The American Adventure: New York

For almost two weeks, I had gotten to travel around the Midwest--a part of the country that I had never been to before (check out my adventures here)--now it was my turn to show Adam around New York!

Instead of flying back to Buffalo, Adam and I decided to take an Amtrak train. It sounds like a good idea but if you are on a time crunch to get somewhere, pay the extra money for a quick and timely flight because passenger trains in America are almost a joke (luckily, we were not in a huge rush so the fact that our train was delayed eight hours, stranding us in Chicago for 20 hours, and getting us into Buffalo an entire day late wasn't too big of a deal... Being bumped up to 1st class for the first leg of the journey wasn't too shabby either!!). We had a day to spend in Chicago so Adam and I made the most of our time there checking out the big shiny bean, the navy pier, the Hard Rock Cafe, and we got Chicago style pizza (I had to try it in order to continue to speak out against it with some experience behind my claims).

We have differing opinions in regards to Chicago style pizza...

Finally, we arrived in Buffalo.

Because of unseen circumstances, our original plan of visiting New York City was cancelled. So now, poor Adam was in New York, thinking he was going to New York City, but was stuck in little old Tonawanda where I don't even enjoy spending too much time! So after Adam showed me such a good time in Minnesota, the pressure was on to show him some of the best spots of western New York!

#1. The Sterling Renaissance Faire

This place is about two and a half hours away from where I live and one of my favorite things to do over the summer! The shops, the shows, the food (steak on a stake!!!!!), the characters, and, yes, even the outfits. It's a fun, happy place to visit and I thoroughly enjoy attending at least once a year. So when I heard Adam listening to Celtic rock around St. Patrick's Day, I knew that he would enjoy the Renn Faire (and the jousting and turkey legs). We chowed down on steak on a stake, tried mead, the boys threw axes (guess who won?), got lost in the maze, watched the joust, and listened to the pub sing. It's a bit of a different place but if you go with an open mind and willing to have fun, you will thoroughly enjoy yourself.

The men ready to throw some battle axes!!

Look who won!!!

#2. Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls is like New York's version of West Lake. Whenever someone comes to visit you and you ask them what they want to do, they say, "Niagara Falls!" So when Adam came to visit and New York City was out of the question, we knew we had to at least get him to the falls! We ended up going to the Canadian side because--let's be honest--the American side is pretty boring. We walked across the bridge and through the border (the best way to avoid the grumpy border patrol workers and the ridiculous traffic). We ended up at Clifton Hill where we visited the Hersey store, Hard Rock Cafe, the movie wax museum, the Ferris wheel, and indoor mini golf. With our wonderful tour guide (aka: dad), we took Adam up to the horseshoe falls... sadly we never got to do the Maid of the Mist... Saves us something to do next summer!!

#3. Anchor Bar

When you say Buffalo, New York, different things may pop into your mind. The pathetic Bills. The place where McKinley got shot (sorry about that...). The place where the Vince Lombardi Trophy and the Stanley Cup have been lost... multiple times. But our greatest claim to fame may be something smaller... so small, it can fit on your plate--in your hand even!! Yes, I am talking about the most glorious and beautiful of all culinary discoveries: The Chicken Wing.

Buffalo is obsessed with it's chicken wings--you just need to come and see our wing fest! And if you are from Buffalo, then you know that the birth place of the chicken wing as we know it is the Anchor Bar.

Now there is a war waging in Buffalo about where the best chicken wing is and Anchor Bar is one of them. So I knew that when Adam was here, we had to take him to both chicken wing places and the first on the list was the Anchor Bar.

It was a cool kids only date with me, Adam, and Jed. We thought far too highly of ourselves: we ordered 50 and maybe ate 20 (Jed always talks a big game but ends up eating four). It was a fun way to get Adam to try one of Buffalo's specialties (along with sponge candy and Loganberry soda) and a time for Adam and Jed to hang out and get to know each other.

#4. Buffalo Bisons Game

Our trip to New York City was supposed to include a Mets game. So to make it up to the boys, we all went out to the ball game and sat out in the sun to watch the Buffalo Bisons. Adam and Jed had their baseball mitts ready to catch a ball. The nachos were being munched, Adam bought some Cracker Jack, I caught a Tshirt, we got sun burnt, and we lost (yay Buffalo) but it was a fun day at the ballpark and a somewhat adequate substitute for the Mets.

 #5. Duff's

The rival to the Anchor Bar chicken wing is Duff's chicken wings. The restaurant is not nearly as nice as the Anchor Bar--it's crowded, dark, and dingy--but I'll eat at the sketchiest place if the food is delicious and Duff's did not disappoint. We ordered a bucket of 50 wings and this time (with help from dad) we were able to finish it off.

In my opinion: Anchor Bar originated the chicken wing but Duff's perfected it.

Both are good and both are famous for their own reasons... And the chicken wing is the thing I am the most proud of from Buffalo.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Adam's trip was anything but normal and relaxing but we did manage to squeeze in some moments of fun, family, and delicious food. Hopefully next summer, we can have even more fun!!!!

Until Next Time,

Amanda

SURPRISE!

It has been absolute TORTURE! But I can now run around outside, I can yell out the window, or climb a mountain and shout it from the peak:

I AM IN A M E R I C A ! !

That's right folks! My original plan of staying in China nonstop for the two years of my employment has been cut in half with a short break from the chaos that is China (just think back to this post). Why? When? How long have I had to keep this a secret? WHY was it a secret?

Well... back during Spring Festival while I was in Nepal I was missing Adam a lot and I was homesick, so my mom and I came up with the plan for me to come home at the end of the semester--I could visit with my family, not be alone in China (which would have been awful), hangout with Adam and get to meet his family, and (the main reason) to be at Jed's graduation. I feel like I have missed so much of his life--I moved out of the house when he was 12 years old and I have missed sharing things with him like Homecoming, soccer games, swim meets, musicals, and now holidays like birthdays and Christmas. I had just missed his Eagle Scout ceremony, so I knew I definitely wanted to be there to support him on the day of another great accomplishment of his. But it wasn't enough for me to just go to his graduation--I wanted him to think that I was in another country--on another continent.

The only people who knew (or were supposed to know) were my parents and my aunt and uncle... Of course, no one can keep secrets and a few people shared with me that they knew that I was America bound.

This was what my cousin, Ashley, sent me just 1 week ago... Seems like forever ago now!

I had my own countdown going...

 It was like this great something--this fantasy that lingered at the end of my semester. My classes ended. I finished my grades. I said goodbye to all of my friends. I packed up my books (boy, are they heavy!). I cleaned my apartment. I packed my two suitcases. I IMPATIENTLY waited for the 26th to come. {Seriously, it was torture having been completely done with everything nearly three weeks earlier}.

For the first time in forever, I didn't wait until the day before to pack!!

But finally the day arrived and we made our way from Hangzhou to Shanghai (in the rain), we got onto our 14 hour flight, waited in line at customs forever, eventually found our luggage and then ran into the arms of my parents (well... I did that, Adam didn't).

It was great to be back in a familiar place with people that I know love me and are happy to see me! I camped out at my Aunt and Uncle's in order to hide from Jed (the hope was that he still had no idea that I was coming) until Saturday morning when I arrived at the high school, was quickly ushered backstage in the auditorium by some of the teachers and I waited impatiently back there for graduation to start.

Jed was winning a scholarship and I was working with the leader of the school's foundation board. I learned that I wasn't just giving Jed his award, I was helping to present it! I quickly came up with something short and sweet to say (no one likes anyone long winded at graduation).

The leader of the foundation board was on stage, explaining what the scholarship was for and then he added, "For the first winner, I have a special guest from far away to help present it." I stepped out from where I was hiding behind a wall of teachers that were strategically placed.

I quickly explained that I had just arrived from China and then announced that my brother won the scholarship.

Waiting for him to come down from the back row was torture! The minute he hit the stage, he ran up to me and just lifted me up in his arms with tears in both our eyes.

MISSION: Accomplished! He had no idea!!

I am so proud of him. All my life he has been my little baby brother. I always wanted to protect him, show him new things. He would be the one to follow me and my friends around when he was little. He was the adorable little kid playing Oliver Twist in Oliver! He's my brother. He's my friend. He's my baby brother. He's such a wonderful young man. I could not be more proud of him.

The WooGull cousins reunited!! I missed these crazy peeps!

I am going to try and fit in as much 'Merica as I can while I am away from China. I'll be here for about 5 weeks, visiting family, celebrating holidays, and visiting parts of the country I've never been to before. I cannot wait to see friends and family that I haven't been able to see in the last 10 months, eat as much food that I can't get in China as I can, buy books, and just spend time with my parents and Jed. I am so happy to be home even if it is for a little while... Let's hope our paths cross sometime this summer!

Until Next Time,
Amanda