Now that I have officially been placed in Madrid with the Auxiliares program for this coming fall (yayy) I thought I would take a break from Spain posts and appreciate what I have right under my nose, my home country. I love Spain, but I also love the United States too. The United States is a great country, and from coast to coast shows the diverse range of cultures, heritages, and beliefs of its citizens. The United States is the fourth largest country in the world, yet I feel it is often unexplored by many who call it home. As a child I was lucky enough that my parents would travel around the states frequently (I've been to over half) but still hope to visit the others sometime in my life. To show my appreciation of my home coming here are some of my favorite places I've visited in the United States so far:
Maine
I say Maine because I just cannot limit this beautiful state to once city or region. Maine has been a part of my life since I was born, in fact even before my parents were born! My grandparents met at Colby College in Waterville and fell in love with the surrounding area, eventually building a summer cabin in South China. I was lucky enough that up until my Junior year of college I was able to call beautiful South China my home for the summer. This little village right off of China Lake, lies between the capital of Augusta and Waterville and still remains one of my favorite places to visit.
Maine is such a versatile state that there's something to do for everyone, every season. Fall is when everyone treks up north to see the beautiful autumn foliage change colors; being from New England myself I find it particularly beautiful in Maine. During the winter months Maine is the place to be for snow sports with its 18+ ski areas and resorts. Spring and particularly summer for me are my favorite times to be in Maine (I am
not a cold-weather person). Bicycling, fishing, hiking, white water rafting, beaches, camping, and blueberry picking; the options are endless in the warm months of Maine. Not to mention enjoying Maine's famous seafood!
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| What's not to love about this? |
Boston
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| Public Gardens |
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| Old State House |
Living in New England puts Boston practically in my backyard. Of all of the cities I've visited, it is probably the one I have frequented (and love) the most. It is a city known for its history, academics, and innovation. Since I have never lived in Boston I only know it on the level as a visitor, but with that being said there is more than enough to do and see on a visit to this beautiful city.
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| Harpoon Brewery |
If history is your 'thing' you're in luck. As one of the oldest cities in the United States, historical sites are plentiful throughout the Boston area. If you want to hit the most important of these take the freedom trail, marked by a red line or bricks on the ground, to sites like: the Paul Revere House, Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market, Old North Church, Boston Common and more. For museum-lovers some of the most famous Boston museums are: the Boston Children's Museum, the Boston Museum of Fine Art, The Boston Science Museum, the New England Aquarium. Not to mention the various breweries in the area that are open to tours and tastings like Sam Adams and Harpoon (yum). So give Boston a try if you have yet to visit, it's definitely a city with a lot to offer.
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| Fenway Park, home to my beloved Red Sox |
New Orleans
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| French Quarter |
I was lucky enough to visit New Orleans a few years ago as an alumni on a trip with my old high school chorus. After Hurricane Katrina my high school chorus had built a relationship with a New Orleans elementary school by holding multiple benefit concerts to raise money to support repairs and their music department. They invited us down to visit and participate in a benefit concert on behalf of another local school in need. When my old choral teacher reached out to me to participate as an alumni I jumped at the chance to meet some of the kids I had helped raise money for over the years. Everyone we met there was so friendly and passionate about their city, it was truly a great experience and while we didn't get a chance to tour much of New Orleans, I loved what I saw and would love to return again in the future.
While there, the main things we saw/did were: tour the French Quarter (even had a 'ghost tour'), took a steamboat ride aboard the Natchez, and enjoy the delicious cajun cuisine. And with my love of food I definitely appreciateed the great cajun food. When we visited the school they served us a typical lunch with crawfish and sausage. I'm not usually a fan of any kind of seafood, but it was
delicious. The cajun cooking was superb everywhere we went! Sadly I did not get to try beignets :( but had my fair share of delectable pralines during our stay.
Florida
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| Clearwater Beach |
While Florida may be most well-known for its many theme parks, there is much more to this gorgeous state than just Disney World (though the princess in me does love some Disney). One of
my favorite places in Florida is around the Tampa Bay area, like Clearwater--one of the most beautiful beaches I've ever been to! My family has friends living in the Bay area so we visited quite frequently growing up. For the beach lover, and the biker (motorcycles, like my dad), it's a great community to visit. Not to mention that Florida has gorgeous weather late-fall to early-spring while the northern half of the U.S. are absolutely freezing their buns off!
For the amusement park fiend Florida is heaven. In Tampa there is Busch Gardens, it was my dad's personal favorite because there used to be a free beer tasting/tour (unfortunately that closed a few years ago, :( sadness). There many more parks throughout Florida but the largest are in Orlando area: Disney World, Universal Studies, and Sea World. While they may be overly expensive, I think that they're worth visiting at least once; you're never too old for fairy tales and roller coasters!
New York City
Oh New York City. I have a love/hate relationship with this city. Mainly because I hate the Yankees (Mets fans, you're ok) and love the city. I can't help I'm just a Boston girl at heart. But despite it's unfortunate sports team, the Big Apple is still a pretty amazing city to visit. New York has a long, rich history and subsequently has tons of fascinating museums to visit. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Intrepid Sea Air & Space Museum, Ellis Island, and American Museum of Natural History are a few of my favorites, but the list of all the museums in NYC is far too extensive to list.
For those who have not visited NYC before you may want to go up the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Tower, and the Statue of Liberty. It's something you should see and do once, but if your experience is like mine (three hour wait for Empire State Building) then you may not want to visit again.
While visiting NYC other places I enjoy visiting are Times Square and Central Park. The Brooklyn Bridge is also a typical place to visit and it gives you a nice walk. My absolute favorite thing to do in NYC though is to go to a Broadway Show, I'm a huge theatre fan (particularly of musicals)! Some of my favorite shows I've seen on Broadway have been: Spamalot, Hairspray, and Young Frankenstein. Either way, if you visit NYC you won't be bored.
Puerto Rico
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| Gate to the City |
Beautiful Puerto Rico may be an unincorporated U.S. territory and not a state, but that does not diminishes my love for this beautiful island! I got to visit Puerto Rico on a Spanish trip my senior year of high school. As a group we visited both San Juan and Ponce and while I adored Old San Juan, I did prefer Ponce.
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| Garden in Casa Blanca |
While in San Juan we walked through the old part of the city, saw the gate to the city, the fort
Castillo de San Cristóbal with its infamous sentry box known for its many rumors of disappearances, Casa Blanca that was once home to the Ponce family, the San Juan Cathedral that houses the remains of the explorer Ponce de Leon and Saint Pius, as well as some gorgeous beaches. We also took a few day trips, mainly to El Yunque National Forest, the only rain forest in the U.S. national forest system, and Arecibo Observatory to see the radio telescope and museum.
After our visit to San Juan we traveled south to the city of Ponce, the second largest city on the island after San Juan's metropolitan area. We were only in Ponce for around a day and a half, but it was such a beautiful city that I fell in love with instantly! Easily the most recognizable site in this city is the famous Parque de Bombas, or fire station, know for its black and red stripes. Parque de Bombas is located right in the central Plaza las Delicias just as the Ponce City Hall and Ponce Cathedral both are. It was a wonderful trip, even if I left with the horrible souvenir of sun poisoning. Ouch.
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| "La Garita del Diablo" |
Honorable Mentions
(Or places I loved and you should visit but I visited too long ago, or too infrequently, to make an educated selection)
*Washington DC
*Tennessee
*Seattle
*California
*Virginia Beach
What's your favorite travel destination in the United States?
I say Maine because I just cannot limit this beautiful state to once city or region. Maine has been a part of my life since I was born, in fact even before my parents were born! My grandparents met at Colby College in Waterville and fell in love with the surrounding area, eventually building a summer cabin in South China. I was lucky enough that up until my Junior year of college I was able to call beautiful South China my home for the summer. This little village right off of China Lake, lies between the capital of Augusta and Waterville and still remains one of my favorite places to visit.
Maine is such a versatile state that there's something to do for everyone, every season. Fall is when everyone treks up north to see the beautiful autumn foliage change colors; being from New England myself I find it particularly beautiful in Maine. During the winter months Maine is the place to be for snow sports with its 18+ ski areas and resorts. Spring and particularly summer for me are my favorite times to be in Maine (I am not a cold-weather person). Bicycling, fishing, hiking, white water rafting, beaches, camping, and blueberry picking; the options are endless in the warm months of Maine. Not to mention enjoying Maine's famous seafood!
While Florida may be most well-known for its many theme parks, there is much more to this gorgeous state than just Disney World (though the princess in me does love some Disney). One of my favorite places in Florida is around the Tampa Bay area, like Clearwater--one of the most beautiful beaches I've ever been to! My family has friends living in the Bay area so we visited quite frequently growing up. For the beach lover, and the biker (motorcycles, like my dad), it's a great community to visit. Not to mention that Florida has gorgeous weather late-fall to early-spring while the northern half of the U.S. are absolutely freezing their buns off!
For the amusement park fiend Florida is heaven. In Tampa there is Busch Gardens, it was my dad's personal favorite because there used to be a free beer tasting/tour (unfortunately that closed a few years ago, :( sadness). There many more parks throughout Florida but the largest are in Orlando area: Disney World, Universal Studies, and Sea World. While they may be overly expensive, I think that they're worth visiting at least once; you're never too old for fairy tales and roller coasters! 
Oh New York City. I have a love/hate relationship with this city. Mainly because I hate the Yankees (Mets fans, you're ok) and love the city. I can't help I'm just a Boston girl at heart. But despite it's unfortunate sports team, the Big Apple is still a pretty amazing city to visit. New York has a long, rich history and subsequently has tons of fascinating museums to visit. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Intrepid Sea Air & Space Museum, Ellis Island, and American Museum of Natural History are a few of my favorites, but the list of all the museums in NYC is far too extensive to list.
While visiting NYC other places I enjoy visiting are Times Square and Central Park. The Brooklyn Bridge is also a typical place to visit and it gives you a nice walk. My absolute favorite thing to do in NYC though is to go to a Broadway Show, I'm a huge theatre fan (particularly of musicals)! Some of my favorite shows I've seen on Broadway have been: Spamalot, Hairspray, and Young Frankenstein. Either way, if you visit NYC you won't be bored.
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