If I was... The Grand Canyon

New Mexico

It got to... I had to get off the highway and take pictures of nothin'

Route 66

Gas... Remember the Homer Simpson quote?

New Mexico in all its glory

Which way now?

Hard Travellin'

Woody sez...

I Have A Dream

National Museum of Civil Rights, Lorraine Motel - Memphis, TN

A Tribute to MLK

Balcony, Room 306

Wheels

A $32,000 vehicle...

For insurance purposes, strictly.

My United States of Whatever - Nashville

Photo time...

Gold Discs, Country Music Hall of Fame, Nashville TN

A peculiar record!

Ray Charle's whirligig...

Gram & Emmylou - Together Forever, Country Music Hall of Fame, Nashville

Gram's Nudie Suit

Ground Zero

So I stayed for the first three nights in Hell's Kitchen.

55th Street New York.

It's got an atmosphere alright but it was kinda eerily reminiscent of Dublin. Probably because there are so many Irish there and every bar would appear to be an Irish one.

It was goddamn hot too just like Toronto.

So took in Times Square and did the whole Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island deal. That, in tandem with the deafening bus tour that I took firmly established my tourist credentials.

In between all of that, I made a brief stop off at the United Nations to shake hands with the devil.

We were conducted into the Security Council chamber and I got to see live and large, the table around which many a human life has been bartered away by diplomats. This was exactly where troops for Somalia were withdrawn and where plans for effective peacekeeping in Rwanda were fudged.

My bleeding heart liberal companions who made up the tour obviously didn't have much of a clue of what goes on in the UN but felt strongly enough about world politics to interrogate the hapless chinese guide who was full of smiles and naive hope for the future.

"It makes me sad of my heart to think of these things."

Quite.

So after quite some time in Magee's and Hell's Kitchen I moved on up on my final night to see how the other half lives.

And crikey, do they live!

Millenium Hilton, 4 stars and overlooking Ground Zero from the 27th floor. Right bang beside the newly reconstructed building no. 7, an amazing view indeed and it afforded me an opportunity to take in the site at my leisure.

It started raining in New York 2 days before I left. It rained so hard it managed to shut down the subway.

In between showers on my final night I picked my way to CBGB's.

Blondie, Television, The Ramones all got their start here along with countless others.

And it's a cool place and the two bands I saw were vaguely rocking even if the lead singers were nothing but Robert Plant impersonators.

I skipped out early again though in order to fully enjoy my 4 star experience.

And I did.

It was a mere six hour flight to return to the auld sod in the morning and as the plane taxied for 40 minutes at JFK I bid farewell to the Americas.

And we punched the sky for the final time.

Around the world in 124 days.

Niagara

Toronto is about an hour and a huff from the Falls proper.

Steffi, our guide from Moose Travel, had other diversions planned ahead of arrival that meant our arrival was suitably delayed.

A stroll in the small town of Niagara on the lake, some wine-tasting, I really don't know how these wineries would make any money without backpackers...

Anyhoo... We proceeded on towards the falls and finally disembarked in full view of the disappointing American side (where a tumble onto the rocks below would ensure certain death) and a spectacular vista of the Canadian side, whom a number of people have attempted dropping over.

Some met with success, others didn't... Some people tried in a barrel with their favourite pet.

The things people do.

Anyway, we were about to get a lot closer.

The supposedly world famous: "Maid Of The Mist", is basically a boat which takes a fair amount of tourists (all bizarrely garbed in blue ponchos) as close as it is possible to get to the falls.

And you get wet.

Lord do you get wet.

But, like I mentioned, it was rather warm and I was happy enough to take a drenching.

Soaking, our small group returned to the top of the falls and then proceeded to wander back into the tourist trap of the town.

Some pool was shot later and some beer was dispatched.

And then Steffi picked us up and we drove home.

And back at the Hostel, predictably more beer was dispatched.

Niagara?

Probably the best waterfall in the world.

But you'd have to go and see The Angel Falls and The Iguazu Falls to verify that.

Another time perhaps.

Save Canada

You know you're in Canada because everything is easy.

Even the panhandlers are polite and courteous.

It was probably the easiest airport to hostel transfer of the entire trip and within a couple of hours, I already had my bed secured, my trip to Niagara Falls with Moose tours for the lendemain and somewhat the lay of the land of Toronto.

The lay of the land was strikingly similar to what I experienced in Vancouver last summer visiting a good friend.

That is to say, the lay of the land is the sort of place where you fall in love with every second girl that passes you on the street. Their hipster ways, alluring tattoos and manifestly goth/punk exterior is what I look for in a town.

The heat however, that was not devoutly to be wished for...

Excruciatingly hot... Touching the 40 degrees of centigrade, which doesn't do it for me personally.

So there you have it, Toronto pretty much confirms the general impression of Metropolis Canada that I had previously formed from my experience in British Columbia last summer.

It's clean.

It's easy.

And the people are easy to like.

And the accommodation was bordering on salubrious!

A former hotel which once had played host to the likes of Jack Nicholson and sported it's own pub, The Global Village Backpackers would certainly put in an appearance on Top 5 Hostels I stayed in.

Fecking hell, the last night I even had the sweet luxury of a four berth dorm to myself.

Nice.

But I didn't come here for Toronto itself.

This is where you hit the falls.