First Time Down South

Hi Everyone!  I know I haven't updated in a long time but I thought I'd fill you all in on a trip I took last month.  I went to North and South Carolina to visit a friend I met while I was studying in England last summer and it was so much fun!  My friend lives in a small college town not far from Charlotte, so I spent a day there and I also got to go down to Charleston for a day.  

First thing we did was go to the beach!  It was amazing to get to spend a few days in the sun after the past few months of freezing weather.  It was in the high 60's and 70's for most of the weekend...not quite warm enough to swim but perfect for walking on the beach.

After that we went into downtown Charleston.  Most of the houses and buildings in Charleston are very old and unique looking.  The whole city had a kind of European feel and I loved walking around the cobblestone streets and exploring.  I can't wait to go back and get to spend more time there.

My friend and I went on a carriage ride around the historic part of the city.  We started at the old slave market which was interesting to see.  We then went by various old houses, city hall, and some historic sites from the Civil War.

The slave market.

A random rooster wandering the streets...

One of the best parts of my trip was the food!  I was introduced to all sorts of Southern cuisine like biscuits, hushpuppies, grits, authentic BBQ, collard greens, sweet tea, mac 'n cheese.  It was all so delicious but if I lived there and ate like that everyday I think I would gain 100 pounds!  

It was amazing how different Charleston was than any other city I have been to in the United States.  At times the South felt like a totally different country.  I wasn't sure what I would think of it but Charleston really was one of the most beautiful cities I've seen and everyone I met there was so friendly and welcoming.  

On my last day we went back to Rock Hill, SC where my friend goes to school at Winthrop University.  I ran around campus a bit and explored.  It was fairly small but a pretty campus.

Overall, it was such a fun trip!  If my count is right, I've now been to 22 of the 50 states...almost halfway to my goal of visiting them all.  It was hard coming back to freezing NYC after the warm weekend away but the weather is starting to warm up...although it did snow last week!  So much for spring.  I do have visits from my cousin, my friend from SC and my dad coming up though so those are all things to look forward to.  

I hope to do more posts soon about things I've been up to in the city since I've been back, including a visit from my mom!  Thanks for reading!

Snow Filled City

So I got back to New York from my winter break in Portland just over a week ago and I've quickly had to get used to a lot of snow.  There was still snow left over from the big storm that happened while I was back at home and then another big wave came through last week.  It canceled school, which was great, but it also makes for cold and wet commutes to and from campus.  It's getting a bit old...but it sure is pretty.  Here are a few pictures I've taken in the past few days.  Some of them are from near my dorm and the campus area that I just took while walking to and from classes, and some of them are from Central Park.

     Hope you all like the pictures.  It snowed more last night but not enough to cancel school, unfortunately.  I've also managed to get sick already so I'm sending you this from my bed as I try to catch up on the mountain of reading I already have.  I'll hopefully have another update in a few days if I am feeling better!