Boston, and the RV

Hi Everyone! When we last spoke we were just getting ready to go and see the New York Knicks take on Orlando Magic at the almighty Madison Square Gardens. The venue was impressive, but unfortunately the game didn't count for much, the support was lacking but we still have a good (beer aided) time and its always amazing to watch sports stars show how easy they find their game, whatever it may be. I would love to go back to MSG for a big final as the atmosphere would be incredible.

We packed up most of our stuff that night in preparation for our journey to Boston in the morning. Our mode of transportation was the Feng Wah coach service – New York to Boston for the sum of $15 each, what a bargain, and best of all it was 30 seconds walk from our lodging in China Town (I feel the word Hotel is a bit generous given the facilities!). 4 hours later and the skyscrapers and clean streets of Boston stand in front of us, a very different city to New York. For starters it is a LOT more compact, much less busy, and on the whole a lot cleaner, but it still has a lot to offer (oh yeah – it was a fair bit colder too!).

We got directions via the transit to Fran's Great Aunt's house – to give you a bit of background here Fran has never met her 75 year old Great Aunt, but Moira is in contact with her every so often as they got into mischief together in London some 30 years ago; we arrived and knocked at the door, to find no answer. Had she changed her mind and decided she didn't want to meet her Great Neice after all? No, we just had the wrong address! Kathleen is a legend of her own time, having lived in America 30+ years she still has her Irish accent, and to say she is well travelled would be an understatement. For every country we mentioned she had a story to tell, we got on like a house on fire.

Before meeting when talking on the phone Fran had mentioned that we had found New York cold, and being very accommodating Kathleen decided it would only be right to keep the house nice and warm for us – I've been in cooler saunas! We had the windows open all night and we still didn't sleep it was soooo hot, bless her.

The next day we toured Boston, we set off on the Freedom trail which is a walk through Boston streets, with historical sites along the way, it was all very interesting as this is one of the oldest cities in America. About half way through the trail we arrived at Faneuil hall, where there was a group of teenagers and onlookers standing in a semi circle, goading each other on to dance etc, but to be honest we couldn't see what all the fuss was about. We hung around for a bit and then it all kicked off, check out the video below:



We continued our tour of Boston and decided that we would check out the views from the 2nd tallest building in Boston on the Skywalk, we somehow timed it by luck that we got to see all the views in daylight and then we suddenly realised we were going to be treated to an incredible sunset to top it off, $11 very well spent.

Our 2nd day in Boston we went to the aquarium, to see the fishies, which was fun. Later on we met up with my folks and went for dinner. That is all.

At this point the excitement was building to a crescendo, the anticipation of a Roadtrip looming, it was nearing RV TIME!!! My folks picked us up and we drove to the Middleboro KOA where our fibreglass warrior was awaiting the trip of a lifetime, 9000 miles coast to coast. It was as good if not better than we could have imagined. At just over a year old it was in pristine condition with all the whistles and bells, this was going to be good. My mum was green with envy and I wont be the least bit surprised if a camper is bought in Green st Green in the not too distant future. Check out Fran's RV video tour:



We stocked up with food essentials, chairs, beer, wine and anything else we might need (for that night) and bedded in. Tomorrow we would hit the road.

It was probably the best nights sleep we had had since arriving (what with trains flying past our windows, the fleapit that was the Sun Bright Hotel, and the sauna of Kathleen's place) and we were ready to hit the road, my folks were hanging around in Boston for a couple of days so we went on without them. We headed straight for the nearest Springfield (what else would you do in America with a set of RV keys in your hand?) via old Sturbridge village. Sturbridge is a mock up of a historic settlers town just West of Boston where they still make everything the old way, from cloth to nails and everything in between.

We then hit Springfield which to be blunt was a dump. The roads were awful and at times it felt like the RV might not make it through in one piece. On the bright side we did make it to the Dr Seuss monument minutes before it closed and got to see the statues which was fun.

Our 2nd night in the RV showed us the importance of booking your accommodation BEFORE arriving. We had headed North into the the Berkshires (mountain range) aiming for a campsite that we had seen on our map. At the point we started to see snow on the side of the road we started to wonder if maybe we might have made the wrong decision. Eventually finding the campsite as darkness was setting in it became evident that there were no lights on in the campsite, as it was SHUT. Fran tried to convince me to stay there the night anyway but I wasn't too happy with the situation so we decided to head back South towards the Interstate and civilisation. Jump forward 3 hours to 10.30 and we were parked next to a rig in a truck stop on the Interstate, not exactly what we had planned but a valuable lesson learned.

We were heading towards Canada, specifically Toronto, we had met back up with my folks in Albany before hitting the aptly named Finger Lakes region which was beautiful. We got lucky with the weather and had sunshine for a few days (albeit it was still cold) which made it a lovely journey. At this point I had been coming down with a sore throat that was feeling very much like tonsillitis (an infection that I am very familiar with) so a pharmacy recommended that we would have to visit a Hospital to get a prescription for some Antibiotics as they couldn't sell us any over the counter. 2 hours in the hospital (having been Admitted, told to wear a gown, and then Discharged – thanks American health service) prescription in hand we set off for Toronto.

The next night saw us in a campsite West of Toronto where only 3 weeks earlier they had been under 8 foot of snow. By the time we arrived it was mostly gone but they were only just opening, and the water wasn't even turned on. The following day we had a whirlwind tour of Toronto (having braved the chaotic roads into town and managed to find a car park with an attendant generous enough to let us park there). The city has an incredible underground shopping area, with miles of tunnels linking each section to the next, it is understandable when you realise how cold it gets there. Its quite a sight and worth a visit.

We then headed for Niagara where we would be spending 3 nights. My parents picked us up from our campsite so we could all have dinner together. They mentioned we should pop up to their room to look down at the falls as you could just about make them out. As we walked into the room and my dad opened the curtain Fran's jaw went through the floor and a stunned silence encompassed the room. The power of the falls is beyond anything I can describe and if you haven't been you should put it in your diary as a must see. We have done some of the tours and seen the sights Niagara (and Niagara on the lake) have to offer, but the falls are just beautiful by night or day. Lake Ontario which is where the river flows to is also a sight to see, we spent the afternoon skimming stones and liberating stranded driftwood. The weather while we have been here has been very good to us (today was t-shirts and shorts weather).

And that is where we are. Tomorrow we head back North to meet a friend of Mark's for a couple of days before we head South to get a great tan :) keep in contact all!

Welcome to New York

It all started so well, 5:30am and on our way to Heathrow, bags packed and full of excitement. After tearful goodbyes, we realised that checking in without the hotel's details was going to be impossible!! The first hurdle was here and we hadn't even left London! The details were all on the laptop but it was taking forever to switch on so we called on the only person we knew would be up at that time in the morning, thank you Keith!!! OK so all details in hand we headed to the checkin desk, only to be told that our bags were too heavy and we would have to pay excess baggage, NO WAY! Budget planning kicks in and we buy another hold all to spread the weight, genius. Great bit of luck then as somehow we manage to bag seats in the emergency isle, leg room galore - yippee!!!

2 movies later and we're already in New York JFK, chaotic airport and totally unorganised but we finally get through customs, and a huge sigh of relief! We find a taxi and the taxi driver has NO IDEA where our hotel is, and asks why we are staying so far out of town, ooops....well it wasn't that far out of town in the end but we can safely confirm that we braved the ghetto and are still here to tell the tale, and we are definitely at grips with the subway system. The first afternoon, a bit weary, we headed out of town the wrong way and believe me that's a mistake you learn not to make again quickly. It's quite amazing how decrepid everything seems to be in parts, and other parts are just like Wisteria Lane (from desperate housewives for any sad individuals who don't watch the show!).

We both think that Times Square is by far the best attraction in New York, to say that it's awe inspiring is not saying enough about it, every square inch of every single building is covered in animated screens telling you anything and everything in a blaze of lights and colour, we stood on the corner when we came out of the subway station and just tried to take it in, not quite believing that we were actually there, the big apple in all it's glory right in front of us! Where do you start exploring this city? TGI Friday's of course!!

The next day we joined a circle boat tour which circled Manhattan island and we saw the Statue of Liberty, other interesting landmarks and got blown about by the freezing cold wind!! It's a great way to orient yourself with a city. There are SO MANY shops in New York!! And since we are at the beginning of our trip we are trying not to spend any money but it's so hard with so many things being thrust upon you on literally every street corner and everywhere in between.

Getting around is really easy, and we bought what they call a 7 day fun pass, equivalent to a weekly travelcard which gets you around all the tubes and buses for $25.00, yes folks, that's basically the same price as we pay for a one day travelcard in London!!!!

Anyway we left our lovely hotel in Brooklyn and moved to China town, where we found the cheapest hotel possible. It's really central so we could go out in the evening without fear of something horrible awaiting us around the corner! When they say China town, they don't mean that there a few Chinese shops / restaurants...it's literally like being in China, all the people are oriental, all the signs are in Chinese (with English equivalent underneath) and the most amazing food markets I've ever seen, pity I had no wok with me to cook up a feast! Also it's really weird that there are sections of the city dedicated to particular types of shops alone, need jewellery? You go to the jewellery section of town, want Italian food, you go to Little Italy and so on.

We've had a great time in New York, we've been to the Empire State building and looked over the whole city, relaxed in Central Park which is gorgeous, had an injection of culture at the metropolitan museum of arts, seen an ice hockey match (Rangers V Islanders), watched Rent at a real Broadway theatre, visited Ground Zero (eerie), got smashed at an Irish bar and went clubbing at a club called Tonic, to name but a few things. All in just 6 days so far, it's definitely a city that never sleeps and recommended to anyone, there's something for everyone here.

Tonight we are going to a basketball match to watch the Nicks and then tomorrow we head by coach to Boston and visit my (Fran's) Auntie Kathleen before picking up the RV on Thursday, which we are so excited about it's unreal!!! Catch up with you guys soon!

We'll also have a sort through the photos and post some up in the next couple of days – need to find free wifi somewhere first! Oh and we've heard its snowing back home - Adam get your snowboard out!!