The Capitol : Washington DC

Washington DC is one of those places in the US which are a 'must-tick'. Honestly, I don't think its anything out of this world or a place you cannot do without visiting, but still it's something we all still think of visiting just because its the Capital City of the most powerful country in the world! So anyways, we did a weekend trip to Washington this summer and spent about two days in the capital city.

I would categorise the places to visit in DC as of two types, museums and government buildings/memorials. Most of these places are located very close to each other, on both sides of the National Mall starting with the Capitol on one side and ending with the Lincoln Memorial.

It's not that easy to visit all these places in a car though, as parking is tough to find and apparently expensive. The best way to explore the city is either by walking or taking one of the hop-on-hop-off buses which take you to all the places to visit. So, we stayed in a hotel outside of town and then took the shuttle to town and explored it on foot.

We started at one end of the Mall, with the Capitol, which is this huge parliament in white. It's pretty and it's huge, I guess keeping in line with the majestic squares that imperialist countries in Europe used to build to awe visitors. That's the feeling that you get when you see the Capitol and the buildings around it. Its all open, green, with some water bodies and fountains and surrounded by massive buildings all around. The Capitol is worth seeing from the inside but for that you need to book the tour at least a couple of days before. We did not do that so had to contend with just the outside:).

Just behind the Capitol as you walk on the mall, you cross the reflecting pool which has some botanical gardens around it. Crossing those, you will pass in front of many museums: Art, Sculpture, Space, American History, Natural History and so on. All these museums are run by the Smithsonian organisation and have a free entry. Have heard they are very good but we did not get a chance to see them from the inside, so can't say for sure.

As you walk along, you pass other government buildings or see them at a distance, the National Archives, Supreme Court, Reagen Buildings etc. They all look magnificent and give you an aura of being at a different kind of place.

Near the end of this Mall, you will see at the right side possibly the most photographed building of DC, the White House. It has a huge playing field called the Ellipse just in front of it. But the house isn't as huge as you would expect to be. Its this little white building which you can see from a distance with green gardens all around and a fountain in front. You still get yourself photographed in front of the house, but it does leave you asking for more. The White house again you can take a tour inside if you book in advance.

And then you come to the memorials area, all around the Basin. First you see to the Washington Memorial, a huge white obelisk on a raised platform. Its quite a dominating structure and visible from quite a distance all around.





Then you have the World War II Memorial, which is a series of fountains and overlooking the Lincoln Memorial.





The Lincoln Memorial is majestic too and houses a huge statue of Lincoln sitting in a chair (like a throne?:) ). From the memorial, you can also get a view of the Potomac river behind it. As you walk along, you will pass the Korean War Memorial and the Vietnam memorial.


Then as you walk around the river basin, you cross the Martin Luther King Memorial and the FDR Memorial.







And at the end is the Jefferson Memorial, another huge white structure on a raised platform with Jefferson's statue standing majestically inside.



Washington is supposed to be pretty at night, all lighted up. Also there are a couple of cruises there, which take you around the Potomac river and show all the monuments at night. We couldn't see that but am guessing would be fun.  Also DC is a must-visit during the spring season with Cherry Blossoms everywhere! In the photographs, the whole basin area looks magnificent in white and pink. Maybe for next time:)! Another place we did not visit but looks worthwhile is the National Cathedral, guess should try to see it if you get a chance.

Other than that, we also visited Georgetown which is the old part of Washington with European looking streets and houses which also neighbours the Georgetown University. It was a nice walk, and we could lunch at an Indian restaurant. Wasn't anything great though, so guess can give it a miss.

So all in all it was a weekend out and a chance to see the seat of the American government. Impressive but not hugely.

New York weekend getaways

As with any major city, there are lot of weekend getaways near New York for people to be able to quickly get away from the city hustle bustle and enjoy some quiet or some action in a natural environment.

The getaways vary with the season or the activity desired. For winters, you have the skiing resorts of New York, New Jersey, Vermont and New Hampshire (Wyndham, Hunter Mountain, Bear Mountain etc). For summers, there are the beaches and lakes and camping in the forests (Lake George, Finger Lakes, Cape Cod etc) and for fall, you have the fall colours in the New England area. And of course many other activities are available nearby.

Some of these places are worth visiting while some become worthwhile just because they are so close to New York :)! Anyways have been to a few such places nearby, and thought would talk about those. Will keep adding as and when we keep exploring more!

SKIING AT MOUNTAIN CREEK, VERNON, NEW JERSEY

Mountain Creek falls in the category of being good just because of its proximity to New York. Located about an hour or so from the city, its a perfect place if you want to ski and don't have the time to stay overnight. You can drive from New York, ski and be back home in time for dinner! There are daily buses also running from New York till the resort, so its quite popular among Ne Yorkers. Since during winter, options are limited, and skiing being the only activity possible, we went skiing to Mountain Creek Resort in Jan 2011. 

The ski slopes are fine and the ski rentals high. It was fun nevertheless, with the sugar slope being do-able for novices like us. There is also the kids slope to start with, especially if you are just learning skiing. The green slopes also looked not too bad, so maybe for next time!

One advantage of Mountain Creek though is that they have night skiing. So you can ski longer. Only negative I saw here though was that there was just too much crowd here! It looks like a mela really! But I guess everyone in New York has the bright idea to go to the nearest ski slope available!

RAFTING AT ADIRONDACKS MOUNTAINS

We did a whitewater rafting trip recently to the Adirondacks Mountains. Our organiser was Adirondacks Adventures and we rafted on the Hudson. It was soo much fun!

The weather was cold though, only on the weekend that we were there that is!! Temperatures were sub-zero in the night, so we were all fully packed with fleeces and wet suits. The whole route is quite long, about 15 miles or so. You start on the Indian River which meets the Hudson and then you flow through miles of Hudson through dense green foliages on both sides. You also pass through the Hudson Gorge which is again very magnificent.

The rapids though supposedly Class III and IV did not seem that tough. Supposedly this year since it did not snow as much, the water levels weren't high enough and so the whole experience did seem too subdued. Was still fun and taxing though, rafting through miles and miles of the river. By the end of it we all even stopped rowing, we just waited for our boat to flow with the flow and reach our destination. It was fun but would have been better with more water.

We had rented a vacation rental next to the Hudson nearby and it's location was awesome. Next to the river with total privacy, no sounds and no pollution and no people. Just barbeque outside in the evening and enjoy the cosy house in the middle of nowhere. It wasn't as cosy though since our house did not have any heating or hot water, but it could have been:). On the whole a great place for a weekend away from the city.  Exercise a lot and then relax!

GAMBLING AT ATLANTIC CITY

Atlantic city would be one of the first places people in New York go to! A less than 2 hours drive to multiple casinos with other stuff to do. A definite must-visit.

For the casinos. Borgata is good.  A recently opened place with a huge casino. Other than that, you have Ceasars, Wild West, Taj Trump, Ballys, Hannahs and so on. Don't think there is much to choose between them. All give you an equal oppurtunity to lose money:). Ceasars is done up well on the inside though, they've got sculptors from Roman history all over. You can walk around inside and explore some of the shops and eating places there too.

Other than the casinos, shopping is another major attraction there. Lots of outlet stores all around, so enough for a shopper to spend time and money on. A lot of good shows also keep happening at the bigger hotels regularly, stand-up comedy, musical shows etc. Its nice to buy tickets beforehand though and land up that weekend to enjoy both the shows and a little bit of the casinos.

The boardwalk is another place to walk around. Would be nice in summer I guess, just walk around passing through all the different hotels and casinos.  The buildings on the side of the Boardwalk are painted in multiple colours giving it a very different feel from the rest of the city. I've gone to Atlantic City only in the winter, so the boardwalk wasn't really our preferred place to spend time on!  But something to do in the summers definitely!

The beach in Atlantic city is also worth going to but since I haven't been there, so can't comment I guess. All in all a nice day trip from New York, anything longer gets boring though!

Skiing at Killington, Vermont

Killington Resort in Green Mountains, Vermont is located near the city of Rutland.  Its a 5-6 hour drive from New York and passes through some very pretty little ski towns. Colourful wooden houses on both sides of the road giving it a very pretty feel, the typical New England look I guess.

There are two ski resorts here, one is the Pico Mountain which is much smaller and the other is the Killington slope which is a lot more popular. They have 4-5 different mountains to ski and different parking lots to start from depending on which mountain you want to ski.

The ski slopes are awesome here especially for learners. There are lots of green slopes, shorter ones for the absolute learners while some longer ones from the top of the mountain to the bottom if you feel more adventurous. The crowds here increase during weekends as would be expected, but its still not as much to discourage you from skiing. 

We stayed at Killington for four days and really improved on our skiing skills. For the first day we practiced mostly on the Snowshed slopes which was decently steep but not too long: gave us enough practice and confidence to try something tougher later. Our favourite on this slope was the detour through the Highlander, which is an almost flat slope to get an experience of cross country skiing. 

The last day we tried the Great Northern green slope too, from the top of the Killington Mountain to the bottom. Was a lot of fun and worth it!! If you don't want to ski, just the Gondola ride will also be enjoyable, going up the mountain and taking in the view of the whole area around.

You should rent your equipment from Killington rentals slightly before the slopes. Its a lot cheaper here than renting at the slopes itself. There are multiple parking areas around the ski area, and its all free though fills up fast! You can park your car at a different place everytime, depending on which mountain you plan to ski that day. One point to note though is that skiing finishes at 4pm everyday. So you need to start early as there is no night skiing at this resort.

Other than skiing there are a couple of things to do to spend your evenings. Since the whole Killington area is centered around skiing, in the winter season its all decorated with lights. It looks very pretty especially with the snow and the winter lights. There is also a trail nearby called the Appalachian trails. We did part of it but with the snow only as much you can go. Might be more fun in the summer.

There are lots of nice eating places nearby with good food and music. We tried Garlic, which was very tasty. The pub food more than the restaurant though! Sushi Yoshi was tasty too. And near it was Pickle Barrel, a nightclub with live music. It rocked!! There was a good fun crowd there and live music everyday. Apparently they have famous singers also performing at Pickle during season. A definite must-go for all visitors to Killington. Another restaurant we went to was the Peppino's Ristorante Italiano, it was not up to the mark though. Neither in terms of service nor food.

We stayed at the Cortina Inn and it was good.  Nice lounge, lot of activities to relax with at the end of the day. Pool, table tennis and lots of other games. You skii all day and come back to the pool to relax. What else would you want:) ? 

We also stayed a night in a house in Rutland. It was a nice experience. Rutland is like one of those lazy looking towns over rolling hills with cows grazing and the whole area strewn with wooden houses all along. Delightful and serene.

Killington is definitely a place to go skiing if you are a learner. Plus the whole area is so pretty, a definite recommend for people in New York.

Fall Colours in Vermont

This Fall, we decided to a do an upstate driving trip to Vermont to see the so-called famous 'Fall Colours'. So on a weekend in Oct, we did our research to check where the peak fall colours would be visible and off we went. We did not really have a fixed plan in mind of the places we would go to and all. Just picked up a couple of random places and the rest would be decided on the way!

The drive initially seemed quite exciting actually. The colours along the highway showed the oranges and yellows and browns that we had seen so many times earlier, in photographs, in movies and so on... 

We drove from New York towards the Catskill mountains, but somehow the colours weren't as great as we had imagined. Looked like we were a week or two late. So we kept on driving, and next we reached a small town of Hudson which is located on the river Hudson itself. The colours there were a little more brighter than before.  

After lunch in the sleepy (and pretty) town, onwards we drove on towards the Green Mountain National Park in Vermont which was supposed to have the best colours. But it started snowing on the way!! In October!! Anyways so most of our trip turned out to be a white snow trip rather than the red fall colours we wanted to see. 

Driving was a bit tough, and we decided to stop at the Northshire Lodge at Machester in Vermont. It was a nice small lodge, with a breathtaking view of the mountains in front which is apparently even more colourful in Fall! 

Of course all we saw was white snow all around! And thanks to the snow, the Halloween Parade for the weekend had also got cancelled! The snow was pretty though, and the Lodge looked very pretty with the just fallen snow in the morning!

Anyways, we roamed around in the town of Manchester, which at night with the snow all around looked straight out of Alpian Europe! It reminded me so much of the Swiss small towns, the same kind of wooden houses, small lanes and with ski slopes all around. The perfect ski town for the snow time! Is definitely a place to go to in the cold and dreary winters, it would looks so cheerful and bright here am sure...

Anyways, we still did not lose heart to see the fall colours and the next day while driving back to New York, we decided to drive via the Bear Mountain. Apparently that still had the Fall colours there! And a good choice it turned out to be! On the drive back, we saw a lot more of the flaming bright yellow and red colours we had imagined before. Next to lakes, with the reflection of the colours showing in the waters. Entire mountains burning in yellow! It was pleasing to finally see all we had been driving around for! 

The Bear Mountain was closed that time but the area around the Hessian Lake was open and people had already started trying to ski even in the little bit of snow! Anyways we spent some time there, admiring the colours which we had been trying to find for two days! There was a lot of crowd there from New York, apparently you can take a cruise from New York along the Hudson upto the Bear Mountain. Something to remember for later on:).

Anyways after we were satisfied of having seen the Fall colours finally, we were back in New York and back to the city life. Here is a link of our drive, New York to Vermont and Vermont to New York.

Niagara and Finger Lakes region

The Niagara Falls are the largest falls in the world, and located on the border of US and Canada, on the Niagara river. The drive from New York to the Falls is about 7-8 hours, while its much closer from Toronto, about an hour or so. They are one of the most popular places visited by tourists who come to New York and we also saw the falls this summer, from the US side of the border itself.

We drove till the Falls from New York, passing through upstate New York and the state of Pennsylvania. The drive was pretty, especially because it was summer. Lush greenery everywhere, mountains covered with a carpet of green, in varying hues and shades. If the sun is out, the drive becomes a bit too bright, but on a cloudy covered days, its just wonderful to drive through this area. You pass small lakes and drive next to rivers and so on.. The drive sometimes gets too boring and sleepy, but that I think would be true of any long highway drives in western countries. To be truly attentive and awake at all times, you need to drive on the Indian highways I guess, where you don't know when a cow or a goat or a child comes on the road, you do not know:)

Once at the town of Niagara, the place to go is the New York State Reservation on the US side or the Queen Victoria Park on the Canada side. Apparently the view from the Canada side is better, but we did not get a chance to see the Canadian side.

So once at the Reservation Center on the US side, the first realization you have it that it is a proper touristy place! People, shops, eating places, hotels, high rises everywhere! Its just all around you! And the second realisation is the number of Indian tourists there! My guess would be that more than 50% of the tourists there are Indians! Anyways the park is well maintained, green and covered with flowers: good to sit around in the park and view the falls from.

There are a couple of good view points in the park to view the two falls: the Horseshoe Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls.  One from the park itself, one from a viewpoint tower and another from the Goat Island. The falls look regal from each of these viewpoints and are a pleasure to see (and hear!). Here are some photographs of how majestic the falls look from these places!

There are two activities which are popular here: the Maid of the Mist and the Cave of the Winds. Maid of the Mist is a ride in a huge boat which takes you near both the Horseshoe falls as well as the Bridal Veil Falls.

Its soo surreal there, under the falls where you see the full force of the water falling from above you! The whole region is misty here, the sounds are loud and the feeling dreamy! The boat feels so small in front of the huge falls, and while there you also see multiple rainbows along the falls. Other than that, you can walk upto the bottom of the falls and in some caves there, to get a more real feel of the water falling from above: this is called the Cave of the Winds. We did not get a chance to do that though.

After the stop at the Falls, we drove towards the Finger Lakes area and stayed there for the night. This area has a couple of big and small lakes, shaped like fingers.. The area is very very pretty, with small villages here and there, holiday homes on the lakes and a true vacation spot. The whole area also has a very English countryside feel to it, with many old British bungalows in this area.

We stayed in an old Victorian house here, with gardens and flowers all around. We also drove around the Canandaigua lake, a huge elongated lake running for miles. The drive next to the lake took us through winding narrow roads, lined with summer homes of the rich and the wealthy! There was greenery around, with cattle grazing here and there, the typical idyllic English countryside... Sublime and relaxing.. totally serene and calming..! We also visited one of the small villages around for a short stop to see a local town fair and then the pretty drive home!