Boston for Thanksgiving

 

We took off for Boston for the long Thanksgiving weekend. We nearly struck out - everything was closed on Thursday, practically nowhere to eat!! By accident we ended up at the one restaurant open in town, a complete fluke as we'd been asking and no one had come up with any suggestions. The rest of the weekend was a combination of walking round Boston's historic places - Faneuil Hall was my favourite - and plenty of good food. We also traipsed around South Boston, heavily Irish and home to some of the most fervent supporters of the IRA during the Troubles....very interesting if a bit chilling.

Talking sense

From the Economist:

Only a paranoid fringe in America thinks the country's constitution or the values underpinning it face an imminent threat of being overturned. That fringe is in charge in Iran.

At times like these, you have to have faith in the strength of the institutions that underpin your society. Undermining them is the quickest way to a full surrender.

Eliminatorias!

Que suerte que tuvieron los brazzucas!!!

Embracing change

Huge few weeks of change and I've thoroughly neglected this blog. So here's a commitment to start trying harder! This week I became a columnist and saw our baby alive and kicking (though still in the womb) for the very first time. I'm not sleeping very much, as you can imagine. But it's all quite fantastic. Seeing the fetus kicking and bouncing around - and even sucking its thumb - was truly an incredible experience. It's still early days, Macarena is coming to the end of the first trimester, and so far so good. We're in a sort of limbo, there's not a whole lot we can start doing yet - except run lotion on Maca's belly!

Great friends

It's always great to catch up with old friends. It's quite amazing how much changes and yet how little changes. Cello and Kal have been friends since halls in our first year at university. Meeting up in Leicester Square has become a bit of a tradition, hopefully soon they may come over to NY for a visit as well. Abrazo!

Ashburton Grove

Well, I'm very sad to say I never made it to Highbury while it existed, the joys of trying to support a team long-distance. I've been determined to make it to the new stadium at Ashburton Grove, and managed it twice this week. The first one was thanks to Toby and his bro, Sam. Straight off the redeye from NY I dropped my bags off at Vardens Road and legged it up to North London. It may have only been Derby, but it was 5-0, which was fantastic to see. Having seen it live just makes it so much better now I see it on TV!! Then back in midweek with Andrew and Dad to watch Newcastle get knocked out of the Carling Cup 2-0.

Is this Sao Paulo??!

Philadelphia

Philly rolls out the red carpet

New and old

Cheese, wine and beach in the Hamptons

First trip to the Hamptons (posh part of Long Island), in a tour organized by a cheesemonger in the Essex Street Market (and spotted by Danielle and Matt). Two hour bus trip out to a vineyard, quick tour then down to the serious business of drinking wine and eating cheese. Then a swing by a dairy farm where they make cheese (as well as pigs and turkeys) and then on to the beach at Southampton. What a day!

Two oceans in two weeks

Two oceans in two weeks; sunset over the Pacific and sunrise (well, ok, slightly after sunrise) on the Caribbean.

Two sides of tourism

Two sides of tourism in Costa Rica - one week in a top notch resort, and one week in a little cheapo posada in a tiny little village. Is staying at one being a better tourist than at the other? I went with the impression that there was a difference; I come away wondering whether there's that much difference after all.

Up front again

On holiday in Costa Rica- and jumping on an air taxi to cut across some corners. It's been years since I was in the cockpit!!

Blue

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em

Opa opa!

Copa America is upon us and Uruguay are having a fairly slow start, as usual, losing badly (0-3) to Peru and barely beating Bolivia 1-0. Chile got off to a great start beating Ecuador 3-2 from behind but then went down 0-3 to Brazil, which was itself recovering from a 0-2 whipping by Mexico. All up in the air at the moment!!! Fortunately all the matches are on the Spanish television channels here in the U.S., but I'm also following it (and contributing a bit) here.

Holiday

Holiday in three weeks!!!! I can't wait!!!!

Joisey City

We've just spent the weekend in Jersey City, a flat swap with a friend who was keen to come and live in the city. For us, it was great to be able to live somewhere big enough to swing a cat in, and be able to slam a few doors. I could wander round in the morning without having to disturb Macarena! Very civilized... There's a great curry alley just around the corner from where we were staying, which did us a roghan josh that lasted most of the weekend. We walked to Lincoln Park (past the cemetery, which was entirely made up of Irish and Italians) on Saturday, which was a great little place and absolutely empty! Most New York parks are jam packed and you need to perch somewhere in the masses. This was was wide open! We stretched out and watched some cricket, which was being played on one of the baseball diamonds. For the bounce, you know. On Sunday, we have a bbq in the back yard, which was the most civilized thing we've done in ages. And then the path back into town, and back to 5th Ave. That's not bad, really.

Rabbit

Thursday night means theatre night, at least it did tonight. We went to see Rabbit, by Nina Raine, at Anthony's instigation, as a mate of his, Alan, is one of the actors. Thoroughly enjoyed it, was quite nostalgic for a British pub, especially the swearing. Apparently they've had to tone down the swearing 'cause the U.S. audience isn't entirely used to it! It was a good small theater, seemed like a good crowd and the play and acting was great. Alan took us along to a party for another play that opened that night, Alan Ayckbourn's Intimate Exchanges. We drank wine, and I talked rubbish. Perfect night out.