The joys of travel.

I visited a class yesterday morning at SUNY, talked with faculty and then headed off for my Amtrak trip to new York.

So excited. 2 hours later I was still in the waiting room with some pretty weird people!! No passenger announcement...........no one had any idea what was happening. Students who were going home for the weekend and had skipped class were moaning about lost credit points and how did they get their money back.

Eventually the train came ............and what a journey!!! We travelled right down the coast past frozen lake waters and canals with spectacular scenery. The train conductors were just fab! yep they really do say "All aboad" and come and check that you are comfortable and know where you are going and where to get out. Great stuff.

The trains are clean with plenty of sitting room and pull down tables. You can recharge your laptops by plugging in next to your seat. Unfortunately because we set off so late it was dark a couple of hours after we left - still it was great to see all the lights of New York looming ahead.

Pennsylvania (Penn) station was mad....heaps of people.......on to the subway to queens = met some great people on subway all telling me what I should visit in New York and then out onto the street...............mmmm thousands of cars, people, not sure where to go...........decide maybe this is the time to get a cab. Its now 11.30pm and dad's plane is due in.

Trying to work out if the cars next to me are really cabs, when dad calls.............his plane broke down and he is in Denver..............that's United for you. His phone cuts off and I leap in what I think is a cab and head off for the hotel. Now la Guardia airport hotel shouldn't be too hard to find .........but it is.....we circle around looking for it in the intense ny traffic. Guy is from India, we swop stories about Jaipur and then find the hotel. He knocks $5 off the original price and I am in the hotel, tired, hungry but here and ready for whatever New York turns up tomorrow.