It's Always Sunny In...

Getting the morning bus proved unproblematic despite not getting many hours sleep after the previous nights escapades. I have now been walking around the streets which Bruce Springsteen sang about for three days and it really is a pretty city. Philadelphia played a vital part in the country gaining it's independence and was at one point the capital city. This is evident when walking around, with signs bragging about different important Philadelphians, places of historical interest and a bell with a big crack in it. I also walked to the Art Museum which boasts one of the biggest and most significant art-collections in the U.S.A. However most people seem to opt to do what I did, ignoring the museum and just running up the staircase made famous by Sylvester Stalone in the Rocky movies.

I have also made a realisation which is sad, as I doubt I will be able to do the usual spontaneous travel which I love to do. The United States just aren't used to backpackers, and prices for bustickets go up a lot if not booked well in advance and hostels are few and far between meaning reservations are often very necessary, I was very lucky to get a bed last night without booking. As an example Philadelphia has a population comparable to Budapest, but while the Hungarian capital has over 260 hostel listings Philadelphia has a measly ONE!!!
Now it is time for me to leave the city of brotherly love and catch my bus towards the next city which is Baltimore.

ReuNYons

I'm getting very used to the New York lifestyle by now and it really is an amazing city. For those of you who don't know my Grandfather, he lives in a small apartment in Manhattan with his wife and thousands of different antiquities mostly Mickey Mouse models. Every square inch of their flat is occupied by the antiques, yet one day my Grandfather thought it would be a good idea to buy a new sofa. What followed was a farcical event, similar to the famous "Pivot-scene" in Friends, as me and a moving-man maneuvered the giant piece of furniture up 8 flights of stairs and then somehow managed to squeeze it through the apartment door and fit it in the already crowded space. Last week we celebrated Cicci's birthday, then I met Linus and Joa, two Swedes I played football with in my youth and haven't met in over 10 years, and then my friend Mikey decided to come over from Stockholm, so it's been a busy time meeting up with everyone. Tonight I will have one last New York reunion as I'm going to meet Nico, a New Yorker I met in Tel Aviv almost two years ago before I hopefully manage to catch my early bus to Phiadelphia tomorrow morning.

The Mickey Mouse Madness that is my Grandfather's home

(Half)Englishman In New York

Start Spreading The News...

I'm leaving today... Since my last post over a year ago I've gotten back into the normal routine of things, working at the same pub for 10 months before resigning to enjoy what turned out to be one of the best Stockholm summers I can remember. I also went to my Uncle's wedding in Brighton and had an epic one month long roadtrip of Eastern Europe with a few Aussie mates, flying to Macedonia and travelling up through some beautiful countries before getting the ferry back to Sweden. Now however is the beginning of my new big trip. My first destination will be New York City, I decided the date of 9/11 was an appropriate day to get the ball rolling and from there I plan to travel by road all through the Americas hopefully getting to Brazil before the Football World Cup has begun in June next year. The route isn't set in stone but I hope to be able to share some amazing experiences with you readers over the coming months, hopefully it wont be as dramatic as my last trip across the Atlantic...