Goodbye NY

I've a couple more hours before my cab to the airport - a reliable driver that Nick knows who drove me to the airport last year. I've been in NY since returning the car on Friday morning. Had a Japanese meal on Friday evening with Nick and Dayna and a friend of theirs. On Saturday I went into Manhattan and went to the Tenement museum. It's an old tenement building that was sealed up and forgotten about in the 1930's with just the ground floor shops kept in use. It wasn't rediscovered until the 1980's when the purchaser saw it and preserved it as a museum. There are 7 different guided tours of the building that detail the lives of some of the thousands of people that passed through the area and lived there in squalid conditions. I did one of the hour long tours, very interesting.

Yesterday we drove out to Long Island and did a walk around the Caumsett State Preserve. Today I had a walk through Central Park to the Natural History Museum then had a quick shop in Macy's.

Back in New York

I am back at Nick's flat having returned the car this morning in Manhattan. I have been away from the internet the last few days as the motel's either didn't have internet or I was too fuffed out to update the blog. After the outlet centre in Maine I went to Lake Winnipasaukee and the White Mountains area but a lot of the attractions that I wanted to see had closed for the season, so I spent some time going to places on the off chance they'd still be open - usually to find that they weren't.

I wanted to see the Flume canyon in the Franconia state park but that was shut so I had to content myself with "the Basin" - a plunge pool at the bottom of some rapids and the Boise Rock - a big rock which Mr Boise crawled under when he got caught in a blizzard - he skinned his horse and snuggled up under the rock. His rescuers found him the next day and had to cut him out of the frozen horse skin but he survived.

The last 2 days I have been in New York State in the Adirondacks (same situation, most things shut November until May) so didn't see Fort Ticonderoga. It poured with rain all yesterday so I stopped at Glen Falls to see the Hyde Collection - a private collection of old masters amassed by a wealthy paper manufacturer at the turn of the last century I stopped at Saratoga Springs for a wander and coffee then drove onto Woodbury Common Outlet Centre for some more shopping as there wasn't much else to do in the lousy weather. I stayed at a motel there and drove into Manhattan in the rush hour this morning.

Off out with Nick and Dayna tonight for a japanese meal in Manhattan.

Lake Winnipesaukee

I spent the morning at the outlet centre shopping and drove up to the Lake in the afternoon. I was intending to stay by the lakes for a couple of days but most things are shut for the season and it's pretty dead. I will head further north today to look at the Whie Mountain area then start heading back towards New York tomorrow.

Boston & Salem

I spent the morning in Boston walking along the Freedom Trail which links all the historic parts of the City. I had a look around the Paul Revere house - only 4 rooms so didn't take long and had lunch at Quincy Market - reminds me of Covent Garden but mainly a food hall. I chose Thai and had a tasty red curry.

In the afternoon I drove north to Salem for the Halloween parade and have stayed at a motel (Best Western this time) just across the state border in New Hampshire.

Newport Mansions & Cape Cod

I spent the morning doing the 3.5 mile cliff walk past all the mansions I turned around and retraced my route, stopping to do a tour of The Breakers, one of the fancier mansions, built by a Vanderbilt in 1895 - a railway millionaire. In the afternoon I did a drive around the Cape Cod area and am staying at a motel south of Boston.

I will have a look around Boston today and then head up to a big outlet centre "the Kittery" near Mrs Seippel tomorrow, for a shopping day. I won't call in on Mrs seippel as its such short notice given I was intending to be in Pennsylvania, and I don't have her details.

Mystic - 29/10/10

I took the train into Manhattan with Nick on his commute then had breakfast and picked up the car at 10am - A Chevrolet, HHR? - not sure of the model name - it looks like a PT Cruiser...does the job.

I arrived at Mystic, Connecticut about midday and spent the afternoon at the Mystic Seaport - a museum of historic ships and then had a look around Mystic - I've not seen the film and didn't feel like pizza so didn't go in Mystic Pizza. I have spent the night at a Comfort Inn on I95 between Providence and Boston.

Today I am going to Newport, Rhode Island where I will take a tour of one of the many mansions.

Brooklyn Heights

I trip over was fine until I got into the cab at JFK airport after about 10 minutes the driver switched off his meter and said sorry he'd taken a wrong turning, his mistake. It then took him 2 hours to do a 30 minute journey...... Oh well, I got there eventually and he didn't charge me. I can't believe he'd queue up at the airport with absolutely no idea of the city and without a map or sat nav.

Yesterday was a beautiful summery day - 21 degrees and bright sunshine. I walked over the Brooklyn Bridge and explored Brooklyn Heights a nice residential area where a number of authors lived (Truman Capote, W H Auden, Thomas Wolfe) I stopped at Juniors restaurant for lunch to try their famous cheesecake - the first few bites were delicious but it was very filling and a bit sickly by the end of the slice.

I pick up the car this morning in Manhattan and have had a change of plan, I am going to drive around New England rather than Pennsylvania. My first stop will be the historic shipyard at Mystic, Connecticut. I will plan the trip as I go along, not sure whether I will find internet access on the way but will update this if I can.

The Met

I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art via a walk through Central Park and spent several hours looking at all the treasures, until I reached museum overload, having seen just a fraction of their exhibits.

I am resting my aching feet and back for a bit until Nick and Dayna get back from work, then off out for a goodbye meal out at a local Thai restaurant.

Coney Island

I took the subway from Manhattan out to Coney Island in the morning and was pleased to see it was as I thought from the movies, "Warriors" in particular, a faded seaside resort. It still has a few of the old rides there but everything was shut for the season. I walked up and down the boardwalk to Brighton beach. Russian is the first language in this area, I heard hardly any English being spoken during my walk along the beach. The weather was nice enough to sit on the beach and read but, regrettably not quite warm enough for me to strip down and show off the new slimline me to the Babushkas on the Boardwalk.

While I was there I had a look around the aquarium, which, like the Island was a bit run down and not very impressive for such a large City.

In the afternoon I headed back to Manhattan and watched "Zombieland".

Lower Manhattan

I had to drop the car back in Manhattan for 830 am so set off about 7 am and handed it back at about 8am.

I then walked to Battery Park, the southernmost tip of Manhattan via Chelsea, Greenwich Village and the site of the World Trade Centre.

I took the ferry from Battery Park to Liberty Island and walked around the base of the Statue of Liberty then back on a ferry to Ellis Island where I spent a couple of hours looking around the immigration museum.

My return walk route in the afternoon took in Wall Street, South Street Seaport which gave a good view of the Brooklyn Bridge, Chinatown and SoHo. A lot of walking done today - I guess about 10 miles

Road Trip Day 7 - 8/11/09

I headed a short distance north to Millbrook and stopped at an old, stainless steel diner for a coffee. I then drove to Wings Castle, met the money grubbing owner who said it was closed for tours until midday but still wanted 10 bucks to look round the outside. As I was stood outside it anyway, I said tata and got back in my car.

I moved on to the Woodbury Common outlet stores for another splurge and then drove back to Nick and Dayna's house. I have to return the car to Manhattan by 8.30 in the morning, so have one final battle with the commuters.

Road Trip Day 6 - 7/11/09

After a cup of black coffee I headed on with the drive, having a quick look at Woodstock, then a look around the historic stockade area of Kingston and a look at another old town, New Paltz.

In the afternoon I went to the Minnewaska state park which was beautiful - scenic views and a walk around a forested lake with sandstone cliffs.

I stayed at a motel just outside Poughkeepsie. The motelier told me there was a nice walk down the road over a bridge over the Hudson that had only just opened in October. I managed to squeeze that in before dusk. It's the worlds longest footbridge - the Hudson is half a mile wide at this point and the bridge is about a mile long, it used to be a railroad bridge. I just had enough time to cross it, turn around and recross before they closed it at dusk.