{The last two months...}

Hi guys!

I am truly sorry for not updating for so long. *Bitchslapping myself*

So, since a lot has happened in the last two months, and I dont want to overwhelm you(and me) in one post, I've decided to post around 10 smaller posts in the next few days. These will be in chronological order, so in the next post, we are rewinding two months back in time.

Loads of love!

{Day 8 - Atlanta}

Hi!
So, today was way better than yesterday. First of all I slept like 12 hours :) Then I had a late breakfast at Dunkin' Donuts, my new favourite place. By the I was done it was already afternoon and we made our way to the World of Coca Cola building. There, we bought a combi ticket to go inside the Coca Cola building and the CNN studio's.
Although I don't like Coca Cola, I loved the whole thing. First there was an introduction, then we saw the long version of a commercial from 2007. Then I took a picture with the Coca Cola bear :D and there was an exihibition on the history of the Coca Cola company. After that there was a machine that showed how Coke is bottled, and a video of many famous Coco Cola commercials. After that I saw a 4D movie, with moving chairs and wind, which was fun. And then came the best part: tasting all the drinks the Coca Cola company ever produced, including Nestea, Fanta, Sprite etc. At the end I got my own mini bottle of Coke.
At the end of the afternoon we went to the CNN headquarters. With our combi ticket we went on the inside CNN tour. We literally saw someone presenting live, while it was broadcasted on tv, which was really cool. Also, we learned some tricks they use and we took our own picture in a CNN stdio. We also got to see the HLN studio, a sisterchannel of CNN, from which they were also broadcasting live.
If you are ever in Atlanta, definitely check these two out, it's lots of fun. As for the rest of the night, I didn't do anything really. I have found a new addictive tv series called Pretty little liars, so I watched some of that.
As for today, we're planning on going to the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site and then at 8.00 p.m. we are taking the bus back to New York...
Loves!

{Day 7 - Atlanta}

Hi!
Okay, so today was not my day. First at 2.45 a.m. we took the Amtrak from Charlotte to Atlanta. Well, I had hoped to travel comfortably and sleep the whole way, but since the air conditioning was on all night, it was freezing cold in the train. The chairs however, were comfortable, but because of the cold, I kept waking up.
At 8.00 a.m. we arrived in Atlanta. We wanted to take the backpacks to the hotel and then just chill, but first we had to wait for 30 minutes for the checked luggage to be available. Then, we decided to take a cab to the hotel, since we had no idea where to go, and without a map, walking around Atlanta wouldn't have been such a good idea.
On our way to the hotel, we ran into a marathon, so it took the driver about 20 minutes to figure out a new way to the hotel. Instead of 10 dollars the ride ended up costing us 22 dollars. So we got at the hotel at around 9.00 a.m. and off course were too early to check in, so we left the bags there and went looking for the next Starbucks for coffee and breakfast.
We found one, but, shockingly, it was closed. Since when does Starbucks close??? Well, after that we decided to go to Dunkin Donuts, where I had a bagel with scrabled eggs and cheese, or something that is supposed to be the same thing, I'm starting to miss Rita hall food :)
At noon we went back to the hotel, passing the Philips Arena on our way, were loads of people were waiting and buying tickets, probably for an NCAA game. We checked in, and once in our room took a shower and slept all through the afternoon. At 5.30 p.m. I woke up, got ready and we had dinner, then we made our way to the Phillips Arena for an Atlanta Hawks basketball game that we had tickets for.
We then arrived there, I looked at the ticket and saw the time was 2.00 p.m. and not 7.00 p.m., yes, we had missed the game...
We went back to the hotel, chilled some more and went to sleep. As I said, not my day, hoping the next two will be better :)
Loves!

{Day 6 - Charlotte}

Hi!

So, today was totally exhausting. We arrived with the bus at the Charlotte Transportation Center at 7.00 a.m., and where so tired. But then again, we were only in Charlotte for a day, so we had to get going and decide what we’d do. First of all, we had to store the backpacks somewhere, so we decided to take the bus to the Amtrak Station, which is located outside the city center. It didn’t cost us a thing this time, since we were taking the train at night.

We then took the bus back, and got on a kind of slow train towards the other end of the city to the Midnight Diner. Just like the South Street Diner in Boston, this diner had the typical “Diner-look” that you see in the movies. Also their menu was similar, with eggs, pancakes, French toast etc. I ordered the French toast, and it was amazing. If you want to know more about the menu or the diner, here’s their website:

After breakfast we had a lot more energy, and went to the Charlotte Visitors Information Center, to see what we could do there. We got a lot of info on museums and attractions from very eager-to-help staff. Also, today there were not only museums and attractions, there would be the St. Patrick’s Day parade, which is a huge celebration in all of the US(just an extra reason to drink and party, if you ask me). So we went to the Levine Museum of the New South, which exhibits the history of Charlotte and the South after the Civil War.

When we got out of the museum, we ran into the parade. Everyone was wearing green, and there were dancers, cheerleaders, veterans, race carts, in green decorated cars etc. We watched it for a while, then walked down to a market where people were selling food, jewelry, beer and other stuff. We then found a park where tanned for the rest of the afternoon.

At night I was so tired I fell asleep at like 7.00 p.m. in the waiting area of the Charlotte Amtrak Station. I woke up around 2.00 a.m., and we waited until 2.30 a.m. until out train to Atlanta was there and we could board it. The train chairs are so great in comparison to the busses, they are big and with a lot of space for legs and feet and they have 120V outlets. Only the Wi-Fi was missing. We are scheduled to arrive in Atlanta at 8.13 a.m., and I’ll let you know how that goes.

Loves!

{Day 5 – Washington D.C.}

Hi!
Sorry for the late update, the trip has been quite exhausting, so I didn’t find the energy to write. But now I do, so here goes.
So, my second day in Washington D.C., we first checked out of the hotel and walked to Union Station, where we wanted to store the backpacks. We did the same thing in Philadelphia and it cost us $ 3,-, but when we got to the counter, they told us it was $ 20,- per backpack for 5 hours or more. Well we didn’t have a choice really, so we left the backpacks and $ 40,- there.
After this I got on the Old Town Trolley again. I actually filmed some of it, so I want to upload that footage soon :) I got off in the city center, and made my way to Starbucks for breakfast, since the breakfast in the hotel sucked. In Starbucks, I read my email and found out that I got accepted into the American University of Paris!
After Starbucks I decided to go the Museum of Natural History, since I hadn’t been to a museum in D.C. yet, and my sister told me I should go there. Well, she is right, it is amazing, and since it’s a Smithsonian museum, it is also free! There is like huge whales and dinosaurs, they’re even kind of creepy. So, if you’re ever in D.C., definitely go check it out.
After that I went to the White house visitors center, which is not located next to the white house, but a few blocks down. I had seen the White house yesterday, but didn’t have the opportunity to go to the visitors center yet. Inside the visitors center you can get a virtual tour of the White House, which is great if you can’t go in person, and there is much more information about the presidents and their families. Also, I bought a poster of the 1799 painting of George Washington, for only $ 1,-.
With a few hours left in D.C. I decided to check out the place where my sister had lived last year, 400 Massachusetts Avenue. It is absolutely amazing, it is so close to everything :D Off course I couldn’t go in, so that was a short trip, and I went for dinner in Chinatown. While I was there I ran into a cinema, and since I still had some time to kill, I decided to go watch Red Riding Hood. The movie was so-so, but at least I wasn’t bored.
Now it was time to go back to Union Station, where I again checked my email and found out that I didn’t get into the University of Chicago :( We picked up our backpacks, and took the 11.00 p.m. bus to Charlotte, N.C., where we arrived at 7.00 a.m. the next day.
Loves!
Btw. I love Union Station, it is so pretty, although nothing can beat Grand central if you ask me.

{Day 4 - Washington D.C.}

Hi!

Again, sorry for the late update, but these sight seeing days are exhausting. So, after a long night of sleep, which I totally needed, I got on the Old Town Trolley, and went driving through Washington D.C. It cost me $35,-, but they had a promotion that I could use it for two consecutive days.

I walked to Union station, which is a totally amazing looking marble station building, where I got on the trolley. Nice thing about this trolley is that you don't have to walk every where, and my feet are grateful. So, I saw the Capitol, the Jefferson Memorial, the Washington Monument, and the Lincoln Memorial. In the trolley, we drove by almost all of the museum on the National Mall.

This city has just so much to do! I can't choose whether I want to go to this museum or that one, or if i want a picture of me on the steps of the capitol or in front of the white house... So, I chose to take the trolley to Georgetown and visit Georgetown University. I went on a student guided tour there, and I now really want to go there, but I haven't heard back from them yet.

Well, after that I did some shopping and surfing, and took some pictures of the White House. Since it was St. Patricks Day the fountains where green :D Then I went back to the hotel for an early night, since the day had totally tired me out...

Loves from D.C.!

P.S. I got an email this morning, I got accepted into the American University of Paris:D Not sure if I am going, I'll wait for my other Uni's to reply and then decide. But I'll keep you updated on that one.

{Day 3 - Philadelphia}

Hi!

Sorry for the late update, my Philadelphia day was exhausting, so I didn't have the energy to update last night... We arrived in Philadelphia at 6.00 a.m. after just a few hours of sleep in the bus. First we dropped of the back packs at the Amtrak baggage depot. The Philly trainstation is huge and B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L. :D

Then, after taking the metro and walking through Philadelphia a little, I found Café Estelle, the café that I had planned to have breakfast at. But it wasn't as nice as I had first thought, so I decided to keep going. After some searching, I finally found a little place called Delicatessen, located on 703 Chestnut Street, between 7th and 8th street. The picture up on the right is the interior of this place. If you want to know more, check out their website: http://www.delicatessenphilly.com

So, after that I went on the constitutional walk. I started at the Independence Visitors Center, the went on to Independence Hall, Congress Hall and Old City Hall. After that I went to Liberty Bell, passed by Library Hall and went to Carpenters Hall. The last stop on my walk was Franklin Court. There are as much as 19 sights to see along the constitutional walk, but since I was so tired, I decided to leave it at that, I had seen the most important stuff :)

Then, I had well, eh, kinda lunch at Starbucks, with two of their newest treats, called petites. I had a Red Velvet Whoopie Pie and a Tiramisu Cake Pop. And they are amazing, my new addiction. Then, I decided I wanted to relax a it more, so i walked into a hairdressers called Charlie's, and since they had an opening, I got my hair cut. Nothing extreme, just the ends and my bangs.



After that it was already time to leave for the bus to Washington D.C. from where I am writing you right now. We arrived at aroung 9 p.m., went to the hotel and almost immediately fell asleep.

Well, that was my Philly adventure. I loved Philadelphia, have to definitely go back sometime soon.

Loves!