Many folks on this side of the Atlantic know the country western classic, Amarillo By Morning. Sung by George Strait, it is about the life and travels of a hard luck cowboy.

And on the other side of the Atlantic, the song is "Is This The Way to Amarillo?" It’s a Neil Sedaka-written piece with a catchy tune about a man looking to make it back to the one he loves.

Is This The Way to Amarillo, sung by British pop artist Tony Christie, was originally released in 1971. It was re-released on a video by British comedian Peter Kay in March and the tune has rocketed back up the charts and remained #1 for weeks. Amarillo has become a hot location in the UK, with TV, newspaper and magazine features throughout the UK. Several contests have been, or are being, run with trips to Amarillo as the top prize.

The UK has discovered this city with classic Texas roots. Why not American readers?

Why Amarillo?

To Step Into The Real Texas. It's not a marketing line, it's a way of life. From cowboys to canyons, big steaks to big sky, this is the mythical Texas we all learned about growing up.

But Amarillo is a whole lot more including a brand new $30 million Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts opening in January 2006. A world-class arts palace will host the Amarillo Symphony, Amarillo Opera, Lone Star Ballet and other professional performing arts events.

Other big items include

• A world-class exhibit of Western art, featuring Charles Russell and Frederick Remington, at the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, this summer.
• The 40th anniversary of outdoor theater in Palo Duro Canyon State Park with TEXAS Legacies, from June 2 through August 20 this summer.
• Historic Route 66, which runs through Amarillo, including a mile-long neighborhood of eclectic shops, restaurants and clubs.
• Palo Duro Canyon State Park, over 26,000 acres in one of the nation's largest canyons, that brings back the feel of the 1870s, when ranchers first settled the area.
• The Big Texan Steak Ranch and Opry, a former Route 66 landmark, famous for a 72 ounce steak dinner (it's free if eaten in an hour).
• The American Quarter Horse Heritage Center & Museum, featuring the story of the world's most popular breed of horse.
• The Kwahadi-Kiva Indian Museum & Performance Center, a tribute to Native Americans through artifacts, paintings and dance.
• The Don Harrington Discovery Center and Digital Space Theater, with one of the most advanced digital theaters in the U.S. featuring shows ranging from Pink Floyd to Pharaohs.
• The brand new Mary Bivins Tropical Conservatory at the Amarillo Botanical Gardens opens this summer.
• Elkins Ranch Cowboy Morning, an authentic chuck wagon breakfast located in Palo Duro Canyon, with great food and entertainment as well as magnificent scenery.

And authentic western events like the 10th Anniversary World Championship Ranch Rodeo, featuring real cowboys and cowgirls in the saddle. Or the World Championship Chuck Wagon Cookoff, with over 40 chuck wagons from across the country, all cooking an authentic chuck wagon meal with bragging rights and the world title on the line.

No matter how you get here and no matter your state of mind, either the lament of Amarillo By Morning or the pop sounds of Is This The Way to Amarillo?, there is much to see and do.

Visit the Amarillo CVC web site at www.visitamarillotx.com