Road Trip to Niagara Falls

My summer vacation was very astonishing and it was a combination of recreation and educational experiences.  My family and I went on a road trip for two weeks from Miami to Niagara Falls and made many stops along the way. 

The first stop was Atlanta, Georgia where we went to an all-American hot dog restaurant named The Varsity that originated in 1928. After a couple of hours driving, we reached Baltimore, Maryland where we visited the Ravens stadium and a famous restaurant named Obyricki`s Crab House that is known for their no filler crab cakes. 

The third stop was at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for Philly cheese steak sandwiches at Pat’s King of Steak and Geno’s Steaks.  These two restaurants are across the street from each other and they are in a constant competition on who has the most customers.  I think the best Philly cheese steaks are at Pat’s King of Steaks.  

Hoboken, New Jersey was the next stop. While we were there, we went to Carlo’s Bake Shop that is famous for their Italian pastries.  This bakery was founded in the early 1900s by Buddy Valastro’s parents and is the fourth generation baker born into the business.  After that, my family and I visited Queens, New York to see where my dad grew up.  We saw his apartment and his elementary, middle, and high school.  My dad was very happy to be back in his neighborhood.

The next day, we passed by New Haven, Connecticut to see Yale University. It was opened in 1701 and it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States.  I liked the architecture because it is different from what I am used too.  Later, we reached Boston, Massachusetts where we saw the USS ship and the USS Cassin Young ship.  It was very big and has a lot of rooms, but all the rooms were small and looked uncomfortable.  We saw the laundry room, the kitchen, the conference room, and more.

After the ship, we went to Paul Revere’s house.  He was an American silversmith and a patriot and was celebrated after his death for being a messenger in the battles of Lexington and Concord.  We also went to Bunker Hill monument.  It is221 feet tall and it was the site of the first major battle of the American Revolution fought on June 17, 1775.  After the day was over, we had dinner at the Barking Crab.  It was located on the pier and the seafood is fresh and caught daily.  I didn`t believe them at first, but when I saw a boat come in with fresh fish, I knew that the advertising was true. 

After a long and tiresome trip, we finally reached our main destination.  We stayed on the American side of Niagara Falls and after checking in; we took a tour to the major attractions of the falls.  Maid of the Mist is a boat that took us almost under the Horseshoe Falls which is the bigger of the two falls.  The water was so intense it was hard to open our eyes.  But after a while we got used to it and we were able to take in the scenery. 

Cave of the Winds was another attraction we did.  To get ready to go, we needed to get a poncho and special sandals on.  Then, a tour guide took us on an elevator 175 feet deep into the Niagara Gorge and over wooden walkways to a place called Hurricane Deck.  Hurricane Deck is a platform 20 feet from the torrents of Bridal Veil Falls.  At night we went to the falls and it was lit with beautiful colors and there was a firework show. The next day, we went to the revolving restaurant in the Skylon Tower, which is a tower 775 feet above the falls. The food was amazing and so was the view. 

After a wonderful trip to Niagara Falls, it was time to go but, the trip wasn`t over yet. On the way back home we stopped at Hershey, Pennsylvania to visit the Hershey’s chocolate factory.  It was amazing, especially for a chocolate lover.  Then, we went to Wilkesboro, North Carolina to take a look at my dad’s land.  After that, we went to Memphis, Tennessee to see Graceland.  It was exciting to see Elvis Presley’s cars, clothes, and house.  The house was styled in the 1970s and everything that was left behind was still in its same spot.  His whole family lived with him (grandparents and parents).  After that visit, we went to New Orleans, Louisiana.  While there we went to the famous ferry in the Mississippi River and eat beignets at a famous café named Café Du Monde.

Later, we took a walk around the town a found out that the best gumbo in New Orleans was called The Gumbo Shop.  This restaurant not only sold gumbo but sold other things too, like jambalaya.  I have never eaten gumbo before and didn`t know how it was going to taste or if I liked it. But, that would have been the best gumbo I have eaten.  It had a lot of vegetables and surprising not too spicy.

Last but not least, we packed up and headed home. This was the best trip I have ever taken with my family and I hope I will get the chance to do it again.