In the month of October in the late aughts, probably aught 9, my husband and I took a weekend trip to Boston. This trip served as an important one, in my mind, as it was one of the very few travels we had together prior to deciding to have children. Why we didn't travel more than we did...well, I think it came down to a combination of work schedules and money. Now when I look back at these few years of our lives I feel like urging that past self to do more travels like this before having kids. But life doesn't work this way- self talk only really leads to change in one direction, the future, and not the past.

But ANYWAYS, back to this Boston trip. I remember we got the earliest flight we could out of Chicago on a Friday morning because it was the CHEAPEST. We even had to wait outside of security at Midway for a few minutes because it hadn't even opened yet. Over the course of the three day weekend we went to Lexington and Concord, sat on the banks of Walden pond, and walked through Louisa May Alcott's house. We walked the Freedom Trail and the Minute Man Trails. In preparation for all the history we’d be near, I read David McCullough's book, ‘1776’, and I spent the weekend imagining George Washington and his troops perched on Dorchester Heights, overlooking the city (David McCullough gave a talk at my undergraduate institution years earlier. The room was packed and I remember being squished in the back, hardly able to see him. But being able to hear his voice live was everything, and that same voice was in my head the entire time I read ‘1776’). We toured the Longfellow house in Cambridge. I remember feeling so in awe of the original door handle with its skeleton key, thinking that the house had been used during the Revolutionary war. And then, later in the tour, feeling such anguish by being in the room where Longfellow’s wife ended up catching on fire, later dying from her wounds. So much, in that one building, and it stuck with me so much that I can recount it so clearly now. I also remember we had a weird man and woman on our tour. Don’t most tours like that have at least one weird person?

At one point we cozied up at a coffee shop in Beacon Hill, and observed next to us an outdoor used book sale. Leaves floated down from the trees and graced the books with their beauty. I was tempted to buy some books just for the fact that they had been blessed by those Beacon Hill trees, but my internal executive manager, who was very much in charge during that time in my life, told me that I didn't need to be carrying around heavy books for the rest of the day as we schlepped through the city. The person I am today, a good 16 years later, would have definitely accepted the weight of at least one book from that book sale. The lessons we learn with time.

I am now back in Boston for a conference. Some work friends and I were able to break away for a few hours yesterday afternoon to go on a walking tour, but otherwise this trip is more focused on sitting and listening to folks talking about very complex genetics topics. Saying that, there is only so much I can take each day, and I skipped the last session. I am now sitting on my hotel bed, a pleasure I don't often allow myself. And while this is bringing to mind such feelings of ease and enjoyment, the real reason I sat down to write this is to complain.

Boston- this trip has left me disappointed. All the things I love about you are still here. I observed the quiet hush of the North End on our tour. I allowed myself to feel grounded by all the old bricks; there is so much history here and it feels comforting. However- I am hungry. Unlike my previous trips to this city, I am here this time around as someone who does not eat meat or dairy. Yes, I am vegan. Plant-based. Annoying. Whatever you'd like to call me, here I am, and my goodness, you are not making it easy. My flight was delayed coming in, and Midway Airport also was not a source of nutritional sustenance for me (so the shade isn't all on you, Boston). I landed and ended up meeting up with friends at a brewery. The only food I could eat was a soft pretzel, which ended up being my dinner. The next morning, our first morning of the conference, I ventured out in search of food. There were so many bakery cases and none of them had anything without dairy. I would have accepted anything, but what I was really looking for, as I peered through windows, was a basket on the counter or the bakery case with bananas and apples. Not pre packaged dried apple slices, which is what I ended up buying yesterday. But the real deal. I wanted a banana. That is what I was looking for. And they were nowhere to be found. Luckily I packed some food for myself, and I am now on my fourth day of meals mainly consisting mostly of protein shakes that I threw in my suitcase before leaving, along with clementines, granola bars, and packages of mixed nuts from Costco.

By now it's turned into a bit of a sick game for myself- look at my resilience, Boston- as I eat a diet comparable with birdseed and still learn about DNA methylation and long-read sequencing. George Washington slowly scaled Dorchester Heights with his troops under cover of darkness, achieving dominance through elevation. And look at me, walking to and from your convention center on fumes but STILL MAKING IT (oh yeah-and my company booted me from the hotel where literally everyone else from my company is staying, saying my reservation was too expensive, so not only do I have no food, but I have to walk a mile to get to these sessions). Who is bitter? Me? Definitely not.

I am off now in search of tofu. Wish me luck.

Addendum- I have written a follow up post in the Food section, detailing where I DID end up finding some food success on this trip. But I am keeping this post, because at the original time of writing it I was feeling ALL THE GRUMPY FEELINGS. And I am allowing these moments to sit here in perpetuity. :)

Searching for Bananas in Boston

I Rocked Today