Well, I just returned from what seems to now be my annual trip to the United States. From all of the stories I have heard about the economy back home, I was expecting a ghost town or at the very least some clear signs of a blood bath, but I couldn't have been more wrong. Maybe it was because my expectations were what they were but I found things to be not as apocalyptic as I was told. Sure, there were plenty of For Sale signs on houses and quite a few stores that I used to visit are now closed. However, there were still lots of people out shopping, going out to dinner, and just overall contributing to the economy in some fashion. Of course, I was only there for a few weeks, and I have no doubt that those living in the US have a much better grasp of what's happening there than I do. My only point is that it wasn't nearly as bad as I had expected. It's just one man's opinion, but I sure hope that I'm right....
Besides being able to spend time with my family and friends, one thing I love about going back to the US is being able to actual shop for the first time in a year. I will literally go an entire year (or very close to it) not buying a single material thing here in Brazil. It is just something that I have never been able to justify. The sunglasses I would wear cost $1,000USD, the Nike shoes I would need cost $250USD, and so on and so on. The Brazilians pay it because they aren't aware how much they are getting ripped off and also because they don't really have another option (like being able to go to the US to shop). The Americans down here just know how absurd it is and nobody buys a thing. The Brazil economy has rebounded fairly rapidly, and I can assure you that the Americans are not responsible. Anyway, it was great to be able to pick up a few necessities and, of course, I couldn't help but bring back more Cholula sauce, waffle mix, and other food that I miss so much. I'm no Bill Gates for sure but I think it's fair to say that I did my share to stimulate the US economy!
Far more important than shopping was the opportunity to see all of my friends and family for the first time in a long time. As I've said here a few times before, Brazil has been an incredible place in terms of meeting new friends who quickly become your new family, but there is just no replacing the history of the friends and family from home. Plus, it's just fun as hell to laugh like a kid again and that only happens when you are with the people who you know so well that all it takes is one word and you're laughing about something that probably happened 20 years ago. I also got to spend lots of time with my niece. She is 2 1/2 years old and is absolutely adorable. Kids grow up so fast so when you only see them once a year it's like seeing an entirely different person, and I'm just glad I get to catch a few moments along the way because no one made me laugh more than her. God bless my sister for having the 24 hour energy to watch over her. As if I needed a reminder but this was a pretty clear sign that I still have quite a bit of time before I'm ready for kids. I had a dog for four days and a cat for six and each one almost killed me. A child? God help me....
As for some quick highlights of the trip, they go as follows in no particular order:
LA - my first Chinese food meal in a year at Chin Chin, laughing hysterically at the first bar on the first night where last call occurred at 11:30PM (that's dinner time in Brazil!), massive flip cup tournament on the 4th of July in the Malibu Colony, Jonathan Club in Santa Monica where I'm either now an instant lifetime member or no longer welcome (that has still yet to be decided)
SF - having dinner with my old Merrill Lynch colleagues at Betelnut (still one of my favorite restaurants in the world), Friday night at Ana Mandara with great friends, walking down Chestnut Street and reliving some amazing memories, playing tennis and just hanging out with my cousin, a long great talk over drinks with JK
AZ - hanging with my Mom by the pool (it's been a LONG time), seeing my best friend's new baby (and watching the "what in the hell am I doing" look on his face), Saturday night out at Jackrabbit with the old crew, dinner with Dad (who drove hundreds of miles for a few hours with me), Tuesday night at Z Tejas with a few famous chambord margaritas, lunch at Uncle Sam's with Mom, sis, and niece (I can't tell you how much I miss a good philly cheese steak),
NY - the drive into the Hamptons (the scenery is shockingly beautiful), a Coors Light and a long walk on the beach with my bro, the rehearsal dinner at The Surf Lodge in Montauk (and watching a GILF try to attack my friend like a famished lion at the bar), Preston's beautiful wedding at the Most Holy Trinity Church (not to be confused with the Holy Trinity Church - this one is by far the most holy), having my sis clean up her dress after her daughter decided it was appropriate to pee all over her during the ceremony, Sunday at the Georgica beach with family and friends (including an old roommate who took the train out from Manhattan just to spend the day with us)
After three weeks of traveling across the US, I must say that it is good to be home. Living out of a suitcase takes its toll, and eventually all you want to do is sleep in your own bed. Following three glorious weeks of sun, I must admit that it was a little depressing to return to cold and rainy weather. I was bummed out for a few days but the weekend re-energized me. I went to Green Valley, which is a club basically in the middle of the jungle an hour and a half away, on Saturday night. I can't believe what I've been missing out on. The place is seriously unreal, and for all of my future visitors, I will be sure to take you there. It's a place you don't want to miss. In the end, though, it was just great to see everyone from Floripa again. We cranked it up a notch as usual and left at about 8AM. "Last call" in the US was suddenly a long forgotten dream....
