My first ever trip to America started on 11th May 2024.
It did not start very well. I'd arrived at the airport around 0500 and parked my car. Went to check-in and something was wrong, instead of seeing the 0820 Virgin Atlantic VS3 departure, I'd got the 1255 Virgin Atlantic VS45 departure. A flight cancellation meant I'd got an additional 5 hours wait at Heathrow (the flight also left late.) My original flight was due to arrive at 1125, the new flight not until 1600.
Once I'd finally got on the plane, I have to say that Virgin Atlantic are very good. The service and food offerings were excellent - I had a nice meal, nice iced lolly and a cream tea too - scones with cream and jam in the sky - very good. And the in-flight entertainment was very good too (much better than Thai Airways who I use a lot). I had time to watch two movies - 'Gran Turismo' and 'The Creator'.
Alas, New York John F. Kennedy (JFK) airport was a disaster. Stuck over 3 hours in the passport control queue. Absolutely insane. They had like 50 passport control desks and less the 10 desks in use for 1000s of passengers. Perhaps a lot of customs staff were either sick, on holiday, on strike, or the airport is struggling to find staff - no idea - but my experience of JFK puts it firmly up there as 'THE WORST AIRPORT EVER!' If I return to New York one day, I'll try New Jersey - Newark Liberty International - Airport as I understand the passport control is much more efficient there.
To reiterate - JFK IS THE WORST AIRPORT I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED!
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| Nightmare at JFK! |
From landing at around 1600, joining the passport queue at around 1630, it wasn't until 1930 that I escaped from JFK. Then I took the AirTrain to Jamaica station and the Long Island Rail Road train to Grand Central Station. I walked from the station up Broadway, to my hotel - CitizenM - on 50th Street. Checked in, and settled in for some much needed rest (I'd been up before 0400 UK time and didn't get to the hotel until nigh on 0200 UK time.)
Broadway and the area around Times Square is super busy on a Saturday evening.
Sunday 12th May 2024
I woke up very early (still on UK time) and went for a run around Central Park. I left about 0600 and it was still a little dark. Also a little cold and a little wet. And everywhere was very quiet. Central Park was quiet. Certainly not like Lumphini Park in Bangkok (but you have to run early in Bangkok otherwise it gets too hot.)
I managed to run the full length of Central Park, but didn't realize it. On the return leg (around West 97th Street), I thought I was still on the east side, and could see the other side (I thought I was seeing the West side but it was actually the East side.) I crossed the park, past the tennis courts and fortunately found a map when I was back on the East side, and realized my error. I ran in the reverse direction on the East side past the reservoir (I went up the steps to run on the Reservoir Path) as far as East 72nd Street, then crossed back to the West side of the park.
All in all, I must have run/walked well over 10km.
The remainder of my route I returned down Broadway and found a McDonalds. Had a Steak McMuffin (they don't have this in the UK) and a Sausage Burrito (they also don't have this in the UK.) And returned to my hotel.
I had paid for late check out but ended up not using it. I walked from my hotel - CitizenM on West 50th - down to Penn Station on West 31st, and caught the 11:11 NJ Transit train to Morristown. And then an Uber from Morristown station to the Holiday Inn Parsippany where I write this now.
Sunday 12th May 2024 to Friday 17th May 2024
I was in Parsippany and Whippany doing some work.
Friday 17th May 2024
I returned to New York via Newark Liberty International Airport. A colleague gave me a lift to Newark and I took the train back to New York Penn Station, arriving around 1600.
Walking from Penn Station back to the Citizen M hotel, I had an incredibly weird experience that has given me doubts about New York as a good place to go. A Trip Advisor review summed up my feeling about New York "Rude, abrupt and paranoid".
There was a black guy, who must have thought I was following him - when of course I was not, we were just walking at a similar pace. He threw a plastic drink bottle he had at my rucksack and said something like "get away from me". I was in front of him at the time, he was behind me, so I was hardly following him. It didn't do anything other than slightly damage my glasses case. Maybe the guy's mind was addled by drugs. Maybe he had bad experience of being followed in the past. Maybe he's just a crazy paranoid person. Whatever, it's made me quite suspicious of black American people. I guess I have to modulate my walking so no crazy black American person gets paranoid I'm following him.
And in the evening, I got a crispy chicken burger, chips, and a water bottle from McDonalds, and that was it. The water bottle was for my Saturday run.
Saturday 18th May 2024
I woke around 0600 and went for the Central Park run. All 6 miles non-stop. The time from my 12th floor hotel room on 50th street, around Central Park and back, took 1hour 10 minutes.