I wasn't sure if I was going to write an entry for this one, but it feels good to be traveling again. After taking a little over a month off to take care of some things at home (apartment shopping with Tay to be one of them), I've been packing my bags and hopping on and off airplanes again, and it feels great!
I went to Oklahoma to visit Grandpa for a few days. We battled the 100 degree heat and visited the Oklahoma bombing museum and memorial downtown, went to a horse show where the best part was walking through the stables behind the scenes, ate lots of great food, and just spent quality time together.
Afterward, I flew directly to Michigan to visit Dad's side of the family. I stayed with Grandma at her house and we had a marathon of a day going out to dinner with Alex and Andrew, visiting Aunt Lisa and her kids, and sharing wine and travel photos and stories with Uncle Tim and Aunt Kim (who also made the most delicious chocolate cake I have ever eaten)! Many many thanks to Aunt Cindy for doing my airport runs too- I can't wait to see you at the lake over the 4th of July!
I spent a day back in Atlanta to repack and then flew out to Maryland to visit with fellow GT swimmer Christine and her family. I love Christine's family and their home! They are so warm and welcoming :) Christine and I wandered around D.C. for an afternoon and then went out to dinner with a mutual friend of ours from Tech, Jonathan Saethang, who lives in New York but is working in D.C. during the week. It was so good to see Saethang! It had been far too long! He had some great suggestions and tips for us in planning our trip to New York too!
The next morning, Christine and I took a five-hour bus ride from D.C. to the Big Apple! It was my first time visiting New York (apart from the airports), and I was super super excited! Christine and I were planning to see a lot, so we were getting prepared for some intense walking (and picture taking of course)! Side note: the bus we took to NYC was the Chinatown bus. Those five hours on the bus reminded me SO MUCH of Beijing that I literally forgot that I was traveling the the States- the language, the people, the sounds, the smell... haha everything.
So during Day One in New York, Christine and I saw Madison Square Gardens, the Empire State Building, NBC Studios, the Rockerfeller, Times Square (during the day and again at night), Radio City Music Hall, St. Patrick's Cathedral (the largest decorated gothic-style Catholic Cathedral in the US and the seat of the Archbishop of New York), Central Park (where we got thoroughly lost and tired), the Metropolitan Museum, Grand Central Station, Greenwich Village, and the New York Public Library. The library was definitely one of my favorites- they were celebrating their 100 year anniversary and had many artifacts and documents out on display, including a rough draft of the Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson, with lots of edits, cross outs, and mark ups. So cool! There were also real cuneiform tablets (the first form of writing), one of President Washington's rough drafts of his Farewell Address, and a rough draft of one of Beethoven's symphonies (I don't remember which one though... it was just cool seeing his hand writing and music notes, which were so messy they were practically illegible!).
That night, we met up with two of Christine's friends from Tech, Evan and Mark, who are interning in New York for the summer. We shared a few drinks and then went back to Mark's place to stay for the night. Thanks again, Mark!
Day Two in New York was just as fast paced. While day one was rainy and cool (glad we had rain jackets), day two sunny and sweltering (good thing we had sunscreen)! Christine and I took a ferry to Liberty Island to see the Statue of Liberty herself. It was an awesome experience to see her so up close! I would like to go back and get a pass to go up into her crown. They only let 240 visitors up there per day, and tickets are sold out for the next two months! We skipped over Ellis Island for the sake of time and instead walked along the Brooklyn Bridge and Ground Zero. There is currently a lot of construction going on to build the memorial and museum for the September 11th victims. There was a small museum that displayed pictures and had a model of what the finished memorial site would look like- two reflecting pools in the footprints of the two towers and one replacement tower called One World Trade Center (they've already built 104 floors of it). Being in this little museum was enough to bring tears to my eyes... I may have to wait years before I'm able to make it through the finished museum and memorial.
The best part about this area was walking by St. Paul's Chapel, which is rich in history. This chapel was built in 1766, and it is the oldest building in New York city still being continuously used. In fact, George Washington attended mass here after his inauguration as the first President of the United States on April 30, 1789! He continued to attend mass at the chapel, and his pew is still present inside. Above his pew is an original 18-century oil painting of the Great Seal of the United States. Pretty cool stuff! This chapel survived the great fire in New York in 1776 by a bucket brigade. The chapel also faces the World Trade Center buildings, and on September 11th, the church received little damage and served as a refuge for victims, fire fighters, and relief workers.
Keep in mind that I was only in NYC for two days, but so far, my overall impressions/observations of New York are that it is an awesome city. It is fun, alive, and exciting. The people are always in the move. I thought there would be a really trendy fashion sense, but NYC dress was just about as grungy as Sydney. Maybe that comes with a walking commute and crowded city- you wear what is convenient, comfortable, and practical. Also, even though the city screams "America!" with it's advertisements and commercialism, you would never know you were in America by looking at the people. New York City is so diverse! There are people from every background imaginable mixing on the sidewalks. Overall, I'm not sure if I could live in New York, but I would definitely like to go back and visit! I have a list of what I would like to do next!
No comments:
Post a Comment