September 2004- Dan, Sue and I went off on a wonderful trip. We were visiting the States. We were all flying in different names - long story- and we were to visit Washington DC, Memphis and the Big Apple. Dan and I had not been across the pond before, Sue had been to NYC before. We touched down in Washington - Sue and I got through US immigration with no problems at all. We were through- looked at each other and wondered why Dan was missing. He had been stopped and they were taking a little longer to clear him through. We went to go back to see what the problem was! But of course we were barred from getting back out again. Anyway- Dan eventually cleared through, I think the only problem was that Dan as usual was so busy chatting, it all took a lot longer than necessary. We got in our cab to the Marriott Hotel outside the City centre. The hotel was wonderful. We were hungry- it was getting late, so after unpacking we wandered outside to find somewhere to eat- we found a MacDonald's just a few yards from the entrance to the hotel. We went in and had the worst Mac any of us had ever eaten!! We were hungry so we ate it anyway. The next day we - correction Dan - decided it would be fun to walk into the city centre. Poor Sue got sore feet, the temperature was in the eighties, and we were all exhausted when we got there. During the next few days we saw the outside of the White House, after which a young American asked Dan if he knew the way to the White House; Dan took great delight in giving directions. We also saw the outside of the FBI building. It was not long after 9/11, so security was at its peak. We did get inside the space museum though and that was well worth the visit. The highlight of the visit to DC though was meeting up with Les Mis, the wonderful lady that Dan befriended whilst playing an internet game. Les Mis- AKA Kathy, her husband Scott and son Connor had driven into the City to meet us. We went and had a meal with them and it was as though we had known them forever. ( Look at the chapter An Unlikely Friendship for further details) Our visit to DC over, we boarded the plane headed for Memphis. My dream to see the home of my idol, Elvis Presley. Dan was also quite a fan and was looking forward to the visit. The hotel sent a people carrier to pick us up. Heartbreak Hotel was our destination. It was like walking back to the 60s. A bit tacky and very plastic looking- but their breakfasts were wonderful. Over the next few days we visited Graceland and of course Elvis' grave in the grounds. We had a trip along the Mississippi - very very muddy!! The highlight here was a trip to Sun Records. We stood in the recording studio and we could feel the presence of all those people who had been there and recorded their music. It gave me goose bumps. Our final destination was NYC. We flew to Newark, planning on meeting Dell who was flying in from London. Surprisingly, the timing was perfect. Having met up we got in our stretch limo and headed for the Waldorf. Like typical tourists we all got excited ( well me really) when we saw the statue of Liberty as were about to cross the bridge taking us to Manhattan. The limo drove under the hotel to allow us easy access to the hotel. After settling in we went outside to find a restaurant for lunch. Those tall buildings made us feel a bit odd, but we soon got used to it. We did all the usual touristy things- Liberty Island- Empire State building- Battery Park - Times Square- sadly Ground Zero. One of the highlights in New York was watching Dan's face when he was served with the Lobster he ordered. It was enormous. Shame we had no camera with us... Sadly it all came to an end and we boarded our plane for home. Dan was to make a few more trips Stateside to visit his sister Sue and her family, in the company of his other sister Kerry on a couple of occasions. The story of Dan's meeting with his siblings is another tale and probably not mine to tell, but watch this space for further news.