NY City & East Coast Road Trip

I arrived at Farnborough to meet Cade at around midday, Thursday 7th April 2022. We had our video consultation for our Covid tests (CDC requirement) booked at 1.40pm. However, the lady called me around 1.10pm to ask if we could go online earlier. Glad i got there earlier as our whole trip hinged on passing this test. With both having to work and go to college all week and Covid being SO rife at the moment, I was nervous. The test was a load of nonsense really.. she asked if we had our kits, checked our passports by holding them up to the camera and then said ok, put it up your nose for 10 seconds and I'll be back in 15 minutes. Then turned her camera off. We looked at each other a bit puzzled and after a minute decided to just do the test, it didn't seem like she was coming back. We could have used any test and any result to be honest. But we did it properly. She came back after 15 minutes, asked to see the strips and then said your certificate has been emailed, could I check my emails. It was as if she sent the certificate before seeing our results. I felt exactly as I did at Christmas with the whole testing thing.. ripped off. At least these weren't £45 each this time and only £20 each. There is zero regulation or verification checks carried out around these tests and I wonder if the USA actually realise that?

We got to Heathrow airport at 4.30am... 4 hours before our flight because of the chaos in the news all week. Despite being told by email to check-in online we were unable to do so after trying for 24 hours. No message on their website about downtime or anything. Just a message sayin "Oops, see someone at the airport". Check-in didn't open till 5.30am so we got a Costa and parked our bums on the floor at the front of the check-in desks. At least we were first in line. Check in was easy, security was easy despite all the news reports. We were through by 6am. Cade checked out the Duty Free shops, all which were open and we had a Leon breakfast box an juice. Our boarding passes said gate B43 and she said gate B43 at checck-in so we toddles off about 7am to the gate.. it was a long way through underground walkways. Got to the gate and checked the screen... flight had changed to gate A26... Note to self.. check screens regardless of what you are told lol. Gate 26 was all the way back past the shops 🙈 so, we walked all the way back with NO electronic walkways going that way.. ugh
The flight with JetBlue was pretty easy, strange to be on a long haul that wasn't overnight but I had downloaded 2 series of The Last Kingdom on Netflix to watch so was happy. We had tablets on the seat in front of us but there was nothing exciting on them. It was nice that we could pair our phones and have WiFi for the trip so i could keep mother informed. (After all day though of not hearing anything from her I phoned after we got out of the airport.. "oh, sorry she said, we've been at the golf club with David all day 🙄).
We could also order a meal on the tablet so I ordered Fritatta, turkey sausage and oranges in Honey for breakfast. Cade ordered something Chocolate (can't remember what) but it was the weirdest taste and texture I have ever seen and really made me LOL seeing his face when he ate it. It was like the texture of an exfoliating body wash and didn't taste like anything chocolate 🤮.
7 hours went quite quickly watching Uhtred ❤️ and then they brought us snacks round. It smelt really sickly sweet whatever it was but turned out to be a pretzel and a sachet of mustard 🤷‍♀️ hot, stale, dry, tasteless bread I have never understood pretzels but... a sachet of mustard? Bonkers... mustard is for sausages. There is not many things I can't eat but I couldn't eat that 🤣.

We arrived at JFK at around 11am.. the views coming in to land of Long island and the Hamptons were stunning and it was a beautiful sunny spring day. Security and customs was smooth and swift and we were through everything in less than an hour. Cade commented on "the US government now having his fingerprints" I guess it is kind of weird having your fingerprints taken for the first time as a kid..
We checked out an Uber and also a new app Clarence recommended called Lyft. A car to the City was around $80 so we decided to save on that and get public transport. Cade also seems fascinated by the NY Subway Tik tok videos and YouTube that he was showing me of "Rat Man" a street performer who dresses up as a rat and wanders the subways.
We easily found the Sky Train by following the signs that took us to Jamaica Station which seems to be a "hub" for then getting to everywhere. A nice chap helped us with the ticket machine. We told him we wanted to get to Penn station. The combined ticket with the Sky train and a days Metrocard was only $13 each, bargain! I do love a bargain. Tried to work out the trains by using Google maps as we knew we wanted the LIRR, Long Island Rail Road but managed to go one stop in the wrong direction. Got off at the next station which was empty and was the first fresh air we had felt in over 12 hours so we enjoyed sitting in the sun for 40 minutes waiting for a train to come back the other way. That was then an easy ride of 40 minutes straight to Penn Station.
Penn station was what I was typically expecting of a New York Subway station so we quickly exited up through a food court where Cade was excited seeing all the typical American brands.. Dunking Donuts, Starbucks, Subway etc.. Next level up and we popped out at Madison Square Gardens which was above us. Clarence met us and we walked a few blocks away from MSG just taking in the sun, the people, the buildings.. Wow.
We saw Times Square 2 blocks away and The Empire State Building and Macys. We stopped at Bryant Park and decided to get an Uber to the Hotel, The Central Park North, as we had to check in between 3pm and 6pm. The Hotel is basic (was the cheapest in the City, other than a hostel that I could find on booking.com), but clean and in a lovely brownstone building very typical of what I was expecting. It is on the north side of central park, literally right next to it. We checked in.. I had the quickest shower with the smallest of towels as I only went in to wash my face but I was feeling so grotty. The room is not en-suite which some people might find strange but it doesn't bother me. There is a separate toilet and then shower cubicle right next to the room.
There is a microwave fridge and sink in the room so we can store stuff and have a cold drink etc. The room is very warm as the sun is blazing through the windows. No air con :-(
I like to sleep in a fridge so this could be a problem. No curtains, just blinds and my goodness it's noisy outside.
Clarence took us straight out for a meal as it was around 4pm by this time.. so, 9pm for us and we hadn't eaten since breakfast. We took an Uber to a Mexican restaurant he had been to before.

Rancho Tequileria

https://maps.app.goo.gl/1aNNCDDS9eGCQsAP9

The food was amazing and had a Margerita on the rocks called a Jamaican with Pomegranate juice and a spicy salt rim, was amazing. Tortillas and guacamole to start with and an awesome fresh salsa. I had chicken fajitas which were to die for. Cade had steak, shrimp and chicken quesedilla and Clarence had enchiladas with green sauce. Great food, great company, great atmosphere. We walked the 10 blocks or so back to our hotel and said goodnight New York... I was finished.
14000 steps today and dead at 6pm.. 11pm for usRead more