The past weekend I traveled to Washington D.C. and Springfield, Virginia and had an amazing time. With my first stop in Virginia, I was able to appreciate the change in pace considering I had come from New York's hustle and bustle streets. Virginia reminded me a great amount of home in the bay area - the environment was clean and well kept. My absolute favorite part about Virginia is how much nature it offered. Because trees grew so well there, I saw green everywhere and so many beautiful landscapes. On Sunday I was able to visit The Great Falls - which was breathtaking. Since I had been constantly surrounded by cities and urbanized spaces, I couldn't even remember the last time I had seen a setting so pure and unrefined. I wish I had seen more, but unfortunately I was only there for less than five days and had to bid adieu.

Within these five days, I was traveling back and forth to Washington D.C. On my first two days, I visited all the tourist places like The National Mall, The White House, and The Smithsonian Museums. Although I had visited these places already last year, it was still such an interesting experience. I have always taken interest in history and it was just astounding to be in the midst of it. Aside from its historical values, I explored the local attractions as well. I went to Georgetown, a quaint downtown village that offered great eateries and shops, that is also famously known for their Georgetown Cupcakes. A few observations I took from D.C. were the age group was typically older than most places I had lived. Since many of their citizens were business people, they were usually 30 years old and up. They are not very culturally influenced as most of the population consists of Caucasians. And the most interesting thing - people are in a rush all the time but still kind. At most metro stations, you see people running frantically and prying subway doors open with desperation, yet they still manage to say sorry for every shoulder the push.

I loved both Virginia and D.C. and it was particularly great because they both contain many unique characteristics I am unable to spot on the west coast or New York. I wish I had spent more time there, but will be traveling back on the fifteenth of August. Until then, I will be continuing to bring you all on my journey in New York City!