Every spring, hordes of students decide to travel or explore beyond the Yale bubble. Whether it be back to the comforts of their hometown, for a road trip, or even out of the country to experience the warmer weather, students tend to return to school either well-rested or sleep-deprived. Just last week, I was braving the rainy weather of Atlantic City, New Jersey, one of the many stops in my packed spring break itinerary.
In a few pictures, here is a recap of what I was up to during my week off school:
We look too happy in the Eastern State Penitentiary
Our first stop on this road trip was Philadelphia. First and foremost, we had to try a Philly Cheesesteak, which in my opinion, is overrated. After that, we relived our middle school days by visiting all the historical sites and taking touristy pictures around Philadelphia. From the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall to the Love Park, the highlight of our day in Philly was the Eastern State Penitentiary, which is where we were in the picture above. While it is a trek from the heart of Philadelphia, it was fascinating to learn about one of the most influential prison systems in the United States.
Our post hike glow
On the second day of our road trip, we made our way down to Shenandoah State Park in Virginia. Although we were unable to hike to the waterfalls due to time constraints, we were still able to get in a strenuous hike to Mary’s Rock Summit. Although my legs were sore the next day, the view from the top of the summit was worth the three-hour hike.
Some surprise cherry blossoms
After a grueling day of hiking, we spent the night and the following day exploring DC. Once again, we relived our middle school days by visiting all the historical monuments. Although it was early for cherry blossom season, all the cherry blossoms were already fully bloomed during our visit due to the warm weather. While they made a beautiful backdrop in photos, I preferred DC during the nighttime since there were fewer tourists and the illuminated monuments appeared grander.
The wind was the main character here
After three days of warm weather and clear skies, our next stop in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, was lackluster. Unfortunately, the morning walk along the Rehoboth Beach boardwalk was too windy to be enjoyable. Since our time in Delaware was uneventful, in the picture above, we were aboard the Cape Lewes Ferry which brought us to New Jersey.
Being a tourist in my own city
On the last day of our road trip, we spent the morning in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Due to the rainy weather and the sheer number of casinos, we quickly left in desperate need of better weather conditions. Fortunately, it was cloudy in New York City so we decided to drive north to the Big Apple. Unsurprisingly, our unplanned trip to NYC was quite eventful. From visiting Little Island, trying the famous banana puddings from Magnolia Bakery, and people-watching in Washington Square Park, our trip to NYC was quite productive.
After an eventful week of being a tourist, I am excited to be back on campus and be able to experience the warmer weather. Since the road trip was mostly unplanned and most of the places that we visited were not the most exciting, I realized that as long as I am with the right people, I will always be able to have a good time.
