USA

Tuesday 17th May 2022 One of our top priorities on our first full day on the American Queen was to get some laundry done. Since we have found hotel laundry services to be expensive everywhere except India so far, we had found out in advance when we would be able to do washing for ourselves during this trip. We then worked out approximately how many pairs of trousers/shorts and tops we would need to reach these keys points and by packing sufficient underwear accordingly [and with Robert kindly putting a pair of shoes and one of Matilda’s toiletry bag in his suitcase] Matilda could manage with a cabin luggage sized bag. Making a ‘guesstimate’ about the size of the machines, Matilda had divided the dirty washing into a light and a dark load before we went to bed. When we woke quite early, she swiftly went up to put a load on, realised both machines were free and went to get the ’dark’ wash to put in too. She had just done this when another woman appeared and was clearly disgruntled that both machines were in use. If Matilda had been a little more awake she would have dissembled and […]

Monday 16th May 2022 The American Queen is said to be the largest river steamboat ever built. Completed in 1995, she is a six-storey recreation of a classic Mississippi riverboat. At 418 feet (127 m) long, 89 feet (27 m) wide and with 222 state rooms she can accommodate 436 guests and a crew of 160. Having settled in, there was little to do other than familiarise ourselves with the layout. Going up stream along the Mississippi River, one side of the boat is bathed in sunshine whilst the other is in shade. A champagne reception was provided on the fore deck as we were leaving New Orleans. Later, a slightly delayed safety drill covered the sound of the alarm signal and the crew checking we could put on our life jackets and stand outside our cabin but did not tell us where we should muster in case of an emergency. This was helpfully printed on our personalised room keys. On our deck the cabins were named after states and we had been allocated New jersey. Currently this is the only state which Robert has visited which Matilda hasn’t, as he is fond of pointing out. She hopes to remedy this later in the […]

Sunday 15th and Monday 16th May 2022 Our first stop on Sunday morning was to be Coterie, the place where we were recommended to have breakfast. We both opted for Eggs Benedict and were not disappointed [see Dish of the day]. We were required to have proof of an independently verified negative Covid test before we would be allowed onto the American Queen for our Mississippi River paddle steamer cruise. The easiest option was to take advantage of the testing service organised by the cruise company which meant we had to present ourselves at the Hilton Riverside Hotel at any time between 14:00 and 18:30. We also needed to transfer our luggage as this would be our hotel for the night before we sailed [or paddled] but we would still have the morning to see some more of New Orleans. We had walked the length of Bourbon Street and Royal Street several times and Robert decided it would be a good idea to walk the side-streets methodically, so we did not miss anything out. These are some of the things we found. This pedestrianised street which was particularly lovely and uncharacteristically quiet. The buildings on Royal Street did seem to […]

Saturday 14th May 2022 Bourbon Street was considerably emptier and much quieter when we set off on our sightseeing walk the following morning. This makes it far less hazardous when you stop suddenly to gaze upwards and admire the beautiful buildings and balconies although we did have to avoid stepping on a few revellers who were still sleeping it off on the sidewalk. The delicate ironwork on galleries and balconies in the French Quarter is apparently a later addition from the mid 1800s and is derived from Spanish architecture, designed to mimic the delicacy of Spanish lace although the French fleur-de-lis is also a common motif. By contrast, Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar is housed in a typical early Creole cottage, believed to be the oldest structure continually used as a bar in the south of America. It was built in the 1720s and supposedly served as a front for slave trading, contraband and other illegal activities. There are no electric lights so this bar is especially atmospheric lit solely by candlelight. Robert planned a return visit after dark, just to be sure the descriptions were accurate. The French Market spans six blocks from Café du Monde downriver from Jackson Square […]

Friday 13th May 2022 We had better views of the mountains from the plane than we had had on the Empire Builder as we flew from the north west down to the south east. But Robert deems flying to be cheating in this respect. We had pre-ordered our in-flight meals and Matilda was pleased to be able to sample more of Beecher’s Homemade Cheese [see Dish of the day]. New Orleans is the party capital of the world and, even though this was not Mardi Gras, we had arrived on a Friday and as we went to check in the lobby was full of students starting weekend breaks. The receptionist made a point of telling us that he had given us a room in a different part of the hotel. Matilda had been alerted to the fact that it was World Cocktail Day, so having deposited our luggage, we walked round the corner from our hotel onto Bourbon Street in search of a suitable hostelry. There is nowhere quite like Bourbon Street [see also Video of the day] where the nightlife starts at midday. We found the Crescent City Brewhouse where Matilda had a Weiss Driver [based on a screw […]

Wednesday 11th to Friday 13th May 2022 A friend has recently visited her daughter who relocated to Seattle before Christmas so we were able to ask for their recommendations of places to go. Ruth Jewell suggested that the Space Needle was a good place to start as it would help us to orientate ourselves. We were pleased to be able to see the Space Needle from our hotel room and set off through the streets of Seattle towards this iconic building. Seattle Tower, formerly Northern Life Tower, was completed in 1928 and was the first Art Deco skyscraper to be built in the city. At 27 storeys, it is now dwarfed by many of its neighbours, but it is nevertheless a striking building with a distinctive ziggurat design, based on the stepped rectangular towers of ancient Mesopotamia. Seattle Art Museum, commonly known as SAM, is spread over three sites including the one downtown which has a sculpture outside called the Hammering Man. He hammers silently four times a minute between the hours of 07:00 and 22:00 but rests his arm overnight. From here we walked down the Harbor Steps and realised that Seattle is has far more hills than the other […]

Monday 9th to Wednesday 11th May 2022 The Amtrak service between Chicago and the Pacific northwest coast is called the Empire Builder which seemed a strange choice of name to us having spent several days in Boston learning about the American struggle to escape the shackles and restrictions of the British Empire. Empire Builder was however James J. Hill’s nickname. This gentleman acquired several failing railroads and reorganised them into The Great Northern Railway described as the ‘only successful attempt at a privately funded transcontinental railroad’. The first ever Empire Builder was inaugurated on June 10, 1929 and named after James J. Hill – the company’s founder. We had again booked a roomette. Cody our charming sleeper car attendant greeted us as we boarded. This time, however, there was no personal toilet in the roomette so it was marginally narrower with a little less space for changing and undressing once the beds were made up. One of the dining car attendants went through the train to confirm what time people wanted to have their evening meal. We had a momentary trans-Atlantic mis-communication when Robert asked for the ‘half seven’ sitting. An international incident was avoided when we realised we needed to say seven thirty […]

Monday 9th May 2022 We arrived at Chicago Station, which like so many we have seen, is grand, gorgeous and very clean. It was designed by Daniel Burnham and opened in May 1925. Once again we were able to use the Metropolitan Lounge and so could leave our luggage and spend a few hours acquainting ourselves with Chicago. We were not sure what to expect and used GPSmyCity to find a short route we could accomplish in the time we had available. We went into the Willis Tower, previously known as the Sears Tower, and down to the basemen to ask about tickets to the observation deck. It did not seem as though there would be any difficulty in simply turning up as a walk-in when we returned. The elevated railways seem so familiar from films and TV shows. Lasalle Street is home to iconic Art Deco office buildings. But our route took us to the Rookery Building at one end, the oldest standing high rise in Chicago. We will walk down the rest of the street on our return. On one side of DuSable Bridge we passed a bust of Jean-Baptiste Pointe DuSable who was born in Haiti and […]

Sunday 8th May 2022 Having travelled on the Amtrak Acela train from New York to Boston, today we started our coast to coast trans-American train journey. Over the next three days we will be taking two trains to travel the 2,911 miles from the east to the west coast of the USA. The journey starts at Boston’s South Station. As a sleeper passenger, prior to your journey you may use the facilities in the Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge inside the station – a glorious spacious room with splendid ceilings. There are complimentary snacks including crisps, chocolate and soft drinks. Robert’s planning meant we had arrived early at the station so we left our luggage at the Metropolitan Lounge and went for a final walk around Boston. On our first day in Boston Matilda was surprised when she pressed the walk button at a road crossing and it told her sternly to ‘wait’. Matilda felt now was the time, perhaps childishly, to get her own back [put sound on]. We had heard about the nine bronze duck statues and made our way to see them. They are apparently based on a popular American children’s book by Robert McCloskey, Make Way for Ducklings about a […]

Saturday 7th May We had remembered using the GPSmyCity app during a visit to Madrid and decided to try inputting all the places we still wanted to visit to generate a route for the day. Our first stop was to be the Mapparium at the First Church of Christ, Scientist. Christian Science was founded in 1908 by Mary Baker Eddy [1821 – 1910] with the publication of her book Science and Health, following her miraculous recovery from what were deemed to be fatal injuries. The Mary Eddy Baker Library is next to the church. The Welcome Hall is imposing and there are various exhibitions to wander through as you wait for your timed entry to the Mapparium. Only guided tours are permitted. The Mapparium was intended to show the countries of the world in an accurate geographical relationship to each other. It is described as “a mirror-image, concave reversal of the Earth, made of stained glass and viewed from the inside”. And, yes, it is slightly surreal. Its architect, Chester Lindsay Churchill intended it to be updated as borders were redrawn by international events. However, it is understandable that there never seemed to be a good time to make revised glass […]

Friday 6th May 2022 Boston is justifiably proud of its role in America gaining independence and there are plenty of informative plaques and signs around the city celebrating this. We decided to save some walking time and complete the Freedom Trail by taking the Red Line subway route into the city and picking up the Trail to walk up to Bunker Hill where, on June 17th 1775 during the Siege of Boston, New England soldiers faced the British army for the first time in battle. The 221 foot granite obelisk erected in 1843 to commemorate the Battle of Bunker Hill is actually sited on Breeds Hill where most of the fighting took place. Although the British won this particular encounter, the battle provided the patriots with a real boost to morale as it became apparent that, although inexperienced, they could, with determination, overcome superior British numbers. The monument itself is currently closed and we were not able to climb up inside for the views on this visit. From here we walked to the Charlestown Navy Yard, which was established in 1801 following the creation of the new U.S. Department of the Navy in 1798. It was operational until 1974 and […]

Thursday 5th May 2022 Having arrived in Boston and deposited our bags, at the hotel, we took the Red Line subway from Andrew into the centre of Boston to walk around and get our bearings. Boston is proud of its revolutionary credentials and is full of landmarks and historical sites. The Freedom Trail is a walk around the city helpfully delineated by a red brick, or sometimes, painted red line. We started at Boston Common. There was a protest taking place on one side of Boston Common outside the Massachusetts State House which dates from 1798 and is the oldest continually running state capital building in America. Tours are available and we planned to visit the interior the following day. The Freedom Trail took us past Park Street Church and the Granary Burying Ground. This is the third oldest graveyard in Boston and the final resting place of several notable revolutionary patriots including Paul Revere and three of the people who signed the Declaration of Independence – Samuel Adams, John Hancock and Robert Treat Paine. There is also a memorial in the centre of the burying ground to the parents and relatives of Benjamin Franklin, who is himself buried in […]