Travel – Yoojin Cho

Love That Dirty Water

How can you resist this view? Even though I now live in western Massachusetts, I frequent Boston. You know, just pretending like I still live there. There’s something about that city that makes you fall in love with every good and bad thing.

For example, the T. Now it costs $2 for a ride? Ouch. Six years ago all outbound rides were free. However when I got on that squeaky trolley, I did breathe a sigh of relief and said “Ahhh public transportation.”

Funny to think five years ago I moved to Boston thinking it’ll be my temporary home while I’m in college. Now I can’t even imagine leaving New England!

I Can Dream Big, Right?

Busy, busy, busy week. Busy. Swamped. Too much to do. Too little time.

Alright, I’m done complaining. Just like college, days leading up to Thanksgiving bring you lots of stress and forces you into a panic mode, so I’m going to keep this post short and sweet. And frankly, quite appropriate for my mood.

Five places I would love to travel to RIGHT. NOW.

1. London, UK

I know, I know… I lived there for five months last year, and I had the most amazing time of my life. I, however, have fallen in love with that city and would do anything to go back, explore Brick Lane and go to my favorite Chinese restaurant, Hing Loon. Not to mention, an afternoon tea at the Muffin Man, a stroll around Hyde Park, a shopping trip to Harrods, a hearty meal of fish & chips and a pint at a pub, a lovely Thai dinner at Churchill Arms… My list goes on.

2. Hong Kong or Shanghai or both

Fact: I was born in Seoul, South Korea. Fact: I haven’t been back since I was 10. Fact: I’ve never been to China. Especially when the Chinese economy seems to be a rising powerhouse, I feel the need to go see what the hype is all about. One day… I’ll make it over there.

3. Lisbon, Portugal

I still regret not devoting a weekend to visit Portugal during my study abroad semester. I made it to Sicily, but not Lisbon. What was I thinking?

4. Cairo, Egypt

Arab Spring occurred and spread from Cairo. Sure, Tahrir Square seems to be the site of yet another uprising, but like China, I feel this country is a must-see. Things are changing, and it’s starting here with young people. I want to witness what it’s all about.

5. Seattle, Washington

The only U.S. city on this list… an ugly ducking? I like to consider myself fairly well-traveled, but unfortunately, I’ve never been to the Pacific Northwest. Northern most point on the other coast I logged in my travel book? San Francisco. Sooner or later, I just have to see first-hand why my friends from Seattle are so obsessed with their city.

Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear: How Did We do?

“If we amplify everything, we hear nothing.”

“Because we know instinctively as a people that if we are to get through the darkness and back into the light, we have to work together. And the truth is, there will always be darkness. And sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel isn’t the promised land. Sometimes it’s just New Jersey. But we do it anyway, together.”

“Sanity will always be and has always been in the eye of the beholder. To see you here today and the kind of people that you are has restored mine.”

Approximately 24 hours of round-trip bus ride, about 10 hours of sleep and thousands of people basically sum up my weekend in Washington D.C.

It was a last-minute decision to spend the Halloween weekend in D.C. for Stewart and Colbert rally. What initially prompted my decision was simply getting away from Boston for a weekend. When else will I be able to take off a random Friday to go to D.C.? Also, Comedy Central’s dynamic duo hosting a rally… for SANITY & FEAR. How can you resist?

All in all, I am extremely happy I attended the rally. News sources say “well over 200,000 people” gathered at the National Mall. From my observation, more were interested in restoring sanity than in keeping fear alive. Regardless, people of all ages – literally, ALL ages – brought good ol’ posters to show their support.

(Yes, these guys are in banana suits)

(The BEST sign ever)

I think what Stewart said during his closing remarks puts everything in perspective: If we amplify everything, we hear nothing. Especially nowadays when information bombards us constantly via social media, TV and web, we eventually ignore more than half of what we see. Then we tend to either forget about the little bit that we managed to process or twist it to what we wanted to hear.

When two comedians said come to D.C. for this rally, thousands of people listened. When politicans, economists and diplomats speak, well, not much gets done. Interesting, huh?

D.C. as a city, however, did not prepare enough for the crowd. The metro, although definitely superior to Boston’s T, experienced frequent delays and jam-packed trains. Cell service was practically non-existent from about 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pedestraisn ruled the streets while cars waited in a traffic jam. In this aspect, maybe sanity wasn’t quite restored…

La Liaison – the French/Portuguese Man's Latte

We don’t know for sure where he came from. We actually don’t even know his name. But we know for sure he makes darn good latte and croissant.

While we are on the subject of small, quaint, friendly cafes – see the previous post, The Muffin Man – it’s definitely worth taking a few minutes to reflect on my delicious morning routine almost every day before class in London.

La Liaison, located right next to the Gloucester tube, is really a hole-in-the-wall patisserie with coffee, hot breakfast, to-go sandwiches and a variety of pastry.

Unfortunately, I never snapped a picture of the place, so that’s the best I could do with some help of everyone’s trustworthy friend, Google Images. Regardless I suppose the picture does portray the vibe of La Liaison quite well.

It’s small. There are maybe two tables inside the cafe. But people are always stopping by, reading newspapers outside or chatting up their friends in front of the shop.

I first stopped by for an emergency dose of caffeine when I realized I could no longer stay awake in one of my classes. Ever since, picking up a small latte and a croissant became a ritual. More importantly, however, I only paid about 3 pounds for both the coffee AND the pastry. Considering the exchange rates and the high cost of living in the UK, what a feat!

I thought the coffee from La Liaison was always high quality. Though served in rather small portions, with foamy milk, what a perfect way to wake up and start the day.

Along with the coffee, I would always get the chocolate (or sometimes plain) croissant, too. The mysterious French/Portuguese man told me he made them fresh every morning, and yes, I totally believe him.

On top of that, the English Breakfast. If I remember correctly, it was only 3 or 4 pounds. For those not familiar with English Breakfast, the dish consists of eggs – sunny side up, sausages, bread, ham and beans in tomato sauce.

Wait, beans in tomato sauce?

Right. We never really encounter those in America. Next time you’re at a grocery store, stop by the tiny little British section most likely in the far back corner of the store and pick up a can. It’s absolutely delicious.

In fact, I concluded my journey in London with English Breakfast and a latte from La Liaison. I couldn’t think of any other way to leave the city I fell in love with so quickly.

Besides all those delicious goodies, the best part was probably the friendly French/Portuguese man who always greeted me with “Oh, hello beautiful!” with a slight French accent. Let it be a cheesy cliche, but I loved it!

Also, note that is how I came to call him the mysterious French man.

The “Portuguese” part followed soon after though, when I saw him cheering for a Portuguese football (soccer) team.

Confused? Me too.