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Trip Report
USA East Cost Famous Cities
Learning about the history of the USA and enjoying musicals on the famous Broadway
+ 3
North AmericaUnited States7 days / November 2019
Highs & Lows
Everyone of the museums in Washington DC and a musical y Broadway are two things not to be missed
November gives you the beautiful fall colors, but also makes you were a lot of clothing. It is very cold
Itinerary Overview
There is a big conference for language instructors that takes place in November, once a year, in different cities in the United States. On November 2019, that city was Washington DC, a city that I wanted to visit for a long time, full of history (which I love), clean and wide streets, and the plus in November is the color of the beautiful cherry trees all over the city. My university pays for the plane, registration and food, so it was a great opportunity to visit two of the most important cities in the East Coast.
The trip included 5 days in Washington DC and 2 days in Manhatan, NY where I met with 2 friends. One of my friends lives in New York so she was our private tour guide. I had one thing in mind and it was to go to a Broadway show. My friend knew how to get last minute cheap tickets so we made it to Mamma Mia, a fun and lovely production, especially for women my age.
Washington
One thing I really recommend when you don't have a lot of time in this city is to get a Hop-On Hop-Off service and use it mainly for transportation, a lot cheaper than a taxi, and a lot less crowded than public transportation. There are many, but I chose the cheapest one. With the audio guide, I learned a lot about the city. They have day and night buses, I didn't take the night one, but I heard that the city at night is beautiful.
During the free hours I had, I visited several museums. Almost all of the museums in Washington are free, amazing, and impeccable. You have to do lines in some of them, but it is totally worth it. Of course, with the time I had, I was forced to decide which ones to go to, so I asked around and chose the ones people recommended the most. It is hard for me to point out my favorites, but if I have to choose, I will say The American History Museum and the Black History Museum.
As for the other historical landmarks, I went to the White House, The Lincoln and MLK monuments, and the Capitol. If you want to visit the white house, you have to ask for a ticket to one office of a US representative at least two months in advance. For the Capitol, you also need a permit. I recommend you get it in advance, but if you don't you can get it at the door (big line). The library of Congress is a must place to visit. At the entrance you can get a guided visit for free, I strongly recommend this, otherwise, you will be lost and miss the most important parts.
Manhattan Meeting with friends and getting to know the city
3+My local friend wanted to show us everything, which, of course, was impossible. We walked around and in Central Park enjoying the green, the lake, and the people having a good time. Close to Central Park was Eataly, where we went for lunch. Besides the crowdedness of the place, this is one I really recommend to everyone to visit. It is a real taste of a "Mercado" in Italy where the food is exquisite and the place is loud and happy.
After the delicious lunch, we walked for about one hour to the famous Time Square where the ball drops th 31st of December every year. It was really chaotic, full of tourists, but we really wanted to watch a Broadway show and that is where you can find last minute tickets very affordable. After about one hour of line we got three good tickets to one of my favorites “Mamma Mia”. For three ladies on their late fifties it was the perfect show.
The next day we went to the impressive and emotional 9/11 Memorial Pools where all the names of the people who died that day are engrave. You can feel the pain when you get close. The 9/11 museum had a line of at least one hour, so we decided not to go. We went to the impressive Modern Museum of Arts, walk around the Empire State Building and went to the famous Macy’s.
At night we took a taxi and went to eat in Soho, a very nice and chic place worth to visit too.
Q & A
What would you have changed?
Take more subways or taxis in Manhattan instead of walking so much.Anything go wrong during the trip?
Nothing, just the hotel in Manhattan which was scaryRestaurant recommendations?
Eataly in NYC. Soho has very good restaurants too. Don't know the name exactlyPacking tips?
Lots of warm clothesTransportation Tips?
Hop on Hop of in Washington and Subway in NY
Lodging
My friend recommended many hotels, but they were all too expensive, so I decided to take the cheapest I found. To say terrible is to give them a compliment. It is super old, dirty, and smelly. I think they have a newer part, but my room was really disgusting.