The Road To Hell

Our trip started in some style - a chauffeur driven Mercedes to the airport. Sounds flash, I know, and trust me, I don't say it in any way as a boast. The reason for mentioning it will become apparent. And, for what it's worth the limo cost us ten pounds more than we would have paid for a taxi. No brainer really . . .

Anyway, this guy turns up, all suited and booted and drives us sedately to the airport. About fifteen hours later we eventually got to walk out of JFK airport in New York to look for a taxi. The queue was huge. I mean HUGE! Some guy comes up, starts hustling. "You guys wanna taxi??"

"Err - yes - I guess we do."

"Where are you guys going?"

"Manhattan - Seventh and Thirty-first. How much?" Almost sounded like a native, didn't I??

"Sixty dollars," says he.

We'd been told to expect seventy to eighty dollars with a Yellow Taxi, so, again, a no-brainer.

Off we go in this four-wheel-drive jobby.

Fast.

Very, very fast.

A proper white knuckle ride. Tania leans across and whispers, "I didn't really come all this way to die!"

Scariest ride I ever had - rush hour traffic in New York and we were reaching seventy as we crossed intersections and ran through traffic lights. Our driver managed to gridlock one junction and got into a New York style slanging match with the driver of a pick-up truck. To be fair though they did share the abuse equally between them! Seems you have to show good manners when you abuse someone out here . . .

I have never in my life been so glad to see a full-on traffic jam. Fifteen miles an hour never felt so good.

A life of extremes, huh? Chauffer driven bliss to start the day, taxi driven nutter to end it.

We decided not to do the typical tourist thing out here - it is so naff, isn't it!

Today we have seen the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, Times Square and are now waiting to go up the Rockefeller Building.

Like I said, we don't plan to do the tourist thing . . .

I've got one beef with New York already. I guessed the days of the Yellow cabs being those Checker cars had long gone so was assuming they would use big Fords or Chevrolets. I can see the sense in them using the Prius thing 'cause it's hybrid. But using a Ford Focus for f**k sake! That's not a New York cab - that's a car for shopping in. Tell you, man, there is no way I am hailing a Focus down. No Way!!

My tablet thingie seems to have ingested a virus, can't get it to fire up at all. Means I have to write this on the hotel computer at about ten dollars a shot and - more importantly cannot add the photos I wanted to. Maybe I'll figure something out.