A blast from the past: Boston, Amherst, and the "Monkey Bar"

After leaving New York, we first spent a few days in Boston. Great to be here again after all this time and spend some time with good old friends!

Some sightseeing: the battleship U.S.S. Constitution from 1797, which defeated five British war ships during the war of 1812.

But the real highlight was to return to Amherst, where Max spent an unforgettable 18 months at the University of Massachusetts (UMass) in 2001 and 2002.

Sylvia in front of the campus landmarks, the library and old chapel.




The UMass campus looked pretty much the same actually, with some new buildings added or currently under construction.

Although one big improvement: they're serving alcohol on campus now at the "U Pub". 

The Prince/Crampton dorm at "Sunset Avenue", where most of the German exchange students used to live.

They must be somewhere else now, since this building has been converted into an undergraduate dorm.

Speaking of alcohol: no visit to Amherst could possibly be complete without a slice of pizza at Antonio's...

... and a trip to the hottest place in town - the MONKEY BAR!

Funny thing is that this is actually a pretty decent restaurant, but turns into a madhouse after 10pm when they remove the tables...

... long lines begin to form at the entrance, and the party gets started! 

Oh, all these memories... 

glad to see things haven't really changed here... :-)

Although, we did notice one more major change on our way out:

Amherst now has an ALDI!

(ALDI Süd, to be precise...)

Guess the crowds of German exchange students finally got what they asked for. 

So much from the East Coast - next stops: Syracuse, NY and Pittsburgh... stay tuned!