry.

Miss A Martin,

Limehurst Farm,

Ashton-Under-Lyne, Lancashire.

Updated: 11:31 Thursday, December 04, 2003