We survived the night with no power outages thankfully but millions of Americans are not as lucky as us. Our hearts go out to them as we watch the devastation in NY and New Jersey in particular. JFK airport is still closed and the Amtrak rail line to NY is still closed. Our fiight is still scheduled so I think we need to find another way to get to NY. But in the mean time, today has dawned and the sun is trying to find a way through the clouds. It is still unseasonally warm for this time of the year. The Freedom Trail beckons and find the red brick line at the Boston Common. We follow it through American history until we reach the North End where we are sure we have just been transported to Itlay with trattorias, espresso bars and piazzas. Here we find our 4th good cappuccino of the trip but the girl serving is surly and unsmiling so no tip for her, not even the few cents of my change. With the lousy wages they get, one would think she would be all smiles. Boston has a nice feel about it, like a grand old lady and not all hustle and bustle like New York. It is a pretty city, with way too many trees - hence the problems with power outages.

While it isn't raining (much) we decide to go to Salem on the antiquated train which looks like it belongs in the 1950s complete with conductors wearing hats from that era and who yell out each of the stops we come to. How quaint! At first sight it is apparent that Salem is a seriously economically deprived area and is clinging to the witchcraft theme to bring it tourism even if it is only on special times of the year. It is a bit like Luna Park with a witchcraft theme - ghost tours, witch museums, people parading around in weird clothes etc etc. One of the funniest sights is a harlequin clown doing strange girations in the mall while a preacher close by is condemning the devil and trying to convince anyone who will listen, to repent before it is too late. Perhaps it is all contrived for tourists...... who knows. The largest building in Salem is the family law court which says it all I think.

It is raining again but only lightly as we return to Boston. Gutters quickly overflow due to the leaves clogging the drains. This is a never ending job for the council and private citizens - must drive them mad.

A check with Amtrak shows that it is still out of service so we decide to cancel our train tickets to NY and go by bus instead. Even if we get to NY on the train, the subway is out so we wouldn't be able to get to the aiport unless we took a cab of course. We book online with Limoliner, a very plush bus used mostly by business people and the price reflects it!! It seems to be the only reliable bus running, the other two are Chinese companies which are very cheap but unreliable. Also Limoliner arrives in NY at the Hilton Hotel in Manhatten where we should be able to get a cab to the airport. The mayor of NY has declared that cabbies can double book while this crisis is on. We are still hopeful of flying out tomorrow night as our flight is scheduled to depart at 6:30pm now instead of 4:55. Good that gives us more time to get to JFK.

Joes American Bar & Grill is our venue for tonight and it is packed!!! There are 80 people from a British tour who can't get out plus lots of others who have the same problem. We have grilled chicken salads which are delicious. I must say, the Americans have salads all sown up if you can avoid the heavy dressings.