Asian Express: May 2011

A few of us decided to take a drive down to Niagara one Saturday afternoon to play some poker at Fallsview casino. Niagara itself does not get good reviews from Torontonians; they all reckon it is dirty, small and boring. I on the other hand enjoyed it immensely, it was full of arcades, haunted houses, wax museums and other attractions like the hershey store, lego store and obviously the falls. Seeing the falls (for the 3rd time) on a sunny clear day was mind blowing! The clarity and thunderous sound of the water is still impressive as always. It was a fun day out and about and I could have easily spent the weekend there.

Traveling to America from Canada is very expensive due to the high airport taxes. I spent 3 days in Washington D.C. but did it on the cheap. The Megabus departed Toronto on Thursday night at 10pm and arrived in Washington D.C. at 11am (we were stuck at the border for an hour) It then departed Washington D.C. at 10pm on Sunday night and arrived back in Toronto at 11am ready for a full day of work. Transport cost: $45CAD return. I stayed 2 nights at Capitol View hostel for $90CAD. Although expensive for a hostel, it was very central, clean and the reviews had been great.

Washington is full of well known museums and landmarks. Here are the small list of activities I engaged in:

State of Congress (Capitol Hill) - The original painting of the signing of the Declaration of Independence can be found here along with statues of past presidents. The crypt was built to hold the remains of George Washington but due to his will, he wished to be buried at Mount Venon.
Supreme Court - There were no proceedings on friday so instead, I sat in the public gallery and was given an insight on what the supreme court does and the important people that attends each session.
Library of Congress - This is the largest library collection in the world. It is mainly used by court justice to conduct research before a ruling. The main attraction is the main reading room and open to the public if you are conducting research or an academia. To get into the reading room, I had to go to a different building and provide them with my passport and residential details, fill in an online form and get my photo taken. During the registration, a large sign clearly stated that the main reading is not for tours or visitors. The conversation went like this:

Me: I would like to get a reading card for the main reading room.
Lady: Are you an academia or researcher?
Me: Nope, just want to have a look around.
Lady: Only researchers or academias are allowed in the reading room.
Me: Umm, I'm researching America.
Lady: She looks at me blankly and accepts my passport as identification.

So here I am in the reading room surrounded by bronze statues and good looking extra smart girls that are required to use this library for their research needs.
I on the other hand is reading a book on the war of 1812 and admiring the dome ceiling and paintings.
I also vistied the following sites during my 3 days 30km walk of the City; I kid you not, I don't think I have ever walked so much in my life.
Air and Space Museum, Museum of Natural History, Washington Monument, World war II Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Franklin Roosevelt Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, White House and Georgetown.

I really need to put pen to paper earlier as old age is getting hold of me. Washington D.C. pics are available here.

Sam

Washington Part1 - 15.2 MB
Washington Part2 - 10.6 MB
Lincoln Memorial - 11.4 MB
Jefferson Memorial - 9.6 MB
White House - 9.6 MB