First stop: World Trade Center
This being my third time here, the feeling still remains. It is a somber aurora that overcomes you when you walk the streets, past the fences around the WTC sites. Not able to take photos, one can just imagine the people trying to survive such a terrible day in the history of America.
Next, Statue of Liberty from afar
Katie had been here before but she had never been to the statue. So, we decided to head down near the Hudson River and see the Statue from the distance. We sat there with the sun beating down just gazing at the huge statue that means soo much to America!
Next, Time Square, Rockefeller, NBC, and Time and Life Building
Conveniently located near each other, we dodged the street vendors and advertisers to get a full view of Times Square. After taking our picture with Times Square billboards behind us, I showed her Rockefeller Square with all the flags and showed her the Time and Life Building, which I currently work in.
Being a tourist can be a lot of work, trying to pack everything into one day! So, since we were both tired, it was nap time... at Columbia! (yay for dorm beds...NOT).
Near Columbia, there is one of the most famous cafes in NYC- Cafe Lalo- where "You've got Mail" was filmed. We decided to venture over there for some tasty dessert- a mixed fruit tart and Key Lime Cheesecake.
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| Before! |
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| After! |
Now refreshed and full, we decided to head to Central Park in the heat of the day and sit in the shade and people watch. People were playing frisbee, playing their guitars while a group of zombies were being filmed! (weird!!).
After Central Park, we ventured back to Columbia where I packed my bags and we left for DC!
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| getting ready for the bus ride to DC! |
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| 9/11 Exhibit |
After arriving in DC at 2:30AM, we decided to go to sleep and wake up the next morning refreshed! First stop? Newseum!
The Newseum is a 250,000-square-foot museum of news and offers visitors an experience that blends five centuries of news history with up-to-the-second technology and hands-on exhibits. The Newseum features seven levels of galleries, theaters, retail spaces and visitor services. It offers a unique environment that takes museumgoers behind the scenes to experience how and why news is made. As a journalist and a communications major, this has to be one of my favorite museums I have been to. It was interesting to see the exhibit of 9/11 with the antenna from one of the buildings. Also, alongside the wall, there were all the front pages from the attacks that happened (pictured above).
After about 2.5 hours in the Newseum, we walked down the National Mall which is commonly referred to as the area between the Lincoln Memorial and the United States Capitol. On the way we ventured inside the American History Museum. The museum includes everything from the original Star-Spangled Banner and Abraham Lincoln’s top hat to Dizzy Gillespie’s angled trumpet and Dorothy’s ruby slippers from “The Wizard of Oz.”
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| Washington Monument! |
Just a little brisk walk through the mall, we ventured to the Washington Monument. It was build to commemorate the first president of the United States of America- George Washington. It is the worlds tallest stone structure and the worlds tallest obelisk standing at 555 ft.
Trudging through the heat in flip flops, we walked over the World War II memorial. The memorial is dedicated to the Americans who served in the armed forces and as civilians during the war.
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| Lincoln Memorial! |
Drenched in sweat, we decided to walk a little more and view the Lincoln Memorial, which was built to honor the 16th president of the US- Abraham Lincoln. The building is in the form of a Greek Doric and contains a large seated sculpture of Lincoln and inscriptions of two well-known speeches by Lincoln- The Gettysburg Address and his Second Inaugural Address. It also has been the sight of many famous speeches, including Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream"speech.
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| Front of the White House! |
Just a few blocks up the road was the White House, the home of the President. We decided to view the back side of the White House before walking around the block to view the front.
After a busy, long, hot day in DC, it was time for me to venture back to the Big Apple. After a great day in DC, I hopped on the bus and left for NYC. Being in DC for the day, makes me realize that I am lucky that I live in America. It has made me think of the core values of this country that I call home.
God Bless America!
