tour2

6:30am Fire Alarm! The fire alarm went off this morning at 6:30am, not that anyone seemed to be in any hurry to leave the building, I got up and quickly dressed and queued to get down the stairs to get out, and was met by the NYFD coming up the stairs, turned out it was steam on a sensor, so I went back to bed for an hour or too before needing to get up for Jerry's City Tour. This is the best value $10 I’ve had it the States. At 11am I and about 20 other hostellers met up with a local retired School Teacher called Jerry, he has been running his Grand Tours for over 13 years and they are excellent. From 11 until 1.30am! we walked, rode the subway, hopped a ferry, and got to know the city in ways many tourists never do. We even went for a vey cheap evening meal in an Indian restaurant for less than $20, which is cheap for NY. Jerry took us to virtually every section and attraction in the city; The Brooklyn Bridge, Wall Street, Chinatown, Little Italy, Soho, Greenwich Village, Little ...

I chilled out today my back & leg were giving me a lot of pain today and add to that it was a fine rain drizzle that was coming down, I had breakfast in the hostel and some pain killers the Metro down to the main shopping area with the intention of getting some flight socks for the way home. After going to about a dozen Pharmacies and Outdoor/Travel stores and having no look I gave up and went for a beer and food in the Hartland Brewery which is located in the base of the Empire State Building, then meandered my way back to the hostel

My flight today was not due to leave until 10:30pm so I took my time checking out at 11am but leaving my bags in a pay locker at the hostel and to a ride in to downtown Manhattan for something to do, I wandered around for a while and then took a different Metro back up to near the Hostel but walked through a part of Central Park as I think this was one of the only places we didn’t see on Jerry’s Tour! Back to the hostel I got my bag and took the Metro and SkyTrain out to JFK airport. I had been told it would take me nearly 3 hours to do the journey but in the end it only took an hour or so. Luckily I was able to check in even though it was only 4pm so with about 6 hours to kill I went over to Terminal 4 – which has the largest selection of restaurants and bars and had a couple of beers and some food there and generally mooched around the shops before returning to T7 to go through security and wait for the flight. We left about 15 minutes late due to the place being a little late gettin...

I took the 12:30 Megabus today to New You’re and all went well until we got to the Lincoln Tunnel, just as we got there it got shut down because of an incident in the tunnel and we sat in gridlocked traffic for a good 20minutes until they re-opened it. Once under the river we were dropped at Penn Station and I took the Metro up the 1 line to the hostel. This is the biggest hostel I’ve ever stayed in with over 700 beds but with an average hotel room price of $267 a night in New York I was glad I was paying a lot less than that. The hostel is huge with large bunk dorms but very clean and seems to have had a recent make-over with big lounger settees and a rather smart modern kitchen area. Not sure what to do I signed up for the Happy Hour drinks evening this evening, not having a car any more not having to worry about driving the next day. We met up at the reception at 7ish and we were just given an address of a bar about 2 blocks up the road. It was tiny and there was no way we we’re all...

I started late this morning with a very heavy head! I jumped on the Metro and rode it down to central Manhattan and had a wander around I had looked in the phone directory and found the address of the Scout Office but it turned out to be just the admin office but the did direct me to the Scout Shop which turned out to be on the 4th floor of the Empire State Building so I headed over there and had to get a pass to get in. That was no problem – a driving licence works here! Unfortunately it doesn’t get you further than the forth floor though so I couldn’t sneak a lift to the top! After getting some badges I wandered aimlessly around for an hour or two and came across Times Square and sat and watched the world go by before heading back to the hostel and chilling out for the evening.

Took the long walk back to the bus stop this morning and waited for the bus – I managed to get the bag on my back like a rucksack and balanced it with my day sack so it wasn’t too bad. We then took the bus back into the town centre and just had a short walk to find the Apple Hostel in the centre of town. We checked in and dropped the bag in the bag store as we were too early to check in and having been loaded with things to do/see we headed off into town. The first place we went to see was the Eastern State Penitentiary which was excellent. You use an audio guide to wander around the part ruined grounds of the prison, with the narration given in many places by the voices of previous inmates and warders of the prison there are also art installations at various places around the site which gives it a slightly surreal feel to some of them. The nice thing is that it has not been fully restored which gives it a very eerie feel in places. Al Capone was incarcerated here and his cell has been...

Today I was to finally get rid of the Chevy Impala that has given me so much grief for the last week or so, first I called at a Target store to get a lager travel bag to put all my stuff in. picked a large drag-along holdall for about $40 just the job. I dropped it off back at Jo's then drove the car down to Union Station where the Alamo returns are done. Just made it in time the traffic around Union Street Station is horrendous. After dropping the car and getting lost trying to get out of the car park; confusingly the signs pointing to the rail station are located over the escalators which take you back into the car park. The huge hall of the station is grand and awe inspiring and laid out with smart restaurants and cafés. The 'lines' are actually hidden away from the view of the station user and you could easily be led to believe that you were in some strange temple to food and not a railway station at all. Leaving the station I found the Postal Museum next door. I deci...

Took the Metro this morning back into town to the Car park where the Megabus was to leave from. The queue was huge but all was well as 2 buses turned up. The Megabus is just the same as you see in the UK Doubledecker coach and cheap! You even get laptop power and free WIFI on the bus, which worked really well, I’d read some reviews about the quality of the buses and was a little wary at first but in reality they were great and for price were excellent - $8 to Philly against $90 on the train. The bus was soon on the freeway and even though we left 30 mins late we arrived on time at 35th Street Train Station on time. I then took the train 1 stop to Central Philly and then waited for the local bus No.38 out towards the hostel. The bus wound it’s way through the town and then out through some rather run down areas of the town and finally the driver gave me a shout when he got to the stop I needed. He’d obviously seen other backpackers before as he told me exactly which way to walk from the...

I did the last major run in the car today, and I'll be glad to get out of it. Uncomfortable and bad memories. I drove northwards until I picked up 'the Beltway'; the M60 or M25 of Washington at times it was mad with over 6 lanes each direction all full of traffic vying for to be the next F1 (or Nascar?!?) driver. Eventually I got off it and headed into the Suburb of Woodbridge where I had found there was a HRO Amateur Radio store to get a replacement battery for my radio. Duly bought I set the Sat Nav to take me the shortest route to Joanne's apartment in Silver Spring – this turned out to be straight through the middle of down town Washington. Joanne teaches at the British School of Washington and had kindly offered to put me up for a couple of days (some how I managed to get the days mixed up and arrived a day early!) The route in took me past the Pentagon and past Arlington and then over the Potomac river and into 'the District' proper, after that it was a s...

I took the Metro this morning down to the centre of Washington today and first stop was the White House – which is as small as everyone says it is. There was some activity on the balcony but it's too far across the lawn to see what exactly was going on, there were certainly a few 'blokes in black suits' knocking about. I walked down from the Whitehouse towards the Mall cutting off the corner and ended up in the Ronald Regan food court – no, I've no Idea why it's called that either! But there was a good fresh food buffet in there so I got a large Salad to go and sat amongst the city types having lunch, almost as good as 'Zorba the Greek's' in Manchester, but lacked the company (Kathryn). I hobbled over to the Air and Space Museum, my back is still giving me gyp and took a look around the various halls here, some were interesting, but many were old and out dated, though from what I've read the Smithsonian Institute (who run the museums are nearly brok...

Today I got off the Freeway and took the Long winding Blue Ridge Mountains Highway, another 'road' National Park. The roadway and a number of Miles either side of it are designated a National Park. The day was cloudy and misty but still warm and actually a bit muggy. I followed the road for a number of hours before peeling of to refill with fuel and then pick up the Freeway to Roanoke and find one of the cheaper motels.

Packed up the tent this morning and took the the road through the Smokies over into North Carolina. Ironically many of the roads through this area were forged by Auto-clubs in the '20's who wanted somewhere nice to take their new cars and was why the park was created – to protect it from commercialisation, just now it's full of cars! At the state line at the summit of the pass is a car park with lookouts to both states. The think I noticed was the sign at the side announcing that this was a place where people hard the right to carry out their 1st Amendment – the right to free speech – as long as you stood next to the sign you could say anything! The road dropped down the hill through a series of sweeping long downhill runs to eventually open out into the Indian Reservation town of Cherokee, which again was a similar idea to Gatlinburg but with casinos as well. I follwoed a road out not really knowing where I was going stopping for some fuel on the way and eventually picked ...

I drove back down the narrow road to Gatlinburg today. The sun was out and it was a really warm day. The town is in a narrow valley on the edge of the National Park. It's a bit like Bowness but on speed. Everything is geared towards the tourist dollar, however my first stop was to find a chemist to get some tablets for my back which was really stiff today. I hobbled down the main street which seemed to be over-run with Ripley's Believe-it-or-not exhibitions. I got some tablets for back pain and called into the ubiquitous McDonald's to get a drink to wash them down. Then on down the street to see nothing but craft and tack shops selling anything and everything you can think of with the word Gatlinburg on it. Walking back up the main street there is a chair lift to take you up the mountain but the queue was huge and it only takes you up to more shops so I gave it a miss. Dark clouds were rolling in and the wind got up and so I headed back up to the camp site and read and lis...

Drove on today following the interstate South-East then for a confusing half a mile or so dropped into Georgia State, where it must be illegal to buy fireworks as either side of the state border were loads of Firework shops just off the highway in Tennessee. I pulled off the highway just after it turned North-East into Chattanooga not really sure what I was going to find here. I followed a number of signs to something called 'Lookout Mountain' which turns out to be slightly big hill on the edge of town. It also boast having an Inclined Railway and Ruby Falls; the largest known under-ground water fall, which is supposed to be very impressive. On arriving at the Carpark I parked up but found my back was incredibly stiff and sore today and I hobbled over the Entrance. The cost for entry was about $40 and included a long walk through caves to reach the water fall. I certainly wasn't willing to fork out $40 just to see a water fall and to be honest I don't think I could of ...

I left Nashville this morning and took the road south out of town towards the Lynchburg and the Jack Daniels Distillery. Just of the Interstate I booked into a cheap motel room in Manchester of all places (although nothing like back home!) I then too the local road out to Lynchburg, the home of the Jack Daniels Distillery. The tour here is free and you start in a large Visitors Centre where you watch a film about the history of the place. Then you a led out a side door onto a 'Tour Bus' which takes you all of 500yds up the road though the grounds. The first stop is the old on site fire station where they have an old REO Speedwagon Fire Truck (yes, the rock group did base their name on a truck of this type) Next to the fire house we were told about the wood which is used to fire the distillery and also to make the charcoal which is used to filter the whiskey later in the process. From here we walked down to the old building which was originally used by Mr Jack Daniels as his o...

I took my time this morning and had a a couple of fresh coffees whilst chatting to some of the other people. Three of the other people there were planning to walk up to Centennial Park to see the full size replica of the Parthenon before they headed off down to New Orleans Festival. We sat in the sun for awhile then walked around the huge Parthenon which looks slightly out of place in the middle of this large Park. Walking back towards the hostel we stopped off at the Café Coco which is apparently an institution in these parts. Open 24hrs a day you can get anything from drinks to snacks to full meals and the food really was good and fresh and 'real' a nice change from all the fast food everywhere. Back to the hostel and I chilled out for the afternoon on the patio of the hostel with other guests some playing a guitar that was passed around for people to show off their Country talents. In the evening I walked out with a couple of the other hostellers to the Commodore Bar where ...

It took me about an hour to get into Nashville this morning and I went to the Hostel listed in the Lonely Planet. It didn't seem too bad so I booked in for 2 nights. The hostel is in a collection of brick bungalows in a semi-industrial area. I took a drive down to the town centre just as a huge storm broke. After realising it wasn't going to stop too soon I looked for something to do indoors. The Farmers Market was just out of the city and I headed over there. The market is a huge long covered market in 3 sections. The central part is enclosed as a food court and I get a coffee in here. The rain had now slowed to a slow to a drizzle, I took a walk around the third of the market which was operating, mostly there were just plant sales, it looks like the market was on a slow day. Next door was a monument of some kind to the history of the USA, large black granite blocks are spaced down a garden, each represents a decade and is engraved with quotes from famous people of the time. ...

I decided to get off the freeway today and told the Satnav to avoid them, it took me northwards up though the sticks of Arkansas, the land is flat and mostly fields however every so often there are small copses of fields with farmsteads in them. I had a litle twinge of pain in my back so as I speed through a small village I pulled in to a Chemist for some Paracetamol. Opposite was a restaurant called Piggy P's, as it was already lunchtime I called in for some typical Southern grub of Pork and fries and Iced Tea. I continued on up the small road and suddenly the road doglegged to the right and left and under a strange archway over the road. I didn't realise it but I'd actually travelled up to into Missouri. I didn't get chance to stop at the weird arch, I had a huge truck right up behind me pushing me along and eventually I got a straight bit of road and allowed him to pass. I came across a radio communications store and pulled in to see if I could get a new battery for ...