East Coast Tour 2010

-
I'm planning an East Coast trip for October; not only a chance to see my favorite parts of the U.S., but a chance to reconnect with good friends.

My dream schedule is: fly to Chicago, visit the Art Institute, take a bus to Minneapolis and hang out with R. for two days; fly to NYC,  hang out with a few Peace Corps friends for a few days, bus to Boston to see E. who just moved there for work, back to NYC to take the Chinatown bus to D.C. and stay with friends there for a few days, fly to Orlando and see N., backtrack to Atlanta for a day or two, then fly home from Atlanta. Sounds great, eh?

Most likely, though, I'll fly to either D.C. or NYC (whichever is cheaper) and take the bus between DC, NYC and Boston, then fly home.

NYC is truly one of my favorite places on Earth. I've mentioned before that it is not as developed as Shanghai, but it has a flavor and character I adore. I need to add to my historical buildings photography project, go to Washington Heights, Chinatown, and eat much falafel and Indian food.

Here is a picture of me at the George Washington bridge in Washington Heights-- my favorite bridge. (Wow, my hair was short! And what a fake smile.)

















I can't wait for my trip!

Comments

Wayfaring Wanderer said…
You're back! I think I'd be dying to venture to familiar territory after leaving China.

Sounds like a great tour you have lined up there. Happy travels!

~WW
Saturday, September 25, 2010
M said…
Sweet ! Ok I have a favor to ask you: if you see any photography student at the SAIC please can you report to me? I want to apply there and I have no idea of how the space and atmosphere are and all... Thanks :D
Bon voyage.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
yrautca said…
Sounds like a fun trip. If you are going to be in Chicago I invite you to have a coffee with me.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Busy Bee Suz said…
Your dream tour sounds fabulous!!!
I hope you are able to see all the sights and special people on your list!!!
Love your semi-fake smile. :)
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Mandy said…
I think that sounds fabulous!! Are you going to blog your journey? Catching up with friends and visiting some familiar stomping grounds is always enjoyable.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Ileana said…
You have so much to look forward to next month! Lucky you!!

I, too, love NYC and have not been there in years. Enjoy your travels, Chica! You look great in that photo. Love the view...and your coat and "fake" smile (it doesn't look fake to me!). :)
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Stephanie said…
Oh it sounds like a great plan. I bet traveling by bus in the US will be much different then your adventures in China!
Monday, September 27, 2010
Technodoll said…
You love big cities enough for the both of us, girl! I live vicariously through your adventures and travel, you know... seriously. You're one of my biggest windows to the world :)
Monday, September 27, 2010
Tracey Axnick said…
If you wind up in Atlanta, let me know... I'd love to meet you in person! :)
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Quick Notes

-
I cut my hair today, it now looks like Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction. It took two hours, it was the most meticulous haircut I have ever received. He was amazing. I wish I could take him with me to Chongqing. Tomorrow I move into a hotel with the other volunteers in downtown Chengdu. We have a few days of meetings and then I move to Chongqing on Wednesday. It's about 4 hours away by train. Our new school helps us move, I am crossing my fingers they bring a car or some strong men to help! My suitcases are hella heavy. We had a banquet last night for our host families. The power went out so we ate in the dark, and then we decided to move to a restaurant next door where dinner started all over again. It was a very China evening. I will post pics asap.
Read more

This One Time I Thought I Was Really Hot (But It Was Just The HVAC Talking)

-
Back in San Antonio, my friend Stacey had asked me to pick her up from the airport. It was full summer, and for those of you who haven't been in San Antonio in the summertime, you know that expression 'hot as an oven'? Well, I like to say San Antonio summers are 'hot as downwind from an exhaust pipe.' (Which means when you actually are downwind from an exhaust pipe, things get really unpleasant.) It's quite common for there to be a temperature difference of 35-40 degrees between indoor and outdoor air during a San Antonio summer. True story: I had a small heater at my work desk and turned it on in the summer, not winter, because the air conditioning was on so high in our building I froze to death at my desk. So anyway, I go straight from the gym to the airport to pick up Stacey. It's 10 pm but still around 100 degrees outside. Inside, it's a balmy 60 or so. Gotta give those tourists a false sense of comfort! I'm pacing a bit in the baggage area wa...
Read more

Really?!?? AKA, Cultural Mishaps in China, They Will Happen

-
After judging a speech competition all morning at a school that is not my own, I was asked to hand out the second place prizes. They also asked some other teachers, but I missed the details because they only gave them in Chinese and I didn’t understand everything. I was only supposed to hand out 4 of 12 prizes. But the prize girl kept handing me certificates, so I kept handing them out, while the audience laughed at me. I didn’t know what was going on, so I just kept going until someone stopped me. Later, I was interviewed for the school news, on video, and the girl interviewing me asked me this question: Random Girl: “When you made the mistake and everyone was laughing at you, what did you feel inside?” Really, random girl? Really? On camera you ask me this? Really? Two years ago, this would have devastated me. Now, I just have to laugh and say, “Oh well! Such is life in China.” Cultural mistakes will be made. It happens. For the record, I told her I felt that it is maybe go...
Read more