Road Trip, Stop 3: Washington, DC.

The third stop on my quick tour of the Atlantic US was to Washington, D.C.  This was only my second trip to the capital city.  The first trip I made there was a few years ago with my father to check out Gallaudet´s grad programme in bilingual education.

This trip, I got to spend some more time and view more of the sites.  The city was over 100´F (38´C) each day, so time outside was limited, but the trip was definitely worth it.

The main reason I went to D.C. was to visit my friend Laura, who I had not seen in a year or two, so I stayed with her during my stay.  When she wasn´t working, she was my tour guide.  On the first night I was in DC we went to a movie in the park.  We went along with a deaf friend of hers to see one of the Bourne movies, but I can´t remember which one (I think it was the last one).  It was pretty to have a movie in the park right off the river.

On the second day, I travelled around and saw the many monuments at the Mall.  I got to see the Washington Memorial (inaccurately named Monument because it was not completed before his death).  I also went to the Lincoln Memorial and was surprised to find that they have the first few lines of the "I have a Dream Speech" engraved on the floor, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered  the speech.

That night we went to an Major League Soccer (MLS) match between the DC United and the New England Revolution.  Unfortunately both teams have been struggling this year and last, but are usually decent franchises, at least by US standards.  They could never compete with the likes of FC Barcelona or even the lowly Real Madrid Club de Fútbol.  The United had the first real chance to strike, with an unwarranted penalty kick, which was saved by the Revolution´s keeper.  Later on, in the 86th minute (I might be off a bit), the Revolution went ahead 1-0, and held on for the win.  So, Laura was happy that it wasn´t a shut out match.  I was happy that New England won, but sad we didn´t get to see any red cards (player ejections), but it was a decent match anyway.  It was also a nice cheap price.  Because it was student night, we each got in for $15 a piece and sat in the, I think 6th row almost at midfield.

I also got to see the war memorials and the other monuments on the Mall, but I was disappointed to learn that the reflecting pool is currently being renovated, and so, right now it is just a large hole.  But the Mall as a whole is still very impressive.  I was surprised that you really can´t see more than 2 of the monuments at a time, no matter where you are standing.  I liked that the Washington Memorial was right in the centre, and from there you could see each of the other main attractions (Capitol, White house, Lincoln Memorial, World War II Memorial).   The last day I was there I took Laura´s advice and went to the Old Post Office, which had a tower that you can climb up (or elevator up) to see the whole of Washington at once.  Unfortunately they have weird bars on the windows that make picture taking rather difficult, but the view is still worth seeing.

On that day I also went to Gallaudet again to get updated information on their Masters programmes, who knows, maybe I´ll apply to go there in the next few years.


The morning I left, Laura and I decided to venture to Alexandria, Virginia for breakfast, where we got to walk the length of town (twice) to check out their farmers´ market and waterfront.  It is a pretty city, I wish we had more time there, but we had to rush back so I could catch my bus to NYC.

Second Stop: Philadelphia and Media, PA

After New York City, my next stop was to Philadelphia and Media, Pennsylvania.  In Media I got to visit my friends Jess Holmes (soon to be Borthwick) and Mark Borthwick.  They live in Media, a little down in the outskirts of Philadelphia, just a metro ride away from the downtown.

On one night in Media, Jess, Mark and I went to see the Rockaphillies in Media´s big park, which hosts five nights of arts in the parks every week during the summer (The Rockaphillies said that they didn´t know of any town that had more than that).  It was a nice venue nestled into a natural amphitheatre.  

My first day in Pennsylvania, Jess took me around to see the sights in Philadelphia.  We checked out Independence Hall, The Liberty Bell (only from the outside, because the line to get inside is very long, and you can see it just fine from outside) The Bridge to New Jersey and the rest of the downtown area.  My favourite part however, was the Once Upon a Nation storytellers.  There are 13 rounded benches throughout the city at important landmarks where you can find theatric storytellers who will share with you a story of something that happened in that part of the city.  We heard several stories during day, including one about a slave from the south who shipped himself in a box through the mail service to freedom in Philadelphia, a famous British Singer who fought her wealthy husband over the living conditions kept for his slaves in the South, The Signer and an explosive party in Philadelphia.

New York City con mi hermanita, parts 1 and 2

A few weeks ago I took a little trip to see the signs of the Atlantic Coast (part of it at least) and to visit some friends along the way.  My first stop as well as my last stop were  to visit my little sister in Manhattan.  Allie moved into a studio apartment near Sutton Place back in the winter, and this was my first chance to check out her new place.  

I was thrilled to see her, it was the first time we had seen each other since we were both in Cobleskill at the beginning of January.  During the first visit we decided to just wander around her neighborhood and check out all of the little parks on Sutton Place, next to the River.  Most of the streets that end at Sutton Place have a small public area for watching the river, playing chess, walking dogs or just enjoying the outdoors, without being surrounded by buildings.

On my second visit to the Big Apple, we took the gondola to Roosevelt Island to see where our parents went on their first date.