Planning a Road Trip!

Posted on July 28, 2012 by Åsa Giertz under My Travels

I just booked flight ticket for my next trip: a road trip with Jonas! It will just be a short road trip with stops in Arizona, Nevada, and California, but I will finally get to go to one of my dream destinations, Grand Canyon!! After fusion cuisine bunches at European styled cafes and rose wine at trendy hipster bars up in New York, it is now time for roadside diners and hiking in America’s national parks. Am very excited!!!

One of our first road trips went from Stockholm to Berlin in 2002.

Another went through Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, and Latvia in 2008. Photos of Jonas at a cafe in Vilnius and me in Minsk.

New York Afterthoughts

Posted on July 27, 2012 by Åsa Giertz under My life, My Travels

I am back in Washington DC since a few days, and it is difficult to believe that I just spent a whole month up in New York. Time passed so quickly. Too quickly! I really loved my routine up there, with studies at the Mid-Manhattan Library on 42nd and 5th, lunches in Bryant Park, ballet classes for Finis Jhung at the Ailey Extension, weekend brunches at Dizzy’s, and drinks at local outdoor bars. It was also so nice to have Tesse here in the U.S. for such long time and that so many of my friends (some which I hadn’t seen in years) passed through New York while I was there.

I wrote a little less on my book than I though I would, went to fewer museums than I had planned, shopped less than I ever thought possible in New York, and spent a lot less time with my favorite Brooklynite than I had hoped. On the other hand, I took the time to just take in everything around me in this amazing city, to spend quality time with my close friends, and to get energized and inspired to do new things. Slowly but surely, I started writing more on my book, sketching on new ideas, and making new plans for this fall. While not immediately deviating from my usual New York favorites, little by little, I started exploring new areas and finding new places on Manhattan and in Brooklyn.

When I finally got on the bus back to Washington, the fact that my home was in DC and not in New York almost didn’t feel real. After a few weeks out traveling, I normally long to get back to my apartment here, but even the prospect of being in my own place seemed a little empty after having shared a flat for a month with Tesse. However, now that I am back, I actually kind of like being here. Washington is really calm and clean compared to New York, and since I have lots of school and work to focus on right now, a more limited social and cultural scene is not necessarily a bad thing. And with lots of money left on my New York subway card and with one of my dresses still hanging in Jenny’s closet, it will probably not be too long before I go up there again. But before that, there are a couple (or possibly four) other trips on my agenda. More on that later…

Bye, Bye Brooklyn!

Posted on July 26, 2012 by Åsa Giertz under My Travels

My pretend life as a New Yorker this past month was based in Brooklyn. Tesse and I rented a gorgeous apartment in a beautiful brownstone townhouse in Park Slope. After having spent a lot of time in Williamsburg and now also gotten to know the Park Slope area well, I have to say that I definitely prefer Brooklyn over many parts of Manhattan. Here are some of my favorites:

Our street

Grand Army Plaza

The Farmers’ Market at Grand Army Plaza

Prospect Park

Saturday brunch

Lavender Lake

At the Whyte Hotel

Food Insecurity in the World

Posted on July 26, 2012 by Åsa Giertz under On Agriculture and Food

An exposition at the UN on the Millennium Development Goals reminded me of why I work with food and agriculture. Despite the proximity to food production, poverty and food insecurity is often higher in rural areas than in urban, and agricultural development is central for increasing incomes for rural inhabitants. With a higher share of populations living in cities, sustainable food production and inclusive food markets will be critical over the next decades. Also, the fact that we with our global abundance let one person in seven go hungry on this planet is something that I think coming generations will find very difficult to understand.

My Last Days in New York

Posted on July 25, 2012 by Åsa Giertz under My Travels

My last days in New York went way too fast. Tesse left a few days before me and I spent time with Camilla, Jenny, J&J from Rome, and Princess S, who also was in town. We visited Coney Island and Brighton Beach, and had lunch at one of the Russian Restaurants, went for a tour at the UN (no, it was not my first time there), did some more shopping, and went to a fantastic jazz concert at Village Vanguard.

Last brunch with Tesse at Juventino on 5th Avenue in Park Slope.

Hot dogs with Camilla at Nathan’s, home of the famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest, on Coney Island. (Current male record is 68 hot dogs – must be a proud record holder indeed!)

The UN

Village Vanguard

Rainy Shopping Day with the Usual Outcome

Posted on July 20, 2012 by Åsa Giertz under My life, On Books, Movies, Education, and Conferences

Even before Sex and the City, New York was inevitably connected with fashion and shopping. Hence, since we hadn’t done much shopping so far, we decided to head over to SoHo to check out the stores there today. Once there, it was already past noon and we were all very hungry so we went directly to Cafe Gitane for lunch. When we were finally ready to hit the shops, the rain started poring. All my inspiration vanished, and even after 2.5 hours of walking around in stores, I came home with the usual: a pile of books and cupcakes. I think I must be the most hopeless shopper – I should probably just give it up entirely!

A Friend of the High Line

Posted on July 20, 2012 by Åsa Giertz under My Travels

Yesterday, I made my obligatory visit to the High Line. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the High Line, it is an old railroad track above ground that for many decades brought goods into the city and to the warehouses on the west side of Manhattan. After years of being out of use, it was on the brink of falling apart when someone came up with the brilliant idea of turning the rail into a park. It is one of my favorite places in the city and I try to spend some time there every time I’m here. There are a lot of grass plants up there, which in certain seasons makes it smell like you’re in the middle of a field. Being a bit above ground also gives a new perspective of New York. One thing had changed though since the last time I was there: The High Line used to be liberatingly free from commerce and in particular food vendors, which otherwise seem to be an indispensable part of any public space here. Until now, there used to be just one small cart selling gelato and brewed coffee. Being the U.S., I knew of course that it was only a matter of time before this changed, and this time, there was a whole area with food service carts and even a bar. Snacking is apparently a must for any complete experience, including enjoying plants and an urban view. Anyway, the High Line was wonderful as always!

Camilla and I on the High Line. I like it so much that I even joined its support organization, Friends of the High Lane, a while back. Don’t forget to go there if you’re in New York!

At the Library

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Åsa Giertz under My life, On Books, Movies, Education, and Conferences

I am at the library today again after taking the day off yesterday. I was kind of tempted to take the day off today too, but when looking at my schedule for the next couple of months, I realize that it will be a quite hectic period as it is without me falling behind on my dissertation writing. Besides, the Mid-Manhattan Library where I sit is a place worth visiting in itself, if only for people watching. With AC, free wifi, armchairs and rest rooms, it attracts all sorts of people. (I have to admit that I started bringing earplugs since one man, who prefers the same floor as me, seems to bring his imaginary friend to the library with whom he engages in long conversations…) Right now I’m in the process of doing the literature review on nutrition transition, so the work is very interesting.

When in Boston a few weeks ago, I bought a couple of books on how to write dissertations, in order to be better prepared. Both are really useful, but one is called Writing the Winning Thesis or Dissertation (Glatthorn and Joyner, 2005), which to me is typical American: It isn’t enough to just write a dissertation and what you learn in the process, it has to be award winning! Anyway, the book is very good.

Beach Day

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Åsa Giertz under My life, My Travels

T and I made quite an excursion today in search of a beach that was in the same league as the West Coast beaches in Sweden. After some searching, T selected Fire Island as our destination and it was beautiful! Fire Island is a nature reserve and a hot spot for gay men, which meant amazing and quiet beaches with a minimum of attention from people around us. We had a lovely day, though my inability to put on sunscreen evenly now means scattered red, aching spots on otherwise stubbornly pale skin. There in the sun, T pointed out a beach, a good book, and cookies is really all one needs. Probably true! (And good sunscreen in my case of course…)

A Perfect Ending of A Perfect Day

Posted on July 17, 2012 by Åsa Giertz under My life

I watched the movie Roman Holiday in Bryant Park this evening after my ballet class. It’s one if my favorite movies, and while sitting there, I was wondering if life could really be any better? Watching a movie with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck outdoor in a park in New York, after a day of food policy studies and a ballet class seems like a day of everything I could ever ask for!

We’re off to an amazing beach tomorrow so tomorrow might be even better!