In Britain, the country is going to the polls in the European elections, which I helped campaign in before I left. President Reagan's funeral also takes place today.
We're on the road to Jackson, having left Chicago at 10am. Weather is poor, much cooler and raining all day.
9pm
There is not a lot to do or see in Jackson. I suppose this is God's way of making Kesgrave* look exciting. The campsite pitches are gravelly and the weather's getting quite miserable. I don't sleep well.
*The village I grew up in.
Tuesday, 24 June 2008
Wednesday June 9 2004 - Chicago
Weather clear, fine and humid - a little rain later.
Awoke a little later, but perhaps I'm justified as I had some good news - I've been awarded an upper second class degree with honours in Politics and International Relations. My stepfather, Rob, called me at 7am in the morning in my hotel room from to announce my results - so I'm very happy indeed! This is all despite my atrocious performance in a statistics module last year, which I resented every moment of, and the slog that was International Law.
So, my free day in Chicago went a bit like this; after leaving the hotel I had a Starbucks breakfast (club sandwich) and a large mocha, which is about twice the size of the British equivalent. Then, a lot of fuss and walking to get a Transit card, and a bus to the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry - an enormous nineteenth century building a little way from downtown. Only spent an hour here, but it was worth a visit even just to see an early diesel-electric Streamline locomotive plonked in the middle and a Boeing 727. Then, back to the hotel and North Michigan Avenue to buy a new shirt in H&M. I'm constantly impressed at how globalization has made all of these stores so homogeneous, for the moment I walk in I know exactly where I'm going. The men's section is never on the ground floor, of course!
In the evening we take a trip by taxi to the Second City comedy club, where some of America's greatest comics have started out. There are two acts - the first is a troupe of women whose show consists of patchy character comedy, which when it's great is very sharp, but I'm not hugely impressed. The second act is is 'experimental' to put it diplomatically. The act is based on a rock band and the gags are cringe worthy and painful to watch.
Weather much cooler, and wetter.
Awoke a little later, but perhaps I'm justified as I had some good news - I've been awarded an upper second class degree with honours in Politics and International Relations. My stepfather, Rob, called me at 7am in the morning in my hotel room from to announce my results - so I'm very happy indeed! This is all despite my atrocious performance in a statistics module last year, which I resented every moment of, and the slog that was International Law.
So, my free day in Chicago went a bit like this; after leaving the hotel I had a Starbucks breakfast (club sandwich) and a large mocha, which is about twice the size of the British equivalent. Then, a lot of fuss and walking to get a Transit card, and a bus to the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry - an enormous nineteenth century building a little way from downtown. Only spent an hour here, but it was worth a visit even just to see an early diesel-electric Streamline locomotive plonked in the middle and a Boeing 727. Then, back to the hotel and North Michigan Avenue to buy a new shirt in H&M. I'm constantly impressed at how globalization has made all of these stores so homogeneous, for the moment I walk in I know exactly where I'm going. The men's section is never on the ground floor, of course!
In the evening we take a trip by taxi to the Second City comedy club, where some of America's greatest comics have started out. There are two acts - the first is a troupe of women whose show consists of patchy character comedy, which when it's great is very sharp, but I'm not hugely impressed. The second act is is 'experimental' to put it diplomatically. The act is based on a rock band and the gags are cringe worthy and painful to watch.
Weather much cooler, and wetter.
Saturday, 21 June 2008
Tuesday 8 July 2004, Sandusting, Ohio - Chicago, Illinois
Weather fine, clear and humid
It's exam results day today - and I'm on the road to Chicago - the windy city,and home of the blues.
Arrive in Chicago - such a contrast to New York. The weather is wonderful, but a sticky, humid heat. The skyline is similar to NY but the place has a more prosperous air about it. I really like Chicago.
Check in at the Cass Hotel in downtown Chicago - for a budget hotel it's quite pleasant. OK, it's costing me $90 for two nights but I'm sure can live with that. For the most of my trip I'll be camping, in all weathers, except in the larger cities where camping isn't practical. In the evening we take a walk to the visitor centre, then to Cafe Due for a rather scrumptious pizza meal. After the ten of us somehow all manage to pile in a taxi to the Sears Tower, one of the tallest buildings in the world, where we watch the sunset over Chicago, and the lights of the city begin to turn on. It is serene and rather beautiful.
Kingston Mines is our final visit of the day - not some sort of underground workings but a lively and surprisingly good Blues club. I had no idea I enjoyed Blues until this evening. Cori, our driver, becomes drunk and disorientated - I'm quite glad she's not driving tonight! I must look really young as everyone expresses surprise at my ID - 21 is the legal drinking age in the US, and in most states I've only just hit that milestone. Back at the hotel I'm absolutely knackered, and hit my bed straightaway.
It's exam results day today - and I'm on the road to Chicago - the windy city,and home of the blues.
Arrive in Chicago - such a contrast to New York. The weather is wonderful, but a sticky, humid heat. The skyline is similar to NY but the place has a more prosperous air about it. I really like Chicago.
Check in at the Cass Hotel in downtown Chicago - for a budget hotel it's quite pleasant. OK, it's costing me $90 for two nights but I'm sure can live with that. For the most of my trip I'll be camping, in all weathers, except in the larger cities where camping isn't practical. In the evening we take a walk to the visitor centre, then to Cafe Due for a rather scrumptious pizza meal. After the ten of us somehow all manage to pile in a taxi to the Sears Tower, one of the tallest buildings in the world, where we watch the sunset over Chicago, and the lights of the city begin to turn on. It is serene and rather beautiful.
Kingston Mines is our final visit of the day - not some sort of underground workings but a lively and surprisingly good Blues club. I had no idea I enjoyed Blues until this evening. Cori, our driver, becomes drunk and disorientated - I'm quite glad she's not driving tonight! I must look really young as everyone expresses surprise at my ID - 21 is the legal drinking age in the US, and in most states I've only just hit that milestone. Back at the hotel I'm absolutely knackered, and hit my bed straightaway.
Monday 7 June 2004 - Niagara Falls - Ohio
9:30 am - weather fine, clear and humid.
Up at 7am this morning for a return to the Falls, this time for the 'Maid of the Mist' boat ride - taking us right to the bottom of the Falls. We are issued with plastic ponchos and waddle lemming-style on to the boat. It is an incredible, beautiful experience. Bought some postcards to send to the folks back home, then hit the road to Sandusting, Ohio. Pass through some rather run-down parts, such as Cleveland.
My views on the political hues of this country seem to be reinforced. Yesterday at a gas station I saw a whole host of patriotic memorabilia - including that famous playing card t-shirt with the the words 'Saddam Hussein - we got him!' on it. What a load of gung-ho crap.
Up at 7am this morning for a return to the Falls, this time for the 'Maid of the Mist' boat ride - taking us right to the bottom of the Falls. We are issued with plastic ponchos and waddle lemming-style on to the boat. It is an incredible, beautiful experience. Bought some postcards to send to the folks back home, then hit the road to Sandusting, Ohio. Pass through some rather run-down parts, such as Cleveland.
***
My views on the political hues of this country seem to be reinforced. Yesterday at a gas station I saw a whole host of patriotic memorabilia - including that famous playing card t-shirt with the the words 'Saddam Hussein - we got him!' on it. What a load of gung-ho crap.
Friday, 20 June 2008
Sunday 6 June 2004, New York - Pennsylvania - New York
5:45am, Gershwin Hotel, New York
Despite the somewhat unfamiliar surroundings, I quickly check out of the Gershwin and head for the subway. Well, that's the plan anyway. I like to think I've got a good sense of direction generally, but I don't really know where I'm going, and two ladies endeavour to help me as I scan the system map. But despite being native New Yorkers, they don't really know where I'm supposed to be going either. Someone tells me to get the New Jersey train - that can't be right? Eventually I tire of their misleading directions and ask a policeman who helpfully directs me back to street level. The familiar sight of a yellow cab hoves into view - sod it, I'll pay $11 to get to the Hotel Belle Claire if I have to. It gets me there on time - and it must be the distant Scottish ancestry which keeps my hawkish eye fixed on the meter as we progress through deserted early morning New York.
Meeting the fellow Trekkers (this being the plural for the group of travellers on the Trek America 'Transcontinental North' trip), I notice we're a surprisingly British bunch of people. The only non-English person is Astrid, an Australian who I consider an honourary Brit for the trip. So our full contingent are made up of me, Dave from South Wales (who I met last night), Pete (who's from Dover originally, and used to do a politics show on Invicta FM back in Kent), Martin (the oldest of the group at 34), John and Jo (a couple), Sara and Sarah (also a couple, and from South Wales). The two couples have just finished the Transcontinental South trip, which started in Los Angeles and ended up in New York, so they're already on chummy terms with Cori Tucker, our zany tour leader.
Ronald Regan died yesterday at the age of 95, and with it a whole epoch of American politics. I guess no-one's seen or heard much of him in recent years, as he had suffered the debilitating Alzheimer's Disease. There are flags at half mast everywhere, and tributes appearing in all the newspapers. Presidents Bush Snr and Jnr have both been quite visible, as have Reagan's European contemporaries Gorbachev and Baroness Thatcher. Apparently, Thatcher recorded her tribute two years ago - she won't speak at Reagan's funeral in person as some brave Chelsea doctors have banned her from doing any more public speaking. But America seems to be carrying on as normal in the wake of this loss.
10:30pm - Niagara Falls - USA and Canada
We are now in Niagara Falls, which to quote every visitor to this place, is 'awesome'. After arriving at the Four Mile Creek campsite I manage to capture a gorgeous sunset with my new digital camera. After dinner, we go back in the van to see the Falls fully floodlit. The Falls are divided into two parts - American Falls and Horseshoe Falls. The latter is the most famous part and tends to be the picture postcard depiction. It is absolutely amazing, and I had no idea it was so close to Canada. The city of Niagara Falls is lit up on the other side of the border. We visit Hard Rock Cafe and get our passports stamped by the amicable Canadian immigration controls people. Coming back across the bridge to the US their counterparts are abrupt and unfriendly. In the space of just an hour, I notice a small cultural difference between the US and Canada.
Despite the somewhat unfamiliar surroundings, I quickly check out of the Gershwin and head for the subway. Well, that's the plan anyway. I like to think I've got a good sense of direction generally, but I don't really know where I'm going, and two ladies endeavour to help me as I scan the system map. But despite being native New Yorkers, they don't really know where I'm supposed to be going either. Someone tells me to get the New Jersey train - that can't be right? Eventually I tire of their misleading directions and ask a policeman who helpfully directs me back to street level. The familiar sight of a yellow cab hoves into view - sod it, I'll pay $11 to get to the Hotel Belle Claire if I have to. It gets me there on time - and it must be the distant Scottish ancestry which keeps my hawkish eye fixed on the meter as we progress through deserted early morning New York.
Meeting the fellow Trekkers (this being the plural for the group of travellers on the Trek America 'Transcontinental North' trip), I notice we're a surprisingly British bunch of people. The only non-English person is Astrid, an Australian who I consider an honourary Brit for the trip. So our full contingent are made up of me, Dave from South Wales (who I met last night), Pete (who's from Dover originally, and used to do a politics show on Invicta FM back in Kent), Martin (the oldest of the group at 34), John and Jo (a couple), Sara and Sarah (also a couple, and from South Wales). The two couples have just finished the Transcontinental South trip, which started in Los Angeles and ended up in New York, so they're already on chummy terms with Cori Tucker, our zany tour leader.
* * *
Ronald Regan died yesterday at the age of 95, and with it a whole epoch of American politics. I guess no-one's seen or heard much of him in recent years, as he had suffered the debilitating Alzheimer's Disease. There are flags at half mast everywhere, and tributes appearing in all the newspapers. Presidents Bush Snr and Jnr have both been quite visible, as have Reagan's European contemporaries Gorbachev and Baroness Thatcher. Apparently, Thatcher recorded her tribute two years ago - she won't speak at Reagan's funeral in person as some brave Chelsea doctors have banned her from doing any more public speaking. But America seems to be carrying on as normal in the wake of this loss.
***
10:30pm - Niagara Falls - USA and Canada
We are now in Niagara Falls, which to quote every visitor to this place, is 'awesome'. After arriving at the Four Mile Creek campsite I manage to capture a gorgeous sunset with my new digital camera. After dinner, we go back in the van to see the Falls fully floodlit. The Falls are divided into two parts - American Falls and Horseshoe Falls. The latter is the most famous part and tends to be the picture postcard depiction. It is absolutely amazing, and I had no idea it was so close to Canada. The city of Niagara Falls is lit up on the other side of the border. We visit Hard Rock Cafe and get our passports stamped by the amicable Canadian immigration controls people. Coming back across the bridge to the US their counterparts are abrupt and unfriendly. In the space of just an hour, I notice a small cultural difference between the US and Canada.
Thursday, 19 June 2008
New York, Saturday 5 June 2004
Weather: cloudy but fair.
Sitting in a branch of Wetherspoons at Heathrow's Terminal 4 eating a £5.99 'traditional breakfast' - trying to relax, with a cup of Tetley's tea. This will be my last taste of British culture for five weeks - quite literally.
There is something reassuringly grim about British airports - the staff working in the bars, cafes and overpriced designer shops are no more friendly or personable than anywhere else. Terminal 4 is the newest of all the Heathrow Airport termini but it's style seems refreshingly bland and quite unlike its European or American counterparts. No glamour, no frills, no inspiring architecture. But, you bet you can find an absurdly expensive perfurmery or a Sunglass Hut that boasts of tax-free prices.
I feel ridiculously nervous and tense, because I hardly got a wink of sleep last night. My erstwhile housemate had been out drinking until the early hours, and upon stumbling back home with his new 'companion', continued his hedonistic pleasure with my supplies of Irish whiskey and Bombay Sapphire. I woke up late for my flight, with my Dad on the doorstep, ready to drive me to the airport, wondering why I haven't showered or dressed yet. The bathroom graphically displays the regurgitated evidence of last night's partying, so I decide against it and opt for a quick bath instead. So, after my panicked start to the day, you can see why I'm not exactly in the best frame of mind, and I don't even look back to wave goodbye to Dad, Molly and Mary as I go through security in to the departures area. This is the first time I've flown by myself - I'm 21 and looking forward to another 'liberating' experience, which I'm supposed to enjoy. Perhaps it's the coldness and systematic procedure of the airport that makes me feel so close to 'the edge'.
Ah well, give it a few more gins once I get on the plane and I'll be fine...
10:00 PM - Gershwin Hotel, 7 East 27th Street, New York. Weather, cloudy but fair. Rained this evening.
Well, here I am. Arrived in John F Kennedy airport at 4:00pm, surprisingly earlier than I expected. Went through the usual bureaucracy you have to go through when coming to the US, so that I can check I'm not a terrorist, communist, or a homosexual (oh, hold on...). Headed straight to the SuperShuttle, which is somewhat more low-key than its brandname suggests, being more of a glorified Ford Transit. But they're full, and a typically upfront taxi driver quotes me $19 for the ride into town. He actually charges me $33 in the end, but I'm so keen to get to the hotel I don't quibble with him. The ride does include an interesting trip through downtown Manhattan though, so we get a good view of the skyline, Time Square etc.
My hotel, the Gershwin, is quite a funky sort of place, with a retro, Sixties feel and lots of abstract art adorning the walls, and it plays house music in the entrance lobby. I can't imagine anywhere like this in London. We're just a stone's throw from the Empire State Building here, and Macy's department store, the biggest in the world. At ground level it all feels a bit unimposing now that the World Trade Centre is gone.
I meet Dave early in the evening, who joins me on the trip. Dave is from South Wales, and staying in a different hotel prior to beginning the tour proper tomorrow. later, who's closer look at Time Square later - it has an amazing vibe about it, absolutely bustling with life and very exciting. Weaving our way back to my hotel, I'm struck by how filthy the streets are here - perhaps it's because it's the weekend? Or is it that these giant overflowing trash cans still aren't capacious enough to serve the hearty appetites of Americans? I do give London a hard time, but for a supposedly world-class city there's litter strewn all over the streets and a general smell of decay. I suppose that's a sign that this is a living, breathing city which, like London, is a bit rough around the edges. In any case, New Yorkers are wonderfully friendly and seem to go out of their way to help you.
Back at the Gershwin, I am sleeping in a shared domitory, and I arrive to find evidence that it's definitely lived in. I shower and settle down for the night about 10:45pm, only briefly woken by a girl who sneaks in during the night, realises I'm in bed, and then scampers off - "Sorry!". I didn't realise I had the place to myself, though I wake up constantly throughout the night worrying that I'm going to oversleep - again - and miss my tour departure!
Sitting in a branch of Wetherspoons at Heathrow's Terminal 4 eating a £5.99 'traditional breakfast' - trying to relax, with a cup of Tetley's tea. This will be my last taste of British culture for five weeks - quite literally.
There is something reassuringly grim about British airports - the staff working in the bars, cafes and overpriced designer shops are no more friendly or personable than anywhere else. Terminal 4 is the newest of all the Heathrow Airport termini but it's style seems refreshingly bland and quite unlike its European or American counterparts. No glamour, no frills, no inspiring architecture. But, you bet you can find an absurdly expensive perfurmery or a Sunglass Hut that boasts of tax-free prices.
I feel ridiculously nervous and tense, because I hardly got a wink of sleep last night. My erstwhile housemate had been out drinking until the early hours, and upon stumbling back home with his new 'companion', continued his hedonistic pleasure with my supplies of Irish whiskey and Bombay Sapphire. I woke up late for my flight, with my Dad on the doorstep, ready to drive me to the airport, wondering why I haven't showered or dressed yet. The bathroom graphically displays the regurgitated evidence of last night's partying, so I decide against it and opt for a quick bath instead. So, after my panicked start to the day, you can see why I'm not exactly in the best frame of mind, and I don't even look back to wave goodbye to Dad, Molly and Mary as I go through security in to the departures area. This is the first time I've flown by myself - I'm 21 and looking forward to another 'liberating' experience, which I'm supposed to enjoy. Perhaps it's the coldness and systematic procedure of the airport that makes me feel so close to 'the edge'.
Ah well, give it a few more gins once I get on the plane and I'll be fine...
10:00 PM - Gershwin Hotel, 7 East 27th Street, New York. Weather, cloudy but fair. Rained this evening.
Well, here I am. Arrived in John F Kennedy airport at 4:00pm, surprisingly earlier than I expected. Went through the usual bureaucracy you have to go through when coming to the US, so that I can check I'm not a terrorist, communist, or a homosexual (oh, hold on...). Headed straight to the SuperShuttle, which is somewhat more low-key than its brandname suggests, being more of a glorified Ford Transit. But they're full, and a typically upfront taxi driver quotes me $19 for the ride into town. He actually charges me $33 in the end, but I'm so keen to get to the hotel I don't quibble with him. The ride does include an interesting trip through downtown Manhattan though, so we get a good view of the skyline, Time Square etc.
My hotel, the Gershwin, is quite a funky sort of place, with a retro, Sixties feel and lots of abstract art adorning the walls, and it plays house music in the entrance lobby. I can't imagine anywhere like this in London. We're just a stone's throw from the Empire State Building here, and Macy's department store, the biggest in the world. At ground level it all feels a bit unimposing now that the World Trade Centre is gone.
I meet Dave early in the evening, who joins me on the trip. Dave is from South Wales, and staying in a different hotel prior to beginning the tour proper tomorrow. later, who's closer look at Time Square later - it has an amazing vibe about it, absolutely bustling with life and very exciting. Weaving our way back to my hotel, I'm struck by how filthy the streets are here - perhaps it's because it's the weekend? Or is it that these giant overflowing trash cans still aren't capacious enough to serve the hearty appetites of Americans? I do give London a hard time, but for a supposedly world-class city there's litter strewn all over the streets and a general smell of decay. I suppose that's a sign that this is a living, breathing city which, like London, is a bit rough around the edges. In any case, New Yorkers are wonderfully friendly and seem to go out of their way to help you.
Back at the Gershwin, I am sleeping in a shared domitory, and I arrive to find evidence that it's definitely lived in. I shower and settle down for the night about 10:45pm, only briefly woken by a girl who sneaks in during the night, realises I'm in bed, and then scampers off - "Sorry!". I didn't realise I had the place to myself, though I wake up constantly throughout the night worrying that I'm going to oversleep - again - and miss my tour departure!
Some travel writings
It's about time that some of my travel writings made it to my blog, rather that sit in scrawled ballpoint in a little red Fidel Castro notebook. In the next few weeks I'm hoping to transcribe some of the entries, and maybe, in the style of thelondonpaper's City Boy, embellish them a little. I've also got another trip coming up in a few weeks' time, to Sweden, where I might be able to entertain you with some more thoughts and experiences.
The forthcoming posts will deal with my trip to the US in June 2004 - blimey, that's four years ago, when I was just out of university and making my way in the big wide world. It's not blogging in the true sense of the word, as everything happened a while ago now, but this seems the most appropriate channel for it, rather than letting it get dusty in my box of junk!
The forthcoming posts will deal with my trip to the US in June 2004 - blimey, that's four years ago, when I was just out of university and making my way in the big wide world. It's not blogging in the true sense of the word, as everything happened a while ago now, but this seems the most appropriate channel for it, rather than letting it get dusty in my box of junk!
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