Beantown Trip

Last Wednesday, we got "hit" with a Nor'ester that, luckily, didn't affect us as much as the news said it would. On Thursday, we drove up to Boston for the weekend. The drive was great, a easy 4 hours with a bit of congestion leaving into the city. We decided to come a day early to see our friends who has moved to Boston. For dinner we went to The Cactus Club where the drinks were great and the enchiladas tasted like Indian curries. No joke, my lobster and shrimp enchiladas has a sauce on them that tasted just like chicken tikka masala curry. I mean, chicken tikka masala is a favorite dish of mine so it wasn't too bad but it was definitely odd. The spicy salsa wasnt spicy and the jalapenos didn't help add some heat to the food. I don't think I would go back unless it was to drink. After dinner we ventured over to Top of the Hub located at the Prudential Center where they have floor to ceiling windows and you get a fun 360 degree view of the city. I enjoy going to very tall buildings in cities so I get a great view of the city lights. After I had my fill of vodka/tonics and the Boston lights, we went to meet up with some more friends at a bar. I'm not sure what gave us the bright idea of having a night cap when we got back to our hotel..but there we were sitting at the hotel bar closing it down as we waited for our pizza to arrive.

Friday, we were a bit on the lazy side as we packed up and got ready to change hotels and go meet Kunal's family and the relatives. It was great to see everyone so soon after seeing them in England. We ate, we drank, I napped a bit. Before we knew it, it was time to go to the Omni for drinks with the rest of the family. I had New England Clam Chowder which is always great. After drinks, since most of the aunties are vegetarians, we went to a Chinese place to get another dinner.

Saturday was the day of the wedding and let me tell you. It was so great to wake up somewhat late and get a good breakfast in before getting ready for the wedding. Now I wish my wedding was in the afternoon! We took a coach bus to the church which was great since driving in Boston is no fun. After the short ceremony, back on the bus we went. The reception was on the top floor. During the cocktail hour, we were able to venture outside and get really great views of the city. There was a live band at the reception which I loved. It kind of reminded me of college frat parties. Live bands are wonderful and it made the reception very fun. After the reception, we went to a bar nearby and continued the fun.

Saturday, there was a brunch at the Omni before everyone went their separate way. After brunch, we walked around and went shopping before Kunal and I made the drive back to NJ.

Here are some pictures:

Kunal and Nishan with their Jijajis

The girl cousins and me

First dance as a married couple

The AKs

Hurricanes

My family moved from NJ to NC in 1995. That following year, in 1996 we experienced our first hurricane. I had never heard of hurricanes and really had no idea what was happening. I just knew that we didn't have school and it was really windy. Hurricane Fran hit during the night while I was fast asleep and when I woke up, I got to experience what happens when a hurricane hits. We had no power which was very exciting since that meant we got to eat out! The mall flooded which was sad, all those clothes that no one got to wear. It was insane driving around town and seeing the damage. Trees had fallen over, power lines were on the ground, roads were flooded.

We were in the process of having our house built and we were anxious to see how it held up during this hurricane. As we drove into our new neighborhood, we saw a tree that crashed right now the middle of one house and I think all of our blood pressures spiked a bit as we pulled into our cul-de-sac. As we saw our house, the front looks fine and we were able to breath a little easier. As we walked around the property, we realized that there was no damage. The worst thing that happened was a twig like tree has fallen over and landed right next to the house. How luck were we? 

After Fran, I grew accustomed to hurricanes. There was Bonnie in 1998, Dennis and Floyd in 1999, Isabel in 2003. And who could forget Katrina in 2005. While that didn't affect NC the way it did the Gulf, it was definitely one of the worst storms I remember. Hurricane-schurricane, everyone paused but then life quickly resumed. 

I thought moving up to NJ would turn my attention from hurricanes to snowstorms. Hurricanes, I can handle; snow on the other hand, no way. It's pretty to look at but I'm definitely not a fan of having to function and keep to my daily routine amidst the snowfall. So how crazy is it that in the 2 years I've lived here, I've had two hurricanes come visit!! Um hello, I thought that was a thing of the past! Irene last year was insane. The rivers overflowed, the roads flooded, I couldn't get to work! Hearing the winds on the 18th floor was comparable to having a train right outside.

We just had Hurricane Sandy come through NJ last week. Luck for us, we didn't experience any hardship due to the storm. We never lost power, cable, or internet. The worst part had to be being stuck in the house all day. Kunal's client just got their power back today so he was in extreme stir-crazy mode since he was working from home for over a week. The panic that set in due to this storm reminded me of the panic that sets in during potential snowfall in NC. The grocery shelves were cleared, nothing was opened, and the tv channels focused on nothing but the upcoming storm. 

I know Kunal and I desperately miss NC but we rather the hurricanes stay down there than come up here.