Let it SNOW!

As the clock was about to run out on my US visa, my husband and I decided to cross a few American cities off our bucket list, take in some jazz and blues, and see a couple of sights...dusted in snow.

- LIZA VAN DEVENTER

AS we made a run for the changing traffic light, we heard someone shout, 'Don't step on the whites!' Confusing advice, out of context, so here's some background: In the middle of winter in New York, you have to keep a sharp eye out for black ice. snow that has melted and frozen again. Something as simple as stepping on the extra-slippery painted stripes of the zebra crossing is a surefire way to end up on your bum in the middle of the street.

The moment President Biden reopened the US borders at the end of December 2021, we booked our tickets. With my 10-year visa on the brink of expiring, it was now or never. Did it bother me that it was the middle of winter - usually the time of year tourists prefer warmer climes? Not at all. Think about it: no queuing at the any of the museums or attractions, ample space in restaurants, good service, plenty of parking and great Airbnb options, plus the occasional snowfall - a novelty for someone living at the southern tip of the African continent.

It was my husband Adrian's first time travelling to America, and although we didn't have much time (my visa expired the day after we got back) we were determined to make the most of it. So we set our sights on three bucketlist cities New York, Washington, D.C., and Chicago - for a little bit of everything but mainly cityscapes (we're both photographers, so that was a big motivation), art, history and music.

The Big Apple