Day 12

The morning after the long day before...

I woke up and decided to go for a run. Partly because I am trying to get into shape and partly because I am trying not to gain a stone from all the beer that I am drinking.

I went out to the Traction Line Park / Trail again and then did a small loop on the way back to the house for 55 minutes in total. I ran half a mile at 6:20 pace on the way out and then a mile at 6:50 pace on the way back. Both efforts hurt and my pulse was quite high throughout. It's going to take a good while until I can get back into the 'swing' of running again.

We didn't do much today except to chill out with Ronan and Kara. Paulo and Ronan went for another drive in the 911 while I worked on getting this blog updated.

Later in the afternoon we went back to Long John's for lunch. This time I had the Belly Buster and it did not disappoint - I was stuffed. We packed up the car, said our goodbyes and headed off to Staten Island to meet Mark.

Traffic wasn't too bad until we got to the Verrazano Bridge. There was a parade earlier in the day and we got stuck in the aftermath but with some map reading and creative driving we made it to Mark's place around 7:00 or so.

We got the quick tour of his gaff, dumped the bags and then set off into the city. We got the bus into Manhattan, getting off right next to Ground Zero. We walked through the Financial District down to the South Street Seaport, had a look at the Brooklyn Bridge and then found a pub to retire in for a few relaxers.



I can't remember the name of the place right now (the downside to waiting too long to write about a night's activities) but it was a cool little spot. They had their own brews and I opted for the Red Rooster Ale. It was going down very nicely and the conversation was great but since Mark had work the next day and we had a busy day of sightseeing, we sensibly left for the 11:00 ferry.



The views of Manhattan and the Statue Of Liberty were absolutely amazing. I took some photos but they unfortunately did not come out very well. So we had another beer and just soaked up the views of the city.

Once we got back to Mark's we rustled up some dogs and then went straight to bed as we were going to have an early start on Monday and desperately needed the kip.

Day 11

The Bronx Bombers

We woke up today, actually jumped up today dying to see the Yankees game. First, we went to The Morristown Diner for a breakfast that was way too cheap and way too full of cholesterol for our own good.

It was then back on the train to Penn Station and a quick walk over to 34th Street. Now, as much as I hate to admit it the damn rabbit's foot is still haunting us from that other Caliber somewhere in Massachusetts.

The subway train that we caught broke down after only a couple of stops so we had to get off and wait for a new train. Then, when the next train finally arrived we learned that there were also problems with another one of the tracks and two other trains had to share the same track with us. This meant that we had to stop and wait at every station for the other two trains to unload their passengers. As a result we missed the first few pitches of the game and didn't see Clemens go through his usual pre-game ritual.

But it was fantastic game. The Yankees won 9-3 and the atmosphere was fantastic. I even ate a hot dog and drank two beers which cost me 8 dollars each. The weather was good and the stadium was packed - almost a sell out.

There was Clemens pitching his first game of the season:

There was Fred Schuman or Freddy as he is known in Yankee Stadium. Freddy has spent the last 19 years enlivening the crowds and doing his best to bring the Yanks a bit of good luck. He carries with him hand made signs, a frying pan and a spoon. He walks around the stadium and lets people bang the pan with the spoon for good luck and to help the Yanks find a way to win the game.

Freddy is 79 and used to own a trucking company. When he retired, he was bored and the Yankees were playing terribly. He decided to approach the team's public relations man with an idea to get the fans to wake up and cheer. He has been at every single home game in Yankee Stadium ever since. He even gets into the games for free now although is not officially recognised as a part of the team.

There was also Gay-Rod:

A standing ovation for Clemens after the top of the 6th inning:

The Bucs hangin' out:

A camera guy snoozin':

A few missed foul balls:

And of course Paulo, presiding over everything:

Some other sites around the ballpark:

Day 10

After a great day of sight seeing in New York, I was keen to go back and head downtown to check out Greenich Village and Soho. But unfortunately we had to sort out our ongoing car troubles with Dollar.

Paulo and I went for a run along a path next to Traction Line Park. He turned back after about 15 minutes but I pressed on and ended up doing a 48 minute 'trot'. I say trot because I am not really running - yet. It has been tough to get back into the swing of running and my knees have been kind of giving out to me.

Traction Line Park stretches for a few miles of the train line between Morristown and Madison. When the line was built it was heavily criticised by all of the locals and one in particular decided to build a wall around her mansion as a sort of 'fuck you' to the railroad company. The wall is still standing today and runs the entire length of the path that we ran on.

We had a quick bite to eat and then drove to Newark Airport to the Dollar office so that we could once again change cars. Paulo had been on to Dollar because he was concerned about a noise that one of the rear wheels was making. Neither of us know very much about cars but we thought that it could have been the bearings making the noise and did not want to risk having problems with the car somewhere down the road. We were told to drive to Newark and ask for Toby - he would sort us out.

When we arrived and explained our situation we were met with a bit of uncertainty and the usual "let me see what I can do for you guys". He sort of sat on the fence for a while and then said that he could offer us a Nissan Murano. There were lots of Sebrings right in front of us but he explained that he had other customers inside who were expecting a certain car and that we could not take one of them.

He went inside to figure out how to process the necessary paperwork and I discussed things with Paulo. We agreed that the Murano was too big and would cost a fortune to put petrol in. When Toby returned we expressed our disatisfaction with the situation and in the end we were rewarded with... wait for it... another Caliber!

So, we are now on our fourth car and our third Caliber in only 10 days...

We drove back to Morristown and decided to go for a bite as we were both pretty Hank from the stressful morning. There is a sub shop around the corner from Ronan's gaff called Long John's and it hit the spot perfectly. It is totally old school from the way all of the meat and cheese is sliced right in front of you after you order to the signs everywhere that state mobiles (or cell phones as they are known here) are strictly forbidden while ordering food. I had the Long John's sub and a root beer and was ready to 'hit the town'.

We jumped on the first train we could into the city and walked out 29th Street towards the Hudson to meet a friend of Paulo's. His name is Mark and he works for Boyland Studios as a photographer. He gave us a quick tour of the place and let us see behind the scenes of his current shoot for a French furniture company catalog.

Mark had to work for a few more hours but he gave us directions to his local watering hole - West End Tavern and promised to meet us as soon as he could. We set off for the bar, licking our lips, at the the thought of a few bevvies.

We arrived and I quickly got stuck into the pints of Yuengling. I was thrilled to see it served there as it is kind of a local brew for me. It is America's oldest brewery, started in 1829 in Pottsville PA by none other than David Yuengling. We shot some pool and then Ronan and Mark came in to meet us. We had a great nite playing pool, chatting and listening to 80s New Wave music on the jukebox.

The 10:30 train was our ticket home and we were in bed early to rest up for our big day out on Saturday.

Day 09

The Big Apple

The 9:04 train from Morristown took us into Penn Station, Manhattan. We arrived after 10 and went straight to Brooklyn Bagel Company for a bite to eat. We then braved the crowds and went up to the observatory on the 86th floor of The Empire State Building.

Some Facts About The Empire State Building:

* It is 102 stories tall and was the highest building in New York for 41 years until the World Trade Center was built.

* Construction began on March 17, 1930 and the building was completed one year and forty-five days later on May 1, 1931.

* The construction was part of an intense competition for the title of the world's tallest building. 40 Wall Street and the Chrysler Building were completed before the Empire State but did not manage to retain the title of tallest building.

* The opening of the building coincided with the Great Depression and as a result many of the offices remained unrented for years. The building did not make a profit for 21 years, until 1952.

* It has been deemed as one of the Seven Wonders Of The Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers

* The building has 6500 windows, 73 lifts and 1860 steps to the 102nd floor.

* It weighs 370,000 tons and cost $40,948,900 to build.

* 20,000 people work in the 85 floors of commercial office space.

* The observation deck located on the 86th floor is one of the most popular outdoor observatories in the world that has been visited by over 110 million people (including me & Paulo).

The views from the deck:

North: featuring the Chrysler Building and in the background the George Washington Bridge

East: featuring the Borough of Queens across the Hudson and the CitiCorp building that dominates the Queens skyline

South: featuring the Flatiron Building in the foreground and Wall Street structures in the background with the Statue of Liberty is just visible to the west of Wall Street



West: featuring One Penn Plaza above the Madison Square Garden and the New Jersey landscape across the Hudson River



It was a bit hazy but visibility was still about 15 miles and it was absolutely brilliant. We hung out, taking pictures for about an hour, before heading back down to the chaos.

We walked 25 blocks through Times Square and out 7th Avenue to Central Park for a bit of a snooze. It was so relaxing, lying in the sun and catching a few well deserved Zs.

Feeling refreshed, we went to the first place we saw for some lunch - PJ Carney's on 7th Avenue across the street from Carnegie Hall. The beer - Brooklyn lager was very good, although it looked and tasted more like an ale. The food was OK, but not great - I had a grilled chicken salad. The real surprise was when the bill came and our pints were eight dollars each! But it is New York and it is 7th Avenue, across from Carnegie and next to Central Park.

We paid up and jumped on the subway back to Penn Station. A quick browse in Gap, the purchase of a few items of clothing and we were back on the train to Morristown. Again we were treated to a fabulous home cooked meal and spent hours chatting about all sorts of things. A great night and the end to a great day in The Big Apple.

Day 08

After a long but not great kip, I woke up this morning with a sore back thanks to the Ho Jo beds. I hobbled around for a few minutes and then set off on the road for another run. I ended up staying out for 54 minutes, not so much because I wanted to run for that long but more because I wanted to see Newport. I ran into town and across to Goat Island to check out the view and get a glimpse of the Newport Bridge. Then I ran a bit further south before turning back towards the hotel. Paulo decided to go for a swim and a whirlpool instead of the run.

We checked out and drove the 1/4 mile to IHOP for breakfast. For the third day in a row I was stunned by how much food you are given in restaurants in this country. It really shows how much my lifestyle has changed in the last ten years since I moved to Dublin. I ordered the 'sampler' but changed the three pancake option for toast and still could not finish it. After 2.5 cups of blick coffee I was a bit wired and ready to take on the day.

We drove back into town and over to Goat Island to check out the views and the boats docked there. Then, we parked up and strolled around the main strip, Bowens Wharf and Bannister's Wharf taking in the sights and sounds of Newport. It really is a nice part of the world and wouldn't be a bad place to spend the long, lazy days of summer chilling out.

Newport Bridge

Bowens Wharf

Next we drove across town to check out the cliff walk. We parked right next to the most famous part - the Forty Steps. The steps mark the spot where workers and servants from the mansions along the cliffs would meet and socialise. They are quite steep and lead to a balcony that provides great views of the Atlantic Ocean.

The Forty Steps



View from The Forty Steps

The Cliff Walk

We spent the rest of the afternoon doing laundry and then driving the 200 or so miles from Newport to Morristown NJ to spend the night with friends of Paulos. We hit some traffic but were welcomed with a fantastic meal and spent the night chatting and drinking.