2018 USA Trip

The taxi picked Cristina and me up at 5:30 PM on Saturday, June 9.  Delta flight #196 departed from GRU at approximately 9:55 PM.  I entertained myself on the plane by watching portions of some of my favorite films, The Quiet Man, Thelma and Louise and Casablanca.

We arrived at about 6 AM in Orlando on Sunday, June 10.  My son Bret picked us up and drove us to his lovely two bedroom, two bath apartment in nearby Sanford.  The three of us had dinner at a Turkish restaurant (Bosphorous) in Winter Park.

As Bret went to work on Monday, June 11, Cristina and I hung out at the pool in his apartment complex.  I was happy to talk by phone to my friend Betty.  Bret, Cristina and I had dinner at Amura, a Japanese restaurant near his home.  

On Tuesday, June 12, Bret drove us back to the airport for our flight to Dallas.  I watched portions of Sideways and No Country for Old Men.  It was great being with my brother Joel and sister-in-law Judy again after four years.  All of us plus Cindy, Robert, Alison and Maddie went to dinner at Haystack, a hamburger restaurant.  Judy made sure I got to eat a good old fashioned American apple pie while in Dallas.  

On Wednesday, June 13, we visited Cindy and Robert's magnificent house.  The best part was the theater on the second floor.  It could accommodate six or more people in plush reclining chairs, able to watch a movie on a very large screen.  On the way back, we suffered a flat tire, which Judy handled well bringing us safely back to their home.  Dinner was at Enchilada's, a Tex-Mex restaurant.

On Thursday, June 14, we flew to New York and then took a taxi to my daughter Rachel's beautiful home on East 78th Street.  It was stunning to see the growth of my grandchildren, Nate and Leo.  Rachel purchased for our benefit a nice, new air mattress that was high off the ground.  Mike cooked a delicious meal consisting of "sauteed chicken with garlic, a warm lentil salad plus a house salad with romaine, tomatoes and cucumbers."

On Friday, June 15, Cristina and I went shopping in Herald Square, first at H&M and then Macy's.  After lunch at Just Salad, we visited the Museum of Modern Art.  After returning to the Upper East Side, I met my friend Joe at Starbucks and then we walked back to Rachel's home.  Later, Joe, Cristina and I had dinner at Uva's on Second Avenue.

On Saturday, June 16, Rachel, Mike, Nate, Leo, Cristina and I had bagels at Ess-A-Bagel on Third Avenue.  As usual, the line was out the door.  As usual, the wait was worth it.  In the afternoon, we went shopping at Barnes & Noble (I bought Richard Russo's latest creation) and Sur La Table.  For dinner, Cristina and I dined at Keene's Steakhouse again.   

On Father's Day, Sunday, June 17, all of us (plus Bonita) had brunch at L'Express on 20th and Park Avenue.  We then heard live music in Union Square.  Back at the house, Nate and Leo joined Cristina and me to watch the end of the Brazil (1) - Switzerland (1) World Cup match.  For dinner, Mike cooked a new dish, "a shrimp boil, with shrimp, clams, mussels, kielbasa, corn on the cob and Old Bay seasoning."  He topped it off with a "fruit crisp with strawberry and rhubarb a la mode."  We enjoyed it a lot.

Mir, a car service driver from Bangladesh, drove us to JFK on Monday, June 18 for our flight to RDU.  After 3:00 PM, we arrived safely at the Staybridge Suites on Mount Moriah Road for our one week visit to Chapel Hill/Durham.

On Tuesday, June 19, at a bus stop in Durham, we met Donna, the weird lady Cristina thinks was the one who cursed me out last year.  This time, she loved us as we were from Brazil.  In Chapel Hill, we went to Sun Trust Bank, Walgreen's pharmacy and Whole Foods market (for lunch at their salad bar).  Cristina and I had dinner at the home of our friends Kevin and Connie (along with Miss Melba and Fender).  Connie cooked an excellent dinner consisting of pulled pork, corn on the cob and blueberry cobbler.  
                         
On Wednesday, June 20, we spent our day at University Mall in Chapel Hill, mostly at Southern Season.  Lunch was from their take out section: chicken salad, wild rice salad and potato latkes.  

The next day, Thursday, June 21, Cristina and I went to South Point Mall in Durham.  We lunched at Panera Bread.    

Friday, June 22, was a busy day.  At 8 AM, Cristina and I watched Brazil defeat Costa Rica, 2-0.  We had lunch with Kevin, Connie and Miss Melba in Southern Village at the Town Hall Grill.  At 5:30 Cristina and I were at the Carolina Inn for live music and a glass of wine to celebrate Fridays on the Porch.  Later we met our friend Patricia for an Italian dinner on West Franklin Street and ice cream on East Franklin Street.

On Saturday, June 23, at 4 PM, we had dinner with our friends Raymond and Belinda at the Stoney River Steakhouse at University Mall.  The slice of carrot cake they ordered for desert was so large it looked like a whole cake.

On Sunday, June 24, we shopped at Kohl's where I ran into two of my former colleagues, Sarah and Angela.  I bought a pair of New Balance shoes, a pair of shorts and a belt.

On Monday, June 25, we flew to Orlando again, arriving at 4:25 PM.  This time we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express on International Drive, conveniently located near shopping.  

On Tuesday, June 26, Cristina and I took an Uber to a nearby Walmart where we bought among other things canned tuna packed in water, Jello pudding, angel hair pasta, Paul Newman salad dressing and Crest toothpaste.  We took another Uber to a Best Buy where I bought a Dell lap top computer.  That night my son Bret took us to a nameless generic American type restaurant.  Bret ordered a large salad, Cristina a steak and spaghetti and meat balls for me.  We waited for our food for a long time, at least 30-40 minutes.  Then our food came, at least Bret's and Cristina's.  They finished their plates before mine arrived, after over an hour.  The good news was that the manager said our dinner was on the house.  

On Wednesday, June 27, Cristina and I went to the nearby outlet stores.  She shopped mostly at Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger.  Afterwards we had lunch at Vinito's, an Italian restaurant adjacent to the outlets.  We and about 20+ Brazilian tourists were there as well to watch Brazil defeat Serbia, 2-0.  Some of them brought Brazilian flags.  There were so many Brazilians (tourists and residents) in Orlando that I thought were in Brazil.

On Thursday, June 28, we spent most of the day at the airport waiting for our return flight to Brazil which departed at 10:00 PM.  I must give special thanks to an off-duty policeman who helped us with our Delta check-in.  On the plane, I watched The Post, a film from last year (which I recommend) featuring Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep.  I also saw An American in Paris, the Best Picture of 1951.  Our plane landed at GRU at 8:00 AM the following morning, Friday, June 29, our trip over.