High Line

Might have used that tag before but sums up the few hectic days in New York. Once we were diverted and knew this was our final run ashore we decided to make the most of it as we had been booked into a Time Square hotel for two nights....or so we thought. 

Off toone of my favorite restaurants in the \Big Apple, PJ Clarkes. Just a burger and ribs place but a livly joint and a New York institution. Good time had by both and if you ever visit be sure to check out the mens toilets which are preserved in the early 20th Century style.

Things got a bit tricky on the Saturday. We stumbled upon the 8th Avenue flea market and did a bit of people watching in Central Park and cruised back via St Patricks Cathedral,  the Rockafellar Centre and Radio City but on returning to the hotel we found we had been locked out of the room as the hotel had cancelled all the second night bookings. So two hours of stress failed to resolve the matter so a credit card had to be offered before we could get back into the room. We could then dress to impress as we went out to have our 25th Wedding anniversary a day early. It all went well, and was interrupted by a BA customer service operative who rang to see how we were doing. Luckily he then paid the hotel bill so no excess expense there. It was 01:00 in UK when he ran, so obviously got down to the W's!!

We high-jacked a professional photographer who was working the restaurant for another party so some memories there. 

Home the next day only in Premier Economy and although we had 4 seats to ourselves, the arm rests were static so no stretching out for a sleep.

Now the compo claims start, hopefully they will be resolved in our favour, but goodness knows how long it will take. 

Uncle Albert

 'Can anybody smell carrots?' No, actually it's burning and at 35000ft over the Arctic that's not what you want to smell..  Follow that with 'Captain to the flight deck and, apart from who's flying the thing, you know there is a problem. So do we land on an ice flow surrounded by Polar bears and Ocra's all looking for an early tea, or is there an airstrip which can take us, nearby?

So Baffin island to the rescue. Top most tip of Canada and just closer than backtracking to Greenland, we landed in Iqaluit, formally known as Frobisher Bay. He,of course, was a seafarer and supporter of the Green Army like Sir Francis Drake, although neither knew it at the time.

So 250 passangers offloaded. No hotel rooms as the pesky Eskimo's were holding a conference. So main conversation in the departures hall was whether First and Business class get first dibs over Economy if cannibalism rears its head

The locals did their best to avoid above as the flight crew liaised with HQ to put a rescue plan together. Eventually a flight was cancelled in Toronto and the flight rerouted to iqaluit. That confirmed, the crew buggered off on a convenient Canadian North flight to Ottawa which was a bit shoddy. Baffin Island has no road or rail. Links with mainland Canada so the airport was pretty busy with commuter style twin prop aircraft.

After about 12 hours on the island our rescue flight arrived. Deep joy it was the same configuration so we could all have our original seats back and after another hour we boarded and were on our way. But.......were to?

The original flight was heading to Seattle where SWMBO and I were picking up a cruise to Alaska. We had already found out that we had missed that and USA immigration would not allow us to join later through the itinerary. Our holiday of a lifetime was done so when the new Captain said we were going to Vancouver we had mixed emotions.

Do we holiday there or go to Seattle as planned but return early? In a short period of time the decision was made for us. Change of plan said the Captain, crew are out of hours so we are going to New York,

This is being written in the Executive lounge at JFK after a hecltic weekend in the Big Apple. More on that later but for now here is the ,Press coverage

The Low Down

I feel a sense of frustration and elation in equal measures today. On the one hand, Wirral Council constantly complain about the raw deal they get from |central Government, and their efforts to close a £46m black hole in their finances. On the other hand,  they are gaining substantial funding for cycle paths, regeneration projects and park landscaping, all geared to making 'the shed' as Birkenhead is referred to, as a more pleasant place to visit. 

I have no sympathy for the mismanagement of funds, something the Labour controlled council has struggled with for years. It is in their culture to spend money they do not have, and with little possibility of a change of control at local level people will just have to get on with it .

Getting tens of millions of pounds in grants for inner city transformation projects though is nothing but great news. The only caveat being whether these projects will see the light of day.

One such project, with a 15 year delivery time is the 'low line' as I call it. It is a disused railway line regeneration to link a new housing village with the centre of Birkenhead, and today SWMBO and I were in an elite group who walked the route.

Those of you who have visited the 'high line' in New York will be able to visualise how the 'low line might look, but there is a huge amount of work to be done. Birkenhead has a very imaginative rough sleeping community who see these railway cuttings as home, the amount of fly tipping material is excessive, and the overall infrastructure is surrounded by industrial sites and waste land which will need as much regeneration as the railway cutting itself.

It would be ironic if the 'low line' could be modelled on the 'high line' given that Birkenhead Park provided the influence for Central Park in New York, a bit of payback....

It will be great if it comes to fruition, and if it can be a 24 x7 access for people. There are already plans to have music venues and museums as part of the route.I only hope some of it becomes live during my lifetime.

Other projects within the Birkenhead master plan seem to be less well thought out. There seem to be cycle routes being developed for the sake of it, and motorists being sidelined as a result, and there is still the challenge how to knit retail and leisure units together in one area so that people can visit in the evening and find things to do instead of them becoming ghost streets after 6pm.

Watch this space and lets see what turns up in the future