My American Winter

Planning

2008-07-08T18:30:00.001-07:00

We traveled to New York, Washington D.C. and Niagara Falls on Dec 30 2000. I planned this trip entirely on my own. I was traveling only with my hubby, not following any tour groups.

I booked the Singapore to New York air tickets from the Singapore Airlines website. Book all the hotels directly from their website.

In New York, we stayed at Intercontinental The Barclay New York. I booked directly from the hotel website, the rate in 2001 was USD 199 per night. The rates in 2008 is USD 297 !!!

From New York, we traveled to Washington D.C. by train. I made advance booking at the Amtrak website. Return ticket for 2 adults cost a total of USD 288 now.

In Washington D.C., we stayed at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel. In year 2001, the hotel had a winter promotion of USD 199 per night. Now in 2008, the room rates are from USD 699 ! Crazy !

We also returned from Washington D.C. to New York by train, then flew to Buffalo city to visit Niagara Falls. I bought the ticket online from JetBlue Airways , a budget airline. The lowest fare is now USD 180 for 2 adults for return tickets. We had to take a taxi from Buffalo airport to the Canada side of the Niagara Falls. We stayed at the Niagara Falls Sheraton Hotel.

We flew back from Buffalo to New York, then took a flight back to Singapore.

Click on the links on the right column on this blog to view the photos ! Or click the following link to start.

Day 1 : United Nations

Day 10 : Frozen Niagara Falls

2008-07-08T15:36:00.000-07:00

When we woke up in the morning, and pulled open the curtains, we were delighted to see Niagara Falls. The above photo shows the falls from our window. It looks pretty small from the hotel room. Although it looked quite near, it took us about 15 mins, in -6 degrees celsius temperature !

This photo shows the river which was almost completely frozen.

The Niagara Falls are truly breathtaking. There is a huge column of mist in the middle, which I think makes it even more spectacular.

I love snow !

This is the pathway beside the Niagara Falls.

Viewing the Niagara Falls up close.

We went down to this observation station at the base of the falls.

The views at the base were unforgettable.

We left Niagara Falls at about 4pm. This were all the luggage we traveled with.

We took a flight back to New York, and flew back to Singapore from there. It was a wonderful trip. We hope to bring our kids on the same trip when they are older !

Day 9 : Going to Niagara Falls

2008-07-08T15:26:00.000-07:00

We spent the morning walking around Times Square, and had our lunch there.

In the afternoon, we took a flight to Buffalo city. From the airport, we took a taxi to Niagara falls. One side of the falls belongs to USA, the other side belongs to Canada. We crossed immigration into Canada.

We checked into the Niagara Falls Sheraton Hotel, which is right beside the Niagara Falls. This is the photo advertised on the hotel website.

It was totally dark by then and we could not see anything. That night we did not do much, only walked to a restaurant near the hotel for dinner. It was freezing !

Day 10 : Frozen Niagara Falls

Day 8 : Back to New York

2008-07-06T01:59:00.000-07:00

We took a train back to New York city. This time we checked into the Millennium Hotel Broadway near Times Square.

In the afternoon we visited the Museum of Modern Art.

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, USA, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been singularly important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world. The museum's collection offers an unparalleled overview of modern and contemporary art, including works of architecture and design, drawings, painting, sculpture, photography, prints, illustrated books, film, and electronic media.

I was happy to see my favourite painting, the Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh.

Gallery Label text:
"This morning I saw the country from my window a long time before sunrise," the artist wrote to his brother Theo, "with nothing but the morning star, which looked very big." Rooted in imagination and memory, The Starry Night embodies an inner, subjective expression of van Gogh's response to nature. In thick sweeping brushstrokes, a flamelike cypress unites the churning sky and the quiet village below. The village was partly invented, and the church spire evokes van Gogh's native land, the Netherlands.

In the evening we walked around Fifth Avenue for window shopping. We did not buy anything, because things were so expensive there.

That night we bought take away Chinese food from a popular Chinese restaurant at Times Square. Then had dinner in our warm and cozy hotel room.

Day 9 : Going to Niagara Falls

Day 7 : Library of Congress

2008-07-06T01:49:00.000-07:00

This morning we visited the Library of Congress.

The Library of Congress is the national library of the United States and the research arm of the United States Congress. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library by shelf space and the holds the largest number of books, making it one of the most important libraries in the world.

The interiors are beautiful.

Standing outside the Library of Congress.

We also visited the National Archives to view the original copy of the Declaration of Independence. We were not allowed to take any photos inside.

The United States Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, announcing that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain were no longer a part of the British Empire. Written primarily by Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration was a document formally explaining why Congress had voted on July 2 to declare independence from Great Britain, more than a year after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War. The birthday of the United States of America—Independence Day—is celebrated on July 4, the day the wording of the Declaration was approved by Congress.

This was our last night at Washington D.C. We visited so many historic monuments, my hubby said that he was having "monumental overload". It was really fantastic to see all the famous monuments.

Day 8 : Back to New York

Day 6 : Lincoln Memorial

2008-07-05T05:24:00.000-07:00

This morning we visited the Lincoln Memorial.

The Lincoln Memorial is a United States Presidential memorial built to honor the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. The architect was Henry Bacon, the sculptor was Daniel Chester French, and the painter of the interior murals was Jules Guerin.

It was truly breathtaking.

This photo shows me standing by the reflecting pool, with the Washington Monument in the background.

Next stop was the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. Thomas Jefferson was the third President of the United States (1801–1809) and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence.

Inside the Thomas Jefferson Memorial.

Day 7 : Library of Congress

Day 5 : White House

2008-07-05T04:51:00.000-07:00

In the morning, we walked to the White House, the official home of the president of the United States. The White House is only 5 minutes walk from our hotel. There was already a long queue before the doors were opened. The security was very tight, x-rays, metal-detectors, etc. No photography allowed in the White House. Most of the area inside was restricted. The area allowed for visitors was very small. We saw some of the famous rooms just outside the doors.

Here's a photo of me in front of the White House.

The next stop was the United States Capitol. The United States Capitol is the capitol building that serves as the seat of government for the United States Congress, the legislative branch of the U.S. federal government.

We actually walked there all the way from our hotel. Although it was not snowing and was quite sunny, the temperature was near zero degrees. Look at my hubby wearing his ski mask.

This photo shows the interior of the Capitol building. That's me(on the right) reading from my travel guide book.

We still have not got over our jet lag. At around 5pm, we felt very sleepy, went back to the hotel to sleep. We woke up at around 9pm, ordered pizza for dinner, watched TV, then went back to sleep again.

Day 6 : Lincoln Memorial

Day 4 : Statue of Liberty

2008-07-03T00:57:00.000-07:00

Today we went to visit the Statue of Libery. We took the ferry from Castle Clinton.

Located on a 12 acre island, the Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World was a gift of friendship from the people of France to the people of the United States and is a universal symbol of freedom and democracy. The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886, designated as a National Monument in 1924 and restored for her centennial on July 4, 1986.

Here's a view of the Statue of Liberty from the ferry.

My hubby standing in front of the statue.

We went halfway up the Statue of Liberty and took this photo. We did not have energy to walk all the way to the top.

On the way back, the ferry stopped at Ellis Island.

Opened on January 1, 1892, Ellis Island became the nation's premier federal immigration station. In operation until 1954, the station processed over 12 million immigrant steamship passengers. The main building was restored after 30 years of abandonment and opened as a museum on September 10, 1990.

Today, over 40 percent of America's population can trace their ancestry through Ellis Island.

I like the photo of this bench on Ellis Island, completely covered in thick snow. I love snow, it makes everything looks so pure and clean.

On the way back to our hotel, we passed by busy Times Square.

In the evening we took a train from New York to Washington D.C. It took about 3 hours.

We checked into the Willard Intercontinental Hotel. This is a grand historic landmark hotel, 2 blocks away from the White House. The hotel has hosted nearly every U.S. president since Franklin Pierce in 1853.

The lobby area was beautiful, and our room was very spacious and luxurious.

Day 5 : White House

Day 2 : Metropolitan Museum of Art

2008-07-03T00:39:00.001-07:00

There was very heavy snow fall. We took the subway to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and was caught in heavy snow ! We had to walk some distance to from the subway station to the museum. We both struggled to walk through the snow.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is an art museum located on the eastern edge of Central Park, along what is known as Museum Mile in New York City, USA. It has a permanent collection containing more than two million works of art, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, often referred to simply as "the Met," is one of the world's largest art galleries, and has a much smaller second location in Upper Manhattan, at "The Cloisters," which features medieval art.

The sculptures in the photo are more than 2000 years old, from Mesopotamia.

My hubby standing in front of Egyptian columns.

After visiting the museum, we were both very tired due to the jet lag. We went back to the hotel in the afternoon to sleep, and woke up at around 9pm !

Actually it was New Year's Eve, and we had planned to go to Times Square to watch the famous count-down celebrations. But we were both so tired, and it was so cold out there. So we decided to stay in our warm and cozy hotel room, and watch the count down from TV instead.

Day 3: World Trade Center

Day 3 : World Trade Center

2008-06-29T20:15:00.001-07:00

Today we wanted to visit the Statue of Liberty. We had to take a ferry from Battery Park. We went to Castle Clinton at Battery Park, where the tickets to the Statue of Liberty are sold. But we were sad to find out that the ferries were canceled due to the heavy snowfall.

Here's me in the snow ! It was freezing ! My ears and nose hurt so much. The hat and gloves were absolutely essential. I wished I had worn boots as well, since I had to walk through deep snow.

As we were walking, we saw the twin towers of the World Trade Center. I always have a sad feeling when I see this photo. The twin towers were by destroyed by terrorists 9 months after we visited, on Sep 11 2001.

This was the queue of people waiting to take the elevator up to the top of the World Trade Center ! We waited for almost an hour.

Here's the view from the top of one of the towers. We can see the other tower in this photo.

We took a photo of the famous Empire state building from the top of the World Trade Center.

After visiting the World Trade Center, we still had time, and we decided to visit the Empire State building. Here's the top of the building. It is open air, and very very cold !

We took a photo of the twin towers of the World Trade Center, from the top of the Empire State building. Sadly, the twin towers do not exist anymore.

We took the subway back to the hotel. On the way from the subway station to our hotel, we passed by the New York Public Library. The stone lion was covered with snow !

In the evening, we walked to the Rockefeller Center. Here is a photo of the ice skating rink at the center. Too bad we both did not know how to skate.

Day 4 : Statue of Liberty

Day 1 : United Nations

2008-06-29T19:48:00.000-07:00

After a very long and tiring flight through Frankfurt, we landed in New York on 30 Dec 2000. We took a taxi from the airport to the Intercontinental The Barclay New York hotel. The hotel lobby was very nice and elegant. The room was very small, but clean and comfortable.

After a short rest, we went out for a walk. The first place we visited was the United Nations. It was within walking distance from our hotel.

This is the famous General Assembly of the United Nations.

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA / GA) is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation. Its powers are to oversee the budget of the United Nations, appoint the non-permanent members to the Security Council, receive reports from other parts of the United Nations and make recommendations in the form of General Assembly Resolutions. It has also established a wide number of subsidiary organs.

These drawings are displayed within the United Nations Building. These are about the rights of every human. Click on the photo to view the words ! That's me in the photo.

My hubby standing outside of the United Nations.

Day 2 : Metropolitan Museum of Art