… best views, people, and meals are. Why would anyone ever leave? I’m trying to persuade myself to go back to my concrete jungle but honestly with views like this I’m finding it hard to persuade myself that work is more important.
Home is where the…
Super savvy city backpacking..
I’m not going to lie, as a single female in a city of 8.33 million people I kept my wits about me. I wasn’t running riot at 1am staggering out of clubs or wandering home with strange, attractive young New York City men. I was however, out and about on July 4th in amongst the Brooklyn crowds alone. I never really felt in danger in the city however there were a few hairy moments in which I felt uncomfortable (most of which happened in broad daylight in “sensible” areas of the city).
Its easy when you’re in such a big place alone to stomp the streets wide-eyed looking for danger like a frightened baby rabbit. Its not necessary, just keep an eye out. Watch who is walking where and whats going on around you sure, but don’t run around frightened of your own shadow. The chances of you walking straight into and axe wielding murderer on broadway are slim. However my few days NYC did give me some ideas for a safety in the city post so here we go:
- Book a super shuttle from the airport. Its cheap, quick and the drivers were super friendly. They’ll take you straight to your hotel/hostel so you don’t have to worry about catching the wrong bus/subway line and getting lost in your first few hours of adventuring.
- Book a hostel (I stayed at the American Dreamhostel) in the middle of New York, be as close as you can to as many of the landmarks you want too see as possible. Check out the surrounding area & plan your routes before you leave for the day. Detours are inevitable but so long as you know how to get “home” all is well!
- Pick up a map. The city itself is easy to navigate and the subway system is good but pick up a fold away anyway. There are so many free ones (your hotel/hostel will have some) try to go for one that has landmarks AND subway routes on the same map.
- Walk with purpose. It doesn’t matter if you’re lost on your way to finding that obscure landmark you saw on pinterest, just don’t LOOK lost. Watch the ‘natives’, if in doubt furrow your brow a little and WEAVE through those tourists like an eel, it’s easier alone.
- Eating out is great. It’s very unlikely you’ll be singled out as a target just because you’re eating alone. Eat out somewhere fancy and you’ll soon notice other solo diners, mostly New York business types but you’ll see the occasional loner with a map too (conversation starter? I think so.)
- If its a short stay pick out the most important stops and concentrate on doing them right, rushing from one place to the next with your subway map flapping behind you is a pretty good beacon for thieves – plus you want to see things and appreciate them. Don’t worry, the rest will still be there when you come back! (Believe me you’ll want to come back!)
- Be polite to everyone unless they give you a reason to shout – if something DOES happen, SHOUT like a crazy person. I was followed by a man down an empty street after taking a wrong turn, rather than telling him to “f*ck off” as I’d wanted I stuck with the “no, its ok you don’t need to help me. I’m fine. I’m meeting a friend back on ___ street”. It worked, I crossed to the next street and he didn’t follow.
I’m not going to pretend NYC is a candy floss city with no bad bits. I saw someone get mugged and I was harassed in the street by strange old men but it didn’t put me off one bit. The highlights of NYC way outweigh the problems. Central Park by itself makes the whole trip worthwhile, I’ve never seen such diverse street acts, as many weddings, or as many row boats in one place let alone at the heart of a gigantic city. Try a shake shack frozen custard – life changing.
New York, New York
So good they named it twice, or is that just too cliche for 2014?
I feel like I’ve done this travel thing a bit wrong – I’ve been to spangly New York but I’ve never been to plain old York. Even though its on my doorstep by comparison (mental note: Explore home country as well as jetting abroad.)
NYC I’ll admit, is the first time I’ve ever felt intimidated as a lone travelling female. Its big. Bigger than any of the blockbusters could have prepared me for. Its dirty, busy, and full to the brim with people. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing -its overflowing with culture and diversity. The city is hectic, you just have to step into a cab to experience an adrenaline rush you just don’t usually get moving from A to B. I’ll admit (mostly for my own peace of mind) I stuck to the bustling tourist areas and generally stayed around large family groups that were navigating the streets and theres definitely plenty of things I missed out on that I’ll have to return to see another time. Having said that I feel as though NYC was a very good test of my self confidence and general awareness of space and safety.
Quick pointers on travelling alone in NYC can be found here although a quick google shows up plenty of advice – which I hope to add to in my next post.
Unexpected Journeys
If you’re like me and have very little natural planning ability then you may be inclined as I was to book a week in New York City with little thought for anything else. However as I was given the opportunity to visit the capital Washington DC I faced a dilemma, my flight was to New York and it would be far too costly to reroute so late in the game. I could catch a bus but I’d been warned off public transport during the whole of my stay – was I really ready to risk my life stepping onto a “grotty, bubble of bad”? As it happens East coast public transport, especially linking the capital and other large cities such as New York is very good, and quite cheap ($30 each way from times square to the centre of Washington). So I booked my seat on a bestbus and hooked up to the free wifi(!) for the 4.5 hour trip. The bus was well air-conditioned and I sat next to a very friendly woman returning home from a weekend in NYC with friends. She explained the streets grid system (horizontal streets are numbered, vertical streets have letters, and diagonal streets are named after US states. Its very simple to get around.) And told me that under no circumstances was I to wander into East Washington. So with my speed-prep completed I took on the capital.
Everything you could possibly wish to see (well mostly) is on or very close to the Mall. A two mile stretch of park surrounded by various Smithsonian buildings and flanked at either end by the Capitol and the Washington monument. Just behind the Mall is the White house, park and various impressive war memorials. Its very easy in a short trip as I had to fit an incredible volume of American culture in without wasting time travelling from place to place. A full chronicle of my adventures in both DC and NYC are to follow, but for now a ridiculous number of photographs with no context will do:
Markets everywhere!
Kansas City market was another highlight of the week. Live bands, artisan products, hot and cold foods and plenty of fresh produce. I managed to bag myself a lovely coconut drink too (in the shell!). A mix of temporary market stalls and permanent small restaurants/bakeries and gardening stores the whole market has a buzz. Many stalls have free samples of the produce. Favourites = jalapeño fudge and fresh peaches!
Market schedule:
March – October: 6am – 3pm (saturday)
November – February: 8am – 3pm (saturday)
Year round: 8am – 3pm (Sunday)
Liberty Memorial
The Liberty memorial Kansas City is a stunning piece of 1920s architecture with an exterior carved from limestone. The pale tower is a significant feature on the horizon and rightly so. Beneath the tower is the entrance to the museum. A glass walkway crosses over a poppy field containing 9,000 flowers. Each flower represents 1,000 deaths during WW1. It’s a strong visual and brought back many of the sentiments of the various battle scarred locations I’ve previously visited in France. At night the 217ft tower is lit at the top to represent a burning pyre – “the light of inspiration”. Beneath the tower-top stand four “guardian spirits” each 40ft tall representing honour, courage, patriotism, and sacrifice. Beneath the tower two Assyrian Sphinx shield their eyes from the past (the horrors of war, facing East) and the unknown future (facing West).
A small elevator will come to carry any visitors almost to the top of the tower. Another 40 steps out into the open air and the whole of Kansas sprawls below. A must-see view.
Liberty memorial is open Sunday – Friday 10am-5pm (7pm saturday) during the summer and Tuesday-sunday 10am-5pm in winter. It is run by a not for profit organisation & volunteers are welcomed.
The “corn belt”
Ames farmers market
berry patch farm haul
Downtown mainstreet, Ames
A popular response to my announcing I was visiting Iowa as a tourist was “oh, why?” with a puzzled expression. Apparently the only thing the state has to offer is corn and soy – in abundance. I beg to differ. Yes the centre of Iowan life seems to be agriculture but if you look hard enough (or use local knowledge as I had access to) there are things worth dropping in on. Ada Hayden heritage park is one such gem. A lake with a few paved loops around the perimeter made for the perfect evening stroll and if you can catch the sunset reflecting from the still waters it’s truly stunning. A few kayakers paddle leisurely and fishing is common.
Berry patch farms strawberry picking season began on the 16th of June and offers a friendly, fun environment to pick your own high quality fruits. (A large variety of berries, cherries, peas & apples etc are also up for grabs when they come into season) I’ve been having strawberries with everything for about a week now.
The small town and surrounding area of Kalona is also worth a visit. The Amish community can be seen living with the rest of the modern world where cars are parked up alongside horse and cart. Amish produce is for sale, with lovely bakeries and high quality chocolatiers! Kalona is also home to an abundance of quirky antique stores. Nearby is the Twin county Dairy Co-op. This small dairy has a store stuffed with samples and fresh produce but even more interestingly the process of cheese making can be watched through windows upon entry to the building. You can then walk through the doors and try some of the exact same curd you were watching being turned in the last room (and its good, so good.)
Finally, and my favourite event was the farmers market in Ames. Its a small locally run event which doesn’t just boast stalls of wonderful greens. Live music, hot foods & beverages (I particularly enjoyed my chaat and Indian chai from Indian Delights stall), crafts and other funky stalls fill up downtowns main street. Whilst you’re enjoying the general atmosphere and (hopefully) loading up on yummies such as homemade sugar cookies, this is the perfect opportunity to pop into the various second-hand vintage stores. I managed to pick up two very fancy belt buckles in one store and am currently looking for appropriate belts to sew them into.
Ames farmers market runs Saturdays 8am-12.30pm. May – October GOGOGO!
Kenai Fjords Alaska!
humpback calf in the kelp
bear glacier
humpback whale
boat wake
approaching bear glacier
orca
Alaska is famed for its fishing, but aside from salmon the marine life off the Alaskan coast is thriving. An 8 1/2 hour day tour with Kenai Fjords tour group was the perfect way to experience it.
Setting off at 10am within the first 10 minutes the captain spotted a mountain goat with its kid scaling the vertical cliffs of the bay. Another 15 minutes and we spotted the blow of a whale. My first whale sighting was a humpback and calf who swam to the boat, they swam slowly in front of us before moving calmly on. 45 minutes in and I was awestruck we could spend the rest of the day without seeing any whales and I would have been satisfied just from this one encounter. The Kenai wasn’t done with me yet. Further out we found the “resident” pod of orca working as a group to hunt fish. I’ve imagined the moment – seeing orca in the wild, almost all my life. It was perfect. They are stunning creatures – grace and powerful as they glide through the near-luminous turquoise waters. We spotted orca on a couple of occasions after this. The day continued on this magnificent streak of luck as we moved through the park towards Bear Glacier. Another highlight was to spot two adult fin whales (2nd largest in the world), once with calf in tow.
Bear glacier was an alien experience. The boat engine was shut down in order for us to hear the calving of the ice and the loud cracks from deep within the valley. The blue mountain dropped giant sheets of ice into the water where harbour seals and sea otters rested on floating shard. As we headed back towards our next destination (fox island) we called in on a series of islands inhabited by seals, sea lions, various birds including puffins and the penguin-like common murre. At various points throughout the day porpoise rode the wake of our boat at speed. Our final sighting was of a particularly exuberant humpback which breached the surface. It was an incredible show of power and surprisingly elegant for such an enormous mammal.
Generally I don’t take tours as they’re expensive and there’s usually a DIY alternative. However on this occasion it was worth every penny and I would highly recommend the operator we travelled with. The captain was incredibly informative on not just all of the animals we saw but also the local area, geology, and history. Staff were helpful in spotting animals and the general atmosphere was buzzing on the boat (especially with all those sightings!)
Visit Kenai Fjords National Park in Seward Alaska!
Preview: Seward sea life!
A jellyfish at Seward’s Alaska sea life centre which helps to rehabilitate sea mammals and birds for re-release (click photo for more info.) Coming up – “Kenai Fjords!”
Close encounters – of the Moose kind..
Alaska has an array of killer beasts roaming its varied landscapes, the most obvious being bears. Black, brown and grizzly bears populate the state and the general consensus is, that even if you see no bears in a given day you can be sure that bears have seen you. Hiking alone is not advisable and if you do decide to brave a simple well walked route its a good idea to let the bears know you’re coming. The short hikes in Denali National Park were littered with calls of “Hi bear!” – nobody wants to wander into a surprised bear.
So as I was taking a simple, well-walked route back from the Dog Sled kennels to the visitor centre (as advised by park staff) I had my eyes peeled. My eyes clearly were not peeled back far enough however for natures crafty designs. As soon as I saw the mother moose down the trail ahead of me I knew somewhere near by would be her calf. Sure enough when I looked over my shoulder there were her twins nestled down and camouflaged in the undergrowth, fast asleep. Now, luckily I’ve been warned about the dangers of moose in the calving season – always run from a moose!!(also that background in dairy farm life helped, moose are more like enormous wild cows than I’d thought.) As the moose began to charge I ducked behind a few trees and scampered down the trail whilst mother-moose tended to her still sleeping calves.
Moral of the story – don’t hike alone, keep an eye-out on the brush for moose-calves and generally keep out of the way!
Read up on Alaskan BEAR & MOOSE safety!
QOTP 
