Chicago, Toronto, NY

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Hmmm, tiddley in Spain at the mo, so excuse this entry if a bit scatty........

Headed to Chicago and being a complete architecture strumpet, spent two days running about with eyes averted heavenward, taking numerous piccies of buildings. It is a spectacular city, wide boulevards... very Al Capone..... fabulous buildings and shopping, that I couldn´t quite afford. The people seemed fairly nice and I pattered in numerous blues bars, sampling the local culture but truly spent most of the time hungint buildings.

The studio and home of Frank lloyd Wright were a particular highlight and the neighbourhoods out towards the area he resided in were full of extremely twee tudor style homes, with tyre swings, baseball parks and beautiful spring trees. Incredibly inspiring and Lake Michigan is massive!!!!

They have planetariums and the enormous Navy Pier, filled with bars and shops, ferris wheels and kiddy amusement. And of course, there´s a Gehry sound auditorium which I stalked relentlessly at various times of day to capture endless moments in different lights 😊

Did I do Toronto?... spent two days there, particularly moronic girl in hostel managed to ruin the city experience and I left ASAP. Nice city and great, cheap Jazz but going back another time for a real look.... and staying in a different hostel.

Think I updated everyone on Boston, drunk and disorderly and had a fabbo time. Enjoyed my second visit to NY immensely. As various travellers have commented, it´s an international city, so it´s less American than most and thats a good thing. Hit all the major Museums, special accolades for the Whitney. The Guggneheim, which I´d been dying to visit for years had an extremely dodgey installation artist featured and after seeing so many museums their permanent collection seemed lacking. Not happy Jan!!!!!

The Modern was also a little tossy and there´s something about the US practice of allowing people to photograph the art which completely ruins the moment. happy snaps with a Monet, oh purlease..... although this was a little more tasteful than people taking happy snaps in front Ground Zero, with great beaming smiles.

I thought it would make some sort of impact to see the site but it didn´t really. It´s a huge block of land and it would have been devestating to be nearby but at the moment it´s an empty space. Didn´t seem related to the event, at all.

Met some lovely Korean girls at the hostel and took the Staten Island ferry, captured all the official Manhattan skyline moments. Made me think of Working Girl, with Mel Griffith and HarryFord 😊. They were super fun and we hit Times Square after, to bask in the electrical glow.

Star spottings, so far. The actor who palyed Mirandas boyfriend Steve on SATC, at Chicago airport.... Whoopi Goldberg filming commercial at Times Square, Peter from ER at the NY Museum of Art...... and no, I´m not tacky enough to get photos or autographs.

Ran about Greenwich Village, Chinatown, saw protests and arrests and played on the subway endlessly. Such fun and so many wacky people. Spent a day lounging in central Pk again and sampled the official $20 corned beef must have huge sandwich and yes, it feed me for two meals and came with pickles. A particular favourite of mine!!

Spent a fab night drinking with the lovely Aussie Loretta and Bournemouth Phil and met the quite different Eliot for a 30 second conversation, he was eavesdropping on our conversation and somehow we´ve been chasing each other by email ever since. Were meant to have lunch on 13/05 in Paris but I piked ...... anyway

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