THE BIG APPLE

This past weekend, I went to Manhattan in NYC. We took a one day trip there by sleeping on a charter bus on the way there overnight, spending the next day in the city, and sleeping on the way back home. It was a lot of fun! It is really hard to sleep the first night on the bus, but on the way back home, it's really easy to sleep because you're so exhausted.
When we got there, we went straight to Canal Street in Chinatown. This street has a lot of small shops run by Chinese people and they sell really good knock off purses and jewelry by expensive brands. The knock-offs look so real, and when I carry the purse, nobody can tell that it is a fake. They have all kinds of brands, including Coach, Prada, Juicy, Tiffany's, Versace, Gucci, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and more than I can think of. Just make sure you ask for these brands when you go in the shops, because they are usually in a back room.
After Chinatown, we went to battery park near the Statue of Liberty. It is tough to get tickets for the Statue on Saturdays, because you cannot order them online but you have to buy the tickets when you get there. To get a closer look at the Statue, though, we took the free ferry to Staten Island. The ferry passes right by the Statue of Liberty as it's going to Staten Island and we got some really nice pictures of it without having to pay money to see it.
Next, we went to Pinkberry, a frozen yogurt store that my sisters and I have been wanting to try. It was really good, I wish we had one in Ohio. It had four flavors of frozen yogurt, original, pomegranate, passion fruit, and coconut. You can add all kinds of toppings on your yogurt, like fresh pineapple, strawberries, mango, kiwi, blueberries, raspberries, and more. Non-fruit toppings include granola, chocolate chips or shavings, coconut, captain crunch, and more. I got a parfait which includes the yogurt, granola, and three fruits of my choice. It was different than anything I have ever tasted and was really good.
We went to this very big Victoria's Secret next. It had so much stuff that I have never seen at my home VS store. We didn't end up buying anything, but we played with the makeup samples for a while. We all did our eyes and put on lip gloss. I tried to put mascara on my boyfriend, but he wasn't being any fun.
For lunch, we went to California Pizza Kitchen. We got a few pizzas to share.
For a little dessert, we went to Dylan's candy shop, which was right next door. For a dollar, you could dip a food item of your choice into their chocolate fountain. I chose to dip a rice crispy treat, but they also had marshmallows, pretzels, and some other things. Also, they had a candy bar taste challenge where you tried a sample of a few candy bars and tried to guess which flavor it was. Me and Kevin tried, and we both missed the last one.
Then, we went to 5th Avenue. We stopped in FAOShwarz, a famous toy store. It has really big stuffed animals, intricate doll houses, costumes, candy, and a lot of other interactive games that you can play with. When you enter, a toy soldier greets you, and they talk very properly. When you leave they say things like "goodbye now" or "thanks for visiting" or "come again" really articulately. We also stopped at the Tiffany's on 5th Avenue. The people were very polite there, and it was cool to see all their famous pieces.
We went to Rockefeller center next, and went into the NBC store. We saw all the ice skaters on their famous ice rink, and I think next year we will try to go ice skating there too.
Finally, we made our way to Times Square. On the way, we saw a Jamba Juice, another thing we've always wanted to try. I got a peach shake, Kevin got "Aloha Pineapple" and my sisters shared a pomegranate one. They let you add a boost for free too, like calcium, energy, vitamin C, and protein. The shakes are very healthy, and they even include on the menu how much calories they are. At Times Square, we ate dinner at Planet Hollywood. Since we were snacking all day, we just got salads or appetizers. They were still really good though. In previous years, we have gone through the different stores there, but this year we were running out of time to catch our bus, so we just paid for these bike carraiges to take us to the bus station.
We slept well on the ride home, and I cannot wait for next year to come so we can see more of the city.
Next, I believe I will be going to Frankenmueth, Michigan.

up down and all around ohio

Since Spain, I've been all around Ohio for the past month. As soon as I returned, I went with my mom, boyfriend, and little sister to visit Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio. It's a very small town, but it has a really cute and charming school. It has a pond on the campus, and we saw lots of ducks and a black swan in the pond. We got to stay in a really nice suite in the hotel owned by the University. The drive to Ada isn't so fun, but it's really cute when you get there.

The next weekend, I went with my mom, dad, and little sister to another college for a visit. This one was called Shawnee University, and it's in Appalachia, right on the Ohio River across from Kentucky. It is a really small town too, but a cute University. Their dorms also all have bathrooms and kitchens which was really nice. We got to stay in a nice suite there, too, because they had booked us by mistake in a one-bed hotel. The ride there was 4 hours long, and on the way back to Parma, we got to eat at a Sonic. Since then, Parma has gotten it's own Sonic, but it's really crowded because everyone wants to eat there.

This past weekend, I went local to see the air show on the lake in Cleveland. The air show was really cool with a bunch of different planes doing tricks. We also got to tour a few fighter jets brought there by the military. They also have yummy carnival food. One air plane was a pirate jet, and the pirate lady stood on the wing of the plane while doing poses. It looked really dangerous but was pretty sweet. There was parachuters that jumped out of the Army plane and propelled themselves with colored smoke. It was really pretty because they used pink smoke. There were various planes that did tricks flying upside-down and straight up too. The coolest plane actually broke the sound barrier! It can also hover in place, kind of like a UFO. Watching the planes was my favorite part of the show.

My next trip outside the state will be to Manhattan. That will be more exciting than staying local!

Where I've Been So Far

I've spent most of my years traveling to at least on place outside of my home state of Ohio. Unfortunately, I've covered all but 5 states on the east coast, and not much else.
I've been to Florida so many times that I'm going cross-eyed with it, although Disney World will never bore me.
Pennsylvania, my parents' home state, is a place we travel to at least twice a year. Just seeing the people I love there makes it an enjoyable place to visit. If I were to judge the state itself, though, I'd say it's a lot of fun as long as you know where to go. Kennywood, Sandcastle, Mt. Washington, and Station Square are a lot of fun and I still have a lot more to see in Pennsylvania.
Canada has the beautiful Niagara Falls of course and other cool tourist-y things to do that are fun for kids and adults. It makes for a nice place to take a short trip.
Just recently my family and I have been taking a yearly bus trip to Manhattan. This is a lot of fun because we get to see new sites every year and return to ones we enjoyed last year. I don't think I have to tell anyone about sites in Manhattan or try to convince anyone to go there.

Myrtle Beach, no matter how much some may like it, isn't one of the best places I have been to. It has nice beaches and lots of restaurants, outlet malls, and mini golf courses, but I think you can experience that near any beach. It was way to crowded and I'd actually like to go back to South Carolina to experience another part of it that is more calm.
Ocean City, Maryland had a much calmer scene and nice beaches. You definitely have to go in the summer because it is more northern, but it isn't so crowded but give the satisfaction that any beach would.
Maine is one of my favorite states. It has great sea food for cheap and the best blue-berry flavored desserts ever. Even though it can be cold, its charm and beautiful scenery make up for it.
The Bahamas was absolutely gorgeous. The food is tropical, the water is clear, and the sand is white. It is probably the same as any beach in the Carri bean, so I just recommend making it to the Caribbean.
Texas is the only place I have strayed from the east. It is my favorite state and I want to move there. It has nice weather and a western/Mexican feel but at the same time it has big cities. This makes for a great mix.
Every other state I have visited did not have such an impact on me as these did.

Next I will be going to Spain. I am a little nervous and will be blogging about it on here. It will be a new experience and my first time outside North America.