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My wife’s friend invited us to go over to New York, USA to visit her and stay at her place. So we agreed and planned for a visit in Autumn before the winter snow comes and it will be too cold to walk around. My wife’s friend stays at the suburbs of New York City but still within New York state so it is a good place to stay and still able to visit New York City. After extensive search on various websites, we settled for Qatar Airways flight with a stopover at Doha, Qatar. Initially, wanted to try the SIA direct flight but wifey say she does not want to seat in the aeroplane for 19 hours and also the cost was more than double of what we can get on Qatar Airways. We listed down the places of interest we wanted to visit since it was our first time to USA. And since it was NYC, most of the places will be what we saw in the movies and TV. Then we planned for shopping and throw in a road trip to satisfy my desire to drive long distances in USA. My wife’s friend provided some tips on places to visit and my colleague/trusted friend in the office provided me with lots of tips on what to see, where to eat and how to get around NYC as he is a regular to USA. His twin brother stays there and he visits him every year. There was enhanced security check for everyone bound for USA at Doha, Qatar airport. They first check if you have ESTA, if yes, your name will be already on their list. Then it is time to strip down your clothes. No sweater or jackets, remove belt, footwear, keys, coins, wallet, hp and anything from your pockets. Next, empty all your hand carry items in your bag. All electronic devices like laptop, camera, drone, tablet, hp, etc must be placed separately in another tray. They wipe down all electronic devices and put the cloth into the ion scanner to check for traces of explosive/gun powder (I guess). I left my drone in my carry-on bag and when the x-ray detected it, was told to go back to the line and repeat the process again. Passengers were already boarding the plane while I was still going thru the checks. Many ppl were in the same scenario too. Touch down in JFK airport. It was a wet morning. I left SG on Fri night and reached NYC on a Sat morning. Woohoo, as if time stood still. But in fact, it was already Sat night in SG. Have flown exactly 24 hours and the time difference between NYC and SG is exactly 12 hours. The queue at immigration was terribly long, 45 mins before we get to see the officer. And over here, they see u as a family. Ya, whole family stand in front of the officer and he ask questions and stamp passport. For us, he didn’t ask much as it was our first time there, only ask how long we will be in USA. Retrieved our luggage and followed the instruction that Enterprise car rental had provided me. Took the air train to where all the car rentals are located. For Enterprise, got to take a shuttle bus after alighting from the air train as it was further away. The temp was around a cool 14°C. Had booked a Rav4 but there was no Rav4 on site so the guy provided me with a Hyundai Tucson. Less than 10,000 miles on the odo, still got new car smell. Loaded our luggage and drove to my wife’s friend home, another 40+km away. Had to keep awake and ensure I drive the correct direction. Somehow lost my way while I was on the freeway as there was a split 3 ways and I guessed the wrong one. Did a few rounds in a neighbourhood and got back on to the freeway. Entrances to the freeway were not clearly indicated on the road, no big signboard.

The US became a hotspot for visual treats this week, when the record shattering polar vortex saw Hell freeze over, turned boiling water into snow and even froze the Niagara Falls in its tracks - quite literally. These images show the US side of the three waterfalls straddling the border between Canada and America after they were frozen in time by the Arctic chills. In these pictures taken on Wednesday the water can be seen after it has been replaced by icicles dangling from its precipice. The Midwest of America, home to the Niagara Falls, has experienced temperatures plummeting as low as -37C. Yet the freezing weather failed to deter visitors eager to see the falls in the midst of the polar vortex, which affected approximately 240 million people. Tourists were out in force with their cameras yesterday at the Prospect Point at Niagara Falls State Park and Rainbow Bridge, where frozen mist and solid ice was clearly visible. The weather conditions produced by this polar vortex have been so severe that even polar bears at the Lincoln Park zoo in Chicago were brought inside as the mercury dropped to a record low of -26C. Residents were warned their skin may freeze if they leave their homes when wind and Central Park broke a 118-year-old record when the temperature dropped to -15C. But people in the US and southern Canada can look forward to a reprieve from the subzero conditions later this week, when the frigid air and polar vortex departs and a far-reaching January thaw begins, AccuWeather.com have predicted. Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/niagara-falls-frozen-in-time-by-polar-vortex-9048837.html