Half-way Around the World in 100 Days

Whooo! What a whirlwind it has been indeed! Well, for those of you who were wondering where we have been (cough cough Brian and Emma cough cough), we have been a little bit of everywhere. After our 5 weeks in India and our short time with Matt's parents in Greece, Matt officially started his new job in Athens and Teri flew back to California to spend some time with her family in Bakersfield. We are so fortunate to have our good friends Mike and Misha in the city who have been babysitting us and our mail while we're in transit. Teri landed for a quick 10 hours or so in New York before she headed off to California in late April-- Chez Cohen put her up and kept her entertained during her severely jet lagged pit stop in NYC. Two tours of sublets, 1 sushi dinner and one star sighting later (more to come about that), Teri was soon on another plane in crowded coach, scrounging for change to buy potato chips on her way to sunny CA. MEANWHILE, back in Athens, Matt boarded a slightly nicer ride, complete with couch and lobster dinner, and took an easy trip to the Land of Cleve in sweetest Ohio.

Finally we were "back in 'Merica!" Teri met Matt in Cleveland where they enjoyed the simplicity of the Mid-West. One weekend in early May, we went to visit Teri's brother, Sam, in Chicago. We were glad to be back in 'Merica, land of the freeway, truck stops and Garrison Keillor, but we didn't realize it would take almost 7 hours to drive to our hotel in downtown Chicago! Sam met us at our hotel around 11pm and we left to eat up the wonderfully rich Chicago food we had only heard about. We finally wound up at a burger joint known for pairing beers with burgers. We headed home in the drizzling rain, looking forward to a full morning of exploring Chicago. Unbeknownst to us, we had decided to come to Chicago during the start of a large summer storm. It was too cold and rainy to walk around the city, so we picked up Sam and his friend Mike and did a quick drive around Chicago in our little rental car. We were able to see a bit of Millennium Park and the famous reflective "bean". We tried, unsuccessfully, to go to the top of the Sears Tower, but it was closed due to high winds. So, we called our moms to wish them happy Mother's Day, and then went to Giordano's for a dense Chicago style pizza. It was really good to meet up with Sam, even if it was for a short time.

We spent another week or so in Cleveland and then headed back to New York City! Matt flew with his patient, while Teri drove I-80 all the way into the City (hold your applause please). We had sushi with an old friend and then headed out to Long Island where we slept for about 3.5 hours before Matt had to get on the train and join the commute into the city for work. Teri stayed behind and tidied up for the renters, drove the car back into the city, and transferred the luggage to a friend's apt. who had generously lent it to us while we looked for a summer sublet (now you may applaud).

Thank God, we found a sublet by the end of the week. The best part is that the apt is on 72nd and Columbus--just one block north of our old apt! Hooray for the UWS! We love our city and we love our park and we LOVE reconnecting with our friends here. It's hard to substitute "community," even with a trip around the world.

So, there ya go. Half way around the world, and back, in 100 days or so. We're in the city until July and then we head off for another adventure.

*Notable celebrity sightings:
Misha and I were standing in line at a NYC sushi restaurant and the girl behind us looked really familiar...
Misha: You look familiar, are you from California?
Norah Jones: No.
Misha: Oh, ok, I guess that's it then, you're not from California.
HA!

Matt and I were sitting in the hotel restaurant in Cleveland and they seated us about 10 ft. away from Oprah! She didn't have any makeup on and was in gray sweats, but it was definitely Oprah. We asked the waitress and she said she was not allowed to disclose any information.

Matt and I were sitting in the sun in front of St. Bartholomew's in NYC and MATT spotted Christian from Project Runway walking by! He looked exactly the same in real life as he did on t.v. He still had that one piece of hair sticking up and match-stick pants--Fierce!