En route home

Last night we returned to Old Town Alexandria to eat. We again had an aperatif at an Irish pub, Murphys - one of the many Irish pubs in the area and each has at least one home - grown Irish barman. 

The young girl seated beside me struck up a conversation. She told me she was 22 and was in Alexandria to house sit her sister's dog. Her sister worked for the Federal Government. Her sister had spent 5 years in college and as a result had debts that she'll be paying back until she retires!! 

She was from New Hampshire and she informed  me that it had the worst heroin problem in the country. She asked me if we had many homeless people in Ireland? We also discussed marriage, divorce and children She told me that some of her friends of similar age were divorcing . She was eminently sensible! 

She then asked if we had been to a Speak- Easy? I thought they had gone out with the abolition of Prohibition. It appears they still exist - one in Alexandria appears to be a shop but when one gives the code, (which you can get on the internet, where they advertise). a door in the wall opens to reveal a small bar. In line with tradition, people speak quietly and no mobile phones are allowed. The drinks are very expensive but worth the experience, she suggested. It was a pity it was our last evening, I would have loved the experience !! 

We are at an Italian restaurant - the good and wine were fantastic, at a standard I've not seen in Ireland. 

We boarded the trolley and returned to base. 

This morning, having checked out, we adjourned to a nearby Outlet but we didn't do much damage to the credit cards!! We then paid our final visit to Old Town Alexandria for lunch. I did promise you a photograph of the city in daylight.   

We again chose an Italian restaurant. The restaurant's building had a checkered history. It was a shop, an artist's studio, a Speak-Easy and a Nazi communications centre during WW11 posing as a 'Fix It' shop!! The food was again delicious. 

Our last trolley ride to the Metro and back to collect our bags. In Royal fashion we are travelling separately, so while I made my way by 5A bus from Rosslyn Metro Station to Dulles airport, CC took a Metro to Union and then by Amtrak to Baltimore airport. He travels with Whoh via  Rhykevik to Dublin, I fly via London with Virgin Atlantic and on to Dublin with Aer Lingus! 

On board now, as I end this blog, we're being advised by the Captain that we'll leave on time and arrive early after 5 hours 35 minutes into London. The flight is only about half full - 162 passengers and I have a row of seats to myself! 

Washington

Today's plan was to use the Circle Line bus, a normal city service, which takes one around the city, where the more expensive tours traverse. We commenced the Red Tour at Union Station - the most spectacular Metro Station I have ever seen. 

We alighted at the Washington Memorial. It was closed, perhaps because of a number of  security alerts. 

We had attended this portion of the Mall yesterday as we visited the Smithsonian museums. We alighted here and continued on foot past the WW11 Memorial, 

where CC met a veteran, 

then on to the Washington Memorial. 

We had had a detailed history of Washington's  contribution when we visited Springfield on our Route 66 tour!  

After mounting the numerous steps to see the sculpture, 

we continued to the Vietnam memorial. It was chilling to see the numerous young men killed in this war. 

The wall engraved with the names is stark. 

We took the bus back to Union Hall and after lunch continued our Washington tour, with a visit to Georgetown. It is an old historic town laid out in 1751. It professes to be an upmarket area with high end, shops, bars and restaurants. It has an Embassy belt and the famous Georgetown university takes up much of the land area of the town. However, it appeared to us somewhat unloved!! We did not alight from the bus but returned to the city. En route we quit the bus to see 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue - the White House to you and me. We were surprised how near we were permitted to go to see the White House. 

The Secret Service were visible along its perimeter but when I checked with one Secret Service agent if this were the front of the White House,  he was surprisingly friendly and confirmed that it was. Barak and Michele invited us for afternoon tea but unfortunately time did not permit.!!!!

We returned to Alexandria. 

Washington

Last night we went to nearby Alexandria. It is by the Potomac river but as it was dark when we arrived, I cannot vouch for the view. However, on Wednesday the evening of our departure, we intend to lunch there so I promise a photograph of the view then. 

Alexandria is the oldest historic part of Washington DC. It was the boyhood home of Robert E Lee. It was laid out in a grid pattern in 1749 but its origins date back to prehistoric times. The Main Street is King St.- a free trolley bus connects the Metro station with the Marina at the other end of King St. The Metro link to downtown Washington was established in 1983 and this led to the gentrification of the area. The historic houses now contain art galleries, shops and restaurants.  It has one of the oldest markets in the US and once had the second largest slave market in the country. 

We had an aperatif at Daniel O' Connell's    Irish pub. Again we met an Irish bartender from Blanchestown. He was scating  on Dublin's performance in the All Ireland final. 

We adjourned to the The Fish Market for dinner of Prawns and a Fish plate selection, coupled with a bottle of Californian Chardonnay. 

We then took the trolley bus back to Kings Street station, where  we boarded the yellow line for the one stop to Eisenhower Drive, where the Holiday Inn is located.  En route, we were asked where we were from? Our two Firemen were from South Carolina were most impressed. It was 'awesome' to meet Irish people. They were avid golfers, so I suggested they visit Ireland and as they like Guinness , I suggested they drink some made from the Liffey waters!! 

More tomorrow ....,   

Washington - the Smithsonian

Washington, capital of the USA. An Act of 1790 created the capital and it is not part of any state but includes historic Georgetown and Alexandria. It was laid out by architect l'Enfant. It was modelled on the Baroque style with avenues radiating from rectangles. The National Mall - a wide grassy area is bounded on one side by Constitution Ave. and on the other by Independence Ave. - it is here on both sides of the Mall that most of the museums are situated together with the Capitol buildings,

the Lincoln Memorial 

and the Washington Memorial.

It is a very beautiful if sterile city 

This morning, we awoke to pouring rain. It is the first rainfall we've seen since our arrival in the U. S. 

We took the shuttle to the Metro and boarded the train to the Smithsonian. 

The Institute resulted from the British scientist , Smithson leaving his wealth to an American nephew, who died childless and left his wealth to the US government to disseminate knowledge among men!!  All the museums are free of charge and welcome 30 million visitors annually. 

 

Alighting at the station, we sought advice as to where it was. I hadn't done my homework sufficiently as it appears it is made up of numerous buildings - all housing museums of different themes - American History, National History Museum, Afro American History, Air and Space Museum to name but a few. 

We commenced our visit with a call to the American History Museum. There were many exhibits including an exhition on American Presidents and First Ladies. The latter exhibition features the dresses worn by the all First Ladies at the Inauguration Balls. 

Jackie Kennedy's Inaugural Ball

        gown with her pearls

                           

  Hilary Clinton's Inaugural ball gown

 

        Michelle Obama's Inaugural

                      Ballgown 

I then visited the Star Spangled Banner exhibition, where the original Stars And Stripes Flag is on show. 

This was followed by a visit to the Food   Exhibition, which traced the change in American food patterns from the 1950s - the 2,000s. On exhibit was the famous cook Julia Child's kitchen. 

She was trained as a Cordon Bleu cook in France but on her return to the States, she gave cookery demonstrations on TV and is credited with introducing Americans to drinking wine with their meals as the French do. I'm not too sure that she succeeded as the Americans appear to prefer cocktails with their meals. 

The exhibition showed the contribution of emigrants to American cuisine and illustrated the change from home cooked dinners to TV dinners to the modern convenience take-aways. 

I was disappointed to find that there was no exhibition on the Suffragette movement but here and there, there were references to the: 

Was it ever thus? Our women in 1916    

    were treated in a similar manner

Afterwards,  CC went to the Air and Space Museum, while I went to The Nstional Art Gallery but I was disappointed to find the section on modern American paintings was under renovation. However, I did see many paintings by Sargent and Whistler.  The Air and Space Museum I'm reliably informed was a little dated! 

Tonight we intend to go to Kings Street - Old Town, Alexandria to sample the culinary delights the area is famous for. 

More tomorrow ........ 

NYC - Washington DC

Last night we went to a Chinese restaurant nearby to celebrate CC's birthday. It came highly recommended by a Chinese girl and it didn't disappoint. 

Prior to dinner, we went for an aperatif to Foleys, an Irish pub with a baseball theme!! There we met an Irish bartender from Co. Down. 

This morning, we wake to discover that a pressure cooker bomb had detonated in Chelsea, not 10 blocks from our hotel. Thankfully, there were no fatalities but 29 people were injured. 

We breakfasted at Andrews, a real American diner - so difficult to find in the US today. I cannot abide the polystyrene plates and cups that replaced the good old fashioned diner. We went to Macy's to collect our purchases and check out any other bargains. Afterwards we repaired back to the said diner-I had to have a piece of NY cheesecake before I left NYC. 

Train anoraks be warned that a senior ticket from NYC to Washington DC cost $149.00 for a 3 and 1/2 hour one way journey. Iarnrod  Eireann appear inexpensive by these standards! 

The train was 30 minutes late - not unusual by American rail standards! When I came here as a student in the 1970s, we were advised not to take a train as they frequently broke down! The oil crisis resulted in investment being put into the railways so the service has improved. 

As we boarded train 613, no seats appeared to be available - even at this price! We left our luggage in the first carriage and walked about 10 carriages to find seats but not two together. 

I sat beside an elderly lady from Baltimore. She had been to NYC to see her grand daughter, who was visiting from Israel. Though she visits Israel twice a year, she told me she was broken hearted when her daughter departed for Israel in 1976. Her other two daughters live in NYC. 

She was a very interesting lady, who had seen the world on cruise ships, while teaching Bridge aboard. Bridge buddies take note: she gave me some  good tips!! 

We discussed American politics. She is neither a supporter of Trump or Clinton but feels she must vote for Clinton to keep Trump out. Interesting!

We arrived at NYC about 15 minutes late. We had made up some time. A half an hour later we had checked in at the Holiday Inn on Eisenhower Drive.  It is outside Washington but reasonably priced at €200 per night and the Metro line to the city was 300 yards away. There was a free shuttle bus from hotel to Metro - the Americans don't walk! The hotels in W ran from €500 per night upwards! 

More to-morrow!

NYC

We arrived at Jamaica Station, crossed the platform and took the train to Penn Station. As we exited the station the Hotel was a street away. 

The Radisson Martinique is one of the Historic hotels of America. 

It was built in the Beaux Arts tradition; the interior and exterior were designed by noted architect Hardenberg in the French Renaissance style. 

                  The Lobby

                 The vestibule

             The original staircase 

It was constructed in 1897 as Broadway became the centre of entertainment. It flourished in the Jazz age. Golfers take note that the PGA's charter was signed in this hotel in 1916. In the Roaring 20s, as the economy boomed,  the hotel prospered. It had two theatres and an opera houses until they were closed in the 60s.  Sylvester Stallone was among the many notables, who acted there. The cost was reasonable as NY hotels go €300 per night. The rooms are great - the only fault was a 15 minute queue to check in and out! 

It was now 10.30 am. We were unable to check in until 4pm so we left our luggage and took the nearby 'N' train to 59th and Lexington to visit Bloomingdales. It is a beautiful store but as we have so much luggage, as a result of crossing on the QM2, we had to be disciplined. 

We then adjourned to Saks off 5th but there was nothing of interest there. We continued on to 5th Ave and arrived at Central Park. 

It was a lovely sunny morning and there was great activity around the Park. We continued down 5th Ave taking in the vibrancy that is NYC. We passed Tiffany's,

The  Trump Tower (Clinton and Trump are neck and neck in the polls! Will it be another Brexit?). 

We visited Saks, 5th Ave - the shop appears to be stuck In a time warp,  when one compares it to Bloomingdales and Macys's but perhaps their clientele like it that way? On we walked passed St Patrick's cathedral and Rockefeller Centre. We diverted to Times Square 42nd and Broadway

with its multitudinous neon lights and from there continued back to the hotel to check in. 

Today is CCs birthday. He gets to celebrate his birthday in diverse locations as we are always on holidays at this time- Shanghai, Las Vegas and today NYC to name but a few!  We're off to celebrate tonight - more tomorrow!! 

Montaux and en route to NYC

We continued our tour of the Hamptons -  visiting nearby Easthampton. We then returned to Montauk. Later we had drinks at M's friends' home and dined that evening at Gosmans by the ocean; 

a restaurant set up by a Roscommon woman. She developed it from a small shack, buying up all the adjacent real estate until she developed the huge complex it is today. It is now run by her grandchildren. With wild oysters, clams and crab from the adjacent ocean, the meal was a real treat. 

Next day, we visited the historic manor hotel, which dominates the town.

 

It retains its 19th century characteristics.  

We visited the town"s green, where a food market was taking place. 

With the exception of the Manor Hotel- the only other high rise building constructed to house the professionals involved in designing and building Montaux 

We saw the Memory Motel, which Mick Jagger frequented and I'm advised that he wrote a song about it.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono (sp?) visited too and there is a shop name to commemorated the visit. 

Later that evening we went on a sunset cruise on the ocean, which was spectacular! 

       Awaiting the sunset onshore

We saw the setting sun but more especially,

we saw the rising moon; 

crimson in its majesty. We ate at the Dock, where many of the Montauxans were celebrating the weekend.   

Today, we are bound for NYC on the Long Island Railroad, where after a change at Jamaica station, we will arrive at Penn Station, NYC, where we will reside overnight in the nearby Radisson hotel on Broadway/ 32nd St. 

A tour of Montauk

Montauk is named after the Montaukett tribe who inhabited the area. The Dutch arrived followed by the English. If you wish to read the history of the area, I refer you to en.m.wikipedia.org  Montauk is a hamlet of Easthampton, c.120 miles from mid Manhattan. Montauk is situated on the most easterly tip of Long Island and is surrounded by the ocean. 

The area boasts holiday homes of some of the great and the good of American society, including Paul Simon, Ralf Lauren and a host of other celebrities not known on this side of the pond!!

It has a winter population of c. 3,000 and a summer one of 30,000; being a favourite holiday spot for New Yorkers. As it is a heavily forested area, it has a very low population density. If one sells a property here, the local council retains a percentage of the price to enable it to  buy up all vacant land that comes up for sale, thus ensuring the low density continues. As a result the area boasts 6 National Parks, where one can hike and picnic. However, in the Parks Lyme's disease is a threat;  a disease that results from the tic, which is very prevalent in this area. The disease can debilitate one for years. 

It was a beautiful morning, c.75F. with a refreshing breeze, as we set off on foot for the short walk to the beach. September is a lovely month to visit here as the season ends on Labour Day weekend, when the crowds return to NYC.  The beach was almost devoid of people while on Labour Day weekend there wasn't a patch of vacant sand to sit on.. 

We returned to base and continued exploring by car. Our first call was one of the many resort areas,  very quiet now at the end of season!

Afterwards, we visited the Montauk airforce station, 

a radar station designed to protect the NYC area in case of attack during the Cold War. 

We continued further along the coast to see the glacial deposits deposited 22,000 years ago. Geographers, the coast here is being eroded, is very unstable and exhibits bluffs, named 'hoodoos' by the early settlers, derived from the word 'voodoo', namely 'evil thing'. 

We continued  to the 

anti aircraft base at Camp Hero. It served as a coastal defence from 1943-1947 and became a training station thereafter, until its  equipment became obsolete. 

From thence to Montauk airport, 

where only private planes can land. 

There were 70 planes on the tarmac on Labour Day weekend!! As we sat there, two men set off for NYC - flying  for 1 hour 20 minutes beats the road traffic jams or the 3 hour train trip!! 

Finally, we arrived at Montauk Point Lighthouse, the first lighthouse in NY State and 4th oldest, active lighthouse in the U.S. 

 Surrounded by water on three sides, Montauk sports numerous marinas. It is also a surfers paradise. 

Our tour concluded  by lunching on lobster roll from Sammy's cart, 

by the water's edge - a fitting end to a very pleasant morning.