This morning started with a walk along central

Once I got back from the States, I had to do a lot of catching up with people.  A group of us had a bit of a Uni reunion one weekend and thought 'let's go to NYC' in the new year.  Great!  We organised it pretty quickly and went at the end of January.  The last time I was here, it was hot, this time it wasn't!  I was looking forward to seeing the city on a weekend as well, as last time the trip took us to Boston for the Friday and Saturady nights.

I flew on my own for the first time as we all live in different cities and getting on the same flights would have been expensive.  This was fine.  I watched a few films, did some reading, and was there without noticing the time.  I got checked in and met up with the guys for a few drinks.  We didn't last long! 

The next day I managed to get up at a reasonable time and get some of that New York breakfasts and coffee I'd been missing!  I stayed just off Time Square and was particularly happy with that.  I did some shopping on 5th Ave and in the Soho district, and seen as the pound was strong, at that point, compared to the dollar, I got some great deals!  In the evening I went to MoMA (The Museum of Modern Art) on a TB recommendation (which I'm very grateful for).  It was really lucky - it's free to visit on Friday after 4pm, which was spot on timing for us!  I loved it in here.  I've become quite a big fan of art in a short space of time and now I try to get to see a few museums when I've got a bit of time.  I saw some great works by Matisse, Franz Marc's 'World Cow', and Van Gough's 'Stary Night' and 'Olive Garden'.  These were alongside a few works by my favorites, Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol.  It was a great day which we followed up with a Friday night on the tiles.

The Saturday morning didn't happen!  We all needed some valuable 'sleep time' after Friday, but when we all came to, it was a day to do your thing.  Some guys wanted to go see the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building, but for me that was all still fairly fresh from the summer.  Instead I wanted some 'chill out time' in Central Park.  I did go to the 'Top of the Rock' (The Rockefeller Centre) and have a look around St Patrick's Cathedral though in the early evening.  That's a beautiful building if you ever get to see it.

TBC

Olean is a town in southwest New York State--a good ways from any big cities... so I guess it's a hub of sorts for the hilly rural area.

Even though it's only about 4 blocks wide.

But then again it has a hospital, a shopping mall, a risquè lingerie store and a homeless person... so does it qualify as a "city"?  You decide.

It's also got these painted squirrels placed around the city.  Hey, why not?  Harrisburg, PA has painted cows and Vienna, Austria has painted bears...

After all the big cities I've been seeing lately, it's nice to explore an out-of-the-way Appalacian town from end to end...

Can you believe it?  I actually had culture shock after being in Canada for two days!

After visiting 5 Canadian cities without seeing the least sign of urban decay anywhere, I crossed the bridge to Buffalo, New York.  Right near the bridge I parked my car and headed towards downtown on foot. 

Immediately I noticed something really odd about the neighborhood:  on the right side of the street were sparkling, brand new houses--clearly a bit urban renewal project.  On the left side of the street were old houses at various levels of decay... Now why would the city renew one side of the street and not the other?

I got it!  I got you figured out Buffalo! Hah!

See, the houses on the right are immediately visible to Canadians crossing over and taking the freeway.  The houses on the left aren't.

That's it!  We Americans are embarrassed about the state of our cities and we don't want the Canadians to see what we're really like!  So we've got to put up a nice little façade for them... Hilarious!

Now once I reached downtown, it became clear that Buffalo was truly a great city at one time.  Here the skyscrapers are not just buildings--they're elaborate works of art.  It seems that back in the old days Buffalo was trying, trying so hard to look as cool as it's bigger brother, New York City...

And when you realize that the city has half the population it had 70 years ago and that pretty much all industry packed up and left a long time ago, you've got to admit that Buffalo has weathered all that pretty well.

While parkbenching in front of the gigantic city hall a Buffaloian stopped by and started complaining about everything from the lack of jobs to the salt used on the roads in the wintertime.

"But I still love this city" he said...

But after seeing Canada, I can't help but wonder if maybe things could've been different here in Buffalo--and scores of similar cities... Here, Big Industry can create a huge metropolis in just a couple of years--and then a few decades later, just shut down and leave the city in shambles.  I guess that's capitalism... but maybe it didn't have to be that way...

All due respect to folks in Buffalo... but it sure is funny that you guys feel you've got to try to look good for the Canadians...

After a day in the rain, we hit the ground running this morning, with big plans to see a lot of the city.  It was cloudy every day we were in New York, but I was feeling good about today.  I was praying for no rain and lots of fun!  We walked to the American Museum of Natural History and got there just before it opened.  I won't go into much detail about the museum itself, but we spent a couple hours in there and had a great time.  They have a neat space exhibit and a planetarium as well as a room in the museum dedicated to meteorites.  I love outer space type stuff!  One of the other neat areas we checked out involved the peoples of the world...obviously, I have an interest in that!  There were dinosaurs and tons of other things in the museum, so check it out if you are in New York!

We left the museum and took the subway to the southern tip of Manhattan, to the area known as Battery Park.  It is from this area of the island that one can easily see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, as well as take ferries to the various islands in the area.  After enjoying the view for a time, we got on one of the ferries that runs the circuit between the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and back to Battery Park.  We were fortunate to get some great views of Manhattan as the boat moved away from the dock and towards Liberty Island.  Once there, we got off the boat and spent the next hour walking around the little island.  I think my mom spent most of the time in the gift shop, but I let my mind wander to thoughts of what life would have been like for even my ancestors as they came over from Europe long ago.  Although there are plans to reopen the statue in the future, we could not go up into it at that time.

After a short wait, we boarded the next ferry to Ellis Island.  Ellis Island was the point of entry for many foreign immigrants coming into the US in an earlier part of the country's history.  I knew my ancestors had done just that over 100 years ago, so that made it special for me (and many others) to be there.  The building is now a museum dedicated to cultures and peoples from all other the world.  Walking into the building, you can feel yourself going back in to the time when the island was bustling with activity.  Immigrants trying to spell their names for the scribes and being given similar sounding English names.  Tears of joy, excitement, fear and wonder must have soaked the wooden floor.  There is a memorial outside the building, with names of families that had made and survived the trip overseas.  This memorial was created with the support of decendants of families that had come overseas; to get your name on the wall required a monetary donation - which took away from the power of the wall, but it was still touching to see all those names - and find my family name.

We took a ferry back to Battery Park an Manhattan from Ellis Island and realized that we would have to race all the way north to the Bronx to catch the game.  Fortunately, the red line subway runs from Battery Park all the way to the Bronx, so one quick ride got us right where we needed to go.

We headed back into the stadium.  The weather had cooperated for us all day (for the most part), but would it hold up tonight?  I think I had left my poncho behind, so I was really praying.  This being the make up game from yesterday, the stands were quite empty.  One of the staff members came up to the small group in the bleachers and told us we could basically sit wherever there was an empty seat, so we took off and grabbed some great seats on the first base side of the stadium.  This of course made my brother's day and made up for yesterday's rainout.  Although the Yankees lost pretty badly, I have a million pictures in my folder of the game and each player multiple times.  I will be sure to only attach a few.  :)  The game was a fun way to spend the evening though, and the rain did hold off nicely.

On the next day, my mom wanted to do a sightseeing tour of the city...I'd never do one on my own, but what the heck.  How would it turn out?

Today was Yankees day.  We left the hotel in the late morning and took the subway north to the Bronx.  A city of white and navy lay before us as we walked the shops selling Yankee gear.  I ended up buying a Yankee poncho, much to my dismay, but I didn't want to get soakedas the sky got more and more cloudy.  My brother was searching for a jersey to buy, but he didn't find anything that he wanted for the right price.  So, we headed into the stadium.  By this point, it was already lightly raining, and the tarp was on the field.  Many of the famous Yankee old timers were in attendance to face off in a scrimmage game, but that was quickly cancelled due to weather.  Bummer.  The rain held off for a bit and the current Yankee players took the field, warmed up, and the game started.  Unfortunately, the game did not finish...the rain come down hard not long after the start.  Also unfortunately, I was with a die-hard Yankee fan, meaning we would sit there until the game was completed or cancelled.  The afternoon came and went, and the rain did the same - however, the rain (unlike the afternoon) decided to stay and we were washed away with the rest of the crowd - the game was cancelled.  Fortunately, they decided to give us seats to the game on the next night, and I knew that we wouldn't be missing that.

We were up really early this morning and caught a double decker bus that drove us to the Early Show taping, as we were going to be on TV!!! This was really fun as we had to fight to get on camera, but Bree and I popped our faces in shot a fair few times and we were satisfied!  Bree's mum taped it back at home as the Early Show airs at 3am in Australia so it was good to have proof!!  Bree and I then decided to have a look in the huge Apple store next door because there was free internet and we could have a play around with the imac's as well as contact home, so that was good!

Afterward, we went back to the hotel as we had a bit of free time before heading back out again, so Bree and I went to starbucks and had some breakfast.  We then met up with the tour and caight the subway to times square because today we were doing a movie/television bus tour.   This wasn't the best tour and definitely wasn't as good as Sex and the City.  The problem was the host showed us video clips of movies and tv series after we would drive past the actual location and that made it hard to get a good visual.  We saw the soup nazi kitchen from Seinfeld, the Friend's apartment block, The Ghostbuster headquarters and fire station in Hitch, the street scrface was filmed and the MacDonald's in Big Daddy.  There were a few more that I can't remember.  Alot of the movies were targetted at an older audience and alot of them Bree and I hadn't even heard of, so in the end, this tour was a little disappointing and there may have been better things to do in our spare time.

After the tour we were dropped back to broadway/times square.  Bree and I went to have lunch at MacDonald's before walking to the hudson river where we were to take a jet boat ride.  We thought it was only short walk but it turned out to be a fair way and we barely made it on time.  The rest of the tour was already waiting to hop on the jetboat.  We hopped in line and then Matt found out that there was some mechanical problem with the boat and the ride was cancelled.  It was a little disappointing because Matt had told us how great the ride was, but I suppose we will just have to come back and do it another time!!

Bree and I decided to go to the Manhattan mini-mall near Macy's to have a look at Sarah Jessica Parker's clothing line in the Steve and Barry's store, as nothing is over $20!!!! We spent alot of time there but didn't end up buying alot but I still was able to buy a top and a few accessories and Bree bought pants and a top, all for a very cheap price.  We then walked to an I heart NY shop and bought some T-shirts as we wanted to give them as presents for people back home.

It was getting late and we had to get back to the hotel, so we caught the subway back to the hotel Beacon, had a shower and got ready as tonight we were finally going to the Empire State Building! First we went and had some dinner at a Pizza Place close to our hotel, and it was SO good!! The best pizza I have tasted.  It was weird to try pizza with sausages on it but it was really nice!  We then walked through Central Park to Strawberry Fields which is a small memorial for John Lennon.  There is a peace sign made of flowers on the ground which is really beautiful.  Not far from Strawberry Fields is his old apartment block where he was shot, we also visited there.  Apparently Yoko Ono still lives there.

From there were caught the subway to the Empire State Building.  There were no lines and we were able to reach the top fairly quickly.  The views were amazing, especially being and night with the city all lit up.  It was very windy though and I didn't realise at the time, but most of my photos were blurry because of that.  I got a few good ones though.  I would like to do it again in daylight, so that is another trip to New York I will have to plan!!

After we reached the bottom of the building, there were a few guys outside trying to sell limosine rides, so we all pitched in $5 and took a ride to Avenue B, which used to be the worst street in Greenwich Village if not Manhattan, and was now a hot spot for various clubs and bars.  We went inside a bar recommended by Matt but only stayed for one drink because we had to hop on a shuttle to the airport at 6am.  We got back to the hotel at 1am and slept for our last night in new york :(   

We were up early and met everyone in the hotel foyer.  We now longer had the contiki bus for our tour as we would be catching the subway and walking everywhere.  Matt took us to the subway and we were to head to the Empire State Building.  However there were major delays with the trains, as while we were sleeping the night before, there was a mini tornado and storm in Brooklyn and the subway had flooded, causing major delays and packed trains!! We waited half an hour for a train that would fit our entire group and it just wasn't happening.  In the end we had to try and squeeze in as many people as we could with each passing train.  Of course, Bree and I were the last of our group at the station.  We were with two other guys from our tour and managed to hop on a train with them.  But by the time we had met the rest of the group at the Empire State Building, is was coming on lunch time and Matt said it would be too busy to go up, so we postponed our empire state builing visit.

In stead, Matt took us on a walking tour of 5th Avenue.  This was interesting, and I saw alot of familiar land marks like the chrysler building, the library from ghostbuster and more!! We stopped at another deli for lunch that was just off 5 Avenue.  It was really busy in there too, but we managed to quickly eat and then began walking again, this time through Rckefeller Centre.  Matt showed us where the Christmas tree normally goes, as well as the ice skating rink.  It was summer so it was converted into a cafe/restaurant.

We then walked through Central Park and decided to have a rest there, because it was such a hot day and we had been walking around alot! It is really nice in Central Park, it is like you are not even in the middle of the city, it is really quiet and you can't hear the hussle and bussle of the streets.  We then walked through Central Park and sat by the Plaza Hotel, as some of us were doing the sex and the city tour and this was our meeting point!!! I was so excited, I am a major fan of sex and the city, I have watched every episode over and over again!!

Our tour started with a really nice and funny hostess, dressed the same as any actor on Sex and the City.  We were shown clips of the show and then we were able to see and visit those locations.  Our first stop was the pleasure chest shop in greenwich village where charlotte bought her first "rabbit".  Then we stopped at the Magnolia Bakery and had I had the best cupcake of my life!!! It was so good!!! We then drove past the many designer stores that Carrie visited often, and then we were able to take a photo on Carrie's brownstone steps!  Definitely a highlight of the tour!!

After the tour we were dropped back at the Plaza hotel and we had to make our own way back to the hotel.  Bree and I had originally planned to see a broadway show, but by the time the tour finished, it was too late to go to Times Square and buy discount tickets.  Plus we were so tired and cranky!!!  So we had to catch two trains to get back to the hotel and both of us fell asleep.  We woke up to have dinner but were so tired that we barely spoke a word to each other.  Tomorrow was going to be another full day.

We had to take a shuttle bus at 3am this morning to get to the airport on time.  We made it with plently of time to spare and were one of the first people to check in.  This was lucky because I was way of my luggage allowance (and had been when i left Sydney) but I was not charged a fee for excess, which was really good because it would have been a fortune.  It was a long wait going through customs because you have to take your shoes off and get them scanned.  I ended up taking my shoes off 3 times on 3 separate occassions!! I suppose it is better safe than sorry.

We had pretty good seats for this flight, we were in a exit row so had plenty of leg room and there were only 2 seats per row as well!! Bree had fallen asleep before the plan had even taken off.  We were waiting a while because it was raining and there was a line of planes waiting for take off.  In the end it was a really smooth flight.  An 8 hour flight, and for 5 of those hours Bree and I slept, which was REALLY good as it made the plane ride seem really fast!! The rest of the time we spent doing puzzles, that seemed to pass the time too.

We arrived at JFK airport and again it was a long wait in customs, but once we had shown our passports, it was a quick walk to collect our baggage and before we knew it we were in a yellow taxi heaqding for Manhattan.  OMG the cabbies are crazy drivers in New York!! They speed up when they should be breaking and they beep all the time!!! I was freaking out!! I was glad when we made it to our hotel in one piece!  Our hotel for tonight was the Pennsylvania Hotel, it was a hige hotel in Midtown, directly opposite Madison Square Garden.  It seemed to take forever to reach our room and the hallways were kind of eerie.  Our room was the last one on the floor, and was kind of old but ok for one night.  We were still pretty tired so we walked down and got MacDonalds.  The meals are HUGE there!! America's medium meal is the same as Australia's large meal so we were pretty full afterwards.  We pretty much had a shower and in bed by 8pm.  We had a contiki tour starting tomorrow and we had to check into another hotel.  Our time in New York was going to be BUSY BUSY BUSY!

We checked out at 8am and caught a cab to the Upper West side where our hotel was located.  For the next 3 nights we would be staying at the Hotel Beacon.  We had organised a 4 day contiki tour for New York as both of us had never been to the city before and thought it was best to have some help navigating this huge city.  Plus everything was organised so that was a bonus too.

Out our began at the hotel and it was a much smaller group than our European contiki tour, there was only about 20 of us.  We met our tour manager Matt, who was a native of New York and you could tell he really loved the city. Today we were doing a driving tour of the city so we hopped on the contiki bus and headed off on our first day of sightseeing!!! Our first stop was an old cathedral on the Upper West side, which was rather impressive.  We then drove through Harlem, down 5th Avenue, along Central Park until we made it to downtown Manhattan.  We stopped for lunch here, in a deli style of place with every type of sandwich and food you could think of.  I had a turkey sandwich and it was so large i couldn't even eat half of it.

After lunch we walked to the small church that was a haven to survivors and fireman/workers of the September 11 attacks.  It was really moving.  There were many photos and memorabilia.  It was quite an emotional setting.

We then hopped back on the bus and headed to Battery Park where we lined up to hop on the ferry to the Statue of liberty.  It was really busy and on the ferry we were packed in like sardines, but as we got further out, the views of the city skyline were impressive, and the Statue of Liberty was getting bigger and bigger!  We hopped off the ferry and Matt explained the history of the place.  Many people began to listen into his speel as well, he was very good at telling stories.  Of course Bree and I took many photos because I just absolutely love the statue and it was very surreal to be there.  I felt like I was having an out of body experience!  Bree and I wanted a photo together and a girl from our tour offered take it for us.  I almost panicked when she dropped my camera before even taking a picture, but luckily I was still able to pictures, it was just hard to change the setting, from camera, video camera and preview.  Oh well, as long as my photos were still there I was fine!!  We went through the gift shop and bought some souveniers and then hopped back on the ferry.  We were able to see a bit more of the city ckyline now, but the sky was very foggy and hazy and unfortunately, my pictures do not do it justice.

Our next stop was Wall street and the large bull statue on the street.  We took a few more snaps and then hopped back on the bus.  Our last stop for the day was to the World Trade Centre site.  This was also emotional.  Though it did just seem like a contruction site, and you could see the trains travelling beneath it all.  Very surreal again.

On our way back to the hotel, Matt told us about his experience with September 11.  Luckily he was in another city, but his father worked close by and there was a long period of time when no contact was made.  Luckily for Matt his father was safe and he did not lose anyone close to him.  It was strange hearing a first hand account of what happened.

We got back to the hotel, got ready and then headed out for dinner.  We caught the subway to Times Square and walked to our restaurant.  We didn't finish dinner until 11pm.  Matt told us everyone in New York eats late because there is so much to do in the day.  We then walked back to Times Square and had a group photo taken. We also got a chance to take some photos of ourselves, before walking to a local karaoke bar.  While there all the Aussies (including Bree and I!) got up and sang "land down under".  Everyone was cheering us and it was a great time, as well as the first time we had sang karaoke!

Bree and I didn't stay long so we caught a cab back to the hotel at about 1am and went to bed.  Another big day tomorrow! 

On day two, we all hit the ground running.  I was very impressed that everyone kept up, even with all the walking we did!  Early in the morning, we got on the subway and took it down to Times Square.  From there we walked a few blocks to where they were filming the Today show.  I don't watch the news show, but oh well.  We got there just in time to see Phil Collins perform a few songs on the outdoor stage.  Our view wasn't terribly great, and we were looking at the back of his head, but we could hear just fine.  When the performance was done, the stars of the Today show crossed the street to their outdoor newsroom and prepared to interview some lady I had never seen before.  We, along with the other thousands of people that were there, crossed the street to get a view of the interview.  You can actually see us on tv if you happened to watch the Today show on this day!

Since we were right in front of NBC studios, we thought it would be interesting to take a tour of the building.  It was a no photos allowed type of thing, but we got to see how they do things behind the scenes.  We didn't see any stars, but we got to see several of the rooms where shows of past and present have been filmed.  I actually thought the tour was well worth it, so go check it out yourself!

We went back to Times Square and this time took a look around.  We stopped in several of the shops including the world's largest Toys R Us store, with a four story ferris wheel inside!  I never thought I would be taking pictures inside a toy store.  After some time at Times Square, we walked the streets of New York to the Empire State Building.  Once you get close, it's impossible to miss!  We walked around the lobby a bit before heading up to the lookout deck.  It was a cloudy day but the rain held off for us, and the view was only a little hazy.  We could see all the way to New Jersey.  On our way out of the building, we bumped into King Kong.  Apparently he took the elevator this time...I guess he learned his lesson about climbing on the side!

After leaving the Empire State Building, we continued our walk through the city.  The walk took us past the public library and to Grand Central Station.  We went inside to see what was going on.  Just like in Europe, it was full of people hurrying to wherever they were headed!  It was surprisingly dark in there, so pictures didn't really turn out.  We ended the day by walking back through Central Park to our hotel - a long walk but well worth it!

After my experiences in Corning and Rochester, I was feeling pretty pumped.  It was getting a bit late, but I was still in the mood for "conquering" one more town...

Batavia.

Found a park bench by the stream that ran through town and did my set... then it started raining.  I still needed to take my video clip somewhere--a little hard in the dark and in the rain... but I did manage to find a sort of historical looking building that I figured would do the job...

Then I took my guitar back to the car and grabbed an umbrella.  Hell, why not?  No better way to end a good day like today than with a nice, late night hike in the rain. 

Batavia with its wide, dreary, Main Street and silent neighborhoods was definitely an afterclimax... but sometimes you need an afterclimax to give you time to ponder on all that you've seen...

Rochester is a little bit of a detour, but I figure it's a must see since I'm already in the area...

As I near the city, though, only one thing is on my mind:  find a Chinese Buffet before the 4:00 lunch breakoff time!  So I frantically drive around Strip Mall Hell in the Rochester suburbs until I find the biggest Chinese Buffet I've ever seen...

That'll take care of lunch, supper, AND tomorrow's breakfast...

Heading into town up Monroe Blvd I park my car down side street so I can walk into town.  Although the houses in the area quite beautiful, Monroe has a bit of a seedy feel with its adult bookstores and liquor stores and lots and lots of police cars... But as soon as you cross "The Loop" into downtown, everything changes...

There's the Children's Museum with an unusual glass enclosed little forest... there's a bigass castle (apparently emptly at the moment)... there the East side of town with tree lined boulevards, mansions and museums... conservatories... live music... splendid concert halls... more museums... And then there's this building that from the outside it looks like an old, run-down High School--but inside it's been converted into a really cool mall with all sorts of odd, trendy shops and bizarre Modern Art sculptures...

I asked a guy as I waited in line to use the restroom at Wendy's (yes, I use restrooms at fast food joints all the time without buying anything...) why Rochester had such a focus on art and music.

The guy told me, "Rochester is what it is thanks to George Eastman (the inventor of Kodak film).  He also invented the 8 hour work day.  Since his employees had so much time off, he built the Eastman theater and the conservatory to give folks something to do with their free time.  Thus Rochester is the art and music hub that it is."

I don't know that that's all entirely true--all the same, I'm truly inspired by this city.

Across the river there's another downtown district--I come across a really cool shot of a steel and glass skyscraper, a French Baroque style building and neoclassical Roman building all crammed together!

Loved Rochester... maybe someday I'll come back here and meet a few more folks...

Right now, however, I'm on a mission:  CANADA

When I strained my back at my day job last week I was told I would be unable to work for a while.  Since medication, doctor's visits and physical therapy didn't seem to be helping, I did what any sensible person would do... take a three day road trip to Canada!

Sure enough, at the end, my back was feeling just fine.  There must be something therapeutic about sleeping in a car for three days...

Besides, before I leave this part of the world for good, I HAVE to do at least a couple of parkbenching sessions in Canada...

So, I'm off, heading straight north out of Harrisburg, along the beautiful Susquehanna river, past Selinsgrove and Lewisburg where this whole parkbenching adventure started last year...

...I felt Williamsport, Pennsylvania beckoning me--but I new I needed to cover some more miles before making my first stop...

That stop would be Corning, New York.

After miles of quiet, forested hills (you almost forget you're in crowded Northeast USA is the bustling little city of Corning.  Immediately I knew there was something unusual about this place.  A tall white tower welcomes you to this glassmaking capital... Main Street is buzzing with white collar and blue collar folks out on their lunch breaks.  Shop windows proudly display Corning's trademark glass art... Museums welcome visitors to come see more...

And I wondered... how is this small, industrial city still alive and successful while so many others in the region have fallen into decay?  Surely, the glass industry could have packed up and moved to China like all the other industries have...

But it hasn't.  And it's really a nice feeling to see that there's at least one "success story" town here in the Northeast USA...

My younger brother was coming for a visit for a couple of days--so I went to the airport in New York to pick him up.  But rather than go straight home as any reasonable host would, I figured I'd start out by introducing him to the Parkbenching Lifestyle.  So at midnight we headed north out of NYC to see what we could find...

White Plains definitely had a party vibe going on.  The bars were full and overflowing on Main Street--but we wanted some place quiet to chat first, and since we're both pretty stingy, we hung out at a 24 hour diner instead... Then, after catching up on each others lives (last time we traveled together he was a cashier at Burger King--now he's a Funeral Director with a lot of interesting stories to tell...) we headed back to the car to grab my guitar and go find a suitable park bench.  Unfortunately after just two songs, the cops showed up a chased us off... oh well... can't really complain, they were polite about it and, after all, it was 3 o'clock in the morning...

So we drove off to a rest stop--slept in the car for a couple of hours and went looking for another city...

POSTNOTE:  I was determined to Parkbench in White Plains--so on our way back, we stopped by again and didn't get chased off this time...