iDLE THOUGHTS

08.06.2014

We are down in the West Country for van servicing and recuperation. ....so some thoughts on America, as virgins that I am happy to throw open for discussion..and the GF & I are much in agreement
What we liked

Service. .without fail we were greeted,  served , and helped with smiles, courtesy & and a genuine attitude to be of assistance.
Everywhere , people spoke to us and started conversations, and wanted to talk.
Americans.
The museums which openly confonted their past history regarding segregation, slavery and
their treatment of Indians (now native Americans).
Burgers
Steaks
Skyscrapers
Subways (incl NY which is a pussycat)
New York,  Chicago & Washington
Las Vegas (GF)
Toilets....Don't ask
The scenery.
Motor homes and campsites. esp waste disposal systems. Details supplied if required.
Trains...brilliant.
Hotels. ..
Hotel shuttles
Ice cold water in restaurants when you sat down and constant refills
Seldom having to ask for the check and then processed quickly.
The barman at the Holiday Inn Washington who slid a beer down the bar to me and set one up without asking.

What we disliked

Tipping.....esp having 3 options shown on a restaurant bill with the largest  ringed by the waiter.
Inability to make tea.
Los Angeles.
Las Vegas (paul)
Gloopy food. ....ask and we will elaborate.
Petrol stations. ...prepayment
Credit card swiping instead of chip and pin.
Toilet Paper .....don't ask
Constant queuing
Traffic lights that stay red forever. Pedestrian crossings where the lights are red and the road is clear for 50 miles but nobody moves.
Difficulty in distinguishing currency notes.
Bank ATM s that charge for cash withdrawals and close at night and all weekends.
American tv. ..apart from baseball which is all we watched as every other channel was  adverts .
The homeless and vagrants

Other observations

Finding alcohol in Utah
Not finding alcohol in the reservations.
Amazing variety of beers and microbreweries.
Cost of home grown wine.
I still hate Starbucks but its ok for breakfast apart from the tea.
Nearly every house has an RV parked in the garden. ...many seem to be permanently parked and lived in
Everybody we got into conversation with was For Obamacare and For gun legislation so what's the problem ?
New York cabbies don't speak english let alone talk you to death or solve the world's problems.
Tipping.....everybody

So how you'all doin' now ? Have a great day an' if you need anything, just let us know....

..

9/11 AND THE AWFULY BIG ADVENTURE ENDS

02.06.2014

Monday morning,  repack the bags one last time for the homeward flight,  trying to remember what must go in the checked bags, figuring out what to wear that will be suitable for a hot day in NY, a 6hr flight and a wet Tuesday in london. Having sorted that we check out, leave the bags with the concierge and after breakfast at Starbucks ( yes I know I never set foot in them but they are better in the US ) we head downtown to pay our respects at the 9/11 memorial. Still a huge amount of construction going on but the first tower is rebuilt and will open in Nov. Two memorials are complete where the twin towers were and the new museum is open. The memorials are huge square holes in the ground  where the buildings stood lined in black marble with water cascading down (tears ?)all 4 sides and draining into a square hole in the centre. Around the sides is a parapet topped with a brass frieze into which the names of the victims are cut together with their status (fireman,policeman)  or company. Difficult to describe but we thought very dignified and moving. The GF didnt want to do the museum and the crowds mean a ticketing system is in place and the first available slot was 1pm, a bit late, so I went to the original Tribute centre which was very emotional and spent an hour or so
Lunch then down 6th Ave so the GF could do Maceys whilst I sat in the sun and had a milk shake in Herald Square.
Back to the hotel where our lift to JFK was a beautiful cadillac suv and worth every penny.
More queuing but JFK is efficient,  had a snack and I'm writing this on the bus to Ipswich.
More thoughts may well appear.

NEARLY DONE

01.06.2014

Both getting tired and looking forward to home although not the hassle of getting out to JFK  in the rush hour. Have decided to pass on the cheap option of air shuttle via subway and train, pass on the fixed fare Yellow Cabs in case they don't want to go at that time and booked the hotel limo for $70 at 5pm.
This morning we did the Rockefeller Centre and then went to the top for the view...awesome...then took the subway to Soho, mooched around the designer stores and having difficulty finding a lunch stop ended up back in Greenwich Village where we had a pleasant brunch in  one of the many  English taverns.
Then intended doing the north part of Central Park but the trains were a nightmare due to maintenance so only got back lower part again and sat in the sun as we were both shattered. Eventually walked back to hotel for a rest before a very light supper around Times Square. Now sitting in business centre waiting to check in on line when it opens at 9.30pm and hopefully print boarding passes.

NEW YORK,NEW York, so good they named in twice

31.05.2014

Except it should be Q York as will become clear.
An inauspicious start when misdirected to the taxi rank and had to walk 3 sides of Penn station in extremely hot weather to find a 100 yd chaotic queue with no dispatcher organising the proceedings. However finally got to head of queue to get non-english speaking cab driver who appeared to have no knowledge of Times Square until I suggested that we get out and go find someone who did when he suddenly remembered ' oh that Times Square'. To give him his due he got us to 47th street kamikaze style for $8 before the gridlock occurred when we could see the hotel. .....and despite my suggestion that he pull over and we would walk, this apparently impugned his professionalism to be able to deliver us to our destination so we sat immobile in the centre lane, unable to leg it (GF) , and had to pay $12 + tip .
Hotel however is a little gem, boutique style, incredible foyer with floor to ceiling  free standing tropical fish tank and about 100yds from Times Square.. Rooms are small but TV is large and a Bose radio, and perfectly OK.
So we changed ( left Washington cool,now hot) and walked to  TSquare which was manic .,.crowds unbelievable, US soccer  team on live TV in preparation for world cup....then up to Central Park, where after an ice cream sitting on the grass we gave the GF her biggest wish and had a horse and carriage ride through the park.. Then walked back down 5th Avenue, with detour into Saks for brownie points. Back to hotel via deli next door where a very large 32oz can of Bud cost $2.75. Recommended dinner venue, Frisco's , but sudden thunderstorm forced us into Italian on 49 th  street which was good. Rain cleared by the time we left so walked back down 6th. Avenue Avenue of the Americas, which is much better than 5th. Love the skyline at night. Crowds are unbelievable.
Sat morning, decide to forego hoponhopoff which are touted everywhere but seem stuck in traffic and go native. Buy Metro card for seniors which gives 1/2 price fares. Head to Battery Park for ferries, initial problem with weekend rail maintenance forces retrace to another line but finally arrived and buy tickets for liberty island and Ellis island. Crowds are enormous. Queue for security airport style check, refuse to remove belt as shorts will fall down and make guards laugh (!), queue to get on ferry, queue to get off ferry, queue for lunch, queue to get back on boat for Ellis island, queue to get off, queue to get back on,queue to get off, queue to get into Metro........we spend 5 hours doing Statue of liberty and Ellis island but well worth it, very evocative and it means we have finished our coast to coast journey. Can't believe the crowds. From South Ferry we head to Greenwich Village and spend a couple of hours round Washington Square, great street entertainment, and Bleeker Street where I spend $50 on blues  and jazz CDs and could easily have spent $500. Have early dinner next to ex folk club now comedy club, Cafe Wha  where Dylan played his first gig  along with anybody who's anybody. All the old folk clubs long since gone, want to go to Blue Note jazz but cover charge $110 + dinner + drinks each.
Head uptown and do Empire State for sunset . queue for tickets, queue for security check, queue for lifts to 80 th floor,queue for lifts to 86th floor, shuffle round observation platform 10 deep trying to get close to edge,queue for lifts to go down even walking down stairs between 86-80 but having to go to back of queue when we got there. But it was a fantastic view .....$26 each (snr) and took 2 hrs. mainly queueing. Box ticked. Walked home up 6 th  Av and bought another big Bud.