A year-end look at eastern skylines

The Manhattan skyline from the Empire State Building in August

2014 has been a year of discovering cities in eastern Canada and the U.S. 

From Halifax to Detroit and from Ottawa to Washington, D.C., I had the opportunity to visit nine cities in the region this year. 

For this blogpost, a visit means at least one overnight stay. My excursions in Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New York, District of Columbia and Michigan totaled 23 hotel room nights this year – 26 if I include a January trip to Las Vegas, but that’s another story.


I described all my trips in detail in various blogposts this year. So for a recap, I chose to take another look at those adventures by focusing on my photos of skylines of the east.


U.S. Capitol with the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Toronto skyline from the Beaches - first warm day in May

Quebec City with the St. Lawrence River in June

July in Niagara Falls, without a view of the falls

A July cruise along the Ottawa River provides a view of the Chateau Laurier Hotel and Parliament Hill

Fine late September weather in Montreal

Thanksgiving weekend in Windsor



GM headquarters dominates the Detroit skyline in this Thanksgiving weekend view from Windsor

On the ferry in Halifax Harbour on chilly November Sunday afternoon

A November visit to Detroit revealed an empty Woodward Ave. waiting for revitalization





A weekend of monuments, memorials and museums in Washington, DC

The first week of May took me on a spring trip to Washington, DC.  My flight was delayed for 24 hours because of fog in Toronto, so I had to pack in as much as I could during my reduced time in Washington. With so much to see in a such a short period, I think I managed to pack in a good sample of monuments, museums and memorials. 

Korean War Memorial

Air and Space Museum

Along the National Mall, one can experience various Smithsonian Museums --19 of them, and they're all free!  I managed to have a look at four museums.





For the monuments and memorials, in my view, the main points of interest in the Constitutional Gardens are the Lincoln Memorial and memorials for World War II, Vietnam Veterans and the Korean War.


Lincoln Memorial

I spent five hours over two days in the Newseum with five floors and 15 theatres and 15 galleries that champion the freedom of the press.  My favourite quote:  "Journalism is the first rough draft of history."  As a washed-up, has-been radio reporter, I could spend even more time in Newseum to fully appreciate all the galleries, videos and interactive displays.
 

911 display at Newseum: damaged antenna

 

Library of Congress, Jefferson Building

Touring the Capitol building

A tour of the U.S. Capitol is a must in Washington to fully appreciate how "issues facing the nation are considered, debated and written into law."





I wrapped up my Washington visit by taking the Metro across the Potomac River to the Arlington National Cemetery. 

After  two full days in DC, I was left with positive thoughts of the promise and hope of U.S.A., in spite of its problems.