Unadulterated Travel

I love the feeling of travel for the sake of travel, going places with no real agenda, except to explore and maybe visit people. Usually, I've done this kind of travel abroad, but this winter, my husband and I decided to do a little ten day east coast tour, starting in Boston and ending in Raleigh. We visited a cousin of mine up in Boston, and checked out tourist sites like Harvard Square and the MOMA. Then we made our way down to New York, and stayed with a good friend in the Village. Living in LA, I miss that gritty feeling of an old, crowded place, of tiny restaurants and bars, with shady characters lingering on street corners. Our neighborhood in lower Haight was like that--not that I can really complain about living by the beach, but sometimes you just want a little grit, and NYC was a nice little taste. After that, we did a little trip out to the NJ suburbs as well, to drop in on Ameet's cousin who just had a baby boy two weeks ago. The baby was so adorable, but man, sometimes I can't believe that we're all grown up. Ameet's cousin and her husband are in their late 20's and they've got the huge home in the suburbs, the luxury car, the perfect Pottery Barn furniture... It shouldn't be shocking to Ameet and I that this is what people do when they "grow up," but man, we're definitely a ways off from that. Anyway, then we were off to DC for a couple days with my good friend Kathy, and finally, a quick flight down to Raleigh. Coming home to my parents' place was so relaxing--I literally crashed for twelve hours... The best part was heading to the movies on Christmas day. It was awesome because it was pouring down rain, one thirty on Christmas day, and there was a huge line for tickets. Both day time shows for Dream Girls were sold out, sold out!! Beyonce is unstoppable, everything she does is gold... There was quite a ruckus for tickets... But alas, my family safely got tix for Pursuit of Happyness. A heartwarming story, but the film dragged a little in middle, the plot felt slightly repetitive, but it was good to see Will Smith break out of his action hero roles and do something deeper. We only have a couple days left here, and we'll get in some more shopping (not that I should do any more), and see a couple of friends. Overall, this trip has been the much needed break that we both needed. I'll be fully charged once we get back!