Trip to USA, 2016

It all started almost four weeks ago, at 5:15 PM on Monday, June 13, when our taxi driver picked us up at our home.  United Airlines flight #844 took Cristina and me from Guarulhos Airport to O’Hare Airport outside Chicago, arriving at 7:00 AM the following day, Tuesday, June 14.  Our first order of business was to take a taxi to downtown Chicago, specifically the Marriott Hotel at 540 North Michigan Avenue, where we temporarily checked our bags and hung out for a while.  When the nearby AT&T Superstore opened at 10 AM we bought a cell phone we could use for domestic and international calls during our twenty-four day stay in the USA.  At 11:00 AM, we were hungry and searched for a restaurant.  Across the street at 535 North Michigan Avenue, we found a wonderful place, Labriola Ristorante and Café, where I had the best grilled salmon of my life.  On our way to the Enterprise car rental on foot, we did a little site seeing of Chicago, which was very impressive.  Then the trouble began.

First, we had to wait for a car as they had none waiting for us.  They gave us the first one returned and we headed for I-90 East that would take us to South Bend, Indiana, about ninety miles away.  Second, we ran into a nearby detour and a lot of congestion.  Third, our Mapquest directions were not quite one hundred percent accurate.  Fourth, we ran into several delays on the interstate due to road renovations.  Fifth, when we got to South Bend, we ran into more detours that led to more delays.  Finally, we arrived at the DoubleTree Hotel where we met my son, Bret, who was working (for the LPGA) that week in South Bend.

On Wednesday, June 15, the first order of business was lunch at Tipacanoe Place, located at the former mansion of the Studebaker family, which long ago produced cars in South Bend.  We were there to meet Dr. Elizabeth Sanfelippo, my old friend (Betty Tucker) from Oswego High School, Class of 1963.  We had a wonderful reunion after fifty-three years.  She brought us some Oswego County strawberries which were as delicious as I remembered them.

Afterwards, we toured the nearby campus of the University of Notre Dame.  I had stopped off there briefly over forty years ago while driving from San Francisco to New York.  On that visit, I only saw the inside of the football stadium.  This time, we walked the campus including the Eck Visitors Center, the Hammes Bookstore (where I bought a blue and gold ND cap), the Basilica, and the Grotto.  The stadium was closed to the public.  It is a very impressive campus and I can never “hate” the Fighting Irish again.

We finished our short visit to South Bend, a city similar to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with another dinner with my son.  We had to get up at 4:00 AM the next day, Thursday, June 16, to catch a 6:00 AM United Airlines flight to Newark Airport.  Our hotel provided us, along with the flight crew, a free shuttle to the South Bend Airport.  From Newark, we took New Jersey Transit into Penn Station in New York City, across the street from the Hotel Pennsylvania.  Before checking in that afternoon, we did a little shopping (I bought a Nike sweatshirt) and eating (Just Salad) at Macy’s Department Store.

At 5:30 PM, we were to attend a play at my grandson’s, Leo’s, school, P.S. 290, on East 82nd Street.  I foolishly chose to take a taxi instead of the subway and we arrived fifteen minutes late, but fortunately, the play, Leo’s kindergarten class presentation, started fifteen minutes late, too.  All went well.

On Friday, June 17, Cristina and I returned to the same school to make presentations about Brazil to both Leo’s class and to my other grandchild’s, Nate’s, third grade class.  My daughter, Rachel, who had just returned from a business trip to Portugal, was there at the school as well.  Cristina and I were nervous about our presentations, but according to my daughter, we “exceeded (her) expectations.”  We were very impressed with our students and especially the kindergarten teacher, Paula.  That evening we had dinner with my friend, Joe Giordano, at Biriccino’s restaurant at 260 West 29th Street.  The food was very good and our waiter reminded us of the late actor Philip Seymour Hoffman (“Not now!”), whom he said he had once been an understudy for.

On Saturday, June 18, we ate at two of our favorite restaurants in New York: Ess-a-Bagel (with Nova Scotia Salmon, tomato and cream cheese) at 831 Third Avenue (waited about an hour in line, but worth it) and Gallagher’s Steakhouse (we split a 14 oz. filet mignon plus I consumed a large piece of chocolate cake) at 228 West 52nd Street.

On Sunday, June 19, we, along with my daughter and her family, visited my old neighborhood in Bayside, Queens, so Cristina could see where my children grew up (next door to Divya Narendra) and to also sample the delicious pizza at Gino’s Pizzaria on Springfield Blvd.

On Monday, June 20, we took an Amtrak train from Penn Station to Union Station in Washington, D.C.  From there, we took the Metro to Shady Grove where my brother, Paul, would meet us.  While I was trying to figure out how to buy a Metro ticket, my nephew and niece, Bill Callen and his wife, Karen, and their children, arrived on their way from visiting Paul and his wife, Janet, to the Reagan National Airport and their home in a suburb of Atlanta.  It was a brief, unexpected, but wonderful visit.  That evening Paul and Janet hosted us to a great dinner, featuring steaks and corn on the cob. 

The following morning, Tuesday, June 21, we followed the Callens to the airport on our way to Raleigh-Durham Airport (RDU) and our sixteen days of R&R in the Chapel Hill-Durham area. 

On Thursday, June 23, I had a successful doctor’s visit with my USA gastroenterologist, Dr. Morton Malkin, who renewed my Delzicol prescription and helped to expedite the delivery of a 135-day supply of such medicine to our very comfortable hotel, the Staybridge on Mount Moriah Road in Durham, five days later.   

On Friday night, June 24, we went to Friday’s on the Porch at the Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill where we were entertained by live blue grass music and drank some wine. 

On Saturday, June 25, we visited the brand new movie theater at the University Mall in Chapel Hill, the Silver Spot Cinema, where we saw the British romantic film, “Me Before You,” which I recommend, especially because of the performance of the leading actress, Emilia Clarke. 

On Sunday, June 26, we visited Southpoint Mall in Durham where we ate lunch at Maggione’s Little Italy restaurant.  The food was very good and we took advantage of a special offer where we received two free meals to go, which we ate for lunch the following Monday and Tuesday.  I also bought a couple of books at Barnes and Noble:  Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving and Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwen. 

On Monday, June 27, we visited the New Hope Commons Shopping Center where I bought another book at another Barnes and Noble, Ernest Borgnine’s autobiography.  As we were walking from there to Walmart, we were attacked by a dog lying unseen in the shadows in front of Jason’s Deli.  Luckily the dog was tied up (apparently by its unseen negligent owner) and was intimidated by my shouting at it.  Also luckily, we were unharmed.  At Walmart, we bought many items, including sunglasses, slippers, cosmetics, and many food items either (1) because of better quality in the USA, (2) not found in Brazil or (3) expensive if available in Brazil. 

On Tuesday, June 28, we walked to nearby Kohl’s, where I worked for some three plus years (2007-2011) and where I bought a pair of New Balance running shoes.  I talked to two former colleagues, Lori and Maria.

On Wednesday, June 29, we had dinner with our friends, Belinda and Raymond Smith, at the Weathervane Restaurant which is located at the University Mall.

On Thursday, June 30, I called my brother, Joel, to wish him a happy birthday.  Later we had lunch with our friend, Connie Maynor, at Kipos, a Greek restaurant on West Franklin Street in Chapel Hill.  I must mention that they have the best baklava I have ever eaten.

On Friday, July 1, we had dinner at the home of Connie and her husband, Kevin, my friend and former boss at OSR, UNC-Chapel Hill.  Kevin cooked pulled pork on the grill.  Another treat for our visit was their dog, Fender, a standard poodle.

On Saturday, July 2, we had dinner at our favorite restaurant in Chapel Hill, Vespa.  I ordered lasagna, which was very good, but the portion was too small in my opinion.

On Sunday, July 3, I had my favorite traditional falafel sandwich at Med Deli on West Franklin in Chapel Hill.  We also found dark chocolate covered almonds, which had disappeared from two other local sources.

On Monday, July 4, we returned to Kevin and Connie’s for a traditional Independence Day celebration where Kevin grilled some hot dogs.  Connie’s mom, Miss Melba, and her sister, Laura, joined us as well.  Later, we returned to the Silver Spot Cinema to see Matthew McConaughey in Free State of Jones, which is the unknown story of a rebellion in the midst of the Civil War (by non-slave owning whites and escaped slaves in Mississippi) against the Confederacy plus what happened during the years under Reconstruction.  It’s a very sad story, but we enjoyed the film. 

On Thursday, July 7, a 10 AM taxi took us back to RDU for our 1:30 PM Delta flight to Orlando International Airport.  Upon arrival in Orlando, we met my son, Bret, again, but this time with his girlfriend, Katie, for an early dinner near the airport.  To kill some time before our 10 PM Delta flight to São Paulo, we watched on our Ipad the classic 1948 black-and-white James Stewart film, Call Northside 777, which Cristina had never seen.  While on board the plane, I watched Spike Lee’s 1989 comedy-drama, Do the Right Thing.  I think it’s his best work and it reminded me that after twenty-seven years, America has not yet solved the problem involving the tension and violence of white police in the African-American community.

On Friday, July 8, our plane touched down in Brazil at 8 AM and we arrived at our home a couple of hours later.  Trip over.  Will return next year.