US Airways,United link upfrequent fliersFrequent fliers can...

US Airways,

United link up

frequent fliers

Frequent fliers can begin depositing miles earned on United Airlines and US Airways into either account Nov. 1 under a joint marketing plan cleared this month by federal regulators.

But they must assign the miles to one or the other account, US Airways spokesman David Castelveter said. Mileage cannot be pooled between the accounts to claim bigger awards. No date has been announced for redemptions. Starting Monday, members of US Airways Clubs and United Red Carpet Clubs can begin using each other’s airport lounges.

Las Vegas milks

cute cows for

all they’re worth

Can Las Vegas take any more kitsch? Of course it can.

In the last few weeks, a few life-size fiberglass cows, decorated by local artists, have been grazing in the Neon City. The herd is expected to grow to more than 100 in the next few weeks, with cud-chewers mimicking Elvis, Siegfried & Roy and other icons. “Cow Parade Las Vegas 2002” kicks off officially this week and runs through January, after which the beasts will be auctioned off for charity.

Paddle wheeler

headed for spin

in Alaska waters

Alaska’s popular Inside Passage is visited by vessels of almost every description. But it’s been many a decade since there has been a paddle wheeler on regular call.

That will change June 29 when American West Steamboat Co., which runs river cruises in the Pacific Northwest, launches the Empress of the North on 11-night trips between Seattle and Juneau. The 235-passenger sternwheeler is being built in Freeland, Wash.

The itinerary includes visits to Victoria and Vancouver, Canada; and Glacier Bay National Park, Ketchikan, Wrangell, Sitka and Skagway in Alaska. Fares start at $4,699 per person, double occupancy, including food, shore excursions and entertainment.

For reservations, see a travel agent. For information: (800) 434-1232, www.empressofthenorth.com.

London museum

has designs on

Versace line

Five years after his murder in Miami, flamboyant Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace is getting a comprehensive retrospective at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

“Versace at the V&A;,” opening Thursday with more than 130 pieces from his three-decade career, features clothes worn by Princess Diana, Madonna, Elton John and model Elizabeth Hurley, among others. Hurley is represented by the notorious little black dress held together, barely, by safety pins that she wore in 1994 to the London premiere of “Four Weddings and a Funeral.”

The exhibit ends Jan. 12. General museum admission is free, but it costs about $11 per adult to enter the Versace exhibit; children younger than 18 are free. The museum is open daily; hours vary. 011-44-870-442-0808, www.vam.ac.uk.

Adults only as Museum of Sex opens in N.Y.C.

After many delays, the Museum of Sex opened Oct. 5 in New York. The adults-only museum, at 233 Fifth Ave., aims to “preserve and present the history, evolution and cultural significance of human sexuality.”

Admission is $17. Open daily except Wednesdays; hours vary. (212) 689-6337, www.museumofsex.com.

*

DEAL OF THE WEEK

Born for bargains

in San Francisco

The Galleria Park Hotel near Union Square in San Francisco is offering room rates based on the last two digits of the guest’s birth date. If you were born in 1981, the rate is $81, plus tax; if you were born in 1950, the rate is $50. The deal, good Nov. 15 to Jan. 19, is subject to availability and restrictions. Regular published rates of the 177-room hotel, which is rated Three Diamonds by AAA, start at $146. The hotel is at 191 Sutter St. Ask for the “pay the year you were born rate.” (800) 792-9639, www.galleriapark.com.

*

FREE FOR THE ASKING

Cultural guide

to Orlando

Aguide to the Orlando, Fla., area focusing on African American history and culture is available from the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau Inc. Order the Orlando African American Travel Guide by calling (800) 352-6244. (Ask for the brochure by name.)