of success through dark back streets which, in comparison, would make the back streets of Port Melbourne seem tree lined boulevards. Somehow or other we drove through the center of Los Angeles but by this time we were a bit too concerned to take much notice. The map said it was "Los Angeles" but the place didn't seem much as I'd imagined, just office buildings. Either the map was wrong or my preconceptions were. I preferred to trust the map since it had done me good service. After having got us as far as that I was beginning to think that I could get us all the way to Tom's. From there on it all seemed to be pretty easy sailing and l thought that if my use of wit and logic could place us on the right road in the right direction when an army of freeway designers couldn't I might even be able to navigate in New York. You will then understand how betrayed I felt when Robin pulled into the curb near a telephone box and rang Tom. It would have been all right if he had just said that we had become lost but we'd be there soon. But he had to ask directions too! From then on I was redundant, Robin knew (or seemed to know) exactly where he was taking us so all I had to do was gaze out the window at the buildings and houses as we passed. My mood of despondency was cured when we arrived and were greeted by Tom, Channel, Frank and Gale with a couple of bottles of fine wine to help pass our last evening in the USA.

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