Green Acres

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You're leaving today (tell him, friend)

I want to be a part of it, New York, New York

Your vagabond shoes

They are longing to stray

And steps around the heart of it, New York, New York

- Green/Camden/Bernstein, New York, New York

  

Times Square is hopping, day and night. Photos RGH

New York City, USA and we are staying in the heart of the Big Apple. We had a relatively uneventful flight across the Atlantic Ocean, landing at JFK airport and sailing through customs and immigration. After being gone for a year and travelling for a month, I anticipated a long and drawn out process, but we made it through long before our bags made it to the carousel. We arrived in the evening and all we wanted to do was get into the city in time to eat at John's Pizza in Times Square. Signs all over the airport tell people not to accept rides from solicitors, but the taxi stand was a hike and the line was long, so we made a rookie mistake and took the offered ride. We got to the car, only to discover that it was an Uber Black. We could have changed our minds and trekked back to the airport terminal; instead we swallowed our pride and took the hit to our pocket book, so our ride into the city cost us more than double what a taxi would have. We did this once before and vowed never to do it again. Fool me once ...

Whenever we come to NYC, we rent the same apartment if it's available. It's on Broadway between 48th and 49th ... a block and a half from Times Square. We stay in the centre of it all, with easy access to the subway, and walking distance to everything we want in midtown and Central Park. Of course, it means that the lights and noise of the city are a constant backdrop ... even from the 16th floor. The lights from Times Square shining through the windows keep the room lit well into the night despite having the curtains drawn. Still, it's right where we want to be.

Broadway from our rooftop. Photo RGH

Subway tales. Photo KAH

New York City is a big place, and can seem like a massive concrete jungle. If you look closely, though, there are pockets where you can find quiet solitude. There are several small green spaces, some less than half an acre, tucked away. They offer a chance to escape from the lights, noise, and crowds. Of course, there are much larger green spaces as well. Looking for some quiet reflection and leisurely walks, we spent time in Central Park, the Bronx Zoo, and the New York Botanical Gardens. This trip, Central Park was just a convenient route to get where we wanted to go rather than a destination in and of itself.

The storms ravaging much of the rest of the eastern seaboard have caused a late Indian summer here in New York. Temperatures are in the 70s and the skies are clear. We took advantage of the unusually warm days to dine al fresco when we could. In Central Park, we had lunch at Tavern On the Green. The food was good, though not amazing, the portions were large, and we had our first Bloody Mary in over a year. Yum!

  

Tavern lunch. Photos KAH

I have mixed emotions when it comes to zoos and aquaria. While I hate to see animals "living" in captivity, I recognize that many zoos have historically played an important role in recovery and re-introduction of threatened and endangered species. When I was living in Hawaii, I volunteered at Sea Life Park, a small marine mammal park and aquarium. My job was to feed the sharks and rays in the aquarium, and to feed the green sea turtles in their habitat. When I was living in Boston, I did research on African cichlids at the New England Aquarium. I certainly see the research and conservation benefits that zoos provide, and the Bronx Zoo is no exception.

  

  

Bronx Zoo. Photos RGH

We have been to New York City several times and have done most of the touristy things. Now we enjoy searching out unique experiences. For this trip, we had a few things on our "To Do" list. At the top of the list was eating at the secret/not-so-secret Burger Joint. As it was billed online, it was difficult to find but the burgers were absolutely amazing.  We also wanted to check out Gulliver's Gate, one of the newer attractions in Times Square. This is a work in progress miniature world and we were able to "recreate" some of the photos from our recent train tour of Europe. Lastly, Kari wanted to see the Chihuly exhibit at the New York Botancial Gardens.

Burger Joint. Photos RGH

Gulliver's Gate models and the real deal ...

  

Big Ben. Photos RGH

  

l'Arc de Triomphe. Photos RGH

Brandenburg Gate. Photos RGH

Edinburgh Castle. Photos RGH

New York Botanical Gardens ...

  

Chihuly glass. Photos RGH/Little H

We came to New York thinking that our trip was essentially over. We spent a full three days exploring the city in new ways than we had before. We were especially lucky that the weather cooperated. Once again, we had the luxury of three nights in the same place, and since we had stayed there before, it almost felt like home. So far, our trip has involved long-haul plane flights, multiple train rides, and few car rides. We have used Uber to get to and from the train station, but haven't spent much time on the road itself. From New York, we are renting a car for the last legs of our journey; a true Planes, Trains, and Automobiles adventure.

I wanna' be a Toys R Us kid ...

Rule, Brittania!

London calling, yes, I was there, too

An' you know they said?

Well, some of it was true!

London calling at the top of the dial

And after all this, won't you give me a smile

- The Clash, London Calling

The River Thames in Chelsea. Photo RGH

London was not initially in our plans. It's a big city with lots to do and see, we have friends here we would want to visit, and we knew that we would want to spend several days there. It was, however, a necessary transfer point when getting from Paris to Edinburgh. When I mentioned our travel plans to a friend from my days growing up in Canada, he told me he was living in London while working in Paris and Amsterdam. We hoped to catch up with him in one of those cities during our tour, and it so happened that he would be at home the day we were passing through London. We ended up staying with him and his family; unfortunately, our stay would be brief ... a half day and overnight. We dropped our bags, stopped for a short visit, and headed out to explore.

We had a Sandemans tour scheduled, but missed it by 10 minutes. We re-grouped, ate lunch, and decided to improvise. Kari had friends visiting London, so we made plans to meet up with them. They gave us an abbreviated tour of the area surrounding Parliament and Westminster Abbey, then treated us to a Thames River cruise. We disembarked from the boat at the Tower of London. I've tried before to get on a tour of the tower, but never seem to have enough time. This visit marked the 3rd time I have stood outside the gates without going inside. I guess I will have to try for a 4th time.

  

  

  

Scenes from London. Photos RGH

We spent a great night telling stories, laughing, and making fun of siblings who were not there (Here's looking at you, David). On this trip, Kari has met a number of friends I have known for 20+ years and says that she has had a lot of fun and a lot of laughs meeting and hanging out with everybody. Little H even conceded that I have some cool friends (though she still won't admit that I am pretty cool, too).

It is through the kindness and generosity of friends that our lives are enriched. This has been true for us at home in the US, during our year in NZ, and especially true on our journey home. We started out visiting friends in Japan (Link: Konnichiwa!), then spent two weeks on our own. The last week of our trip will be a string of visits with friends in London, Edinburgh/Stirling, Pennsylvania, Washington DC, and Delaware. We will be back in the US in 3 days and sleeping in our own beds in less than 2 weeks. It's been a heck of a ride.

It's lit, mate ...

We'll Always Have Paris

Sous le ciel de Paris

Coule un fleuve joyeux

Il endort dans la nuit 

Les clochards et les geux

- Hubert Giraud, Sous le Ciel de Paris

Bonsoir a Paris. Photo RGH

Ever since she was a very little girl, maybe 5 or 6 years old, Little H has dreamed of Paris. When asked what she wanted for her birthday, she would reply that she wanted to go to New York or Paris. Wouldn't we all? For her 7th or 8th birthday, she had a Paris-themed party with faux mustaches, Eiffel Tower party favours, and a painting party at which everyone got to paint their own version of la tour Eiffel. When she finally saw the Eiffel Tower in person, she wept. For real ... actual tears streaming down her cheeks.

Little H's birthday always seems to fall on the first week-end of Spring Break, so travelling is not completely out of the question. For her 9th birthday, we did go to New York, a city I hated but have grown to love. We went for Spring Break, but we met friends there and had a birthday celebration at Ellen's Stardust Diner, and thus started a tradition. The following year, we went to San Francisco. Now, finally, we are in Paris. It isn't April in Paris, but it is magical. Unfortunately, the theme of our tour continues ... a brief stop, then moving on.

We only had 2 1/2 days and three nights in la Ville-Lumiere, so we each had to decide what was most important to us. For me, I hoped to see Notre-Dame de Paris and the Louvre. Little H wanted to eat French crepes and macarons, accomplished in Lyon but to be repeated in Paris, and la tour Eiffel. Kari chose L'Arc de Triomphe and Jim Morrison's grave. Our apartment was in the septieme arrondissement de Paris (Palais-Bourbon), just steps from the river Seine and about 1 km from the Eiffel Tower. We arrived into Paris the first night with plenty of time to explore our neighbourhood and walk along the river at a leisurely pace. Kari and Little H rode the carousel at the tower entrance, and we took photos from every conceivable angle, waiting for the light to be just right. We closed out our first night in Paris with an amazing Italian meal in a tiny little restaurant, then had one more look at the tower before turning for home.

  

  

Le 7e arrondissement de Paris. Photos RGH

The Louvre Palace was originally built in the 1100s and remnants of that first structure still exist today. Additional construction eventually led to it becoming the residence of French kings in 1546. After multiple expansions and renovations, its current form was completed sometime around 1682, at which time Louis XIV chose Versailles as his residence and construction slowed. It was converted for the display of art and artifacts in 1750 and officially opened as a museum in 1793. Almost 1000 years of history and construction has resulted in a building, grounds, and art collection on an enormity of scale that I can't describe and that pictures do not adequately capture.

Friends and guidebooks said that you can spend weeks going through all of the galleries and exploring the collection. We had a few hours. My preference was to explore the statuary and carvings. My mother wanted to see the paintings, and Kari wanted to see the Mona Lisa. I was out-voted, so we concentrated our time in the galleries for French and European paintings.

The Louvre and Jardin des Tuileries. Photos RGH/Little H

  

Some of these might be familiar. Photos RGH

The cornerstone for Notre Dame de Paris was laid in 1163 under the reign of Louis VII and continued for another 182 years with construction being completed in 1345. During the 854 years of its existence, the cathedral has undergone multiple changes and reconstructions. It was desecrated by the Huguenots in 1548, "modernized" by Louis the XIV and Louis XV, plundered and destroyed in 1793 during the French Revolution, and underwent its most recent restoration beginning in 1991. Visiting the cathedral was on our "must do" list while in Paris. We had wanted to climb the towers. Unfortunately, they were closed the day we were there. The cathedral itself was impressive, though we found the atmosphere inside very dark, cold, and foreboding. Visiting Notre Dame de Paris was a "must do", but we all agreed that the cathedrals we visited in Prague (Link: From Prague With Love) and Lyon (Link: Vive La France!) were more awe-inspiring.

  

  

Notre Dame de Paris. Photos RGH/KAH

We bought a Turbo Pass for Paris that allowed us free admission, and sometimes an express line (no waiting!) to dozens of museums and attractions. The plan was to hit several sites each day, but getting up early and moving right away was becoming less and less attractive. Each day of our tour, we have been getting a later start than the one before. By the time we made it to Paris, we were definitely sleeping in. That, and no Sandemans walking tours scheduled (this made Little H very happy). As such, we couldn't pack as much into each day as we had hoped. We did manage to get into the Pere Lachaise Cemetery at closing to search for Jim Morrison's tomb. Kari had heard or read that it was difficult to find, and it certainly lived up to its reputation. Even surrounded by a fence and covered in flowers, it took some searching. We finally found it tucked in behind much larger tombs. After lighting Kari's fire, we enjoyed a quiet stroll on our way to the exit gate.

  

  

Pere Lachaise Cemetery. Photos RGH

At 2.5 days and three nights, Paris was our longest stopover for the entire tour. We were enjoying the 'luxury" of not having to pack up and move on. We splurged on dinner at an upscale restaurant, then spent some time wandering the neighbourhood at night. The next morning, we started late again and strolled through the streets and stalls of Rue Cler. We took a cruise along the River Seine, then climbed to the top of L'Arc de Triomphe. We finished the day at an international food and music festival, then it was home and getting ready for an early morning train ride to London.

  

Night wanderings. Photos RGH

Rue Claire. Photos RGH

  

The River Seine. Photos RGH

  

  

Scenes from L'Arc de Triomphe. Photos RGH/KAH

Paris is the "City of Lights" and it certainly lived up to its name when we were out and wandering at night. It was amazing to step out the door of our apartment, onto the street, and see the Eiffel Tower lit up against a backdrop of historic buildings and monuments. I was surprised at how much I liked this city, despite its sprawling enormity and immense crowds. It's a city that we will return to again and again.

Here's looking at you, kid.