Boston, Baby!

Street Dancers on Newbury Street

I love cities.  I love the energy of cities.  It’s a certain something that is hard to understand, unless you are a fellow urbanite.  It’s the street dancers, food stands, outdoor dining.  Nicely-dressed strangers in a hurry to get somewhere important.  Sirens - it is truly amazing how silent silence is without the assorted sounds that are the soundtrack of the city.  Sure, it’s not for everyone and some things about city life can be downright unpleasant, but really, the good trumps the bad.  And believe me when I say that small, quaint towns have their hidden horrors.  Obviously, I’m extremely biased and more obviously, I really enjoyed my time in Boston.  In fact, this city could now be on my shortlist of potential places to move to when I graduate.

I was in Boston for my field’s annual conference, so I had to get figure out a way to balance the work with the play.  After the heat and meat of San Antonio last year (what is a non-meat eater to do in such a city?!), I was truly excited about this location.  Boston did not disappoint.  With my love for all things old, I was in my element:  I gawked at the beauty of some of the oldest architecture in the US.  As luck would have it, I stayed at the Fairmont Copley – pure decadence, with it’s intricate tile mosaic floors and generously gold ceilings.  Did I mention that this year is their 100^th anniversary?

I strolled along the Charles River and absorbed the tranquility that comes whenever I am near water. I wandered into public buildings.  My all-time favorite – the public library.  Generally, I love libraries.  Something about the works of thousands of great minds, clustered together in a common space.  The energy excites me.  This library was even more special though.  All I will say is that if you ever find yourself in Boston, the public library is a must.  If you love marble floors and painted ceilings, visit the library.  And if the weather is nice, set aside time for relaxing in the courtyard – undeniably a hidden gem.  If you get hungry, there is even a café, with a décor as delicious as we would hope the food to be.  Speaking of food, I ate well and I ate lots of it.  Thank you, Newbury Street for giving me so many options.  Thank you, Boston for being amazing.  For restoring will to return for another grueling semester.

Gondolas in Boston?!

Lobby of the Fairmont Copley 

Courtyard at the Boston Public Library

Grand Entrance to the Boston Public Library

A proper Jamaican meal!

Flashback Fridays

Wiltshire County, UK

May 2012

Best know for Stonehenge.  Spectacularly beautiful countryside, with its bright yellow rolling hills of rapeseed oil, unmistakeable from the sky, blindingly stunning from near.  Perfect English weather, an apparent rarity, and appreciated all the more for this reason.

Why Write a Travel Journal

Journaling on Lake Titicaca Peru - 2007

Usually, I keep a journal when I travel.  Ole-school style - pen and paper.  It is not the same as writing a blog, because there are things that I say in the book that I would never record in the public domain.  I write whatever is on my mind.  I write about what I see and what I eat.  I write about what I enjoy and what frustrates me.  I find that this helps me to reflect on my experiences in real time and to appreciate the tiny bits of beauty all around me.  And as an additional bonus, it's always great to look back on those entries years later and see if and how my overall outlook has changed.

Distractions on Academic Lane

The academic journey can be grueling...draining...mentally exhausting, and sometimes the only thing I want to do is something non-academic.  Like refurbishing something old.  The latest project is an antique school desk for my son.  We found the perfect desk at a used furniture store and with a bit of research, found out that it is from the earlier part of the 20th century. My son wanted red, we thought all red would be too much.  Here's what we came up with:

We forgot to take before pics, so this is the best that we have

Stripped!

Progress

Even the bolts got some tlc

Refinished back rests

and finally....

Flashback Fridays

Taquile Island - Peru
2007

The Clocks of London

             On my recent trip to London, I couldn't help but notice that there are clocks everywhere!  Old clocks, new clocks, ornate clocks, simple clocks.  Ok, that was a bit corny, but I couldn't help it.  It got me wondering - did all of these clocks provide some kind of insight in British culture and/or values?  Growing up in a former British colony, I remember remarks about the their obsession with punctuality.  With so many clocks, how can anyone ever justify being late?  As you can tell from the photos below, I developed a bit of an obsession with taking pics of these clocks.  The plan is to combine into a collage of some sort.  Since I am pressed for time, it won't happen anytime soon, so in the meantime...

AND THE MOST FAMOUS OF THEM ALL.... BIG BEN!

The Art of Packing - Louis Vuitton Style

A few weeks back, I did a post on efficient (and I should also say, effective) packing for the fashion conscious .  Today, I came across a feature on the Louis Vuitton website, that is an interactive take on the art of packing.  Please do not ask how I even found the site.  Anyways, the website allows you to pick your LV bag of choice (or fantasy) and walks you through the ideal way to pack it.  There are even tutorials on folding the clothes.  Now, most of us do not own LV luggage and some of us never may, but sometimes, a bag is a bag is a bag (highly subjective statement, of course).  For the non-LV-owners, what you can do is pick the luggage with the dimensions that are closest to yours, and make your way through the guide.  Fun.  I will say though, given the limited number of clothes that must go into the luggage, this guide must be for someone who (1) is traveling for no more than 2 days, or (2) has a full wardrobe in her mansion at the destination city, or (3) doesn't mind wearing the same clothes over and over again.

Check it out for yourself:

http://www.louisvuitton.com/front/#/eng_US/Collections/Women/Travel/stories/The-Art-of-packing