What a Day !

I was up bright and early for my appointment at the US Capitol,and as I wandered down towards it, everywhere I looked was a piece of History, the Old Post Office building,  http://www.oldpostofficedc.com/history.php more like a palace, and as I wandered up the road, a very famous inscription on the side wall of the J.Edgar Hoover  building http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Edgar_Hoover_Building ,and then onwards towards the Capitol Building, seen in the distance, up along Pennsylvania Avenue , still passing other historical buildings as I wandered along. Soon I was outside my initial destination for the day, the US Capitol http://www.aoc.gov/cc/capitol/index.cfm  a very impressive sight close up, continuing to grow as I got nearer. I called into the visitors centre, presented my ‘credentials’ and immediately whisked into a tour group about to leave – no point wasting time ! Soon we were introduced to the tour guide Jay, who issued everyone with radio headphones, and we were off, into the bowels of the building, firstly the ‘Crypt’ and the spot where all streets in Washington radiate from, below the famous ‘Rotunda’,and then up and into the room itself, with a magnificent Fresco painted on the ceiling ,and statues all around the walls…and tales of battles with the British, before establishing Independence !  Then into the National Statuary gallery,containing statues of famous people from every state in the US ..and so the end of the tour. I then left the Capitol building via a tunnel linked to the Library of Congress, said to be the largest library in the World ! http://www.loc.gov/index.html  a very impressive building, and contents, which again I didn’t have enough time to do justice to, but I did get an idea of what was available…I them made my was back to the Hotel, to get out of the midday sun, and change (my socks!) before setting off on the Subway (which was an experience in itself) for

Arlington Cemetery http://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Default.aspx  and just as I arrived the heavy skies erupted into a Thunderstorm, with rain thundering down, as the lightning flashed all around, thankfully I was able to shelter under a gateway for a while, and not get too wet (just drenched!) then I started my tour –so much to see,and report on…so I won’t say too much…Kennedy graves,with the eternal flame, the National Auditorium , and at the front of it the Tombs of the Unknown Soldiers, where I arrived just as the ‘Changing of the Guard ‘ was taking place –not quite Buckingham Palace standards, but nevertheless impressive ! I walked all around the graveyard,dodging continuing showers, eventually arriving back at the Visitor Centre, to the museum and out into the street, ready, I thought for a gentle walk back into Washington City… I was wrong as a US Marine approached, asking if I was attending the ‘Sunset Ceremony’ ? as the transport was ready, so not turning down an opportunity ! I got on the bus, to be taken to the Iwo Jima memorial for the parade ,due to start at 7 p.m. http://www.marines.mil/unit/barracks/Pages/sunsetparade.aspx  On arrival there were lots of people milling around, and various Marine units rehearsing their drills !An impressive start to the evening..and best of all – it was free ! Bang     on         7 p.m. the parade started, with the drum and bugle core marching on, and around  ,followed by marines doing various drills and marches, as the sun went down over Washington. Shortly after 8 p.m. the Parade finished, and I was returned to Arlington to start my walk back into Washington, by now gathering in the gloom of twilight.

I walked over Memorial Bridge, crossing the Potomac River http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/dc69.htm towards the Lincoln Memorial, bathed in floodlights, and just as impressive as in daylight…  as were all the Washington monuments, which I viewed as I trudged back to the Hotel, and collapse !

A very tired Jotown, has seen everything he needs to, and wishes you a Goodnight !

A Day for the Museums of Washington DC

I was up bright and early, to walk down to the National Mall, which houses the Smithsonian Institute, the National collection of museums in Washington. I firstly called at the Castle information centre http://www.gosmithsonian.com/museums/smithsonian-institution-building-the-castle/ to gather more information on where I wanted to go, then walked further up the National Mall, in the hot morning sunshine, going to The Hirshorn Museum outdoor sculpture garden, whilst waiting for the main museums to open , although liking outdoor sculpture I would have gone anyway …http://siarchives.si.edu/history/exhibits/pictures/hirshhorn-museum-and-sculpture-garden ,there were some fine bronzes from English sculptors Moore and Hepworth, and a tricky reflective piece !

Then it was off to the huge Air and Space museum http://airandspace.si.edu/  , where I was able to see original aeroplanes and spacecraft, with loads of exhibits on flight, it’s origins,and travel through space, really interesting, taking me over 4 hours to view – and that was rushing it !

From there, a really quick visit to the Museum of the American Indian, http://nmai.si.edu/visit/washington/  and I decided that there was far too much to see, so didn’t stop..

and moved across the Mall to the National Gallery of Art http://www.nga.gov/collection/index.shtm where ,again the collections were superb, although far too much to take in properly, although I did manage all the highlights, including Rodin’s The Thinker, always reminds me of  ?  

By now, it was almost 5 p.m., so I staggered back to the Hotel, for a short rest, and wash down, before going back out to Chinatown http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinatown_%28Washington,_D.C.%29 and a quick Chinese meal, before returning to the Hotel…to collapse, and prepare for tomorrow, where I’ve been invited to the U.S. Capitol !! They must realise I’m famous !

Goodnight

From NY to DC

I was up just after 7 a.m., ready for my trip from New York, to Washington DC

Joseph decided to join me for the trip to the bus station, as I was travelling on that iconic American transport –a Greyhound bus http://www.greyhound.com/- he’d also decided to bring Thomas along, although I think that was just so he didn’t have to help me carry my bags ! We were soon stood at the subway station, and downtown to Times Square and the Port Authority bus station. We got something to eat and drink, and they left me at the gate ,in line ready to board for my onward journey -  Thanks Joseph,Nicola & Thomas for giving me a great start in the United States !

Now, I was on my own, and on the bus, in a comfy leather seat, there should have been free Wi-Fi on board, which didn’t work, but I was able to catch up on my ‘blogging’, which soon passed the time, and soon I was into Washington DC, the bus running around 20 minutes early !

I jumped into a taxi outside the bus station, and $10 later I was at my hotel (yes, Hotel!) the Washington Plaza Hotel http://www.washingtonplazahotel.com/, where I was quickly into my room, dumped my bags, and was back outside to do some sightseeing, in the hot sunshine..

First stop, the back and front of that iconic Washington photo stops…The White House http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/inside-white-house/history with it’s hordes of tourists at both the front and back. I started at the back, and then moved around to the front , passing lots of other famous buildings  as I walked along

Along then to the big needle of the Washington monument http://www.nps.gov/wamo/index.htm and around through the second world war monument http://www.wwiimemorial.com/ where still lots of people walked around, and looked towards the Abraham Lincoln monument http://www.tourofdc.org/monuments/lincoln-memorial/   phew…there was history at every turn

I walked back to the Hotel passing the Vietnam memorial, amongst others, and changed for a nice cooling swim in the pool…

Oh, and I’d stopped off for a Roast Beef dinner sandwich from Subway, and a nice relaxing evening…

Lots to do tomorrow, so it’s an early night…Goodnight !

Disappointed ??..a Little !

We were up early to watch the Olympic Men's cycling Road Race, although not early enough to watch it live, it being on at 5 a.m. New York time- with great hopes for a Mark Cavendish Gold, along with the rest of Britain. Joseph had recorded it, so we were able to view it as though ‘live’, but without the adverts !

As the morning wore on, Thomas dressed in his England colours, was enthralled with the spectacle ,the rest of us worrying that GB team wouldn’t be able to do enough to get the Manx missile up to contest the sprint…and so it turned out , what a pity, although a great race, won by a worthy  racer.. and time for us to have lunch out !

We queued on the almost rainy sidewalk, outside a Manhattan institution Good enough to Eat http://goodenoughtoeat.com/ were soon ensconced at a table in the packed diner, just as the rain thundered down outside. A rather large lunch, followed by shared blueberry pancakes, with lots of Maple syrup, scrumptious.. Then a walk out onto Riverside park, along the Hudson River , and a dash back to the Apartment , before the rain lashed down,and I was able to nip round to the Holy Trinity Church for evening mass, returning to find Thomas still practising his football skills

Me and Joseph nipped out for a few beers at the Amsterdam Ale House http://www.amsterdamalehouse.com/ , and returned home, for an early night, before my travels to Washington DC on Sunday..

From Cool Damp…to Hot (sometimes Damp!)

Thursday morning we were all up bright and early, to leave Lake Placid, and it looked like a good day to go – rainy and damp, and only 60F ! So, by 9-30 a.m. we were on our way, back to the big city of New York. As we travelled along, it became drier, sunnier..and warmer, reaching 90F by the time we got into the outskirts of New York , and by 2-30 p.m. we were home ! –just in time to watch GB playing Senegal in the Olympics (even though they’ve not started yet!), although it was a disappointing final result, 1-1 draw ..

So, me and Joseph went out in the evening to the ‘Dead Poet’ bar nearby http://nymag.com/listings/bar/dead-poet/, in between the thunder and lightning !-  drinking ale from the Brooklyn Brewery http://brooklynbrewery.com/brooklyn-beers/perennial-brews/brooklyln-east-india-pale-aleThen back home for a hot and spicy Thai meal

Friday Joseph was back to work, leaving me,Nicola and Thomas at home, and I was then able to take Thomas out into Central Park, in the morning sunshine, where we found a nice shady spot to play, whilst listening to a nearby busker, playing his saxophone in a tunnel, creating a lovely mellow sound and watching the world go by...this is the life

I did also walk around the humid park, seeing Belvedere Castle, in all it’s sunny glory , amazed at how many people were walking around . Then it was back to the apartment for lunch, and a little rest, before Joseph arrived home, and we all set off for my cousin Bernadette’s house on Long Island. We met Bernadette in Penn Station, and set off on the journey to her home, a relatively easy journey, not as busy as I expected, having just missed the evening rush hour !

It was great to see all the family again, including my cousin Kate,lots of little children (the family's growing), catching up on what everyone has been doing,whilst Jim,the master chef did us all a great BBQ.Eventually Bernadette and Jim had arranged a car to get us back home- (Thanks Bernadette and Jim, see you in the UK in September ??)-, and we left for our journey back into the City.. it was still 90F, as we drove home, and managed to watch the final bits of the Olympic opening ceremony from London (recorded) and bed-another busy,but great day  in the big City !!

The Easy Way to the Top…. Faster Way Down !

A lazy start to the day, and a little clearing up to do, before we set off tomorrow for our return to New York City. Firstly the venerable OB’s Union Jack ,and England flags were  taken from their spots, and onto the shoulders of Joseph, for ,finally a picture of the glorious Ironman ,along with his medal.

Then we packed the car with all sorts, and set off for Whiteface Mountain ,travelling along the Veterans Memorial Highway http://www.whiteface.com/summer/activities/hiway.php where else, but America, could you drive almost all the way up to the top of a 4,867 ft mountain (higher than Britain's highest, Ben Nevis) – and even get a lift the short remaining few hundred feet ! (although we did have to pay for it !) The views as we travelled up the road, stopping at the various differing viewpoints were good, looking down into Lake Placid,Mirror Lake,Vermont and Burlington, where we’d been over the last few days.. eventually we reached the parking area, just beneath the summit, and firstly a bit of lunch, before Joseph and myself climbed up to the summit, whilst Thomas had his own lunch from Nicola.. we could see in the distance, the area of Mount Washington we had all climbed last year, and if you looked really hard into Montreal in Canada ! After the highest ‘pit stop’ in the area, we were then back down the road, and to Wilmington River and Flume, http://townofwilmington.org/wilmflume.php

a deep gorge where the water pounded through the gorge, and the ‘daredevils’ amongst us were able to jump off the cliffs into the water below - how many times do you think Jotown did the jump? I did want to introduce Thomas to daredevil sports –his mother refused,although I did take him for a dip in the soft River water

All excitement over it was back to the homestead, to pack, have our final BBQ, ready for the long trip back to NYC in the morning..

So, I’ll wish you a farewell from the Adirondacks..

State to State, in the States !

A pleasant hot day awaited us, as we drove to Port Kent http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Kent,_New_York so as to travel across Lake Champlain on what looked like a rather old steamboat !  http://www.ferries.com/ to Vermont, another state in America ! The crossing took an hour in the late morning sunshine, on a quite smooth, but large lake, depositing us into Vermont, and the city of Burlington  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burlington,_Vermont. with it’s pleasant streets going up from the harbour, towards the University at the top of the hill, which we all walked up to, and around some fine old buildings, amidst gardens and parks ,with some unusual sculptures and bronzes scattered around  .

Lunch in the busy city, followed by a drive out to Nicola’s dream destination..Ben & Jerry’s factory in Waterbury http://www.benjerry.com/scoop-shops/factory-tours/ – the home of the famous ice creams ! along with the ‘Flavour Graveyard’, where Cool Brittania now resides – cheeky ! Unfortunately we didn’t have time for the tour, as it was so busy and we had to catch the ferry back !

Back to Burlington , for a quick wander round the port whilst waiting for the ferry ,then across the Lake again, and back to NY state.

We popped in for views of  Ausable chasm http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/11882 – another great sight before landing home, for a BBQ, and early’ish night !

Day of rest ?…not quite ! Goodnight

A Day to Rest…for everyone !

The plan was for everyone to have a lie in, to recover from the day before…not quite to be, as usual I was up and about early, closely followed by the two ‘Ironmen’, and eventually the rest of the household. A breakfast of mushroom omelettes followed, and I thought I was in for a morning to take things easy, until Joseph decided I couldn’t miss the opportunity, to test out his super dooper Time trial bike, so having adjusted it to fit me,and borrowed all the kit, I was ready (?) for the road..

Straight down the big hill, trying to get used to the quite different specifications of the bike, and soon I was lying straight out on the Aero bars, like a real time triallist ! – although I didn’t feel it !

I rode part of the Ironman cycle route, turned round at the top of a big hill, and rode back again, doing almost 20 miles, on a very hot morning, sampling the route that everyone had done before – and I was soon ‘done’ myself, but managed to get back up the hill to the house…and water and shower !

Then it really was time to take it easy, lunch in Lake Placid, wandering around the beach on Mirror lake, and back to the house for a scrumptious BBQ, and early night…