We got out of bed at 1400h on the 12:th of June (Swedish time), It’s now 1800h on the 13:th of June and we are still up.

We are home. We are in Sweden.
We left the Hotel in New York early thinking the cab ride would take long due to traffic, it didn’t; thinking check in would be a drag, it wasn’t; thinking security would take forever… nope. So we had a fair long wait at JFK international airport.

The flight from New York, in cattleclass, wasn’t fun. After that we had to sprint to our connecting flight in Munchen. Sprint with hurdles: I got questioned by customs, Tullan lost her passport but we made it only to, after we boarded the plane to Stockholm, learn that there was something wrong with it. After a 1h 30min delay we were of. 

Landing in Stockholm was followed by a 2h 30min drive to Högfors where we are now. Bosse the dog greeted us with a bit of a tail wag.

Tomorrow Gothenburg.
New York was great and it’s god to be home, like killing two birds with one stone (though Chuck Norris can kill two stones with one bird). 

Ok. Good morning to you all. It’s 0900h here. Last couple of hours here in New York. Our flight, hopefully, leave at 1745h (New York time). We will fly for 8h to Munich, waiting there for about 2h, another 2h flight home and then a 2h 30 min drive from Arlanda to Högfors, where we will spend the night. We will arrive back west, where the islands collide with the salty water, on the 14:th between 1200h and 1400h (Swedish time).

If I can I’ll check back with you from Gemany if not; we’ll see you when we get home.
This is Camilla, Tullan and Tomas signing of from New York with the skyline veiw from the 28:th floor of the New York Helmsley Hotel.

(You’ll have to picture it yourselves… For some reason I can’t upload it… A blu sky with lots of tall buildings… You get the deal.)

So, last full day here in New York and we didn’t waste any time.
After breakfast at Pax we got on the subway and went up to 86:th street. We haven’t been to much on the subway but after doing some math, we realized that in order to earn back the 25 dollar week long subway pass, and one fare costing two dollars, we had to ride thirteen times. So today we rode like hell. But let’s not get in front of ourselves.

Today was a bit cooler, only around C 33-34 degrees so we decided to give Central Park another chance. It was nice. We stood by the Jackie Kennedy Onassis reservoir for a while. Strange placid feeling in the middle of the big city.

Before we entered Central Park we passed by the Guggenheim Museum (and popped in to the museum store). Unfortunately both exterior and interior is under heavy renovation so: no museum tour for us.

After walking around a bit we re-grouped in the hotel (the real reason for going back to the hotel was me, the Don, having to change shirts since it is so hot I sweat like a… like a lot).

With a new shirt we again went down to what has become my favourite part of New York: the East village. We went in search of sneakers, which I have desperately been looking for the whole week. At first we didn’t find them, we found a nice coffee shop, a nice Italian restaurant, a nice market, a nice second hand shop and then there they were; the sneakers from sneaker heaven sent to me by the sneaker god and so on and stuff (God damns it!)

We walked some more on Broadway passing New York University which also lies in a nice neighborhood. One thing though; Niklas from Niklas mat can shove a glove up his rove… (Ok it’s not actually his fault but in part, he is to blame… for what, I don’t know.) We went to find the Dessert truck which supposedly was supposed to be there, according to the website that is. It wasn’t. We asked an old lady by the road selling sunglasses. She said “Sometimes it comes, sometimes it doesn’t.” It didn’t today. But that’s ok because before we couldn’t find the truck which didn’t come; we had Mojitos! 

Back to the hotel!

As we went back out, getting out of the hotel, standing on E 42nd street, facing west, seing the sun set, I saw a police car pulling another car, a Mercedes with a woman driver, over. The police men, two of them got out of their car and proceeded to walk towards the Merc. The police on the driver side of the Merc started talking. I, standing to far from the conversation, imagined the police man sounded a bit like this:

“I’m a police man and you shut up get on the ground drug dealer!” Reeeespeckt my ATHORATIIIIIIIIII!

After that we took the subway to Timer Sq. were we had dinner at Appelbees.

Picture one: Camilla at JKO Reservoir Central Park
Picture two: Coolest part of New York

Ok! So what did we do today?
We started the morning by waking up to police sirens, fire engine sirens and ambulance sirens as we do every morning. You would think that having a hotel room on the 28:th floor wold help to keep then noise of the city away but no. It might be that there’s just one glass windows or that the sounds reflect of the tall buildings. Mind you this is no complaint; it’s just the way it is here in New Bastu… sorry, New York.

After we had gotten up and gotten dressed we went out into the heat and before I say anything els I want to talk a little about the heat (I know I’ve done it already but I don’t think you understand how severe the situation is).

We walk out of the hotel into a wall of warm. For every full day that we have been here it’s gotten warmer. The first day was C 38,3 degrees and today it must have reached over C 40 degrees… and that’s in the shade. How warm do you think it down in the subway or in the sun? And it’s not just New York that has got strange weather for the season, all of America is upside down (as I am writing this a thunderstorm just rolled in over town with lots of lightning and thunder… let’s hope for some rain); in the west it’s to cold, in the middle the cows have to learn how to swim because of extensive raining, and here it’s warm as you wouldn’t believe. Yesterday evening at 2300h it was about C 33 degrees. Get that! (There is really a lot of lightning now… I think I’ll unplug the power cord from my computer… there, done.) 

So on to today. The first thing we did was to get on the subway and head on up to central park. We just gor to se the most southern part of it. It was so warm we couldn’t be outside. I have never experienced that heat has gotten to me physically in this way. It makes you nauseous. (It’s lightning like hell!) So we started to walk down 5:th avenue instead. Going in to every other air conditioned shop just to keep cool. On 5:th avenue you have all the luxury shops. We passed Prada, Gucci and naturally H&M, the worlds largest (I have no fact supporting my claim) H&M, which we just had to go in to (not I, I did it under protest). We also went into Saks, a famous department store, were Camilla got pampered (as depicted below).

After all the walking we had to get a coffee. We, as we always do though Tullan now seem to hate it, went to Starbucks, this time in Trump Tower, a copper an marble dream (or perhaps nightmare… I’m leaning towards nightmare).

Back at the hotel we chilled for a while watching Greece-Sweden on the TV (yup they showed it here on ESPN2). Goooooo Sweden, Zlatko!

Yesterday when we were at Westchester mall we went into a store called Express. The sales clerk there recommended that we eat dinner at a place called Dallas BBQ so tonight we did. Oh my god! Matkoma big time! Really good food.

After that we just walked around for a while.
Tomorrow will be our last full day here. I wonder what we’ll do?

Double picture deluxe:
One: Me, the Don, Kid Kommando, Kobra Kai, in Central park
Two: Camilla being pampered in Saks

So last night we went here; Jackson Hole. I can’t speak for the others but the burger I had there, a cheeseburger with bacon and mushrooms, was the best burger I’ve ever had in my hole life and I have had many burgers. So since nothing will top this burger I won’t be posting the eats any more. I don’t think that was a fun segment anyway…

Ok. So what did we de do today?
Well Tullans friend took us for a bit of a road trip. We went to a town called White Plains in upstate New York (New York state that is). Once there we went to a mall called Wetchester mall. I always wantet to go to a real American mall. That’s why we did it. It was brilliant, and air conditioned. This was the third day in a row with temperature of F 100+ degrees, that’s around C 40 degrees. Pretty hot.

After er had went around Westchester mall for four hours Tullans friend Loretta and her friend Lisa took us out of the state of New York and into the state of Connecticut in to a town, a really small, nice American town, called Greenwich. More than a bit of a change from the big city but it was great. It seems like we because of that experience added a dimension to our trip.

Picture of the day: The Ginger Man, a Bar in Greenwich.

Ok. Another day, more heat. Just as warm, if not warmer, today then yesterday. We just walk around town laughing. It’s ridiculous!

Last night we went out for Mexican. We soon after going out found ourselves in a restaurant called Tequilaville. We should have taken the not so funny name as an omen. We ordered frozen margaritas and food. The margaritas were all liquor, so strong, and the food was so-so (if you speak Swedish and preferably Göteborska you would say that the food: va la sådäär…).

We’ve done a bit of celebrity spotting. We’ve seen two of them; one American and one Swedish; David Byrne, the lead singer of the band Talking Heads and Björne! We’ve seen Björne! Jörgen Lantz, the man inside the bearsuite is staying at our hotel! How cool is that!? (Not so cool, I know.)

So, on to what we’ve been doing today: pretty much the same as we did yesterday. We’ve been shopping, eating and giong in to bars. Tullans friend Loretta joined us from Connecticut. We went into a “real American bar” the kind you see on TV, with a pool table and a bar and… well, just a ordinary bar I guess. We also went to a bar called The View wich is a hotel lounge bar at the Marriot Marquis in Times Sq. The bar is located on the 48:th floor and it’s revolving. Quite a view up there. That’s about it for today.

Todays eats: Pax, Starbucks, some bar in the East Village, Amy’s Bread, some bar in the West Village, Silver Spur, The View and then Pax again for cheesecake!