This spring, we decided to head out to the East Coast and visit some of our best friends and see the sights. It was Bryan's first time out to Washington DC and NYC, and my second time. The first time being when I was in 8th grade on a whirl-wind road trip- back then my impression of NYC was that it smelled bad, seemed to have trash everywhere, and was freezing. Granted, it was January and I was 13, so I knew I needed to give NYC a second chance and see what the hubbub about the big apple was all about…
Planning our 9-day trip wasn't easy…this was our first industrialized-country urban travel experience by ourselves (our travel usually involves backpacking or camping). With Bryan in grad school and me working at a non-profit, we're not exactly 'rolling in it'… so the fact that our friends, Andrea and Amina, let us crash in their abodes was vital! (Thanks, girls!!) Andrea helped us find the cheapest tickets we could, and we took off on our flight to our country's capital.
Washington D.C. is a great city in my book! First of all, almost everything's free! Want to go to the Zoo? Free! Aquarium? Free! All National Museums? Free! The Capitol, monuments, library of congress, Supreme Court? Tour them all for free! This was my kind of city… Not to mention the blossoming cherry trees, marble architecture, efficient public transportation system, and the fact that our friend Andrea lives there!
It was our first time seeing Andrea since Peace Corps - almost 3 years ago! It was very different to see her without a deep tan (staple of living in the tropics), wearing wool coats (instead of Jamaica's perpetual spring/summer-clothing style), and especially to see her not-so-little-anymore Jamaican dog, Beenie! It was like Andrea was a totally different person, living a totally different life! So strange to see a friend from one walk of life in a different element …
Andrea was in the midst of moving into her new apartment, so we were visiting at a very hectic time for her. Yet, she was a gracious hostess, taking time from her unpacking to humor us and see some of the sights in D.C.! Apartments in D.C. are so different then the little characterless shoe-boxes we've lived in around L.A.! She lives on the bottom floor of a row house (kind-of like San Francisco homes), but they're all made of brick. The building's floors are old, beautiful, creaking wood floors; her neighborhood streets are tree-lined and filled with people walking their dogs, with the air was crisp and cool on the verge of spring.
Our first night, we all went out for dinner at a Mexican-Salvadorian restaurant… people aren't kidding when they say California really does have the best Mexican food!! The food didn't taste bad, but it was basically just melted cheese for every meal we ordered- but the margaritas were good. After the cheesy dinner, we headed to a house party Andrea's friend was hosting to see how East Coasters really roll … This party involved a strobe light, a keg, loud music, and lots of people… but that's where the similarities to West Coast parties ended. First off, all the guys were wearing tucked-in polo shirts and khakis, like they were ready to hit the golf course or something. Not just a few of the guys, all of them! (save the crazy Frenchman with the blue hair.) Andrea gave me a look and said, 'Well now you see what I have to choose from here." It was probably pretty hard for her to adjust to after the laid-back lady killers in Jamaica. ;-) The girls all seemed pretty normal, not as hoochified as the parties are usually out here (which I think is a good thing), but I just assumed it was due to the weather. Andrea's dad was also in town visiting, and he came to the party with us, which I thought was pretty cool for a dad!
Our second day in D.C., Andrea took us on a behind-the-scenes tour at the National Zoo, where she's been volunteering in the Small Mammal House for over a year. We went behind all the exhibits and could actually see visitors through the glass, and Andrea took out a cute little hedgehog! My two favorite animals there were the Fennec Fox and the hedgehog.
After spending the morning at the zoo, we grabbed Slurpees (I don't think I've had one since I was 10!) because apparently they're all the rage over there.
We then headed on the Metro (subway) to downtown, where we visited Andrea's work at the non-profit, First Book, and continued walking over to the White House.
Apparently you have to make reservations about 6 months in advance to tour the place, which is not good for spontaneous travelers like Bryan and I. The White House was looking particularly picturesque, framed by cherry blossoms and green lawns.
From the White House, we walked near Washington Monument, goofed around, and decided to return a little later…
Then, we strolled over to the new World War II memorial (built in 2004), which has huge spouting fountains and pillars recognizing both fronts of the war, in the Pacific and Atlantic.
The one thing that seemed strange to Bryan and I was that the current US President, George W. Bush, has his name on the memorial (it was the biggest and most prominent name, too) which confused us, since obviously he wasn't involved in WWII… so we thought, well, maybe all the monuments and memorials have the current presidents names on them… no… none of them did. So, we are still perplexed. Anyone else have an idea?
We continued our long walk along the reflection pool to the Lincoln Memorial.
Then on to the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial, and the newer Korean War Memorial (built in '95, the year after I first visited D.C.), which had faces inscribed rather than names…
Then on to the hidden and less-visited FDR Memorial which was built in 1997(it turned out to be my favorite and most inspiring memorial). The walk to the FDR Memorial is along Cherry Tree Walk on the Western edge of the Tidal Basin. A very beautiful area! The memorial is a long, meandering path, bordered by walls made of red South Dakota granite, tracing twelve years of American History through four outdoor rooms-each one devoted to one of FDR's terms of office.
It's a very unusual memorial, yet the most moving with heart-felt quotes peppering the rock- a memorial that really makes you think…
We rounded out our long walk with a stop at the picturesque Jefferson Memorial.
Some cherry trees were in full bloom where others were just budding- unfortunately we were 1 week early for the Annual Cherry Blossom Festival.
Our last visit was to Washington Monument. It was just before sunset, with the sun just beginning to duck behind the ring of American flags surrounding the behemoth marble tower.
Bryan and I lay on our backs on the large marble benches, and looked up to the top of the pinnacle, where the crescent moon was just beginning to show.
We capped the day off with a delicious dinner with Andrea and her dad in Chinatown.
The next day Bryan and I tried to hit some Smithsonian museums (Natural History and Air & Space), the National Archives, and the Capitol.
With Andrea, we explored the fragrant National Botanical Gardens, the Supreme Court, and the Library of Congress. We ended the night in our nation's capital with a home-made stir fry a la Andrea's cooking skills! The next morning we went out to a local bakery and bade adieu to our dear friend, Andrea, and her sweet doggie, Beenie, and boarded a bus for $20 and headed off to New York City for the next leg of our trip…
(New York and Yale blog to come soon…)
Planning our 9-day trip wasn't easy…this was our first industrialized-country urban travel experience by ourselves (our travel usually involves backpacking or camping). With Bryan in grad school and me working at a non-profit, we're not exactly 'rolling in it'… so the fact that our friends, Andrea and Amina, let us crash in their abodes was vital! (Thanks, girls!!) Andrea helped us find the cheapest tickets we could, and we took off on our flight to our country's capital.
Washington D.C. is a great city in my book! First of all, almost everything's free! Want to go to the Zoo? Free! Aquarium? Free! All National Museums? Free! The Capitol, monuments, library of congress, Supreme Court? Tour them all for free! This was my kind of city… Not to mention the blossoming cherry trees, marble architecture, efficient public transportation system, and the fact that our friend Andrea lives there!
It was our first time seeing Andrea since Peace Corps - almost 3 years ago! It was very different to see her without a deep tan (staple of living in the tropics), wearing wool coats (instead of Jamaica's perpetual spring/summer-clothing style), and especially to see her not-so-little-anymore Jamaican dog, Beenie! It was like Andrea was a totally different person, living a totally different life! So strange to see a friend from one walk of life in a different element …
Andrea was in the midst of moving into her new apartment, so we were visiting at a very hectic time for her. Yet, she was a gracious hostess, taking time from her unpacking to humor us and see some of the sights in D.C.! Apartments in D.C. are so different then the little characterless shoe-boxes we've lived in around L.A.! She lives on the bottom floor of a row house (kind-of like San Francisco homes), but they're all made of brick. The building's floors are old, beautiful, creaking wood floors; her neighborhood streets are tree-lined and filled with people walking their dogs, with the air was crisp and cool on the verge of spring.
Our first night, we all went out for dinner at a Mexican-Salvadorian restaurant… people aren't kidding when they say California really does have the best Mexican food!! The food didn't taste bad, but it was basically just melted cheese for every meal we ordered- but the margaritas were good. After the cheesy dinner, we headed to a house party Andrea's friend was hosting to see how East Coasters really roll … This party involved a strobe light, a keg, loud music, and lots of people… but that's where the similarities to West Coast parties ended. First off, all the guys were wearing tucked-in polo shirts and khakis, like they were ready to hit the golf course or something. Not just a few of the guys, all of them! (save the crazy Frenchman with the blue hair.) Andrea gave me a look and said, 'Well now you see what I have to choose from here." It was probably pretty hard for her to adjust to after the laid-back lady killers in Jamaica. ;-) The girls all seemed pretty normal, not as hoochified as the parties are usually out here (which I think is a good thing), but I just assumed it was due to the weather. Andrea's dad was also in town visiting, and he came to the party with us, which I thought was pretty cool for a dad!
Our second day in D.C., Andrea took us on a behind-the-scenes tour at the National Zoo, where she's been volunteering in the Small Mammal House for over a year. We went behind all the exhibits and could actually see visitors through the glass, and Andrea took out a cute little hedgehog! My two favorite animals there were the Fennec Fox and the hedgehog.
After spending the morning at the zoo, we grabbed Slurpees (I don't think I've had one since I was 10!) because apparently they're all the rage over there.
We then headed on the Metro (subway) to downtown, where we visited Andrea's work at the non-profit, First Book, and continued walking over to the White House.
Apparently you have to make reservations about 6 months in advance to tour the place, which is not good for spontaneous travelers like Bryan and I. The White House was looking particularly picturesque, framed by cherry blossoms and green lawns.
From the White House, we walked near Washington Monument, goofed around, and decided to return a little later…
Then, we strolled over to the new World War II memorial (built in 2004), which has huge spouting fountains and pillars recognizing both fronts of the war, in the Pacific and Atlantic.
The one thing that seemed strange to Bryan and I was that the current US President, George W. Bush, has his name on the memorial (it was the biggest and most prominent name, too) which confused us, since obviously he wasn't involved in WWII… so we thought, well, maybe all the monuments and memorials have the current presidents names on them… no… none of them did. So, we are still perplexed. Anyone else have an idea?
We continued our long walk along the reflection pool to the Lincoln Memorial.
Then on to the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial, and the newer Korean War Memorial (built in '95, the year after I first visited D.C.), which had faces inscribed rather than names…
Then on to the hidden and less-visited FDR Memorial which was built in 1997(it turned out to be my favorite and most inspiring memorial). The walk to the FDR Memorial is along Cherry Tree Walk on the Western edge of the Tidal Basin. A very beautiful area! The memorial is a long, meandering path, bordered by walls made of red South Dakota granite, tracing twelve years of American History through four outdoor rooms-each one devoted to one of FDR's terms of office.
It's a very unusual memorial, yet the most moving with heart-felt quotes peppering the rock- a memorial that really makes you think…
We rounded out our long walk with a stop at the picturesque Jefferson Memorial.
Some cherry trees were in full bloom where others were just budding- unfortunately we were 1 week early for the Annual Cherry Blossom Festival.
Our last visit was to Washington Monument. It was just before sunset, with the sun just beginning to duck behind the ring of American flags surrounding the behemoth marble tower.
Bryan and I lay on our backs on the large marble benches, and looked up to the top of the pinnacle, where the crescent moon was just beginning to show.
We capped the day off with a delicious dinner with Andrea and her dad in Chinatown.
The next day Bryan and I tried to hit some Smithsonian museums (Natural History and Air & Space), the National Archives, and the Capitol.
With Andrea, we explored the fragrant National Botanical Gardens, the Supreme Court, and the Library of Congress. We ended the night in our nation's capital with a home-made stir fry a la Andrea's cooking skills! The next morning we went out to a local bakery and bade adieu to our dear friend, Andrea, and her sweet doggie, Beenie, and boarded a bus for $20 and headed off to New York City for the next leg of our trip…
(New York and Yale blog to come soon…)
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