Our final day on the East Coast USA road trip was always going to be a little shorter and more functional, but it didn’t help that we woke up still feeling slightly deflated by our time in The Hamptons. In hindsight, ending the trip here probably wasn’t the best idea. It just wasn’t “us”
That said, I had something far more important occupying my mind today: Nottingham Forest’s first European match in 29 years. When the fixture list was announced, I genuinely thought we’d be on the plane and I’d miss it completely. Thankfully, a generous time difference meant the 8 p.m. kick-off in Spain for Real Betis vs Nottingham Forest was 2 p.m. local time — and we didn’t need to be at the airport until 5.
Leaving The Hamptons
No breakfast today — we just grabbed a couple of petrol station danishes and hit the road. The plan was to head towards Long Beach and hopefully finish the trip with some nice coastal views.
Long Beach, however, was nothing like we expected. There was nowhere to park without paying, huge apartment blocks lined the road, and the whole area felt oddly rundown. After driving up and down with nowhere worth stopping, we switched plans: find a mall near JFK where we could get food, browse a few shops and — most importantly — watch the match.
A Pre-Match Stop at Green Acres Mall
We settled on Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream, just ten minutes from the airport. It turned out to be pretty run down with a lot of closed stores, but it had an Applebee’s, which was all we needed.
After lunch, we headed back to the car in time for kick-off. For the next 90 minutes we watched a dodgy stream of the Forest match mixed with internet radio whenever the feed collapsed (which was often). A 2–2 draw wasn’t a bad result at all, and I have to say — Deb’s patience was extraordinary.
Returning the Hire Car & Heading to JFK
With the match over, we drove the short distance to return the hire car and hopped onto the airport shuttle train. We’d upgraded to business class for the overnight flight home, so check-in was mercifully quick.
Security was another story — funnelling everyone through a single chaotic lane — but once through, we relaxed in the business lounge. Plenty of food, plenty of beer, but not quite the indulgent experience it had been the last time we flew business from JFK. To be fair, that previous flight was during the tail end of COVID, when many airlines were using the first-class lounge for all premium passengers.
Flying Home in Style
Soon enough we were settled into our lie-flat seats. After a quick meal I reclined fully horizontal, closed my eyes and woke up 40 minutes before landing with breakfast being served. A gloriously easy overnight flight.
Touchdown & The Final Ride
Immigration and baggage reclaim at Heathrow were surprisingly quick, and before long we were being driven home in the back of a Mercedes-Benz S-Class courtesy of A52 Executive Cars — the perfect, luxurious end to what had been a pretty much perfect road trip.
Sixteen days of cities, mountains, beaches, diners, ferries, iconic sights, quiet backroads, great food, bad coffee, too many bagels, thousands of photos and tens of thousands of steps. A trip we’ll never forget.
And with that… we were home.
Day 15 – Exploring The Hamptons: Montauk, Sag Harbor and Dune Road Mansions
The Final View From the Passenger Side: Boston to New York
