Nlogaxical – What am I doing here?

That David Beckham, he’s so talented. First a footballing legend and now a genius at the keys?

Oh. PECKHAM. Nevermind.

Over the extended weekend I spent time in New York catching up with really good friends. It’s been some years since I was last there. I always missed it, but I didn’t realise just how much until emerging from the PATH station under the WTC Plaza site. The best thing about NYC is that it’s a walking city. And I walked stupid amounts, more than I ever used to.

Another thing I miss about NYC (and my old East Coast stamping grounds in general) – real seasons. This weekend it was mainly spring. Though someone pressed the ‘summer’ button by accident on the Sunday.

Four days of living what feels like every block and neighbourhood, and I’m a happy, physical wreck. I’ll be back in the autumn for more of the same.

Sitting on VS01, two seats plus two windows all to myself on a spring evening. Entertainment is a little spotty. I audibly yawned during the first ten minutes of Avatar (so that went well) and gave up on everything bar Family Guy. Sorry, yes, Family Guy. In ten whole years it’s not gotten old.

Anyway, there it is. In a few hours I’ll be safely back in the choked armpit of Newark, NJ. When I was younger, VS01 was the winged doubledecked bus I used to commute on to the east coast. Haven’t been on it for many years now, yet some stuff never changes here in the cheap seats. The wine still flows, the babies still scream in your ear and the cabin crew ponder about the guy in 49F who moved seats and now can’t remember if he really ordered the vegetarian meal or not. I missed the experience. Though back then we didn’t have the “volcanic ash will be 20,000 ft below us” reassurance. Shame – it would have added a little geological frisson and spark to the whole adventure.

Listening to OK Computer all the way through, just when I first flew this service way back when. “Let Down” is the tune that binds me to the flying along the turnpike and into Newark Airport. Even relevant in the lyric department.

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And we’re back. First time in this specific part of country for a long time. Would like to say “it all feels so different” but I can’t, because one of the first things that I wanted to do was go find my car in the parking garage and drive it home, or what used to pass for it. Even now I forget. All the smells, the sounds and sights are so stupidly reassuring and familiar. Anyway. VS02 comes Sunday night. That’s the second half of the old story. It’s quicker than the flight out and with fewer daylight hours. In the meantime, loads of friends to see and a fair bit of catching up to be done. And shopping. I nearly forgot about the shopping.

The ONE downside about not living here anymore. Not getting to pop through the ‘US Residents’ aisle at immigration. Queued for an hour in the waiver line tonight, that’s how I remember I’m back on the other side of the tracks once more. No big deal, just bloody tiring.

[Content is R-rated. May contain adult themes such as 'money', 'responsibility', 'yet more responsibility' and 'oh shit what am I doing?']

This growing-up thing, I’ve been avoiding it for years. And in this financial climate where interest rates are barely higher than Gordon Brown’s approval rating, I’ve finally taken the plunge. All being well with the glut of legal and financial paperwork that my poor solicitor is wading through, I’ll be a homeowner in a matter of weeks. Plus horribly in debt to the tune of dozens of your Earth pounds.

As I sit here – my little clockwork brain doing backflips trying to figure out what the hell I’ve committed myself to – at the very top of my mind the headline thought is, ‘I’d love a cup of tea and a chocolate digestive’. Why is this? I’m told that at some point that this will hit me like a brick wrapped in a copy of FHM. When does this happen please? The anticipation is killing me, or chilling me out, or something.

Can I have my tea and biccies now?

There’s very little point to this post other than to test WordPress iPhone geotagging. Which isn’t to say I’m going to apologise and say ‘Fooled you!’, ’cause I’m just not.

Anyway, the rain’s clearing after another frustrating day at the professional wheel. At times I feel like changing career tack and selling ice cream. This would undoubtedly bring a lot more joy to a lot more people. And make them very fat indeed.

Sitting at the departure gate of McCarran airport sucking up the free wifi like it’s Stoli and Diet Coke. The cliche is to say ‘all too quickly the holiday is at an end’, but actually I’m ready to go home. My Learjet is parked outside and even as I type, the staff are hand-smoothing my reclining seat with an Alpaca brush while the chef is prepping a plate of bacon sarnies purely for my enjoyment.

Oh, sorry, reality.

The 747 is parked outside, the cabin crew practicing their throwing skills at the target painted on my Squidge-o-matic tiny seat so an economeal can be chucked at me at 30,000 ft. The meal itself is being scraped off the floor of the terminal Burger King and prepped neatly so it looks like something that would befit an airline meal (so mixed, stirred, painted an interesting shade of mustard and left to congeal for two hours).

As it is, on arrival just now the plane spat out a jolly ensemble of pink furry hen weekend hats and XL England shirts barely concealing a sizeable collection of moobs. Hooray for Las Vegas. As for me, I’m off home, and I’ll miss this corner of the world like mad (as per usual) and I’ll count down the minutes until it can all happen again. But meanwhile reality awaits. I could do with a dose of that, yeah?

Right, so now I have a new favourite place on Earth.

SW US Day 6: Death Valley from Andy Martin on Vimeo.

The final scenes were fitting to the trip. Driving back through the eastern gateway, the sun setting, looking like the entire sky was exploding throughout the valley behind me. And then it vanished behind a mountain. I drove back into town in a weird Nevada desert half-light. The day over, the trip done in terms of amazing things to see.

Southwest US 2010

And with that, I’m going to mill around Old Vegas for a bit, take a couple more pictures and head home. London and bills and househunting and post offices queues and signal failures at Battersea Park…all that reality awaits me.

Knowing how bloody far Monument Valley is from the rest of the world, 200 miles seemed like a sane distance to do before finding a hotel and a comfy bed. Which is why I’m typing this from the little tourist trap called Williams, on the route of old Route 66. There must have been HUGE snow here…the parking lots are filled with 15ft piles of it, melting and dribbling away in the spring sunshine.

Day 5: The Long Road South from Andy Martin on Vimeo.

Today, pushing west to the Vegas area (and beyond!) to Pahrump, NV. Going to check out Death Valley. Second of my ‘valleys’ on the list, and another one I’ve always wanted to see but never did get the opportunity.

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The longest drive of the week turned out to be the most rewarding. With an early start out of Phoenix, I headed north on the I-17, up through the snowline to 7000ft and stopped off in a freezing Flagstaff. Then off again, deep into Navajo country and arriving at Monument Valley just shy of lunchtime.

I’d been dreaming of the place for years, and in no way has it disappointed.

And there’s this I captured from the balcony of my room.

SW US Day 4: Monument Valley from Andy Martin on Vimeo.

Today I’ll Utah, back down to Flagstaff and then along to the town of WIlliams (another little place perched on old Route 66). No Grand Canyon this time around.

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This morning’s vid..nothing complicated, just some spikey Saguaro.

SW US Day 3: Sunset and spikes (Phoenix, AZ) from Andy Martin on Vimeo.

Today’s drive is the longest of the week…300 miles into Utah and Monument Valley. Need to make an early start!

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