Yosemite National Park

A couple of years ago a friend of mine had sent me pictures of Yosemite...saw them,admired them & forgot about them...I recently visited Yosemite myself with Pranav and a bunch of friends.I got to mention that I was captivated by the natural beauty and the sheer vastness of this national park...

We started off with a hike from Happy Isles to Vernal falls and then finally to Nevada falls...there are a couple of routes to reach Nevada falls...we chose the one going alongside the Mist trail... Walking along the mist trail is awesome! It was approximately a 8 mile round trip...the hike was lot of fun but at the end of the day I was pretty much exhausted.

The next day we drove to Glacier point...this is the place which gives us a classic view of Yosemite falls, Vernal falls, Nevada falls, Half Dome, El Capitan and of the valley in general...The Half Dome especially looks absolutely stunning!!

I am already looking forward to the next trip that will happen next year for sure.

New York City & Niagara falls

New York city:

The Big Apple as it is popularly known is indeed a city that has myriad facets to it that only a good ol new yorker can understand.

So my description of this wondrous city would purely be from the perspective of a tourist.

We landed in New York past midnight and our hotel was right in the middle of Times Square...I think thats a perfect time to be at Times Square...

Wow!!what a place it is...full of dazzling lights...all the buildings in the area have humongous Billboards and Neon sign boards displaying advertisements... it felt great to see so many people walking down the streets,cars honking,people partying,taking pictures and basically just having fun!
Also the largest toy store in US-Toys R Us,Nasdaq, MTV's main office,Planet Hollywood and a lot other big names are located here...

I truly feel that New York is a place that cannot be captured in pictures...if you want to experience and explore this city walking on its streets is perhaps the best thing to do...m glad we did just that...

Weather was perfect the next day...we started off with Financial district followed by Ground Zero then the China Town, Little Italy, Fifth Avenue, Rockefeller center and the Central Park.

The Financial district is home to the New York Stock exchange and its where the famous Wall Street is located.There are umpteen number of fancy skyscrapers...i mean you just got to raise your head every now and then to see how tall these structures are...



One of the aspects that struck me the most in any part of this city are the hawkers selling fruit juices. shakes, kebabs, hot dogs etc etc...infact in china town you can see people selling vegetables, fruits, clothes, decorative items and the likes right on the streets...Also,there are small shops and outlets unlike only the Big stores in other parts of US...all these creates a hustle and bustle that is such a significant part of the city...i cant help but compare it to Bombay...:)

On our way we even had a chance to see Sandra Bullock shooting for a movie titled 'The Proposal'...thats the first time i saw a Hollywood star...

We spent the second day visiting the major attractions - Empire state building,Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island, Madame Tussuad's. We also went for a 2 hour cruise called 'The harbor Lights'.

The weather was torturous throughout the day...91 degrees...So the cruise in the evening down the Hudson river to the East river was quite refreshing...we got to see the city's famous landmarks right from the Manhattan skyline,statue of liberty, the trio - Brooklyn bridge, Manhattan bridge, Williamsburg Bridge (BMW),NY harbor...

I am particularly in awe of the Manhattan Skyline...its superb...From a distance it seems as if somebody has played a game of Lego or probably used a deck of cards to arrange these tall buildings...

Although we did not do any major shopping...New York is a fun place to shop b'coz you get all cool latest stuff at affordable prices in places like Manhattan mall and branded expensive stuff from places like Macy's.Macy's has the biggest store in NY - a 8-floor building...
We also passed by a street called the Canal street which is so similar to our very own Fashion street or Linking Road...

I loved every second I spent in New York!!

Niagara Falls:
During the weekend we went to the Niagara Falls...
Though the drive from New jersey to Buffalo,NY was a bit too long...but it was a very scenic drive!

When I first saw the Niagara falls...the one word that came to my mind is "Grand"...The sheer magnitude of the falls is absolutely over-whelming...

We went for the two rides - "Maid of the Mist" and "Cave of the winds"...
Maid of the mist is a boat ride that takes you till the Horseshoe falls...Cave of the winds trip will take you closer to the Bridal veil falls which is at the American side.

Both of them are simply mind-blowing...It was exhilarating when the waters of Niagara came right on my face...Extraordinaire!!

To sum it all...we had a blast...a perfect birthday gift from my dear husband!!