This post follows my last post: Thoughts About New York City. I went to New York and Washington DC last month, and I had amazing experience. I have been living in the west coast for the entire time I am in the US, so visiting the east coast was exciting.
1. A lot of Government, Historical and Education Places: There were places like Capitol Hill, White House, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Art Galleries and other Museums. All the main US government work here and all the regulation is happening there. There were a lot of famous people such as Martin Luther King Jr. Franklin Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson etc. were honored here. My favorite ones were the Art Galleries and Memorials. I wished could spend a day in the galleries looking at the paintings and memorials reading the quotes from the famous people if I can.
2. Free Admissions to the Sightseeing Places: I was happy that everything I posted above did not have to pay anything to see. They were gorgeous building with long history. I felt students live in Washington DC is so privileged because they have access to all those useful educational tools.
3. Get in Line Early to Get the Ticket Places: I was surprised that people have to arrive TWO HOURS before the . I arrived to Washington Monument for ticket at 6:40am, there were already this many people waiting in front of me. I waited with them for nearly two hours and the
4. Beautiful Night View: The night view of Washington DC was absolutely speechless. Usually the night view in other cities were lights of buildings and city lights, but Washington was the lights shining from the Memorial Center. What an unique night view!!
5. Every Sight Scenes are in the Walking Distance: I was glad that most sightseeing places were in the walking distance from the hotel I stayed. They were all closed together from block to block. Even the longest distance ones were only 2 miles away. We walked a lot when we were in DC.
All in all, visiting Washington DC is very feasible. Almost everywhere is free and walking distance, so no need pay for admission and transportation. I visited New York City before Washington DC; I already felt a lot of history in NYC, and I even saw more historical status in DC. West Coast is definitely very different from East Coast. I realized there were not a lot of culture in West Coast.
It was SO MUCH fun visiting New York City again (I visited three years ago) This time I got to see more places than last time. I have a few thoughts about the city. Theses are based on my journals; I felt following facts represent New York City.
1. Musicals and Shows: There were endless great musicals and shows to watch. We had hard time deciding which to go see. I wished we could watch more. We chose "The Phantom of the Opera." It was AMAZING!! The music, actors, performance, stage etc. were very good. The hall was PACKED with people. I wish I could set closer to the stage, so I could see the actors' face clearly. May be next time, either spend more money or get in line for hours to buy the best deal tickets.
2. Historical Buildings/Places and Popular Sightseeing Spots: There were many meaningful and historical buildings and places in New York such as Empire State Building, Status of Liberty, Wall Street, Washington Square Park etc. I knew there were movies had been made and many famous people lived there. Most buildings have long history that worth study. While I was in New York, I experienced the developing culture of the US. There were also popular sightseeing spots as well such as Central Park. It was absolute beautiful. They are ALL must see in New York. We were running out of time visit them all. A trip in New York definitely require at least three days.
3. Horrible Traffic: Walking in New York City was the MOST stressful part of the trip due to crowd of people on the street. Even driving would make you go NUTS!! The cars moved slowly because there were ALWAYS people and traffic. Moreover it was easy to get lost. Furthermore, some nights, we were having trouble sleeping because the it was extremely noisy outside because of police cars and fire trucks. New York City is "the town, which never sleeps." We wonder how can people living in New York survive this traffic everyday.
4. Various Food Places: There were A LOT of restaurants, cafes, bakeries, etc. in New York. If you are a foodie like me, you will LOVE New York. Exploring those food places will never finish. Near Times Square, almost every block had numerous places and none of them seem to be bad. New York even has "China Town" and "Little Italy", so the food choice very diverse. The most famous food are New York Cheesecake and Pizza. Almost every bakery had cheesecake and there were MANY pizza places. You can always find a place to eat and it has food from all over the world.
5. Pricy: Despite that everything (Food, Lodging, Tours) were EXPENSIVE, there were HIGH taxes and tips to pay. On top of that, maids and tour guides were still asking for additional cash for their service. To be feasible in New York, take the public transit such as subway, sightseeing without a tour, eat only pizza, baked goods, and fast food, and willing to get in line for long time for the good deal show tickets.
Lastly, I'd like to say, the sightseeing in New York City is unending.... There are countless places to see, the shows to watch, restaurants to try, and buildings to visit and revisit.
First, Thank You Very Much EVERYONE!! I did not expect my last girl talk will turn out to be so well. I saw likes and shares on Facebook, which made me very happy. I hope to continue this series. It will be the first post of every month and each Girl Talk will start with a "confession".
Confession: Dating scares me. First, I did not know how flirt. Sometimes I do not even know I was flirting or someone was flirting with me. I also try not get into relationships nor go out on an "official date". I do go have meal, cup of coffee, and hang out with my guy friends occasionally, but I never called that a "date". Moreover, I am a shy person, so I never make the first move. I always let the guy do it. Furthermore, I am afraid of getting rejected, break-ups, etc., so I avoid dating. Lastly, I feel stressed out when I can not read a guy's mind or a guy misread my mind.
However, I had a dream for my perfect boyfriend back in my teenage years. Now, I realized how silly I was making the list and daydreaming. When I entered my 20s, I learned to face the reality. Fairy tale does not exist. I stopped believe in true love because life is not like fairly tale. Later I found out that believe in true love is different from believing in fairly tale. True love exist; however not like the fairy tale. Also dating is not complicated, it is about searching for the right fit. I do not have to be afraid. Plus good guys do exist. It took me a long time for me to understand dating is fun.
I am not a dating expert nor very experienced in actual dating, I did learned several facts by talking to guys and watching people around me date. First, you have to know who you are looking for. The guy does not have to be the "ideal" guy you dream as an teenager, but you have to know what kind of "actual guy" you like. The reason I still have struggle dating is because I did not know who I am looking for. If you already have the idea of your interest, your dating life will be less ambiguous. Another fact is age does not matter. I have talked guys who are six years younger, six years older and same age as me. I did not feel anything weird among all. Age does not represent anything and understand that every guy is different. Try to date different kind of guys. Last but not the least, there should be mutual friends, have things in common, and similar goals. These are very important especially if you consider the long term relationship. Two people must share same interests and able to hang out with same types of group.
Girls: I hope you liked this post and found helpful. Have fun dating!! Do not be scared, and be bold sometimes. Share your thoughts and experience about dating with me if you can.
PS. Right now, I feel I am dating this blog. I rather stay home and write blogs than go out on a date:)
