Addendum: Back in Berkeley

Trip Start Sep 15, 2008
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Trip End Oct 06, 2008


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Flag of United States  , California,
Monday, October 6, 2008

The next day, before we flew back to Oakland,  we wandered up Amsterdam Avenue to Sarabeth's for breakfast, and when we returned to The Lucerne, Jerry had the good luck to get back the clothes he'd left two weeks earlier. He'd made do with 3 shirts, two pairs of pants, and a sweater vest as outer clothes for the Europe part of the trip.   Not bad (unimaginable for me, of course; not enough contingencies addressed).  Then we took the subway down to Columbus Circle, and I saw the newly re-designed Museum of Arts and Design as soon as we emerged on the street.

Alas, it wasn't open, despite published hours.  I had to make do with moseying around the gift shop, resisting any more purchases to be added to my bloated luggage. Then, time on our hands on a sunny, beautiful fall day, perfect for walking and celebrating being back in New York, Jerry suggested we go to the Boat House in Central Park for lunch, but I suggested we walk in the Conservatory Gardens, way up in the northeast corner of the park.  So we rode to the 103rd  St. subway station and walked across the north end of the park, which was largely deserted and absolutely still, a sunlit wonder.  The Conservatory Garden still had some flowers, and Jerry walked around searching for insects while I sat in the sun.  It was very pleasant.  Time to ruminate.

By 3 we were in a cab, headed for JFK.  Traffic was ugly, edging into rush hour.  Our Indian driver was aggressive, efficient, and impatient in his driving style, but very gentle, too (as I found out when I gave him $60 for a $50 tab and he offered change, a first). 

JetBlue again accomplished the remarkable: boarding an entire plane 15 minutes before the scheduled take-off and still leaving on time.  The young man sitting  next to me, dressed in a black suit and white shirt, told me he'd flown from Oakland that morning for a medical school interview!  Round-trip in one day!  He slept for most of the flight and seemed to develop a miserable cold by the time we landed in Oakland.  I was wiping my hands with Purell wipes, not that surreptitiously.

Claudia collected us at the airport, speeding us home in her little car as efficiently as our Indian cab driver but a lot safer!  Our house seemed big and plain after the meticulously decorated and compact Paris apartment.  We are lucky to have so much space.

And so the trip ended.  C'est tout!
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