planes, trains and mac & cheese…
And I’m back (well not just back, but finally properly awake and blessed with enough free time to do something on the computer other than answer emails, scout the next lot of hotels and flights and yes, start planning the next trip to NYC). Woohoo!
After the smoothest possible journey there, complete with a decent seat on a flight that arrived early and zero queuing anywhere I then managed (predictably) the most appalling journey possible back one could have without actually sustaining an injury, being relieved of possessions or missing any flights or trains, and the wildwoman who arrived back in Scarborough late Wednesday evening bore little resemblance to the one who glided serenely into T3 Virgin Atlantic (and as can be seen above the whole place was looking extremely spruce, provided you like purple) to drop her case off a week prior.
I’ll admit to having even managed a stand up row with an unwary guard on the Heathrow Express when my overheated, constantly-screaming-child-laden and eventually late landing flight (I was convinced I’d never get back to Kings Cross in time hence the HE, which I had taken out to the airport on the way there as a treat and hadn’t intended to fork out for again on the way back) when he decided that I couldn’t use my railcard to purchase a ticket onboard and it took no less than a look at the actual website on my trusty BlackBerry to prove otherwise (and after roughly 30 hours of being awake, I was in no mood for twattery). So, apologies to other passengers who had just suffered the same flight and now had to sit through this, but it’s not as if anybody is going to miss out on sleep on a fifteen minute shuttle ride and there’s not only a principle here, but a twelve quid price difference.
But thankfully, and as ever, New York is worth every second. The sun shone, the sirens blared twenty four hours a day (which is where being deaf on one side comes in very handy) the skyscrapers gleamed and I pottered about happily from hotel to diner to shops to park and back to hotel again (for what it’s worth I can report that the Comfort Diner on East 45th serves the best buttermilk pancakes I have ever eaten, and that list is not short – their southern fried chicken (and see above) with mac and cheese, collard greens and then key lime pie for afters, is none too shabby either). Even the punters of the town conducted themselves delightfully without exception, and I have learned a few extra New York tips as well as that Top Gear is currently THE television programme and nobody knows what a ‘fortnight’ is.
Highlights this time included a trip to the Met (although this was only following the discovery that the Museum of Modern Art, which I have looked forward to visiting since my first trip and have so far missed out on every time for one frustrating reason or another, is closed on Tuesdays, which was the only time I could go despite it being a relatively short walk away) a stroll around the park after (sadly not captured for posterity because my BlackBerry battery chose that moment to die on it’s arse) and a celestially good hot dog with grilled onions and cheese that I bought from a man with a cart (in my defence it was a fairly upscale looking cart, and the coffee was much better than the revolting slurry they knock out at Starbucks). Plus my regular visit to Grand Central Terminal for an explore and a look round the foodmarket on the one day when it was so cold outside I wound up walking with my fingers curled into fists inside my mittens, which I only ever normally do in the presence of extreme irritants, like people who yell down mobile phones on trains or suddenly stop dead when getting off an escalator/walking in the middle of the pavement.
All good things have to come to an end, for the time being at least, but I am happy to report that I’ll be back in August – yay! Maybe not an obvious time to visit, but it fits into my diary, the weather will be nice and more parklife beckons, especially since my next HQ is but a handful of steps from the wonderful Madison Square Park in the East 20’s. More nearer the time, obviously (and I have already started investigating Shake Shack).
For now, a spell of R&R at home is being enjoyed amongst the chilly weather – there’s still a little snow outside, but the apartment is cosy and as I bought a new woolly in New York, all is well. Warmth, calm and tranquility has been bestowed by some proper dinners and a bit of a rest, and next week London beckons – yay! It’s filling up rather fast though (I know, they all say that) so I would urge the indecisive to get in touch; Wednesday is fully booked, Thursday lunchtime and evening have gone and Friday afternoon is no more, either (plus I have a David Bowie thing to get to, which I am most definitely not complaining about). As others will have spotted, I’m also having a brief foray over to Manchester Sunday week – yay again! As ever, email is the way forward.
Back to the grind, aka some blissful catching up with smoothest-man-in-the-world Huey Morgan from Sunday afternoon on 6Music (not in person, sadly), tidying the fishes and another foray into the weekend leftovers in the fridge.
More soon.
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