Back In The USS.. A

Snow Flurries, 5c

Well... I've left!
I might have something interesting to write about from here on in - it'll be a big few weeks before I finally arrive home exhausted.
Leaving London was kinda sad. I'd grown used to not having to unpack my things and I met a great group of people who I'll miss. It's strange traveling because you can't really say 'see you later', because in all reality you know that'll never happen. So it was goodbyes all round to everyone at work and the hostel, with some final beers at the St Louis & my new favourite the Brass Door. It had become a favourite bar of mine - good music, great pool (I beat Patrick the pool shark!!) and cheap beer.
Patrick & Shelley own / run the best hostel I've ever stayed at and they were always good to me. It was a pleasure staying at the ACBB and I'm glad that I got to know a 'true' Canadian town like London. Thank for helping me search for a job, playing pool, putting on the free food, shouting me 'The Departed' on cable and.. most of all... being top people! When in London stay at the ACBB and tell Patrick that Matt sent you (actually.. don't do that, you might be turned away). Heath the Aussie has taken over as the resident Australian and is doing the same working experience as me. He's a top guy and it's a shame he didn't arrive early - we could have hung out and whinged about being unemployed together!
After a few drinks and pool I packed up my things and woke up fashionably late for the drive to New York. It had been snowing all morning and the drive got worse the further south I headed. Niagara Falls was my first pit stop. I’d been here exactly 2 years ago and not much had changed - I knew it well enough to know that the tacky stores & restaurants weren't worth my time. But how could I not stop without taking pictures of the famous falls?? I double parked the car and started snapping away. The view is still incredibly amazing and the sound deafening. There was another reason why I was in Niagara - RED. I had always thought about walking into a casino and putting $100 on RED at the roulette table. I walked in and did just that... and WON! The amazed looks on peoples faces was hilarious and some casino security guys followed me around until I cashed in my chips (I'm dumb but not stupid! I wanted to walk out WITH my winnings).
The bridge crossing into the US was uneventful and there was no lineup. I thought I might get 'inspected' again but instead the officer seemed bored and let me in with just a quick glance at my passport. The drive in New York State took me thru Syracuse, Binghamton and on to Pennsylvania & finally New Jersey. I thought driving in Canada had been bad but the highways were horrific in the US and it was obvious they hadn't been de-iced for a while. I passed jack knifed trucks; SUV's in ditches and had a case of the death wobbles in my rental car. It was a long, concentrated drive and completely different from the weather I had expected. One positive was Tim Horton’s (best Canadian fast food chain and quite possibly the worlds..) had made it to New York State and provided hours worth of munchies.
Dropping the rental car off in New Jersey was uneventful but it felt weird to be traveling ‘naked’ again - just me and a backpack. It was a good feeling knowing I could easily backpack into one of the world’s largest cities and feel comfortable riding the subway. I was like a scared kitten last time in New Jersey (famously known as being a home to the mob, as the Sopranos often points out!) but this time my surroundings felt comfortable.
I have just returned the rental car with 14,000 miles and a few scratches (they didn’t care), now I’m on my way to New York. I’m only here for 3 days but I’ll try and cram as much in as I can. I can check off the touristy stuff, which leaves me with being in the audience for the Late Show with David Letterman (I won tickets randomly and answered a trivia question correctly!!). But wait.. there’s more: Aussies the Hoodoo Gorus are playing in Times Square and I have tickets to the Knicks game versus Portland at Madison Square Garden. BRING IT ON!!!!
Next update all about New York coming very soon….

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