+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Links: family / facebook / twitter / linkedin / google / instagram / random | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | _______ | Hell hath no fury like lawyer of a woman | | ,--'.:::::.`-._ | scorned. | | /..:::::::::::..\ | | | /..:::::::::_;::::| | | | || `---'----' _|:::| | | | || `;:::| | | | |' ==== ==== |-::| | | | |-( @ )-( @ )--|O):| | | | | ` | ` |/::' | | | . v |:/ jeremy@ | | | | ___, || malcolm | | | \ -- _/| .id.au | | | \_____.-'__/-.__ | | | _| _/|::.\.::-._ | | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | [*] news [ ] about [ ] writing [ ] journal [ ] images [ ] guests | | +--- last 10 | | |->> archive | | `--- search | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +--| USA |--------------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | We began our USA visit in the historic, handsome and surprisingly friendly | | city of Boston, where we walked the Freedom Trail that marks the sites of | | significant events in American history such as the Boston Massacre (in | | fact, our nearby hotel, the Marriott Custom House, is itself a historic | | site). As usual we also dug into some local fare, such as Boston baked | | beans with molasses bread, and clam chowder (which I recommend). From | | Boston, we took a couple of day trips through New England in a (left-hand | | drive!) rental car, to Salem and through New Hampshire to Maine, where we | | stopped in pretty seaside York, then the following day by coach to | | Providence, Rhode Island. | | | | We next flew to New York, where we stayed in a hostel on Central Park. We | | bought a book of coupons for six of the major attractions, including the | | Metropolitan Museum of Art and the American Museum of Natural History | | (both of which we should have allowed at least a full day to see), and the | | Empire State Building observation deck (I hadn't realised that post 9/11, | | the Empire State is again New York's tallest building). Additionally we | | took in Chinatown, Coney Island, saw Spamalot on Broadway, and even met | | Santa (in the circumstances, I'll defer to his American title) at Macy's. | | I'll limit my compulsory food notes to Dip'N Dots, which are tiny specks | | of chewy icecream that you buy in a bag, and Fresca, my favourite soft | | drink as a child that is no longer available in Australia. | | | | We next moved on to the mid-west to meet with the extended in-laws, | | driving from Denver, Colorado to Laramie, Wyoming. Laramie seemed to be a | | good place to get fat; it was snowy outside, and had more fast food chain | | outlets than historic points of interest (incidentally, what is it with | | Americans and all that apple sauce - isn't a sauce supposed to go with | | something?). I finally got a bit of work done here, lacking Internet | | access (the town doesn't even have a GSM phone network). Before we leave | | Laramie for the Mormon stronghold of Salt Lake City, Utah, we hope to take | | in a national park (Yellowstone is a bit far, but I'd like to see a geyser | | if I can), Devil's Tower, Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, and maybe do | | some skiing. | | | | As it was last time for me, you enter America feeling that this often | | crass and dumb country has nothing to offer, with its Disneyland parodies | | of the authentic cultures of Britain and Europe; but somehow it wins you | | over, through the vibrancy and unabashed commercialism of its big cities, | | the beauty of its woodlands swathed in autumnal gold, the weatherboard | | conformity of the Lynchian small towns that are clustered together | | throughout New England as if for warmth, the craggy grandeur of the | | snow-capped mountains, the homely unhealthiness of its comfort food (try | | their biscuits and gravy - that is, scones and white sauce - for | | breakfast) and the earnest if insular patriotism of its citizens. | | | +---------------------| posted 1998 days ago via news | reply (0 comments) |--+ | << Back | | page generated in 6.566 seconds sadlittlewebjournal 3.2.4 | | content (c) its respective creator(s) web administration | | valid html 4.01 transitional rss feed | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+