My first and only trip before this one to America was for two weeks in New York in 1988. The World Trade Center, of course, was still standing. How the world has changed. Crime was also far worse. There were about 2,500 murders every year in NY. Now it’s about 550. On the eve of … Continue reading / view photos Notes from New York, 1988
Good old Boston
At most places on this trip, I’ve combined eating out with cooking in the hostel kitchen. There comes a point when I miss vegetables in as close to original form as possible (perhaps, lightly cooked). In Boston, I had found a well-stocked Whole Foods Market. Whilst in the kitchen, I had several people asking me … Continue reading / view photos Good old Boston
Museum of Fine Arts
I’m not sure if this is the case in the UK but, in the US, individual museum galleries (not just buildings) are named after people. Presumably, these are benefactors who have donated to the museum with the express purpose of having a gallery or room named after them (otherwise, their donation would be anonymous). Whether … Continue reading / view photos Museum of Fine Arts
Major League Baseball
When I was in Los Angeles, my nephew said I must go to see a baseball game. I knew nothing about baseball except that it is a big part of American culture. First, I tried to go to an LA Dodgers game. However, they were “on tour” – that is, playing at an opponent’s stadium. … Continue reading / view photos Major League Baseball
A palace for the people
When the first stone for the new public library was laid in 1888, Oliver Wendell Holmes said, “This palace is the people’s own.” The architect, Charles Follen McKim, and patrons recruited some of the greatest craftspeople, painters and sculptors of the 19th century to create this masterpiece, the Boston Public Central Library. There is a … Continue reading / view photos A palace for the people
Parkrun, Harvard and MIT
Years ago, I heard the Bee Gees song about going back to Massachusetts and trying to hitch a ride to San Francisco. I never dreamt I’d ever go to those places myself. This trip in the US has been an incredible, joyful and relaxing experience. The places I went to showed me a different side … Continue reading / view photos Parkrun, Harvard and MIT
Boston – The Freedom Trail
All the flights I’d taken in the US had been on schedule. The one from Chicago to Boston was no exception. To get to the HI Hostel from the airport I took a free bus. This took a strange route, through concrete tunnels. No other vehicles used the tunnel. I assumed that it had been … Continue reading / view photos Boston – The Freedom Trail
Running along Lake Michigan
My final day in Chicago started like so many of my days that week: with a run along Lake Michigan. The Lake is so big that you feel you’re running beside the ocean. I joined other runners, as well as early morning walkers and cyclists. The temperature regularly was over 30c that week. Therefore, you … Continue reading / view photos Running along Lake Michigan
Walking around Chicago
Chicago is easy to get around. A lot of it is walkable and safe. If you don’t feel like walking, there is the subway (underground/tube) and plenty of buses. Like London, you can use contactless cards/phones/watches to pay for your fare. The Chicago Cultural Center is a building that has art galleries and free events. … Continue reading / view photos Walking around Chicago
The Loop
Although Michelle Obama mentions The Loop many times in her autobiography, I must have missed the explanation of what it was. I was curious to see it. The Loop, it turns out, is Chicago’s central business district in the downtown area of the city. The name probably comes from the elevated railway line that encircles … Continue reading / view photos The Loop