21404 miles later....

and I am back in Atlanta. Yesterday morning, I woke up, had a quick breakfast at my hotel in Charlotte, and then packed up and left to drive back home. I had an interesting moment when I turned on my GPS: I realized that, instead of typing in a city or an address, the only button to press was the one that said "Go Home".

And so I did.

I arrived at my house a little after 1pm, to find my friend Nimmi and her boyfriend Ingomar waiting for me on the front porch. My friend Brian came over, too, with a cake he'd made for my homecoming. It was so nice having a welcoming committee; I've been so emotional the past few days, and it made me happy not to have to arrive to a completely empty house.

Anyway, we all went out for lunch and then came back and ate cake. Then I left to watch the Texas-OU football game with my friend Heidi and her husband, David, at a local bar. (Texas lost.) Then last night, because I felt weird being in my house, I went back out with Nimmi to a movie. And then I fell into bed, completely spent, at midnight.

I still haven't processed everything from the past week: the end of the trip, the return to Atlanta, the reality of re-entering my job, the comfort of my own home. I have such mixed emotions right now. But it was a really nice welcome-home day, and it allowed me to have a day in Atlanta that seemed like a natural extension of the trip: a beautiful day, spent in the company of good friends. I couldn't have asked for more.

Our Nation's Capital

I had originally planned, after leaving NYC, to travel down the eastern seaboard, and to especially see the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Unfortunately, a tropical storm decided to visit the Carolina coast, as well. So instead of the Carolinas, I diverted my trip and went to Washington, DC, instead.

I arrived on Wednesday afternoon after a grueling 6 1/2 hour drive (the normal trip would be about 4 1/2 hours). However, I relaxed after I arrived at my hotel, one of the nicest of my entire trip (Thank you, Priceline!). That evening, I met up with Jake, a friend of mine from Dallas who's working in DC. We went to the National Mall and walked from the Lincoln Memorial, past the reflecting pool, to the Washington Monument, and then all the way to the Capitol Building. I hadn't been to the mall and all of its monuments since I was a little girl, and it was interesting being back. The Lincoln Memorial is really quite beautiful, and I found out that Lincoln's statue is 19 feet high.

I also liked seeing the Washington Monument reflected in the pool....it was a beautiful night, with an odd reddish sky that morphed into purple, and the obelisk looked stunning against it. Unfortunately, my pictures didn't turn out so well there; I couldn't capture the colors with my little snapshot camera. Oh, well.

We went to a fabulous Indian restaurant that night for dinner, called Rasika. Jake is a foodie like I am, and we partook in the 6-course Chef's tasting menu (with wine, of course). Everything was amazing, but the most surprising was the flash-fried spinach which was our first course -- I loved it! After taking one crunchy bite, the spinach disappeared in my mouth, reminding me of cotton candy, in a weird (but super-tasty) way. Everything was fantastic, including the wine pairings and our unusual cocktails which we'd had before we were seated for dinner. It was a really great night. Luckily, after all that wine, neither of us had to drive -- thank goodness for taxicabs.

The next day, after a late start, I caught the subway to the Capitol area (I just love public transportation!). I wandered past the Library of Congress, and then I went to the Capitol Building itself for a tour. It was interesting; I hadn't been there in years, and it's changed from what I'd remembered. It also was funny because I'd just read The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown, and much of the book takes place within the Capitol, so I was looking at the decor with those recent memories in my head. In the Crypt (no one is buried there), there are statues of men from each of the original 13 colonies. Since I live in Georgia, the tour guide pointed out the statue from Georgia: it was Dr. Crawford W. Long, the inventor of ether for surgical anesthesia. I almost fell over with surprise: One of the Emory hospitals is Crawford Long Hospital! I had no idea, really, that he'd be located in the National Statuary Collection.

Anyway, after I left the Capitol Building, I went to the Supreme Court Building. Unfortunately, it was getting ready to close for the day, and so all I really saw was the courtroom itself, which is very, very regal and beautiful. I'd hoped to take a tour, but missed the last tour of the day. Oh, well. So then I decided to walk to the National Botanical Gardens, which are on the other side of the Capitol. Unfortunately, with the tropical storm, it rained off and on all day -- and it started pouring as I left the Supreme Court. So I aborted my Botanical Garden mission, and instead went back to my hotel to relax for a bit before dinner.

As to dinner: several years ago, I started doing volunteer work providing pro bono medical evaluations for clients who were seeking political asylum in the USA. I've evaluated several people at this point, and I've assisted all of them in successfully gaining asylum. One of my clients was a man from Eritrea; he'd stowed away on an American ship, and was taken into detention upon arriving in the USA. We (the US government) kept him in detention for two years while he awaited his hearings. Three years ago, he successfully gained asylum. We've kept in touch inconsistently, and I knew he was in Washington, so I called him, and we met for dinner last night.

It was wonderful to see him! We had time to catch up, and Abraham is doing very well. He's gained 12 pounds from when he was in detention, and he looks healthy and happy. His English is excellent now. He's working as a taxi driver because he's starting school, and his previous job didn't offer him as much flexibility. He works hard, too, driving his taxi for 12-14 hours per day, 6 days per week, with Sundays off to go to church. I'm not quite sure when he'll find the time to study and go to school, but he assures me he'll just work "a little bit less". It is always really amazing for me to talk to him: he works so hard, and needs so little, and is so happy to be a free man in the USA.

It truly warms me to see him; I feel so fortunate have played a small role in his life. I wish I remembered more often the lessons that he has to teach: that life throws each of us difficult challenges. That it's the way we see the world which allows us to succeed or fail. That, unlike in some countries, each person in the USA has the freedom to achieve whatever he wants. That, if you keep walking one step at a time, you eventually travel very far from where you started. That we sometimes must sacrifice in the short-term to achieve our long-term goals. That no person or thing can provide us with happiness; only we can make ourselves happy. And conversely, that no one makes us unhappy; we do that to ourselves.

Anyway, it was an extraordinary evening. And then today, I packed up my car and left DC. Washington was my last stop on this journey. Right now, I'm in Charlotte, North Carolina, far away from the flooded coastline. And then tomorrow, it's back to Atlanta.

NEW! YORK! CITY!

What a week it has been....I spent a week in NYC, which is the longest I've visited since I moved away in 2003.

I arrived in Great Neck (Long Island) on Monday, and stayed the night with Arthur and Eileen, my cousins there. They're always so fun for me. They're like the Woody Allen version of my family -- we're clearly related, but they're fast-talking, witty, and neurotic. I've always felt a little bit more New York than my own Texan branch of the family, and seeing Arthur and Eileen is always a revelation that way. Anyway, I spent Monday night with them, and then went into New York City on Tuesday.

I had one of my favorite New York experiences right from the get-go: I took the train from Great Neck into Penn Station, then had to transfer to the subway to get to my friend's apartment in Brooklyn. I had packed my gear for the week into one suitcase, and it was heavy and awkward. I had to carry it up a decently large flight of stairs as I arrived at Penn Station. I had just started up the stairs, walking against a sea of NYC humanity coming down the same staircase. Suddenly, a man left the downward group, took two steps to reach my side, grabbed my suitcase, and gruffed, "Follow me". He literally ran up the stairs with my suitcase, me trying hard to keep up with him. When I reached the top, I thanked him profusely in some insanely overdone Southern way: "Ohmigosh, thank you SO much....that was SO nice of you....(blahblahblah)." He responded with a quick "No problem, Sweetheart", and then he was gone down the stairs once again. I laughed when I remembered how differently polite New Yorkers can be compared to what I'm used to in the South. New Yorkers are incredibly helpful, but they don't offer their help; they just provide it. Quickly. And then they move on to the next item on their agenda. I love New Yorkers for that.

Immediately afterward, I had another "I love NYC" experience, because I absolutely love the subway. I love how, for $2.25, anyone can get absolutely anywhere within the city easily and quickly. I love the diversity of people on the train. I love listening to the various languages spoken by all of the immigrants. And I love that crazy people, tourists, businessmen, and locals all collide in that one arena. It fascinates me.

Anyway, I finally made it out to Brooklyn, schlepped my suitcase for a couple of blocks, and then got to Yarden and Micah's apartment. Yarden is an old friend of mine from college, and unfortunately, he and his wife and their daughter Neve were away in Israel for a wedding. But they offered me their apartment for the week, which was incredibly kind of them. So I got settled into the apartment and relaxed a while, and then I took the subway into Manhattan to meet up with Rob, my cousin and Arthur and Eileen's son. We went for dinner that night to a cool Lebanese restaurant in West Midtown, and had some great conversation. Rob is always fun to hang out with, and this visit was no exception.

The next day, I stopped in to the corner market to buy some groceries for the week (yet another thing I love about New York is the accessibility of the markets), and then I wandered around Brooklyn for a while, since I don't know the area very well. I went to the Brooklyn Public Library and to the Brooklyn Museum. I also wandered around Prospect Park for a bit. And that night I went back to Manhattan and met up with David and Christie, two old friends of mine from high school. They've lived in New York for years and years, literally since graduating from college, and they're my idols in that respect. David is an entertainment lawyer who works exclusively with theater clients, and Christie works for the NFL. We met up at a restaurant near one of the theaters, and had drinks and dinner and caught up. As we left, we met a woman whom Christie knows, and turns out, she's worked with David before, too, because she's in the theater industry. Anyway, I listened to them talk shop for just a moment or too, but it reminded me how interesting people's careers are in New York, compared with the rest of the US, and I admit I felt a pang of jealousy while listening to them.

I felt another pang when I saw David's apartment. He has a new place in Hell's Kitchen, and it's really nice -- but the most spectacular part of it is his rooftop terrace, which overlooks midtown Manhattan, with its skyscrapers and lights. It was so amazing, and I was reminded of why I'd wanted to live in New York in the first place. We hung out at David's, chatting and looking over the city, until 1 am (not such a big deal for me, but late for David and Christie, who both had to be at work in the morning!).

On Thursday, I took Christie's recommendation and went to the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. It's very cool. Basically, it's an apartment building from 1863 that had been condemned and vacant since 1935. The city donated it for a museum in the 198os. I took part in two separate tours while I was there. The first was a Garment Workers' tour; it looked into the lives of two separate families who worked in the garment industry. The first apartment, especially, was amazing -- the family also used the apartment as a clothing factory. So imagine: a 300 square foot apartment (bedroom, kitchen, and parlor room -- no bathroom, by the way) in which 8 people lived and 4 people worked EVERY DAY. The clothing factory produced 100 dresses per week. Since the factory operated 6 days per week, that means they produced between 16 and 17 handmade dresses every single day, or more than one per hour (work days were 12-14 hours long). It was unbelieveable. And the stove was heated with coal, so the dresses were constantly needing to be cleaned, as well, because of the soot produced in the apartment. And the wife had children in the apartment, as well -- all while the clothing workers were sewing like madmen.

The second tour dealt with families living through economic depressions: one family who was German Jewish, and another who was Italian. The first family was the more interesting to me, primarily because the husband disappeared at some point (no one knows what happened to him) and the wife ran the family. She must have been an amazing woman. She educated herself as a seamstress so that she could provide for her children after her husband disappeared, and made a decent living, apparently. She also found out that her husband's father had died, and left a small inheritance ($600) to his son. She initiated a campaign to find her husband, but when he was unable to be found, she then lobbied successfully to obtain the inheritance herself for her and her children. The money was equivalent to five years' rent. Instead of continuing to rent, she moved with the children to Brooklyn. When she died, she left her children $1000 inheritance. She must have been one tough cookie....

On Friday, I spent the day at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was a beautiful day, and I enjoyed the walk up Fifth Avenue to the museum. I wandered through many areas of the museum, but made sure to spend time in my favorite section, the Modern Art collection. After I left the museum, I sat in Central Park for a couple of hours and read. I also stopped to eat a street hot dog, one of my favorite NYC food items. That night, I was supposed to meet my friend Michelle for dinner in Brooklyn, but she had to cancel at the last minute. So instead, I ordered Thai food and watched The Big Lebowski. Not "fabulous", maybe, but a pretty great night, nonetheless.

Saturday I had plans with Nimmi and a couple of her friends out on the North Fork of Long Island. I got up very early and took the subway and then the train out to Long Island. I met Nimmi and her friends Regina and Anne Marie there. I had originally thought the day was to visit the North Fork and go to the wineries up there; I also assumed we'd see the coast, which I heard is beautiful on the North Fork. The day did turn out to be nice, but it was not what I expected: Anne Marie has two little kids, and so we spent the first part of the day going to a petting zoo/pumpkin patch, which was cute. After we left there, we went to a vineyard for a tasting; and then we went to another place for lunch and to listen to music. Then we went back to Anne Marie's house to put the kids down for a nap, and Regina and I went to do a little outlet shopping. Finally, that night we went to Southampton for dinner at a local pub, and then to a club for a drink and some people watching (but not in a good way).

On Sunday, I went back into the city. Yarden and Micah had arrived back in New York early that morning, and so they were essentially napping when I got to their apartment around 11am. I quickly changed clothes and left again, to meet David back on the west side for brunch with Trent, a friend of his and Christie's (she was unable to join us). We had a fabulous Middle Eastern brunch at a restaurant called Taboon. Later that afternoon, I went to the Upper East Side to see my friend and former med school classmate Chap, along with his wife Elizabeth, and their two children, Nathaniel and Jandi (Alexandra). We had so much fun! His kids are super-cute and funny. I stayed for dinner, and it was wonderful catching up with Chap and Elizabeth....I'd always really liked Chap, and this visit was no exception. There was only one big surprise: after years and years of living in New York City, they are finally seeking a yard, a bigger home, and a smaller mortgage in Westchester. Unbelieveable. Oh, how the mighty have fallen!....

After an early dinner, I went back to Brooklyn, hoping to see Yarden and Micah -- unfortunately, they had gone back to bed before I got to see them, and so I headed out once more. This time, I stayed in Brooklyn, and I went to visit Karen, another friend from that seminar in Tucson last year. Karen is so fabulous -- she's an artist and waitress in New York, super-creative and just generally amazing to talk to. She also lives right now in a coop, with 8 other people. I think I met most of them....they were all really nice. I arrived at 9pm, and Karen and I got to talking....I didn't leave until after 2am. It was a great day.

Monday, the weather was lousy, rainy and windy. I got to see Yarden and Micah when they got up for work around 7:30 (ugh, after my super-late night), and I finally got to meet Neve, as well! After they went to work, I got dressed and spend the day in Brooklyn. I got a pedicure (desperately needed, after all of my traveling and hiking), had a nice long lunch, read at a coffee shop, and wandered around during the few episodes between rainstorms. I also played with Neve in the afternoon. Then that evening, I finally was able to catch up with Yarden and Micah, which was really nice.

On Tuesday, I left the city the way I'd arrived: subway to Penn Station, and then train to Great Neck. Arthur picked me up at the train station, and I spend the afternoon repacking all of my gear into my car, and getting ready to head out the following day. That night, Arthur and Eileen took me to a piano concert at the local high school....the school had a 1928 Steinway which they'd had restored, and so several professional musicians came to celebrate its "rebirth". It was a nice evening, actually. After the concert, I had a long conversation with Eileen, before we all finally fell into bed, and it was really nice -- she is very supportive of my cutting back at work, having more of a routine, and trying to incorporate more "extracurricular" activities into my life. It was great. I felt like she truly heard me.

Anyway, yesterday morning, I took Arthur out to breakfast, and then I headed out of town. It was an interesting trip to New York. I'd expected to eat at some of my favorite places (Lupa, Tomoe, Le Pain Quotidien, and lots of places on the Lower East Side), but didn't. I'd expected to watch the sunset over Central Park from the rooftop garden at the Met, but didn't. I'd also expected to visit my favorite doorman from when I lived in Gramercy, to troll through the West Village, to visit the hospital where I'd worked, to see a Broadway show...but I didn't do any of these things.

Most importantly, I didn't feel like I instantly needed to move back. I realize that for everything I love about New York (its walkability, its incredible diversity, the subway, the amazing food choices, the architecture and the beauty of all those lights, the theater, the corner markets, and the best of the best of everything imaginable), there are some real issues with living there: ostentatious housing prices, outrageous taxes (including city income taxes), a general dirtiness of the city streets, the lack of natural beauty, and an ER-like frenzy to the pace of life there. New York was the opposite of relaxing for me -- in fact, I felt it stress me out a bit. Now, don't get me wrong -- I still love it there. But I realize now that, on my days off from work, I may very well need something slower and calmer than what I can find in New York. It was eye-opening....and more than a little sad.

Connecticut and Long Island

On Friday, I left Boston and drove a couple of hours to Hartford, Connecticut, where my friend Joao ("John") from residency lives. Funny, but after all the long-distance driving I've been doing, I was surprised when I realized how quickly I could drive between states in New England....Hartford was only 2 hours away from Boston. I arrived before noon.

John and I went to lunch in Hartford at a very cute little bistro, and had quite a bit of time to catch up. He's doing very well, although I'm not surprised by that -- I'm like a crazy neurotic, always a little on edge and wanting things to be better. John, on the other hand, is totally mellow, and has been for as long as I've known him. I don't think things really get to him. So there's problems at work? He doesn't even really think about them. He's very quietly confident in his abilities, and doesn't question himself or the people around him nearly as much as I do. It's always very calming for me to be around him -- although I probably make him crazy. (Maybe not, though -- that's the whole point -- he doesn't get crazy over anything....)

Anyway, after lunch we went back to his house and awaited his wife and daughter (Danica and Annelie). Danica is just as relaxed, mellow, and warm as John is, and we had a really nice evening. They made supper at home, and some of their friends came over and joined us with their two kids, a boy and a girl. Their daughter and Annelie had a princess pageant, and dressed me up for the pageant, as well. I looked totally regal in my feather boa, sparkly barrettes, and magic wand. You should have seen me dancing around with them....too funny....

The next morning, John had to go to work, but I saw him briefly beforehand. Then I had a nice breakfast with Danica and Annelie, and then I headed out to take the ferry from Bridgeport, Connecticut, to Port Jefferson, New York (on Long Island).

I arrived in Port Jefferson that afternoon, and wandered around town for a while....it's really cute there. I stayed overnight in an unremarkable town where I found an inexpensive hotel. The next morning, though, I went all the way out to the east end of Long Island, to the town of Montauk. It was fantastic!

I went first out to the lighthouse area, and did a mini-hike through the dunes next to the beach there and watched the surfers. After a while there, I left and drove to Gin Beach, which is along the northern edge of Montauk. The sand there was really nice, and there weren't too many people along that stretch of beach. I sat there for a long time with a book, and just let the sun warm my skin for a couple of hours. The around 4pm, I checked into my motel. It was nothing fancy, but it WAS right on the beach, and there was a terrace outside my room where I could sit, listening to the waves crashing, and watch the sunset over the water. Pretty fabulous, actually.

I met a couple there that evening. Their names were Joe and Karen, and they have to Springer spaniels who kept coming up to me to "say hi". We started chatting, and I found out that they live in Huntington. They asked me what I do for a living, and when it came out that I do emergency medicine, they told me that they have a friend in Huntington who is an emergency physician at North Shore Hospital. Turns out, their friend is one of my former bosses, Gary Rudolph! Such a small world.

Anyway, I loved Montauk and could definitely have stayed there for a few more nights. But on Monday, I had scheduled to stay overnight with my cousins in Great Neck, on the west end of Long Island, and for their scheduling reasons, I couldn't postpone my visit with them. So I ultimately only had one night in Montauk. But it was beautiful and laid back, and I really, really enjoyed it there. Definitely another place that I know I'll have to visit again someday.

I have to say, I've never lived on the coast before. But the water really strikes me in some primal way. There's something about the waves crashing, about the look of the wave tube as it curls over the surface of the water, about the foam rushing up the sand, about the smell of the breeze, about the light over the water, that I feel like I MUST have in my life. Does that mean I need to move to the coast? Or do I need a little cottage on the water as a second home someday? Or do I just need to take frequent vacations to the water? I'm not sure the answer. And I realize that I had the same sort of primal response to the desert, too -- which obviously has little to no water. Not sure what it means, exactly....but there is something about both the desert and the coast which speaks to me on a level that other places just don't reach.

Pahked my cah in Bwoston!

I left Toni and Vermont behind last Tuesday, and I drove down to Boston. It's funny....I've been to Boston lots of times for work, and I've always stayed in the same part of town and explored the same parts of town. So for this trip, I did it differently: I stayed with friends, and I took their suggestions for exploring.

I arrived Tuesday afternoon to the home of Dave and Cara. Dave and I met at the same seminar in Tucson where I met Toni, but I'd never met his wife before. They live in a super-cute apartment on the upper floor of a house in Somerville. We really just hung out that day, mostly, and caught up after not seeing each other for a year. And there was some great news that day -- Cara got a new job! She'd been out of work for a little while, and so it was great, great news. So that night, we went out for a celebration dinner to a great Italian place in their neighborhood, Li'l Vinny's. (I love the name). We had amazing pasta e fagioli to start, and then they each ordered pasta dishes for supper with in-house made fresh pasta, and I ordered the osso bucco -- because I may as well order it at a place that is authentic, right?

The portions came out, and they were laughable -- the pasta was served on a huge platter for each of Dave and Cara. But mine was really obscene. It came out on this enormous plate, and was piled high with meat, tomato sauce, and vegetables. Delicious as it was, I literally ate only 1/8 of it, the portion was so huge. I honestly could never have imagined anything so large -- and for someone who eats out as much as I do, that's saying something....

Anyway, the next day I left Somerville and took the subway to the Boston Commons. I decided to take the Freedom Trail tour, which was pretty cool. I hadn't thought about the American Revolution in many, many years, and it was nice having a little refresher course. Our tour guide was an odd guy, though -- he kept saying insulting things to the folks in our group. I don't think he meant too, really -- I got the impression that he just gives the tour so often that he tries to mix it up and have conversation with everyone in the group. So he'd try to talk about "identifying features" of each place the visitors were from. But often, his comments came out kind of rude. So for the family from Belgium, he said something like: "Hmmm....Belgium. A place that's not known for anything at all." And the family became incensed. They retorted: "What? What about mussels and frites? Chocolate? Beer?" To which the guide said, "All right, I'll give you chocolate...." Just kind of odd.

Anyway, my favorite parts of the tour was the discussion of the Boston Massacre, which didn't occur at all the way it appears in the painting of the massacre. Instead of British soldiers firing on helpless colonists, they lined up while having the colonists threw rocks and other items thrown at them. They were NOT told to fire by their commander, either. But apparently one British private was hit with an object and fell to the ground, and supposedly yelled, "Damn you, fire!" To which the soldiers did, and killed five colonists. And the rest, they say, is history.

I also really enjoyed the Granary Burial Ground, where John Hancock, Paul Revere, Benjamin Franklin's parents, and the five who died in the Boston Massacre were buried. It was very interesting. And I learned lots about Paul Revere that I'd never known before, not the least of which was that he never uttered "The British are coming". It makes sense, too, because that statement wouldn't have made sense, since the colonists considered themselves British, too. Instead, he called "The Regulars are Out", by which he meant the soldiers.

That afternoon, after wandering around Faneuil Hall and the Boston Commons, I took the subway back to Somerville, and then drove out to Newton to meet up with Jordan Schwartz, an old friend from college. He's married now and has FOUR children -- quite a change from when I last saw him in 1997! Anyway, it was a fun evening meeting his wife Abby and playing with their kids. And after the kids went to bed, I had a long conversation with Jordan and Abby, which was really nice.

The next morning I was invited to walk to school with Abby and the kids, which was really fun, and then I went back into downtown. Actually, I went first to Harvard Square, wandered around the campus for a while, and then stopped in to the Coop (Harvard Bookstore) for a while. After that, I ate lunch at Cardullo's, a gourmet market in the area. Then I went downtown and wandered around the Public Gardens and up and down Newbury Street, and then finally went back to hang out at the Boston Commons again. It is really a lovely public area there, and so nice to have such a beautiful space for everyone in the city to enjoy.

That night, I went back to Jordan and Abby's, and had another fun evening playing with the kids (their son Caleb is almost as ticklish as I am), and another evening of good conversation. Then the following morning, I walked with the kids to school again before I headed out of town.

It was a great few days. I was so grateful to once again have time to catch up with old friends, and to meet their families and see their lives now. I was especially surprised by seeing Jordan, in the same way I was surprised by seeing Dax and Amethyst last spring in Colorado Springs, and Martha in Seattle. I hadn't seen Jordan in 13 years -- and yet, we seemed to be able to catch up in an hour or so, and then it was like we'd never been apart, in a way.

It's one of the blessings of this trip for me, to know that people who were special to me once are still special to me now, and to know that my true friends never really leave, no matter the time or distance between us. I've been so preoccupied with my life over the past few years, between work and career-building, and I never would have guessed that catching up would have been so simple. It's amazing to know how much space I have for love and friendship, when I only allow myself to have the space....when I allow myself to be present, and not obsess about the work I have to do, the obligations I have to fill, the people I try not to disappoint, and what the future holds.

Almost Lost

I left Acadia and Maine on Sunday, and I drove to the small town of Bethel, Vermont, where my friend Toni lives. She and I were roommates at a seminar we went to last October outside of Tucson, and I hadn't seen her since then. She's in a graduate law program at Vermont Law School now. Anyway, I arrived Sunday afternoon and we went for a walk around her neighborhood, and then just had dinner that night at her place. I got to cook dinner again for the first time in a while, and it felt good to be in a kitchen again.

The next day, we went to Stowe to do some hiking and to take the Ben and Jerry's factory tour. We hiked Hogback Mountain to the summit. It was a very cool hike, all wooded until we got to the very top. The weather was fantastic, and we sat at the top for a long time. In fact, we sat there so long that we completely missed the Ben and Jerry's tour. I didn't really mind, though, because it was such a great day. Until we missed our trail coming down the mountain, and got lost.

Our first clue that we were lost was a GIANT rock pile. We thought that we might have just missed noticing it on the way up. But then we saw another. And another. And then a tepee. We didn't know what to do....we were on a trail, just not the right one, and it was getting dark. We had only one bottle water, and absolutely no other equipment -- after all, it was meant to be a short hike! After debating our options, we decided to continue on our new trail, and hope to end up in civilization somewhere. After walking for a while in semi-anxious silence, we eventually heard some music in the distance. We followed it until we got to a house where some guys were having band practice. I was going to ask them to give us a ride to our car, but suddenly Toni's iPhone GPS updated, and we realized where we were....1.5 miles from our car. We finally made it back to the car, just as it got dark. Thank goodness. From now on, I will do no hiking without my flashlight, compass, first-aid kit, and extra water....

Anyway, we ate dinner at a Thai restaurant in Stowe (which is a cute town, by the way), and then we finally got back to Bethel around 11pm. It was a great day, but after the nervousness of the hike, I fell asleep the minute my head hit the pillow.

Maine Coast

There have been a few states that I was really excited to see on this trip: Utah, with all its national parks; Montana, with its wide-open spaces; and Maine, with its rocky coastline. After almost 5 months on the road, I've finally reached the third of those destinations.

I arrived in Maine after leaving New Brunswick on September 9. I had a relatively difficult border crossing, actually; apparently, being on the road for several months and driving multiple times between the USA and Canada made me appear suspicious at first. The border agent asked me how many states I'd been to; I told him I'd have to count. He eventually let me through, with a quick "Welcome back."

Anyway, I stopped in the town of Machias, Maine, for a quick meeting with Patty, because there was a Dunkin Donuts there, and I knew I'd have wifi capability there. After my meeting, I asked around about some sights to see in the area, and I was recommended to see Jasper Beach in Machiasport, Maine. It was beautiful! It's an all-rock beach. The rocks are all different colored jaspers. Down near the water, the rocks were small, but they became larger and larger the further the stones were from the water. Every time a wave would recede back from the shore, you could hear the rattling of the stones on one another...like a rain stick, only much louder. It was very, very cool, and I smiled every time.

I sat there for a long time, and then I finally left and continued my drive to Trenton, Maine, just across the bridge from Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. I went to a lobster pound that night, and ate a lobster roll, because I was too chicken to admit that I don't really know how to crack and eat a lobster. The roll was good, but watching everyone dig into their crustaceans made me determined to eat a lobster before I left the area.

The next morning, I went to Acadia. It's actually a pretty busy park, with lots to do and to see. The first thing I did was to drive to Sand Beach, which is one of the few sand beaches in New England. It was allright, I suppose, but nothing spectacular. But from there, I took the Ocean Trail along the shoreline to Otter Point. And it was a beautiful hike. It started at the beach, then climbed up to the roadside, and then wound along the cliffs along the shore. I stopped countless times to wander around the cliffs and just watch the waves pound the shore. Halfway through the hike I stopped at Thunder Hole, where the crashing waves created a huge noise, apparently, when there's a storm. No storm the day I visited, so no thunder. But it was really cool to just look around there....the area is basically a small inlet, and the water would change by many feet between a wave coming in and a wave going out. As the tide came in (the thunder is heard best at high tide), the water would swell higher and higher; when the water ran out after each wave, whirlpools in the deep-blue water would form. The water looked frigid, and smelled tangy. It was outstanding.

The rest of the hike was excellent, too. As I got closer to Otter Point, the cliffs became higher and more jagged, and again, I'd just stop and look around. When I finally reached Otter Point, there was a couple standing there, as well. They were looking around, but obviously did NOT see the otter which was playing off to the side and bobbing his head up and down. I tried to point him out to them, but by the time they came over to where I was standing, he had disappeared. I waited 15 minutes for him to return, but he never did. I consider him my personal, private otter, and thought he might be sending me a message.

Since then, I've looked up the symbolic meanings of the otter. Basically, the otter represents female energy and playfulness. Supposedly, the highest quality of otter "medicine" is to recognize that the world is a joyful place where all can play without fear of harm or loss, and about finding time to play, not just to work. Otter is also the native American zodiac sign for January 20-February 18, which encompasses my birthday (January 22). My personal, private otter, indeed.

After I finished my hike (which took most of the day, given my stopping and looking around), I went to the Jordan Pond House for popovers and tea (and lobster stew, since I hadn't eaten lunch). It was delicious! The popovers with butter and strawberry jam were to die for...definitely have to learn how to make them when I return to Atlanta.

After lunch (it was 4pm by this time), my feet were really hurting me, and the weather turned foggy and it started to rain. I drove to the top of Cadillac Mountain, but couldn't see anything, and so I went back to my B&B and read that evening. It was a nice, relaxing evening, and I went to bed early.

The next morning, I drove back to Cadillac Mountain and took lots of pictures from the top. It's not very tall, only 1500 feet, but it is the tallest mountain on the northeastern seaboard, and it provides spectacular views of Frenchman Bay and Bar Harbor. But there were a zillion people up there, so I didn't stay long. Instead, I went back to my car and drove to the west side of Mt. Desert Island (one of the parts of Acadia), and hiked to Beech Mountain. The hike was short but really beautiful, and I had an amazing view from the top. After that hike, then I drove down to Southwest Harbor and had lunch at a cute harborside seafood restaurant, which was really good. Then I continued driving down the west side of the island. I decided to do another hike along the Ship's Harbor Trail, and I'm so glad I did! It started along an inlet where the water was really, really calm and still. But then the hike took me out to the coast, and with just a bit of scrambling in and out of the rocks (which wasn't very hard), I ended up on the rocks onto which the waves were crashing. It was spectacular. I sat out there for two hours, it was that amazing.

That night, with my hair still smelling of salt air from my hike, I went back to the Lobster Pound and ordered a lobster. I had the same waitress I'd had two nights before, and she was pretty great, coaching me through how to disassemble, crack, and eat a lobster. And I have to say, it was truly outstanding. The meat was sweet and delicate, and I thought it was fun, taking it all apart!

I had such a great time in Maine, even though I didn't see much of it. The coastline and waves were so amazing that I was tempted to drop everything and move there! The only thing that stopped me was the fact that everyone I asked told me that living there is "great in the summer, gorgeous in the fall, and really, really cold the rest of the year". Maybe a vacation home, then?

The Merry-Times

So, I finally made it back to the USA today, and I have to admit, I'm really grateful for that. But I had a wonderful few days in the Maritime Provinces beforehand.

Last Wednesday, I left Quebec City and drove to New Brunswick. To make the drive shorter than all-day, I drove to a small town called Miramichi. It's located on the Miramichi River, which apparently has amazing fishing, and some amazing local and provincial parks. I thought about staying in Miramichi to ride out Hurricane Earl, but two women at my hotel and my waitress at the restaurant where I ate supper all told me to go to Moncton, New Brunswick, instead. Moncton is larger, about 125,000 people, so there would be lots to do there, and it's closer to the other provinces. It's also on the backside of the Bay of Fundy, and so wouldn't take a direct hit from Earl. I decided to listen to them, and even though I'd never heard of Moncton, found a B&B to stay while I was there.

I left on Thursday for Moncton, after a morning hiking at the French Fort Park in Miramichi (which was really nice, BTW). The B&B was very cute; it's called the Wild Rose Inn. It's owned by a Chinese couple who had been living in Auckland, New Zealand, until they bought the inn about 5 months ago and moved to Canada. Anyway, when I arrived I took a long nap, and then I went out that night to see a movie. Ended up seeing Eat, Pray, Love against my better judgment. I wish I hadn't. I really liked the book, and the movie was a big disappointment for me. But it still was nice to see a movie; I hadn't seen one since I'd been in Portland in June.

On Friday, I went to the Hopewell Rocks. New Brunswick forms the western side of the Bay of Fundy, which has the highest tides in the world! The Hopewell Rocks are a famous site along the bay in New Brunswick. During low tide, you can walk among these amazing rocks which have been eroded by the high tides; during high tide, the ocean floor which you walked upon earlier is now 40 feet below the surface of the water, and you can kayak among the rocks! The rocks themselves are cool, too -- they have plants which grow on their tops, but they are each separated from the others, so they're called "flower pots". I wandered among the flower pots, looked out at the mud flats and at the water during low tide, and then had lunch at the park while I waited for the tide to come in.

A couple of hours later, I went to the salt flats at Demoiselles Beach, at the other end of the park. There were all kinds of cracks and crevices in the mud, indicating where there was water carving into the mud. I sat high on the beach for a couple more hours, and read and watched the tide come in. The crevices soon filled up with water, and then overflowed the entire flats, until the water came up almost to my feet! It was really cool. I could actually see the tide rising, it moved so quickly. I didn't stay until high tide, but even in the hour or so that I watched the tide rise, it definitely changed by at least 8-10 feet. Pretty amazing.

The following day was Hurricane Earl day. I decided to stay inside all day, and do some reading. So I took myself to a bookstore, bought a coffee, and hunkered down. I read for a long time, left and got some lunch at a fish & chips place, then actually went back to the bookstore and read some more. When I finally was sick of reading, I walked to the movie theater next door, and saw another movie, The Switch with Jason Bateman and Jennifer Aniston. It was cute. After the movie, I went back to the B&B and went to bed early.

As everyone had predicted, Moncton didn't get anything serious from Earl. Nova Scotia did, though (200,000 homes had lost power), and so I was glad that I'd decided against going there for the weekend. But on Sunday morning, the weather was fabulous: clear, blue sky, 70 degrees, and breezy. So I left my B&B and drove to Prince Edward Island. And PEI is gorgeous! Farmhouses, manicured lawns, lots of dairy cattle, and vineyards inland, and then absolutely stunning coast with lighthouses and Victorian homes. No place on the island is more than 16km away from the coast (about 10 miles). I spent the afternoon on Sunday in Summerside. It was very windy that day, and I remember seeing a flock of seagulls trying to fly, but getting pushed around by the wind. So they hung out on the ground in a parking lot, waiting for the wind to die down. Every so often, a gull would take off and try to fly, get pushed backwards, and finally land back in the flock. It was pretty funny, and I watched them for a long time.

I left Summerside that afternoon and drove to Charlottetown, where I'd booked a hotel room. Charlottetown is the capital of PEI, and so I wandered around a bit that afternoon. It's really cute there, with lots of little shops and restaurants. There's a famous ice cream place there called Cows; Nimmi and I had eaten at the Cows in Banff when we were there. But the original is in PEI, and so I stopped in for an ice cream, then pretty much wandered through the town and then along the harbor. That night had dinner at a famous seafood place called Water Prince Snack Shop, and met another traveler there; she lives in Vancouver but is originally from Australia. It was nice to hang out with someone, and to compare travel notes.

Monday was Labor Day, and I decided to spend the morning walking along the Charlottetown boardwalk. It was gorgeous that day, very sunny and cool, and I walked for a long time, then sat on a bench on the boardwalk to read for a while. I didn't get much reading done -- an older couple sat next to me on the bench and started chatting with me. They are PEI'ers, although they are both Lebanese. The wife was born in Quebec City, and moved to PEI when she was 3; the husband moved from Lebanon to PEI when he was a teenager. They were very cute, and they insisted upon taking me around town to show me the sights, and then back to their house for coffee, which turned into a full-on Lebanese luncheon feast. Two of the husband's brothers showed up, as well, so it turned into a full family event! Lunch was great, but the best part of all was the grapes that we'd picked from their garden for dessert. They have a large backyard and greenhouse, and they have many grapevines of different varieties. Jean and Labeeb were so excited that they got to show me around their garden, and it was fun learning about everything they grow, and picking our grapes for our lunch.

Eventually, after I'd eaten my fill of goodies and drunk the coffee which started the entire event, it was time for me to leave for Halifax, Nova Scotia. I arrived there around suppertime, and I was pretty tired, so I just stayed in my hotel that night.

On Tuesday morning, I went to the Halifax Citadel. It was incredibly cool. Halifax was apparently always considered a key strategic location for British North America, and George Washington (among others) had planned on attacking it. The buildings currently standing are the 4th iteration of the citadel itself. After WWII, when military technology changed, the Citadel was no longer needed to protect the area, and so now it's a National Historic Monument. They have it decked out to look as it did in 1864, when cannons were the typical method of firepower, and when the soldiers wore kilts. It was incredibly cool, because all of the personnel at the Citadel are dressed in traditional Highland Regiment (Scottish) garb: argyle socks, kilt, red velvet jacket with brass buttons, and wire-cage bonnet covered with black ostrich and white vulture feathers. And unlike the American fife and drum units, they had bagpipers and drummers, so there was always music being played. It was really, really neat, actually. I got to see several different types of cannons being fired, learned about muskets and rifles and saw many of them fired, had a long conversation with a bagpiper and got to see the pipes in detail (i.e., disassembled), and walked the entire grounds including the main level, ramparts around the citadel, and the ditch which was meant to keep out invaders. I'd only planned to be there for 2 hours, but ended up spending almost 5 hours there! When I finally left, I went to the Halifax harborfront, and wandered around for a long time looking at all of the ships docked there and just glancing into all of the shops. I had dinner at Alexander Keith's brewery and tried his IPA, which was really tasty.

Finally, on Wednesday, I left Halifax and drove to St. John, New Brunswick. Unfortunately, it was raining and very foggy all day, so I really didn't see very much at all -- which is too bad, because I hear that St. John is gorgeous, as well. But I did try Keith's red ale that night with dinner, and it was really tasty, too, just like the IPA. I've never really had Keith's beer before....suddenly, I'm a fan!

Anyway, the Maritimes were really unbelieveably gorgeous and charismatic. I just wish I'd had a little more time to spend there, rather than running from place to place. But definitely, I'll return for a visit sometime in the future. PEI, especially, was too gorgeous to be believed.

Earl and Me

Hmmmm. This is supposed to be my weekend to visit the Maritime Provinces of Canada: Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. Unfortunately, there's a hurricane on the way. Earl is supposed to hit Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, tomorrow. It'll work its way up the East Coast, and will hit Nova Scotia on Saturday, right when I was supposed to be there. It may just be bad wind and rain, but could possibly be a Category I hurricane, as well.

Any bright ideas about where, and how, to spend a hurricane weekend?

Three Great Tastes

Okay, a brief interlude about food love. Yes, food love. For those of you who know me, the fact that I've tasted three new food items and decided to post a blog about it won't be a big surprise.

I left Montreal yesterday morning to spend a day in Quebec city, the capital of the province of Quebec. But I couldn't do it without tasting at least ONE of Montreal's culinary treasures. I decided on bagels, since I was leaving in the morning, and felt that a Montreal smoked meat sandwich would be a bit much for breakfast.

I went to Fairmont Bagels, which is an institution in Montreal. I was surprised; it's more like a teeny-tiny bakery with a tiny take-out window than the booming, 24-hour bagel place I was expecting. And it was super-hot in there with a huge wood-fired oven and no air conditioning.

Anyway, I ordered my test of a good bagel, pumpernickel. The bagel was smaller than I was used to in the States, and tasted differently, too. The texture was good, dense and chewy, but different than a New York bagel, since Montreal bagels are wood-fired. It also had an unusual sweet-sour flavor that I wasn't quite used to (apparently, Montreal bagels are boiled in honey-sweetened water before they're baked). But it was tasty, and I enjoyed it.

I made it to Quebec City that afternoon, and wondered around town for a while. It's super-cute there, like a European city, basically, with narrow cobblestone streets and lots of inns and cafes. But I was drawn to one with a big "Montreal smoked meat" sign out front (I'm such a sucker, aren't I?) I went into the restaurant, and it was a booming little coffee shop/sandwich shop. Anyway, I asked about the smoked meat, and the waitress said it was delicious, so I ordered it.

And she did NOT lie to me. That was one amazing sandwich. Rye bread, good dark mustard, spicy-salty-savory meat, and a French pickle on the side, along with some coleslaw and fresh-fried potato chips. It was food heaven.

Today, I left Quebec City and drove for 350 miles to make it to the Maritime Provinces (more on that later). But now that I'm on the Atlantic coast, seafood is the thing to eat. I went to a restaurant tonight that served it up in all manner of ways, but the waitress recommended the Lobster Roll.

Now, let me say this: I am Jewish, and so eating lobster is not something I've done a lot of. In fact, I've only had it once before, years ago, and then it was only to be polite. But since then, I've turned into a foodhound, and so I had a decision to make: avoid the bottom-feeder? Or take advantage of a culinary opportunity in its unique habitat? I thought about it for a few seconds, and then I decided to go with the Lobster Roll -- after all, this trip is both a journey and an adventure, and I figured I may as well suck the marrow out of it.

So, after eating a Jewish bagel and then Jewish smoked meat, I swung the pendulum 180 degrees and ate my first lobster roll. And it was outstanding. Sweet, creamy, delicate, on a fabulous buttered roll, served with coleslaw. It was amazing. I ate it as slowly as I could possibly manage, trying to savor it as much as possible.

So, there it is. In two days, I've had a Montreal bagel, Montreal-style smoked meat, and a lobster roll. Not great for the hips, but fabulous for the soul.

Montreal

Yesterday, I left Toronto and drove to Montreal. I have to admit I was a bit nervous about this portion of the trip; I'd heard that Montreal is not friendly, especially to those who don't speak French. But I arrived safely and in one piece, and the folks at the hotel were extremely friendly and helpful. I was tired last night, and so I had dinner nearby and worked on this blog some and read a book.

Today I decided to check out the town. I decided against a bus tour like I'd done in Toronto. Instead, there were two particular sites I decided to see: Old Montreal and the Botanical Gardens. I decided to go to Old Montreal first, and decided to take the subway to get there. I love the subway -- I have ever since I lived in NYC. But this subway was much more confusing than the subway in New York. Mostly, the signs are pretty nonexistent. So I'd find the station, which was clearly labled, take the stairs underground, and then suddenly, the only way to go was via another staircase back up to street level! Confused, I'd ask someone where the train was, and every time, it turned out I was going the right way, I just had to go up and down some more until I finally reached the actual station. Very strange.

Anyway, I made it to Old Montreal. It is beautiful, very European looking. I started out at the Basilica of Notre Dame. I love going to cathedrals -- they always amaze me with their beauty. And this one did not disappoint. The entire altar is carved, and is backlit with blue lighting, so it looks like it glows. The original name for Montreal was Ville Marie, or City of Mary -- and so there's a depiction of Mary at the very top of the altar, which I liked. In fact, the entire basilica intertwined typical Catholic iconography with historical depictions of the founding of Montreal. The basilica is also painted in 23 karat gold leaf, which adds to the glowing phenomenon. Apparently, the interior designer decided to do this because it lasts longer than paint (!), up to 80 years before needing maintenance. And a factoid: apparently one ounce of gold leaf will cover one square meter of space. Anyway, it was gorgeous. There's also a pipe organ at the back of the basilica which is quite impressive, too: it has 6992 individual pipes in it. It was originally water-powered by the St. Lawrence River, because it required more power than the traditional bellows could provide.

After touring the basilica, I was taken to the wedding chapel in the back. It was surprising, too: it's all wooden, and much, much less ornate than the basilica. It started out ornate, but much smaller and more intimate -- until 1978, when a fire burned half of it. The back of the chapel now remains ornately carved wood, but the front and ceiling is now contemporary light-colored, simple wooden paneling. Its simplicity is really nice actually, and goes well with the ornately carved back. But the most impressive part of this chapel is the bronze wall carving behind the altar. It's called "The March of Humanity", and is also very contemporary-looking. It depicts humans marching through three difficult periods of life, each represented by an arch: childhood, adulthood, and death. At the top, above the death-arch, is the Holy Trinity, depicted by the face of Jesus, the sun, and a dove. Were it not for the face of Jesus, it would have looked right at home in any modern synagogue!

Anyway, I left the Basilica and went walking. I saw the Montreal City Hall, several courthouses, and the Marche Bonsecours. I also walked along the harbor and looked over the water. Finally, I took myself to a nice, luxurious lunch on the plaza Jacques-Cartier. I had a cocktail, then had a crepe and an espresso.

When I left, I wandered over to another subway stop, got completely confused again trying to find the actual train, and then went uptown to the botanical gardens. I'd heard about these before, and was excited to see them. But first, I walked right past the Montreal Olympic Stadium from the 1976 Summer Games and snapped a few photos.

When I got to the gardens, I went first to the rose garden, then to the aquatic gardens, which I thought were very pretty -- basically, they were a set of partitioned fountains, each of which contained a different water plant. It was nice, and I loved listening to all of the fountains and waterfalls. But I couldn't stay too long, because I had a mission -- to see the Chinese and Japanese gardens.

I got to the Chinese gardens first. These gardens were ASSEMBLED IN CHINA, then disassembled and shipped to Montreal, and then reassembled onsite. Chinese workers came over to do the actual assembly. Pretty crazy. There were pavilions all over the place, stones assembled into a 9 meter-high mountain, a lake with a small island, and colorful statues depicting animals and people from the Ming Dynasty. It was very colorful, but a bit much for me, actually. I found it distracting.

After I left there, I walked through the First Nations gardens, which are typical of the forests and areas where the Canadian natives lived. It was very natural, basically a forest, and a nice change from the gaudy Chinese gardens, I thought. Once again, I was reminded how respectful the natives were, and are, of the natural land around them; instead of sculpting, they allow the land to just be. I also learned that they'd plant corn, squash, and beans together, and that all three plants grow better when they are grown together.

Finally, I made it to the Japanese garden. Like the Chinese garden, it was landscaped, and used stone and water in the hardscape. But this garden, designed by a Japanese landscape architect, was as simple and elegant as the Chinese garden was big and bold. Basically, it consisted of a few simple pavilions, surrounding a large koi pond. A waterfall was off to one side of the pond, and a lantern was on another side. The pond was curved, and all around it was landscaping of different heights and textures. Every single place I stood or sat provided an amazing view. It was simple and lovely, and very relaxing. I sat there for an hour and a half before I finally tore myself away. The only thing I didn't get to do was the traditional Japanese tea ceremony, which they hold in one of the pavilions; apparently, I need a reservation for that. Next time....

Anyway, I'm back in my hotel room now, safe and sound. I had a really nice day in Montreal. Like Toronto, it's a beautiful, vibrant city. And despite my fears, I found the people here to be very helpful and friendly. Yet another place for me to make a return visit someday.

Toronto and Niagara

I left Ann Arbor on Thursday afternoon, and I arrived in Toronto in the early evening. Back to Canada! This time around, I'm planning on continuing the drive eastward, all the way to the Atlantic coast. And for most of this trip, I'll be alone and motel-ing it, but for the Toronto portion, I had a host family. They are the parents of my friend Mark, a former resident of mine from Emory. Mark grew up in Toronto, and when I called him for recommendations of places to visit, he contacted his parents, who offered to host me while I was there.

Anyway, I met Guico and Lily that evening, and they are fantastic. They are originally from Lima, Peru, but moved to Toronto shortly after they married. We had a nice evening at their home, and Lily gave me lots and lots of recommendations of things to do and see while I was in town.

I actually took her up on one of the most unlikely ones: to do a double-decker tour bus trip through downtown Toronto! It was interesting, and I certainly saw lots of sights I would never have seen on my own, including a 19th century castle which was built for a private citizen, the old and new Toronto City Hall buildings, and the financial district. But several of the things I saw were really interesting to me, and influenced my entire day in downtown Toronto.

First of all, the bus took me directly to the Toronto harbor, which is directly on Lake Ontario (Great Lake #4 of my trip!). From there, I got off and took a boat to the Toronto Islands, which are immediately south of downtown. I spent a while wandering around the main island, which has gardens, fountains, bike and boat rentals, three beaches (one nude), and even an amusement park! But I wandered through the gardens and over to the shoreline. The lake was beautiful, calm and turquoise, and I just sat there for an hour looking out over the water and the occasional sailboat which flitted by. I could have stayed there all day.

Reluctantly, I got back on the boat and then went back to my tour bus. The next place we went was to the St. Lawrence Market district, which had a huge street festival going on that weekend, and we drove past the Distillery district, which was the old whiskey distillery that made whiskey to sell to the USA during Prohibition -- it's now been renovated and turned into shops, galleries, and restaurants.

When my tour finally ended around 3pm, I made the executive decision to go to the street festival. It was cool! It was called Busker Fest, and although I didn't know it before I came to Canada, a busker is a street performer. There were buskers from all over the world at this festival! I saw fire breathers, stunt men, a Japanese unicyclist on a 15 foot-high unicycle, lots of "statues" which moved when you got too close to them, clowns of all shapes and sizes, and trapeze artists and all kinds of acrobats. It was amazing, but expensive -- especially since I kept tipping all of the buskers as I watched their shows, and paid $30 to park!

After I left Busker Fest, I drove to the Distillery and wandered around there for a little while, as well, and I'm glad I did -- they did a fantastic job renovating it. The buildings are the same old buildings, and the streets are still cobblestone, but the shops and galleries are really cool. There was one gallery, in particular, which had something I'd never seen before: art made out of Rubik's Cubes. There were pictures of Andy Warhol, Marilyn Monroe, Bob Marley, etc., and each of the "dots" of color on their faces was a pixel from a Rubik's Cube face. It was kitschy, but cool nonetheless.

That evening, I went back to Lily and Guico's house for Shabbat dinner, which was really nice. They had a friend over for dinner, too, and so the four of us had a great time together. The next morning, Lily had her housekeeper cook me breakfast (Lily wouldn't cook on Shabbat, but wanted me to eat something substantial), and then sent me off to see Niagara Falls.

I have to admit I had some trepidation about seeing the falls; they are supposed to be so....overdone with all of the touristy stuff. And it was, no doubt. But once I saw the falls themselves, I mostly forgot about all of that. The falls are just impressive. First of all, some facts:

1. There are two actual falls: the American falls, which are straight, and the Canadian falls, which are curved and area also called the "Horseshoe Falls".
2. The falls occur where water flows from Lake Erie (Great Lake #5 for this trip!) into Lake Ontario.
3. 34 MILLION gallons of water flow over the horseshoe falls every minute.
4. 16 people have tried to go over the falls in a wooden barrel; 5 of them have died.
5. One person has accidentally gone over the falls and survived; he was seven years old, and fell out of a boat that capsized. He was rescued by the Maid of the Mist. He is now a practicing minister in Detroit.

I ended up doing two "must dos" while I was there, and I was glad I did. The first was the "Journey Behind the Falls". It's basically a tunnel behind the (Canadian) falls themselves, with some places where you can look out and see the water. The first two lookouts were truly behind the waterfall, and you can't even see anything -- just a wall of roaring water. The next two lookouts were cooler; they are located just to the side of the falls, about halfway up. From there, if you look up you see the falling water; if you look down, you see the huge spray from the water as it lands in the lake below. It's very cool. From that perspective, the wall of water appears green.

The second was the Maid of the Mist, the boat which takes you close to both sets of waterfalls. The Maid of the Mist has run continuously since 1846. We passed the American falls first, which was nice, and then went over to the Canadian falls, at which point we turned the boat around to go back to the dock. When the boat turned, we literally got right up underneath the falls -- and we all got soaked!, poncho or no poncho.

After I dried off, I went back to my car and then went north a bit, through a LOT of wineries, to a town called Niagara-on-the-Lake. Lily had recommended it to me, and I'm so glad she did; it is completely different from the tourist hubbub at the falls. It's a little Victorian town, old and super-quaint. The main street is Queen Street, and it's lined with tea shops, bakeries, boutiques, inns, and restaurants. I wandered up and down until the shops started to close, and then I found a little restaurant and had a nice dinner before driving back to Toronto that night. It was lovely. I definitely would like to go back there someday for a long weekend.

Sunday morning, I had breakfast with Lily and she showed me some of the art and Peruvian artifacts in their home -- they have quite a collection of pre-Columbian artifacts, and it was impressive to see, especially after appreciating the primitive style of the Eskimo art from Alaska. It was a wonderful couple of days in Toronto. I felt very badly about being so...active...on Shabbat when I was staying with a religious family, but they truly didn't seem to mind. Toronto is a beautiful city, and there is certainly lots to do and see there. It was great, pure and simple.

24 hours of Zing!

On Wednesday, after much consternation about not having been able to go earlier in the week, I finally made it to Ann Arbor. It had been so long since I'd been back there, and it was weird being back. I realized that I don't really know my way around the town anymore, and that I don't remember lots of the street names. But I was back in town with a laser-like mission: to eat lunch at Zingerman's, and to see how I felt being in the deli once again, after so many years.

Zingerman's is like nirvana to me; it's part New York-style delicatessen, part high-end gourmet food shop. And I've always felt that, despite my success in medicine, that my true passion lies within the food world -- and Zingerman's is my holy grail.

I arrived around 3pm, and walked into the shop for the first time in years. It looks the same: decorated tin roof, linoleum tile on the floors, crowded aisles with folks at the cheese counter, the bread counter, the sandwich counter, the cashiers' lanes, and the olive oil and vinegar tasting areas. Even at that late lunch hour, the place was packed. I didn't even need to look at the sandwich menu, because I'd been dreaming about my lunch for a long, long time: a nosher-sized #18 (Georgia Reuben, invented at that very deli) and an old (sour) pickle. I'm salivating now, just thinking about it.

I walked next door to the seating area, grabbed my drink, and waited not-too-patiently for my sandwich. When the server brought it to me, he said: "You know, that's my very favorite sandwich here." "Mine too!", I exclaimed. Sandwich love....what could be better? I was full after the first half, but there was no way for me to not eat every last, sweet-savory-buttery-crunchy-rye-filled bite. I was transported, via sandwich, through the microfiche of my memories: from the first time I'd had that particular sandwich when Julie was visiting, to the time when they accidentally gave me someone else's sandwich, which was NOT what I'd ordered but was delicious nonetheless, to many lunches with Slade talking about his latest escapades at the gay bar, to eating with Diann who always ordered just a salad while I gorged on grilled rye bread, Russian dressing, red cabbage coleslaw, Emmentaler swiss, and turkey. Truly, if ever there were a heaven for me, sitting at Zingerman's eating a Georgia Reuben would be it.

I looked around the specialty foods and cheeses for a long time. And then I saw it: an advertisement for an olive oil tasting class for that evening. I'd been trying to reach several friends in Ann Arbor for plans that evening, but hadn't reached anyone. So I decided to sign up for the class.

I went to the class that evening, and it was great. We tasted five different olive oils, and ate it in lots of different ways: pan de tomate, bruschetta, cheeses with olive oil and spices, several different salads, even olive oil cake. It was really interesting, and I enjoyed myself immensely. At the end of the class, I was speaking with one of my neighbors during the class, a woman named Lois who works for Zingerman's. I told her about my love of Zing, and that my dream would be to someday open a place as delicious, fun, and fantastic as Zingerman's Deli. And that's when she told me about the Partners' Group meeting the next morning.

See, Zingerman's is now made up of multiple different businesses:

Zingerman's Deli

Zingerman's Coffee Roasters

Zingerman's Bakehouse

Zingerman's Creamery

Zingerman's Mail Order

Zingerman's Roadhouse (farm-to-table restaurant)

ZingTrain (corporate training organization)

and each of these has several partners. Once a month, the partners get together for a meeting, and this meeting is open to the public. So Lois suggested I go, and meet the founders themselves. It took me about 5 seconds to decide that yes, I'd do whatever it took to be there.

So I went the next morning to the partners' meeting. Actually, one of the teachers from the olive oil class had made breakfast for us, which was quite good. And I learned a lot about how to run a well-organized meeting: they had a timekeeper to keep all comments and announcements in check, they had an agenda which was posted at the front of the room for everyone to see, the facilitator kept the meeting moving along, and everyone had a good time while staying very much on point.

During a short break, I introduced myself to the managing partners of the deli. I spoke for a while with one of them, and told him that I'd attended the meeting because I really love the Zingerman's concept, and that I had hoped to be able to open a restaurant/specialty foods shop someday. He asked me where, and I told him I'd been thinking of Austin, Texas. He liked that idea, but told me that if I wanted to open a restaurant, I should "go to Vegas, and put all of your money on Black 13." He told me that only 3% of restaurants turn a profit in the first 3 years, that margins are very low, and that it's generally a bad idea. He also recommended that I consider starting with a food cart, which has lower overhead and which forces you to focus. Overall, not terribly positive.

When the meeting was over, I also introduced myself to Paul Saginaw, one of the founders and co-owners of Zingerman's, along with Ari Weinzweig. Turns out, I'd been sitting next to him at the deli the day before; I'd noticed him, but just didn't know who he was! I complimented him on a business which literally makes my heart sing, and he was very gracious accepting the compliment. I only wish I'd had the chance to meet Ari, as well.

So here's the point of all of this: I was supposed to go to Ann Arbor on Monday or Tuesday, and then go back to Detroit that night. It didn't happen that way, which had initially made me frustrated. Instead, I went on Wednesday, and because of that, signed up for and attended the olive oil class, and because of that, learned about the meeting where I made lots of contacts of generous people who said they'd be willing to speak to me about the food industry and any ideas I have for business ventures of my own. Amazing. Seems like it happened the best way possible, actually....

Detroit Days

I arrived in Detroit on Saturday afternoon. This was to be a different stay in Detroit than I've ever had before. Since residency, whenever I've visited Detroit, I'd always stay with my friend Diann. But a couple of years ago, Diann moved to Charleston, South Carolina. So this time, I planned to stay with Tim, an old boyfriend turned good friend. He's married now, with three daughters, and several years ago he made me the godmother to his second child.

His wife, Rachel, had taken the kids up to the UP for the weekend, and so Saturday evening and most of Sunday, I had Tim to myself. Which was really nice. Now that everyone I know is married, it's rare for me to spend quality alone time with one of my friends, but that is the gift I was given that weekend. Tim and I went out for Mexican food and margaritas that night. Then we came back to his house, played video games, and watched Road House until late into the night. Not a highbrow night, for sure, but definitely fun.

On Sunday, we each slept late, then we got up and listened to music for a long time. Tim has always loved music, and over the years, he's introduced me to lots of bands I'd never listened to before. He made me a large iMix before I went on this trip, as well; you can find it on iTunes under "Emily's Traveling Medacine Show". Anyway, he played me lots of music, and we again caught up, laughing about funny things we had done years and years ago. That afternoon, I went to his neighbors' home for an 8 year-old's birthday party, and met one of Tim's oldest friends and his family. They were warm and welcoming, and I had a really nice time there.

I also got to see the coolest thing while I was there -- the father has spent the last 10 years completely rebuilding a 1934 Ford hot rod. And it is an absolute work of art. It's painted a black cherry color, with hand piping on the sides, beautiful leather upholstery, chrome trim on the inside, white-wall tires, and a greyhound headpiece on the front. It's absolutely stunning.

Rachel returned from Escanaba, and met up with us at the party with the kids. I couldn't believe it to see them -- the last time I'd been to Detroit, the middle daughter was an infant having her Christening -- now she's three years old. There are three of them: Olivia, almost 5; Lucy, 3; and Sara, 9 months. They're super-cute, and obviously love their Daddy very much, which was great to see.

On Monday, Rachel went to work for the day, and Tim and I took care of the kiddos. We watched Kung Fu Panda and Avatar, played video games, sang karaoke while Tim played the drums, wrestled, rode bikes, and drank lots of chocolate milk. I was reminded that it's pretty great to be a kid, I have to say.

The next day, I was originally supposed to go to Ann Arbor, but I had an appointment to take my car in for an oil change, and that ended up taking much longer than I had thought it would, so my plans were thwarted. Instead, Tim and I had another day with the kids while Rachel worked. She came home early, though, and that night, all of us went to a Tigers' game!

I haven't gone to a Detroit Tigers baseball game in many years. It was terrific fun for me. I loved being in the park, eating peanuts and singing and cheering, and the Tigers won, 9-1 over the Royals. But the most unexpected and pleasant surprise was that, sitting two rows in front of us, was Tim's brother Rob! Tim had told me that Rob was going to be at the game that night, with some clients from work. But Tim didn't know where Rob would be sitting. And we hadn't prepurchased tickets, either, but just bought random tickets at the gate. Our seats weren't all that good. We tried to see if we could find better seats that were just unoccupied, and completely randomly, the seats we picked out were two rows behind Rob and his clients! We realized it two innings into the game. Rob and Tim had lived together during my residency, and I got to know him well at that time. He's married now, too, and has three kids. But he's such a great guy, and it was really wonderful seeing him after such a long time. It made for a completely perfect evening for me.

Wednesday, Tim spent the morning making me some CDs to take on the journey, and then I left their home around 1pm for a day in Ann Arbor. It was a really nice few days in Detroit. It was wonderful to catch up with Tim and to get to know his children. The only imperfection in the trip was the fact that I hardly saw Rachel at all, other than for supper Monday night and at the game on Tuesday. But I I got to catch up with Tim AND had the chance to know his family, and I'm grateful for both of those opportunities.

Great Lakes #1-3

I left Ironwood on Thursday to begin my drive to Detroit. I decided to take my time, and see some places that I hadn't had a chance to visit while I was a resident (80-100 hour work weeks aren't terribly conducive to traveling....). Anyway, I decided to drive from Ironwood across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and then down to Mackinac Island for a night, and then to cross into the lower peninsula and spend a night in Traverse City, before working my way down to Detroit.

The drive to Mackinac was spectacular. I left Ironwood and drove eastward until I reached Marquette, which is right on Lake Superior. I then continued eastward to the town of Munising. That section took me right along the Lake Superior shoreline. I stopped several times just to wade in the water. Lake Superior is incredibly clear, and incredibly cold -- 40 degrees F during the summertime, and iced over during wintertime. It was beautiful, but chilly! -- although there were people definitely swimming in the lake while I was there.

I continued my drive inland, and reached St. Ignace, Michigan, that evening. St. Ignace is located on the Upper Peninsula, and is just a ferry ride away from Mackinac Island; I'd decided to get a hotel room there. The people who greeted me at the hotel front desk are all from the area. They told me that the hotel closes down after the season, due to the super-cold weather in the area. They also told me that they prefer wintertime to summertime up there! Apparently, they like to snowmobile, ice fish, and participate in other activities which actually reminded me of the activities my friends in Alaska participate in. I was quite surprised. I guess I'd never thought about it, but the Great Lakes area get tons and tons of snow, and the lakes actually freeze over during the winter. In fact, Heather's dad told me that they get between 200-300 inches of snow every year at their house.

Anyway, I slept really well that night, and got up the next morning to take the ferry to Mackinac (pronounced "Mackinaw") Island. Unfortunately, it started pouring rain just as I got onto the ferry, so I decided to ride inside, rather than on the deck. The particular ferry I was on did a little detour, as well, to go directly to the Mackinac "Mighty Mac" Bridge. At the time it was built, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world; it's now number 12. The bridge connects St. Ignace in the UP to Mackinaw City in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, and spans the "Straits of Mackinaw", which is the area where Lake Michigan and Lake Huron meet up (although Mackinac Island itself is technically located in Lake Huron). The bridge is over 5 miles long, and quite impressive from up close. There were lots of Michiganders on the ferry, and most of them had never taken the ferry underneath the bridge. There were lots of elders, especially, who kept saying "this is so amazing! I can't believe I get to see the bridge so close! I've never been under the bridge before!", etc., and their grandkids were ecstatic because their grandparents were excited -- and that made me excited, too.

Anyway, I reached the island, and the weather let up somewhat, so that was good. I only had 3-4 hours to spend there, so I didn't walk around the entire island or do lots of sightseeing; instead, I just wandered along the waterfront. Mackinac doesn't allow any automobiles on the island, and so everyone there either walks, rides a bicycle, or rides a horse-drawn carriage, which makes the whole place seem very quaint. I wandered around, saw lots of colorful Victorian homes, had a nice lunch at a funny bar called the Pink Pony (and no, it's not like the Pink Pony in Atlanta), and bought the requisite Mackinac Island Fudge. Then I took the ferry back across to St. Ignace, picked up my car, drove across the "Mighty Mac" itself, and entered the lower peninsula of Michigan.

I arrived at my hotel in Traverse City around 6pm, unpacked, and then headed out to see the city a bit. I'd heard lots about Traverse City during my residency. It's on Lake Michigan, and it's supposedly beautiful, so I was glad to finally be able to see it! I decided to drive downtown and along the waterfront to have a look around. When I got downtown, I found out that the city was having a street festival that evening, so I parked my car and started wandering. The festival was fun, and the downtown area of Traverse City is filled with lots of cute little shops and restaurants, so I had a really great time -- until, once again, it began to pour rain. I finally made it back to my hotel, completely sopping wet.

Luckily, the next day was cloudy but not rainy, and so I spent all morning on the waterfront. I can see why Traverse City is so renowned -- it's gorgeous! The water is a clear, light blue, much lighter in color than Lake Superior. The beach is sandy, and the water is cool, but not cold. In fact, the Grand Traverse Bay is considered one of the cleanest bodies of fresh water in the world. Also, there are tons of little peninsulas branching out into the water, so there's lots and lots of waterfront for recreation and residences. After I wandered the beach for an hour or so, I drove up one of the smaller peninsulas to a lighthouse at the very tip. I have to say, the folks who live there are very, very lucky to live in such a picturesque area.

Had I more time, there were several other places I'd have liked to have visited between Lake Superior and Lake Michigan: Isle Royale National Park (which is in Lake Superior itself), Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (on the Lake Superior coast, east of Munising), and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (in Lake Michigan itself). Sounds like another road trip....

Anyway, so far I've seen three of the five Great Lakes! Two more to go....