My go to holiday destination is America. And here I am again, but first I had to get here.
I was originally allocated a middle seat and would have to pay money to change it. I was disappointed about not being able to choose a window seat. But guess which seat was empty... That’s right, the window seat next to me. Needless to say a casually scooted over.
I was greeted by Alicia at JFK airport. Our first stop was the Tanger Outlets in Deer Park.
The outlets had quite a confusing layout, which became even more confusing when you tried to navigate your way around by looking at the map of the Tanger Outlets in a completely different location. I’m not saying this happened to anyone in particular, just Alicia.
“They should really update the map.”
- Alicia Bravo, 2017
Or maybe we could try looking at the map for the correct outlet.
After we couldn’t find any merchandise, or our way around, we picked up Carlos from work. We then headed to Applebee’s for dinner. I only have positive memories from my trips to Applebee’s when I lived in Orlando in 2015.
Apparently Applebee’s in Long Island is a little different. We were greeted by a friendly, young fellow, but then it seemed to go downhill. Aside from the wings, the food served by our overly unenthusiastic waitress was so bland it didn’t even leave a sour taste in our mouths.
After our dining disappointment, we headed over to the Tanger Outlets in Riverhead. This was a much less confusing layout. With a car park parking lot in the centre and shops in a ring around the outside, we didn’t even need to consult a map.
We were on a mission to find a few warm essentials. The shops would be closing soon and there wasn’t enough time to walk and window shop. Instead, Alicia and I had our personal driver, Carlos.
He drove us between stores slow enough for us to look in shop windows, and be overtaken by other cars.
Columbia showed up with the goods. I purchased a deliciously fluffy fleece. It was originally $75, but I paid $32.35.
I also purchased a rain coat. It was originally $110, but I paid 40.45.
We continued our shopping adventures at Walmart for the essentials. Here’s the “ugly” Christmas sweater that is about 5 sizes too big, but loved so much that I bought it anyway.
The time had finally come to see Alicia and Carlos’ Westbury apartment. First we have the lobby.
And this is inside the apartment.
Here are my sleeping quarters.
Waiting for me was also a punderful gift.
The next day I woke up to discover I would have a job upon my return to England. I was offered a dancer role at Pontins Holiday Park in Camber Sands, which I excitedly accepted. You’ll be able to read about my English south coast shenanigans in my British Adventures Blog.
I also woke up to discover that US Netflix is immensely better than UK Netflix. With such a wide selection on offer I added a whole slew of shows to My List, but ended up watching a show I’ve seen a million times - Friends.
That evening I went to phone provider, Cricket, to purchase a SIM card. I left with not only a SIM card, but also a free turkey.
We continued shopping at Burlington. It’s definitely one of those hit or miss places. I found a hit. This coat (once again from the Columbia brand) was a winner. Originally priced at $280, I paid $130. It was even worth the 45 minute wait at the checkout.
Aside from loving being in America, apparently I also enjoy shopping in America. Today I ducked across the road to Bravo Supermarket for a few snacks, which only gets a mention because it shares a name with Alicia and Carlos Bravo.
We are now about to take a road trip to Philadelphia for Thanksgiving.
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