Sweet November

The SEPTA strike ended last Monday, which allowed me to more easily get to the American Public Health Association's annual meeting, held at the Philadelphia Convention Center. In short, I spent 2.5 days in center city hotels listening to experts speak about everything from careers in global health to parent-adolescent communication. I also ate at Reading Terminal Market several time, enjoying everything from a latte with no line (take that, Starbucks!) to a pumpkin whoopie pie from the Amish bakers. I also ate at Rangoon, which is actually the first time I've had Burmese food. They had an interesting take on the papaya salad (which I've had from Thai and Laotian cooks), thousand layer bread (like roti canai from the two Malaysian joints I've tried here), and a mindblowingly scrumptious tea leaf salad. I had bubble tea at Ray's Cafe, which has the most insane coffee selection and siphon brewing process. My dining partner got the Jamaican Blue Mountain, which was an experience.

I spent last weekend in New York, traipsing around Brooklyn and lower Manhattan. Well, there was a piano bar on the Upper East Side, but the pianist seemed high as a kite, and I tried to exit before reaching the two-drink minimum. There was a lot of attempted shopping (I made a list of New York-specific stores as a Google Doc, then saved it in my phone), but I really only bought a few things from TopShop. There was a lot of food and drink, especially since bars are open until 4AM. I didn't see either art exhibit I meant to, but there's always next time.

Only a week from now, I will be traveling back home for Thanksgiving.