Gina boarded a jet for the long flight to Uganda for the 15th International Conference on Urban Health,which as an Executive Board Member she helped plan. She also would be making a research presentation there. A developing country like Uganda has considerably different health priorities than a first world country like the USA, and part of the objective for meeting there was to gain perspective on their problems.
It's hard for Americans, who enjoy Thanksgiving feasts with enough leftovers to do it all again a couple more times to come to grips with how blessed we are compared to a country where the average annual income is $600.
On the phone when she returned to the USA eight days later, Gina spoke about how upon finding a dollar tip on the dresser, her hotel maid responded as if it was a life-changing endowment.
We have first world problems like wondering if two bathrooms in a shared Bermuda cottage will be sufficient for a weekend at an upscale resort to attend Jay and Sasha's wedding, while in a Kampala slum there are only two public toilets for the entire community.
As avid travelers who visited both Cuba and Vietnam this year, Jay and Sasha have seen developing economies themselves, though apparently not with conditions as dire as in the slums of Africa. When they awakened an hour after Gina left to catch an Uber of their own to Newark Airport, it was to fly back home to Los Angeles, where the first world problem of finding a liveable house for under three quarters of a million dollars within a reasonable commute of their professional careers would await. There would be laundry to wash with appliances we take for granted at their condo, but at least there was no doubt about having enough water for that or to fill the beautiful swimming pool where they might await the dryer cycle.
Amy, Lukas, Julie and I enjoyed another nice walk around "Historic Downtown Jersey City," which seems like an idealized smaller version of Manhattan, with lots of restaurants, shops and bars that featured enticing happy hour menus. Instead of stopping, we returned to Amy's condo to enjoy what had become pleasant temperatures on her balcony.
When Amy and Lukas headed off on their own to see the latest version of "Robin Hood" at the movies, our Uber driver who picked up Julie and me after we walked to the other side of the traffic jammed Holland Tunnel entrance said that fifteen years ago, Jersey City had been dying, an enclave of abandoned factories. "Now," he said, the word along with a bobble of his head being sufficient to indicate how relics of the industrial age like the Dixon Mills Pencil Factory --- remember those yellow Dixon Ticonderoga Pencils from elementary school? --- had been turned into upscale condos for Manhattan commuters like Amy.
New York City itself is light years ahead of where it was the first time I visited in 1976 with my friend Pat Welch,when it was filthy and crime-ridden. Mayor Rudy Giuliani led a major turnaround, and now it's quite pleasant walking through Manhattan during the holiday season as we did the next day.
Jay and Sasha spent some time there earlier in the trip taking in the holiday sights and sounds. Jay, who is a truly gifted photographer, shared some incredible pictures he took with his iPhone on Instagram, and hopefully has saved them somewhere.
While Julie and I didn't snap many pictures ourselves, we did enjoy our long, fast-paced walk through the city, including down Library Way, where quotes from books are enshrined in brass plaques embedded in the sidewalk, sort of like Stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
We picked up Amy at her beautiful art deco work lobby and went for lunch at Spreads, a sandwich shop with lots of Vegan options located near Pop Sci's Midtown offices. Amy gave me a bite of her Vegan Coconut "Bacon" Sandwich, and it was really delicious, regardless of the fact that the smoked bacon was made of coconut. Julie and I split a chicken sandwich with aioli sauce that was also quite excellent.
The rain really started to pour down as we dropped Amy at her office, so we took the commuter train back to Jersey City, where we immediately sought refuge --- and coffee --- at a nearby McDonald's. We had decided to try one of the Downtown Jersey City happy hours rather than Ubering back to Jersey Heights, but we couldn't remember any of the restaurant names except Barcade, though we really weren't attracted to a Chuck E. Cheese for millennials.
We set a course on google maps and hit the road, wandering around looking for a good spot. Fortunately, Julie had packed two umbrellas, so we didn't get soaking wet.
Finally, we came to a corner we recognized as a place Amy had called "three bars in one with great happy hours." We settled into chairs at Grove Square Bistro facing the window. Outside were commuters rushing through the rain and holiday lights. With a smile, Julie pointed direclty across the street. There was the same McDonald's we had been drinking coffee before meandering around several corners and past several restaurants on a pedestrian only street to end up at this perfect spot.
On a rainy evening, Guinness seemed right for me, and Julie had a glass of wine. The house stereo played music from the 1940's like Frank Sinatra and Rosemary Clooney, interspersed with occasional Christmas songs. While the Italian meatballs weren't that hot, the Bistro's flatbread pizza was fresh and tasty.
The overall experience proved to be pretty perfect for this rainy urban evening and as the conclusion to our wonderful East Coast Thankgiving sojourn.
Some of Jay's Photos Pirated From Instagram
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