St. Louis - Memphis

The Cardinals beat the Tigers 4-1 and clinched the World Series for the first time in 24 years. Unfortunately we weren't in the city to see it happen but we did celebrate in a particularly unique way. We managed to get free tickets to a Hayride Pub Crawl which was operating in the area where our hostel was situated. Everyone was given wristbands and clambered onto the back of a hay wagon pulled by a small green tractor. This tractor proceeded to make laps of the neighbourhood stopping at participating bars and people were able to jump on and off at each stop. There were live bands playing in most of the bars and several people were dressed up in their Halloween garb. Towards the end of the night we met a great guy called Tim who is probably the biggest Cardinals fan in the world. We spoke with him at length and he revealed to us that he was the owner of a rather nice white 1976 Cadillac. We exchanged numbers and the next morning he gave us a ride around some parts of St. Louis we hadn't seen before. It was the most luxurious car either of us had ever ridden in, with a white leather interior and a 4 foot bonnet. Tim also had similar music tastes to us which made the journey all the more enjoyable. That afternoon we caught our next Greyhound which would take us through Arkansas and across the Mississippi to Memphis.
We booked into a cheap hotel on Elvis Presley Boulevard just over half a mile from Graceland. It has been a relief to have some real privacy for the first time in a month and it works out no more expensive than our hostel in Boston. The day after we arrived we spent touring Graceland which was far more enjoyable and far less tacky than we were expecting. We were given headsets which provided an audio commentary at various points on the tour. The house itself is smaller than you'd expect and the inside is decorated according to Elvis's unique sense of taste and style. One of the most striking rooms is the Jungle Room which features exotic wooden furniture, an indoor waterfall and thick green carpet on the floors, walls and ceiling. This later addition apparently improved the acoustics of the room. Elvis and his buddies used it as an impromptu recording studio on occasion. We weren't allowed to view the upstairs out of respect for the King's wishes, but we're sure they were just as lavish as the rest of the house. The grounds themselves still have a few horses, and a swimming pool. We were told that on occasion Elvis could be seen driving around the fields like an overgrown child on one of his many golfcarts and other motorised toys. The end of the tour left us both feeling rather upset. It was clear that Elvis was a generous and kindhearted individual who never let the fame go to his head.
The tickets that we bought included access to a few other exhibits including both of Elvis's private jets named after his only daughter Lisa Marie. The Lisa Marie 1 features four cabins with suede and velvet seating fitted with gold plated seatbelts. The sink in the bathroom was also plated with 24 carat gold. Many of Elvis's flights were taken at the spur of the moment including one trip to Colarado that he and Lisa Marie took when he suddenly realised that she hadn't yet seen snow. They flew out, played in the snow for half an hour and then flew back. The highlight of the tour for us was the exhibit featuring all of Elvis's cars. The centrepiece of this show was a 1957 Cadillac Eldorado in deep purple which had been loving restored by a group of fans just weeks before his death.
The next day we headed down into Memphis on a free shuttle that dropped us just outside the famous Sun Studios. It was the first truly sunny day we had had in a couple of weeks so we decided to go down to the banks of the Mississippi. Once there we discovered we were just in time to catch an hour and a half long cruise up and down the river on the Island Queen steamboat. It was a wonderfully relaxing experience drifting along the third largest river in the world whilst the Captain gave a running commentary of the history of this particular part of the waterway.
One of his most amusing anecdotes included a story about the town that used to exist across the river from Memphis known as Hopefield, Arkansas. Everything that was illegal in Memphis was legal in Hopefield and many Memphian men would take advantage of this fact and cross the river to engage in heavy drinking and all manner of other questionable activities. This enraged their wives so much that they began to nag the local police force in order that they might do something to stop these practises. Eventually the Memphis police got in a boat and began to cross the river with the intention of rooting out the evil in Hopefield. Little did they know that word had spread of their plan and certain Hopefieldians were waiting for them on the other bank. As soon as they landed a group of men jumped out of the bushes with rifles. The Memphis police were overpowered and forced to strip naked before getting back in their boats. The wives waiting on the opposite bank saw the boats returning and as they got closer they realised that the police were stark naked. Imagine what they must have thought. After this embarassing episode the women joined the local church and began praying for the eventual downfall of the town of Hopefield. Well, someone must have been listening because just a few months later the river rose, breaking its banks and taking the whole of Hopefield with it. Never to be seen again. It's stories like this that makes us feel like we're really getting to the heart of America.
Later that night we went for dinner on Beale Street which is famous for it's nightlife and as the birthplace of the Blues. We enjoyed some down home cooking at a place called Alfred's where we were lucky enough to be serenaded by the Memphis Jazz Orchestra who were outstanding. After dinner we went back down the street towards B.B. King's Blues club and were surprised to discover that the man himself was performing there that very night. On top of this we found that he would be playing their the following night so we decided to snap up the tickets while we had the opportunity. So tonight we will be seeing the one and only B.B. King in his very own club in his hometown of Memphis, we can't wait.
We will be staying in Memphis for Halloween which will no doubt be an interesting experience. Then on Wednesday we intend to catch the train down to New Orleans.

Chicago - St. Louis

It has been a while since we have been able to get online. Prices were very high in Chicago and it seems that there are no internet cafes here in St. Louis. Updates may become more sporadic as we head south, so bare with us.
The night bus to Chicago went a lot smoother than the one to Buffalo but was no more comfortable. We arrived at 9.30 am and took a taxi from the Greyhound station south of the city to our hostel in the leafy Lincoln Park district in the north. Many of the people staying at our hostel were in town for the Chicago marathon, we didn't envy them one bit not least because temperatures didn't rise much above 3 degrees centigrade whilst we were there. After taking some time to unpack we headed downtown in the direction of the "Magnificent Mile" Chicago's biggest and most ostentatious shopping district. Some of the city's oldest buildings sit amongst highrise skyscrapers, exclusive boutiques and larger chain stores. That evening we went to a pizza parlor called Pizano's, one of the many establishments which claims to have invented Chicago's famous pizza pie. It seems that everyone's Mama had a simular recipe, but we're not complaining. Soon after eating we retired to our hostel. Nightbuses are a great money saving ploy but the chances of getting any sleep on them are slim to none.
The next morning we walked further south in order to cross the river into the centre of town known as The Loop. We visited the Museum of Contemporary Art which currently houses an exhibit that attempts to highlight the importance of design in the modern world. Therein were many examples of new technologies including a windup laptop that costs just $200 to make and allows wireless access to the internet. The potential for this to be used to allow every child in the world a chance to learn online is an awesome prospect.
On the banks of the river are the Chicago Tribune building and the Wrigley building. These impressive structures are great examples of the massive gothic architecture which is a feature of the older parts of downtown Chicago. Each of the tallest buildings has an observation deck but we decided we'd save our money for the tallest, the Sears Tower. Before taking the lift 103 stories up we were shown a short film. The tower took just 3 years to construct and in it's time was the tallest in the world. Unfortunately for Sears they only managed to hold onto the tower for another 14 years before they were forced to downsize and relocate. It is now only the third tallest building in the world but as they were keen to mention it does still house the world's largest antenna at it's summit. The views from the Skydeck were awesome. The city sprawls out on three of the four sides whilst the other looks out over the impossibly large Lake Michigan. Whilst we were up there the sun began to set and lights came on all over the city, it was an awe-inspiring sight.
After sampling another of Mama's secret recipes at Giordano's we went to Andy's Jazz Club on Hubbard Street. A band called Texas Fire were playing an extended set of classic jazz tunes that kept us thoroughly entertained until the early hours. It was a great chance to sample some authentic jazz and we plan to see as much live music as we can on our way down South. The next day we booked another Greyhound that would take as all the way across the rest of Illinois to St.Louis, Missouri.
The hostel we are currently staying in is pretty rundown but has a certain charm that is a great relief after the big city. It is situated in the Soulard district in the old French Quarter east of the city centre. Most things are within walking distance but the layout is a little more hard to navigate on foot than some of the other places we have visited. Missouri is a gun-toting state and it amuses is us everytime we enter a public building and are reminded by certain signs that we must leave our weapons outside.
We have arrived here at a momentous time in the city's history, their baseball team the St. Louis Cardinals are in the final of the World Series. They currently lead the Detroit Tigers by 2 games to nil and are expected to clinch the title by winning the next game. The whole city is getting into the spirit, many of the fountains have red dye in them symbolising the Cardinals team colours and banners and merchandise are everywhere. We were in town for the final game last night but unfortunately it was called off due to poor weather conditions. Nevertheless it was great to see how enthusiastic they are about it, with whole family's young and old alike coming out to support their team.
Yesterday we visited the Gateway Arch a massive monument that towers over the city symbolising the border between the East and West United States. St. Louis is also the gateway to the South as the Missouri, Illinois and Mississippi river all converge here. This fact holds symbolic significance for us at it means that we are at a literal crossroads in our expedition and are on the verge of seeing a completely different side of the States. We will most likely spend a couple more days in St. Louis before heading on to Memphis.

Niagara Falls

As I write this we're sitting in Buffalo and Erie County Public Library. They currently have an exhibit which holds the original manuscript of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain who was a resident of Buffalo. We both signed up for temporary library cards yesterday which entitles us to use the internet for free. The area around Buffalo is still feeling the effects of Thursday's snowstorm with over 200,00 homes still without power. Work has begun to clear the masses of fallen branches and assorted debris that litter the streets on the outskirts of the city. The newspapers are saying that it was the sixth worst storm in the town's history and certainly the worst they've ever had in October. Luckily for us the downtown area where we've been staying has been relatively unaffected.
On Sunday we caught the bus out to Niagara Falls. When we arrived we were greeted with the sight of tacky souvenir shops, mini golf and every other conceivable Niagara Falls based distraction. Once we had fought our way through all the kitsh merchandise we heard the rush of running water and got our first look at the falls. What struck us immediately was the feeling of immense power. Any jokes of taking a dip were quickly laid aside when it became apparent that there was no way one could survive such an endeavour. The American Falls cascade on to a gigantic heap of jagged boulders and the spray hangs in the air all around the surrounding area. After pausing to take several photos we made our way towards the footbridge that would take us across into Canada. It's worth mentioning that the Canadian customs officer was polite and cheerful in direct contrast to his American counterpart.
The view of the falls from Canada is infinitely more spectacular than from the American side. Not only can you see the whole of the American Falls it also possible to view the larger Bridal Veil Falls. The Bridal Veil is some 50 metres tall and 72 metres wide and arcs round in a perfect horseshoe shape. The mist and spray created by it rises over 100 metres in the air and is thick enough to obscure the view from certain angles. Once we saw this we decided we definitely had to take the Maid of the Mist boat tour and get a closer look. After donning some incredibly stylish disposable rain macks we were driven to the heart of the falls. We experienced the immense power of the water first hand as the massive boat struggled to remain stationary against the current. When amongst the mist the water towers above you on all sides and complete rainbows materialise before your eyes. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience.
Last night we visited the famous Anchor Bar, home of the original Buffalo Chicken Wings and watched some Monday Night Football. Afterwards we went to another local bar called Hemingway's where we chatted at length with our fellow patrons and were treated to free drinks by the bar staff. Some of our most enjoyable evenings have been spent talking with the locals who have really made us feel at home and given us a greater understanding of our surroundings. We leave tomorrow night on another Greyhound bus headed for Chicago.

New York - Buffalo

On Monday night we went to the APT nightclub with a guy from New Zealand who we think was named Daniel. The club itself was in the trendy Meatpacking District in south west Manhattan, and was so trendy that it didn't even have a name above the door. The bar staff were rude enough to ask for tips, that's how exclusive it was. Sadly, the lineup we were expecting never materialised. However, the resident DJ Akalepse was more than satisfactory and we were treated to the sight of a hefty white guy engaged in a dance-off. We ended up staying there until the early hours.
The following day was a day of rest in which we did some laundry and struggled to eat rice without cutlery or plates. We were glad of the downtime seeing as it has been pretty much nonstop since we arrived in the US.
On Wednesday morning we made our way down to the World Trade Center site. The atmosphere around there was strangely subdued. It was quite affecting to see the large open space where the towers had been and remembering where we were on the day that it happened. A couple of weeks before had been the 5 year anniversary and they had only just finished cleaning away the debris. Work has just commenced on the new Freedom Tower which when built will be the biggest tower in the world. After taking stock for a few minutes we headed down to the banks of the Hudson river to look across the water at Lady Liberty. Whilst we were there we noticed a great deal of commotion amongst fire and ambulance services which we later found were heading to the site of the recent plane crash that killed a New York Yankees pitcher and his flight instructor. This occured up on East 72nd street which is nowhere near any of the places we were visiting. Shortly after this it began to pour down so we headed back to the hostel to dry off. That night we headed to a popular burger and pizza joint on the upper West side called Big Nick's. The menu there was literally 24 pages long packed with every conceivable variation of junk food imaginable.
We had time to kill on Thursday seeing as we had booked a night bus to Buffalo that didn't leave until 11.45pm. We spent our time wondering in and around Times Square culminating in a vist to the Church of Scientology. Here we were shown a fifteen minute movie about "Dianetics" which essentially informed us that the reason for all our ills is due to things we hear subconsciously whilst in pain or unconscious. The video was incredibly cheesy and left us with a lot of questions which the representative from the Church was only too happy to answer. We spent a good hour talking with her about the subject and mocking Tom Cruise's hair, whilst trying to keep a straight face.
Our bus left over and hour late and thus began a trial of patience and endurance which was to last us almost 24 hours. We woke up five hours into a seven hour journey to heavy snowfall and around dawn the bus came to a complete standstill amongst hundreds of other vehicles where it remained for the next 10 hours. While we were sleeping a huge weather front had made it's way across Lake Erie and dumped 2 feet of unseasonable snow over the entire Buffalo area. The city was put into a state of emergency and no vehicles were allowed to enter or leave the city for the rest of the day. With very little food or water we were forced to amuse ourselves until the bus was finally able to turn around and take us back to Syracuse a good two hour drive away. From here we managed to catch the last bus back to Buffalo which went the long way around via Rochester, Pennsylvania and we finally arrived at our hostel just after 11 that night. The hostel itself is by far the nicest we have been to so far and feels like a veritable oasis after our long ordeal getting here.
Today we spent the day walking around the city and wandering at the huge number of trees which have been destroyed by the heavy snowfall. Weather permitting we plan to make our way to Niagara Falls in the next couple of days.

Boston - New York

The Samuel Adams Brewery was a good laugh, it only cost us a two dollar charitable donation to gain entry and we were allowed to try 3 beers. We left a message with them urging them to start stocking their beer in the UK, so keep a lookout.
As I write this we're sitting in a Juice Bar just of the 3rd Avenue in Downtown New York City. We've been here since Friday afternoon although this is our first full day in the city. We arrived by the cheap and efficient Chinatown bus and checked into a slightly disappointing but dirt cheap hostel on the Upper West side. It's saving grace is that it's right next to the subway station and is not quite in Harlem. That night we found a very reasonable Indian restaurant and later went to a local bar to watch the Yankees getting their arses handed to them by Detroit.
On Saturday morning we got up early and made our way to Penn Station to catch an hour and a half long train journey to Stony Brook where Joe Holloway is studying this year. On our arrival everyone was in high spirits as it was the day of the big Homecoming football game of the school team the mighty SeaWolves! The stadium was impressive considering the SeaWolves are one of the worst teams in the college league. Nevertheless it was an interesting if long winded spectacle. We spent the rest of the evening throwing around a football and having a few drinks with Joe's roommates. We had an "awesome" time and a unique experience.
We arrived back in the city late yesterday afternoon and managed to purchase cheap tickets to a concert at the Roseland Ballroom. It was rife with poor emo bands but offered an oppurtunity to try out the new Nintendo console, the unfortunately named Wii. It was great fun for the small amount of time we actually managed to get hands on with the machine.
Today we have mostly been eating pancakes and trekking all the way Downtown. We're hoping to go to a club called APT tonight which is not far from Greenwich Village. It will most likely be pretty expensive but offers a chance to see Prince Paul and Jazzy Jeff DJing for free so we're there.

Boston

We've been in Boston for three days now, and a very busy three days they have been. We arrived at the Hostel on Monday afternoon and were greeted by a group of British travellers in our dorm room. The hostel itself is clean and pleasant with free tea. After unpacking we went round the corner to Little Stevies and ordered the biggest pizza either of us had ever seen, even Rick Waller would have had to take a breather. We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening getting lost in the centre of Boston to familiarise ourselves with our surroundings. We explored the boutiques of Newbury Street, and the hustle and bustle of the cities commercial centre. We ended up in the ridiculously affluent Beacon Hill district where four storey town houses built by the first Pilgrims sit along leafy boulevards. On our return to the hostel we signed up for a trip to the local Irish pub The Crossroads where we watched Monday Night Football and got to know our lovely roommates.
On the second day we visited the public library, an enormous temple to learning, and had a long conversation with an outspoken Californian about the state of world politics against the backdrop of a courtyard that wouldn't look out of place in an imperial palace. We then assaulted the famous Freedom Trail, a two and half mile stroll through all of our Boston's historic landmarks. We stopped at Paul Revere's house, famous for his Midnight Ride to warn of the imminent British invasion of Boston over two hundred years ago, the house has been lovingly restored and is the oldest building in Boston. The city itself looks like an amalgamation of New York, San Francisco and parts of Europe, huge sky scrapers make way to cobbled streets, traditional town houses and public gardens. At the end of the trail we retraced our steps to the Green Dragon Tavern, the site in which the Boston Tea Party was supposed to have been planned. We were invited to test out a series of scotch whiskies including Famous Grouse which has yet to takeoff over here, which was nice.
Day three began with us trekking in the direction of the Boston Tea Party boat only to find that it was not in the harbour. We consoled ourselves with an enormous plate of noodles in nearby Chinatown. We then made our way over to the city's elegant public gardens to watch the swans and catch up on some reading and painting. In the late afternoon we hopped on the tube in the direction of Harvard to meet up with Asha who showed us where to get the best burgers in Boston. She seems to be doing fine in college if not a bit overworked but she may be joining us for a few days in New York.
This morning we managed to make contact with Joe Holloway who is studying on Long Island. We hope to stay with him for a day or so when we go to New York and he has invited to his college's Homecoming football game on saturday which promises to be a raucous affair. We plan to catch the $15 Chinatown bus at some point tomorrow and should be in the city by the evening. Today we will be visting the Samuel Adams Brewery for a free tour and some taste testing. We'll let you know what that was like at some point in the next few days.

P.S. We have a working mobile phone now so if people want to contact us in an emergency or for any other reason our number is: 347 217 5750