News Roundup

[venta]

Morning. I'm home again.

The brief version:

New Zealand - absolutely beautiful. A lovely country full of mountains, trees, enormous open spaces and friendly people. The landscape is both stunning and variable - everything from rainforest to thermal regions of exploding bubbly mud.

New Orleans - after a few initial reservations ("oh my God, how tacky is that"), I'm also heavily in favour of the French Quarter (which was really all I saw of the city). An amazing place for just pottering around, looking at things, listening to music, eating and drinking. So I did.

New York - after initial hostilities, NY and I agreed to observe a cautious truce; it showed me both nice things and unpleasant things about itself, and snowed like a bastard.

The long (and undoubtedly tedious) version will turn up over the course of however long it takes me to write it. Right now I'm about to go and catch a train home, to go to a weekend of dancing in Leyland, Lancashire.

Comments

[floralaetifica.livejournal.com]

I didn't like New York at all. In fact I initially loathed it, and it was only after seeing it from the top of the Empire State Building (Prince's eye view :) ) that I felt like I saw the point at all! And the park helped too. Maybe it's too much city for me, I'm a country girl at heart. But I love London. I don't know. It was just so filthy and cluttered and everyone was so rude and grumpy.

[venta.livejournal.com]

You should have been there this weekend - everything looks clean and pretty when it's got two feet of snow over it :)

[floralaetifica.livejournal.com]

That does sound nice. I bet it doesn't stay that way for long, though! Mm, grubby snow...

Welcome back!

[davefish.livejournal.com]

Sounds pretty fantastic! I'm looking forward to the full version. Did you make a snowman in New York?

Re: Welcome back!

[venta.livejournal.com]

I did not. Believe it or not, it was the wrong kind of snow.

We tried, but the snow was too powdery and it all just fell apart.

I did build an oversized cardboard pepperpot in New Zealand, though.

Sounds like a good holiday

[lathany.livejournal.com]

Never been to any of them. New Zealand would be more tempting if the flight time were several hours less.

I'm looking forward to the extended versions ;-)

Welcome Back!

[ao-lai.livejournal.com]

And have a good weekend! :)

[jiggery-pokery.livejournal.com]

Welcome back! Glad you're safe and that it sounds like you've had a vast amount of fun. Quickly, do you think it has been the best holiday that you have yet had?

Like everyone else, I am looking forward to your full write-up and can't imagine it being dull, especially if there can be some pictures as well. :-)

[onebyone.livejournal.com]

especially if there can be some pictures as well

If not, venta can tell me where specifically in New Orleans she went and I can see whether I have the pictures to match :-)

A lot of my photos of the Quarter have Christmans decorations up, though, which might be a bit unconvincing. The astounding thing about New Orleans decorations (and this really should astound anyone who's actually ever seen Bourbon Street) is that they are considerably more tasteful than what you'll typically see in the UK.

[lathany.livejournal.com]

I thought the whole point of Christmas decorations was that they were tasteless, tacky and shiny.

[onebyone.livejournal.com]

I think the Murricans have it right on this one - it's possible to be shiny without being ugly.

[venta.livejournal.com]

I was preparing to be astounded, but on reflection, the Mardi Gras decorations which were going up as I was leaving were mostly quite pretty...

They were shiny, and brightly coloured, but not nearly as gaudy as you might have expected.

Of course, now the season will be getting into the full swing, there might be a lot more tacky stuff about...

[voratus.livejournal.com]

Nice to know you made it back okay, and that New York wasn't all that harsh to you (it can be).

Welcome back absolutely not auntie Liz.

[leathellin.livejournal.com]

Did you bring me back any rainforest?

Re: Welcome back absolutely not auntie Liz.

[venta.livejournal.com]

They took it away from me at US customs :(

Re: Welcome back absolutely not auntie Liz.

[leathellin.livejournal.com]

Damn these customs officers, they are all evil ;-)
British customs are also actually quite strict about plant matter, even if it doesn't look like a tree any more.
That's a pity, I hope you didn't lose too much else.