A Stop Back in the USA

(September 6-19)

We’ve returned to the US for two weeks.  C was one of the groomsmen in a friend’s wedding in September.  We arrived back in Boston one day before the wedding stuff began, and spent our first night with C’s family outside Boston. It was fun to recount our adventures to the family. We were even able to see C’s mom who was in town from Florida finishing up her move.  Laundry was one of the first items on the agenda once we got to the house.

The following day we went back into Boston for the wedding. C’s father graciously offered to drive us into the labyrinth that is Boston’s financial district.  Soon we arrived at the Hyatt Regency Boston.  As usual on this trip when arriving at a Hyatt, we eagerly anticipated what type of room we would be assigned. We were booked in a standard room with a King bed.  The check-in agent couldn’t have been friendlier, and told us our room was 2229. Twenty two sounded like a high floor, but the desk agent didn’t mention anything special.

Opening the door of room 2229, C first saw a couch, indicating that it wasn’t just a regular old room.  “Oh, it’s big,” he said.  It wasn’t until we entered the room that we could appreciate its true enormity. A large sitting area, a round dining table, wet bar… with a view of the Massachusetts State House.  We finally entered the bedroom, (at least 25 paces from the room door) – king bed, separate desk, walk-in closet with a window and its own climate control.  And the bathroom – two sinks, toilet room, huge walk-in shower with an enclosed tub that put the tub at the Park Hyatt Paris to shame.

Living room and dining room of the Presidential Suite at the Hyatt Regency Boston

Bedroom

Bathroom

Large freestanding tub inside the shower room.

Back in the living area, we found a note from the hotel’s general manager.  It read something like:“Dear Mr. and Mrs. W, congratulations etc., please enjoy our Presidential Suite and help yourself to all the complimentary drinks in the refrigerator.”  This would truly be a memorable stay!

We’ll have more detail about the presidential suite in a subsequent post.

The next two days were filled with wedding rehearsal, the wedding, and lots of visiting with college friends.  The wedding was beautiful and we had a great time dancing to the live band until the very end.  We were pleased we managed to stay up until the end of the wedding (and in fact much later for a 3 AM Chinese food run to Chow Chau City) despite being on Europe time.

Our friends' beautiful wedding venue, the Boston Public Library

On Sunday we took the ferry to Spectacle Island in Boston Harbor.  The island has a long and varied history, but today is a 150’ high lump in the harbor made mostly of dirt dugout of Boston’s Big Dig.  The weather was clear and the views of the harbor, the city, and the airport were spectacular.

On the ferry to Spectacle Island

View of the Boston skyline from Spectacle Island

On Spectacle Island with some friends

Spectacle Island

Sunday night it was time for A and C to part ways for a few days.  C departed for DC by air to return to work for five days.  A departed for CT by train to spend some time with her family.  Our travel was burdened slightly by our (perhaps foolish) decision to take home one of the wedding centerpieces – a 36” high vase shaped like a giant pilsner glass.  

The groom and C carrying our new giant pilsner vase down the street in Boston

Since C was flying, A had the pleasure of sitting with the giant pilsner glass between her legs on the train for the two hour trip to CT.

At Logan Airport (BOS) before departing to DC

Once in DC, with no apartment of his own, C stayed with a friend from work.  They couldn’t have been more gracious hosts, offering to pick C up at the airport and even packing a lunch of homemade goat stew for him one day.   Returning to work was a bit strange at first (and something C subtly dreaded for a few days leading up), but by Monday afternoon he was back in the groove preparing material for an important customer meeting later in the week. C made sure to reconnect with all of his work friends at some point during the week, and before long it was Friday night and time to pack up to fly to CT on Saturday.

View of the Capitol from DCA

View of the Pentagon and Air Force Memorial departing DCA

View of our old Apartment in Ballston departing DCA

A spent her week in CT relaxing, catching up on some post-wedding and post-move-out errands, and keeping up with her mom's busy social schedule.  A attended her mom's book (wine) group (she had read the book) and enjoyed dinner out with her parents, cousin, and new cousin-in-law, as well as a fun Asian cooking  lesson at home with a family friend from Singapore.  A and her dad managed to take 2 days for a sailing trip to Sag Harbor, Long Island on her parents' sailboat.  They had great sailing weather and sailed with no motor all the way there.

Leaving Old Saybrook

Sailing in Gardiner's Bay

Saturday morning we were reunited at PVD airport after A picked C up.  The plan for the day was to stop in Mystic (the scene of the crime!) on the way back to Old Saybrook to shop for artwork from the gallery at which our wedding was held or another gallery in downtown Mystic. There was a large photograph in the gallery directly in the background of the wedding ceremony, and we both liked it very much.  C knew that sixteen of our friends had gotten together to purchase the photograph as a wedding gift for us. (Thanks guys!)  A did not know this.  Here's C's description of what happened:

I took her back to the Mystic Arts Center to "see if there's any art we might like to buy." She knew that she loved the photograph, but she had forgotten to look at the price during the wedding and presumed it would be too expensive. When we arrived she made a beeline for the small gallery, and there was a red sticker on the tag of the photograph. I said, "I bet that means that it's sold, which is great because several of our friends bought it for us."  "Wait, what do you mean? Really? That's awesome!," she said.  We can't wait to find a place to hang it when we eventually have a place -- as long as we can get it home from the gallery!

A with the photograph.  Doesn't she look excited?

The following few days in CT looked relaxing on paper but in reality were fairly busy both socializing and preparing for Part II of the RTW trip. On the social calendar was a celebratory dinner with A’s cousin who got married while we were away, an evening of lobsters with A's grandmothers, champagne by the firepit, and a boat trip at sunset to see the migrating swallows swarm and form a tornado of birds. To prepare for the next leg of the trip, we each made lengthy to-do lists including last-minute item purchases (wireless speaker, zip-up sweatshirt), laundry, getting Vietnam and Australia visas, adjusting some hotel bookings, and sorting wedding gifts. 

Packing

Before we knew it Wednesday afternoon had arrived and it was time to pack the bags and depart for the 120-mile trek to JFK airport via public transportation.