LAyover

It is oh-so good to be in Hong Kong, as always. But my journey back the other day was quite a nice little adventure in and of itself. I flew via Los Angeles to spend a day with Rusty and get a little taste of his West Coast life. I've been meaning to fit in a layover in Los Angeles for literally years now, so I'm delighted to have finally managed to pull it off. 

On the ride to Rusty's apartment

I landed around 1pm last Tuesday and departed LAX the following afternoon at 12:45. I hadn't been to the city since the summer of 2004, so obviously it was nice to go back. Rusty picked me up at LAX and we drove to his awesome Manhattan Beach apartment where he and Britney live. In their guest room, Britney had created an elephant out of towels, a la Thailand! Leave it to Brit to make me feel right at home! It was such a nice touch.

Towel elephant

Rusty and I enjoyed a few drinks, as he toured me around the apartment and showed me their great little outdoor patio. It was a perfect spot to enjoy a drink and catch up while we tried to make plans for the night.

Our good friend Sean also lives in LA, and before long, he was at Rusty's too. They took me to their old neighborhood, Hermosa Beach, and we picked a spot at a beachfront bar, Hennessey's Tavern. Sipping cocktails on the roof deck, as we looked out over the waves, volleyball games in progress on the sand, I was glad I had decided to finally return to LA. 

Since Rusty and Sean used to live in Hermosa, they know the area very well, and still have friends who live there. So we then went to a nearby apartment, where Britney finally arrived and, as a special surprise, even my old pal Mara showed up! I hadn't seen her since my Chicago layover en route to the Minnesota wedding in 2012, an equally unexpected reunion! 

With Sean and Mara

The next morning, Brit whipped up some banana pancakes and we all just savored the time together. In the end, like my San Francisco layover earlier this year, we eschewed sightseeing in favor of basking in the glorious company of old friends, and it was surely a blast! 

I couldn't believe how quickly the time had flown, but before I knew it, it was time to head back to LAX. I flew All Nippon Airways, with a short connection in Tokyo. Although I didn't leave the airport in Japan, I did squeeze in a delicious sushi session before continuing on to Hong Kong. 

I would love to go back to LA in the future and spend some significant time there, but until then, at least I have some great memories to keep me going! Thanks Rusty, Brit, Sean, Mara and everybody else I met during my LAyover! I hope I get to see you all again soon. 

What a Weekend!

 

As hard as it is to believe that five years have elapsed since my graduation from Villanova University in May of 2009, my incredulity turned to sheer bliss this past weekend as I returned to the campus green for our first major reunion.

I took a BOLT from New York City to Philadelphia on Thursday afternoon, a bit earlier than most people returned, because I really wanted to revisit my old Thursday night haunt, the Grog, a bar on Lancaster Avenue only a few minutes' walk from my senior year front door. You see, in addition to great food, the Grog boasts a Thursday night drink special in the form of $3 Long Island Iced Teas, and so it became a sort of staple on our weekly calendar senior year.

Outside and inside my favorite Mainline bar

To visit again, indulging in some old favorite dishes before (over) indulging in that old favorite cocktail, was a surreal experience, especially since I was joined by several great friends whom I hadn't seen in a long time. 

Simply waking up on Friday morning was a delightful throwback, since most of us were staying on West Campus, where we had lived during our junior year. Although most of my friends were arriving at some point during the day on Friday, just wandering around the buildings breathing in the Villanova air and soaking up the early rays of what promised to be a peerless day was fine for me!

West Campus Apartments

After officially registering and receiving tickets for the events I had signed up for, I made a beeline for Austin Hall, the Admissions Office, where I got to chat with all the people I worked closely with during my time on Blue Key. And seeing the beautiful buildings and renovated center of Main Campus made it feel like 2009 all over again.

My roommate Joe called while I was there to say his flight had arrived and he was on campus. We met up and decided to go to Wingers for lunch. While waiting for our order, our other roommate Ryan called to say he had arrived, so we upped our order, brought it back to our room, and feasted while we caught up. Although I had seen both of them at Shea and Jen's wedding just last month, it was magical to all be together on campus.

After a stop in the book store and a visit to Bartley Hall's Clay Center, where I got the chance to catch up with some great faculty member's from my VSB days, Joe and I walked down Lancaster Avenue to Kelly's, another of our old local watering holes. At the first table as soon as we entered were a trio of memorable faces—Tina, Walter, and Nicole—and Joe and I joined them while we reminisced over scads of college memories. I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard! 

At Kelly's

Many people joined us at Kelly's, and it was just great enjoying some Friday afternoon beers in such a familiar setting.

That evening was the "Class Party" in the center of campus, with impromptu bars and buffets set up all over the place, while a diverse crowd mingled from one area to the next bumping into old faces right and left.

Of course, post-party, we hit up the Main Line bars again and there was some revelry on West Campus as well! It was funny to think this was once our life, and it was amazing to realize again just how many incredible people are a part of the Villanova community.

Saturday included the alumni picnic, where hundreds of members of the class of 2009 gathered on the steps of Bartley Hall for our group photo. Seeing more old friends, and complimented by more pitch-perfect weather, it was another highlight of this weekend of highlights.

Between the picnic and that evening's Supernova dinner dance on Mendel Field, my friends and I ordered Campus Corner favorites and had them delivered to our apartment in Farley! Talk about a throwback to our salad days! 

The Supernova event itself was very classy, with an air of elegance that was reminiscent of many a college formal. They even showed the Belmont Stakes on big screens, while the whir of music, dancing and various intersections of alumni of different generations all met on the memory-filled "Hello/Goodbye Field" on Main Campus, not to mention an appearance by Villanova President Father Peter himself! 

Father Peter and me

After it ended, a bus shuttled a nice little crew of us down to the Main Line bars yet again, with Kelly's and also Maloney's proving the venues for further unexpected encounters with old friends! 

Sunday morning quickly turned into Sunday afternoon, and everybody suddenly disappeared back to reality... except me! I took the rest of my time on campus slowly, savoring just being there. I met my friend Erin and her husband Adam for dinner at the Mediterranean Grill, across the street from the Grog, making it fitting for my last meal in the area, since we had had dinner on the other side of Lancaster Avenue a few nights earlier. 

Erin and Adam live in Saint David's, and I stayed in their guest room that night, before wandering around Wayne the next morning and ultimately catching the R5 to 30th Street Station. It was far too brief a return to the old stomping grounds, and I wish the weekend hadn't flown by so quickly, but I loved every minute of my time back at Villanova. Although I know the next five years will fly by even more quickly than the past five, I'm comforted by the knowledge that our ten year reunion in June 2019 should be just as awesome as this one was! 

ONCE A WILDCAT, ALWAYS A WILDCAT!