New York City!

One place that I really enjoy visiting is New York City.  I have been there many times and I like to go at least once a year to visit.  My good friend moved up there about a year and a half ago and is working for a fashion designer named Norma Kamali.  My friend, Hannah, lives in Queens and commutes by subway every day into Manhattan for work.  I recently visited her a few months ago and we did a lot of sightseeing. We went to a lot of places that I have been to before and I had the chance this time to take some pretty cool pictures.  

Hannah's apartment is located right beside a subway stop in Queens.  You can actually see the track right outside her window...only a few feet away!  You would think that it is pretty noisy, which it is at first, but you get used to it after a while.  You don't really notice it so much at night because there aren't as many subways that run that often during the nighttime. Some of the places that we ventured to were the Brooklyn Bridge (one of my favorite places in New York), Wall Street (during the Occupy protest), and Staten Island.  When we took the ferry over to Staten Island, we had some great views of the Statue of Liberty and the New York skyline.  We also went to the High Line in the West Village.  The really cool thing about this is that they've taken an old and abandoned railroad track and transformed into into a garden walkway.  I was able to get some great  sunset pictures from the High Line!

New York is a great place to go to because there are a million things to do and see there.  I always enjoy seeing Broadway shows when I have the chance.  So far, I have seen The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Legally Blonde, Wicked, and Phantom of the Opera.  All of them have been spectacular.  I would highly recommend seeing a Broadway show at least one time. It is worth it, I promise!

I have visited a lot of other landmarks and have been to a lot of cool places in the city.  If you have any questions about New York and where to go or stay etc., let me know.  Enjoy the pics :)

View of subway track from Hannah's apartment

Bar Harbor, ME :)

Our last and final stop was in Bar Harbor, ME.  The entire car ride while traveling through Maine was beautiful.  There were so many neat places to stop along the way to shop and take pictures of.  Maine is known for a few things...pottery, blueberries, and lobster.  Luckily, I got to experience all three!  There was a really cute pottery shop that we stopped at before we got to Bar Harbor.  I thought the name was fitting, and it had some really pretty pottery.  

When we arrived in Bar Harbor, we got to stay at the luxurious Harborside Hotel, where we had a great view of the marina and bay.  This town constantly has boats and ships coming in and out, full of tourists that like to come to spend the day exploring the shops and restaurants.  I really enjoyed the stores and we got to eat at some great places.  An interesting ice cream shop that we stopped in had many different kinds of flavors...so many in fact that one flavor was lobster.  Even though I love seafood...I was NOT brave enough to try this!  I couldn't imagine how it would actually taste good!  

One of my favorite parts about this town is that it is actually the first place in the United States that gets to see the sunrise.  Of course, one morning, my family and I had to get up to experience this first hand.  A great spot to view the sunrise is from Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park.  It is a short drive (15 min) from the town.  While waiting for the sun to rise, I saw some really interesting looking rocks.  The rocks that were atop the mountain were so colorful and had a lot of pink specks on them.  I'm not sure what kind of rocks they were, but of course I had to take pictures of them.  Finally, when the sun started to rise, I realized that waking up early was totally worth it.  I was amazed at how gorgeous it was!  

If you are looking for another great place to visit, you should really consider a trip to Maine.  It is such a peaceful and relaxing place with wonderful scenery.  If you have any questions about it...please ask!

Boothbay Harbor, ME

After Boston, my family and I headed north toward Maine.  There were two places that we planned on stopping at on our journey.  The first place that we spent a few days at was Boothbay Harbor, ME.  This is a quiet boating town that attracts tourists to the area for their fishing, kayaking, hiking trails, boat trips, sailing, and lighthouse tours. This quaint town also has some great restaurants that are known for their fresh seafood. 

While we were there, we were lucky enough to spend one of our days taking a whale watch boat trip for a few hours. On our way out into the ocean, we had the opportunity to see some beautiful lighthouses along the coast.  Although we did not get to see any whales that day, we did get to see some sharks, and a fish that quicky became one of the most interesting ones that I have ever seen.  I got some great pictures of a Mola Mola (Ocean Sunfish).  These are fish that can be up to 11 feet long and weigh a couple thousand pounds.  The one that I saw was definitely not that big...but it still seemed pretty large in size. They are known for being gentle creatures that feed mostly on jellyfish.  The neat thing about these kinds of fish is that they swim on their sides, sometimes near the surface of the water.  The reason they do this is to get some sun, which is why they are called Sunfish!  They are also known as lazy swimmers because they don't move very fast, and they just kind of float along as they go.  I had never even heard of this kind of fish before, but I was so glad I got to see it up close! 

We had a great time in Boothbay Harbor!  Next up-Bar Harbor, ME!

Boston!



Old State House

After my college graduation, my family and I were deciding where to visit next.  We had been to so many places before, but one place that we hadn’t ventured to was Maine.  We had planned on traveling to Boston for a few days over the fourth of July, and then making the journey north up to Booth Bay Harbor and Bar Harbor, Maine.  I was really excited to travel there because I had always wanted to go.  I was even more excited to try all of the fresh seafood that we would get to eat while we were there!

When we arrived in Boston, the 4^th of July festivities had already begun.   If you ever have the chance to spend the 4^th of July anywhere, Boston is the place to be!  Over the weekend, they bring history alive by reading the Declaration of Independence from the balcony of the Old State House, where they read it originally in 1776.  They also have a parade in the morning where people dress up in historical garb.  On this day, people are encouraged to walk the Freedom Trail.  It is a trail that consists of 16 different sites in Boston that tells the story about the American Revolution and how it began in Massachusetts. We were lucky enough to experience all of these awesome events…in 90 degree weather! 

USS Constitution

After walking the trail, my family and I took a boat ride from Boston Harbor and got some great views and pictures of the city.  We then journeyed to Castle Island in south Boston where the USS Constitution was sailing in to.  This ship makes its annual voyage from Charlestown to Castle Island every 4^th of July as a reminder of those who have served and fought for our country’s freedom.   We ended the day by listening to the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular concert on TV, and then walking outside of our hotel near a park that had a great view of the fireworks! 

There are so many other things to do there.  Here is a link that further describes what all you can do over the 4^th of July!

http://www.bostonharborfest.com/

My next blog will continue with the journey from Boston to Booth Bay Harbor and Bar Harbor, Maine. Stay tuned!



 

Sanibel & Captiva Islands, FL :)

Hi everyone! After thinking through it this weekend, I’ve decided to blog about places that I’ve traveled and share some of the photography that I’ve taken along the way. Photography is a growing passion of mine. Capturing nature’s beauty is so inspiring to me. Whether it is a beautiful landscape, flowers, or wildlife, I’m constantly looking to take pictures of everything in nature. I figured since I’ve been to so many places, from Maine to Florida, and from Montana to Texas, it would be a good idea to share my experiences and photos with you. Who knows…maybe I will do this professionally someday!
The first place that I’d like to talk about is my favorite travel destination, Sanibel & Captiva Islands, FL. I have been traveling to these islands for the past 6 summers. I hope to travel to them every summer for many years to come, or even retire there!

Sanibel & Captiva are the definitions of a beach paradise. With fifteen miles of white, pristine beaches and turquoise-blue oceans, it is no wonder that they attract visitors from all over the world. They are two islands that are connected to each other and are located about a half an hour from Ft. Myers, FL. One of the most exciting aspects of these islands is that they are world renowned for their shelling. Did you know that there are about 250 different kinds of shells that you can find there? This is one of my favorite things to do when I’m vacationing. I spend hours in the ocean searching for new shells to add to my collection. Unfortunately, I think I’m running out of room!

Aside from shelling, there are many quaint shops and restaurants to go to, as well as other activities like taking a bike ride on one of the many bike paths that the islands offer. If you are interested in photography, these islands provide countless opportunities to take pictures of the beaches, wildlife, and breathtaking sunsets.

If you would like any other information on Sanibel & Captiva, please let me know! I’m including a link to a website that gives you more specific information on where to stay, dine, shop, etc. in case you are ever interested in vacationing there. I highly recommend making this your next travel destination!

http://www.sanibel-captiva.org/

Here is a link to a map to show you where it is located: http://sunnydayguide.com/sanibel_captiva/sc_maps.php