Laurie's light travel travel tips

I hesitated before sitting down to write my annual 'Wacky' - seeing that last year I opted to write about the new year instead - for obvious reasons: Covid cases are soaring statewide, nationwide and globally. But, I realized soon after my mother died in August, 2018, that humor - specifically "Two and a Half Men" and Graham Norton - would help pull me through. We are wading through communal grief, such that most of us cannot even begin to articulate its depths. However, in grief grows a greater understanding of life's precious gifts. For me, that has meant long walks here in Branford, Connecticut, revelling in the change of seasons. From the spring spurts of life in the guise of the crocus to summer's sweltering gasp, the autumnal song of the crimson and amber leaves scattered about to winter's frightening white march. Here were some of the WW highlights of 2021: By January 28, Connecticut had rolled out at least one dose of a Covid vaccine to 8.8 perc...

When I left New York the evening of December 24, 2019, I had just said goodbye to my young friend, former tutee Celeste, and was thinking about what would be my last Christmas with my cat, Wally . I had no idea it would be the last trip to New York in a pre-pandemic life, one that I, you, everyone reading this, no longer has. In 2020, I fantasized about trips into the City, but then I saw the horrific news, the mock morgues in huge refrigerators. It was terrifying. Then, God bless science, I was lucky enough to survive and .. get vaccinated. I thought after my second jab in April of this year that I should go to New York. I had planned it, and canceled, and planned a couple of times. Finally, after my booster (taken because of my age, being overweight, and on public transportation), I felt safe enough to realize what had become a 22-month-long dream. My biggest fear? The MTA ride in. But even that was fine. I had already inched my way closer to New York , first to Milford, then Stra...

Alone. That's my best advice. And for those who have never been alone on New Year’s Eve, well yes, it is difficult but it has its perks: - being able to toggle between Andy and Anderson and Ryan Seacrest without enduring The Scowl - having your cake and eating it, too - falling asleep early without feeling guilty If you are married and/or live with your family, give everyone a kazoo. But the person who blows it before the ball at Times Square drops must sit quietly for an hour. Another game is something I made up long ago and used to play with my mom. Ask one question, on any topic, but first answer yourself. This is a fun and enlightening activity (my mom used to like to imagine the color of her bridesmaids’ dresses). Whatever you do, don't go out, unless it is a simple stroll about the neighborhood. Mask wearing is easily tossed asunder when one is drunk (I can only imagine). Walks release endorphins and help one work off that quarantine 15 some of us might be lugging around!...

In honor of Mardi Gras today (Feb 25) here's a brief list of reasons to visit the Big Easy this year, with a little assist from New Orleans & Co. 1. Sip a Sazerac at the Sazerac House: A new addition to New Orleans in Fall 2019, this attraction is dedicated to the famous spirit, a local variation of a cognac or whiskey cocktail. On the corner of Canal and Magazine, the historic building houses "a sensory experience that will take you through the history of cocktail culture in New Orleans. Learn the methods of distilling whiskey, taste some bitters and perfect the Sazerac yourself." You can taste the eponymously named mixed drink at the Roosevelt Hotel's Sazerac Bar , "where it has been served to everyone who’s anyone since 1938. No serious cocktail connoisseur would leave town without discovering it either here or at another fine restaurant or bar in the city. The recipe is a little complicated but well worth the result." 2. Napoleon House : There ...

January 18th Simulcast on BBC AMERICA, AMC, IFC and SundanceTV Highlight Ways To Support Australian Relief Efforts BBC America has issued the following press release: In response to the widespread devastation caused by the fires in Australia, BBC AMERICA’s upcoming nature documentary series on the seven continents, Seven Worlds, One Planet, will now begin with the Australia episode and will inform viewers of how they can support relief efforts. The Sir David Attenborough-narrated series begins Saturday, January 18, at 9pm/8c on BBC AMERICA, AMC, IFC and SundanceTV. There are ways you can help today, visit BBCA.com/howtohelp , which features links for more information and details from organizations who are helping on the ground. “Seven Worlds, One Planet is a series about the majesty and fragility of our planet, capturing precious stories of wildlife at a pivotal moment,” said Sarah Barnett, President Entertainment Group + AMC Studios, AMC Networks. “The catastrophic wildf...

Twenty nineteen - Not so wacky . More like wack, as in not or no longer working or functioning properly or very bad. Of course, not all year, not all months. The year began beautifully albeit somberly. My mother had suddenly passed away in August of the previous year, and as much as I was looking forward to graduation at King's, I spent part(s) of every day doubled over in tears. I was tasked with finding a job but given that I was still in Britain through the end of January, it was a little tricky. I conducted two phone interviews, one for a reporting job in Dubai (felt uneasy moving there) and Minnesota (read the weather report, so ditto). But frankly, the issue was the stage of my grief. I went to see a psychiatrist at King's, a wonderfully erudite and sensitive man, and in that one visit learned a lot: "Your confusion will not go away quickly; it will be more like months." This helped immensely. January On 14 January many in our small cohort of Eighteenth-...

I've been back in the U.S. 10 months and it recently hit me: I am re-assimilating. I had never heard anyone speak of this concept. When I moved to Connecticut in 2001, Mom introduced me to the concept of assimilation in the guise of a printed sheet from some psychological thinktank. According to this, it takes a year to assimilate within a new culture, but some never manage to assimilate at all. Now that I am back in Connecticut, I realize that I was yanked away from London just months after I had assimilated. It wasn't so much about spellings and such - I wrote my dissertation (yah!) in British English! - but the smaller, subtle everyday things. Missing London this morning, I felt I should enumerate: 1. Americans are louder. I don't care what anyone says. It's true. I ride public transpotation, where it appears to be a national disease. I never once heard Londoners shriek on the tube. People quietly study their mobile phones or yes, books, or speak in civil tones wi...