New York New Yorking: Part 4

Wow. I am so grateful that you've stuck with me rambling on about my holiday for three long posts. Kudos to you, dear reader.

I'll get straight on with it.

The hangover was dire. My blood was roaring in my ears and my head throbbed like a kick drum. I needed hangover food - and FAST!

Luca Brasi's, Hoboken

We decided to combine getting some direly needed fresh air, walking the dog and buying our hangover breakfast into one easy bite-size mission, and we strolled down to Luca Brasi's - a proper Italian deli!

The Blue Gatorade

The hearty roll, plus the trusty blue Gatorade - which had, by this point in my trip, evolved into my hangover staple! - was enough to quell the thunderstorm of my stomach and quench the desert of my mouth...

However, the quiet, ominous rumbling of nausea was unshakable; no matter how much I looked at the puppy!

"What do you mean you're too hungover to play?!"

Seriously. That face.

I was also dealing with major anxiety regarding our day ahead. Today was a rare day off for both Phil and John and - bless them - instead of spending it resting up, they had promised to take me out on a mini-roadtrip!

However, me and cars generally do. not. mix. I've lived in London about six years and probably taken a taxi about twice. It doesn't bother me on buses or aeroplanes; For some reason, being able to see the person driving just freaks me out! I suppose it makes it real that every trip is inherently dangerous. I suppose, also, that my body just hates me.

Driving Through New Jersey

We were going to visit John's family in The Bronx - and we were going the scenic route!!

I could not be more grateful to them for spending their day off with me. Also, as one of the "must-do" things on my list was to visit all five boroughs, I was excited to have a reason to go to The Bronx.

The View From The Bridge

We drove upstate, through beautiful snowy countryside, and crossed the Tappan Zee bridge, which gave us spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline from a whole new angle. The great steel suspension wires, thick as my arms, supported the heavy traffic, and broke up the view into sharp flashes, the kind that stick in your memory like photographs.

Arriving in The Bronx

I was so captivated by the views, wanting to drink in every second, that I almost forgot, at times, how cripplingly hungover I was - and then the car would make a jolt and remind me! By the time we pulled into John's aunt's neighbourhood, the nausea was almost overwhelming.

Do you remember that show Room 101? If I could put three things into Room 101 they would be wasps, nausea... and neoliberal capitalism.

It is ironic that as I write this I am, in fact, hungover. Is that irony? Stupidity, at least. I make bad choices...

Anyway, nausea aside, I was enjoying my first taste of a more surburban area of New York; The houses lined up in neat little rows, each with it's own quaint pile of snow out front.

The I-Talian Household

It was only once I stepped inside the house that I realised why John and Phil had insisted on bringing me along - The house was homey and beautifully decorated! I might have been at a relative's back in Suffolk, if it weren't for the few US giveaways, like the plug sockets and the huge ceiling fan!

And John's aunt was quite the character. Bless her - she didn't say anything about the fact that I was sitting at her table, staring at the large glass of water she had kindly put before me, silently turning slowly green.

She made me feel really welcome, and so did her adorable dogs! Dogs and food were really the two principle themes of this holiday saga. A tiny chihuahua and a dog so large, he was basically a wolf; what a combination! Best of both worlds - and they were both more than happy to pose for a photo and receive a scratch under the chin.

More Floofy Friends!!!

Although I certainly could have been a better guest (I regularly excused myself for increasing stretches of time in order to hang my head over the toilet bowl and close my eyes until the world stopped spinning) John's Aunt could not have been a better host. And I got to pick up the Italian American accent - the true mark of a New Yorker!!

All Hail Driver John

Driving Through The Bronx

We headed back to the car and our roadtrip continued! I was now reaching that stage of hungover where the dreaded nausea abates and gives way to ravenous, insatiable hunger - I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. We went in search of a pizza place that John thought he remembered, driving around and around in circles! But alas - twas to no avail.

We thought we would drive back out of the Bronx, back across the Hudson into upstate New York and New Jersey, and just see what we came across.

Adventuring

The countryside we drove through could not have been more beautful - carpeted, as it was, with blinding, sun-dazzled snow. Everything seemed bigger, there, somehow: The trees grow taller; the lakes are huge mirrors; the hills are mountains. I think that's why their houses and portion sizes are bigger; There's just more room out there.

We stopped for food at a truck stop, and I felt like I was on a school trip to Europe! We had a cheap and cheerful hangover feast at Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs (A poor imitation of the Coney Island original, by all accounts!) I got a hot dog smothered in ketchup, mustard and sauerkraut! Sounds gross to you - but it cured my hangover!

Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs

We headed back to Hoboken to recuperate from sitting in the car all day by... sitting. on. the sofa. I had some healing cuddles with pup and we watched 30 Rock so I could play "I've been there!"

30 Rock With Miss Millie

As if that wasn't enough hungover indulgence, later on that night we hit up Tony Baloney's for mac n' cheese/taco pizza! You can read about all that deliciousness in Part 1, as it firmly made it into my top 5 eats!!

Thanks again for sticking with me, darling reader! The final chapter of this epic saga will be up soon...

Char

xxx