Boston is a city in Massachusetts state which is famous for its top-tier universities like Boston University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Boston is well-known for its architecture, amazing history and good foods. In my opinion, Boston is very different if you go into downtown and outside of the downtown area a little bit, like where I stayed at. In the downtown, it was loud and I felt a little dangerous but just outside of the city where I stayed, it can get calm and quiet. In Boston, three destinations that I like the most are Boston University, MIT and the Freedom trail.
Firstly, the place I want to mention is Boston University. Most of the campus’s buildings run along a single road. Next to the campus is the Charles River. The campus run alongside a river makes the scenery at the university very beautiful. Something I learned during my visit is about changing majors here at Boston University. When I was listening to a student at the university, he shared his experiences learning at the university. He shared how easy it is to change majors and minors, allowing him to be able to learn many subjects. From what I remembered, he took around 5 subjects (majors and minors) in just 2 years learning there.
Secondly, it is MIT. MIT also has a lot of majors but MIT has courses that they are known for like Engineering, Physics, Aeronautics and Math. While visiting the university, a professor explained to us that first-year students have to stay in dorms, but dorms in MIT are different. Dorms in MIT are very diverse. There are a total of 10 dorms. Each dorm will have their own tradition and cultures, making each dorm different from the others. Some of the dorms are very basic with double rooms and a kitchen, but some are full of murals and cats. MIT has 450 clubs and in my opinion, they are very unique. After visiting the university and reading the website, there are clubs that teach you how to perform with fire and clubs that only do research and investigation on chocolate.
Lastly, the place that I like the most during my trip is Freedom Trail. Freedom Trail takes you around the city, passing through many historical places in America that are involved in America’s revolution and important history’s events. What I think is unique about this trail is that you can see old and new architecture when passing through here. In the freedom trail, they built modern buildings around the historical building, giving the city a really nice vibe of old and modern at the same time.
In conclusion, Boston is my favorite city among the cities that I visited during my trip to America. There are a lot of good universities here, there are a lot of activities to do in the downtown area and the foods here are great. I like the city because you can live in a quiet neighborhood but still close to the downtown. I would definitely visit here again on my next America’s trip.
New York
New York City (NYC) is a city in the state New York. New York City contains 5 boroughs and are famous for their WTC, Time square, Central park and many more destinations. In my opinion, NYC is too loud for me. The crowd of people, the billboards and the noise made my head hurt during my stay there. Three things that I’m going to share for you are my experience living in New Jersey, my experience having my first slice of New York pizza and the 9/11 memorial.
Firstly, my experience living in New Jersey. My mom had accidentally booked a house in New Jersey for us to stay, not NYC. Everyday, we take the bus, pass the Hudson river and end up in NYC, on the other side of the river. Normally, when traveling out of Vietnam, my mom would book us apartments or houses to stay in. Here in New Jersey, we mostly cook breakfast and dinner at home. In our area, there are no supermarkets so we have to go to New York city to buy the groceries then bring them back to our home. My mom booked a house in New Jersey by mistake but I think it was great. We got to go to four states, instead of three.
Secondly, having my first slice of New York pizza. I don’t remember which store it was but it was a famous store. On the walls, there were pictures of celebrities who had their pizza here too. For our first slice of New York pizza, I felt like we should have a special one so we went to a famous spot for it. Originally, NYC pizza is made with a tomato sauce with cheese on top. Now, there are a lot of varieties like putting pepperoni and mushrooms on it. For me, I like a slice with pepperoni on top. I think the tomato sauce and the saltiness of the pepperoni really balance the slice out.
Lastly, visiting the 9/11 memorial. The 9/11 memorial was in the lower Manhattan area. After the WTC center in New York collapsed on 9/11, they built 2 pools where the towers used to stand. After the incident, the city built another World Trade Center and a shopping mall surrounding the 2 pools. My family went there because this place marked an event that shocked the entire world and we felt like we must visit it. Happily, on the day that we visited, it had just rained so the weather was not very hot. When I asked my friends, they all told me that it was very sunny and hot.
In conclusion, New York city is great but it was a little loud and busy for me because of all the noise. If I have to stay in New York city, I would live in New Jersey, because it is more affordable, safer and quieter. I would visit NYC again and have my second slice of the iconic NYC pizza.
Washington D.C
The last place that my family visited on our America’s trip was Washington D.C. An interesting fact that I learned during my visit is that Washington D.C is not in a state but rather a district. Washington D.C is famous for their government buildings like the White house, the Pentagon and the Capitol. In Washington D.C, the three destinations that I like the most is the Vietnam War memorial, the Abraham Lincoln statue and the Whitehouse.
Firstly is the Vietnam War memorial. Most of the destinations like the Washington monument and the Lincoln statue are all gathered in one area along a road. In those destinations, there is the Vietnam War memorial. The memorial is a ‘V’ that will get taller as you walk towards the middle. On the wall of the V, they carved names of the fallen soldiers during the war. There are more than 58,000 names carved onto the wall of the memorial.
Secondly, the Abraham Lincoln statue. Abraham Lincoln was given a statue of his own because of his contributions towards America. He helped lead America during their civil war and signed a bill to stop slavery in America. Inside the memorial is a huge statue of Abraham Lincoln with 2 walls with old English writing. The statue overlooks the reflecting pool, then the Washington monument, which is designed in the memory of George Washington.
Thirdly, the White house. In my opinion, the White House is overrated. Unlike other destinations like the Abraham Lincoln statue, the Vietnam war memorial and the Washington monument, all gathered in one area, the White House sat at a further place. After arriving there, there was not much to do. The White House was very far from the gate and there were a lot of people so it was very hard to take a picture with it.
In conclusion, Washington D.C is a very famous place. The architecture here caught me off guard because they used old architecture and marble statues for buildings like the Union station and the Abraham Lincoln statue. The next time I come to Washington D.C, I would definitely visit more museums because they are free so it wouldn’t hurt to give it a try.
