Last day in NYC + the US Captial

i am in Washington now, but before i get to that, let me go back to my last day in NYC

i was excited to see the Guggenheim museum....it is one of the finest art galleries in North America....i got there and people were lining up....that made me more excited because that proved to me that it is very popular.....and then there was the big surprise: the museum is closed on Thursdays....NOOOOOOOOO......again!! but this time i remember checking.....it just never registered in my mind! i was very mad.....but i was still able to see the bright side of this.....i still have a reason to revisit NYC :)

it is very ugly

i changed course towards the Natural history museum.....i know by now that all these natural history museums are mostly the same......old animals, few dinosaur bones (which i think are fake), some marine life, etc etc......it is a old science museum....but if you have ever seen BBC Planet Earth, it beats the whole museum experience....it feels more live on TV than staring at stuffed animals......i am sure if that documentary was out before, the museum wouldnt be built that way......in other words, these museums must make something more exciting if they want to stay in business.......i have more to say about this, but i will leave it for a real conversation.............despite all this, i did spend the whole day there.....the gems section was cool....i havent seen anything like it before

after that, i spent the rest of the afternoon at central park......that park is amazing....really....i discovered new trails, bridges, fountains, restaurants, boats, etc....it is huge and very nicely built....it is clean, big and friendly....anyway, you get my excitement about it.....i would love to camp there!

on friday morning, i bought a ticket to Washington.....same bus service since i had a good experience last time.....with free wifi, electrical power and second level view, i couldnt expect more......i watched few Lost episodes and before i knew it, i was at the Capital.

i checked in at the hostel, which is extremely clean.....even cleaner than the one in NYC.....the owner even asks to take our shoes off!! this by far is the best hostel i have ever been to.....it feel like a bed and breakfast....it is wonderful.....after i checked in, i walked to the National Mall (city center) to meet Ashoor and Helen.....they have been here for 2 days now.....it was good to see friends in a foreign land........we walked to the Washington memorial and took the elevator up.....Ashoor had graciously woken up extra early that day and got us three tickets........the washington memorial by the way, is basically a hallow stone tower....it is a CN tower with out the best part of the CN tower: the top/restaurant......it is very ugly, but it was the highest point when it was built (500 feet i think).....anyway, i dont wish to remember it.......on the way, we saw the Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson memorial, Korean memorial, Vietnam war memorial and...that is it......the best one was the Lincoln memorial.....it is very big and detailed.....it is really hard to forget about Lincoln with that statue in the middle of the city! ....we then walked along the river bank all the way to the white house.....we saw it from the back.....we were so close you can see inside the rooms if the blinds are open! after that, we spent about an hour looking for a place to sit down to drink something.....DC sleeps at 7:30!! after all the museums and federal offices close....it is ridiculous.....not a good way to bring tourists mr. president!  = but we discovered a semi-live area and it was china town....very sad.....we then split apart and decided to meet the next day.

this morning, i woke up, went to the US Capital building and library of congress....they are very grand and powerful buildings in architecture and interior design.....more so the library.......it was really amazing.....worth the visit! if you visit washinton and have to see one of the two, dont miss the library of congress....after that, i met with ashoor and helen and we went to the Washington National Cathedral.......a humongous cathedral few minutes drive away from the city center........from the outside it looks like the Notre Dam in Paris but from the inside i think it is nicer (if i remember that one clearly)......the stained glass was its highlight......hard to describe colors in words so i wont try.....but it was a good decision to drive there! (thanks ashoor)

ashoor and helen then dropped me off near the white house before they headed to TO. I had a look at the president's residence from the front (or back?).....it looks like a normal villa from the outside....nothing special.....it is very humble - from the outside at least......i walked all the way to the National Archives building.....that is where they have the declaration of independence, the US constitution and the Bill of rights....there was a bit of a line up but all these museums are free........it was cool to see the first signed documents that this country was founded on.....just some faded letters on paper but their role was vital in the formation of this nation......jefferson did a great job...he was kind of the main writer.......i learned more about the US history and how their government is formed.....i wish i knew that much about the history of Cananda!! i blame my self for that

i had stopped for lunch/dinner before the National Archives tour so i wasnt hungry....i was just tired....this constant walking with only a night's rest is not enough apparently for the feet!. i took refuge in a starbucks near by....no, not the one that closes at 7:30 but the one that closes at 9! (sad) i talked to one of the people there and turned out he is a lawyer....i complained to him about the lack of livelihood in his city.....he explained to me that it all has to do with the black and white race issues.....he was black..........when he left, i enjoyed my coffee over a quite reading time......hmmmmm....it was very relaxing to have my feet up, nice low music, cool atmosphere and the good book [wow, i didnt think i was that easy to please!!!]

i took the bus back home.....i havent tried the subway yet...i dont live far.....the bus fare was a buck, which i thought was neat…. i checked few things on line for my trip to Baltimore......i am leaving on Monday morning

the trip is almost over!