I've been away...

Visiting the gold old US of A.

It's been an interesting experience and it's the first time I've been to the East coast (rather than  the west coast).

Observations so far?

USA immigration is still a grim experience now with the added pain of having your finger prints scanned (to be shared with who knows what organisations).

Most people (not including immigration unfortunately) seem genuinely very nice and friendly.

Even in a relatively prosperous city like Boston, there are lots of rough-sleepers, people begging and many closed shops. (It's down to the area of the city, it does vary)

The weather has been unseasonably warm and the trees in New Hampshire have yet to turn to their glorious range of autumn colours.

The TV news in the USA is mostly very poor. Sport is huge but coverage of foreign events or even major domestic issues is almost non-existent.

Most food portions in cafes or restaurants are still way too big for sensible eating.

Service is really not as good as it's cracked up to be, even Americans I have spoken to, think standards have slipped in the last 10 years.

We did ask a police man for directions and he told us what we needed to know. So there are some good ones out there.

Still a few days to go but so far it's been a good trip