3 August: state #1
Today I landed in the US. I was greeted by an immigration official who didn’t smile and stopped by a customs officer who claimed I had “suspicious eyes”. Undeterred, I soldiered on.
The drive from the airport was not a pretty one. Indeed, the factories on either side transported me to the heady days of my organic chemistry youth. We approached the city from the west (my subconscious providing a wonderful soundtrack) and I soon arrived at my home for the next year – Philadelphia.
After a quick shower (and a drama involving a misplaced suitcase and laptop, payphones, an operator who couldn’t understand my accent,the US Army and the lovely folk at the Sheraton) I left to meet an acquaintance at a famous local haunt, The White Dog. After the day’s 32 degree heat, the evening was balmy. I enjoyed a stroll through the campus, passing its hibernating buildings and the statue of its founder, Benjamin Franklin.
Fifty States 