Boston - Wednesday 30 November 2016

Walked from hotel through Boston Common to Newbury Street. Nice street with upmarket shops. I was looking for the Trident Cafe which I had read about on TripAdvisor.

Found the cafe and had breakfast - burrito with egg and avocado. Quite nice.

Walking down Newbury Street...

Then walked back up Commonwealth Ave. Finally I found the nice part of Boston. Lovely wide street with brownstones and a walkway in the centre of the road.



It was so cold, I went to Uniqlo and bought a beanie...

Saw this at the Trident Cafe, which is also a book store.

Back to hotel, checked out and left my bag.

The weather this morning was okay but it started to rain again. It's funny how the weather can affect your impression of a place. I can't wait to get back to New York.

Walking through Boston Common...

Main road next to Boston Common at 12 noon. Where is everybody ?

Boston Common...

Faneuil Hall...

Then followed the Freedom Trail. A red line built into the footpath for quite a long way. I'm not that interested in the history but it was a good walk.

Church on the Freedom Trail...

Crossing the river...

Nice architecture...

Ended up at Bunker Hill where an important battle was fought in 1770 against the Brits.

Climbed the monument - 294 steps !

View from the top...

Bunker Hill...

Walked then to Constitution Harbour. Not much to see. Then back to have lunch in Hanover Street.

I can't believe how quiet it is here. Yes the weather is bad but it's not winter yet and yes it's a weekday but...

Caught an Uber to airport. $11 compared to $23 for the taxi coming in. Got here early as there was nothing else to do. My flight was meant to be 1850 but due to weather is now 2030 !

Flight delayed some more but JetBlue changed me to a slightly earlier one. Flight okay. Small plane, but bumpy ride, slept most of the 46 minutes !

Arrived back at JFK late. No Uber so caught taxi to new hotel - Sago in Lower East Side. Nice new hotel, small room overlooking street which is better than the "internal" view than I was expecting. Small room (but to be fair, I did book a small room to save cost) and expensive, but you have to expect that in NYC. Good to try a different area.

Boston - Tuesday 29 November 2016

Woke at 7am, checked out and Uber to JFK. American airports are always a hassle. Having to take off your shoes and belt off gets tired.

47 minute flight to Boston. Seems no Uber here so caught taxi to hotel. It is freezing and raining.

Hotel nice - old style - Omni Parker House.

Had a coffee down the road and then met Eliza who came in from New Hampshire. We had lunch at Faneuil Hall and walked part of the Freedom Trail. Then did a bit of shopping. It was great to see her.

Back to the hotel to meet Kevin who was taking her back to Merrimack.

Lots of nice architecture...

Autumn in Boston Common...

Me and my girl...

Eliza and I had a discussion on the pronunciation of this...

Christmas Tree near Faneuil Hall.

Boston Common...

Walked to Fremont Street for dinner. Nice seafood risotto.

Walked back to hotel getting lost on the way. I have terrible sense of direction.

New York - Monday 28 November 2016

Went for a walk looking for breakfast. I struggle in America with breakfasts. I really feel like avocado on toast, or muesli.

In frustration I went back to the same cafe I went to yesterday and had a bagel with cream cheese. It was okay.

Walked to The Highline which was on my list. It is an elevated walkway running by the river, which used to be a railway. Great walk. Made a bit of a mistake and started in the middle so walked further than I needed to by the time I re-traced my steps. Would have been better to start at one end.







Doubtful...it's 10 degrees...











Then caught the train to 77th Street. Trains are good, but a bit complicated with all the different numbers and lines and express / local.

Coffee with frog...

Walked to The Met. I'd been before and it is an amazing museum. You pay what you want - I paid $20. Bought lunch - chicken over rice - from a street vendor.



Fifth Avenue...







Then wandered around Central Park. It's beautiful with the leaves changing colour. Went to Strawberry Fields the John Lennon memorial, right near the Dakota Building.











American Museum of Natural History...on the list for next time...



National Museum of the American Indian...this one is down the other end of town...



My legs are really tired now but it's getting dark and I can't find a subway ! So I walked all the way back to hotel in 29th Street. Walked past Trump Tower on 5th which of course had heaps of security and protesters.

St Patrick's Cathedral...

It is a nice time to be here. Cold and gets dark early but the Christmas lights are up and 5th Ave looks amazing.

Saks 5th Avenue...





Back to hotel for shower, then went to a rooftop bar at 230 5th Ave. Amazing views and they had these cute igloos to keep out the cold.

Empire State Building from 230 Fifth...



Igloos you can book...I sat outside...very cold !



Then caught Uber to my new hotel. I'm going to Boston tomorrow and then need to change hotels when I get back on Wednesday. So I dropped off my bag as I don't want to take my big bag to Boston.

This time I'm staying in lower East Side at Sago Hotel. The area is a bit grittier.

Subway to Greenwich Village for dinner. Then walked back to hotel and crashed. Great day.

Chrysler Building...

Washington Square Park...

Greenwich Village...

Empire State Building from outside my hotel...