The Northeast Megalopolis

On the ferry from Queens to Manhattan

It's time to get that 13 Reasons Why post off the top of my page. It's making everybody sad, myself included. Go watch something fun now, like Adventure Time or Chef's Table. In Boston, Kate told me the email notification she receives from my posts is the highlight of her email checking. The highest compliment! I don't think she's the only one either.

I last left you in NJ, resting up before the second third of my vacation (south → north/Canada → Europe). Hit all the major cities which I have come to know so well through my life up to the point I moved to Louisville. Saw my mom's side of the family in Connecticut. All kinds of friends in New York. Colored friends in Providence. Tufts friends in Boston. I haven't kept good notes since I wasn't being a tourist through here, but I do have some pictures to jog my memory. Let's see what I can recall.

NY, NY, & Norwalk, CT

Lost a couple games of chess in Washington Park

I was in NYC for a few days, taking the train between there and my great aunts in Norwalk as needed. I almost exclusively walked in New York, going from Harlem to Battery Park on the southern tip of Manhattan at one point while waiting for friends to get out of work. Excluding the trains to and from Norwalk, I took only one metro, one taxi, and one ferry during all my time in New York - gotta keep my hiking legs!

WTC monument, Oculus building, and the new WTC tower under construction

One of two "pool" monuments at the World Trade Center site

I happened to be in NYC when Trump gave a speech on the USS Intrepid moored on the west side of Manhattan, so naturally I had the chance to participate in three different protests, two near the Intrepid and one later at Trump Tower. I experienced how much New Yorkers really hate the guy.

Indeed

Police had their own congregation.

A perfect horseshoe crab specimen

Sea lions here,
and playful sea otters around the corner

On the Norwalk side of things, Aunt Kathy (and Aunt Patti at various points) treated me. Got to the Norwalk marine center - I was due to enter an aquarium, and for its size (it's no Atlanta aquarium) I loved it. Also saw a creepy Imax movie about unfamiliar sea life and had a seafood dinner on the river, at which I remembered I definitely prefer New England chowder to Manhattan's.

Hartford, CT

An onion dome in Moscow? Nope, just Hartford.

I left Norwalk for more family near Hartford: Aunt Carol, cousin MJ, and cousin Amanda and her family. We caught up, but mostly I crushed them in ping pong. Had to defend Rosenfield family honor. There will be more catching up at our family reunion at the end of July.

An extensive river walk along the CT River

CT's old state house

And the new state house. Really wish this one was open when I arrived.

Palatial. Heavy use of grotesques - important figures in CT's history.

Memorial Arch on Trinity Street

Daisy watching over the Livingston Manor with me

Providence, RI

Brown's giant blue bear monument

A real foodie city. I think the stat is most food trucks per capita in America. Home to my favorite burrito in the world, just a hole-in-the-wall burrito spot, Baja's. I was practically made out of burrito back when I was a student here. Retaining the original location, they have now expanded into a larger "Baja's South" premises now. Good for them.

The goofballs that hosted me

Outside of Brown's teaching museum

Phil, Tom, and I went through the state house for each of our first times. We were there on a good day, as South County was promoting their tourism industry with a bunch of booths handing out free stuff, mostly clam related: clam chowder, clam pins, clam chocolate, clam brownies, and clam lemonade. Afterwards we went into the museum of one of the country's best art schools, RISD. They don't allow empty water bottles, if you were wondering.

On the outskirts of downtown

Front of RI State House

Back of RI State House

RI House of Reps

RI Senate

Underneath what is supposedly one of the world's largest self-supporting domes

Asian art with Buddha Mahavairocana in the way back:
the largest wooden Japanese sculpture in the US

Manet and Monet paintings, a couple of my favorite artists

Phil admiring his favorite room

Me admiring mine 

Boston, MA

Even in rain, JP Licks gets a crowd.

Hosted by my friend from high school, Lindsay, my weekend was filled with catching up. I was able to arrange it so I spent almost every meal with a new person. Went inside the Massachusetts State House for the first time (seems like the south likes to call them capitol buildings, but they are state houses up here). It is a museum in itself on each floor above the first (which is only offices). Walked through my old stomping grounds around Tufts and Davis Square.

The famous golden dome 

Strong women of MA's past

Under the dome

Hall of Flags

The Sacred Cod in the House

The Holy Mackerel in the Senate

The Senate - first round table I've seen

The House

The Old State House

On a walk around Brookline with Kate

Tufts' new gym

Tufts' new engineering building, center, overshadowing my poor math building, right 😕

Jumbooooooooos! Tufts Tufts Tufts!

I always made fun of schools that advertised.
Subway advertising, the lowest of the low. Tsk tsk.

Concord, NH

Eagle Square

Super quick stop on my way up to Sarah's in South Royalton, VT. Not much happening here. Visited on a Sunday, so the state house was closed. Didn't look great anyway. But it is the oldest capitol building in the US where the senate and house still meet in the original chambers (Maryland has the oldest still in legislative use, but they have moved meeting rooms).

Who is keeping track of 10 hours of parking!?

New Hampshire State House

Wrap Up

I've become very nostalgic for the Northeast, especially Boston. Part of me hates myself for saying that. I promised myself upon coming to love Louisville that I could never live in the Northeast again. Did I just have a terrible job in Andover? Is the rat race typically characteristic of the major northeast cities so entrenched that I would not be able to find something I like? I've got some introspection to do. But that's for after Europe.

Just 2.5 weeks until Europe! I have a little bit of planning left to do for the tail end of the trip. I'll share that with you soon.

Yacht Club

Root Beers

Sycamore

Sycamore (Bethel, CT) - This is the best creamy root beer I've had yet. Kathy ordered another as a float and the ice cream barely made a difference to me because the regular root beer had so much of the vanilla flavor to begin with. And this was a good vanilla flavor. French bean. Mmmm! 6/10

Yacht Club (Providence, RI) - No thanks. A weak minty flavor. In its defense, though, it's almost diet. It is the only labeled root beer I have seen to fall outside (significantly under) the 160-180 calorie sweet spot of every other root beer. 1/10

Tower (Somerville, MA) - Delicious. Maybe improved by the Jewish deli setting in which I drank it, near MIT. A bold, solid classic flavor with a strong smell. Surprised it doesn't have wider distribution. 8/10

Tower

On Repeat

Album: City of the Sun - Unreleased Sessions 

Found these guys playing on the streets of Manhattan. I was among the first there, and the crowd quickly gathered around. An instrumentalist three-piece that sounds as you might expect based on their name. Give them a list on YouTube or elsewhere.

Songs: 1) Nathan Hawes - I'll Remember

A catchy somber song that I was definitely in the mood for after watching 13 Reasons Why. Fitting for reminiscing about my times at Tufts and Brown, distant and near.

2) Haim - Want You Back

Keep an eye on this LA sister trio as they prepare for their second album release this June. It's the same week as Bleachers' upcoming album, so I will have lots to listen to in Europe.

It's not a trip to Norwalk without visiting the magical Stew Leonard's.
Brett justifiably recommends the apple cider donuts from the dairy-specialized grocery store.
Moo!