Customs

[Image and caption removed by request.]

Feeling much more refreshed after a night at the Hampton Inn in Albany - although I feared for a while last night that I was going to go hungry. The only place I could find to eat was in a dingy bar/restaurant with one other customer - a drunk. In order to get him to leave as soon as his beloved Redskins had lost on the TV the staff pretended to close down, turning off the lights, but whispered to me "You're OK Sir, it's just him we want to throw out". I had an actually very good hamburger but it came with potato chips and macaroni and a pickle, which inspired me less. The two Coronas were up to scratch though.

Now I'm about to work out what I've bought here in the US for Canadian customs declarations. I think we're looking at:

• Two t-shirts: one of the Hamburg Inn in Iowa City (where I ate in the seat once used by President Clinton) and one of Schuhs' Saloon. (I am in negotiation to be the Schuhs' Saloon VP in charge of overseas franchise development. I have already done some foreign beer research consultation.)
• six-pack of socks
• a copy of Kangaroos with a picture by me on page 14

I'll be riding Amtrak's "Adirondack" to Montréal.