Biting into the Big Apple

For me, when we set out on this trip, New York was one of the bright stars outshining all but Paris and New Orleans on our list of destinations. The last time I came here, I promised myself I'd be back as soon as I could save up enough for the air fare, but over the past few weeks I've fallen for small-town America. My love for the rushing, buzzing anonymity of big cities has given way to a love for lazy afternoons reading in sun-dappled, tree filled parks; searching for deer tracks in snowy woods; and the oh-so-friendly townsfolk, with their tales of boo-hags and ghosts, who go out of their way to make you feel right at home. In the face of these new found pleasures, the New York of my memory had lost its sparkle. On the eve of our departure from Belvidere, NJ, I would have been more than happy to swap New York for a few more days curled up by the radiator with Lisey's Story (did you really think I'd pass up the opportunity to read Stephen King in a small, East Coast town?).

I was also very sad to say goodbye to Lou and Harriet, we both were. They were so wonderful to us, showing us around and looking after us for a whole week, oh, and making sure we ate double our body weight in food each day (Mum, trust me, you don't want to know)!

Despite my reservations, the train doors opened onto Penn Station and it grabbed me: that fierce, raw energy unique to New York. Those of you who've been here will know exactly what I'm talking about. Those of you who haven't, I don't know that I can describe it. Such a dense, diverse range of people have lived in these buildings, ridden these subway cars and pounded these sidewalks that everything is coated in millions upon millions of layers of personal histories. More than that, most of those people weren't born here, they came here. A city of dreamers. People come here with their heads full of lofty ideals, and that excitment and hopefulness has rubbed off on the city. It's not really like the rest of America; Manhattan is an island unto itself.

We are staying in the world's smallest apartment (my bed is in a kind of loft over Maddy's and my head knocks the ceiling evrytime I try and sit up, but I love it) on the Upper East Side, and sitting here typing this late at night, I feel a little bit like Carrie Bradshaw (sans endless queue of boys and world's most amazing wardrobe, but tomorrow is a shopping day, and maybe the boys will follow).

Our Getting to our apartment, however, was no easy feat. We had to take three subways and walk about ten blocks with our packs in -12 degree weather. The wind felt like a pack of sadists attacking my fingers and thumbs with blunt knives, my face was so numb with cold my speech came out all slurry, and by the time we finally reached our apartment, my spine had become a burning rod of pain. So after settling in we rode the subway down to China Town to find a cheap massage parlour and a steaming plate of sesame chichen (our new fave Chinese dish). What we also found (after hiking up Broadway for a bit) was the world's best bookshop. (Lou and Harriet, I can just imagine you groaning to read this: not ANOTHER one!) Fellow biblophiles, I tell you, we stumbled on the Holly Grail and it's name is Strand Books. Imagine 18 miles of stock. 2.5 million individual books. All. Heavily. Discounted. Needless to say, we stayed until close then went back this afternoon. We'll probably make a third trip, and possibly a fourth and fith before the week is out.

Today we also toddled down to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which is hu-uge and choc-a-block full of pretty piuctures and statues and things (we're talking ancient tombs, relics from the last 2,000 years and rooms full of Degas, Warhol and Van Gogh). I took a bunch of happy snaps, which I'll put up soon (you can probably tell I'm getting a wee bit tired and may actually fall asleep typing this).

In fact, I think that's me done. Provided the people on the other side of the wall stop howling in ecstasy at some point in the near future (yup just like Gossip Girl, this blog delivers an exclusive insight into the scandalous lives on Manhattan's elite), I'm going to see if I can't find my way to the land of nod.

Margs

xo xo

Princeton

Look, what can I say? When the Princeton English & Creative Wrtiting depts. found out I was in the area, they asked me to stop by and say a few inspirational words to my fellow collegians. I don't like to brag, but picture if you will the Dean of Humanities begging on his hands and knees, muddying up his academic robes...I really couldn't refuse. You've all had the priveledge of reading my creative genuis, perfect spelling and grammatical prowess right here on this blog, so I'm sure you can understand why the Dean was so moved.
Also, a farewell snap of Lou and Harriet (really we can't thank you guys enough for everything you did for us!) seeing us off at the train station as we set out for New York

Going on a Bear Hunt

After Washington Lou and Harriet took us to their mountain home in New Jersey, just out of Butzville, Bear Country. Only, the bears were all hibernating. Slightly disappointed I didn't encounter one in the woods as was hoping to see which was the superior creature: Mad or the bear. Have small suspicion I would have triumphed.

The snow had arrived before us so it was all around - perhaps it wasn't the thickest coating of snow you've ever seen but in our eyes it was perfect. That afternoon we made the trek to High Rock (with Harriet's cousin Merna, who also took us to see her log cabin - one day I'm going to sneak back there and stay a few days), the highest point on the mountain (what qualifies a mountain, I wonder. Can anybody out there tell me as I'm too lazy to Google it), and the views were worth the hair-dishevelling winds. The woods are a wondrous place: tall bare trees stretch mile high to the sky, and my favourite rust-coloured leaves compete with the snow and hickory nuts for ground space. We saw some fleeing deer in the distance - it's still hunting season so they were probably running for cover.

We took a tour of the neighbouring towns the next morning, and Lou and Harriet are the best guides you can ask for (seriously) - not only do they know all kinds of useful things like, there was a mammoth found in that lake, and if you have a lake on your property you don't have to pay as much on your fire insurance, but we also were privy to local and personal history like, Harriet's parents where stationed at this crossroad as fire wardens during the war, and the man living in that house farms strawberries and is also the mayor, and can you see that house there - that's where Lou was born.

If I ever make a lot of money - enough to have an American home as well as one back in Australia - this is the kind of place I'd like to live. As you drive through the small towns (not really realising that you've left one behind and you're in the next) every store has a friendly name: Leo's Pizza, Rita's, Johnny's, Luigi's - the fire department is called Good Will Fire Comp. What more could you want? Maybe a sign saying, 'watch us make our peanut butter'? They have one of them too.

They also have some of the best diners around so if you're ever travelling through New Jersey and want a good breakfast, I can whole-stomachly recommend the Thisilldous diner in Belvidere and its scrumpsious ginger nut pancakes.

Lou and Harriet are terrific company and it was awfully sad to say goodbye as we've just had the best week. They've been incredibly generous and welcoming, and we're so lucky Marg's mum had the good fortune to meet them!

We're in New York now, and if we thought we'd already seen the best book shops America had to offer, we were wrong.

Belvidere Part Three

A not-so-great pic of the Deleware (River) Water Gap (a gap in the mountain carved by a glacier during the ice age); icicles on the cliff face where the water froze comming down the mountain (the last couple days have been a nice and toasty -12, folks); Lou: mad, bad and dangerous to know with his icicle sabre; an example of the Victorian houses in the town centre; and one of the town's mini falls.

Belvidere Part Two

A few more from our hike, including the view from High Rock; Merna's big red barn (put this one up for you, Mum); and a couple of snaps from the Crossroads Diner, a real old school diner with juke boxes on the table and endless cups of coffee.

Belvidere and rural New Jersey Part One

Okay, I'm going to have to put up a few post of Belvidere photos because it was just so breathtakingly beautiful. I absolutely fell in love with the place. And there was snow! These were taken as we hiked from Merna's (Harriet's cousin) family's hunting lodge, through snow dusted, deer filled woods up to High Rock, where we could see out over the township and frozen lake below.

Annapolis

A couple of snaps of this oh-so-pretty little seaside town, Mads joining in with some statue storytelling, and a snap of the building where George Washington was sworn into office.

Washtington, D.C.

The Capitol Building (not the White House, like we originally thought), some other impressive building on the main drag (pretty much the whole city is full of buildings like this one and are designed to make you feel very small), Mads and I beneath the bust of JFK at the Kennedy Performing Arts Centre, another one of Mads and I at the Kennedy Centre, and one of the many gorgeous fountains in the National Art Gallery.

Maryland and Virginia

Again, no idea what order these are going to pop up in: Lou and Harriet's gorgeous house in Laurel, Maryland; the first time I ever held SNOW!; the King family, who were kind enough to have us over for dinner (that's the Virginia bit), Maddy on one of Laurel's pretty tree-lined streets; and Lou and Harriet, our wonderful, wonderful Maryland hosts who we just can't thank enough (although this one was taken in Belvidere, NJ)!

Atlanta

Here we've got Mads and I sharing a drink that the bar tender bought us at the Hole in the Wall, Mads holding up her salt-seasoned coffee (Mmmmm), the best cafe IN THE WORLD, and our wonderful hosts: Tisha, Kayla and Joslyn.

Savannah

Not sure what order these will pop up in but: Mads in one of the many garden squares in the town's historic district, MORE CUPCAKES!!!, the giant fountain in Forsyth Park next to which we spent many a happy hour reading, a replica of the famous Bird Girl statue from the cover of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, and Jim Williams' house (the Williams Mercer House) from the book.

Charleston

The best things about Charleston? There was a Starbucks on every corner (mmmm chai lattes) and we dioscovered Amnerica's growing cup cake industry. This pretty port town was also packed full of gorgeous old houses and creepy grave yards.

Orlando Photos!

Here's the first in a whole lot of photos I'm going to stick up here (we have a fabulous computer in our very funky but cramped NYC apartment). In no particular order we have the famous fairytale castle in Disney World, Mads riding the tea cups in the Magic Kingdom, my copy of Jonathan Strange in the reading nook I was raving about at the back of the motel and our highway motel. More to follow and details of our unfolding adventures in NYC!
Love Margs
xo xo xo