STUNNING FALL COLOUR ON THE MOHAWK TRAIL

It turns out to be a very good idea to head west from Boston along the Mohawk Trail as we meet a couple on holiday from Florida who advise us that the leaves further north are coming to an end and that they have come South from Vermont to see the last of the season.

The Mohawk Trail is a lovely scenic drive through Massachusetts and we’re rapt to discover it gives us even more fall colour to enjoy.  We manage to find a campground that is still open, nestled right on a river and under those gorgeous trees, near the small town of Shelburne Falls. We are lucky to stay as they are only days away from closing for the season. It is a lovely evening despite the fact that it has rained all day so we have no problems camping in Jetson.

We spend the following day exploring the town of Shelburne Falls and its many features. It’s a cute little town that has been the set for a couple of films, The Judge released recently and Labour Day starring Kate Winslet. The falls in the middle of town and glacial potholes are great, though the falls look man made. We are lucky the Deerfield River is quite low at this point to really appreciate the ancient potholes and we imagine how much water would flow through when the snow on the surrounding mountains is melting.

There are two bridges side by side right in the middle of town.  The first is an 1890 Truss Bridge that is a very interesting metal structure.  The second only meters away is the Bridge of Flowers, an old trolley bridge converted into a Botanical Garden and maintained enthusiastic locals.  It is just glorious at this time of year with so much colour and the flowers blooming and yet again the perfect day lets us see it is all its glory.

We explore the town and its many art and craft galleries and move on to fit in some lovely walks nearby, including the Natural Bridge State Park, named so because it contains the only natural white marble arch/bridge in the USA and is accompanied by the old marble quarry.  The bridge is believed to have been carved 13,000 years ago by the glacial melt water from 550 million years old bedrock marble. just awesome.

Every move we make provides a different view of the trees.  As I said it is impossible to describe the colors, from purple and rust to orange and flaming red to yellow and gold and deep browns.  That doesn’t sound like much but to see it with your own eyes is out of this world.  Since we left Perth we have been treated to all the different seasons, seeing leaves falling in England, the bare trees of winter then sprouting in Spring in Europe and so glorious through Summer and now the Fall in USA.  Australia is so different where the only color change of trees is with the odd specimen trees, beautiful but nothing like the world of deciduous trees that the Northern Hemisphere has to offer.  It is probably the most distinctive difference and one that we have loved so much.

We have managed to time our trip perfectly to the New England area, the most famous fall destination. Hardly a minute goes by that we don’t exclaim how spectacular these trees are and how many wonderful views of changing color we have experienced, hopefully we’ll have photos up very soon!

ANOTHER BIG BITE OF THE APPLE, NEW YORK

We have another very full day in New York City planned, starting in Central Park. A short walk from our new accommodation it’s quite beautiful to see such a large green area in the middle of this land of skyscrapers.  It has a varied design and we take it all in from one lake to another, discovering bridges and pathways through playing fields, play grounds and the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, and winding through the more intimate natural part of the park, our favorite.  People are walking, running, sitting, sleeping, riding bikes and sitting in carriages pulled by those poor horses.

We pop out of the park for a visit to FAO Schwarz Toy store, great fun, and then back to the park for our picnic lunch.  Time to move on so we jump on the subway and head for the High Line park.  This is a fantastic area on the Lower West Side that was once a train line.  The ‘park’ has been ingeniously reinvented.  It is a long line of elevated landscaping that has incorporated many spots to sit, relax and watch the world go by.  There are lounging seats all the way along in gorgeous modern but comfortable designs, easy on the eye and the body.  The train track is incorporated into the clever native plant landscaping including an infinity water feature. It is great to observe the streets below from this elevated position and also taking in the sculptures and murals along the way. Fabulous work NYC, one of our favourite things so far.

Dragging ourselves away from the peaceful environment we take to the streets again to walk to the Empire State Building.  We arrive about 5.40pm and skip the ticket buying queue to start our accent to the most amazing view.  We learn along the way all about the building from it’s first conception to the amazing 11 month building project that saw the completion of the tallest office building in the world.

We spend time taking in the day time view N, S, E and W and then find our spot on the rail to watch the sunset.  WOW.  We have chosen the perfect time to be here, a clear sky with just a few clouds to give a spectacular orange sun something to shine on.  It is one of the best sunsets I have ever experienced but that is not all we are waiting for.  As the skies turn black NYC slowly turns on a light show that is just gorgeous.  This is a slow process as each building flickers into life, spectacular, and just to top it all off it is a full moon hanging in the East skies, a huge yellow orb. It really couldn’t have been more perfect to take in the view from all directions again, Time Square from this angle is spectacular too.

From the ground this building is amazing, pointing out of the skyline, but it is not until you are up there that you can fully appreciate the height and sheer splendor of this structure.  Built in a time when occupational health and safety obviously didn’t have much influence, we see photos of men just hanging out of this steel structure without even a rope around them 1250 feet from the ground.  This was a building erected ahead of its time and a testament to mans ability to stretch the imagination to build something that has stood the test of time to still be awe inspiring today. It so tall that the curve of the Earth can be appreciated and you feel like you’re higher than anyone else in the city.

We have spent two and half hours up the top imprinting into our minds the gorgeous view of New York City.  Our trip back to our room is punctuated with a quick stop for a gourmet hamburger and another ride on the subway (the easiest we have yet had to navigate in any big city) and a stroll through the night streets where we feel perfectly safe, all the time reliving an amazing time in this amazing city.  We have loved every minute and have been helped by countless New Yorkers with their unmistakeable accent.  It is a city with a reputation to live up to and it delivers ten fold.

Our last day starts very late, waiting for the hotel hot water supply repair and still we all have to have cold showers.  Not everything is perfect but it all seems to add to the fun and the experience that is NY.  We take in a few more of the local shops, Marshalls and Barneys before lunch and supply top up at Zabars then we are on our way out of town in a shocking traffic jam.  We don’t get very far very fast and we are exhausted when we find a very nice hotel to just relax in.  It is luxurious, spacious and quiet, just right to recharge in, phew.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album NEW YORK.

We are now in The Badlands and what an amazing part of the country this is!!

NEW YORK, NEW YORK!!

Its another of those pinch me moments.  There we were in the good old town of New York City.  We settled into our Lower East Side flat for the first couple of nights.  Just standing on the streets is amazing, we are close to the Empire State building, wow.

Our first day is a quick trip downtown to take the ferry over to the Statue of Liberty, pinch me again.  Great day admiring this great lady from all angles and taking in the Lower Manhattan skyline, so well known around the world, and still just awe inspiring. After a lot of photos and and great audio tour around the island we set off back to the mainland and the 9/11 World Trade Center Memorial.  Here we soak up the aura of what was the worst day in the lives of all in NY and possibly around the world.  The magnitude of this attack touches everyone and it is so poignant and invasive.

A conversation we have had with Kathy in the last few days comes to mind.  In all our travels we have learned of the wars raged against and between our fellow human beings.  We have wondered and thought that peace was the natural way of our race and why have we not managed to find it and learned the lessons taught by all this blood shed.   Could it be that conflict is our natural way and peace is the outcome only some of us want to achieve.  It has helped to look at this new perspective to try to understand the massive loss of lives we continue to wage against each other.  One day maybe we can achieve Peace? I surely hope so.

We walk on to the Brooklyn Bridge, another icon, all those nuts and bolts holding together a magnificent structure. The moon is out and almost full, another beautiful sight. We find the subway again and ride to Times Square where we emerge into the night, lit up as we could only imagine before.  Soaking up the experience of neon flashing advertisements the size of buildings, busking by various talented people (including an almost naked man with a guitar and a cowboy hat) and browsing through the toy shops the atmosphere is electric, pardon the pun. We sit and people watch for a while and enjoy our first real NY hot dog, yummy.  Our very full day is starting to pull us to bed so we wind our way back through the streets to Lexington and 37th for a well earned rest.

Our second full day of adventure begins.  We drop in to purchase our Empire State tickets to avoid queues later and decide a sunset ascent will be best.  Off we go to the Morgan Library and the NY Public Library, both are gorgeous in their own ways. We’re treated to a special surprise out the front of the NY Public Library, Amanda Seyfried is shooting Ted 2, very exciting!

It’s then time for a little retail therapy as we pop in to Century 21, a discount designer store.  Look at lots but only come out with a couple of gifts and head back to our apartment to move to our new hotel on the Upper West Side.  This sounds very simple but not all goes to plan.  I head off to pick up the car, having struck a deal with the parking complex the day before I arrive and the deal seems to have been forgotten. It costs me twice as much as agreed to collect Jetson, annoying to say the least.

It gets worse when I turn out of the car park on a one way street and find I am heading into a tunnel, can’t be good.  My dread level continues to rise as the tunnel is long and at the end is the usual toll barrier.  Now after having just forked out an excessive parking bill I am not going to pay another two tolls to get back to Manhattan.  I don’t even know where I am at this point!  I decide to pull up in the middle lane beside the witches hats (orange cones) and jump out of the car to get some help.  Mistake number two, a police woman advises me to get back onto my seat in no uncertain terms.  By chance another vehicle has stopped beside me going the other way so three police stride toward us both.  Once I am sitting back down again the woman returns to her post and the other 2 take one car each.  I beg my case in my most convincing Aussie accent and talk my way out of paying the toll. This includes the removal of the witches hats and the police holding up the traffic for me to do a ‘U’ turn back into the tunnel, phew. Thank you Mr Policeman for being so kind!

I am now back in Manhattan and manage to navigate back to the apartment to find the girls wondering where the hell I have gotten to. Mikayla’s wondering if I am lying shot somewhere, she is a little dramatic sometimes.  Luggage loaded we head off to our new ‘digs’.  Its a very old place but very clean and perfectly acceptable.  It is a long story why we had to move, all about a double booking, but I think it all worked out for the best.  We are now on the Upper West Side and love the atmosphere, and a bonus, free (and safe) parking. The weather forecast for the night is for rain so we put the Empire State Building on hold.

I take to the streets to see if I can spot any more stars and although there’s no more famous people I really love the vibe of this side of town.  I shop for some yummy supplies at the famous Zabars before returning to our apartment to dine and crash ready for more exciting adventure to come in New York.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album NEW YORK.