The Big Apple
Trip Start
Feb 13, 2007
1
76
79
Trip End
Jul 24, 2007
New York City,
New York,
United States
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Vancouver
And so we headed northwards, Vancouver and indeed Canada bound. The border crossing was not too bad - a slight delay because a group of lads ahead of us all had criminal convictions! Lucky them.
The journey took us 3 or so hours, picking up Reta en route - a friend from our travels in South America. She helped us navigate the city and find the hotel. We checked in smoothly and then drove to Reta's friend's apartment - where we were parking the car. We were a little alarmed by the fact that she advised that we remove everything from the car, put down the windows and leave it unlocked. Apparently in Vancouver, car crime is a problem in terms of theft from the interior - so if you let them in to look around and see you've got nothing, all the better!
We had a gentle wander around that afternoon seeing and did the shopping - we were dining in that evening, something that had evaded us for so long. I was particularly excited by the finding of some vegetarian sausages, a luxury I had had to forego for the greater part of the travels.
The next day we did the grand tour of Vancouver - Stanley Park, the Totem Poles, the waterfront, the market, a boat trip across False Creek. Then we headed off Vancouver Island to go kayaking in a large cove. This was great fun, especially when you worked out how to use the pump as a water gun! That night we dined in the Mongolian Grill where you picked the ingredients and the sauce and the Chef cooked it before you eyes (in about 30 seconds) for the princely sum of £5 - all you can eat, by the way. We were suitably filled.
On Sunday, we had a late start and took a gentle stroll to the apartment. Reta suggested a trip up to Whistler. Absolutely beautiful up there, and one can only imagine what it would be like in ski season. That said, there was an impressive international BMX dirt biking event taking place that day, which was truly impressive. Moreover, the was a Mounty, or should I say Royal Canadian Mounted Police Officer, which was fitting seeing as it was Canada Day.
The next day we left for Seattle and our airport hotel for our flight to Chicago. We arrived early afternoon, packed our bags and then crashed out in front of the TV for the rest of the day.
Chicago
This time our Alaska Airlines was without drama, I had called to ensure and re-ensure that we had set seats and that there would be no risk of standing tickets. Upon arrival, we took the metro to a stop close by our hostel and then headed straight out for lunch - it was about 1445 if not later, and we hadn't eaten at all that day. Thereafter we had a nap, or rather the girls did - I was speed reading Harry Potter in anticipation of the new book and film. At around 7 we headed out for dinner and the to the park. It was Independence Day Eve with all the celebrations to boot. There was also a food festival, which was a little overwhelming...but the concert and the fireworks were spectacular, and Chicago by night was rather attractive.
July 4 itself was quite sedate, with many shops being closed for the day. We did our standard walking tour and traversed the city several times - visiting millionaires' mile, the tower and so on. We headed out to the original deep dish pizza restaurant, and were not disappointed. Foolishly I ordered a medium, and really had to force down the last two slices, or rather wedges.
Then we had to take the metro to head back to the airport to collect the hire car for the last leg of our journey.
Toronto
I forget the exact details, but the Chicago-Toronto journey was supposed to be 8 hours driving and a further hour due to changing time zones. However, due to a unexplained hold up right outside the city and the failure of the mapquest directions the total driving time was 12 and half hours, 14 hours journey in total. This meant that we pulled outside the hostel at 2 am absolutely exhausted. Hats off to Julianne! Drama ensued when it transpired that the hostel did not in fact offer car parking and we had to locate a 24 lot nearby. It was cheap compared to UK prices, but that really was not the point!
The next day we met up with Sue, also from the S. America trip - who gave us a walking tour of the entire city: financial district, China Town, the docks, the parliament building. It was all really pretty. Headed to a nice place for dinner, excellent for meat eaters, but the salad on offer was a great disappointment.
On the Sunday, we drove out to Niagara Falls, not as impressive as Iguazu admittedly; however, in their own right they were fantastic. The Horseshoe (Canadian) Falls are definitely superior to the US side. We "did" Maid in the Mist and the Walk behind the Falls, both of which were fabulous, if not a little wet! Then on to Niagara on the Lake, a twee little town with nice tearooms and coffee shops, before returning to Toronto.
On the last day we up with Reta (again, now returned to Toronto) and Sue - in the afternoon after our extended lie-in - to take a boat trip out on Lake Ontario, which gave impressive views of the City. This was followed by a fantastic Chinese and a trip up the CN Tower. We timed this just right, so that we saw the view by day, at sunset and by night. We also popped into the bar for fancy cocktails and indulgent desserts...
Ottawa
Next stop, a short three hour drive away, Canada's Capital City - Ottawa. We were staying in a former jail - kind of creepy, especially seeing as that it was supposed to be haunted and three executions had taken place there. We were in a relatively standard hostel dorm room; however, some rooms were actually converted cells - as were the male showers, for example. We headed out for dinner and saw an impressive screening of A History of Canada projected on to the Parliament Building. Then we headed to the cinema to watch the first screening of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The Canadians were absolutely mad, shouting, clapping, occasional violence! But it was great to see, the only snag being we got to be about 3 am!
That next day we did a city walking tour, visiting the Parliament and Executive Building all of which was very informative. Fianait and I also did the hostel tour, which was very informative if not a little disconcerting! Ottawa is a delightful city, but two days was plenty of time to see the highlights.
Montreal
This was particularly strange: being in the same country but suddenly changing from English to French. The speed at which residents flicked between the two was impressive. I seldom had a clue what was going on, Fianait and Julianne gleaned a little. The weather in Montreal was miserable, so some time was spent in the hostel. That said we enjoyed strolling around the city and the waterfront as well as ascending Mount Royal for an excellent city view. Although, at one point we did get stuck in a psychiatric hospital! Yet another trip to the cinema helped us pass time in the rain. It did become the case that the volume of cities we visited after Vancouver really did become something of a blur...
New England Retreat
Then back to the US, and our final border crossing before home. This time our destination was Durham where we were to spend two nights with Julianne's family. It was wonderful actually staying in a house and eating home-cooked food. I had an amusing incident with a deflating air mattress, but all was fine. We visited the farm, went wine tasting (and got a little tipsy!) had a drive around Portsmouth and generally lazed around. It was just the rest that we needed.
Boston and Cambridge
Sorry to leave home comforts, we completed our penultimate journey, not without excitement of course. Mapquest failed again, saying go left when in fact it was necessary to go right. As a result we ended up in another little town that was one way and completely circular. We had a nightmare getting out and temperatures were rising! We eventually got the the Hampton Inn and were delighted. Spacious room, free internet, complimentary snacks. And the next morning the breakfast was to die for.
We wandered around the city, seeing all the major sites and completing the freedom trail. A beautiful city with a very calm air. The waterfront was beautiful and the prudential tower almighty. We also visited Harvard, which I thought was not quite as impressive as Cambridge, but delightful all the same. We saw some more of Julianne's relatives for yet more delicious home-cooked cuisine. We were going to try and get standing tickets for a game at Fenway Park; however, we had an amusing detour getting back to the hotel, ending up stuck in an industrial park and a traffic queue...
New York
And so our final destination. Hotel Roosevelt. Route Planned. Great. Alas, on the day before our mad drive into New York, the steam pipe exploded in front of Grand Central Station. Down FDR Drive, passed the UN - all was a success. Suddenly our turning on to 45th was upon, we were in a jam and Fianait (who had been sleeping) was dying for the toilet. "Get out quick," we tell her, "and we'll pick you up round the corner." It all made sense, although she did take a little too long to get out the car and horns were honking.
So Julianne and I soldier on, only to discover that 45th is close, 43 and so on. There is a policemen standing in the road, Julianne slows to ask him. He stared daggers, "Drive" I yelled for fear of another unjust American Driving Violation. To cut a long, yet amusing, story short, we circled New York twice, getting oh-so-close to the Hotel but never quite managing it because of unpredictable closures and diversions. We gave up and dropped off the car, returning to a frantic Fianait who we had left two hours ago.
The next day we met up with Don, an extremely distant relative of Fianait's. He was a hoot, taking us around the various sites, up the Empire State Building and paying for everything. We had a really fun time, ending in a lovely Italian meal in a restaurant close to his offices. Then we met up with Tracie, Julianne's cousin for drinks and nibbles. Night drew in, and my last hours as a 21 year old passed by quickly. Then suddenly it was my birthday, champagne cocktails and some chocolate cake - all good. Not to mention returning to the hotel via a mad dash to Time Square to buy Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
My birthday - fabulous day. Reading Harry Potter; a surprise room service by way of chocolate strawberries; a bus tour round the downtown Manhattan; a trip to the theatre; and, a meal in a fantastic rotating restaurant 55 floors up! The next day, we did more bus tours and visited the Guggenheim, and then a night tour, which was really fantastic - very informative and nice to see the city lit up from a vantage point.
And finally check-out, left luggage and three hours to kill. The girls went shopping, I polished of the Deathly Hallows. Then our cab to the airport, check-in and the flight home. Wasn't full so I sprawled out across four seats and had a very comfortable nap, waking up just before landing at Heathrow.
Home at last, well nearly.
That's all.
James
