Travel

Vacationing is hard work, but fortunately, I’m good at my job.

In the surreal and foggy hours and days that followed 9/11, the shock and horror I felt gave way to dismay and despair, as well as a sort of numbness, as the death toll kept increasing of friends, loved ones and acquaintances lost on the planes that originated from Boston and in the offices of the Twin Towers. It was obvious that the world would never be the same again.

Exactly one week after the terrorist attacks, I was scheduled to leave for a friend’s wedding in Berlin. I was traveling with three other friends and a 6-month-old baby, and there was a lot of discussion of whether or not we should or would even be able to go. We all decided that missing our friend’s wedding out of fear would be just another win for the terrorists, and on Sept. 18th, we boarded one of the first commercial flights to leave the U.S. after the attacks.

We arrived in Berlin and were greeted by the Brandenberg Gate draped in black bunting with words of sympathy for the American people, American flags flying everywhere, spontaneous peace rallies, and strangers saying how wonderful it was to see Americans abroad after such a disaster. … read more

“You won’t believe how much it’s changed!”

That’s what people said about Durham, NC when I told them I was going back to Duke University for my 25^th reunion, not having set foot there since 1988. In some respects, they were wrong, and in some respects, they were right.

Durham is still a marginally charming collection of converted tobacco warehouses, and while the culture of the school seems to have improved, the faux Gothic magnificence of the campus defies any major attempts at alteration, which is a good thing. In any case, I drove straight from the airport to the Washington Duke Inn without having to consult a map once.

I always thought people went to college reunions primarily to see who looked better/had a better-looking spouse, compare how successful they’d become, and otherwise engage in one-upmanship, and I’m pleased to report that my cynicism wasn’t entirely without merit. (Sam, whom I happen to consider the sexiest creature alive and is 17 years younger than me elicited more than one creepy “Way to go!” about my having a much younger de facto husband.) But even more delightful was the discovery that 25 revolutions of the earth around the sun could create the unlikeliest of worlds colliding… … read more