globaloscillations

[globaloscillations]

Rediscovering New York

Quite a while back now we grabbed tickets to see John Oliver and Seth Meyers live in New York at the Beacon Theater. Back on March 9th we made that trip and it was our first time in New York City proper since 2015. 🤯 For this particular trip Kristen and I, because it had been so long, kind of wanted to rediscover things and get our bearings on our own terms. It's fair to say though that it won't take us almost another almost entire decade to make it back. Though it pains the 'Boston is better rivalry' part of my soul to fully admit it was a fun adventure and there's a lot to explore we left planning our next trip.

At least some of my mind-shift on New York is based on the fact that in a lot of the best ways it feels kind of like another country. We took the train there, there's a bustling transit network, a unique culture, lots of dining and pubs, world class cuisine (mmm bagels LOL), and a seemingly endless amount of entertainment, landmarks, museums, etc. to explore. Our trip started by hopping on the Amtrak Acela and heading down the Northeast Corridor for a quick 3 and a half hour trip, perhaps the most Europe equivalent train journey you can make in the United States. You'd be unlikely to drive it in that time with typical traffic and if you did you'd of course miss out on "train beers." 😉 As a transit nerd aside one nice thing about the BOS-NYC section of the Northeast Corridor is it has some of the fastest sections of track on the whole corridor (except you Connecticut come on get with the program!). We emerged into the new 'Moynihan Train Hall' Amtrak's primary station in New York City (more on that later) and made our way to the cab stand for a short ride to our hotel in Chelsea.

We had more extensive plans from Saturday evening but by the time we made it to our hotel room and got settled the rain had started teeming down and we didn't really have the appetite for traipsing across the city. So we made our way to the 'Barcade' located a few doors down from our hotel. Apparently these are a chain across at least the NYC are and they're a lot like what they sound like. Overall the beer selection was good with a bunch of craft beer options on draught and the selections of games was fairly solid as well. There were classics like Frogger, Galaga, Ms. Pacman to pretty wild things like Sega Time Travler, Tron DISCs, and a Trivial Pursuit in arcade cabinet form. For me the highlights were a version of Tapper with the proper Budweiser branding both on the cabinet and in game as well as the Asteroids & Lunar Lander with the proper vector displays. To me the most unique thing I saw was an Apollo 13 pinball game which was very well themed and instead of having the standard pull to shoot the ball it had a replica of the Apollo Command Module abort handle that you had to twist to launch the ball, very unique. Overall we had fun imbibing, vibing, enjoying some above average nachos, and alternating between our favorite games. All in all a pretty solid date night we'd have to work harder than walking a few doors down to achieve at home. I certainly forget at times the convenience of city level density, not that it doesn't come with its inconveniences to.

Sunday morning we headed uptown and stopped for what else? BAGELS! I got in the epic line to order and it took me a minute to figure out what I was looking at in the display cooler...cream cheese like I've never seen it. Mountains of it in flavors I wouldn't have dared to imagine. Pretty wild honestly. 🤯 I placed our order and took a seat at the table Kristen had found. After a few minutes a guy came over not sure if he was the owner, manager, or just MC it is apparently a thing most legit bagel places in Manhattan have someone out on the floor to kind of keep order, mingle with tourists like us, direct traffic, add some local flavor to the experience, etc. He asked where we were from and told us an amusing story about a family that had been down from Massachusetts not long ago and were very hesitant to reveal their origin. LOL. He was like "Hey own it!" Absolutely. Honestly I've never had a hostile reaction to being in NY and from the Boston area. Maybe some good natured ribbing but I'll be the first to admit there ain't much of a Sox/Yankees rivalry these days and that's in favor of the Yankees with the Red Sox lagging the last several seasons.

After some delicious bagels, no one does it better than NY, we headed over to the Museum of Art and Design for an exhibit they've been running on Taylor Swift's various concert attire, outfits, fashion, artifacts. The collection was donated and curated by Swift herself. It's always interesting to see the genuine article for stuff like that. After the museum we headed back downtown to our hotel and as Kristen had some work to finish up I went the next block over to Smithfield Hall which is a soccer pub in NY and often home to Manchester United fans in NY area. Sadly United weren't playing but I caught the tail end of the Liverpool/City game and had a beer so I could say I did.

By this point it was time to head to dinner. I'd picked a place I thought looked good and we hopped a cab. Unfortunately when we got there it was apparently trivia night and there were no tables. My suburban proclivities were caught of guard by the concept of a trivia night on a Sunday but hey who am I to judge the customs of another culture? Since the place happened to have a Cask Ale on I had one before we headed up the street to a different pub and were seated quickly without issue. I had a solid steak sandwich and ended up partaking in another unusual custom of this different culture something known as "happy hour?" Apparently the custom involves drinks being discounted, sometimes heavily, to draw in patrons at times when business might otherwise be slow. Truly this is a foreign custom! (Aside: I kid but for those not in the know Massachusetts has outlawed happy hour since the 1970s. There was an accident involving an attractive young woman being tragically killed in a drunk driving incident and people had had enough. It is not, as commonly thought, a Puritan thing but it does fit with that narrative. There have been some efforts to revive it but change around anything alcohol related takes time lots of time here in Massachusetts.)

Time for the main event, or at least rationale for this trip in the first place, some stand-up courtesy of John Oliver and Seth Meyers. I don’t think they need any introduction. John Oliver was up first and his set was more or less in the lane I would have expected. What I was most impressed by though is the absolute effortlessness and lightness he proceeded through his set with it. It was impressive and not unexpected but fun to see from a master practitioner of the art. Seth was up next and had a great set as well. His material was more centered on family and parenting vs. the well trodden path of ‘Closer-Look’ segments. Still a very funny set and fun to witness. Afterwards the two teamed up for a Q&A that was definitely worth staying for despite their insistence that all were free to leave and probably should (😂). Perhaps the best review/summation of the evening was Kristen who said as we were leaving “I’m pretty sure I just laughed for two hours straight.” I don’t disagree.

So here’s the thing reader... As travelers we aren’t great at the ‘last day’ of a trip. Monday morning we headed of for some bagels (obvi) and the made our way down to checkout some shopping in the area of the hotel. Sadly one of the places we were hoping to check-in on was the LEGO store and it wasn’t open. Also unfortunate the iconic Flat Iron building is currently covered in scaffolding. Which is a theme I thought about a few times over the course of the trip was how much work it is to maintain the iconic landmark buildings in and among all the new construction. Personally I’m glad the effort is made because there’s nothing I love more than some 1930s Art Deco architecture. The LEED certified glass monstrosities that Boston seems to throw up if it gets the chance just feel so uninspired in comparison. On our very wind walk back to the hotel we spied the Empire State Building poking out every so often and I thought about what it’d be like trying to dock a Zeppelin to the top in those winds! (Aside: the design of the Empire State Building was such that at Zeppelins might dock to the top of the building and man would that have been absolutely amazing to see!)

After making our way back to the hotel in the crazy wind we decided that we didn’t really have a strong plan for the rest of the day. With our train being at 5pm we could probably have made more use of the day but with the wind and lack of planning we didn’t have a strong sense of what we’d do. We ended up making our way over to Moynihan Train Hall and grabbing a couple of day passes to Amtrak’s “Metropolitan Lounge.” The passes are $50 bucks a day for the NYC lounge and you get a spacious private lounge that lover looks the train hall, a buffet of food and non-alcoholic drinks, private cash bar, and pre-boarding of your train. All in all it didn’t feel like that bad a deal especially when we got a private escort right on to the train platform a good 15 minutes before everyone else. This made an already pretty hassle free experience of boarding the train (vs. any commercial airline experience in the US) pretty much sublime.

We spend a fair bit of the day looking out over the relatively new (apparently it has been 3 years?!) Moynihan Train Hall the primary arrival in NYC for Amtrak trains traveling the Northeast Corridor. Honestly the facility is impressive and apparently at one point in time was the primary mail sorting facility for the USPS in New York. The impression the openness and architecture provides on first arrival in my opinion rivals most of what I’ve experienced in the UK or Europe. A realization that comes with a twinge of frustration because it takes so much to get big infrastructure projects over the finish line in this country but look at the result when we do! When they happen, all to rarely, they’re a reminder that we can achieve things worthy of the greatness we like to ascribe to the fragile experiment we call America. Then it was time for the rain ride home which was the same relatively three hour trip but no quite as fun. Did get to spend a minute looking out at the gridlock on I-95 from the bar car though.

It was a fun mini-trip and we hope to do it a fair bit more in the future explore some more and hopefully meet-up with friends in the are on subsequent trips!

“New York is not a city, it’s a world.” – Truman Capote, Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1958)

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My First Cruise

My wife Kristen and I are recently back from a 3-night "Disney Cruise" on the ship the Disney Wish. The Wish is for the moment (until the Treasure launches soon) the newest ship in the Disney Cruise Line (DCL) fleet. The occasion of the cruise was actually celebrating our Five Year wedding anniversary and we in fact embarked on the day of our anniversary. Probably I should back up and provide a bit more context.

As the title of this post betrays this was my first ever cruise of any kind. Kristen has not cruised recently but it wasn't an uncommon vacation for her family when she was growing up and for her before we met one another. Over time her tastes changed and so it has been a minute since her last cruise. Her parents continued right up until present day to be very avid cruisers. Recently her sister had also rediscovered cruising and, as seems to be the common response, came back looking forward to the next opportunity. Planning for a big family cruise began in earnest and so it was that I began to come to terms with the fact that I would soon have to go on a cruise. My naive impressions of the whole cruising concept wereI didn't know a ton about it but the idea of just being out on the water for days at a time in a closed up ship was not something that particularly appealed to me. I tend to have a fair bit of generalized anxiety and so I was concerned largely just about the unknown, the being away from land, and the potential for rough seas. The long story a bit shorter I guess is that when we were thinking about what to do for our anniversary we knew for 5 years we wanted to get away and it also seemed like maybe "beta testing" the whole cruising concept wouldn't be a bad idea prior to the previously mentioned 8 night family cruise. Add in a healthy helping of "Disnerdery" among both Kristen and I and well Disney Cruise seemed like a reasonable idea.

There are hours and hours and hours (we know we watched a lot of them) of YouTube videos cataloging pretty much every detail and aspect of cruising with Disney Cruise Line and the Disney Wish as well as visiting their private island, known as "Castaway Cay." So I guess what I'll do is try to provide some of my overall impressions about the experience and concept of cruising in general and some of the myths busted by actually going and doing it. I'll just start by saying we had a great time. Disney's attention to detail and customer service shines through all aspects of DCL and the Wish. As just one example of that detail there wasn't a moment when we didn't notice the crew cleaning or working on the outside of the ship in some way. The golden blue scheme of the DCL Fleet gleams even in the harsh Caribbean sun and I can't recall seeing a single blemish, spot or rust, or anything on the outside of the ship.

Our itinerary was as mentioned 3 nights with one day in Nassau, Bahamas and one day at Castaway Cay Disney's own island. Honestly I felt Nassau was a bit of a pleasant surprise. We'd heard from both YouTube videos and those who'd previously cruised there that it could be somewhat rough. Certainly the very intense selling of all manner of experiences and services as you exit the cruise terminal controlled areas on the street closest to it is an unfamiliar and not overly pleasant experience. However, we opted to walk around to some of the government buildings first Parliament Square and then Government House. Once you walk even a block further in from the port you leave a lot of the cruise focused craziness behind quickly. The road leading to Parliament Square is lined with the "high street" type shops you find in many cities. After walking to Parliament Square we continued walking away from the cruise terminals and found ourselves in a bit of what I took to calling the international quarter with lots of business, banks, government ministries and embassies. Overall it was not unlike similar districts in other cities I've visited. It was quite peaceful on a Saturday as we walked around. We walked up the hill a bit further and came upon Government House which is the executive seat of the Bahamian government. The gardens and architecture with the characteristic shade of pink were quite beautiful and in our opinion worth the walk. I guess my overall advice for Nassau would be to step away from the areas immediately surrounding the cruise terminal for a quieter, more relaxing pace.

We tended to break our day into two parts. In the morning we'd often get up, get breakfast and then head off the ship for some exploring. Often we were back to the ship by mid-afternoon for a shower and then we would explore the ship. This brings me to some of my observations about being on the ship. We had great weather and very calm seas. There were times particularly on the first day where I noticed the movements of the ship but as things went on it was very much a background thing that I didn't spend much time at all thinking about. As I thought about this more I realized a lot of my concern about this aspect of things was probably my anxiety looking for ways to project. Another surprise was how most of the time the ship really didn't feel very crowded. The lounges (Disney family friendly speak for bars 😉) were all 18+ after about 8:30pm or 9pm and on the first night the vibe in pretty much all of them was very chill. By far the most crowded part of the ship was the pool deck; this area was often just mostly controlled chaos, lots of kids, etc. I can definitely see the appeal for families with the food court style dining options right there (and all included) as well as the pools and ever present Disney movies playing. For us it wasn't a place we spent a ton of time. Things would also feel somewhat crowded in the lobby area on the promenade in the maybe 45 minutes or so between dinner letting out and shows starting. Otherwise it wasn't hard to find areas that felt downright peaceful.

Speaking of the promenade deck that brings me to another aspect of cruising I found particularly appealing. I had always assumed that the confines of the ship would be a 'con' of cruising. However in a lot of ways it is really one of the features. On the Wish in the promenade area, thanks in no small part to Disney magic, you can very easily go from several very distinct experiences within mere steps of each other and of course all climate controlled. I can't really think of anything else I've encountered quite like that. I will highlight one particular experience unique to Disney and the Wish that we really enjoyed. Being Star Wars nerds this was the Hyperspace Lounge. There is a big virtual window behind the bar that cycles through (via the ship jumping to Hyperspace) several different Star Wars worlds. It was fun to sit there and watch all of them and try to identify ships and make up stories for what might be happening. It got even more fun when one of our waiters, thanks to it being a pretty quiet moment, and Kristen helped me indulge my Jedi side. The door to the lounge is a particularly cool piece of Imagineering. You trigger it via the classic Star Wars control panel from the outside and it swooshes open with that unmistakable sound. One of my favorite aspects was much like in the movies when the door opens and everyone's head turns like it is going to be Obi-Wan and Luke stepping through at any moment. I decided that Kristen should stand outside and trigger it as I made the force gesture and our amazing waiter filmed me. Not only did he hold the camera but was suggesting different angles and approaches that might work best. I was maybe a little giddy at the end result.

My only other experience with Carribean/Bahamas region was two years ago when we did our trip to Sint Maarten. It's weird but "island time" or whatever it is you want to call it does something to you. The region gets more special to me with every visit I think. Our day on Castaway Cay was pretty chill and probably resulted in many favorite memories. The one I keep going back to, and hope can hold onto as we stare down winter in New England, is plopping down in a couch at the "Castaway Air Bar" (the aviation themed bar in the Adults only section of the island) with a Corona and just staring out at the turquoise water or up at the swaying palm trees. Honestly I could have done just that for a very very long time. Part of it is society and part of it is just who I am but it is so rare and frankly precious to be in a state where everything else fades away and you're just in the present and moment. If you're lucky enough to be there with a partner it is all the more so and really I think amplifies a feeling of connection.

Before I close I'd like to circle back to the cast members or crew/service staff in non Disney-ese. For the main dinner your table has a Head Server, and Assistant server. Head server is taking dinner orders, making dinner recommendations and the assistant server is primarily doing drink orders, etc. In addition in your stateroom you have, I'm not sure the right term, but a steward assigned to the block of cabins around you. Our cabin stew was amazing and we felt really went above and beyond in a host of different ways. From the towel creations, the organizing of our at times chaotic cabin, and just greeting us by name every time we saw him he was really excellent. Our dinner team were also great as well. The assistant server was very proud of his family back home and would tell stories of life back home with the pride only a father can. You really don't need to hear too many of those stories to start to sympathize with what it must be like for them. For us it evoked a fair bit of introspection on the final night of the cruise. Traditionally at the final dinner it is customary to tip the serving staff. I think it is fair to say it is a little awkward for all parties involved. We did the pre-paid gratuity option but felt it wasn't quite enough and supplemented. Also very important is the survey and we rated everyone we encountered highly because we really didn't have a bad interaction the whole voyage. Assuming that you are not one of the frankly assholes who skip the final dinner to avoid this whole exercise and even giving a tip at all [Aside Kristen warned me that this was a thing that happens all too regularly and I was like seriously people are that shitty?! Then I witnessed the previously full now empty tables around us on the final night. 😔] you do come face to face with the classist undertones of the whole exercise. I think this is best exemplified by an exchange I witnessed at one of the bars a woman was raving to the bartender about how amazing the whole experience was and that she hoped it would never end. His response was something like 'you never want to leave I only want to leave' and there it is. A six month contract isn't a short amount of time and many of them are very very far away from their families and like probably a lot of the guests are just trying to give their families and loved ones the best life they can but certainly there is a bit of a gulf and we couldn't help but feel that. All we could do was hope we treated them as well as they treated us and wish them the best. It was interesting as we disembarked thinking about our interactions with all the cast members we encountered and how for that brief time they were such an integral part of our lives but as we stepped off the ship faded away to be replaced later that evening by a new group arriving for their turn at the experience. Of course this is life in the service industry I suspect, something my admitted privilege has little first hand knowledge of. Fair seas crew of the Wish.

Since this is ostensibly a travel blog I'll close with a few parting thoughts on travel. One of our big takeaways from this trip, and also the SXM trip a few years ago, was how important vacations that let you exist in the present for whatever time allows are. We have always tended to travel that is very exploratory. Heading to some new place and then trying to maximize every minute of exploring a new city, culture, country, etc. I think it is fair to say that this will not be our last cruise or our last Disney cruise. The trick going forward will be to try and balance the two approaches. I still want to go to new places outside of my experience but it is also important to take time to be in the moment and there is something in particular about a cruise but I think just more generally the Caribbean region that facilitates that mentality.

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This the end, my friend, the end.

Todays the day. We are homeward bound later this evening as I type this we're on one final trip to Pret. First though a little about our time in London. The goal of this trip was to make good on our long time goal of the "not London trip" and if nothing else on this trip with the car we saw a lot of it that was definitively not London. However since it's been a number of years since we've been over and it's hard to take things for granted these days we decided to just do a quick day 2 days or so in London.

We drove down from Liverpool on Friday morning and turned in the Peugeot. Honestly we were both a little emotional and as I said in a tweet I found myself relating to Mark Watney in The Martian when he powers down the rover for the final time. Never had a connection to a rental car before. Avis was the usual no fuss service and had the car checked back in quickly. With the trains on strike we couldn't take Heathrow Express as planned so we had to take a cab all the way into the city. To say it was a miserable ride pushes the limits of the word miserable. Between the breakneck speed, bouncing around in the back of the van, slamming the brake and gas alternately I'm honestly a little 🤢 just thinking about it. An auspicious start perhaps.

We arrived at what would prove to be our ironically named hotel the Sanctuary House around 2pm or so to learn they had no power. We stood around for a bit wondering what to do with that and the utility guy came over to inform the manager that there was little hope of the power coming back on and they had a generator on the way. We hulked our bags up to the floor the office was on and they locked them up for us. It was a little tense but we decided to walk up to Covent Garden for some food and it was near the theater we'd be seeing a show at in the evening. It was a bit of a walk but neither of us had the desire to to get back in a cab. We ended up having a decent meal at one of resuruants on the lower level of Covent Garden. By then we were about thirty minutes to the show doors opening so we kind of wandered a bit. I spotted an alley and sure enough there was a little hidden pub. The hiddenish pubs are one of my favorite things about London and this one, The Nell Gwyne, was no exception.

The main event for the evening was we had tickets to Back to the Future the Musical. We actually had tickets during the initial opening back in August of 2020 but COVID had other plans and we just didn't see travel being feasible at the time and felt it was unlikely we'd see it. This trip presented an opportunity so we decided to take it. I won't give a full review here but ultimately it was a fun time and staging was very impressive and the sing-along numbers to close things out were also a lot of fun.

Leaving the show was interesting with the tube strikes and all the theaters and pubs emptying. It was touch and go for a while but Kristen eventually scored us an Uber back to the hotel. Navigating London without the tube certainly limits options. I know it isn't great to comment on other country's politics but I do hope transit gets sorted for everyone's sake. We arrived back at our hotel to find a form of power on and a working lift so we headed up to our room on the third floor. The promised AC was not very functional and we settled in for what would be a miserably hot/humid night's sleepish.

We were awoken the next morning at 5 am to the sound of the woefully inadequate fan shutting off... another power cut. Kristen took charge, and I'm grateful for that and booked us into the hotel next door that looked modern and had power. We hauled our stuff down four liftless floors and walked next door. I think they could have been a little more accommodating but push as we might they were not interested in giving us a room before the check-in at 3pm.

Now effectively homeless we locked up our bags and headed out for another walk. Once the initial anger at the situation ebbed it was actually kind of nice to be out a little early and see a slightly calmer city. We walked around Westminster for a bit checking out some of the memorials and the place from Love Actually where Hugh Grant lived. 😉 We then made our way to Horse Guards to see the horses and check out the museum and watch the Saturday inspection. I give the horses and the solidiers credit as I definitely wouldn't have the patience for their gig!

After Horse Guards we headed over to Mayfair and did some shopping. Then we walked down to Hard Rock Cafe. As we were finishing up our waiter gave us a little history lesson. Apparently we had stumbled into 001 the original. We then went across the street to the vault and got an impressive tour through rock and roll history. I honestly thought it was just a chain restaurant but really there is legitimate rock and roll history associated with it. Very cool.

We headed back to the new hotel to get our room which was actually closer to a single than a double and reminded me of one of those pod hotels. The hotel weirdness on this trip continues. The shower was hot and functional so we cleaned up and hopped a cab up to the Victoria pier for the world's most chaotic sight seeing cruise. We were pretty sure we weren't on the right boat but no one ever quesioned it and we ended up back where we expected to be.

After disembarking at Westminster pier we walked up to the pub that sits opposite Big Ben, St. Stephens Tavern. Ever since my first trip to London back in 2012 I've made it a a tradition to have a pint there the final night of the trip and look up at the tower. Kristen has embraced the tradition with me. Because of the location it tends to be a bit of a global crossroads and I usually end up having some fascinating conversations. Last night was no different as we ended up talking for a good portion of the evening with a guy from Australia who was also finishing up his trip. Really cool lad and we enjoyed ourselves and learning about each other's countries and COVID lockdown experiences.

That pretty much leaves things here in the departure hall of Heathrow waiting for our gate assignment and looking forward to being home later today. Once I'm back and have had a minute I'll probably post some reflections on the trip and travel as a whole. If you've been following along...cheers! Follow me on Twitter @bethejustin and Instagram @itsbtj for happenings back in the states.

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Hello. Good Bye, Liverpool.

Well we made the two hour drive over to Liverpool on Wednesday morning and thankfully it was motorways the whole way.

The primary goal for Wednesday was for Kristen to get to visit Goodison Park the home of her chosen Premier League team Everton. The tour was well done and I think produced the same feelings in her that I experienced some years ago when I made the trip to Old Trafford for their tour. Everton will build a new stadium in the near future and Goodison is planned for demolition as I understand it so it was a good chance to see and experience some of the history. From there we visited the tower that adorns the Everton crest and marks the location of the village where the Everton toffees that gave the team its nickname came from. We then headed over to the city to check in to our hotel. We were a bit exhausted and hangry but we walked around the Albert Dock entertainment district some and had dinner at a tapas place. By coincidence our hotel is across the street from a pub, the Baltic Fleet, that CAMRA's good beer guide had rated one of the best in Liverpool so we popped in to close the night with a drink.

Thursday was to be primarily about the Beatles. We did one of the many bus tours that takes you around to some of the more famous and somewhat accessible sights. For me the highlight was probably standing on the actual penny lane and then seeing the Barbershop, the shelter at the roundabout, etc. Kristen made the comment that like with so many of the places we've been on the trip that a lot of the random places we saw were probably there when Paul and John were just youths roaming the streets like any other. Another highlight of the tour was probably laying eyes on the church hall where John was actually introduced to Paul. It is absolutely impossible not to be confronted with that and think of all the different things that lined up in the universe to make that happen and how different the world might have been if it hadn't. I've always been a John Lennon fan Beatles and otherwise and while I wasn't cognizant when he passed I've always felt it was before time and I couldn't help reflect on that as well.

When the tour was over we found ourselves in what I believe is known as the Liverpool One area and felt a lot to me like the Piccadilly of Liverpool. We walked from there up to the World Museum where we had a 2pm booking for the Doctor Who "Worlds of Wonder" exhibit. This one of those examples of building in a certain amount of serendipity into trips. We actually didnt know that the exhibit was on until I was idling looking for things to do in Liverpool just a day or two ago. The exhibit was a lot of fun with a lot of screen used props and some great science tie-ins. On that front I appreciated the focus on Doctor Who themes as a way to think about emerging technologies. Both Kristen and I were also reminded of the optimism that will hopefully soon return to the show. The highlight for me props wise there are many options but no real surprise they had K9!!! 🥹🥰 It was good times overall. Might have to revisit some Who when we get home and have caught our breaths enough to be missing this side of the pond.

I think perhaps we might have ventured out for some music if we had been at the beginning of the trip vs. starting to feel the wear and tear of two weeks of travel. While I am not sure we would make a dedicated trip back I think it is fair to say that if we did we wouldn't have an issue finding other things to so or explore. Who knows maybe we'll check out "Everton's Audi field" some day in the future.

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York. (Not the New one. Not the Maine one.)

I was chatting to the bartenders at a pub we found ourselves at for lunch, they were some younger lads and asked how we found York. I hesitated because it is a hard place to describe quickly. I think that is because the scale of the history York represents is something that we on the other side of the pond just have no frame of reference for. This idea that you're routinely walking past a wall or archway or castle or priory that might be that is potentially 1000s of years old is hard to grasp. In some sense the entire city is a living museum. I found myself walking down a street one weekday morning watching people start their day an imagining that probably similar scenes have played out through all that history.

In terms of our visit to York the first stop was the National Rail Museum. A place that originally I didn't think we'd make it to despite the desire. Because we extended our time here and because the museum is open 7 days a week during the summer holidays we were able to visit. It's no big secret thst Kristen and I are rail nerds and have visited a fair amount of rail and transit museums over the years. For fairly obvious reasons (ie. our abandonment of rail in the late 1900s) nothing back home holds a candle to the collection here. There are many potential highlights but I have to go with the open displays as the main highlight for me. The open displays are the cavernous archives of the museum essentially are are filled with the largest most overwhelming collection of rail artifacts I've ever seen!

After the Museum we headed to "Brew York" a very American style brewery to sample a. few beers and enjoy some pretty solid Ramen from thiwr food stand. We mewndered back through the Shambles and stopped in at some of the shops that were open. A number of these shops were Harry Potter themed due to an inaccurate but persistent rumor that they inspired Diagon Alley. While thet bit of folklore isn't true you don't have to use to much imagination to see a resemblance. I was able to acquire the "flat cap" I'd been searching for in one of the shops. We ducked into a tavern that I hadn't spotted on the maps and enjoyed the live music for a while. We wandered back to our hotel stopping in ar various pubs that were eirher on my Google Maps or looked interesting. Possibly one or two more than was prudent based on the following morning.

Day two in York was a little slower paced somewhat due to the previous night's impromptu pub crawl catching up with us and somewhat due to the prior week's worth of travel catching up to us. After some reflection on both and life over coffee we decided to hop on one of if the sight seeing buses as a lower impact way of seeing the city. The tour guide was pretty much the definition of cheeky British humor and overall it was a pleasant tour. After lunch we crashed fairly hard and despite the heat and climb back to our room decided that a nap and not moving for a bit might be the best option.

Our last day in York actually found us in Malton a small town just northeast of York. We stopped at a small place and Kristen enjoyed her proper English Breakfast. Not my thing due to my general rejection or breakfast that doesn't include bagels. 😉 From there we headed over to the Eden Camp museum. What i imagined this was from the website was a fairly small and modest military museum. What it actually was was one of the densest and most packed with information and displays museums I've ever seen. Also a number of the dioramas had smell components which was a unique experience. The museum was actually a former POW camp consisting of some 29 different huts and you were never entirely sure what you were walking into but it was most likely information and sensory overload. They also had a collection of military vehicles on display the highlight for me being a "half-track" part tank part truck and always fascinating to me. Eventually though we admitted we were overwhelmed and headed back to Malton.

We grabbed a late lunch at a pub, a very nice traditional pork pie that was quite tasty. We then headed down to the Brass Castle Brewing tap room. Brass Castle came on to our radar all the way back in pre-COVID times when we learned of it from a cool couple we follow on Twitter who at the time were in Boston but originally from this area. It was at that point that the York region was added to our "England but Not London" trip itinerary. Of course we had no way of knowing it would take us this long to make that trip. The beer was good and I grabbed a T-Shirt to rep back home.

That brings things back to real-time as I write this this morning before we start the day and head over to Liverpool.

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The Attic.

Time to leave Northumberland in the rear view. Kristen and her teaching friend wrapped up the grant portion of their trip and we headed north to Glasgow to drop her back there to connect with her husband. Thankfully the journey was primarily motorways (whew!). We said our goodbyes and Kristen and I officially started the week of our trip.

Things got off to a quick start. The ultimate goal for the day was to head over to Edinburgh to connect with one of Kristen's bridesmaids from our wedding who has been studying there for a few years now. The original plan was to explore Edinburgh for a few days but we ultimately decided not to given the various overlapping festivals. Instead we opted to extend our time in York and meet up with friends outside the city for a quicker visit than intended. Hopefully we'll be able to make it back to Edinburgh someday when the city and ideally world are a little less crazy.

We did make a stop at a place Kristen had always wanted to visit The Falkirk Wheel. It is definitely an engineering marvel that is hard to describe. It bridges a series of canals in a more efficient less disruptive way than building the on the order of 14 separate locks that would have been required without it.

After the visit with hit the road south for what would end up being around a four hour drive south to York. Leave it to Google to put is on some country roads as our send off from Scottland. Eventually we ended up on the motorway and put the hammer down as much as we could. As we neared York but still had a stretch that would be a motorway I decided to try my hand at driving. I guess the feeling I came away from the experience with was it is actually something we make more different than it is in our heads. Hopefully when we have the two longer drives coming up I'll at least be able to do some driving and make things a little more equitable.

We arrived in York coming on 10pm as the pubs started to empty. The hotel we're at is over a pub in the traditional Inn style. We had to park blocking the street to unload and then find a car park someways up the road. Two nice gents led me up the stairs to the room and stopped in front of a closet door at the top of the first set of stairs. I was fairly confused as to what was happening and exchanged a confused stare before realizing our room waa behind said tiny door. Up some of the steepest stairs I've ever seen was our room the aptly named Attic suite. It's quaint for sure but I think it added a level of frustration that either of us needed after a long drive. Live and learn as they say I guess. What we learned is that we've perhaps reached a point where we will be prioritizing a more US type accommodation in the future. It isn't as authentic but we realized we can go have authentic experiences and come back to a place that is familiar and be overall less worn out and able to enjoy the experiences more.

Luna update from home and Nana is she seems to be eating with cottage cheese and generally active and stable. We'll be busy working with a vet when we get back to try wnd get her sorted and maybe that'll mean we miss the UK a little less as the post-trip/adventuring blues set in. Obviously we miss her.

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To cross or not to cross?

Despite getting in late the previous night the call the next morning was once again early as we had to be out of the Airbnb and onto the next destination, Berwick-upon-Tweed. On the way to Berwick we stopped off at Alnwick Castle. Apparently Harry Potter filmed scenes at the castle along with some Downton Abbey episodes. As a result they have a "broom flying" lesson which is as ridiculous as it sounds. Although I was amused that at the end they gave a bunch of tips on how to do some camera trickery to get some cool looking shots like you were flying or summoning the broom. I came up with the idea of dropping the broom and reversing the video to cool effect. Apparently the Duke of Northumberland still lives in the castle in the winters and I stumbled upon a video of home talking about his family ancestry and how he came to hold the position which was some interesting history.

After arriving in Berwick and checking into our hotel we took a walk around photographing some of the various bridges. Then Kristen and I ducked into the Barrel House Pub and I had a couple of pints. It was a cool little pub and none of the locals minded at all we had found their little space. I had two pints of Ale of course. We enjoyed the comings and goings of other patrons for a bit and called it a night. I guess I would be remiss if I didn't mention the experience of falling asleep to the siren song of the sea aka SCREEHING sea gulls. Obviously the windows were open with no AC and there was a constant lullaby if you like your lullabys to be nails on a chalkboard. We did some how mange to sleep some through, probably as a result of the very full days.

Day two in Berwick consisted of a 7am departure for Holy Island or Lindisfarne. The best way I can contextualize it is as Perkins Cove but an island. How do you drive to an island you might ask? Well there is a causeway and they publish charts of safe crossing times when the causeway is passable. You ignore them at your extreme annoyance at being stuck until the next crossing time or at worst your extreme peril by getting stranded as the tide comes in on you. We talked to a shopkeeper who's son was in the Coastguard who gets the privilege of going out and rescuing people. She said there had been three in the previous week alone! The island itself is a quiet community with a castle, an old priory ruins, and a scattering of shops and cafes. The Holy Island name came about during the middle ages when it was required to make pilgrimages and the island was viewed as an acceptable alternative to Jerusalem.

Apparently some still make the pilgrimages for religious reasons but I can't say I came away from the experience feeling spiritually different than the start. 🤷‍♀️ Solid scenery though.

Oh right I almost forgot about the second castle of the day. We headed down to Brambaugh Castle. The tagline of which should be "If you like our hills wait until you see our stairs!" Again it was a cool view right on the coast overlooking the ocean. The mist rolled in and then out giving a real sense of how things must have been so close to the water. One issue which was less than optimal was the toilets. There was only one set on top of the hill and the gents was just a trough 😐 this is something I had forgotten about over here and I'll just be honest it isn't my favorite. I take for granted our nice privacy panels back home I guess! After the castle we rolled down to the light house or the same name and I got to see my first ever non-🇺🇸 light house and of course having the connection to them back home that was pretty cool.

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Clear skies. Scary Roads. Who wins?

Well it's been minute and it seems I've fallen behind. We made it out to the Keidler Observatory in the mountains of Keidler Forest in Scottland and back. Doesn't seem so hard right? Well the roads were objectively terrifying. Single track? Check. One lane bridges? Check. Right through farmland? Check. Ninety degree turns you can't see around? Check. All of that was scary and stressful enough in the daylight but of course we were there for an astronomy program and so we had to do it all again in the pitch black at 1am in the morning. On the plus side we didn't see a single car during the whole hour and a half drive back but we didn't actually know if we might so all of these things took an added element of harrowing in the dark. Kristen handled it like a championship rally car driver and we made it back safe and sound.

As mentioned the observatory was on top of a mountain in the forest and when we arrived we hopped out ready to go. We noticed some people wearing big nets over their heads…curious but how bad could it be really? Bad. There's an insect here in the UK known as modges and when I say they're miserable it only begins to paint a picture. Picture the smallest insect you know and the .ale it's swarm behavior like 1000x more pronounced now imagine that swarm in your ears and eyes and anywhere else they can get. Unpleasant. Eventually after hazing is with the midges they let us into a small auditorium for a talk. Our talk was on the origins of the universe and I can definitely say that I learned a few things. Including odd questions are not a phenomenon unique to our home side of the pond. After the talk it was time to look through some telescopes at largely the same objects as the night before. Of course in retrospect this makes sense as it's the same part of that world the same time of year. I ended up using a fair amount of my time trying my hand at Pixel 6 astrophotography again. Unfortunately I didn't get anything that wowed me but I think the full moon had something to do with that.

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Vive La Avis.

Right so an update is probably in order. It was decided to cut ties with the previous rental and since I've rented with Avis for a minute try them. Sounds simple right? Wellllll.

First step book an automatic (no one is interested for being yanked around over some prior seiver having their way with a clircj) ok cool VW Polo or equivalent I'd been looking them up online and it was gonna be tight real tight I figured VW and I have history so it'd look out for me. Slight issue the closest automatic surprise surprise is at Newcastle Airport. Cool hop a taxi to the train to Newcastle Metro to the airport pick up the car.

Wellllll. So I'm not entirely sure what was popping off in Brampton but Kristen called 4 taxi companies all of whom didn't respond or weren't interested in taking us the 2.3 miles from our Airbnb to the train station. Right so it's time for a good olde fashion trek to the train station. Ultimately it went fine but it'd be nice if shoulders and sidewalks were a thing. In the end we avoided going splat on the front of a lorry. Also a thing that probably comes as know surprise we passed about 6 different quicker routes but because they're technically private Google can't recommend them. Although we could have used them under the right of passage. Live and learn. We got to see some great farmland up close and personal and get judged by some surly cows who were definitely judging us for our choices and honestly they're not wrong really. We made it to the train station which was exactly as rural and out of the way as it seemed on Google Maps.

We grabbed the 11:42 Northern to Newcastle and had a very relaxing train trip over to Newcastle. Right from the central station we grabbed the Metro out to the airport. It's a nice Metro system and it made me wish not for the first time that cities of similar size back home could have a Metro system. We arrived at the airport and followed the signs out to the Avis counter.

Two nice guys greeted me and had everything ready to go. They didn't have the VW and I was bracing as I asked what the Peugeot we were getting was. Turns out they had upgraded us to an automatic, brand new 2022 with 4000 miles on it estate car. Honestly I was floored given all that has happened it was basically impossible to imagine such an outcome. So we drove back from Newcastle playing with the various bells and whistles of the new vehicle. Having wheels again we are off tonight for another stargazing program and Kristen and her teaching friend can get the grant back on track.

Oh right and what of Luna? Well she made it to Nana's house last night and they're perhaps reluctantly 😉 bonding. Nana decided she needed a new bed and Luna decided she would show Nana how good she is at chasing squirrels. 😂

Cheers everyone!

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Highs and Lows.

Monday (yesterday…I think?) Kristen and I explored the local airfield in the morning and while the small museum was closed we did stumble upon a Vulcan Bomber on display which was pretty cool. I also had my first pasty of the trip at Greggs a bakery chain in the north and it was pretty solid. I mean I've yet to go to wrong when it comes to pastys so. In the afternoon we headed over to the famous Hadrian's wall and I hiked up enjoy the views assuming every stonewall was "the wall" and it wasn't until later on that stumbled upon the actual 1900 year old Hadrian's wall itself and it was somewhat hidden. We considered a stop at another museum but decided not to head in as it was getting late in the day and the helpful gentlemen at the entrance indicated it was a 3 hour minimum excursion. 😳

As we were walking out of the museum my phone rang and I didn't have a great feeling. I answered it to the news that on the first full day of the two week trip the kennel had decided that Luna couldn't stay. She apparently wasn't eating for them and was presenting some other symptoms that were new at least from when I dropped her off and the felt the combination of all factors she should be seen by a vet and had to go by 6:30pm that night. Due to prior commitments my mom who was one of the emergency contacts was unable to pick Luna up. Needless to say we were scrambling (full on panicking?!) to come up with anything workable. Long story short, one of Kristen's closest New England friends came through in an absolutely herculean way and agreed to go pick Luna up and keep her for the night. I'm incredibly grateful and also totally at a loss of how we can make good on that debt. Luna being Luna was ready to go for the latest adventure. It's only been one day so we'll see but I wonder if the lesson learned is that there was a very short turnaround time for her between trips to the kennel and she just kinda gave up. Time will tell I suppose.

That crisis having been averted we resumed our plans with a tinge of guilt and headed for the night's intended destination, Twice Brewed Pub/Inn/Brewery/Observatory. Yup. The whole complex is located in an area with some of the darkest skies in the UK. They have nightly programs for observing with a ton of telescopes each group in our session got their own scope. Will who leads the program was great, knowledgeable, passionate and engaging, a powerful combination. While we were using scopes, I appreciated his talks focusing on what can be seen with the naked eye. The reality is most people don't have a telescope and probably aren't going to buy one just from one talk. But they might leave with a little more of an inclination to look up and a little more knowledge about what they're seeing once they do. Oh and if you like proper Real Ale well you can't go wrong. Pints pouring from 6 casks. I actually enjoyed the table beer which was 2.67% but still has a good taste to it so I was able to have a few while looking at stars and seeing if I could get my Pixel 6 to do its whole Astrophotography thing. The time passed pretty quickly and when it was time to roll back to the Airbnb I was shocked it was as late as it was.

Then we have Tuesday. We rolled out mid-morning intending to head for another part of Hadrian's Wall we hadn't made it to yesterday. Which as it turns out was relatively close to the brewery. As we headed up some of the hills Kristen's friend who was driving that morning noticed the car revving and not engaging the way it should be. We made a quick backtrack to the brewery and rolled in with a dead car. The rental company's minimally helpful solution to this was to dispatch the BAA (essentially Britain's AAA). A nice guy rolled up and declared what we were all already fairly confident of the clutch was toast. Both Kristen and her friend are long time drivers or manual transmissions and it was certainly not anything that has been done in a relatively short period of having the car. It turns out that rental companies in the UK don't actually care about any of that and basically have a rule that of you're sitting in the car when it goes it is your problem and you get the privilege of being on the hook for replacing said clutch. Also of note is that neither the rental insurance nor travel insurance are likely to cover "mechanical breakdowns." It all seems like a pretty convenient little operation to me and the winner is for sure not the customer. I'll leave the tale there primarily as a cautionary one to any who might consider hoping in a rental, particularly a manual, in the UK and just going.

A lot of phone calls and research has yielded fewer answers than it should. Eventually efforts for a resolution kind of timed out as the close of business came. Which leaves me here on the couch of the Airbnb with my attention focused back on Luna dog at home and hoping that things go well when my mom picks her up from Kristen's friend and that she is inclined to eat and behave. 🤞

So yeah highs and lows and a reminder that no plan even the best laid one survives contact with the proverbial enemy.

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Made it.

Right so TLDR made it to Northern England and met up with Kristen. That's the short story. The long story is it was a journey. One that started at at noon on Saturday with dropping Luna off at the kennel we frequently use and ended at around 4pm Boston time the next day by the time we were in bed UK time.

The flight experience started with the plane being an hour late in Boston. We learned only after we were second in line for take off that the issue was actually that they couldn't get the tow bar working to tow the plane out of storage to the gate. 🤦‍♀️ Once we were on the flight it was basically a bingo card of less than optimal experience…baby the screamed the whole flight? Check. Turbulence the whole flight? Check. Thankfully it wasn't stomach drops out turbulence but it was pretty consistent good shaking around and lateral turbulence. I haven't done a 6 hour flight in quite a while and while I did close my eyes some I was feeling it by the end.

Amazingly Heathrow and customs were a breeze it's totally automated now you scan your Passport and go if you have a 🇺🇸 Passport at least there was no line pretty wild compared to past experiences. I picked up my checked bag without issue and it was on to Heathrow Express and Paddington station.

After grabbing a quick whatever the heck meal it was I headed over to Euston Station by way of the Hammersmith Tube line. Nerdy me was extremely excited to find that I tapped my phone with Google Pay and it just worked. In fact I'm in love with the religious devotion to contactless over here it's really how things should work and whole strides have been made at home there are still places where you have to swipe and I'm less and less inclined to give them my patronage.

Right anyway back to trains. I knew it was going to be chaotic because Kristen had relayed her experiences from earlier in the week. Originally I had planned to chill in London for a bit and then take a train up to Carlisle later in the day but I found I was just too tired from the flight and really just wanted to get where I was going. So I took advantage of the flexible ticketing and hopped the next train headed north. The train was packed and all of my experiences of trains in Europe came flooding back fighting for a seat, no where to put large luggage, etc. Really the trains aren't made for bags of more than carry-on size but you gotta do what you gotta do. I was standing in one of the vestibules stressing out a bit when a conductor took pitty on me and directed me to a reserved seat someone didn't show up for. I wedged my bag behind the seat as I had learned to do on that Europe trip and we were off. Honestly big shout out to that conductor who was probably crazy stressed for taking the time because as it turns out the seat I ended up in was reserved all the way to my destination. 🙌 Now of course it's all over the news that the rail system nere has been hard and this particular train actually had two less coaches than it was supposed to! I'm still not 100% sure about the whole hop on any train thing. It seems like the could scan tickets and at the gates and at least know that more people than seats have gotten in. I'm sure it is just cultural bias and I'm willing to admit that but I did come away from the experience grateful for Amtrak's approach of true reserved seating.

About four hours later I arrived in the northern city of Carlisle. It is always funny to me to look at maps here and see all the familiar town names. I'm pretty sure when it came to naming towns in New England they put a map of England up on a tavern wall, had a few pints and started throwing darts. I wandered into a "spoons" (a Whethersoons) pub and the United game was on so I grabbed and Ale and sat in to watch the last half of the game. It was kinda cool and unexpected to watch the first game of the season actually here in England the audio was up and there was a lively crowd. 

Not long after the game was over Kristen and and got me we and dinner and headed back to the Airbnb. Shout-out to her driving because for one it is stock over here and for another it is extremely trippy. I am honestly not sure that I could do it even if we had an automatic. It messes with my head a lot. She assures me that despite that once you are behind the wheel it is actually pretty natural. The Airbnb is quite nice. It's an old Estate which has been completely renovated and divided up into a handful of units. Quite comfortable and cozy. All the things one would expect of these parts I'd guess. 

That leaves me sitting here on the couch needing to get ready and see what today holds. I hope Luna and the house are doing ok and I'm probably still a bit tired but I think (hope) the anxiety of the build up has started to fade. *Exhale* whew travel in these times though, be prepared and don't go into it thinking it will be what you remember. That isn't necessarily bad, just one must be mindful.

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Travel Eve.

*tap tap* Is this thing on? It's travel eve. Tomorrow I'll begin a journey that, should everything go mostly according to plan, find me in Northern England and reunited with Kristen who's been there for the last week.

Some context is probably in order I suppose. Somewhere earlier this year one of Kristen's teaching partners contacted her to see if she would be interested in participating in a grant for teachers to get out and travel. The destination was to be Scotland. Over many months they meticulously crafted a submission that focused some on history and some on dark sky observing and was a lot of work. I know I listened to the marathon conference call editing sessions. It's easy for people to be like "whoa a free trip?!“ or "whoa summers off?!“ Just stop doing that anyone who knows a teacher knows nothing is free only earned and they're working everyday of their life because who they are, their life experience, makes them the teacher they are. Ultimately after a lot of work their grant proposal was accepted. A frankly much bigger deal than that sentence makes it sound. I'll be joining midway through the grant and just tagging along, something allowed by the grant, and then when the grant wraps Kristen and I will finally make good on a long held travel goal of visiting "not London" (ok well there will be a smidge of London to but that's spoilers for now).

I have been reflecting tonight on what it means to travel and my anxiety associated with doing so. Since the last time I was overseas I own a house and I'm a dog dad. This trip represents the first time I've left a home I at least fractionally own behind come what may and the longest that we have left Luna. If I'm honest I worry about both. I also realize that one of the things that COVID has done is shrink the world some. Pre-COVID we thought the world was our playground and imagined many overseas trips. Now the last for me was 2016. I'm out of practice and the world we find ourselves in today is much different, much more chaotic. So yeah I'm stressed out.

On the flipside I don't want the world to contract. I know the best medicine is to jump back into the pool. That doesn't make the nagging in my mind that wonders if I still know how to swim any less real. Travel in these times is a good reminder the world is a different place than the one we left and it's hard to rely on much of what we once knew.

So we'll see. Will the plane be on time? Will bags make it? Will the trains be running? These are all things I'd have for sure taken for granted on previous trips. Perhaps that is reason enough to be confronted with the oh so many things we once took for granted and to get out there and see how the rest of the world is keeping on through these "interesting times" in which we've found ourselves.

Stay tuned, the adventure is just beginning!

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A few plane spotting pics I took while on the St. Maarten trip from Maho Beach with the DSLR. I think I did OK for a first effort and my more hardcore photography friends seem to agree.  Tumblr seems to have done something weird with the sequencing but you get the idea.

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Ever since I became a teacher I have <i>prided</i> myself on my attendance.  I rarely miss a day, typically when I do it’s because I have a doctor’s appointment I couldn’t rearrange. And those are few and far between.  However, something just kinda broke this year.  I don’t know if it’s my 3rd year of pandemic teaching, or the fact that these kids just hit different this year, or maybe it’s just because I’m getting older, but I was like oh we are having a break this year.  So I took my personal days, and one day during my lunch break I booked flights and hotel for a four day break in Saint Maarten in March for myself and my husband.  

March and I have beef that goes back to the first year I lived in New England.  Elsewhere March is the first month of spring and you know that by the end of it you’ll be wearing sandals and gardening again.  However, in New England, March can still very much be winter.  I hate that.  I hate winter.  I hate being cold, but the fact that March <i>should</i> be spring and yet is not fills me with a rage that honestly is not really even acceptable for a normal person to feel.  So I decided this year I’d quit it.  March would not vanquish me.  I would be warm in March goddamnit and if I couldn’t be warm in New England we would go where I could be.  

Anyway so then I went home and ran this idea past my husband.  Justin has been slightly more cautious about our travel plans and at first was not super excited about the fact that I had booked us for international travel during the height of the Omnicron surge.  

“That’s why I got such a good deal,” I told him. 

He agreed to let the bookings stand and see how things stood closer to the departure date.  We set a go no go poll date the last week of February and I started dreaming about warm sand, sunny skies, and fruity drinks: a joy that basically carried me through the winter.  

By the time the go no go poll arrived, things were looking pretty good.  COVID cases were way down, we had been triple vaxxed and our level of concern was outweighed by our desire to adventure.  To be honest, neither of us are people who like to sit around and do nothing.  The past few years of mostly hibernating had been frustrating to both of us.  Finally, we had an opportunity to escape.

Justin agreed.  So on a snowy morning in March I woke him up at 1am.  

“It’s go time.” 

Justin hates waking up early, the fact that he tolerates my early travel calls is a testament to his patience and affection.  We rolled out of bed, dressed and got into the car.

We got to Logan.... really early.  In retrospect I probably could have let us sleep an extra hour but honestly you never know.  In the end we got on our plane and we rocked and rolled down to Fort Lauderdale.  Apparently a cold front was approaching, all I can say is that rodeo riders have had smoother rides.  

I really get freaked out by air turbulence, I have had some bad experiences on airplanes and it’s basically bad enough that my doctor has prescribed me some chill out pills but I’m also not allowed to drink if I’ve taken them so I decided to forgo them so I could drink when we arrived and I am not sure it was a great choice.  I did have my other soothing strategy available though, which is Eliza Shlesinger’s Elder Millennial special on Netflix.  Honestly it’s too funny.  Literally the only thing that can distract me from my impending doom.  

Anyway a layover in Fort Lauderdale, and we were on our way to Saint Maarten.  I got a window seat for this part of the adventure and honestly it was so cool to watch the Bahamas go by.  I felt a little bit like an astronaut in space watching the swirling colors outside my window.  

By the time we arrived, I was super excited, and also deliriously tired.  The original plan was to to go the hotel, nap for a bit and then get up and have some fun.  But by the time we got through the world’s longest immigration line, our nap hours had been severely crinched.  

We got to the hotel, and gave it a passing effort to nap quickly but honestly excitement was running that show.  We explored the resort, went and got a somewhat underwhelming dinner and had a few drinks before we decided that we should get some sleep.   

Side note about food.  Maybe I should have anticipated this at an all inclusive, but the food sucked, and there was very little of it.  My only prior all inclusive experiences had been on cruise ships where gluttony is kind of the point, and at Disney where if you’re on the dining plan you are still eating the same food that others are paying $50 a plate for so I was pretty surprised by this.  I guess I shouldn’t have been, I mean where is their incentive to produce top notch food?  We’ve already paid them for it so we are either going to eat their pedestrian shit or we are going to go pay for food elsewhere and lol we’ve already given the hotel all the money they are getting so who cares.  Also the portions were Lilliputian.  One night I had corn as a side and they literally brought me 1/6 of an ear.  It’s really weird to know that I split that ear with 5 other people.  I also got half of a potato.  A small potato.  Like the size of my thumb.  How do you even get potatoes that small, and why did I have to share it?  And there were no snacks available, you couldn’t even buy a bag of chips in the shop.  Oh drink as much as you want but snacks? Fuck you.  We literally found a grocery store on our second day and celebrated.  That’s how badly the food situation was run at our hotel.  I’m done, but also damn.  

The next morning we woke when we wanted and grabbed some breakfast, but the real order of the day was plan spotting.  We went out to Maho beach which was next door.  Maho beach is famous because the end of the airport runway is literally maybe 50 feet from the sand.  The planes come in over the beach <i>very</i> low.  It is kind of terrifying and also super cool.  Our original plan was to stake out a spot on the beach and hang out all day, but Caribbean sun is very bright and my skin is very pale, so we instead landed a table at the beach side bar.  

It was pretty great if I’m honest, it was made of driftwood and the bar itself was an old boat that had been repurposed.  Beers were $3 a piece and mixed drinks were less than $6.  We stayed all day, drinking, eating pizza and watching planes.  We made friends with people around us from time to time, and people were properly in awe of Justin’s knowledge and gear.  It was an absolute delight. 

After the last of the big boys landed, we went back to the hotel to clean up and then we were off to a brewery Justin had found.  I’m glad he did because it took us far away from the resort area and we got to see a lot more of the island.  The place we went was a small local brewery that our cab driver had never heard of but the beers were good and the locals were welcoming.  It was a great time.  Honestly it felt like going to a brewery at home and it’s kind of nice to know that hanging out and having a beer and laughing with friends and becoming friends is pretty universal.  

After the brewery we went back and had another depressing resort meal, then we had a few drinks and went to bed.  

The next day we got our return Covid tests, joked about how much we hoped they would be positive, and then explored the area around our hotel.  We grabbed a good breakfast at the grocery store, and did some souvenir shopping, then we stopped for a few drinks at the Sunset bar.  We relaxed on a back porch overlooking the ocean and had lunch out.  When it was time to head back we went to go hang out in the pool and experience the joy of the swim up bar.  

Overall it was a pretty low key relaxation day, which I think we needed.  Being able to unwind in a beautiful place and just chill was really soothing to the soul.

For dinner we went to this place I was really curious about where your food comes out with lava rocks to cook it on and... Lets just say it wasn’t that great.  Again, don’t do all inclusives I guess.  Unless maybe you have kids that you just want to send through the buffet line.  It’s not great there but it’s not terrible and it is the only place where the portions are normal.  

Still we had champagne by the ocean on our last night and that was pretty great.  Afterward we walked down into the entertainment district outside the hotel and caught some live music.  It was a perfect end to the trip.  

The next day we had enough time to basically chill by the pool for an hour before we called our cab to take us to the airport.  I’m still a little bummed that we had to leave but the trip was definitely worth it. 

Saint Maarten is gorgeous, but you can tell the last few years have been rough.  First Irma destroyed a lot of the homes and businesses on the island, then as the people worked to rebuild COVID shut down tourism.  Between the two, people are just now finding their feet again.  Everywhere we went people thanked us profusely for visiting and treated us as if we were long lost friends they were so delighted to see again.  The weather was great, the drinks were strong and the flight is only 5 hours if we can get a direct from Boston.  We were planning our next trip before we got to the airport to come home honestly.  

[globaloscillations]

Some photos from SXM.

[globaloscillations]

Reflections on St. Maarten

Some months ago Kristen came to me with a conversation that started something along the lines of "hey I don't want you to be mad and if you are we can cancel but I booked us a long weekend in St. Maarten at a resort." Of course I was skeptical as is my default state particularly since Omicron hadn't really ebbed any at the time of that conversation. We kept it on the books with a we'll wait and see approach. The New England winter months ticked by and we found ourselves in March heading for the island of St. Maarten. As I write this we are heading back to New England but I wanted to share some impressions. 

For context, it was my first time in St. Maarten and the Caribbean in general. It was also my first encounter with "island life" beyond the version manufactured by an American company not to be named here. As a long time aviation geek I'd always kind of hoped to make it to the famous Maho Beach at the end of the runway of SXM where the planes fly right in. Unfortunately I didn't make it for the 747 which stopped visiting the island in 2016 when KLM retired the aircraft as so many airlines have sadly done. 

Our journey started Thursday morning at 1:30am to make a 5:00am flight to Fort Lauderdale and then a connection to St. Maarten. Needless to say we arrived a little punchy. We deplaned via a ramp as the jetways were damaged in hurricane Irma the effects of which are still being felt in a lot of places here. Then it was on to a somewhat intimidating customs line but a couple of the public health officers took it upon themselves to check health declarations in the line a batch at a time and this sped things up dramatically so they were the MVPs of that experience. After grabbing our bag it was a quick and relatively easy taxi ride to our resort which was very near the airport and consequently Maho Beach. After failing at a nap due to the excitement of being in a new place we admitted defeat and decided to explore the resort some. 

This feels like a good time for some thoughts on the resort. As mentioned it was at the Maho Beach end of the runway. We had an 8th floor room with an ocean view balcony and within a few minutes of arriving were watching planes come right in from it. The room was nice, no complaints about it really other than a bed that isn't our own. It isn't our thing but there's a huge pool to chill by all day and many do. The grounds and resort were all very well maintained and clean. The resort was an "all-inclusive." The theme of this trip was live and learn, having not been here before we decided to just feel things out. I think ultimately what we decided for us is that the all-inclusive isn't really our thing. I suspect for families with kids it is probably a real money saver. It was nice to not pay for some drinks and meals but you can see how they get to the all-inclusive with portion sizes that are frankly a little comical at times. Overall I guess I'd say it wasn't bad but is probably one of those things that sounds better on paper than is in reality. For us we could probably have explored more and even with eating out things are noticeably cheaper here we'd probably still have had a reasonably frugal trip. After having a few drinks by the ocean we walked over to the resort's pub and I found the local SXM Lager on draft. I drank a good bit of Carib, Miller Lite and Heineken (it is the Dutch side after all) but one thing I did chafe at a bit as a beer nerd is draft beer is few and far between. No doubt the logistics of transporting kegs plays a factor. We walked around the entertainment district some but by then we're ready to crash so headed back to the hotel for the night. 

Friday's main goal was plane spotting at the beach. We set out for the beach and settled in at the Driftwood bar which is on the opposite side of the beach as the famous Sunset Bar but a lot more of a chill local vibe. I headed out to the beach for the first 767 of the day unaware that they would get some 737s and 320s out ahead of it and ended up having a bit of the sand blasted experience which I had no real desire to repeat. For most of the rest of the day we sat at our table and I would monitor Flight Aware and the scanner and run out to snap some photos of anything interesting with the DSLR. We'll see how well the strategy worked once I get a chance to look at the pictures. Even if there aren't any great ones it was a fun day. I think because of the scanner I eventually had people coming up to me and asking what was coming or when the next big one was. Aside from the plane spotting itself what I really enjoy about Maho Beach is that it turns basically everyone into an aviation nerd for at least a few minutes. In between planes we talked to whoever sat at the table next to us first were some crew from a yacht docked at the island and then some island veterans introducing their first timer friends to the Maho experience. Somewhere around 4 the last few 330s from Europe had rolled in and we packed up. The plane spotting on Maho Beach box was definitively checked. 

Friday's secondary goal was craft beer. I'm not going to go to a place and not seek out the local microbrewery. We approached one of the cabbies outside our hotel. How I imagined that would go is "oh sure no problem." What actually happened is the guy was like look there is no brewery there but I know a good place so we'll try your Google Maps directions and when we get there and there is no brewery I'll take you to the place I know. So off we go me directing the cab driver with Google Maps. Despite my insistence I'd seen the place on Instagram he was unconvinced we would find anything at the destination. As it turned out his insistence was based on having lived in the area at one point for many years. To his surprise and my satisfaction we arrived at the island's microbrewery. It was for sure a local's place no tourist was likely to stumble upon unless they were feeling adventurous. Despite that they made us feel as welcome as the many local regulars that were enjoying themselves. It was like so many breweries I've been to a converted industrial space with some makeshift tables that could have been as at home in Massachusetts. The beer was solid. They had a nice chili beer with some heat to it that was probably my favorite. All in all it'll make for good memories and we got to see a bit of the local flavor and if you're not doing that when traveling why are you traveling really? 

First stop on Saturday was the COVID test for return to the US (honestly I'm not sure why we haven't dropped this requirement yet but hey) they were setup across the street from the resort in a mall that isn't really being used and the process was quick and relatively painless. As we were in a short line we joked about how tragic a positive test and being forced to stay would be (sadly lol we got our emails about an hour later confirming our negative status). Otherwise Saturday's plan was a lot more chill and come what may. We walked over to a local market and I got a coffee and a proper size croissant. One thing you notice quickly is people are interested, I think genuinely, in where you're from, if it is your first time on the island, etc. And they always hope (know?) you'll be back. From there we meandered across the beach over to the Sunset Bar area. Things weren't really up and running so we walked around to the back of one of the other restaurants and found a seat by the turquoise water and rocks and watched sailboats and whatever else happened by for a while. Eventually we made it over to the Sunset Bar and it was definitely a different experience from that side of the beach it is clearly closer to the runway and you kind of feel the planes more. I snapped a few pictures with my phone and took a few with a plane or two as I was wearing my Sandpiper Air shirt. One thing I appreciated as well is they had a beer or two that wasn't the standards of the region. I checked in my Dutch Blonde as I had seen many do on Untappd. Pro-tip which their website doesn't really mention is they do a breakfast menu from 8am to about 10 or 11am. After a few beers we returned to our previous venue now open and had some lunch. We then made our way back across a now crowded Maho Beach and stopped to snap a selfie or two with planes. 

Back at the resort we chilled on the balcony for a few which isn't something I've ever done a ton but with the view it's hard not to want to just sit there and appreciate it. Eventually we made our way down to the pool bar which had a swim up component, a novelty to my knowledge not found in the more risk averse United States. It's another thing you notice and are reminded of when you travel how risk averse and overly cautious we can be back at home. St. Maarten is by no means a free for all but it also doesn't get too overly worried about things that don't really matter and kind of lets people take responsibility for their wise or poor choices. After freshening up from the pool we hit one of the resort restaurants. The premise is they bring you a super heated Lava rock and you cook your own meal on it. There's a salad, main, side and dessert to choose from. I'm not trying to be overly picky but I ordered what was billed as Prime Rib and well. The champagne was a nice way to close things out and the cheesecake was good if tiny. All in all it was a concept that read a little better than it was executed. 

As we so often do on the final night we tried to find some live music. We eventually ended up at a pub called the Hole in the Wall listening to a guy and his guitar and generally vibing despite a huge group of bros that wandered in and took over the pool table area at the back. A short time after we sat down the guy playing struck up Rocketman which felt pretty serendipitous. We stayed for the second of three sets but decided to do the responsible thing and call it at that point with travel coming the next day. 

So here we are at the airport awaiting a non-stop flight back to a frigid Massachusetts, though warm weather is coming. JetBlue had us here about an hour before baggage check even opened. Aside from that, navigating the process wasn't too cumbersome. It will be nice when they get the airport reconstruction done. The terminal took a beating during Irma but the renderings look like a significant improvement. Of course a lot of the traffic here is charter or private jet and their SUV picks them up at the plane so. I'd be lying if I wasn't a tad envious of that. 

Overall it's been a good trip. Not long enough but I get the strong impression no trip here ever is. It is a rare trip where I don't end up looking forward to getting back to New England. Of course there is the fantasy of oh move down here and just get on island time permanently but of course when you're in it is an easy one to get swept up by. The sandy beaches and turquoise water that go on forever obscure any list of cons to such a scenario just over the horizon. What I can say for now is I've enjoyed my time here drinking light beers that don't give you a hangover, wearing shorts again, watching planes and expanding my definition for what chill can mean. There is a definite "bubble" effect. I look forward to getting out and exploring a bit more on the next trip, perhaps the French side. I know the stress of home and work and life will soon return but with any luck maybe with a better appreciation that good times are out there obscured by all those things just beyond the next horizon.

(I posted a few photos for context here so head to the top-level for those.)

-Justin

[globaloscillations]

Europe 2016 - Lessons Learned

KF & BTJ present lessons learned from nearly two weeks traveling by train across Switzerland, Germany, Belgium and the UK... Tap water isn't a thing. In fact in some countries (Germany for one) ordering it can be straight up rude or insulting.  Lots of places take cards (an international card with chip and pin highly recommended for train and transit vending. Also get one without foreign transaction fees) but you'll need cash too especially if you are off the beaten trail. Suitcases can be stashed in the spaces between seat backs on trains. Just say no to trains. At least know what you're getting into. They can be crowded, not enough space for large bags, and carrying a beer while wobbling side to side is a unique challenge. Air conditioning is not a thing. Crypts are cool though. When it does exist, which is rare, it won't be the level of cool you're used to. Fewer destinations with more time spent in each is preferable to marathon runs across the continent. Ideal some place with various other things day trip able but from a central location. Moving from place to place and packing and repacking is draining. Hair dryers and straighteners need a switch for different current. Many things are suggestions not requirements. For example assigned seats on trains.  Do way more research. Research until you think you know everything and then research more. Research your researching. Also do lots of prep, gather PDFs of any transit you think you might need. Cache as much Google Maps as you can. Keep a note or something of local customs (tipping especially) vs. a panicked Google search as the waiter approaches your table with the bill. International Data. As I (BTJ) mentioned in the previous post on this blog, Verizon's TravelPass for $10 a day is a now brainer. You keep your domestic plan in over 150 countries. Same talk, text and data at 4G speeds if available. Also perk $2/day for Canada or Mexico. You know that Europeans smoke, but you don't remember how bad it is. Bring cough drops and cold medicine. Also possibly eye drops. It's quite striking to see ashtrays on tables by default, something were just not used to stateside well since the 80s at least. Roads are not always what they appear. Often what's labeled locally on the corner or building is not what's on Google Maps. Best option is walk a block and see if you're headed the direction you want to be, if not backtrack. Sometimes it's okay to be a tourist, do the touristy thing, eat at the American restaurant. It's your vacation, do what makes you happy.  Carry a bottle opener. Be mindful of Rush hour. Just because you aren't at work doesn't mean the rest of the world isn't. Particularly when planning. It's easy to say oh that flight at 7pm is nice but when it puts you in the middle of a rush hour in a foreign city, not as much. Maybe plan optimizing times at the destination vs. departure point. Bring a medical kit with you. Pack normal things like allergy medicine, ibuprofen and tums as well as a few things you don't think you'll need like cold medicine. Having it will make your life easier. (Although foreign medicine might pack a bigger dose or punch.) For those playing at home the next international trip is probably Montreal. Stay Tuned.  -KF -BTJ