End of the journey

After a lot of travelling there is no nicer sight than the doors to an airport club lounge 

And as lounges go, the United Club at Newark is probably the best I have been in.  Plenty of soft seats, business 'pods' and a bar offering complimentary beers, wines and hot drinks.

Onboard the United flight, I was in Economy plus, near the front of the cabin, which allows a bit more legroom. 

The seats also have a great inflight tv system offering movies, tv shows, music and games.  Coupled with the meal & drinks services, I found the 6 hour flight flew in (sorry!) 

If you have been reading the blogs, you will have guessed that there has been a lot of help along the way. Thank you to United Airlines, Amtrak and American Holidays for their assistance, and to the PR teams in the various Convention & Visitors Bureaux in the cities I visited. 

Thanks also to the Arthur and all the ATW team in Santa Barbara and to Cash for meeting me in LA.

I must also say thanks to my partner, Angela, who signed my permission slip in the first place! 

You will be able to hear the interviews I recorded soon at travelbitesradio.podbean.com (or just search travelbites on iTunes) 

New York

The united flight from New Orleans to Newark was on an Embraer Jet. A small, but very fast, plane. 

It was also a very comfortable flight, I was actually asleep before we took off and only woke up when I heard the drinks service mid-flight!

As we flew into Newark, NJ the skyline of Manhattan was easy to see, as were the two beams of light shining high into the sky to mark the twin towers of the World Trade Centre. A stunning sight.

The transfer from plane to AirTrain at Newark was relatively straightforward and i soonI found myself hurtling towards Penn Station.

I was aware that New York is "the city that never sleeps" but was taken aback by the sheer number of people out & about so late in the evening.

My hotel, The Roger New York, was on Madison Avenue, about 10 mins walk from Penn Station. On the y, I found myself staring up at the Empire State Building, which was just round the corner.

However, despite my head telling me to get out there and see the sights, my legs said "no way and went on strike!

I hit the streets early the next morning, after a rather fortifying breakfast at The Roger Hotel (and numerous cups of coffee!), and enjoyed a 15 minute wander up Broadway to Times Square

I also discovered the restaurant of one of my favourite Tv chefs, Guy Fieri (Diners, Drive Ins & Dives) just off the square

I contemplated taking one of the plethora of tour buses around the city to see some of the sights, but thought that, at $40 - $60, they were a bit expensive.  I then remembered about the Staten Island Ferry, which is a free passenger ferry that allows for great views of the skyline and the Statue of Liberty.. I went to the nearest subway station bought a ticket for $2.75 found myself at the ferry terminal 15 mins later.  

Granted, the ferries don't get you as close as a tour boat, but I got the photos I wanted. After returning to the ferry terminal, I walked for around 10mins up Broadway and found myself at the site of Ground Zero. All the more poignant as I was there on the anniversary of 9/11 and the area was filled with Fire/police officers and families of those who died. 

After spending some time there, I was able to hop back onto the subway (for  another $2.75) and head back to the hotel via the Flat Iron building and Madison Park. 

The heat in New a york was pretty intense and I found myself ducking in and out of shops and restaurants just to try and cool down using their air conditioning. It is a fine art to do so without purchasing something!

So whilst I didn't get to see places like a Central Park & Brooklyn, I managed to see what I had planned to, without forking out that much money.  With a bit of planning, and if you aren't afraid of the walk, it is pretty do-able.

 

New Orleans

The last blog left off at daybreak in San Antonio, Texas. 15 hours later, the sunset ltd pulled into New Orleans. 

The friendly cab driver I flagged down at the train station asked me if I was ready for noise. I replied that after 48 hours on a train, probably not! He let me know that the city was in party mode as the New Orleans Saints had won a big match. He said he'd do me a favour by dropping me off at the quiet entrance to my hotel.

Exiting the cab was like opening an oven. Even late at night, the heat was wild!  As for the noise, I could hear it, but the sanctity of the Hyatt French Quarter shielded me from most of it, in fact, in my room overlooking Canal Street, I couldn't hear anything. 

It was an early start the next morning and I made my way to one of the city's most popular breakfast cafes. Mothers restaurant has been open since 1938 and the menu (and the decor) hasn't really changed in that time

I was offered Grits (a rice dish), Debris ( the beef left in the gravy each night), eggs and a biscuit (very much like a scone) 

I was also offered some crawfish étouffée, which is a speciality of the restaurant 

Speaking to some of the staff, I heard their stories about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and how they, and the restaurant, were affected. From the restaurant perspective, the building escaped much damage and they opened their doors to feed volunteers and those made homeless.

Now, the restaurant is literally queued out the door most days and it is not out of the ordinary for them to serve 2000 customers in one morning. 

My next tour was of the historic French quarter, centred on Jackson Square (his family came from Carrickfergus, co Antrim). The tour took in some of the older buildings and streets as well as parts of the riverfront

Public transport in e city is very easy to use. The  streetcars free a $3 all day ticket which means you can get wherever you need to go quickly.

I took myself to the WW2 exhibition in the afternoon. It has a 4D movie presentation produced & presented by Tom Hanks. The group I was part off consisted of many veterans and it was interesting t hear them reminiscing afterwards. 

With afternoon temperatures a very humid 35c, I cooled off in the hotel pool before making my way to Frenchmen Street. It is where the locals go to hear jazz

I then went to the Praline Connection restaurant, another local favourite where I had Alligator Sausage..... Dare  I say it had a little bite! I also had a fascinating chat with Curtis, the owner of the restaurant, who explained that many of the recipes were those he had grown up with. Proper home cooking

Another early start saw me at the  Ruby Slipper Cafe for breakfast. This was in a residential neighbourhood, off the tourist trail. I quite enjoyed the walk and looking at the different architecture along the way. Ruby slipper was established to bring life back into disused buildings. This particular one was in a former bank. 

I happened to notice pictures in a window across the street and was amazed at what I saw

I was standing outside that very building an was totally amazed by how the area had recovered

I continued my travels by hearing back into town and out to one of the many cemeteries 

New Orleans graves are known for being built up, rather than down, due to the high water table in the area. 

My final stop in New Orleans (by the magic of street car) was not too far away, the Aquarium of the Americas. 

This is a brilliant interactive place, with many fish and other aquatic animals we wouldn't see in aquariums in Ireland

New Orleans is certainly an interesting city. It's downfall is the 'seedy' side to its nightlife, which is easily avoided as it is centred on one street. 

Getting away from the 'tourist' areas is a great way of getting to see a city, it's people and it's culture. 

sunset ltd train

Well, here we are again on an Amtrak train, but this time it's the Sunset Ltd from Los Angeles to New Orleans.

I will refrain from describing the train as its virtually identical to the Southwest Chief I was on last week! 

However, while the last big journey went through some vast wide open  spaces, they were nothing compared to the views across the southernmost states. Most of my day, I spent in the lounge car to see the best views out of the wide windows. 

I bumped into Wyatt Earp in Tucson

              As well as an historic engine 

On our way through Arizona, we passed 12ft high cacti, which apparently only grow in this area.

The part I was really intrigued by was the Mexican border at El Paso.  In the image elbow, the car is in the usa & the bus is in Mexico, separated by a huge fence

I was

told that while the population of El Paso is 300,000 - the population on the Mexican side of the border town is 3million

 Overnight, we reached San Antonio, where I saw the tower of the Americas while dawn was breaking. 

California coast pt2

Regular readers will know that I am a contributor to Around the World radio, which is based in Santa Barbara. So it was great to finally meet up with the team in the studio and enjoy lunch at the Endless Summer Cafe

After lunch I walked around 5 miles, down to Stearns Wharf, and up and down both sides of State street. There was an arts festival on, with music and dancing on the streets at various venues which certainly added to the atmosphere. 

There are some amazing restaurants in the area, particularly specialising in fish dishes.  On this visit,  had the chance to try Oysters, Cerviche (which was really good) and, whilst not a fish(!), Guacamole

There's many types of accommodation too.

Santa Barbara Hotels group manages a number of properties, such as the Brisas del Mar, which is 5 minutes walk from the beach and the main shopping area.

The facilities are excellent and the apartment was brilliant, with a huge open plan lounge & kitchen as well as a patio area.  Staff are really friendly and very knowledgable about places to eat and places to see. 

The swimming pool was a very come place to cool off in the heat (temperatures hit close to 40c during my visit 

I was totally blown away by Santa Barbara. There is a lovely vibe about the place and everyone I met was really friendly and welcoming.