08/06/2012
Last days.
18/04/12-21/04/12
With tickets still be used in my city pass I decided to still local to my hostel and visit two museums just on the edge of Central park. The first one I visited was the Natural History Museum as made famous by the Night at the Museum film. Inside I was quite surprised at how old and tired most of the exhibits were; it was like a Victorian museum in parts with stuff displayed in old grand glass cases. One aspect which certainly was modern was the museum’s planetarium; your entry ticket included one ticket to a timed show. The film was about the life and death of stars and was hugely impressive, actually felt like you were being shuttled through the universe. In the afternoon I crossed over to the other side of Central Park to explore the world’s most visited museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The MMOA is massive, it houses objects from the Egyptians all the way to modern art. You could easily spend a whole day wondering around the maze of rooms but having been in museum all day my brain was fried by the late afternoon so I retreated back to my hostel. In the evening I ventured out to see Times Square in all it’s lit up glory.
On my last full day in New York I returned to Ground Zero in the morning to visit the 9/11 Memorial. The memorial is sited on the ground where the Twin Towers use to stand. At the location of the bases of each tower there is now a memorial pool where water flows down a square hole in the middle. Surrounding the pools are the names of all those who lost there life’s in the attacks. A tree which survived the after mass of the attacks also stands in the grounds as well as a museum which is still under construction. I think it is quite a fitting tribute to those who lost their lives that day, well worth a visit. After I popped into the nearby Trinity Church which survived major damage and acted as a relief centre in the days after the attacks, it still displays information about the role during that time. Moving on I took a quick stroll over to visit Wall Street home of the New York Stock Exchange before continuing north to walk over the Brooklyn Bridge to grab some impressive views of the Midtown sky line. Back on Manhattan Island I continued north once again to visit the cities first skyscraper, the impressive looking Flatiron building which is shaped like a wedge. In the evening I once again ventured down to Times Square to check out a burger place I had seen packed the night before, Shake Shack which was definitely worth the visit – awesome burgers.
My last full day in my trip had finally arrived after nearly seven and a half months of travels which had taken quite literally around the world. With my flight not until the late evening I had nearly another full day to explore the city so I decided to head for Midtown to mop up some of the most obvious sights I had missed. Firstly I had one more ticket to use up in my city pass which of course was for the iconic Empire State Building. This building will always hold special memories for me as I spent the morning of my 21st birthday enjoying the views from the top. Things haven’t changed much since I was last here, but it was interesting to see the new buildings rising out of World Trade Centre once again. A short walk again took me to the equally impressive Grand Central station which is almost choked up by the surrounding skyscrapers. Inside is the famous grand lobby which has star constellations painted on the ceiling. Downstairs it also houses a great food court filled with foods from around the world. Heading back to towards Times Square I quickly stopped to have lunch outside the Central Library which starred in the first Ghostbusters film before carrying on. I spent my remaining time wondering around the tourist shops looking for any last minute gifts which took my fancy, popping into Midtown Comics to pick some American editions for my collection. Then it was time to pick up my backpack and make my way to the airport for my last and mercifully short flight back home to Blighty. My epic trip had finally come to an end; I had been to the far edge and back and full filled a lifelong dream.
07/06/2012
NYC
15/04/12-17/04/12
The last coach journey of my trip was only a short hop over to the island of Manhattan in New York City. I had finally reached my final destination for my epic round the world trip and I couldn’t think of a better place to spend my last 5 days. I had last been to NYC 3 three years ago for my 21st birthday so I was interested to see what had actually changed during that time. After being dropped off at Penn Station I had a quick metro journey north up to my hostel. I had real problems booking accommodation for my five nights, most places I couldn’t get five consecutive nights in a row but lucky I managed to find one place though it had no cooking facilities. With prices so expensive in Midtown I had to stay in the upper west side of Central Park, but with Metro stations so close to my hostel it would be easy to get into central NYC. Knowing I had a few days to look round I only took a quick walk round the local area before crashing out in the hostel for the rest of the day.
With the sun out and clear skies I decided to walk through Central Park in the morning down towards 5th Avenue. The park for me is one of the best places to visit in NYC, an amazing expanse of green space in such an urban environment. As I wondered along I was surrounded my people out keeping fit by either jogging or riding bikes. There is also an abundance of wildlife in the park, birds scatter into and out of bushes as you pass. I checked out the main attractions as I strolled through, from the castle by the lake to Strawberry Fields, the memorial garden to John Lennon who was famously shot outside the Dakota apartment building which is only a few hundred metres away from the garden. Leaving the park behind me I headed into the grid system of the city to be engulfed on either side by the famous skyscrapers, it’s like walking through a corridor of steel. I eventually made my way to Times Square, the home of advertisements in the city. All around you are massive billboards and electronic screens advertising the latest films to well known consumer products. At night the place really comes alive when the light show from the signs luminates the place spectaterly. Moving on I headed to the Rockefeller Centre dominated by the GE Building. Here I queued up to do my first activity, the Top of the Rock tour to the observation decks on top of the building. I bought a NYC Pass here, basically a voucher system which allows you to enter several of New York’s most famous attractions. You only pay a one off fee for the pass so you save quite a bit of money compared to buying individual tickets at each site. The observation decks at the top are very impressive, I think you get a lot better views here than from the top of the Empire State Buildings. There are three floors of observation decks that you can visit at your own pace; the best thing apart from the views is that two of them are open air with no glass or steel bars to block your photos – real bonus again compared to the Empire State Building. After lunch I used another ticket in the pass to visit the Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) which is only a few blocks away from the Rockefeller Centre. It houses an impressive collection of modern art from all over the world; I started at the top floor and worked by way down through the galleries stopping off to listen to parts of the audio guide I had picked up at the entrance. My most favorite piece had to be Van Gogh’s Starry Night, something I have always wanted to see with my own eyes. After a long day I headed back to the hostel to relax.
Another sunny day greeted me as I made my way to the other end of Manhattan Island to join the long queue to board the ferry over to visit the iconic Statue of Liberty. This was another attraction covered by my city pass, though I had to wait nearly an hour and a half before I was through security and able to board the ferry for the short hop over to the island. The Statue of Liberty is another of the world’s attractions that looks a lot bigger on TV, when you actually get to see it from the shore of Battery Park it is only a tiny feature out in the Hudson River. Nevertheless this monument had great significance to those who immigrated out to the new world at the beginning of the last century, a symbol to them that they had finally reached their new home. The last time I had been here three years ago the upper observation deck in the crown had been closed due to the heighten security measures put in placed after 9/11, though it has since reopened unfortunately it was closed once again due to refurbishment works – maybe next time! On the island I made my way straight to the front of the statue to grab my pictures, the island also serves as a great location to observe the fantastic New York skyline from afar. The ferry then takes you to the neighboring Ellis Island which served as the immigration centre for the new arrivals. Of course those you came here were only in the lower ticket classes as first class passengers would be dealt with on the cruise ships. Ellis Island was closed down in the 1950s and quickly fell into a state of disrepair until the main building was restored in the late 80’s to serve as an immigration museum. It is fascinating to walk through the building and think of all those people who passed through there to start a new life, but more important those select few who were denied entry mainly due to illness after travelling all that way. After spending several hours visiting the two islands I returned to the main land and made my way north up to the infamous former site of the Twin Towers. The last time I visited the World Trade Centre site there was nothing to be seen off ground level only the ring of the construction site fencing, how things have changed. Now there are the shells of several buildings rising up into the sky once again the most impressive being the new One World Trade building. A new memorial park and museum have also been constructed but to visit the park you have to book timed entry tickets so that night back at the hostel I booked a ticket for my last full day.
16/04/2012
Philadelphia
12/04/12-14/04/12
Having seen Washington I was moving on again this time back to Pennsylvania to visited one of America’s first cities – Philadelphia. After my long bus rides with Greyhound this trip would only take 3 hours to make the journey eastwards. I arrived in the afternoon so only went out to take a quick look around the town. Having missed lunch because I was stuck on the bus I made for one of the local street vendors to try out the local Philly Cheese Steak, literally a roll filled with little cuts of steak covered in cheese. It turned out to be very filling, back home I guess we would have a bacon roll instead.
Out early the next day I was going to stick to the old town part of the city, the area which contains a variety of important sites relating to the establishment of the United States. I first made for the visitor centre to pick up my ticket to visit the Independence Hall and to watch the short film ‘Independence’ about the creation of the founding documents. After the film I walked a short distance across the road to see the grave of Benjamin Franklin. He was a local man who played a prominent role during the war of independence. Next it was time for me to join my tour of Independence Hall. Inside this building the founding documents were debated and revised before being formerly adopted an act of treason at the time. The first governments also operated in buildings on this site before they were moved to Washington DC in 1800. Next I joined the queue to see the famous cracked Liberty Bell, luckily the queue moved quickly so it wasn’t long before I got to see it with my own eyes. The bell has more meaning to certain campaign groups who used it as a symbol in their struggle of equality. After I entered the Second Bank of America to see portraits of all the famous figures that had a role in creating the United States. I then followed the road all the way down to Penn’s Landing which runs along the nearby river before working my way back to see the site where Franklin had his property in the old town, a ‘ghost’ house now stands on the site, steel beams outline where the house would have stood. As it was still early I made a quick visit to the city hall in the downtown area before retracing my steps back to the hostel.
Picking up where I left off the day before I head back to the city hall before bypassing it to continue further west to the museum district of the city. Following the straight road it took me all the way to the steps of the Philadelphia art gallery, the steps are being known for being the ones the character Rocky runs up in the original film which I was tempted to repeat. Seeing that the gallery had a Van Gogh exhibition on I couldn’t resist purchasing a ticket to see some of his artwork up close. I spent the main part of the morning and early afternoon looking round the gallery before heading out into the sun to take a walk down by the riverside to check out the various boat houses sat on the bank of the river. I was surrounded by locals out jogging and riding bikes, it made me look forward to when I could play sport again back home. Heading back to the city centre I made a division to first check out the notorious Eastern Penitentiary Prison that held some of America’s most famous prisoners but only walking around the outside I didn’t get much of a view due to the imposing surrounding wall, it looked more like a medieval castle rather than a prison. Back in town I walked round the Chinatown area before taking my last tour of the old town.
Having seen Washington I was moving on again this time back to Pennsylvania to visited one of America’s first cities – Philadelphia. After my long bus rides with Greyhound this trip would only take 3 hours to make the journey eastwards. I arrived in the afternoon so only went out to take a quick look around the town. Having missed lunch because I was stuck on the bus I made for one of the local street vendors to try out the local Philly Cheese Steak, literally a roll filled with little cuts of steak covered in cheese. It turned out to be very filling, back home I guess we would have a bacon roll instead.
Out early the next day I was going to stick to the old town part of the city, the area which contains a variety of important sites relating to the establishment of the United States. I first made for the visitor centre to pick up my ticket to visit the Independence Hall and to watch the short film ‘Independence’ about the creation of the founding documents. After the film I walked a short distance across the road to see the grave of Benjamin Franklin. He was a local man who played a prominent role during the war of independence. Next it was time for me to join my tour of Independence Hall. Inside this building the founding documents were debated and revised before being formerly adopted an act of treason at the time. The first governments also operated in buildings on this site before they were moved to Washington DC in 1800. Next I joined the queue to see the famous cracked Liberty Bell, luckily the queue moved quickly so it wasn’t long before I got to see it with my own eyes. The bell has more meaning to certain campaign groups who used it as a symbol in their struggle of equality. After I entered the Second Bank of America to see portraits of all the famous figures that had a role in creating the United States. I then followed the road all the way down to Penn’s Landing which runs along the nearby river before working my way back to see the site where Franklin had his property in the old town, a ‘ghost’ house now stands on the site, steel beams outline where the house would have stood. As it was still early I made a quick visit to the city hall in the downtown area before retracing my steps back to the hostel.
Picking up where I left off the day before I head back to the city hall before bypassing it to continue further west to the museum district of the city. Following the straight road it took me all the way to the steps of the Philadelphia art gallery, the steps are being known for being the ones the character Rocky runs up in the original film which I was tempted to repeat. Seeing that the gallery had a Van Gogh exhibition on I couldn’t resist purchasing a ticket to see some of his artwork up close. I spent the main part of the morning and early afternoon looking round the gallery before heading out into the sun to take a walk down by the riverside to check out the various boat houses sat on the bank of the river. I was surrounded by locals out jogging and riding bikes, it made me look forward to when I could play sport again back home. Heading back to the city centre I made a division to first check out the notorious Eastern Penitentiary Prison that held some of America’s most famous prisoners but only walking around the outside I didn’t get much of a view due to the imposing surrounding wall, it looked more like a medieval castle rather than a prison. Back in town I walked round the Chinatown area before taking my last tour of the old town.
15/04/2012
Washington DC
08/04/12-11/04/12
I arrived in DC in the morning having passed through the state of Maryland in the early hours. As I couldn’t check in till the afternoon at my hostel I went for a quick wonder of the local area to get my bearings. As I was walking I came across the National Achieves so with time to kill I joined the line to pass through security. This building holds all of America’s most important documents, none more so than the original founding documents including the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. They are housed within the buildings Rotunda so after joining another queue I finally got my chance to get to see these incredibly important documents with my own eyes. The major shock is how faded the Declaration of Independence is, it is almost ineligible to read or even see the signatures at the bottom of the page; years of sunlight damage have taken their toll. The other documents are thankfully in a much better condition, you cannot deny the important role they played not only America’s history but also their impact in the wider world.
On my first full day I headed immediately down to the Holocaust museum to take up my place in the line to get free tickets for the museum’s main exhibition. Luckily I didn’t have too long a wait till I could enter the main area so I quickly wondered around an exhibition of Nazis propaganda – that took me back to my secondary school days. When it was time I entered the main area of the museum that documents the Holocaust from the rise of the Nazis party through to the end of the war and the discovery of the camps. You cannot help but be moved by the images and films on show, from the footage of mobile execution squads and the conditions of camps to the pictures of those involved in ‘medical’ experiments, no matter how many times you have seen them they are still as shocking. In the afternoon I moved outside to explore the many memorials DC has to various individuals and wars. In the centre of the mall, a huge national park stands the Washington Memorial. It has a look out platform at the top but due to recent earthquake damage it is currently closed off to the public. West of it lays the World War Two memorial which stands at the eastern foot of the Reflecting Pools, though they weren’t reflecting much due to the fact that they were dry because of upgrade work. At their western end stands the Lincoln Memorial, an impressive tomb-like structure that houses a sitting statue of the former president along with some of his famous addresses. In the grounds nearby is the Vietnam memorial, a simple V shape line of black facings listed with the names of the dead. On the opposite side lays the Korean War memorial that has a series of white ghost-like statues of a unit out on patrol. Instead of names the memorial displays faces in various situations. Further around is the Martin Luther King memorial and the impressive Roosevelt memorial which displays various quotes from the former president in chronological order of his three terms. On the other side on the lake sits the circular Jefferson memorial. North of all this stretching off of the mall is the office of the current president – the White House. I headed there to try and get a picture of the front but due to a ticketed Easter event the whole front was blocked off so I had to settle with the view of the back of the building.
My second day consisted with museums. In the morning I made my way up to the top of the Post Office tower to get an overview of the capital before venturing down to the Air and Space museum, reportedly the most visited museum in the world. It contains a wealth of exhibits from the Wight Brothers plane that made the first powered flight in history to the Apollo 11 command module, there’s even a moon rock you can touch. After exhausting all the exhibits I made my way up the mall to see the mighty Capitol building where the senate is housed. It is an impressive structure, I joined the queue to visit but was refused enter because I was carrying a water bottle on me! Denied entry I instead popped into the Library of Congress to check out the impressive classical interior and Franklin’s book collection. On the north side of the mall I checked out the West Art museum quickly following the highlight guide they provided. With my attention span running out of patience I only took a quick tour of the Natural History museum next door seeing the massive Hope diamond in the process before retiring back to my hostel for the evening.
At the Air and Space museum the day before I had hope to see the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the first atomic weapon in history but I discovered it was housed at the museum’s sister site in neighbouring Virginia. Not prepared to miss one of the objects that I had always wanted to see I set out early on the third day to catch the first bus I would need to visit the site. After a lengthy journey consisting of two bus rides I eventually made it to the other site. Inside was the Enola Gay as well as hundreds of other important exhibits that simply cannot fit into the main site on the mall. It was certainly worth the journey and I had finally seen the plane I had always wanted to see. Back in Washington in the afternoon I visited the American History museum to see the original star spangled banner among other artefacts. After dinner in the evening I made one last visit to the mall to finally see the front of the White House as well as to see some of the memorials lit up, the Lincoln one in particular was quite spectacular under floodlights.
I arrived in DC in the morning having passed through the state of Maryland in the early hours. As I couldn’t check in till the afternoon at my hostel I went for a quick wonder of the local area to get my bearings. As I was walking I came across the National Achieves so with time to kill I joined the line to pass through security. This building holds all of America’s most important documents, none more so than the original founding documents including the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. They are housed within the buildings Rotunda so after joining another queue I finally got my chance to get to see these incredibly important documents with my own eyes. The major shock is how faded the Declaration of Independence is, it is almost ineligible to read or even see the signatures at the bottom of the page; years of sunlight damage have taken their toll. The other documents are thankfully in a much better condition, you cannot deny the important role they played not only America’s history but also their impact in the wider world.
On my first full day I headed immediately down to the Holocaust museum to take up my place in the line to get free tickets for the museum’s main exhibition. Luckily I didn’t have too long a wait till I could enter the main area so I quickly wondered around an exhibition of Nazis propaganda – that took me back to my secondary school days. When it was time I entered the main area of the museum that documents the Holocaust from the rise of the Nazis party through to the end of the war and the discovery of the camps. You cannot help but be moved by the images and films on show, from the footage of mobile execution squads and the conditions of camps to the pictures of those involved in ‘medical’ experiments, no matter how many times you have seen them they are still as shocking. In the afternoon I moved outside to explore the many memorials DC has to various individuals and wars. In the centre of the mall, a huge national park stands the Washington Memorial. It has a look out platform at the top but due to recent earthquake damage it is currently closed off to the public. West of it lays the World War Two memorial which stands at the eastern foot of the Reflecting Pools, though they weren’t reflecting much due to the fact that they were dry because of upgrade work. At their western end stands the Lincoln Memorial, an impressive tomb-like structure that houses a sitting statue of the former president along with some of his famous addresses. In the grounds nearby is the Vietnam memorial, a simple V shape line of black facings listed with the names of the dead. On the opposite side lays the Korean War memorial that has a series of white ghost-like statues of a unit out on patrol. Instead of names the memorial displays faces in various situations. Further around is the Martin Luther King memorial and the impressive Roosevelt memorial which displays various quotes from the former president in chronological order of his three terms. On the other side on the lake sits the circular Jefferson memorial. North of all this stretching off of the mall is the office of the current president – the White House. I headed there to try and get a picture of the front but due to a ticketed Easter event the whole front was blocked off so I had to settle with the view of the back of the building.
My second day consisted with museums. In the morning I made my way up to the top of the Post Office tower to get an overview of the capital before venturing down to the Air and Space museum, reportedly the most visited museum in the world. It contains a wealth of exhibits from the Wight Brothers plane that made the first powered flight in history to the Apollo 11 command module, there’s even a moon rock you can touch. After exhausting all the exhibits I made my way up the mall to see the mighty Capitol building where the senate is housed. It is an impressive structure, I joined the queue to visit but was refused enter because I was carrying a water bottle on me! Denied entry I instead popped into the Library of Congress to check out the impressive classical interior and Franklin’s book collection. On the north side of the mall I checked out the West Art museum quickly following the highlight guide they provided. With my attention span running out of patience I only took a quick tour of the Natural History museum next door seeing the massive Hope diamond in the process before retiring back to my hostel for the evening.
At the Air and Space museum the day before I had hope to see the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the first atomic weapon in history but I discovered it was housed at the museum’s sister site in neighbouring Virginia. Not prepared to miss one of the objects that I had always wanted to see I set out early on the third day to catch the first bus I would need to visit the site. After a lengthy journey consisting of two bus rides I eventually made it to the other site. Inside was the Enola Gay as well as hundreds of other important exhibits that simply cannot fit into the main site on the mall. It was certainly worth the journey and I had finally seen the plane I had always wanted to see. Back in Washington in the afternoon I visited the American History museum to see the original star spangled banner among other artefacts. After dinner in the evening I made one last visit to the mall to finally see the front of the White House as well as to see some of the memorials lit up, the Lincoln one in particular was quite spectacular under floodlights.
Chicago
04/04/12-07/04/12
On my first full day in Chicago I stuck to exploring the downtown area of the city near to where my hostel was. I first followed Grant Park along to the modern Millennium Park at its northern end. The park contains a variety of different public art installations; one which was closed for the winter period was a fountain that projects different films of local people’s faces onto a huge screen, from the month water is occasionally jetted out but unfortunately I didn’t get to see it in action only the faces showed on the screen. The main one in the park that has become the new unofficial icon of the city is the Cloud Gate, or as the locals refer to it the ‘Bean’ due to its shape. The bean sculpture has a smooth reflective surface that acts as a mirror so it encourages you to of course take reflected pictures of yourself with Chicago’s skyline in the background, a fantastic interactive public artwork. Every city should have its own bean; hours could be wasted trying to take the most unique photo. The park also houses an outdoor theatre that holds various events throughout the year. Moving on I continued north till I hit the river that divides the city and followed its course west for a time being all the time checking out various famous buildings. I concluded my downtown tour by taking in the views from North America’s tallest building the Willis Tower (formally the Sears Tower). From the top you could see nearly four different states, it was a great view. The tower also had glass sections that extended out of the main building so you could walk over the street below.
The next day I crossed over the river to the north side of the city to a street called the Magnificent Mile to once again do some sightseeing. The street has all the designer shops you could expect running along it. I made my way up to the Hancock Tower to see the city skyline from an alternate perspective. Once again you cannot be but impressed by Chicago’s architecture, every building although different definitely adds to the city, all the different forms seamlessly blend together it’s a real treat to see. In the afternoon I headed down to the lakefront to visit the attractions on Navy Pier, site of the world’s first Ferris wheel. The pier has all sorts of attractions ranging from an amusement park to a stain glass window museum!
On my last full day I once again headed north to check out Lincoln Park which is home to the cities zoo, which is free to get in to. It houses an impressive array of animals from lions and tigers to even a polar bear; it has a better selection than some of the pay zoos I have been to. I spent a few hours looking at the animals and had a Chicago style hotdog (no ketchup allowed!) before I took one last stroll back through the city checking out the old town part. In the evening despite the cold I ventured back into Grant Park to watch the sun set behind the city skyline.
Time to move on again further east, this time my destination was to be the capital Washington DC. Once again I would have to spend nearly one whole day on a bus to get there back on the road with Greyhound. On route that day we passed through Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Like before the land is extremely flat and mainly consists of cornfields and barns though to my surprise a lot of these seemed to be white instead of red in this part of the States – a break with tradition!
On my first full day in Chicago I stuck to exploring the downtown area of the city near to where my hostel was. I first followed Grant Park along to the modern Millennium Park at its northern end. The park contains a variety of different public art installations; one which was closed for the winter period was a fountain that projects different films of local people’s faces onto a huge screen, from the month water is occasionally jetted out but unfortunately I didn’t get to see it in action only the faces showed on the screen. The main one in the park that has become the new unofficial icon of the city is the Cloud Gate, or as the locals refer to it the ‘Bean’ due to its shape. The bean sculpture has a smooth reflective surface that acts as a mirror so it encourages you to of course take reflected pictures of yourself with Chicago’s skyline in the background, a fantastic interactive public artwork. Every city should have its own bean; hours could be wasted trying to take the most unique photo. The park also houses an outdoor theatre that holds various events throughout the year. Moving on I continued north till I hit the river that divides the city and followed its course west for a time being all the time checking out various famous buildings. I concluded my downtown tour by taking in the views from North America’s tallest building the Willis Tower (formally the Sears Tower). From the top you could see nearly four different states, it was a great view. The tower also had glass sections that extended out of the main building so you could walk over the street below.
The next day I crossed over the river to the north side of the city to a street called the Magnificent Mile to once again do some sightseeing. The street has all the designer shops you could expect running along it. I made my way up to the Hancock Tower to see the city skyline from an alternate perspective. Once again you cannot be but impressed by Chicago’s architecture, every building although different definitely adds to the city, all the different forms seamlessly blend together it’s a real treat to see. In the afternoon I headed down to the lakefront to visit the attractions on Navy Pier, site of the world’s first Ferris wheel. The pier has all sorts of attractions ranging from an amusement park to a stain glass window museum!
On my last full day I once again headed north to check out Lincoln Park which is home to the cities zoo, which is free to get in to. It houses an impressive array of animals from lions and tigers to even a polar bear; it has a better selection than some of the pay zoos I have been to. I spent a few hours looking at the animals and had a Chicago style hotdog (no ketchup allowed!) before I took one last stroll back through the city checking out the old town part. In the evening despite the cold I ventured back into Grant Park to watch the sun set behind the city skyline.
Time to move on again further east, this time my destination was to be the capital Washington DC. Once again I would have to spend nearly one whole day on a bus to get there back on the road with Greyhound. On route that day we passed through Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Like before the land is extremely flat and mainly consists of cornfields and barns though to my surprise a lot of these seemed to be white instead of red in this part of the States – a break with tradition!
14/04/2012
Greyhound
01/04/12-03/04/12
My next destination was Chicago but to get there I would first have to spend nearly two full days travelling on buses across the States, this of course meant travelling with Greyhound. Now Greyhound has a mixed representation, mainly it is negative so I was a bit apprehensive as to what to expect. Boarding my first bus in the afternoon we were soon on our way through travelling through Utah in the evening where I encountered snow for the first time on my trip, I had finally experienced all the seasons. We had several heavy snow showers that night but luckily they didn’t hinder us.
I woke up the next day to discover we had crossed over into rocky Colorado where I was to catch my next bus in Denver. This all went smoothly so that afternoon I found myself in the agricultural state of Nebraska, the view out of the window repeatedly was either of cornfields or barns. Mile after mile the view never changed but the time went by quickly enough as I eventually made my last transfer in Omaha that evening. The next state Iowa was much the same, a continuation of the flat cornfields and barns.
Early on my third day of travel I finally made it to Chicago, Illinois. I was super tried after two nights of little sleep on the buses but I couldn’t check into my hostel till later in the afternoon so I had almost 9 hours of waiting time. I ventured out only for a little while to quickly see nearby Grant Park where all the major museums are located before heading back to check in and crash out for the evening.
My next destination was Chicago but to get there I would first have to spend nearly two full days travelling on buses across the States, this of course meant travelling with Greyhound. Now Greyhound has a mixed representation, mainly it is negative so I was a bit apprehensive as to what to expect. Boarding my first bus in the afternoon we were soon on our way through travelling through Utah in the evening where I encountered snow for the first time on my trip, I had finally experienced all the seasons. We had several heavy snow showers that night but luckily they didn’t hinder us.
I woke up the next day to discover we had crossed over into rocky Colorado where I was to catch my next bus in Denver. This all went smoothly so that afternoon I found myself in the agricultural state of Nebraska, the view out of the window repeatedly was either of cornfields or barns. Mile after mile the view never changed but the time went by quickly enough as I eventually made my last transfer in Omaha that evening. The next state Iowa was much the same, a continuation of the flat cornfields and barns.
Early on my third day of travel I finally made it to Chicago, Illinois. I was super tried after two nights of little sleep on the buses but I couldn’t check into my hostel till later in the afternoon so I had almost 9 hours of waiting time. I ventured out only for a little while to quickly see nearby Grant Park where all the major museums are located before heading back to check in and crash out for the evening.
Las Vegas
28/03/12-31/03/12
Splitting up our time in Vegas had at least one added bonus in the fact that it allowed us to stay at two different complexes on the strip. Having stayed at Circus Circus our first time we had booked four nights at Excalibur this time, a nice stretch of time to relax and not worry about the hassle of moving around as we had experienced for most of our road trip. Our first full day was mainly spent wondering along the length of the strip, the road that rounds through the middle of all the casinos. We first headed to the iconic Vegas welcome sign at the start of the strip to grab some snaps before we proceed up the west side to check out the complexes. The one that most impressed me on the outside was New York New York which was made up in the style of several of the city’s famous skyscrapers as well as having a miniature Statue of Liberty and Brooklyn Bridge; it had really captured the essence of the city including the infamous fire escapes on the side of the buildings. But for interior the Venetian’s shopping mall was spectacular, the clever trick it had was the lit painted ceiling made out as the sky so it felt like you was outdoors even though you were inside, confusing for the brain. It also had an indoor canal which offered gondola rides. That evening we had dinner in the Luxor before hitting the casino floor back in the Excalibur.
Having covered one end of the strip the day before we headed to the other end to go up to the top of the Stratosphere, the highest structure in Vegas. At the top is indoor as well as outdoor viewing platforms, also there are several theme park attractions. The attraction I had always wanted to do was the Big Shot, the world's highest amusement ride. It is basically a tower on which you sit on a platform that is shot up and down several times, scary on ground level let alone on top of a tall structure. After a bit of persuading I managed to encourage my sister to join me on the ride. Take off was fine as we were shot 40 miles an hour straight up in the air, on hitting the top we experienced weightlessness for a few seconds before dropping back down. The drop back down for me gave the biggest thrill as your stomach felt like it had been turned inside out, the added height of being on top of the tower making the drop seem endless. With our feet back on solid ground afterwards, I think everyone had shaky legs! In the afternoon we hit the outlet stores to see what discounts we could get on famous brands, I was most interested in getting a new pair of Converse after I had worn out my favourite pair during my travels – I ended up getting two new pairs. In the evening we hit the strip again to see the famous shows that several casinos hold outside including the fountains outside the Bellagio. Later back at the resort we were treated to a really good rock cover band as we drunk the night away.
On our last full day together we done some more shopping in the morning before retreating to the hotel pool in the afternoon to spend some time relaxing. We had dinner that night in New York New York before having our last goes on the slot machines; I ended up being in debt, no such luck for me.
Time to move on again as another chapter of my travels had come to an end, over the course of two weeks and nearly 2000 miles we had travelled all the way from chilly San Francisco to the bright lights of Vegas. I never would have been able to see half the stuff we did if I had been travelling by myself. After a final walk along the strip I was dropped off at my overnight hostel to resume my travels by myself. To be honest I was glad to be moving on from Vegas its dazzling effect quickly wears off, the casinos are full of cigarette smoke, hundreds of people walk around with alcoholic drinks in their hands and on the strip you are constantly harassed by people trying to hand out call girl adverts – but it was fun!
Splitting up our time in Vegas had at least one added bonus in the fact that it allowed us to stay at two different complexes on the strip. Having stayed at Circus Circus our first time we had booked four nights at Excalibur this time, a nice stretch of time to relax and not worry about the hassle of moving around as we had experienced for most of our road trip. Our first full day was mainly spent wondering along the length of the strip, the road that rounds through the middle of all the casinos. We first headed to the iconic Vegas welcome sign at the start of the strip to grab some snaps before we proceed up the west side to check out the complexes. The one that most impressed me on the outside was New York New York which was made up in the style of several of the city’s famous skyscrapers as well as having a miniature Statue of Liberty and Brooklyn Bridge; it had really captured the essence of the city including the infamous fire escapes on the side of the buildings. But for interior the Venetian’s shopping mall was spectacular, the clever trick it had was the lit painted ceiling made out as the sky so it felt like you was outdoors even though you were inside, confusing for the brain. It also had an indoor canal which offered gondola rides. That evening we had dinner in the Luxor before hitting the casino floor back in the Excalibur.
Having covered one end of the strip the day before we headed to the other end to go up to the top of the Stratosphere, the highest structure in Vegas. At the top is indoor as well as outdoor viewing platforms, also there are several theme park attractions. The attraction I had always wanted to do was the Big Shot, the world's highest amusement ride. It is basically a tower on which you sit on a platform that is shot up and down several times, scary on ground level let alone on top of a tall structure. After a bit of persuading I managed to encourage my sister to join me on the ride. Take off was fine as we were shot 40 miles an hour straight up in the air, on hitting the top we experienced weightlessness for a few seconds before dropping back down. The drop back down for me gave the biggest thrill as your stomach felt like it had been turned inside out, the added height of being on top of the tower making the drop seem endless. With our feet back on solid ground afterwards, I think everyone had shaky legs! In the afternoon we hit the outlet stores to see what discounts we could get on famous brands, I was most interested in getting a new pair of Converse after I had worn out my favourite pair during my travels – I ended up getting two new pairs. In the evening we hit the strip again to see the famous shows that several casinos hold outside including the fountains outside the Bellagio. Later back at the resort we were treated to a really good rock cover band as we drunk the night away.
On our last full day together we done some more shopping in the morning before retreating to the hotel pool in the afternoon to spend some time relaxing. We had dinner that night in New York New York before having our last goes on the slot machines; I ended up being in debt, no such luck for me.
Time to move on again as another chapter of my travels had come to an end, over the course of two weeks and nearly 2000 miles we had travelled all the way from chilly San Francisco to the bright lights of Vegas. I never would have been able to see half the stuff we did if I had been travelling by myself. After a final walk along the strip I was dropped off at my overnight hostel to resume my travels by myself. To be honest I was glad to be moving on from Vegas its dazzling effect quickly wears off, the casinos are full of cigarette smoke, hundreds of people walk around with alcoholic drinks in their hands and on the strip you are constantly harassed by people trying to hand out call girl adverts – but it was fun!
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