We stayed in  motel in L A close to LAX airport so we would only have a short ride in the morning  called Custom Hotel but the chain was called “a joie de vivre” which our Haitian taxi driver who spoke fluent  French , Spanish and English, who took us from the RV drop off to the hotel,  told us means “joy to live in”! We got to the airport 2 hours early and our flight was over hour  delayed due to storms in New York. When Rick booked there were no seats together so we were apart  for  5 hours straight! I sat next to a nice older German American lady and chatted to her half the time. We flew over the Grand Canyon and I had a fantastic view of it and the Rockies were amazing. After that there seemed to be lot of uninhabited land and paddocks.

After we landed in JFK we took the Subway   (very tricky to work out whether we were going uptown or downtown) to our BNB apartment near corner of 80th street and Madison Ave (about 2 blocks form  Central Park). The apartment we are is very small with a kitchen in a cupboard. Bedroom lounge together etc but we have hardly been home. The owner  met us outside of the apartment when we  arrived  and showed  us the various things we needed to know  around the place.  We were a little jet lagged  in the morning with LA and NY being 3 hours different but we got up and  headed straight  to Central Park which is the most beautiful park I have ever seen. The trees are all in leaf. There is a lake and other water features. Plants in general mature with  seasonal planting. It is 2.6 miles by 0.5 miles.  We  are in NY for 8 night and intend starting every morning at Central Park. There were lots of people running walking etc.  There are lots of internal paths and undulations within the park and  it would be easy to get lost but we managed to find our way out and then wondered around those iconic streets, 5th Ave , Lexington Ave, Park Ave…. We were trying to find a grocery store. Anyway we  did a basic shop then headed  back on the subway to meet Cara for lunch.

We bought some salads and went and sat in Madison Square Garden which was quit busy as it was a perfect sunny day. In the middle of the garden there were a group of free spirited uninhibited young women sitting topless and some men had joined them  topless as well. Anyway it’s a great way to get that precious Vit D! After  lunch we walked up to Broadway to go buy tickets to a play Cara wanted to see ‘ The Cripple of Inishmann” with Daniel Radcliffe of  Harry Potter fame.

We went back to the apartment to have a shower and Cara met up with us . Then it was back on the subway to get to Broadway for the show , but a problem on the subway meant we couldn’t alight at our chosen station and had to walk much further and just got there in time .It was a comedy drama set in a Irish  country town. It was the best play I have ever seen. Both  Cara and I were crying in the end.