For the most part of my time
imagining places when I was a kid back in Nepal, it would mostly be about the
United States of America. It had a lot to do with some of my closest family
members living there. I remember that when I was around six years old, I would
patiently, but eagerly stay in line to talk to my Uncle living in the states who
had called us after months to hear his stories about the western, first world country. Of course, I was the last in line, after my Grandfather, Grandmother,
Dad, Mom and my elder brother, and I would hardly get five minutes to say
hello, but I would always be the last person to say goodbye to him and it made
me happy. The stories from my Uncle and my elder brother (who later spent
around seven years) about this giant country felt like an urban legend-
something that would never come around in my reality, and this precise thought
I had, compelled me to prove myself that I was wrong. And so, when a two-month
vacation came around after my 2nd Semester in Hamburg, I decided to go
to this place that captivated me so much in my childhood. I had to do it, I
just had to.
I was somewhat unlucky in the
beginning because my flight from Frankfurt to Baltimore got cancelled and my
trip got cut short by three days. I was very disappointed because I missed my
trip to North Carolina, but was still excited to meet up with family and have
an amazing trip.
The first thing I noticed when I
made my trip from the Airport to my Uncle’s place were the highways. They were
huge (I would later find out that it was nothing compared to the highways in
Dallas, which were massive). The first day, I sort of embraced the American
Culture and went to the mall. And it was there where I had my first culture
shock. Because it was Labor Day, supposedly the last day of summer (I know, my
schedule wasn’t very good), there were huge sales all over. When I think about
it, I think I picked out a good day to visit the mall, not because prices were
cheaper, but because I got to see what I thought was a huge festival inside the
mall. The gigantic parking lot outside was full of cars, and it took us around
twenty minutes to get a spot. Inside, the mall was full of people, in line for
the fitting rooms, in line for the counter, and even for the toilet. I must
admit, I was really impressed by the marketing strategies that every retail
shop had, and was a victim to buying some stuff myself (which I probably didn’t
need). But that was the thing. The red signs that read “SALE!!!” hung
everywhere in every shop, and it was hypnotizing, and people (like me) were
being bewitched into the schemes of low prices like moths to a flame (okay,
maybe not the perfect simile, but I have to say, if you think about it, its
arguably a good one).
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United States Capitol, Washington D.C. |
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Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C. |
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The Washington Monument, Washington D.C. |
For the rest of the few days I
was there, I made trips to Baltimore, New York City, Boston, Dallas and
Washington DC. While exploring these cities was my primary goal, I was also
very pleased to meet all my relatives scattered all around (some of whom I met
after years). The best experience I had was in NYC (although it might not be a
fair judgement because I spent a lot of time in NYC). One reason why I liked
the city so much was that it was full of energy. It reminded me of Berlin in
many ways (the diversity, so many things going on, a hub for art, performance,
culture, food and everything else). While I had heard NYC being famous for its
people being rude, I never actually experienced it. I was mostly travelling
alone, but I was never on my own, because I met a lot of people wherever I went
and tagged along with them.
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A panaromic view of Times Square |
Another reason is that NYC captivated
me with its iconic skyline. I got off a bus in midtown Manhattan the first time
I went to NYC and I felt this overwhelming excitement when I made my way
through Times Square, walking my way to Rockefeller tower and the Saint
Patrick’s Cathedral.
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Times Square at night |
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St. Patrick's Cathedral |
More than the place itslef, Hollywood’s influence on me is
what I think made these places so exciting. Along with my walking tour in
Greenwich Village, I saw several locations like the restaurant in which Llewyn
Davis played in the movie “Inside Llewyn Davis”, Washington square park in
“August Rush”, the iconic scene from Queensboro Bridge in “Manhattan”, and much
more, which finally made it feel like Hollywood wasn’t in a galaxy far, far
away. Besides that, I went to the “Top of the rock”, the top of Rockefeller
tower and saw the skyline overlooking the city, which was fabulous. In the
distance I could also see Central park spanning a huge area, and of course, I
paid a visit there too.
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Central Parking spanning a huge distance, as seen from top of the Rock, NYC |
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The iconic Skyline from Rockefeller Tower |
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The observation Deck of Rockefeller Tower |
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Central Park, NYC |
When I was still there, I
realized that my initial plan to stay in NYC just for two days was far from
enough. So, I decided to come back again, and I was very glad I did that
because I could see a lot of places; I walked the high line, went through
Chelsea market, battery park and walked the Brooklyn Bridge at midnight to name
a few. Another reason was that I had the best Taco (inside the Chelsea market)
and Japanese food EVER!
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New York High Line, NYC |
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Brooklyn Bridge, NYC |
It was obviously still not enough for me because I
didn’t want to say goodbye to New York City when I left. There were so many other things I wanted to do
there like visit the Museum of Modern Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, see a
Broadway musical, explore Central Park some more, see a Shakespeare in the park
play, see a standup comedy at a bar and, oh, the list could go on for
ages. But I like to believe that leaving
behind some stuff in a place always makes you go back to that place again. So
I’ve got my excuse to go back again.
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Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge, Boston |
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Near Boston City Hall, Boston |
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Quincy Market, Boston, Massachusetts |
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Fort Worth Water Garden, Texas |
It was a month-long travel and I
did numerous trips to a lot of places, and compressing it in an entry just
isn’t enough. I couldn’t stop myself
from writing about NYC because I loved it, and although I had only two days for
Washington D.C., I liked it very much. But I didn’t have the whole experience
to write something about it, or about Boston, Dallas and Baltimore. I was thinking of doing a first impression (could
easily be a very ignorant reflection) entry about the States but I realized
that the country is almost as big as Europe itself, generalizing an impression
doesn’t cut it. I did see a few distinctive features about the country that I
liked very much and some that I wasn’t so fond of. I guess the same could be
said about nearly everything. I could understand the magnetic influence of the
US on people from around the world, and how it delivered on the prospects of a
good job and a promising future. For me, I should say I loved the places I
visited but I don’t see myself living there for now (considering if I ever get
a chance…beggars can’t be choosers).
It was indeed an incredible trip,
which didn’t let down my childhood imaginations and which never disappointed my
expectation. I still feel very lucky to have visited so many places in so
little time, and I can’t even begin to express how thankful I am to my Uncles,
Aunts, Cousins and friends who made this trip the trip of a lifetime. Thankyou
fam!!