Big is not necessarily Beautiful !!!

[There's LARGE, there's Extra-LARGE and then there's AMERICAN !!!

Lets face it, the Americans are obsessed with big things. Everything about them is just too big - their cars, their buildings, their roads, their dress sizes  ....not to mention their food portions !!! Given a choice, I'd prefer that they genetically modify their brains to be extra-large too, but I guess that's one of those things for which you regret that technology is not there yet ]

So here I am in the fabulous city of Los Angeles, basking in the glory of sunny California and enjoying the hospitality of my wonderful hosts This place is simply stupendous and for the first time since I arrived in this country, I’m actually getting the feeling of being in the US of A ! Honestly, I haven’t yet seen anything to complain about in this sprawling city. Its unbelievably clean, well maintained and organized. Almost every other locality seems extremely posh and painstakingly landscaped. Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica,  the Pacific coast, the winding roads through the hills and the glitz & glamour were all too good to be true, and the panoramic sight of the massively spread-out and lit-up city from the top of the hills at night was totally out-of-this-world !!!

The one thing that stands out about America is that everything here is extra-large. The roads are massive ! Even the quieter residential localities seem to have 3-lanes going either way ! And not to mention the freeways, which are perhaps wider than 2 British motorways put side by side. But then, if you look at the American cars [.... and the people who drive them], you’d know why the Freeways here have to be so wide. Everyone seems to be driving unnecessarily large vehicles. Unlike Europe, there’s no concept of a hatchback at all. And sadly, must admit that what they always say in Top Gear about American cars are all but true. They’re big, definitely…..powerful, maybe…gas-guzzling, sadly yes……and beautiful ? God no ! Haven’t American car manufacturers ever heard of the term ‘aerodynamics’ ??? The muscle cars that they seem to so badly love and show-off are such eye-sores. Fat, rectangular and ugly !!! Los Angeles, being home to the rich and famous of America is a bit different, and it does have a fair share of classy European cars – cars that exude passion and turn heads as they glide by. But the scene back in New Jersey was deplorable to say the least. Everyone there, seems to be riding badly maintained 70′s and 80′s jalopies and lack any form of road discipline at all. They do have a few Mercs and Beamers down there…a couple of Porsches…and I did spot a single roaring Ferrari pass by…But then, their combined ages could very well be close enough to America’s history

Nevertheless, I did enjoy my first-ever experience of driving a left-handed drive car in New Jersey…on the wrong side of the road, as I’d like to call it But one thing that instantly struck me, is that unlike in Europe, nobody cycles at all here. There are NO bike lanes on the streets and the traffic is not bike-friendly at all. But then, I reckon finding an American who cares about the environment is about as rare as finding an American who is health-conscious

Boy, the food portions served at the restaurants here are so humongously large that even I find it hard to finish them :O [And I am someone who is proud of the fact that I generally don't waste food ]. So much so that I’ve had to have the left-overs packed away so as to eat later, perhaps at a time when my tummy wouldn’t swear at me as badly. But hey, relax…I’m told that this is very normal thing to do here in this country – packing away left-over food ‘to go’, as they fondly call it ! Couldn’t think of doing that back in Europe, but then, back in Europe, when I order a half chicken, I get half a chicken. Here, when I order a half chicken, I get portions from about 3.5 chickens !!! Unless of course, by chicken they mean ostriches here ???

The trans-Atlantic crossover !!!

[Finally, 5 years after having obtained my US B1/B2 visa and incidentally, 5 years before it expires, I've managed to put it to good use and actually arrive in New York, on a 10-day whirlwind tour of the country ! Getting the visa had been a horrendous torture back then, and boy oh boy ....was the immigration a pain in the backside as well ??? 4 hours and sitting with 3 different officers later, they actually let me out But hey, I guess that's what you get from the US with a passport that says you're born in Arabia !]

Yes, I know they are descendants of early European immigrants, but Americans, surprisingly, look and seem a lot like Europeans !!! Definitely, much more than I had expected them to ! Where are all the dumb, fat ones that we’ve been promised about ??? I know they’re all hiding somewhere, and they couldn’t possibly stay undercover for too long. But hey, I’ve just been here a night, so probably there’s a lot more left for me to see To be honest, America doesn’t quite feel like America to me, yet ! The feeling has not yet sunk in. Its just as if I’ve woken up in some new city somewhere in the world. But then.. I wonder what more had I been expecting after all ?

The 8 hour Virgin Atlantic flight from London Heathrow had been great. Boy, do they know how to take care of their passengers or wat ? I could clearly see that our beloved Mr.Mallya had taken a few leaves out of Mr.Branson’s books when he set up Kingfisher airlines ! But I couldn’t help wondering, why on earth do these airlines employ male stewards, or ‘air hosts’ if you like ? And more worryingly, why do I end up at a seat that is being served by them [....and more often than not, I'd have just missed the cut by a row or 2. Not more, not less :O] But jokes apart, the service was great. And that really helps when all you get to see outside the window is the endless expanse of the Atlantic ocean.

Driving back from JFK airport last night, the glittering New York skyline was a sight to behold. The Empire State Building gleamed in its glory and in the far distance, I could make out the outline of a lit up Statue of Liberty ! Can’t wait to actually go there in the next few days But then – so many places and so little time ! 10 days and have New York, Jersey City, Los Angeles, Princeton, Washington DC, Baltimore and Atlantic City to visit …and loads of good mates and relatives to meet. I have a feeling this is gonna be one epic trip !!! And meeting with one of my best-est friends after years has already made this trip worthwhile

I reckon the jetlag is getting the better of me. Its early dawn here and I am already up.  I’ve barely managed to shut eye for about 5 hours in the last 24 hours, and my body reminds me that I had slept just 5 hours in the previous 24 hours as well !!!

WELCOME TO AMERICA !!!