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Hi y'all!
Just back from our brilliant 8 days in the USA. Mal had never been State side before and Nat had only visited many moons ago back in her high school days.
We had three nights in Washington DC and five nights in New York City. We had been told by several people that American's in America (as opposed to American tourists!) were lovely, friendly and welcoming and this definitely proved to be the case.
As expected, Washington was paradise for a Hisory/Political geek such as Mal, with world famous sites and monuments everywhere you turned. Seeing the White House (including one of Obama's daughters playing with her dog on the South Lawn), JFK's grave, Capitol Hill and the Lincoln and FDR Memorials up close and personal were all memorable experiences. Equally being asked for proof of age in a bar was a wonderful nostalgic moment for Mal in particular!
We travelled to New York by train which gave us the opportunity to see some of the countryside on the way including Baltimore and Philadelphia.
New York is a wonderful experience. Like London, but ten fold! We had very busy days (14 hours between leaving and returning to our hotel room each day!) and took in many of the iconic sights. Views from Rockerfeller and Empire State Buildings were spectacular, particularly the sunset from the Rock (see photos!). The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Immigration Centre were memorable and we were fortunate to book our tickets ahead in order to climb to the pedestal of Lady Liberty (the Crown tickets were sold out months in advance!). Our standout experience in New York was visiting the site where the Twin Towers once stood. Our guided tour of the area was by two guys who had luckily escaped from the towers. Their description of the day was absolutely remarkable and the time spent on this tour and in the visitors centre/museum was similar to the atmosphere when visiting a holocaust memorial or concentration camp......very emotional. We took in a performance of West Side Story on Broadway which was a great experience and loved being in Times Square at night. We also enjoyed walking in Central Park, admiring the beautiful Fall colours, visiting the many galleries, museums, diners and bars and trying to get a grip with the technical aspects of baseball and gridiron as seen in almost every bar!
We now return to prepare for our second Scottish winter! Hope this finds you all well.
Love Mal and Nat
- comments
Cindy So you're on a holiday again?? Good for you! Good pictures, especially the sunsets... We'll email you soon. Love, Cindy & Koen