Well my last week in the US was such a whirlwind that I didn’t get to post at all. There were plenty of internet cafes in New York but there was also so much to do that I just didnt have time to write.

So first of all, I love Chicago… even more then San Fransisco, and shockingly even more then New York. It’s a little less busy and intimidating then New York, and has a beach- just off Lake Michigan, which I really liked. What’s better then a city with the tallest building in the US, the original deep dish pizza recipes, loads of shopping, a park in the centre AND a beach? I’d definately go back. I also got very excited when on the first night I got to watch the ABC news being filmed live. The studio faces out into the street so you can just stand there and watch, which I thought was ace but I think the rest of my group were a bit bored.

So on the second night when we saw 3 news TV crews outside a bar in Chicago, we didn’t stop to see what was going on. I decided it was probably some American celebrity who I wouldnt have heard of, and just carried on walking without asking anyone who it was. And later on in a bar the news came on and I found out it was Barack Obama. DAMN! If only I’d had my news head on I could have seen Barack Obama with my own eyes, which I think would have been pretty cool. And I think if I’d been able to title one of my blog posts ‘Last night I saw Barack Obama’, it may have even beaten ‘Last night I showered with a frog’. But only just.

Moving on from Chicago we went to Cedar point amusement park in Ohio, and went on the wettest water ride I’ve ever been on. I may as well have just jumped in a swimming pool with all my clothes on. And then we queued for 2 hours to go on a 120-mile-an-hour-stupidly-high-seatbelt-but-no-harness ride, only to have it breakdown when we were 3 rows away from the front. But I had fun none the less.

And then we went to Niagra Falls, which completely lived up to expectations. Going on the maid of the mist tour meant I really got to appreciate how big it is. That might sound silly, but you really can’t appreciate how big it is unless you been in a boat at the bottom. I also got absolutely soaked, despite the stylish floor length blue poncho I was given. Not only was there the spray from the falls, it was raining cats and dogs and thundering and lightening too- which resulted in some pretty amazing views. I walked across the bridge to Canada to see the falls from the other side and get a stamp in my passport, despite the rain. It was a toss up when I was more wet- on the water ride in Ohio or walking across the bridge to Canada. 

We concluded our trek on Monday afternoon in the big apple. New York is MENTAL. Firstly, I was disappointed to find that Times Square was a triangle, not a square. But to stand there and see all the famous lights and advertisements was pretty awesome. In my 2 days in New York I managed to go see a show on broadway (Chicago- AMAZING), go up the Rockerfella (cheaper then the Empire State), see the statue of liberty (from afar) and go on a bus tour of down town manhatten (which gave me a fleeting glance of ground zero through an alleyway). Oh, and I went shopping and almost got lost in the gigantic Macys, and bought my dress for graduation. Yay. I stayed in a hostel while I was there, and again it was loads of fun, although much more cramped then my Chicago hostel. I’d definately go back and do New York again, a day and a half is no where near long enough!  

So, that brings my blog of my trip to America to an end really. Thanks for reading and commenting, and hopefully I’ll see you soon and get to show you a selection of the 1000 photos I took while I was there.

xxx