Well, the time has come for the final part of my story. First, I'll tell you about my travels after finishing work, and then I'll summarize both the blog and my trip, deal?
By the way, a very important point. Don't forget the day your work visa expires! I forgot, and told my manager I was staying for another week, so she managed to make a new schedule. This time her angry look in my direction was justified x). My forgetfulness also had a few other unpleasant consequences. First, I didn't have time to properly plan my trip and did it... the night before leaving. Second, I lost a few days of precious time because I could only get my paycheck after the weekend. Third, as I already said, booking transport tickets on the last day is, damn, expensive! Considering that it's almost always possible to negotiate with an employer, it's better not to step on my rakes.
Transport terminal in Buffalo, from here I left the metropolitan area where I spent the last 2.5 months.
If I got to Niagara by Amtrak, then for my mini-trip I decided, first, to save a little, because some railroad fares really make your heart skip a beat, and second, their transport network isn't very flexible. I used Megabus and Greyhound. There were troubles with both. The former were almost an hour late (though we arrived on time anyway), and they didn't handle luggage very well. The latter... arrived too fast! And I wanted to sleep on the bus longer! I'll also say that it's much more cramped on the bus than in a train car. Anyway, I got a bit carried away, let's get back to my route. From the transport center in Buffalo, I took a Megabus to Washington with stops in a few other cities. I'll make a remark again about the local pronunciation of cities. Americans call Philadelphia by the affectionate, as it seemed to me, word "Philly" x). I arrived in Washington during the day, so I immediately dropped my things off at the hostel (although they checked me in before the check-in time, and that can happen) and set off on foot to the center, checking out various interesting places marked on Google Maps along the way. Here, another mistake of mine as a novice traveler comes into play, let it be revealed only in New York. Walking around the city almost aimlessly is definitely cool, but in the end, it turns out not to be quite efficient. Washington is amazing, I imagined it to be much more boring, but it's interesting even just to walk around it, looking at the whimsical architecture. But in exchange for that, I didn't really have time to go through the museums, which saddened me. By the way, if you are a night owl like me, I have bad news for you. The opening hours of museums here are even shorter than shops, until 5-6 PM. So adjust your schedule in advance, I just slept through everything. Essentially, out of my one and a half days (I arrived by noon and left the next midnight) in Washington, I managed to walk around the entire memorial square (the first day minus walks around the city and the next evening were spent on this), walk around the center, and go through most of the Air and Space Museum. I also ran through the American History Museum, but I had less than an hour for everything, which is unforgivably little.
Capitol. Yes, just like in the movies.
Washington Monument. There are many free and cool museums all around it.
Summarizing regarding Washington: Wake up as early as possible, especially if you want to get into museums (you can even get into the Capitol); Plan your route more carefully so you don't walk in circles. I walked around the White House area twice because I couldn't find it x); Don't skimp on public transport, it will save you a lot of time. By the way, I haven't talked about it yet. For starters, a fun fact - in Washington, the subway is, suddenly, "metro", not "subway". But it is famous for its confusing fares. My technical education wasn't enough to understand when and how it's more profitable to ride it, mostly because a fixed amount was always deducted from me. On the way from the memorial square to the station, I managed to try a local bus, and it turned out to be free. And that's all I have to say about it. I also tried riding a bike... Oh, if you want adrenaline, well, try a local bike! It has one funny nuance - it has a fixed fee for half an hour of riding but... If you exceed the limit, the fare will go up. And the scariest thing is that it's unknown by how much, on the internet they only complain that it's very much. When I decided to ride it, for the sharpness of the effect, I also didn't time it. Never has a bike ride been so tense x). In general, a classic horror formula - what scares you the most is what you invented yourself! But seriously, their system is questionable. Zipping through the city with the breeze is, of course, pleasant, but I advise you to better assess your strength and not rely on Google Maps for time estimation, and besides, it's not very profitable.
It's impossible not to note the beauty of Washington, even outside the memorial park.
And then I went to New York. Since Greyhound didn't let me sleep properly and threw me off at the station much earlier than I expected, I had to walk through night New York again. Surprisingly, this time I liked the walk more. Maybe because I already more or less knew where to go and where not to. And taking photos of an empty metropolis almost in daylight, you must agree, is cool x). However, I didn't plan to exhaust myself ahead of time, so most of the time I "had" to sit in McDonald's on Times Square. I highly recommend this place, as there is a great view of the square from the second floor. True, they kick you out if you don't order anything, so I was downing Iced tea (why isn't it in Russian branches?!) with desserts. They forced me to eat sweets, scoundrels x).
The view from there is truly cosmic, just manage to grab a seat.
I don't want to describe New York in detail, there is a lot to see here. If you plan everything competently, and also get up early, you can see almost all the most interesting places in 3 days. I had 2.5. If I had more, I would have visited Boston, for which I didn't have enough time. (Yes, I had less than a week left for travel. Everything will be much easier if you can afford to stay until the end of September). Instead, I will say the most important things, as I think. For starters, the subway. The subway! Everyone and their dog scolds the New York subway, but most often for some reason for aesthetic reasons. I'll just say that you need to watch the station announcements more carefully, because this is not the Moscow metro, where they are announced loudly, slowly, and clearly, in two languages. Here they are announced very quietly, indistinctly, and quite quickly. So if your English isn't exactly fluent, be more careful. I tried to navigate by the signs on the columns and walls, but even they can't always be noticed, if they exist at all. I missed my exit 3 times, because of which I ended up in Brooklyn, and that's 15 minutes of lost time!
There is also something to see in Brooklyn. And places to take photos.
And again about plans - I planned so much for myself that it's amazing. I wanted to go to New Jersey, and to the Statue of Liberty, and many other things. This might have been possible if subway rides didn't take an hour. Partly this happened because I booked a hostel quite far from the center, as there were no other options left. Moreover, for the same price, I could have taken a room in a hotel if I had booked in advance. Well, experience!
View from Central Park, where I was desperately trying to catch the internet.
By the way, we haven't returned to modern technology for a long time. First, don't trust the time in Google Maps, it deceives you, always. Second, don't worry that you didn't find a company for the trip. There are many more J1s in America than you think, sometimes I even met them purely by accident. But I mean that someone's travel dates will definitely coincide with yours, so you can negotiate using public chats of participants. Besides the fact that they will help you with your problem and answer your questions there, you can also find a person to finally make yourself a new avatar for VK! Actually, in the chat of this very VK, I found a person thanks to whom I now have a hundred photos of me in New York, if only I were a little more photogenic x). And finally, remember that Lower Manhattan is no worse than Upper, and have an exciting discovery of New York for yourself! And in conclusion, I will complain - all of August I saved traffic on my phone so that it would be enough for New York, and in the end, it didn't catch at all! Help! This, perhaps, was the most unpleasant thing that the partial incompatibility of the phone with local networks prepared for me. As a result, I connected to the internet only at subway stations.
Lower Manhattan blows the imagination.
And now I will summarize. In this story, I wanted to convey certain thoughts to you. And if suddenly I didn't succeed very clearly, then let's do it again, straight to the point and in the usual manner x).
First, make a plan and prepare in advance! I would have had much fewer problems if I did everything on time and in advance. To end up without any second thoughts on another continent and in a foreign country is, of course, cool (tested), but then to bite your elbows because you spent time and other resources inefficiently - not cool (tested).
Second, keep up with today! As I already said, it recently became possible to learn English on YouTube, as well as find a company for travel through VK. I'm not even talking about banalities like the fact that it's impossible to get lost if you have GPS. Use everything you can!
Third, don't be afraid of Americans! It might sound strange, but introverts should understand what I'm talking about x). It's really extremely easy to make contacts here, personally, I almost didn't meet unsociable locals. Communication here is just much easier.
Fourth, don't be afraid of difficulties! Of course, there are no parents and friends nearby (and even then, only for the first time), but ordinary people live here too, and your mistakes are not fatal. Especially considering that you are here for a while and also that the sponsor is closely watching you x).
Well, I think I've finished writing about the rakes I stepped on and the positive things I encountered. You, of course, will have your own rakes and positive things, and that's good! In my opinion, this is exactly what is needed for adult life, or am I wrong? x)
Fifth, have fun! It's very easy to forget that you are a Russian student, and not an ordinary American worker. Who knows when you will be able to return to America again? Value your time and use it to the fullest, constantly!
In the evening, it's breathtaking here.
