Around the World in 8 Days

Me and my sister in Cheesequake State Park, near our house

Five short weeks from today, I will be making my move down to Singapore. Before that happens, I will celebrate the third anniversary of my arrival in Hong Kong and also my twenty-sixth birthday. I know the time is just going to fly, but I also know it will be a memorable and wonderful finale to life in the Pearl of the Orient. Tomorrow, I’m actually flying down to Singapore for a two day mini-visit. Alan, my company’s president, and Dimitri, the vice president for technology, are in the Lion City making a final decision about our office space, and they are whisking me down to be there for the actual setting up of the office.

I’m also recently back from my shortest trip yet to the States. My Villanova roommate Joe married his high school sweetheart Nadia in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on October 13th, and although I was only in the country for about a week, I can safely say this trip was one of my most memorable.

Downtown Saint Paul

You can’t fly direct from Hong Kong to the Twin Cities. San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit and New York are the only American cities with direct air links to Hong Kong. Since Chicago is the only one of these I had never visited before, and as it’s also the closest to Minneapolis, it made perfect sense to fly via the Windy City and spend a couple of days there.

One of my best friends from my semester abroad in Paris in 2007, Hallie, lives in Chicago now, and I stayed at her incredible apartment overlooking Lincoln Park for the first two nights of my American adventure. I hadn't seen Hallie since the final day of our program over five years ago, when I waved goodbye as her train pulled out of the Gare de Lyon taking her and our friend Melissa down to Nice. Chicago proved to be the perfect spot for our reunion.

View over Lincoln Park from Hallie's apartment

I was blown away by that toddlin' town. I fell in love with it almost instantly, as I walked from Hallie's apartment in Old Town to her office on Michigan Avenue, just beside the Chicago River. One of the first things that hit me was the fact that it was fall in America—something I haven't experienced since I moved to Hong Kong in 2009. And I'd never realized over the past three years just how much I had missed seeing the autumn leaves. But over the next week—in Illinois, Minnesota and New Jersey—I relished the sight of the beautiful canvas displayed before me. Many people commented that the season was still a few weeks short of its colorful height, but as far as I was concerned, it was perfect.

That first night I explored Millennium Park, the Buckingham Fountain and State Street. I especially loved that fountain, with its musical light show that I had no idea was about to occur. As I walked up to inspect the sculptures more closely, "America the Beautiful" started playing while water spewed many feet into the air. There was hardly anybody else around, and it felt like the show was all for me. What a welcome home! And afterwards, I was treated to authentic deep dish Chicago pizza and drinks at a rooftop bar, as Hallie laid out an itinerary for my next day.

Reunited in Chicago

It goes without saying that Wednesday was full of fun, with city strolls, a river cruise, a visit to the Sky Deck of the former Sears Tower and dinner at Frank Sinatra’s old favorite haunt, The Twin Anchors. Hallie’s sister Katie and Katelyn, a great friend of mine from Villanova, joined for the memorable meal. Then we hit the town, stopping at an uber cool speakeasy called Barrelhouse Flat and finishing at a bluesy jazz club called Kingston Mines. Another Villanova pal, Mara, joined us for the night, and it was so good to catch up and reminisce about our college days. Of course, I was exhausted on Thursday morning when I took the “L” to O’Hare to fly to Minneapolis-Saint Paul, but the forty-eight hours I spent in Chi-town made me eager to return on future trips. I completely understand what Old Blue Eyes meant when he said it was his kind of town.

V for Villanova

Joe picked me up at the airport in Minnesota and we ran a few errands before heading to his house. There, I met Rupert, Joe and Nadia’s adorable nine-month old puppy. I grew up with dogs as far back as I can remember, and I miss having pets now that I'm living in Hong Kong, so you can imagine how much I loved the next few hours playing with Rupert, as he rolled around in the autumn leaves and ran all over his backyard.

Rupert

Joe and Nadia took me to dinner in downtown Minneapolis, where we met up with our old roommate Rusty, his new girlfriend Britney and a couple of her friends. It wound up being the only real time I spent in the famous city, but I really enjoyed soaking up the "Mini Apple." We stopped for a photo op at the Mary Tyler Moore statue before grabbing a drink at a swanky joint called Marvel Bar. Back at Joe and Nadia's, I had a pumpkin beer and watched the vice presidential debate with my new pal Rupert. 

I made it after all.

I spent Friday morning at the Mall of America before heading to Saint Paul for the wedding rehearsal. You see, Joe had asked his four junior year 'Nova roommates to be his groomsmen, so I got to don a tuxedo and escort a lovely bridesmaid down the aisle. It was my first time being in a wedding party, and it was an absolute blast. And the celebration that followed was a great opportunity to spend fun time with the newlyweds and all their wonderful friends and family.

The beautiful couple

The Saint Paul Hotel's lobby

After some obligatory Sunday Minnesota sightseeing, including a stop at Minniehaha Falls, I hopped on yet another plane and made my way to good old New Jersey. My not-quite-two days back home were mostly spent with my mom, dad and sister in Old Bridge. I visited the state park behind my house, admiring the autumn leaves and crisp air. Before heading to the airport on Tuesday afternoon, I grabbed breakfast at one of my favorite local restaurants, the Turning Point, with my friend Gretchen. My sister dropped me off at Newark nearly one week to the hour since I'd landed in Chicago seven days earlier. And sixteen hours later, I was back in Hong Kong, having made my way around the world in eight days. As I said, it was a short trip back home, but definitely a great one!

Autumn in New Jersey