Wherever I go, there I am

The best journeys start with happy clouds.

I recently returned from a brief visit back east. It was a whirlwind tour involving two large cities, a few smaller ones, a tiny bit of nostalgia and a little exploration.

In the big cities, I did some big city things. I walked down busy streets among the sticky throngs of people who hadn't escaped to the beach.  I went with my mom to see Matilda on Broadway (cannot recommend it highly enough, especially while Bertie Carvel is in it). I sat through an entire baseball game with my dad, in teeny, tiny seats on a very hot day.

It was a long game, but they won in the end, so it was OK.

I took public transportation and appreciated the views above ground and below.

I ate the local cuisine whenever I could. Cold borscht at Veselka and white gazpacho at Cafe Pamplona are both quite refreshing on oppressively sultry days.

I took in sights both famous and not-so-famous.

If you live in Boston, this sign means something.

Welcome to New York. Can I interest you in a slightly androgynous head?

But while you can take the mountain dweller to the city, you'll probably still catch her falling back into her usual routine after a while. Checking on the trees (they're doing fine)...

I visit them whenever I'm in town.

tracking down the local wildlife...

and wandering among the not-so-recently deceased (mom seemed to enjoy this, too).

I stood for quite a long while, watching the harbor seals in their tank outside the New England Aquarium. I looked in vain for the carousel animals that won't be ready till fall (they're going to have a lobster!). I sought out a favorite vegetarian restaurant and its sister diner on the same day to fill up on peanut noodles and seitan cutlets. I tried to find TARDIS socks in my size at Newbury Comics and Forbidden Planet. I wandered through the aisles of bookstores, usually ending up in the kids' section.

My mom thanked me for getting her out to do things she wouldn't usually do. These are my things. I love them and I'm grateful to find that, wherever I am, they are all around me and that there are so many of them. It hasn't always been that way, so I appreciate them even more.