Merry Christmas

I am home in CT for the holidays.

Christmas Eve was wonderfully shared at a beautiful party done by Lauren Chitwood Events out of Louisville, KY. It was an overall beautiful night.

After the party I opened my stocking that Santa's helper filled early.

Christmas day was spent with the family, working a little bit, and like all good Jew's eating Chinese food.

The evening ended with visiting friends, doggies, and the hopes of snow.

The rest of Myrtle Beach, in pictures

Myrtle Beach

A room with a view

Gallo Pinto and Home

In the traditional style of Costa Ricans we made Gallo Pinto for breakfast to remind us of our times in Costa Rica. We conference called with Emily and then it was time for me to hit the road.

I left Tes’s place in Brooklyn at noon for Grand Central. Arrived in New Haven by train at 3 and made it home to West Hartford at 4.

What a day and what a trip. It is possible to travel by public transportation, but a little more work, and much more exhausting. Good thing I travel light.

Back to NY: Rain, Traveling, Dyker Heights, Subway down, Applebee’s, and good night

With the Smithsonian and fee museums like the Crime and Punishment Museum there is always tons to do in DC. Not to mention the cultural events and people to see. However I had to get back to NY for some evening plans. In the rain I made my way to the bus stop and said goodbye to my amazing host Alicia and DC.

The bus ride went well and four hours later I was in the heart of NY. I slowly made my way to Brooklyn, filled Tes in on my time in DC as well as our friends and it was time to head out.

We hopped on the R line which we would need to get to the best Christmas lights in one neighborhood. However, we didn’t make it all the way. R line was down and other lines very backed up. We ended up getting an Italian snack and walking around 30 blocks. We finally made it to the lights and began to enjoy them. After maybe three or four blocks the rain really started to come down. Not having a car or knowing the buses, we got soaked.

We made it back to the Subway only to learn it was still at a standstill over an hour later. We then waited in the rain for a bus which only comes on the ½ hour. I felt bad the people on the bus wouldn’t smush and a few people couldn’t get on. People on the bus weren’t the nicest either. Saying, “Oh come on, they can get the next one”. The next one being in probably an hour.

How do really poor people handle this? They paid for the subway which stopped moving, then had to pay for a bus. A cab is out of the question when you have to go far. Ohhh. Sundays in the cities.

Once at our meeting location it was still raining. We tried to locate a fun or local restaurant to eat at but there was no such place in the Atlantic area. We ended up at Applebee’s in the mall where we waited for Jenny. Once warm and all together we had a good time filling each other in on our lives. I learned a lot about the KIPP schools in NY and it was great to see Jenny.

After a warm shower Tes and I played some online trivia games and went to bed.

Second Day in DC: Columbia Heights, Sculpture Garden, Natural History Museum, American History, Columbia Heights, Ivanhoe, and Dinner with PC friends.

We laid about for a little bit then made the not at all far walk to Columbia Heights so I could see this area. Many of my friends say this is their favorite area in DC and I can see why. We grabbed an empanada and headed to the Sculpture Garden area to wait for Dave. Although a little chilly it was a nice day to just sit and look.

Once all together we made our way to the Natural History Museum. Alicia’s cousin decorated the Christmas tree and it was so fun to see all the owls. Not wanting to make Dave and Alicia endure the museum I chose to go at the museum alone. The coral reef display was the coolest thing ever and I want it in my house, the hope diamond is huge, the rock/mineral area is humongous, and the bone display was a little strange with cool forensic information.


It blows my mind the amount of wealth the Smithsonian has. With 16 free modern museums that are all professional and competitive I can only imagine the money that has been given / donated / budgeted.

After my quick stop I headed to the American History Museum. I was a little bummed that not all the exhibits were open but I got to see the First Lady’s dresses throughout history. What a random tradition the U.S / museum has. Also, I love popup books.

I took the long away back to the Metro pausing for stamps in my National Parks Passport, to look at the Washington Memorial, and see hundreds of Santa’s on the Mall. Still haven’t figured out why they were there. Who knew you could go to the top of the Memorial for free?

Once back at Alicia’s I met her housemates and got to do some reading in my book. I decided to read the classic Ivanhoe and have been loving it!

We made our way back out around 7 to meet up with Josh and Blake from Peace Corps. We met at this little modern Vietnamese place. The place was new and seemed to be doing well. The kitchen was little backed up so they brought us out some wings, and also tossed in another bottle of wine for the table. It was great to see everyone and after a few ours it was time to call it a night.

First Day in DC: Spy Museum, Outdoor Market, Postal Museum, Chinatown, Irish Bar, Christmas Tree, Silver Spring, and 127 Hours

This whole house mate / house sharing thing is very knew to me. I thought it was unique to DC. A friend pointed out that it may be common in San Francisco as well, which makes sense. After sleeping in I made my way to the International Spy Museum. Of course I want to go to one of like three museums out of 30 you have to pay for. Although not what I was expecting it was worth it. It was more informative and historical than hands on experimental which I had previously thought.

Having visited one fee museum I headed to the U.S Postal Museum. I took the long way walking as opposed to the Metro and was able to see a lot of the city. Once there I made friends with a security guard and enjoyed the museum. Although I do not understand the collection and culture of stamps I enjoyed the museum. The part of the Pony Express as well as this touch screen game were my favorite.

Not feeling well I headed back to my friends place to rest, read, and call a few other Peace Corps friends. Before I arrived I read a poster of gentrification in DC and a rally to keep the city chocolate. Very interesting. The moment I arrived in the house Hillary contacted me and I headed back out to Chinatown. We grabbed some food at an Irish pub and caught up on life. From there we explored DC and she showed me some new areas. We went down to see the Christmas Tree which I was bummed about. Online said there would be music which there was not, and several of the states trees had been blocked off due to their slow disassembling of the stage from the night before. Seeing the White House at night was cool and I enjoyed the quietness of the city.

We grabbed walked around, grabbed some frozen yogurt, and headed out to Silver Spring to watch a movie. The movie was intense and theater awesome. Hanging out with Hillary was fun and the perfect low key evening. I almost convinced her to jump down on the track, climb a fence, and hop a train, but it was too cold.

On my way back Alicia invited me to go out dancing. Any other night I would have loved to but the energy was very low. I was so thankful Alicia gave me a key and didn’t feel pressured to stay with me.

BUSES , Baltimore, and public transportation

It was time to say goodbye to Tes but I was not sad. I knew I’d be back in a few days on my home to CT. Also, she had a job interview and was out the door with me.

I took Mega Bus to Baltimore which wasn’t the smartest idea. It stops 15minites outside of the city in the suburbs of White Marsh. Now 15 minutes is not bad if you have a car but today was my bus day and this leg of the trip was the public transportation part.

I hoped on a local bus and took the hour ride into the city. This ride made me realize how all cities in the United States are the same. Nice suburbs around it, a rundown rough area on your way in, and then the grand city emerges.

Once in downtown Baltimore I rode there free buses around to get a feel for the city. I knew I would need more time to get back to the Mega Bus due to rush hour so I did not choose to do any formal activities. There also wasn’t anything screaming to me. Baltimore seems nice and I was able to see key parts of the city by riding the purple and orange lines. It also seems like a place where it’s better to know someone and receive insider information.

After the hour and 45 commute on a crowded public bus where I heard the “N” word a few times other disturbing things I made it to the mall in White Bush. Walking across a few parking lots I finally made it to the bus stop for my bus to DC.

Once on my bus it was nice and warm. One reason Mega Bus and Bolt Bus are so cheap is that there are no stations. You wait outside in the cold. I made it to DC no problem, used their metro, read for awhile, people watched in Dupont Cirlce, then met a friend. We made it to her place, baked some cookies, and got caught up until after one in the morning, and she had to work the next day.

Moral of the story. To get to Baltimore take Bolt Bus not Mega Bus and to get from Baltimore to DC take a train.

Moving Up. Tes in Brooklyn

Through a TLC trip I was driven directly to Tes’s door in Brooklyn. After some hard work Tes was able to secure an amazingly little apartment in Brooklyn Heights. After taking care of a small gas leak at her place we took a small stroll. Together we walked around the area and the next day while she worked at the library I was able to explore a little on my own. I think it is finally winter.

We spent one evening having a very international Chanukah party with new friends and I played dreidle for the first time in my life. The following night was spent catching up with one of my favorite men from Peace Corps. In the true fashion of Christmas in NY we met at the tree in Rockefeller plaza. After he showed me his two phones I knew life was good. He landed a great NY job which he loves. It’s so nice to catch up with people. Especially when they are doing well and are happy.

Thanksgiving Week. Not a whole lot to report.

After Sunday Funday things began to settle down. I enjoyed time with my brother, family and friends. My grandfather had to spend a few days in the hospital, but luckily everyone was able to make it to Thanksgiving. It was the most enjoyable Thanksgiving I have had in a long time which surprised me for I had a few worries going into it.

The next morning bright and early James departed to head back to California. The following week was spent trying to make some decisions about the trip, relaxing, and I got to see a few movies which I always love to do.

After some time at home I knew I needed to head on the road again. So many variables were affecting my decision. Between Birthright, Antarctica, Nepal, friends, and Christmas, you can see why I was struggling. Finally a decision was reached and I was off to explore some cities/visit friends through Public Transportation.