Philly, DC, Baltimore

The capital of United States of America, Washington in District of Columbia named after the first U.S president. Washington doesn’t belong to any state and it’s a district on its own but not to forget there is a state in the west coast named Washington State. Many of my friends in United States recommended visiting this place in the east coast and all had a great opinion about this place. Honestly, this place didn’t disappoint me and it’s indeed one of the best places to visit in the east coast.

We decided to take a package tour to avoid the stress of riding the car for hours and finally it ended up as right decision in the end. The tour included Philadelphia, Washington D.C and Baltimore. Philadelphia is the capital of the state Pennsylvania and also the ex-capital of U.S.A. The weather stayed fantastic throughout the trip with blue skies and nice lovely sun shine. Independence Square, the liberty bell are some of the spots which are worth visiting in Philadelphia. The cruise ride on the Schuylkill river gave panoramic view of the city of Philadelphia. According to statistics, Philadelphia is not the greatest of place to live because of the high amount of crime rate.

The moment we arrive in Washington D.C, we see the white building which is visible in all corners. Everybody thinks this white building as White House where the U.S president lives but it’s actually not so. This white building is called Capitol and definitely one of the striking picturesque building in Washington D.C. The White house is a small building when compared to Capitol and sometimes you ask is this the building where US president lives. Lincoln memorial is an important monument one can visit in D.C.

Washington D.C cruise ride is a nice experience if weather permits. One could see the airport of Washington D.C. from the ship, the landing and taking of the flights is simply breathtaking view from the cruise. One gets a feeling that this city is well planned city with wide roads, buildings constructed in orderly manner and definitely a city to hang around during the weekend.The trip ended with the fort of Baltimore from where the natives defended Britishers. I never thought that British waged a war against US anytime. I could strongly recommend this package tour which was organized very well and it was way relaxing than driving a car from New Jersey. All in all it was a great trip to remember with minor challenges from Anish ;)

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Niagara Falls - USA, CANADA

The tourist location in the east coast of United States which one shouldn’t miss out is the great Niagara Falls. It’s about six to seven hours ride to Niagara if you are in New Jersey and it’s definitely one of the fantastic road trips. It was eventually our first long road trip with Anish and it turned out really well in the end. Thanks to my friend Krishna who accompanied us and shared the driving which made things more easier. The river Niagara bifurcates the two countries United States of America and Canada.

 I must honestly admit the view of Niagara Falls is more beautiful from Canadian side than from US side. The ship ride (Maid of the Mist) is a must when one visits Niagara. The ride takes almost as close to the falls and the view was simply breathtaking from the ship. The thunderous noise which the falls makes, the smoke it generates through the air, the rainbow flashing out of the water is something worth to experience.

It was always in my plan to visit Niagara Falls from Canadian side but unfortunately Anita didn’t have the visa for Canada. Since I had the German passport, I could travel to Canada without visa and it’s not easy to take Anish along with me without Anita. Just work up early in the morning and drove to Canadian side without them ;) The whole trip got fulfilled after seeing the falls from Canadian side. I would strongly recommend taking Canadian Visa to visit the falls from Canadian side. The rainbow bridge connects the two countries US and Canada. It’s just 10 minutes drive from US side to the Canadian side and it’s simply worth it.

There was even an article describing the Canadian side offers more varieties, fun, leisure when compared with the US side. Probably there should be some memorandum between the two countries so that the tourists from US side are allowed to see the Canadian side of the falls but I guess Canada earns its revenue through the visa fees as well. It was my childhood dream to visit this place and I am so glad that it came true one day. 

One thing I noticed in this touristic location was the number of Indians visiting this place. River Niagara seems to be like the holy river Ganges for the desi population in US and Canada ;) The night view of the Niagara Falls is highly recommended with the flashing gigantic lights on the falls. There was a movie about the Niagara Falls in the amphitheater and the movie describes the people who made valiant efforts to cross the river via rope, people who fell from the top of the falls etc. Even though this place is so touristic and crowded, definitely a place to visit during a weekend if you are in the east coast. All in all, it was a trip to remember for many years! Dreams do come true.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S