Philly/NYC

Heads up: Kind of a long post. What a trip this was! Thanks to our great friends, Jordan and Madeleine, we were able to stay with them in Philadelphia and see more of the east coast! The east coast is creepin' up on my love for the west coast. So much history, business, cute houses, character. We loved it all!

We were able to visit with our friends Rich and Lorna who also live in Philly! We went to the best breakfast place ever. Rich goes to Wharton (UPenn), and showed us the campus there. So fun to catch up with them!

Independence Hall (Alex with his Wharton folder haha)

Liberty Bell

Independence Hall

Signing room of the Declaration

Ben Franklin's Grave

Our first day was a day of history. So many gems here. I was so impressed by the liberty bell. It is such an American icon, and I loved reading about all of the places it's been, and events it has been a part of. I love America!

Elfreth's Alley!

We ended up doing a ton our first day. This is such a walkable city. And good thing, because of our Philly Cheesesteaks (that I'm sorry, were not that impressive), and best ice cream ever. Elfreth's Alley was probably my highlight. Oldest residential street in America! It was SO CUTE, I want to live there. One can dream, right? We walked around City Hall Station and to the love sign at JFK Park. Such a dreamy day!

Rocky steps!

Second day was filled with more Philly gems: The Rocky steps (YES), Eastern State Penitentiary, and the Reading Terminal Market. The Eastern State Pen was so eerie and interesting. I love creepy, old places. And the Reading Terminal Market, yes, a thousand times. It's an indoor food market. Now I know the last picture just looks like your average mashed potatoes and brisket, but HOLY CRAP. This stuff was gold. We got it at the Amish place. Go to it if you're ever there. All the food in this place was bomb. I would go back to Philadelphia just to try more food at the market.

Favorite food item in all of New York.

The MET steps are my favorite, just so I can be Blair Waldorf for a second. xoxo.

Jordan had the day off on Saturday, so we all took a day-trip to New York! (Also it was my birthday, YAY!) We started out by going to my favorite place ever--Murray's bagels. I pretty much get an omelet on a bagel and it is to-die-for. We rode bikes around Central Park, saw Columbia, ate some great sushi, and went to Top of the Rock. Fun day and best birthday I could have asked for!

General Washington's Valley Forge house

Sunday we took a drive out to Valley Forge. The leaves were just starting to change and it was gorgeous. I can't believe that armies stayed in such a gigantic place. We drove for a good couple hours through the place. Also, Washington is a boss. I appreciate history a lot more once I see something. Tell me a story in history class, and I will forget. But actually being on the grounds of so many famous men from hundreds of years ago---incredible. We ended our trip by going to the Magic Gardens. One guy made all of these mosaics and I was in shock. SO, SO COOL. Highly recommend it. 

Another amazing trip for the books. I am so glad Alex and I have the time to travel right now and have great friends living in places all around the country! Thank you again, Madeleine and Jordan for hosting us! We had the best time.

xoxo,

kay

Tokyoooo! (Last of the Japan Trip)

Last post is TOKYO! It was everything you think Tokyo is, and more. So busy. So clean. So organized. So much good food. Nicest people. Ugh, I miss it.

 ^^^ya this is a real thing at Burger king. It's not just for Halloween. America adopted it for a couple months. Super funny.

We all split up as a family and went our separate ways after a week of traveling together. Alex and I went to TOKYO and this was our first day here. Before our hosts, Tak and Yoshiko picked us up, we went to Shibuya---famous dog statue, the coolest alleys (but they're not alleys, it's the road), and walked across the famous Shibuya crossing. I wish I would have taken a picture from up above, because it is CRAZY. There are hundreds of people crossing the road from every direction. Seriously NY on steroids. Also, you're probably wondering where our luggage is. There are lockers at every train station to put them in. So convenient!

^^pink car, for kicks and giggles.

Tak and Yoshiko picked us up, and they are the BEST!! They know Alex and his family from when they lived in Virginia. Alex last saw them when he was on his mission. Yoshiko's mother was staying with them as well at the time. And I have to say, they are the most giving, kind, fun, humble people I have ever met! I miss them! We went to Asakusa, which is a big market and shrine in Tokyo. It's super famous, so it was really crowded. We tried some good "fair food", and walked around the shrine. There is a fire pit type of thing that you are supposed to get smoke from and rub it on your a certain part of your body if you want good fortune or blessings. We rubbed it on our heads so hopefully it worked :) We also went to the Skytree, the tallest structure in the whole country. It was kind of cloudy that day, so we couldn't see everything, but I am amazed at how huge Tokyo is. It's mind-blowing.

We went to church in one of Alex's mission areas in Kamakura, one of the oldest cities in Japan. The people there are so kind and invited us to stay for lunch. Every structure in Kamakura is brilliant and old and has so much character. We took a cute train to the Big Buddha statue and it was definitely a highlight! It was much bigger than I was expecting. So, so cool.

 ^^^Seriously, America, pick up on the food displays

^^I love my travel partner :)

We went to Kichijoji, Alex's favorite mission area, and the Tokyo Tower! I would totally live in Kichijoji. It has tons of cute shops, good food, is less crowded, and has the CUTEST pond where you can ride in swan or paddle boats. The pond is enclosed by trees that look like they came from South Carolina. Absolutely adorable. We visited the church that Alex went to in the area. It was so fun to see him reminisce on a place that holds such a special place in his heart. And of course we got some more ramen, because...RAMEN. Later, we went up the Tokyo tower and took a walk through these little stone children...random? The tower is not as big as the Skytree, but I was still amazed looking around the city. 

We went to DISNEY SEA!! I have only been to Disneyland twice when I was 5 and 11, so it had been a while. It was pouring rain when we first got there, but went away after about an hour. It has some of the same rides as Disneyland, but it's themed throughout the park. There was an Italy section, mermaid lagoon, American section, Aladdin world, Indiana Jones, etc. We hit up all the good rides and ate some dang good food, like always. AND we got ALIEN MOCHI!!! It made my whole day.

 We hit up Harajuku, the "fashion district". It is so funny to see how different fashion is in Japan. There are a lot of cute clothes, but Harajuku is a different world when it comes to fashion. Crazy sayings on t-shirts, massive platform shoes, colorful wigs--it was so fun to be there. And of course we had to get a crepe, because there were like 10 stands of them. And IT WAS AMAZING. Seriously people, the food here. After that, we went to Akihabara, aka Nerd Central. This is the "electronic district". They have the largest electronics store I've ever seen in my life, and a ton of stores with anime-type figurines. I didn't know there were so many types of anime. I know they're not all anime, but I don't know what else to call it, haha. After seeing enough nerdiness, we visited the temple. It's on a random street, and so beautiful. It was built the same year as the Seattle temple, and they look almost identical. 

Alex and I got to play dress-up one night! Most people have kimonos in Japan for special occasions, and Tak and Yoshiko let us wear theirs. Yoshiko's Mom was really wanting to put one on me and to do my hair, and OF COURSE I let her. Who doesn't like getting dolled-up? The hair she and Yoshiko did was AMAZING, and I wish I could have kept it like that forever. And ok, kimonos don't look that complicated, but they are. There are layers, and the actual tie takes quite some time to put together. It took about 20 minutes to put on the whole thing. Then Tak and Yoshiko wanted us to have a photo shoot :) I felt like we were taking engagements. We were laughing most of the time, but it was a blast! One of my favorite things I did! 

*Sidenote story: Yoshiko's Mom didn't speak any english, and I don't speak Japanese, so we had to translate everything back and forth. Even though we couldn't communicate directly, we became friends. She also kept staring at me across the dinner table and saying how cute I was and that my eyes were big and I looked like a doll. Haha. She was a sweetheart.

I will forever be grateful for the time I had in Japan and for the amazing experience. I felt out of my comfort zone, tried incredible food, met the kindest people, and saw some of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen. I am also grateful to Tak, Yoshiko, and Yoshiko's mother for their hospitality and kindness towards Alex and me. We will be back to visit!

xoxo,

kay