Philadelphia
Just as my time in Delaware was winding down, my brother and his wife left on a trip to Europe, so I spent the last few days housesitting, catsitting, finishing up some tasks, and watching a lot of World Cup matches. I drove up to Philly for my last Saturday night in town, stayed with my cousin Samantha and her husband Dan, and hit the town with them. It was an evening of reunions, as I also met up with Ethan, a good college friend, and Parker, one of my roommates and good friends during my volunteer time in Chiang Mai.
New York
A few days later, I took the train to New York and spent most of the next few days sightseeing – I had actually never been a proper NYC tourist before – and barhopping to catch all the World Cup matches. For a couple of the matches, I was able to meet up with Jacob and Emma, friends from San Francisco, and Osman, another great friend from college, and his wife and family.
When I wasn’t drinking beers in a bar and watching soccer, I was walking around Manhattan with my camera. I think I walked about 13 hours in two days; my ankles and calves were actually sore by the time Sunday rolled around. Highlights of the first day were Chinatown, SoHo, the Empire State Building, One World Trade Center and the 9/11 memorial, the financial district and Wall Street, Battery Park, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the Statue of Liberty (from a distance).
The 9/11 memorial was by far the most memorable landmark, partially because of the emotional response of being an American and partially because of the overwhelming sight of seeing huge holes in the ground where two great towers once stood. The reflecting pools are massive – they’re the largest man-made waterfalls in North America – and the entire time I was walking around, my only thought was: “Holy shit, there used to be buildings here.” I didn’t have time for the museum, but I’ve heard amazing things about it, so I’ll make sure to leave some time for it the next time I’m in New York.
I spent most of the next day zigzagging through the entire length of Central Park. If the weather was anything less than perfect, I wouldn’t have attempted that, but it was sunny and relatively cool, so I strapped on my trail shoes and set out for the day. That place is ginormous!
Boston
After a whirlwind weekend in the Big Apple, I hopped on a train to Boston on a sunny Sunday afternoon. The ride was gorgeous: lots of lush greenery, small towns, marinas, and boats being lit by the warmth of the setting sun. For my few days there, I stayed with my cousin Mike and his girlfriend Jackie and got to spend some quality time with them when I wasn’t wandering around the city. My cousin and uncle and I met up for a couple of the World Cup matches (including USA-Belgium) since none of us had to work, albeit for very different reasons (day off vs. retirement vs. funemployment). I was also able to meet up one night with Bryan, a friend from my Illinois days, and his wife Patricia for dinner.
My Boston sightseeing was mostly the usual suspects: Beacon Hill and the surrounding neighborhoods, Chinatown, Charlestown, and all the historical sights and monuments on the Freedom Trail.
There were a lot of highlights of my time on the east coast: getting a breather after my Asia travels, playing with my nephew, taking the train and being a tourist in some of America’s most important and historical cities, and watching a lot of soccer (especially while day drinking in bars). However, the real joy came from meeting up with so many people from very different parts of my life: immediate family, extended family, and friends from high school, college, Illinois, San Francisco, and even Thailand. I feel blessed that it’s been relatively easy to keep in touch with everyone. I look forward to more of the same for the rest of the summer!
Next stop: back to the bay area for July. More random tasks, visits to my storage unit, trip planning, gadgetry upgrades, and fun times with friends.