Americana: Who Needs a Bridge?

When vacationing German Brewery Worker Erwin Kreuz ends his stay in San Francisco this week and returns to his home in Adelsried, he will complete an exceptional jet-age odyssey. It began when his World Airways flight touched down in Bangor, Me. A disembarking stewardess walked past Kreuz, and wished him a “pleasant stay in San Francisco.” Startled, he left the plane and went through customs. But then he kept on going, hailing a cab and, without any knowledge of English, reached a hotel.

For four days, Kreuz walked about Bangor. Then he decided it was time to leave what he assumed were the San Francisco suburbs. He grabbed a cab and asked to be taken into the city—San Francisco, that is. But that, the incredulous cabbie told him, was a continent away. When the San Francisco Examiner offered Kreuz a free trip to his original destination, the ruddy-faced bachelor finally did get to see the Golden Gate. But, by all accounts, he left his heart in downtown Bangor.