Niagara Falls - 25 July 2012

It was a very lazy start to the morning with nothing too much to do until the bus came to collect us for our hugely overpriced tour of Niagara Falls.  But hey, having flown halfway round the world and driven a few hundred miles to be here, there was no point stinting at the last minute.  It's only money! So off we went.

We elected to join a tour that took us to the Canadian side so had to clear immigration etc. The Americans in the party were waived through, we had to get a stamp in our passports.  Then it was off for a drive along the river front up to and past the Horseshoe falls then back to join

the other 4000 people/hour that the Maid of the Mist franchise puts through; each one getting their own souvenir plastic poncho.  These are exactly 0.1 microns thicker than the bare minimum that would disintegrate on touch or with the first drop of water.

Sailing into the mouth of the Horseshoe Falls is really very impressive and quite awe inspiring but the cormorant, bobbing around in the turbulent water below the falls, did not seem at all bothered by it all.

Back on the bus we were then taken down stream to see the whirlpool, the power plants and the floral clock (yawn) before being taken back to where we began the day for the "Walk behind the falls" and another chance to collect a souvenir poncho and get wet again.

Finally it was time to board the bus for the crawl though the traffic over the Rainbow Bridge back into the US.  Here customs was a total pain as we sat in the bus and waited at least 30 minutes even to have our existence acknowledged.  when they finally decided we had sat long enough the actual process, even for the Kiwi passports was brilliantly quick.

On top of the exorbitant price for the trip there was a large sign in the bus making it abundantly clear that a tip of 15% was expected (I hate America!)

Back at camp we collected our car and drove back to Niagara to walk through the Park on Goat Island and get a close up look from the American side. The plan was to slowly wander around until it got dark and then have a look at the falls under lights.

As we were wandering back off the massive viewing platform that the Americans have built in an attempt to see the falls without crossing the border (which you really have to do if you want to see them at all without taking a boat ride) we noticed people taking photos seemingly of the Canadian sky, rather than the falls.

Taking a look it was easy to see why;  an idiot was crossing a wire between the Skylon Tower and the neighbouring skyscraper.

Apparently this 68-year old is attempting to do this 80 days in a row over summer.  He missed one day last week because of 50mph winds - wimp!

Eventually it got dark, the lights came on and we were totally underwhelmed.  maybe it is more impressive from Canada?


States: New York, Ontario, Canada

Finger Lakes - 24 July 2012

Our campsite was just a few miles from the Watkins Glen State Park, so the first order of the day, before the temperature got unbearable, was to walk the Glen Creek gorge; 1.5 miles and 822 steps up beside and under a number of waterfalls.  What a beautiful spot!

Returning to camp, our tent was now dry after another overnight thunderstorm so we packed and set off up the western side of Seneca Lake, one of the largest of the nine finger lakes in the area created by retreating glaciers.

At the top of the lake we stopped briefly in Geneva before heading across to the top of Canandaigua Lake and the beautiful town of the same name.  We decided to eat lunch down by the lake edge and chanced upon a delightful area of quaint old boatsheds built in a higgledy piggledy fashion.

There are many fabulous houses in both of these towns but we felt we should take time out to visit just one, The Granger Homestead in Canandaigua.  Gideon Granger was the 4th (and so far longest serving) US Postmaster General way back when and his grand home has been preserved and the outbuildings house a carriage museum with many fabulous old carriages either with wheels or snow runners.  There were even a couple of  "Surreys with a fringe on top".

From there it was a run across rural upstate New York to Buffalo and our first US rush-hour traffic crawl as we crossed the river that feeds Niagara Falls on to Grand Island where we were so spend a couple of nights.  Grand Island in the Niagara river is, apparently, larger than Manhattan Island - a standard unit of area measurement in the US!

169 miles today, 521 total trip States: New York

Catskills - 23 July 2012

True to Catskills reputation we were awoken in the wee small hours by the same thunderous noises that enticed Rip van Winkle up into the mountains. Being aware of the dangers posed by investigating such noises we remained in our tent and awoke a few hours later rather than a few years like poor old van Winkle.   We decided to push on regardless and purchased some plastic rubbish sacks from the camp store to put the wet tent and groundsheet into so we could  put them all in the rental car with a clear conscience.

We set off for Woodstock to purchase milk for breakfast and to get a coffee. There are a number of towns called Woodstock in the US but this Woodstock is "The Woodstock" and although the famous 1969 Festival is long gone the township is still pretty alternative and full of "peace" and "love" stuff.  So much so that the fiirst cafe we tried was so vegan we could not even have milk in our coffee.  Fortunately the waitress warned us before we ordered. (Perhaps we did not look like the typical vegan clientel.)

Then we discovered that we could not even buy milk in the town, the nearest groceries were a few miles outf of town, fortunately on our intended route.  As the rain returned at this point we cut short our look around Woodstock and set off for the grocery store.

Shortly we came across a reservoir lake so stopped for breakfast and then headed off through the Catskills with intermittent sun, showers and heavy rain heading for Ithaca, home of Cornell University.  We found the waterfall obove the town, had a look around the shops and visitied the lake front before heading across to the next finger lake, past Watkins Glen to our campsite for the night.

207 miles today. 352 total trip  States: New York

The road trip begins - 22 July 2012

Why is it that after a few nights in a hotel it seems impossible to get all the stuff back into the suitcases you arrived with, after all we had only been window-shopping on 5th Ave?

Nevertheless, we crammed it all in somewhere and hauled our multitudinous suitcases and carry on bags down to the lobby and out to the street and tried a new experience; hailing a New York yellow cab.  With a little difficulty the luggage was crammed in and we set off back to JFK, not because we were flying but that was the only place we could collect a rental car on a Sunday.  Since we drove back to Manhattan on our way out of town it was a little inefficient but needs must.

After attempting to convince me to pay extra for a decent sized car she discovered that they had none available of the size booked and paid for so upgraded us for free to a very new Ford Fusion; tres comfortable!

So off we set on our road trip across the US, from New York to California with Illinois plates..  We had been, very generously, given a brand new sat-nav with US maps so there was no real bother negotiating our way out of Nrew York back through Manhattan and then up the Hudson River valley.  After a stop for supplies we came across the 'Walkway over the Hudson' State Park so stopped for lunch and to walk partway across what is now the longest footbridge in the world. (It used to be a railway bridge.) It was a bit hot (and we did not have the time) to make the full crossing and back so we went as far as the river for the photo shots and returned.

A few miles north was one of the Vanderbilt Mansions that is now a National Park and we arrived just a few minutes before the 3pm tour with an excellent, informative and engaging guide.  The Vanderbilt fortune began with the Staten Island ferry that today provides rides to all for nothinig.

Pressing on, we crossed the Hudson a few miles futher north and arrived at Saugerties, our first destination.  Consulting the information about things nearby we discovered the Saugerties Lighthouse and set off to find it.  What a fabulous surprise; after a short w alk from the road there was this little picture perfect house with a light on the top, not at all what we had expected to see.  Our picnic dinner was at a park back in town on a tributary river, the Esopus Creek.

145 miles today, 145 miles total.  States: New York.

New York on $0 a day - 21 July 2012

By last night we had used the equivalent of the cost of our 1-week Metro passes in subway and bus rides so all rides from now on were "free".  Our first free ride took us to the start of the High Line park.  The High Line is a fabulous re-use of an old transport link.

When the riverfront here was a major transport hub the freight rail lines were raised to the third floor level to feed freight straight into warehouses while making it safer for pedestrians and vehicles at ground level.  When the wharves closed and freight moved to trucks the line was disused and became a bit of an eyesore as nature slowly reclaimed it.

There were moves to dismantle and remove the tracks but some felt is should be saved and those voices finally won and site was converted to a really attractive elevated long thin park which is a wonderful escape from the hustle and bustle below.

Having walked the High Line from 12th to 30th St we decided we were close enough to finally go and find the Empire State Building close-up.  From there it was only a shortish walk to the Chrysler Building.  While they are impressive to stare up at, the buildings cannot really be appreciated so close so we decided to ride the Metro to Queens to look at the city scape from across the water and thus we chanced upon another piece of park converted from its industrial past. The area had also been part of the old railroad/freight infrastructure and was now an attractive amenity area.

From there we rode the Metro back to Times Square and changed to the line for South Ferry. This time, instead of getting the Statue of Liberty ferry we caught the Staten Island ferry which costs nothing to ride and provides wonderful free views of the Manhattan and New Jersey skylines as well as the Statue of Liberty. Not feeling any particular need to visit Staten Island itself we, like dozens of others, simply caught the next ferry back to Manhattan.

Next door to the Staten Island ferry terminal is the beautiful old Govenor's Island terminal building. Taking a closer look we discovered that the ferry to this National Park is also free so we decided to invstigate further and disovered yet another example of urban renewal as this ex military and coastguard base is being turned into a wonderful park just a 10-minute ride from the city.

After a walk around the main part of the island we returned to Manhattan and rode the Metro to Greenwich for a free self-guided walk through the village to round off our New York on $0 a day.

... and the land of the free - 20 July 2012

When young Emma Lazarus penned her sonnet containing the now immortal words, "Give me ... your huddled masses" I don't imagine she was thinking about the masses of tourists huddled under umbrellas and ponchos in the middle of summer as they were today. We had booked our tickets for the Statue of Liberty visit today based on the long-range foarecast which promised Friday was the best day of our stay in New York. However the reality turned out quite different with drizzle all day and occasional heavy showers.

 As it happened it was not a bad day to visit as the tour also takes in Ellis Island and that is several hours of indoor activity when it would have been a shame to be inside had it been a glorious day. So, all we missed out on was blue skies behind the statue and the Manhattan skyline for our photos.

The subway to Battery Park is right outside the hotel door and then there is only a short walk at the far end to get across Battery Park to Castle Clinton where the ferries depart. Naturally there was the full, shoes-off, belts-off, even watches-off, security hoo-haa before getting on the ferry for the short ride to Liberty Island. The statue is really very impressive, close-up and it is amazing to think that when completed it was the tallest structure in the eastern US.

There was a short intermission in the rain which enabled us to take a second walk around the island without umbrellas getting in the road when snapping pictures. Because the statue is under renovation there is no access to the interior or even the pedestal so it was time to make the short hop to Ellis Island.

Renovated in the late 80s after falling into disrepair following its closure in 1954, the facility is now a stunning tribute to the 12 million immigrants who poured through these rooms between 1898 and 1924 at the rate of about 5000 per day. The exhibitions are really well done and are very moving, as well as educational (10% of the population of Sweden emmigrated to the US) and cover the immigration to the US from the times of the early colonists up to modern times, including the 12 million Afrcans who were forcibly "immigrated".

 At the end of all this, the question is posed, but not really answered, "What makes an American?"