Monday, September 29, 2003

Saturday 27th September 2003 - Day 14/273 - Niagara on the Lake, Ontario

Frank and Paul (david had to go work) fed us breakfast and then took us on a guided tour of the area. It's interesting that this area saw significant action during the American's attempted take over of canada in 1812, which the British help to defend. There are a number of forts and monuments locally depicting these actions. The first of these we saw was the very Nelson-esque statue of Sir Isaac Brock who was widely acclaimed for repelling the Americans.



We were dropped right by the Falls and given excellent advice on which tickets to buy. For C$31.95 you get a pass which entitles you to admission to the Journey Behind the Falls, The Maid of the Mist, the White Water Walk and the Butterfly Conservatory. It also gives you discounts on a number of other attractions including the Ancient Spanish Aero Car over the Whirlpool. You were also allowed to use the People Movers which travel frequently between each section.



The Journey behind the Falls takes you down and through a series of tunnels and you portals right behind where the water falls. It also takes you to an Observation Point tight at the foot of the Falls. Here you see at close quarters the 84 million litres per minute cascading over the 54 metre Fall. The power and intensity is incessant. You can't better Mother Nature.



The Maid of the Mist boat trip twas established in 1864 and is the image that most people have of tourists at the Falls. It takes you round the bottom of the American Falls and right into the heart of the mist that is formed at the bottom of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls. I thought I'd feel vulnerable, but actually I got a strange almost serene feeling. Luckily they supply waterproof ponchos in a tasteful shade of blue. At least you all look equally stupid.




Next we took advantage of the free fries that our ticket gave us and then headed for the White Water Walk, which takes you down beside the River further downstream and right at the bottom of the gorge.

Further down is the Ancient Spanish Aero Car which unfortunately was not running due to the high winds. It's an old fashioned open aired cable car that spanned the gorge right over a massive whirlpool. I can imagine that the view up the river would have been excellent.

You also have the chance to ride the rapids in a speed boat for about C$50, but i'm gonna save my white water experiences for NZ.

If you've only seen the Falls from the American side then I don't think that you've seen the real Falls. There are parts that are commercialized but I don't think that detracts from the actual experience. Just be sensible about when you come. It's always gonna be busy, but especially at weekends in the Summer.

I don't think you could ever tire of seeing the Niagara Falls and if you've never seen it you should try and make the effort. Come and stay at Frank and David's they only charge C$145. I might be able to negoiate a family discount, but no promises.


The tacky Motels at the Falls



Mx and I



Bloo, Frank and Mx

Sunday, September 28, 2003

Friday 26th September 2003 - Day 13/273 - Toronto, Ontario to Niagara on the Lake, Ontario

On the move again. This time catching the 9.30 from Toronto to St Catherines. I expected the journey around Lake Ontario to be really impressive, but the northern side of the lake is filled with commercial units and traffic filled express ways. Once you cross the bridge the whole scenary changes and the roadsides become filled with vineyards. We arrived at St Catharines after about an hour on the Greyhound and I called my Mum's Cousin, David who came to collect us and take us to his B&B in Niagara on the Lake.

David and Frank run the Logan House B&B at 67 Ricardo Street. they only have 3 double rooms, but Mx and I were given rooms in the personal residence. There house is beautifully decorated and kept and the garden is lovely too.

Niagara on the Lake is situated right on the corner of Lake Ontario where the Niagara River joins it. It's avenue are tree lined and full of colourful flowers. Niagara on the Lake only has a population of 13,000, but has over 3 million visitors a year. This is mainly due to the yearly Shaw Festival where plays, inspired by George Bernard Shaw are held in the local theatres between April and October. Mx went off to see one of them in the evening.

I know this isn't a typical backpackers destination, but I'm not complaining as the others are missing out. It's also only 15kms downstream from the Falls themselves. Oh and there's no beggars here.
Thursday 25th September 2003 - Day 12/273 - Toronto, Ontario

We went our separate ways again today. I think we both feel that we needed our own space as we've essentially been living in each others pockets and we're both interested in different things. So I've decided to do some sporty things (viewing) and Mx has decided that after 10 days with me she needs a bit of culture and who can blame her.

My first stop was some breakfast in one of Toronto's numerous underground shopping malls. This definately gave Toronto a very young feel as the cafe's were as varied as they were numerous. They were filled with young suited and booted types getting there fill of freshly squeezed fruit juices and Butterscotch Muffins (alright that was me apart from the suited and booted bit). I feel that Toronto would be a nice and fresh place to work although judging by yesterday, rush hour is a nightmare. It has a good Metro and tram service although everywhere is walkable and also the trains come right into the centre of town.

After my Butterscotch Muffin I headed to the Hockey Hall of Fame which charged C$12 entry. The Americans sure do know how to celebrate there sporting heroes. It was basically a museum full of Shirts, pucks and sticks which all had a meaning. I think you've got to be a real fan to appreciate it. I was very impressed with the Stanley Cup that was on show and I believe it is the biggest trophy in the world. I also know of Wayne Gretzky and Mario LeMieux, but not many of the others. Interestingly though they did have a stick that the Bracknell Bees goaltender had used to assist 4 goals in one game against the Basingstoke Bison in 1997.


The Stanley cup


After the Hall of Fame I headed to the Air Canada Centre where the Toronto Raptors (NBA) and the Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL) play there games. I did resist the urge of another stadium tour though. I only visited the club shop.

Right next door to the ACC is the highlight of Toronto, the CN Tower. At a total height of 553 m it is enormous. I spent C$23.99 which entitled me to access the Observation Level at 346m, , the glass floor at 342m and the Sky pod at 447m. The lift ascends to the Observation Level at 15mph and takes 58 seconds to get there. To put it in perspective the Empire State Building Observation level is 106 stories, this one is 114 stories and the Sky Pod is at 147 stories. There is also a restaurant just above the Observation Level that is the highest in the world. Mx visited it and said it was very nice. The view from the observation deck over Lake Ontario and the province of Ontario is amazing, but I would advise you to take the further lift up to the Skypod for an extra treat. A walk on the glass floor is a must too. I think it conquered my dislike of heights. The CN Tower is considered one of the 7 wonders of the world. The other 6 are Empire State Building (done), North Sea Protection Works, Panama Canal, Golden Gate Bridge (Doing), The Chunnel (done), The Itaipu Dam (Brazil). My only question is where is White Hart Lane on the list, it's a mystery to me?


The CN Tower


Don't Look Down


I needed some lunch now so I went in search of Hooters. This was in honour of the fact that my Parents (HI Mum, Hi Dad) had eaten here on a football tour 2 years ago. Now I got the impression that this wasn't an entirely classy establishment, but not a dive either. What I found was a bit of a sleazy dive and they were proud of that fact. It has to be said that the beer was cold, the food okay and the Hooters were lovely, not many owls though.

Belly full I headed back to the Sky Dome which is right next to the CN Tower and booked myself on a tour (C$12). I know this is becoimg a theme, but I guess it's a phase that I'm going through and it'll soon pass. I have always wanted to watch sports in America though so this is the ideal opportunity. In fact the SkyDome is interesting in itself. It was the first stadium with a fully retractable roof. It takes 20minutes to retract and it's impressive to watch. The complex also has a hotel and restaurants incorporated and these have views over the field.

I bought tickets for the evening Baseball game which was between the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and the Toronto Blue Jays. I treated myself and spent C$37 (prices start at C$7) and got a seat in line with 1st base (it's a while since I've been there) and 11 rows back. I had a few hours to kill before the game so decided to establish myself in the Hard Rock Cafe and enjoy a few beers whilst watching over the warm up. I could get used to this.


My View


The game itself was a late season affair with both teams having nothing to play for so fielding a number of rookies. The crowd was about 8,000 in a stadium that holds 51,000. I did however witness a piece of history as Carlos Delgado hit 4 home runs in the game, making him the 5th in American League history and the 15th in Major League history to do so. This included his 300th career home run. He also scored 7 RBI's in the game. Ask Big Steve what that means. The game finished 10-8 to Toronto and the crowd went home extremely happy after a high scoring and topsy turvy game. For me it still doesn't excite me, but each to their own I suppose.

All the usual types of things are on sale like candy floss, peanuts, hot dogs and beer. The seller's wander around the stand shouting what they have on offer. The funniest chant of the night goes to the Beer Seller with (to the tune a popular recent hit) 'It's getting hot in here, somebody needs a beer'. It made me laugh. The $8 a can also made me laugh.

One more gripe, if I get confronted by another beggar, well I'm gonna set Mx on them. They've been noticable in every city we've been to so far. I know they'er everywhere at home, but here they seem really brash and forward. I have to say that I've never felt threatened, but don't they realise I haven't got a budget for beggars.
Wednesday 24th September 2003 - Day 11/273 - Montreal, Quebec to Toronto, Ontario

Todays moving day again. Got all packed up again and left the room, halfway to the Metro Station when I realised I didn't have my bumbag on, which had my passport and tickets in. Panic!!! i had to unpack in the middle of the street and fortunately I found it tucked away in my dirty laundry. Lesson Learned.

We caught the 10am express Greyhound to Ottawa and arrived at about 12.00. Theres was pretty much nothingness between the 2 cities, just freeway. In Ottawa we had a quick bite to eat and then caught the 1pm local Greyhound to Toronto. This took us out of Quebec and into Ontario, finally back to English signage and speaking. Our route stopped at Kanata, Perth, Kaladar, Peterborough, Whitby and Scarborough. The land was very flat and very much reminded me of the lowlands of Scotlands and passing through towns like Lanark and Moffat further endorsed that.

We eventually arrived in Toronto @ 19.00. It's situated on the shores of Lake Ontario. From a distance there are far less skyscrapers, but the skyline is dominated by the enormous CN Tower. It feels much younger and moderner too. Mx had booked us into the Hostel International in Church Street which is very central. We sharing a 6 bed dorm with 4 Frenchies (just our luck)(2 couples), but at only C$30 a night each we can't complain. It much nicer than our New York Experience and they organise pub crawls and trips to the Niagara Falls. Generally everyone is much more helpful.

We dined in the Baton Rouge in Yonge Street, which was very nice and very reasonable and got ourselves a relatively early night.

Saturday, September 27, 2003

Tuesday 23rd September 2003 - Day 10/273 - Montreal, Quebec

Guys, I've worked it out what birds do when they're in the bathroom. It's eyebrow plucking or at least I hope those were eyebrows that I found in the sink this morning.

I think we pretty much exhausted Montreal yesterday. Mainly coz we're both really knackered and pretty tired at looking at similar buildings and hear the same stories. Also it's pissing it down.

So we went for a French Breakfast consisting of croissants et Jambon and then headed for the Metro. It was another game of hunt the metro entrance. I spent ages examining the map saying it should be right here only to turn round and realise it was right there. It's a nightmare I tell you. Right so on the Montreal Metro there's a choice of 4 tickets. You can make one trip for C$2.50, 6 for C$10, buy a one day pass for C$7.00 or a 3 day pass for C$14.00. They had run out of One Passes and with a typical gaelic shrug (cantona esc) he didn't seem to care much either.

We headed out to the Olympic Stadium to have a wee peek. For C$30.50 you get a guided tour, entry to the Botanical Gardens, Insectarium, Obsrervatory and Biodome. The Stadium was originally constructed for the 1976 Olympics and now has the Worlds tallest Inclined Tower in the World.



We started with a tour of the stadium with our grumpy French Tour Guide who was obviously delighted to be showing off this spectacle to a couple of Brits. Get over it!! The first thing we're were shown was the Pool. I was surprised that the swimming was held in the same building as the Track and Field.

We exited a side door to the pool and were confronted with the site of the actual stadium. Our guide didn't exactly build up the tension for us. Not like the bloke in Madison Square Garden had done. The stadium was probably about the most impressive that I've ever seen (I've seen a few). Originally it held 76,000 for the Olympics, but now it holds 54,000 for Baseball, 68,000 for Football and 102,000 for concerts. The field measured 110m x 180m on which you can park 7 747's. Sorry for the stat attack, but I was impressed.

Now the stadium has a fixed roof made of fibre glass as the original structure wasn't designed to take any weight. The weight is hel off by Steel cables attached to the tower.

The Towers construction was completed after the Olympics as they discovered it would be too heavy if it was all made of concrete. If you look carefully at it you can see where the material changes from Concrete to Steel. To get to the top you have to take a glass fronted cable car which travels up the outside of the structure. It stands at 175 metres tall and is on a 30 degree incline although the guide told us it was 45 degrees.

Next stop the Biodome which is situated next to the Stadium and was originally buiit as a velodrome to host the cycling. It's shaped like a 1970's cyclists helemet. Inside it now has 4 different sub climates, including the rainforest and antartic. It contains plants and animals that wouls normally inhabiate these regions like, Beavers, gators and penguins. Again it worth a look, but I have seen bigger and better in the UK.

In the Evening we took in a Hockey Game at the Bell centre to watch the Montreal Canadiens host the Toronto Maple Leafs. It was only a preseason fixture, but the announcer did his best to whip the crowd up into a frenzy before the game, but as soon as the game started all went quiet in the crowd. Not sure if that's because it's preseason, but all you could hear was skates and sticks clashing. The crowd first got excited when one of the Canadiens buried a Maple Leaf into the boards. The arena was very impressive however the atmosphere was not. Each period last 20 minutes but they take a 15 minuted break in between. I know they've got to look after the ice but give me a break. They also come on during every penalty to wipe up all the slush. Is this just because the Americans don't have the attention span to concentrate for 20 minutes.

On the whole it's a fast and skilful and enjoyable to watch apart from all the breaks. I'd definately give it another go, but only at a league game. It did strike me that the Canadians have a worrying love of Celine Dion, that didn't help much either.

Tuesday, September 23, 2003

Monday 22nd September 2003 - Day 9/273 - Montreal, Quebec

The sunrose at about 6.30 and it struck me that I'd been travelling for nearly 6 hours and I still in chuffing America. I mean I'd only been in 3 different States as well. I still had another 2 hours to go aswell.

We got to the border at 7.00 and everyone had to go through the rigmoral of disembarking, collecting there luggage and clearing customs. Behind the desk were 2 canadian women/Ogres. They were obviously delightes to be working on a Monday morning and were equally delighted to let us into they're beautiful country.

"Where you from?"

"Where are you going?"

"Why are you going?"

"How long are you going to be here?"

It was the same treatment for everyone. These 2 girls were seriously lacking in personalities. It wasn't the best introduction to Canada. As the Canadian bloke behind me said of them, "No Manners, No Need".

They let me in the country so at least I could get back on the bus to get some more sleep. For some reason though we were held up for an hour as a couple of passengers were obviously not in the good books.

Montreal is set on a an Island in the St. Lawrence Sea and it's skyline is visible from miles away. It's very similar from what we've already seen from a distance. The biggest difference is the outskirts which show no scarring from gang warfare. In fact the surroundings show little sign of habitation. Not sure about all the road signs being in French. That doesn't bode well.

I called the hostel from the terminal and caught a cab as advised.

As we rolled up to 1854 Rue Saint Catherine West. Mx's faced turned sour and uttered a loud 'ugg'. We met the owner and he directed us up some shabby stairs. What we found wasn't a hostel full of weary (smelly) travellers, but 3 rooms he'd converted into a hotel. There's no reception and he only turns up if someone is checking in to tidy up and collect the cash.

In fairness the room is far nicer than the one in Boston and it proves that first impressions can be deceptive. It only costing $CAN 150 for 2 people for 2 nights so I'm certainly not complaining. Mx Likes it too, but I think that's because we have an en suite bathroom with shower in. It amazes me how long women spend in bathrooms. Lord knows what they get up to.

It's fair to say that the accomodation was nothing like I expected and it serves as a warning when you book online. I used www.kasbah.com . No complaints though.

We had a quick wash and headed out to explore Montreal. There's a bit of tension between Mx and I today. I think it's mainly down to tiredness, but we're disagreeing on our way to Toronto. Do we stop over in Ottawa? How many nights do we stay? Do we travel overnight? She's a girl so she thinks she's right, whereas I'm a bloke so I know I'm right. We compromised.

Mx was feeling pretty tired so we went for an hour long pony and trap ride around Old Montreal $CAN60. Getting abit tired of looking at sculptures and looking at fascinating buildings. They're all beginning to look the same and it's confusing as to which building is which. Also the story about how the city was founded by people arriving on boat is getting a bit boring too. Maybe we're just suffering from overkill and tiredness.

On the Montreal is dirtier than both New York and Boston and the French thing really bugs me. Maybe those 2 facts go hand in hand. There are a number of different sections to the City, there's the Old City (with all the boutiques, Art Galleries and musuems), there an underground shopping centre with 4400 shops (to keep the little lady happy), there's also clubs, restaurants and plenty of other things going on to cater for all sorts. On the whole we like Montreal, it's very vibrant and it has a good feel.
Sunday 21st September 2003 (continued)

The Afternoon was spent wrestling with an Apple Mac trying to send the pics to Stan. I see that some of them have come through and are up, cheers mate, but I some have been returned to me as your box is full.

On a Sunday Boston was full of tourists. Considering it's off season there were loads of the buggers (and yes I realise I'm one of them). The American's love coming up here in the fall to watch the foliage change, it's all they talk about. Oh man the things we take for granted.

I met Mx off the Princetown ferry as agreed at 17.30. She said that Cape Cod was really beautiful although has only taken 2 photos to prove it. I think if I had been here for a week then it would have been worth a visit. That and Martha's Vineyard. Cape Cod is accessible by a slower/cheaper ferry or also by road, but it's quite a way round.

We headed for the Imax to experience the International Space Station in full 3d on 85ft / 65ft screen. It cost us $8.50 and the effects were fab and it was a very informative. If you get a chance to see it then go. Incidentally it was actually filmed in Space, by the real astronauts, that's what they said anyway.

We went back to Clery's for dinner and it was probably the best meal I've had so far. It was chicken and chips, but this time there was no sign of any cheese only a sweet thai chilli sauce.

Next stop was back to the hotel to collect our bags. I know for you guys this is mundane stuff, but it's something you'll need to consider if you go travelling. The bus terminals normally have a left luggage facility (for a few), but because it was Sunday it closed at 17.00. We had to leave our bags in the hotel lobby, but then so did everyone else. They were still there when we got back anyway.

We got to the terminal nice and early to catch the 00.45 bus to Montreal. Boston's South Terminal is much newer and nicer than the terminal at New York and all in all it's not a bad place to be (for a bus terminal). The bus however was packed so it didn't look like we'd get a chance to get comfortable and get some sleep. I think they're a great way to travel City to City. You get to see plenty of countryside (not when it's dark, obviously) and see and meet lots of interesting people too.

The route took us up through New Hampshire and Vermont, via the towns of Manchester, Dartmouth and Burlington. It stopped about 8 times during the night so this didn't help the sleep pattern.

Thankfully alot of people got off at Manchester so we were able to spread out. I can't tell you the number of positions I went through to try and get comfortable. I think someone should write a book on it. I ended up with my head on the armrest, my back accross 2 seats and my legs vertical up against the window. What a picture that is. I hope no one's eating.

Sunday, September 21, 2003

Sunday 21st September 2003 - Boston, Massachusetts to Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Managed to sleep for 14 hours straight. Obviously needed it. Mx has gone to Cape Cod today on the 90 minute express ferry. I felt that the $50 + was a bit too much and I'm happy amusing myself.

I headed up to the Charles River for a moments reflection. The spot is idylic and I'm lucky to be here.

I'm meeting Mx at 17.30 and then we're off to Imax, then picking our bags up from the hotel and catching the 00.45 Greyhound to Montreal.

Thanks to everyone who sent messages who were concerned about the hurricane. We missed it. The weather in general has been sunny, although we did have heavy showers the other day. Anyway you guys forget that I was in Dover for the 1987 hurricane and survived, just!!!

The Afternoon was spent wrestling with an Apple Mac trying to send the pics to Stan. I see that some of them have come through and are up, cheers mate, but I some have been returned to me as your box is full.

On a Sunday Boston was full of tourists. Considering it's off season there were loads of the buggers (and yes I realise I'm one of them). The American's love coming up here in the fall to watch the foliage change, it's all they talk about. Oh man the things we take for granted.

I met Mx off the Princetown ferry as agreed at 17.30. She said that Cape Cod was really beautiful although has only taken 2 photos to prove it. I think if I had been here for a week then it would have been worth a visit. That and Martha's Vineyard. Cape Cod is accessible by a slower/cheaper ferry or also by road, but it's quite a way round.

We headed for the Imax to experience the International Space Station in full 3d on 85ft / 65ft screen. It cost us $8.50 and the effects were fab and it was a very informative. If you get a chance to see it then go. Incidentally it was actually filmed in Space, by the real astronauts, that's what they said anyway.

We went back to Clery's for dinner and it was probably the best meal I've had so far. It was chicken and chips, but this time there was no sign of any cheese only a sweet thai chilli sauce.

Next stop was back to the hotel to collect our bags. I know for you guys this is mundane stuff, but it's something you'll need to consider if you go travelling. The bus terminals normally have a left luggage facility (for a few), but because it was Sunday it closed at 17.00. We had to leave our bags in the hotel lobby, but then so did everyone else. They were still there when we got back anyway.

We got to the terminal nice and early to catch the 00.45 bus to Montreal. Boston's South Terminal is much newer and nicer than the terminal at New York and all in all it's not a bad place to be (for a bus terminal). The bus however was packed so it didn't look like we'd get a chance to get comfortable and get some sleep. I think they're a great way to travel City to City. You get to see plenty of countryside (not when it's dark, obviously) and see and meet lots of interesting people too.

The route took us up through New Hampshire and Vermont, via the towns of Manchester, Dartmouth and Burlington. It stopped about 8 times during the night so this didn't help the sleep pattern.

Thankfully alot of people got off at Manchester so we were able to spread out. I can't tell you the number of positions I went through to try and get comfortable. I think someone should write a book on it. I ended up with my head on the armrest, my back accross 2 seats and my legs vertical up against the window. What a picture that is. I hope no one's eating.
Saturday 20th September 2003 - Day 7/273 - Boston, Massachucetts

Ouch! Apologies to Big Steve and Char for waking you up. Also sorry to Nathan, the hotel receptionist, who we had a chat with when we got in. He confirmed that we're staying in the gay district. It's no bother though, not that it should be.

Woke up at 10 which feels really weird coz that's about the time that Fleet will be kicking off. It's the most i've missed home so far. I know you guys are now think I'm weird and sad.

Today's laundry day. It's all stuff you've got to consider when travelling. The launderette round the corner charges $1 for 1lbs. We had 21lbs between us, but they do wash, dry and fold.

The plan today is a trip to Salem. Neither of us have hangovers, but I think that's coz we're still drunk. We made our way to Haymarket to catch the bus. After about an hour of waiting we asked someone and it turns out that buses don't come into Boston at the weekends so we had to catch the bus from Wonderland. The buses run every hour and cost $2.50. It's very slow and stops everywhere and took about an hour.

Salem is famous for it's witch trials and as a harbour. It was beautiful, just like the town in Witches of Eastwick. It's now full of museums and you can spend all day and a lot of money wandering round them all. We just took a stroll and chilled, which was really nice, as our hangovers were just starting to kick in.



We got back to the room for about 17.00 for a snooze before dinner.

In Salem there a 200 foot clipper like the one that Christopher Columbus used to circumcise the globe (private joke).

Oh yeah and Fleet got there first point of the season. 1-1 with Banbury. Come on Lads!!
Friday 19th September 2003 - Day 6/273 - Boston, Massachusetts

I find it ironic that I'm in Boston and it's nearly October. That statement will mean something to people who know what it means, but it is fair to say that Boston has alot to be blamed for and I suppose a lot to be thankful for.

Today we took a walk to the hostel to check it out and see if we could book an extra night in Boston. The hostel looked a lot nicer than the one in New York, but was unfortunately booked up so we'll have to spend an extra (expensive) night in the Chandler Inn in Chandler Street.

Next stop was the Mapparium by the Christian Science Centre. It was basically a big stain glassed globe that was built in the early 1900's and has a map of the world as it was then. It had a presentation on how the world changes and develops. Apparently it's the biggest of it's kind in the world, but it wasn't the most amazing experience that I've ever had.

On the agenda next was Cheers for a spot of brunch. For me this was one of the reasons why i came to Boston. Before you go, you should know that this bar was only the inspiration for the show and it's a very different layout inside. I felt it was tacky and touristy and a conveyor belt.



From Cheers it was a metro journey to Harvard University. The metro's remind me of a Ghost Train @ a funfair. They are more like a Blackpool tram than a tube train. At $1 a trip though you can't really complain. A tip though, you must know your final destination or else you could end up going down the wrong entrance.

I think we missed a trick with Harvard. Everyone gave us the impression that it was worth a visit, but it wasn't really. There were lots of building some nice and some not, but maybe we just missed the point.

So we headed back into town to Cheers 2 which was supposedly set out in the same style as the TV show. It so wasn't and was a blatant rip off. I was gutted.

As part of our trolley tour from yesterday we were given a free ticket for a harbour cruise. We took them up on the offer to waste an hour and also to get some more abuse about being English from the tour guide. Get over it it was 200 years ago.

The cruise was interesting and informative and USS Constitution, which is the oldest sailing commissioned warship. Apparently it never lost a battle and had 22inch thick wooden sides that canon balls just bounced off which gave it the nickname of 'Old Ironsides'.



Boston is significant to the war of independance because it was where the first British troops landed and where the last one departed. They still haven't forgotten either.



The Site of the Boston Tea Party. Not much to say about that really.


I've had news that my tenant is moving out on the 17th November 2003. That could make this a really short trip. I just hope that my agent gets there fingers out and sorts it out.

In the evening we went for a meal in a Mexican Baja in Dartmouth Street. The food was very nice, but the portions are so big everywhere. I can bearly manage to finish a starter, but the prices are reasonable. Everything in America seems to be covered in cheese though.

We then went back to the hotel for a freshen up and a drink in the Gay Bar (really). I don't mind admitting that I was a little intimidated, but Mx was in a worse position after all she was the only girl. I said I wanted to meet all sorts, didn't I.

We drank up (quickly) and headed back to Dartmouth Street to the Clery's an Irish bar, which was just like Harwoods. It may sound funny to say, that this is the first that me and Mx have really had time to sit and talk about stuff and let our hair down. Up to now we've been too busy getting round sights and planning our next move.

The drinks are expensive, but the measures are lethal. We blagged our way into Carlo's birthday party.

"So how do you know Carlos?"

"He's my drug dealer"


Mx and I pissed. Can you tell?

Friday, September 19, 2003

Thursday 18th September 2003 - Day 5/273 - New York City, New York to Boston, Massachusetts

Today is moving day. So we got the Metro to the bus Terminal. Mx struggled a bit with her Rucksack. I didn't help under Eastwood's instructions, you'd have been proud of me. Mx is also worried that we haven't actually arranged any accomodation in Boston. She likes to know where we're headed. She's tried to phone all the hostels in Boston, but they are all full. We're just gonna wing it.

The best thing that you can say about The Port Terminal Bus Station in New York is that it's functional. We exchanged our voucher (bought in the UK for £352) for our CanAm Greyhound pass. It's valid for 60 days and you can take any trip that Greyhound or it's subsiduary's run.

We caught the Peter Pan Bus @ 9am. I think the journey would normally cost about $40, but we just flashed our pass and got on. Journey time was scheduled for 4 hours 20 minutes. The Peter Pan buses are newer than the Greyhound's and have TV's too, so we watched Ocean's 11.

The route took us out of New York through the Bronx and up the Connecticut coast through Stamford and Bridgeport. We then headed inland through Newhaven and Hartford. It's was nice to see a bit of greenery. There were certainly plenty of trees.

We continued into Massachusetts, passing Worcester and into Boston South Terminal. The journey taking 3 hours 50 with no dramas and quite pleasant.

My stomach was calling so we went to a diner and Mx went off to find a phone and I went to eat. The server behind the till asked me "How come you get to eat and she has to go use the phone." I told her that Mx had eaten yesterday so today was my turn. The bloke behind reckoned I should enter 'The Man of the Year' contest. I'm a dead cert.

I have to say the chicken kebab was absolutely superb.

Mx returned having booked 2 nights in a hotel room as all the hostels were fully booked. Spending a little more than planned, but I guess we learned the lesson that sometimes you need to make plans.

We headed to the Metro, with stomachs full and 20kg rucksacks on our backs. The indigestion soon set in and the train didn't help much. It was only 3 stops and 1 change. All journeys cost $1, but you have to buy a token.

We arrived in a quaint backstreet and made the way to hotel. It was easy to spot, it was the one with the massive Gay Pride flag outside. I'm so not gonna let Mx book another room for a while!!!!



In fairness the room is really nice. It has a bath and i think I might even treat myself to a shave. I do feel like I've cheated though, but we always knew Boston and New York would be expensive.

We set our stuff down and as time was pressing we decided to take a walk into Boston and what it had to offer. We booked ourselves on a trolley sightseeing trip ($25) and did a quick whistlestop tour of the town. The layout is quite confusing as it basically been built on a landfill and just kept getting added to. We think we're gonna like Boston and we're gonna go back and see the sights we liked. Welby was AWESOME (Mx understands)

Panorama Magazine - The Official Guide to Boston


As it was only 6pm I dragged Mx off to Fenway Park to watch the Baseball. The Boston Red Sox were playing the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. It costs us $28 each for tickets in the grandstand which was at the end of Left Field (are you still with me). The pre-game warm up was how shall I put it ............. cheesy, no very cheesy. They had a young girl sing the national anthem, then 3 people throw the first pitch and then a wickle kid say the famous word's "Play Ball"



The height of cheese was the ugly bloke proposing to his lovely girlfriend at the bottom of the 5th (half way through the game). I have evidence too. Just to get the photos sorted.



The game of baseball is secondary for most of the crowd. They spend most of there time going to get Hot dogs and beers and throwing beach balls. That's mainly because the play is disjointed and slow. I actually think that the game is underated and that people don't want to take time to understand it. It's similar to cricket in that there are lots of tactics, strategies and nuances that only a real fan would understand. To the normal supporter who wants to see big hits and passion, it's not for you. Anyway 34,040 people loved it. Me and Mx just took it in. The atmosphere was terrific and the stadium was characteristic.

I'm gonna talk crap for a while now, but american's love a stat and this is how they would take about the game. In answer to your question Big Steve, The Red Sox won 4-3 and are likely to make the playoff via the wildcard. There current win to Loss record is 88-67. The Pitcher (Wakefield) strike % was 77% and he was replaced halfway through the top of the 9th. He only conceded 6 hits. Martinez got 2 RBI's and went huge on one homer. It was outta here!!! The Red Sox made a couple of great double plays. I've no idea what that all means. Need to go to bed now.

Thursday, September 18, 2003

Wednesday 17th September 2003 - Day 4/273 - New York City, New York

Today we woke up to another hostel induced initiative test. Firstly the lights weren't working in the toilets; I just hope I didn't miss, like everyone else blatantly had. That also meant that I had to shower (in the one that worked) in the dark. I can think of lots of people that would look good showering in the dark. After that I had to get dressed in the dark. I'm sure I put on my pants, but I have been itching a lot today.

Having passed the test (I think) we went to brave the metro system again. This time we bought the one day pass for $7. We managed to find STA Travel in the hope that they might help us find some accommodation in Boston, but alas they were useless.

From here we walked to the UN Building for some reason. Which was a pretty naff building all in all. I think we both agreed that. It was here that myself and Mx had our first sort of Barney. Mx wanted to go to Coney Island and Brighton Beach and thought that I didn't. I was happy with that, but because I wasn't smiling she thought I wanted to go to Yankee Stadium. When will people realise that I'm quiet because I'm a quiet person. Just because I don't speak, it doesn't mean I'm not happy. And just because I don't smile, it doesn't mean I'm unhappy. All it means is that my Dad gave me his facial expressions. IT'S GENETIC!!!

Anyway it wasn't really a barney, but we headed out to Coney Island on the Metro (we're getting good now). Coney Island is all the way through Brooklyn and the Rough Guide describes it as 'one of the cities poorest districts and the amusement park is peeling and run down'. Well the Metro took us about 45 minutes to get there. I have to say that it was well worth the visit. Brighton beach was lovely and it felt good to be away from Manhattan.



As we walked down the front to the derelict Amusement Park, it reminded us of the Rotunda, Rotunda or the Ben Bon Brothers, Margate, but it was nice.



We even managed a game of Mini Golf. I won by 6 shots. And then I had a go at the driving range. But not the normal sort of driving range, this one was baseball. Basically a machine shoots rock solid balls at you to hit. The guys (or at least Beemer and Big Steve) will appreciate this, but there's nothing better than whacking a few balls to get the aggression out of you. For $2 you get 14 balls, so I suited up and had to make a choice between which sort of pitch I would like. I had a choice between slow, medium, fast and very fast. I was brave and plumped for Slow. I mean I hardly knew which end of the bat to hold.

After a couple of misses I eventually started hitting a couple of balls. By the end of it I had my eye in and the adrenaline was flowing. So I went and got another couple of tokens. This time I went for the Medium and even Mx noticed me hit a couple of them. Not sure how many home runs I got and I don't care much either, but I had fun.



It was still early so we decided to head back to Manhattan. Mx wanted to go to Staten Island so we decided to split and I headed for the Yankee Stadiums in the Bronx on the Metro's (we're veterans now). I even worked out how to get on the Express train.

Now Yankee stadium is on 161st Street. We got to 145th street (in the Bronx) when the driver announced that the train was now going to miss all the stops (including 161st street) until the end of the line. Now I looked round the carriage and didn't much fancy the rest of the journey, with the remaining characters on the train, so I decided to bail and head for the local platform. This platform wasn't much better than the carriage, so again I bailed and headed back for downtown, but not undeterred I had a B Plan.

There was one light hearted moment on that tube though. A starburst seller walked on the tube and proclaimed "Ladies and Gentlemen, I have a fine selection of candies for you, all priced at a $1. Anybody interested?" Of course everyone looks the other way or buries themselves deeper into their books.

He then repeats his offer in perfect Spanish. "Okay then" he says "Nobody Spanish or English here? How about French? Voulez vous couche avec moi, c'est soir" A few giggles break out in the carriage, but still no takers. Still trying "Okay then how about African" as he recited lines from the Lion King. At this point the whole carriage was in stitches. You really had to be there, but it did provide me with some relieve from my impending doom.

I'd decided to get off at 125th Street and walk the width of Manhattan to another line to try entering the Bronx again. So I got off the Subway at 125th headed for the exit. I found myself in Harlem. I don't mind admitting that I was a little scared. I put my head down and used my famous sense of direction and started walking. It wasn't till I reached 129th Street that I realised I'd headed the wrong way and was now deeper into Harlem, bugger!! I headed back for 125th and this time headed the right way. I felt a bit threatened and considering, it's only 19 blocks up from where we're staying, it's amazing the difference. I still tried to remain inconspicuous.

By now I was thirsty so sought refuge in the big M. The bloke behind the counter didn't understand my perfect English and the huge black guy next to me asked if I was from Scotland. When I told him I was from England, he told me he has been to England. I asked where, he said Wales. I didn't have the heart to tell him.

Anyway having made it unscathed to the other end of 125th Street, I eventually got to Yankee Stadium (I was determined) and returned to 42nd Street to meet Mx in the Internet Cafe. Now between us we have done (sort of) the 5 boroughs of New York (Manhatten, Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island and the Bronx), not bad in 3 days.



We headed to a nice restaurant on 49th Street called Joe Allens. Again it was too nice for us as they couldn't make room for us to have a table, but did offer us a seat at the bar. They did make room for the 2 blokes in suits who came in after us. It suited us fine as we had a good chat with Chris the Bar Man and Sandra and Judy, and got a little drunk too. That's why today's blog, may appear a little odd. Ohh and the Meatloaf was fab. Almost as good as my Mum's, I didn't get to taste the Apple Crumble as Mx troughed it all, before I could get a look in, I guess that was good too.

Wednesday, September 17, 2003

Tuesday 16th September 2003 - Day 3/273 - New York City, New York.

Okay I'm beginning to get this now. The smell in the hostel has subsided and the cleanliness has improved. I guess the cleaner had Sunday off. At the mo I share 2 toilets, 3 sinks and 3 showers (only 1 works) with 5 other rooms. I reckon I'm the only one who uses them though, at least properly. Respect to Mx though, she's got to go upstairs. Also we're sharing a room with 2 other guys. 1 Korean and the other polish. She's just got on with it though. I think we've both dreamed of a bath (not together), but we'll stick to the hostels for a while yet. Someone confirmed that this hostel is a shithole and the standard is better in other places in America. phew.

Last night we went to the cinema and watched SWAT. It was a good evening's entertainment, but the plot was a bit obvious. We did learn that cinemas are a con everywhere. It cost $10 admission and then $11.70 for a coke, a water and Popcorn. Oh yeah and if they ask if you want butter on the popcorn, say no. It tastes absolutely minging. The cinema seats are fantastic. Definitely designed for Americans. By that I mean that you can fit 2 of me in them. They also recline and are so comfortable.

After the movie we cheated and got a cab home $10 (Mx Paid, I'm such a gentleman). We were knackered after so much walking. The cabbie spoke not a word of English (none of them do, apparently), he was also mad, but very rapid. The $40 budget has gone completely out the window today. Ho Hum.



Today we decided to make the trip to Downtown Manhattan to take in the Statue of Liberty and the World Trade Centre. To do this we needed to get a tube to the bottom of Manhattan. Everyone has told us what a great system the American Subway is. Well to me and Mx it came as a total mystery. Firstly you've got to find the entrance. It's not like London where they put red, white and blue signs up to indicate the entrance. No in New York it's just a stairwell to what lies beneath. After looking at the map it turns out that we had walked past 2 entrances without realising it.

Once inside the subway it costs $2 for any journey. That ticket is valid for 2 hours. You can also get a day pass for $7 or a week pass for $21. Seems like excellent value to me. These tickets take in all of the 5 boroughs of New York and are also valid on the buses.

Now you've got to try and make sense of the map. The different lines basically travel from north to south, following the lines of the Avenues on the road system. If you're not familiar with the road systems in New York (and America, I think), I wasn't. Then the roads are straight and the Avenues stretch from North to South and the Streets from East to West. Instead of naming the roads they number them. I'm sure it makes sense to New Yorker's, but it takes a little getting used to.

We worked out we needed to go downtown, so managed to find the right entrance. Now also the different lines aren't named, but they're numbered or lettered. Ingenious, not!!! It also transpires that not all trains stop at every station, some are express. After waiting for a while we eventually found a train that stopped and was able to take us to Wall Street.

The trains were nicer than the London ones. The air-conditioning was a big plus. In truth we were just glad to get on one.

Right so we rocked up at Wall Street, the financial heartland of the US. It had taken about 45 minutes to get there. Wall Street was narrower that Midtown Manhattan and the building on both sides were tall. Suddenly the noise of a Fire Engine sounded and as we looked up we saw flames from one of these tall building. We sat on the steps to the church and watched the fire. It was quite surreal. Mx sat there reading the rough guide, me and all the other tourists sitting on the steps to this church taking photos of the NYFD and all the New Yorkers just carrying on with there business. Nothing exciting happened after that so we continued on our journey.





Saw the New York Stock Exchange, which is now closed to tourists after 9/11. It was also guarded with Armed Soldiers and there were slabs of concrete in the road to stop people driving near it.

From here we headed to Battery Park to catch the ferry to the Statue of Liberty ($10). As the ferry closed in on Liberty Island and we got a good view of the statue, Mx commented that it was the best bit of the tour so far. I said "yeah you won't see this in many places, except maybe Lego land" Doh.



On the Island you're not allowed up her, so to speak! Poxy terrorists. The ferry comes back via Ellis Island, which was used to keep the immigrants. We didn't get off the ferry here, but at least we can say we went there. The main building was beautiful and it is probably worth a visit.

We walked from Battery Park up to the WTC site. This in itself looms large, in its own way. The site is bigger than I imagined and I can only imagine how big the towers actually were. You can't really get a good view of the place, but the surprising thing is how centralised the site is. There are obvious signs of scarring to some, but not all the buildings in the immediate vicinity.



We then walked up from Downtown back to Midtown, it's a long way. We went via Robert De Niro's restaurant in Tri be ca, although we were not suitably attired to enter, so we ate in a nice Diner and had a chat with the waitress, who's just come back from Liverpool (why I ask myself??). We also passed the University and all the parks we came across.

We then made it to the Flatiron building, which is my personal favourite site. I just think it looks great.



We walked up Broadway, back to Times Square and what did strike me was that all the pedestrian mayhem seems limited to a few blocks around Times Square. New York doesn't strike me a being as being as busy as London. Oh yeah, and we saw Puff Daddy and his entourage.

Having made it back to Times Square knackered again, we decided to go to the movies again. This time we watched Matchstick Men, which is actually a good film and Nicholas Cage is good too (there's always a first time). This time I got no butter on my popcorn. We got a cab back again, and no the driver couldn't speak English and was mad, but rapid and Mx paid again. I know that this is becoming a regular thing, but we're getting into the swing of this.

Monday, September 15, 2003

Monday 15th September 2003 - Day 2/273 - New York City, New York


Well here I am in Easyinternetcafe in Times Square New York City and no it still hasn't sunk in what I've let myself in for. I can hear some of you now. "Why is he stuck in an internet cafe when he should be enjoying himself." Well we've done loads today and now we're just killing a couple of hours before the movie starts.

On the whole I'm feeling much perkier than yesterday. Woke up at 5.30 am to prove that point. So we went for an early morning stroll in Central Park, don't you know. Returned to the hostel for breakfast, which consisted of a bagel and Frosties, but was included in the $35.

After breakfast we walked down into the centre of Manhatten, that was 10 hours ago and we're still here. First thing on the list was 'The Dakota', which was the building where John Lennon was shot, but there was nothing to symbolise this, which was a trifle disappointing.

The next stop was the Tourist Information centre, which we wanted to see to make sure we don't miss anything. Well we managed to find Columbus circus but not the Tourist Centre. It appears to be gone so we'll have to rely on the Rough Guide.
It was then off to have morning tea in Grand Central Station, via the NBA store. Grand Central is a pheonomenial building, very impressive, much better than Waterloo.


Next to Grand Central is the Crysler Building, which again looks stunning.

Then we walked through the Rockafella Plaza, which we could easily have missed, but that was on our way to the Empire State building. From the observatory, costs $11 to get to the top, the view of the skyline from above is amazing and must not be missed.


From here we moved on to Madison Square Garden. I arranged an all access tour ($16) much to the delight of Mx. Madison Square Garden will mean something to some of you and the others of you will just glaze over. Basically it's the most used arena in the world. It holds 300 events a year, these include, Basketball, Ice Hockey, Rock Concerts and Boxing Bouts. The tour gives you a view all round the Garden. You see the executive boxes, the changing rooms and we even got to walk on the hallowed 'concrete' (at the moment). I don't think you can miss the chance to see this, secretly I think Mx enjoyed it too. We even lunched in the Gardens restaurant.

Afterwards it was on to the Bus Terminal, to arrange our escape from New York. We're off to Boston on Thursday. Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero and the Circle Ferry tomorrow.

On the whole it's been good. Still not sunk in that I'm away for a year, but I guess it will soon.

Regards to all!!!
Sunday 14th September 2003, Day 1/273, Fleet, Hampshire, England to New York City, New York, U.S.A.



The first Picture of the tour at Heathrow Airport. Rabbit in Headlights Springs to mind.

We had a pretty uneventful flight. 7 odd hours, 3445 miles and managed to watch Bruce Almighty, Anger Management and the start of the Italian job. Mx had arranged a transfer for us to the hostel, which actually was bloody useful, coz I couldn't get my bearings and the road and freeway structure was a complete bloody mystery to me.

The drive from JFK took us through Queens, which looked like a bit of a shithole (understatement), but there were kids out playing games of Cricket and football (our kind, the proper one).

As we closed in on Manhatten the awesome skyline started to loom large. The traffic on a sunday afternoon was mayhem, god knows what it would be like at rush hour.

We arrived at the hostel, which appeared to be in a nicer area of town (we'd driven through some real holes). The first thing that struck me was the smell. It smelt worse than boarding school, bearing in mind I shared a dorm with 19 others teenage boys, that's pretty bad.

It's fair to say that it's no palace, but it is bearable and I've stayed in worse places. We are sharing a dorm with 2 other blokes, 1 English the other Korean. The hostel has all the facilities, it's just whether you can get them to work. The atmosphere is vibrant and the other people seem nice.

My first impression of NYC is that it didn't disappoint or surprise. It's exactly like the TV. Traffic mayhem, Yellow cabs everywhere, construction workers chatting in their yank accents, Traffic cops, Shoe shine men, ethnically very diverse and all this to the backdrop of a spectacular skyline.

It's fair to say that I wanna do the sights and then get outta here and see real America.
4th September to 13th September

I was going to give you a blow by blow account of what I did on each of these days, but really it was far to rushed and a little strange and eerie feeling.

Anyway the week started with my final day at work which went very well and although I'm gonna miss some people from there, I'm really gonna miss the free internet access. Mind you it's only costing me $2.25 an hour here in Times Square. In truth I really appreciated all the gifts and kind word that I got when I left. The guys got me a 2 Seasons Sleeping Bag, a Maglite, A Rucksack cover, a money belt, a hanging wash bag and a travel alarm clock. Thanks Chaps!!! Special thanks to JB (Bungle) for getting me a road map (even if it hasn't got all the airfields on it).

After work we did the obligatory piss up. Which I throughly enjoyed. It was good to share a beer with Stan and Marie, Eastwood, Pearcey and Russ, Clure and Bolden, Debs, Caz and Pam, Pratt, Becks, Brooksy and Kells Bells, Guy, Big Steve and Char. Sorry If I didn't get round to speaking with all of you. Stan, where's the chuffing photo's!! Nothing like a Dukie night out, but then there's only 2 of us who understand that.

Friday was spent recovering mainly. I can't remember anything else.

Saturday 6th I managed to talk my Dad into buying me a new Rucksack and then went to Sittingbourne to watch Fleet lose 3-1. When will the ref's give us a break. Moan Moan!!

Sunday 7th went to watch Blackball at the cinema. Quite good.

Monday 8th was my first official day of freedom and I acheived nothing of what I wanted to or expected to. I did sign my will and tried to get used to the fact that I'm unemployed. Oh and England won a test match.

In the evening I put my bike to bed for a year. Good Luck to Alex with the forthcoming birth.

Tuesday 9th I went to Dover to meet ASWAS. Hope you got home okay and sorry you got drunk. I did get very freaked by seeing Dukies shopping in New Look.

The rest of the week was spent saying bye to people that I won't see for a year. It was all a bit surreal really.

I packed my sack in Saturday night in no time at all. I managed to fit everything in, much to the amazement of my Mum. My Mum had been clucking around my clothes pile for days really wanting to pack for me. I won though.

Monday, September 08, 2003

Well today has been my first day being unemployed. I had lots planned but failed to deliver on any of my expectations.

I did manage to find my way to the solictors to sign my will.

Afterwards I did one of my all time favorite things, which was waste half an hour in the amusement arcade. I used to be able waste 4 hours in them, so that probably shows that I don't find them as exciting as I used too.

Instead of doing anything productive for the rest of the day I decided to go home and watch England win a Test Match.

I thought I'd have a first attempt at packing my gear. I failed miserably and I'm gonna have to shed a load more stuff before I attempt it again. Maybe it will have to be just the one pair of pants.

This evening I have put my motorbike to bed for the year.

More exciting adventures tomorrow. Bare with me guys .....................

Thursday, September 04, 2003

It's my last day at work today. Everything is just beginning to dawn on me, but the excitement is building. Plus we're gonna have a fab night in Fleet tonight.

Mx and I went to the US Embassy yesterday to apply for our US visas. After 2.5 hours of waiting we were approved, with no real issues. They'll be posted out to us with in a week so all should be received before our departure on the 14th.

More Money forked out too.

£67 for our visa application
£352 for our Greyhound tickets (valid for 60 days on any Greyhound Bus throughout the US and Canada (Bargain))
£92 for 4 nights accomodation in the Jazz on the Park hostel, 36 West 106th Street, New York. Jazz on the Park Hostel
£12 for our airport transfer from JFK.

We've slightly (only slightly) pushed the boat out and over my $40 (£25) a day budget, but it is New York and it will also be our first few days together so we'll be easing ourselves in gently.

Monday, September 01, 2003

Great day on Saturday with a farewell night out in The Duke of York pub, Victoria with Forum chums, JOE Here, Stan (Tango), George (Johnny Depp), BruceW, Hx (Icebreaker) and Mx.

THE EVIDENCE

Oh and Fleet progressed to the First Qualifying Round of the FA Cup for the first time in 3 years with a resounding 1-0 win over Epsom and Ewell.