Part 1
I just got back from New York and New Jersey and I couldn't help thinking that Al Qaeda have a lot more to answer for than the obvious!
Forget the cowardly acts of terrorism for a minute—they've also taken away the joy of International travel from millions of us peace loving pilgrims?
What about the hours and hours we have to line up like sheep with leprosy for a drench!…before any trip on a plane to anywhere but most particularly to the USA—NO! even worse FROM the USA….. since 9/11???
I don't know why I haven't focussed on it before…getting older all the time and grumpier I guess.
Anyway back to the trip.
I've flown to the USA so many different routes since Pan Am to San Francisco in 1966 (Ed – remind me to one day write about from Tokyo to SF to Nashville…hilarious!!…circa mid-'80's)
Lately it's mostly Air New Zealand ex Auckland to LA (stopping over in Santa Monica…it used to be Sunset Strip…when I was younger)…. then United to Newark or just for a change via San Francisco.
La Guardia and JFK were once the norm but Daughter Tina and her Husband Bobby live in Red Bank New Jersey…only 40 minutes by train or car from Newark.
Red Bank is right on the Atlantic, in Monmouth County in the Garden State -and indeed New Jersey is a beautiful state for the most part…only a small area is like the opening credits of The Sopranos….But I digress…I decided this time that I would go there via Papeete, Tahiti, only because I hadn't done it before.
It sounded simple enough…leave Auckland just after 1pm on Air Tahiti Nui, arrive in Papeete (the day before) 5 hours later, switch planes and in less than an hour off to New York over Baja, Mexico, Houston, Texas then under Florida and up the East coast to JFK Airport. Simple, right?
Downside is arrival at (a minor) Terminal 4 – with Air Czechoslovakia and other airlines I'd never heard of and we were a few minutes late, so,….we were lumped in with three other flights in the 'Aliens' queue and it took TWO hours to get through Customs and Immigration to luggage collection!
Yes Homeland Security's finger printing and Eye Photo seemed to take forever!…even worse than LAX…Big Brother most horrible!
Even the Officer who processed me was grumpy- no response to my 'Good Afternoon'!
Now, JFK is juxtaposed with Queens and Long Island, a long way from Red Bank – it was a Wednesday afternoon and BobbySon ( I know I give loved ones all sorts of monikers…and I don't do in-Law or Step!) works On 5th Avenue in Manhattan……..recommended that I grab a Cab to his office and join him on his train trip home.
I was excited by this because part of the Journey is on the subway Under the Hudson River…Cool!
My Cab Driver was Jamaican and he was wrapt to talk World Cup Cricket with me (A rare event in the USA) once he picked my Down Under accent….He asked the question and my reply at the top of my voice was …"I don't like cricket Oh No! I Love Ita!". (thanks 10cc) which blew him away.
He drove like an A1 Driver but safely and we were on 5th Ave in just over an hour US$85 plus tip.
I buzzed BobbySon via security (every Bldg has one) and he was in the Lobby before I knew it!
I had 2 suitcases with wheels and pull handles he took the biggest one (he's got arms like Arnie) and we negotiated our way through the now peak time pedestrian traffic a couple of blocks around the corner to the Subway.
The Station is under the entrance to Madison Square Garden which was a buzz and a first for me…BobbySon does this trip five days a week…knows where he’s at so he runs everywhere,..helped me run off the lag.
Train was on time…in what seemed like a flash, we were down to Penn Station where we switched to the N.J. commute
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Trains are wider than ours, comfortable too, with plenty of room in the overheads for my cases and comparatively cheap. It was fun going under the Hudson, my third under Harbour trip joining San Francisco on BART and Hong Kong. Up and back on Terra Firma to Newark Station and on to Red Bank.
OH!! How was the flight from Tahiti??? Sorry I do tend to ramble (get used to it!), too late to turn back now (hmm good song title).
I enjoyed it The Airbus A 340-300. It was well set out with DVD screen/audio player in every seat like most of Air NZ's flights now. So I was in my element…I dozed maybe 3 of the 12 hour flight and jetlag that way, turned out to be minimal (helped along by my cardio run through Manhattan no doubt!).
The food onboard very good out of Auckland (and on return… JFK) but not so palatable ex Papeete. which is surprising considering it's French.
Service was very pleasant with very attractive Polynesian men and women and the occasional French Pakeha too. Pilot/Purser spoke three language -,French/English/native Tahitian which appeared similar to Maori (whose ancestors I'm sure stopped off and settled in Tahiti while the rest sailed onto colder climes in the Antipodes).
Inflight decor bright, pastels turquoise et al….summery all year ‘round…a bit like Air Pacific and Polynesian. Good selection of wines, I supped on a lovely Bordeaux ‘til slumbertime. Waking for breakfast which was basic…coffee and Tea was not great which is almost oxymoron territory…even the Americans who always have a bit of trouble with tea…get it right on coffee! Especially filtered.
Now I should tell you a little about the boutique City of Red Bank – visitors to New York who don’t want to be in the throngs of people, smog and endless lines of honking Yellow Cabs should get onto the Garden State Parkway South down to exit 109 in Monmouth County home to Asbury Park, Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi…a mostly residential bedroom to Manhattan commuters, mixing lovely old stately homes with the newer version on spacious lots (sections),so that you can hardly tell the difference…..America does that so well.
There’s a neat Village centre with Broad Street running through it, endless eateries, cafes and bars. A very healthy Arts scene, theatre…most prominent venue is The Count Basie Theatre (yes they use the British spelling of the word). Shopping Malls all over and clothing boutiques too.
In the warmer months, street performers, festivals and all sorts of workshops abound.
End of Part 1 – Read Part 2
Cookybaby - 17 years ago
Hello Ray,
Aha! I too decided to go AirTahiti to LA last year, as you said nice food on the way to Papeete, however not nearly as good from there to LA. The Terminal at Papeete was so hot and humid with no aircon, and the toilets left me wondering about the cleaning staff.
I will definitely not go that way again!