Tuesday, March 18, 2008

DAY FORTY-SIX

St. Paddy's Day!

Anyone else fed up with the colour green?

I certainly am, and I've only been in New York a matter of hours. To be honest I find a bunch of pseudo-Irish eejits in daft green hats wandering drunkenly around the city streets less than cute.

Especially when I have just spent two-and-a-half hours stuck in a "super" (I use the word advisedly) shuttle, driven by a French-speaking African cruising endlessly around Manhattan in search of streets that always seemed to elude him.

The shuttle from Laguardia to our hotel took more than twice as long as the flight from Rochester to NYC. A flight, I hasten to add, that was already delayed by well over an hour. Oh, and did I mention that our hotel, the Milford Plaza, which is supposed to have wi-fi in its rooms, doesn't? The hotel is undergoing a renovation they told us when I complained. Internet access is hard-wired into rooms on floors 12 to 17. We, of course, are on the 18th floor.

If I sound jaded, it's because I am. And I can't really blame New York. We always seem to arrive here at the end of a tour, and the end of our tethers, with only one thought in mind - to go home. So this is a treading water couple of days, traversing the island on the subway to sign stock in mystery stores, and meet with my agent. To sleep and eat, and while away the hours until our flight to Paris on Wednesday.

This is the longest, most arduous tour we've ever undertaken, and it has taken its toll. Seven weeks on the road, away from home, is far too long. The flu was the straw that broke the camel's back.

After three days in the bosom of La Patronne's family upstate, we will celebrate her birthday tomorrow (Tuesday). Our last night in New York. Our last night in America. And the next bed we sleep in will be our own!

Whoever said writers lead a glamorous life?

Whoever it was...

... LIED!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

How can the streets elude him - they are NUMBERS for goodness' sake!!!!!
If you are trying to find 45th street and you are on 34th street then turn north and count 11 streets.....

peter_may said...

Yes, you might think that, Anonymous, but in lower Manhatten many of the streets have names. He was looking for a street called Gold Street, which turned out to be little more than an alleyway, not far from Wall Street.

In fact, down there, none of the streets were number. All names

Carol said...

You've both made it through to the end and home is in sight. Try and enjoy your last few days!!

Happy Birthday Jan!!

C x

Anonymous said...

Wow over and done with till the next tour :)Hey Xiong! lol

Happy Birthday to La Patronne from us here please xxx

See you in cyber space soon.

TC to you both
xxx MeiLi

DJ Kirkby said...

Oh how interesting. Call me stunned but it never occured to me that you might blog until I saw your comment on Carol's most recent post. Hello and nice to 'meet' you. I am going to have a good long read of your blog now.