where art collides

Rocked up at the Roosevelt for cocktails. It’s a Waldorf Astoria but didn’t feel particularly posh. Lots of tourists milling around an extensive lobby. As if a coach party had just arrived. Full of wealthy Americans of the third age. 

The cocktails were good. When we got to the Sazerac there was no spare seat or even a bit of bar to prop up against so we blagged space at a table with a couple from Georgia. Conversation.

Sitting in the dark in the front room at 6am NOLA time. The street lights cast shadows through the tall sash windows.

Riverboat cruise today. Steam down the river down to New Orleans. Watch the card sharks fleece the tourists. Stay clear when the gunfight breaks out. Tables flying everywhere.

The noise of the city is all around. It is still dark but there is a suspicion of a lightning sky . Maybe only in my imagination. Maybe not. 

So much to see, not enough time. A balance must be struck.

It used to be good. A bored band groans out tired tunes. Not a good sales pitch for a Creole night out. Joe hit an early hay and I headed for Frenchmen Books, leaving with a heavy bag and lighter wallet.

The sky is definitely getting lighter. The house opposite has green painted shutters. 

Noises come from the Ayu Bakehouse below. The place opens at 8am but the baker will have already been in for some time, kneading his dough, plying his trade. I feel the need to buy his bread. A small loaf will suffice. Butter I have but marmalade not. Nor toaster. Kyboshes my plan. Bacon but no brown sauce. Bagels.

Not much traffic on Frenchmen at this time of day. It isn’t a busy road anyway. Doesn’t appear to be. We hit the jackpot with location. Location. Location.

We toasted the bagels in a frying pan yesterday. Wasfine. Avocado was ripper than we had anticipated and did a job.

The park gates open early on Washington Square. No insomniacs or early risers take advantage. A train blows its horn in the distance. Cowcatcher? Casey Jones pulling into town, or leaving for the open prairie. All points west.

Daylight replaces street light. The night watchman heads home.

…

It isn’t always a Friday. Sometimes it’s a Monday. Old saying.

Old man river

“It is no easy matter to go to heaven by way of New Orleans.” Reverend J Chandler Gregg.

…

Been up for two hours.

Sat out on our balcony basking in the afternoon sun. Had to put my sun hat on. Washington Square is a hive of gardening activity. Looks like they are digging deep holes to plant new trees. Reminds me of that movie where everyone is chasing after buried treasure somewhere. Dig deeper, dig deeper 🙂

I’m glad we booked an airbnb. Plenty of space for to chillax after a long day’s touristing. The beauty of sitting out here is that people walking by below don’t notice you. 

Came across fire station number 9 on our travels this morning. Walking around to the front there was actually a fire engine with number 9 written on it just poking out the door. Later we saw number 19 and then station number 19. I wonder how many they have in total in NOLA. Could google it I suppose.

Blue light rushes by at the end of the street. Ambulance. Couldn’t quite see it all. Young woman walks by with dog. Both had light brown hair.

The French Quarter was v interesting. We were there quite early, just as people were setting up the market. We booked a swamp tour for saturday and a bus tour for sunday. Already sorted the steamboat for tomorrow. Yawl.

I sense there’s no point in going out too early tonight. Some of the bars were quite quiet because we were twirly.

Looks like the hole diggers have packed up for the day. They’ve left tape around the holes. A boy kicks a football. A woman is sat on the bench previously occupied by the homeless guy. I assume he was homeless. He might have gone home I suppose.

…

Interesting. Different bartender at the Apple Barrel tonight. Wouldn’t hand over the beer until I’d given him the cash. Interesting. Doesn’t inspire confidence as to the viability of the business. Was only a small bar.

Well, a successful first day in NOLA, considering we were jet lagged. The taxi from the airport dropped us off at around twelve thirty pm and access to 801 Frenchmen was v straightforward. Worra great flat. Quite luxurious.

After a walk to Roberts’ Grocery store for some supplies we spent the afternoon chillin’ out listening to music and reading. Finished me book. Was v easy to pair the phone with the retro record deck.

Roberts’ is a handy gaff a few mins walk. Searching for beer I remarked that the stocks were remarkably low considering the size of the shop. Then we found the beer fridge. This was a room sized fridge stacked high with beer. Not seen that before but not surprising coming from a small town in the boonies as I do.

Found myself needing to switch to American English when asking an assistant where they kept the butter. She was confused and about to escalate the question to a supervisor when I realised the issue and changed my request from butter to budder.  Aaaah!

At fiveish we broke open the Lagunitas and had some (disappointing) chips with a stunning local salsa. Our plan was a pub crawl on Frenchmen. In the end we only made it to three spots including Apple Bar, The Spotted Cat and 30/90. Fantastic music in three very different bars.

Checked out Willie’s Chicken Shack on the short walk back to number 801. Chicken tenders were good, fries not as hot as they could be and, surprisingly, not that many of them. Willie’s was a super cool gaff but we were the only ones in. Twirly probs.

Better sleep last night than when we arrived in Atlanta on Tuesday. Today we will be heading out to explore NOLA after breakfasting on bagels, bacon, eggs and avocado washed down with plenty of steaming hot cawfee, OK and meealk (2%).

…

Homeless man returns to his bench when park opens

Tai chi group

Toasted bagels, avocado, fried egg and bacon with cawfee, oj and milk was good

Percy the park keeper american style

Balcony blues, too cold to sit out right now

Laid back in NOLA

Frank crooning in the corner

We are going to have a problem with New Orleans. There appear to be too many great bars to check out. We are mixing it up a little. Sunday night at 5pm is American Sports Saloon for the Chiefs game. If we have the stamina we could move on to a jazzy joint afterwards.

There is a cult mardi gras parade on Saturday night

We are a short walk from Cafe Negril, Favela Chic, Vaso, Apple Barrel, Blue Nile, Snug Harbor, the Spotted Cat, and the Maison, all on Frenchmen. That’s before we even make it as far as the French Quarter and Bourbon Street, the latter which we will really only take a look at and maybe try out a couple of bars when passing through.

Below the apartment is an artisanal bakery, Ayu Bakehouse. Bought a couple of sandwiches for lunch at $33 inc tip. Very artisanal for that price! Strolled round to Roberts’ Market on St Claude Avenue and picked up some groceries. Just a few essentials such as bacon, butter, chips & salsa and a Lagunitas variety pack. We can get the bread from Ayu’s.

We also need to drop in at Preservation Hall just so Joe can say he has been there and maybs take in a riverboat trip. Other than that we are here to chill out. A guided tour of the French Quarter has been identified.

Frank Sinatra is crooning relaxing tunes through the speakers of the Victrola record player on the table in the living room. There is a collection of jazz records featuring Louis Armstrong.

Need to drop in for cocktails at the Roosevelt. I did initially book a room there for this trip but opted instead for this apartment which is the dogs.

Refrain on a train,

Will I see this place again

Next time I come travelling with you.

I woke up in the night and thought of those words. Got up and wrote em in my notebook. They came with a tune but that was a little bit too ‘country’ and probs already sounded like most other country songs so not original enough. Will think of something.

On the 07.30. Someone sat in my seat. Not a biggie although there was only one other person in the carriage so why she chose mine is a mystery.

Well actually she had booked the seat next to me. Why on earth would you choose a seat next to someone when there are loads of others unreserved? When I booked it there was no one else on the table.

It gets worse. She is very talkative. It’s her birthday on Thursday. She is off to London for one night today and then Birmingham for three nights on Friday. She works for the NHS, is a Christian and is using up her holiday at a time of year when nobody else wants to take holiday. Always takes Easter weekend off though, natch.

There you go. And the train hasn’t even left the station.

The Grimsby train has just pulled in on the opposite platform.

Last train to Grimsby. Has a finality to it. In reality it is probably the first. New destination, new beginnings.

Outside, a medium frost carpets the ground. Dappled red clouds frame a fading pallet sky with delicate outlines of trees softening the motionless edge of frozen Lincolnshire fields. Nothing moves. A large stack of straw bales waits patiently.

Quite a few people have got on at Newark. I’ve moved my bag to the rack above, largely to make it obvious that her large bag and voluminous coat on the seat next to her (the one she booked) is a bit anti-social. This does come with risks. Someone might come and sit next to me. I’ve left the aisle seat free as my originally booked seat, the one she is occupying, was the one opposite and I didn’t fancy having to avoid playing footsie.

I expect she is a bit disappointed I am not being chatty. Twirly man, twirly. As it is I never have a good night’s sleep before catching the 07.30. Indeed the only time I really get that train nowadays is if I’m off to LHR which is the case this morning.

Frost does bestow the landscape with an ethereal beauty.

This trip is the next chapter in the dad and lad series of jaunts whereby I take an offspring off on a jaunt with daddy. It isn’t always dad and lad. The next one will be dad and daughter but we are already planning into 2024 for that.

We are currently hurtling towards Grantham. Whilst somewhat melodramatic the use of the word ‘hurtling’ is, I feel, quite appropriate. A powerful momentum. I quite like the notion of not stopping at Grantham even though it is scheduled. The look on the faces of passengers waiting on the platform would be quite amusing. Obvs this is a very anti-social thought and not one that is likely to be put into practice but bemusing nonetheless.

Amusing little footnote to that last paragraph. We didn’t stop at Grantham. It wasn’t scheduled anyway 🙂

I don’t mind chatting with other people on the train. Often do. I’m a chatty kind of guy. There is such a thing as overly chatty at seven thirty in the morning though.

We are pulling into Peterborough. Even a pristine frost can’t make Peterborough look nice.

Peterborough has a new university, opened in 2022 according to the sign.

Swords and ploughshares. Just passed a couple of fields containing ridges created by the mediaeval technique of ploughing. Looked it up. Made me think of swords and ploughshares. Violent death or the slow grinding away of body and spirit.

Moments in time. Moments of madness. Intimacy. Imagine if time stopped, momentarily. Freeze frame.

The clear skies of Stevenage.

The wine society, since 1874.

The Redeemed Christian Church of God United Kingdom

See it, Say it, Sorted.

It is my custom and practice to spend train journeys putting words to a page. Today I have alternatives should my creative muse run dry or the lead in my pencil wear out. Before leaving the house I downloaded the first series of the Young Ones on BBC iPlayer. Not watched it since I was of that age, forty years ago, but I remember it as a classic comedy. Let’s hope that it is a timeless classic. I want the memory to remain fond.

This morning as we leave Lincoln there is a pale red glow in the sky and frost on the fields. The first of the season. 

It being early I am hungry, a state exacerbated by the smell of bacon wafting from the train galley. Tis only a matter of time. 

There are three of us in the carriage. Two bacon rolls and a porridge. Later, the porridge has still not arrived despite the fact that the bacon rolls have already been devoured. Right decision.

Not much moves in the fields around Newark. One solitary blackbird. The train slows as it approaches Northgate station, waiting for a favourable signal.

‘Welcome aboard this LNER Azuma bound for London Kings Cross.’ Two chatty people get on, disturbing the peace. I exhibited an early morning induced mental dullness when leaving Lincoln. A trance like state I was happy to embrace but which has now disappeared. Fortunately having settled into their seats, one behind the other, the noise has abated and they are now buried in their own distractions. 

We leave Newark sliding behind, an almost empty station car park fading to the rear of the train. Large pale green fields are surrounded by water filled drainage ditches. Agricultural machinery stands. Pylons tower. Bungalows squat.

There is beauty in nature irrespective of season. In some respects there is more colour in autumn and winter than in spring and summer. Different hues. It is true that spring is more uplifting. A natural requirement of the body after winterlight.

…

Just made the Eurostar and now in France. Accepted a glass of white wine with lunch at 10.45 natch. Will probs regret it. Nivver mind. Life is short. Drink wine at 10.45am. Was 11.45 really. Just depends on your zonal perspective.

The temps est miserable. I’m glad I stuck a fleece on as a last minute thought before leaving maison Davies.

Mentally sluggish again after that glass of wine. I knew it would happen innit 🙂 It’s all about attitude.

Bloke sat in front of me is a musician. There seems to be a band all on the train but mostly sitting separately. Two of them were in our seats when we got on the train and had to move. Our guy has a Pret a Manger bag containing some sort of cream cheese sandwich and something else i can’t quite see. Maybe he doesn’t like French food. Snails and frogs legs in garlic and all that sort of foreign muck. Probs doesn’t want to go down with the Delhi belly before the gig ce soir. Makes a lorra sense to me although we are not in India.

Meanhwile the train races past cars on the adjacent road kicking sand up into their windscreens as we go by.

England about to start playing football and Anne has complained that her connection to the internet has vanished. I said she should have downloaded the game onto her phone before we set off :)) Not interested myself. Rewind got time zone wrong.

The pylons are different in France. As is the electricite. It is unlikely that the difference in electricite has influenced the design of the pylons, n’est pas? What would Volt aire have said. Geddit?

Our restaurant tonight, Procope, is where Voltaire used to hang out, apaz. Published his pamphlets on the top floor. As good a place as any je guess. I have pre-ordered smoked Scottish saumon, fillet of boeuf and profiteroles. Makes a lorrasense to me. Nice drop of wine to go with it. Presumably the boef is French. Somewhere like Limoges or simlar. Hopefully they won’t overcook the boef thinking that because I live in England I don’t like it rare! Huh (contemptuous shrug and nostril twitch).

25 mins to our destination. I half caught an announcement but I happen to have Edith Piaf crooning in my phones at the same time so didn’t really listen or hear properly. Hopefully there will be a fast track for EU passport holders 🙂 Doubt it.

…

Blurry start to the day after yesterday’s long lunch that lasted until 10pm. Slow boat to Lincoln leaves Gare Du Nord at 10.13am. Makes no Seines that sentence. It is all a state of mind. Reality is racing.

There’s an Irish bar next to the Moulin Rouge. O’Sullivans by the Mill. They will be open now. Last night a quickly faded memory.

The food at Au Boin Coin was a lukewarm disappointment. The wine was fine. All things come to pass. We move on. I’m glad I have memories of good times there. 

We ended up at a local bar near the hotel. The French were playing the Aussies at Association Football. The home supporters were very animated. Emotional you know, the French.

It is Thanksgiving in the USA tomorrow. I feel as if I can identify with this having recently stayed opposite the beach in Cape Cod where the Mayflower pilgrims first landed and then subsequently visiting Plymouth across the water.

The age of Steven has been left inconspicuously behind us.   The borough of Pete lies ahead.

Down the tracks. Wrong side of the tracks. Track twenty nine.

Your left hand doesn’t look right.

Take it easy. Easy on Wednesday afternoon. As the song goes.

Running 15 minutes late into Nuarque due to a near miss at Biggleswade level crossing. The wade of Biggles. Big Les.

Trefbash is two weeks tomorrow. Make sure you bring your dancing shoes.

…

Enjoyed hiding under the cosiness of the duvet this morning. Made me think of others less fortunate.

Just two weeks to go until trefbash and registrations have been flooding in.  If you plan to come and haven’t yet signed up I wouldn’t leave it too late if I were you.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/trefbash-funtastic-tickets-389837513497

Orf to the smoke again this afternoon. One of the kids is having a party tomorrow night but of course there is a train strike so we are going down today. Not back until Monday as the trains are pretty non existent at the best of times at weekends at this time of year due to engineering works. At this rate we would be better off buying a flat in London.

I do like little trips to London. The plan this weekend is to use my new Tate membership to visit Tate Britain on Saturday and Tate Modern on Sunday. If anyone wants to tag along I can take guests. Maybs a spot of luncheon. Lemme know.

…

Not sure whether any of you knew this but in Middlesborough there is a proud supplier of tuna subs to the London and North Eastern Railway company.

I think everyone should consider only watching weather on the TV. Ok it isn’t always good news but it’s quite pleasant compared with a lot of the crap that gets shoved our way. A bit of rain here and there. Wind etc. It is just as likely to tell you that it will be a nice sunny day, perfect for taking the dog for a walk. Or strolling to the shops. 

Mind you shopping doesn’t really do it for me. At least not down yer average chain dominated high street. 

The train attendant/food and drink dispensing person didn’t get her stuff together and missed getting off at Grantham. Dashed back as she forgot her bag and the train doors closed and we moved out of the station. Oops. Felt a bit sorry for her tbh.

…

Sunday was a typically wet and miserable late autumn day in London. John and I were walking between Borough Market and the Tate Modern when I saw a homeless person sitting on the floor with his hand out begging. A woman walked up to him and gave him a five pound note. As she walked away the homeless man put his head in his hands and sobbed. It was heart wrenching.

The border between solid and liquid, drawn line, coloured
Below us fish swim, boats float and a thick brush stroke scar white cliffs.
We race to overtake a ferry in unfair competition
La belle France arrivees.
The trolley arrives.
Champagne sir? Would it be rude?
No no no save it for later
Very impressive Alps
Goat tracks across the mountains
striata
Not often I sit at a window. Fancied a change.
Gentle downward slide

Eddie the Senior Breakfast Chef at the Vivre restaurant at the Sofitel is a bit of a star. It was his 30th wedding anniversary yesterday. He went to the Ivy in Maidenhead (or similar) with his wife. He has been at the Sofitel since it opened. 2006 or thereabouts. I’m sure they appreciate him. He livened up breakfast.

Now we are packed and chillin in the room. We have 5 hours before we take off. Better to be far too early and have no stress than to worry about whether the trains will run etc. Although I am on holiday and the out of office message is on I still have a bit of stuff to do but it will wait until the lounge.

I am wearing jeans but have packed some shorts in my carry on. It will be 22℃ when we land in New York City. Currently at LHR it is 10℃. I’ve also swapped a jacket for a fleece which will be more comfortable on the plane. 

Quite excited about going on our travels again. This one has been a year in the planning. I’m in two minds about long haul travel. One the one hand it takes you to parts of the world that are different to your normal experience of life. On the other hand the concept of sitting in a tin can for a day and stepping out somewhere 5,000 miles away does feel strange. Unnatural. Certainly not environmentally friendly. 

I could get used to the idea of slow travel. Not leaving the ground. The problem with this is both time and money. For example we are flying to Florence in October for a few nights away. I can’t remember exactly how much it costs but lets say £200 return each. £400 in business class. It’s a 2 hour flight.

To go overland would be at least a two day drive with a couple of hotel stays and a ferry plus a few hundred quid in fuel. Or a train I suppose but that would probably also be a couple of days. Anyway. Woteva. Next September we are planning a month-long road trip to the South of France. The beginning of our slow travels perhaps.

Back to today if you are in NYC this week we might get a chance to say hello.

…

The downsides of sitting in a Business Class Lounge is that you get to hear someone discussing a presentation. You can’t see the slides or hear the other person so it is slightly annoying. He is discussing the sterling crisis. Fortunately it doesn’t sound as if they have much exposure to sterling!

The upside is that the Lounges is at B Gates and is 100m or so from our own departure gate. What’s not to like?

…

Offline

A state that exists when you have not yet connected to the BA onboard wifi. This state will continue until that point in time when I have become bored with everything on offer offline. Currently I am listening to my fave playlist but I also have 15 BBC 4 programmes downloaded onto iPlayer.

There is absolutely nothing I want to watch on the inflight entertainment which is understandably geared to offer popular stuff favoured by the masses. Not my thang.

The new touchscreen interactive map is v good. You can zoom in and out by using your fingers. We think of this as part of our every day electronic device experience but airline technology is v slow to catch up.

My travelling companion has closed the shutter between us. You aren’t exactly close to each other in these seats anyway. Long haul airline business class travel is not a very sociable mode of transport. People climb into their cocoons. Hunker down into survival mode. I am content. A large tanqueray and slimline tonic has been ordered and my food choices already made. 

There is no hurry for the food although it would be good if the Tanqueray arrived soon. Only 12 of us in this cabin so it will be quick enough coming.

Currently we are above Milford Haven (waves to @Nat Morris) and headed for Cork and the Dingle Peninsula. Out of the port window we should be able to see Padstow but I am not sat at a window. I’ve never been to Cork or Dingle. Will have to rectify that once our days of slow travel arrive. Bed and breakfast tour of Ireland methinks. Maybe with an occasional campervan night thrown in?

Next summer I have a week in one of the vans at the National Eisteddfod planned. Pwllheli. Will be like being back in my student days. I watched the highlights of this year’s Eisteddfod and was amazed at how many people I actually knew. Lots of folk I was at University with. 

The Eisteddfod weeks are very boozy affairs. Nothing seems to have changed there. As a student we would go out to the pub every night. If you weren’t in by 7pm you probably wouldn’t get a seat. Times have changed. Kids don’t go out until much later these days. We would occasionally have a Sunday or Monday night in just as a firebreak. Not often mind.

Sunday night was typically a trip to the cinema to watch a movie and then a visit to theTaj Mahal in Upper Bangor for a curry. It was a laddish thing to do. The pubs weren’t open on a Sunday in Bangor in those days. If you wanted a beer it was either a private club (students union, British Legion etc) or a restaurant. Or you could head a few miles up the coast to Llanfairfech which had a different council and wickedly allowed the consumption of alcohol on the Sabbath. 

I’ve downed the G&T and am now onto champagne. The T was flat and the ratio of G to T was inadequate. I moved on rather than trying to get the mix right. Pouring a large, fair play, glass of champagne is easy to get right.

I’m having some sort of avocado and edamame salad. Not totes sure what edamame is but I will find out soon enough. I think I’ve had it before. I didn’t bother to ask. My main is chicken Tikka Masala. I read a review on headforpoints or the pointsguy that it was the best CTM they had tasted on an aeroplane. I’ll soon find out. It will be my last curry for a few weeks. Not worth having one in the USA. Mexican yes, lobster in New England yes, burgers and steaks even. Curry no.

The attendant said she would keep an eye on the level of the champagne in my glass. Makesalorrasense. I assume I will have a kip on this flight even though it is only 7 ½ hours or so. A few sherberts, a bit of scram and then nod off. ‘Tis the way of things. 

Food is on its way. It has made it to seat 5A which is the front left of the J cabin. That is only three rows in front of me. The smell of lunch has begun to permeate the aircraft. Looks to me like they are delivering all courses at the same time on the same tray. As long as my CTM doesn’t go cold. 

Papa was a rollin’ stone. Wherever he laid his hat was his home. Not talking about my own dad. It’s in my headphones. My dad did have a cap or two but no hat. He was a good dad. I am proud to be his son. He died a year and a bit ago. Just thinking about this makes me a tad melancholy. It is as it should be.

Dad was a victim of covid. Covid didn’t kill him but the isolation he had to suffer in his care home did. His death certificate mentioned a few causes of death that included “old age”. This was true. He needed to be in a care home because we couldn’t cater for his needs which were 24 x 7 availability of someone to help.

It didn’t feel great seeing him go into the home, especially as it was something he had fought against but we had no choice really.  When he was there, on the rare occasions we were able to visit, I understood his reticence. Mam and dad both said that old age was a terrible thing. 

It is. I’m not sure it informs our own life decisions but we certainly try cramming in as much as we can. Witness this trip to the East coast of the USA. following that we have Florence and Paris in rapid succession. Gottabedone. I’m not available for Thursday evening golf for a few weeks by which time the season will be over.

I have finished dinner and am now onto the last dregs of the white wine. The tray is sitting on  top of the compartment that has the gadget in that allows you to call the attendant for a refill. I see someone patrolling the other aisle offering refills. I daresay she will make it around to this side. I also feel a cognac would be appropriate. See what they got.

We should hopefully arrive at the hotel in New York by 8pm. 9 at the latest. We then need to head out into the city to avoid going to bed too early., I get really bad jet lag regardless of the direction of travel. Staying up late on the first night is just one of those things you have to do. Maybs have a beer or a cocktail. 

I recall one trip when I ended up at an airport hotel in Phoenix Az. Hilton Garden Inn or simlar. I decided to head to the bar and after some deliberation to order a cheeseburger. I was too tired to speak Americun so my interaction with the waitress was somewhat limited. She asked me what sort of cheese I wanted. The choices were Swiass, chuddur or Americun. Not really recognising any of the cheeses on offer I asked her to recommend one and her response was that if I wanted real cheese she would go for chuddur. I realised some time later that she was talking about cheddar.

There is a definite knack to speaking Amuricun. I’ve travelled a lot in the States and am fairly fluent. It includes using phrases such as “could I get a” with the relevant lilt in accent instead of “I’d like”. It isn’t worth fighting it. There will be many other phrases in use that do not presently spring to mind but into which I will lapse at the appropriate times. It is the way of things.

A cognac has arrived. It is good. The stewardess went forward to first class to source it and it has been served in a nice piece of cut glass. I have a champagne from Club to chase it down. This is not in the same league as the Laurent Perrier Grand Siecle dished out up front but still acceptable.

John and I flew to St Lucia British Airways First class a few years ago. The destination choice was influenced by the fact that at 19 years old he would not have been allowed alcohol in California which had been the first mooted port of call. On the plane John observed that he wasn’t sure whether he liked champagne. Upon being informed that this stuff retailed at £140 a bottle he didn’t object whenever the attendant passed by and topped up his glass. He knocked back at least a bottle. The attendant was complicit in the plan. She had been informed of the dad and lad nature of the trip.

The next dad and lad trip is with Joe to NOLA and Havana in January. BA First Class. Seems fair. We finish off with two nights in Miami where hopefully Joe will have his Global Entry interview. Just like Irish passports and passing their driving test it is one of the things you do for your kids.

Anne doesn’t have Global Entry. This does create a dilemma when traversing US immigration. It just doesn’t make sense for both of us to stand in line unnecessarily when I could be in the baggage reclaim area picking up the suitcases. Two years ago when we landed in SFO I waited two hours for Anne to get through passport control. Apparently the weekend before it had taken 6 hours. We were fortunate that we didn’t have several flights arrive from China at the same time. Our friend Jackie, from Middlesbrough, who was picking us up from the airport had to wait patiently outside arrivals.

I’m hoping it won’t be the same at JFK (it wasn’t – we both breezed through). We arrive at Terminal 7 which is predominantly BA and I don’t think there will be the same congestion (fingers crossed). Also we are in Club Class so will be off first. First Class passengers have to walk through our cabin to get off. We were in first in SFO and that didn’t seem to make any difference but we shall see this time.

Once I flew to Istanbul as a guest of Hewlett Packard to participate in their CIO Council. V high end shindig. I was in economy but HP had paid 50 Euros or simlar for fast track through immigration. It was the best 50 Euros ever spent. A bloke met me off the plane with my name on a piece of card and I hopped on a golf cart that took me past several hundred queueing worthies to the front of passport control where someone stamped my passport and I was through.

Some time later I was just stepping into the shower at the Sheraton Hotel when the phone rang. It was a HP sales guy on the same flight saying he was looking around arrivals but couldn’t see me. HP hadn’t spent the same money on him. Hey…

That was a hell of a few days. We had dinner in the Topkapi Palace, notionally the best restaurant in Istanbul, and there are a lot of them. Armed guards in evidence as you walked through the gates. Only problem is it was classic Turkish fare. I decided this wasn’t really my cup of tea. I’m not complaining., It was a privilege to be there. 

The next night, after a full-on day of meetings, we went on a Bosphorus dinner cruise and were dropped off at an outdoor night club where, in the VIP area, we consumed bucketloads of chilled Grey Goose vodka and Red Bull. That club was the scenario of a terrorist bombing a couple or three years later…

I left at 1.30am and caught a cab home. I had an early start the next day. Early flight back to London to have lunch with a journalist. As I was checking out some of the party goers from the previous night were just arriving back at the hotel. One of them was on the same flight. I’ve never seen anyone looking so much like death warmed up on the plane.

When I got back to London the journalist didn’t show. When I rang him he said he was in Norfolk and had gone away for the weekend. I never bothered with him again. Unprofessional arsehole. Can’t even remember his name now.

I’m still going strong on the champagne and brandy. I’ll need a refill soon. Either you fall asleep or have to keep going. I am currently opting for the latter. We still have 5 ½ hours to go before we get there.

A refill is in hand. Same source. First class brandy is much nicer than the stuff they dish out in Club. Fair play. Result.

…

Another refill. Been watching a programme on sheep gathering in the Lake District. Third time I’ve watched it. Compulsive viewing.

…

Been a bit of a whirlwind few days in NYC. So far so good. In chronological order we’ve done the subway, Battery Park, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Ground Zero, Central Park, Broadway, Ellen’s Stardust Diner, Macys, Empire State Building, MoMA and the Al Hirschfield Theatre to see Moulin Rouge. 

The show was spectacular. A real work of art. We had front row seats which took me a while to decide on but you were right in the middle of the action.

We booked plinth access at the Statue of Liberty. I had no idea what this entailed but it sounded like the right thing to do. Turns out it meant you got to climb the 176 stairs to the top of the plinth/bottom of the statue. Unexpected and knackering. Contributed to my doing 62 sets of stairs that day. Worth it for the view though. There was a good view of aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth which is in town for a visit. The crown of the statue is still not open to the public. A hangover from social distancing. Reopens next month you will be glad to hear.

It’s all been great. A few things have stuck in the mind. Breakfast at the Warwick Hotel was a one day experience only. V expensivo and not worth the money. The waitress had zero personality and was just going through the motions. 

The bar at the hotel was good but also v expensivo at around $12 pint inc tip so really just for finishing off the night. Mind you I’m not sure how much beer was elsewhere. A little cheaper perhaps. 

We have tried a few venues for market research purposes, obvs: Cassidy’s Irish Pub, The Whiskey Bar, Judge Roy Bean, Benihaha, Iron Bar, Connolly’s Irish Pub. Tonight it’s PJ Clarke’s. One of the oldest saloons in NYC apaz.

We are headed up the coast on Sunday but have changed our hotel reservation for when we get back to NYC. Cancelled this current one (Warwick) and moved it to the Midtown Hilton which is directly over the road on 6th Avenue. Same cost but double points, diamond member free breakfast and a room upgrade. Makes more sense than shelling out a hundred bucks on two avocado toasts with smoked salmon and poached egg.

Nipped out this morning and bought some croissants and pain au choc from a street kiosk. Ten bucks together with some fruit. Makes a lorra sense to me 🙂

Took us a while to figure out the subway system and we were nearly late for our booked ferry. The last ones on! Wouldn’t have mattered really but I booked the first ferry as I figured it would give us a head start on the day and the perceived wisdom was that the queues (lines) would be shorter. I suspect this was the case.

The next time we rode the subway (getting into the vernacular already) we were approached by first time tourists and I was amazingly able to help them. This is different to our experience where the first three or four people we asked did not speak English.

Having bought a subway oyster type card (can’t immediately remember the name) we of course did not use it yesterday and walked everywhere. Day one was around 17,000 steps but yesterday it was North of 20,000. Not sure exactly as my fitbit is still in UK time and something reset when the date clicked over at midnight and I’ve lost around 18,000 steps somewhere. First world problems.

Walking everywhere does come with its own challenges. The lights seemed to go against us at every crossing. I also had to look down before leaving the pavement (sidewalk) as there is a big step down and I didn’t want to go arse over tit when crossing the road. The speed of traffic in Manhattan is “dead slow”. Hardly worth taking a taxi. Fortunately the roads will be reasonably clear when we leave for the airport on Sunday morning.

Lots to get through between now and then. Stay tuned.

…

Hurricane Ian is wringing its spongy tail and is soaking NYC this morning. The streets of Manhattan were pretty empty when I headed out in search of milk and croissants. New Yorkers don’t appear to be early weekend risers. I understand. 

The consequence of this is the absence of street vendors and the Ernst & Klein deli was still closed even though its website says it is open at 7am. I was accosted by a guy in shorts with a plastic bag over his top and sporting an umbrella. “Can I ask you a question?” No.

Yesterday I was accosted several times by young Jewish men asking me whether I was Jewish. It must have been my hat and feathers! I finally asked one of them why and got the answer “outreach”. Trying to bring more of their community into the fold. Probs.

We had another great day. Skating rink at the Rockefeller Centre and a 44 second ride to Top of the Rock. Views were spectacular and we stayed up there for at least half an hour. Figured we wouldn’t be doing it again anytime soon so we might as well take our time. It’s only 38 seconds down.

In the afternoon we met Eva, a friend of Anne’s from her time as a student in Germany and then meandered our way to PJ Clarke’s which lived up to its billing. Oysters followed by a burger with fries. Good and plentiful fries, fair play. Anne helped herself to some of mine, they were that plentiful.

All in all the trip is going well. I got 1.07 exchange rate at the ATM when I withdrew some cash which ain’t exactly great but could have been a lot worse. I’m going to tot it all up when I get home. It’s all going on the Amex which funnily enough everywhere seems to take over here. 

Next up we are going to pack for an earlyish departure for JFK tomorrow morning. Coming up we have a full-on day of baseball at the Yankee Stadium followed by dinner at Mr Chows so I figured we needed to be mostly ready to go in the morning.

We will be back in New York for one more night on 10th October before we fly home. Catch ya later.

…

Well. New York was great. We are, however, now back to the normal unglamorous bit of travel, to whit, airline delays. I’m not too put out, yet. We had breakfast in the airport as planned and are now sitting patiently at Gate 1 JFK T5, waiting.

We have no lounge access but tbh even if we did I suspect I’d rather be at the gate to make sure we were on in a timely fashion to ensure I get my carry on in the overhead luggage compartment. I don’t like having anything under the seat in front of me as it cuts down on leg space.

We are in Row 3 Group A boarding but I don’t trust fu£$3rs with lots of carry on who stick it in the first available space up front and then proceed to their seat in row 36 or similar. Believe you me it is ridiculous how much luggage folk think is acceptable to take onboard.

I don’t even know whether airline travellers in the USA respect the boarding protocols. Does the airline even bother boarding by group

I’m using the JetBlue free wifi. Ordinarily I’d have my vpn on for a bit of security but it doesn’t work on my laptop since the certificate was changed and I’ve not got around to sorting it. Never mind. Life on the edge eh?

Next stop is Boston and thence to Rockport, Cape Ann. A different pace of life to the place we are just leaving. We have a hotel on the beach and expect to be lulled to sleep by the waves instead of the wailing sirens and horns that prevail on the streets of New York City.

We approached New York running and took to the city full on. Yesterday was the only day we registered fewer than 20,000 steps. This was partly because we spent the afternoon sat down at Yankee Stadium and partly because the rain drove us to using taxis.

Now I’m having to listen to some woman whinging to someone on her phone about her travel woes. Sorry love, I don’t care. She is telling the whole long drawn out story about how she failed to get on an earlier flight despite the fact that there were three empty seats on it.

Phew, she’s talking about something else now. Sighs with relief. Can’t stop listening to her conversation though. She has a dreary monotone voice. She’s gone now. Thank god. I note she has three carry-on bags.

Wandered over to the desk to see if there was any info on why the flight has been delayed and blow me down who’s stood in front of me? No other than our whinger. Now whinging more as the staff member has just told her the gate has changed, again. Ya gorra laugh. We have moved from Gate 1 (originally 5) to Gate 22. The plane, unsurprisingly, has not yet arrived at Gate 22 but I’m fairly confident it (probably) will as the crew looks to be hanging around the other side of the desk.

In NYC we stayed at the Warwick Hotel on West 54th. I can’t really recommend it. It’s an old hotel past its best. The three lifts were small and some people had long waits for one to arrive. Also I had to run the shower for a good ten minutes before the hot water arrived and I don’t think there was a day where we hadn’t had to call down to housekeeping because something had not been replaced: coffee cups/coffee/hair conditioner/take your pick. Also I bought a four pinter of milk to keep in the fridge without realising that the fridge didn’t work. The only real benefit of our 6th Avenue view room was that it faced the outside. I opted for this sort of room because I was under the impression we would have sweeping views of 6 avenue. In reality all you could see was the office block opposite.

We had originally booked in here for one more night on our way home but I cancelled that and booked into the Hilton Midtown, just over the road. The bar staff do merit a shoutout, especially Sammy the bartender who did a good job of looking after us whilst we were there:)

At least our plane has now arrived at the gate. Light at the end of the metaphorical tunnel. Mrs whinger, who is in my line of sight but quiet, has been replaced by angry woman, bro. I can’t see here as she is directly behind me. Too much tension bro. Between Shevaun and an unnamed person.

Avadenuffornowamgone

…

Rockport, Cornwall, Wales.

Rocked up in Rockport. It was misty and wet when we left Manhattan. New England has a familiar Autumnal feel to it. We switched the heating on in the hotel room before heading out for the evening. The hotel is on the seafront and the balcony is not only windswept but has a magnificent backdrop of wild Atlantic rollers crashing onto the beach below. Reminds me of the Isle of Man in winter.

Rockport battens down the hatches early on a Sunday. In consequence I was tucked up in bed by 8pm. Couldn’t get into the last pub open, the Feather and Wedge. Apparently a crowd of punters just rocked up and have occupied all the bar stools. Bugger. Even that shuts at 8pm. The pursuit of filthy lucre is very much toned down here. Rockport is after all an artist’s enclave. Every other shop is an art gallery.

We found the one convenience store still open, run by some Indian folk. It’s the same the whole world over. They sold bacon, milk and bread but no beer. Breakfast is secured anyway.

Am looking forward to tomorrow. Bit of a stroll around the galleries and bookshops followed by a spin around Cape Ann. Am thinking we might cab it to Gloucester for dinner in the evening. Feels as if I’ve done the clam chowder and lobster. We made it into the Fish Shack with 15 minutes to spare. Last entry 6pm.

Quite bemusing btw to consider that the motel, Captain’s Bounty on the Beach, made a thing about the two “free” bottles of water whilst at the same time charging us over $300 a night for the room (can’t remember how much exactly). Still it is in a wonderful spot. Looks as if there are only 3 or 4 rooms taken out of around 28 or so.

…

Up early. Hard not to with the noise of the waves crashing onto the beach below our hotel bedroom. There is a memorial in Rockport to fishermen who lost their lives at sea. It isn’t hard to understand how that could happen here with the wild Atlantic on the doorstep.

Bacon has been cooked and eaten and to a certain extent we are now biding our time before heading out. Things don’t open particularly early in Rockport. This is our one day of “doing Cape Ann”. Tomorrow we are headed to Cape Cod stopping en route to visit Fearghas and Jezzibell.

I’m sat at the dining table looking out at the sea. Interesting to observe that this room, with a fantastic view, is cheaper than a room looking at a wall in New York 🙂 Also the shower worked straight away. There isn’t much competition for the hot water here. 

We could easily spend a few more days in Rockport but time is limited and much to cram in. I’m not sure when next we will be on the East coast although having said that I am back in Miami in January.

…

Good morning in Gloucester.

This morning we meandered our way around the Essex heritage coastal path or some similarly named route that took us through Cape Ann suburbia. We only really caught glimpses of the coast itself until we arrived in Gloucester, the oldest harbour in the USA apaz. I can believe it. Next year Gloucester celebrates 400 years as a township. As the USA goes, that is old. v.

Gloucester itself was v pleasant other than it was cold and windy. The windy bit meant that none of the whale watching boats were sailing which didn’t really affect us as we had already figured that four hours out of the day was outside our time budget. We can revisit when we get to Boston. The whales probably really enjoy the peace they get away from tourists when it is windy.

We parked outside the Democrats Campaign HQ. This was in a  former fish processing building down by the harbour. I’d stuck the car in the obvious carpark but there was no indication as to whether you needed to pay and all the cars sported some sort of sticker in the window that was clearly not a pay and display job.

I decided I needed to take advice but the first person I approached, in fact the only person in view, was an artist who had come for the day to take part in a competition. She had no idea. Neither in fact did the person in the Democrats Campaign HQ but she said we could park in their lot. Very nice of her and she was v helpful generally. I said I hoped they won 🙂

We had coffee and pastries in Sicilia’s Caff and I bought some olive oil from a specialist store over the road which offered tastings. This was good as the oil I bought was not the stuff I might have done without the tasting and I declined to buy any of the balsamic vinegar. Interestingly this shop imported oils from the northern or southern hemispheres based on the time of year. In this way they guaranteed to have the freshest oils. Currently they stock southern hemisphere product.

There was bugger all open in Rockport this morning but we are going to chance our arm there again later. There is also the Hammond Castle Museum to visit but we will assess that when the day is a little older. See how it goes.

Not that much more open this pm either but did stop in to chat at a couple of bookshops and bought some t-shirts. Popped in to the Fish Shack to discover that they are the only bar open today and they only open because the others are closed. Apparently they only allowed bars in Rockport in 2016. Wtf?! Discovered Jetty Juice. Top notch stuff. Check it out https://rockportbrewingcompany.com/

Rockport is v quaint but has a lot to learn in respect of milking the tourist buck. Many of the stores close for the winter. Picked up an end of season sale t-shirt for a tenner. Not 100% cotton but it was only ten bucks for goodness sake.

On the way back to the motel passed the nice lady from Bullseye Books-Flyboys. She recognised me from earlier and smiled nicely. People are nice innit.

…

Darkness has descended on Rockport. No spectacular sunset tonight. We feel robbed. In Room 32 preparations are underway for dinner. Salad is being sorted and then the decks will be cleared for me to sort the scallops with bacon and garlic butter and then the steaks. We like to eat well.

…

Farewell Rockport Farewell. 

We enjoyed our time as your guests. We enjoyed the Fish Shack bar and restaurant and popping into the small shops that lined your streets, when they were open. I enjoyed discovering the local beer and we enjoyed our meal in our room on our last night as a change to constantly eating out 🙂

The weather was affected by Hurricane Ian further to the south but it didn’t really affect the quality of the experience, much.

I leave you with four more t-shirts that I had when we arrived plus a woollen beanie made in Nepal, purchased in the shop I called “the old people’s shop” but still went in anyway.

In the harbour we enjoyed our chat with the lobster fisherman who was packing away his pots for the season. Although lobsters only fetched $5 to the lb this season down from $8 last year he didn’t appear to have done too badly out of it looking at the size and newness of his truck. Lobsters, we are told, have been plentiful this year. A testament to conservation work done in the area. Apaz.

Mine, consumed at the Fish Shack on our first night, was very nice.

Farewell Rockport Farewell. 

…

Sunrise Room, Lands End Inn, Provincetown.

We arrived at the Lands End Inn during a bit of a storm. Hurricane Ian still tail wagging. The views are terrific and we have a couple of large windows and a private balcony looking out onto the Harbour and Cape Cod Bay. Well they are normally terrific. Today the rain is lashing down and the balcony is unusable. Unfortunately the forecast for tomorrow is worse. Reminds us of Summer holidays in North Wales.

Our spirits are not dampened. For the moment we are sat in our wonderful room watching Liverpool v Rangers in the European Cup. The free wine gets dispensed at 5pm and we hopefully have a booking at The Red Inn restaurant for 6.30. I say hopefully because when Peter on reception called them to book the computer system at the other end was “down”.

The Red Inn was recommended on the basis that it was close. Walking into town is not really what we want to do on such a wild evening. We can see the inn from the balcony and it is one of the best restaurants in Provincetown. Their website says President Theodore and Mrs. Roosevelt stayed in The Inn when they travelled to Provincetown to lay the cornerstone for the Provincetown Monument. I daresay we will visit the monument tomorrow so we will be following in their footsteps in more ways than one. 

…

Woke up this morning with low battery on both laptop and phone. The dearth of convenient electric sockets seems to have been a feature of our trip. There is one on a lead at the side of my bed but it doesn’t work and every other one already has something plugged in. Except the one next to the sink in the bathroom! And I’ve had to prop the laptop charger up with a tube of toothpaste as otherwise the weight of the power supply pulls the plug out of the socket.

I’ve adopted a technique for this trip of charging the phone overnight with the battery pack and then leaving the battery to charge somewhere during the day. Last night I plugged it into the socket but only realised that wasn’t working when I got up. Niver mind.

I’m not really complaining. All the hotels we have stayed in have been old buildings with an element of quirkiness. This particular one, The Lands End Inn, is by far the best we will be staying in on this trip. Better even than the Sofitel in T5 which is v good but of a formula. The Lands End Inn is like a home from home. Very comfortable and very welcoming and also with great views over Cape Cod Bay.

In other news I lost a small chunk of tooth filling last night. Worra nuisance. It isn’t giving me any gyp but will need sorting when I get back. Problem is the 3 month wait time for a slot at the dentist.

Anyway today we are “doing” Provincetown. We are nobbut a short walk from the beach at which the Mayflower pilgrims waded ashore to build sandcastles. Must have been a bit of a relief after 62 days on board a cramped ship. Just picture the arguments when they discovered that Boston had an airport which would have knocked 61 ⅔ days off their travel time. Would not have offered such a dramatic backdrop to what was after all a very historic moment.

They would not, I’m sure, have wanted discussions on who got window or aisle seats or speculations on the time it takes to get through customs to have distracted from the main purpose of the visit which was to get freedom of religious expression.

After the beach we plan to stroll into town along Commercial Street and take in the monument and museum. From the tripadvisor comments it seems that the museum is all about the efforts to build the monument which seems a bit odd but maybe I’m wrong. We will find out soon enough.

Turns out the reason the pilgrims didn’t stick around Provincetown very long was the absence of water. Nowadays it is shipped in from somewhere along the coast, apaz. The waitress did tell us where but I’ve had a couple of cocktails and a bottle of red since then and can’t quite remember the details.

Will report back

…

The museum turned out to be v interesting fair play. Didn’t bother going up the monument. You could hardly see the top of it from the base so we would not have had any sort of view from up there which is the whole point of going up. Nice little ride in the funicular to get there though. Bought a copy of Mourt’s Relation at  the museum. Be an interesting read.

Purchaysed a few souvenirs along the route there  including a couple of vintage American car number plates, an NYPD lapel badge, a bottle opener that was a surf board with a shark bite in it and the Japanese Emperor’s Imperial flag. I also wanted to buy the flag of Kazakhstan but they were out of stock and wouldn’t sell me the one on display. Huh! Finally dropped into a Hawaiian shirt shop and got a couple of bangers in the sale for $20 each.

Provincetown is a funky spot and unlike Rockport where the one bar closed at 8pm the local joints here are good until at least 1am. Not that we will be up that late. We have a cab picking us up at 6 (free drinks at the Lands End Inn from 5pm) and bringing us back at 10. Much later than that I turn into a glass slipper, or a pumpkin or similar. It is nearly Halloween after all.  

Back at the Inn now having run up 10k steps so to speak. The place is a haven after doing the touristy thing. In fact this whole holiday has settled into a pattern. We do the sightseeing in the morning until sometime after lunch and then return to chill out a bit before heading out on the razzle. Half thinking of donning one of my new shirts tonight but it ain’t exactly Hawaiian weather. 

The cab journey into town is only about a mile and you might think it’s a bit wussy to not walk. However the weather is still crap and the taxi will be used to taking people on short trips. I was chatting to the guy behind the desk at the museum and mentioned we’d walked. His response was “wow you guys have had an energetic day”.

Today btw is Yom Kippur. Some shops had closed for it. Fortunately other shops were available.

…

Had a great last night out in Provincetown. Bit of a pub crawl. Can’t remember all their names but one of them was called Heaven (big LGBT place is PT) and we ate at the Lobster Pot. In fact just looked at my FB timeline and I see that one was called Tin Pan Alley and Anne tells me we started off at the Governor Bradford.

Provincetown was fun despite the weather but we are unlikely to return. It isn’t exactly on the way anywhere. We got away in a reasonably timely manner at 8.15 ish and hit the road for Plimoth Patuxet, the Pilgrims settlement museum. Upon arrival the sun came out vindicating my choice of short trousers. 

We were slightly disappointed to discover that the Mayflower II is not at the same location as the Plimoth Museum and weren’t sure that we would have enough time to see the ship as we needed to get the car back to Avis by 2pm. We remedied this by not dawdling too much and bought ourselves an hour or so for the Mayflower. Was pretty amazing to see the space that 102 pilgrims crammed into, including their animals up at the bow.

It was really well worth doing. Both museums were actually interesting. The onward drive to Boston was characterised by the arrival of “fall” in the trees lining the roads. Didn’t get any pics as I was  driving but we have at least now seen some of the famed colours.

…

Today we are walking the Freedom Trail. The 16 historical spots that define the American casting off of the shackles of British oppression. Our hotel is smack in the middle of it all. To some extent it feels surreal coming here as a tourist. Our room is on the 8th floor. I can almost imagine looking down out of the hotel window and watching the fighting on the streets below. Redcoats v patriots. I imagine the doormen would stop any of it coming into the actual hotel. The comfort of the guests is a priority 🙂

Reminds me of the night of the Eagles concert in Hyde Park where 80,000 gig goers streamed out afterwards. We only had to stroll over the road to the Park Lane Hilton where only residents were being allowed entry. 

Just a few nights left on our East Coast odyssey. Still loads to cram in and we don’t actually get home until next Thursday but I do sense that a quiet week in front of the fire will be in order.

…

Knackered. Traipsed around the Freedom Trail and now back in the hotel injecting sugar in the form of an M&M Cookie and caffeine in a milky coffee. I’m not going to describe the full five and a half hours but there are a few observations worthy of note.

You start off in Boston Common. A drone’s eye view would have shown many guided tours that were able to keep apart thanks to the many wide lanes criss-crossing the former cattle grazing ground. By attraction number four, the Granary Burial Ground the guided tours began to collide and clog up the pathways. Some notable graves were impossible to view as they were surrounded by groups huddled around their respective guide. The cemetery needs a traffic management protocol.

There were times when we strode ahead of a tour thinking that once we were in the clear we would no longer be troubled by them. This worked until we got to the memorial for Benjamin Franklin where we had sat down for a breather and to check WhatsApp etc. Before we knew it a group had caught us up. This particular guide had a very irritating high pitched nasal whine. I’d have been somewhat annoyed had I elected to go on her particular tour. Couldn’t have stuck that noise the whole way around.

We took a moment or two to find the next attraction, the Old Corner Bookstore. This was because it is no longer a bookstore but a Mexican restaurant. Fair enough. Many of the attractions had a $15 admission fee. We skipped going inside these. If we’d paid $30 for the two of us for every one of these places it would not have been a cheap day out.

As it was the $15 (inc tip) I paid for some bland mexican wrap in the Quincy Market was an unmemorable experience but at least it gave us the opportunity to sit down and recharge the batteries.

Many of the tours stopped at Faneuil Hall although we did see one or two make it as far as Paul Revere’s gaff. I suspect the average tourist and one or two of the guides might have struggled to make it the whole way around. Near to Paul Revere are lots of nice looking Italian Restaurants including Mamma Maria’s which I had booked for dinner on Sunday but since decided against as it looked a bit too posh for what we will want. More lobster than lasagna. 

We did buy some nice looking Italian bread in a deli styled as the best Italian Grocery in Boston. We have picnic stuff in the fridge in our room and much prefer to make our own sandwiches rather than buy them. You can’t buy a small sandwich in the USA.

The hike across the river to Charlestown tested the dedication of the most fervent Freedom Trailer. This was especially true for the bridge which was having some work done to it and  the crossing of which involved risking life and limb across a busy junction unaided by walk/don’t walk lights.

Towards the end we decided to skip Bunkers Hill and the site of the first battle of the revolution heading instead straight for the USS Constitution. Old Ironsides as she is known. The Bunkers Hill monument was a step too far. I doubt many make it up the hill.

So there ya go. We enjoyed the day out and caught the boat back to the wharf near our hotel whereupon we indulged in the aforementioned refreshments. Now relaxing in our room before deciding which bar to hit. No rush.

…

Unless you have the stamina to visit all the museums it only takes two or three hours to “do” Harvard. We went to the Peabody Museum and the Natural History Museum, both of which were in the same building. Although not huge displays the displays were very high quality and I particularly noted the meteorites. Not sure I’ve seen a meteorite before. Anne had visited here with her folks in 1969 and the crystal exhibits she had distinct memories of were thrillingly still on display.

We found coffee and ice cream at J.P. Licky’s and then sat in the sun for a while watching a chinese busker set up and start to play. His quite competent guitar playing was not really matched by his singing voice but he was entertaining enough and a few people threw in a few dollars.

We were meeting our friends Ren and Joe at Wusong Road tiki bar at 5pm and at 4pm spotted that the sun was already over a handily situated yardarm so repaired to Whitney’s for a couple before the party started. I’m a great believer that towns and cities need to be experienced through their pubs.

Nice chat with the bartender, Baptiste and purchaysed a pub t-shirt to add to my collection from this trip. Baptiste was very familiar with the IoM TT Races which was quite cool. The rest of the day is a bit of a cocktail induced blur that ended up at a packed out Mr Dooleys and watching game 2 of  the Padres v Mets in the hotel bar. Mets won 3 – 7. @Huw Rees won’t be happy. Still one game to go 😉

Thus far I’ll be leaving some good reviews of some of the places we’ve been on this trip but especially of Whitneys and our particular hotel, the Hilton Downtown Faneuil Hall. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the quality of the breakfasts here but the stand out experience has been at the concierge desk. Lead Concierge John not only remembered my name, inc spelling, but was able to get us in to the fully booked Union Oyster House tonight and sorted us out for breakfast today at the North Street Grille.

Had we not booked a table in advance the wait would have been at least an hour.

…

Last night in Boston and our penultimate in the US of A. An action packed trip. We are currently relaxing in the room before heading out to dine at the oldest restaurant in the USA. Predates the American Revolution. Gosh. Gottabedone. We will also no doubt be visiting Mr Dooley for one last beer or two. 

We have an easy enough start tomorrow. 11.11 Acela train from Boston to Pennsylvania Station arr 14.51. Gotta nip out and buy some nosh for the journey beforehand. There is a 711 somewhere nearby. If we get upgraded to first then they dish up food on the train. 

They have a bidding system so I’ve stuck a medium chance bid in. Tbh the reviews on the difference between “business class” and “first class” on the Acela suggest there isn’t much in it which is why I didn’t bother going for first from the get go. Just free food and drink and lounge access at Boston station. Quite like doing picnics. The food on board is probably pretty mediocre anyway. 711 is unlikely to produce anything decent though.

Cab to Hilton Midtown. Plan is to meet John Bradley for beers then head to Birdland jazz club. Although I don’t have a bucket list, Birdland is on it.

Now working my way through the last three bottles of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale in the fridge.

…

I stay in a lot of Hiltons. Two things made the Hilton Boston Downtown Faneuil Hall stand out.

First of all, the breakfasts were exceptionally good. It was helped by being A La Carte instead of a buffet but it was so good that we unusually had breakfast for three out of our four nights at the hotel.

Second was the outstanding service provided by Lead Concierge John. He got us tables at restaurants that were notionally fully booked including the Union Oyster House and North Street Grille. At the Oyster house people were being told that there would be at least an hour’s wait but we were straight in and at our table in a matter of seconds.

The North Street Grille had a similar waiting time – for breakfast! At the latter I mentioned that the table had been booked for us by John at the Hilton. The response was “John is great”. 

He needs to be called out for his exceptional customer service. He even remembered my name including the spelling the second time we spoke.

Nuff said.

…

Sung to the tune of Chattanooga Choochoo – revision of lyrics based on Tref & Anne visit to USA and ride on Amtrak Acela train between Boston Back Bay and Penn Station New York.

Dinner in the diner, nothing could be finer, than to have your bacon, eggs, sausage, beans, mushrooms, tomatoes and toast with a cup of tea in Carolina.

Train stopped because the bridge ahead was open.

…

So a bit of a palava getting to New York today. 1st of all, the Acela train was over an hour late. We stopped somewhere in the middle of nowhere while the mechanic or someone was called “ASAP”. Then we find we can move but we’d only allow to go a maximum of 125 miles an hour which I didn’t think it went faster than that anyway.

Interestingly when we got to Penn station it was a lot easier than I thought. We went out onto 7th Avenue and I asked someone who looked like a traffic manager or something was there a taxi line and where would it be. She just shouted taxi and a taxi stopped and in we got.

We get to the hotel and there is a massive queue. I look around for a Hilton Honors check in place. There isn’t one.  I checked in online and got a digital key except I didn’t. The room wasn’t ready. I would get the digital key when the room was ready. Then I went to see the bellman and he took a look at my room and points out “you’re on the 39 floor they’ve got their own separate check in place” there. Ahah I think. Now we’re talking. We go to floor 37. 

There was no queue at all at the check in on the 37 floor but it was also the wrong check in desk. It was for a timeshare. She sent us back down to the ground floor.

I couldn’t face the queue and then I thought hang on a minute we’ve already checked in. We might as well to sit in the bar and have a beer. So I ordered a beer and moment the bloody beer came the key for the room arrived so it was neck that and off we went.

Those last few paragraphs were written by voice dictation. Although I did some hand editing I couldn’t be bothered making it flow.

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The brain is somewhat dulled this morning. We are relaxing in the relative calm of our 39th floor hotel room with a partial view of Central Park where we plan on repairing for lunch in a short while.

There is otherwise no urge to further explore the frenzy that is Manhattan. Our time in the USA is almost at an end and a gentle day is called for after the manic, full on two weeks that have just raced by.

Last night we met globe trotting rugby player John Bradley in Copper John’s on West 54th before heading over to Birdland. John didn’t have a ticket but we blagged a  spot for him – result! I did buy a t-shirt 🙂 I’m going to wear it tomorrow night at the Royal Albert Hall. Along with my red chinese jacket.

…

Lag of jet

Birrovadozyafternoon. Intheroom. Readyearlyforthegig. PinkMartiniattheRoyalAlbertHall. Weneedtobethereearlyishtopickupticketsfromtheboxoffice. Doorsopenforusat6pm.

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The End

Sat in the car somewhere high above Swaledale. Pulled in to the side of the road near a ruined stone building with an enclosed walled garden. It’s small and difficult to describe it as a cottage although it appears to have a chimney. Maybe it was some kind of shepherd’s shelter.

All I can hear is a babbling stream and some unknown birds clattering away. I can’t see them. I’ve driven from Keld towards Kirkby Stephen and back. Turned around when the road began it’s descent. It has only taken 20 minutes to cover what Tom and I took maybe 6 hours or more on foot. Seeing a lot more this time as we are concentrating on just getting there when we did the walk. My feet hurt most of the way.

No cars have passed since I stopped here perhaps ten minutes ago. No mobile phone signal. A wonderfully peaceful spot.

It’s amazing that there are so few people around. It’s a Saturday on a Bank Holiday weekend. I’ve moved on to a viewing spot looking down on what is presumably the upper reaches of the river Swale.

tranes and planes

looking around me on the one carriage “train” between Lincoln and Newark everyone is appropriately dressed for February. Everyone that is except me. I am wearing a thin polo shirt and a lightweight jacket. I am off to Barcelona and didn’t think I’d be spending any time exposed to the British winter elements. This didn’t take into account the fact that the train was late and I spent more time standing on the platform that I had planned for. Didn’t matter.  🙂

Fields around are waterlogged in places with very little growth as you’d expect at this time of year. Sky is grey. I don’t mind leaving all this behind me for a few days. Barcelona, whilst an exciting city, won’t be particularly glamorous mind you. I’ll be spending most of the time at the Mobile World Congress trade show. The evenings will make up for it and I’m having breakfast with Jeff Pulver at 10am tomorrow.

I have a 40 minute wait in Newark so the slightly delayed departure from Lincoln doesn’t matter. I originally booked the train from Newark because there are more options. It was either going to be a lift off Anne, taxi or train from Lincoln. Anne is not available and figured

it wasn’t work paying the extra twenty quid to taxi it from Lincoln. Taxi back is quite likely.

Just had a great weekend. Tom and Joe were back for various activities. We had a JoeFest site visit and Joe separately had a Jazz Vehicle gig with John on Friday night and Pylons songwriting sessions on Saturday and Sunday. Had a very delightful late Sunday lunch. Roast port with crackling and all the trimmings. Opened a bottle of white wine to go in the gravy. The gravy didn’t need a whole bottle so I finished the rest of it. Sensible thing to do. Would have gone off!

Later on Sunday night we booked flights to go and see Dave and Cecile and George and Barbara in Geneva at the end of September.

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On board the plane. Bored. Brought an FT and a classic car magazine from the lounge. Can’t be bothered to read them. Just waiting for the drinks service to start. I have been a good boy up until now. Saving myself for the evening ahead. However I consider the evening starts here really. Large G&T please and a glass of champagne.

I can see movement behind the curtains. Cabin steward is mixing my  drinks for me. Not really. Hopefully he is loading up the trolley though. Nice smell of coffee permeating the business class cabin. Coffee always smells better than it tastes. Not too many of us in  business class and I’m in row 4 so should be quick enough. Reminds me of last Friday night when we went to the Jazz Vehicle gig in Coleby. Anne and I had dinner with Nice and Terry beforehand. Joe came to see us and said we should get there by 7 as it was flying up. We weren’t going to make 7 so he took some coats and lay them on the pews (for the gig was at Coleby Church). Came back and told us we were two rows from the back. I didn’t think this was a particularly good spot until I found that we were also four rows from the front. It’s a small church.

Spotify is keeping me entertained through my Bose phones. They will also be serving afternoon tea shortly. Something to do. I don’t mind a sarnie and a scone. I have two small bots of champagne in preparation for it.

Still bored. Also although this plane has plenty of room to the side – they only use two out of three seats in business class – there isn’t much room to open the laptop.

…..

afternoon tea consumed. Coronation chicken, prawn marie rose and ploughman’s cheddar sandwiches with a fruit scone, clotted cream and strawberry jam. Only tiny sandwiches but hey… Onto second bot of chaperone. Listening to Steed Life by the Crusaders. It’s one of my all time faves. About time they introduced internet connectivity on planes in Europe mind you. It would help pass the time away

calcots

Just passed Toulouse. Barca is about 170 miles away. Totes relying on the skipper for this info. Window shutter is down against the dazzling sun.

Interesting trip this. You get mostly suits working for large corporates who are bound by their corporate rules. Because they send so many people on these trips they insist on flying them all in economy class. This business class flight was more expensive than economy but only by a few tens of pounds so I considered it worth the investment. Maybe added 10% to the cost. God I’d hate to have to be suit again. I was one but gradually rebelled. I’d only work for a large corporate again on my own terms. it would have to be an extremely senior position where you could write your own rules.

I can now see a vivid red sky at night over Spain. Orange really but it fits the bill for nice weather tomorrow. I turn my back on the drab UK.

People passing me on the plane, heading back from the loos, don’t smile. I don’t suppose there is much to smile about cooped up in a tube at 30,000 feet. At least we are above the clouds and the sky is red, ish.

I’ve determined that this trip I will not be taking my laptop bag with me. I do have it but am leaving it in the apartment. All i need is the phone and a battery charger. Travel light. Enjoy the couple of days of MWC, if such a thing is possible. The evenings will be good. I have a couple of top nights lined up. No idea what I am doing during the day. Others have lined that up. I’ll find out when I look.

e could have been a monk in the old days:)

Now playing Love Is The Drug. It’s another fave. In fact I’m playing songs of my fave playlist. It’s called Tref’s Faves. On my third little bottle of champagne. 187ml That’s 3/4 of a normal bottle I will have consumed.

People watching me using my laptop will have no idea that this is not work. Work is a mugs game. Not saying it doesn’t need to be done. Just that it’s a mugs game. Unless you don’t think of it as work that is. You should enjoy what you do.

We are sinking lower in the sky now. A blood red element has been introduced to the palette. Along with some very dark not quite black colours.

As I recall Barcelona is a big airport. Lots of traveling to get to the exit. Guy sat next to me reckons if we land at 7.30 it will take me until 9pm to get the the apartment which is near the Sagrada Familia.

Listening to Moondance. Van Morrison. Brilliant. Suits three small bottles of champagne. The rest of the cabin is very quiet because these Bose headphones are brilliant. Really good for cutting out the loud and intrusive background noises of the plane. The only thing they have going against them is the fact that they are over ear phones and as such aren’t particularly good if you want to sleep in them. Having said that the over ear aspect is much better for comfort than the in ears.

10 minutes to landing. I’m off

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Back on the plane headed nowf. Seems to be more room on thissun although the flight is full and they had problems getting all the carry on luggage stowed. I’m alright anyway jack.

May attempt to have a bit of a nap on the plane – it’s been three 1.30 am days on this trip. big nights out. Quite looking forward to having a drink of milk back in the UK. Nothing like British milk on the continent. Also I missed pancake day on Tuesday so I will have to make up for that. Tonight maybe.

Wondering what the inflight nosh is going to be. Had a couple of miniature croissants and a jam on roll in the lounge with an espresso and a glass of orange juice. Croissants were a bit sweet and the ham roll doesn’t replace a proper bacon sandwich. Not that you’d get a proper bacon sarnie on a plane anyway.

Looks like the Pyrenees down below. Jagged rocks you could cut yourself on. Careful there.

Drinking a restorative Fanta. They only come in small cans on planes but it’s having an effect.

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Amazing how reviving a cup of tea can be. Although it is nice to go off to exotic places it’s always good to have your home comforts in this case represented by a decent cup of tea.

I will have to load up with stuff to watch when I head to Orlando later this month. Doubt they will have my kind of thing on the inflight entertainment system. Though I have no idea what is my kind of thing. When I land at Gatwick I have 45 minutes before my train goes. might even be able to  catch an earlier one who knows.y

lunch est arrived. salad by the looks of it. fine. had crunchy lamb last night. not sure what made it crunchy. it was too dark to be able to see. was meant to be crunchy. according to the menu. I’m avoiding booze this lunchtime. had enough over the last three days .

jaw just clicked when I was yawning.

Hello my friend it’s been along time
Where have you been?
What have you been up to?
Has your life gone well?
Do you have any regrets?
Come and drink tea
Tell me everything
It’s good to see you smile
There is no hurry to leave.

The Ace of Spades hammers against the sides of my head. Drums frenetic. Drummers must be very fit even though they send their working lives sat down. Gambling is for fools. I don’t want to live for ever.

These Bose headphones are absolutely brilliant.

There are now three persons in the queue for the toilet – wtf?

If anyone needs a landing card they will shortly be bringing them through the cabin.

We have two pilots. One has four stripes and the other two. The four striper has just brought out his empty food tray and is chatting to the stewardess. I can’t see her as she is stood behind the bulkhead. He has gone now. Think he went to the loo. Back now.

Drivel.

Sunny day in LGW but only 7 Degrees. I will have to stay indoors:) Not sure what the plan is for getting home. Probs a taxi from Newark Northgate.

Blog queuing for the loo wearing a Jack Wills t-shirt. I thought that was a kids brand? I’m wearing my Latitude tee.

Listening some of the lyrics of the songs on this playlist. Don’t normally do that. Subconsciously perhaps. They really are rubbish by and large. Pandering to the majority.

Just flying over the Isle of Wight en route to LGW. Cool. We are following the South coast towards Brighton. Should land on time. Scheduled 12.30 and eta is 12.20 which means may be at the gate for half past.

They need to start equipping aircraft with internet access. Do it already in the US of A. Apaz.

Shepherdess Cafe Shoreditch – have breakfast there.

Plane is banking to the left. Eeoowww. Fluffy cumuli float.

not necessarily an exhaustive list

but pretty impressive nonetheless and in no particular order

Great Western Railway
London and North Eastern Railway
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Southern Railway
Great Eastern Railway
Great Central Railway
Great Northern Railway
Great North of Scotland Railway
Hull and Barnsley Railway
North British Railway
North Eastern Railway
Colne Valley and Halstead Railway
East and West Yorkshire Union Railway
Mid-Suffolk Light Railway
Brackenhill Light Railway (West Yorkshire)
Fawcett Depot line (County Durham)
Great North of England, Clarence and Hartlepool Junction line
Humber Commercial Railway and Dock
Mansfield Railway
North Lindsey Light Railway
Seaforth and Sefton Junction Railway
Sheffield District Railway
London and Blackwall Railway
East Lincolnshire Railway
Horncastle Railway
Nottingham and Grantham Railway and Canal
Nottingham Suburban line
Stamford and Essendine Railway
Edinburgh and Bathgate Railway
Forth and Clyde Junction Railway
Gifford & Garvald Railway
Glasgow and Milngavie Junction Railway
Kilsyth and Bonnybridge railway
Lauder Light Railway
Newburgh and North Fife Railway
South Yorkshire Junction Railway
West Riding and Grimsby Railway
East London Railway:
Southern Railway,
Metropolitan Railway
District Railway.
Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC): Railway
Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway
Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Railway
Hull and Barnsley and Great Central Joint Railway
Axholme Joint Railway
Cheshire Lines Committee
Caledonian and Dunbartonshire Junction Railway
Dundee and Arbroath Railway
Carmyllie Light Railway
Great Central and Midland Joint Railway
Great Central & North Staffordshire Joint Railway
Great Northern and London and North Western Joint Railway
Halifax and Ovenden Junction Railway
Methley Railway
Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway
Norfolk and Suffolk Joint Railway
Oldham, Ashton and Guide Bridge Railway
Otley & Ilkley Railway
Perth General Station
Prince’s Dock, Glasgow
South Yorkshire Joint Railway
Swinton and Knottingley Joint Railway
Tottenham & Hampstead Junction Railway
Great Western and Great Central Joint Railway