These Alliterative Titles are Becoming Difficult

Finally back at Gina's house outside of NYC. Tomorrow is definitely a designated rest day - for the past two weeks it's just been all on all the time. (Tomorrow is the 14th, and I left on the 1st. TWO WEEKS down already? Not possible.)

Washington DC was fantastic. It was definitely my favourite place so far. I mean - I really loved San Francisco and the one day I've spent in NYC so far, but DC really felt like somewhere I could live, if I wanted.

San Francisco was amazing - although the weather seemed determined to show me a horrid time - but I definitely felt like a tourist there. The public transport was expensive (cable cars) and not so easy to use without looking at three maps and then asking someone who looked local. I'm sure once you know the system it would be fine, but it definitely wasn't simple or intuitive. There were an enormous number of SOMOTD (see, I haven't forgotten, I've just seen NO strange old men!) and I never really found any "local" feeling areas in the city. (Of course it was very welcoming, comfortable and easy to live at Stephanie's house, but that was further out of SF proper.)

During the day I spent in NYC, and then this evening as Gina and I went from the bus to catch the train back to Bronxville, I was really overwhelmed. The City is amazing, and I'm definitely excited to see and explore more of it, but it was just too big. In every possible way. The buildings are all ridiculously tall, and they just don't stop. In any direction, it just keeps going and going and going. The subway is pretty, um, earthy - though the train system to the outer suburbs is as nice as, if not nicer than, Brisbane trains. Where in Brisbane I'd get the train from the city to Southbank to save a walk (Yes, I am lazy, this we know.) I would not use the subway in NYC to go the same distance. It's just not pleasant. I'm aware this is sounding a bit princessy, but I'm talking about features that make a city less inviting, and less livable, for me personally. I would definitely, definitely recommend visiting New York - it's amazing, and there are so many brilliant things to see. I just can't see myself living in the city at all.

I say all this, you see, because Washington was totally different. In DC, none of the buildings can be built taller than the Capitol, which is fairly tall but by no means a skyscraper. This made the city quite low set and comfortable, at least in my mind. It was definitely busy, and there were (obviously) far too many things to see than could be seen in 4 days - but it felt like a place where I could very easily fall in to a rhythm of actually living. Just day-to-day existing. The metro (subway system) was clean, safe and easy to use. There are lots of things in walking distance to Colleges (GW and Georgetown) and from landmarks/areas of business. Not to mention, of course, the fascinating things that go on there on a daily basis. There were areas that felt homey and local 20 minutes walk from where the most important political decisions of the nation are made. Plus the weather in DC was gorgeous pretty much the whole time I was there.

I always said that America was somewhere I'd love to visit, but not live. Washington DC may have changed my mind.

Lx