Two Days of Working and Socializing in Philadelphia

At Thomas Jefferson University Hospital for a teaching session

Peter being introduced by Barry Goldberg

Arriving at Penn for another teaching session

With Beverly Coleman, our friend & host at Penn

Carol, with daughter Nicky and Nicky's boyfriend Nathan

Carol, with father Martin, Aunt Hilda, Uncle John, & Aunt Frannie

At dinner with Nicky, Nathan, & our friends Glenn & Sylvia

Nicky & her Boss Jeremy Kahn

Our bikes are packed in boxes, ready to fly to the west coast,

so that we can start the second phase of our ride

(from Oregon back to Philadelphia)

We Made it to Philadelphia!

The ride into Philadelphia was complicated by strong headwinds, an even worse weather pattern for cycling than rain. But it was a short day, only 32 miles long, so we arrived at our hotel by noon. This marks the end of phase 1 of our trip -- the 350 miles from Boston to Philadelphia. On Friday, we'll head to the west coast to begin phase 2 of our trip -- 3450 miles from the coast of Oregon to Philadelphia. Our windy day today reinforced to us the wisdom of doing the trip in two phases: a short east coast phase, getting in several resident board review sessions early in the trip, prior to the Radiology board exams, followed by a long phase that takes advantage of the prevailing west-to-east winds.

We will be spending 2 days in Philadelphia before flying to the west coast. We will have a rest from biking, but the time will be very busy for us. We have teaching sessions at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital on Thursday and Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania on Friday, and Carol will be attending a couple of prearranged meetings. We are having our bicycles disassembled and packed for the plane ride. Most importantly, we're visiting with Carol's daughter Nicky and her boyfriend Nathan, Carol's father Martin, and friends.

Climbing up to the bike passage of the Ben Franklin Bridge, from Camden, NJ to Philadelphia

Biking on the Ben Franklin Bridge

Leaving our bikes in the shop, for disassembly and packing

The Many Faces of New Jersey

Yesterday's ride in New Jersey, beginning in Fort Lee (just over the George Washington Bridge) and heading southwest, took us through congested suburbs of New York City. Today's ride began in a similar type of location, but as we headed further south the landscape changed markedly, first to small non-suburban towns and then into rural areas. We rode for 10 miles on a beautiful road alongside the Delaware and Raritan Canal, with the canal on our right and woods and fields on our left. The last half of our 60 mile ride today was mainly through farmland. New Jersey may be the butt of jokes told by New York comedians, but it certainly has its beautiful parts.

Our first stop for a roadside repair (just tightening a stretched gear cable)

Lunch stop for a gyro, in honor of Sarah Doubilet -- Peter's daughter,

who's doing a semester abroad in Athens

A Busy, Wet, and Chilly Day

Today began with 7:30-10 am teaching/lecture sessions -- Carol with the Cornell Radiology residents and Peter with the Columbia residents. We then set off by bike, in the rain, at about 11:30 am, cycling up Riverside Drive in Manhattan and then crossing the George Washington Bridge to New Jersey. Partway through our ride in New Jersey, we joined up with Abbott Brown, a lawyer friend, who rode with us in the pouring rain for the last hour of our ride. After drying off and warming up, we were joined by Abbott's wife Sandy for a thoroughly enjoyable dinner.

Carol arriving at Cornell to teach the Radiology residents

Peter at Columbia to teach the Columbia residents

The George Washington Bridge and entrance to its bike path

Arriving with Abbott Brown at our hotel (all soaked)

Biking into New York City!

Today's ride, from Norwalk, Connecticut, through Westchester County and the Bronx and then to midtown Manhattan, was definitely not for the faint of heart. We had to keep a close watch for cars cutting us off and pedestrians walking in front of us. We had been advised not to try to cycle into the city, but instead to bike to the north Bronx and then come in by subway. We're purists, however, and felt that we should cover every inch of our cross-country trip by pedaling.
      We started at a Dunkin Donuts in Norwalk at 7 am, and made it to our hotel on West 76th Street by 2:30 pm, in time to go to Zabar's for a mid-afternoon snack. In the evening, we had dinner with Peter's sister, Sue, and her husband Gernot at an outstanding Vietnamese restaurant on Amsterdam Avenue.

 Our server at Dunkin Donuts in Norwalk, CT

Entering New York State

Crossing the bridge from the Bronx to Manhattan

A NYC landmark, where we had our mid-afternoon snack

Walking a dog Manhattan-style (there's really a live dog in there)

Peter, Carol, Sue, & Gernot

New Haven to Norwalk, CT

Today's route, from New Haven, past Bridgewater, to Norwalk, while not as picturesque as those of our first three days, did offer some positive features: we rode by the famed Yale Bowl, passed by some magnificent, well-manicured mansions, and saw plenty of trees and flowers in glorious spring bloom. Fortunately, cycling is so enjoyable, in and of itself, to us that any day on our bikes is a wonderful day (unless it's cold and rainy), even without the enhancement of spectacular scenery. And we really enjoy teaching, so our 2-4 pm teaching session with the Norwalk Hospital Radiology senior residents was another nice aspect of the day.

Our lodging in Norwalk, CT

With Susie McCusker, Radiology residency coordinator at Norwalk Hospital

Heading to Yale for another teaching session

Today was a beautiful, though hilly, cycling day. We left Mohegan Sun at 7:30 am, cycled through quaint Connecticut towns, crossed the Connecticut River on the Chester-Hadlyme ferry (which has been operating continuously since 1769), and arrived at our hotel in New Haven at 2:30 pm. This gave us plenty of time to get cleaned up, change, grab a bite to eat, and walk to Yale-New Haven Medical center for our 4-6 pm Radiology resident teaching session.

Crossing the Connecticut River

Arriving at Yale-New Haven Medical Center

With Leslie Scoutt, getting ready to do our teaching session

Another Day, Another State

Today was very different from yesterday. Not just a new state -- Connecticut -- but also more hilly and windy (mostly into our faces) and ending in a very different location: the garish, over-the-top Mohegan Sun Casino.

Entering Connecticut

The casino

We didn't quite fit in with the gambling crowd

The Adventure Begins

It was a perfect day for biking -- sunny & temperature in the 60's -- as we left our condo at 7 am. Our first stop was at the Brigham, where we had a goodbye breakfast in Ultrasound from 7:30-8 am. We made good time on the ride, arriving at the Courtyard Marriott in Providence, RI at 1:15 pm, giving us plenty of time to clean up, change, and eat lunch before doing our Radiology resident board review teaching session from 3:30-5:30 pm.

Leaving our condo

Leaving the Brigham

Entering Rhode Island

Arriving at our hotel in Providence, RI

Doing Board reviews at Brown University