Gonna bulldoze through the next few days of the trip because backlog is building up. And being the unemployed (*sobs*) person that I am, there's no excuse for it!
Warning! Image-heavy post!
Warning! Image-heavy post!
Day 3: Portland, Maine
In the morning after a hearty breakfast, we drove to the Portland Head Light at Cape Elizabeth. It is the oldest lighthouse in Maine and probably the most photographed as well.
Too bad it was a gloomy day with a slight drizzle. Not to mention it was cold at about 16 degrees. (Joel was like, "How is this cold?! I've gone through subzero weather in Canada.....blah blah." lol. )
Look quite retarded here, but I hardly do jumping shots so must post this.
Drove to Commercial Street, where all the shops and restaurants are, as the name suggests. Am fond of this alley cos of the red brick buildings and the cobblestone path. (:
Stumbled upon a cupcake shop called the East End Cupcakes, and apparently they were on the show Cupcake Wars! TBH I've only watched the show once or twice. :/
Love the interior decor! We had the cupcake to go though.
Bought their salted caramel chocolate cupcake. Pretty good! Moist cake and the right sweetness of the frosting.
Portland's got this freedom trial where you can download and print out the map and history excerpts of certain buildings around the area. We had it printed out but we ended up being distracted by other things.
Tulips planted at a memorial.
Stopped by Starbucks for what else other than wifi! Hehe. And of course my favorite Hazelnut Macchiato. Singapore Starbucks, Y U NO have??
Saw this Starbucks card and just had to get it! Class of 2013 FTW! Boo-hoo. Ironically this stage of life has brought me nothing but lost direction. :/
Why cheeks so chubby ):
Went on a island-hopping cruise which honestly for me we could give a miss. But it did open our eyes to how the locals lived.
Day 4: Portland, Maine >>> Boston, Massachusetts
The next morning we drove to one of the Portland Trails for a hike. Overall, the Maine lifestyle is laid-back, and you'll find a lack of exciting attractions that make you go WOW and OMG. Instead, the activities there are simple and makes you take a step back from all the chaos and bustle to just clear your head. It was pretty refreshing being with nature. It didn't hurt that the weather was chilly and perfect for the hike.
Pictures do no justice to how amazing the sights were. Throughout the hike, we only met less than 10 hikers, so for a comparable distance it was just the two of us.
Came across a railroad! Perfect spot for a picture.
And we reached the final destination of our hike - Jewell Waterfall! I know it may not be as majestic as the Niagara Falls, but throughout the whole hike it was the main motivation. Pretty excited when we saw it!
Spot me!
After a hike, it was time for shopping! On our route to Boston, we stopped by Maine Mall (didn't take any pictures though). I went crazy in Forever 21 cos I was disappointed by the styles in December (due to all the winter wear), so when I saw all the summer clothes I had to contain my excitement! But unfortunately, most of the clothes I wanted didn't come in my size (XS) so in the end I only bought 5 pieces. Bought all the make up products I was eyeing in Sephora though, because Maine tax is lowest (5%) out of all the states we were visiting. New York is the highest (8.875%).
After the mall, we stopped by the Kittery Premium Outlets and Joel bought his first ever branded (Coach) bag! Just in time too for his internship. So happy that he has received his confirmation. (:
Our loots for that day! A&F was so cheap but mostly for guys so I didn't buy anything.
Day 5: Boston, Massachusetts
When I visited the States in December, I didn't get a chance to visit Boston. And it's a city similar to NYC, but of course both are really different. But with respect to standard of living, they are comparable! The hotels are relatively more expensive, and also the parking!
We made the mistake of driving to Boston. We didn't know that the parking charged would be sooooo damn expensive. Our parking fee was about $35 USD for the whole day :o
And you thought parking in Singapore was expensive :/
First stop, Quincy Market for lunch! From the outside, it looks like a old boring government building. But once you step inside, it's like food galore! It is a historical building formally used as a "supermarket", but now it houses food stores.
Rows of food stalls with all kinds of cuisines! Yum.
Seating area for people to eat their take-aways.
We walked the entire length of the building before deciding on some seafood.
I was craving for rice, so I got the scallops wrapped in bacon (which was much more delicious that it looked). Love anything with scallops actually!
Joel decided to go for the lobster roll (huge chunks of lobster meat tossed with mayo) on a hotdog bun, and clam chowder.
After lunch, we moved on to the Freedom Trial. Unlike Portland's Freedom Trial, Boston's was better in terms of the architecture of the buildings and variety. I was also told Boston's is the best out of all the ones in the US.
How strategically perched was this pigeon? LOL.
Boston City Hall
Massachusetts State House.
We venture onto the Black Heritage Trial for awhile. Weren't really interested in the history behind it, rather the architecture of the houses! I kept exclaiming the phrase, "So quaint! I wanna live here!" so many times that Joel was annoyed with me! Haha
These pictures can't accurately depict how aesthetically pleasing the rows and rows of houses were!
Boston's skyline.
Holocaust Memorial.
We realised half-way that there was a red-brick trial constructed by the city to guide people on the freedom trial! lol. We weren't observant enough before. :/
Bunker Hill Monument
Someone insisted on walking ON the red trial the whole time. lol
USS Constitution Museum! Best thing was that the admission and guided tours were all free-of-charge. (: The guide told us the history of the boat. It was pretty interesting. (:
Bought tea at the gift shop afterwards! I'm a collector of tin containers (: as well as a fan of tea! Tea in Boston is significant cos many centuries ago, there was a protest against the duties imposed on tea in Boston, so after many acts of defiance against British policies, duty was finally lifted off tea. So I bought this tin of tea (without tax!) as both a souvenir for my visit to Boston as well as for my enjoyment (:
Our last stop was Chinatown! Drove there to find some grub cos the poor boy has been craving for Chinese food since he doesn't get it often during his exchange in Canada. We settled for steamboat buffet in the end. Enjoyed the free flow of Alaskan crab legs! (:
Next up, Havard University & Cape Cod!
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