We headed to the USA for our niece’s graduation in New York City (NYC) and to enjoy the east coast. Our travels included visiting Ohio (Chicago and Columbus) and selling our Chesapeake Bay boat (a lovely Catalina 30) in Baltimore, Maryland. It was eventful!

The college graduation of our niece, Cliona, from Pace University in NYC was a fun time with 17 of us to celebrate and cheer! Our festivities (shout out for the excellent coordination and planning) included the ceremony itself, a fun photo shoot at Bryant Park by the NYC Public Library with the famous lions, rowing on the Central Park lake from the Boat House, and Moulin Rouge on Broadway! There were many delicious dinners, fun connections, and even a few quiet moments. Bob and I went running in Central Park by the Bethesda Fountain from the lovely apartment where we stayed. We enjoyed some of Cliona’s favorite restaurants including Gracie Mews Diner, Seamore’s (closed now…), Din Tai Fung 鼎泰豐 (the famous soup dumplings are amazing), and The Ragtrader & Bo Peep (the private room is so lovely)! The restaurants were a delight to re-visit as we had tried many of them while visiting Cliona during her time at Pace University. Congratulations, Cliona, we’re SO proud!!!

From NYC, we flew to Chicago to visit Bob’s cousin, Austin, in Glen Ellyn and to meet Blaise (the sweetest floof)! We toured the city visiting the Museum of Illusions, Cloud Gate (the Bean), and the Museum of Science and Industry. But let’s be honest, Blaise was the highlight! We also had a lovely dinner with some of the graduation family based in Chicago which we enjoyed so much, we forgot to take a photo!

From Chicago, we headed to Columbus, Ohio for a few days. The college town is delightfully filled with lovely green spaces, nice places to run, and yummy restaurants. We took a daytrip to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force (so fun for two engineers). We very much enjoyed seeing the planes, the progress of flight, and the technology from flight into space. And while we thoroughly enjoyed the amazing engineering and ingenuity, the human cost of conflict is always incredibly sobering. The displays in the museum are particularly spectacular because they are in hangars and showcase a broad array of retired (and carefully restored) aircraft. Also, the volunteers are so friendly and knowledgeable… I discovered that for each aircraft they first have to drain the fluids and then dry it out before restoring it in painstaking detail?!? Below is a dropdown with specifics on each plane and a gallery of photos.

Click here for the dropdown of details on each plane…

1. Caproni Ca.36 (1918) ― Italian WWI-era bomber (one of the oldest multi-engine bombers)
2. Boeing P-26A “Peashooter” (1932) ― First all-metal U.S. Army Air Corps fighter and last open-cockpit fighter
3. Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress (1935-1942) ― Iconic WWII heavy bomber
4. Boeing B-29 Superfortress (1942) ― Advanced WWII bomber that later dropped atomic bombs
5. McDonnell XF-85 Goblin (1948) ― Experimental fighter designed to launch from a bomber
6. North American F-100 Super Sabre (1953) ― First USAF fighter capable of sustained supersonic speed
7. McDonnell Douglas F-4C Phantom II (1958) ― Cold War multirole fighter widely used in Vietnam
8. Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II (1972) ― Close air support aircraft known as “Warthog”
9. Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk (1981) ― First operational stealth aircraft
10. Northrop YF-23A “Black Widow II” (1990) ― Advanced stealth fighter prototype from the ATF competition

From Ohio, we headed to Baltimore to stay in Fells Point for a fun visit and to sell our boat, Just Chillin’. We ate at some of our favorite places including breakfast bagels at THB Bagelry & Deli with a gorgeous harbor view (and rainbow!) and delicious ice cream (cookie monster is amazing) at Bmore Licks. We said goodbye to our boat Just Chillin’ (a little sad and nostalgic for us) and hello to the stately Clipper Stad Amsterdam while it was docked by the beautiful Sagamore Pendry Hotel. We took a day trip to see the gorgeous Ladew Topiary Gardens which was Harvey S. Ladew’s testament to gardening and fox hunting. Harvey traveled extensively, was a popular house guest in England, and always traveled with a tuxedo (just in case). The amazing topiaries and garden rooms fully embrace the idea of indoor/outdoor living. The interior collections are just as fun with extensive outdoor, hunting, horse, and dog themes throughout.

Thanks for joining us! Here’s a fun little treat for making it to the end… super cute floof videos. Enjoy! 🙂