Monday, 5 May 2014

Day 10 - New York here we come


It was our last morning in Montréal and I have to say I feel like I have unfinished business here.  Everytime I have come I have never really had the time to explore the place..  Hedy and Graham picked Bev and the luggage up from the B&B as I was going to go to a local Libraire for a few things in French.  The B&B has a couple of gay men who are wonderful hosts.  After eight years they are giving up the business and instead renting it out to a family.  They have an apartment above and they will keep it.  Michel is around 70 years old and intends to spend more time at his cabin by a lake.  

After having a few enjoyable minutes at the Libraire I caught a bus to where Bev’s nephew Nick and his wife live.  Bev’s other nephew was bringing a new born for a viewing.  They turned up a few minutes before we left for the airport.  Apparently Matthew was not too well due to a very late night continuing the celebrations of Joly’s birthday.  After our meal the previous evening they had gone out for a second meal.  How they fitted it in is beyond me.  

At Montréal Pierre Trudeau Airport we had a very long wait in a queue while we were pre-cleared for the US.  They do all the immigration in Montréal similarly to Vancouver.  It is convenient in one way but it always takes so long to go through no matter where you do it.  At least they were vaguely friendly.
Dead plane on the left replacement on right

We boarded the plane to go to New York on time and then sat at the gate for nearly an hour while they tried to get the plane to go, a computer was malfunctioning.  First it was a shut down and then restarted but to no avail so we were disembarked to wait for another plane.  An hour and a half later we departed in a plane that did work.  

I have found the Canadians generally polite and courteous.  In some ways it is like being at home.  The country is much larger than New Zealand but the population is spread around a few largish cities.  One thing that I did notice during my driving was the state of the roads.  Lots of potholes (apparently and effect of water freezing and expanding).  The other noticeable thing is that there is some very good food available at some restaurants and it does not cost the earth.  The other is more negative, and that is that it is almost impossible to find a decent coffee.

Outside the Port Authority
We arrived into La Guardia a little late due to our delayed flight.  We found a Airporter which took us fairly quickly to  the Port Authority Building.  Our next task was to find where the little bus would take us from to our accommodation in Union City, NJ.  We quickly saw the New York Times building which was opposite the Port Authority.  There were a lot of people waiting and we soon discovered that it was for the bus.  Then a man indicated that we should follow.  I took off but Bev was cautious.  We finally got going but dragging our bags was slow and we lost him.  We went back to the bus stop and a few minutes later he was back and taking us to the bus stop in the building.  We were dropped at the correct bus stop and the directions with which we were supplied  were superb and we were soon in the apartment.  Our host came around and welcomed us.  The room we have is large and very good value for New York.  

She recommended a place to eat around the corner.  It was a Colombian restaurant where the main language was Spanish.  The meals were incredibly cheap.  Fortunately Maria had said to only get one meal and share it.  She was right!  The portions were huge but food was superb.  I think it was about $12 for the meal.  There were people eating not just one plate but other plates as well.  No wonder they were huge.  

So ended our first day in New York.


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