October has been another busy month of work travel. I was able to power through a new R01 submission, even while traveling to the Gene Therapy for Ophthalmic Disorders summit in Boston. The short trip gave me a chance to revisit old stomping grounds like Hong Kong Eatery in Chinatown, which had changed to a takeout format due to the pandemic. After my gene therapy workshop, I dined with my classmate Leo and his family at Pagu’s, where the walk from my guest house took me down memory lane (i.e. Mass Ave) through Back Bay, MIT, and Central Square. After stopping for ramen in Coolidge Corner next day, I took a familiar stroll past Trader Joe’s and Stop & Shop to check on our Brookline condo on the way to Logan Airport to scope out the fancy new Sapphire Lounge before my flight home. Between clinic, grand rounds, and MD-PhD and fellowship interviews, I had little time to enjoy my Yolo Bypass bat tour with Westley before heading next to NYC, where I spent more time with grant reviews than my parents, but at least shared some dim sum and lobster noodles at their favorite spots. I spent two lonely nights in Newark for an ad board, then returned to the city for the Retina Society meeting. After my talk on myopic monkeys, Ala and Raj joined me for a stroll past Times Square for Kochi’s Korean-themed tasting menu, which felt less satisfying than the South Indian fare at Semma next evening, where the gunpowder dosa (yum!), goat biryani, and venison shank were far more deserving of their Michelin star. The lavish event at the Temple of Dendur brought back memories of my childhood visits to the Met and reminded me how lucky I was growing up in the city. Back home, I avoided retinopathy from the solar eclipse, and accompanied Westley to our annual Grandpa’s Barn visit and Neighbors’ Night Out before returning to the East Coast for the PED2 Study Section. Despite being mostly stuck at the hotel, I managed short excursions with colleagues for Jinya’s tonkotsu ramen, Da Hong Pao’s dim sum, Tortino’s linguine, and Le Diplomate’s escargot and onion soup. The whirlwind month of travel had me seeking reprieve at home with my family to adventure in Hyrule.