American Diary Part 4 - Leaving New York

Since my last entry I have travelled across 3 more states and arrived in Chicago. Before I tell you about my first day in the Windy City, here's an update on the past few days. Sunday 20th May I spent a sunny Sunday in New York wandering through Central Park along with joggers and charity walkers and browsed some shops before joining the Suntrek tour group in the Jazz on the Park Hostel around the corner from my swanky hotel. I have been really impressed with New York which is a pleasant and easy city to walk around - I'll definitely be back. Highlights of Central Park included - The reservoir named after Jacqueline Onassis Kennedy with a surrounding jogging track and excellent views of the city skyline. The Cleopatra's needle nestling amongst trees on the East side. Belvedere castle - a tiny but perfectlt positioned fantasy castle on a high piece of ground in the park with turrets, balconies and stairways that disney would be proud of, with a pond below filled with turtles swimming around! Shakespeare's Garden - a gorgeous floral display alive with spring colour and footpaths winding up a small hill. The sheep meadow, a spacious green area where animals grazed centuries ago, now used for picnics, concerts, ball games and general relaxing. The stony outcrops which appear through the park offering vantage points for photos or simply lying in the sun. The various stone bridges, the Lake, the trees and wildlife. I must have walked over 6 miles that day and with most of the roads blocked for the AIDS charity walk, I had to find my way back to the hostel on foot, so was tired, hot and thirsty when I got there! I saw no trouble in New york, felt perfectly at ease the whole time and will go back when I get the chance. By 2pm I had met some members of the tour and by 3pm we were all together, 7 travellers and 2 tour guide: Me 36 from England, Dan the tour leader about 25-28, Nicole 20 from Adelaide, Min 22 from Korea, Chris 19 from Stuttgart and his friend Nick also 19 from Stuttgart and Mariajka and Paul a couple in their 50's from Winchester in England. Our transport is a 13 seater mini van with all our gear loaded on the roof, so once our bags were stowed we left the city bound for our first night of camping. Crossing the George Washington bridge we entered New Jersey briefly then back into New York state for the 3 hour drive north on I87 and I84 arriving at a small place called PLATTEKIL for the night. As a group we share duties on trek and I have been assigned to shopping duties with Nicole. So armed with the group's money I went into the supermarket and bought loads of cheap food for breakfast, lunches and dinner. Each of us will share cooking duties, but for the first night I made Spag bog with Nicole and it was fine! We each have a tent which is easy to put up,after 4 days I can manage it in under 12 minutes! So far the weather has been fine so no wet and windy episodes with a fly sheet and tent pegs! This is ourdaily routine... driving... shopping... tent building and eating.. sleeping... tent destroying and driving! Amid all the driving we stop for coffee and some sight-seeing. So our first night was simply a lesson in tenting then some food and sleep. The Trek adventure had begun!

American Diary part 3 - NEW YORK NEW YORK!

May 19th NEW YORK! I woke early and was out the door by 8.30am. the bell hop (getting with the NY lingo) told me about a breafast bar nearby which I walked to. It turned out to be the NY equivalent of a greasy spoon, but with few empty seats I thought it must be ok. The service was slow, but eventually I ordered a banana porridge and toast with hosue coffee. Around me, people were eating eggs over easy, bacon, home fries and pancakes with maple syrup (although probably not pure syrup that I've been used to in Maine!) Maybe tomorrow I'll order the full works.... After that, I hailed a cab and headed into the big apple to join my bus tour. www.newyorkpartyshuttle.com takes you around the city for 5 hours. It was easy to find, on Broadway and by 10am we wre moving. Along the route we stopped at: John Lennon's hotel apartment and the place he was assasinated, along with the strawberry fields memorial in Central Park, along Broadway passing the theatres, into the park itself where Saturday people were jogging, pushing prams, horse riding, taking kids to the zoo or just strolling. We were shown landmarks on the route mostly without stopping - Grand Central Station, various apartment blocks and sites used for movies and TV shows (Will and Grace, Seinfeld etc), the Empire State, Rockerfeller centre, Little Italy, Chinatown, Camden Street, Tiffanys etc We had lunch on our own in Pier 17 on the south of Manhattan (I had a Subway sandwich and peanut butter cookie)before taking the Staten Island ferry (free) across the bay past The Statue of Liberty before coming back. It was a chance for photos. Back on the bus, we did stop at Ground Zero (a very solemn place) for a few moments of reflection. I know some friends of mine have been here and know what it is like. they have begun work on the Freedom Tower and the whole area is a gaping chasm with construction vehicles and workers. the perimiter is a memorial to those killed with a timeline of the events on 9/11 with photos which truly make you feel humbled by the actions of those who tried to save lives that day. Across the street is the church of St Pauls used on that day to shelter the workers and provide food and water, it was undamaged. One poignant site is the damaged skyscraper on the southern end which is being removed floor by floor and clearly shows the scars of that day. Another nice touch is the prescence of the golden globe which survived with some damage and will be incorporated into the final memorial tower. After this sombre moment, we lightened the mood with a stroll through Wall Street - home to some of New York's Most stunning architecture and symbols of financial might. After my trip to Boston I saw the place where George Washington took the oath as first president of the USA. The tour continued around the waterfront before taking us back to Broadway. I wanted to go back to some of these places so tipped the guide and set off on foot. First stop TIMES SQUARE - like Picadilly on acid! the use of technology here is amazing, buildings have movies running on the outside walls with neon, lights, sound, music... amazing, gawdy, overpowering, impressive! I can only imagine Vegas or Hong Kong and Bangkok to be any better. There was a public demo going on in the middle - something to do with Iraq. quite strange to have something so serious alongside all that frivolous display of marketing! Walking away from Times Square I found my way to the Rockerfeller Centre and rode to the top floor for some great views of the city - despite the rain! Hungry again (5pm) I stopped for Pizza and a sit down, then back on the street I wandered in the general direction of Grand Central Station and found it! (New York is pretty easy for walking).. This was a real discovery1 the station is stunning! The architecture and lighting really impressed me, and of course it's been used in so many films! In need of coffee I found myself in Starbucks on 36th and Madison and wrote some more postcards. Then onto the empire state at dusk for a brilliant finish to my day - I was there for almost 2 hours and saw the view change from rain to darkness with all the street lights and sounds from below. Fabulous! I bought some goodies up there too - baseball cap and tshirt (Hannah - I've spent some money!) At 9pm I came back down to the street and caught a cab back to the hotel. so here I am in Jazz Hostel - upper West side writing my blog. Tomorrow I catch my tour and begin the trek across america. I may have more time in NY before we leave, so I plan to walk through Central Park and visit the Natural History Museum. More blogging when I can! That's all from NY! (sorry no photos)

American diary - Part 2 Last night in Maine

May 17th and 18th After a wonderful 2 days in the Acadia National Park and then a stay in Boston , I returned to Yarmouth and the home of the Klepinger family until May 18th. My second day in Boston included a walk through the parks again, the New England Aquarium and Isabella Gardner art museum - after that I walked from Fenway back to the Prudential Centre and strolled and browsed the shops without buying. I can't seem to summon any will to buy souvenirs! The bus ride back to Yarmouth was crowded and we enjoyed a screening of GREASE to pass the time. Hannah collected me from Portland bus station and we caught the end of Matthew's baseball game in Yarmouth (the team lost) before shopping at Hannafords for fresh lobster and steamers! Back at the house Roly dog was tormented by the lobster (not sure he knew what it was) whils I tried my best to hold it without dropping it each time it moved! I didn't have the heart to plunge it into boiling water so I let Hannag do it! but I did have the stomach to eat it afterwards and it was perfect - my first truly fresh lobster, no frills! I did manage to send it's claw flyig across the kitchen (slippery little sucker!). Friday was my last day in Maine, and with everyone out of the house it was a chance to pack and reshuffle my bags. I then took Hannah's car to the local park with roly for a rain soaked walk along the river. At noon I collected Hannah from her place of work, and we had a final girlie afternoon in Portland at the art museum (much better then the Farnsworth in Rockland) and shopped a little before goodbyes and at 5pm I was all alone at the airport. Once inside I was told my flight was *cancelled* but no time for panic as they put me on a Delta flight into La Guardia at 6.30pm. However - NY traffic control were being tricksy and the flight didn't leave till 8pm, landing in NY at 10pm. This was my first 'change of plan' moment in my otherwise flawless itinerary and it really didn;t matter. With time to kill I trawled the shops and bought a souvenir! Yes I actually bought something! I am even wearing it now - a blue t shirt which reads: "the way life should be... MAINE" with a lobster on it! La Guardia is closer to Manhattan than Newark so the cab was cheaper! My hotel "Astor on the Park" is in the Upper West Side faces Central Park and is in a swanky area. Apparently this is where rock stars, sports stars and film directors live.... so, at 11pm I was tired and wanted nothing but sleep which is what I did in a very comfy bed with 4 soft and squishy pillows. I drifted to sleep thinking of shingle houses on the coast of Maine.... maybe I should buy a lottery ticket!

American Diary - Part 1

MAINE and MASSACHUSETTS On May 12th I arrived safely in the USA on a very comfortable Continental airlines flight into New York then connected to Portland in Maine to be met by Hannah and Arne Klepinger from Yarmouth who kindly offered to be my hosts during this first week of my US tour. If you remember, I met Hannah in 1999 on holiday in Porlock, Somerset. Straight from the airport we dined at Cape Elizabeth at the Lobster Shack, right on the coast with Cornwall some 3000 miles East. My lobster roll was to die for! Slightly jet lagged it was an early night for me once we arrived at the Klepinger home - a pretty pale yellow New England style wooden home set in a wooded street. Sunday was Mother's Day in the US, and the kids (Matthew 11 and Larua 14) both gave their Mom a card and attempted some chores in the garden! Hannah and I set off in the convertible Chevrolet to head up the coast for a 2 day road trip Thelma and Louise style around Mount Desert Island. The journey was very pretty passing amazing scenery and traditional houses just made for the landscape. Lunch was at Belfast, my first taste of 'Steamers' boiled clams and hot butter followed by fried clams - I was clammed up afer that! Arriving on MDI (the island) we found a room overloking the bay at the Wonder Vew Inn - it reminded me of the summer camp in Dirty Dancing! We then spent 2 wonderful days eating great food (traditional Maine fare, lumberjack breakfasts and carbohydrate packed lunches) and exploring the awesome scenery of the Acadia National Park on foot and in the car with the roof down of course! We did do approximately 7 miles of walking too.... including around Jordan Pond (sadly the restaurant was closed so no chanc to eat 'popovers' a kind of filled yorkshire pudding) and along a hiking trail where the carriages go. The park resembles our Lake District, but has more trees and a sense of wildness that we don't have in the UK. We saw unusual birds, deer and evidence of Beavers - I even saw a hummingbird in Hannah's garden before we left. It's a park for the outdoors and activity. It was too early in the season to take advantage of the many things to do, like carriage driving, cycling, climbing, whale watching etc. So instead we made sure that our stomachs experienced the best food, and made the most of the convertible by cruising the quiet roads all around the island. My favourite spot being Otter Cliffs, looking out across the ocean watching the sea birds and lobster boats. I will be going back there again one day. When I do, I'll revisit 'Jeannie's breakfast bar' for a Great Maine Breakfast! On the way home, we called in at Camden to see the clippers in the harbour and had a dose of culture in a museum at Rockland exhibiting Maine artists (good) and some Andy Warhol (crap in my opinion) and had one last meal at (famous in Maine) Moody's diner! Back at the house in Yarmouth Mathew was involved in a school concert, so I went along and it was great! the 4th & 5th grade performed as a band and also sang, and it wasn't at all bad! It was fun to see high school life for real. With Hannah and Arne back at work and the kids at school, I decided to head south to Boston for 2 days of sightseeing. I was there in 2004 with BMC sofware but didn't get chance to explore. On the internet in Hannah's kitchen I booked a Ducktour ride and called to reserve a room a the swanky Park Plaza hotel on arlington street (whci is where I am typing this from!)I took the bus from Portland (watching Ferris Bueller's Day Off on the way - one of my fave films) and jumped on the subway or 'T' to get to my hotel. Once my bags were dumped, I walked into the Boston (Bawston) sunshine, strolled through the public garden and Boston Common to join up with a guided history tour along part of the Freedom Trail. As you will all know, Boston is the home of the 'tea party' which sparked the war of independence and led to the creation of the USA as an independent state. Being British here is a little awkward, but you are treated with good humour (just don't mention taxes). The tour was great and ended at Fanueil Hall, which gave me chance to visit the home of the Massachussets arm of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company - the oldest army regiment in the world. The HAC had it's hadquarters in London at Armoury House where I have been several times as a guest and enjoyed their hospitality. Boston is closely linked in it's history to the British and unlike the rest of the USA has buildings and locations which date back to the 17th century. For this reason it attracts people from all over America. I took the rest of the Freedom Trail my myself, ending up at the site of the Bunker Hill battle between the British and the Bostonians. The tower which marks the spot has 294 steps and I managed them all! The views were worth it happily. It was at this point that the weather changed dramatically and I sheltered in a doorway on a street of very attractive houses down from Bunker Hill. I managed to get a taxi to stop for me and made it in time to join the Duck Tour at 5pm. These amphibous vehicles take you on a tour of the city then drive into the Charles River for a dfferent view. Despite the very torrential rain and lightening, it was fun (if a little cold) and the driver was full of tales and stories to keep us entertained. So, wet and tired I returned to my 'swanky' hotel. I have one more day in Boston to visit some museums and maybe the aquarium, then back to Maine to say goodbye to the Klepingers and on to New York! (PS: apologies for any bad spelling, this hotel keyboard is bad!)

Leaving for North America

It's Thursday evening on the 10th May and I'm a little bit tipsy from a Gin & Tonic! Thanks to our Queen (Gawd bless 'er) our American cousins are warmed up to receive their next high profile British visitor - My bags are packed and tomorrow I say goodbye to Kipper, my parents and Devon for 2 months of travelling across America. My bags are full of all sorts of kit - probably too much stuff - being the type of person to 'over pack' it's been hard to limit myself. I'm prepared for hot weather, rain, cold nights, hiking, riding, rafting, boating, swimming and spending hours on a bus! I'll keep in touch via this blog, so check back regularly for updates. Today we learned that by the time I get back Tony Blair will no longer be Prime Minister. You may like to know that on the 27th June when he leaves office I shall be on a horse in Montana, and you may well hear me 'Yeehah' in celebration from across the pond! I'm not sure Gordon Brown is going tobe any better, so while the UK sorts itself out and William Haig gets his act together to challenge for Prime Minister (he will be back I'm sure) I plan to spend a very short time in England before going to Australia and New Zealand - I may even stay there long enough for a Tory government to take over! So, in the meantime, keep smiling, keep reading my blog and I'll do my best to entertain you from across the Atlantic. Have a nice day! K