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Wings & Shakes
  • Mash and Malice

Wings & Shakes

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  • Mash and MaliceWings & ShakesViaggiatore

    Day 33 - A Roll & A Movie

    10 ottobre 2016, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    Today and tomorrow we are primarily relaxing and getting to know Portland, Maine.

    This city has a nice feel and we found out that it was a national holiday which explained why it was particularly busy. It was also sunny in an autumnal kind of way. In direct sunlight, lovely, in the shade, positively chilly. We had no real plans and had a coffee as we strolled in to the centre. On the way, there was a minor altercation between two men. Of all the places we have visited, this sleepy city by the sea primarily aimed at vacationers seemed like the last place to witness a fight. It wasn't really a fight though and our view was partially blocked by a bus, more wildly thrown arms and a passerby intervening. By the time Alice and I had walked the length of the road and were near to the scene the police had arrived. Just as quickly as it had flared up it had died down.

    Having safely made it to the harbour side we decided to have some lunch. I particularly wanted to try the lobster roll and we found a venue. It was lunchtime and was packed but it didn't take too long to get a seat. I had eaten lobster once before but it was in a rich sauce which I'm guessing defeats the object of eating a delicate tasting fish. The roll when it came was overflowing with lobster and had a single leaf of lettuce and the slightest of smears of mayonnaise. Alice also had the lobster roll and we both agreed they were very enjoyable.

    We then walked along the main street popping in and out of tat shops and by the end of the road we weren't sure what to do with the rest of the afternoon. We were near to the cinema and decided on seeing a matinee. We saw Sully, the partly true story of the pilot who safely landed a plane on the Hudson Bay in 2009. A well made movie that manages to explain what happened that eventful morning whilst also squeezing in an epic battle of noble pilot versus scrupulously unreasonable NTSB.

    For some unexplained reason we were both feeling tired and decided to buy some food and actually make dinner as we had been planning to do for a while. The chicken stirfry was amazing of course and we rounded off this lazy day with a Netflix and HBO Go marathon. The plan for tomorrow is to try and see more of Portland.

    Song of the Day:
    Otis Redding - Sitting on the Dock of the Bay    Leggi altro

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  • Mash and MaliceWings & ShakesViaggiatore

    Day 34 - Choo Choo!

    11 ottobre 2016, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    There are not a great deal of tourist activities or sights here in Portland. It's definitely a magnet for tourists and it seems that Portland used to be the quiet and friendly gateway to the great beyond in the main of Maine. The state number plates used to have the slogan 'vacationland'. The state number plates now say 'the way life should be' and they both help explain it's appeal and charm. The hustle and bustle of the large cities on the east coast are not that far away and Portland offers a break from the present and also a glimpse in to the past. This brings me on to one of the few tourist attractions available, the narrow gauge railway.

    Alice and I took a short journey along the beach/harbour front on the narrow gauge railway. It represents a slice of local history whereby these particularly narrow trains used to access parts of the state before cars became commonplace. Riding on them now, their creaky wooden chassis and intense vibrations felt from your feet to your head are a way to appreciate travel of yesteryear. We travelled one way along the line and got off for a fifteen minutes break. The convivial conductor entertained us passengers during this time by asking us questions and openly talking about his holiday plans for the coming year. We were soon back aboard the train and slowly bouncing our way back. It was a pleasant way to see the Atlantic Sea and pass a few hours.

    There was a busy donut shop that we passed yesterday afternoon and it had closed due to having sold out of all their donuts. We made sure we didn't mss out today and Alice had the chai flavour and I had the pomegranate. Both were good solid donuts and as they stressed, they did taste different having been made with local Maine mashed potatoes.

    That was about all the excitement we could take for today and decided on returning early to our accommodation and having a Netflix session. Apart from leaving for a filling and tasty vegan meal for dinner nearby, we spent the rest of the evening watching 'Stranger Things'.

    Song of the Day:
    The Monkees - Last Train to Clarksville    Leggi altro

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    Day 35 - Parking In Boston

    12 ottobre 2016, Stati Uniti ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    We were back on the road today. The destination was Boston and the time was flexible. We didn't rush.

    Honestly, nothing else really happened. We had McDonald's on the road and hoped that the sunny weather would last for our stay in Boston. As we reached the city's outskirts, the traffic we had been warned about on the East coast made itself known whilst sitting in a sprawling underground tunnel with multiple exits. It soon cleared up and the next issue became finding a parking space. We had to park a few blocks away from where we were staying and lugged our stuff a good few blocks. It was now fast approaching dusk and we decided on eating locally at an Indian restaurant. We then took it easy for the rest of the evening and made plans for our first full day in Boston tomorrow.

    Song of the Day:
    Green Day - Longview (heard it in the car)    Leggi altro

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  • Mash and MaliceWings & ShakesViaggiatore

    Day 36 - The Freedom Trail

    13 ottobre 2016, Stati Uniti ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Alice and I have seen a lot of this country already and we decided to add to this experience by learning about and seeing where America started on the road to being an independent nation.

    Boston is where so many important events took place in the lead up to the War of Independence and there is a tourist friendly Freedom Trail available to follow. The twelve chosen locations are clearly marked out along a bricked line in the pavement. Due to the amount of information available on the Internet and in leaflets with the easy to follow route, Alice and I decided on following the trail at our own pace without a guide. It turned into a fun afternoon and the freedom of doing it on our own allowed us to pop into shops and spend as long as we wanted at each location. The closeness of each pivotal building or location created an idea of the size of the city at the time and how the founding narrative of a country was born. We passed through Little Italy in northern Boston whilst following the trail and we stopped for cake and coffee. I was extremely pleased to discover they had a Rum Baba. This is a cake from Naples and I could not get enough of these when we were there earlier this year. The Baba was soaked in rum and with the perfectly made cappuccino, it was a worthwhile stopover. There were a few more stops on the trail and then we passed a bit more time by sinking an ale in the oldest tavern in America. I highly recommend the trail and the obligatory refreshment stops along the way.

    Earlier in the day before the trail we saw another tourist attraction in the Mapparium. It is a unique room whereby once inside you appear to be in a large globe circa 1935. A fifteen minute presentation starts the experience with different areas of the globe lit up to point out unique aspects of the map at that time in history. Due to the large size of the globe and its dimensions, the acoustics create a whispering gallery effect and also when standing in the middle you can hear yourself in stereo. An odd sensation. Alice and I hung back after the presentation taking in all the details.

    For dinner, Alice and I headed back to Little Italy. The restaurant we chose was fully booked but they had availability at the small bar where there was no one else except the barman and four empty placings. This turned into an enjoyable experience as the barman was friendly and professional and after a while two more guests were seated next to us. The four of us chatted about various subjects and it was nice to have pleasant company and fabulous food. A good end to yet another memorable day.

    Song of the Day:
    George Michael - Freedom    Leggi altro

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  • Mash and MaliceWings & ShakesViaggiatore

    Day 37 - Cheers to Harvard

    14 ottobre 2016, Stati Uniti ⋅ 🌙 8 °C

    Yesterday was about the history of Boston. Today was more about the educational and cultural contribution of the city.

    Alice and I decided on taking a tour around Harvard. This institution was founded in 1636, just sixteen years after the arrival of the Mayflower. This fact of the day and many more were revealed to us as we were guided around the grounds by a sophomore student. The tour was illuminating and we saw the buildings where famous students, including Matt Damon, Mark Zuckerberg and a large number of US Presidents stayed whilst studying here.

    We headed back into the centre of Boston and specifically to Boston Public Gardens. With the sun on its way down after another sunny day, it was a lovely place to relax for a short while. We were also on the look out for a bench that was made famous from the movie 'Good Will Hunting'. There is a scene in which Matt Damon and Robin Williams speak whilst staring out to the lake. There are many benches facing towards the lake and it took a little while to locate. This bench also made the news recently when it became an impromptu shrine to Robin Williams soon after his death. Although there was a couple already enjoying the view from this bench it was nice to find the spot. Alice and I then headed out of the park and towards a large crowd of people gathered outside a bar. This was not just any bar of course, but the bar that featured in the sitcom Cheers. Both the exterior and the interior of the building were used for the series and the narrow stairs that lead down towards the bar brought back memories of various scenes shot as the actors left the bar through the entrance. The venue now has three cramped bars and restaurants and somehow a gift shop too. The more bars that were revealed the more confused I felt as to which were actually used for the series. Once we reached the final bar, Alice and I had seen enough and started our journey to try and leave. Seeing a slice of US TV history was fun, however it was a bit too crowded and cluttered to enjoy as a drinking establishment. I doubt everyone knew our name but we were glad we came...

    We had dinner in the more spacious atmosphere of a vegan Thai restaurant. The choice of venue was a concerted effort on our part to eat less meat and the most interesting thing about this meal was the 'bubble' tea that Alice had. It was like a strawberry milkshake and had black balls of tapioca at the bottom and every so often they would travel up the straw and into your mouth. The spongy balls were tasteless and I seemed to like 'the experience' of fishing for tapioca a lot more than Alice.

    We spent the rest of the evening going over our notes from a very educational day.

    Song of the Day:
    Gary Portnow - Where everybody knows your name    Leggi altro

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    Day 38 - The Cape Escape

    15 ottobre 2016, Stati Uniti ⋅ 🌙 7 °C

    Not a lot to report from today.

    We drove from Boston to Cape Cod and on the way we ate lunch at Panera. We popped to the local shopping mall once we arrived, had a look around, grabbed a coffee and then went to dinner. It was a fish themed dinner at Skippers, both of us started with the 'award winning' clam chowder and then I had a crab sandwich and Alice had a fish scrod. It tasted a lot better than it sounds! And that was it.

    Song of the Day:
    Kungs vs. Cookin' on 3 Burners - This Girl (keep hearing this song everywhere)    Leggi altro

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    Day 39 - Evoo for you!

    16 ottobre 2016, Stati Uniti ⋅ 🌙 16 °C

    Boston gave us a flavour of Late Eighteenth Century American History. Today we are going further back, to that very first ship that landed... and then decided to move on. That ship was the Mayflower which first landed at what was later named Provincetown in 1620 before the crew decided on moving somewhere less sandy, what we now know as Plymouth.

    It took Alice and I ninety minutes to drive from our motel at the neck of Cape Cod to its tip at Provincetown. We did the whole tourist experience on arrival and visited the exhibition and climbed the many steps of the Pilgrim Monument. It was a nice sunny day but not clear enough to be able to see the Boston skyline. The area is geographically unique and the main through fare Commercial Street is its focus. There are many cafes and tat shops along here and we leisurely worked our way up and down the street. For lunch the pot pies at the Canteen were very nice. A few hours had passed and we drove back to our motel.

    We booked a fancy restaurant for dinner, Ocean House. We had the set meals and Alice's main was chicken with vegetables and I had the shrimp linguine. On the menu an ingredient in the linguine was 'evoo'. Alice and I puzzled over it and I politely asked the waitress what that was. Without blinking she replied 'extra virgin olive oil'. I was not quite sure if I had made a culinary faux pas or if that should have just been written out in the first place. Either way, in future I will no longer need to query evoo! All three courses were enjoyed thoroughly and we headed back to the motel.

    Song of the Day:
    Vampire Weekend - Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa    Leggi altro

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    Day 40 - Friends

    17 ottobre 2016, Stati Uniti ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

    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 You    Leggi altro

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  • Mash and MaliceWings & ShakesViaggiatore

    Day 41 - Indian Summer in the City

    18 ottobre 2016, Stati Uniti ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

    Today was the hottest October 18th in New York City since 1928. Bonus! Those wooly hats and scarves are staying in the depths of our suitcases for a few more days at least.

    So on a sunny day in the city we headed to Central Park. As you do. The park is huge yet also hectic in the areas we were in, with large crowds, roads, traffic lights, horses, cyclists and numerous other distractions all buzzing about. There are many activities and sights within this rectangular parade ground and the park feels like a microcosm of the city. We entered from the Strawberry Fields entrance and we stood by the John Lennon memorial. Whilst the area has a sign that specifically says to keep quiet for peaceful contemplation, a man was playing a few chords on his guitar right next to the memorial. No-one seemed bothered until he finished his strumming, noticed that people weren't looking at him and then decided to insult everyone for being heartless, etc. Two different guys rose to the bait and the guitar player was keen for a confrontation, insulting and belittling them. It was a strange moment that lasted a while and couldn't have been further from the purpose of that specific part of the park. Alice and I moved on and headed to our venue for lunch. It was at 'Tavern On the Green' and the calm and peaceful surrounding brought a bit of zen back into our day. The sun was shining and we were eating juicy salmon burgers. All was good.

    Refreshed and assessing the time, we headed towards Hell's Kitchen. The reason for this stroll across Manhattten was to join a queue and wait for a number of hours. A novel way to appreciate this freakishly warm weather but it was for a good reason, hopefully. We were queuing for tickets to see The Daily Show. Tickets were only available for the first two hundred and it is always difficult to gauge how far you are in a queue and if those waiting in front of you are just keeping their place for a larger group later on. Luckily for Alice and I we were given a ticket each and were guaranteed entry. After a little more waiting we were in. The set, the time keeping, the warm up act, everything felt professional and slick. The warm up comedian was genuinely funny and lightly mocked a few members of the audience who willingly put their hands up. He also knew how to whip up a crowd and he had warmed us up so well that on Trevor Noah's entrance everybody went crazy. And this was just Trevor introducing himself and speaking to the audience. I didn't know much about Trevor Noah but what is apparent is his professionalism, confidence and intelligence. In just five minutes the audience were in awe and the show was under way. The show is so well rehearsed that all three parts are shot in one take and only at the end did one slipped line need to be reshot. In between each part and speaking directly to the audience Trevor jokingly addressed the audience off autocue and these moments were probably the funniest. By the end of the show Alice and I left the set in a good mood glad we had sat in that queue. We rounded off a long day in the big city by having a hearty slice of New York Cheesecake and a cup of coffee.

    Song of the Day:
    Joe Cocker - Summer in the City    Leggi altro

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    Day 42 - Let's Go Rangers!

    19 ottobre 2016, Stati Uniti ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    The freakishly hot weather continued today with temperatures approaching twenty seven degrees. After some life admin in the morning involving washing and such things we headed out for some brunch.

    There was one TV location that I was keen to see here eventhough it is simply the exterior of a diner. The exterior of Tom's Diner was used as the establishing shot for all those Seinfeld diner scenes. The interior also influenced how the set was created and that was obvious once inside. The food itself was wholesome and particularly cheap. A good detour.

    The rest of the afternoon was spent walking around Fifth Avenue and the surrounding area doing a little bit of shopping and a lot of window shopping.

    The evening was fast approaching and it was time for the day's main event, ice hockey at Madison Square Garden. I really wanted to see ice hockey and Alice really wanted to see something at Madison Square Garden. An ideal event. We had a quick look in the gift shop, got hotdogs, grabbed a box of popcorn and with a spare hand held a drink. Now we were ready. The New York Rangers were playing the Detroit Red Wings and the crowd appeared particularly passionate at this event, compared with the other sporting events we have been to. Not sure if this is an ice hockey or New York thing, or a combination of the two. The people around us were also incredibly friendly and when the couple next to us heard that we from another country and travelling they were keen to talk. We talked about many things and as the game began they were as keen to explain the rules as I was to listen. The game started at a frenetic pace and the Rangers scored within two minutes. The Rangers completely dominated and then continually spurned opportunity after opportunity. It was exciting to watch but also predictable when the Red Wings slowly worked their way back into the game and scored the few chances they had. It ended 2-1 to the Red Wings and the home fans weren't best pleased. A fun night despite the score. There's always the next game... let's go rangers!

    Song of the Day:
    Suzanne Vega - Tom's Diner (actually named after the same diner we went to)    Leggi altro

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    Day 43 - Taking Liberties

    20 ottobre 2016, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    The sun finally realised it was in the wrong month and called in the clouds. The timing wasn't great as we had planned on going to the crown of the Statue of Liberty. However, they weren't too low luckily and at least it wasn't raining.

    To get there required a short boat trip to Liberty Island followed by a large amount of steps up the statue. We cheated a little and got the elevator to the pedestal. But from there it was all sweat and narrow staircases. Upon reaching the crown it was incredibly claustrophobic and for some reason I had assumed it would be a big space. It consisted of a small platform below a few plane sized windows. The small size actually added to the experience and the realisation of where you were standing. Looking out of the windows at Manhattan, and then down at the large tablet in the statue's left hand and then up at the torch in her right hand was a lot more affecting then I had expected. The two National Park workers in the crown were very friendly and offered to take a number of photos for people who had made the trek and they did not pressure anyone to leave until they were ready. I thought this might be one of the benefits of being out of season, then again, there are a limited number of tickets to the crown on any day and so this might have more to do with who is patrolling the crown on that day.

    We were then queuing for a while to catch the boat to its next stop, Ellis Island. There isn't a great deal to see or do here. Just read. Lots of information boards about the history of immigration in America and across the world. It's interesting never the less that this is the location for the start of so many people's journey into America.

    Arriving back in Manhattan, we started a long walk to get to our restaurant for the evening in West Village. Along the way there was a famous TV sight although you had to know where it was and then you had to look up. It was the exterior used as the location for the apartment in the sitcom Friends. The show was filmed in the iconic set somewhere in LA but this corner is unmistakably New York. That was pretty neat. And just a few minutes from here was our restaurant for the evening, an authentic Neapolitan pizza restaurant. The pizzas were fabulous and had that uniquely chewy with a slightly crisp base combined with a strong flavoursome tomato sauce, a sprinkling of mozzarella and the odd basil leaf. They also had the chinotto San Pellegrino which complemented the meal perfectly. Sheer bliss.

    We had planned to meet up with a couple of Alice's friends who were also in New York, however, we had overdone it with all the walking across town the past few days and it hit the both of us. We needed an early one and so headed home.

    Song of the Day:
    Jennifer Lopez - Jenny From The Block (we haven't actually been to the Bronx, but really wanted to use this song. The Bronx!)    Leggi altro

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  • Mash and MaliceWings & ShakesViaggiatore

    Day 44 - Nearly Washed Out

    21 ottobre 2016, Stati Uniti ⋅ 🌧 20 °C

    As the title suggests, it decided to rain today. And rain. And rain some more. We eventually decided to brave it and head to a local cafe, Barcey's Coffee, for a late lunch. I finally got to try chicken and waffles and Alice had the salmon and eggs. We both really enjoyed our meals and the generous portion sizes.

    The rain slowed down and we went into Manhattan. By the time we exited the subway the sun was shining. Luckily we didn't have any definite plans for our last afternoon in New York and we enjoyed just walking around. One of our shopping aims however was to buy some decent tea. We ended up walking out of Wholefoods with one large box of English Breakfast tea and another containing Peppermint tea. How British! Also, whilst in Old Navy, a number of policemen and paramedics came rushing into the store and the front doors were locked effectively stopping people from leaving or entering. After much confusion and the build up of queues around the doors, they were unlocked and we were allowed to leave. Some of the people were saying that someone had been stabbed. Someone else said there was a robbery. Who knows? The city eh!

    Before we knew it the evening was upon us and it was time to meet Alice's cousin and husband for dinner. Penelope and Joe are a very nice couple and it was great for me to meet them for the first time. As we ate a lovely meal we discussed our joint experiences of the city as residents and tourists and also got to know more about each other. They suggested the restaurant as it is next to the High Line, a raised walking park that used to be a railway track. A fantastic suggestion that Alice and I made the most of before and after dinner.

    The day had started on a downer with the weather but it was saved by family and food. And tea.

    Song of the Day:
    Sting - Englishman in New York    Leggi altro

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    Day 45 - Nerdy in New Jersey

    22 ottobre 2016, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    Half-way point! Day 45 of 90. I can't believe it either.

    It was time to leave New York and it had been a lot of fun. With so much to see and do, a holiday here is one hell of an experience. However, the manic, stressed, angsty atmosphere of a mega-city is something I am more attuned to than before and it reminded me of my old home in London. And maybe I'm getting too old for all this excitement!

    Our next stop on the trip was next door in New Jersey. The daily morning and afternoon rain was not going to dampen my mood for lunch however. I was to enter the diner where Tony Soprano was last seen. We were eating at Holsten's. Otherwise known as the diner that was used for the last scene of The Sopranos. A TV series that I clearly enjoyed. The specific table that featured in the episode had a reserved sticker on it and so we made do at the back. Alice and I ordered food, I had a double decker chicken and bacon sandwich and Alice had a cheeseburger and chips. I was happy to be there and Alice was amused by my happiness. I was going to ask Alice to take a photo of me sitting at that table but that felt like too much in front of all the locals enjoying their Saturday lunches. Well... lo and behold, a key song that featured in that last episode started playing and a whole tour group came into the diner and took it in turns to sit at that table and have their photos taken by partners, friends, etc. That's why it was reserved! The 'nerd gates' had been blown wide open. As the line petered out I latched onto the end and had my photo taken by an obliging Alice. I am a lucky man. As a side note, the food was really good and cheap too.

    Nerd stop number two was at Red Bank, New Jersey. I wanted to visit a comic store that is owned by Kevin Smith, a movie director. He is basically a self-confessed nerd and his breakthrough movie 'Clerks' was financed independently and shot with loans and starred his friends. Before he made it big he promised his childhood friend, Walt Flanagan, that he would buy a comic shore and he would make Walt the Manager. 'Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash' is that comic store and upon entering it was cool to see that Walt was actually in. He was posing for a photo with another fan and I took the opportunity to ask for one myself. He was a nice guy and and I spent a while in there deciding what to buy.

    From here we were not far from our hotel. Once we arrived, we left again, and headed straight to an outlet mall. Even with the pound in free fall we found some great bargains. Dinner was from the food court at the mall, also cheap, and then we went back to the hotel so I could further bore Alice about Ashley's Adventures in Nerdland.

    Song of the Day:
    Chingy - Holidae In (where we're chillin, and the party beginin)    Leggi altro

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    Day 46 - Under the Boardwalk

    23 ottobre 2016, Stati Uniti ⋅ 🌙 11 °C

    Today was a travelling day and before we left New Jersey we went to the boardwalk at Asbury Park. It was sunny with a hearty breeze on the Jersey Shore and Alice and I enjoyed a slow stroll. A fitting Sunday. We got a coffee, popped in to the shops, admired the murals and after a while decided to get back on the road.

    We were aiming for Philadelphia which was to be our home for three nights. It didn't take too long to get there and the three floors to get our ever increasing luggage up the stairs meant exercise was also sorted for the day. We popped to a local Mediterranean restaurant for dinner and we both leaned towards the vegetarian options. We had a feeling our stay in Philadelphia was gonna involve steaks. Without cheese for me.

    Song of the Day:
    The Drifters - Under the Boardwalk    Leggi altro

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    Day 47 - A Rocky Revolution

    24 ottobre 2016, Stati Uniti ⋅ 🌙 11 °C

    So far on this trip Alice and I have been to the site where the Mayflower first reached US soil and also where revolution started in Boston. Today we visited the principle sites where a nation was founded. Philadelpia is home to Independence Hall where both the United States Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were debated and adopted. We joined a tour through the various rooms and it was explained in detail what occurred here. It was an interesting look into this period of US history and the prominent figures involved.

    It was now time for lunch and we headed to Reading Terminal Market, a large indoor food fair. It took a while to choose and we eventually headed to where the Philli Cheese Steaks were being sold. I opted for the BLT Hogie and Alice had the Kamikaze Cheese Steak. They were both bursting with meat and other gloriously greasy delights. We also got some highly rated (from a podcast) donuts from Beiler.

    We then walked around downtown and the city's artistic highlights soon become apparent. There are many amazing murals adorning the city's walls and it was cool to see one being worked on by an artist standing on a crane. We were on our way to Philadelpia's Magic Gardens where a house and it's garden are decorated with broken mirrors and glass bottles amongst other disused material. It is an impressive feat and was a worthwhile visit.

    We then visited the oldest tavern in Philadelphia, The McGillin's Ale House. We had ales of course. And so with bellies full of food and ale there was only one thing we could do... (cue music)... we ran up the steps of the Philadelpia Art Museum. In honour of the most famous training sequence in movie history, we literally followed in the footsteps of Rocky. OK I'll admit it, we didn't run, but walking was hard enough. Various photos at the top of the steps laters and then it was time to work our way back home. It was a busy, educational and fun day in Philadelpia. I had a feeling the next day was going to be a quiet one...

    Song of the Day:
    Bruce Springstein - Streets of Philadelpia    Leggi altro

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    Day 48 - Mallrats

    25 ottobre 2016, Stati Uniti ⋅ 🌙 2 °C

    That's correct, the only photo of today is that of a shopping mall.

    We went to the largest shopping mall in the US with over 400 shops. It is called the King of Prussia and yes, it's huge. That was it, that was all we managed today. And watching lots of TV and lounging about.

    Song of the Day:
    Survivor - Eye of the Tiger (was not used for yesterday's post and we drew a blank for today)    Leggi altro

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  • Mash and MaliceWings & ShakesViaggiatore

    Day 49 - Ashley & Alice Go To Washington

    26 ottobre 2016, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    More travelling today. Although the journey was not too long, we still manged to enter three new states.

    On arrival in DC we both felt more tired than usual. We decided on taking it easy in the evening and hitting all the sites tomorrow.

    Song of the Day:
    Jimi Hendrix - Foxy Lady (went through Delaware and this song came on in the car. For the Wayne's World fans out there)    Leggi altro

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