Washington, D.C. Part THREE

June 29-August 5 2007

The second week of our summer fling had us covering the Congress and we had the privilege of a tour of the US Capitol. How awesome was that. First up was a general tour of the public areas of the Capitol that anyone who queues up can participate in. The more exciting part of our day was going on a guided tour  by the staff of Rep. Hinchey, who is Ithaca’s representative in the House. We made our way to Rep. Hinchey’s office to meet the two staff members for a little chat and collect a sticker saying “US Capitol Staff-Led Tour” with the Congressman’s signature on it. We didn’t get to meet him though because he was not in Washington at the time.

It was really cool to see the rotunda dome of the US Capitol. From the exterior of the Capitol building, the dome is the defining structure that makes the Capitol so recognizable and it was awe-inspiring to see upclose the little details and artwork that makes the interior so magnificent. Bearing in mind that during our tour, we also ran into Senators and Representatives – them nonchalantly walking past us as they went about their normal activities – that this was their office/workplace and what a workplace to be at everyday.

Little intricate figurines

Another rotunda with a beautiful chandelier

The above pic shows us in the room with the secret hearing passageway. If you stand at a particular spot in this room, you can hear whatever is being said at another particular spot across the room, which used to be an office famed for the leak of secrets. We look interested here but we were quite bored really, and trying very hard to listen to our creepy tour guide. I see a trend here, with creepy tour guides. The staff-led tour we had later on was so much better.

An underground transportation system that services the Capitol

Lindsey, me and Scully on the tram

Our guides then brought us to the press room, where Congressmen make their media reports from. It was cool and we snapped like crazy, feeling important, if only for a few seconds. We also got to see the media room where journalists work on their reports. There was a row of telephone booths where they would call their editors from to file their reports. The booths were in such close proximity to each other that journalists could actually eavesdrop on each other and sort of steal a rival’s stories. Too bad we didn’t have the chance to see it live in action – it would have been an eye-opener into the real world of cut-throat journalism. We were told however, that blackberrys and mobile phones now meant that journalists didn’t rely on these telephone booths anymore since they could do so anytime and anywhere they wanted. I think the telephones also connect to the congressional offices so that journalists can call to conduct interviews, research or background checks.

Telephone booths

Senator Jeremy.

The class was then split up – our guides were going to let us sit in for a short while because the House was in session. How cool was that! To see the congressmen live, discussing bills and voting on them! I was in the second group but when it came to our turn, we were told that we couldn’t go in anymore and that we’ll have to come again another day. Bummer. Felt a bit sorry for the few of us because we came so close to sitting in a House of Reps session. Somehow we weren’t too convinced that coming back again would guarantee us a sitting.

Group pic in Rep. Hinchey’s office with his staff members

So anyway, the topic for this week’s assignment was to be anything regarded to the US Capitol or Congress. In other words, we could write our article on anything related to the legislative branch of the US government – bills and such.

It was quite a challenge – finding a topic takes quite a bit of research and reading just to settle on one. I randomly came across a story about the Statue of Liberty and it just popped out at me from nowhere so I decided on that story. Working on this story was so fun though. Phone calls made to congressional offices went unanswered or were redirected. I had to make so many phone calls to congressional aides who were not willing to talk or comment; they either directed me to other offices or they claimed that the press secretary/communications director was not around so they were not in a position to comment. I had to assure them that this was an academic assignment and would not be print-published – and on condition of anonymity – before they agreed (very reluctantly) to speak. It is not easy to be a journalist on the Hill, fore sure. I very nearly missed my assignment deadline.

Here it is:

She Deserves Liberty

By JEREMY HOU; 14 July 2007

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The copper-clad statue sits silently atop an island at the entrance to New York Harbor, and keeps a watchful eye over the New Jersey coastline and Manhattan cityscape. A gift from the French to celebrate the centennial independence of the United States from the British, it welcomes all visitors, immigrants and Americans who have passed through the harbor since 1886. It is a symbol of freedom, of hope. It is the Statue of Liberty.

Following the September 11th terror attacks on the World Trade Center, the National Park Service immediately closed Liberty Island, denying tourists access to the grand statue. The National Park Service announced early 2004 that the Statue of Liberty would only reopen after $5 million was raised to add safety enhancements to the Statue. President George W. Bush did not include the Statue of Liberty in his 2004 federal budget, despite setting aside $8 million for the upgrading of a cafeteria and a car park at Crater Lake National Park, Oregon.

“The Statue of Liberty is the defining symbol of New York City and the United States,” said Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Queens & Brooklyn) on February 16. “We all took a terrible blow from 9/11, but now it’s time for Lady Liberty to get up off the mat, just like the rest of the City has.  Instead, the Bush budget slaps her in the face.”

In April, Rep. Weiner called on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to launch an investigation into the fund-raising activities of a nonprofit organization, the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation.
“There are no records of any investigation on the Foundation. The only reports of the Statue of Liberty is from a study done way back in 1986,” said Elizabeth Johnston, GAO’s Legislative Advisor for Congressional Relations. “What’s even stranger is that Rep. Weiner’s name does not appear in my database.”

However, the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation insists that an investigation by GAO was carried out in 2004, though there was “nothing found to be out of the ordinary”. The Foundation raised money to assist the National Park Service to enhance Liberty Island as a whole, and not just the Statue. The Statue of Liberty was reopened on August 5, 2006, but visitors can only ascend as high as the Statue’s feet, while going up to the Statue’s crown remains a no-go.

“There are health and safety concerns that we have to deal with regarding the interior of the Statue,” said Darren Boch, Spokesman, National Park Service (New York Harbor). “Even before 9/11 occurred, we were thinking of closing access to the crown.”

The interior of the Statue does not conform to New York City’s building code. According to Boch, when the Statue was first designed, it allowed only for maintenance workers to enter the interior, and not for “thousands of visitors to climb up the narrow staircase.”

Rep. Weiner announced Congressional hearings into the reopening of the Statue on July 4. According to an aide from Rep. Weiner’s Congressional office, the National Park Service has not released a statement to them.

“Hearings will take place in the summer,” said the Congressional aide. “The Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands will review management of the Statue and the decision by the National Park Service to keep the crown closed.”

Visitors might be able to see the Manhattan cityscape once again from the crown of the Statue, and not just from her toes. As Rep. Weiner said in a press release, “It’s time to reopen the Statue of Liberty fully. To the crown.”

Washington, D.C. Part TWO

June 29–August 5 2007

I really liked the bedroom I had sublet from the family. It was very comfy and overlooked the back porch of the house. The landlady was nice and I enjoyed chatting with her about stuff – Singapore and just general random topics – it was going to be an interesting five weeks in DC.

The house was in the Adam’s Morgan neighborhood, which I grew to love quite a lot. Self-contained, with a Safeway supermarket and CVS pharmacy, Popeye’s, and a Chinese diner, which I relied on quite a bit, a Starbucks four minutes from my house (absolute bliss), the metro was just a 10-minute walk away and it was close to the Boston Uni Center, where my political journ class was going to be held.

The rent included use of the kitchen, wireless internet and laundry facilities, which is essential. I loved doing laundry in the US, especially in Ithaca. I always looked forward to using the washers and dryers at the basement of the Garden Apartments back at IC. The best part was retrieving warm and fresh clothes (which were truly crisp and nice-smelling). That’s something hard to achieve in humid and hot Singapore, unless you have a dryer and do not have to depend on the sun. I digress.

The weekend before the summer class was to start, Scully (my news writing prof from Ithaca) had us meet up at the BU Center for a pre-class meeting – basically to explain the proceedings of the class and what we’ll be learning. First week would be an intro to Wash DC: finding more about what makes the city tick as a tourist destination, and so our first assignment would be an exposé about a touristy attraction.

That first Monday, Scully gave the class a lowdown about past US presidents and about the Constitution, about Wash DC, about the Civil War, about Republicans vs. Democrats, about how Krispy Kreme is allegedly related to the KKK and the state of Tennessee, about MLK’s speech at the Mall, and the Washington Post and the Watergate Scandal. A lot of history and I was glad we got it out of the way at the first class. Of course, Scully peppered the history lesson with personal anecdotes that made it a lot more fun.

We were given our first assignment (YAY) and told that we had to finish it by Friday. The tourist attraction I chose was the National Postal Museum. Not that I was a stamp lover by any means, but that the more exciting ones were taken and I felt I could give the postal museum an interesting angle.

That first week also saw us visiting the state of Virginia. And some sites steeped in rich history.

George Washington statue at the creepy Masonic Memorial

Mural of George Washington

Scene from an apothecary that the Washingtons (George and Martha) used to visit

So old school!

The apothecary was owned by Leadbeater and Sons.

Old Town, Alexandria – home to George Washington

Political Journ class with Scully

The Potomac River

That same week, the class met to celebrate Independence Day (July 4th) by camping out at the Iwo Jima Memorial (USMC War Memorial) to watch the fireworks over the Washington Monument. The memorial is in neighbouring Virginia, beside the Airlington National Cemetery, and is popular among locals who go to catch the fireworks. Before we entered the memorial grounds though, we were thoroughly searched by police stationed there, presumably to prevent people from bringing alcohol and stuff.

Iwo Jima Memorial

The crowds gathered somewhat comfortably awaiting dusk and fireworks

Lindsey, Jane and me

Group pic!

The memorial is one of few sites in the United States where the flag is permitted to be raised all day and night. I had no idea.

I can’t remember if this was taken before or after the fireworks but I suppose it’s post-fireworks because I think everyone started packing up the moment the fireworks ended

Some quirky light display I spotted as we were walking back to Rosslyn metro station

Jane and I were asked to make all kinds of funny faces the whole night by our camera-totting classmates. But I forget now what face this was. Evidently it involved some stunned or open-jaw-inducing emotion.

Washington, D.C.’s metro stations are deep, like five floors into the ground. So those with a fear of heights should stick to the elevator.

I chose to write my first story of the class on the National Postal Museum, even though with my preconceptions, I didn’t think there would be any interesting facet to highlight. I decided to go anyway, with an open mind and see if I could dig a story out of a seemingly mundane place. Little did I know how narrow-minded I could be, after I realized how significant postal history could be, being tied to so many aspects such as communications, transport, economic progress, politics and even international relations.

I interviewed a few employees of the museum and then ambled around the museum a little bit, even talking to a Japanese girl who was a volunteer at the museum. Just as I was about to leave the museum, I came across a fairly new exhibit – a damaged piece of plastic that was used to hold postal packages and it was recovered from among the debris of… the plane that crashed into Shankville, Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001. That plane was headed to Washington, D.C. that fateful morning before passengers and flight crew thwarted the attempt, although there were no survivors from the crash. Wow. That later resulted in a ban of postal delivery on commercial flight, also in part to the fact that these postal packages cannot be scanned.

I left the museum realizing that as insignificant as the postal museum might have seemed at first, its quirky exhibits left a lingering aftertaste in me, especially also after iewing an exhibit about the anthrax scare in postal deliveries, and how the impact of terrorism has seeped into the postal system – worldwide, and how we can’t really escape from it, can we.

The museum had a collection of Singapore stamps from the 1960s.

Mail used to be delivered with horse-drawn carriages

D.C.’s Hidden Gem

By JEREMY HOU; 7 July 2007

WASHINGTON, D.C. — At a time when the prevalence of technology over modern society seems commonplace, Daniel Falk admits that it is hard for one to imagine the workings of a postal system in past centuries. As the Exhibitions Specialist of the National Postal Museum, the 28-year-old Falk says his job involves taking visitors on a journey through three centuries of postal history to better understand today’s postal system.

Born and raised in New Jersey, Falk graduated with a degree in Classical History from Rutgers University in 2001. His parents were both employed by the Smithsonian Institution. He has been working at the National Postal Museum for the last four years and imagines himself to be there for quite a while. Dressed in a blue polo T-shirt and khaki pants on a casual Friday, Falk walks around the museum with a walkie-talkie in his hand. He speaks quickly, but retains a sincere tone and a warm smile – one gets the impression that he is proud of the museum’s exhibits.

“Some of our popular exhibits include Binding the Nation and Moving the Mail,” said Falk. “Both of them are very educational in terms of illustrating how mail used to be delivered, from horse-drawn carriages, to rail, to airmail.”

Allison Wickens, Director of Education at the National Postal Museum, agreed with Falk. She works closely with Falk to monitor visitor response. According to the most recent survey she conducted in July 2005, the National Postal Museum receives about 400,000 visitors annually and a majority of them are families who come in spring and summer. About 10 percent of their visitors are foreigners. Wickens added that the National Postal Museum is the definitive authority on postal history in the United States.

Set up by an agreement between the Smithsonian Institution and the United States Postal Service in 1990, the National Postal Museum opened to the public on July 30, 1993. It is housed on the lower level of the old City Post Office Building, which was constructed in 1914 and served as the main post office of Washington, D.C. till 1986.

One artifact that stands out is a U.S. mail carton that was retrieved from the debris of United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001. It may not belong to the rich history of the U.S. postal system, but it marks a move away from mail delivery via commercial flights. According to Lynn Heidelbaugh, Assistant Curator at the National Postal Museum, the United States Postal System no longer delivers its mail packages via commercial flights because of the inability to scan the contents of the packages.

Nancy Pope has been working for the Smithsonian Institution since 1984. As Historian and Curator at the National Postal Museum, she explains that the National Postal Museum has a greater significance than one would imagine. Other than its philatelic section that appeals to stamp experts, its exhibits and information on postal history “deals with transport and communications methodology for the past 200 years.”

“The postal system is universal. It is a service to and from all,” said Pope. “I have visitors who come and remark that their experience went better than they expected.”

Dan Falk feels satisfied that he fulfilled his goal of educating visitors through the exhibits, but adds that the museum could do better.

“The Postal Museum is a hard sell. How do you promote it to tourists unless they have a specific interest in stamps?” he said. “This is Washington’s hidden gem, an oasis outside the crowds of the National Mall.”

Washington, D.C. Part ONE

June 29-August 5 2007

My arrival in the capital of the United States was one filled with drama.

The flight from Los Angeles to Washington had a quick connection at Atlanta, Georgia. But the first flight landed very late, and that resulted in most of the connecting flights out of Atlanta to be delayed. By the time I was walking to the gate, the plane bound for Washington was to have left already but they were waiting for delayed passengers.

So I landed at the Regan International Airport an hour later than scheduled, only to find that my bags hadn’t arrived and this happened to a few other passengers too. I filled out the forms, and was informed that my bags were probably still in Atlanta and they wouldn’t come till the next day. This was about 11pm and I still had to make my way to the hostel, where I had booked a bed for the night. Dismayed, I caught the metro to the city. Mind you, this was my first time in DC; I was alone, tired, without my bags, and it was late.

I found the hostel, which was part of the Hostelling International group and located in downtown DC, near Chinatown. The other people in the room were asleep already but I was starving and decided to find a McD’s for a quick bite. I also called Gladys to lament about the horrible day – the delayed flight, my lost luggage and not having any clothes to change into. It was truly tragic, that day.

The next day, other than having to retrieve my bags, I also had to find an apartment for the next five weeks while I was in town for my summer class. I shortlisted a few potential rentals and e-mailed them, hoping to meet up with them. I also put up an ad on craigs, hoping that a potential landlord would get back to me. Now, the bags. It was yet another tragic day. I was last informed that they would deliver the bags to me when they arrived. They had arrived at the airport but they would only deliver them to me later that day or the following day. And I couldn’t wait that long! So I decided to collect the bags myself from the airport. (Reagan International is about 20-30 mins away via metro, and it was quite a pain to be lugging my bags in the daytime, with the day crowds and all.)

Long story short, my bags and I were reunited once more. Maybe budget airlines don’t appeal to me anymore. The inconveniences and lack of reasonable service from their staff were definitely not worth the (slightly lesser) airfare at all.

On the accommodation front, I wasn’t having it good either. I had arranged to meet a potential landlord earlier but she didn’t show. Relying on free wireless isn’t such a good idea at all, especially since I couldn’t connect at some places I should have been able to, i.e. Starbucks or Cosi cafe. Anyway, I got in touch with a lady who was subletting her apartment for a pretty reasonable rate and I was quite desperate by then. I took a taxi to the address she had given me and I was quite disappointed by the neighborhood. It was predominantly a non-White neighborhood and although there’s nothing wrong with that, I didn’t feel safe because the area looked quite dodgy and I later realized that it was quite far from where my classes were held. She was a no-show too, because she didn’t respond when I knocked on her door. Anyway. So I was left with no options at all and that night was to be my last night at the hostel. There were no more vacancies left.

Truly truly desperate and without a clue of what to do next, I decided there was not much I could do anyway since it was late already, so I went walking around to explore a little of the city. The next morning, however, proved to be the turning point. A lady had responded to my ad on craigs and although the price was steep, it was within my budget and it was almost perfect because it was where I was looking for – Adam’s Morgan. Fantastic.

After speaking to her on the phone, I immediately knew I had found the right place without even checking it out. I checked out of the hostel, grabbed my bags and took a taxi to the house. She must have been surprised that I brought my bags along since I hadn’t even saw the house yet. But it was do-or-die – I would have no roof over my head that night.

It was a really nice and cozy three-storey townhouse. The owners were a Jewish American and an Indian American. They recently had a baby, but I didn’t mind that. The price was steep but worth it. After looking at the house, I knew this was the one, and after discussing a little, I moved in and paid for the next five weeks in cash, plus a safety deposit in check. The rent included wireless Internet, utilities and I was free to use the kitchen and laundry facilities as and when I wanted. My landlord had visited Singapore before and had friends there too, so that was a bonus. My week was finally starting to get better.

Hollywood and Santa Monica, LA.

June 23-29

So Faith and I left San Diego on yet another early bus, this time bound for Hollywood. Upon reaching Hollywood, Faith would be meeting her cousins, who were enrolled in a summer session at UCLA. I would be meeting the guys again, who were driving in from Grand Canyon, and staying at a hostel along Hollywood Boulevard.

I checked in first and had lunch while waiting for them to arrive. After lunch, I took a stroll along Hollywood Boulevard, on the Walk-of-Fame. Star sightings, literally, but there were also many names that I had never heard of before. About ten minutes from the hostel is the Kodak Theatre, where award shows and American Idol finales are held at, and Chinese Theatre, where many famous hand prints are etched in stone.

El Capitan cineplex, venue of many movie premieres.

Jimmy Kimmel LIVE.

This was the best we could manage; it was so cloudy that day.

The guys had an ingenious idea to snap a photo of their reflection off my sunglasses.

Another ingenious idea to snap a photo of our silhouette; guess which one is me.

Shannon and I dropped the guys off at Santa Monica beach before we drove Faith to LAX for her flight back to Singapore. The airport was crowded and very disorganized, such that the check-in queues were snaking out of the building to the car drop-off point. We were actually quite worried that Faith might miss her flight. After Faith left, we drove back to Santa Monica to meet the guys again. They were almost done with the beach and were about ready to leave. A few of us went shopping before heading back to the beach.

Shopping street at Santa Monica

Santa Monica beach and boardwalk

At the beach, we came across a memorial of some sort to the war going on in the middle-east. It was dedicated to those who died fighting – Americans, Iraqis and Afghans alike. It was quite a sombre sight, especially at a beach full of tourists. It was especially heartening to know that whoever initiated this was against war, and was sympathizing with innocent Iraqis/Afghans who had nothing to do with the war. The following photographs speak for themselves:

In reference to Arlington Cemetery, the US national cemetery in Washington DC.

Mock coffins draped with the stars and stripes.

I thought it was interesting to see how close the crosses were to the beach revelers.

The next day, Shannon and his friend Yi Hern were returning back to Singapore. It was to be just five of us left for a couple more days. We were kind of bored with Hollywood by then so we were just seeking places to go and basically ambled our way around the whole day. We first headed to Farmer’s Market by bus and had lunch there. Next, we went shopping again? There was this place with the most luxurious Abercrombie store ever. I couldn’t believe my eyes: a Greek statue greeted us as we entered, and there were three floors of everything A&F, and they didn’t have a clearance section! So high-class. Look at the photos and see what I mean.

Walked past an advert for King Lear, nothing that would entice me to buy tickets.

Two of my favorite singers on the Walk-Of-Fame. All in all we walked for about three to four hours after that, walking from Farmer’s Market towards Sunset Boulevard. We were kind of lost and pretty tired of walking, so we approached a lady for directions. She was on her way to her car and she offered to give us a lift back to Hollywood Boulevard. It was a surreal experience because it turned out she was a singer and had just released an album. She also told us she was friends with a famous rapper, can’t remember his name now but I’ve heard of him before. So she was on her way somewhere to prepare for a by-invitation-only Hollywood party. Our first brush with a celebrity and she so readily agreed to drive us to our hostel! Pretty awesome.

The guys were leaving for Singapore the next day, and I was moving to Santa Monica for the next three days alone, before flying to Washington DC for my summer class. I was glad to be heading for Santa Monica for a number of reasons. 1. It was by the beach, so even if I ran out of things to do, I could sit myself down on the beach and read a book. 2. It was near LAX, where I was going to catch a flight across the US to Washington DC.

Group shot with our Irish roommates before the guys left for Singapore, and me for Santa Monica.

Entitled Off To See The World, Kangli took this photo of me as I was boarding the bus that would take me to Santa Monica. There you see my bags – my only possessions those seven months in the US. 

So after three weeks spent with my hall friends in Miami, Bahamas, Chicago, Toronto, New York and Boston, and another three with schoolmates in San Francisco, Las Vegas, San Diego and Los Angeles, I was once again alone. Being in a group had gotten comfortable and now it was like being in London and Paris – I had to be extra careful for myself and my belongings even as I shared hostel rooms with strangers.

Santa Monica is about a half-hour away from Hollywood, by the Pacific Ocean. I was running tight on cash then, so over the next three days, I pretty spent them at the beach reading about Nixon and the Watergate Scandal for my political journalism class, and catching up on much needed sleep as well.

Bridge over US Highway 1 that leads to Santa Monica Beach. 

Pacific Park on the boardwalk

View of Santa Monica and a bit of Venice Beach from the boardwalk

Patrol police 

My less than satisfactory experiences with seafood in the US kept me away despite my cravings for good seafood. Still, how could I not take a photo of Bubba?

So there, my week spent in Los Angeles – no Universal Studios, no Disneyland, no celebrity sightings. I was leaving the frivolity of California behind, and heading back to the seriousness of the East Coast.

San Diego.

June 20-23

Faith and I left Las Vegas on an early Greyhound bus bound for San Diego. The journey took eight hours and along the way, we stopped to ta pao lunch from Popeye’s. The bus ride was not as arduous as I thought it would be – talking to Faith, dozing off and reading. We arrived at the SD Greyhound terminal before evening and found our way to the USA hostel a few streets away.

It was pretty hilarious as we lugged our bags up the flight of stairs to the hostel reception. We checked into our respective rooms and decided that we’ll visit the renown SD zoo the next morning, and find our way to a beach the day after.

Our walk to the zoo took us through the city and over the freeway. The architecture of SD is heavily influenced by a Spanish-Mexican flavor, like buildings that you’ll see in The Mask of Zorro. SD was under Spanish colonial rule in the past, and is now a city with strong military presence with naval bases by the coast. There were many museums and also a Shakespeare theater along the way to the zoo.

Koala bear hidden in the eucalyptus leaves

Hard to see, but the lion is there looking at you

Black panther

Giraffe trio, taken for Deb.

Poor polar bear in warm San Diego climate.

Hot mama Josie.

San Diego Zoo was nice, I can’t remember the last time I visited a zoo prior to this, but I would think this famous zoo was comparable to Singapore’s. We were a little disappointed by the fact that many of the animals were sleeping/hiding in the daytime though. Back at our hostel, Faith’s roommates were from Singapore, two girls, but I didn’t see them; I think one of them was from my JC actually.

The bathroom at the hostel.

The next day, we decided to make our way to a beach, regardless of how far it was. It was either a beach, or a day trip to Tijuana, Mexico but we decided against that. So to the beach, it was. We took a bus and half an hour later, we were at La Jolla beach. Our map showed us where to get off the bus and we were surrounded by nice houses and tall palm trees, with sounds of the ocean crashing upon the shore.

Me with a lifeguard, Baywatch style. (photo courtesy of Faith) 

This is Faith dozing off under the blue skies.

This is life.

Gorgeous house by the beach front.

Beach patrol

Tufts of seaweed washed up randomly on the shore. (courtesy of Faith) 

Pacific Ocean sunset 

After a wonderful day at La Jolla beach, we had dinner at a nearby Mexican joint before taking the bus back to downtown San Diego. Our third and last night in San Diego was fun, it was a Friday night I think, and we got to see how Californian folks welcome the weekend at a little bar.

We were going to take an early bus to Los Angeles the next morning, and so we packed and I made myself stay up that night, afraid that I would oversleep and miss the bus departure. San Diego and San Francisco were perfect.

Las Vegas.

June 17-20

From our hotel at Union Square, we walked a couple of blocks to the subway station to catch a train to the San Francisco airport. We were catching a short flight to Las Vegas. At the check-in counter, I had to repack a little because one of the bags was slightly overweight so I had to shift some things over to another bag. It didn’t help that the airline staff were rushing us, afraid that we would miss our flight.

About two hours later, we landed in Vegas and there was no mistaking which city we were in. We were surrounded by posters advertising Cirque du Soleil, strip shows, Celine Dion concerts and many more. There was even a glass room filled with slot machines at the airport.

We could immediately feel the desert heat seeping into the airport upon landing and it wasn’t long before I started perspiring while waiting in the taxi queue. A huge taxi that could accommodate all five of us and our bags brought us to Casino Royale, our hotel. It was located along the strip, but it’s not immediately visible because it isn’t one of those famous ones like Ballagio or the Wynn. In any case, it was quite a funny sight to see us lugging our bags through the casino because the hotel reception and entrance is hidden inside the casino itself.

Before coming to Vegas, one’s only experience with the city is through TV or movies but it is almost exactly the same. The strip is lined with casino hotels, food joints, arcades and little more. There’s also the ten-minute wedding chapels. The people inside the casinos are also like in the movies – jaded, bored hillbillies looking for a quick means to get away from their sad life.

This was my first time in a desert and boy, it sure was hot. Just walking, even walking slowly, induces torrents of perspiration. Sure it was the middle of summer but after spending four long winter months in Ithaca, it takes quite a bit of getting used to desert temperatures. It didn’t help that the air was dry and the warm wind carried dust and sand around.

First impressions of Las Vegas didn’t really set in till we strolled along the strip. The entire city is just one huge entertainment complex that has been planted in the middle of nowhere. Palm trees in the desert, replicas of New York, Paris, Venice in the form of themed hotels… I don’t really know what’s real in this city. It’s extravagance and artificiality at its peak.

Harley Davidson cafe

M&M’s shop

 

New York New York

It’s great that I got to see Lady Liberty up close, even if it’s a replica.

Ok, so we walked along the strip and took in all the sights and sounds of the city. It made for nice night photography, all the bright lights and energy of a city that spends its night on frivolous activities. The five of us guys were not into gambling, though we did discuss buying tickets to one of the Cirque du Soleil shows. The guys were more into photographing the sights, which got pretty interesting because they liked taking posed group shots and there was one we took in front of Caesar’s Palace. That took us very long because the guys are professional photogs and they frame and compose with the best shutter speeds, lighting and aperture before actually snapping. It was another funny sight because many people walked past us and we were posing for quite some time before being satisfied with the photos.

The Bellagio fountain that’s pretty amazing. Go YouTube it.

We didn’t really do much in Vegas, except walk and stare in wide-eyed wonder at all we’ve only seen in movies come to life before our eyes. It was an interesting experience definitely. One that you can do once in your lifetime and not have to go through again unless you’re into gambling and frivolous entertainment. In fact, I personally don’t think Vegas is even worth the time and money.

The next day, Faith, Shannon and Yih Heng drove up from LA to join us for a day in Vegas. The rest like Luana, May, Erwin and Mel were still in LA but were either going back to Singapore or continuing their trip separately. We met at the Vegas premium outlets that we were shopping at and later on that evening, met for dinner and did the same thing – walking along the strip and also watching the Bellagio fountain performance.

Seems like the Singaporeaness in us doesn’t go away even though we were thousands of miles away from home. The next day, we went for a hotel buffet, now I can’t recall which hotel it was but it was one that was within our buffet. You can’t believe how expensive some of those buffets can get..

That night, Faith and I were supposed to catch the Greyhound to San Diego while the six guys were driving to Grand Canyon. A little oversight on our part, or rather, the tickets were sold out, I can’t remember exactly but we didn’t manage to get on the bus, so we spent another day in Vegas before catching the early bus to San Diego. That, is a story for another day..

San Francisco. Part Three.

June 10-16

Cruise that brought us to Alcatraz Island

Infamous island that housed some notorious people

Inside The Rock.

Long way to swim if one decides to escape.

 

Inside a typical cell.

 

Utterly depressing.

Some of the (in)famous inmates.

 

 

 

To look out of your window and see the city of San Francisco.. How painful.

 

 

A former inmate at a book-signing session at the souvenir store.

 

 

 

The seven of us on Alcatraz Island with SF in the background.

 

Later that evening, I met up with Alex (we hung out a bit in Ithaca) for a drink. Holly was in town too, so we decided to meet for dinner and we settled at an Indian restaurant. It was nice seeing them again, after another round of drinks after dinner, we decided that we’d meet again that week before I left for Las Vegas.

 

 

 

The Apple conference!

 

 

 

Cold Stone, one of the best ice-cream ever!

 

 

They mish-mash the ice-cream with the toppings on a cold stone, hence the name.

 

 

Union Square, SF’s shopping district.

 

 

Union Square.

 

 

 

Macys!

 

 

The girls enjoying some Thai cuisine.

 

Subsequently, all of them left for Hollywood, Los Angeles, and I was to make my way to Las Vegas with Janus, Kangli, Yan Zhao and Kevin. We had an extra day in San Fran and I decided to go meet up with Alex and Holly. We arranged to go on a wine tour of Napa Valley and the Sonoma region after finding a reasonably-priced one. It would pick us up from our various locations and bring us to three vineyards for wine tasting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alex, Holly and me with some wax statue.

 

San Francisco. Part Two.

June 10-16

 

Chinatown’s entrance

Jack Kerouac’s street (author of On the Road)

After returning from Yosemite National Park, we checked back into the Park Hotel on Union Square. There was some big misunderstanding among the CS people regarding who was sharing room with who, but that is over and not worth dwelling upon. The next morning, we were going for a bus tour organized for the Asian participants of the Apple conference. Among the stops were Stanford University, the twin peaks and Pier 39 at Fisherman’s Wharf.

Stanford University

Indeed the world is a small place. Who would have thought that I’d run into Watson. He was a close friend of mine back in Fairfield Primary – we were friends from BB. He was here for the Apple conference too and was on the other bus. We met after alighting from the bus at Stanford. Some of us were starving so we left Stanford in search for food…

The road that leads to Stanford.. Adds on to the Mexican/Spanish flavor.

Brunch included a gyro and Turkish coffee!!! Reminds me of my dear Ithaca pals!

We headed to the twin peaks of San Francisco, which are two little peaks on the top of a hill that overlooks most of the city area, with a view of the Bay area and the Golden Gate Bridge. Too bad it was pretty cloudy, and very very windy, which made it really cold and unbearable to leave the warmth of the bus. From the peaks, you can’t really see the typical San Franciscan architecture or the steep gradients. The city is pretty flat though.

It was really windy up there.. Shannon, me, Luana, Faith, May, Mel and Erwin, all friends from NTU Communication Studies here for the Apple conference.

Ripe strawberries and chocolate dip

Cherries and tomatoes..

From Pier 39, you can look across at Alcatraz Island

Where sea lions gather to bask in the sun

Fisherman’s Wharf was way crowded. We stopped for a quick one just to have a look at the area. It’s very touristy and most things are quite unreasonably priced too. Didn’t stay too long here, but we came back a few days later. The next stop was Fort Mason – the start of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Erwin, May, Mel and me at Golden Gate Bridge

The next five days were spent attending some bits of the Apple conference (which was actually more suitable for engineers since most of it was dealing with software and programming), shopping, eating, visiting Alcatraz Island and more.

Victorian architecture

Vintage stores at Haight-Ashbury are great treasure troves!

Watching Krispy Kreme glazed donuts in action…

This Krispy Kreme was right next to In-N-Out Burger, where we had dinner. They have amazing fries that are fresh and crisp.