After twenty days abroad, I am nearly home, sitting in the Taipei airport awaiting my flight back to Krungthep. Every trip back to the US and return to Thailand provokes similarly moody thoughts: an awareness that the US doesn’t feel like home anymore and an equal awareness that as much as I like living in Thailand, that doesn’t quite feel like home, either.
Each trip back also produces a similar feeling of exhaustion, of trying to pack too much into the trip, trying to see too many people along the way and not even succeeding in that. I could explore that issue more deeply but won’t get into it now. I need, however, to take a trip to somewhere I don’t know anyone.
Thankfully, I did conclude the trip with this stop in Taipei, two nights and a day to wander around, explore the city, eat good food, and other than dinner with an old friend from San Francisco, have no commitments. With the beautiful springlike weather, it was a much-needed relaxing end to the trip.
Instead of trying to recount my trip in detail, I’m going to share some highlight pictures. I will, however, do some separate entries in the next few days about some of the meals we ate.
After a day of springlike weather in Kansas City, we were greeted on our second morning there with snow. The accumulation ended up at eight inches – quite a hefty amount!
The snow gave me the opportunity to shovel a few driveways as well as an awareness that I really don’t want to live somewhere that receives snow. It was pretty for taking pictures, though.
As the weather returned to Spring later in our trip, my youngest niece Ava had the opportunity to pedal around the garage and show off her bicycle riding skills. We really enjoyed spending lots of time with both nieces and it is interesting to watch them grow so quickly. I realize it won’t be too many more years before they are so wrapped up in their own lives that they won’t really want to spend a lot of time with their uncles.
The primary reason to be there was to celebrate the nieces’ birthdays, one at the start of the month and the other at the end. We split the difference and visited in the middle. The cake is a strawberry confetti cake that I made.
Perhaps the greater reason to visit, though, was to see our grandparents. My grandmother turned 90 this past week and my grandfather will turn 90 in July, when we return for a family reunion. As busy and active as they are, you could easily mistake them for people in their late 70s.
The next stop was New York City – Center of the Universe. As the line goes in the musical Rent, “it’s a comfort to know, when you’re singing the hit-the-road blues, that anywhere else you can possibly go after New York… is a pleasure cruise.” Tawn recreates the dance sequence from the movie version of Rent when they sing the song “Santa Fe”.
New York is a city that we both like very much, perhaps a place we could live for a few years in the future. We both have our own agendas while in New York, agendas that overlap on only one subject: food.
I found a charming shop that imports handmade pottery and clayware from France in Greenwich Village. Ended up buying a cute pitcher – small pitchers are something I enjoy and would probably collect them if it wasn’t for my awareness that there’s no need to have more than a few pitchers.
Had an opportunity to look for interesting things to photograph. There turns out to be no shortage of them, some of which may more interesting to visitors than to locals.
Tested out the new camera and the 18mm wide angle lens attachment while wandering through Times Square. It works very nicely!
Went to see “Wicked” at the Gershwin Theatre. A fun show and very enjoyable, although we were frustrated by what seem to be a poor sound system. Despite good seats, it was often difficult to understand the lyrics.
While Tawn went shopping, our friend Biing and I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, something I had never done before. It is an impressive span and there’s a nice view of the city from Brooklyn.
We stayed at the Afinia Dumont Hotel on 34th Street between Third and Lexington, a perfect midtown location. While the neighborhood isn’t very charming, it is safe and very convenient. Here’s a view looking up the street – the hotel is in the middle of the block on the other side of the street – towards the Empire State Building just after sunset. The hotel is a very good value for the money with large rooms and a friendly staff.
Perhaps a bit touristy and pricey to boot, but Tawn and I went to the Top of the Rock – the observation deck that occupies what was once the Rainbow Room at the top of the GE Building in Rockefeller Center. It was a windy day and there was a very good view of the entire city.
Arriving in Los Angeles about noon on the 26th, I managed to snap this pretty amazing picture. From where I was sitting I could see that the American B777 was rolling down the parallel runway for take-off. It was just a matter of timing the picture so I would get the plane in the field of view. Tawn had a few hours layover before connecting to his nonstop flight home. I spent the night in LA and visited San Diego the next morning before flying to Taipei.
christao408 
Nice photos! Seems like you captured most of the key moments. I also like the B&Ws with Tawn reading the map. I hope you’d post the food porn later?
Of course the best picture is the last picture. I can’t believe your grandparents are 90. And why do I have a funny feeling that Tawn will look just as he is today when he is 90?Oh… the picture of Tawn carrying Playbill in the theatre? I thought it read Playboy when I first glaced at the picture.
Maybe you should go to some small rustic village in Japan or perhaps Korea to relax. It should have a very different feel thank Thailand. If you want some place a bit farther away – maybe Barcelona?
I love the family pictures! <:)
Great travel entry 😀 I really enjoy the commentary regarding the pitchers; for some reason, I find it quite amusing.I suppose that I understand your desire to travel somewhere that you don’t know anyone- it can be so busy trying to find to meet everyone that you know in a city!
great pics! tawn always looks so fabulous!
It amazes me that though you live in Thailand, you experience more life in the US than I do, haha.I really like that photo with Tawn with the subway train rushing by.
Nice photos! BTW you were like 6 blocks north of my apt! as per “While the neighborhood isn’t very charming, it is safe and very convenient” let me set you straight (oh wait… maybe not straight) about Murray Hill and Kips Bay … ugh … ok … sadly what you wrote it’s true lol
Lovely photos! It was great to see you even if it was just for a short visit! Glad you had a good time.I agree that you and Tawn need to take a vacation somewhere where no one knows you.
Very nice.Can’t believe your grand parents are 90 this year!
You said, “…that the US doesn’t feel like home anymore and an equal awareness that as much as I like living in Thailand, that doesn’t quite feel like home, either.” So Sad! Though I have lived in Hong Kong since I was three years old, Hong Kong doesn’t feel like home.
oh i’m so JEALOUS!! i couldn’t get a ticket to see wicked when i was in NY year ago. and i heard it was awesome too. damn!
Fantastic pics – and awesome new camera.I saw Wicked in Sydney a few weeks ago and really really enjoyed it.
Great photos in general, great photos of you and Tawn! 🙂
Looks like a good trip to me! I really want to see Wicked someday. I always listen to the soundtrack; the music is great!
I find that whenever I carry around a camera, significant other tend to be in the picture more.How was Wicked in NY?I didn’t like the SF production that much…How much were the tickets?
@Wangium – Very true, not many pictures of me, are there? Wicked was fun but the audio system wasn’t very good. For $125 or so, I felt a little ripped off. While I’ve had some really good broadway experiences, I’ve had some that left me feeling stiffed.@TheCheshireGrins – The music is very catchy, isn’t it?@venice – It’s everywhere!!!@NVPhotography – Thank you. I love the new camera.@rudyhou – Well, “awesome” might be an overstatement. See my comment to Jason above.@choyshinglin – That feeling of not being quite at home is unsettling, isn’t it?@yang1815 – Yeah, I think 90 snuck up on all of us. LOL@alextebow – The question is, WHERE does nobody know us?@TheLatinObserver – Aww… but at least it is adjacent to charming neighborhoods.@arenadi – Would you believe that I took more than thirty shots practicing for that picture? Getting the right angle was tough and getting Tawn to stand still while actually looking at the map was even tougher.@onmovement – Thanks for saying that. He’s a good subject.@secade – Maybe I need to compromise and just end the trip with two or three days somewhere secluded, free of meetings and appointments and gatherins.@decembriel – Glad you like them. Family is the best part of the trip.@ElusiveWords – Yes, the last picture is the best, eh? Wish I had been able to capture the whole thing! As for Spain, that’s on my list of destinations I’d like to visit.@CurryPuffy – Food porn is coming. Keep your pants on. LOL
@christao408 – They don’t look 90 though!
@TheLatinObserver – aha… I will soon stalk you….hahahaha.
@ElusiveWords – as in “Fatal Attraction” type of stalk? or cyber stalk? or fan stalk? haha
@TheLatinObserver – just about to hit send to book flight to the big apple… I have several sunglasses, trench coat, phony beard…
@ElusiveWords – ok … come help the local economy. The trench coat is mandatory given this month is shaping up to be the wettest March ever recorded in NYC!
MM looks like a nice trip~~ hehe the subway photo is super funny~ mamma mia is super enjoyable! hvnt seen wicked yet…
I was thrilled to see you both while you were in the States. I have to say that, from the first time I met them, your grandparents have been an inspiration to me. I treasure their friendship and always send positive thoughts their way. Yes, when Guenter and I first visited New York, he insisted we walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, and I am so glad we did. Even in the bitter cold of NYC in early January, it was a wonderful time. Miss you already.
Great pictures of the family. Congratulations to the grandmother on her birthday. Both of you look so happy and content in the streets of NewYork. Hope your flight back to Thailand was very comfortable.
@ElusiveWords – Let me and Andy know if you need any restaurant recs!@yang1815 – Not at all. I can only hope at 90 I look that young and am that active.@albertmoore – Actually, I see you very much in their mold. I can imagine that at 90 you’ll be every bit as energetic, involved, and beloved as they are, if your smash 40th birthday was any indication! =D@ZSA_MD – Thanks, the return flight was comfortable enough, although I didn’t care for the business class seat on EVA Airways. Nice to be home, though.@mOoShimAnGo – We were so busy taking pictures that we overshot our station by two! This one was taken while we were pulling into the final station on the line.
NYC… i wanna go there again 🙂 wow my kudossssssss for the last picture!!
@christao408 – No kidding. Same here.
Aren’t you the sweetest man in the world! Do you think, by then, I will be able to live together, in the same country, with the person I love? Hope so, and hope we all live to see it. There is so much to love about you, my friend. Happy Easter to you and yours!
@albertmoore – By then I’m sure you will!