1. The United States is a wonderful place : not merely because of the scale or wealth of the country but because of its diverse, friendly and fascinating inhabitants.
2. There is a breakfast waiter at the Sheraton Hotel, Fort Lauderdale who deserves a US Tourist Board prize for welcoming people to his country and for serving probably the finest breakfast I have ever eaten.
3. There is a strange sadness hanging over the magnificent Kennedy Space Centre as the balance tilts from it being an active scientific facility to becoming a passive tourist resort.
4. Mule-drawn carts could provide a solution to many of the urban transport problems facing modern cities. If it works in Charleston there is no reason it shouldn't work in Chesterfield.
5. I could happily live in New York and survive merely by soaking up the excitement and energy through my skin by a process of osmosis.
6. The view from the top of the Empire State Building at night takes a lot - a very lot - of beating.
7. Newport, Rhode Island is a magical place and its Historical Society have some of the best audio guides I have ever come across. But it would have been even better had I been able to meet up with a certain "old hippie, amateur photographer, musician, poet, and essayist" for a pint there.
8. If you take a bus tour through Boston, try to avoid a bus with advertising slogans across the windows (somebody owes me the cost of a return trip to Boston).
9. A week is a very short time.
10. I want to go back and explore properly.
Only a week? Seems like you were gone ages!
ReplyDeleteAlan, Thanks for the first hits.My feeling exactly on NYC ... even the energy that leeks in through an open window is exciting and palpable. -J
ReplyDeleteCB : It was a long sail back.
ReplyDeleteCB : Your Blog seems to be stopping me from making comments on your posts - is it something I have said?
ReplyDeleteAlan: No - but I see you got through in the end. Had a problem with it yesterday; for some reason I just couldn't log-on to post.
ReplyDeleteAlan thank you for all the kind words about the U.S. I am sure your were a most gracious visitor. I can sure vouch for Newport, Rhode Island. I was there for a week and was fascinated. Used to visit rural New York when our son lived there but only spent one day in the city. Exciting yes, livable for me, not.
ReplyDeleteQMM
Now you see why it was so hard for me to have to leave Newport. Believe it or not, I was actually thinking of you and the GLW on the day we had been planning to meet up. I hope the weather was good that day (it's always a chancy proposition in June along the New England coast)!
ReplyDeleteI agree with your sentiments about NYC. There's no place like it. Glad you had a good time! Sounds like you packed a lot into a week, that is for sure! Yes, next time we need to meet you! And I also wouldn't mind meeting that "old hippie"! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed our country, Alan, and that we fed you your best breakfast ever. My daughter lived in New York for a year and absolutely fell in love with the city.
ReplyDeleteAlan--glad you enjoyed your trip--hope you get back soon and can spend some more time-- thank you for your kind words regarding the us of a--best c
ReplyDeleteOh I so agree with you about returning and exploring properly again...that's exactly how I felt when I explored England.....but that's a great thing, don't you agree...it so makes leaving home to explore a good thing and we do it again and again and again! Happy to see your post again!
ReplyDeleteSo pleased to hear that your experience was a positive one. I'll get there someday. There has been some talk of a family fly-drive holiday. Here's hoping.
ReplyDeleteGlad you're back - glad you enjoyed your trip too. What a pity about the Boston bus - it looks such a great city.(I follow "Clueless in Boston"'s blog.)
ReplyDeleteWe had four days in NYC a few weeks ago, great city
ReplyDeleteWe were only passing through a few years ago, but we had an action-packed 24 hours. If a week wasn’t enough for you, imagine how deprived we felt!
ReplyDeleteSounds just lovely and you covered a lot of ground. Do write more about the US. I never wanted to go there until a couple of years ago, now it's on top of my bucket list. Shame you couldn't meet up with Roy.
ReplyDeleteI have never been to the east coast..only as far as Indiana and then Georgia and Florida in the south. Lots of people and traffic. If you ever come to Minnesota I will show you around to the Headwaters of the Mississippi! I don't imagine that Minnesota is too high on your must see list. The headwaters and then the port city of Duluth are two of the best places in Minnesota.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your list..I am glad you had a good trip and are home safely:)