title A Trip to Short Hills, New Jersey, United States - 20th October 2018 intro We head off to New York and New Jersey for a few days over half term - the trip being the first real test of flying with The Boys for an extended period of time, at least compared to previous aeroplane trips which have been no further than Mallorca or Barcelona. We're also staying with Phil and Tania at their pad in Short Hills - a nice part of New Jersey only 20 or 30 miles from Manhattan itself, with a direct rail link to Penn Station on 7th Avenue. This gives us a nice flavour of real "small town USA" as well as affording some respite from the frantic city. After we get there, we have an easy day visiting the Great Swamp in NJ, followed by a Diner experience at the Broadway Diner in nearby Summit. imgc2474 We rock up at the budget car parking "facility" imgc2475 We're in a golf club car park near West Drayton imgc2476 The boys eat biscuits whilst we hang around for ages imgc2477 Fred hauls his bag as we get dropped off at T2 imgc2478 Isobel heads off into Terminal 2 imgc2479 The new Terminal 2 is much improved imgc2480 Fred and Harry hang around as we check in imgc2481 Harry and Isobel imgc2482 Harry on the travelator imgc2484 A BA 737 trundles past imgc2486 A fuel tanker called Tomato imgc2487 The boys are excited with in-seat entertainment imgc2490 A BA 777 in the distance imgc2492 We get pushed back imgc2493 Another 737 taxis to the gate imgc2494 The chaos of Terminal 2's apron imgc2495 A plane heads off into the sunset imgc2500 A 747 taxis in the dusk imgc2508 Heathrow's Terminal 5 imgc2509 The M25 snakes past the resevoirs imgc2516 Obligatory clouds-and-wing photo imgc2519 The cabin is a sea of seat-back screens in the dark imgc2521 Moonlit clouds over the Atlantic imgc2527 The first glimpse of New York city lights imgc2528 A race track and a football field imgc2536 Isobel and the boys pile off the plane imgc2537 Relaxing in Phil's lounge imgc2538 Phil hauls out his actual 1980s Lego stash imgc2540 Phil has an large collection of Lego brochures imgc2542 Early 1980's Lego wasn't gendered at all, oh no imgc2547 A bit of old-school Lego railway track imgc2549 The boys walk along a kerb imgc2550 Simon and Harry run around in the garden imgc2552 A curious papered-up building in a car park imgc2553 Meyersville Presbyterian Church, near the Swamp imgc2554 A fire hydrant and letterbox on a post imgp5414 Volunteers bring out a selection of dead animals imgp5417 Harry holds up a dead rat by its tail imgp5420 We head off into the trees imgp5421 Off into the autumn leaves imgp5423 In the trees of the Great Swamp imgp5428 The Garden Club of America plaque, 1965 imgp5430 Nice green leaves against the blue sky imgp5431 The boardwalk looks like some old railway track imgp5435 Funky stripey mushrooms on a log imgp5436 A silver-bleached boardwalk imgp5437 The boys look at more dead animal bits imgp5438 Fred's got a huge turtle shell imgp5440 The Broadway Diner basement imgc2555 Phil, Simon and Fred in the Broadway Diner imgc2557 Fred makes paper aeroplanes imgc2558 All the boys are making aeroplanes now imgp5442 Fred has a milkshake imgp5443 Broadway Diner imgp5444 The Broadway Diner in Summit, New Jersey imgp5445 A Summit side street imgp5446 Phil and Isobel get some cash out imgp5447 A Summit strip mall imgp5449 Fred and Harry mass around in the London room imgc2560 Fred sleeps like a baby on a pile of cushions