Day 40 - Friends

Today was a long one. We drove for more than five hours from Cape Cod and then navigated our way through New York traffic before meeting friends near Times Square. On the way we entered and left another two new states (Rhode Island and Connecticut) and passed the 6 000 mile mark.

The drive itself was fine until we reached New York and as a result of turning off tolls on the Tom Tom we were navigated up and down already narrow one-way roads with added roadworks for good measure. Then there was the spiky introduction to yellow cab drivers. Every inch of space has to be monitored otherwise before you know it a yellow cab has found an angle in front of you and you have to relent. I don't think the traffic would normally bother me so much but we had plans to meet friends and the stress levels rose with the increasing delay. However, once we reached our accommodation in Queens, we took a moment to breath and then headed out again. The flat was really nice too which helped as we were going to be here for five nights. Our longest stay in one place on the trip and a healthy amount of time to see the sights.

We were meeting up with friends, Andy and Izzy, who were here in New York on holiday from the UK. Their hotel was right next to Times Square and before being dazzled by the bright lights, we did what any Brits abroad do... we went to an Irish pub. We had a few drinks and caught up on our experiences of America amongst other chit-chat. We were now slightly imbibed and ready to hit Times Square. This was my first time here and despite seeing the scene so many times before on the big screen, it is an impressive place. It was busy but not heaving and we made our way to a Mexican restaurant of Andy and Izzy's choosing. The restaurant was a great choice and dinner was enjoyed by all. We had a few more drinks in another pub and then we all headed back to our own places. It has been forty days since socialising with others and I think Alice and I passed the 'it's OK, we've not been in our own company for too long' test. Catching up with friends in New York has been a nice treat on this trip. Tomorrow, the Big Apple all on our own.

Song of the Day:
The Rembrandts - I'll Be There For YouRead more