So we’re in a motel in Vermont, because our first choice of B&B didn’t have a room for us. Never mind, we get to live another American cliché, like the double cheeseburger and fries I had for lunch. Last night we did indeed stay in a B&B which pleasantly surprised us, in Cambridge, MA, (yes, we went to Harvard – more incidental than anything because I was after a burger, which I didn’t get, but anyway). AirBnb, or rather, a certain Maddy in Boston, failed us so we found ourselves looking for accommodation at 9pm when we ought to have had a room at midday.
We’ve done our visit to V’s sister, who is living the American dream (or nightmare depending on your perspective) – living in Connecticut with her doctor husband and two kids in a 4-bedroom double garage house in a street that she dubs, quite appropriately, Wisteria Lane. If you try and imagine the most clichéd upper middle class suburban street with perfectly mowed lawns and American style letter boxes at the end of the driveways, and then just polish up the picture in your mind’s eye, and make it even more perfect – you really could not imagine it better than this place was, it really COULD have been used as a location for Desperate Housewives. And they do get stressed out about the grass – really. The guy works in the ER and apparently would often mow the lawn either side of a gruelling 12 hour shift so that their neighbours wouldn’t look askance at their lawn.
It was so clichéd that the area of Connecticut they live in is even referenced in the book V is reading, Man & Wife, by Tony Parsons. Anyway, guess what we did while we were there? We painted their deck, the last in a rather long list of DIY projects they’d undertaken to better their home (painting various rooms, fixing light fixtures, doing up their basement). We also went to ‘tag’ sales (i.e. garage sales), and went to the mall. And we went to a 4 year old’s birthday party, complete with other suburban moms and their husbands (a large majority of whom live on the same street). I loved every minute of it – really! The weather was amazing – great weather for doing something outside like painting the deck, her kids really really are gorgeous (although the 2 year old was a little spoilt – the baby couldn’t be more an angel), and even Taco Bell (her husband’s favourite) was so bad it was good. Well maybe not good but it was an experience.
But I do have to say I’m missing ‘normal’ food. My body is really starting to feel the effects of having an American diet (and American portions), and little exercise (the days were full-on at V’s sister’s so we managed a run only on the first morning). Even one of the meals we made was ruined by the tinned tomatoes we used – loaded with salt and various other additives, and by the no-fat ricotta cheese they had in their fridge (I didn’t think such a thing existed – I thought ricotta was low fat anyway!) Anyway it’s all soon coming to an end – I’ll be back in London in two days.
