I’m back in Philly… Unlike most people on the globe, I’m not really a beach person… The two-day trip to Cape May however, was absolutely refreshing… A great place to catch the sun, swim, shop, dine and just chill out… The city of Cape May itself is a mixture of old Victorian style buildings as well as more modern B&B’s surrounded by beautiful beaches… There are numerous art galleries, souvenir stores, little cute cafes and tea houses everywhere with no sign of Starbucks or any other franchise in the whole city… The seafood was great… Toasting in the sun and taking a dip in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean was even better…

Tonight is the last night before I get back home… To my lovely Toronto…

S

So we arrived in Philadelphia early afternoon after a five-hour trip by train… Passed by some beautiful cities and of course the one and only New York City… My cousin gave us the best city tour ever… The city is cute… The narrow streets and the artsy areas are quite attractive (at least to my standards!!!)… We are now chilling at home before heading out to experience the city’s nighlife…

Tomorrow we leave for Cape May off the shore of New Jersey…

More to come…

S

Cambridge is a very small town just cross the river from Boston… We went there mainly to visit Harvard University and MIT… Harvard was wonderful… Each and every one of the buildings carried an amazing history, and, well, some Hollywood trivia too (“Love Story”, anyone?!)… MIT’s structure, however, was quite different and certainly on the modern side… Frank Gehry’s contribution, Stata Center, was one of my favorites… Meeting up with some astronomer friends (seriously) for Thai lunch in Cambridge was fun too!

Taking the early train to Philadelphia tomorrow morning – stay tuned…

S

We braved the (apparently) record-breaking heat today by hitting the city early in the morning and continuing our exploration: Theatre District, Chinatown, Financial District and Downtown Crossing… Afterwards, treated ourselves to authentic Italian coffee and pastries at the famous Mike’s Pastry in the North End…

The highlight of the day was spending almost five hours at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston… The photography exhibition of Laura McPhee was indeed great, and showed that the new-fangled “art” of digital photography can’t compete with the honesty and beauty of traditional shots… Oh, light my fire! We saw the coolest collection of mid-60s rock posters, all with psychadelic artwork and advertizing the early gigs of Janis Joplin and The Doors… Last but not least, the breathtaking collection of “Americans in Paris“, which showed the paintings of American artists who lived in Paris in the mid to late 19th century… I discovered the wonderful works of Sargent and Cassatt…

It’s still hot and humid out, but I’m pretty darn impressed with what we managed to cover today! Cambridge – home of Harvard and MIT – is planned for tomorrow.

S

I’m in Boston (a.k.a. Beantown)… We are staying at the cutest B&B located in the beautiful area of South End… The city is amazing; very charming… Love the contrast of the modern and ancient architecture… The streets are mostly cobblestone, which definitely adds more beauty to the city… Walked a lot today… Covered most of the historical places and the markets on the Freedom Trail, as well as watching Charles River at the Esplanade…

More to come on Boston…

S

My darling readers:

I’ll be away for a week or so… need to chill my mind… will come back soon with more fresh stuff to share… thanking you again for listening to me by reading this blog…

Much love and big smiles to each and everyone of you…

Always,

Shadan

Coffee 2, originally uploaded by shadan2u.

One Fine Day…
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Starbucks – Queen St. West