Fun in Philadelphia

March, 2013

As a Canadian living in the U.S., I struggle using miles instead of kilometers. I realized I was really bad at estimating times based on distance using miles when Reese was doing mental math to figure out how long it would take us to get to Philadelphia from Connecticut.

In Canada, I never had difficulty when calculating how long it would take to get somewhere. If I was travelling 300km to another town (or city) I could quickly assume that I will reach my destination in roughly 3 hours. When you’re driving in the US, however, it requires a lot more math skills since the average speed limit is about 70mph (give or take 10mph). I did not even attempt to do the math for travelling somewhere 300 miles away at 70mph.. there are apps that can do it much faster than my mental math skills AND we have a GPS that will also tell us, or Reese can figure it out. But now I feel a little stupid and lazy for not doing the calculations on my own (thanks America), and I only know how long it takes to get to Philadelphia from Connecticut because we went there in March for wedding ( if you were wondering, it took us about 5 hours).

The hotel we stayed at for the wedding was called Loews Philadelphia, located right in the downtown area and it was very fancy. Before the wedding, we were able to take in some sights that were within walking distance of the hotel. We tried to see the Liberty Bell but the lineups were way too long and we didn’t have the extra time to wait because we had to head to the wedding at 4pm.  In addition to a tour, Reese also gave me an American history lesson and explained how Philadelphia played a major role during the American Revolution. I also learned it was where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were signed. We also got in a little walk and got to see Ben Franklin's grave.. (Reese got a little emotional), Betsy Ross' grave, and stopped by a gift shop.

The wedding in Philadelphia was gorgeous, the couple was stunning and the venue for the reception was perfect. It was half inside, half outside in what seemed to be a courtyard or greenhouse. It really was lovely with all the nature around and I thought it was tastefully decorated. I didn’t know anyone there but it was still a lot of fun and I was able to meet some of Reese’s friends. The speeches were interesting even for an outsider not knowing either the bride or groom, and the meal was delicious. If I were a wedding critic I would have given the wedding a pretty high score.

On the last day that we were in Philadelphia, we HAD to stop at the front entrance and steps to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.. the same steps that are also referred to as the "Rocky Steps" because of the movie Rocky. Reese just had to mimic Rocky's famous climb, and surprisingly he didn't look out-of-place at all since a lot of people were also running up and down those steps. I'm sure Reese was singing the song that goes with the climb but I was too far away to hear him. I didn't have the energy to join him.. and also we were parked illegally and I needed to make sure we didn't get a ticket.

Overall, the trip to Philadelphia was a blast and I look forward to going back some day!

Here are some more photos from the trip..

Maroon 5, Mark Twain, and the Atlantic Ocean

I’ve been in the US now for over a month and Reese has taken me to see a lot of neat things. A few weekends ago we drove to Uncasville, CT, for a Maroon 5 concert. The concert was at Mohegan Sun, a gigantic casino.  Reese got free front row tickets from his work and after the show we were invited backstage to meet and hang out with the band. That was the first time I’ve ever been backstage and it wasn’t what I expected, it was much tamer than I imagined.  A few people had a couple shots to celebrate the concert going well, but other than that, everyone just sat around, acted classy, and chatted about shoes and other things. No drugs, or strippers, and not much drinking (thank goodness). Adam Levine wasn’t there either… apparently he really loves yoga so chances are he was off doing that. Despite his absence, it was an interesting experience. If you ever get the chance, go backstage and meet the band members of Maroon 5, they’re pretty friendly guys.

That same weekend we also went to the Mark Twain Museum in Hartford, the capital city of Connecticut. The museum was actually Mark Twain’s old house and we paid the extra money for the tour of it. The house was beautiful and had so much character. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take any pictures inside the house. We did, however, get a few pictures outside of it.

Last weekend we made a trip to Long Island, NY. Before we could leave Connecticut for New York, Reese had to go to work for a meeting. Since it was on the way, I went with him but was dropped off at a nearby Starbucks in Southington, CT. I don’t have a phone yet so Reese left me his work phone in case I needed to contact him (and so I knew he would come back for me). ESPN headquarters is in Bristol, CT, which is about ½ hour from where we live and about 6 minutes from where I was waiting for him during his meeting. As I waited in the Starbucks, I felt the need to be very cautious of people so I avoided making any eye contact. As a “Friendly Manitoban”, I was raised with the belief that Americans are rude, mean, distrustful and selfish, but as I watched the people of Starbucks, I saw that they are just as kind as Canadians. An older gentleman even asked me to watch his laptop and briefcase while he went to the bathroom. I hesitated for a moment, thinking that maybe he could be a terrorist and he had a bomb in his briefcase and planned to blow up Starbucks or that he was a kidnapper and this was part of his plan to steal me...but he looked nice enough so I told him that yes, I could watch his items. He came back a few minutes later and thanked me at least 3 times before he left. He seemed genuinely grateful I had done that small favour for him… just like a Canadian would do. After this valuable learning experience, I was a lot more comfortable sitting in Starbucks alone and in being in America in general. Oh, I also found 50 cents, and yes, I picked it up. Now I have my own American money.

After we left Starbucks we went to Long Island, New York, because Reese was doing a stand-up show Saturday night with 3 other comedians at Stoney Brook University. The show went really well and it was the first time I saw him perform since we met almost 9 months ago. I also got to go backstage for this show but it wasn’t anything exciting. The back room the comedians were given was tiny.. Our hotel bathroom was bigger. The show was great though, and it was really amazing to see Reese make the audience laugh so much.

We stayed in Long Island most of Sunday as well. Our plan was to go to a beach that wasn’t too far away to see the ocean, but once we got close to the beaches, we found out that most were all closed for the season, except for Jones Beach. It was a lot further away than we expected to drive to see the ocean, but we went anyways. On our way, we stopped at Captree Island to look at the houses there. Most of the houses looked like summer cabins, only a couple looked expensive. There was one particular house that stood out to me, the one that was raised off the ground and looked more like a tree house than anything. It reminded me of the shanty houses I saw on the movie Beasts of the Southern Wild.

After Captree Island, we continued on our journey to see the ocean. We headed to Jones Beach (still in Long Island, New York). As we got closer and closer, the image on the GPS looked like we were going to drive straight into the ocean. There was sand all over the roads and when we did get as close to the ocean as we could in the car, we got out and prepared ourselves for the long trek through the long sand path to the shoreline. Reese changed his shoes and I got out his big red winter emergency coat from the trunk because I knew it was going to be really windy and cold by the water, and it was.

It took us about 10 minutes to walk from the car to the coastline in the soft sand. I found lots of broken shells, my favourite was the dead crab shells, I’ve never seen those before. The waves were really big and loud and Reese made me go touch the water.. I wasn’t sure about getting too close to the water since it was so cold and I didn’t want to get soaked by the waves. Despite my hesitations, I accomplished touching the Atlantic Ocean without getting my boots or jeans wet by running away from the waves.

After the trip to the ocean we stopped to see Oheka Castle, a famous castle which is in Long Island and was on our back to Connecticut. We were only able to get a glimpse of the castle (also a fancy hotel) because it was so big and the angles from the car allowed for only partial views. We discussed trying to sneak inside but decided that was a bad idea and continued on our way back to the apartment.

Earlier this week we went to a movie theatre in Hartford. I was surprised to see that they were selling small bottles of wine and other liquors at the concession stand. Who goes to a movie theatre to drink? Americans are strange sometimes. After the movie, we drove around downtown Hartford and went to a few pet stores. We are thinking about getting a pet soon and wanted to go check out and learn more about different animals. Anyone know what a ferret is like as a pet? Pretty cute..

 

That’s pretty much what we’ve been up to lately. The weather has been okay, warmer than Manitoba and definitely not as much snow. Reese has set up the house phone which has free international calling.. so if you would like my new number and would like me to call you, just message me on Facebook :)  

My First Week Living in the USA

I’ve been here in Connecticut now for a week and a half. I arrived on the 4^th, a Saturday, and we didn’t get up to too much. The following day was the Super Bowl and we decided to stay in and watch it. Prior to the start of the game, we went to Target and spent many hours walking through the aisles and picking out things we needed, including snacks for the game. It surprises me how much time we spend in that place when we shop there. That night, we watched the game and I was happy to watch my first Super Bowl in that States with a big football fan, and Reese was very excited to see the Ravens win since they were his second favourite team.

During the first week, I spent a lot of time unpacking and organizing the apartment. It was a bit odd to wake up on Monday and not have to go into work. It is a really nice change of pace, but I keep panicking because I forget I don’t have to plan or mark for school the next day.

Reese is usually home until 6pm, and while he’s at work I find things around the apartment to do. At midnight I watch his show and then make dinner/snack for when he gets back. My sleeping schedule has completely shifted, it is now the opposite to a teacher’s schedule, which I’m not complaining about.. I do not miss waking up at 5:45am to get ready for work.

When I first arrived, the weather here was warm and there was green grass on the ground. The temperature usually stays above 0 degrees (Celsius.. I haven’t learned Fahrenheit yet). I was surprised to see green grass in February and was also very excited I wouldn’t have to worry about wind chills and -40 degree weather anymore. However, I didn’t get relief from the snow.. this past Friday we received snow and a lot of it! Reese said that CT broke a record for most snowfall in one day. Late Friday night, we went to the entrance of his apartment building to look outside. The walkway to the parking lot was covered in about a foot of snow and was pushed up against the door. Also, the door was slightly open and there was snow drifting into the apartment building. It was shocking to see so much snow! The day before there wasn’t any snow in sight and now it was piling up everywhere. It continued to snow through the night and in the morning there was probably about 2 feet of it.

On Saturday, which was also my birthday, we decided to dig out the car. Since Reese isn’t used to this much snow, we had to find tools around the apartment to help us clear it away. We armed ourselves with whatever we could find, and left the apartment with a spatula and a dustpan in hand and headed outside. Luckily the walkway out of the building had been shoveled already and it wasn’t that cold out. When we got outside, there were many other residents also trying to dig out their vehicles. I’ve never seen so much snow! It completely covered the vehicles in the parking lot, top to bottom. The snow around and on top of Reese’s car was astonishing. The whole front of his car to the back window was buried in snow and we couldn’t get into any of the doors. Around the car, the snow was about 2 feet deep, or more. Shortly after we began digging it out, one of his neighbours from across the parking lot, shouted from her balcony and asked if we would like a shovel. She must have noticed our embarrassing shoveling tools and felt bad for us. Reese went and got the shovel and I thought to myself that that was very kind of the lady. Americans are friendly too! After about an hour and a lot of shoveling, we were able to back the car out of its space. We were relieved and winded, or at least I was, and went back inside.

We weren’t able to go out for my birthday Saturday since there was too much snow, so we decided to go out Sunday instead. We went out for a nice dinner to a nearby restaurant and I was thankful that the waitress said they can’t sing happy birthday songs and make a big commotion, despite Reese’s efforts.  They did give me a carrot cake cupcake though. Back at the apartment, Reese had baked me my favourite kind of cake and it was very delicious. I was mostly impressed that Reese was baking, and I think it made the cake even sweeter.

I had a lovely birthday and I appreciate all the birthday wishes I got from family and friends. There’s still snow on the ground but it’s melting more and more each day. Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day and Reese has the day off since he will be in New York on Friday for work. It’s time for my late night coffee so I can stay up with Reese when he gets back.

(Oh ya, I refuse to switch to American spelling.. )          

Moving to Connecticut from Canada

February 4th, 2013

My recent flight to Connecticut was the worst flying experience yet. I had been anticipating this flight/move for weeks, full of joy and excitement to be finally moving in with Reese and starting a new life in a new country with my incredible boyfriend. I was startled awake at 3am the night of my flight with a pre-recorded phone call telling me that my flight, which was supposed to leave at 6:30am, was changed to 3pm! I was horrified!

I quickly texted Reese and told him about the switch. He was able to calm me down and I ended up phoning the airline to see if I could get on an earlier flight. Luckily, the airline was surprisingly accommodating and changed my flight to a 6:40am flight with a different airline. All was good.

I got to the airport and made it through security just fine. The plane was leaving on schedule, but as we pulled out of the airport, the pilot announced that there was something wrong with the breaks and that maintenance would have to come examine the issue. Great. Everyone on the plane let out sighs and grumbles and seemed very unimpressed, including me. We sat there waiting not knowing whether we would be taking off shortly or if we would have to get off the plane and board a new one. Again, luck was on my side, the pilot announced that the issue had been resolved and we’d be taking off shortly.

After about an hour, we were in the air and I treated myself to a romantic comedy to pass the time. Arriving in Toronto, many of the passengers were frantic to get off the plane since the delay caused them to be late for their connecting flights. My layover was supposed to be two hours, and even with the delay I wasn’t worried about making my connection since I still had an hour or so to make my flight. I wasn’t worried, that is, until I had to go through the new Toronto baggage system which doesn’t allow you to go through security or customs until your bags have gone through first.

After waiting a half hour or so I was able to pass through customs. No issues there, thank goodness! I had the ‘funny guy’ at customs.. He asked where I was going and why, I told him to visit my boyfriend in Connecticut, he asked how I met him, I told him we met at a comedy club, he was performing.. Then he accused me of being a stalker and told me to have a nice trip. I laughed and gathered my documents and I was on my way. I only had about 5 minutes to get to my flight, and when I arrived they were starting to board the tiny plane.

Taking a plane from Toronto to Connecticut means you take the smallest plane possible. The plane we were on sat 18 people and the pilots also assumed the duty of flight attendants. There was a total of 6 people on the plane which meant you had the option to sit anywhere.. Except me. I was assigned ‘emergency exit duty’ and had to stay where I was.

The flight in general was smooth. Despite this, the lady in front of me obviously didn’t like flying and she was noticeably uncomfortable. I was about to offer her a gravol or even the book I was reading to ease her nervousness but her husband took out the iPad and was able to calm her down with a movie. I tried reading for about an hour but then I began to get incredibly cold and my focus switched from reading to trying to warm up. I looked out the window and was relieved to see the ground and tiny houses, which meant that we would be landing soon.

15 minutes later we began our descent, a very rocky descent! The plane felt like it was swaying quite a bit.. Too much. I was pretty anxious about the landing, but it turned out fine and my anxiety quickly turned into excitement knowing my trip was finally over and I’ve arrived at my much anticipated destination.

Being such a small plane with very few passengers, my luggage made it to baggage pick-up faster than me.. If only I could say the same for Reese! Haha. He did finally pick me up, a bit late but he did pick me up and that’s all that matters. I’ve only been here in CT for a few days, I’ve unpacked and have started to claim space in the apartment. Reese has been very generous and making me feel at home.

My friend Ginelle encouraged me to start blogging as a way to keep in touch and also as a way to pass the time. I’m going to try to update every week or so for all who are interested to hear about what I’m getting up to here in the States.