Summer 2015 East Coast -- Reunions

Peter and his wife now have two boys, so "my room" has been given away.  It was still nice to over for a morning breakfast....and get grilled about having babies ourselves.

So  this is what they mean by the Flatiron Building.

When planning this trip, I realized that a few of us from my days in Rome would be in NYC at the same time so we arranged to have a long lunch and catch up.  Brian B. on the left and Gunny S. on the right.

The famed DD in from Brazil.

After lunch, we just took a walk.  First stop Washington Square Park.  Looks like I'm going to have to show Onions "When Harry Met Sally."

Thanks to my living in Italy, I know the significance of Garibaldi.

After walking down Broadway and ducking in and out of the stores, we ended up in the heart of Greenwich Village.  Big Gay Ice Cream, great name but crappy ice cream.  We should have stopped and had ice cream at one of the many ice cream turcks along the walk.

We also made a quick pilgrimage to the start of the gay rights movement, The Stonewall.  It's kind of amazing how the riots happened even before I was born, but at least I knew about this place through cultural reference.

But Onions, I'll give him the fact that he grew up in China, but some of the people I know his age, don't understand the significance of what happened here.

In NYC, have to see a show.  I chose Jersey Boys because I thought it would be the most accessible, with the least amount of talking, but the story was a bit more complicated than I remember.  Still, I love the music and wanted Onions to see a show here.

The reunions continued the next day when we met up with the Chen sisters, daughters of my former colleague in Beijing.

Then a walk along the High Line and it's new northern extension to catch the bus to DC.

While checking mail in DC, I saw Alysa J., a former Italy student, posted she had a new job in DC, we messaged and were able to grab a dinner. 

While in DC, the reunions continued.  We had a mini-Cornell reunion.  Ian L, Linda C., Nora B. (her husband taking the picture) and David A. (the host).  Only David's wife and I were the members of the reunions WITHOUT a PHD.

Megan M. took us to the National Archives to see the Declaration of Indpendence, Constitution and Bill of Rights.  It was moving....and Onions started to comprehend how amazing it is that we Americans are all organized around a couple pieces of paper.

Before we left, we got to hang out with Ian one more time!  We have lunch at a restaurant right next to the International Monetary Fund.....only in DC.