Stephen Fry in America
Stephen Fry spent some time in America, particularly in New York. He’s released a book and has a show about it on BBC1.
Here’s an excerpt from the Telegraph article:
New York State is bigger than England. Despite this, it is only the 27th largest state in America, not even halfway up the list. The truth of how absurdly large this country is has still failed properly to penetrate my brain. I have driven nearly 1,000 miles and I have done no more than wander around an area on the map smaller than the nail of my little finger.
I cross Lake Champlain from Vermont into upstate New York. The lakes and wilderness here are all part of the Adirondack mountain chain. New York State also contains the Appalachians and the Catskills, with the rivers Hudson, Susquehanna, Allegheny, Niagara and Delaware, too. This is one of the earth’s most remarkable and diverse adventure playgrounds. And that is before you even consider the delights of Broadway, Central Park, Greenwich Village and Long Island.
New York is nearly always called New York State, so as to distinguish it from New York City. This is true of Washington State, too. From where I am now, Montreal, Canada is only 80 miles north, while Fifth Avenue, NYC is at least five-and-a-half hours away by fast car. The accents all around me are much closer to Canadian than to Brooklyn. The plaid shirts, the antlers and the gun shops tell me that this is hunting country.
Part one was great. I just wish I didn’t have to wait so long to see the entire series.
