I play the "what if" game with myself whenever I start thinking about the choices I've made in my life. After seeing my relatives in New England, I wonder what would've happened if I knew them while growing up? I probably would've gone to school there and I probably would've stayed in the East coast. I can't even imagine how different my life would've turned out if that's the path I chose.
The trip to the East coast went really well. NYC was a lot of fun:
- Went to the MoMA
- Shopped in SoHo
- Ate at Morimoto, Les Halles, and Gotham Bar and Grill
- Met up with Elvis
- Went to Liberty Island, Ellis Island, and Coney Island
- Visited Ground Zero
From NYC, we took an overnight train to Boston. Theoretically, this was a good idea because the train would've been more comfortable than a bus. Right? RJ said that it was a direct ride, which it wasn't. I was a little surprised that there weren't assigned seating because I've looked at other overnight train trips and they did have assigned seating. Here's why that's beneficial: you don't have people stretched out over two seats.
RJ and I didn't feel comfortable waking strangers up to ask them to move. So we ended up in the dining car, which I was okay with despite the fact that there was a guy there being a belligerent drunk who continued to drink and become more belligerent. RJ put headphones and went to sleep. I tried staying up for a little while, but decided to put my head down and try to sleep. At one point, this guy goes around the car trying to get other people to drink with him. Most everyone turns him down, and I hear him pass over me and RJ and say "Well, they're sleeping, so I'm not gonna ask them."
One guy agrees to drink with him, I think, to maintain some peace. The drunk guy says, "I just need a friend right now," and proceeds to tell him personal things. The train car being small and the drunk guy being loud, I heard everything he was saying. At one point, he started complaining about the things he spends his money on, how he pays child support to a child he's not allowed to see.
One of the things he complained having to pay on a monthly basis was a "grievance fee for a hate crime he committed." My blood ran cold after I heard that. He continued to talk about it and admits he's a skinhead. Seriously, dude, I was scared. I didn't know what to do. I pretended to sleep since he hasn't really bothered us. RJ woke up at one point, and I started texting him to let him know what happened while he slumbered. RJ and I stayed in the car until things calmed down a bit, then we left to find seats. We didn't feel shy about waking people up anymore.
Once we arrived in Boston, Denise picked us up. We went to Rockport and then drove to Salem. We went back to her place to shower and nap, then spent the evening in Boston. The next day, we drove to Connecticut to meet up with two of my dad's cousins, then drove to New Hampshire to meet up with another of my dad's cousins. I was surprised at how much I really liked them, and how easy I got along with them.
Tita Cecile, Uncle Jim, and Uncle Monty teach at UConn, and I loved discussing geeky things with them (chemistry, math, and chemical engineering are their areas of expertise). I loved how Uncle Monty asked me how our machine works (the one my company makes) and asked for scientific details. No one has ever asked me that! It was refreshing to actually discuss these things with someone outside of work! I had such an amazingly good time with them, I really want to spend more time with them and visit them.
RJ and I flew back the next day. I was tuckered out by then, so it was a good thing we took an early flight back because I needed to nap like nobody's business.
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