My whirlwind USA tour

[raayat00]

Hello Clubsnap! This is my first post after lurking for a really long while.
These photos have been laying in my computer for a while now. Might as well put these here. I will post each destination each day until its done (won't take very long, I promise).
If there is no restriction to how many photos I can put up each day then I will throw everything in. Is there one, mods?


So, in January 2008 I took a train ride across the country to visit a few friends and see some of the country. It was in the dead of winter so everything was nice and white. This trip was a month long, the same amount of time my rail pass was valid for. I think I could have covered one or two more destinations, but the traveling was taking its toll on me (actually I got lazy). I hope you find this post interesting. Thanks for looking.

First stop, Chicago, Illinois! This was a 72 hour journey from California, and included delays due to bad weather.

Everyone has to see "The Bean" aka Cloud Gate at Millennium Park.


This is one of the many hazards of winter besides slipping on some ice and breaking your coccyx.


The Chicago Institute of Art. Very nice interior, and exhibits too.


A nice warm glow makes sitting out in the cold a bit more bearable.


Next stop, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota.

[cpark188]

Hi Raayat00, welcome aboard, nice sharing and keep coming, thanks.

[raayat00]

Minneapolis-St. Paul, is also known to the locals as the Twin Cities because of their location across from each other across the Mississippi, Minnesota and St. Croix rivers.


A unique feature of the city is its covered walkways that connect buildings so people don't have to brave the sub-zero temperatures of winter just crossing the street. Despite of that, I still had to wait on the street for a bus, in a heated bus stop of course.


A scene from a charity dance event at the Mall of America.


Going to uni in hot and sunny California, scenes like these are a delightful change for me.


This is the alumni building at the University of Minnesota. Very nice looking I think.

[raayat00]

Out of the ice maker into the freezer.
What else can I say about Buffalo, New York except THIS PLACE IS CRAZY COLD DURING WINTER. The wind chill of 30-below was definitely new to me. And the experience of seeing a (nearly) frozen waterfall. But friends made the stay warmer.


The windswept plains of Buffalo.


Canada, on the far side of the falls. People still do come to the falls to visit in the dead of winter. But the observation deck closer to the edge is closed for safety reasons.


America Falls, the waterfall on the "right" side of the river.

[raayat00]

I'm going to cheat a little and post this too since its in the same state.

New York City. As the train pulled in, it brought along the first snow of the season. The city never stops even in winter, she just pulls on her coat and goes on. After the first snowfall, we had very nice weather except for one rained out day. On which, I visited B&H Photo and Video.


Most people shut themselves in their own world while riding the subway.


Ponds remain iced over in the shade at Central Park.


The Diamond Exchange district. Many jewelers along this row.

This is the lead in to my next post. I was on transit to Athens, Ohio at the Grand Central Station at Washington D.C.

[raayat00]

Here we are in Athens, Ohio. This is my very first venture into the interior United States. Located along the Appalachian Range, Athens used to be a mining town. Now, after the mines have been closed it is largely a college town. I visited a friend who went to Ohio University and he took me around town, and showed me some farmland. FYI, Ohio University has one of the best programs for photojournalism.

We visited a lady who raises horses. They are one of her passions that keeps her here.


Mix rain and cold weather and you get icicles on almost everything.


Jogging in snow is actually a pretty good workout.


My host, the model student, making his way back to campus to finish assignments.


After Ohio, I traveled to Ann Arbor, Michigan. Pics of Michigan next.
I managed to see the Foo Fighters in Detroit as well. No concert photos though, sorry.

[raayat00]

How are you doing, everyone? I hope you are enjoying my pictures.
Two more destinations after this. Memphis, Tennessee, and Honolulu, Hawaii.

For now, here's Ann Arbor, Michigan. This city really has its own distinct charm. Maybe it was the crisp, cold air. Or the shining blue skies. Either way, it was beautiful.


This is a church and school.


University of Michigan - the Engineering Department's library. Look's like Hogwarts, right?


My friends took me to a frozen lake with the intention of going ice sailing. However, there was no wind at all. But there were people ice fishing, flying kites and racing their 4-wheelers across the lake. I drew this, while my friend wrote his name in the snow with yellow ink.


An icon of the motor city, Detroit.


The Renaissance gallery at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

[raayat00]

Here we are in the final destination of my Amtrak journey.
We are now in Memphis, Tennessee! Home to Elvis, BBQ and the civil rights movement in America.

The Pool Room at Graceland. Thinking back, the place was a little creepy.


Another example of the creepiness. One of his famous show jackets.


Two polar bears spooning in the Memphis heat. And I saw panda bears too! Unfortunately, I did not get any photos of them in embarrassing positions.


As Memphis is located along the Mississippi River, it has many bridges. This particular bridge is the Hernando de Soto Bridge, named after a 16th century Spanish explorer. This M-shaped arch bridge connects Memphis, Tennessee and West Memphis, Arkansas. Picture was taken from the Tennessee side.


I also visited the Gibson guitar factory. That's me rawking the air guitar.


Pictures from Hawaii tomorrow.

[raayat00]

Ahh, Hawaii. I think it is my favoritest state in America. It's sooo beautiful.
I only went to the island of Oahu but I'm totally in love with the state. It's a state of mind, I tell you!


Part of Waikiki Beach. The main reason beaches in Hawaii are so well kept is that beaches remain state property.
NOBODY, not hotels nor millionaires are allowed to own any part of the beach.


A secret location, well, not so secret. A scene from the film "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" was filmed around this area.


The sand here is very fine. It's really easy to brush off wet skin.


The weather is another factor to Hawaii's beauty. Rain comes in as quickly as it blows away, leaving huge swathes of color across the sky.


Outrigger canoeing and surfing are the recreation activity of choice. In the distance is the main stretch of Waikiki where the big hotels are located.

That's all folks. I'm out of material until my next big holiday.
Thanks for your time.

[raayat00]

Any thoughts on what you liked or didn't like?

[clioboy]

beautiful..

like yr shots..

[emlee]

I like your shot of the new york subway. the light on the woman and the man sleeping was spot on.
It seems like a very packed trip. what is your itinerary like? how many days did you spend in total?

[raayat00]

Thanks cpark, clioboy, emlee.

I spent about 3-5 days at each place. Travel time was a killer and had to plan for delays. We were actually delayed for a day on my way from Ohio to Michigan so Amtrak gave us money for a room and food.
The whole train trip was probably 3 days short of a month. Had to fly back early because I had to move out and clean my apartment. We were in Hawaii for 5 days.

The guy in the subway was actually texting. You can see his hands holding his phone at the bottom of the window.

[iamryansaw]

thank you for sharing this wonderful experience with us. I enjoyed every posts of different states. I have a new dream now. HAHAH