After a smooth flight across the Atlantic we arrive at JFK in New York for a month's stint at Yale in New Haven, Connecticut - a 2 hour drive north of New York. Although it is sunny, spring has still not arrived here and it is cold. Our apartment in downtown New Haven, though, is very nice and light and conveniently located, but there is a bit of drama about getting in. Apparently the owner of the apartment has been sub-letting the place violating his tenancy agreement. Whoops! After some debate we are allowed to stay as we have already paid in advance - I knew things were going too smoothly! A bit shell-shocked, Hugh and I wander around New Haven stocking up on supplies. The downtown area is a strange place - full of shouting homeless people and a palpable sense of menace - I almost feel a Bruce Springsteen song coming on! Yale itself is lovely as you can see but there is such a contrast in a few blocks. I don't really feel like I want to walk around by myself. Luckily Hugh has a nice big office so I will go in with him to work and catch up on some neglected Greek and Latin work as I have got behind with all that Parisian frivolity.
We have a lovely Easter Sunday lunch with some old friends David and Kealoha, their kids and some colleagues in their adorable old house in the woods outside of New Haven. One of our first deeds after arriving was to visit the famous Frank Pepe's pizza restaurant which was apparently one of the first places to serve pizza in America. The pizza was ok but not as good as the best pizza we have ever tasted which was, of course, in Naples. After only a few days settling in, we are off to Washington DC by train as Hugh is giving a talk to WWF. I have never been to Washington before and am looking forward to exploring. I find it is an easy city to get around as our hotel is well located in the funnily named Foggy Bottom part of town. On our first night we catch up with some old friends for dinner and talk about middle eastern politics over a few bottles. We are also celebrating as Hugh has been offered a part-time position at Imperial College in London.
The next day I walk down to the Lincoln Memorial and wander around the Constitution Gardens, admiring the Reflecting Pool and the Washington Monument in the distance. It is the famous cherry blossom festival but, due to the late arrival of spring, no blossoms are out! It is still very beautiful walking around taking in the war memorials, the Martin Luther King memorial and the very cute Franklin Delano Roosevelt (and his dog) Memorial. I am also an admirer of Thomas Jefferson, so it is a great thrill to see his Memorial and read the words of the Declaration of Independence that he drafted on the walls. I enjoy my first look at the White House and end my day at the National Women in the Arts Museum where there are two paintings by my favorite French artist Louise Moillon. Her still lives of fruit are so simple yet elegant. I meet up with Hugh and after his talk go out with some colleagues to a fabulous restaurant where there are heaps of vegetarian options and I am very happy.
Still on the trail of Thomas Jefferson, on Friday I visit the Library of Congress and see his collection of books. Then I decide to wait in line and see the original copy of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights in the National Archives. I am not sure it was worth the hour and a half wait in line as the Declaration of Independence was so faded as to be almost illegible. However I have a lovely time in the National Gallery of Art which has the only Leonardo Da Vinci paining in the western hemisphere! Again, like the Louvre, I am somewhat puzzled by the crowd frenzy that Leonardos create - the nearby exquisite portrait of a lady in green by Titian had no-one in front of her. Bizarre. It is a wonderful gallery though- well laid out and easy to see in a couple of hours and perhaps best of all - free! On our final morning in DC Hugh and I take a couple of hours to walk across town to Union Station so Hugh can check out some sights - the National Academy of Sciences, the Old Post Office and of course the iconic Capitol Building which looks a little like a wedding cake to me. I can see how Canberra was modeled on Washington with it's big public spaces and monuments. Our train trip home was very pleasant and the New York skyline looked wonderful in the sunlight - luckily we will be spending a few days here next week. Lots more art and shopping I hope!
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