Howdy my adventurous friends!
I take approximately 4,732 photos every week and then do absolutely nothing with most of them, so this week I thought I’d put them to good use and show you what my week as a nomad looks like. 😂
No deep thoughts on ageing, courage or the meaning of the universe this week, just a little peek into life on the road.
And this week we left Canada, flew into New York, moved into our latest house sit, acquired a dog, a cat and a swimming pool, and I headed into Manhattan for the afternoon where I ate a hot dog, found a book-less library, and made a new friend in Times Square.
Pretty standard week really. 😂
Goodbye Canada, Hello New York
I have a bit of a thing about taking photos out of plane windows, which is why I always choose the window seat and have been known to kick up quite a fuss if a member of my own family thinks they’re getting it instead.
Sorry, but there are some things I’m simply not prepared to compromise on. 😂
Also (little travel tip), I nearly always ask at check-in if they happen to have any extra legroom seats available. My success rate is about 90% so far - for no extra cost!
And the lovely Renata at the WestJet check-in desk in Calgary did not let me down for this trip! (I love how they ask if you’re happy to fling the cabin door open in the event of an emergency, like my top priority while plummeting toward the earth at 500 mph is going to be politely executing step 4 of the laminated safety card! 😳)
Something I was not aware of, but was definitely a bonus, is that when flying from Canada to the US, you clear US immigration in Canada before you get on the plane.
And given this was trip No 2 to the US, plus we’re here for 8 weeks I was a bit nervous for the potential grilling, so even though it took 90 solid minutes in the queue 🙄, it was a relief to get waved through by an easy going guy, and made for a very relaxing flight! 😊
The Concrete Jungle Where Dreams Are Made Of!
We’re staying in a place called White Plains for a couple of weeks so after a quick one night stopover in Jamaica (great name for a neighbourhood), we picked up the car and headed in that direction.
And what a thrill to see the skyline of NYC open up in front of me on route!
So of course, I cranked up Alicia Keys Empire State of Mind & sang my little heart out (to my husbands delight 🤭).
Sometimes you just have to embrace the cliché. 😂
Our Current Home
Here are the lovely little reprobates we’re looking after for the next couple of weeks, while their family head off on hols, and this rather lovely swimming pool is ours to use. All for the grand accommodation price of absolutely nothing.
The joys of house sitting. 😁 Plus they have a housekeeper, so I won’t even need to do any cleaning! (It’s a hard life, but I’ll try my best to embrace it! 😊)
And this is probably my fave thing about nomad life. One week we’re travelling from room to room, even staying in a hostel bed with somebody’s smelly shoes underneath it. The next we’re in a beautiful house with a pool just outside New York City.
It’s nothing if not filled with variety! 😎
Stop Spreading the News
So I popped into the city yesterday on my own for the afternoon, jumped on the train and arrived at Grand Central, which I know is just a train station but GOOD GRIEF.
I’ve seen Grand Central in hundreds of films over the years, so to stand within it myself was a bit of a thrill.
Then I just went wandering.
This is probably my favourite way to explore a city when I’ve got nowhere particularly urgent to be. I had a few places I wanted to see, but mostly I just walked, looked up a lot, took far too many photos and drank in my surroundings.
New York Public Library - that doesn’t actually have any books (not for public use anyway)
Bryant Park - people playing chess, bowls, curling, reading books, playing music (it was lovely)
Hot Dog Cart - after decades of watching people stand on New York pavements in movies, eating hot dogs out of little foil wrappers, my time had finally come!
And after all that anticipation, I can happily report that it tasted…
like a hot dog. 😂
Then I Hit Times Square
Ok, I know Times Square is touristy, crowded, noisy, super commercial and probably somewhere every true New Yorker avoids like the plague, but I bloody love it.
There is SO much going on that I didn’t know where to look. The lights, the people, the noise, the street shows. I wandered up the red steps at Father Duffy Square and just sat for half an hour or so taking in the atmosphere around me.
And then, among all those screens, who should appear…
Gordon bloody Ramsay.
I thought I’d left him in Vegas!
Well, apparently not. 😂
Then this happened…
Eventually I decided I’d walked about enough and stopped for a drink at Buchette Del Vino, right in the middle of Times Square, where you order your drink and they serve it through a little window Italian style (apparently?)
As I sat enjoying a cold Peroni, a lady joined me and we got chatting.
Kristin is originally from Ohio, served in the military, has just turned 50 and we ended up chatting and laughing for about an hour.
And it was probably my favourite part of the whole afternoon.
I’ll never see her again, but that’s not the point.
The point is that for one random hour I got to share a little piece of New York with a complete stranger, hear about a life completely different to mine, and just connect with another human. ❤️
Anyway, that was my week.
Canada to New York, two new furry roommates, a swimming pool, one fairly average hot dog, Gordon Ramsay stalking me across America and a lovely conversation with a stranger in Times Square.
And I’ve got another week in New York yet.
God knows what will be on next week’s camera roll. 😂
Have a fab weekend!
Jo xx ☺️
Hilarious and wonderful post! I laughed out loud several times. And got a real taste for New York. Enjoy your stay!
Wow. That’s a change is pace. West coast to New York. Life’s an adventure! Enjoy 😊