Subject: Hello from NY!
Date: Saturday, May 21, 2005
Yes, I have made it to New York safely. I arrived this morning and I’m currently staying in a posh hotel in the Big Apple. This is all because of my parents. I haven’t seen them yet, but I’m pretty keen on seeing them later tonight, since I haven’t seen them since Christmas.
They are set to arrive seven hours after me, so I decided to venture out alone into Manhattan to kill time. I walked down 7th Avenue and back up 5th Avenue. So far, I’ve seen Rockerfeller Center, Times Square, Madison Square, the Flatiron Building, the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Buildling.
Manhattan is great! Lots of shops, restaurants, delis, tourists and people on mobile phones. Don’t New Yorkers actually talk face-to-face anymore? And boy, there are thousands of people! It reminded me of a New Year’s Day crowd in Melbourne. I have also noticed on the streets that local Americans speak many foreign languages: Spanish, French, German, Hebrew. Multiculturalism is very present. After spending one month sweating in South America, the first thing I did in N.Y. was take a nice long hot shower. South America is great, but the amenities aren’t quite up to scratch. And the first thing I ate in N.Y.? Couldn’t have been anything other than a toasted bagel with cream cheese! Ok. I better go. Internet is definitely not as cheap here as in South America. In fact, nothing in N.Y. is cheap!
Love, SYS
Subject: Hello from Yellowstone
Date: Wednesday, June 6, 2006
Since my last email, my parents and I have been driving across the U.S.A. from N.Y.C. It has been a long road trip with different cities each night. We have now arrived at Yellowstone National Park in Idaho, Wyoming and we will be staying here for another five days. Then, we will continue our road trip down to the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas and finally L.A.
Since N.Y.C., we have driven to Niagara Falls. Unbelievably touristy; the place reminded me of a theme park. Chicago, a marvellous city – famous for its architecture and its pizza. We went on an architecture cruise on the river and ate pizza for dinner. I liked Chicago a lot; it was much cleaner and neater than New York.
St. Louis, Missouri. We saw the Gateway Arch, a skinny arch structure – 198m tall – made from stainless steel and concrete. Structurally weird, but pretty.
Kansas City – land of Dorothy and Toto. Luckily, no tornadoes. Unluckily, the city seemed very plain.
Mt. Rushmore, South Dakota. This is the famous granite cliff with the faces of four U.S. ex-presidents carved into it. I know American people in general are patriotic, but this place is just too much for me. People were actually standing up to sing the American national anthem in the freezing cold. I doubt any Aussies could be bothered to do this.
Yellowstone National Park. I love it here. Beautiful scenery with snow-capped mountains, rivers, lakes, geysers, hotsprings, and pine forests.
Geologically, this place is a “hotspot”, and I find it very interesting to see hydrothermal activities in action.
The wildife here is plentiful. So far, I’ve seen lots and lots of bison and elk, three moose, a grizzly bear, two coyotes, a bald eagle, marmots and many chipmunks.
For the past two days, the weather has been amazing. But today, it snowed on us. Yes, snow in June in the U.S.! Still, it’s all part of the beauty. Thank goodness I’ve got my thermals with me!
Love, SYS
