memories of a past, even if not your own past

holidays are almost over. we returned from NYC this morning, red eye flight. mercifully short tho, 5.5 hours. ive been on planes too much this past month.  around 9 hours to grenada (8+1). then a few from there to miami (i swear im never going to that airport again, i said so after the first time but this time its for real) and a couple from miami to DC. and now returning. our US trip consisted of washington DC, short stopover in Philadelphia and then NYC. amtrak connect the 3 very nicely. 

a week in grenada was as expected, guaranteed sun and chilling caribbean style. it was also a proper rendezvous with our "holiday friends" that we met in St Lucia originally, a texan gay couple and an older essex couple. we enjoyed the pool and beach and i read a bit and it was just good. 

 

to add a pinch of drama, i was bitten by a bat at an outdoor restaurant. i was like hatever, i'll get a tetanus shot? doctor seemed really upset tho and told me i could get rabies. AND, that rabies KILLS. every time. who knew?! lol, says something about sheltered life in finland. i got my tet shot the next day, and antibiotics, and immunoglobulin. and my first rabies vax, cos f*ck me, u need several. i got my first 2 at the resort and they gave me the last 2 to go, i put them in thermos with ice, holds well for 24h. then just replaced the ice in DC. all good until NYC where the hotel mini fridge was way colder, i put the thermos next to the cooling element and the thing froze solid. i ruined my own vaccine. this morning on my way from aiport i called the GP to sort it, and i will be getting 2 more vaccines to make up for loss. better safe than sorry.

in DC we hung out with Cary & Chris and their friends. i especially enjoyed learning about the local queer life and history, the metro station architecture (late 20th modern, brutalist) and spaciousness of the city. after grenada's 30 or so degrees DC's 37 degrees was... uhh. i mean i was prepared but still. i also didnt want to move around with the metro because the green strip where museum and sights are is sort of worth seeing and experiencing. we had no intention of trying to see everything tho, u could easily spend a week trying... quite the opposite. actually the 2 things on my list were the Capitol and  the Supreme Court. exciting. and then we walked down to check on some of the museums, white house etc. walked so much my feet were sore for a couple days until i managed to rest. 

 

 

 

 

it was too hot for even rats (foreground)

 between sights and good food and experiences, i got my 3rd shot.

Philly was cute, good size and all. we got an overall idea of the city. it was 37c there too though. had to see the Rocky steps to start with. we also went to a medical history and science museum.

 

 

 

 city hall

 philly train station

 

i was eager to "show" NYC to doctor. its been forever since my last visit and i wondered if i will still love it. i did. doctor liked it too. we stayed in a hotel in williamsburg, brooklyn. a gentrified, hisptery area with vintage shops and cafes. and just one metro stop from manhattan.

bookshop

bagel

this church is angry...

history of the city of NYC museum

classic

9-11 memorial. the museum was good. but how is it that fire dept and police only get a discount non the admission, while employees of corporate supporters get free entrance? we met doctor's friend Jonathan who works for one of these companies and we got in free with him.

hotel rooftop had manhattan skyline visible

interesting bridge

taco truck

the 3 week trip felt longer as we visited so many places. i especially enjoy the colour and life of NYC, but seeing all the different cities was nice. DC is walkable and clean, proper. the food everywhere is very salty though, i get that my standards are extra when it comes to salt but dear lord, some of the meals were hard to swallow. overall great food though, of course, especially the latin/mexical food variety. my rabies scare was a good reminder tho why i feel better living in a country with free health care though  (thank you NHS). another thing i appreciated in the US was the amount of public wifi's, honestly. and usb- and power sockets in abundance in public areas. london feels cheap in comparison tho, US was scary expensive.

before the trip i got myself Hollywood's Eve by Lili Anolik and 2 books by said Eve (Babitz); L.A. Woman and Sex & Rage (and startd reading already). i came across Eve Babitz in another book and she seems to have been this one woman show with a lot of wit, good observations and interesting style of writing. reading her  makes me want to have been there (60s, 70s LA), her memories are inviting. i had L.A. woman with me on the trip so i was reading that.

im back to work on monday. glad to have a couple more days to resettle and read and unpack.  

you know you’re middle aged when u spend 10mins gushing over Dyson vacuums with a friend. but it really is a pretty remarkable thing, just saying.

last month i saw doctor on stage again. his theatre group did their yearly summer play. he was playing a psychotic cab driver that holds a couple hostage in their home, it was fun.