New York Passenger Transport
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
England and Ireland Rail Tour 2009
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Day 14 Thursday May 7th 2009 We visit the Amish Country
Day 14. Thursday May 7th 2009. We visit the Amish Country.
We bought our muesli, diced fruit and yogurt last night on the way back from Mamma Mia to eat on the train in order to sleep a bit longer. Our train left at 7:25am. Just as well we had our breakfast with us; there was no cafe car; unusual. The scenery at first was not good but gave way to tree hidden countryside. Eventually we arrived at area of beautifully green pastoral land. You could have thought we were back in NZ if it were not for the style of buildings and the speed of the train; we reached 125kmh along the straights. I have often marvelled at the great distance we have travelled without seeing countryside higher than about 400 metres; if my memory serves me correctly, not since we moved out the rocky mountains and into the prairies of Canada. We alighted from the train at Lancaster and boarded our tour bus. The driver was well versed on the Amish people and their beliefs. First up he recounted the day he drove a busload of them on a mission and when they alighted, how, he when cleaning the bus started picking up pins left behind by his passengers. He said cleaners were still picking up pins weeks later; apparently they do not use buttons on their clothes, just pins. The country side was flat to gentle rolling and lush. I observed a lot of alfalfa was grown along with grain crops and grass. The houses were well kept and nearly all had vegetable gardens. Many of the houses were built by their owners. The bus driver said they were very skilled and good business people. Very few houses had a telephone and when they did it was enclosed in a small outside building; just big enough for two standing people. They would only answer a ringing telephone if they was passing and heard it. They mainly used it for communicating to the outside world to order supplies and calling a doctor etc. It was clothes washing day; both ends of the clothes line was around a one foot diameter pulley wheel; one end mounted on a seven meter high pole. The people attached the clothes to the line and the pulled it to the high end to get maximum wind for quick drying. They had no electricity by choice. Electricity was only permitted for medical reasons. Their cooking was with gas and coal. They mainly dressed in black and travelled in cute horse drawn buggies. We stopped a bakery wayside shop where the sold local produce; bread, jams preserves and a variety of goods to tempt the many tourists. The young ladies that served us were simply dressed and wore bonnets; they looked fresh and beautiful in a simple sort of way. We bought beautiful ice creams. They had lots of small one room schools. The second shopping stop was at a beautiful village. Here you could take ride in the countryside in a horse draw open cart. We did not have enough time. Fay went off shopping and I found a nice cafe. As I sat outside eating my lunch I treated to nice music a couple of old-timers were playing on a banjo and guitar. When I approached them they tried to guess where I hailed from. I had to tell them I was from NZ; they smiled and said “Now is the Hour” and played it for me! It was a unique rendition and well played. Our next stop was at a railway museum at Strasburg. It was a large museum with many engines and carriages in various state of repair. Once again we did not have enough time. We did manage to take a short steam hauled train ride through the beautiful countryside. The carriages may have been in the style of an era long past, but they were immaculate and very comfortable, in fact more so than the Amtrak on which train we travelled from New York.
We bought our muesli, diced fruit and yogurt last night on the way back from Mamma Mia to eat on the train in order to sleep a bit longer. Our train left at 7:25am. Just as well we had our breakfast with us; there was no cafe car; unusual. The scenery at first was not good but gave way to tree hidden countryside. Eventually we arrived at area of beautifully green pastoral land. You could have thought we were back in NZ if it were not for the style of buildings and the speed of the train; we reached 125kmh along the straights. I have often marvelled at the great distance we have travelled without seeing countryside higher than about 400 metres; if my memory serves me correctly, not since we moved out the rocky mountains and into the prairies of Canada. We alighted from the train at Lancaster and boarded our tour bus. The driver was well versed on the Amish people and their beliefs. First up he recounted the day he drove a busload of them on a mission and when they alighted, how, he when cleaning the bus started picking up pins left behind by his passengers. He said cleaners were still picking up pins weeks later; apparently they do not use buttons on their clothes, just pins. The country side was flat to gentle rolling and lush. I observed a lot of alfalfa was grown along with grain crops and grass. The houses were well kept and nearly all had vegetable gardens. Many of the houses were built by their owners. The bus driver said they were very skilled and good business people. Very few houses had a telephone and when they did it was enclosed in a small outside building; just big enough for two standing people. They would only answer a ringing telephone if they was passing and heard it. They mainly used it for communicating to the outside world to order supplies and calling a doctor etc. It was clothes washing day; both ends of the clothes line was around a one foot diameter pulley wheel; one end mounted on a seven meter high pole. The people attached the clothes to the line and the pulled it to the high end to get maximum wind for quick drying. They had no electricity by choice. Electricity was only permitted for medical reasons. Their cooking was with gas and coal. They mainly dressed in black and travelled in cute horse drawn buggies. We stopped a bakery wayside shop where the sold local produce; bread, jams preserves and a variety of goods to tempt the many tourists. The young ladies that served us were simply dressed and wore bonnets; they looked fresh and beautiful in a simple sort of way. We bought beautiful ice creams. They had lots of small one room schools. The second shopping stop was at a beautiful village. Here you could take ride in the countryside in a horse draw open cart. We did not have enough time. Fay went off shopping and I found a nice cafe. As I sat outside eating my lunch I treated to nice music a couple of old-timers were playing on a banjo and guitar. When I approached them they tried to guess where I hailed from. I had to tell them I was from NZ; they smiled and said “Now is the Hour” and played it for me! It was a unique rendition and well played. Our next stop was at a railway museum at Strasburg. It was a large museum with many engines and carriages in various state of repair. Once again we did not have enough time. We did manage to take a short steam hauled train ride through the beautiful countryside. The carriages may have been in the style of an era long past, but they were immaculate and very comfortable, in fact more so than the Amtrak on which train we travelled from New York.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Day 13. Wednesday 6th May 2009 Our First Day in New York
Day 13 Wednesday 6th May 2009. Our first day in New York.
And the air temperature is freezing. The coldest we have experience this trip. Last night we were cold in bed. There were no more blankets in the cupboard and the heater did not work. Just as well I brought my bed warmer along; we snuggled up together and survived the night. Come 7am we were off to find food. We thought we would go to the Penn Station which is just across the road and underground. We found a shop, but what a performance to buy some food. They were baffled by our accent! I had to talk very slowly. The only good food I could find was fruit. As we walked back to the street I saw a very interesting shop. It was a shoe shine shop; there were ten men sitting all in a row getting their shoes polished. When each had finished they walked further into the shop where a little old grey haired granny was waiting to relieve them of four dollars. On the way out they would carefully slip the shiner a tip. Fay was delighted as she was able to get her shoe fixed. It took ten minutes and cost $10. As we came towards the surface via escalator a strange sound could be heard. Fay said it sounded like a lot of sheep baaing. It was paperboys (actually they were young men of differing ages and vocal chords) communicating with the hoards of commuters to sell and give away newspapers To me it sounded like they were shouting “erp” having shifted the”p” (in paper) to the end and leaving the “a” out. I bought a free paper! At the morning briefing with John we all decided to get on the hop-on hop-off Double Decker for a city two hour tour. We all rushed to the open top deck to find all the seats wet. We opened the provided ponchos, placed them on the seats and sat down. The air was around 10°c. After about 10 minutes as Fay and I were both recovering from colds we gave up and moved to the lower enclosed deck. My watch records my wrist temperature; normally it reads between 28° and 32°; on top of the bus it got down to 23.8°. We did not complete the tour and returned to the hotel. We did not stay long; it was sooo cold; walking in the street would warm us. We went to the largest store, Macys. There were some beautiful, coloured tee shirts, but very expensive. I was now getting too hot in the store so we went onto the street started walking again. Fay spotted an art shop; we went in and Fay found her art and I found a barber, both in the same shop; the barber said he was a Russian; he certainly knew how to cut hair. For an excellent cut I paid $NZ40. After more wandering we found a Chinese shop with our type of food. All sorts of veges, meats and fruits. We ate well and paid $6.99 per pound.
Mamma Mia! It is 7pm and we are all assembled in the lobby ready to walk 16 blocks along 7th Avenue and Broadway to the Winter Garden to experience the smash hit show “MAMMA MIA” I was excited and had great expectations. I was not to be disappointed. First the lights and advertisements on the buildings kept my camera very busy; the panorama of bright light was difficult to capture in one frame. Earlier in the day the tour bus guide told us that one building received all its revenue from advertising on its walls; all of $5m annually; there were no tenants. After 35 minutes we reached the theatre and joined the crowds entering the theatre. We were seated on the mezzanine circle and had a good view of the stage; the theatre was “cosy”; not quite as big as our Aotea. With the theatre filled to capacity the show commenced with an opening rendition of Mamma Mia. Just below the centre stage was a lady seated at an electronic piano; she was both the conductor and leading instrumentalist. Her energetic playing exuded excitement; she and her head and shoulders bounced up and down and swayed from side to side with the rhythm of the music; she was obviously enjoying herself and I found myself also getting caught up with her excitement. The music slowed and calmed; the curtains withdrew and the opening scene commenced. The lady at the piano had hands lifted from the keyboard and raised in front of her quietly conducting the singers. Below the stage were other instrumentalists. The show was humorous; the singing was great and I could hear every word. After the play had finished the cast returned and treated us with additional ABBA music. The performance was of three hours duration. For me Mamma Mia has been the highlight of our trip in North America. We retired happy but weary at midnight and were up at 6am in order to catch the early train to Lancaster; the Amish Country.
And the air temperature is freezing. The coldest we have experience this trip. Last night we were cold in bed. There were no more blankets in the cupboard and the heater did not work. Just as well I brought my bed warmer along; we snuggled up together and survived the night. Come 7am we were off to find food. We thought we would go to the Penn Station which is just across the road and underground. We found a shop, but what a performance to buy some food. They were baffled by our accent! I had to talk very slowly. The only good food I could find was fruit. As we walked back to the street I saw a very interesting shop. It was a shoe shine shop; there were ten men sitting all in a row getting their shoes polished. When each had finished they walked further into the shop where a little old grey haired granny was waiting to relieve them of four dollars. On the way out they would carefully slip the shiner a tip. Fay was delighted as she was able to get her shoe fixed. It took ten minutes and cost $10. As we came towards the surface via escalator a strange sound could be heard. Fay said it sounded like a lot of sheep baaing. It was paperboys (actually they were young men of differing ages and vocal chords) communicating with the hoards of commuters to sell and give away newspapers To me it sounded like they were shouting “erp” having shifted the”p” (in paper) to the end and leaving the “a” out. I bought a free paper! At the morning briefing with John we all decided to get on the hop-on hop-off Double Decker for a city two hour tour. We all rushed to the open top deck to find all the seats wet. We opened the provided ponchos, placed them on the seats and sat down. The air was around 10°c. After about 10 minutes as Fay and I were both recovering from colds we gave up and moved to the lower enclosed deck. My watch records my wrist temperature; normally it reads between 28° and 32°; on top of the bus it got down to 23.8°. We did not complete the tour and returned to the hotel. We did not stay long; it was sooo cold; walking in the street would warm us. We went to the largest store, Macys. There were some beautiful, coloured tee shirts, but very expensive. I was now getting too hot in the store so we went onto the street started walking again. Fay spotted an art shop; we went in and Fay found her art and I found a barber, both in the same shop; the barber said he was a Russian; he certainly knew how to cut hair. For an excellent cut I paid $NZ40. After more wandering we found a Chinese shop with our type of food. All sorts of veges, meats and fruits. We ate well and paid $6.99 per pound.
Mamma Mia! It is 7pm and we are all assembled in the lobby ready to walk 16 blocks along 7th Avenue and Broadway to the Winter Garden to experience the smash hit show “MAMMA MIA” I was excited and had great expectations. I was not to be disappointed. First the lights and advertisements on the buildings kept my camera very busy; the panorama of bright light was difficult to capture in one frame. Earlier in the day the tour bus guide told us that one building received all its revenue from advertising on its walls; all of $5m annually; there were no tenants. After 35 minutes we reached the theatre and joined the crowds entering the theatre. We were seated on the mezzanine circle and had a good view of the stage; the theatre was “cosy”; not quite as big as our Aotea. With the theatre filled to capacity the show commenced with an opening rendition of Mamma Mia. Just below the centre stage was a lady seated at an electronic piano; she was both the conductor and leading instrumentalist. Her energetic playing exuded excitement; she and her head and shoulders bounced up and down and swayed from side to side with the rhythm of the music; she was obviously enjoying herself and I found myself also getting caught up with her excitement. The music slowed and calmed; the curtains withdrew and the opening scene commenced. The lady at the piano had hands lifted from the keyboard and raised in front of her quietly conducting the singers. Below the stage were other instrumentalists. The show was humorous; the singing was great and I could hear every word. After the play had finished the cast returned and treated us with additional ABBA music. The performance was of three hours duration. For me Mamma Mia has been the highlight of our trip in North America. We retired happy but weary at midnight and were up at 6am in order to catch the early train to Lancaster; the Amish Country.
Day 12 Tuesday 5th May 2009 Montreal to New York
Day 12. 5th May 2009 Montreal to New York.
Not much happening today. Our train left Montréal at 9:30am. After travelling for about 1 ½ hours US customs officers climbed aboard to examine our passports and decide whether we can enter America. They held the train up for two hours. The rich flat agricultural land of Canada gave way to rolling to hill country with lots of trees hiding the farms I did see some Friesian calves. The trees were small but tall enough to hide the surrounding countryside. We travelled alongside a major river for several hours. As we neared New York a different river appeared. Someone said it was the Hudson. We arrived at Pennsylvania station at 8:53pm after travelling 608km making a total of 6421km since we left Vancouver. This information was supplied by Ross. We walked only a short distance to the exiting escalator which took us up to 7th Avenue with all its brilliant lights, yellow taxicabs and many people of all shapes and sizes, colours and creeds. Yes this was definitely the New York we see on the tele. Across the street and to our left less than 50metres was our Hotel.
Not much happening today. Our train left Montréal at 9:30am. After travelling for about 1 ½ hours US customs officers climbed aboard to examine our passports and decide whether we can enter America. They held the train up for two hours. The rich flat agricultural land of Canada gave way to rolling to hill country with lots of trees hiding the farms I did see some Friesian calves. The trees were small but tall enough to hide the surrounding countryside. We travelled alongside a major river for several hours. As we neared New York a different river appeared. Someone said it was the Hudson. We arrived at Pennsylvania station at 8:53pm after travelling 608km making a total of 6421km since we left Vancouver. This information was supplied by Ross. We walked only a short distance to the exiting escalator which took us up to 7th Avenue with all its brilliant lights, yellow taxicabs and many people of all shapes and sizes, colours and creeds. Yes this was definitely the New York we see on the tele. Across the street and to our left less than 50metres was our Hotel.
Day 11 4th May 2009 Day trip to Quebec City
Day 11. 4th May 2009 Day trip to Quebec City.
We arose at 5am; breakfasted at 6am; walked to the Central Rail Station at 6:25am; boarded our train at 6:45am and departed at 7am. We are riding in very new carriages with a decor of light blue, dark blue and grey. The carriages were originally built for British Rail and designed for the trip from Edinburgh via London and the channel tunnel to Paris. British Rail cancelled the deal and the Canadians picked up each carriages cheaply; although they are reputed to have spent millions converting the power and brake systems to suit Canadian conditions. We have power for our computers and wireless internet; $10 for 24 hours. As we left Montreal we passed by a ship in a lock on the Welland canal. The ships do not travel on the St Lawrence River at this point because many Canadians go fishing in small boats. The big ships use the canal. The surrounding countryside was mainly arable land recently tilled ready for crops to be sown. We are currently about 160 metres above sea level. After a 3 ½ hour train trip we arrived at Quebec and climbed onto our tour bus. We drove through narrow streets surrounded by quaint buildings. They are several centuries old. The old city is on a hill and surrounded by a high stone wall. This wall did not stop the British conquering the French in the 1700s.The battle was all over in ¼ hour. After 4 hours of touring we were dropped off at the Chateau Frontenac. This is a beautiful old hotel. A different type of busker was playing classical music on an electric piano; we sat for while in the warm sun listening to the music. After strolling further we found a small restaurant for a late 3:30pm lunch / dinner. The soup was beautiful but the main looked funny although it tasted good. I selected my dish because it was served with vegetables; yeah! Long 2mm square strips of carrots, similar turnips and zucchini, all raw and incredibly hard. Not very nice. We walked downhill back to the train. Waiting at an intersection a small electric bus pulled up. I asked the driver if he went to the railway. He opened the door so we hopped in. To our horror he went in the wrong direction. I said to Fay, don’t worry he is probably taking a roundabout route. Sure enough we eventually headed in the right direction. When we got off the bus all we had done was get to the other side of the road. Anyway we had the experience of riding in an electric bus; and it was free.
We arose at 5am; breakfasted at 6am; walked to the Central Rail Station at 6:25am; boarded our train at 6:45am and departed at 7am. We are riding in very new carriages with a decor of light blue, dark blue and grey. The carriages were originally built for British Rail and designed for the trip from Edinburgh via London and the channel tunnel to Paris. British Rail cancelled the deal and the Canadians picked up each carriages cheaply; although they are reputed to have spent millions converting the power and brake systems to suit Canadian conditions. We have power for our computers and wireless internet; $10 for 24 hours. As we left Montreal we passed by a ship in a lock on the Welland canal. The ships do not travel on the St Lawrence River at this point because many Canadians go fishing in small boats. The big ships use the canal. The surrounding countryside was mainly arable land recently tilled ready for crops to be sown. We are currently about 160 metres above sea level. After a 3 ½ hour train trip we arrived at Quebec and climbed onto our tour bus. We drove through narrow streets surrounded by quaint buildings. They are several centuries old. The old city is on a hill and surrounded by a high stone wall. This wall did not stop the British conquering the French in the 1700s.The battle was all over in ¼ hour. After 4 hours of touring we were dropped off at the Chateau Frontenac. This is a beautiful old hotel. A different type of busker was playing classical music on an electric piano; we sat for while in the warm sun listening to the music. After strolling further we found a small restaurant for a late 3:30pm lunch / dinner. The soup was beautiful but the main looked funny although it tasted good. I selected my dish because it was served with vegetables; yeah! Long 2mm square strips of carrots, similar turnips and zucchini, all raw and incredibly hard. Not very nice. We walked downhill back to the train. Waiting at an intersection a small electric bus pulled up. I asked the driver if he went to the railway. He opened the door so we hopped in. To our horror he went in the wrong direction. I said to Fay, don’t worry he is probably taking a roundabout route. Sure enough we eventually headed in the right direction. When we got off the bus all we had done was get to the other side of the road. Anyway we had the experience of riding in an electric bus; and it was free.
Day 10 Sunday 3rd May Montreal
Day 10 Sunday 3rd 2009 Montreal.
Today we are off on a bus tour of Montreal at 9am. John was concerned that the tour guide had not turned up. After spending several minutes on the cell phone it was arranged that a guide would join us further down the track. At first I did not find much of interest but at our first stop at the top of a hill; there is not much high ground for hundreds of miles in every direction. Montreal is a wide spread city situated where the sea meets the river. We could see the Olympic stadium built for the 1976 Olympics where NZ won thirteen Gold Medals. After the games a big slanting tower 175 meters high was built alongside and reaching over the top of a large covered arena. Steel wires from the top of the tower can lift the domed roof. On the inside of the tower as a gondola like carriage that will transfer you for $9 to the top where a 360° view can be had of the city and its environs. We then drove back to the city through splendid brick and stone houses. The houses were double storied; greatly varied in structure, had an attractive appearance and colour. Next we were to visit a famous church but there was no parking available due to the huge crowds. Our guide thought we would like to see the airport and watch a few planes landing; so we set off on a massive journey to travel only a short distance. Why you may ask. At first I could observe lots of motorways. The one we were on was travelling alongside another separate one going in the same direction. On our right was the Canon building; soon we exited the motorway and joined another and guess what? The Canon building appeared on our left. Once more we exited and joined another only to behold that we were once more passing the Canon building on our right hand; this happened a couple of more times. You may remember last year in Switzerland I described how we climbed mountains by the train travelling with a landmark on one side the diving into the mountain, doing a loop and then passing the same landmark on the other side of the train. Well this time we were not climbing mountains, we were traversing flat terrain to get from one side of a complicated motorway system to the other. The guide said that other counties in the world sent their engineers to Montreal to observe how “not to build a motorway system“I do not think he was joking! After the tour Fay and I returned to our hotel room and rested before checking out the town. I turned on the TV. The programme was about unusual houses. Back home at Maraetai Beach we have a two storied round house which revolves 360° at the touch of a hand held remote button. This house was being featured on Canadian TV. We retired early in order to get up early to catch an early train to Quebec City.
Today we are off on a bus tour of Montreal at 9am. John was concerned that the tour guide had not turned up. After spending several minutes on the cell phone it was arranged that a guide would join us further down the track. At first I did not find much of interest but at our first stop at the top of a hill; there is not much high ground for hundreds of miles in every direction. Montreal is a wide spread city situated where the sea meets the river. We could see the Olympic stadium built for the 1976 Olympics where NZ won thirteen Gold Medals. After the games a big slanting tower 175 meters high was built alongside and reaching over the top of a large covered arena. Steel wires from the top of the tower can lift the domed roof. On the inside of the tower as a gondola like carriage that will transfer you for $9 to the top where a 360° view can be had of the city and its environs. We then drove back to the city through splendid brick and stone houses. The houses were double storied; greatly varied in structure, had an attractive appearance and colour. Next we were to visit a famous church but there was no parking available due to the huge crowds. Our guide thought we would like to see the airport and watch a few planes landing; so we set off on a massive journey to travel only a short distance. Why you may ask. At first I could observe lots of motorways. The one we were on was travelling alongside another separate one going in the same direction. On our right was the Canon building; soon we exited the motorway and joined another and guess what? The Canon building appeared on our left. Once more we exited and joined another only to behold that we were once more passing the Canon building on our right hand; this happened a couple of more times. You may remember last year in Switzerland I described how we climbed mountains by the train travelling with a landmark on one side the diving into the mountain, doing a loop and then passing the same landmark on the other side of the train. Well this time we were not climbing mountains, we were traversing flat terrain to get from one side of a complicated motorway system to the other. The guide said that other counties in the world sent their engineers to Montreal to observe how “not to build a motorway system“I do not think he was joking! After the tour Fay and I returned to our hotel room and rested before checking out the town. I turned on the TV. The programme was about unusual houses. Back home at Maraetai Beach we have a two storied round house which revolves 360° at the touch of a hand held remote button. This house was being featured on Canadian TV. We retired early in order to get up early to catch an early train to Quebec City.
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