Last week, I attended Retina Society’s annual meeting in London as a new member. It’s been 12 years since I last visited the city with my wife and covered nearly every tourist attraction to maximize the value of our London Pass, so I had minimal expectations for this visit. I left Tuesday morning for my connection in Chicago, where the scheduled 5-hour layover turned to 9 hours due to equipment-related delays. My belated arrival almost made me miss my first talk, if not for an Uber ride and quick change of clothes in the hotel bathroom. After the first session, I settled into my studio apartment, but soon realized that I had forgotten my UK power adapter. As a result, I was tethered to the compatible power strips at the conference room for the rest of the meeting. On Thursday, we dined at iconic Guildhall, where the long tables reminded us of Hogwarts. The lengthy speeches and underwhelming meal of duck, quail, and guinea fowl, prompted us to leave early for drinks at a local pub near Sherlock Holmes’ home. Friday was a half-day, which gave me a chance to savor crispy fried haddock and chips at the Golden Hind, followed by a visit to the Postal Museum, complete with a subterranean tour of London’s Mail Rail. My cousin Paula managed to score bar seats for two at Yottan Ottolenghi’s ROVI for dinner, which included a mind-blowing grilled halibut for two with roti and curry sauce incorporating Middle-eastern flavors into a sort of fish tacos. On Saturday, I skipped out early to visit the Leonardo da Vinci exhibit at the Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace. The fine chalk and metalpoint sketches provided a glimpse into the genius’ mind, and compelled me to purchase a souvenir book of his drawings. Lunch at Michelin-starred Trishna was highlighted by their wild boar biryani, which I had to walk off on the way to Anya Hindmarch’s Post Box Maze installation as part of London Fashion Week. I accepted my new member certificate at the dinner gala in the hotel ballroom on Saturday, after which I joined my colleagues to dance the night away. I decided to skip the conference on my last day in favor of breakfast at the Wolseley, where I enjoyed scrumptious eggs benedict, kedgeree, and a hot chocolate gourmand of epic richness amidst grand art deco glamour. My return flight and ORD connection were uneventful, and I was able to dine with Melody before returning home. Despite the specter of Brexit and minimal planning for my London trip, I nevertheless savored some memorable moments and enjoyed my time abroad before returning to grant-writing mode.

My cousin Huong from Germany brought his family and marzipan to visit us on Labor Day weekend, so we took the opportunity to show off our son and our house. Westley did not seem to mind the four languages (English, Chinese, German, Vietnamese) exchanged at lunch, but he was less interactive with the other older kids at my research chair’s potluck the next day. We skipped naptime on Monday for a full day of outlet shopping in Vacaville, filling on diner food at Mel’s for lunch. Westley was more preoccupied with his yellow cardboard convertible than the grilled cheese inside it. Afterwards, we watched Ellie finish her tennis lesson before joining our in-laws to test out their new grill. Last week, we took advantage of childcare coverage to try out Gen Korean BBQ. The poor ventilation and uncomfortable fullness left me exhausted, and we recovered with a stroll through the mall to 85C Bakery for some goodies to bring home. My parents arrived this weekend just in time before my trip to London. We revisited the Farmer’s Market, 99 Ranch, and Asian Pearl to get them back up to speed as they prepare to help care for Westley for the next few weeks.