21st July 1991 Day 1

The diary entry "Breakfast and dinner at All Saints Ave. Not a single mention of a cagoule all day. Waved Beth goodbye several times while queuing to get in the departure lounge (at Heathrow - ed). Got through all the checks just in time to get on the plane. A long 7hr+ flight was only broken up by one of the most magnificent films ever made. Well, a slight exaggeration. Ok, so the only person on the plane to laugh was Oz at the "just the seven of us" joke. King Ralph is one of the crappiest films ever made. 


Arrived at JFK, shared a dodgy cab with another English lad, who spends his summers working in The Big Apple, and an American who was scared of Paris. Talked about cricket and eventually arrived at the Penthouse Hostel in a sweltering 80-90deg F. Had a quick walk around the Times Square area, downed a pint of Bass in Dave's Bar and then headed for bed."


2011 - Note the King Ralph reference. This was in the days before personal seat back entertainment. Everyone on the plane was watching the same movie. Oz was the only person to laugh at a particular "joke".


The Penthouse Hostel doesn't seem to exist anymore (at least on-line) but you can see its prime location between Times Square and the 42nd St Port Authority Bus Terminal from the map. Here's our view:

The cagoule reference will become apparent later but it seemed to be an obsession with the (Beth) Ebenezer family at the time.