Reflections from both of us

Stella
What an epic trip!  Something I would never do again but it was a difficult remit - to see USA and Canada with the minimum of flying so hence all in one go.  Would I do it again? - No.

Would I do it differently?  Yes - knowing what I know now, I would have flown from Niagara to New York.  Even the time to get back to Toronto Airport (and transport cost) and getting to the hotel from New York surely would not have taken 9 hours!  Also the cabin on the trans-Canada train was really just too small and we are used to tight space in a motorhome!  Having said that, it was convenient to get to the midtown hotel from the station we arrived at in New York.  I would probably do the train again from NY to Washington as, although boring, it would probably be no shorter by the time you took a taxi or other transport to and from the airports.

Was there one particular highlight?  No, there were several - the National Parks for both USA and Canada, the canyons, the scenery, the wildlife, the buzz of New York, the quaintness of Key West, the delight of the Rocky Mountaineer - all combined to make this certainly one of my greatest experiences of a lifetime.

Were there any disappointments?  I would have to say probably Washington as apart from monuments I found it fairly boring, and the drive to Key West which was either built up towns or concrete causeways.

Any advice to travellers contemplating this sort of trip?  Bags on wheels or backpacks - trying to carry an enormous, heavy bag nearly did for Les!   You need layers, including light thermals for northern Canada, and unless you are able to do washing frequently, unfortunately you do need quite a few clothes but nothing too smart as although there were irons in the hotel rooms, who wants to iron on holiday!

What did you like or dislike about the experience?  I was actually surprised at how friendly everyone was (with possibly just one exception) and how polite (no swearing heard at all except from a couple of probably college/uni people at Key West who had obviously partaken of a bit too much drink).  I was also impressed with the facilities provided at sightseeing spots - toilets (restrooms) and water fountains plus the usual bins.  I was overawed by the size of the countries, the size of vehicles, the size of the sights (both natural wonders to objects such as the display screens in Time Square!

I was not impressed by the general level of poor coffee (apart from a well-known international chain which was consistently very good), by the lack of waste recycling in most places (although we haven't stayed in hotels in the UK so perhaps they are just as bad).  I was rather shocked by the amount of lighting in the cities - everything is lit.  I was expecting Las Vegas but as we were flying into Miami, the city seemed golden due to the number of streetlights.

Les
Everyone we met who asked about our trip was amazed at how much we were packing in. It was most certainly a fantastic experience, but quite tiring! It's very hard to pick out favourites, but here is my attempt:

• Yosemite National Park. Best view was from Glacier Point, 3200 feet above the valley floor, and a vertical drop.
• The Grand Canyon North Rim. The paths looked perilous, but that added to the drama.
• Autumn colours, especially in Utah and Ontario.
• The Rocky Mountaineer. A long-held ambition to take this trip, despite the high cost.  We were very well looked after, and it was so great to have our bags delivered to our hotel room and back to the train after the overnight stop.
• Niagara Falls. But not the town which is utterly horrible.
• Times Square, New York.
• The Everglades airboat.

There were of course a few disappointments:

• The tatty motorhome. Cruise America is well worth avoiding. And 15 mpg for a 3-berth motorhome was disgraceful.
• The trans-Canada train. The train itself is OK, but arriving at the appalling Toronto station 9 hours late and in torrential rain was just too much! If VIA Rail can't get this service to run more or less on time it will certainly fold.
• Holiday Inns. They have gone down-market in recent years. The Days Inn was seedy but the room was better equipped and breakfast was included.
• British Airways food. Some serious cost-cutting going on here.

....and some constant irritations:

• Not knowing how much things will cost because varying amounts of tax will be added to the labelled price.
• Some automated card payment systems demanding a US zip code for verification instead of a PIN. Another example of American chauvinism.
• Dreadful television content.
• .....and this Google blog editor!

We could not of course expect such a long and complex trip to be devoid of problems, and on balance it was wonderful. We can now watch US TV programmes with a good chance of being able to say "We've been there"!

The Final Curtain

Our final day dawned in the usual lovely sunny weather, and this morning we had the bonus of the complimentary breakfast which actually turned out to be quite good with a choice of cereals, pastries, fruit, toast etc.  The only let down was the "juice" which didn't actually say juice but "drink" which implied watered down juice drink - which it turned out to be!

We were soon on our way to the Oleto River State Park in North Miami which was the only bit of green space that we could find to spend our last day away from the crowds and perhaps do some walking.  We entered the street into Garmin and ended up at a residential street which didn't look right somehow. We asked some locals where this place was but they only spoke Spanish!  We had an electronic copy of the brochure so checked the street number which didn't turn up on Garmin so we aimed for the nearest one and eventually found our way to the park. The park website made no mention of a charge but $6 was cheap for all day parking with facilities. The area for parking cars was absolutely huge with numerous picnic huts with BBQs.  We had hoped to find somewhere for a coffee but we could find nothing apart from a kayak hire place. We wandered around for a while until lunchtime - a most pleasant oasis of calm. We then selected one of the picnic places and enjoyed lunch by the water hoping to catch sight of a manatee but no such luck. There were several mountain bike trails leading from a large track which we walked along for a while in the shade, beside mangroves.

We had to throw away the remainder of the lunch and what would have been breakfast items - where are the homeless when you need them?  We then walked around the cycle tracks for a bit until we could delay no longer to get changed. It seemed odd to be back in long sleeved tops, jeans and shoes/socks!  We piled into the car, turned on the aircon and drove to the airport.  There is a separate building for hire car return as it is such a huge operation and very slick with staff checking in cars in just a few seconds!  We then staggered some way for the railcar to the actual airport building and then to check in, where we were horrified to find that the flight had been delayed until after 23:00 (from 20:25)!!!  We were each given a $9 `light refreshments' voucher - so generous!  This meant that we had to sit around for hours and hours and to cap it all there was no wi-fi. Les recalled that it was a very naff airport 30 years ago, and it still is.

We spent a couple of hours downing beers and having a "light" snack - we had to leave most of it as it was largely carbs - it was classed as a Cuban sandwich but was just an ordinary toasted filled roll with.....chips - very nice but we could really have done with a salad knowing we will be fed again when we board. Why does nearly everything come with fries here?

We grabbed a coffee, typed the blog and were generally bored.  Most of the airport had closed by then - shops, cafes etc and we had to get through security by 9:30 pm otherwise they go home too!!!  We wandered through security (as usual no signs as to what to take off so you get sent back to do it again!) and sat with the other disgruntled passengers waiting for the plane to arrive and then get cleaned. Profuse apologies from BA again, a letter confirming the delay (might be useful for travel insurance?) and the offer of soda, ie fizzy drinks, as everywhere had now closed.  Eventually boarded and were on our way after 11pm and were lucky enough to have a spare seat beside us. We think this belonged to someone paged a number of times and then told their bag would be offloaded.

We did not feel like eating at midnight and the meal itself wasn't very appetising - dry roll, vege ravioli (the cabin staff thought it was lasagne!) and very sweet lemon cake.  We then tried to get some sleep with frequent shaking from the plane and the usual cacophony of noises from those around.  Somehow the time passed and breakfast arrived - again not very inspiring and all on the sweet side - a dry croissant, cereal bar and small packet of cranberries. Preparation for landing seemed to take ages as we circled around southern England and although the pilot advised it would be a bit bumpy, nothing prepared us for the shaking, up/down motion and at times dropping through the air!!!  The worst final approach we have experienced, through the tail end of a major storm apparently. Safely on the ground we had a minor wait whilst a parking space was made available for the aircraft, and our taxi driver was waiting for us, having monitored the arrival time for our flight. A quick trip home - at last!!!

Back to Miami

Again our sleep was disrupted by the shrieking and cackling girls next door. This time they returned to their room at 04:20, and it took two calls to reception before they began to quieten down. So it was nearly 05:00 before we could get back to sleep. Otherwise the hotel was excellent, but one lesson learned is to reject a room with a connecting door unless that's what you booked. It won't dampen the noise of unruly neighbours.

Weather forecasting for south Florida must be a boring job, as it always seems to be warm and sunny - it's called The Sunshine State. So we loaded the bags into the car and set off back along the Overseas Highway with the air conditioning working hard. The return journey was no more notable than before, but pleasant enough. We stopped for lunch at the same little beach in Islamorada - a very convenient place. This time, we set the sat-nav to accept toll roads, so we whizzed up the turnpike instead of stopping at about a hundred sets of traffic lights. The system bills you by reading the licence plate, so we expect a few dollars to appear on our hire car account tomorrow, judging by the tolls posted on each section. Some were as low as 25 cents.

We arrived at the Holiday Inn just before 3 pm, parking the car next door for the overnight charge of $20 as before. We did get a small concession from the hotel manager, vouchers for continental breakfast. We were hoping for a cooked brekkie. The room is on a lower floor and up to Holiday Inn standard, ie mediocre. Exactly the same size as the one before. We were expecting a view, and got a dirty flat roof with air conditioning outlets. Well we do have an ice bucket without having to ask twice.

With some time in hand, we did a recce for dinner by walking around the marina area. It was packed with revellers, even at 4 pm, with various musicians, and food being wolfed down everywhere. We were quoted $12 for a mojito, but found another bar where they are $8. Still a bit steep but we could not get below $9 in Key West.

So we aimed for the $8 cocktails and had a pina colada and a margarita, both excellent. Then we were off to Bubba Gump's, which milks the film Forrest Gump for all it's worth. It's basically shrimp (prawns to you and me) with everything. We had crab stuffed mushrooms to start, and shrimp skewers and mahi mahi (with shrimps) for mains. Not cheap but nothing is here. We shared a cup of ice cream and wandered around the port for a bit, then returned to the hotel room. Yippee, the wi-fi actually works in the room! So we checked in online for tomorrow's flight.

The Key to Holiday Fun

Some issues during the night when the party next door came back at 01:00 and started screeching with laughter etc with no regard to anyone else.  It continued so long that Les was forced to hammer on the door to get them to pipe down!  Great to have a lie in but getting seriously fed up with muffins for breakfast. With this hotel you can advise when you would like your room serviced (within reason) and as we planned to return to the room for lunch, we selected a suitable time in the morning and left for a walk to the beach.

This proved to be just too hot, and not terribly interesting, and we turned back to the hotel, caught the bus into town and spent an hour or so exploring on the shady side of the streets.  The bus driver was a right character and was chatting so much he forgot to drop a couple off at the beach so we had to go round the block but nobody is in a hurry around here!  It really is a charming and characterful place.  There are numerous activities such as fishing charters, sunset cruises with or without a meal, glass bottom boat tours, ski boat etc.  The water is ideal being flat calm.  The shops are numerous and quaint - some of the usual tack but mostly good quality jewellery etc.  We also discovered that the Keys are known for their sandals - we know them as jandals or flip flops.  These seem to be mostly leather made and held in high regard.

While checking out restaurants for dinner tonight, we were appalled to see several menus offering dolphin. We eventually learned that this is the American name for a fish, also known as mahi mahi in Hawaii. Sighs of relief all round.

The sight of four apparent miscreants sitting handcuffed on the kerb was intriguing, as they dripped in the searing sunshine, while the police waited for another car to cart them away. We heard that a lot of shady characters come down here from Miami, with various substances they should not have.

We treated ourselves to a couple of cheap beers to take back to the hotel room, plus a piece of allegedly authentic key lime pie which was far better than the version we tried yesterday.  Stella also found a great channel on the TV which seemed to show cute kittens so had to be dragged away to the shop again to buy some items for the next two days' lunches.  Never has a shopping trip taken so long for so little!  We ended up buying a whole loaf which would be cheaper than the prepared rolls (saving some $18 on that purchase alone!).

We spent an hour or so at the pool - lovely area to sit out, towels provided and the water was very warm.  We then changed and caught the bus into town to take more photos, find a place with Happy Hour and decide where we would go for dinner.  We found a place offering cut price beers - 2 for $5.50!!  Then we hurried to the Sunset Pier area where Stella took many photos and a budding photographer also took one of us together which we can email him for.  He was trying out his kit I think.  We then decided on a place to eat serving grilled lobster and enjoyed a few oysters to start (although not as good as those recently sampled from West Mersea!).  The bread served with it was delicious - very dark and slightly fruity, honey and whole wheat.  We asked for a salad with the lobster which was huge and very fresh.  Satisfied we caught the bus back to the hotel - luckily they were anticipating the crowd who were waiting and had 2 buses available.

Going West

Our departure from the Holiday Inn Miami was notable for a terse conversation with the front desk supervisor, regarding the issues that arose yesterday. He would not commit to any remedial action, preferring to interrogate us as to our other hotel stays, and to try to sell their loyalty programme. The best we could get was to ask for him when we check in again on 19th, on our way back home.

In the now customary hot weather (about 36 degrees C), we loaded the bags into the hire car and set off towards Key West. The lunch ingredients were put into plastic bags with ice cubes. Having set the sat-nav to avoid tolls, we were taken down US1, with a rather odd glitch at the beginning. First of all the unit gave a voice command from yesterday's route, then seemed to remember that a new route had been set up. At a tricky junction the route disappeared from the screen and we of course went the wrong way. Eventually the system sorted itself out and we were on the right route. However it was very slow, with traffic lights every mile or so and long waits.

The one road down through the Keys is actually quite tedious. The islands are heavily built up, linked by bridges, one being the famous Seven Mile Bridge. Traffic was still quite heavy. We got to a village called Islamorada, which like all the others is long and narrow. After asking at the visitor centre we found a very nice place for lunch, next to a small beach looking across to mangroves. The ice in the lunch pack did its job superbly, much of it still solid.

We arrived at the Doubletree by Hilton at around 4:30 pm. It's vastly better than the tacky Holiday Inn - very nice room, with fridge and ample coffee sachets, and car parking is free on the deal the travel agent got. There is a very good shuttle bus to the town. Wi-fi in the room is excellent, and we managed a very good FaceTime call to Alex, before catching the shuttle into town. We alighted at the port area, and strolled along the waterfront as the sun set. We notice a stall selling conch fritters, so decided to try a few. While the batter was nice, the bits of conch were tasteless and excessively chewy. If you are ever tempted, don't bother.

There were various street artists of course. An escapologist in a strait jacket took so long over the preamble that we gave up and moved on. The musicians were not very good, and the Christian preacher of course we didn't even stop to assess.

Thoughts then turned to proper food, and we fetched up in a very noisy bar/restaurant called The Hog's Breath. As we sat down, recorded music was playing, kicking off with Pinball Wizard followed by Street Fighting Man. This augured well. Now that we are wise to American portion sizes, we ordered one dish to share, comprising three slow cooked pork shanks with rice, fried plantain, and black bean sauce. This was excellent, but the Key lime pie to follow wasn't - too sweet and not enough lime. By now the live band was playing, and they were very good, starting with a swing number and turning a bit jazzy, via an old Rolling Stones song. Although it was only 7:30 by the end of our meal, the bar was besieged by very loud girls, egged on by young men of course. The place certainly could not be accused of lacking atmosphere.

After dinner we walked down Duval Street, said to be historic. Some of the buildings are quite interesting, mostly of timber construction, but some in quite ornate brick. About halfway down there seems to be the kinky section, with unconvincing drag artists posing in the bar doorways. The town is packed with people having fun, rather like a Mediterranean resort. Every sort of water-based entertainment is available, at a price of course.

'Gators

Reasonably quiet here, except that when someone wants ice from the machine which is just next door it makes a thunderous racket.  Perhaps it is mostly Stella getting this as the water from the tap is not very cold! After breakfast (the croissant bought last night had suffered somewhat) we picked up the car - only a short distance from the hotel - and then headed for a supermarket for supplies for lunch and other breakfasts.  Also had the cheapest coffee to date - 89c!  We had to pay for parking though as it is city centre.  Armed with Garmin, we set off for the Everglades.  Our airboat trip wasn't until the afternoon but by the time we had actually reached the right road (which went on for about 60 miles, almost dead straight), we thought we would just head for a visitor centre and find somewhere (shady) for lunch.

We duly did this and enjoyed our lunch watching butterflies and large insects which turned out to be dragonflies but quite different from ours.  Whilst Les finished his lunch, Stella wandered around the boardwalk and found a couple of alligators plus herons and other fish-loving birds as there seemed to be a plentiful supply.  We also refilled our water bottle as it was very hot (about 36 degrees C).

A few miles down the road we took a short walk on another boardwalk through a swampy forest. It was very beautiful but eerie. Tall cypresses rose from the water, supported on buttress roots, around which catfish lazed. Some strange creature, possibly a bird high in the treetop, made a long screeching call which sounded like a tiny chainsaw. It was all very atmospheric.

We still arrived early for our airboat trip but were able to sit outside in the shade whilst we waited, and they also put our food in their fridge instead of our having to leave it fermenting in the car.  When we boarded we were provided with headsets which relayed the captain's narration, while dampening the noise of the unsilenced V8 just behind our heads. The ride itself was just fabulous - mostly gently buzzing along and then opening up the throttle to fly through the mangrove channels.  It reminded us of a ride some took on the 3D simulators at Futurascope, but not so stomach churning!  We also saw a crocodile and an alligator before a friendly raccoon put on a great show interacting with the driver/guide who was getting too confident so she bit him!  Nothing serious but just to warn everyone they are not tame!

It was a long, straight and busy drive back so Stella was dropped off at the hotel whilst Les found an overnight car park a bit cheaper than that offered by the hotel (every little helps!).  We quickly showered and did yesterday's blog down in the lobby before scooting downstairs for dinner with our 20% off voucher!

Update after dinner:
What a disappointment. The soup was `clam chowder', which consisted of bits of potato in a tasteless white goo. No hint of seafood. The main course was `chicken marsala'. Stella's chicken was tepid and went back for a blast in the microwave. Vegetables were overdone and not very hot, sauce was a nondescript gravy with no hint of any kind of booze let alone marsala. It might as well have been `Chicken Bisto'. We complained bitterly and were not charged for the meal, just the drinks. There followed a comprehensive moan to the reception clerk about the unreliable wi-fi, poor housekeeping service, and the mediocre food. He promised to phone us after speaking to his manager, about 20 minutes. That was 1.5 hours ago and nothing has been heard. Oh dear, we have another night in this hotel on our way back from Key West, before we fly home.

More Tedious Travel (15th October)

The day was to be devoted to our journey from Washington to Miami, so we were not expecting much in the way of scenic views. Breakfast was rather a scrum, with far too few tables and chairs for the guests, plus of course the same unruly toddlers as yesterday. We checked out of the hotel as late as possible, 11:00, as the airport shuttle bus was to pick us up at 11:10. The trip took us through some quite nice residential areas, with prettily painted terraced houses, collecting more passengers on the way.

Check-in at the airport was reasonably civilised, and then we had the long wait for our 17:25 flight. Fortunately it's quite a nice terminal, and we had a reasonable lunch, and bought a few items for a light snack during the flight (no food included on American Airlines domestic flights, you have to pay for it). We tried a video call with Alex during the afternoon, but the airport wi-fi wasn't quite up to it and we only got a few minutes.

The flight was fairly uneventful, with slight turbulence at times, plus a more severe bout just before landing. On emerging from the air conditioned terminal the heat and especially the humidity hit us like a hammer. The taxi ride to the Holiday Inn on Biscayne Boulevard was quite long, but we arrived at about 9 pm. There was time for a quick walk around the Bayside shopping and dining area nearby, where we managed to buy pastries for tomorrow's breakfast just before all the shops closed.

The hotel looks very posh in the reception area, but the room again isn't very big and is not very well equipped. No ice bucket, and minimal coffee for the machine. The wi-fi won't work in the room and we have to go down to reception.

Monumental Facilities

Sleeping in this tacky motel type accommodation is difficult.  Apparently part of the complex is given over to social housing!  Not being a snob or anything but kids play ball games in the car park and adults stomp around shouting and yelling most of the night.  It is also difficult to get the temperature/air about right as then the fan noise kicks in!  We are looking forward to getting home with windows open and fresh air!

We were pleasantly surprised by breakfast - with choice of a couple of cereals, pastries (we set aside a couple of muffins for lunch), toast (grape jelly & peanut butter - not game enough to try though!), oranges, juice and reasonable coffee.  We set off for town in the shuttle with a Canadian couple - also not impressed with the accommodation!

Union Station, Washington DC

At the station we had time for a coffee and managed to get some photos of the interior which is being renovated, then headed over for the Capitol where we had a tour booked.  We arrived in good time but were dismayed to find that no food or drink was permitted so had to eat our muffins and drink the water (could keep the bottle) before entering.

The tour got going with the rather annoying guide twittering on over the headphones with which we had all been provided. She seemed able to speak without taking a breath, punctuated with frequent giggles. The tour was very good but the group was quite large and towards the end of the session we, and a few more in the group, lost our guide (which was a relief)  and ended up going in a circle trying to find her to no avail.  We therefore made our way back to the start and handed back our headphones - intended to keep in touch with the guide but they did not have a wide enough range.  There did not appear to be anywhere to buy food in the surrounding area so we tried the restaurant at the Capitol and were pleasantly surprised with the choice which enabled us to have a huge sandwich between us and fruit.

We then started the long trek to see the White House but no sooner had we made it to our objective and were just about to take a photo when we were moved on by security as some photo session was about to take place on the lawns - there were opportunities to take more photos further away but with limited time available (as we had to get back to the hotel to check in on line for our flight tomorrow) it was disappointing.

Heading south we walked past the Vietnam  Veterans Memorial which is quite dramatically simple, to the Abraham Lincoln Memorial which was crowded but we laboured up and down the stairs for the obligatory photos.  We walked down the side of the Reflecting Pool to the WW2 memorial, then around the Tidal Basin, having good views of the Washington Monument, passing the Columbus Memorial, the Martin Luther King Memorial and the huge extent of Franklin D Roosevelt Memorial.   We were grateful for the frequent spacing of water fountains as it was very warm and humid and we were hurrying along at quite a pace, determined to see as much as possible but restricted to being back at the station by 16:45.

We trotted on, reaching the farthest part at the Thomas Jefferson Monument before heading north east and the Smithsonian Castle, various government buildings (by now they are all looking the same!).  Time is ticking away as we begin the home stretch up one last street (with numerous crossings involving some brisk walking and even running to make it) before reaching the front of the station and spying the shuttle van.  By now we were dripping and probably bright red - luckily the driver ignored his own signs about definitely no food or drink as we glug back the water desperately.

On checking in for tomorrow's flight we find that the seats are few and far between - in fact we can't get 2 together at all so are both stuck in the middle of rows of 3.  After welcome showers, we are off downstairs for dinner again, this time something a little less spicy!

$5 Well Spent!

Luckily there was not a mad rush to get up and out as the train was scheduled to leave Penn Station at 11:35. We are constantly amazed at how we manage to pack our bags as we still keep accumulating items - mostly paper! On checking out, the clerk (imposingly described by the hotel as an `ambassador') asked whether we had had a good stay. Bad question. Les had a good moan about late room servicing, almost useless wi-fi for the last 36 hours, and horribly noisy plumbing. We were offered free breakfast vouchers to compensate, rather too late as it was 10:15. The Holiday Inn Midtown has location in its favour, but very little else.

The taxi ride to the station had us worried. Fifth Avenue was closed for the Columbus Day parade, so traffic was funnelled down 7th. Absolute chaos, verging on gridlock. The driver dropped us at the front of Penn Station, which happens to be next to Madison Square Garden, and we had been directed to the back when we arrived four days ago. Hence we were somewhat disorientated. We got little direction from the driver, who had more passengers in the taxi before we had got the bags out - for which he offered no help. He then started to drive off in the middle of that operation - tailgate still  up and Les halfway in the boot!

In case you are wondering about the title - when we arrived at the station it was heaving and we noticed that there was not much time between the train arriving and then departing. On the previous incoming train there was a change of staff, and maintenance took place several stations before thus ensuring a quick turnaround at NY. We plonked ourselves down in the Amtrak waiting area, had coffee, and saw there was a "red cap" service which seemed to whisk bags away pretty smartly. The porters work for tips - there is no official charge - so we opted for this and as the title says it was well spent as the porter ushered us through the crowds, reversed an escalator to shorten the route, and placed the luggage inside the carriage before anyone else, ensuring we had the choice of seats. We thought the $5 tip was good value, as in addition we didn't have to navigate to the platform. What a contrast to the taxi driver earlier.

The train journey was pretty boring. The route is mostly heavily built up, and there was nothing worth photographing. But of course, Stella could not restrain herself so some boring photographs were taken. We passed some of the time in reading Trip Adviser reviews of our destination hotel, the Day's Inn (good wi-fi on the train). Some of these were not encouraging, especially the ones which mentioned bed bugs. Lunch was again taken on the train, this time supposedly cheese croissants bought from the ubiquitous Tim Hortons at Penn Station. But we found there was no cheese in them.

A pleasant surprise was Washington Union Station - very nice interior in classical style. No possibility of photography, encumbered as we were with bags, but we should be able to do that tomorrow. The taxi trip to the hotel was longer than expected - the Day's Inn is miles out from the centre. On arrival we were not impressed by its position, beside a noisy dual carriageway and no shops anywhere near. The reception area looked better than expected though, and we were pleased to hear that a continental breakfast is included. Finding our room however was a challenge. It's really a motel, with rooms opening to the outside around car parks. We are on level 2 (what Europeans call the first floor), and the lift has buttons for levels 1, 2 and 3, but there is no level 3 and although it stops at 2, the nearby rooms are in the 300s. The explanation is that level 2 actually has rooms numbered in both the 200s and 300s. Confused? We were.

There is an ancient grainy CRT TV, and a microwave and fridge so we might buy something tomorrow to eat in the room. Surprisingly there is an attached Chinese restaurant which we'll try this evening.

There is at least a free shuttle bus to Union Station, which is near the Capitol for which we have tour tickets tomorrow. Weather forecast is fairly good.

Update:
The Chinese restaurant turned out to be Szechuan style so the food was quite spicy! But it was very good and lots of it. It was heavily patronised by oriental people which is usually a good sign. Quite a bit cheaper than most other meals we have had on this trip.

Queues

Having watched the weather forecast we knew today would be lovely weather and were not disappointed.  We made our way again to the Rockefeller Center and resigned ourselves to queues.  We found them at every step of the way - including the initial entry restricted to within a few minutes after the allotted time and no more or less!  An elevator whisked us upstairs where we joined another queue for security, one for the obligatory photo - which we walked through - and then another great bank of people in 3 tiers, entertained by endless showings of the Center at Christmas!  Each tier was then ushered through to another queue for the lift and at this point we discovered a leak in the rucksack had occurred (a bottle of water had become punctured resulting in a wet bottom for Les!).  We were able to dispose of said article and fish out all the soggy items to dry out whilst we took the elevator up to the 79th floor (we think! but were frantically mopping out the bag at this stage!).  This entire process took 50 minutes in total!!!  

At this level we could go outside with all round viewing and of course in the glorious sunshine the views were perfect.  There were another 2 floors we could access, each getting progressively smaller but the final one had a clear, uninterrupted view whereas the other 2 had protective glass.  We were very reluctant to leave as it was just idyllic and we had noticed horrendous queues for the exit - and our fears were well founded as it took us 40 minutes to finally exit!!!

In order to achieve our objectives for the day, we had to partake of lunch on the move - hotdog with all the works and a large salted pretzel.  We're still finishing up our vegetable crudités (still one more day's worth even now), plus fruit.  We had to purchase water after our unfortunate accident but things were drying out nicely now.

Coats were discarded as we ambled along in the sunshine - walking from 34th down to 14th where we accessed the High Line - a disused railway line which has now been tastefully converted to a boardwalk with seats installed where stations once existed.  A most enjoyable experience, albeit with half of New York walking with us!

At about 14th St we exited and made our way to the subway to take an express to Central Park North at 110th St to walk the length of the park seeing the Conservatory Garden, the Rambles, Great Lawn, rollerskating, The Lake, the Turtle Pond - observing some sort of Greek dancing going on and Irish type music at the Columbus Statue (it being Columbus Day or Thanksgiving tomorrow).  We emerged from the Park at 59th St - pretty tired by now and wanting dinner!

Arriving back at our hotel room we were not impressed to find that the room had not been serviced eg the bed had not been made and no cleaning undertaken. Stella had to wash her hair so we rang housekeeping to moan and asked them to return in an hour - we were not the only room as the entire corridor was still having cleaning undertaken.  Refreshed we went in search of food but the 2 restaurants we had thought were possibles were now rejected as too expensive so we returned to the Irish pub but were to regret this decision.  Having placed our orders for lamb chops and rigatone carbonara, we waited over 40 minutes for the meals to appear despite the waitress being reminded and bringing us something to eat to keep us going.  This turned out to be delicious but odd - raisin bread!  Other diners appeared to have ordinary rolls!!  The meal was very nice but needless to say we did not leave a tip!  Back to the room to pack - becoming more difficult with each stop!

On Top of the New York Icon

The muesli bought yesterday (some dispute why this and not granola was not purchased!) turned out to be a disappointment. Hardly any fruit and nuts - just fit for a nosebag. So after this frugal breakfast we set off in pouring rain to the Rockefeller Center, for which we had tickets. On the way we looked into the Trump Tower, which Les had visited 30 years ago. It looks almost identical today. At the Rockfeller Center we were told that there wasn't much to see from the top because of the weather, but that we could change the tickets for tomorrow. We leapt at the chance, as the forecast for tomorrow is good.

Down in the Center's concourse we had very nice coffee at Starbucks, and then crossed 5th Avenue to St Patrick's Cathedral. It's actually quite a good recreation of the Gothic style, but it's under extremely serious restoration. Both outside and inside are festooned with huge amounts of scaffolding. Many of the marble sheets in the ceiling are being replaced. As we emerged from the cathedral, across the avenue there was a demonstration, including a pipe band, opposing abortion and same sex marriage.

We returned to the Rockefeller Center concourse for lunch. In a cafe curiously named `Potbelly' we had very good sandwiches filled with humous, roasted peppers, artichokes, and salad. We then strolled around for a bit munching the crudités we had bought yesterday, and feeling we had scored some dietary brownie points, shared a tub of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, followed by bananas.

Our tickets for the Empire State Building were not timed, and by 1 pm the rain was easing off. Stella was determined to visit Tiffany's (or rather to be seen there), and we eventually realised that we had previously walked past it at least 3 times. Inside, there seemed to be more security goons than sales staff, and we waited some time for any attention. No doubt our slightly bedraggled appearance didn't help. The pendant Stella fancied turned out to be priced at $1700.

So we continued to the Empire State Building, the weather by now looking a bit better. We stopped at the building from which Will Smith jumped in Men in Black III. It's not as high as the film suggested, and Smith would have hit the pavement in about 4 seconds.

The organisation at the Empire State Building isn't great. There was very little signage for visitors, and it eventually emerged that we had to do this in three stages; first stage to 80th floor, for the museum (quite interesting), second stage to 86th floor (observation deck), and third stage to 102nd floor (more observation space). There were as usual substantial queues, one for security checks, and another for ridiculous photographs which were to be Photoshopped onto a background. This seems to be obligatory and they charge $25 for each picture. We objected to queuing for a photo we didn't want, and the attendant was quite rude in preventing us from avoiding the queue.

The view from the 86th floor was quite good, as the cloud level had lifted. There were several mentions of `Sleepless in Seattle' of course, but how the characters got to that floor in less than half an hour is a mystery. They never went through security anyway. The 102nd floor view isn't dramatically better, but it's just such an experience to have done it.

As dusk began to fall, we walked up Broadway towards the hotel. Times Square was a riot of monster video screens, and crammed with people. Lots of streetside stalls offered many kinds of food, much of it very unfamiliar. This is Thanksgiving Weekend, and preparations were being made for what looked like a street concert - massive generators etc. Various street entertainers plied their trades, from Homer Simpson lounging in a chair to several versions of the Statue of Liberty.

When we returned to the hotel, we were surprised to find in our bathroom some shower gel that wasn't ours. Very odd - had someone else used our bathroom? We called housekeeping, who came to our room and said it was an error by the maid. They said they would check the electronic lock which logs all entries, but we heard nothing further.

Dinner tonight was at the Irish pub a couple of blocks along 57th St. Fish and chips, with Stella Artois and Newcastle Brown. Not bad.

The Big Apple

Our planned activities today were right down the other end of Manhattan but we did manage a quick coffee/tea, before investigating the in house breakfast.  Taking one look at the prices we exited hurriedly and decided we would find something on the way to Battery Park Ferry.  The room has a safe but when we tried to use it, all that happened was a shrieking noise and it was not activated.  We went downstairs to ask for assistance and the security manager was sent to investigate.  I'm sure he thought we were a couple of clueless oldies but when he tried, it was obvious it did not work so he advised we left our valuables at reception while he arranged for maintenance.  We were just going downstairs for this purpose when a technician arrived with a replacement safe so we waited for a minute or two whilst this was fitted (after first removing a passport we had left in the useless safe!!!).

We advised the security manager that the job had been completed and asked the best way to get to the Ferry.  The hotel is so convenient for everything as a station was just a block or two away.  We passed a roadside vendor and purchased coffee & brioche/pastry to eat on the way.  The subway was very hot and busy so after buying the appropriate ticket we were glad not to wait too long before a train came along.  We did not seem to be on the right line and a helpful chap on the train directed us to the right station and we were soon at the ferry.  We were then subjected to security checks similar to airlines - including removal of watches (never had to do this before), and belts so more time taken up at the end of this procedure with dressing again! (at least they didn't go as far as shoe removals!

Boarding the ferry at last, the swell caused a most unpleasant motion and we were glad to get moving.  A quick trip to the island and we disembarked to get to the pedestal level but were not impressed to find that no rucksacks etc were allowed even for that level and that we would need to pay $2 to store items in a locker with the most complicated instructions and actually none to get you started.  We also had to get change for the privilege as the machine did not give change. We were in quite a mood when we entered the pedestal area only to find that we had to undergo another security check!  Bearing in mind that everyone on the ferry had already undergone the first security we felt this additional step was just too much!   Thoroughly fed up we stomped up the hundreds of stairs to the pedestal but were rewarded with a fantastic view all around.  Climbing to the Crown is quite an effort we understand but tickets are sold out months in advance.

We then visited the Liberty Museum which was quite interesting and covered how the monument was devised and built.  After a quick glance at the prices of the food outlets (eek!) we caught the ferry back to Manhattan and picked up a hot dog from a vendor plus a cheese pretzel (nothing like those at home but very nice).

Our next stop was Staten Island Ferry (free!)  and we munched our lunch as we walked there.  On entering the terminal where a huge crowd waited, we found a fruit stall so lunch was complete.

Somehow all the people were accommodated on the ferry and we sailed across to the island where we intended to remain on the ferry for the round trip but this was not to be as they forced all the passengers off the ferry into the terminal building round the other side and back on the same ferry!!! why?!!  On reaching Manhattan we made our way to the Brooklyn Bridge to join the throng of people all with the same idea.

We took the subway back uptown, calling in at a market for some fruit and breakfast shopping, hoping for a communication with Alexander but they were on a train somewhere so we arranged for a call later.  After completing more blog work, we ventured out in the mild evening to find somewhere for dinner and actually had a choice of quite reasonably priced places serving meals other than burgers or steak.  A rather quaint place called Circle West Cafe which served home made soup or salad then vast plates of braised beef and meatloaf with a mountain of vegetables, bread, crackers and some odd little chickpea dish.  Delicious but about twice the amount of food required!

Back on the Rails

The day began with our take-away breakfast. This was identified as `Special K' on the tub but was nearer to very tasteless Rice Krispies. Mostly air and hardly any calories. We were ready in very good time and checked out of the hotel at 09:00, requesting a taxi to the station. The valet loaded our bags into a big black Chrysler with no driver, and no taxi meter as we noticed when we settled into the leather seats. There were items of clothing strewn on the rear seat, and a packed lunch on the floor. We never found out whose car this was, but it wasn't a taxi. So the bags and ourselves were loaded into the yellow Prius taxi parked alongside, its driver looking bewildered, and the valet looking sheepish.

The drive to the station was quite short but expensive, as is everything in this ghastly town. We found that only two trains per day go through, one in each direction, so the station was unmanned. Les had tied his carry-on bags together to make one out of two, using the straps bought yesterday. Who did he think he was going to fool? Stella wisely didn't even try this, but one strap did provide further security to her main bag as she was worried about the strength of the zip.

We had an hour to wait, and could not buy anything to eat later on the train as we are not allowed to bring food into the USA. The train was late arriving from Toronto, and there was a long delay before we could board, involving offloading the contents of the food service car, presumably again because of US Customs. We boarded half an hour late, and then were told that we would stop at Niagara USA over the river for US Customs clearance. All passengers had to file off the train and into the customs office, where the usual formalities were completed. All this took about 1.5 hours.

The baggage scare never materialised. There was actually lots of storage space, and the seats have excellent legroom. Nobody checked anything we took on board, despite dire warnings that Amtrak `strictly enforced' the policy, and the conductor observed us struggling up the steep steps into the train, laden with vast bags. There was a baggage gauge at the station with which we were obviously never going to comply.

When we at last got moving, the next announcement was that the food service car would be closed until further notice. When it did eventually open it was well after 2 pm and we had been on the train for 2.5 hours. We got in the queue and partially restored ourselves with some badly under-seasoned pasta salad (corrected by rushing off for salt and pepper), beer, bland fruit salad, and flexible cookies. $30 the lot. How we are looking forward to dinner!

There is wi-fi but only in the food car. So we have pop off to the back of the train every now and then. But the connection is not too bad and we were able to publish yesterday's blog post from there.

Dinner time has arrived. Microwaved pizza, quite nice crudités with a not quite so nice dip, beer of course, a banana, and another of those yogurt fruit and granola confections. $38 this time!

The train stopped at places with evocative names, such as Syracuse (not much to recommend it), and Rome. At the latter we didn't even see a real station, the train just seemed to stop for people to get off. We were hoping for some views of the city as we entered New York, but the track goes through a very long tunnel right up to Pennsylvania Station.

The station is a bit better than Toronto, with some information to guide passengers, but we had to stuff ourselves with our bags of course into a very small lift along with several other people. There was then a long walk to the taxi rank. The train was nearly an hour later than stated on the ticket, but there was no mention of this by the crew. So we arrived at the Holiday Inn at nearly 11 pm. It was absolutely heaving with noisy guests, and the room is small and tatty - and the most expensive on this trip. The bathroom plumbing looks ancient. We collapsed into bed and fell into fitful sleep.

More ups and downs

We both slept well and after the minimal evening meal (!) we decided to have the breakfast at the hotel - after previous versions this was a bit of a disappointment!  No juice, poor choice of tinned fruit only, and the scrambled eggs had been hanging around for a while.  There was, however, plenty of toast or even make your own waffles with jam and cream and the bacon was good.  Coffee seems to be getting worse!  Anyway it hit the spot so we hurried back to the room, anxious to see the sights.  Our chore for the day was to confirm with Amtrak for our train to New York tomorrow and we received a bit of a shock when advised that we can only take 2 items of carry on luggage as there are no facilities for checked baggage at Niagara Falls station.

We immediately sent off emails to the travel agents and then tried phoning - more issues with the USA mobile so had to call via the hotel phone and get them to phone back.  Several suggestions including buying a large bag to put 2 bags into!  Another was that it would be OK as they had been told (by Amtrak) that 2 bags plus a personal item were OK - different from the website.  What to do!?

We eventually left the hotel at 11 and made our way by funicular railway down to ground level after seeing the falls for the first time (just a few minutes from the hotel).  We traded in our vouchers for a card which would be scanned for the various activities covered under the pass.  First we had a short film and simulation of the creation of the Falls - complete with appropriate spray & wind!!  We had been issued with plastic ponchos which we kept on for the next item - a trip behind the Falls which was fascinating and just unbelievable watching the amount of water cascade past us.

We then grabbed a quick bite to eat at one of our regular haunts (Tim Hortons) - a cheese croissant was tried which was delicious plus a greek yoghurt with berries and granola - just lovely!  Refreshed, we caught the bus (included) up the road to the Hornblower cruises, donning another poncho before boarding the boat for a great trip around the Falls - getting quite wet (including the poor camera) but luckily it was not too cold and with a brisk wind that quickly dried us.

We then caught the bus again further up the road to the Whirlpool Aero Car but were very disappointed to find it had been cancelled due to the very high winds.  We could apply on line for a refund, so hopped on the bus to go all the way up the road, stopping at various activities that could be paid for, until we reached the Floral Clock (free) before heading back to town to find a solution to our luggage problem.

We decided another option could be to fasten 2 bags together so purchased some luggage straps - fingers crossed as sizes are mentioned on the web page!  Downtown Niagara Falls has to be seen to be believed - just like a giant funfair with horror houses and other attractions, tacky shops and run down restaurants.

We have not yet found anything for dinner so thought we would venture out again and to see if we could buy something for breakfast.  We thought we had struck lucky but the restaurant was full with a private function so we trudged on but seemed to be heading for the ghastly funfair area to headed up the hill to where the hotels mainly are but the restaurants are very pricey.  However we found a small shop and bought some cereal and milk for breakfast before heading back to our hotel to dine at the restaurant.  We have a $10 voucher so this helps.  We both chose grilled shrimps (large prawns) which were absolutely scrummy - served with rice and loads of beautifully cooked broccoli - makes a change from burger!