Our first week in America has been very full to say the least! Last Tuesday, we flew out to Boston from Heathrow wonderfully looked after by the Virgin Atlantic crew who made sure that we were comfortable, well fed and entertained.
R had booked a hotel in the middle of Boston that had high ratings on Trip Advisor. Unlike the pictures on the Internet, the room was so small that it was difficult to get us, the luggage and the bed, in all at once. The room was wider than MM - but only just!
That evening, we walked around Boston Common, which is a delightful park in the middle of the city and then walked through Chinatown before having an excellent Caesar Salad in a local restaurant.
We actually slept well, even if our sleep was constantly punctuated by loud voices from the reception (almost next door), passing traffic on the road outside and the early morning bin men. After an uninspiring breakfast, we checked out and took a taxi to the airport to wait for our flight to Salt Lake City later in the afternoon.
As we left Boston, the sun was just setting over the city as the aircraft took off.
Sadly, it was already dark as we flew across the US, but M was impressed by the lack of lights as we crossed the Mid-West and by the size of Denver as we flew over it. We arrIved at Salt Lake City at 9:00 in the evening, where David and Elizabeth met us at the airport. It was wonderful to see them again and for M to meet Elizabeth. David's house has come on so much since R was here in the spring and has definitely benefitted from a woman's touch since Elizabeth moved in. Riley greeted us enthusiastically!
Elizabeth very kindly lent us her bright orange Prius - very easy to spot in a parking lot - so, the following day we were able to see some of the local sights and then meet David downtown for lunch. In the afternoon, we walked round the Mormon Temple - one cannot go inside.
In the evening, we had a very tasty curry (left over from Burningman) and then we took Riley for a walk round a local park while David had a guitar lesson.
Early Friday morning, it was back to the airport as we headed out to Dallas with David. Unfortunately Elizabeth couldn't come with us as she was working. M was very impressed with the desert and the Rockies as we flew south. At Dallas, we rented a car for the three hour drive to Austin for the Formula One Grand Prix weekend that was David's birthday present to R. The hotel in Austin was huge and luxurious compared to the one in Boston! Well done David. We had a large room with two large double beds, which we shared with David (the room, not the bed). We walked downtown, not that far, on a balmy evening that reminded us of being in Greece. The city was buzzing and one large area had been closed to traffic for various exhibits and side shows connected with the Grand Prix. Dinner was in a noisy bar/restaurant that was a sort of cross between Tapas and Meze, interesting but delicious.
Saturday, after breakfast, we set off to the Circuit of the Americas. We walked downtown and caught a shuttle bus to the circuit and then had to walk a good half mile to the circuit entrance. It was very well organised, with musicians serenading us as we walked and pedal-taxis for those that didn't want to walk.
The circuit is amazing and the facilities are excellent (if predictably expensive). What is totally unclear from watching on TV is the huge gradients around the circuit. At the end of the start straight, the track rises 101 ft very rapidly (generating additional downforce) and then flattens off at Turn 1 so that 85% of downforce is lost in the braking zone. Even Alonso said that it is very difficult to get that corner right every time.
We found a good spot next to Turn 1 at the top of the hill looking down into the pits area.
There were two supporting races, one for the Porsche Mobil 1 Super Cup and one for Historic F1 cars. The Porsche races were very competitive as all the cars are basically identical so it is down to the skill of the driver. The Historic F1 cars were a blast from the past - very noisy and fast. They included a couple of JPS Lotus 78s that were being driven very hard and James Hunt's Hesketh No 24, in which he won the World Championship, which was out for the ride and was lapped by the leaders but it was still lovely to see it being raced again.
The qualifying was great fun to watch. After seeing it so many times on the TV, it seemed a bit surreal to be sitting just a few feet from the cars as they went by. Hamilton is very popular here and he got huge cheers every time he went past.
David has decided that he will support Verstappen and, in the Main Plaza, we found his hero - even if David did insist on giving him rabbit ears!
After the racing, there was a huge concert featuring Taylor Swift - Eva's favourite, but not David's. Despite that, David stayed for the concert while we went back to Austin on the shuttle bus where we found a brilliant Creperie and R had a traditional Crepe Grand Marnier. David said that the concert was excellent and packed.
Sunday saw us having an early breakfast as we anticipated that there would be a lot more people going to the circuit than yesterday. Despite the crowds, the organisation was very slick and we were soon back at the circuit and making our way back to Turn 1.
M managed to get her photo taken with her hero Ricciardo although he wasn't much of a conversationalist.
Yesterday we could pick our spot on the hill next to Turn 1, today almost every inch of the hill was packed with fans. David found us a great spot near the fence where we settled down to watch the two support races and then the pre race ceremonies on the grid featuring marching bands, the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders and a helicopter fly past.
The race was a bit processional but the atmosphere was amazing. As the race came towards its end, we walked down to the bottom of the hill to be close to the front for the traditional "track invasion" when a large portion of the crowd rush down to the track in front of the podium to watch the ceremonies and the champagne spraying. Hamilton drank some from the trophy, while Ricciardo traditionally drank from his shoe.
We caught the shuttle bus back to town and were disappointed to find that the Creperie has just closed - so we had a hot "dawg" instead before walking back to the hotel.
Monday, it was back into the car for the three hour drive to Dallas and the flight back to SLC. Elizabeth came out to collect us and we picked up Riley from the "Dog Park" on the way home. He was very excited to see us!
Elizabeth is just starting a month of night shifts, so left for work, while Stephen, a friend of David's, came over for a light supper. R had met him before in the spring and, as ever he was entertaining and lively company.
And so to bed at the end of our first week in America.
