Washington D.C

Of all the cities and small towns that I visited on my epic Grand Southern Contiki tour of the United States of America Washington D.C was one of the ones that surprised me the most. I was so fascinated by this city which in fact is not a city or a state nor is it even part of a state. It is in fact a very unique federal district created specifically to be the seat of government.

Founded in 1791 on land that had previously been part of Maryland and Virginia it is designed with four quadrants all leading to and meeting at the centre - the Capitol Building. Showing that in this strange space created to lead the people that literally all roads lead to the Capitol.

Not only does it have the allure of its strange status as a federal district but it wins over the hearts of visitors every year with its gorgeous monuments that stir the notion of making our lives matter and making a difference in us all.

So I went back with some friends late at night when most tourists and politicians had gone to bed to take some photos of the National Mall at night. Below are photos of the Washington Monument, the Capitol Building, the National WWII Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial.  Enjoy :)

Looking down the National Mall towards the Washington Monument. 

The Capitol Building 

Washington Monument 

The National World War II Memorial 

Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool 

The Lincoln Memorial 

New York, New York!!

I have no idea where to even start with New York, what a place. It is huge and there is so much going on. The city is just so alive all the time! The Grand Southern Contiki Tour that I did finished in New York City so I decided to spend three days there before flying back to London. Three days was totally not enough time...

New York City is just busting at the seams with things to do, to see, to experience and of course one of my favourites things to eat! After spending 29 days in the US since I began my journey in Los Angeles I had encountered BIG food already - portions that could be gigantic! Starbucks even has a size bigger than venti (WHAT??!!!) that is a lot of coffee even for me (and that is saying something!). Little did I know that New York was going to pull out all the stops with the largest and cheapest pizza slices I have ever had! And wait for it the BIGGEST piece of cheesecake I have ever been served. Let's just say that I provided a bit of morning entertainment to the table of girls next to me at Carnegie Deli while I attempted to eat it. To give you an idea it was so big that I was just eating it from the side and the waitress even came over to check if everything was okay as it looked from her side that I hadn't touched it at all. For the record it defeated me but the bright side was that it was delicious and my very kind and helpful Airbnb host's scored themselves some cheesecake.

I visited Top of the Rock, walked around Ground Zero, strolled for hours in Central Park (which did you know is bigger than the principality of Monaco!), went to a Broadway Show, had drinks in Times Square, met up with some fantastic friends some of whom were on my tours in Europe, went to the Chelsea market, ate two Gray Papaya hot dogs, went to so many museums and still I barely even scraped the surface of what there is to experience in this vibrant city.

So decision made - I will just have to go to New York again and experience more! 

Here are some of my favourite shots from the Big Apple.

(Above) View from Top of the Rock

The 9/11 Memorial