Boston and New York, Briefly

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Note: A few treasured at-home, end-of-the-year travel blog posts were erased due to a systems error on this website. In order to avoid frustration, and feeling crestfallen, I'll now save all posts to my hard drive.

After a tumultuous year in Korea, traveling in spurts and enjoying the steadiness of the Beomeo area in Daegu, I returned home for one month - July. I barely spent three fulls days at home - often taking the NJ Transit from Princeton into New York, Penn Station. Wandering with friends through Washington Square, Union Square, Bryant Park, Brooklyn, Queens, Chinatown....from Chinatown to Boston via the Fung Wah Bus ($15 one way to Boston - leaves every hour - amazingly convenient - 4 hour ride).
Visiting friends was difficult at times because I knew that I did not have enough time to truly hear all their stories, see their nooks and crannies, or discuss year-plans. I saw my bests at least twice - or stayed at their apartments for several days. Catching up with friends was easier, less strained, than with family - with whom it always seems to take a bit more effort to relax and reclaim face-to-face trust (ease? in conversation). Which is how I think it should be. With all friends and family it was difficult to articulate my overall impression of LIFE-IN-KOREA, because, as Daniel Gilbert explains in Stumbling on Happiness , a person can never truly recall how she felt when she experienced something because that memory is clouded by present context, or events occurring after that moment. "We do not see things as they are, we see them as we are." - Anais Nin.
Which is the motivation for this blog. In my erased blog postings, I promised myself that I would put more effort into time-capsuling my second year in Korea (last year). So, as Mum as my witness 😊 I will do so.

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Photos

John Hancock Tower
Copley Square, Boston, Green Line of the T. - Photo taken while sitting on the steps of the Boston Public Library.
Apparently, when the building was first erected in 1976, many streets around the building had to be closed off because the glass panels (4' by 11', 500 pounds) would fall off the building on a gusty day.

Frank and Maria Stata Center, MIT
One of the first of five Green Buildings at MIT.
http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=F00F17F8355E0C7B8EDDAD0894DC404482

Inland's Ribs - Glouchester
My lovely friend Jenny works for a whale-sighting/touring/research company. The young whale, named Inland, was found dead April, 2001.
Acquired Whale Facts! - Humpback mother whales swim back from the Caribbean with their children, but fathers wander, so researchers track the matrimonial lineage.

These Hips Don't Lie.
Inland's floating hip bones..."These floppy, useless legs are driving me NUTS! Come on, Marty, let's make a pact. Over the next few thousand years we'll get rid of 'em! Our species will swim the seas using only our tail power."
....little did he know, you can get rid of the legs, but not the vestigial hip bones, or "rudimentary hind limbs."

Wake up in the city that doesn't sleep
Walking through New York City with Greg and Shannon, I kept my lovely Canon PowerShot handy. The skylines of Daegu and most places in Seoul do not, never could, of course, compete. If they could, I would be less secure in my declaration that this is my LAST YEAR here:)

Layers near Bryant Park
Jatapa and I stayed up until 4AM recapping, then woke up at 7AM to head back into Manhattan from Queens. Her building is near the Grand Central and Bryant Park, so I camped out, sadly unable to sleep because ??? JOHN LEGEND ??? just happened to be performing in the park that morning. No rest, but live rhythm and blues.

Her curls shook with jazz
The beautiful and talented Kim Lippman sings in a bar - leading the Greta Trio. I will always see her as the oven mitt, or Velveteen Rabbit in Kelsey Community Theater. As the magical fairy, I turned her into a real rabbit.

the Mum garden
A few representatives from the garden beside my garage. These daisies are part of the Flower Minority, with the Herbs, mainly *wince* lemon balm, controlling garden legislative powers.
*Wince explanation: While raking leaves down the street, a lovely old woman gave me a few lemon balm plants. After a few years, they have multiplied into a veritable army, conquering the oregano patch. What a weed.

Hypnosis at the Whitney
Bret at the Whitney Exhibit: Summer of Love: Art of the Psychedelic Era.
1965: Timothy Leary promotes “spiritual and emotional development” through consumption of LSD. Not my cup of tea. But the visuals in the museum were incredible.