"Max, are we driving through plutonium?"

Yesterday afternoon the heavens opened and the New York City heatwave ended. We left our hotel to go to the cinema around 4pm or so, and while it still felt like we were walking around inside a giant hair dryer (as it had been for the previous few days), there were large drops of rain starting to rain. About 9 subway stops later and we emerged to find ourselves in the middle of a massive thunderstorm. Heavy rain, strong wind, and lightning strikes. Even the locals were sheltering wherever they could. We were getting in people’s way, I’m sure, but even the locals didn’t seem willing to run out into the rain. And they knew where they were going; we didn’t.

We found the cinema – filmforum.org – which was only about a block away from the subway exit, but it was still a mini-adventure getting there from the subway exit because the streets don’t seem designed to cope with that much rain in such a short space of time. Tickets purchased, and we stood in the foyer waiting to cross the road for a pre-dinner drink and a snack at a nearby pub, but the lightning was that fierce we weren’t sure whether we should stay put or not. We eventually got brave, and ran across the road.

So anyway, Cathy took me to see ‘Annie Hall’ in this awesome little art-house cinema in Greenwich Village. Looked to me as though they screen current foreign films as well as ‘classic’ films from the past – probably my ideal cinema, and I want there to be one in Canberra. ‘Annie Hall’ is a film Cathy has seen twice and I’ve seen a number of times (not sure how many), but the double attraction for me was seeing it on film for the first time, as well as seeing it in Woody Allen’s city. The immediacy of that second point was that it was a mere five minute walk (five blocks) from my hotel door the next morning to stand on the street corner that frames the film’s final shot. An unrepeatable moment in life.

I had to visit the mens' room midway through the film, and as I was leaving the cinema, I noticed a sign that said (and I'm paraphrasing) "ticket stub required to re-enter cinema". Who keeps the stub?

The rains had ended after we emerged from the cinema. The temperature seemed to have dropped a clear 10C at least, and it was suddenly pleasant to walk around. Cathy seemed like she was walking on air. We got a cocktail at a bar called ‘Employees Only’, which the SMH reckons is the best cocktail bar in the world (of course, I ordered a Manhattan), then dinner at a Swedish restaurant (no Muppet jokes were made).

This morning (after my short stroll to West 63^rd street) we got a cab to Penn Station to get the train to Boston, which is where we are now. Some unbelievable views of Manhattan as the train left Penn which I’m looking forward to seeing again on our return trip. Looks like we might be inside now for the night, we’re both a bit pooped so hopefully a good night’s sleep will see us rejuvenated for the next couple of days here.

Was it a cup or a bowl? Did he crumble any crackers in it?

Blog posts from this part of the world will be less detailed and more sparse, because there is so much to do here that I don’t want to waste too much time writing. Still, I’ll give it a go.

So, this first of our two 4-night stays in NYC is on the upper west side, near Columbus Circle (which is the SE corner of Central Park). The day before yesterday, Cathy took me to the Museum of Modern Art which was brilliant. I think I already wrote something about this so I won’t rewrite what has already been written. Such great stuff. Lunch was in a wine bar near the Rockefeller Centre: a salad for Cathy and a soup and sandwich for me – and yes, it was definitely a meal, I was quite full after. Couldn’t find the Atlas statue (which I know was somewhere in the area), but that somehow feels appropriate.

We then found 42^nd Street (not hard) then walked to the western edge of the island where we took a 3 hour cruise around the entirety of Manhattan. This is something I’d always wanted to do, and it’s now done. I had such a great time, and the tour guide was incredibly interesting and entertaining (he also pointed out to us a small bridge built in the mid 1920s which is the absolute spitting image of the Sydney Harbour Bridge – I need to do some more reading on this when I get back, but apparently this bridge was the prototype for the one in Sydney. It really did look identical in everything other than proportion (it’s smaller). I don’t want to give the impression that this was the highlight of the trip, because to be honest, the whole trip was one long extended 3 hour highlight. Just an amazing trip, considering just about everywhere one looked had (or has) resonance to our lives on the other side of the world, whether we like it or not. The part I thought would be the most ordinary was in fact the most interesting – the journey through the Harlem River at the northern part of the island. The tour guide has some dreadfully clichéd jokes which were right up my street, and was hyper-critical of Donald Trump, as I imagine most locals would be also. Earlier this day I’d taken Cathy into the foyer and public access areas of Trump Tower just to show her how gaudy and tacky it is. I think she agreed. After the cruise, we got takeaway from a Mexican place which we took back to the room. Was hilarious – and kind of surreal – to catch a couple of episodes of ‘Seinfeld’ on local NY television while lying in bed.

Got up yesterday morning and we walked through Central Park to get to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. More Pollocks (including the Autumn Rhythm painting which I’d already seen in Canberra, but was also quite nice to see in its home), Rothkos and Warhols, but a bunch of other stuff I hadn’t expected, including swags of Asian art and truckloads of ancient Egyptian artefacts (I just wish the locals would treat these artefacts with a little more respect – they aren’t meant to be climbed over). After lunch, Cathy was a bit worn out so I went for a walk on my own. Edited highlights (bear in mind the temperature was about 98F and I went through about 4 cans of soft drink over the next few hours) include traipsing around the Upper East Side, walking through Central Park again (this time from east to west) and seeing the north western point of the park, walking through southern Harlem, as well as finding Jerry Seinfeld’s apartment (as Brad pointed out, the exterior shot you see in the show is a building in a different city, which is probably why I had to walk past this building a couple of times just to be sure it was the right one) and his coffee shop (the two are about 40 blocks apart, or 4 subway stations: hardly local, really). Followed this with a trip to Chelsea to find a newsagent recommended to me, which also brought about a stroll past the Chelsea Hotel (think Sid and Nancy) and the Flatiron Building, then a trip back uptown back to the hotel. I caught the subway for most of this. The subway is fantastic for going uptown and downtown (it looks worn out, but it works well), but not so much for crosstown. While there are crosstown buses, I haven’t worked them out yet. No matter, taxis here are really quite cheap, especially for going crosstown; we haven’t spent more than $12 (including tips) on a single fare anywhere yet, which makes Canberra taxi fares (especially those between town centres) seem quite extortionate in comparison. We pay $10 for a trip from Civic to Braddon at home; you can travel half the length of Manhattan for the same fare.

After cooling off in the room for an hour or so, Cathy took me out for a lovely veg dinner. Taxi past the Dakota building, and I waved at Yoko. Jalapeno tofu for dinner! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a city that has SO much choice for vegetarians. They haven’t quite latched onto the gluten free thing yet in NYC, so it’s not a complete culinary paradise for Cathy, but it is quite clear to me that she is nowhere near as sick as she was at the same time of our trip to Japan 3 years ago (this time, I think it’s more heat than diet which is wearing her out – and probably me, also). Having said that, this particular restaurant did have a veg/GF menu which was fantastic for Cathy – actually, I ordered off the same menu so we could share. I think the spectrum of availability here is a result of the diversity of the population here, as well as its size: a business needs to cater widely, or go broke. Really great conversation with Cathy which made me rethink what it is I hoped to discover about NYC – I feel like I’m seeing the sights, but not interacting with the locals so much. Maybe it’s because I feel like I’m in their way. Once we got back to the room, I watched some more ‘Seinfeld’ episodes on television in bed, while Cathy slept.

Woke up this morning and we walked due east towards the Queensboro Bridge, and to Riverside Terrace. A famous scene in a film I love was shot there; I’d been there before but wanted to go again. The air is quite hazy today which meant the view wasn’t great, but it was still nice to be there again. It reminded me of the time I was in this city with Renea, but also of the time Cathy took me to see ‘Manhattan’ screened (on reel-to-reel) at the NFSA open-air cinema which was such a lovely night.

Following this, we got a cab uptown for the third of our 3 museum visits; this time, the Guggenheim. But first, I was hungry, and people have recommended knishes to me so I bought one from a food truck. I don’t know how I made it to the third bite, it was truly one of the untasteworthy things I’ve ever eaten. Just completely wrong; but anyway, back to the museum. I’d stood inside the atrium of the Guggenheim building before but hadn’t seen any of the art; that changed today. Really liked this collection, many artists I’d never heard of before. The rotunda-style building was also impressive, and given the floor was not flat, which meant you had to put your body into awkward balances just to stay upright, it made you concentrate more on what you were viewing (well, it did for me, anyway).

Following this, we had lunch at the museum (risotto for Cathy, pasta for me), then caught a cab back to the room which is where we are right now. We’ll stay here for a couple of hours, I think, to get out of the heat for a while – it’s 98F outside at 1.30pm, and when the wind blows towards you it feels like standing in front of a giant industrial heater which cannot be escaped. But later on we’ll head downtown for a cocktail, then to watch a Woody Allen film at the cinema, then have dinner. Tomorrow we leave the city for a few days.

I’d hate for you to think we’ve flown to the other side of the world just to see the minutiae of a sitcom and a film. We haven’t, though I’m sure Cathy has her serious doubts about this. I’m here for those things, yes it’s true, but also the art, the park, and the buildings. It's also undeniable that so much of what Australians see as 'popular culture' comes from here (whether we like it or not); and even though I rarely tap into the types of television or music that most Australians associate with this city, it's also generated some of my favourite artists (not just visual art, but other forms), so I think it's an important place in that there must be *something* about it that inspires people (something other than just money, that is). And yes, I think it’s a very pretty city, I’m convinced of it, but I know we’re not seeing it in its best light because of the searing heat, which makes the air a bit hazier, the garbage a bit stinkier, and the locals a bit crankier than they might regularly be. Also, the city is covered in scaffolding. I’ve never seen so much in a city, ever. The nation as a whole might be in recession, but there’s no way known that NYC could be. So much construction, everywhere.

"I had to eat at Reggies, Jerry! REGGIES!!!!"

We made it to New York City late this morning. I remember this place being cold (I only ever took my coat off to enter buildings) and with patches of snow on the ground. Today's weather could not have been more different. At least 35 degrees, and with about 125000% humidity. I can normally cope with heat, but today was really pushing my limits. Stifling. Still, we packed a few things in.

Luckily, our room was ready when we arrived. We're staying at Columbus Circle, at the south western point of Central Park. We dumped our stuff then headed out for some lunch, which we had at Times Square. We then came back to the room so Cathy could have a shower before dropping in on some friends in the Upper West Side. She needn't have bothered: by the time we reached the subway station - a mere block away - she was coated in sweat again. It really is blisteringly hot here, I never would have imagined. Four subway stops away and 17 floors up, and a lovely chat over cocktails (a Manhattan to welcome us to Manhattan - how awesome!). We walked all the way back to our hotel through the western edge of Central Park - about 50 blocks, but it had cooled down somewhat by then so it was tolerable, though Cathy's raw heel may disagree! We stopped at the Strawberry Fields section of the park, which Yoko Ono dedicated to John Lennon. She lives in the apartments over the road, which is where the horrible thing happened. I wonder if she was there.

We've discovered the Whole Foods Market (http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/) since we've been in the US and we are both addicted. Such DELICIOUS and healthy food; if I lived in the US I could eat their food every night, and I'm sure Cathy feels likewise!

Will probably sleep early tonight, we have a number of nice things planned to occupy the day. I just hope the weather behaves, but I doubt it ....

DC

It was a busy past two-days-and-a-half in the capital of the world. The day before yesterday, we set out to walk around NW a bit, counting flags. There are a LOT of flags in this place. I think she gave up when she got to about a million, and/or when the humidity melted her.

We walked past a few international organisations on our way to the White House, where I was accosted by some 'journalist' doing vox pops interviews about what people thought of the current President. I politely told him that I couldn't vote in this election (as soon as you tell them you're not American, they lose interest immediately) and he more or less left me alone, but I regret not telling him what I *really* think, from the perspective of an outsider. Not that it would have mattered, mind you.

We arrived at the Washington Monument which we guessed had 50 flags around it. Cathy lay down under a tree while I circumnavigated the base. We then ended up walking around the monuments to various Presidents - Lincoln, Jefferson, and FDR, all of which have spectacular views of the capital, though the reflective pool which collects Lincoln to the Monument was unfortunately on hiatus for retooling. I am assuming the draining of the pool was recent; surely it would have been there earlier this month.

The weather was hot. We refreshed at the refreshment stand adjacent to Jefferson - lemon sorbets all round and a tall glass of lemonade, in the shade - before venturing forth. The Jefferson monument contains a grab-bag of some of his most famous utterances, one of which is (in my humble opinion) completely and unarguably correct, but the country seems to have veered off in an entirely other direction nonetheless. I don't understand - this man and his life are revered, but his words (unless repackaged into a form of mythological jingoism) go unheeded. I bought a copy of The Federalist from the bookshop in the monument, which seemed a very appropriate place to buy it, but I'm now struck by the fact I own a copy of this tome but not a copy of Quick and Garran. To be rectified when we get home.

A random observation. Washingtonians are very helpful when you ask questions, but talk to you as if you're an idiot. Or, they avoid your gaze, as if to say “I realise I’m socially obliged to help you with a brief answer, but really you’re a bit of a minor annoyance to me, so I’ll be quick, then you can be out of my way”. How did I miss that before?

After Jefferson, we walked back towards the National Mall and Cathy took me to the Freer and Sackler galleries of Asian art. Some really gorgeous pieces. I can see why she likes it. I was hoping to get a satchel to match hers but they didn't have any. Boo-urns.

Afterward, I caught up with an international work colleague for a meal. I can normally handle hot Thai food but this was blistering. Two and a half hours flew by very quickly. Had a great time. More international work colleagues to come.

Yesterday morning, we went to the Newseam which is all about the American media. Parts of it were very interesting (especially the bits about US Presidential TV advertising), but it was all wrapped up in First Amendment glory which I struggled with. The central theme is that a free press is a bulwark of democracy, which is true enough in one sense given some of the obvious alternatives, but given everything was framed in the context of the Bill of Rights, is the implication that the press wouldn’t be free otherwise? This question is not posed by the museum, let alone answered, but clearly there are a number of countries in the world that have a free press without needing a Bill of Rights to make it happen (but what happens in other countries probably isn’t all that relevant to the domestic audience). There was also an exhibit about the fall of the Berlin Wall and the American media's role in it; judging by the way it was presented, the myth of monolithic European communism is alive and well. But there was another exhibition about the Sep11 atrocities, which centred around the mangled antenna from the top of one of the towers which was subsequently recovered and displayed in the museum as a reminder. That was quite moving.

We followed this up with a lovely Spanish-themed buffet lunch at the National Gallery of Art, where Cathy indulged me while I gawped at Pollock's Lavender Mist (for the third time), Rothko's Seagram mural (which I'd always wanted to see, and I'm glad I did, but wasn't overly impressed with), and a dozen or so French and Dutch works from the Fauvist period. The moving walkway that connected the two wings was stunning.
A visit to a bookshop this afternoon rounded out all the fiction I should need for this trip - I am currently midway through Richard Ford's 'Canada' (well written but incredibly depressing so far), and bought a copy of a recently published novel today which spans the history of New York over 250 years (can't recall the name of the author) which I'm very much looking forward to reading. We had a drink or two at the Big Hunt (don't say it quickly) which was a pub I frequented a number of times in 2005. I remember getting yelled at when I tried to order drinks at the bar instead of sitting down at the table and waiting patiently; as a result, there are signs in the bar now which say (and I'm paraphrasing badly) 'sit down, shut up, and wait for us to pay attention to you' – despite that, I had a great time chatting with Cathy over a drink or two, but won't be going back there.

Cathy then took me out to a fancy Indian restaurant where she wore the sari she bought in Vancouver, and I wore a t-shirt I bought at the Newseam. I’m all class. Meal was fantastic, and comparisons to Zaaffran abounded.

This morning saw Cathy’s ankle swollen, so she stayed in the room while I went for a wander past a number of notable buildings. So very humid that by lunchtime I’d had enough. Met Cathy back at the room (her ankle appears to be on the slow mend) and we want for some swanky yum-cha and a cocktail as late lunch. We might go out tonight – Cathy’s booked us in for dinner somewhere, with a few drinks after, or we might not.

My impressions of DC are complex. While this city is the closest to a ‘home away from home’ I’ve ever had, I think there’s a very real difference between a six week stay and a three night stay. When you know you’re in an unfamiliar city for a month and a half, the little things irritate you less, because you just have to ‘get along’ with everyone. And as a result, I’ve been telling everyone for the past 6 or 7 years that DC is a city I could live in. This three night visit has changed my mind somewhat (in particular, see my comments earlier about relating to the locals). Be in no doubt, I’ve had a good time here, and it’s been great to see how much (and in some cases how little) parts of the city have changed, but my impressions of the city from 2005 are not the same as they are now (I’d previously thought it was a very outwardly-oriented and internationally-focused city, but I’m not so sure anymore), and it might be a while before I return.

Seattle - the food

As I can't walk today - believe or not due to damaging my non-broken foot (*sighs*)...might as well catch up with some food blogging while Jay is exploring Capitol Hill in Washington :(

My first meal in America - below - was actually purchsed in Canada. Yes a packet of macarons...very nutricious but alas I couldn't eat anything else sold on the train. At least they were very yummy :) notice the special maple one on the right, in honour of Canada day.

On our first day in Seattle we wandered around Pike St Market. What can I say? Food heaven. It made all the fresh fruit and vegies we have in Canberra look pathetic. Everything was so fresh. So colourful. And there was so much of it!!!

 

It was very hard to decide what to have for lunch in this environment. However, I found a small Russian cafe in one of the arcades which is pretty rare. It was called Cafe Yarmarka. I got some takeaway salads, as I am always on the hunt to find a potato salad that actually tastes like my grandmother's. I got a potato salad (which was very close to the mark!), a cucumber salad (which was possibly better than my mum's if that is possible), an amazing spicy carot salad and a garlic beetroot salad. All brilliant. Alas this place was closing a week after I was there...But really if you are in Seattle you should get your piroshky here- I couldn't eat anything there due to the whole gluten thing, but the lines went around the block and the smell was incredible.

 

That evening we forced ourselves to have cocktails at Oliver's cocktail bar in our hotel - yeah holidays are tough. Great atmosphere. Felt rather like I was in a woody allen movie. The cocktails were to die for. I had a champagne and chambord creation, followed by a margarita of course. Jay was particularly impressed by one of their award winning martinis - so impressed he has to have two :) Also had the most amazing artichoke and spinach dip.

But certainly the food highlight of Seattle for me was Vietnamese at Long. I wish there was somewhere like this in Canberra.
 
The food was so fresh and everything was perfectly cooked. The decor was also wonderful.











We started with tofu vietnamese rice paper rolls and eggplant satay sticks.So fresh and tasty.

Jay then had a tofu soup for main and I had a tofu stir fry. This was filled with gluten and I regretted it...but it was so worth it.

In terms of drinks, once again I found an amazing raspberry mocktail creation here...I really should have stopped here, as word of warning the chile martinis here are fucking hot!!! Even too hot for Jay!

USA so far...

Greetings all...thought I would touch base with a little update on my American adventures so far, although Jay has been keeping to entertained with the somewhart hair raising train adventures we have been having.

We are currently in Washington, having travelled from Seattle to Chicago and then here by train, across so many states that I am having to get lessons in American geography - Washington State, Montana, North Dakota, Minesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, Maryland, West Virginia (I think thats most of them!).

So far I am still feeling pretty ambivalent about the USA. We have seen some amazing things here, and met some aweseome people, but a number of my prejudices about the place have certainly been confirmed - and being here in a heat wave with a broken foot is certainly impacting my tolearance level - sorry jay :(

So far my favourite city has definitely been Seattle (and not just cause of the daggy sci fi stuff I got to see Jay..). While the city definitely needs to borrow some green gardens and fountains from Vancouver (which has way too many for its own good), I quite liked the atmosphere here. The people were very friendly (and yet not annoyingly so) and the fresh produce everywhere was quite remarkable. While I think Jay found the "Nirvana factor" a bit over the top, I really like the fact that their are buskers everywhere, and a real creative vibe about the place. Cocktails and great food (contrary to the rest of the US really to date) also helped.

I won't rehash the Empire Builder train fiasco - but as my dad pointed out, Jay managing to always make it rain when we are driving long distances is pretty clever, but bending train tracks is really taking it a bit far. Needless to say, I survived 5 hours on an American bus with people talking non stop about absolute total shit thanks to the total pulp-fiction entertainment of the Hunger Games. The train trip was actually still quite enjoyable and we saw some amazing countryside - but lets just say after 50 hours on a train you are really starting to push it...your stomach wants the ground to stop moving, and particularly when the food is totally processed and glutenised, you really start to want to get to the other end.

It was fascinating watching the scenery change across the different states though - I am sure this is something that not even most Americans see (especially since most are not prepared to use any form of transport other than a car or a plane). Washington State seemed completely gorgeous and I would like to see more, but I suspect if I lived in a country town in Montana or North Dakota I may kill myself - so hot, so flat, and so many towns that just look like they have been deserted. Plus all that wheat, urgh! :p

Anyway, we eventually may it to Chicago...which I am a bit ambivalent about. The architecture is amazing, and everybody was really friendly (perhaps too friendly...), but for some reason I just felt very uncomfortable there....I think at this point I began to feel incredibly uncomfortable about the distinction between rich-poor here, and the excessive amount of waste (got worse when you saw the outskirts of chicago on the train).

It seems so wrong, when even if you order a salad around here, its about as big as a house, and could feed 4 people - and then across the road there is usually some poor emaciated (usually african american) man begging for spare change. It makes no sense at all. The waste is incredible.

[I know the same thing happens in Australia - its just the extent of here, and the "gap" that seems incredible].

All the food (even salad) is also so full of preservatives and corn syrup that gluten or no gluten it makes me feel pretty sick. I also understand why so many people around here are obese - there is so much sugar in the food, that if you don't eat for 2 hours you seem to go into a weird sugar low...which almost equates with Cathy at work after not enough red bull. Again poor Jay....

I also started to feel pretty guilty about how lucky J and I are in terms of our employment conditions. Sure we have freedoms that other people don't as we have basically given up other options like having kids and working for private companies with bigger salaries etc., but when you tell people from America (and even Canada) with their 10 days leave per year, about long service leave and the length of our holiday, they almost pass out. Its pretty easy for us to criticise them for having a USA-focus and only 10 days leave, but with only 10 days leave, and often attrocious pay, reliant on tips from confused travellers like us who can blame them. 

Anyway, enough of my whinging and terrible generalisations - I am feeling like a whinger today, but there are so many things I really don't understand. In particular, I just can't understand the weird insular nationalist mentality that seems to pervade here. I wouldn't have a clue whats going on anywhere in the world at the moment, let alone Australia as there is no international news. Plus its really weird that everbody here assumes that I know the intricate details of American history despite living here - when only 1 guy in Seattle has so far known where Canberra is, and Jay had to explain the difference betwen Austria and Australia to the post office (thanks George W).

Despite the above, we actually had a good time in Chiacgo - the Art Institute was just sublime, and I had fun making Jay go ten pin bowling and eat Mexican food. Plus found a champagne bar :)

I won't comment on Washington yet as we still have a few days here...but lets just say after counting 325 flags in 1.5 days, its quite worrying....I am also likely to get punched out soon, as I having trouble keeping my mouth shut when regularly hearing statements such as "being American is the best thing in the world" and  "Reagan was the best president we have ever had". Calm blue ocean, calm blue ocean.

USA food update 1 to come at some stage....

x C

P.S. If you wear an Obama 2012 hat around crazy conservative people stop asking you questions.

...home away from home?

Today was weird. I returned to a city that was home away from home for me for 6 weeks in 2005, which is the longest I’ve ever been away from home staying in the one city. Two distinct differences. One is the season. In 2005, I was here in February, and never left the hotel without a woolly hat, a woolly coat, and long pants, and there were remnants of snow on the ground everywhere. Now, in July, it’s stiflingly hot – its definitely t-shirt and shorts weather. The other difference is my home away from home no longer exists. We went to the street corner, and the view as if I was walking out of the hotel is completely and totally unchanged, but where the hotel itself was is now a construction site. The website gives the impression it’s a functioning going concern, but having seen the hole in the ground today, I beg to differ. I’m catching up with some people tomorrow night who might know what happened; I need to find out.

Cathy took me to the Phillips Collection and I spent a good ten uninterrupted minutes in the Rothko Room (http://www.phillipscollection.org/collection/rothko/index.aspx). I visited the Phillips Collection in 2005 and the day I attended it was packed. I may have poked my head into the Rothko Room and that was all; I definitely have no distinct memory of being in that room at all. Today, with it being quiet, I was able to enjoy. I have a much clearer idea today as to why I love his stuff, just don’t ask me to explain.

Following this, we saw the Gandhi statue, then took a cab to Georgetown (far too hot to walk), and as we walked around the university campus, Cathy told me about how she could have studied there. I don’t know why she thinks I’m smarter than her, it’s clearly not true! Campus was beautiful. We also had a drink or two at the pub featured in the film St Elmo’s Fire (http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/s/stelmo.html) which is about two blocks walk from the main Georgetown campus. Following this, we had a massive plate (for two) of veg paella at a Spanish restaurant. Taxi back was spent chatting with the Pakistani driver about cricket and hockey; he played hockey for Pakistan in the Olympics. He was the national goalkeeper, a claim which is somewhat corroborated by the fact he has no teeth left. Amazing the people you meet here.

Three whole days ahead of us, and so many things to cram into them. I just hope we get a break in the heat – even at 8pm tonight it was still 28 degrees – I fear Cathy may melt otherwise!(... and I probably wouldn't be too far behind myself ........)