The Last Dance

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Well it’s nearly four o’clock in the afternoon on Sunday 20th January, our last day in America. So time for one final blog and a bit of reminiscing of the past 7 weeks.

I forgot to mention the other day (my head was too addled with flu) that we went on a great trip down to Castro; it has a great city village vibe and is the largest home to San Francisco’s gay community. In some ways it is very similar to Brighton, New Orleans’ French Quarter and Greenwich Village; everyone was extremely friendly, and there are some cracking shops, bars and restaurants. The postcards were also extremely distinctive but we didn’t think Royal Mail would approve of some of the pictures, so apologies boys you will receive Golden Gate Bridge cards like everyone else!

After a leisurely lunch we then wandered over to Haight Ashbury home of the original 60s psychedelic bands; the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Janis Joplin and the like. There’s still a huge music influence and we spent several hours browsing through some great retro clothes shops, and Andy showed me all the haunts were bands would perform impromptu free concerts. There’s still a hippie free lovin’ feel about the place too. That’s the best thing about this city, it really is a melting pot of different walks of life and everyone lives seemingly contented together.

Yesterday we tried to catch the F Line tram down to Pier 33 hoping to go out to Alcatraz. Unfortunately there was an anti-abortion march which closed the roads and stopped public transport, so by the time we got down to the pier tours could only be purchased for Sunday, so we missed out. The wharf was absolutely heaving with big bottomed weekend visitors but we went for a walk in the sunshine along the front instead. By late afternoon the trams were running again and free of charge because of the earlier disruptions - you just couldn’t imagine British buses giving free rides!

Last night we went over to the Edinburgh Castle to see if we could see Alan Black, the Scottish writer, great friend of Irvine Welsh and bar owner recommended by Paul in New Orleans. The bar itself was somewhat grotty and we did have a few doubts that this man did have credentials that were alleged. But before leaving after a pint we were directed upstairs were we found a room full of people listening to a book reading. When it was finished we did say hello and had a quick chat but he was obviously quite busy.

So how do we finish our last blog? Well after visiting 14 cities and 8 states I guess in true Nick Hornby style we ought to have some “top” lists of some of our favourite moments…. So in no particular order…

1. The Kerry Bar, meeting Gill, Lynn, Scottish Paul et al
2. Flying over the rim of the Grand Canyon
3. Driving up the Californian coast road
4. Grand Central Station martinis
5. Café Wha?
6. Our Painting!
7. Buying boots, boots, and more boots!
8. Live music in New Orleans
9. Being in a cabin on a cliff face, facing the Pacific all on our own
10. NYE on the Strip

Top Yummy Dining Experiences
1. Logan’s restaurant - Washington
2. FisHouse - Santa Barbara
3. The Stinking Rose - SF
4. Star Steak & Lobster - New Orleans
5. Superior (ribs) - Memphis
6. Barney’s Beanery - LA

Top Drinking spots
1. The Kerry - New Orleans
2. The Irish Bank - SF
3. The Flying Saucers - Nashville & Memphis

Top Hotels
1. Caesars Palace (just for sheer opulence and size)
2. Union Station - Nashville
3. Triton - San Francisco
4. The Eagle Inn - Santa Barbara
5. Affinia Dumont - NYC

Well we hope you’ve all enjoyed reading our blog as much as we’ve enjoyed writing it, so until the next tour we’ll sign off for the last time….

Song for the trip: The Grateful Dead - Truckin’

Nina & Andy x0x0

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Comments

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What an adventure!
See you soon! Thanks for keeping us informed and making us very jealous! Sx