Uptown Girl

Jeremy cruising through the traffic

Hanging banana's

Entry to shop

Bedroom (AKA photo)

Lounge (AKA photo)

AKA Central Park

Exiting the baggage hall and looking for my driver. There he is with a sign with my name on it. Jeremy whisks me away in his Lincoln town car. We travel through Queens a suburb where 49% of the people are immigrants and over 100 different languages are spoken. Alas none of them spoke to me. The car even had privacy shields so people could not see you. Jeremy was very surprised when I put the window down to take a photo of some street art.

We are in a traffic jam on a bridge, this feels like a true New York experience. Once we hit the Manhattan streets its all honking horns for blocks and blocks. But Jeremy knows what he is doing and glides in and out of traffic to deliver me to my accommodation in no time.

Ok, the big moment, will it be like the pictures or not? Elvis is in the building, yes that’s the name of the lovely guy who is checking me in and tells me all about the area. So far so good. Up in the elevators to the 9^th floor, slide the key in, open the door and WOW. This is nice.

Its 6:30pm and time to go out and get some supplies, my plan is to find Whole Foods Market, an organic grocery.  I am walking along the southside of Central Park checking out all the horses and buggies and stacks people are going the opposite direction with Whole Food Market bags. So I must be going in the right direction. Ta da, there it is. They do say everything is bigger and better in Amercia, there must be every type of food imaginable here.

Shopping done. Rest now. Big day planned tomorrow.

Brave new world

Seat belt fastened and ready to go Captain!

Secret island

Mojave Desert

Colorado River

Nearly there

It’s a grey and dismal Saturday morning, and with some anticipation I am waiting for QF107 to get up in the air and go. After months of planning its time to head to a new destination, America. Land of the free, land of the brave, land of the endless shopping mall – who knows all will be revealed over the next few weeks.

Up, up and away we go and soon we are waving goodbye to Sydney and flying over the endless blue of the Pacific Ocean. Time to pick a movie to watch. Ben Stiller as Walter Mitty, set in New York looks perfect.

Its 5 hours in, can someone please tell the Captain to turn around and go home, I have had enough of this endless blue sea. What am I doing here? Wait, there is a speck in the ocean, its an island, tiny from our height but its something. Maybe it’s undiscovered and has rare plants and exotic birds. Time for a nap.

Out of my slumber I glance down and get lucky, there is the coast of America a new land, now I am excited! A whole new place to explore.

We are getting close to LA, there are lots of houses, nestled along the coast and going up to the mountains, fire trails that run right along the tip of the mountains. There is a lot to see now, the suburbs are more laid out and symmetrical. A freeway with cars zooming along, a yellow school bus parked on the side of the road. More buildings and freeways. Whats that, OMG, it’s the Hollywood sign. I really am in LA.

Captain Holloway lands us down and it’s the 500 person shuffle through customs, then terminal. Every 300 metres or so there is a QANTAS person waving a sign onto the next flight, makes the transition really easy.

Soon we are on our way again ready to cross America there are so many mountains, lots of rocks and canyons, must be an adventurers paradise here. Lots to keep me occupied, I am using the flight path navigation system to check off the places as I see them, Mojave desert, Rocky Mountains with snow on top even the Colorado River, all look amazing from 10,000 metres.

Then after 1,000 kms the land settles out and gets flat, we are going through Kansas time for another movie, The Monuments Men, George Clooney entertains me and thankfully finishes in time for the Hudson River and our approach to JFK airport.

I am straining at the window trying to see big buildings we circle around and around. Then along the coast and finally we land.

Hello, New York.