Recent trip

I had a trip recently and I guess I should make a point of blogging about it, if only for my own record.

I recently attended a science conference in New York, followed by a short vacation visiting friends in New Hampshire and Boston. It was an interesting time: for example, I was invited to a friend of a friend's place to watch the first presidential nominee debate on TV, with all the requisite moaning and bitching about McCain after (it was a Democrat household). I already knew Americans are political, given that I went to college in the United States, but it was refreshing to encounter once again that kind of passion about politics that is seldom seen in staid old Singapore.

Anyways, America decides tomorrow and it's big big news seeing as how the POTUS affects the whole world.

New York City was wonderful. I mean, obviously. It's NYC. I *heart* New York and all that, this being my 4th trip to New York. Here's a pic, a bit blurry, from my hotel room at Sheraton Suites on the Hudson. Yes, we stayed in New Jersey cos it was a little cheaper and the commute really wasn't that bad, what with the water taxi and all.

We got to visit Westpoint Academy as part of an optional add-on to the conference. It was a very different kind of college environment, given that every student is a future army officer. Still, the campus was pretty. That's the chapel you see in both the pictures.

I was looking forward to the fall colors in New Hampshire, but unfortunately, the leaves were only just starting to turn. It was also wet and rainy, which killed the idea of hiking in the mountains of Maine the weekend I was there. On the plus side, it was very pleasant running in the cool weather. And staying with my ecologist friend and her roommate really upped my awareness of what it means to be green. I mean, I think I'm more environmentally aware than most people and I try to keep my carbon footprint small, but these people compost their organic waste! And they subscribe to community supported agriculture schemes. 

Visiting Boston again reminded me of how much I love the city. It doesn't have the energy and excitement of New York, but there's something very civilized about this leafy college town. I had dinner with a friend in North End (Little Italy), which was one of the things I was looking forward to doing in Boston (this was my second trip). Here's a panaramic view of Copley Square on my last day there.