Apr 29, 2008

Another Amazing Adventure @ America

This will be a very very long post...to save your time, just read the summary

Summary: I went to Washington DC, Philadelphia, UPenn, New Jersey, and Pittsburgh with a friend. Then I came back. The end.

Long story: A journey that confirmed & planned just a few days before the journey. After the finals, with limited money left, but with my enthusiasm of travel, I agreed with Sharon's invitation for a trip.

A backpack, a small one, but everything for 5 days' needs are fully loaded. A journey begins! in an beautiful evening, from a small town of Ann Arbor.

Holding my Amtrak tickets, eagerly waiting for first train. Upon announcement, we went out the station and discovered that a bus is waiting for us...not a train! Huh? Ok...thruway ticket = bus. A bus bring us from a train station to another train station to board a train...

Oh...it was Wednesday April 23 9pm. And we were heading to Toledo!

@April 24 12:30am, a delayed train finally arrived

And first time stepped in Amtrak, Capitol Limited.

Yeah, @ 7am I finally woke up. But actually I was awake most of the night...susah tidur
then I felt something strange...the train was at halt!


Why huh? but at least it stopped beside so at least could see the river flows with beautiful sun hanging(?) on the sky, with flowers blossom in the spring...

And 1 hour passed...finally announcement was made and the delayed was due to a freight train...ok. Then 2 hours passed! What, still not moving!

And finally! after they realized we were bored with the scenery, the train moved! Hurray! But wait a second! the train was moving backward!!! HUH? ok...they are so considerable they reversed the train so we can have different scenery...(real situation: the train reversed to change track, u'll know why later)

Then after almost 2.5 hours. We were moving forward again! And finally we saw the freight train moving @ 5mile per hour beside us...no wonder...but I wonder why they never changed the track earlier to pass the turtle train...

And after so much delay, we arrived in Washington DC @ 4pm!

And in the limited 5 hours (3 hours stolen by Amtrak), we walked to so many places:

following sequence: Union station > US Capitol > US Botanical Garden > The National Mall > Washington Monument > Thomas Jefferson Memorial > Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial > Lincoln Memorial > Bush Memorial...wait! where got?! > Vietnam Veteran Memorial > The White House > Chinatown > Verizon Center >McDonald > Amtrak to Philly!

And actually I met bush at the White House! and I kicked him! and I just left safe & sound...you know, the bush...not that Bush...

But actually I almost detained in Guantanamo Bay with Harold & Kumar because I left my bag unattended while taking photos...luckily I was wearing a green shirt so the police officer thought I'm just a Greenpeace member and ask me not to demonstrate in front of the White House, but the green house...with Al Gore the ex-Vice President to promote reduction of green house gases...what the craps I'm writing??
*the red words are truth [never leave your bag unattended, esp near bush and never pretend to be a terrorist, or else you'll be treated as terrorist]

Next, @12:00am April 25, Philly


@Philly I stayed in Ryan's room while Sharon in Yie Lyn's. And while they were busy preparing for finals we were having our holiday...

The first morning was just amazing :) while I was in bathroom looking at mirror wondering why I have so many pimples, a sweet girl walked in and I was stunned for a moment, and I "Hi" and she "Hi" back and basically I forget what I did while she washed hand and then "bye"...ok, it's Upenn, coed dorm...

And that started my first day (April 25) in Philly! With City Pass, We've ventured more places in Philly than our friends in Upenn did :) [2 days vs 2 semesters]


So, places we went: 30th St Station > Upenn > Franklin Institute > National Constitution Center > Reading Terminal Market > See the bell > Penn's Landing > Columbus Memorial >Korean War Memorial > Vietnam War Memorial > Chili's > Independence Visitor Center > Tour Philly with double decker bus > Eastern State Penitentiary (a really nice jail) > Philly the American 1st Zoo > Banana Leaf Malaysia Restaurant (nice foods) > A Hong Kong Restaurant or bubble tea & duck rice! oh I wonder why Americans don't eat duck but eat turkey > lots of parks > New Jersey (Adventure Aquarium) > See Rutgers @ Camden! + etc etc

And the last hour in Philly+NJ was truly an amazing race! We were across the bridge in New Jersey @ 11:45am @ Adventure Aquarium. Our Amtrak @12:42pm. One hour, enough la. But after we farewell with penguins, we discovered that the next NJ Riverlink train come @ only 12:18pm/ what! That'll be very late! We need to get to WalterRand Transit Center, 8th St Station before 30th St Station!

click to experience the journey!

Wah! After the amazing journey, goodbye Philly!

But the real journey is not ended!

Next: Pittsburgh!

@8:30pm April 27, we arrived in a quiet city of Pittsburgh. The streets are just empty at night and the only opened eatery was McDonald (again...)

At the scary place it's better to wait in the station until next train to Toledo to take bus, again...

And @ 8:30am April 28, back to Ann Arbor!

Wah...next adventure: New York!

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