AMAZING EXPERIENCE AT THE BIG A!
PLACES VISITED: NEW YORK/ WASHINGTON D.C./MARYLAND/LAS VEGAS/LOS ANGELES/
SOLVANG/OXNARD/SAN DIEGO
THE BIG APPLE TRIP
Sept 11 to October 8, 2016
Meeting and spending time with my in-laws for the first time, celebrating my birthday in New York City, visiting the most popular tourist destinations- a first time trip in the USA and definitely will never be the last!
Meeting and spending time with my in-laws for the first time, celebrating my birthday in New York City, visiting the most popular tourist destinations- a first time trip in the USA and definitely will never be the last!
NEW YORK CITY AND MANHATTAN
New York Sept 11 to 14 2016Bustling city life, quite expensive but totally worth it! New yorkers are straightforward but friendly. Manhattan and Brooklyn, two cities separated by a river are so different from each other - just like Khobar of Saudi and Manama of Bahrain. I liked Brooklyn for the cleanliness and quietness - felt like home for a bit- and Manhattan for its vibrance day and night. There's just so many people walking (fast) day and night! Nice to see my friend Andrea again in NYC.
New York trip was a hit with food trip - large sized pizzas, burgers, ice cream, pretzels
and bagels- typical american food in HUGE servings. We had to sneak in some Thai food after a while coz our tummies were screaming for RICE hahaha! TV shows and news tapings 😊😊Looking at NY skyscrapers especially at night and the amazing architectural designs and distinctive facades of buildings and houses reflect cultural and historical significances alike. We'll always remember the colorful, vibrant and family friendly Times Square, Broadway, Central Park, the majestic views of Empire State (Aisha calls it Kingkong Tower) and the Chrysler Building, Macy's, SOHO (where Houston is pronounced as "hawston" and everywhere else i guess it's "hyuston") and Rockefeller center. Visiting the 9/11 memorial at the ground zero was definitely some highlight of our trip for the moving, somehow disturbing, memoriam that makes us realize how fragile life is and how fortunate we are to be alive and happy
with our family.
Great family time as always, Alhumdulillah!
New York trip was a hit with food trip - large sized pizzas, burgers, ice cream, pretzels
and bagels- typical american food in HUGE servings. We had to sneak in some Thai food after a while coz our tummies were screaming for RICE hahaha! TV shows and news tapings 😊😊Looking at NY skyscrapers especially at night and the amazing architectural designs and distinctive facades of buildings and houses reflect cultural and historical significances alike. We'll always remember the colorful, vibrant and family friendly Times Square, Broadway, Central Park, the majestic views of Empire State (Aisha calls it Kingkong Tower) and the Chrysler Building, Macy's, SOHO (where Houston is pronounced as "hawston" and everywhere else i guess it's "hyuston") and Rockefeller center. Visiting the 9/11 memorial at the ground zero was definitely some highlight of our trip for the moving, somehow disturbing, memoriam that makes us realize how fragile life is and how fortunate we are to be alive and happy
with our family.
Great family time as always, Alhumdulillah!
WASHINGTON D.C.
Washington DC Sept 14-17, 2016My first impression of Washington DC is that it seems so much similar to Switzerland except that perhaps its a warm version. People are friendly, shops close early evening and don't open till 9ish in the morning. Going to the downtown, one realizes that Washington DC is a hub for American politics and history. There are plenty of free museums to take advantage of but the real draw here is the memorials and monuments dedicated to great American leaders. Visiting the Smithsonian museums took a lot of our time and we could just hardly see all of them. Food stalls and restaurants are not very easy to find esp early morning in the National Mall area, the only one we found open at 8:30 was the Castle Cafe. Beautiful on the sides, and remarkable at the center, Washington DC is a place to learn a lot more about history, art and culture.
