The date is August 18, or 19, depending on which
part of the world you are reading this from. 161 days ago, I set off for the
biggest trip of my life – a 5-month expedition to the West. During my trip,
I’ve seen, felt, received and learnt so much that it seems only natural to
share these to inspire and aid many others to embark on a similar journey. And
that is my resolution for the year 2014. This is a summary of the many
beautiful places that I have visited in 160 days. (Note: These places are
arranged in chronological order and is not an indication of the ranking of the
cities)
#1 New York, USA
New York City is labelled as the city as never sleeps and it is true! There is always something going on and something for you to do in New York City. I remember shopping till 2am with Priscilla haha. Imagine a vibrant city full of life, except it is on steroids. Everything is bigger, grander and better here. My three favorite places in New York are Grand Central Park, Club 21 Restaurant, and of course, Times Square. #Favcityintheworld
#2 Boston, USA
Boston was the second place I visited in America, and it is also the second city that I fell in love with. Boston was not as crazy as New York City. The buildings are not as tall but a place should not be measured by how high its skyscrapers are. The beauty of Boston is in its people. While the people of America are just known as Americans, I was surprised to find that each city had a very different culture of its own. Boston's streets were filled with talented musicians. If you go by the park, you will see people playing music with a crowd stopping to just appreciate the music. People from Boston are also full of heart. We walked by the Boston Marathon bombing area. Every now and then, you'd see posters with "Boston Live Strong". Indeed, #bostonlivestrong!!
#3 Montreal, Canada
Little did I know that there is a French speaking area in Canada. I always assumed that they are all Anglophones but I was so wrong. Montreal was the best city in terms of balance. It upheld its French heritage without being too overbearing to non-French speakers, had a good mix of the new and the old, and had the best of civilization and nature all within its vicinity. If there was one city that I hope Singapore would aspire to become, it would most definitely be Montreal.
#4 Quebec City, Canada
This was home for the 4 months that I had my university exchange. Similar to Montreal, Quebec City is in the Quebec region and consists of French speakers. Most people in Quebec City (other than university students) would not converse with you in anything other than French. I remember the first 2 weeks were filled with sheer frustration. Imagine no way of knowing what was on the menu, having to order without speaking a single word of French, and being lost with street signs and every other important sign being in French. However, this was definitely one of my favorite places. The pace of life is probably like 40% of what we have in Singapore. Plus, they have amazing nature scenery that you can escape to. Definitely a break from the typical Singapore environment. Fun fact: Last winter, QC's coldest temperature was -44 degrees. I survived -20 when I departed in December!
#5 Toronto, Canada
Toronto seemed like a mini New York of Canada. They even had a square area in town that seemed like Times Square! I only spent 1.5 days in Toronto so I can't really say much about it. Dinner with a primary school friend topped the chart on the best thing to do in Toronto. The japanese restaurant we visited was THE BEST japanese restaurant I have ever been to. The food was amazing but the best part about it was the atmosphere. More details about that restaurant in a separate post!
#6 Niagara, Canada
Niagara Falls was one of the most spectacular sight
to behold. It is a must to take the boat ride, Maid of the Midst. You will go
up close to the waterfalls to feel the sheer strength of the falls. It was a
wet ride, but who cares, it was breathtaking! #oneitemoffbucketlist
#7 Ottawa, Canada
Ottawa, the capital of Canada, was the last stop of a weekend trip. Ottawa boasts beautiful architectures and an amazing sea view.
#8 Maine, USA
My dear friend Shiyun said that it was a must to
visit Maine. Some said that it was a beautiful place. The view was
beautiful but it did not have the same grandeur as Canada. Nevertheless, if you
take a drive to the top of the mountain of Arcadia Park, you will be surrounded
by clouds with a 360 degree view of the mountain, surrounding islands and if
you are timely, the beautiful sunset. Others have also said that Maine is a
place that has the freshest and cheapest lobsters. IT IS TRUE! In summer, you
can get a 1.5 pounds full lobster for $3.50 from their wet markets. If you
consume lobsters from Boston or even San Francisco, the origin of these lobsters
are still Maine! Cool eh!
#9 Chicago, USA
It must have been all that movies about Chicago that made it a must to visit Chicago and it did not disappoint. Home to the musical Wicked, it also features an array of diversified musicals and plays for your entertainment. The famous silver monument featured in movies can also be found here! Chicago is also well known for its deep pan pizza (think of a gigantic pastry with pizza fillings).
#10 Seattle, USA
Some of you might be drinking your cup of Starbucks
coffee as you read this. Seattle is the home of Starbucks with its first outlet
opening at Pike Place. One of the most interesting things to do in Seattle is
to visit the local market. You never know what you will find. In fact, Leo
bought a tiny bottle of the hottest chill in the world!
#11 Vancouver, Canada
Vancouver was the most Asian city for me. In fact,
the Chinese population seemed to outnumber the whites. It was particularly
interesting that a woman on the train could differentiate between Chinese and
Cantonese! (Back in Quebec, if I said I am Chinese, they will say "oh,
you're from china". See the stark difference?) One of the most famous
natural phenomena to observe in Vancouver is the Salmon's migration upstream.
Unfortunately we were not in time to watch it but our friendly tour guide did
play a documentary on it. We did enjoy the tallest Christmas tree in Capilano
Park though!
#12 Banff, Canada
This is where you will find the Rockies. Words can't describe how beautiful this place was, it really is a place that you have to experience by yourself. Weathers change very quickly between different parts of the mountain range. One moment you are traveling in the cold, windy and cloudy weather, the next you can find yourself in another microclimate with warmer air and plenty of sunlight. This is the beauty of the mountain ranges. They are so high that they can interrupt the flow of the cold air and sometimes block out the sunlight for certain regions.
#13 Whistler, Canada
Whistler Mountain was undoubtedly my favorite place to be in 160 days. The view from the top of the mountain was exhilarating. No post card of the Whistler Mountain does justice to the sheer magnificence of the mountain ranges. The view is perfect with a blend of snow capped mountains, winding valleys, and white puffy clouds. I can die happy now!
#14 Portland (Orgeon), USA
We took a one day pit stop in Oregon to do what all ladies love to do -- shop! The annoying thing about shopping in America and Canada is that the prices you see do not include tax. And hence the final price of the same item varies with the different tax level in different states. Portland is one of the best cities to shop simply because it has the lowest tax in America -- 0%. Whoohoo! Comparing to Los Angeles which had a tax rate of 9.5% and 8.1% in Las Vegas, that is almost a 10% saving on top of the local discounts!
#15 San Francisco, USA
San Francisco is a city with many different neighborhoods such as Haight-Ashbury (the area where the hippie movement started), Tenderloin (the poorest and hence most dangerous neighborhood to be in at night), and of course the local downtown. One of the most famous monument of San Francisco is the Golden Gate Bridge. It is a must to walk or cycle down the bridge to truly appreciate how beautiful the view is. However I loved the "Older Jealous Brother" which links Oakland to San Francisco. Built slightly earlier than the Golden Gate Bridge, it has 2 stories instead of 1, and is much longer than the Golden Gate Bridge. San Francisco has also THE BEST Fish & Chips! More about that in another post ^^
#16 Death Valley National Park, USA
Death Valley National Park is located somewhere between Las Vegas and San Francisco. It is set in a dessert terrain and thus features a very different setting from the snowy winters in Canada and the northern areas of America. Take a trip there and you’ll find yourself set in the middle of a National Geographic worthy landscape.
#17 Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is built by nature over millions of years. Layers of different coloured rocks form the Grand Canyon that we see today. The Grand Canyon is so big that the view point from the North, South, East and West Rims are extremely different. I only visited the South Rim this time. If there is a next time, it will definitely be the West Rim.
#18 Las Vegas, USA
The city of life and sin. Similar to New York City, it is a city that almost never sleeps but in a very different way. No matter which day, you will find night life to be very active in the clubbing and gambling scene. Big names are the norm in Las Vegas as we scored free passes to DJ Tiesto night out with free drinks and watched live magic performance from David Copperfield. It is a city full of sin as people are always giving out flyers and recruiting men to visit strip clubs (they get free drinks and admission!) My absolute favourite thing we did was the impressive buffet that we had. Apparently, Las Vegas feeds extremely well too.
#19 Los Angeles, USA
This is the home of all American talk shows and sit-coms. When you are in Hollywood, you know you have arrived. We accidentally walked into a movie premier and saw Hollywood stars face to face! Tickets for studio tappings are also available for all your favourite shows such as Big Bang Theory, Ellen DeGeneres Show and The Price Is Right. Hollywood stars live in ridiculously big and glamourous houses in Beverly Hills. The tour took us riding past the homes of Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, (previous home of) Michael Jackson, (previous home of) Julia Roberts, Paris Hilton and Ellen DeGeneres!
#20 Disneyland, USA
Disneyland is located on the outskirts of Los Angeles in the county of Anaheim. This was the second Disneyland that I visited (with Japan being the first). In short, Disneyland is every child’s dream come true. With that said, Disneyland felt like an overrated and overpriced experience for adults. The single most magical experience that Disneyland gave for adults is the daily fireworks display. That, was extraordinarily executed.
#1 New York, USA
New York City is labelled as the city as never sleeps and it is true! There is always something going on and something for you to do in New York City. I remember shopping till 2am with Priscilla haha. Imagine a vibrant city full of life, except it is on steroids. Everything is bigger, grander and better here. My three favorite places in New York are Grand Central Park, Club 21 Restaurant, and of course, Times Square. #Favcityintheworld
#2 Boston, USA
Boston was the second place I visited in America, and it is also the second city that I fell in love with. Boston was not as crazy as New York City. The buildings are not as tall but a place should not be measured by how high its skyscrapers are. The beauty of Boston is in its people. While the people of America are just known as Americans, I was surprised to find that each city had a very different culture of its own. Boston's streets were filled with talented musicians. If you go by the park, you will see people playing music with a crowd stopping to just appreciate the music. People from Boston are also full of heart. We walked by the Boston Marathon bombing area. Every now and then, you'd see posters with "Boston Live Strong". Indeed, #bostonlivestrong!!
#3 Montreal, Canada
Little did I know that there is a French speaking area in Canada. I always assumed that they are all Anglophones but I was so wrong. Montreal was the best city in terms of balance. It upheld its French heritage without being too overbearing to non-French speakers, had a good mix of the new and the old, and had the best of civilization and nature all within its vicinity. If there was one city that I hope Singapore would aspire to become, it would most definitely be Montreal.
#4 Quebec City, Canada
This was home for the 4 months that I had my university exchange. Similar to Montreal, Quebec City is in the Quebec region and consists of French speakers. Most people in Quebec City (other than university students) would not converse with you in anything other than French. I remember the first 2 weeks were filled with sheer frustration. Imagine no way of knowing what was on the menu, having to order without speaking a single word of French, and being lost with street signs and every other important sign being in French. However, this was definitely one of my favorite places. The pace of life is probably like 40% of what we have in Singapore. Plus, they have amazing nature scenery that you can escape to. Definitely a break from the typical Singapore environment. Fun fact: Last winter, QC's coldest temperature was -44 degrees. I survived -20 when I departed in December!
#5 Toronto, Canada
Toronto seemed like a mini New York of Canada. They even had a square area in town that seemed like Times Square! I only spent 1.5 days in Toronto so I can't really say much about it. Dinner with a primary school friend topped the chart on the best thing to do in Toronto. The japanese restaurant we visited was THE BEST japanese restaurant I have ever been to. The food was amazing but the best part about it was the atmosphere. More details about that restaurant in a separate post!
#6 Niagara, Canada
#7 Ottawa, Canada
Ottawa, the capital of Canada, was the last stop of a weekend trip. Ottawa boasts beautiful architectures and an amazing sea view.
#8 Maine, USA
#9 Chicago, USA
It must have been all that movies about Chicago that made it a must to visit Chicago and it did not disappoint. Home to the musical Wicked, it also features an array of diversified musicals and plays for your entertainment. The famous silver monument featured in movies can also be found here! Chicago is also well known for its deep pan pizza (think of a gigantic pastry with pizza fillings).
#10 Seattle, USA
#11 Vancouver, Canada
#12 Banff, Canada
This is where you will find the Rockies. Words can't describe how beautiful this place was, it really is a place that you have to experience by yourself. Weathers change very quickly between different parts of the mountain range. One moment you are traveling in the cold, windy and cloudy weather, the next you can find yourself in another microclimate with warmer air and plenty of sunlight. This is the beauty of the mountain ranges. They are so high that they can interrupt the flow of the cold air and sometimes block out the sunlight for certain regions.
#13 Whistler, Canada
Whistler Mountain was undoubtedly my favorite place to be in 160 days. The view from the top of the mountain was exhilarating. No post card of the Whistler Mountain does justice to the sheer magnificence of the mountain ranges. The view is perfect with a blend of snow capped mountains, winding valleys, and white puffy clouds. I can die happy now!
#14 Portland (Orgeon), USA
We took a one day pit stop in Oregon to do what all ladies love to do -- shop! The annoying thing about shopping in America and Canada is that the prices you see do not include tax. And hence the final price of the same item varies with the different tax level in different states. Portland is one of the best cities to shop simply because it has the lowest tax in America -- 0%. Whoohoo! Comparing to Los Angeles which had a tax rate of 9.5% and 8.1% in Las Vegas, that is almost a 10% saving on top of the local discounts!
#15 San Francisco, USA
San Francisco is a city with many different neighborhoods such as Haight-Ashbury (the area where the hippie movement started), Tenderloin (the poorest and hence most dangerous neighborhood to be in at night), and of course the local downtown. One of the most famous monument of San Francisco is the Golden Gate Bridge. It is a must to walk or cycle down the bridge to truly appreciate how beautiful the view is. However I loved the "Older Jealous Brother" which links Oakland to San Francisco. Built slightly earlier than the Golden Gate Bridge, it has 2 stories instead of 1, and is much longer than the Golden Gate Bridge. San Francisco has also THE BEST Fish & Chips! More about that in another post ^^
#16 Death Valley National Park, USA
Death Valley National Park is located somewhere between Las Vegas and San Francisco. It is set in a dessert terrain and thus features a very different setting from the snowy winters in Canada and the northern areas of America. Take a trip there and you’ll find yourself set in the middle of a National Geographic worthy landscape.
#17 Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is built by nature over millions of years. Layers of different coloured rocks form the Grand Canyon that we see today. The Grand Canyon is so big that the view point from the North, South, East and West Rims are extremely different. I only visited the South Rim this time. If there is a next time, it will definitely be the West Rim.
#18 Las Vegas, USA
The city of life and sin. Similar to New York City, it is a city that almost never sleeps but in a very different way. No matter which day, you will find night life to be very active in the clubbing and gambling scene. Big names are the norm in Las Vegas as we scored free passes to DJ Tiesto night out with free drinks and watched live magic performance from David Copperfield. It is a city full of sin as people are always giving out flyers and recruiting men to visit strip clubs (they get free drinks and admission!) My absolute favourite thing we did was the impressive buffet that we had. Apparently, Las Vegas feeds extremely well too.
#19 Los Angeles, USA
This is the home of all American talk shows and sit-coms. When you are in Hollywood, you know you have arrived. We accidentally walked into a movie premier and saw Hollywood stars face to face! Tickets for studio tappings are also available for all your favourite shows such as Big Bang Theory, Ellen DeGeneres Show and The Price Is Right. Hollywood stars live in ridiculously big and glamourous houses in Beverly Hills. The tour took us riding past the homes of Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, (previous home of) Michael Jackson, (previous home of) Julia Roberts, Paris Hilton and Ellen DeGeneres!
#20 Disneyland, USA
Disneyland is located on the outskirts of Los Angeles in the county of Anaheim. This was the second Disneyland that I visited (with Japan being the first). In short, Disneyland is every child’s dream come true. With that said, Disneyland felt like an overrated and overpriced experience for adults. The single most magical experience that Disneyland gave for adults is the daily fireworks display. That, was extraordinarily executed.
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