The Americas
Explore the Americas through my random collection of imagery and snippets of travel memories. From the glitzy lights of New York to the emptiness of Death Valley. A mixture of cosmopolitan wonders to natural splendours divided into regions.
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Welcome to my American adventures.
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NORTHEAST
From the blinding lights of Times Square to the falling leaves of New England. To the mystique skies of Maine and the political streets of DC.
ALEXANDRIA | Virginia
Just a few minutes outside of DC., this riverside city is a must-visit. My favourite place is the Old Town area where there are more than 200+ shops and restaurants to choose from. From there, we jumped on a ferry to cross the Potomac. Colourful streets, great ambience, and a Ben Jerry's shop that never failed to make me happy whatever the weather was.
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ACTIVITY:
Old Town Alexandria and Mount Vernon
STAY:
The Alexandrian Old Town Alexandria
EAT:
Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream
BALTIMORE | Maryland
I visited Baltimore in 2013 on my sister's birthday - and these were the ones I remember most. One - the shimmering lights over the water by the harbour; two - the surprising Irish origin of the area which means great pubs; three - the historical tour trolley that shared with us the story of Edgar Allan Poe.
ACTIVITY:
Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum
STAY:
EAT:
Steamed Crabs / Crabcakes
BOSTON | Massachusetts
A university city filled with thousands of kids made me feel old. Aside from that, nothing to complain about. The colonial architecture is breathtaking, and the food and craziness at Quincy Market is something not to be missed especially the lobster roll.
While walking through the Freedom Trail, I stumbled on the North End Memorial where hundreds of dog tags were displayed. A memorial for the fallen soldiers who fought in recent wars. A humbling experience not to be missed.
ACTIVITY:
Meander in Quincy Market / Walk the Freedom Trail
STAY:
Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel
EAT:
Lobster Roll
CORNING | New York
A stopover on our way to Niagara Falls - I spent my short time in Corning at their glass museum.
I remember standing outside after perusing those striking glass art and looking at fallen leaves strewn at my feet with traces of snow. I laughed realizing that in mere moments I have experienced two seasons. Fall and winter in a heartbeat.
ACTIVITY:
STAY:
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GREAT FALLS | Virginia
It was the peak of autumn when we drove to Great Falls from Arlington. Leaves were floating around while walking through a trail filled with trees. I was wearing a pointy hat because it was October 31st.
Nothing special when you walk through the park until you peek through the ledge.
The dramatic rush of the water trying to find its way through the gorge simply takes your breath away.
For me, it was nature's way of showing that no matter what stands in your way, if you have the will to find your path - you will get to it.
ACTIVITY:
STAY:
The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner
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HYANNIS | Massachusetts
My first glimpse of a lighthouse, thinking how magical it looks. My first taste of what clam chowder is - and knowing now that nothing can compare anywhere in the world.
We took a windy boat trip through Cape Cod trying to get a look at the Kennedy estate. Spent almost 3 hours in a quaint bookshop called Books by the Sea. Had my picture taken in front of a restaurant called Black Pearl which painted an image of pirates strolling through those boardwalks.
ACTIVITY:
JFK Hyannis Museum | Harbour Tour
STAY:
KENNEBUNKPORT | Maine
We stopped by Kennebunkport on a fall afternoon. A quaint town with the smell of clam bakes and lobster rolls in the air. It's a charming place to meander. A typical New England town.
The best thing I can remember though is the food. Anytime I am in the area, I only eat lobster rolls and chowder. There's also a Clam Shack in the centre of the town where the queue is super long.
STAY:
EAT:
Fried Clams / Lobster Roll
LAKE PLACID | New York
I was very lucky when we visited Lake Placid. The autumn was at its peak. Red, gold and orange leaves painted the horizon and were mirrored through the lake. Making the entire town worthy of an artist's masterpiece. I left my sister at some random Thai restaurant and spent hours walking through the main road and my companion was these flame-coloured trees.
After hours of meandering, I walked back to the lakefront, bought a cheese crepe and hot chocolate, and then just lazed under the autumn afternoon. A perfect way to spend an autumn escape.
The following day we travelled further up to the Adirondacks where we visited the Olympics Museums and took a cable car close to the Whiteface Mountains. For someone terrified of heights - I always end up being the first to volunteer to go up.
ACTIVITY:
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STAY:
MONTPELIER | Vermont
One of the things that I normally do when I arrive in a new place is to look at the sky. Maybe because I am an air sign, I feel at peace when I look up. Also my way of uttering a small prayer.
I remember when I stepped out of our coach, I looked up and saw the flags next to this clock tower - and it was so just so striking. Vermont was a place one of my older sisters back home have dreamt of visiting her whole life but never did. And here I am.
I spent my time in Vermont lazily. I accompanied my sister at a nearby arts and crafts shop where she spent gazillions on things she wouldn't need but would make her happy.
Highlight was visiting the Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks. In a nutshell, I tasted everything with maples on it.
ACTIVITY:
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STAY:
NEW HAVEN | New Hampshire
Home of Yale University - walking through the streets of New Haven makes you feel like a student.
I was in my late 30s when we had a quick stopover at this place. College campuses are strategically strewn within walking distance around the area. A mixture of architecture from pseudo-Gothic to Neo-gothic style - the university is what makes New Haven.
Maybe it is the general atmosphere of college students milling around with these various colleges but the place makes you hopeful and wants you to dream and learn. I even ended up at the doorstep of their School of Art wondering if I should explore going back to school, but nah.
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ACTIVITY:
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STAY:
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NEW YORK | New York
While everyone's story about NYC is about scary stuff, mugging, and whatnot - mine is completely different.
The first time I went to New York, from the airport shuttle to the Big Bus Office to the phone store at the corner of 44th - they were all extremely friendly and protective. I may have the wide-eyed look plastered all over me as these random strangers gave me their contact details and offered me some advice on walking around the streets of the Big Apple.
New York for me was three things: 1 - Broadway. Watching Les Miserables, Moulin Rouge and Phantom of the Opera was unforgettable. 2 - Central Park, I could spend hours there, an oasis from the noise. 3 - The scrumptiousness of a Junior's Cheesecake. There is simply nothing like it. No matter where you go.
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Activity: Watch theatre on Broadway, Times Square, Central Park, Staten Island, Ellis Island
Stay: Martinique New York on Broadway
Eat: Junior's Cheesecake
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ACTIVITY:
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STAY:
Martinique New York on Broadway, Curio Collection
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EAT:
NEWPORT | Rhode Island
The highlight of Newport is stepping into the lives of the Vanderbilts. The Breakers Mansion was a symbol of what luxury was during the Gilded Age of America.
Perched by the Atlantic with views of the water - this summer "cottage" has 70 rooms. After going through the tour - what amazed me most was the back-of-house area. As someone who has worked in hotels for a decade, the service that goes behind doors must be astounding.
I've visited this place twice - and every time, the waves that break onto the rocks are a sight to behold.
NIAGARA FALLS | New York
Exactly what Jimmy Fallon has said - the US side of Niagara Falls looks like a scene from Lemony Snicket. Across the pond, you can see all the lights and merriness on the Canadian side - separated only by a short bridge with austere-looking border control policemen.
Still, there's more to see than just from the viewing deck. First, the falls capture your entire senses - there are no words to describe the wonder of the cascade. Second - visit Old Fort Niagara. This oldest continuously occupied military site built by the New France faces the Atlantic. It gives you an insight into how military life was back then. There are still some officers walking around wearing period garbs and greeting you Bonjour with an American accent. Third, if you are up for some excitement - try the jet boat tours through the Devil's Holes rapids. It is exhilarating but make sure to stash your phone properly. If you have motion sickness - don't do it. It's an hour of floating, holding on for dear life and being thrashed around. Still - seeing the water is one. Being a part of it is another.
Activity: Old Fort Niagara, Maiden's Mist, Devil's Holes
OGUNQUIT | Maine
I love Maine. And it was Ogunquit that made me fall for it. There is some kind of mystery in the air. That feeling you get from watching Practical Magic or just listening to its soundtrack? Yes, that's how I feel when I was visiting Ogunquit. Apple ciders and lobster shacks. The smell of leaves in the ground. The scent of the ocean floating through the air. The way the moon hung as if suspended by a thread. As if the entire place carries some spell, a charm, or something completely magical.
Activity: walk the Marginal Way trail
Eat: steamed lobster at Lobster Shack
PETERBOROUGH | New Hampshire
New Hampshire is beautiful - don't get me wrong. But every single time I step into this state some eerie things happen to me.
First visit - A random stranger with dead eyes once crept up to me while I was taking photos of fallen leaves convincing me to walk with him across the river. I declined politely and ran. When we left the area - we passed by the direction he pointed - there was nothing there but tall grass.
On the second visit - when we got to Peterborough, we stopped by this beautiful church with a graveyard behind it. And I swear I could feel static in the air every time I step closer to the churchyard. Spooky much? Maybe I should try visiting New Hampshire again during non-Halloween days.
PHILADELPHIA | Pennsylvania
On my quick stop at Philly. I learned three things.
One - the curse of Billy Penn. It was said that no building should be taller than the city hall. Its highest point is the statue of the city's founding founder or else things will go south. And they did. Two - Independence Hall (photo above) appears at the back of the $100. And three - the Liberty Bell is also once called a travelling icon of freedom since it has been moved seven times by rail. And that this was the same bell that Barney Stinson licked.
PLYMOUTH | Massachusetts
In all of my travels in the US - visiting Plymouth might be the most educational in terms of history and culture. Not to mention it was the first time I tasted Lobster Roll but that's a different story.
A nature visit - we went whale watching, which I realized while I was freezing aboard is not something I particularly enjoy but my sister loved. She ran with the entire boat from side to side every time a whale is sighted.
What impressed me most was the Plimoth Patuxet Museum. We went aboard the Mayflower II, a reproduction of the ship that transported the pilgrims to the New World in 1620.
The Plimoth Grist Mill is picturesque as well as educational. Too bad, it was too stuffy inside - I almost fainted.
The best part was the 17th Century English Village. Filled with everyone in their period costumes. Walk along the river was the Historic Patuxet. I chatted with a Native American wearing the whole ensemble. He was my age and shared that his ancestors has lived there for more than 12,000 years.
All in all - Plymouth is a wonderful place to visit. Just like most historical destinations - you leave the place with knowledge on top of the experience.
Activity: Plimoth Patuxet Museum
Eat: Wood's Seafood
PORTLAND | Maine
Winter wonderland? Check!
Never seen white like that? Check!
We arrived in Portland on Christmas Eve. On Christmas day - without checking the weather guide - we walked around the hotel block for a few minutes before we realized a snowstorm was on the schedule that day. At first, the snow floating through the air was exhilarating. A few minutes after, the wind and snow are hitting our faces to the point that we can't see. My sister had to walk back to the hotel backwards. I would have laughed but I didn't want my mouth filled by this suddenly vengeful snow.
The following day - the sun was out and everything was silvery white. There's almost a blinding glare when the sun hits patches of snow.
If you ever get there, make sure to pass by the Bayside American Cafe. There was a queue but it was the best breakfast I've had in years. Their pancake was to die for.
Activity:
Stay: The Westin Portland Harborview
Eat: Bayside American Cafe
RENSSELAER | New York
When I finally jumped to take a career break and chase my art aspirations - I lived in this area for a few months. In a quiet art colony called Averill Park.
In this day and age - this might be the only place in Continental US where you can leave your doors unlocked and you'd be fine.
To Uber means a half-an-hour wait. When it gets dark, the best thing to do is start a campfire while watching the stars ablaze. It's a place for solitude, for pondering where you have been and what's next. A place to stay still and just be.
I love fall - so I planned my stay there during that season. And seeing the foliage change colours during my morning runs by the lake must be one of my best memories in this place. Aside from the fact that I've met beautiful people that until now I am still in contact with, this place also gave me the chance to kickstart my artistic dreams.
Activity: Art fairs at Arts, Letters & Numbers
Eat: Apple Pie
SARATOGA SPRINGS | New York
When we arrived in this place - it was the end of a two-week sprint all over New England. I was exhausted and ready to go home for a long sleep.
Saratoga is known for two things, its spas and horse racing. It was quite interesting to note that houses that are connected to racing have an emblem or statue of a horse outside their homes.
WASHINGTON D.C.
My holiday home for a few years. Washington DC stays close to heart.
There are so many things to do and so many places to see and yet - it is still not as unnerving as other big city life. Natives are still friendly, they still smile when your eyes meet and you can still engage some strangers in random conversations without feeling some apprehension.
I have so many great memories of DC. DC is where I have seen the cherry blossoms for the first time - which incidentally bloomed two weeks before the National Cherry Blossom Festival. Rumour is - the blooms have given the festival committee anxiety.
I also walked up and down the street of Georgetown on Halloween dressed up as the Mad Hatter along with my sister who dressed up as Xena and her friend - some hot ninja. I queued along with hundreds of sweet-toothed early risers to grab some Georgetown cupcakes at barely 8 am.
Kramers at Dupont Circle was a great place to read with a glass of vino. I posed outside The Scientology Church joking that Tom Cruise might shush me away. I stood still in front of Abraham Lincoln's statue while muttering The Gettysburg Address I learned by heart in high school. I faced the Washington Museum re-enacting Forest Gump in my head. Walked through the Smithsonian. Fieldside at a baseball game cheering the Nationals. Watch the fireworks on July 4th.
The memories are endless. Those were beautiful days to look back to. There are many places I have been but DC - it makes my heart ache when I think of it.
Activity: Tidal Basin, Smithsonian, Boat Tour at the Potomac, National Mall, Georgetown, Lincoln Memorial,
Stay: The Mayflower
YORK | Maine
There is something about lighthouses. It is a symbol of hope, of travel, of far-flung places, of ships that pass in the night.
Our quick stop in York was simply to visit the Nubble Lighthouse from a vantage point. I must have taken thousands of photos.
The first lighthouse I have been up close to and we didn't just pass by, I had ample time to sketch it to be painted.
When I think of New England, I think of that Barry Manilow Song. I think of lighthouses. I think of this.
Activity: Visit the Nubble Lighthouse
WILLARD BROOK | Massachusetts
Off the beaten path lies this wooden covered bridge.
During fall - it looks like a setting from a fairy tale book.
We spent our short time here breathing in the air, hiking in the trails and obsessing over the New England foliage.