New York, Baltimore, DC....Oh my, oh drat.

Caught a cold. Blegh. Which means a lot of hoped-for visits and excursions did not happen because my energy levels have been cratered. And it appears that either this year's cold is particularly virulent, or my covid-impacted immune system is weaker than anticipated. Which makes our continued masking sensible.

We made it to New York, and took in Some Like It Hot (in previews). They are still working out a little timing, but the show was great. Funny, timely, and sweet. The longest lines in the theater district were for Phantom of the Opera, as it will be closing soon. Weird to see. I'm sad we missed out on the walks and excursions we planned, but New York isn't going anywhere. I suppose that's the difference between tourism and traveling. We don't have to bucket list through the world. (And I did see a rat, so you know, tradition!)

Just past peak colors, such as they are in the City

Next up we managed to duck down to Baltimore and visit college pal Kristen Harbeson. It's been 9 years (since the last blog!) since we've seen each other. Nothing has changed. Since she had never done it, we all ventured further south (on a hideously deer corpse-strewn B/W parkway) to go to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture. It's the museum which has opened since I was last in DC, so I definitely wished to see it. The behemoth of a building is architecturally striking. I have to admit that the crowds were too much for me. The interior of the building has some surprisingly awkward pinch-points and flow issues, which meant accessing the exhibits and not being constantly jostled were challenging. My energy wasn't up for it. 

Given the breadth of the Smithsonian, I think we'll just need to plan to come and spend a month so we can tour through at a more leisurely pace. If anyone knows someone who needs house/dog/cat sitting, we are happy to provide references.

Both of these shots show the museum behind us.

Just off the Mall, Lucy & Brian

 

Kristen & Lucy

A few more random thoughts: I do not love the aesthetics of the Apple Watch. I've worn a wristwatch pretty much continuously for decades so that's not an issue. But the Apple Watch is just kinda ugly. Maybe I'll invest in a prettier band. BUT. The utility of just pressing a button and bopping onto public transit (Chicago, NYC) is pretty slick.

~Lucy