En Route to USA and Day 1 - The Highs and Lows

It has been a long haul, but we have made it.

Brian Roach was rather peeved at Qantas when he realised that the fifty dollars he had paid for his choice of a particular seat had been a total waste of cash.  He was nowhere near the requested seat. There were some harsh words exchanged at check-in, and I hear that some threats of defecting to Emirates in future may have sounded through the check in hall, but all to no avail. He was stuck with the allocated seats and that was it.

The flight to LA was reasonably painless, and the layover was just long enought to stretch the legs and visit the little boys or girls room before the next leg to New York.

After 21 hrs flying time, the sight of NYC below us was very welcome.

Onwards to our apartment.  Nine of us in a five bedroom apartment in the heart of Manhattan just a short stroll to Times Square, Grand Central Station and all the bars and restaurants anyone could ever wish for. Heaven !!

If only the apartment measured up to the photos and expectations.

We really wanted the authentic New York apartment experience - and we got it, but the filthy rathole that we were shown into on arrival was a bit of a shock.  Our "greeter" James was so proud to show us the rooftop terrace and the balcony off the kitchen.  He proudly displayed the complementary Berkshire blanket and two bottles of welcome wine.  He forgot to show us the filthy state that was the reality of the this apartment.  It was not just dirty - it had not been cleaned in months, with dirt and dust everywhere, showers full of the last fifty guests hair, and ..... I have to stop.  Its too depressing.

A perusal of the photos we were sent revealed that this was NOT the apartment we were shown. The layout was different, the flooring was not the same, and the kitchen was totally different.

For a fleeting moment I did feel a little sorry for poor James who greeted us - he copped a decent serve - but after some heavy words and further exchanges of pleasantries, my sorrow for him evaporated, and a determination to withhold a healthy percentage of the balance owing on the accommodation replaced it.

James has now run off to Marton who apparently owns the accommodation company.  He left us with a promise of a cleaner attending first thing in the morning, as well as a technician to make the TV work.  Time will tell. Even dodgy Dennis laughed at the standard of workmanship.

After the disappointment of the accommodation, we headed off to Rare Bar and Grill just across the road at the corner of 3rd Ave and 37th Street.  The food was GREAT, and the beer cold. We did claim our first victory of the tour when the waiter sadly infromed us that we had drunk the bar out of Coronas, so we powered on to various other brews, including some locals which were well received.

Brian Wilson was so impressed to be able to count the bedsprings in the mattess in his room, and we are waiting for reports of what other couples (or singles) got up to for the remainder of the night. The walls are so thin we will no doubt know well before anyone surfaces.

As for the rest of us, we are totalled, and its now well over 30 hours since we went to bed. We need some zeds.

Catch you tomorrow when we are expecting to hear from Marton and continue our negotiations on whether he gets the remainder of his accommodation fee or not.  If I was Marton, I woudn't go spending it before he gets it.