Member-only story
Cambridge, Tropical Storm Irene
My dad and I traveled to Cambridge, Massachusetts in 2011 because his sister died unexpectedly. I lived in Portland, Oregon, and he lived in NW Indiana, an hour from Chicago.
Massachusetts Part 5
Cambridge, Tropical Storm Irene
Hurricane Irene has diminished from a hurricane to a tropical storm. Here in Cambridge, since about 7:30 this morning, the wind has been making the trees boogie, and the rain has been mostly torrential. My dad and I are taking it easy inside the posh Sheraton Hotel because of the weather.
I didn’t even think to pack a raincoat, let alone my Wellingtons. I packed for Portland summer weather — hot, dry, and sunny. (I prefer the rainy season.) In Indiana, my dad bought me a jacket before we hit the road for Cambridge.
The hotel not only has continental breakfast, but we also get free afternoon snacks and beverages in the same room. This includes beverages — such as ginger ale, which we both like — in a little refrigerator. My dad, a retired newspaper reporter, found other patrons to talk with. We met someone with a Brooklyn accent.
The breakfast room has a large, flat tv usually turned to CNN… a news station that, I soon discovered, doesn’t impress me. This is what the U. S. considers mainstream news, and yet CNN promotes Islamophobia.