The Graveyard shift

Day 1:

Red–eye flights are properly named. When Vadim and I arrived in Boston our eyes must have been the color of ketchup. Of course, I think I slept more than he did since I would squish him and take up more than my share of space. However, the personal embedded TV’s filled with live (!) news and “you vs. all other passengers” trivia games kept us occupied, as we also tracked the progression of the flight. Who says a watched plane doesn’t move? While waiting for Lucy and Igor, despite the cramped quarters we were released from, we couldn’t help but be excited to finally be outside the confines of California and Nevada.

During the drive to their house, Lucy and Igor pointed out all of the worthwhile sights and explained about the “Big Dig” – a 10+ year construction effort in the heart of Boston. I never knew anything about Boston so it was all very new and exciting for me. Vadim, practically being a Bostonian himself (he has been there 2 times before) added to the mini car tour. Once at the house, we started to plan our long weekend. Lucy and Igor brought out all the maps and explained the layout of the land and I got a feeling for the city, although I still would never be able to navigate through it myself without the help of the red line running through the city. Since it was still technically a workday, Lucy and Igor got ready to go to work and Vadim and I took a nap (a result of a time change and a Song flight).

We expertly took the bus to the T-station (of course we rode the bus the wrong way a little) and made our way to Boston Commons. From there we walked around a bit, spied on the swan boats and then quickly hustled back to catch a walking tour that followed the freedom trail lead by a guy dressed in a period costume. The trip advertised that they stopped at 12 of the sights on the freedom trail, and the tour guide made sure we knew which stop we were on. At Boston Commons he would continuously say “And this is our first stop on the Freedom Trail Tour.” We went onto our second stop (because that is the way we count) and saw the new state house. **Fun Fact: There are 3 entrances to the new state house, the largest middle double doors and 2 side entries. The large middle entrance is only used for the current president or current head of a foreign country. Former presidents, famous people and others cannot use the middle door. However, when the MA’s governor’s term is up, they give him the boot out through the special door. J

We continued our tour to the first of many graveyards. It was the 3^rd oldest graveyard in the US (don’t ask me what the 2^nd oldest is). There (not here) lie 3 signers of the constitution: Sam Adams, John Hancock and someone I’ve never heard of. As well as Paul Revere (who, we learned, was not the rider he is claimed to be), James Otis (the great orator who was the originator of “taxation without representation” line and we got to hear his 5 hour speech) and 10,000 other people (literally).

We moved along the red trail (visions of Wizard of Oz are popping up…”Follow the red brick trail…”) to the 1^st oldest graveyard that the Anglican Church built their church on. Their claim was that the dead didn’t mind. **Fun Fact: There were many types of gravestones here. On a plot of land that was about 500 sq. feet there were approx. 6,000 people buried and floods and such had moved around the headstones. On most of the headstones there was either a skull and crossbones or a skull with wings. People used those icons to represent death. It is the predecessor to our modern angel on graves. Also, there were tabletop tombs that had not been moved. Unlike what I had previously thought, people were not buried in the tabletop tombs but there was a door in the tomb that lead to an underground crypt like thing that were final resting places for up to 50 people.

Right about this point in the tour we were getting tired and I’m sure you are too by reading this much, so I’ll just list the rest of the sights: The sight of the Boston Massacre where British soldiers killed 5 rebelling Bostonians, the old state house where we shouted “Throw the tea into the sea” but the original Boston Tea Party “Indians” were not loud like us, and we ended the tour at Fennel Hall.

After walking around a bit, we met Cristina, my high school friend, her boyfriend and her brother for lunch. (Yummy! We were hungry!) We talked a lot and reminisced about high school and then parted with plans to meet the next day.

Vadim and I decided that we wanted to see Bunker Hill, but we didn’t want to walk there. So we hopped on a public ferry (the best $1.50 we ever spent) and took a ride across the river. It was beautiful to see Boston from the water – it really is a pretty town. After taking a billion pictures (ok it was more like 50) we walked around the museum for the USS Constitution and saw both the old and new ships. There again we found the red line that gave me my sense of direction. We were going to go to Bunker Hill but it was closed already so we decided to follow the red line to the red line (aka “Freedom Trail” to the subways Red Line). The freedom trail also took us across the rusty Old Bunker Hill Bridge and had excellent views of the brand new Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge, the widest cable-stayed bridge in the world. Once back at Harvard Square we walked around a bit and listened to some street performers, who just might have been Harvard music school drop outs. At night we went out for some for sushi at Harvard Square, and took a scary, walk along Fresh pond in pitch-black. Whew! What a day!

Day 2:

This trip is going to be dubbed the “Trip of Cemeteries”. In the morning we took a restful, peaceful walk around Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge. We climbed up the Washington Tower, which at the time built was the 2^nd tallest structure and had spectacular views of the whole area. Green trees surrounded the whole tower and I kept repeating to Vadim “I bet this is beautiful in the fall.” (Is that enough of a hint?!?! ;-) )

We then skedaddled to the Sam Adam’s Brewery tour where we met Cristina and her friends. There was a tour of the brewery where the guide told us that there were most beer factories per capita in Boston then anywhere else in the US. He introduced us to all the ingredients of the beer and kept insisting that the type of water used doesn’t affect the beer…. Tell that to “Taste of the Rockies”! Hmm, ok interesting, NOW GIVE US THE BEER!! After the much too long talk about the history of Sam Adam’s Brewery, we were given a chance to sample a bit of the beer they produced, which was the original reason for going on the tour. J We tried the Original, Summer Brew (a bit lemony) and a special brew that wasn’t even named yet but was a bit like coffee beer. We also learned how to be beer connoisseurs, but I say all you need to know is lift and chug.

During our Sam Adam’s tour, Lucy and Igor were shopping for shoes at Downtown crossing so Vadim and I hopped on the T to join them. We walked around a little downtown and then headed for Walden Pond, the home of the recluse Thoreau. It was soooooo pretty, but I could never live there – super boring. They had a replica of the house he stayed in and it was more like a shack than a house. However, the area around the pond was just beautiful. The water was warm and Lucy and Igor went for a swim. Vadim and I played in the water a bit and then walked around in the forest. While I was splashing around a little girl on the path called me a chipmunk and was so excited to see the creature. When she saw that it was just I and not an animal, she got so excited and wanted to come into the water. She was cute! Later,Vadim was trying to teach me how to skip stones in the water when we got into a water-dunking contest. Silly Vadim, you cannot dunk me.

After the peaceful afternoon at Walden Pond and a catnap at the house, we headed over to Newbury Street by way of the Harvard Bridge. **Fun Story told by Igor: The city was building a new bridge connecting Cambridge and Boston. They asked the two universities in Cambridge what it should be named. Harvard instantly replied - ”Harvard Bridge”. MIT, on the other hand, looked at the all plans and the engineering for a little while and after some time they too responded “Harvard Bridge”! A few years after being built the entire bridge was in danger of collapsing due to poor engineering and had to be entirely re-built. Thus, it was aptly named J. After walking down across “364.4 and 1 ear of Smoots” (the measurement for the Harvard Bridge) and walking down Newbury Street, we ended up dining at a neo-contemporary Chinese place that was very good.

Day3:

Sunday morning we headed off to Salem, the home of the American witch trials. We arrived in the infamous town and headed straight to the witch museum. Let’s just say, we easily could have skipped it and had 1 hour and 30 dollars back in our lives. All four of us just had a pleasant day walking around the sea town enjoying the terrific weather. The gardens of the House of Seven Gables were beautiful and there was a lady playing a harp in the background that made the whole scene picturesque. Unfortunately our time was limited and we had to run back to catch the plane. So we drove from Salem to the airport and after heartfelt hugs and sincere good-byes Vadim and I left. However, I keep telling Vadim…Boston would look beautiful in the fall!!

Thousand Dollar Weekend

Every time Vadim comes to Vegas to visit me, I come up with an itinerary. I try to find activities that are physically, mentally and, sometimes even, spiritually stimulating. However, despite great "game plans" we usually end up chillin’. This weekend was no exception.

Once Vadim arrived at MacCarren airport, I immediately whisked him away to go see the Improv Comedy Show at Harrah’s. They have a series of rotating (no, they don’t spin around in circles) stand-up comedians that people have said are really funny. Plus, I got free tickets. We arrived in just enough time for me to get the maitere d' upset and give us seats at a table with 6 other very strange people. Out of the four comedians performing, Vadim liked the host the best. He had one very funny joke that everyone should ask Vadim to repeat. The headliner did a great job interacting with the audience. He would ask people their name and occupation and play off their answers. Most of the participants were good sports, but there was this one blonde that was so annoying she was funny. She had to be involved in every joke. If the comedian said, "Oh in Jamaica…" she would scream out, "I was just in Jamaica." Finally the comedian made her the joke to the audience and she stormed out upset…it was great!

Saturday morning was pretty much shot because I had to go to work, but even when I got back home, around 10:30 am, we still were lazy bums. We made our token visit to Costco, then got ready for our big night…the night we have been waiting for for 2 months. Not surprisingly, we were late for our dinner reservations at the Pari Eiffel Tower Restaurant (please read with a French accent). After unsuccessful attempts to bribe the valet man, we parked in self-parking and once in the hotel we were ushered up a private elevator to an exclusive dinning room that over looked parts of the strip. We had a very romantic French dinner including fois gras, rack of lamb and filet mingion, topped off with a soufflé and wine. Then, we scurried over to Bellagio for the main event of the evening, "O".

We were a bit early for our 10:30 engagement, so we stopped in for a nightcap at the piano bar. Vadim continued the French themed evening by trying absinthe and I drank a glass of port (my fav after dinner drink). Not only was the absinthe colored like green NiteQuil ™ but it tasted like it too. However, it’s redeeming quality was the glass that it came in – a delicate glass that was shaped so perfectly it just fit in the palm of your hand. It was so delicate that later in the night I proceeded to break it…it was an accident, I swear!!

Once I stepped into the "O" theatre my little heart started to beat faster and I got so excited!! The array of flying acrobats, divers, synchronized swimmers, clowns and musicians was awe-inspiring. Me, being practically a virgin to Circe shows (I had only seen one other), could not help but wonder where they found so many talented people that could all fly through the air, swim through the water and dive into the depths of the pool. Vadim, knowledgeable as always, told me – Russia. Even the stage was a piece of artwork, which had platforms moving this way and that allowing different depths of water for the people to perform. Needless to say, I was definitely impressed.

My original iternerary had planned on gambling a little then heading over to the water park on the strip. Well, we made it to the gambling part and then stopped there. We played poker for the better part of 7 hours. Vadim broke even and I was ahead... at one time (final last words).

On the whole, despite the original plan, the weekend was wonderful like every weekend with Vadim. I just have to accept the fact that plans are not always followed nor should they be since veering from the path sometimes leads to more adventure.

Eath, wind and fire (and water)

Talia arrived into San Diego late on Friday, July 23rd and it was decided that we needed our rest for the long day of shopping and fun ahead of us. We rose early on Saturday and head to the intergalactically central office of Prana(tm) clothing line, located in San Marcos. They specialize in climbing/hiking and yoga clothes and we got some amazing bargains on their twice-a-year 'everything must go' warehouse sale. Most things that retail for $40-60 were had for $6-$15. Later we traveled to the wonderful Carlsbad Company Stores and I got a few more things at (surprise!) GAP :-) Are we done shopping?! Nooooooooooo, not in the least bit.

We had a great lunch of fish and salad at my parents' house and proceeded to the main event - COSTCO! :-) You see, we were getting ready to entertain by the beach and there's no place better to shop than Costco....that is if you're expecting 50+ guests. We weren't. Needless to say I have mountains of leftovers that include beer, soda, hot-dog buns, and chocolate bars. Thankfully Costco doesn't sell marshmallows; otherwise I'd be kneed deep in them in my room.

After we filled the car to the brim full of party goodies we headed out to Mission Bay to look for a fire pit. "Cool, no problem" you say. Beautiful Saturday day in San Diego, 5pm, and we're looking for an empty fire pits. Yes, we are absolutely nuts! After 35 minutes of cruising around in my pimp ride we finally found a great spot on Inghram and Vacation. After lugging all the goodies to the grass we enjoyed reading our books before the guests showed up. Everyone (Anna, Jason, Scott and his Q-crew) arrived fashionably late and we had a great time. We enjoyed our hotdogs (which were good only after 4-5 other ones sacrificed their life as I adjusted the grill) and later smores by the bonfire, as the Sea World fireworks filled the sky and made for a memorable evening.

Tired after a long day, we completely crashed and slept straight through till 10:30am on Sunday - ahhhhh, what bliss. But our Sunday had even grander things for us in store. The day started out with a gorgeous hike at the Torrey Pines state reserve. Although it was cloudy, it was beautiful nonetheless, and I got a chance to give my new Prana shirt a workout. It passed my "sweating like a pig" test. After a quick lunch of hotdogs and sodas (hmmmm, I wonder were we go those?) we headed out for La Jolla cove for some snorkeling. Plunking down $8 for parking seemed to be totally worth it since it was right near the cove and the entire park was completely filled with people for the Concerts in the Park event.

Arriving at the beach, eager and exciting we headed straight for the water. "Ummmmmm, you sure you want to do this?" was the first though in our mind, as the effects of the chilling water reached our brains. But we decided to face the problem head on and dive right in (I've always wanted to use that phrase in context!!) :-) We struggled for a few minutes to get our flippers on as the waves bounced us around.

As soon as you make 3-4 steps into the water, the beach drops off and you're immediately surrounded by 10's, or even 100's of fish. The sea-weed filled garden is filled with beautiful Garibaldi's (California state fish) and some sea bass. It's incredible how used to humans they are and you can get just inches away from them. Since this was our first time with the gear and in the water we decided not to go for a long swim, but next time we plan to swim out to La Jolla caves located just few hundred yards away and try to explore the 7 caves. More about that in August.

Frozen to the bone we left the water 40 minutes later with nothing but smiles on our faces. Jumped up to the park and warmed our bodies in the sun to the sounds of a funk-filled 10-piece band playing in the park.

The rest of the evening was marred by that constantly repeating and sad event - the guest's imminent departure. This time it was Talia headed back home to Vegas, but next weekend it'll me who will be leaving Talia's home all to herself. But let's not leave on a sad note but mention the other fun times we had tonight - cleaning up spilled wine (yey for the person who decided to have white instead of red tonight), packing away all the goodies left-over from the bonfire (mmmm, who doesn't love the smell of spilled beer), and last, but not least, who can forget our heart beat(s) jumping from 60 to 160 at the thought of Talia forgetting her ID, as we were pulling into Lindberg Field. The last incident reaffirmed something that I had long suspected - airport safety and security is just a facade exemplified by the fact a (very forgetful) person can still travel without a single piece of identification.

So there you go. A first of, hopefully, many more tales of our weekend adventures.

Ready...set.....

GO! Well, if you haven't had your fill with the pictures, check back here for more social commentary on our adventures. Yes, pictures are worth a thousand words, but sometimes there just isn't a good chance to take a picture (like under water, or in motion) and we'd like to use this space to keep a little journal of our adventures. So enjoy! We welcome all comments...and if we don't like them they'll be immediately deleted :-D

-Talia and Vadim