Fifth Ave - inside!

By popular request, here are a couple of photographs of the mansion. Taken standing on our bed and with the camera right up against the ceiling, a real eagle's view!!! Plus the vista across the rolling hills....

Last day

Friday was Maca's last day at Christie's, commemorating at the local, Channel 4 on 48th St, with super-colleague Eva.

Nothing better than a bonfire

In the evening, a beer by the pool with the three Castleton brothers and then a bonfire.

Katie and Peter cutting the cake

Katie and Peter cutting cake

Katie and Peter's wedding

The reason we went to Canada - the wedding of Katie and Peter. I hadn't seen some of the Castletons for nigh on ten years, but it was just like being back at the chacra where they used to live, on the outskirts of Montevideo.

The wedding march

Not the best of videos, but proof nonetheless!

Catching up with Aine

The best thing about Toronto was catching up with an friend from Chile, Aine Magennis - with whom I shared a mansion at Los Espanoles. We hadn't seen Aine since April 2000, but it was just like old times. And boy, did we have some great times!

Wandering round Toronto

Two great days wandering around Toronto, which we really enjoyed. Downtown is a manageable size, we walked the length and breadth, got on the trams, went up the CN Tower, had a great lunch in the St. Lawrence Market. We got on trams and wandererd round the university, before going out for a great dinner at Xacutti - the best menu I've ever seen.

Amtraking

The train to Toronto was fine, though it took for ever. Lots of work on the tracks and only one set of points, so we were constantly shifting backwards and forwards across onto different lines, and letting other trains past. The U.S.-Canadian border was pretty unspectacular, we were only checked by the Canadian immigration, which took about an hour. First hint of the mutual disinterest came from the Canadian train conductor, who asked us why we were so late!! Eventually we got in about 10:30 at night, and finally landed at the home of Aine Magennis, a friend we hadn't seen since we all left Chile in April 2000.

M&M

aaahhhhh.....

Leaving Penn Station

Here we are finally! Leaving Penn Station on Aug 9 for Toronto, a mere 12 hours away! Funniest part was the gentleman who, just as the train pulled out, said to the conductor "I'm not travelling." Reply - "You are now" - he got dropped off in Yonkers.

Wash Sq

Sunday afternoon

Ceratti Vive!!

Summerstage in Central Park got all Latino on Saturday, drawing a huge crowd, thought at one point we might never get in the queue was so long. Quite amusing, the Boricuas were there for Calle 13, a band that plays regaetton, somewhere between rap and reggae and salsa. They loved it, but the Argentines waiting around for Gustavo Ceratti were slightly bemused, as were the Mexicans waiting for the Mexican Sound Institute (didn't stay to find out). I was slightly fearful that Ceratti wouldn't play any Soda songs as those are the only ones I know - he started out bit stiffy and suspicious with his own stuff but then slowly started to get into it. He did play a few Soda specials, which got the crowd going, and then he started to get into it. Great good old rock and roll, and a really good band accompanying him. Specials included Profugos and Te Para Tres.

Where it all starts

Fifth Ave Hotel, our home for the last nine months in Manhattan. The hotel was converted into a condominium in the 1970s, and is now home to thousands of weirdos. The hotel was apparently built around 1922 by Emery Roth, who was born in Slovakia and moved to the U.S. when he was 13. He became an architect, built many famous buildings in several U.S. cities, including ours, whcih was built on the site of the Brevoort House, which had been "the finest house on 5th Avenue when it was built in 1834." The bar downstairs used to be Rose Cafe & Bar, featured in As Good as It Gets.