Before heading West, we had a few days to spend as we pleased. We decided not to stay in New York, and in a couple of moments, we booked a bus tour. The tour route was as follows: Philadelphia – Washington D.C. – Niagara Falls. Along the way, we also stopped at Watkins Glen State Park, a glass museum, and visited the Canadian border. Initially, everything went off-plan. The bus from Cape Cod to New York turned out to be a completely different one and arrived at the wrong place. Instead, we ended up in a neighboring state. We had a couple of hours before the bus departure, and we were in the middle of nowhere, having absolutely no idea what to do. It was very early in the morning, and there was no one to ask. Google suggested we were near some subway station. We didn't know what kind of subway it was or where it went. We decided to just go there and ask the station staff. EZ ride Fortunately, we could catch a train directly to Brooklyn from there, and from there, we could somehow get to our bus. After figuring out the directions, we boarded the train and headed to New York. By the time we reached Brooklyn, we realized what a mess we were in. Time was tight, and we were already missing our tour. We had to call and text our guide: "Sorry, we'll be a little late, please wait for us." When we boarded the next train directly to the bus station, the guide started calling and texting incessantly. Eventually, when we reached the departure point, the bus was already gone. And again, we were incredibly lucky. My travel companion managed to find a Chinese bus a couple of meters away that was heading to Philadelphia. This was our chance! Paying about 12 bucks, we jumped on the bus and texted the guide that we would catch up with them there. We did manage to catch up with them, and by running from one bus to another, we saved the situation. We didn't really get to see Philadelphia, as they were already preparing to move on by the time we arrived. But the rest of the tour went without incident. Philadelphia: hello, goodbye I really liked the capital of the USA. Everything was perfectly clean and well-maintained, the buildings stood out for their architecture, and we saw FBI cars on the streets :) This time without delays, be more careful in the future I would have liked to stay in Washington longer. Despite the fact that we managed to see the White House, the "Pencil" (Washington Monument), the Pentagon, and the Lincoln Memorial, it wasn't enough for me. My soul craved adventure and exploration. I need to return someday and finish what I started. The Pencil looked even better from afar than up close Old man Lincoln Our next stop was Niagara Falls. The views from above were breathtaking. This waterfall is truly beautiful! It's worth seeing in real life; photos can't convey the experience. By the way, at night, the lighting turns on, and it looks completely different! Day view. I won't spoil the night one :) The tour also included a short film about the history of Niagara Falls (quite interesting), and we also took a boat ride right up to it. I don't know how my phone didn't get swept away by the water, but we were soaked to the bone. Even the raincoat given to everyone at the entrance didn't help. So, for decent photos from below, bring waterproof protection for your camera. Despite the fact that the tour was quite short, it was nice to feel the atmosphere of an endless road trip. You could turn on music, sit and look out the window, reflecting on the diversity of places in America. Not far from Niagara Watkins Glen State Park After the tour, we returned to New York happy, and the next day we headed to the airport. After arriving, we were supposed to pick up a rental car, meet some girls from our group, and set off to conquer the West Coast.
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