As Spring Term 2010 nears its end and everyone on campus starts looking more cheerful and increases their amount of daydreaming about upcoming holidays and opportunities to fulfil long-term plans, I am reminded of my Easter 2009 vacation to the fabulous US of A. The States seem to be a calling point and highlight for most people on a trip to the American continents and a planned final destination on a gap year, as indeed it should be, with its rich and varied landscape, hospitable and outspoken people, and home-cooked yet exorbitant food. Personally, it was one of the places I had planned to go since I attended an American Junior High and could never quite afford, until last year – one of the perks of holding down a job during term time. As I could only glean three weeks holiday from my employer, I had to carefully select which places I would visit and they had to be close enough to get between easily and cheaply, whilst far enough apart to give me some idea of the diversity of USA. I decided to tour as much of the Northeast Coast as I could get away with, including NYC, Niagara Falls, DC and Philly.
All my destinations were incredibly distinct, both from each other and any other place I had visited before. Even landing in JFK airport, I was awestruck and remember thinking that I had never seen such towering buildings and so much suburbia in my life – and I grew up in Singapore, one of the densest and busiest cities in the world. After that, I quickly realised that all the myths about New York City were true. With so much nightlife and a public transport system that operates regularly throughout the night, it is a city that never sleeps, and with such a huge population with a large proportion of migrants, it certainly appears like the capital of the world. The Empire State Building was probably the tallest building I have seen in my life, the West End was spectacular with a play or musical behind every façade, and the Statue of Liberty was stunning in all her glorious colours. In fact, there was such a huge choice of things to do, see and eat in NYC that a week was barely long enough, but I had to keep moving or I would never have seen the other cities.
From there, I travelled to Niagara Falls for a bit of peace and quiet after the bustling busy-ness of NYC. I found Niagara to be a strange place, with the US city very much like any other less wealthy, downtown centre and the Canadian side resembling a toy town or fairground. This was hardly surprising as it is frequently visited by young United Statesians eager for some legal drinking and gambling. The Canadian Niagara Falls seems to comprise three sections – the neon toy town, a collection of very swanky hotel complexes and eateries, the thundering yet tranquil Falls themselves and a run-down section behind the tourist scene for the locals which was cheaper than everywhere else but emitted feelings of tragic gloom. I recommend a visit out of season when there is a smaller crush of tourists and things are calmer, and to head out of town towards either Lake Eerie or Lake Ontario along the Niagara River.
USA is a huge country and I was never more aware of this than on the train between Niagara Falls and Washington DC, taking over 12 hours to cover a tiny percentage of America’s enormous size. No place I visited was quite as striking as NYC although DC came a close second. With an extensive collection of Capital buildings to visit and tour, I was particularly impressed when, strolling through President’s Park near the White House, I saw George Bush Jr. out on a morning run surrounded by all his bodyguards. I remember thinking that he was truly a man of the people and that you would never have caught Queen Elizabeth II or Tony Blair in a similar state. DC also includes the world’s largest, cheapest and best museum complexes in the world. With over 19 museums, 9 research centres and a zoo, there is never a shortage of activities. The problem is trying to fit as many of these in as possible until you either run out of time or contract museum fever.
With only two days left before having to leave and return to work and university life, I had very little time remaining to visit Philadelphia. With careful planning, a good pair of walking shoes, lots of rest before and after on the Greyhound Bus, and many short stops in Starbucks for cheap coffee and rice krispie cakes, I saw all the tourist sites – The National Mint, the Philadelphia Bell, Liberty Place, City Hall and the Delaware River. Then had time to wander the wide, tree-lined avenues that leave a tranquil imprint on the mind interwoven with the gorgeous bright colours of an American spring whilst munching on is conceivably the world’s most fattening, unhealthy and enjoyable sandwich, the Philly Cheese-steak.
This year, I failed to negotiate as much time off work so will probably be heading off to some part of Cornwall for a week, but the memories of one of the most enjoyable and gratifying holidays of my life will stay with me for a long time, and as soon as I can, I will be heading back over the pond to continue my explorations of such an awe-inspiring continent. In the meantime, I strongly encourage all those who have yet to head West to do so as soon as you can.
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