I landed in Washington Dulles international airport and was immediately blown away by the size and magnitude of the airport .On my drive to the hotel I was impressed by the cleanliness of the streets it was completely beautiful that all cars followed the traffic rules to the letter unlike here in Kenya where people aren’t so keen. Upon reaching the hotel in Washington, we were greeted by wonderful staff who were welcoming. Immediately after entering the room overcome by exhaustion from the long flight, I hit the sack and was dead asleep in a matter of minutes.
During my stay in the United States of America one of the places we visited was the Washington Monument whose construction was done in two phases, one private (1848-1854) and one public (1876-1884). The Washington Monument embodies the awe, respect, and gratitude the nation felt for its most essential Founding Father, George Washington. At the time of completion, the Washington Monument was the tallest building in the world measuring 169.046 meters. The 50 American flags encircling the base of the monument represent the 50 States. A unique feature of the Washington Monument is the 193 memorial stones installed on its east and west interior walls .The scenery around it was quite wonderful and the nicely cut green grass had such a calming effect for anyone who visited the historical site.
The other location we visited in Washington, D.C was The Lincoln Memorial which is a national monument. It is located on the western end of the National Mall built to honor the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. He was a republican president who fought for the abolition of slavery in the country. He is viewed as a symbol of freedom and liberty in the whole world more so in the United States.
From DC we travelled to New York also known as the Big Apple. New York has been influenced by a variety of cultures over the last 500 years. For instance when the Dutch settled in, they named the city New Netherland with their influence being seen in the street and city names like The Bronx named after Jonas Bronck who was a famous Dutch settler in New York. It is the British who later came and renamed the city to what we now know as New York.
New York is one of the most metropolitan cities in the world and its size has helped shape both the culture and the lifestyle of its inhabitants. New York’s sky scrapers are one of the most iconic man made creations in the world one of the many being the world trade Centre which is 541 meters tall making It one of the world’s tallest buildings in existence. New York is also known as being a major hub for the fashion industry; filled with high fashion models, designers, hosting famous fashion shows like New York Fashion Week, and some of the best clothing stores and clothe line up for both men and women such as Calvin Klein, Prada, Gucci, Tom Ford just to mention a few.
Living in New York is quite expensive with the cost of living being at least 68.8% higher than the national average. Living in the city center gets even worse, with the cost of living double that of the national average. This has overall contributed to the city being viewed as very costly to live in but some people are willing to spend a little more due to the ease of living in a cosmopolitan area such as New York. During my stay, the temperatures in the city ranged from very cool with slight showers to very warm afternoons it being spring season.
EAST-COAST MORES
by emily munyao