Home sweet home

We arrived safely home this morning at 10:00. Getting through immigration in Australia can be a chore as it was today, but getting through customs was worse than anything we have ever experienced before. Don't think Brisbane airport is particularly well set up to receive three planes at once, as happened this morning. Flights were good, despite close proximity to two infants, one more vocal than the other....but they slept, as did we.

Our final adventure on the day we left New York City was to take a scenic helicopter flight along the Hudson River beside Manhattan. It was a terrific experience and the weather was sunny, but windy. We were in the chopper with one other couple from Spain who were also first time flyers.

Ready for take off

Then it was on the subway from the helipad heading uptown to collect our bags from the hotel. We had left ourselves three hours to get to the airport having used Google Maps as our reliable and trusted guide and mentor. We felt a tiny bit stressed when the hotel concierge said "good luck" when we told him the flight time and that we were travelling by subway. But we made it by 4:30 in plenty of time. As always, we were helped by friendly New Yorkers at both the subway stations and on the train.

We have thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Canada and the US, seeing some wonderful places and meeting interesting people. We have ridden on cog railways, windjammers, ferries, trains, buses, planes and helicopters. We have even driven on the "wrong" side of the road!

 

 

We hope you've enjoyed reading the travels and adventures of williesabroad.

 

Until the next time.......

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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In a city that never sleeps!

Since our last blog entry we have visited Portland and Boston on our journey south to NewYork, stopping in at Salem. The weather in Portland was unkind and we did little of interest apart from a bit of sightseeing. Boston was an interesting city in which we could have spent more time. We enjoyed an overview via the hop on hop off bus, but it was incredibly cold. So, we took shelter in an Italian restaurant. It was good to see Harvard University and the MIT campus. We were relieved to hand back our car at Logan International airport without having damaged the car, ourselves or anyone else.

 

We've been pretty busy in NYC. The highlight was being here to celebrate Gina's 60th birthday on Monday. Lunch at the Loeb Boathouse in Central Park was delicious, followed by a sunset cruise around Manhattan which included an up close view of the impressive Statue of Liberty and the magnificent NY skyline. It was great fun and very memorable.

 

 

We have tried to pack a lot into a short time here. This has included a stroll through Central Park, the Natural History Museum, day and night tours on the hop on hop off bus, a Broadway musical (Motown), walking in Soho, Greenwich village and along Wall St, as well as walking the Highline, an elevated park created on a disused train line. Visits to the 9/11 memorial, Battery Park by the Hudson River, the Lincoln Center (home of the Metropolitan Opera), the United Nations building (from the outside) and the New York Public Library (from the inside). We attended a Baptist Church service in Harlem...alleluia, brother! Fran was most excited to visit a restaurant totally dedicated to gluten free food on Bleecker Street. She had her first beer in 27 years, but it wasn't that good. Made from sorghum and molasses, it wasn't as she remembered beer tasting.

 

After a hard day sightseeing

Due to the absence today of the infamous queues, we rode the elevator to the 86th floor of the Empire State Building. The views were fantastic, but we did not see Tom Hanks or Meg Ryan.

Tonight we met up again with Gina and Phil and Mary and Craig (Gina's sister and brother-in-law) for farewell drinks and a casual dinner at a rooftop bar on 5th Avenue.

Tomorrow the adventure continues. We have booked a scenic helicopter flight over Manhattan!! Then it will be off to the airport to fly home to our loved ones and friends.

Can you believe this??

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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