Category: Golf, Travel,Nature

Another Airport, Uber ride and city, and now in Austin, Texas. Our hotel isn’t quite ready, so we explore the local area. The Colorado River runs through Austin, and there is a tremendous amount of construction going on. It is one of the USAs fastest growing cities, with a strong tech presence. We even saw driverless cars! The temperature is in the early 30s, with high humidity, and we are pleased when our room is ready.

Very close to Downtown is Rainey Street, consisting of a number of old bungalows. These have been converted in to bars and restaurants, and we had dinner at Bangers. This specialises in sausages and smoked meats, but also have salads and vege options. The street is now surrounded by high rises.

Today is bike tour day, and our guide is Rooster, who is quite a character. With another couple, he guides us around Austin on powerful e-bikes, which you don’t even need to pedal. It’s an interesting tour, and Rooster does a good job.

It is the beginning of summer, and Texas is really warming up. 34degrees today in Austin, and Houston could be hotter.

After dinner at a Japanese restaurant opposite our hotel, we walk down to the river area to do a kayak tour. The main purpose of the tour is to watch the Austin bat population fly out from a bridge, to get their food. There are approximately 1 million bats who have made the underside of the Congress Bridge their home. Around 9pm they emerge and swoop off. Huge numbers of people on the water and on the bridge to watch. A little difficult to see, and somewhat of an anti climax.

Another hot day in Austin, but our activity today is mainly indoors. We are going to the nearby Texas Hill Country and a BBQ lunch, followed by wine tasting at two wineries. Our tour leader is Jax, and making up our group are seven young ladies from Florida, on a bachelorette weekend. Assisting Jax is Cliffy, and both guides are friendly and helpful.

Lunch is at Salt Lick, a traditional Texas BBQ joint, where they slow cook the meat, and use flavoursome dry rubs. The meat is very tender and melts in the mouth!

Off to our first winery, which is just over the road, called Fall Creek. Many of the wines are made from local grapes, some from other parts of Texas and some from California. All good quality. Ten minutes up the road is Duchman Winery, specialising in Italian varieties made from Texas grapes. Again, good quality.

The volume on the ride back has gone up considerably, but the ladies are good value and interested in NZ.

Quite a tiring journey from Nashville to New Orleans, as we had a stopover in Atlanta. However, upon arrival at our Homewood Suites hotel, although early, our room was ready. A change into lighter clothing, and off we go exploring.

It is noticeably warmer and more humid than previous destinations, but it is manageable. The French Quarter is very busy with people, and Bourbon Street is as expected, tacky and touristy.

Back to the hotel, then dinner at a restaurant up the road, which is Vietnamese. We will sample the local food tomorrow!

Today is our New Orleans bike tour. There are four other people on the tour, a group from New Zealand! Our tour guide is Eric, and he is excellent. A local, with great knowledge of the history of the area. It was interesting cycling around the inner city neighbourhoods. The overall impression was of a place of unique character, but quite rundown and grungy. The road surfaces were poor, and the areas were not at all affluent. New Orleans is built on a swamp, is hot and humid and vulnerable to hurricanes and flooding, so you need to be resilient to live here!

Eric took as to a cemetery. Burials must be above ground, due to the swampy, shifty ground below. Families are buried in mausoleums, stacked on top of each other. A coffin is placed in its burial site, and is not touched for a year. After this time, the heat has caused rapid deterioration of the body.

Overall, a really informative tour, one of the best we have done. For lunch we went to the famous Cafe du Monde, and indulged in the Beignet, deep fried squares of sweet yeast dough, absolutely covered in icing sugar. Once we removed most of the sugar, they were not bad, but hardly earth shattering.

As it was hot and humid, we walked to a large outlet mall by the river. Nice and air conditioned, and Blair picked up a bargain top from Tommy Bahama.

Dinner for the evening was a restaurant nearby called Streetcar Cafe. Nothing fancy, but a chance to try some of the local dishes such as Gumbo and Jambalaya. Both dishes include rice, and are tasty and filling. Talking of local foods, I have been having grits for breakfast. Similar to porridge, it is made from coarsely ground corn, which is boiled. Pretty much tasteless, so ingredients need to be added to provide flavour.

After a hearty breakfast, and loaded with grits, we visited a museum which caught our eye. It is the Pharmacy Museum, and the building, constructed in 1822, is the apothecary and residence of the USAs first licensed pharmacist. An extensive and fascinating displays of old potions, treatments and equipment.

Our final night in New Orleans, and we dine at Luke, a slightly more upmarket venue than our previous dining options. It is very busy, with the usual American prompt and efficient service. The food portions are huge, with my pork schnitzel taking up most of the plate. A nice way to conclude our stay. Tomorrow .. we are off to Texas.

And so, out to Nashville Airport and a 90 minute flight to Charleston, South Carolina. A turbulent flight, as we flew through a front. However, we landed safely and settled in to our hotel, the Homewood Suites. We dined at an Italian restaurant, Mario’s, recommended by the receptionist.
Went for a wander in the local area after dinner. Very warm with light showers, and we liked what we saw.

The next morning, we had booked a Walking Tour with a history commentary from our guide. He was particularly knowledgeable, and a forceful personality. We found it most worthwhile. Had a good walk around the historical area of town, which is very walkable. It is certainly warm .. probably early 30’s, but not uncomfortable.

Dinner was at Virginia’s on King, which was wholesome food in a nice, friendly environment. There happened to be a live music event in Marian Square next door, so after a wander around Charleston College, we sat on the grass to watch. A local singer on keyboard, with a drummer to accompany. Very polished.

Tomorrow, New Orleans, or as the locals say, Noo Awlins.

A straightforward internal flight from DC to Nashville, and we settled into our hotel around lunchtime. Staying at the Dream by Hyatt, near Printers Alley and a couple of blocks from the lively Broadway.

Went for a walk down Broadway, and couldn’t believe the number of “honky tonk” bars, all pumping out live music! Went for a walk in the local area, including Jack White’s “Third Man” recording studio.

Attached to the hotel is Stateside bar and restaurant, so we had dinner there. It was very quiet .. obviously, everyone down Broadway!

In the Printers Alley, is a blues bar called Bourbon Street. So we went in and watch Ping Rose and his band play. No cover charge, and ID required .. for everyone, including me!

Today is the Country Music Museum and Hall of Fame. It is very interesting, right from the beginnings of Country and Bluegrass music, through to present day such as Taylor Swift and Luke Combs.

Then an afternoon walk in nearby Bicentennial Park. Great views of the Capitol Building. It was very warm and humid this afternoon, so a nice cold beer was just the ticket. Happy hour .. $5 for a beer!

We decide to brave it, and head to Broadway for dinner and some live Honky Tonk music. Our destination was “Robert’s” but it was packed. The Pharts ended up in Jimmy Buffet’s “Margaretaville”, which was less busy, with a solitary singer and his guitar. Food was good, but way too much! We wandered up and down Broadway, got blasted by the music and large crowds, and lamely, headed back to our hotel.

Tomorrow is our bike tour, and in the evening, a concert in the Ryman Auditorium.

Bike tour time, and we meet our guide, Bee, mount our e-bikes, and we are off. There are 10 people in the group, and Bee does a great job of steering us around the city. Commentary is through a speaker in the helmet, so she can constantly feed us information, which she does. She lead us into the Gulch, which is a new and upmarket area of Nashville, and around the Music recording areas also. Excellent tour.

Bee had recommended the Tennessee State Museum, so we checked it out in the afternoon. It is near Bicentennial Park and the Farmers market, and it was most impressive.

Before our Larkin Poe concert at the Ryman Auditorium, we had dinner at a huge food hall nearby. Every conceivable type of food, and we chose Vietnamese, which was very nice.

Opening for Larkin Poe was Katie Pruitt, and she played a lively set of Southern Rock. Then the two sisters and their backing band, who are Larkin Poe. Once again, lively southern country rock and blues, with an acoustic bluegrass set halfway through. The band really turned it on, and the crowd in the small and historic venue, loved it! Last night in Nashville and an appropriate ending.

Our final Amtrak train ride is Philly to DC, a two hour journey. The train is full, as it is Memorial Day on Monday, so a long weekend for Americans.

It is a comfortable twenty minute walk from the train station, with a pass by of Capitol Hill. We check in to our hotel, then walk to the Mall, and the iconic Washington buildings.

We find an American pub, Hawk n Dove for dinner. Classic pub fare and pretty good.

Breakfast is included in this hotel visit, but there is a large Italian tour group here, so it was pretty crowded. Also, average food to be fair.

This morning we have our group bike tour. Kirby is our guide and does a good job of leading us around the Capitol Hill area. A lot was a rehash of what we saw yesterday, but with a detailed commentary. Still, we found it worthwhile.

After lunch from one of the many food trucks, we walked to the Lincoln Memorial, which is at the far end of the National Mall. Our first Museum was next, the Natural History. Place was packed, and quite difficult to get around. We did however see the “Hope Diamond”, the largest known blue diamond. Also, lots of dinosaur fossils.

Dinner is at a nearby Mexican restaurant called Los Caballeros. Excellent food and very prompt service.

After an exhausting previous day of cycling and walking, today we will make extensive use of the DC Metro system. It turns out to be modern, cheap and efficient.

Our first destination is the Arlington National Cemetery, across the river from DC in Arlington, Virginia. Monday is Memorial Day, so there are many people visiting for the weekend. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres. It is maintained by the US Army, and is pristine.

Back on the Metro, and back across the river to The Wharf area, with restaurants, hotels and a fish market. We have a sandwich for lunch, and Metro to the Smithsonian National Art Museum. This place is huge, and the crowd is not too bad. The older, original building hosts older artworks, and the newer East Wing, the more modern. A lot to see!

Our dinner destination is the historic Mr Henry’s, which has been in Capitol Hill since 1966. Roberta Flack began her singing career there!
Unfortunately, the food and service were mediocre. Plenty of it, as expected, and we had salads, but only average.

Our final full day in DC, and we hit the Metro and visit Georgetown, via the Foggy Bottom stop. The latter has Washington DC University, the former, Georgetown University, where Bill Clinton once studied. There is a nice park and eating area along the river (similar to the Wharf), and some nice shops and lovely old row houses. A number of films feature this Georgetown neighbourhood, with steps featuring in The Exorcist. We walked across the Potomac river into Rosslyn, and Metro back to our hotel for some lunch.

Although the Smithsonian National Museums are free, a time must be booked for the Air and Space Museum. The reason being it is relatively small, and very popular. Being Memorial Day, there is also a procession down Constitution Avenue of marching bands etc. Impressive on both counts.

After another big walking day, dining again is local, a Thai Restaurant, which we thoroughly enjoy. Tomorrow, a domestic flight to Nashville.

Arrival in to “Philly” was delayed an hour, with Amtrak having signal issues! The forecast for the next few days is cold and wet, so we explore the Old Town area on foot, while the weather is good. Our hotel, the Cambria, is more than adequate, and centrally located. There is a noticeable increase in presence of homeless and mental health issues people, compared to our previous two neighbourhoods.

Dinner that night is at a nearby establishment called “Bud and Marilyns.” Good food and service.

With the weather looking cool and damp, and with our bike tour postponed until tomorrow, we decide to hit the streets. Breakfast is bagels and coffee at a local cafe, and off we head.

The Rocky movies were set in Philly, and the steps leading up to the Museum of Art, and the Rocky statue are popular with visitors. It is about a pleasant 30 minute walk from our hotel to the Museum of Art, along the leafy Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

After a visit to the Reading Terminal market, which was heaving, we had a famous Philly Cheese Steak for lunch. It was .. fine.

The afternoon’s activity was a visit to the American Museum of the Revolution. There were interesting displays, and we came away with a better understanding of the history.

For our evening dinner and entertainment, we walked around the corner to Chris’s Jazz Cafe. The music was provided by a high school big band jazz group. The place was packed (including many proud parents), and they were very good.

Our final full day in Philly, and it is cold and wet. We have a bike tour booked, so decide to press on with it. Although conditions were unpleasant, we were pleased we did it as our guide, Jonas, was excellent. His knowledge of the history of the area was extensive, and we felt quite safe riding with him. Recommended.

At the conclusion of the tour, we were cold and wet, so went back to the hotel and changed. Then, the Reading Terminal market and a pork sandwich. The portions are so big over here, you just need one between two people, and that is plenty.

By now it is mid afternoon, so we catch the subway to the Mutter Museum, basically a medical museum with gruesome displays of bones, organs etc.

Dinner tonight was to be Italian food at Little Nonnas. However, they were full, it was raining, so we returned to the nearby Bud and Marilyn’s. Good food and service, and a nice way to conclude our stay in Philly.

Time to travel from sedate Boston, to the manic madhouse that is New York. A previous visit had us staying in mid town Manhattan, so this time we are in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

A almost 5 hour train journey had us in Penn Station, then we caught the subway, which landed us near our hotel. There were bars everywhere heaving with people. First impressions .. this place is “mental!”

We were very hungry from our travels, and were lucky to be squeezed in to the Sweetwater restaurant, a short walk away. Excellent food and service. We then wandered down to the East River, with views to Manhattan silhouetted by the setting sun.

After a disturbed night’s sleep due to nearby loud music, we made our way down to Isla Cafe for brunch. It has a supposed Aussie theme, and indeed the waitress was an Aussie! Great food, and set up for the day. We then walked around the local neighbourhood, taking in the sights and sounds. The people are mainly younger, and it has a busy and sometimes hectic vibe.

It was then on to the subway to the theatre district of Manhattan, for the afternoon matinee of “The Book of Mormon.” Manhattan is just so busy, it is almost overwhelming. The show was excellent, and packed full.

Back to Brooklyn, and decisions for dinner. Our waitress the previous evening had suggested a Brazilian restaurant called Beco, which was close by. It was however, packed, so we eat at a Mexican place called Casa Publica. Food and beer very good.

Today is Brooklyn bike tour day, with the meeting point supposedly 30 minutes by bus. However, the bus is running late, so we get an Uber. The traffic here is heavy, but we arrive in time. Much to our surprise, Sue and I are the only guests. So for the next five hours, tour guide Jeff takes us all over Brooklyn. It is an interesting and vibrant place, but wouldn’t want to live there! He took as to a famous Italian sandwich place for lunch called Defonte’s Sandwich Shop in Red Hook. It had been in business for over 100 years. Huge sandwiches, and Sue and I wisely got one and shared it. Top quality.

At the conclusion of the bike tour, we Ubered back to the hotel, and reflected on the ride. Certainly covered a lot of territory, in fact probably more than necessary. Dinner that night is at Beco, a Brazilian restaurant a short walk away. I had the national dish called Feijoada, a stew of black beans, beef and pork plus rice, sautéed collard greens and other accompaniments. Delicious!

New York has been enjoyable, but intense. It is a hectic, fast paced lifestyle and we are happy we chose Williamsburg to base ourselves, and not Manhattan. Tomorrow, Philly.

The Old Pharts are on the move again, with a 4 week visit to the USA. They fly from Auckland to San Francisco, then connect to Boston. Very tired by the time they reach their Boston Hotel, which is late in the evening, they head straight for bed.

After a sleep in, the Kiwi travellers leave their central Harborside Inn Hotel, and find some lunch. The day is sunny in Boston, around 18 degrees, so they walk to Boston Common, then walk the very popular Freedom Trail. First impressions of Boston are most positive. A great mix of old and new, they are obviously very proud of their history.

Dinner that night is at the Granary Tavern. American pub style food which we enjoy. In true America style, large plates of food, and not great value with the addition of tax and tip!

After a night great nights sleep .. still adjusting to our new time zone .. we breakfast at Espresso Love, then the commencement of our bike tour. Our guide is Austin, and for the next two and a half hours, seven of us pedal around the Boston area. Boston is one of America’s oldest city, being founded in 1630.

After having lunch with a fellow cyclist, we walk around the waterfront area.

Dinner was to be at the Bostonia Public House, but it was full. A lot of people in Boston as there is a basketball game on, the Boston Celtics against the New York Knicks. We dined instead at Provisions, which was busy, but they fitted us in. Excellent food, and the Celtics won!

A bit of rain about today, but reasonably mild, so the Pharts are taking the train over the river to Cambridge. It is a city in its own right, and is the location of the prestigious Harvard University. A couple of our friends sons have studied there, and is very interesting to wander around. There is a Museum on campus, including the “Glass Flowers” exhibition. Also the Peabody museum.

It is our final day in Boston, and after a hearty breakfast at the nearby Bean and Leaf cafe, we took the commuter train to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. It is a private collection, put together by a wealthy Boston woman, which opened in 1903. In 1990 there was a theft at the Museum. Thirteen art works were stolen, valued at $500 million. They have never been recovered.

We then made our way to Beacon Hill, passing the site for the exterior site of “Cheers”, a popular sitcom from the 80’s. We followed the Black Heritage trail around the now exclusive Beacon Hill. A warm afternoon, so before heading back to our hotel, we had a cold beer at the Samuel Adams Brewery tap room.

After being turned away twice, we finally dined at the Bostonia Public House. Good food .. they serve wonderful salads at all the establishments we have so far visited. A nice mild evening, so a walk around the waterfront, and back to our hotel. Tomorrow, New York.

With the Old Pharts well rested after their Otago Rail Trail cycle adventures, it was time to tackle the Lake Dunstan cycle ride. As they are staying in Arrowtown, they drive to Cromwell, where they are using the company Kiwi Journeys for this day ride. This company provides bike hire, plus shuttles riders and bikes to Clyde, so the riders can then cycle back to Cromwell. About 45kms for the ride.

The day is brilliantly fine, although a little cool. It is expected to warm to a pleasant 25degrees C. The bonus of cycling in this direction is stopping for lunch at Carrick winery, near Cromwell. Also exploring the old heritage end of Cromwell township.

A fantastic ride, very well supported by Kiwi Journeys!