Washington D.C. day 1: first day we have a look at the White House and the many many monuments. Everything is so well organised and clean. Then we pick the national history museum from the Smithsonian museums (all of them are free). It's mainly aimed at kids, but still great fun to see the huge collection of stuffed animals, interactive displays and butterfly garden!
Day 2: the memorial park is great to go running and along the way I cross many sportive Americans. I run all the way to the Pentagon, but I get to close and one of the guards grabs his gun and shouts I have to leave... Later that day we go explore the Georgetown district. Best parts are the Exorcist stairs, the university (Hogwarts vibe) and the pier near the Potomac river. In the evening we see a great jazz concert in the JFK center (free performances every night).
Day 3: the temporary exhibition 'The Beach' uses plastic balls to represent the sea. It's a great concept and I see people franticly diving in, while others cover themselves and relax. In the afternoon we rush trough the air and space museum (there is so much amazing stuff to see and learn) to be in time for the train to Philadelphia.
Philadelphia day 1: the old centre. A lot of history has been made here; the declaration of independence, the constitution and Benjamin Franklin. Visiting the independence hall and liberty bell is free if you arrive early enough. Next we do a very nice walk next to the Delaware river and so we turn into colourful South Street. Here you can buy and see almost everything. Very nice is the magic garden filled with mosaics.
Day 2: we have a walk to the other side of Philadelphia. We visit the Franklin institute, with the temporary LEGO show 'Art of the Brick'. Fairmont park is also wonderful, and here you can find the 'Rocky stairs'. Final stop is the Eastern State Penitentiary which has a great audio tour.
New York Day 1: Philadelphia was a very pleasant city with much to see and great food. But we have to continue. After my morning run to Fairmont park, just like Rocky, we take the train to New York. The first thing we notice it's so crowded! But this is no problem because the subway is perfectly organised. We take a 7 day metro pass, because this is already cheaper after 12 rides. After checking in and filling our stomach, we decide to check out Times Square. Very crowded again but what a spectacle! All the billboards, shops and traffic give the feeling this city really never sleeps. But we do need sleep so we head back to the hostel after this long day.
Day 2: the One World Trade Centre and 9/11 memorial museum give us plenty to do. The museum is quite new and I really recommend it to get a feeling what an impact the attacks had on New York. After that we take the free ferry to Staten Island to get a nice view of the Statue of Liberty.
Day 3: going running in central park is the perfect way to see most of it. It's huge and there are so many other runners. After that we go to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and are amazed by the huge and varied collection.
Day 4: too Brooklyn! The architecture here is completely different and the atmosphere is more relaxed. Except for the Labour Day parade that's taking place. Later we go to the very crowded Cooney Island, which is a beach + pier + amusement park. The attractions are all very expensive, so we quickly leave for the monumental Brooklyn bridge. While crossing it we have an unique view of the city. After 4 days there's still so much to do in New York, so I'm certain I will return one day!
Link to the complete gallery.
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