Circle Line Cruise, NYC

The Circle Line Cruise departs from Pier 16, right next to the Brooklyn Bridge. There's a whole menu of tours available but I did the 1-hour Zephyr cruise tour. We first went right under the Brooklyn Bridge where our tour guide gave us a very interesting and entertaining history of its construction. We've all seen pictures of the Brooklyn Bridge and many tourists and residents have walked or biked over it, but the view of the bridge from a boat bellow is quite different. The perspective along with learning its history gave me a new appreciation of the bridge's magnificent structure.

The boat turned back and proceeded down the East River, skirting Downtown Manhattan. Heading up the Hudson River, we caught a glimpse of the new Freedom Tower and passed right in front of the Statue of Liberty. All the while the tour guide narrated Manhattan's history as we passed by its famous landmarks. The image of Battery Park's trees and walkways contrasting with its backdrop of Manhattan skyscrapers is enough to inspire the creative instinct in any artist.

The Circle Line Cruise was an excellent way to spend an hour and well worth the $23. There was no shortage of breathtaking views and we learned more about the history of New York City's most famous borough than I've learned in all my years in school. This is definitely on my list of must-do attractions for NYC visitors.

Mount Vernon

One of my many adventures this summer was a trip to Virginia. I'm finally at an age where I can appreciate the historical value of places like Mount Vernon, so even though this was technically my second trip to George Washington's home, it's the first one I remember well.

Unfortunately the house was under construction at the time of my trip so I couldn't take any good pictures of the house. The good news was that we learned an interesting little tidbit because of it. They were adding a paint/sand mixture to the outside of the building, just as Washington (rather, his slaves) did when he lived there. The walls are made of wood, but the sand mixed with the paint gives the impression of cement walls. I'm always amazed at how ingenuitive some people are.

As we waited in line to take the tour we admired the volunteers in their costumes from the 18th century. A women who looked like she could have been Martha Washington herself brought us though the house and gave us the history of the rooms. It was quite amazing to think that I was standing in the house where George Washington lived. We saw his bedroom, his study, his kids' rooms and the dining room. In separate buildings were the cooking areas, the storage rooms, and areas where the servants worked to keep the estate running.

Taking the tour really helped put things in perspective and added a lot of value to the things we saw. The many other buildings on the estate, such as the slaves' quarters, had information posted to explain how the rooms and their contents were used and what a typical day would be like for the residents. If you're ever in the DC/Virginia area, Mount Vernon is a definitely a must-see destination. If you have some extra time, check out the museum which is also on the estate. It has great information about not only George Washington, but also about the other Founding Fathers, the Revolution, the Freemasons, and many other worthwhile topics.

Central Park Zoo

My summer has been jam packed with school, work, traveling, and exploring NYC, which unfortunately has left me with little spare time for blogging. Time to remedy that.

Back in July I had my first opportunity to visit the Central Park Zoo. It was a little confusing to get there, but I eventually found it (after being guilted into giving money to a homeless guy who gave me directions). The zoo is relatively small, which is actually quite nice since it's much more manageable and you can see all of the animals. June seems like the perfect time to go since all the fresh flowers were in full bloom.

I was pleasantly surprised at the number of exotic animals the little zoo has. I expected monkey, iguanas, snakes, maybe even a leopard, but the Central Park Zoo had a Red Panda (which looks a little like a huge fox), a pair of seals that gave a nice vocal presentation for the visitors, complete with an impromptu swimming display, and there was even a polar bear. There was an owl, penguins, and a little fly that decided to be my friend.

You can leisurely walk the entire zoo and take all the pictures you want in just a couple hours. You can end your zoo visit with a day in Central Park, maybe even a bicycle tour, and you're guaranteed one of those days of that you can look back on and smile.