Nantucket & Martha's Vineyard

Since leaving Boston we have spent 2 days in Nantucket and 3 days in Martha’s Vineyard.  This is our last day.  We leave here in the morning travel to Boston then home through Dallas and Los Angeles. Nantucket is a beautiful little historic island originally based on the whaling industry.  It is very well controlled with all houses conforming to standards where they can only be clad with shingles and no paint, no shutters, no fences higher than 3 feet,  and has a beautiful harbour and numerous little boutique shops. 

They have a number of beaches but to get to the best one we hired bikes and rode the 20k across the island and back.

Martha’s Vineyard is a much larger island which also had a whaling industry.  It has uniquely different 6 towns and we stayed in the main area of Edgartown.  To get around this island we did a 2 ½ hour bus tour where we had a narrated tour with all the beauty of the cliffs and lighthouses and homes of the rich and famous who spend their summers here.

We had a great 4^th of July.  We sat on our white rocker chairs and watched the parade go by.  The streets were crowded with people all supporting the red, white and blue. 

After dinner we walked to the harbor to watch the spectacular fire works.

We had an exciting end to the night when the fire alarm went off about 11.00pm.  Apparently there was a problem with the hot water systems which caused an electrical fire.  After standing in the street for about ½ hour we were let back into our rooms.

Today we started with a trip to Oak Bluffs to do some last minute shopping abd ride one of the oldest carousels in America and to try to grab the brass ring.  Suzanne has showed us everything and as usual has been an excellent tour guide.  She has really made this part of the trip something we will remember for a long time.

 This will be our last blog and we will be home on Sunday We have had a really enjoyable trip, seen so many great sights, met so many wonderful people, learnt so much and had a great time catching up with our cousin Suzanne and her friends but we can really say we are loking forward to coming home.

Boston 2

We arrived back in Boston and Suzanne drove us to her friends, Tammy & Francisco’s house for dinner.  It was about a 40 minute drive which gave us the opportunity to see more of the countryside.  Suzanne took a car load of food including a hugh Boston Cream Pie, which is actually more like a sponge cake than a pie but really yummy.

Francisco took Ian for a drive in his beautiful Porsche.  We had a great bar-b-que with hugh steaks and plenty of food and wine. (to much)  They have 2 young children and we were given a violin recital.  We had a great time and talked for hours so we didn’t get home until after 1.30am. 

The next day we saw some reenactments from the 1812 war with Britain.  We also saw them marching down the streets they must have been really hot as it was a bit of a heat wave here.

Then we went over to the Charlestown Navy Yard to see the USS Constitution.  We went on board and below deck.  It was very small to house 400 people. 

We also watched a re-enactment of firing the cannons.   

From there we walked back across the bridge which gave us a chance to see down the river and the number of ships and naval vessels.  It was a busy day on the water as the tall ships were coming in.   

We walked further to have lunch at Legal Seafood.  We had more chowder and the best lobster roll we have tried so far. 

Further around we came across the Boston Tea Party Museum which has a re-enactment of the night leading up to and throwing the tea overboard. 

We came across someone offering a $15 boat trip out to see the tall ships come in.  We thought it would be a good idea so headed down to the boat which resembled the African Queen.  Once underway we were told the sides were too low to go into the water where we could see the boats.   Instead we headed towards where we would see them if we went out further and got a commentary on what we couldn’t see.  Meanwhile, he was right, the sides were to low and I got drenched from the water coming in.  We had to laugh; we got what we paid for – a $15 boat ride.

That night we went to one of Suzanne’s favourite restaurants, Olives to meet some more of her friends.  It was really nice to meet them but unfortunately the restaurant had been renovated and the room we were in was quite small and with the noise of the other diners it was way too noisy to hear ourselves speak, so that was a little disappointing that we didn't get the opportunity to get to know them.

New York 3

Day 67

Today started with another walk to Times Square so we could get the bus to the World Trade Centre Viewing Site.  We picked up tickets for the site and had time to spare so we went to St Pauls Chapel. 

After the towers fell, this tiny 18^th century Episcopal church became a relief centre.  Clergy counseled, cooks dished out meals and medical staff treated stiff muscles and burned feet.  Today it has been set up as a memorial and children have left notes of thanks and sadness. 

Around the back of the church there is a Bell of Hope.  Accompanied by an honor guard the Bell of Hope was presented to the people of New York from the Lord Mayor of London.  The bell is rung every September 11, and was rung on March 11 2004 when trains were bombed in Madrid and on July 7, 2005 when London’s subway was bombed. The ringing of the bell symbolizes the triumph of hope over tragedy.

We then went to the official Memorial Site where there is a tribute bike built by Paul Jnr in memory of the souls that perished on 9/11 and their families.  It is truly striking.

We then went to the Memorial. The 9/11 Memorial is located at the site of the former World Trade Center. This 8 acre memorial features two massive pools set within the original footprints of the Twin Towers with 30-foot waterfalls cascading down their sides. Each pool is nearly one-acre in size. The names of the victims are inscribed on parapets surrounding the pools.

From there we took a cruise around the Statue of Libery and Ellis Island.  It was a beautiful day to be on the water and see the skyline of Manhattan from another perspective.  The Statue of Liberty was just as I imagined it would be.  Very impressive.

New York 2

Day 66

This morning we decided to walk to the Empire State Building – 47 blocks, to visit the observation deck.  After taking the elevator up 80 flights they told us the next elevator wasn’t working so we walked the next 6 flights.  It was well worth the views. 

From there we took the bus to the City Hall to walk to the World Trade Centre site.  Today it was closed as there had been an accident on site so we walked to Canal Street for cheap souvenirs and they also have knock offs.  It is illegal and they are cracking down on it so as you pass they whisper watches, sunglasses, handbags and brand names.  If you look at them they are straight on to you.  We bought some aftershave for Ian but they got pretty aggressive so we left.  We didn’t want to end up in jail with them.

We got back on the hop-on hop off and went back to town so we could do the uptown loop.    We had already done some of it when we were here before our trip to Niagara.  It was good to go to Grant’s tomb and we had a very interesting drive through Harlem.  

We will try again tomorrow at the World Trade Centre then take the ferry to the Statue of Liberty.

New York

Day 65

New York – The Big Apple.  

We had a bit of a bumpy flight to New York but luckily the storm didn’t hit until we were in the bus and it fined up when we got to our accommodation.  We are really lucky to have a bed and breakfast near to Central Park.  Judy is really nice and we shared a few wines and food before going to bed.  We were so tired we slept in until 8.00am. 

Today we walked to Times Square and bought tickets for the hop-on hop off and did the downtown route.  We saw all the iconic landmarks such as Radio City, The Rockerfeller Centre, Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, Madison Square Garden, Wall St, World Trade Centre new buildings and memorials, Broadway, Maceys,  Brooklyn Bridge etc. 

Tomorrow we are going back to a few places where we want to spend more time, like going up the Empire State Building and across on the ferry to the Statue of Liberty

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Washington 2

Day 62

Today we visited the Arlington National Cemetery and were overwhelmed by the enormity of the site.  Its 624 acres holds the remains of over 320,000 service men and women from every war and major conflict in the United States.  It is still an active cemetery and three funerals were held while we were there.  I had read in the paper this morning that five more Americans were killed yesterday in Afghanistan.

John F Kennedy and Jackie lies beneath the eternal flame and the grave of his brother Robert is nearby marked simply be a wooden cross.  I think Edward Kennedy is also nearby but there was work being done and we didn’t see it. 

Before moving on to the Tomb of the Unknown we stopped to see the headstone of Audie Murphy, the most decorated soldier of the Second World War.  His grave was no different to any other just a simple white headstone.  It is the second most visited site in the cemetery.

We were fortunate that we arrive at the Tomb of the Unknown just as they began their Changing of the Guard. A sentinel of the 3^rd US Infantry maintains vigil around the clock.  Here nlies the remains of a world war 1 soldier but he has since been joined by a serviceman from the Second World War, Korea and Vietnam.  The Vietnam unknown was removed when he was identified by DNA in 1998.

Next we visited the Marine Corps war memorial  just outside the walls of the cemetery.   It is a massive sculpture based on the iconic photo of raising the flag at Iwo Jima taken during the Battle of Iwo Jima towards the end of the Second World War.

From there we went for lunch and spent the next few hours at the Smithsonian.  We spent most of our time at the Air and Space Museum.  WE then were picked up in our bus and taken to the airport for our flight to New York. 

It has been a great tour which I would highly recommend.  It is such an easy way to see so much with no hassles of major airports or trying to find your way around.  Everything is taken care of for you right down to that when we go to the hotels we just pick up our keys and our bags are waiting in our rooms.  The company does 2 trips in America that I am aware of – the one we did on the west coast but they also do one on the east coast.  If you are coming to America it is worth looking at their web site: www.mauivaaircruise.com 

Washington

Day 60 & 61

Today we flew to Washington and our coach took us to the Museum of the American Indian for a look around and lunch.  There was a special display by the Choctaw tribe some of whom were involved in the Code Talking in the second world war. 

This is definitely the way to see the country.  Flying between towns saves so much time allowing so much more time for leisurely sightseeing.  The hotels have been really good (generally the Hilton) with breakfasts and dinners included.

From there we went to the US Capitol for an organized tour beginning with a short film, "Out of Many, One," which depicts the country's struggle to establish the world's first representative democracy and introduce the magnificent building that houses Congress.  We then visited the Crypt, the Rotunda, and National Statuary Hall with its statues and brilliant art work.

Day 2

We started the day with a visit to Mount Vernon the plantation home of the first President of the United States – George Washington.   It is an idyllic location overlooking the Potomac River.  We also visited his original tomb and then where he now lies in a new tomb besides Martha, the memorial to the slaves, the education centre, museum, gift shop and had lunch in the restaurant.

We then moved on to visit the White House, the Washington Monument and reflecting pool, Lincoln Memorial, Korean and Vietnam Memorials. 

The Vietnam memorial was very moving with the realistic statues and more than fifty eight thousand names of those who died on the wall. 

The Korean Memorial consists of 19 stainless steel statues of the squads on patrol. 

We had been really looking forward to this part of the trip and we weren’t disappointed.  Tomorrow will be the highlight visiting Arlington.