A Big Drive up the USA East Coast from Miami to New York March 2020 The map of our route, south to north, from Miami to New York (2340 miles). Florida - Miami and St Augustine Sun 1st March. We flew to Miami on a smooth flight after a very pleasant, boozy lunch in the lounge at Heathrow terminal three. At Miami Sheila charmed the rental car man into upgrading us to a fancy bright-blue car with useful optional extras (the best was the GPS with a large screen). After a bit of confusion (you get ½ hour free wifi in the airport building but ten paces outside the rental car area we lost wifi connection) we met Miryam who very kindly came to meet us and directed us to her and Martin's Airbnb in the nice Miami Springs suburb. I was very glad of this because driving an unfamiliar rental car in the dark on the wrong side of the road was a bit daunting. Mon 2nd. After going to the bother of hiring a car we didn't use it at all today. Martin kindly gave us a lift to the airport bus station and we got a $5 all-day ticket each and got the 150 Airport Flyer to Miami Beach. We walked along the beach which was busy but not crowded, then back along Ocean Drive past the Art Deco hotels and restaurants where people were sipping huge glasses of various cocktails at $25 each, and the cruising historic cars which can be hired for the day (with or without a chauffeur). A couple of blocks off Ocean Drive we went to the historic 11th Street Diner (featured in Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on TV) and sat at the counter and had huge and tasty sandwiches. Inevitably half of Sheila's came with us in a take-out box. We got the 120 bus across the causeway past the giant cruise ships to Downtown, where we went for a ride on the free MetroMover, a fully automatic overhead rail system that winds it way all around downtown for an interesting sightseeing ride. As we crossed the Miami River a fellow passenger pointed out a manatee (sea-cow) in the water. We got off at Brickell City Centre and walked around what is essentially a multi-level shopping mall but nothing caught Sheila's attention. We got buses and, when Sheila was fed up of waiting for the final one, a taxi back to The Circle, the centre of Miami Springs where we had a browse in the very well-stocked Milam's supermarket. We ate in Antojos Peruanos, the Peruvian restaurant that Miryam had recommended. There we had a delicious selection of Ceviches for dinner, plus wine of course. St Augustine Tues 3rd. The toll roads and charging lanes on the motorways confused us and we got lost trying to get out of Miami. Eventually we found our way to I95 and went north for 300 miles, stopping briefly for a coffee and a tiny but tasty bacon burger at a Wendy's. With the aid of the upgraded car's satnav we found our next Airbnb in a boutique apartment above a shop on the main tourist street right in the centre of St Augustine (£150 a night, St Augustine is expensive). After lugging our cases up the stairs and unpacking we went for a stroll round the lovely picturesque old Spanish-style town, which claims to be the oldest in the USA. The weather was perfect, warm and sunny, and we watched a sailing ship glide into the harbour through the raised bridge as the cars backed up along the street. We decided to have a pre-dinner beer in Trade Winds, which turned out to be a bit of a dark bikers' bar but friendly and spotlessly clean (at least now at the start of the evening). We asked when the live music would start and it was now, so we sat and listened to a very good country and western singer-guitarist, who managed to promote the bar by saying 'this is the drinking part of the song' in the middle of each number; we happily obliged. After a few beers we went across the road to Harry's, an extremely popular seafood restaurant where we asked for an outdoor table (the garden is much more attractive than the inside) and after a one-hour wait chatting to some of the other diners (who gave us a $10-off voucher) we had an excellent meal of Voodoo prawns, Jambalaya and red beans and rice with smoked sausages with white and red wines, sitting outside in the still-balmy weather listening to the very good live blues guitarist. Weds 4th. After breakfast of left-over jambalaya at the high table in our apartment's fully-fitted kitchen we went out for a walk. First of course we had a look in several of the shops along St George Street including the tempting Chocolate shop. We went past the old fort towards the sea, to find that the seaside walk that a lady had described to us was in fact one block back behind houses, with occasional glimpses of sea and boats beyond. The houses were interesting though, mostly large clapboard buildings built off the ground to avoid flooding, then when we got to a fenced-off area occupied by a church we went up to the main road and resumed shopping as we returned to the old town. At the beginning of St George Street, the main tourist area, we stopped at Bin 39 wine bar and sat outside by a fountain enjoying big glasses of mimosa (Bucks Fizz in England) with a well-stocked platter of salami and cheeses. I worked off the rather boozy lunch by having a coffee in a café and walking to the St Augustine winery where I didn't partake in the free wine-tasting, while Sheila had the more traditional afternoon nap. We started our evening indulgences at the opposite corner of the market square with a beer in the A1A bar and restaurant but unfortunately the live musician wasn't as good as yesterday's so we moved on to Harry's again and after the regulation hour's wait we had another wonderful meal of Louisiana Fondeaux (shrimp and crawfish dip in a blend of three cheeses), another smoked sausage with red beans and rice and a shrimp po'boy baguette plus wine. Thurs 5th. Once again we finished yesterday's dinner for breakfast, then went across the road to have a look in the very nice Cathedral, home of the oldest Catholic parish in America, where Sheila lit a candle for her 'peeps'. The Spanish got here first but didn't go further up the coast, so the churches we saw further on were mostly Baptist, Presbyterian, etc. We drove north up the scenic coast road and joined the freeway for the rest of the journey to Savannah. Georgia - Savannah At first it was sunny and warm but as soon as we crossed the Georgia state border it clouded over and the rest of the way was through a torrential rainstorm, the remains of a hurricane that devastated Texas. We went back to the Savannah Bed and Breakfast where we had stayed last year, a characterful place in a row of old town houses, but found that they only had a room for tonight, not the two we were hoping for. During a slight pause in the rainstorm we got the 'Dot' free shuttle bus to the downtown shopping area and after a very short walk round, stopped at the WoB (World of Beer) bar for a nice glass of brown beer and a very tasty flatbread with minced steak, blue cheese and provolone. When we left, the pouring rain had resumed so we got the Dot back to the BandB and had a quiet afternoon reading, and the BandB's bedtime cookies and milk for dinner. Fri 6th. The weather was much improved today, still a cold wind but a clear, sunny sky. The nice lady on reception managed to get us the last available room at a Marriott suites in the downtown area for tonight, and the outlook started to feel much more cheerful. We had a nice breakfast at the BandB then a pleasant walk around the streets and squares (and some of the shops) in the attractive historic city centre. We had a look in the 'Pink House', a restaurant which was closed for renovation this time last year because the kitchen had caught fire. We went to the Marriott and found we could check in early, to a nice, airy 6th-floor room, then carried on walking round looking at the historic houses until we got to WoB where we had beer, wine and the same tasty flatbread as yesterday for lunch. For a bit of exercise we walked back to the BnB to collect our cases and wheeled them down the road to the Marriott, which tired Sheila out so she had a nap while I walked through the 'city market' (open air restaurants) to the historic Pirate House, a wooden place built in 1754, now a restaurant, and back along Factors Walk, the riverfront parade of shops and restaurants. In the evening we walked through the squares, avoiding the runners in a local marathon, to the Six Pence pub where we had a nice meal a year ago, and had another very nice meal, served by the very same waitress. Sat 7th. We had another walk through historic Savannah, down to the waterfront where there was a little market beside one of the paddle steamers, but an icy wind was blowing along the river so we went back up to the town and walked through the sunny squares by nice old houses, to the Civic Centre. We watched a junior dance/gymnastics competition that was going on in the large auditorium. Then we packed our bags and drove to Charleston. South Carolina - Charleston Our roomy, beautifully decorated AirBnB (apparently another converted garage but a very big one) was in the pleasant residential James Island suburb and after unpacking we had a short drive to a Walmart to return some secateurs we bought here last year which had broken (they refunded without quibble, try doing that in Marks and Spencer's) and a local BBQ restaurant to check the menu. As the sun was going down we got an Uber across the bridge to historic peninsula Charleston and revisited Toast, one of our favourite restaurants from last year, where we had our favourite meal of fried green tomatoes and delicious crab dip, washed down with a big jug of Mimosa. Sun 8th. We had a morning at the seaside, driving down Folly Road to Folly Beach and having a walk along the pier, watching the surfers trying to find a wave in the relatively calm Atlantic swell. Then we drove back to Smoky Oak taproom and BBQ for a really tasty brunch of brisket and sausage with coleslaw, beans, fries and onion rings, served on a tin tray. Sheila had a jug of Mimosa with hers so the afternoon turned into an extended nap (the last on this holiday, too much to do). About 6pm we got an Uber to the historic district while it was still light because the clocks went forward today, three weeks before they do in Europe. We had a nice long walk through the streets and lanes, looking at the fascinating old houses, many wooden clapboard with wrought-iron balconies and well-kept gardens, and Rainbow Row with its multi-coloured Georgian-style houses, down to the sea-front overlooking the harbour. Back through Market Street we went to Toast restaurant and another lovely meal of crab dip and spicy coconut shrimp (actually good-sized juicy prawns) with another jug of mimosa. Mon 9th. We drove along US17, the 'coastal highway' (although we couldn't see the sea because of the clapboard houses) and stopped for a tasty clam chowder and sandwich for lunch in the historic riverfront of Georgetown (one of many Georgetowns in the USA). North Carolina - Wilmington We continued on to Wilmington and stayed at Megan's AirBnB. After unpacking we got an Uber to downtown and walked up and down a bit, then went to Elijah's restaurant on the riverfront boardwalk. We had a drink as the sun went down over the river, then had a super meal there sitting out on the verandah, of prawns in a spicy cheesy sauce on French bread, and 'black and bleu' salad with beef and blue cheese. By 8:30 the restaurant and everything else in town was closing and we got a Lyft taxi back which worked well, like Uber but even cheaper. Tues 10th. We drove north for nearly three hours and stopped for petrol and a pulled-pork sandwich at a bbq restaurant off the motorway. They had a huge buffet for $10 but we couldn't do it justice, although the place was full of large Americans who could. Virginia - Historic triangle (Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown) and Charlottesville We arrived in Williamsburg and went to the visitor centre where we got a pile of maps and bought three-day tickets (starting tomorrow) at the Colonial Williamsburg Experience. We had a ride once round the site on the free shuttle bus to get our bearings, then drove to our 'BnB' which was a three-room apartment plus two bathrooms and a fully equipped kitchen, in a very nice Wyndham co-ownership resort (like time-share but much better, apparently) called Patriot's Place. The concierge gave us another big pile of maps and lots of useful information and restaurant recommendations, and we had a drive up and down Richmond Road where all the restaurants were, before stopping at Rocco's Smokehouse Grill for very tasty huge buffalo shrimps, bratwurst sausages and 'burnt ends' (Aberdeen Angus brisket) with Montepulciano d'Abbruzo wine and Alewerks (the local brewery) tavern brown ale. It was getting cold outside but back at the resort there was a nice warming firepit in the extensive gardens. Colonial Williamsburg Weds 11th. (1121 miles since leaving Miami) We spent the morning being sold to but didn't buy a timeshare - I thought Sheila was keen but she was only leading the salesman on thank goodness. At midday we went to Colonial Williamsburg and spent a fascinating afternoon in tours in the art gallery, watching staged 18th-century trials in the court house and photographing George Washington riding round on his horse. After a couple of complimentary glasses of wine in the resort reception we went to the Fat Tuna for a very tasty seafood meal, expensive but mitigated by a $30 voucher from the sales pitch in the morning. After sitting through the chat we also got a free week of holiday in any Wyndham resort, we'll see how that works out when we try to book it. Jamestown Thurs 12th. We drove to Jamestown, the site of the first British settlement in America, where it all started, and had a good look round the excellent museum there. Inside the fort there was a gunsmiths and guardhouse ..... .... in the harbour we went on board a tall ship to see where the captain lived .... .... and to the native American camp .... .... with fully furnished tents. Yorktown Then we went to Yorktown, site of the decisive battle in the US war of independence (where it all ended for the British) and looked round another big museum and the reconstructed army camp outside, with the army's kitchen .... .... and the surgeon's quarters. We rushed back to the resort to partake of the cheese and wine social in reception to find it had been cancelled because of the spreading Corona virus outbreak, but they gave us a bottle of wine to make up for it and we drove to a store by a garage to buy some cheese and salami and had a wine and cheese event in our suite. Finally we got a Lyft taxi to Sal's, a highly recommended Italian restaurant, for the best seafood thermidor ever, spaghetti carbonara and Montepulciano d'Abbruzo. Colonial Williamsburg again Fri 13th. Yet another breakfast of dinner leftovers in our suite and we were off to the Colonial Williamsburg art museum for a monologue by a free black woman at the time of the revolution, but it didn't hold our attention. After quietly sneaking out we walked along the main street of Colonial Williamsburg again visiting the Shoemaker, the Cotton spinner, the Tinmaker, the Silversmith and Jeweller and the Blacksmith. Then the Bakery for a coffee and a bun, all populated by people in 18th-century dress working with 18th-century tools on real projects (except the 21st-century coffee and muffin). Yorktown again, Monticello, Charlottesville, Skyline Drive We drove to Yorktown and revisited the army encampment and went to the 18th-century farm, where the people 'in character' gave us fascinating descriptions of the life and times, then came home to the apartment for wine and nibbles. We had to go to Sal's Italian again and it was just as marvellous as yesterday - seafood thermidor, scallops diavolo with a carafe of Montepulciano and nice brown beer. Sat 14th. Yes, leftovers from Sal's for breakfast again (Sheila's, she points out, John always eats all his) then we were off westward to Charlottesville. First stop was Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's plantation house on the top of a hill with tremendous views of the farmland that his slaves worked. He had six children by Sally Hemings, one of his favourite slaves, and he promised to free them when they were 21 which he did. Next we called in at Barboursville vineyard in lovely rolling hills but the restaurant was closed for a private function and the wine tasting was rather expensive. We went to our Airbnb near downtown Charlottesville and Sheila used the facilities in the apartment to do a big batch of washing, drying and ironing in record time. We got a taxi to the 'downtown mall' (actually a pedestrian street with shops and restaurants) and went to the recommended C and O restaurant (named after the Chesapeake and Ohio canal) which was nice but extremely expensive for a limited menu, none of which we fancied, so we ducked out and instead went to the cheap and cheerful Nook Café (established 1951) where we had surprisingly nice artichoke and spinach dip, black and blue burger and Rueben sandwich, with a Sycamore cab sauv and Legend brown ale. Sun 15th. We set off to find the Skyline Drive scenic route along the Blue Ridge mountains through Shenandoah national park. The satnav took us through picturesque rolling countryside with fields and hillsides of beautiful pink peach blossom, then took us for several miles up a dirt track through the mountains to a locked gate. Some walkers told us that Skyline Drive was indeed just the other side of that gate, but we'd have to go all the way back to the freeway to get on it. We did that and started following signs to the national park and Drive, but suddenly there weren't any signs and we were lost again. We gave up and started driving north to our next destination when we saw another more promising sign to the park and eventually, three hours (which we really enjoyed) after leaving the BnB, 15 miles from where we started, we found it. We paid $30 to enter the park and we were on the scenic Skyline Drive, where we plunged straight into thick fog! For two-thirds of the 64-mile drive we crawled through the fog, then as we lost some altitude from over 3,000 feet to 2,500 it cleared and we had a scenic ride for the last part of the way to the exit gate. West Virginia - Harper's Ferry Check-in time at our BnB in Harper's Ferry was 4pm and we drew up outside the house at exactly 4pm, after driving continuously for five hours (to cover 120 miles as the crow flies). The BnB was lovely and spacious and we settled in with some relief. After a rest we walked up Wellington Street, the main road, as far as the Anvil, a busy pub/restaurant where we had a very nice meal of crab dip, crab soup, clam chowder and blackened salmon salad, with draught amber ale and Pinot Noir. Mon 16th. We had a really nice walk round the 'lower town', the historic centre of Harper's Ferry. We went down Fillmore Street past nice old houses to the graveyard (on land donated by Mr Harper in the 1700s), past Jefferson's rock, his favourite viewpoint, and the Catholic Church (closed) and along Church Street, with great views of the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers which separate three states - Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia where we were standing. In the High Street, Towns Inn was closed for renovations but we had a nice sandwich and coffee for lunch in the Battlegrounds café opposite. Down at the bottom of the High Street we went to the Point, where the two rivers meet and also two railroads meet, crossing the river on two separate bridges before joining in a single tunnel through the Maryland heights. We looked around the nice old houses, shops and restaurants in the small, compact but hilly town before ascending Washington Street back to our B and B. On out-of-season weekdays the lower town closes early so Tabby, the nice proprietor of Battlegrounds café, gave us the number of Doug, her friend the taxi driver, who took us five miles to Charles Town where we had a wonderful Mexican meal at El Ranchero. He picked us up later when we continued our chat about the Beatles, his favourite group; he was a nice chap and also very good value. Virginia - Alexandria, and Washington DC Tues 17th. (1586 miles) Today was St Patricks day but unfortunately all celebrations had been cancelled because of the Covid virus (becoming a familiar story). We drove past Washington DC to Mount Vernon, George Washington's house, but it too was closed. Noticing that we were near Alexandria we went to have a look at the historic old town and it was lovely - we parked on King Street and walked down to the Potomac river in the sunshine, checking the shops and restaurants as we went. A nice lady in a shop gave us a voucher for 15% off at several restaurants and we went to Vola's, with a view of the boats and the riverside, for a nice lunch of fish and chips and fish sandwich. The sun was still shining so we went for a sightseeing drive through the centre of Washington DC to the White House and the Capitol Building, taking advantage of the amazingly light traffic in the city, then back across the river to find our BnB in Arlington. Once we'd settled in we got a Lyft taxi back to Alexandria for a lovely meal and several drinks at Blackwell Hitch, again with a view of the river and a big bridge. I wasn't very hungry so I thought I'd have 'just a shrimp salad' which turned out to be more exotic than I expected! Weds 18th. We resumed our tour of Washington DC at the Willard hotel, a big, ornate place just a block from the White House. Rooms there normally cost over $500 but they negotiated down to $200 plus parking $59 plus tax, because the hotel was so empty (we didn't stay because we already had a place booked but I fear Sheila will never let me hear the last of it). We had a quick look at the historic Henley Park hotel nearby and after that we drove to the historic Georgetown suburb where, among other celebrities, the Kennedys lived at 3017 N Street before moving down the road to the White House. We found a place to park in the semi-deserted streets and strolled through the interesting old houses and up-market shops and into Rock Creek Park where so many victims have been found in the NCIS TV show. We went along beside the C and O canal until we got to Baked and Wired, recommended in Lonely Planet, a café with a real Italian coffee machine and huge cupcakes, which we drank and ate sitting in the sun on a bench outside. We walked down to the waterfront park and zig-zagged back to the car, then drove to Alexandria to see what was happening on the Virginia side of town but it was beginning to shut down. Most of the restaurants were closed and the others were limited to ten people max inside and they were planning to close tomorrow because it wasn't economic to continue. We found a space at The Wharf and had a couple of glasses of wine and a she-crab and sherry soup for a late lunch, which turned out to be our last meal inside a restaurant this holiday, as they all became restricted to take-outs only. We returned to the BnB in Arlington and stocked up on wines and cheeses at the Whole Foods supermarket across the road. We finished off the left-over meals from the last few dinners and watched the TV until bedtime. Maryland - Annapolis and Baltimore Thurs 19th. We drove to Annapolis and found it was another extremely attractive riverside town with a historic centre full of old houses and shops, and a church and the state capitol building each in the middle of their own roundabouts. The junction of Main Street and Francis Street in Annapolis. Clapboard houses in Annapolis old town. We checked into the Westin a little way up West street from the town centre. Later in the afternoon we walked down West Street and through the old town to the harbourfront where a few boats were moored up but not nearly as many as in the summer season. We walked across the harbour to the Naval Academy, a huge complex of buildings and gardens, to the visitors center that was closed, then back to the central square by the harbour. Several restaurants were serving take-out food (none was allowed to let diners sit in) so we got smoky bbq beef and pulled pork with beans, cheesy potatoes, coleslaw and spicy sauce from Mission BBQ on the square. Back at the hotel we warmed it up in our microwave and had a tasty meal with our wines from yesterday's supermarket. Fri 20th. (1757 miles) We bought a smokehouse club sandwich to have later for brunch at Miss Shirley's café, featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, then drove to Baltimore 45 minutes away. We went to Fells Point, the historic old harbour district with cobbled streets, old houses and very upmarket apartments with their yachts parked outside. We walked around a bit but it started to rain, so we drove back via a Walmart store to stock up on essentials like (Lindt white) chocolate. The store was crowded and there were no shortages at all except for hand sanitizer. By the time we were back in Annapolis it was sunny and warm, so we stocked up with wine at a liquor store and had an ice cream on Main Street. Later we got Westin's Circulator free bus that drives up and down West Street and went to the harbour where people were sitting out and walking their dogs in the warm evening air. We got another nice takeout meal from Mission BBQ and got the bus (same driver on her next circuit) back to the Westin. The hotel lent us a corkscrew to open the latest wine bottle and we had another super 'picnic' in our room. Sat 21st. We drove back to Baltimore hoping to stay at a nice hotel with a view of the harbour that we'd seen yesterday. Unfortunately they revealed that the hotel was only on the ground floor where joggers and dog-walkers could come up outside and peer into your room (the upper floors were condominiums) and the nice man who had promised us a good deal couldn't be found by the desk clerk who had no authority to give us a discount. Disappointed we drove out of town, where Sheila spotted a bagel bakery where we had delicious onion bagels well filled with smoked salmon, cream cheese, capers and sliced onions (she reeled off the order from memory after having it so often when we were staying in Salt Lake City some years ago - I was impressed and got exactly the same because the possible combinations were overwhelming). We ate them in the car (American style) looking over the harbour. Delaware - Lewes and New Castle Delaware calls itself 'the first state' because it was first to ratify the constitution, and every car licence plate carries that slogan. We had asked the SatNav not to take us on any toll roads so we seemed to go a very convoluted route to Lewes, a pretty seaside town on the Delaware coast, where we arrived about 4:30 and had a drive along the coast road (the beach was hidden behind a row of houses) and into the picturesque little town centre. The museum, in an old clapboard house, still had a cannonball imbedded in the foundations from when the British besieged the town during the war of independence. We enquired about a room at a nice hotel in the centre but even though the manager offered a good discount it was still rather expensive ($190 + tax but with free parking) and not worth it for a few hours, so we drove a few miles out of town and stayed at an almost-empty Marriott Fairfield Suites on the coastal highway. There was nothing else nearby so we had a picnic of meats, cheeses and wine in our room. Sun 22nd. (2024 miles) After breakfast of croissants, fruit and cereal we drove back up the coastal highway to the other end of Delaware and went to New Castle, another picturesque former port. There were pretty houses and cobbled streets around the main square and down to the bay, and the only thing open was Jessop's Tavern, a characterful old wooden pub/restaurant with a huge range of unusual Belgian beers, some costing over $40 each, and delicious take-out sandwiches which we ate in the car. Pennsylvania - Philadelphia We drove along half-deserted freeways to Philadelphia and along the harbourside through railway yards and factories into the old city where we spotted a Marriott and checked in to the empty and echoing hotel. The staff were really friendly and probably pleased to see any customers. The weather had turned really cold but I had a walk around the old city to the Liberty Bell but it was in a closed building. I stocked up with blue cheese and beer at a little grocery store that was open and we had another picnic in our room. Mon 23rd March. (2139 miles) Philadelphia was shut, in lockdown, and it was pouring with rain and very windy so it was time to leave. First we drove around the city centre for a quick bit of sightseeing and a photo of the city hall, then we drove on towards Boston, 450 miles away where our original flight had been scheduled to leave from on the 4th of April. New Jersey and New York For speed we told the satnav to use toll roads (it estimated 11 hours if we didn't use toll roads, five hours if we did) and we drove across New Jersey on the New Jersey Turnpike at a cost of $13.65, luckily they were still accepting cash (most other toll booths were closed). We drove across the George Washington bridge (toll bill to come later) and through New York which seemed as busy and bad-tempered as always, on a convoluted route through the west side of the city. It started to snow in the city and at first we thought it was pretty, then as we drove up into Connecticut it became a real snowstorm, the temperature dropped to freezing and the road became an ice rink. It was impossible to go on and after we'd seen three accidents we decided to turn back, following a snow plough which was in the middle of both lanes to slow the cars down. We went 50 miles towards the airport and managed to book a flight from JFK on Wednesday. We stopped at a Marriott Fairfield Suites hotel, the rain continued to pour down and to make the day perfect the car suddenly developed a flat tyre. We sat in our room, ate a nice sandwich we bought at a Wawa when we filled up with petrol and drank the remaining beer from an earlier shopping trip. Tues 24th. The sun was shining and it looked like a better day. We borrowed a tyre pump from the garage across the street and the tyre stayed up long enough to drive over there where they plugged the two holes they found in it, a gash in the side and another slow puncture. The repair was enough for us to drive around and try about five different tyre shops until we found one that had exactly the right tyre to replace the one with the obvious holes. We drove to an extremely busy Walmart that was so huge that we lost each other in it and had to put a tannoy out to meet at customer services, so we abandoned our search for a bottle of wine (Walmart are allowed to sell beer but nothing stronger). As we were driving out of the shopping complex we saw a liquor warehouse, a huge, well-stocked place (no shortages there) that can only sell wine and spirits, but not beer and soft drinks! We stocked up for the rest of the day, bought an Italian sandwich from a Domino's Pizza place and headed back to the Fairfield Suites for a pleasant, boozy lunch. After a restful afternoon we had another meats, cheeses and wine picnic. Weds 25th. (2340 miles from the start) We flew home in the afternoon from a nearly deserted JFK airport, on a packed BA jumbo jet with everyone squashed in the back, one of the very few flights that was not cancelled. To add insult to discomfort, the service was restricted to a roll, a biscuit and water, no alcohol allowed. Nevertheless, it got us home on time and in good humour, many stranded travellers were not so lucky. This had not been as exotic and busy as most of our other holidays and nearly two weeks shorter, but we enjoyed it, especially the food and drink! If you would like to see more of our travels just click the map.