2 posts tagged with "usa"

Photo by Silviu Alexandru Avram

We're back in Seattle, baby, and this time we're spending a full week here, not just some silly 3 business trip days. And the best part is: it's only vacation. A full week in tech heaven #2, the land of Amazon, Microsoft and, of course, Starbucks. I just wish I packed un umbrella.

Ballard​

Ballard neighbourhood was going to be my home for the week, and a change of scenery from Jersey City was to be expected. No more skyscrapers. No brownstones. Only houses, and lawns, and gardens, and more houses. And that presented a great opportunity to continue my burger-and-fries-burning morning runs, which, by now, turned from optional to necessity.

Situated on a hilly landscape, with Shilshole Bay to the west, Ballard is a nice and cosy place to live. I explored it quite a bit, reaching its outskirts with long runs and walks: the bay to the west, Whitman School and Golden Gardens to the morth, Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden to the south and Woodland Park to the east. The neighbourhood is a low density residential area, with many great looking houses. Most of them had thoughtfully arranged gardens in front, and none were identical. Because of the rainy temperate climate, the place is a greenery, with an abundance of cherry trees, magnolias, shrubbery, flowers and even succulent plants, where the soil became rocky.

Ballard House	Ballard Cherry Trees

In Ballard downtown I found a few places to enjoy a coffee or lunch out, even though the area is pretty small. There was no queue at the local Salt&Straw, to my surprise. Unfortunately, after I had my double scoop cone, I immediately understood why. It wasn't really like the one I had in LA or San Diego, or maybe gelato tastes better in California. I don't know. It was not all negative though, as I discovered a very good tea place, Miro Tea, and, most importantly, a local bakery, Tall Grass Bakery. As a result, mornings became very sweet.

Outside the center, there is also Ballard Coffee Co. with pretty decent coffee, and Un Bien, a Caribbean Restaurant, which is not really a restaurant, more like a counter to order food from, and a couple of wood benches where you could choose to "dine in". But the food was absolutely amazing. I ordered a Caribbean Burrito and only half of it was enough to make me feel full, which is not something that happens often. Also great is Mainstay Provisions for coffee, and The Dish, a classic American Diner but with a Central America twist to it. Blueberry pancakes with butter and maple syrup? Yes, please!

Outside Ballard​

Even though I was expecting to rent a car in order to get around, I found that public transport is actually good enough, both for going to the airport and for moving between the downtown and back home. However, most of the time, I chose to walk between Ballard and other objectives, especially when going back, since there was no need to rush.

Carl S. English Botanical Garden	Discovery Park

One of the places I enjoyed most is Discovery Park, which is bordering Ballard to the South, next to the coast. In order to reach it, I walked through the Carl English Botanical Garden and, since the weather was pleasant and the garden quite nice, I spent some extra time strolling its quiet alleys. Continuing the journey, I crossed Salmon Bay by Ballard Locks, then the train tracks by a suspended bridge, and headed through the woods towards Discovery Park. I was fortunate enough to pass through woodlands when, inevitably, it started to rain. Eventually, I reached the park and went for a very long and chaotic walk until I reached the coast. It stopped raining, for the moment, but the wind made it impossible to relax for more than 2 consecutive minutes. Nevertheless, the coast is a sight to see, with Mount Olympus in the background, and the lake in between. Equally beautiful is the West Point Lighthouse, which was used, as I later found out, as the logo for the Lighthouse Roasters coffee shop in Fremont.

Speaking of Fremont, I crossed it a few times on my way from Downtown or when I went to visit the University of Washington campus. The neighbourhood is pretty similar to Ballard, althouth a bit more hilly. Right next to it, there's Woodland Park and, at the end of it, there's Green Lake. The park itself is, as its name suggests, a stretch of woodland, without much human intervention, except some alleys. The lake is pretty big, big enough to be used as practice by rowing teams. I popped up just in time for such a session, and it was great to watch them train while the coach was providing motivation using a loud tone.

West Point Lighthouse	University of Washington Building

After a long walk westward through Wallingford, I eventually reached University District and the University of Washington campus. I was curious to see the difference between it and the Columbia campus back in NYC. Not surprinsingly, this campus was bigger, with plenty of space for buildings, dormitories and parks. Luckily, the cherry trees theme continued here as well, and I bet I was not the only imposter in the campus taking pictures. I made a relaxing round tour of the campus, decided I was too cool for school, and headed back to Ballard via the 45th Street.

Other places worth mentioning are the Myrtle Edwards and the Centennial Parks, both on the coast of Elliot Bay, and the Volunteer Park, where Bruce Lee is buried. Finally, there's Snoqualmie, where we went for a short road trip to the Snoqualmie Falls, a pretty popular stop outside Seattle for both locals and tourists.

Downtown​

Honestly, Seattle Downtown was my least favorite part of the city, but I enjoyed a few places nevertheless. Of course, there's the number one attraction, the Space Needle, but I have already been there in 2019, so this time I went straight for the museums. They are, without doubt, worthy of visit, as they display impressive art collections. My first visit was to the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum, and it was a blast. The colorful glass works are trully remarkable, and the level of detail for every piece of art is incredible. Luckily, I arrived just in time for a live demonstration, where a couple of artists were creating a glass in front of an audience. It wasn't a Margarita glass, but very good looking nonetheless.

The Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum	The Seattle Great Wheel

My second visit was to the Museum of Pop Culture, which features collections from so many areas that makes pop culture, such as rap music, horror movies, indie video games and rock bands. The horror movies section was pretty cool, since it contained props from many popular movies, such as the axe from the Shining and the Alien costume from, well, the Alien movie.

Last museum for me, but not least, was the Seattle Art Museum, with the good old established array of pieces such as paintings, pottery and sculptures, from different locations and time periods. My favorite piece was a painting from 1882 by Cleveland Rocknell, the Smokey Sunrise, Astoria Harbor. Probably the first painting, so far, that I wanted to look at for more than 2 minutes.

Smokey Sunrise, Astoria Harbor, by Cleveland Rocknell

Apart from the museums, there isn't much of Downtown that stuck into memory. Sure, there's the Pike Market, with the first Starbucks, and its queue that really made me how much did I really want the same cold brew that I could order from any other Starbucks that wasn't crowded. Talking about Starbucks, I discovered the Starbucks Oleato Iced Cortado, and though I was skepticap about the use of olive oil, it was one of the best drinks I ever had. Going back to the sights, there's also the Cal Anderson Park, one of the few small parks of Downtown. The area around the park is actually nice to go for a stroll, and Analog Coffee is a very good place to stop for a short break with a non-Starbucks Cortado.

Final Thoughts​

And that's all, folks. The end of my almost three week trip to the US. It was one of the best trips I took so far, with hundreds of kilometers walked or ran, many fascinating museums and parks visited, tens of cold brews, hopefully not as many burgers and donuts, and, most importantly, the feeling of being happy.

I'm happy to have chosen Seattle for this trip, and I'm considering coming back, but next time I will bring some hiking gear with me, since I'm thinking to try some trails. Looking forward to that, soon!

Photo by Silviu Alexandru Avram

New York City. The big apple. Jay-Z's city that never sleeps. Batman's Gotham. Spiderman's home. Call it whatever you like, everyone knows what you are talking about. It's #1 most popular city for filming movies, topping the likes of Los Angeles, Paris and London.

Needless to say, I arrived in NYC with big expectations. And I was still blown away.

Jersey City​

My trip started in Jersey City, across the Hudson, where my friends are based. The trip from JFK took forever, but alas, I finally arrived at the World Trade Center, and then took the Path train to Jersey. After "checking in", we went for a walk to the Hudson River waterfront, overlooking Manhattan. Describing the skyline is just impossible, I just could not believe I was actually there, staring at it from across the river. It was late in the evening, or at least that's how I felt it was after the long flight. It was my opportunity to just pause and indulge the view. Right in front of my eyes, the World Trade Center. To the left, in the distance, the Empire State Building. The Hudson Yards, recently built, also to the left. Helicopters everywhere. Like in the movies, but better.

As for Jersey City, I found it to be quite a cosy place, especially the hip downtown, filled with coffee places, craft beer bars and restaurants. It featured many 19th century brownstone houses which suited the place very well, along with small shops and a few parks. The place was quite packed after working hours, and there was always a queue at the ice cream place (ugh...).

Manhattan Skyline	Jersey City Skyline

On the waterfront, however, there was a different architectural story, as the brownstones were replaced by the all-too-familiar tall apartment and huge office buildings, the Goldman Sachs being the most impressive. Right next to it, there was the Colgate Clock. Familiar words everywhere, really.

The best decision of my life was to pack my running equipment, as it helped me discover Jersey City even better, not only its downtown and waterfront. I ran all the way to the Liberty State Park, then along the boardwalk, then closer and closer to Ellis Island, where I took a break and admired the country's unmistakeable icon, the Statue of Libery.

On another occasion I also went north of Jersey City, towards Hoboken, and reached the Hoboken train station and the Hoboken waterfront. From there, the Hudson Yards and the Empire State Building were closer across the river, so I could take a better look. This Hoboken part of town seemed to me less impressive and more impersonal than Jersey City, but the train station's exterior was very pleasant to the eye. Unfortunately, I did not make it to Hoboken downtown, where I was told there are plenty of coffee shops as well.

One thing's for sure: when possible, I'll always pack the running shoes.

Lower Manhattan​

It seems pretty hard to divide the trip by time, so I'd rather split it by location, starting with Lower Manhattan. It's famous for taking a cruise to the Statue of Liberty and posing beneath the Wall Street Bull. There's also Wall Street itself, the stock exchange, and plenty of gigantic office buildings, hence it's name, the Financial District. At the intersection of Wall Street, Beaver Street and Pearl Street, I came across a building that looked stragely familiar and realised I was looking at the real life location of the Continental hotel from John Wick. On Broadway, betwen the buildings, the Trinity Church is making an impression. Squeezed between so many sky scrapers, it does stand out with its beautiful Gothic Revival style exterior, stained glass windows and peaceful cemetery with cherry trees and lots of flowers.

Equally impressive is the World Trace Center subway station, both from the inside and the outside. It was designed by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and features white ribs that interlock high above the ground. Next to the station there's the 9/11 memorial, featuring a museum, a huge pool and a plaza. Next to them is One World Trade Center, the tallest building in New York. It's one of the buildings to visit for the panoramic view of the city, along with the Empire State Building and the Rockefeller Center. Spoiler alert: I chose Blair Waldorf's favorite.

The 9/11 Memorial	Trinity Church

Of course, I should also mention the Brooklyn Bridge, probably the most crowded bridge to cross on foot. Even with the crowds, the bridge offers a delightful walking opportunity, with its neo-Gothic towers, steel cables and pleasant views over both Manhattan and Brooklyn. I turned around just before reaching Brooklyn, as I decided to continue my walk back to Manhattan towards Canal Street, and postpone Brooklyn for another trip. On top of the Dumbo view point, I also have the Brooklyn Botanical Garden in Prospect Park on my future visiting list. Anyway, back to Manhattan.

I got off the bridge and turned right towards Chinatown and Little Italy. I took Center Street and went towards Canal Street. On my right I came across an array of what it appear to be government buildings, with imposing entrances. Later, I discovered that the buildings were actually the Supreme Court and the Courthouse. I continued my walk north, reached Canal Street and wandered a bit through Chinatown and Little Italy, before deciding to change course and head towards Soho and, of course, Noho.

Brooklyn Bridge	World Trade Center

Both Soho and Noho offer a stark change of scenery from Canal Street, with a lovely combination of shops, designer boutiques, chic restaurants and the New York University buildings. Right next to the NYU buildings we passed through Washington Square Park, which was always packed, given its location. On the day I arrived there with my friends, we took some pictures by the Washington Square Arch and we continued to move northward, towards my friend's favorite building in New York, the Flatiron Building.

Middle Manhattan​

Probably the part of Manhattan I walked through the most, since my daily walks involved walking from the WTC to Central Park and then returning back either to the WTC or any other Path station. I mentioned the Flatiron Building, but unfortuantely I found it under construction, so there was not much to see. On the other hand, the Madison Square Park area offers a selection of equally magical places, and #1 is, of course, the Harry Potter store. I went to the shop at least 3 times and I was close to buying Severus' wand, but I did not like the wand stands and decided to postpone my purchase until I figure out where to place the wand in my home.

Equally magical is Shake Shack, and the Madison Square Park location has tables outside, right in the park. Double Smoke Shack, regular fries, 6 chicken bites and a laaaarge Fifty Fifty. 2000 calories and 0 regrets. And that's the magical part about New York which I liked: wherever I was, there was always something good to drink or to eat. Just out of any subway, there's a Starbucks. A Dunkin right next to it. A Chick-Fill-A on the corner. Or a Shake Shack. Popeyes? Yes. I cannot think of anything more magical than that, besides Disney. Two weeks getting high on Vanilla Sweet Cream Nitro Cold Brews, Boston Cream Doughnuts and Double Smoke Shacks. I hope, dear reader, that you're not hungry when reading these lines.

Empire State View	New York Public Library

A few streets to the north of Madison Square Park, there's the 34th street, with the Empire State Building, the Macy's store and The Morgan Library & Museum. I did mention that I climbed on top of Blair's favorite building, the Empire State, which is what I recommend going for first, given its position and history. It offers jaw-dropping Manhattan views both to the north and to the south, and every view is just breathtaking. I went to the Empire State Building alone, but at the Morgan Museum I went with my friends, since they booked a visiting slot during an evening. Morgan's collection is impressive, filled with pieces from all around the world, exquisite furniture, many many books, one of them being the Gutenberg Bible, one of the few available out there.

It's probably worth mentioning that most of the time I chose the 5th Avenue to go north, given its popularit and my hopes of seeing Taylor Swift. Other avenues are nice as well, such as the Madison Avenue, especially upwards from around 55th street. And the 9th Avenue. Other places that I really enjoyed in this part of Manhattan are the Grand Central Terminal, where John Wick was filmed (and others, of course), the New York Public Library where I took some pretty nice pictures, St. Patrick's Cathedral, MoMa, Whitney Museum, Chelsea Market, Hudson Yards. I think it's my favorite part of Manhattan, given the number of places I visited.

Manhattan West Office Buildings	Hudson Yards

Last, but not least, there are three more places worth mentioning in Central Manhattan. Firstly, there's The High Line, a former New York Central Railroad that got repurposed into a elevated linear park featuring a beautiful trail between the equally good looking buildings. It can be quite crowded sometimes, but it's still a great feeling to go for a stroll and enjoy the views, especially at sunset. Secondly, there's Times Square, and even though many considered to be an overrated spot with nothing particularly exciting about it, it's still a must go for the commercial light show, and for the John Wick filming location. And thirdly, the Eugene O'Neill Theatre, where my friend bought tickets for the Book of Mormon. It was the first musical experience for me, and I think it was the best experience I had in New York, to be honest. I did not know what to expect at all, and the show was incredible. If anyone has a todo list for New York, they should add a Broadway show right at the to. Period.

The High Line	Manhattan Street View

Upper Manhattan​

It's not geographically accurate, but I will call Upper Manhattan to be the part from Columbus Circle to the Columbia University Campus, since the latter is the most northern point that I explored in Manhattan.

My favorite place here is, undoubtedly, Central park. Even though it was the beginning of spring, the park still offered pretty landscapes, with enough greenery to almost forget that you are in the middle of the concrete jungle. Greenery aside, the magnolias and the cherry trees stole the show, as they were in full bloom and everyone was competing for the best photos. My Central Park objective was to reach the Bethesda Terrace, another John Wick film set. Luckily, I spent a lot of time in the park, from north to south, visiting places like Belvedere Castle and Cherry Hill.

Central Park	Columbus Circle

To the west of Central Park, my friend and I visited the Columbia University Campus, and just in time too, as the students there were taking graduation pictures. We blended in perfectly, given the fact that we look studenty ourselves and spent most of the time taking pictures as well. It was a refreshing experience to visit a US university campus and compare to what I've seen in movies. After the photo shoot was over, we descendend through Morningside Park, grabbed coffee from a nearby Starbucks on the road and went back to Central Park to continue taking photos, this time with squirrels.

To the east of Central Park is another area that was on top of my list, given its movies reference: the Upper East Side. The place seemed to me exactly as I'd expected: fancy. The shops are there. The hotels are there. The restaurants. The boutiques. Needless to say, I enjoyed the walks very much.

Lincoln Plaza	9th Avenue View

Also on the East Side, on the outskirts of Central Park, there's the Metropolitan Museum, where you probably need to spend a few days in order to fully experience it. I managed only 4 hours, I felt I was in a constant hurry, and missed many of its offerings. I went from Ancient Egypt, Rome and Greece, to Muslim Central and Far East Asia, early United States and everything in between. Some of my highlights include the Egyptian ruins (yes, actual ruins in the museum) and the American rooms arranged in the American History corner. But, to be honest, the whole collection is something to see. Being already familiar with art pieces from the ancient Mediterranean cultures, from many other European museums, the American and Asian parts from the MET impressed me the most.

Final Thoughts​

There are also other places that I have been and are not covered in the lines above, like the Rockefeller Center or Little Island. But if decide to write about every single place or experience that impressed me in New York, I would never finish this article, ever.

Without a shadow of a doubt, I can say that I love New York City, and that it was one of my best ideas to spend 10 days and enjoy it as much as possible. It's #1 on my favorite cities in the world, and I have a feeling that it will stay there.

It also helped that my hosts were absolutely amazing, I could not have hoped for better ones.

I was quite sad to leave, even though my holiday was far from ending. It was time to change the scenery a bit. Next stop: Seattle.