Day 6: Minneapolis to Sioux Falls, SD

Based upon our brief stay, Minneapolis impressed us as a very livable city. Along the way to a nice brunch at a place called The Local we saw this protest against Scientology by the group Anonymous, here's more about their ongoing protest actions.


Our enjoyable visit to the sculpture garden and the Walker Art Center came to a crashing halt when my camera slipped out of my hands and slammed down the stone steps. It was destroyed. So, we made a slight shift in plans and paid a visit to another Minneapolis institution, Best Buy.

Then it was off to Sioux Falls, SD.

Day 5: Flooded roadways

Heavy rainfall and a failed dam flooded many towns and roadways. I heard that in one town the Madison Ducks ( you know those amphibian tourist vehicles) were called in to help evacuate people. Everyone who was trying to get anywhere by wheels was channeled into just a few open roadways. I bet even this trucker was cursing the horrific back-ups. It took us 2 hours to go 40 miles and we were going against the worst traffic.

Hat's off to the very nice folks at House of Wisconsin Cheese in Madison. We stopped there because I heard they sold cheese shaped like Wisconsin and had to have some. While there, Keith struck up a conversation with them and before you know it they were online looking onto what roadways and routes we should take. We might have driven right into the flooded areas if not for them.

Day 3 & 4: Amish country to Chicago

Drove through the outer edge of Ohio's Amish country. I hadn't realized that it's much larger than the community in Pennsylvania. We stopped in at Lehman's hardware, which looks to have had humble amish country beginnings stocking loads of non electronic hardware and kitchen appliances. Nowadays, it seems to be something of a tourist destination.


Our stay in Chicago was brief. We really enjoyed cooling down in Millenium Park, exploring the Wicker Park neighborhood, and our evening visit to the Art Institute. Turns out Thursday and Friday nights at the Art Institute of Chicago are free ALL summer! We wished we had more time to spend there, but enjoyed what we saw.

Can you find us in this picture? You'll need to click on the picture to see it in a larger size.



Happened upon this Dave Eggers storefront in Wicker Park, unfortunately it was closed.

We also did an architecture tour of the city by boat, VERY dry, but a nice way to see the city.If you are headed to Chicago and considering a boat tour, I suggest avoiding the Chicago Architecture Foundation tour (unless you are looking to catch up on some sleep). All they did was point out buildings and name the architecture firm. Nine times out of ten the firm was Skidmore, Owings and Merrill.

Day 2: Gettysburg and Kennywood Park

This may be sacrilegious, but Gettysburg was sort of underwhelming. The Cyclorama was being restored and so was not open for viewing, which was a disappointment as that is one of the most interesting sights at Gettysburg. The new visitor center and museum is a worthwhile visit. Touring the battlefields was perhaps the most tedious aspect of the visit.

Some tips in case you decide to visit Gettysburg:
1) if you'd like a private guide you need to be at the Visitor's Center by 8AM.
2) don't waste your money on the big movie with the Hollywood voice-overs. Much better and free film snippets are shown at the various exhibits in the Visitor Center.
3) don't buy the Travel Brains audio tour unless you plan to follow the tour exactly as specified. We wanted to have an a la carte tour, but the way the CD is formatted and labeled made that completely unfeasible.

Pennsylvania monument at Gettysburg.


Kentucky monument at Gettysburg,
at least the only one we saw during our visit.

Our visit to Kennywood Park just outside of Pittsburgh was a hit though. We loved it!


Miles and Keith loved the roller-coaster rides. Two of them take full advantage of being built on a hill over looking the water. I loved the vintage rides and old Luna Park style buildings. The staff were all very friendly, and even helped retrieve Keith's cellphone when it was lost on the roller-coaster.

Homeward Bound Day 1 : Cambridge, MA - Gettysburg, PA

Well, this trip has had a bit of a rough start. On Sunday, the day before our departure, Keith's phone fell into a sewer at 5:30PM. The phone couldn't be retrieved and the stores closed at 6, so Keith rushed to a store, convinced them to stay open for him and quickly purchased a replacement.

Monday started off with a six hour delay leaving Cambridge. We were cleaning up the apartment right up to the last minute. I suppose it was good that it was so hectic as it gave us little time to dwell on sad feelings about leaving the friends and places we've come to love.

Part of the route included the lovely Saw Mill River Parkway in Westchester County.

Arrived in Gettysburg close to 1AM. One of my favorite parts about driving cross-country is the different signs you encounter. My favorite recurring Pennsylvania sign had to be the orange "BEWARE OF AGGRESSIVE DRIVERS" signs. Does anyone need to be told to be wary of aggressive drivers? Sadly, I was never able to get a picture of one.

Leaving Cambridge

Wow! Talk about send-offs, Miles has had one after another. He's made some really great friends here and is very sad about leaving them. There was the custom ugly doll that Elliott designed for Miles (incorporating of Miles' favorite uglydoll features), the cool uglies that Miles, Aidan & Ean designed and that Ann sewed up for Miles, a creature created by Charlotte, a party at school and cake (courtesy of Elliott's mom Margy), a Baldwin Elementary t-shirt and handmade card, both signed by all the kids in his class, and endless playdates and sleepovers up to the last hour. I think he was really moved by all the kindness and love showered on him. He couldn't bring himself to say goodbye. So instead he said, "I'll see you soon...even if it's just on Skype."

Mariners (and Seinfelds?) put the brakes on Red Sox home winning streak

Well at least I think we had something to do with it. The Red Sox had a 13 game home winning streak until Mariners ran right over them tonight with a final score of 8-0. We were there with a huge crowd from Miles' school, so we did our best to contain our applause. It was pretty thrilling to be in Fenway Park to begin with, the Mariners win was a bonus. I think the win was mostly due to the Red Sox playing poorly rather than the M's playing great. Just my uninformed $.02.

Homeward bound (almost)

In just a few days we will hit the open road. It's frightening how far we are from actually being ready. Keith and Miles are on a school camp-out at Cape Cod through tomorrow. And then we head to the Green Monster for our one and only Red Sox game.

Anyway, here's the route we'll be taking home.

View Larger Map

Our final chapter of the mother/son book group

Sorry about that horrid pun...couldn't resist. We feel really lucky that Joan Epstein invited us to join this great group. For our last book we read about the life of Albert Einstein and met at the MIT museum, followed by discussion at Toscanini, an ice cream institution here. The newest member of the book group, who I just met today, is from Federal Way of all places (though she hasn't lived there for many years).

When I have a little more time, I'll post some video of the fantastic kinetic sculpture we saw by Arthur Ganson.

Farewell Party

Miles is getting very sad about leaving behind the great friends he's made here. Today we had a little farewell party to help say goodbye to his closest friends. It was a perfect third grade party:

• a couple rounds of laser tag at LaserQuest in Danvers (props to them...very nice folks working there!)
• "NorthEnd" Pizza for dinner
• mini-golf at at the classic Route 1 mini-golf course
• air hockey and other arcade games
• then home for warm brownies and ice cream, some playtime and viewing of funny Japanese game show videos

It's been such fun getting to know this good group of kids, we'll miss them very much.

Rockport

 
Keith and I finally made it back to Rockport today. The past two times we've tried, it was either completely packed with no parking or shuttered up. And I had my first (and likely last) Lobster Roll ever at The Greenery. Their Lobster Roll goes very light on the mayo and so is actually pretty tasty. Much better than I expected...and pricier, too.

Yikes...only 11 days left!!

This pic of Keith and Miles was taken in front of the Veritas banners on the Harvard campus, just around the corner from where J.K. Rowling will be giving her commencement address.

These days, all our time is spent planning our cross country trip, trying to sell/give away stuff and getting in those last visits and sights we've been meaning to see.

Looks like we'll be going to see a Red Sox game next week (that's when Miles' school is going) and guess who they'll be playing? Yep...the Seattle Mariners. Complete coincidence, but a fitting way to end our year here.

Half Moon Beach and more

What a busy Memorial Day weekend! Today we took Elizabeth and Stella (Fellow Julie Robotham's kids) with us to this sweet beach in Gloucester, located in Stage Fort Park. It's tiny, but so picturesque. Then after arriving home and a quick clean-up we headed over to see Dr. Who (1968) courtesy of Anne Slinn and her husband Chris (actually it was at the great house of a couple of their friends). These friends host a film night in their theater every Monday. Nice set up and a nice group of people, too.

Yesterday after Miles got back from a sleepover we hightailed it to see Blue Man Group Tubes show in Boston. It is such a visually arresting show and fun, too! Keith and I saw it in NY with our friend Michelle in 1993(?). Some pieces we saw back then are still in the show. When we saw the show in NY, we were tapped to play the "late arrivals" who are spotlighted and projected onto the big screen with loud alarms blaring. That bit is still in the show today! It's really a great show for kids in the 8+ range.

Fei-su desu

Years ago when I was living in Japan, I spent a great deal of time hanging out with my friend Faithe (Fei-su in Japanese) MacElliott's. Her apartment was just downstairs from mine. Our apatos had no insulation and were sorely lacking in heat and privacy. Faithe had a nice,warm kotatsu and always had a pot of green tea at the ready. She was witty, always game for anything interesting, and could be counted on stir things up a bit. We had many interesting adventures...I'll leave it at that.

The last time I saw her was when I visited her in Boston more than a decade ago. Yesterday we finally had a chance to to catch up in person at her and her husband Dennis' house in New Hampshire. It was surprising to me how all the time and distance that had separated us so easily melted away. I know that you always hear that friendships are like that, but I've experienced a few reunions that felt more like work. Anyway, thanks Faithe (and Dennis) it was great to see you!

Pooh's House at Harvard

On our walk home from school today, we took a slightly different route and stumbled upon this little treat. It was at the foot of a tree just outside the Science Center on the Harvard campus. I think THE Winnie-the-Pooh's house had a sign that said Mr. Sanders, so this is clearly some other Pooh.

I've tried to find out more about who constructed this and what the history is, but have come up empty-handed. It does seem that this Pooh's house has appeared here on and off since around 1996 at least (that's the earliest reference to it I can find).

Hanging out

Yesterday we had Miles' good friend Elliott join us for a visit to the Mapparium at the Mary Baker Eddy Library in Boston and then some play time at the Charles River Reservation.

The Mapparium is a three-story-tall stained glass, inside-out globe traversed by a glass bridge.

Because of all the glass, the acoustics are so sensitive that a whisper on one side of the bridge can be heard across "the globe". If you stand in the middle of the bridge and speak, it sounds like you are speaking into a microphone. The Mapparium was finished in 1935, so it's very outdated. It makes for a fun game to try identifying all the changes in country names, borders, etc.

One of our favorite classes at Harvard

Keith and I (and actually quite a number of the other Fellows) really enjoyed Niall Ferguson's Western Economies, Societies and Politics (1648-present)class. He is a masterful lecturer, with a definite right of center and Brit-centric perspective. I've never seen anyone pull so much information and data into such tight and engaging presentations that, remarkably enough, usually end right on time. His adept use of PowerPoint proves that P.P. does not have to be an instrument of torture and, in fact, can be used for good. And he's a pretty sharp improviser as well, providing a few laughs here and there when something unexpected arises.

We particularly loved the data that he brought into the discussion of history. It provided great context and perspective. It was also great fun to watch him discuss historical figures for whom he has great disdain, for example Jean-Jacques Rousseau. There is a sample lecture of his on the Harvard Extension site.

If you ever happen to have the chance to see him lecture don't miss it!

As an aside, he sort of looks like he could be related to Charlie Tillinghast, the president of the company I used to work for.

Party at our place

Last Saturday, we had a little get together with the Fellows. This week some of them are pulling up their stakes and heading out of town.

We're heading out on June 9. If possible, I hope to post some during our cross-country drive, though who knows how reliable the interwebs access will be.

Graduation day

Today the Fellows had a small "graduation" ceremony in the office of MIT president Susan Hockfield (in the center of the pics). Boyce described one way that Fellows are different from other students: students are all anxious to graduate and leave, while Fellows would love to fail and be forced to stay another year. I'd have to agree with that!

Let me look deeeeeep into your eyes

Saw this sign taped up in a window in the North End last week. Looks more like a sign for a tarot reader than for an eye doctor.

That same day Keith and I had our own Mike's and Modern Pastry Cannoli Taste-Off. We are definitely Modern Pastry folk.

Fellows about town

I forgot to mention that a couple weekends ago the Knight Fellows hit the town. We went to a dinner at Anthony's Pier 4, a Boston waterfront institution. It's overpriced and definitely is not for foodies. On the other hand, it is very old school and feels like you've stepped back into post WWII Boston history. All the waiters are men and dress like captains on a cruise ship, the women wear maid costumes err...uniforms and handle tasks like pouring water and refreshing bread. The walls are lined with old photos of celebs posing with Anthony's family during a visit: The Kennedys, Bobby Orr, John Denver, Elizabeth Taylor, Emperor of Japan, etc.

These pics were taken at Sevens - the only bar we could find in Beacon Hill with enough room for all of us. Would I recommend this bar? Welll...if you happen to be in Beacon Hill, in need of a beer and your musical taste is limited to AC/DC, Cheap Trick, and hair bands from the 80's, this is your place.

BTW, the new fellows have been announced.

Spring has arrrived

Keith has a few more weeks of classes, but I'm done (sadly). On my last day of class the weather was lovely and the trees seemed to have finally awakened from their winter hibernation. On one street in particular the trees are so laden with blossoms that they bend over the sidewalks and create a lovely canopy under which to walk.

BTW: tonight Miles is on a sleepover at his friends' house, so Keith and I caught Persepolis at the Somerville theater. It's a sparely animated film about a young girl coming of age during the Iranian revolution. It's definitely worth catching if you have a chance.