24 hours in New York

Krista met me at JFK and off we went to her studio apartment in Brooklyn. Lovely space, nice and light, very comfy, thank you Kris.

Had a great hamburger (no beetroot in sight) at The Farm nearby and a pretty dark beer the name of which I can't pronounce and most of which I couldn't drink. Must remember to avoid that one in future.

The next morning I was on my own as Kris went to work, taking my largest suitcase with her. What a great gal! After a few hours taking stock, editing Day 7 of the Darwin-Broome blog and repacking I made for the underground.

Securing the ticket should have been easy but the woman behind the grill referred me to the screen at the turnstile. I let the next person go as I tried to figure out how to get my ticket. Ah a slot for money! In went the note. It wouldn't go.  A line of impatient New Yorkers began to form. I tried again. No luck. someone in the back shouted press 'Start'. There it was in big letters on the screen. Relief and shame competed for attention. At last I got the precious ticket. I turned round apologising profusely to the irritated faces behind me. I don't think New Yorkers know how to handle apologies.

I hopped on the first train that came along. Kris had told me her office was nine stops away. I wrote 111111111 in my notebook carefully crossing out each stop we passed. The ninth was Broadway and Lafayette, not quite the Broadway stop I was expecting as per Krista's instructions but I got off anyway.

Didn't seem to be any streets near the 14th street I needed. I asked the way. Just 3 or 4 blocks. Off I went with my two bags, handbag and raincoat which mercifully I didn't need. It was also good that the temperature had gone down from the 33 degrees of the day before because it took me half an hour to find Krista's office. It appeared I had caught the B train instead of the Q. How was I to know that trains had letters on their fronts!

After meeting the men and women of Project Achieve (within sight of the Empire State building) and a Thai lunch with Kris I took a stroll down Fifth Avenue, not the fashionable part but interesting nonetheless. There is ALWAYS something going on in NY. Stopped for a while to listen to and film some Nashville boys stomping and hollerin', wondering if we'd run across them again in Nashville in 6 weeks time. A doubles tennis match was being screened from the US Open in Madison Park. A model shoot was going on further down the avenue. The male model's face was chiseled and totally expressionless, beautiful but blank, how I could imagine a zombie looking.  See what I mean!
A halal food cart looking like one of those mad Pakistani buses also came in for some camera work.

Then it was back to the airport, Newark, NJ this time. Kris and I took the train. Easy enough but confusion reigned when I tried to check in at the Continental Airlines desk. I was glad I pre-booked my seat online because the flight was chockers. Another touch screen affair which confused me yet again. although I managed to get a boarding pass for the leg to Brussels but not for the leg to Manchester. Instead I had a piece of paper stating 'THIS IS NOT A BOARDING PASS' which gave me visions of being stuck 'In Bruges' like those guys in the film.

Not much sleep on the flight to Brussels, not enough time what with dinner and breakfast being served, then more confusion at Brussels Airport. First of all we all marched about a hundred yards down the concourse then came to a full stop. A big crowd developed as we went nowhere. I was too far back to see what the hold up was. Eventually I found a man, said 'Manchester' and he directed me up stairs away from the throng. Another crowd of people up there but in an orderly queue waiting to go through security. I'm still worried about not having a boarding pass and didn't want to get through to the Other Side only to have to be turned back. Someone assured me there was a Brussels Airlines desk there, so shoes off, netbook out of suitcase etc etc and I was through security. After another enquiry I was directed to the Bus gate. Bus gate???? There I would receive my boarding pass.  At Bus gate 91 I received the precious pass. Eventually a bus showed up and drove at least a mile (maybe it was only half but it seemed a  long way) and we climbed up the stairs to board the Avro flight.

I've since learned Avro is the UK's award winning cheap ticket operator for low cost flights. I was definitely in the cheap seats, some in the front were eligible for free drinks and snacks, we in the back had to pay for them. I didn't bother, knowing I'd be getting a good cup of tea with my friends when I arrived at the other end. Besides it was the principle of the thing.

Now, I'm not a Luddite but I can't help thinking how much easier life was, not to mention more efficient, when some smiling face behind a desk supplied you with your tickets, passes etc and sent you on your way. Okay I'll do without the smile, just give me a person who knows what she or he is doing!!!!