US Holiday - Day 7 - New Jersey

Day 7 - Thursday 15th September

Woke up feeling really average today. The drinks from the night before had taken their toll. I eventually got up just before midday and grabbed some coffee and OJ. The day was overcast with a chance of rain so didn't venture into NYC. Instead Maggie and I headed out to one of the local cafe ./ dinners and had lunch. I chose turkey and stuffing with sides and it came out to be a big enough to feed a whole family. I barely touched it as the stomach was still a bit sketchy.

By this time the rain was starting to come down so got in the car and did a quick tour of Hoboken, a small town on the shore of the Hudson. From there we started to drive towards a large retail outlet called Jersey Gardens. People visit here with empty suitcases and then head straight to the airport with the luggage full. I didn't quite go to those lengths but bought some shirts and jackets.

From there headed back to Secaucus and was given a tour of the town where Peter works. There are a number of hotels here along with a convention centre. Added to that are your typically mall type shops. Returning home we waited for Pete to get home and then we headed out to the Meat Packing District in New York. We took a bus and a tube ride to get down to that part of town and tried to get into one restaurant but it was over an hour wait and it was already after 9.30pm at this stage. We found another nice restaurant just down the street. After a couple of starters at the bar we progressed through to the dining area to the mains. I had a fillet mignon and given I hadn't quite had breakfast or lunch it certainly satisfied my appetite.

Caught the subway back up to the Port Authority and then jumped onto a bus after a short wait. It was probably close to midnight by the time we got home.

US Holiday - Day 5 - New York City

Day 5

Had a good nights sleep on the fold out bed that Steve and Belinda broke in. There is much to be said for not having to watch the clock but instead just get up when you want to. Had a shower and then grabbed some toast and coffee before getting a bus into NY Port Authority. This was so easy. About a 5 minute walk and a run across the road and then onto the bus straight into NYC. From there it was a couple of minutes to Times Square. It has changed since I was last there, most notably the reduced through traffic which has been replaced by pedestrian areas.

Took the usual photos and video and then headed east towards Grand Central Station. Stopped in there before moving on past the NY Public Library and onward to the United Nations building. Went through the security and had a bit of a tour around before leaving and heading back to the NY Library. The building was half in shadow half bathed in sunlight so wanted to wait before taking photos. Continued down towards Empire State building before walking back up to NY Public Library before catching the subway down to City Hall. The building was unfortunately closed off to the public so gave it a skip and went passed the Supreme Court building before heading into China Town (it still smells) and then onto Little Italy.

From there walked through Soho and then onto Washington Park . Soho was such an attractive place to visit. Lots of boutique restaurants and clothing stores. Washington Park full of people taking it easy and one guy playing a grand piano underneath the arch way. From there I meandered back to a subway station and caught an express back up to 42 Street station and then walked through back through to the Port Authority for the quick ride home. Stopped in to a super market and bought some vodka and juice and recharged by having Starbucks iced moccha.

In the early evening I ventured down by the water to take some shots of the NY skyline with the sun kissing the windows. There were some nice effects and hope the photos do it justice. Ended the evening with a light dinner and some TV.

US Holiday - Day 4 - Los Angeles to New York

Day 4

Today was a very early start. Didn't want to miss the plane nor did I want to take a chance on the traffic in Los Angeles. On arriving in LA, the cab driver took me via an express way but thankfully this driver took me a different way. He arrived bang on 6am which meant I was just up before that and pretty much throughout the night clock watching. Next time I will look to do a flight during the middle of the day and thankfully the remaining flights on this trip are during that time frame.

The journey from the hotel to the airport was pretty quick. I was surprised by the amount of traffic on the roads or the lack there of. Arrived at the airport in around 30 minutes via the back roads of Santa Monica. Headed into the terminal and proceeded to do the auto check in. I had the option of either scanning the passport, scanning the credit card or putting in my electronic ticket number. The first two options didn't work so thankfully it accepted the electronic ticket number.

Next port of call was to check in with the bags. This involves going to a counter where they allocate you a baggage ticket but you then have to take it to another section of the airport for scanning. As the bag had padlocks on it I had to wait whilst it went through the xray machine and given the OK. Unfortunately it was not given the OK and I was asked for the keys. At this point I knew it was the two jars of vegemite that I had in the bag for Pete. The proceeded to open the luggage and then swab the jars and put it into the scanner. I was concerned when the screen went red but they swapped the latex gloves and tried again and all was good.

So the bag was scanned and given the all clear, now it was my turn. I had to go through a full body scanner. The thought my double handkerchief in right jeans pocket was suspect but once I showed them they said all was good and I was cleared.

Waited for around 30 minutes for the plane to start boarding. It looked like the gate was undergoing some work so we went down the aero bridge onto the tarmac and onto a bus for a 5 minute ride to the arse end of the airport where we boarded the plane. Did have to wait about 30-40 minutes for the second pilot to turn up and once he did and the flight checks were done we were off.

The flight to Newark was uneventful apart from the odd bit of turbulence. Coming into Newark we had great views of Manhattan as we travelled north to south. On landing it was a quick journey to the gate before departing and meeting up with Pete at the baggage claim.

Pete then drove me back to his place but not before I tried to get into the drivers seat. Rookie mistake. Didn't encounter too much traffic along the way and was back at his complex in no time. We were greeted by Tyson Beckford polishing his new Nissan GTR out the front of this place. He only lives a couple of doors up from Pete and Maggie.

Greeted Maggie and handed over the Vegemite. Am glad not to be carrying the extra weight around now. Had a glass or two of champagne and a quick bit to eat before dinner and a walk along the board walk with fantastic views of the Manhattan skyline.

Tomorrow will be venturing into New York to see the sights. No idea what I want to see. Maybe look in a few shops I think.