Thursday May 21st
6am the alarm clock rang this morning and after only a few hours sleep I felt quite knackered, especially from all the walking over the last few days.
I had just enough time to grab a quick coffee and a Danish pastry before the shuttle bus arrived to take me to JFK airport.
Reflecting back I have to say that I knew I would enjoy New York because there was so much to see and do but I must say that enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. It was a bit of a rush at times to get things done but I didn't mind, in the end I saw everything that I wanted to see. The city has a fantastic vibe about it, walk around times square at midnight for example and the streets will still be packed, a lot of shops still open, and restaurants. Then throw in the contrast of an area like Central Park which is so peaceful, away from the crowded streets, the city really does have it all.
The way the city is set out in its grid format makes it very easy to get around, and all the major stops are accessible via the subway.
I felt totally safe at all times here as well, there used to be some really dodgy areas (and probably still are) but it has certainly cleaned up its act now.
So yes I was rather sad to be leaving but I was leaving for a very good reason...
No trip to the US would be complete without a NASCAR weekend!
Time to fly down to Charlotte, NC and let the fun begin.
Arrived at the airport way ahead of time and after figuring out the self service check in at the 153rd attempt I dropped off my bags, passed through security and waited for the flight.
Lots of English people on the flight but a lot of them were flying down to Atlanta on a connecting flight... They didn't look like they were heading down for a NASCAR weekend.
The short 2hr flight arrived at 2pm, a pretty smooth flight all the way down, I had a window seat over the wing.
I was surprised at the transportation, or lack of it to uptown charlotte from the airport. There is not shuttle/shared ride service it is $25 for a cab to the hotel door or a cheaper bus ride that stops about 7 or 8 blocks down from my hotel. Not knowing where I would end up if I took the bus option, I decided reluctantly to get a cab. You could tell that race weekend is here, there is checkered flag bunting, NASCAR themed items around the terminal building.
In any case I arrived at the hotel safely just after 3pm and checked in. Much to my amazement I found out that my room had been upgraded to a suite free of charge.. .. I thought.. Great. The concierge was very helpful, telling me about the area and what there would be to do in my free days here.
When I got to my room I was knocked back... It included a big spacious room, a living room with couch and armchair, a microwave, fridge, HD TV and.... Wait for it.... A hot tub!!! I also have the nascar Hall of fame just over the road from me. Result!!!!
You can tell there is a big event happening here this weekend as there is such a party atmosphere in uptown charlotte. Coca Cola speed Street is a street party (obviously) that is taking place over the whole weekend with live music playing, although the main stage is right opposite my hotel room, a stage where a lot of the drivers will be appearing for Q&A sessions, various eateries and other interesting things to look at.
After chilling out for the rest of the afternoon I watched the live NASCAR sprint cup practice and qualifying in TV which was a novelty because we don't have that luxury in the UK.
After meeting up with Shane, our tour guide for the weekend, and collecting my tickets, I headed down the the restaurant for a bite to eat in the evening before heading to speed street which was buzzing with race fans.
Conscious of the time, I did not want to stay out too late tonight as tomorrow I will be heading up with our tour party to see the various race shops for a lot of the top teams where we will get to see them preparing the race cars for upcoming races... But 7:30am start.
So I headed back to the room and took. An early ish night.
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