The RN Travelogue

I'm back at work after a stretch off. Sadly, it's for five days out of six, but I almost need to be at work, as it's almost downtime compared to my days off. Now that I've figured out that my time is very short here in Connecticut, I'm scrambling to see and do everything that I'd planned on while in New England. This week wasn't an exception, since I had four days off.

I was determined to make a trip out of each of my four days off, as I mentioned in a earlier entry. That didn't really happen as I expected; for example, Monday I was planning on camping with Jess in the Catskills. After working all weekend, though, getting up at noon was a chore. The trip to the Catskills takes nearly three hours, which neither of us were too terribly excited about doing, especially as one in the afternoon approached. We ended up heading towards Hartford to go to a local state park to do a little hiking with Zuri. The park was decent, nothing to write home about, but the trip there was certainly memorable.

To get there, we passed through Hartford. Downtown Hartford is again decent, not an amazing city by any stretch, but interesting at least. Immediately out of the center, though, we ran into the ghetto. I'd always known there was a ghetto, not from any report necessarily, just from the haunted look, the shine of disbelief and deep-rooted fear that'd pass across the eyes of ex-locals. I just understood that Hartford probably wasn't the best city in the US. This ghetto took me by surprise, though. It made the ghetto in Durham, NC, seem quaint, like a all-American neighborhood with a few hookers and occasional shootings. It was pretty amazing, I'd have taken pictures to show, but I was too afraid of getting shot. Seriously. I think that I can say that I've been to Hartford now, and never have to go back.

Tuesday I was actually up early and out the door, ready to embark on my week of constant exploration. I headed out east toward Rhode Island, where I dropped down along the coastline as soon as I crossed the state border. The idea that I had was that all of the coast of RI is like the craggy, beautiful shores of Newport, just one big photogenic opportunity. This isn't necessarily true, as it turns out, not even remotely. Actually, the entire southern shoreline from Watch Hill in the west to Point Judith and Narragansett across the water from Newport is pretty much hidden from view from anyone on the roads. This is accomplished by thick vegetation and woods along the way, and where there aren't woods, there is development, big houses and private areas, which completely obscure the ocean from anyone wanting to take pictures. For example, in the touristy, exclusive Watch Hill, I had to hike a half mile along an inlet just to get around the private clubs and cabanas (as if they are in S. America) that block access to the beach and what turned out to be a very mediocre lighthouse. Not to complain, but it wasn't very exciting, and certainly not worth the hours of driving I put into it.

It wasn't until I reached Galilee that I started to enjoy it. There are little shops where they sell fresh seafood and live lobsters. I had a cup of clear Rhode Island style clam chowder and steamed mussels there. It is a great little place to enjoy a seaside vacation, it's too bad I was towards the end of my day and needing to head back at that point.

The next day was too muggy and too likely to be stormy to go on my planned trip to NYC. Instead, I walked around New Haven; after all, I've been here two months and never really walked around the downtown. Famous footsteps have preceded my travels in the center, including the old GW. I walked the whole center (at least the part that is safe enough to) twice, as it only takes a couple of hours to make a round. I ate at a fairly famous little restaurant, known for being the first place to sell hamburgers (they still cook them in the same old upright griddles, and I don't think they have ever washed their hands there since opening shop in the 1800s. Seriously.). The burgers were good, if a little raw in the middle. Ahh, but it was for the experience, I was eating the experience! Anyhow, it was a nice day.

I had the most fun yesterday, when I headed to NYC and walked all over lower Manhattan. I arrived by train around noon, then took the subway to Brooklyn Bridge. I walked across the bridge to say I'd done so, as well as to take lots of pictures. I then headed down and took the free Staten Island ferry out and back, again to say I'd done so. It was pretty interesting, the ferry passes right by the Statue of Liberty. I walked up to the World Trade Center site, which isn't much to see other than a hole in city, a missing part of the immensity of the buildings around it. I walked up through the Tribeca neighborhood into Chinatown, which was definitely my favorite part of the trip. The place is fantastic, bustling with big crowds, all sorts of things for sale, a place that very much seemed taken out of a foreign country, and certainly what I might expect in Asia. Just visiting made me simultaneously want to move into an apartment in Chinatown and take a long trip through Asia. I walked around marveling for hours, eventually eating Chinese (what else?), then catching the subway back to Grand Central Station and tiredly heading back to Connecticut.

So, I'd have to say it was a full four days, not a moment or spare ounce of energy wasted. I packed all of the cracks in time with visits from friends, dinner with other travelers, and time with Jess, who I saw little during those days as she worked all of them except Monday (she's free this weekend, while I'm on). As I said, it's nice to be at work, just to rest and relax a little. Even doing chest compressions tonight seemed like a little vacation...

So, I have four galleries that will soon be up: Rhode Island, New Haven, Manhattan, and Chinatown. Keep an eye out for them, they're coming.

Until next time, be safe.