Day 746: New York

On the 14th December we departed Washington D.C and set off for New York. Again we travelled with Mega Bus, tickets costing $2 USD each including an optional $1 reservation fee. This journey was only 4 hours which was nice in comparison to the usual 6.

Turns out the journey was 5 hours in the end. When considering we also had a hours train journey to arrive at Mega Bus, looks like it was a 6 hour journey after all. Unfortunately as the journey was meant to be 4 hours we didn’t have a scheduled break stop so we were a little cramped/stiff by the time we arrived.

After five and a half hours on the coach due to heavy traffic we also experienced an extremely busy city. People and cars in all directions. The major delay was due to an accident in the city. As we lined up for our next bus we had no idea how long it would be before we were in our bedroom for the next few days.

Finally we reached our accommodation (took even longer than necessary as the pavements were icy!). We were staying in a huge house (6 bedrooms just downstairs alone!) with a nice man called Richard – costing $203 CAD for 4 nights. Richard seemed to be transforming his house into a hostel type environment as he was setting up social media pages marketing the bedrooms and he also had a vending machine in his kitchen?!

Our bedroom was spacious and Richard kindly provides breakfast should you want it. After what felt a very long day we found a near by supermarket and shut off for the night.

After a good nights sleep we took the bus into New York City costing $3.50 USD per person, one way.

First we headed to Times Square. There was so much to look at and do it was quite overwhelming! We popped into a few shops, we didn’t buy anything but what with the flashing advertisements on the big screens and all the promoters in the street we felt it was nice to look around. Times SquareTimes SquareTimes SquareCold day in NYC Times Square!John in Times SquareMeg in Times Square

After some more walking and some more picture taking we headed for the Rockefeller Building where there was a ice rink set up for the festive period.

The Rockefeller Ice Rink The Rockefeller Christmas TreeThe Rockefeller tower

After some more sight seeing and some more walking we reached the famous Grand central train station.Inside the busy Grand central train station.

Of course, we then had to visit the Empire State Building, the impressive 102 story skyscraper.

We then went on the High Line Walk which is a free 1 mile walk around part of the city. Whilst on the walk the snow showers began! The snow started to fall quite heavily and continued for the rest of the night. John the photographer capturing the city scenes. Caught in the snow!

On our second day in New York we jumped straight onto the bus to go to the city centre followed by the metro to take us to the ferry port.

We managed to get a single ride ticket for $3 USD each rather than buy a metro card. This train would take us to the South Ferry.

We then boarded the free ferry which is a 25 min ride around the Staten Island is where we could view the impressive Statue of Liberty! We were glad to have got a spot on the very busy ferry where we could see the statue. It was very cold and windy so taking our gloves off to take a picture made our hands numb – but it was worth it! View of part of the city from the ferry The Statue of LibertyBraving standing outside in the cold to be able to get the best pictures!The Statue of Liberty in the background – the stranger who we asked to take the photo was a little slow!

After departing the ferry we took a walk into New York’s financial district where we found Wall Street. We then continued on to see Brooklyn Bridge.

The famous Wall StreetNew York stock exchange building Financial district Christmas tree!Brooklyn BridgeUs with Brooklyn Bridge

We then went to see the 9/11 memorial which was beautifully done. Every individual name of the people who have passed is engraved onto the wall. The memorials are huge as they are the same size of the base, where the towers once stood. The 9/11 Memorial

Next to the memorial was the world trade centre where the building is designed to look like it goes up into infinity- impressive!If you stand underneath the building like in this picture you can’t see the top!

We then decided to try ice skating! It cost $20 USD each ($15 if you have your own skates). To start with we couldn’t leave the sides and it was rather embarrassing so see everyone gliding around and us holding the railing for dear life. However you are allowed 90 mins on the ice so after an hour we were wizzing round like all the others – don’t think we are quite ready to audition for Dancing on Ice! We had a brilliant time and a real laugh we were so glad to have tried out the ice rink. The ice rink Our skates on ready to go!Trying to balance on the ice whilst trying to take a photo! Once we got used to it we were wizzing around

Once we had returned our skates and traded them for much comfier trainers we headed for China Town. As the name suggests the streets were filled with Chinese restaurants, supermarkets, clothing stores and a few dodgy fake designer shops. We didn’t buy anything but it was nice to look around and have a glimpse of Asia again. Enjoying NYC at night, especially the Christmas decorations China Town

Right next to China town we found the Little Italy area. Little Italy was full of restaurants of all types of cuisines. Even though it was a Saturday night we were really surprised to see every single diner jam packed regardless of how small or big it was. Little Italy

After walking a little further out we found the famous ‘Friends’ building exterior. Friends wasn’t filmed in the apartment block itself but the exterior of the building is well known from appearing in the show too.The famous shot of the exterior of the Friends Flat

To round off the evening we took a walk back through Times Square to see the city by night. The city was even more manic than the day time with both people and cars. We stopped off at ‘Arbys’ to get John a buffalo chicken sandwich then got back on the bus to call it a night. We had yet another wonderful day! Times Square at night time John with his Buffalo Chicken Sandwich from Arby’s!

On our final day in New York we were sad to be choosing our final activities but happy to of had such a fantastic time during our stay.

Before we could enjoy our last day we had to withdraw money from the bank and also find a library to print our details for the flight the next day. All of which sounds like easy jobs but of course it was fairly time consuming.

Later on we managed to find a well known and well recommended cheese cake shop. John had been looking forward to this cheesecake for a while so it was a real treat. We shared a slice of plain and a slice of devils chocolate. We decided to eat it in Times Square.Famous Cheesecake shop called JuniorsEating cheesecake with a view!

After wondering around Times Square we headed to Central Park which was really beautiful with patches of snow on the grass and the lake that had frozen over. We continued to walk until it got dark. We then headed back through Times Square for the last time. We were feeling pretty sad to be leaving New York as we had such a wonderful visit. Walking around Central ParkThe lake completely frozen over New York City from Central ParkAnother Christmas market not far from the park

Before we caught the bus back to our accommodation we tried a New York hot dog, costing $3 USD. The hot dog is another popular snack that appeared regularly in street vendors stalls. John trying a New York hot dogBusy Times Square!

We are sad to be leaving New York but we are pleased with our time spent in the city. Later on we caught the bus back to our room to pack up for our flight the next day. We both agreed New York is one of the best places we have visited.

On the 18th December we were due to fly out of New York, at 10pm! As we had to check out of our accommodation at 10am we had more than enough time to kill. We took a walk down to one of the cities viewing areas to stretch our legs and enjoy the view for the last time. We then treated ourselves to a hot drink before heading back to the house to collect our bags. Now onwards to Ireland!

Day 742: Cincinnati to Pittsburgh to Washington

We departed from Chicago on a sunny day. Our Mega Bus (costing $10 USD each) left a little later than planned but we had reserved seats at the front, behind the driver this time.

We arrived in Cincinnati in the downtown area. We then took a two mile walk to reach our accommodation. We were staying with an Vietnamese/American couple who lived on the outskirts of Kentucky ($153 CAD for 3 nights). Our room was spacious with a comfy bed along with lots of maps and tourist information, should we need it.

Cincinnati was much smaller than Chicago so after a couple of hours we had seen the place – unfortunately not much to look at either. Our visit to Cincinnati was more of a rest stop whilst on the way to Pittsburgh. Regardless of how much there was to do in Cincinnati our bodies were glad of the rest and the reduced amount of miles we were walking per day! The Taft Museum of ArtThe first concrete sky scrapper in the USA built in 1903A very cold yet sunny day in Cincinnati View of Cincinnati City from the bridge

Cincinnati City

The crossing between states

On December 9th we left our accommodation. After a 2 mile walk we had reached Greyhound coach station. At 12.30pm we were due to take a coach to Pittsburgh, the coach costing $55 USD in total, without reserved seats and a 35 minute lay over in Columbus.

As it stands we definitely prefer Mega Bus over Greyhound. Just to add to our not so great review of Greyhound we discovered our coach was delayed for 3 hours. The delay will mean we miss the lay over coach so we were really hoping Greyhound would sort themselves out.

At 12.30pm Greyhound managed to pull a favour with another coach company. We set off as the snow was falling hoping that all the was sorted – fingers crossed! Luckily we managed to make the connection coach, this was the last change before reaching Pittsburgh.

The journey was the most uncomfortable one we had been on to date. We didn’t stop once in the 4 hours to stretch our legs, plus we could only have one bag under the bus so our knees were by our chins to accommodate for our bags being at our feet. Just to top all that off, the couple sitting in front of us had their chairs reclined for the whole journey so our space was limited even more.

After a 20 minute walk we reached our next accommodation. A private room in a cosy house, our most expensive accommodation yet at $210 CAD for 3 nights. The host lived in a house next door and rents out the three bedrooms for guests. Our bedroom was lovely and the house was very well equipped. We were 300m away from a supermarket and a easy walk away from the city centre.Our room during our stay in Pittsburgh

After a good nights sleep we headed out to Pittsburgh city to explore. First we decided to go up to the cities view point that you can reach via a inclined tram. The tram is classed as public transport so luckily the price remains regulated by the government at $2.50 USD each one way.Walking through the city centre Wrapped up warm on a very cold/windy day in Pittsburgh The inclined tram ride to reach the cities best view point

After admiring the view for a while we decided to take a scenic walk back into the city rather than get the tram. By the time we had done some more exploring and stopped to take plenty of pictures it was starting to get dark. One of Pittsburgh’s American Football stadiums. A match was taking place the evening we took this photo.Trying our best to get a picture of us with the city in the background!John with Pittsburgh city!Pretty church we found at the top of the hill, pretty busy what with it being Sunday.We managed to find a quieter view point so we had all the space we wanted to get a picture!

There were a fair few tourists in the city on this particular evening as there was a big American football game on at the stadium. Therefore the city was filled with fans dressed in black and yellow, a few of which were staying in the same house as us – they had travelled from Austin, Texas to see the match.

On our last final full day in Pittsburgh we went to explore the ‘down town’ area. The weather wasn’t as cold/windy as the previous day so it was much easier to walk around.

‘The Strip’ which hosts the Market (rather pricey) containing meat, fresh produce and American Football merchandise Muriel of Pittsburgh Quite a large Christmas nativity scene in the centre of townPittsburgh courts

On the 12th December we awoke at the early hour of 6AM to leave our accommodation in Pittsburgh and walk to the coach station to depart at 7.30am. It was still dark when we left and it was starting to snow – just like when we left Cincinnati. Our Double Decker Mega Bus

To our surprise a double decker bus turned up! Our seats were located on the upper level. For this journey we had paid $2 USD each ($1 was for the optional reservation fee).

Unlike Greyhound, Mega Bus leave dead on the minute of departure. Once on board it was rather cosy watching the city wake up as we headed for Washington DC. The journey went well and we arrived at the scheduled time.

We then had to catch the metro to reach our accommodation. The metro card cost $2 USD each and the trip itself cost $4 USD each – annoying when a 300 mile trip cost less than a 5 mile trip!

After a 20 minute walk and a total of 9 hours in transit we reached our accommodation. We were staying with a man called Frances for a total of $76 USD for two nights. Frances had told us he would be at work when we arrived. Little did we know Frances works from home so we jumped when we found another man in the house!

Our room was pleasant and we had a television which was a nice treat. We didn’t fancy a 3 mile work to the supermarket so we ordered some food in while we got to know Frances.

On our one and only full day in Washington we decided to go sight seeing. We caught the train at 11am costing $3.05 USD. First we went to look at the multiple grand buildings, The US Capital building followed by The Liberty Congress Building.The US Capital BuildingThe US Capital Building Cold yet sunny in Washington!Us both with The US Capital Building Walk around the lakeThe Liberty Congress Building

Next we went to a free art museum called The National Gallery of Art it was nice to warm up too! The gallery was beautiful and absolutely huge. We only had time to see a small section as there was a lot we wanted to see but it was certainly worth the visit.Entrance to the Art Gallery John with Louie XIVWe found a painting of the church we visited in Amsterdam when we first started our travels in 2015!The Art Gallery Gardens

We then went to the Natural History Museum which was also free and equally impressive! Unfortunately again we had to rush around the museum just so that we could fit everything in. We were extremely impressed with The Natural History museums, the exhibits were fantastic as well as the sheer size of the place. Even better that we went in for free!Luckily we’ve never met a real bear but this was close enough!The ocean section of the museum

We then made it to the White House where unfortunately there was building work going on in the gardens! Once we got a picture avoiding the JCBs we got a few snaps of ourselves. Us at the White HouseOne of The Trump hate camps – somebody was living behind that!

There were a couple of ‘camps’ set up directly in front of the house exclaiming their hate for Trump. We managed to avoid protesters by being standard tourists and gawping at the scenery and big sniper guns pointed out from the roof.

Next we went to see the Abraham Lincoln memorial followed by the Obelisk that represents George Washington. The monument was created in 1884 – back then it was the tallest building in the world.The Abraham Lincoln memorial The George Washington Obelisk

After walking 15km we decided it was time to head back to our accommodation before it got too dark out. We had a wonderful day in Washington, our only wish was that we had a bit longer to visit all the museums and attractions.

We spent our evening packing back up ready to head to New York the next morning!

Day 734: London to Detroit to Chicago

After 4 months of working at Bill Gosling we decided to leave and go do some exploring with the money we had earned. We presumed since Bill Gosling has a high turn over that us leaving wouldn’t be a big thing. We were touched how many individuals made an effort to say bye and pass on their email address to keep in touch.Wearing the call centre headsets for the last time!

It was strange leaving Emmalines house after staying there for a while but we were excited to get back on the road. Our last day in London consisted of boring jobs like printing visas and packing but we also had one cinema ticket to use.

On the 1st December we finished packing up our room at Emmalines place. After not being on the move for a while we had lost our touch in bag packing which resulted in cramming items into our bag with the zip nicely strained. It was ever so weird leaving Emmalines house and slightly depressing, good byes are never pleasant. Our last night with Emmaline, a fabulous host!

Emmaline very kindly gave us a lift in her car to the coach station. We then boarded the bus at 10.50am, luckily we were able to sit together. The coach journey was with greyhound, the seats cost approx $23 CAD each. The journey to Detroit was lovely what with it being a sunny day and pretty scenery. The only downside being the smell from the toilet. Nevertheless we crossed the border control without any issues and set off to stay in another air bnb house, our host named Joseph.

Once we were off the coach we searched for a public bus to try and get a fraction nearer to where we were staying. An hour later we managed to get on the bus (costing $1.50 USD each) juggling around our bags as to avoid them swinging into some poor local. Twenty minutes later we were off the bus and 2 miles away from the house. We were told by the US border control security the further from town you stay the tougher the area. With that information in mind we hot footed it to our accommodation.

On arrival at Joseph’s house we discovered nobody was in (perfect luck) so we waited on his door step expectantly. We were there for a good 10 minutes which resulted in us collecting his post for him. A few moments later a lady appeared next door who turned out to be Joseph’s wife. She let us in and gave us a tour of the house, also advising us not to go out after dark. Two girls were also staying in the house with us, the hosts comment understandably made the girls worry about the well being of their car! Our room was pleasant with plenty of room and a comfortable bed. Despite being out of the city the room was $40 USD for one night.

As we didn’t want to go out in the dark and walk aimlessly looking for a supermarket we ordered in. Despite the food being 2 hours late we were happily fed and watered for the night and certainly ready to go to sleep! Later in the evening we managed to meet Joseph himself. He was a nice man who enjoyed talking about his 5 children, his own travel experiences and his views on Donald Trump!

After sleeping soundly for a good 10 hours we woke up fresh and excited for another day ahead. Our next coach wasn’t until 2pm but Joseph had kindly told us we could check out whenever we wanted.

We planned to leave the room at 12pm. Having a lazy morning was all fun and games until John discovered the bus was at 12.15pm. We managed to do a 10 minute walk with one minute to spare with 10kg on our backs and a wheeled suitcase in our hands. Nevertheless we made it in time and managed to get a seat – costing $1.50 USD each.

A few random snaps of Detroit on route to the bus terminal

Our next trip, Detroit to Chicago was with Mega Bus – we preferred Mega bus as they leave on time and have reserved seating. We were seat 3 and 4, little did we know we had front seats – a prime view! The tickets cost about $11 USD including booking and reservation fee.

By 2pm we were on route to Chicago and nicely fed with a sandwich John managed to find for $16 USD total. Although the weather was chilly it was lovely and sunny – a good day to watch the scenery pass us. On the coach on the way to Chicago

By 4.30pm we stopped at a rest station to stretch our legs and use the toilets or ‘washrooms’ as they call it. John spotted a handbag for sale in the shop, which turned out to be a fashionable gun carrier! The label quoted “keep calm and carry weapons” – no thank you!

We arrived in Chicago around 7pm (we dropped a hour, now 5 behind the UK) the city was clean, plenty of people about (not gangsters) and the general feel of the place was great. Despite Chicago also being known for being a little on the rough side we wouldn’t of known whatsoever. We are staying a few blocks from the University so there are plenty of students walking around. Lovely views from the sun setting as we arrived in Chicago

We reached our accommodation, an apartment owned by a man called Juan. We already knew before we arrived that Juan wouldn’t be in the apartment when we got there but we knew where the key was etc prior to arrival. We were greeted by a loveable house cat who seemed to love fuss. The apartment was lovely and clean, our room a little small but we were only planning to sleep in there and be out for the day. A furry friend for the next 5 days

The following day we went exploring. We did a lot of walking but we managed to see a lot. We were very lucky with the weather too as it wasn’t too cold and the sun was shining all day – we even got too hot at one point! Chicago City Centre

By 1pm we managed to stop for some lunch at a convenience store where we got a packed lunch for $9 USD total. By 3.45pm we had walked 11km so we enjoyed a 20 minute flop on the sofa we found in a mall!

After walking around for a little bit longer to see all the Christmas lights lit up in the dark we eventually headed home. As soon as we realised we had walked a total of 20km we understood why our feet were throbbing. We had a fantastic day and Chicago is definitely one of our favourite cities, plenty to do, see and explore.

The ”Bean’ sculpture, full name ‘Cloud Gate’ that was designed to look like liquid mercury! The City by night! & Johns furry friend enjoying a back rub

The following day we bought a one day travel card for unlimited use throughout the day. The card cost $10 USD each. First things first we headed for Chicago’s free zoo. We were a little sceptical to if the zoo was free or not but only one way to find out. We caught the train there and only had to walk for ten minutes or so before we arrived at the zoo.

The zoo was indeed free and also very impressive, they had tigers, snow leopards, monkeys, gorillas, camels, kangaroos and a variety of birds including penguins. Luckily the zoo was quiet as it was a Monday and the animals were all very active. Admittedly we did expect the zoo to be full of sheep and equally not so exciting animals but we were pleasantly surprised.

After a couple of hours at the zoo we then went to visit the theatre and the alley where the famous criminal John Dillinger was shot after being on the run from the police for years after seeing a theatre production.

We then took the train to see one of Chicago’s German markets. We walked around and took in the delicious smell of mulled wine whilst looking at the overpriced stalls and ice rink with Christmas carols playing in a the background. It certainly is beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Our next activity was a comedy show which we had bought tickets for on the previous day. We then went back to the apartment in the hope of having a shower and having a hot meal. When realising it was a 40 min bus journey to get to the show we swapped a shower for a change of clothes and a hot meal for a cereal bar.

We then ran to the bus stop to catch the bus by the skin of our teeth to discover our 24 hour travel pass had cut off after 8 hours meaning the bus ticket was yet another fare out of our pocket. We then ran to the train station to discover the pass was working so we’d lost money for no reason. Perfect.

Two trains later and we arrived at the comedy club. We were seated right at the front, practically on the stage! We treated ourselves to a drink each which came with a pricey bill as well as the tip (?!)

Unsure whether or not our humour varied massively to those in the USA but the show was not one bit funny. Whilst everyone was loudly laughing we were wondering if we’d missed a hidden punch line somewhere?! At one point one of the ‘comedians’ was stood right by John on stage so unfortunately the spot light was on him also. As John was also in the lime light he had to pretend to laugh so that we didn’t look confused/unamused Brits for the night!

Nevertheless it was nice to officially see a show in Chicago and it was good to see everyone in good spirits.

The stage! (And how close we were)The rather forced smiles we painted on our face for the night

The following day we needed to find somewhere to exchange money. Such a simple task you would expect to take 20 mins or so. However unlike in the UK, banks will not exchange money unless you have an account with them. We spent two hours looking for somewhere.

Eventually someone told us of a place called Travelex Currency Service. We discovered Travelex didn’t open till 3pm so we headed for a hot drink in a cafe as the winds were painfully cold on our faces and snow was starting to fall.

The currency rate was shocking at the exchange shop so we ended up withdrawing from an ATM. It was rather amusing as the banker thought we were millionaires when we told her we had bank accounts in England, Canada and Australia! The bank we withdrew from was called BMO Harris, the conversion rate was better than any other we had found.

Later on we braved the cold winds and did some final sight seeing around the town – we even bumped into a girl from London UK!

Ice rink in the town centre The crown fountain that shows a series of moving faces before spitting water out! Luckily the water feature had been turned off but we stayed at a distance just in case!The famous Chicago Art Institute A strange frame made of old tyres?We re visited the Bean to capture the city sky line in the reflectionTaking a picture of anything Christmassy – of course!More Christmas lights to pose with!Our final pictures of Chicago’s impressive city!

Overall we have had a fabulous time in Chicago, we wished we had a few more days there in fact. We have been waking 20km each day and have still not seen all the city! Would certainly recommend the visit and we would defiantly return given the chance. Next stop…Cincinnati!