When I returned to America after spending Christmas back home in Scotland I had decided that while I had enjoyed my adventure immensely I felt it was time I came home to my family and my two grandsons.
The first thing I needed to do was sell my beloved motor home, I had become very attached to it, it had been my home for many months and many miles.
My son told me to take it down to the car park outside Home Depot, the American version of our B&Q at the week end, stick a for sale sign on it and see what happens.
This I did, on the second week end I sold it for only a few hundred dollars less than I paid for it.
Now my adventure in America was at an end and I was making plans to fly home within days, I decided to have one last little adventure, on a number of occasions I have flown from London direct to the west coast, I have also transited through New York but never stopped to see The Big Apple.
I booked myself flights from San Diego to New York via Atlanta, much less expensive than a direct flight.
When I arrived in New York it was in the grip of winter, it was only the 26 of February after all, the sky was grey and overcast, just not what I have grown used to for so long.
The next day I stepped out into freezing temperatures but with a clear blue sky, this I thought will do me, every day I was in New York was like that.
As a tourist I set off to do the tourist thing, no shops for me, staying in Manhattan made it very easy, Times Square was on my doorstep.
One of the first sights I wanted to see was The Statue of Liberty, I quickly discovered every second person in NY wanted to go and see it, to get a ticket for a ferry was going to take a few hours so instead I stepped on to the big orange Staten Island ferry which at least let me see “Liberty” from a distance.
The next morning I was at the dockside early and got a ticket, it still meant waiting about an hour and a half but once on the island beside “Liberty” it was worth it, just standing there looking over the muddy brown Hudson river at the Manhattan skyline, I was in New York.
I walked through Central Park, wondering what the value of this fairly large area of grass and trees was worth right in central New York, the ice on the lakes was about three inches thick, while in that area I visited the Natural History Museum, I had read it was worth a visit, it certainly was.
Another day I set off to walk across Brooklyn Bridge, this I did, I think it is a must.
One place I had to visit was “Ground Zero”, I felt I must go there and remember the dreadful sights we saw on television, I stood in silent tribute trying to come to terms with the dreadful act.
The day before I was due to come home I had one last fling, I treated myself to a helicopter flight over the Hudson and East rivers, round the Statue of Liberty with beautiful views of this amazing city.
The end of what to me was the most unbelievable experience, being able to spend more than a year living in America on permanent holiday was now coming to an end, I hailed a yellow cab to take me to JFK to catch my flight to Dublin in a big green aircraft and an onwards flight to Glasgow, flying in over the Clyde through rain showers confirmed I was home.
What made it all worthwhile were the four smiling faces waiting for me at the airport.
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