Photo's added

They just need me photoshopped into them pointing out the Blubber Room, bathing in the Basin, shivering under Boise rock and checking out Miss Neanderthal as I was too shy to pose before strangers for them.

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.