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Published: August 7th 2007
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written by Miss Wendy O Washington, DC We left Virginia behind and headed to the capital of the USA. But, does Washington Dull City (DC) live true to its reputation? It’s hard not to feel a sense of awe and disbelief when finally standing on the doorstep of the gleaming monuments and iconic buildings so often seen in movies and on the news. Although not quite making it onto the doorstep of the White House, peering through the gates at the presidential palace and black sedans with tinted glass parked in the driveway, was a surreal experience.
The Mall, also known as the Nations front lawn, is a 400ft wide park connecting the White House, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial and the Capitol and home to DCs most famous monuments and museums. We arrived late, parked up and took a stroll through the mall. It was packed with locals and workmates playing softball (that’s Rounders for us Brits), footie and having fun. We soaked in the sights and visited the park’s memorials as the sun was setting.
We then turned our focus to our tummies and headed to Georgetown, a funky area of DC (yes, believe it
or not there is one), packed with tasty restaurants and cute boutique shops. Yum.
The mall sports inspired us to run around the park the next evening and put our Hemp Frisbee to the test. At least the Hemp material helped to minimize injury when it didn’t quite reach my target. We took in sunset at the Jefferson Memorial before escaping the mosquitoes and taking cover in Argie.
Before leaving DC the next day, we visited the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. It is a haunting memorial to WWII Holocaust victims. It was very disturbing.
So, verdict….. Washington DC is green, bursting with character, fun and beautiful. DC now officially stands for Delightful City.
New Jersey We headed North, through Maryland, and camped overnight in Delaware (or Dela-Where?) in the worst thunderstorm I’ve ever experienced. The thunder was so loud, it sounded like gunshots in our tent. Terence the Tent however stood up to the challenge and kept us bone dry.
The next day we headed into New Jersey, a trip down memory lane for Stuart who used to live there for a couple of years and was very excited about catching up with
some old buddies. En Route to the Morristown area up North, we headed to Long Beach Island on the New Jersey coast (also known as The Shore) to take a dip in the Atlantic. The beach was packed and the waves ruthless.
Famous for Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Big Hair and the Sopranos, New Jersey is also known as the Garden State. It’s green and lush and on our drive North we passed heaps of small fresh fruit and veg stores selling gorgeous juicy produce. First stop up North was Da Hotel de Mark y Nancy. Very fancy indeed and fine wine on arrival! Mark, his mate Pat, Stuart and I headed for the Dublin Pub for a few cheeky ones where Stuart was reunited with Joe and Jose, old mates from AT&T.
The next day we stopped over at Hotel de Eric y Laura. Yet again, another fine establishment with a luscious pool just around the corner where we indulged in a tasty picnic and some lethal homemade margaritas. We met Eric and Laura’s neighborhood friends and if I’m not mistaken, the local town councilor took a bit of a shine to Stuart.
New York Although we’d had a quick visit to New York City en route to South America from Africa back in March, it would be rude not to visit the city that never sleeps and my favorite city in the world when so close, so we hopped on a train for a weekend in the Big Apple.
We headed straight for the board walks of Coney Island where we hung out on the pier and braved the old, rusty Ferris Wheel and dodgems and soaked up the atmosphere. That night we found our favorite spot, a jazz bar called The Garage in Greenwich Village. We originally found it back in March before heading to Buenos Aires so took a trip down memory lane and ordered a bottle of Nortons Vino from Mendoza, Argentina.
We were staying at Jazz On The Park Hostel which was just beside Central Park, so we kicked off our morning the next day with a run around the Park. What a perfect start to the day. Then it was time for some serious retail therapy. We had a slight problem with space in our backpacks so I had to settle for a MASSIVE ROCK instead!
Arguably one of the best days of my life. We said goodbye to New York City and set off West with our memories.
Turtles on Tour Turtles do The Shore We later found out that, to prevent randoms taking a dip in most New Jersey beaches along the shore, you are required to purchase a beach permit. How ridiculous! The locals are clearly very precious when it comes to their beaches. I guess that would explain the disapproving looks we got when we stripped off under the cover of our travel towels to change into our swimmers. Smoothly done, if you ask me. Definitely got the impression that Gypsies weren't all that welcome without a freshly polished manicure and blonde highlights. Wouldn't it have been a mad twist of karma if one particular Turtle might have accidently weed in their precious sea? Ha ha....
New Jersey, a suburb of New York When travelling through South America, Stuart and I met a New Jersey local who, thinking we had no knowledge of the States, told us he was from New Jersey, a suburb of New York. He quickly realised to his horror that we knew
where New Jersey was and walked away sheepishly. Tony Soprano would have kicked his ass.
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Stephen Paul
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First and Last
I love the first and last pictures! 5 stars for me. Nice blog, are you really still in the east? Or are you sitting in a hotel in Gallup, NM catching up on blogs?! :)