What can I say? I'm home

It seems as though I have only been gone five minutes - or forever. I'm slowly coming around from the effects of travel and jetlag - melatonin is a gift from the goddess, I must say, and makes life a lot easier in transition, but doesn't cure all the pain. Plus, I set out tired, and pretty much stayed that way, one way or another. We do need to learn not to try to cram every moment full on these trips. I did try not to - quite often had full-blown afternoon naps, with snores and everything. But we travelled and did a lot.

I'm not going to get everything down in one session, that would be too big an undertaking in terms of both verbiage and time. I'll try to get most down over the next few days. It was a very interesting trip....

We started out in NYC, which I love and find totally scary at one and the same time. I loved our hotel, which by now will be a pile of rubble - it was being demolished the week after we were there. Probably 1930s, and all the laughter lines were showing. I could see why it had to go, but still feel sad that it should be so. A massive condominium will arise on the site, that is where the money lies. Sigh.
It was right alongside Central Park, and with the windows open for coolth, we could hear all sorts of fascinating sounds. The subway, horses hooves, tour guides, and best of all, an afternoon's worth of classical piano on a keyboard. I'm not sure why the lady in question gave a free concert lasting several hours, but it made my nap on the Saturday a most enjoyable experience.

The Met was lovely. I enjoyed the opera, Otello, a lot, although I do tend to agree with whoever I read that described the Met as "safe". But beautifully sung and staged. And I managed not to totally disgrace myself when the baby chandeliers rose up as the house lights dimmed and the music began - it is such a magic moment!

The next night, we took a chance and went to the Vivian Beaumont to see "The Frogs". I'm so glad we did. Not the greatest of Sondheim musicals, but clever, funny and with such good lighting, particularly the River Styx complete with waterlilies. And the audience reaction to all the anti-Bush references was unexpected and heart-warming. The other thing we both found pretty cool were the frog recordings outside, so subtle that for one brief moment we thought they were for real, until the penny dropped.

We weren't very adventurous with eating places, stayed on Broadway, but had some good food, especially the Indian meal on Saturday night. Subtly different and very, very good.

Sunday found us picking up the hire car. Oh, har de har, WHAT a scam! OK, so we hadn't read the small print at the very end (does anyone?). Dollar (read that again - DOLLAR) have a clause that says that if you do not turn up to get your car within the specified hour, you lose it. We were eight minutes late, by the time we reached the counter, to be told this. Now, I have not been visiting the US for several years without learning a thing or two, So Did Not Take This Lying Down. Mind you - if it was the scam we think, the end result might have been the same, who knows? Now - the reason given for the car not being there ws that they didn't have room to keep it hanging around. OK - so how come they had room for a freakin' van, eh?!? Faced with the choice of trying Avis or Hertz across the street, which would have been even more expensive even if they had a vehicle available, or nothing, we took the van, at half as much again as the car would have been. I am off to write the letter of complaint. Watch this space.

So, off to Zabar's, amazing deli somewhere or other in NYC. Leave the VAN on a parking meter which like all the others around has the red flag up - yup. Get back to a parking ticket. Need to write the letter about that one, too.....

And so, off to the Poconos, a pretty drive and fortunately, uneventful. Of this, more later.


Currently........Back home to find that a phoenix has arisen from the ashes, and there is a new email list packed with old friends, yay.
I finished the first travel sock, only to find it was too short, so had to rrrripp. Did most of the spindling I took with me, finishing off on the new Golding (the blue flower, yum) now that I am back. Lots of ideas for new projects, maybe the logjam is gone. Again, more of this to come.

I need to do a little work - teaching on Friday.

gw