Movin' On Up...
"Well, we're movin' on up, to the east side. To our deluxe apartment in the sky. Movin' on up, to the east side..." Yep, I have left the godforsaken land known as Brighton/Allston. That's right, folks. No more B line, buses that are never on time, and obnoxious college kids. I have traded it in for the green and orange line, Italian food, and a gentlemen's club (get your mind out of the gutter, not THAT kind). I now call the North End home. I live with fellow camel Seth Solway and kickball teammate Kate, across the street from "the world famous Pizzeria Regina" and above the Gemini club, the gentlemen's club. We moved in September 1st, along with 90% of Boston, in the midst of an Italian feast on our block. It was a total nightmare! Alas, we still managed to get all our stuff into the apartment that day despite the chaos.
So, if you know nothing about Boston, let me explain the North End to you. It is the "little Italy" of Boston and everywhere you turn there are Italian restaurants, bakeries, pizza places, and Italian elderly that sit outside talking loudly. It reminds me a lot of where I grew up - Astoria, NY (Queens) - except that instead of Italians there were Greeks. The point is there is so much food around here. Good food, at that. And worse yet, not cheap. As such, I have an inkling that I will be gaining weight and becoming poor this year. Ah well, such is life. I just cannot say no to the hot pizza, delicious rice balls, and the cannolis. Oh, the cannolis! Be still, my stomach.
In other news, the reason it has taken me so long to write an entry is that I was on vacation for two weeks late July through early August. And then, of course, there was the move. Anyway, I was in Ecuador, where my mother is from and where her family still lives. I hadn't been since I was 15 but finally made the trip because my cousin was getting married and wanted me to be in the wedding. Since it's so expensive to travel there, my mother and I decided to make it a vacation and stayed a while. The wedding was a lot of fun and not too different from American weddings. However, they started things much later. The ceremony was at 9pm followed by the reception at 10pm and we didn't leave until 5:30am. Sheesh. Talk about a party! Besides, the wedding we went to Quito (the city capital) and rode the Teleferico, which is a little cabin on a wire that takes you up the mountain to 4050 meters. I'm usually not afraid of heights, but I was a bit horrified since the damn string looked like it would break. We also went to the middle of the world where they showed us some cool experiments that only happen at this particular location - latitude 0°0'0". You can balance an egg on a nail and watch the water go straight down the drain (it doesn't turn counter or clockwise), among other things. Perhaps the coolest part of the trip was a visit to Arashá, a tropical resort and spa. It's basically a resort in the middle of the tropical forest. It reminded me a lot of the time I stayed at a hostel in South Africa in the middle of the wild and right on the beach. It's so nice to get away from the city lights and noise. Thus, it was an all-around good trip.
Well, that's all for now. I have to go figure out what to make for dinner - I can't eat pizza everyday, you know? Happy Autumn!