Joining the Trade Parade!

Our final road journey of this trip began in Southampton Village. The GPS signalled that our drive to Newark would take around two hours .... yeah right! The traffic was light initially, at least for the first thirty miles or so, but as New York drew closer, the volume grew considerably. It was clear that we and another several lanes of fast moving vehicles were hurtling into Manhattan, which became all too apparent when we drove through Queens and then caught sight of the New York skyline, from afar. Next, we saw it up close as we trundled across the Williamsburg Bridge into Lower Manhattan.

Needless to say, we encountered major roadworks along the way and and as the traffic gradually funnelled together, the inevitable traffic jams. We queued through Little Italy and trundled up several blocks to Lafayette Street where we turned left and then hurtled under the Hudson, through the Holland Tunnel.

Once across the River we met what can best be described as a seven mile chicane. Finally, we arrived at the Springhill Suites, a haven close to Liberty Airport! So, another US odyssey ending where it began, in New Jersey.

My final musical thought for the trip is furnished by The Ventures and their 1960's hit 'Pipeline'!

A lighthouse with a heavy admission fee!

An unwelcome surprise today …. Rain! But can’t complain, given our experience over the last few weeks. Anyway, I headed out for an early morning walk towards Southampton Village or at least as far as the side-walk and 'Trade Parade' would permit. It was like strolling the M62! I took the now familiar detour through the swanky housing estate and then headed back via the deli, where the 'workers' drop in to pick up breakfast, to get coffee. Before we headed out for the day, we caught up with the media analysis of the Presidential Debate …… anyone’s guess! The rain eased and we made it to Starbucks for breakfast and then drove to Montauk Lighthouse, which was commissioned by George Washington and sits at the tip of the South fork of Long Island.

The journey took around thirty minutes and arriving we paid the $8 car parking fee, but decided to pass on the extra $16 to climb the lighthouse tower! Instead, we took the trails to the beach, climbed the rocks, and watched the surfcasters (anglers!)

Back in the car an off to the Harbour and then Montauk's Main Street. Not a lot going on there, but at least we ticked the box! With skies clearing we drove back to Southampton Village, passing a house in which Pollack (the artist) had once panted. On arrival, we window shopped, had ice cream in the old-time parlour, and took a stroll in the park.

As Montauk is also known for surfing .... I picked The Beach Boys' 'Lets go surfin', today! (I had intended to use 'Bongo Beach', but couldn't find a decent version on YouTube!!)

The Hamptons half-explained!

Today began with a solo walk towards Southampton Village coupled with a detour,when the side-walk stopped abruptly, through a new housing development. I should add here, that the traffic along Route 28A was BUSY!! Anyhow, the housing development was beyond nice, it was in effect a collection of big houses that would cost millions of dollars. We had already gleaned the cost of things around here from the glossy catalogues given out freely by the numerous real estates agents. The Hampton's have become a suburb of Wall Street, where the super-rich own cottages (estates!) by the ocean. Not only do the likes of Gerry Seinfeld have homes here, but so do the likes of Mr Bloomberg (billionaires!) Returning to the motel, I called for coffee to go at a neat little Mexican deli, which was busy with its clientele of mainly Hispanic workers, dropping in for a takeaway breakfast. Later, we drove into Southampton Village to get a glimpse of its glorious beach ..... no commercialism here!

Speaking with some locals, it became clear that the traffic enigma was easily explained. They call Route 82A ' The Trade Parad', as every morning an army of mainly Hispanic tradesmen drive up to the Hampton's from New York, to do the building and landscaping for the super-rich! Needless to say the indigenous people of the area are not too happy with their habitat being taken over. (I likened the villages to 'Prestbury-on-sea!) Anyway, from Southampton, we drove to Sag Beach and then to Sag Harbour,another pristine village by the ocean, where the Main Street shops are all 'designer' and where the eateries serve salads that cost more than we pay for an entrée! But we found a superb deli in the village centre and bought a mile-high pastrami sandwich 'to go'. We took off for East Hampton and after our picnic we visited the 'No Place Like Home' Museum, where its director, Hugh, gave us a tour.

Basically the museum is a house built in the 1700s and contains all things collected by the couple who lived there in the 1800s. These include many artefacts relating to the guy who wrote the words for the song 'There's no place like home' (John Payne). The latter was born in New York, but for years it was wrongly propounded that he lived in the house which is now dedicated to his work! We also discovered that Michael Portillo had visited the museum when making the TV series of his travels in the US (which had inspired our trip to Albany!) Driving back to the hotel, the traffic volume had once again increased to madness, as the parade shuttled back to New York!

For no other reason than we heard it on Sirus today (and unlike money around here) I picked Booker T and the MG's as today's musical memory.

Kerrr-ching!

Sunday morning and we took a short walk to Starbucks for coffee and bagels before loading up and checking out. Today we were heading for the Bridgeport ferry, taking a short cut across the water to Long Island NY.

It was a fun trip and after disembarking in Port Jefferson, we were soon heading for Southampton. The traffic was heavy and and we encountered a number of stoppages, many connected with the current local fashion for driving out to farms in order to pick fresh farm produce and cause traffic jams! We eventually reached The Southampton Long Island Hotel ..... a 'motel' and checked-in. Not the best place we've stayed in, but this is the Hamptons! We took a drive into the centre of the village where a Sunday 'September-Fest' was in progress. Basically a farmers market in the park! Walking down Main Street it was apparent from the the cars, houses and shops, that we were in big money territory ...... we met and chatted to a nice guy with a very nice nice Golden Retriever, who is apparently the son of the owner of Galatasaray FC! We talked Football and Brexit and he showed us a picture he'd recently taken at the American Open, of Louis Van Gaal!

We spent a couple of hours down there before returning back to base and a c**p Hispanic meal ...... tomorrow night we'll eat at the Southampton Publick House!

Today's musical memory is prompted by a track that played whilst we were in 'Line 3' at the Bridgeport Ferry terminal. 'Donovan's 'Mellow Yellow'.

A glimpse of New Haven!

As predicted the air turned a little cooler today after the overnight rain, but temperatures reached the mid-sixties and the sun shone all day. Still cranky about the hotel's useless internet access and its failure to sort out a long-standing issue, we were not too sad to check-out. (Yes, it was a first-world problem and I well remember when we carried only maps and a telephone card on our US trips!) Anyway, having gassed-up we headed out for Route 28 and I95 W, being surprised by the heavy traffic volume, particularly for a weekend. But no hold-ups! Nearing Bridgeford CT, where we were scheduled to hole-up before taking the Long Island Ferry, we passed New Haven and caught a fleeting view of the notorious Best Western encountered some years ago, and the friendly Texas Roadhouse that saved the day, back then. Now, Downtown Bridgeford is not a very touristy area and is pretty Administration-centric with courts and government buildings. Nevertheless, it does have points of interest ...... some interesting architecture and associations with Mr Barnum, of Barnum & Bailey fame (and who was once the City's Mayor!). The centre has an interesting brownstone building which was once the Barnum Institute of Science and History, but which now houses the Barnum Collection (not open on Saturday!)

As we rolled along the interstate today, I recalled the following oldie which played several times on Sirus, Rocket 88 by Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats!

Radio Silence!

Well actually, it was wifi blackout ....... be warned, all those who venture to the Admiralty Inn, Falmouth MA, their wifi is utterly rubbish!! Anyway, we did enjoy a lovely day, having decided to stay local and visit somewhere new, Sandwich. The drive was only a short distance away and we set our sights on the Heritage Museum Gardens. On arrival, we bought entrance tickets at the gift shop and entered this neat retreat. We immediately encountered the magnificent Eli Lilly (of the pharmaceutical empire) vintage American car collection. Needless to say, it’s fabulous and includes the influential Steam Car that belonged to President Taff and the elegant Duesenberg once owned by Gary Cooper.

The latest acquisition was a Cord and it still looks stylish, today. From there, we walked through the tranquil and impressively planted gardens, eventually leading to the impressive collection of film costumes (on tour from the UK!) and including impressive pieces from ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’!

By midday, we were ready to move on and called into the centre of Sandwich. A lovely English-styled town with a lake, water-wheel, and classy historic district. Here we stumbled on the Brown Jug, a discreet deli with a pleasant patio and wood-fired pizza oven. The Pastrami sandwiches are apparently worth fighting over ….. I agree!!

Anyway, despite the odd cloud, rain never threatened as we returned to Falmouth. There we instinctively settled on an afternoon at the cinema and ventured to the Cinema Pub! What a great concept ……. We were the only people in the cinema (to see the excellent ‘Snowden’) and it was slightly offbeat to be sat in restaurant-style seating, with tables ….. and drinks!

Afterwards, we headed for the 99 Restaurant for a decent dinner and far better WiFi than our hotel offers ....... which was non-existent, on our return!! As for today’s musical selection, with difficulty, I’ve chosen an old track that we've heard often on 'Sirus' The Lemon Pipers 'Green Tambourine'.

Holiday homes of the rich and famous ...... Martha's Vineyard

The first official day of Fall and yet it could be mistaken for Midsummer's Day. Not a cloud in sight and very hot. We planned to take the ferry from the nearby harbour and spend the day on Martha;s Vineyard, a journey of thirty-five minutes. The ferry was on time and the short seven mile trip was perfect as we sat on the top deck ad the sea was like a mill pond.

Once docked, we headed for the centre of Oak Bluff and bought tickets for a two hour tour of the six villages on the Island. We learned a lot from the bus driver who had lived there all his life and had met several of the rich and famous who own homes or visit this 'in' isle. As a young man he'd also managed to appear as an extra in the film Jaws, which was shot there. He'd once met Jackie Onasis and had met and knew well, the Clintons. He passed round a number of photos of his family with the Clintons, some taken at the Whitehouse where he and his family had stayed several times!

We were treated to some picturesque ocean and beach view, but as much of the island is tree lined, its difficult to glimpse the homes of the stars.

Nevertheless, we saw Billy Joel's house, Carley Simon's and where Mr Obama spent his holidays (and the bar where his daughter had worked this year). Martha's Vineyard is covered in wild grape vines, but they are unsuitable for wine making and there are in fact no vineyards on the island. This was the quiet season and yet the island still appeared busy ..... wouldn't want to be there on the fourth of July! Back in Oak Bluff, we strolled round the Gingerbread houses and cottages and then after ice cream (good, but not Ben & Bill's!) we headed back to Falmouth.

In the absence of anything more appropriate, I picked Johnny River's 'Sea Cruise', today!

Rediscovering the lost chord!

So today we pulled out of Manchester CT at around 9:00am and negotiated our way through Hatford's road system (Wacky Races!)  moving eastwards towards Falmouth MA. As we progressed the traffic gradually eased and we arrived at The Admiralty Inn just after 11:00am. Fortunately we got an early check-in and after some confusion over 'WiFi', we unloaded our bags and struck out on foot for the town centre. Falmouth is a pleasant town, reminiscent of a small English seaport, in terms of architecture and tranquillity. We had a Starbucks break and Skyped Jenny, before heading off to check out the neat harbour area and mini beaches. We passed some very nice cottages on our way to Main Street, each with its own well tended garden ..... again, all very English!

Reaching Main Street and its well manicured shops, we began to recognise features first seen when we visited Falmouth several years ago, with David. It was hot and having walked some distance, we found a specialist ice cream parlour and took a scoop or two! The ice cream was very impressive and to my amazement, I discovered it to be none other than Ben & Bills!!! Last sampled on my previous visit I've told countless others about this brand, but never managed to find it again until now! We like this place!!

And so to today's musical choice when I find I can't escape yesterday's memories of Woodstock and have chosen Jefferson Airplane and 'Don't you need somebody to love'.

1969 and all that!

Today's ultimate aim was to reach Manchester (Connecticut) via a planned side-trip to Bethel NY .... site of the most famous music festival in history 'Woodstock 69'! The journey to Bethel was intriguing. We were in the Catskills, passing through stunning forest-clad mountain scenery (and only a hundred miles from New York City! But this was a superficial view of our surroundings and we soon appreciated that the small towns that we passed through were steeped in Jewish culture and had once boasted many sizable holiday centres, now deserted. We discovered that this area was once (certainly in the 50s) a vibrant holiday hot spot, particularly amongst New York's Jewish community, hosting top-line acts of that era e.g. Frank Sinatra. However, the introduction of cheap air travel killed-off the tourist industry and the townships. Anyway, arriving in Bethel or rather the Bethel Woods Arts Centre and Museum, we were instantly captivated by the beauty of the place and its historical significance. For it was here that fifty thousand young people gathered in 1969, a time of great political uncertainty in the US and the world generally, to demonstrate their optimism for a brave new world through music! The museum and its surroundings, now the centre of regular music events, are stunning!

For the uninitiated, back in the day several naive young guys with access to capital decided to organise a music festival in Woodstock. They hired a field, managed to book Jimi Hendrix as the headline act (and some local musicians such as Janice Jopplin and The Band), and then proceeded to book a number of other top and lessor known musicians. They sold tickets to the tune of over one-million pounds, only then to find that the establishment had managed to stop them using the Woodstock venue. They didn't throw in the towel, but rented a field in Bethel. No more needs to be said, but the Museum is fascinating, a must see.  (The back-stories of the musicians who performed in 69 are fascinating ..... the lead female singer in one lessor known group went on to become Lady Mayor of Aberystwyth!). Before taking off for a very busy conclusion to our day's journey, we took time out to visit the Woodstock Monument, at the very place where the stage was built for that momentous event.

Choosing some music for today's posting was pretty difficult, given the enormity of choice that Woodstock offers. Jimi Hendrix? Jefferson Airplane? Well no actually, I plumped for Country Joe and the Fish and the Vietnam song!

By the time we got to Woodstock!

The outlook from our balcony was pretty bleak first thing, as the mist clung to the trees and the sky remained grey following the overnight rain. Nevertheless, it was surprisingly warm! The hotel breakfast was faultless, as expected, and catching-up with new-found friends swallowed up time .... but it was well spent! Before pulling-out, we walked down Main Street and checked-out the shops and Mirror Lake .... its a very pretty, sporty, place.

Driving out of Lake Placid we caught site of the Olympic ski jumps and soon after were heading for I87 South, where we encountered surprisingly light traffic. By three in the afternoon, we arrived in Woodstock. This small town lies close to New York and still clings to the spirt of 69, but these days its a bit of a tourist trap, full of zany shops and even zanier people.

In truth, back in the day 'by the time they got to Woodstock' they had to move on a further fifty miles to get to the site of the actual festival! Nevertheless, we had a nice visit and there was plenty of nostalgia for people of a certain age! It was soon time to press on to the nearby Best Western Plus Kingston .... a very nice place to stay.

For today's musical aide memoir, we decided on a classic 60's period piece by Buffalo Springfield 'Stop look around what's that sound'!