I land in New York at 6 am on a Sunday morning, and stand in the freezing cold waiting for the A train. I get off at 14th in Manhattan, as per my instructions, and wheel my little bag over the uneven streets to 17th and 7th and there it is, my destination: Cafeteria, otherwiseContinue reading “A star called Rijel-Linda”
Tag Archives: East Coast
The Quaker and the homeschooler
In 2001, at the age of 20, I went to live in France for four months. I had taken one semester of French, and I opted to live with a French woman who spoke no English in the effort to force myself to become proficient. My program was part of the University Study Abroad Consortium,Continue reading “The Quaker and the homeschooler”
This Autumn in New York
The last time I went to New York City, I was two years old. I remember very little of it. The turnstiles in the subway, for some reason, stuck out to me. They were just as I remembered, except they were no longer at head height. This time, the subway system was not fully functional.Continue reading “This Autumn in New York”
A taste of Vermont
I’m going to be in Vermont for an evening and a day, which isn’t much. Joel picks me up and I tell him we should stop by the grocery store for flour so I can make artisan bread. He’s game. Halfway through scouring the unfamiliar shelves, I ask, “hey, you got any meat?” “What kindContinue reading “A taste of Vermont”
Sousaphones and gravestones
Jesse, my friend Greta’s fiance, was leaving the house the same time I was. He was on his way to vote. With a sousaphone. “For the line,” he said. “In case I have to wait a long time.” He also brought along a trombone in case he ran into someone who could play and wantedContinue reading “Sousaphones and gravestones”
New Jersey inventory
Yong gets a call from his parents asking if he can come help them clean up their dry cleaning business in Jersey City. They still don’t have power, and the water, which was over the countertops, has receded. Their computers are still fried, though; it’s going to take a few weeks to get anyone toContinue reading “New Jersey inventory”
Halloween sightseeing in Philly
It may or may not have been appropriate that the first thing I looked for on my Halloween visit to Philly was Benjamin Franklin’s grave. I wasn’t about to pay the $2 entrance fee into the Christ Church cemetery — there are several things that should never require money, and visiting a church and visitingContinue reading “Halloween sightseeing in Philly”
In Philadelphia after the storm
My tense of timing has thrown me into more than one drama in my lifetime. In this case, I had booked what turned out to be one of the first non-delayed flights into Philadelphia months in advance of Hurricane Sandy. Philly was hit much more mildly than some of the surrounding areas, and as theContinue reading “In Philadelphia after the storm”
