29/11/2009
Bit of a funny fact while at the Niagara falls.
We had parked the car all the way behind the falls and we had walked back until the bridge that connects the two countries. It's a pretty long walk, so we decided to hitchhike back to the car. Yes, the ride would be about 5 minutes, but we were feeling lazy enough to do it. It was around 1pm, on a very sunny day and lots of people were around, enjoying the wet view, but we were in a hurry to go for a winery tour.
We got off the bridge, started walking on the road and when a car appeared, I quickly raised my thumb. To my surprise, the dude stopped straight away! Never before had I managed to hitch a ride with the very first attempt!
We open the door, get in the car and both myself and H. get overwhelmed by a very strong smell of weed! "WOAH" we both thought. I look at the driver and it's a guy in his early 30s, smoking a joint! I remind you, it's pretty early on a sunny sunday afternoon.
Very friendly and jolly guy and without hesitation, he proceeded to explaining about how in Canada one is allowed to grow and own weed for medicinal purposes. Of course, the talk lasted a whole 3 minutes until we arrived at the car park where I had my car.
We get out, he drives off, we look at each other and we go: "Yeap. THAT just happened!"
M.
29/11/2009
The following day I left D.C. and drove up north once again. Next stop: Niagara falls.
However, the way to the falls is a turning point, as I will be no longer traveling alone for a while. As pre-arranged, as made a quick stop at JFK airport, where my friend H. was gonna be arriving, in order for us to join forces and travel together.
We made it to Niagara, and Canada more specifically, where we stayed for a night with E., a friend through CouchSurfing that I had never before been lucky enough to meet in person.
Entering Canada...
I've been violated!
Going to Niagara falls has always been a dream of mine. However, I was never especially passionate about it. I wanted to go there, mainly because everyone would mention these falls every so often. They would be used as a metaphor to show great water flow, or as a form of exageration. Also, it would always be an attraction that would get mentioned whenever someone would talk about a holiday in the USA: "Oh yeah, and the Niagara falls. You have to see those...". Visiting the falls, I realised that Canada has an equal share (if not a better one) of the falls as the US do.
The bridge that connects the USA with Canada
Straddling the two countries
After a number of attempts, we gave up on the idea of trying to fit both of us AND the falls in the same photo
Now, being close to the moment that I would see them, I was prepared for dissapointment. I was not expecting to see anything breathtaking nor new. And indeed, I was not proven wrong.
Behind the falls
Yeap. Lots of water indeed...
Niagara falls itself, in my humble opinion, is nothing to write home about. The falls form the natural border between Canada and the USA and other than the fact that millions of gallons of water flow through that border on a daily basis, there isn't much more to say about them. There's nothing really spectacular about the scenery and especially after having seen the Iguazu falls in Argentina, this to me was nothing more than a running tap...
This was the most beautiful image I saw out there. Funny how no part of the falls is portrayed.
What kind of human visits the niagara falls to have their photo taken in front of a photo??
So, Niagara Falls: check. Back to the US of A now and specifically to Keego Harbor, Michigan.
M.
27/11/2009
Last thursday of november is when Thanksgiving is celebrated. It is possibly one of (if not THE) the most important holidays in the United States and is celebrated traditionally amongst a huge family, with a big, stuffed turkey dominating the center of the dinner table. My friend J., with whom I stayed for a few days in New York, invited me to spend the festive days with her and her family in Washington D.C.
With J.
D.C., the capital of the nation, is a pretty strange city. It's generally very quiet, but also very touristy. And the funny thing is, all tourists come here to see governmental buildings. Sure, everyone loves a monument or two, but the majority of people come to see the white house, the capitol, the supreme court etc... Isn't that really bizarre? Those buildings having nothing extravagant when it comes to their structure or architecture. Instead, everyone comes to visit them for their status in the political world. I bet that if the very same buildings were located in Madagascar, not as many people would look forward to taking their picture in front of them.
The beautiful autumn colors
Shouldn't the reflecting pool have a bit more water in it?
The subway had something different about it...
Just one pointer. Make sure you visit the Albert Einstein statue!! If you only have time to do one thing in the city, do that! You can find it behind the bushes, on the right of the Lincoln monument. :)
Assing out with Einstein
Within a day, we were done with the touristy side of D.C. and we went on to the grub. Thursday night and we're going with J. to her aunt's place for the big feast. Now, had I mentioned that J. is russian? Well, she is. And so is the rest of her family. So, there I was, spending thanksgiving in the U.S. with a big russian family that had prepared a humongous feast that included a bit of turkey somewhere amongst all the dishes.
It was a very surreal and beautiful image at the same time. People of all ages, having left their country many years ago, being all gathered around a big table, celebrating a strong north american tradition, while still maintaining their own culture, habits and style. It really felt like I was in Russia, and not in the US. I really admired they way they lived and spent that significant day. It was truly very inspiring and traditional or not, I don't think I could have spent a better thanksgiving elsewhere.
Thank you J. :)
M.
24/11/2009
In one of the stops of the New York subway I discovered a big art project. The artist is called Tom Otterness and the tile of this project is Life Underground. What it consists of is a huge collection of bronze little statues in various poses and everyday life moments.
I will not show you every single one, as there are too many, but a collection of my favourite ones instead. If you wish to see it, all you have to do is go to New York and take the subway to 8th Avenue stop. :)
M.
24/11/2009
After a short stop at Cornelius, North Carolina where I visited C. and J. for a relaxing few days, I moved on to New York, or as it's commonly known, the Big Apple. Once again, boy was I taken by surprise!
During my ten days in the city, although I was trying to insert my own, slow and relaxed pace of living every day, the amount of things I crammed in there is simply unreal. To get an idea of how those days felt for me, try to read the following paragraph in one breath and as fast as you can.
Arrive, make monocle and dress up as the combination of a drug lord/professor/duke, go to indian-themed party, convince everyone your name is Socrates and that you lived in a bathtub, go to brooklyn, go to party involving kiddie-pools, movies and beer, walk up all 5th avenue and hate it, meet your mom for lunch, visit statue of liberty, meet annoying greeks and remember why you fled the country, walk around more, view crazy streets performances, scare the locals, do a photo project in the subway, look for the perfect burger, walk all the way to times square (they do not show the time anywhere), go to burner happy hour (yeay), find secret underground bars, have an international food tour all around New York, learn how to walk and jump on stilts, look for the perfect bagel, get served chocolate wine (horrible) by a hyperactive bartender high on cocaine, be an extra in a burning man filming (don't wash the playa dust off), walk up 5th avenue (again), explore central park, look for the perfect pizza, meet your friend from Colombia, get in to the museum of modern art for free and watch the Tim Burton exhibition, look for the perfect cheesecake.
The duke! (?)
A very morbid image
Eastern Manhattan by night
The Brooklyn bridge (and again below)
The lady herself
The Manhattan skyline
Burning Man filming
http://www.tilesforamerica.com/
Times Square (Am I the only one thinking that it's so bizarre that they do not show the time anywhere?)
Delicacies in Chinatown
Central Park
At the Tim Burton Exhibition
Are you still alive? Coz I barely made it... New York is a very fast-paced city. Lots of things happening all the time, lots of things to do, lots of people to meet, streets to walk, experiences to try, neighborhoods to explore. Everyone is always in a hurry and if you're walking slowly, it feels as if you're in a completely different dimension. The world around you is passing by in ridiculous speeds and you're observing it as everyone is getting so stressed out.
Despite all that, ten days in New York are far from sufficient! I could have easily spent as much more (and more and more) and would have still been discovering hidden little corners and gems.
As someone very correctly pointed out to me, in order to live in New York, you need to be determined and have a purpose. You would need to make a lot of sacrifices, so you better be ready to be fully committed to what you want to achieve, otherwise you'll never enjoy yourself. Personally, as a tourist, I enjoyed myself to the max! Let's see if my path brings me here for a more temporary visit next time. :)
M.
While in Birmingham, I chilled for a couple of days at a friend's place out in the fields.
Zach, who was introduced to me by D. is a craaaaaaaaaayze dude who lives in a dreamy house in the middle of nowhere, amongst the cotton fields. At night, you hear nothing but the crickets and the coyotes. During the day, you hear nothing but Zach's insane, louder-than-Harleys laughter and his 2 dogs. To get an idea, his back yard has a huge, peaceful pond in the middle.
I spent a couple of days out there doing nothing but relaxing and chatting for hours on end with someone I consider a close, new friend.
Feeling rested and rejuvenated, I'm headed up north for a few skydiving stops. :)
M.
Due to a couple of things that were thrown at me (referring more to ideas, rather than bottles), I decided to leave New Orleans a bit early and head up to Alabama. Birmingham to be more precise. The first place I was taken to visit was -dramatic music and deep voice applied- THE SLOSS!!!
Sloss Furnaces used to operate as an iron producing furnace that got shut down almost 40 years ago. Nowadays, it operates as a museum. Most interesting thing about it though is that it is considered to be one of the most haunted locations in the US, due to its history of work accidents and murders that took place.
Have a look at the photos below and let me know if they give you the chills or not... ;)
Maybe the dude just hiked the Grand Canyon...
The terror is obvious in our eyes!
We need to get out of here, FAST!
I ain't afraid of no ghosts...
Sloss from the top (I was not supposed to be there).
Did I mention that the best Halloween Haunted House party is held here annually? hehe
M.
Posts
