Discoveries about US

During our travels we discovered things about the US which we brainstormed below:

1. Coffee seems to only come in paper cups
2. They do not sprinkle cocoa in cappuchinos
3. There are lot of franchises except San Francisco
4. The dogs seem to be smaller in SF (are carried in bags)
5. San Francisco appears to have many homeless people.
6. Toilets look and flush differently in US.
7. You can do 10 mph faster than the speed limit stated and not get caught as everyone does it.
8. You can turn right when the traffic light is red (please note people drive on the right side)
9. No one EVER escaped from Alcatraz prison in SF (except for the ROCK!!!) (by Michael)
10. NYC is filled with yellow taxis and they like to beep their horns
11. Freeways in LA are crazy. 3 or more levels at a time
12. Nonnas cleaner "May" followed us around the USA because everday we went out we would come back to a tidy hotel room. (inside joke)
13. On the plane dad sat next to a 17 year old who didn't know where Australia was. He didn't even know it was in the southern hemisphere!!!
14. There are 98 Dunkin Donuts and 32 Starbucks in Boston in a city filled with universities
15. Chinese people in China Town NY tried to sell us baby turtles (dad didn't let steph have one)
16. (for Uncle Robert) Fire hydrants come in different colours.
17. You need a GPS to travel in the US as it is filled with freeways (some very complicated).
18. People in the US are nice and friendly and always willing to help.
19. Washington DC has too many rules: we were told off three times by policeman for sitting in the wrong spot (on steps near monuments).
20. The New England states which includes Maine is the prettiest place in the US.

Foggy San Francisco

It was very foggy this morning in San Francisco and we decided to hire bikes to travel on the Golden Gate Bridge, the iconic bridge of this city. We set off about 9.30 am with our bikes and made our way round to the bridge. Because of the fog we could only see part of the bridge. On the other side of the bridge was the town of Sausalito a mediterranean style village with lovely houses on the hill and some nice shops and cafes. There was no fog here and as it was a sunny day, the views of the bay were beautiful. We took a ferry back to San Francisco and on the way back we saw the island of Alcatraz which held a prison many years ago.

San Francisco

We are now in San Francisco the last of our spots to visit. We are getting tired of travelling and are quite ready to come home. But San Francisco is quite a pleasant city to visit and a nice one to finish off our trip. I am quite amazed at the hills of this city and the way the homes are built on them. San Francisco is known for its clam chowder in a bread bowl of sourdough and hence, Rob and I tried some. We have noticed San Francisco has less franchised fast food outlets (like Macdonald's) and in one of the art galleries today, one of the workers said it is because they fight against such franchises which adds to the unique quality of this city. We went in the cable cars today which was quite fun as we stand on the outside of them as it goes up the steep hills. There was fog this morning and quite cold. The temperature was forecasted for 19 degrees which is pretty cool . This apparently is the average for the summer here. More like our winter!

One of the cable cars that we rode on.


On the left is a picture of the 'crookest street in the world' which is a road which zigzags down because of the steep incline of the hill. There is a nice view of the bay and the road is beautifully landscaped.

Yosemite National Park

Today we went to the Yosemite National Park. We first saw some spectacular scenery in the Yosemite valley including the largest granite monolith in the world called El Capitan (which I think means the captain in Spanish). It was awe inspiring to be at the base of it and look up. We also saw a couple of waterfalls and then drove to the Glacier Point and were able to look at a birds-eye view of the valley. While driving, we also saw a bear run in front of us and go into the forest. It was exciting to see this and managed to take a photo of it.

Some photos of our trip

A parade that we saw in Washington DC on the Fourth of July. The float has Benjamin Franklin in case you didn't recognize him.

Mirella about to eat the lobster on our first day in Orono, Maine. Michael's host parents Connie and Ed prepared us a lovely meal of their state dish.

Disneyland and Universal Studios

While we were in Anaheim, we stayed in a hotel across the road from Disneyland. It gave us the chance to get there before the gates opened and so we were able to go to the rides which were more popular without having to wait for them. We did all the major attractions by 11 am and then went back to the hotel for a break and went back later. I was impressed by Disneyland...it was quite charming and the only cheeesiness I really found was the parade in the afternoon. The rides and attractions were high quality and impressive and of course, fun. Rob and I decided not to do the rollercoaster style rides which were only two on the list I had. We missed the fireworks at night because we were in a submarine doing the Nemo ride. Michael said he wished he was younger so he could get scared by some of the rides....Michael since being in USA has experienced some of the most thrilling rides at a theme park he went to.
Yesterday we went to Universal Studios...again another fun day. L.A sure know how to entertain! The attractions were movie based but similar to Disneyland. Michael said it was Disneyland for grownups. We did a tour of the studios and we got to see Wisteria Lane in Desperate Housewives, sets with special effects were amazing and surprisingly real.
Today we are departing for a town close to Yosemite National Park.

Now in Anaheim (where Disneyland is)

We finally left Las Vegas this morning quite happily may I add...it was not my favourite place but I am glad I saw it. It didn't help that it was over 40 degrees while we were there. The hotels were quite incredible and each one had a different theme and hence it was decorated accordingly. Our hotel was called New York New York so the outside looked like a mini version of New York with its iconic buildings and bridges and the inside was filled with restaurants and the vast gambling area. There was even a shoe shine man (New York is known for them) who I felt sorry for as no one was needing shoes to be shined as everyone was wearing casual shoes. There are lots of entertainment at these hotels and we even attended a very cheesy dinner show for $50 for the four of us. It was good value but there was a catch to getting these cheap tickets...Rob and I had to attend a 'time share' talk in the morning for 3 hours where the sales rep was trying to sell us a unit in Las Vegas....last place I would buy a unit.

Now in Las Vegas

Have not been writing on the blog as we have had limited time or lack of internet access. We went to Washington DC after New York which happened to be the 4th of July. We saw a parade down the street and the fireworks at night..similar to our Australia Day fireworks. One big difference was there was no drunken yobos anywhere. Drinking is prohibited in public places so obviously no one drank and hence everyone behaved themselves. Washington DC is quite grand with its buildings and monuments and a very pleasant and orderly place to visit.The next day we woke up at 4 am in the morning to catch a plane to Phoenix Arizona and hired a car to the Grand Canyon where we stayed the night. The canyon is quite spectacular but had some haze which was disappointing.
Now we are in Las Vegas which is such a contrast and quite overwhelming. Michael is quite excited to be here and caught up with his Swiss AFS friend who are planning to hang around together for a short time.

Last night in New York

We went to quite a unique Indian restaurant which was recommended to us by Michael's host dad's son who lives in New York. We found it after a while of walking through the area of where the locals live. The restaurant was only 1 1/2 m wide and about 3 m long and so we were all squashed in. It was strangely decorated in lights and Christmas decorations but it looked quite effective. Indian techno music to the tune of Happy Birthday was played a couple of times for birthday people. Of course, the food was delicious.
We used the subway for the last time in New York and glad...they were very hot in the New York summer.

New York

Yesterday morning we looked at the shops at 5th Ave (noticed I wrote 'looked' instead of buy) which were the exclusive sort. Rob would not buy me anything from Tiffany's or DeBeers but was prepared to buy me something in Chinatown that afternoon. What a difference in cultures! We explored little Italy and Chinatown in the afternoon which showed where the Italians and Asians migrated to. Little Italy was full of restaurants and some expensive cafes (we paid $5 for a coffee but we were tired and desperate) and Chinatown was full of shops selling produce including foods I have never seen before. It was also full of souvenir shops and people clandestinely trying to sell rolex watches and DVDs to passing tourists. And it also rained again.
Last night we went up the Empire State building....up 86 storeys! What a fantastic view! I am glad we saw the view at night as it would of been cloudy and smoggy here in the daytime and hence would of been disappointed.

Now in New York

Have not written in the blog as I have not had much time and have been dead tired by 9 pm. But we are in New York now and have been quite overwhelmed by it. Boston was nice with lots of history but my impressions of Boston have been marred by the 98 Dunkin Donouts and 42 Macdonalds fast food outlets on every corner and the rainy weather we encountered.
Driving in New York would not have been possible without the GPS, the best thing we brought with us. But we dropped the car in and now use the subways of New York. The weather has been very humid and when we went to Central Park yesterday we got caught in a thunderstorm and got soaked.
Today we saw Wall Street, Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, where the Twin towers used to be and Grand Central station. I managed to score 2 half price tickets to see a Broadway Musical Mary Poppins and the boys are going to a Yankees game (Baseball).