May 2021 - This is a photo I snagged in New York City. The pandemic was in full-force still, so you could get discounts by having your vaccine card. Talk about budget travel, Caroline and I partially fed ourselves that day by walking to three different Krispy-Kreme branches to get free glazed donuts.

This trip made me fall in love with traveling. I was 19, had just finished my first year of university and backpacked nine states with my roommate, Caroline.

At this point in my life, I hadn’t really been very many places. I had been to a few places in the South for family vacations and around the Midwest. I had been to Paris on a school trip. But, this was my first big trip with a friend, no real adults, and so many places to see.

Because I hadn’t really seen much, every place (minus Atlantic City) really wowed me and made it very special.

Baltimore, Maryland

We flew into Delaware and took an Uber to Baltimore. I don’t count a state if I haven’t properly walked around and seen a bit. So, I still need to go to Delaware.

In Baltimore, I got some amazing, Fruity Pebbles soft-serve ice cream and we walked around the Federal Hill area.

Baltimore has a quite dangerous reputation in the U.S. I found it to be safe, but just be cautious about where you are, if visiting here.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philly is one of my favourite U.S. cities! We stayed in a hostel in a dodgy part of town but I think that added to the adventure.

In that kitchen, Caroline befriended a tabby cat and I tried a mango for the first time. Besides our sketchy accommodation, Philadelphia was way larger and more impressive than I imagined.

We explored the China Town, the Centre City, the Liberty Bell, and I even ran up the “Rocky” stairs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

In total, we walked 14 miles that day. To reward ourselves, we both had a massive Philly cheesesteak for dinner at Geno’s Steaks.

Atlantic City, New Jersey

Absolutely do not visit Atlantic City. It is on my “no-flight” list. It is a boardwalk town known for its casinos.

I think we selected it because it was one of the few places in New Jersey where a coach bus would stop. The place is very run-down, rampant with sexually explicit t-shirts, and pigeons that will accost you.

It is the ugly step-sister of Las Vegas.

We stayed in a Super 8. The room key was a Dominos ad that read “Want room service? Order Dominos.” We couldn’t stop laughing about that.

For something to do, we caught a stand-up comedy show in a casino where I heard some things I cannot repeat.

After our luxurious stay, we woke up the next morning and could not find the bus. Many American coaches will pick you up at random coordinates due to the lack of bus stations.

We arrived to an old office building. A humbling moment in my travel career was sprinting around with our backpacks on and getting winded.

We finally entered the office building and on the opposite glass wall, we saw our bus pulling away en route to NYC.

We ran and shouted “Stop that bus!” (which is so funny now).

We got scolded a bit by the driver but were able to get on.

New York, New York

After escaping from Atlantic City, the driver dropped us off right in Times Square. We first got lunch at a diner, and then headed over to Central Park.

We spent the next two days walking every centimetre of Manhattan. We got pizza from Little Italy, went to Washington Square Park, walked the High Line and took a ferry to the Statue of Liberty.

On our final night, we stayed out out until 4 AM and took the Subway home. I think we got one hour of sleep before we got up at 5 AM to catch our 6 AM train to New Haven.

We stayed out all night in the city that never sleeps, literally.

NYC is a place I could visit over and over again and never get tired of it. It is a must-see.

New Haven, Connecticut

May 2021 - The gates of Yale University in New Haven

New Haven is most famous for being the home of Yale University. It is honestly exactly how I pictured it: an imposing Gothic-Revival campus surrounded by stately homes, Dutch Colonials and hipster eateries.

It was particularly windy that day, so we hid out in the bookstore and read the most inappropriate book we could find.

For lunch, I had this stellar savoury bread pudding. That’s about all I remember.

Providence, Rhode Island

Continuing on the Ivy League theme, we then took the bus to Providence, home of Brown University. The port-city is more of a town than a city, built with red brick.

Upon our arrival, we had some shitty Clam Chowder in a tavern and spent the afternoon walking around in the cold.

Walking up and down in the cold with a 30-pound backpack is one way to build character.

I am sure that there are some very charming towns in Rhode Island. But as for Providence, I would skip.

Hyannis, Massachusetts

Third times’ the charm. After two mediocre stops, we got a good one.

Hyannis is a seaside town and the stop tourists go to in order to catch the ferry to Martha’s Vineyard. We initially planned to go to Martha’s. However, the ferry has a very specific timetable and was going to cost us, at the time, a small fortune.

So, we decided to stick to Hyannis. Hyannis was the preferred vacation destination of JFK, and there were a lot of interesting memorials to the Kennedys there.

The town is sprinkled with ice cream shoppes, boutiques, and taverns all within walking distance.

We stayed at a little hotel, and I still remember the older gentleman concierge and his kindness in telling us what to see.

Boston, Massachusetts

We stupidly did not realise there was in fact a bus to Boston. So, we coughed up one $100 on an Uber. We spent two days in Boston, which is one of America’s finest cities.

We visited Boston Commons, Beacon Hill and the North End (Boston’s Italian district).

One night, we were at a bar where some creepy middle-aged men were trying to play tour guides and asked if we wanted a ride on their electric scooters. The older I get, the creepier and more cringe I realise men are. Thank God for our safety and that we didn’t accept the scooter tour.

Soon enough, we caught wind that the Celtics were going to have an after party upstairs. We schemed to get in to no avail, and we shuffled back to our hostel.

This was our rough-draft itinerary Caroline made on her iPad, starting in Baltimore and ending in Portland. We took trains and buses all the way North (except for one very expensive Uber from Hyannis, because we didn't do our research).

Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Next stop, Portsmouth (pronounced Ports-smith). The bus dropped us off in an industrial park so we walked an hour into town. Can check industrial park in New Hampshire off my bucket list!

Like Providence and New Haven, Portsmouth is much more a town than a city. I would even go as far to say a village, not a town.

It had a lovely town square and a very European feel.

At the point I was running low on cash, so all I had to eat was a measly 1/2 cup of chilli. It sucked a little of the joy from it. I would love to return to properly enjoy it.

Portland, Maine

Portland is a must-see in the U.S. Again, it is more of a town than a city.

It is what I think of when I think of a quintessential American Main Street. Along the town, pastel Dutch Colonials bowed to us and the sky was a light periwinkle.

We took a ferry to Peaks Island. In mid-May, before tourist season had hit, we had the place to ourselves.

The water by the rocks sparkled and I can only imagine how lovely the swimming is in July or August. Portland, and Peak’s Island, was a beautiful ending to our trip.

The Rest of the Summer

May 2021 - My apartment on Percy Street. We lived on the top floor, and all loved sitting on the porch.

Following this trip, I flew back to Charleston, South Carolina. I spent the summer living in an apartment with some friends on Percy Street and working odd jobs.

This was my first time living away from home while not being in university, and was a really nostalgic summer.

Travel Tips:

I cannot recommend a trip like this enough when you are starting university. It cost maybe $1,000 to see so many different places; money I realistically would have spent on vodka sodas and crop-tops. It was a trip I will always remember fondly. The money comes back but the time doesn’t.
This trip taught me that not every place is going to be your favourite but that is part of the fun in traveling.

Diary: My Coming-Of-Age Trip Up America’s East Coast

This trip made me fall in love with traveling. I was 19, had just finished my first year of university and backpacked nine states with my roommate, Caroline.

We stayed out all night in the city that never sleeps, literally.

Itinerary: A Short & Sweet 24-Hours in Brussels

Itinerary: Charleston 101