Around the World in 80 Days
Day 70: 3 December

Fogg of course had not panicked, and taken himself off to the St Nicholas Hotel on Broadway to sleep on the problem.
At least he had the choice of a dozen other transatlantic passenger carriers, none of them in business nowadays. My eggs are all in one basket - a 53,000-ton container ship, hopefully loading now at Newark Docks en route for Felixstowe. I must get over there fast, but cannot, at the vital moment, find Passepartout. They'd been filming on the concourse, but were no longer to be seen.
Search for them unsuccessfully. New York, for all its virtues, is not a safe place to hang around. The man who stands still in New York is either buying or selling. For what other reason would you want to stand still? Eyes turn toward me, eyeing me, sizing me up suspiciously.
At last Passepartout appears from a side entrance looking ruffled and in the company of one of New York's finest. Demands to know what we're doing, who gave us permission and so on. Clem strides over to deal with it, but the whole episode loses an unsettling amount of time.
Fight gracelessly for a taxi which is driven by a Haitian.
'I shouldn't think you get many passengers asking for the container terminal?' I venture.
He says nothing.
I have chosen the only New York cabbie with nothing to say.
Choose another day from Around the World in 80 Days
PALIN'S GUIDES
- Series: Around the World in 80 Days
- Day: 70
- Date: 3 December
- Country/sea: USA
- Place: New York - New York
- Book page no: 234
Bookmarks will keep your place in one or more series. But you'll need to register and/or log in.
RELATED LINKS
- USA
- Introduction
- Full Circle
- Introduction
- Hemingway Adventure
- Day 1
- Full Circle
- All vehicles
- Day 5
- Full Circle
- Day 3
- Pole to Pole
- Day 3: South to Darra Adam Khel
- Himalaya