Mandy and Linton Ferguson visited United States during May 2025. They flew out from Melbourne with a stop over in San Francisco. They were aware Mandy’s younger sister Gigi Gould, just 60 years old, was fighting cancer. Her husband JW Johnstone said to come in May or June. After speaking to Gigi over a video connection it was obvious she was very ill and it was decided to hasten the visit and go at the start of May. They flew to Montclair, New Jersey, USA to visit her. There were no issues with entry into United States, just a long queue and lots of standing around waiting for delayed flights. JW and Cameron picked then up at Newark/New York airport and took them to the pre-booked AirBnB in Watchung Avenue Montclair.
Monclair
The apartment was on the third level and they went to bed about 2 am. Next morning walked down Watchung Avenue and had breakfast at the Bluestone Coffee Co.
After breakfast they walked to 160 Midland Avenue to visit Gigi. Cameron ordered bagels for lunch. It was a beautiful sunny day in Montclair, so they walked to Gigi’s house. Montclair is a beautiful suburb, 30 minutes by train from New York with lots of three-storey houses with beautiful mature trees in flower, including dogwoods and tulip trees.
Gigi and JW lived in an apartment on the second level of a three storey house.
No far from Gigi’s apartment we visited Anderson Park on a beautiful Spring day, seeing many birds including a sparrow, red cardinal and robin red-breast. Also several chip monks and grey squirrels were seen scampering about. Later that day lunch was enjoyed in Upper Montclair at Dan & Day’s Burgers & Shakes.
Another day Linton and Mandy walked to the Van Vlerk House and garden then walking to Montclair Art Museum. JW picked them for dinner he had cooked, using his mother’s recipe for Cream Chicken.
Next day Gigi picked up Mandy and Linton and drove them to Broad Street railway station to travel to Penn Station New York.
New York
They arrived at Penn station and exited onto 7th Avenue and walked up-town past Madison Square Garden and visited Macy’s. Later walked through Herald Square.
Next walked on to visit the Empire State Building.
Empire State Building, Saturday 10 May 2025
It was a beautiful sunny day when we visited. We took the elevator to the 86th floor.
Cameron’s 24th Birthday
Had lunch at home. Cameron blew out two candles and we sang “Happy Birthday”. Coincidently it was also Mother’s Day. After lunch we went to Anderson Park.
Mandy and Linton enjoyed breakfast at the Bluestone Coffee Co. We then walked along N.Fullerton Ave to Bloomfield Ave, a busy shopping area in Montclair.
Then onto Gigi’s home at 160 Midland Ave, Montclair. We then went to Upper Montclair for lunch at Marcels.
Later the same day Cameron drove Gigi, Mandy and Linton to Eagle Rock in Montclair which has extensive views of New York, as well as memorial for the September 11, 2001 attack.
Washington
We left our first Airbnb at 131 Watchung Ave and Cameron drove Mandy and Linton to Washington D.C. in a car we hired. We stayed in our second Airbnb, up three flights of stairs to Apartment 4, 313 H Street Washington, D.C.
On our first whole day in Washington D.C. we walked with Cameron to the Washington National Mall to see the Capitol Building, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. After lunch we walked to the Washington Monument then a short walk to the African American History and Culture, depicting slavery through to modern times.
Smithsonian
We spent about two hours in the National Air and Space Museum and saw the Apollo 11 command module that brought Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin back to Earth after the first moon landing on 16 July 1969. As well we saw Wright Brothers early flights with many models and example of early flight.
African American History and Culture
Capitol Building Tour
On our next day in Washington D.C. we took an Uber ride to The Capitol building and had a guided tour. The building is very impressive with lots of sculptures and artwork. Later we walked back to the Union Market to buy lunch to eat on the roof of Cam’s apartment building.
Roof of Cameron’s Washington Apartment
Dulles Airport
Cam drove Mandy, Linton and Kevin, his room mate, to Dulles Airport to see more of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum (Steven F. Udver-Hazy Center). We saw the space shuttle as well as many historic aeroplanes including the Enola Gay, Hurricane from World War Two, and the Concord.
We left Washington with Cam driving the hire-car back to New Jersey. We went straight to the hospital to see Gigi in hospital, she was frail but able to talk and smile.
Montclair
After the hospital visit, Cameron drove Mandy and Linton to the third Airbnb at 17 Oxford Street Montclair.
Gigi’s Funeral
Our final Airbnb accommodation was at 47 Mission Street Montclair.
Flew back to Melbourne via L.A.
