Wilmington, North Carolina (Wilmywood!)

After a brief overnight stop in Raleigh, NC we boarded our old friend the Greyhound bus and arrived in Wilmington, North Carolina quite late last Wednesday afternoon. Our apartment was within walking distance of the Greyhound station so we trundled our bags along the streets, much to the interest of the local residents who, at that time in the afternoon, were all sitting on their porches in their rocking chairs! Maybe nobody had ever wandered through their neighbourhood with luggage in tow before, or maybe nothing else of any interest had happened that afternoon but either way we distinctly felt we were something of a curiosity as we passed by! There are some beautiful historic houses in Wilmington, some of them split up into separate condos and others preserved as museums like the one in the photo. The town itself is on the Cape Fear River and we spent some time wandering along the board walk, admiring the houses and condos along the waterfront. We also came across a battleship - the USS North Carolina which is a permanent fixture on the Cape Fear River. Able seawoman (only on a wave piercer vessel!) C.J Kerr insisted on having her photograph taken in front of the ship! Changing the subject now completely onto one of our favourite topics - food(!) we don't usually eat out all that often (due to budget constraints!) unless we spot a good bargain - and one such bargain was the Pink Pig Cafe here in Wilmington! They served everything from breakfast to salads, soups, sandwiches and light meals. We went in for a late brunch and just about everything on the menu was under $5! We were served by a lovely lady (the one in the photo with CK) who kept us well entertained, once we tuned into her southern accent! CK ordered a stack of pancakes (no mean size either as you can see!) and I ordered bacon, eggs & homefries. It was a great place for observing the locals and getting used to the whole 'southern' experience! Being in North Carolina (and probably other places we will visit on our journey south) felt a bit like being in a scene from "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe" if any of you have seen that film(!) or "The Green Mile" or any other film made in the South! It's a one of a kind experience and not to be missed! Wilmington is also known as 'Wilmywood' because it's considered to be the Hollywood of the East Coast with hundreds of film credits from TV series to movies being filmed here. When I looked it up on the internet we hadn't heard of most of them(!) but a few of the more well known ones which were shot in Wilmington (and nearby Wrightsville Beach) include "Sleeping with the Enemy", "Message in a Bottle" and "Cape Fear". We had a bit of stormy weather for a couple of days but as soon as it cleared up we went to see Wrightsville Beach for ourselves. One side of the beach faced the Cape Fear River on the intracoastal side, all the houses having their own little jetty. Then we crossed the bridge over to the beach itself and what a beach! White sand stretching for miles, not to mention the fabulous beach front properties perfectly positioned above the dunes. You can see CK contemplating re-starting her property portfolio with a rather impressive beach hut! It was a lovely place and easy to see why it's heavily used as a film location. We enjoyed our stay in 'Wilmywood' but move on we must so we now go further south down to South Carolina to spend some time in Charleston! We are actually there at the moment (arrived yesterday!) and are comfortably housed in a little basement studio. You can see CK in action on the laptop talking online to Maggie, Iain or possibly both simultaneously! The studio is in a huge, rambling historic house run by a lovely warmhearted, generous lady and her professor husband. As well as having her own family at home she rents out various parts of the house to different people. She did say that her husband was almost scared to go away to a conference for a couple of days for the fear that he would return to find their bedroom had been rented out! She not only gave us this room at a bargain price but has been constantly plying us with food since the moment we arrived! She is just SO kind! When we arrived she left bagels, butter & cream cheese in our fridge along with lots of teabags. Then today she insisted we take some of her freshly baked biscuits (similar to scones as we know them!) and this evening she knocked on our door with 2 slices of homemade cheesecake topped with cherry sauce - Mmmmm! We went up to give her the plates back when we had finished and came back with an apple each!!! I think she is worried that we are not eating enough! We certainly appreciate her generosity anyway! Well, that's about all for now - more from Charleston in our next blog ...!

Taxation without Representation - Washington DC

We left New York in the early morning of last Saturday and trundled our bags along the streets to the Greyhound station to board the bus to Washington DC. We didn't feel at all conspicuous doing this as New York seems to be the place where you meet several people dragging suitcases behind them or trolleys with boxes piled high or some such other form of contraption on wheels. Probably because it's easier and quicker to walk with your baggage than be bumper to bumper in the slow moving traffic! Again it was going to be a quick pit stop in Washington as we only had 2 full days here. So after a big brekkie (huge bowl of cereal, followed by sourdough toast!) we set off to visit 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue which is without a doubt one of the most influential addresses on the planet - the White House! I have to confess that, in my ignorance, I had always thought that the Capital Building with the dome on top was the White House as that's the one that the reporters always stand in front of on the news! (Well it is a big white building as well so an easy mistake I reckon!!) Anyway it was good to see the genuine article! If you look closely at the photo you can even see a member of staff doing some polishing on the balcony! Next it was off to the Capital Building for a bit of a live phone-link for the 'K Team News'! It was a very important conversation involving trying to get a bill passed through Congress for making sure that every rental accommodation in the USA provides a kettle & a toaster for British tourists who need their tea & toast! Our apartment in Washington did have them though for which we were most grateful. (Thanks Ami, if you're reading this!) We have been carrying our own kettle & toaster around with us since our arrival in the USA!) Not sure if the bill will get passed by the time we leave but maybe by the time you get here Mel! Washington DC is full of monuments and memorials of all kinds so we decided to go on a walking tour of them on the next day as we had heard on the tripadvisor website that this particular one "DC by foot" was quite funny and interesting. It proved to be a good recommendation as we walked around with our guide, Steve for 2 hours and were certainly not bored! He was very entertaining and kept coming out with funny stories and anecdotes and best of all the tour was FREE! Everyone just gave him a tip at the end and he definitely deserved every cent! One interesting fact he told us was how the people of Washington are campaigning to get a vote in Congress as they currently don't have a representative, despite being the Capital State. Hence the title of our blog! That phrase can be seen on the bottom of Washington DC license plates on many cars. We visited the Washington Monument, built in honour of George Washington the first President and also the Lincoln Memorial (dedicated to Abraham Lincoln, one of the most famous US Presidents) with the magnificent Reflecting Pool in front of it. Seeing this immediately reminded us of the scene from Forrest Gump where Tom Hanks stands and addresses the crowd before he wades into the Reflecting Pool to be reunited with Jenny! (Me & Jenny - we go together like peas & carrots!) We seem to be doing a bit of an unplanned tour of the film locations from Forrest Gump on this trip (having already seen the Santa Monica pier where Forrest just "keeps on running"!) Steve, our tour guide, also pointed out the exact spot where a certain Martin Luther King stood and made his famous "I have a dream" speech back in 1963. The Reflecting Pool was one of our favourite spots in Washington as you could walk right along it and there were lots of places where you could plop down on a bench, admire the view and chill out for awhile. We also had time to visit Georgetown, a quaint and charming neighbourhood which was walking distance from the apartment where we were staying. It's full of cobblestoned streets, historic houses with window boxes full of flowers and a very tempting (but expensive!) deli that we wandered around, mouths watering at the delights on offer, but alas no free samples to be had there! We're heading further south next to Wilmington in North Carolina to sample some of that famous southern hospitality so we will see you there!

Maids in Manhattan!

We left Cape Cod early last Wednesday morning, got a coach to Boston and then caught the 10am Greyhound bus to New York. We were only there for 2 days which was ok as both of us had been there before - myself 8 years ago and CK only 8 weeks ago for David & Ruth's wedding! We checked into our tiny little apartment (very tiny indeed but despite this it boasted a little outdoor deck which was accessible by climbing through the window!) Not needing to rush around seeing all the sights again we went for a wander through Greenwich village (like native New Yorkers!), winding our way from one end to the other and suddenly coming across quaint little shops or cafes like the one in the photo! We didn't stop for a cup of tea there but later treated ourselves to a slice of New York Cheesecake (the real deal!) and ate it sitting outside in Washington Square Park. Mmmm! We went for a walk up to the Empire State Building (probably my favourite building in New York!), had a stroll down Fifth Avenue and on the way back to our apartment passed the Flatiron Building (one of CK's favourite buildings in NYC). The next day we took a trip to Staten Island on the FREE ferry! The main purpose in going is that you get a good view of the Manhattan skyline and Statue of Liberty without having to pay for the cost of a cruise! I don't think many people actually get off to actually visit Staten Island - most people (like us!) just get off the boat, go into the terminal and get back on the same boat for the return trip! The boat was packed to the rafters but unfortunately, unlike last time I went when you could sit outside, there were no outside areas apart from a very small space at either end. So you had to crowd round one of the open windows and try to get a photo over numerous people's heads!! Not quite the relaxing ferry trip that I had been expecting! CK of course had seen the view at close quarters from the World Yacht on David & Ruth's wedding day 8 weeks earlier - now you can't get better than that! We finished off the afternoon with a peak down Wall Street where CK was anxious to do a bit of wheeling & dealing on the Stock Exchange! Then we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge (to Brooklyn surprisingly!) and back again for another great skyline view. Just a quick trip to the Big Apple this time on our way down to Washington DC which is our next stop.

Cape Cod, New England

We left Mr Obama's home town of Chicago and headed off on a jet plane (Jet Blue Airways in fact!) to Boston, Massachusetts. Very impressed with Jet Blue, even though it was a budget airline, it was probably the best experience we have had flying in the US so far! From Boston we took a coach to Hyannis on Cape Cod where we were looking forward to a relaxing week by the coast. The beach was a short walk down the street from our apartment and was just how we imagined it - long stretches of white sand, wooden piers leading right down to the water from various ocean front properties and lots of boats bobbing about on the water. We took a few long walks along the beach and even found a ready made spot to take a break. As you can see on the photo CK took the opportunity for a quick nap! Having got my confidence driving on the other side of the road up in Alaska, we decided to hire a car one day and drive up to Provincetown right on the very tip of Cape Cod. There was a bus that went up there in the summer but they changed the schedule at the beginning of September which made it pretty impractical to go by bus (unless you wanted to stop for the night!) so driving was really the only option! Provincetown was very touristy but very cute. Lots of typical Cape Cod timber clad houses and picturesque leafy lanes. The town was full of all the usual kind of souvenir and gift shops, cafes, bars and restaurants. We did find a homemade ice cream shop where CK thought it only polite to sample the local produce - she did ask for vanilla but got peach & mango instead - Hmmm, not sure what happened there! We checked out the local beach where the houses fronted right onto the water with great views! A couple of days before we left Cape Cod we decided to take a trip over to Martha's Vineyard (where all the rich and beautiful people go! And where Mr Barack Obama has just been on holiday! Well, if it's good enough for the President it's good enough for us!) It was also where the film "Jaws" was filmed (only just found that out! But we didn't go in the water anyway!) We were floored initially by the $69 cost of a tourist cruise boat over there but then found that we could get a local bus to a place called Woods Hole for just $2 and then catch the steamship ferry over to the Vineyard for a mere $15! We do love a bargain! As we approached Martha's Vineyard on the ferry we could see all the huge mansions fronting the ocean, some with their own private little beaches. A highlight of our trip to the Vineyard was visiting the Gingerbread Cottage Colony. I had seen some of the cottages on a leaflet but thought it was just a row of maybe half a dozen houses. When we got there we realised it was a whole community of over 300 cottages - all painted up like Easter Eggs in bright colours with flowers everywhere and cute porches complete with rocking chairs and swing seats. It really was a fascinating sight! Like being in fairytale land or Alice in "Alice in Wonderland"! The area was a former campground for Methodist church retreats more than 100 years ago. The cottages were built in the mid 1800's by members of the church community. The houses have been passed down through generations of families and are now mainly used as summer houses, only a small number having been winterised so enabling permanent residency. It's an enchanting place and we were glad not to miss it!

Chicago

After a couple of nights in Lincoln, Nebraska we swapped the Greyhound bus for the Amtrak train and set off on the 11 hour trip to Chicago (Another 4am start that day!) The train was an excellent way to travel (a bit more expensive than the bus which is why we are only doing it once!) Lots of room to move around and a great viewing carriage where you could sit in comfortable chairs facing the windows and watch the scenery go by. There were a few stops where you had time to get off and stretch your legs and then when the first whistle blew you knew it was time to go. Come on CK "git back on board!" After Nebraska we went through Iowa and then it was onto Illinois and Chicago! We had a little apartment within walking distance of Lake Michigan (the largest lake totally in USA - untouched by Canadian feet - as a tour guide later in the week kept telling us!) There was a walkway that you could take in various directions around the lake and once down there you could tell how Chicago got its nickname 'The Windy City!' We walked to a little marina one day and came upon the famous Michigan Mist! At first we couldn't see a thing past the first few boats and then gradually the mist began to clear and the Chicago skyline came slowly into view in the background. Millennium Park was also a great place to wander round. You had a great view of the skyline from there but by far the most fascinating attraction was Cloud Gate, which was actually made by a British artist Anish Kapoor. It was inspired by liquid mercury and is forged of a seamless series of stainless steel plates. It was amazing to go underneath and see yourself mirrored back from all sorts of very weird perspectives! The day we went there the sky was a cloudless blue which was perfect for seeing the sky and buildings reflected in it. Amazing! Another day we decided to get one of the hop on hop off bus tours as we got a special deal which included neighbourhood tours as well for the same price - bargain! It was part open top double decker bus and part trolley bus and took you down the Magnificent Mile (Chicago's answer to Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills or 5th Avenue, New York - or in other words expensive shopping district!) It was nice to sit back, relax and see the sights from the comfort of a bus for a change - accompanied by the witty repartee (mostly!) of the tour guide. The locals were very friendly too! As we drove along in the trolley bus, in the South side of the city particularly, lots of people were waving to us and shouting out "Welcome to Chicago!" Also on the South side we had a tour of various houses which had belonged to famous people such as Louis Armstrong and Mohammed Ali amongst others, as well as the one in the photo which still belongs to a certain Mr Barack Obama! It was surrounded by trees and had security guys outside so we couldn't really see it all that clearly. The driver was under strict instructions to keep moving and not to stop the bus at any time in front of the house which was quite funny as he drove past the house not once but twice and every time he drove past the security guys he shouted out of the window "I'm not stopping - I'm still rolling, still rolling!" Which is what we are doing now that our week in Chicago has come to an end - still rolling on! This time to Cape Cod in Massachusetts! Where incidentally a certain Mr Barack Obama has just returned from! We are beginning to think he is following our itinerary as a few places we have been recently either he has just been or he goes there after us! Weird!