What a last day! It dawned on us yesterday that we would have a whole day to kill in Boston as our flight was late in the evening. We had an unplanned day in front of us, we would have to improvise. As it turned out it was a cracking day which started with a walk in the park following a hearty fast food breakfast at Au Pan Vit which had become our favourite eating place due to a multiple of facts. Firstly, as a self serve, no tipping was required. You simply dictated your order and it was produced, quickly. Merlin and I had been actually wondering how much of our money had departed as tips since we arrived. At least a couple of hundred dollars. So this joint was a Godsend, especially on the last day , when like the sands of time, dollars in the wallet were running out and needed serious eking. Secondly, they did a pretty good lobster salad, which Merlin treated himself to a couple of days ago, for breakfast. Now his opinion has to be listened to, for his is of the Normburger fame don't forget. And he was right, delicious. Thirdly, one can sit outside in the sun and watch the world go by.
But what to do with the rest of the day? We need not have worried. A fun filled one was about to unfold culminating in Merlin returning the favour of many years past. We wandered about for a while before stopping for another bite to eat and as it was past alcohol o'clock.......well it would be rude not to. It's worth reminding readers at this point, as it is crucial to today's tale, that Merlin does not drink. This is on the grounds that between birth and 57 years old, he drank a lifetime's worth and destiny chose for him, another route. We continued upon our ambling way and came upon a fire station. Outside, resplendent in shiny chrome and red, stood a Boston fire engine. Merlin was transfixed. Better was to come, for as he whipped out his camera, a firefighter approached. Merlin made some random excuse about his brother being in the Swedish Fire Service and wanted to show bruv the real thing. Without even asking him to sign a petition, Merlin was offers up to the cab. Unattended. What death they would have been dicing with in days gone by. He was like a small boy. I fully expected him to ask to sound the siren, which in the US is a truly deafening piece of kit, sounding more like an Atlantic liner's signal that it is intending to arrive in port.
After some time our stroll continued and I decided, using GPS to try a short cut between blocks, affording Merlin another photo opportunity, this time of a typical American movie type alley. His word not mine. Turning into the adjoining street we noticed a very old looking building on our right. This turned out to be The Boston Black American Museum, where a guided tour and talk was a mere five dollars. This, we mused, would eat up a few more minutes, but it was more than that, it was an hour or more and fascinating it was too. Boston, not only the place where they chucked our te in the harbour, but also where the sparks of the American Civil War were kindled. Any one who has seen 12 Years A Slave will know exactly what I mean. It was here that right minded 'liberals' decided that the colour of a person's skin should not dictate how they were treated in life. The abolition movement started here, and in this very building and chapel, where the first meetings took place. Brilliant!
Later at Boston International Airport, Trish and I decided to celebrate this great last day. Consequently, from that moment onwards, things went a bit pear shaped. Now, my wife hates waste and could not be convinced to part with the remnants of our duty free, now ten days old and mostly consumed. But not all. Not by a long way it turned out. For when the call to Gate came another gait was decidedly unsteady. These days, airlines are a bit fussy about who they let on 'planes and those that can't walk in a straight line are somewhere on their list. Knowing this Merlin went into action. Ironic this. I remember many a similar experience, merely trying to gain entry, with him in tow, to various clubs and bars in Gothenburg. We sandwiched Trish between us and marched the three of us forward. Confidently we negotiated passport and boarding card control. Security was another matter. They pulled her over for a bag and body search. A feeling of foreboding passed through us. I need not have worried. She pulled herself together and up straight and met the challenge. I was proud of her. We were through.
This effort seemed to have taken its toll as we had to repeat the sandwich manoeuvre to get her through the gate to the aircraft where, after a prolonged visit to the ladies, she slept the whole way home. Lucky her.
What a trip this has been. New York was a truly memorable experience. I can honestly say I have never been to a place like it. Non stop noise, traffic, skyscrapers adding to a keen sense of claustrophobia, people, everywhere, teeming from the pores of the buildings themselves, rich, poor, black, white and every shade between, yellow cabs, fast food, dollars and few cents, the almost perfect silence of Central Park and the 35th floor of our hotel, Brooklyn Bridge, the fetid heat of the subway, Ground Zero, taking your breath away, where few people talk but all look up, Times Square, daylight at night, fire escapes clinging rusty to the outside of buildings, the avenues going on for miles and the streets intersecting them, the queue at night for The Doctor Who Convention, the Broadway lights, catering stores in Greenwich Village selling anything you could wish for and more besides, where Trish could not believe her eyes, ancient hand powered mincing machines and grinders stacked floor to ceiling, The Dakota Building with its security guards and shutters snapping, Strawberry Fields and a Liverpool scarf, you'll never walk alone John, Penn Station, Madison Square Gardens, The Staten Island Ferry, Statue Of Liberty, it's copper you know, that's why it's green, Stars and Stripes and the names of the innocent etched forever on the memorial, bordering the footmark of The South Tower. Truly moving. And all in two days. Unforgettable, whichever way you look at it. I'll be back.
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Really enjoyed your blogs. Really glad you enjoyed your trip. See you later.
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