Arrival in New York

It seemed to take an age. After leaving home at 6.30am on Friday, I arrived at my hotel at 11.00pm. Add on the five hours time difference and a bed for the night was a welcome sight.

Although I have visited NYC before, I have never used the subway, and I was to experience a quick lesson on how to navigate the transport system.

On arrival at JFK airport, the Air Train takes passengers to the various transport connections to get to the city. On departing the Air Train, you then pay for that journey before you can get through the barriers and also buy your tickets for the further trips.

I needed to get the Jamaica Rail Road train into Penn Station, and my combined tickets would cost $12.25. How many foreigners have the exact change needed, bearing in mind all the ticketing is done through machines, no human ticket sales.

So, with the help of an accomodating railway worker it was suggested I put in a $20 bill and purchase a Metrocard - so its good for journeys on future days. I feel like a New Yorker already, without the hassle of queuing to buy a ticket on my next foray on the subway.

Penn Station is weird. I arrived at track 16 at a station where all the platforms are tightly packed together. The next job was to find the subway.

Withouth too much difficulty, The 'E' line was found and I alighted at Chambers St, adjacent to the World Trade Center construction site.

My hotel is the World Center Hotel, brand new and the first new building to be opened to the public after the rebuilding following 9/11.

I may have been very tired, but as I walked around the WTC site to my hotel, the round-the-clock workers could be heard behind the billboards that surround the site gave a huge sense of the spirit in the way in which the city is re-building.

When I checked into the room, I could not believe the view.


Eighteen floors up with the lights of the skyscrapers working as a backdrop to the birds' eye view of the WTC construction site.

When I woke this morning, the view was equally as impressive, and just a little more as I went up to the 20th floor - and onto the outdoor terrace for breakfast.

Today I get the New York City pass that will entitle me to go slighlty overboard with my camera.

After 81 degrees on arrival last night, thunderstorms are predicted today - and I came all this way without a coat!

Preparing for America

Passport, deodrant (it's going to be warm), clean socks. The tick list is ready, and I think I'm just about set for a trip across America. Well, a small part of it.

The trip will start in New York City.

I last visited The Big Apple two years ago, when I was staying in Massachusetts. I drove from Cambridge, just north of Boston on a day trip of around 220 miles each way. However, a missed turning meant I didn't park at the last commuter rail stop before the city boundary.

Then I hit a queue of traffic caused by the meeting of two 18-wheelers in The Bronx as I headed towards Manhattan. After a couple of hours stuck, looking at the sky-rise flats, the last few miles of the journey could eventually be made.

However, when I made it to Manhattan, no parking lot had a space. I turned back to the direction from which I came and stopped on a highway for en evening meal on my return to Cambridge.

I am hoping for better luck this time.















From New York, I will be heading west to visit some towns not yet experienced. To Hershey, home of the famous chocolate and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, for a couple of nights.

Then, it will be on to Columbus. From the state capital of Ohio my drive will continue to Indianapolis.

That's as far west as I will drive as then I turn north-east and to a city of plenty of memories and friends. To Cleveland. Home of the Browns.

There awaits an extra feelgood factor this time around, but more about that when I arrive there.

The longest driving stretch of the tour will be from Cleveland for the flight home from JFK airport.

In all, a driving distance of 1,450 miles according to the route finders with plenty of breaks in between for beer, good food and plenty of chances to use my camera.

I spoke to Marble Office (management) and the thought of making a travelogue of the adventure for a special radio programme in the Christmas schedule was born. So my roving microphone will travel with me as I aim to meet a few characters and experience some history and attractions.

I will endeavour to blog as I go, and this first attempt at using the website will hopefully get me familiar with how to upload pictures and discover which layout I think works best.

Wish me luck as I remember you can turn right on a red light (but NOT in NYC) - and I still wonder what the flashing red traffic lights mean.