A little OTT?

No disrepsect intended at all, honestly, but I think I know how to behave myself.

New Joisey, New York & Washington D.C.

Last month, Robyn and I headed west for a long overdue trip to see my brother and his family in New Jersey, America. I really am going to try keep this as succinct as possible – I say this every time – but in a nutshell we had a superb time.

Brett, Chenay, Sophie and Amber live in a really picturesque little town in northern New Jersey (The Garden State) called Ramsey. It was great to finally see where they've been living for the last 4 years. In a way, it was very similar to the image I had in my mind, picture 'Who's the Boss' and you aren't far off. Wooden slat houses (complete with ubiquitous American flag), picket fences, big gardens, chipmunks, shopping malls and SUV's. From a tourist perspective, highlights (other than playing various ball games in the garden) were the Long Pond iron works and it's 'Ghost trees', a scenic drive up to Bear Mountain, where we could see the Manhattan skyline some 50 miles away (not to be confused with 'Big Bear' – Ridge and Brookes favourite haunt) and around to Piermont Pier, Brady's Pub (thankfully we didn't see Sammy Brady from Days of Our Lives there) and a few trips to the smorgasbord of shopping malls, where, ever so briefly, I felt what it must be like to be wealthy. Pounds go a a pretty long way over there.

We then headed into New York where we stayed with my second cousin Deborah, in the West Village. New York, for me was almost overwhelming. I mean, we knew, as everyone would, what to expect and yet still it exceeded expectations. We pretty much walked the city flat and did all the usual touristy things, so I won't bore you with all the details. It was also cool to get an insight of how New Yorkers live and Deborah did not disappoint with her choice of characterful restaurants and bars, all within walking distance of her apartment. Something I would definitely recommend, is a trip up the Rockefeller centre, as opposed to the Empire State building. Why? Because from the 'Top of the Rock' you get unobstructed views of Central Park, and superb views of Manhattan, including the Empire State building, which is an icon of New York.

After a few days, we then jumped on an Amtrak train bound for Washington D.C. A three hour train ride from the Big Apple. Washington was a totally different experience from the bustle of New York. George Dubya's home town is a bold statement, and rightly so, of everything American, but if I'm honest, I was slightly disappointed. I don't know why mom. Maybe I'm being super-critical, but I battled to buy into the overtly patriotic vibe. It could be, that for me, there were too many memorials in one place, or because we had just been in New York, or that after living in the UK for 3.5 years, I have a slightly different, perhaps cynical view of the American dream, I'm not sure. Nevertheless, it is an incredibly pretty, mellow legislative town, and the the Mall, which includes Capitol Hill*, Washington Monument (obelisk), the Reflecting Pool, the Lincoln Memorial and a host of other memorials, is mightily impressive. Another recommendation, should you ever find yourself wondering the streets of Washington, is the Air and Space Museum, one of the most interesting and interactive museums I've ever had the pleasure of visiting. And a 'New York strip steak' from the Old Ebbit Grill.

Now then, did I keep that succinct? I thought not.

*CapitOl and not CapitAl as a 'Capitol' is a building housing a legislative assembly