Recap of My Exchange Year at ISU

ISU Campus Area

As my time on exchange here at Iowa State University winds down, it is now time to look back on the things that this truly amazing year brought along. It has been much fun to write this blog and notice that there are actually people following my blog in addition to those russian hackers that make regular visits to this site every month. And, believe it or not, in March my blog reached a benchmark of 2,000 pageviews (Thanks mom <3 ). Hurray!

 ISU Campus Area

I started to write my blog in the beginning of last August and, at first, mostly in Finnish. At that point the return date was set to be May 20, 2012, which I eventually changed to this saturday (May 5, 2012). Before coming to the US, the only places I had travelled to were the Baltic countries, and I also had never been on a plane.

The school year started with an orientation week where I also met most of my international friends. As expected, the first thing I was forced to adjust to was the food. I wrote in Finnish about the food shock that I had to encounter (: 

Small gym in the dorm

Walking around the campus and getting to know people and places was everyone's first priority during the first two weeks of the school year. I made a lot of new friends while also finding my second home, Beyer Hall and State Gym. Especially for the Fall semester Beyer Hall was the place where I would spend most of my spare time by playing basketball and working out.

My second home - State Gym

My first trip to anywhere in the US was a visit to Iowa State Fair. Last week I went through the videos I recorded during the Fair trip and it's funny how many people, with whom I would later on become good friends, were on that same trip but whom I didn't know at the time. A few weeks after the Iowa State Fair I also went for another (shopping) trip to Jordan Creek Mall. There I would get my first chance to try the original cheesecake by the Cheesecake Factory. I can tell you, the cheesecake, it's unbelievably good!

Minneapolis Road Trip

In the early September we went for a road trip to Minneapolis with a group of eight exchange students that would later be the core group of another trip to Miami in late November. In Minneapolis we got to see a little bit of the downtown, Mississippi river, the NBA, MLB and NFL stadiums as well as the night life of the city. For a novice traveler like me, arriving in Minneapolis and seeing an actual skyline for the first time, was an unforgettable moment. Although, there were many more impressive skylines to come on my way.

Cyclones vs Hawkeyes

Later that month I would go to see a long-awaited college football game, a rivalry between Iowa Hawkeyes and Iowa State Cyclones. This game was to be one of the highlights of a pretty successful NCAA football season for Iowa State Cyclones that would end it's season with the greatest game for decades when it beat #2 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes in late November. Too bad, however, that I was already in Miami when the Buckeyes were in town (;  Anyway, during the Fall Semester I went for a total of three football games and had the chance to experience the incredible atmosphere like no other that the game days here in the United States have. It is definitely something that we, Finnish people, could learn a lot from. If you ever have a chance to attend to any NCAA football or basketball game I urge you to go. It something you shouldn't miss!

@ Badlands

The most brutal road-trip I was part of has to be the trip to Mount Rushmore in mid October. Ten hours of driving in both directions in one weekend was absolutely worth it, but there's no denying that all the driving was... well, brutal. Nevertheless, seeing famous monuments such as Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse, as well as Badlands National Park, was mind-blasting and tons of fun! Thanks to the Singaporean and Malaysian road warriors that made the road trip possible!

In the end of October it was time for a traditional American holiday, Halloween. Obviously, it was appropriate to find a costume for Halloween parties, so, I was feverishly looking for something to wear but had a hard time of finding anything. It was easier said than done but eventually, almost in the last minute of course, I managed to find a proper costume. From Walmart I found a nice fairy costume with a pair of wings and a nice headband that would be the foundation of my sweet fairy costume. However, it turned out to be quite difficult to get the fairy wings on since they were actually a dog's costume. Ultimately I was able to get the wings on, and with the help of Red Bull and maybe something else, even fly for a moment that night!

Thanksgiving Break -Chicago

In November we headed out for another road trip with almost the same line-up as we had in Minneapolis. This time we had more time for travelling since it was also Thanksgiving Break from school. The first weekend we stayed in Chicago and after two days there took a plane to Miami and South Beach! The weather in Miami was just perfect, neither hot nor cold and almost no rain, and we took a full advantage of it by spending most of the time by the beach and swimming in the ocean! I also had my birthday while we were in Miami and obviously it was a B-Day that is going to be hard to beat anytime in the near future :D 

Good friends, South Beach, Sun = neverforget!

Chinese Restaurant either in LA or SF :D

Next in turn was the longest road-trip I would be doing in the US, the California Road Trip, which took place during the winter break. In our group we had ten people and seven different nationalities represented ( from Taiwan, South-Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Spain, France and Finland). The greatest advantage of having such a multicultural group was that there's always someone who could use their mother tongue if knowing English just wasn't enough for some reason. The road trip included four cities: Las Vegas, San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco, in three weeks. There are so many great memories from California Road Trip that I recommend you to read all the parts I wrote about it to my blog. Some of the highlights of that trip were the Casinos in Las Vegas, Coronado Island in San Diego, Hollywood and Lakers game in Los Angeles and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, just to name a few. ...By far the craziest road-trip I've ever made in a way that how much we travelled during those three weeks (:

In spring I finally had a chance to go for Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball games. I was lucky since the two games I went to were arguably the best games of the season: vs. Kansas State Wildcats and Kansas Jayhawks, which actually made it all the way to the NCAA finals this year. In the Cyclones team we had one potential NBA draft pick who, not surprisingly, declared himself for this years draft that is to be held on June 28.

Spring Break Trip - Philadelphia

After having travelled already through California and to Chicago and Miami, there were only three must-see places for me in the US that I had to visit before the year would wind down: New York, Philadelphia and Washington DC. On the most recent trip that took place during the Spring Break we had a group of three where Finnish people, surprisingly, were a majority. In New York we basically spent time only in Manhattan but still, thanks to a hectic schedule, had just enought time to see almost all the most popular attractions, for example Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero, Rockefeller Center, Empire State Building and so on. After New York on our way to Washington DC we quickly stopped at Philadelphia for five hours. The visit turned out to be priceless because I finally achieved a long-time dream of mine: Run the Rocky Steps at Philadelphia Museum of Art!!! There's now one thing less in my bucket list for sure ;D In Washington DC we spent one whole day for seeing all the famous monuments and buildings like the White House, the Lincoln Monument, the Washington Monument and Pentagon.

After Spring Break Trip there was six weeks left of this semester, which now is in its final week. In only a couple of days I will be flying back home and leaving Ames, Iowa and the United States. At least for now. This year has taught me a lot about different cultures and people as I've made friends with so many great people from different backgrounds. It is possible that I might come back to the US someday, and this year has given me lots of reasons to think about the possibility of coming back, but right now my focus is on this moment and these few days that I still have (time) to spend with my friends here in Ames.

Thanks to all the people that were part of this amazing year, we sure had fun and lots of great memories!

And, for all my people back home, can't wait to see you guys again!

Spring Break Trip, Part II: Philly and DC

All right folks! As promised, here's the second part of the Spring Break travelogue.

We left for Philadelphia in early Thursday morning after spending six wonderful days in NYC. The bus trip took two hours, which I pretty much spent reading and sleeping, of course (I'm still just a human being, more than 2 pages of any textbook makes me sleepy). Luckily, I saw the best part of the bus trip: the first 20mins in New Jersey (including the multipurpose arena shared by the Devils of NHL and the Nets of NBA) and the last 20mins in Philadelphia (Flyers' and 76ers' arena). So, after dribbling in my hoop dreams, and on my textbook, for the most part of the trip, it was finally time to check out Philly.

We arrived at a bus station in downtown Philadelphia around noon. Along the way we also saw a glimpse of a local Chinatown, which was surprisingly close to the city center. Since we only had around 6 hours to explore the city, I suggested we should go for some of the cultural sites in Philly. Therefore, from the bus station we began our quest to find the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which according to a toursit map, was only a couple of miles away. With my satisfactory navigating skills we eventually made it to the museum. However, we didn't go inside. Not that I was eager to see the art in the museum, but I had another goal in mind. 

In front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Ever since I got brainwashed by the Rocky movies, I always knew that I had to visit the legendary statue of Rocky someday. That was one of the must things to do for me while here in the States, and on my bucket list from day one. As we walked along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway that was decorated by flags of various nations on both sides of the road, including a Finnish flag, we could see the museum at the end of the Parkway. The legendary Rocky Steps in front of the Museum immediately brang a tear or two to my eye (metaphorically speaking of course, though guys don't cry). Here the hero of every young boy of my generation, Rocky Balboa, ran the steps when he was training for his fights. The legendary scene of the movies (I guess he runs the stairs in every movie :P, or maybe not, who cares, the soundtrack is awesome) immediately started playing in my head. And, of course I had to relive the moment myself! Oh boy it was great: running to the top of the stairs where the beautiful scenery of Philly opened in front me, just like in the movie.:D  ...Such a small thing, but still one of the best feelings ever! The statue itself wasn't on top of the stairs but there was a pair of Rocky's footprints in one of the flagstones. Nonetheless, the moment was so worth all the travelling, and it will definitely be one of the highlights of my exchange year!

The Rocky Statue

From the Museum we headed to Love Park, originally JFK Plaza, and the"LOVE" sign. I had only heard from a friend, a skater, that such park exists without even realizing that I had actually been there before. Yes, it is true, although it was in a virtual world. The place is a somewhat legendary place in the history of skateboarding, and is featured in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2! So, without even knowing, I had been grinding the rails and wallriding the walls of LOVE Park for years during junior high and high school. That explained why I had a some sort of deja vu, when we arrived at the park. After spending some time in the Park we decided to take an earlier bus for Washington DC at 5pm so that we would have a chance to get a good night sleep and continue the hardcore touring the next day in the nation's capital, Washington DC.

Our hotel in Washington DC, once again, was in a very good location: all the most popular attractions were within a walking distance or you could get anywhere easily by metro. In addition, there was even a bike rental right next to the hotel, which made it very convenient to get from point A to point B throughout the city. Renting bikes had turned out to be a great decision in other occasions before, i.e. while traveling in Minneapolis and Miami, and this time was no exception.

The Lincoln Monument

As we did in NYC, we opted not to visit all the museums but chose only one to visit, the Air and Space Museum. The museum had no entrance fee and it was located close to the Capitol Building. Since we didn't have that much time spend at each tourist attraction, we had to be quite selective in choosing the places to visit. Nevertheless, most of the popular sights are around the Reflecting Pool and National Mall & Memorial Parks Area, so, it was no surprise that our one day touring would be centered around that particular area. Unfortunately, the Reflecting Pool was going through a renovation process, so there was no water in the pool. But, of course, during our time there we got to see the White House, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Monument etc., that you definitely have to see when visiting Washington DC. Also, we took a metro to Pentagon, but didn't get a chance to see the building inside. It was not allowed to take any pictures outside of the building, so, not much evidence was left from that trip.

That concludes my rants and raves of the Spring Break Trip 2012. But, no need to worry! A few more blog posts should be coming during this month before it is time to go back to Finland in the beginning of May!

Spring Break Trip (Finnish version/ Suomeksi)

Kuten aiemmassa blogipaivityksessa mainitsin, hetki on taas vierahtanyt siita kun viimeksi mitaan asiapitoista tahan blogiin julkaisin. No, ei hataa, nyt sita on taas luvassa enemman tai vahemman. Kevatlukukausi pyorahti kayntiin heti edellisen Kalifornia Road Trip:in jalkeen, ja siina koulutoiden lomassa tuli muutama koulun joukkueen korispelikin kaytya katsomassa. ISU muuten paasi kuin paasikin sitten lopulta maaliskuussa pidettyyn finaaliturnaukseen (March Madness), mutta putosi toisella kierroksella. Kaiken kaikkiaan hieno suoritus koululta, joka ei ihan joka vuonna finaaliturnaukseen useimmiten ylla. Lisaksi, ISU:n joukkueen pelaajista yksi paatti osallistua tana vuonna kesakuussa pidettavaan NBA draft:iin. Talla hetkella optimistisimmat arviot kertovat, etta kaveri saattaisi menna draftissa ekalla kierroksella suurin piirtein siina puolen valin paikkeillla (varausnumerolla 20). Mutta onhan niita hyvia pelaajia siina joukkueessa muitakin, vaikkei ihan NBA-kaliiberia. Aina silloin talloin, varsinkin nyt kauden paatyttya, ISU:n korisjoukkueen pelaajia eksyy pelailemaan meidan tavallisten kuolevaistenkin kanssa paikalliselle urheiluhallille. Kyllahan siina monesti joutuu hieman hidastuksena kelailemaan jalkeen pain, etta mitahan tassa nyt oikein tapahtui, kun 10cm lyhempi kaveri laittaa palloa alaspain meikalaisen hyvasta 1vs1 puolustuksesta huolimatta. Traumaattista, ei voi muuta sanoa. Mutta hauskaa on silti ollut!

Viikolla 11 suoritettiin sitten meikalaiselle taman vaihtoreissun viimeinen suurempi matkustelu Amerikan mantereella. Kohteena olivat New York (Manhattan), Philadelphia ja Yhdysvaltain paakaupunki Washington DC. New York City:ssa (NYC) vietettiin yhteensa kuusi yota, Philadelphiassa vain yksi paiva ja Washington DC:ssa kaksi yota.

Kuten edellisesta blogipaivityksesta voi lukea, Manhattanilla vietetyn kuuden paivan aikana tuli kierrettya kylla melkoisella tahdilla turistinahtavyyksia. Hostellimme sijaitsi midtownissa, mika oli mielestani lahes taydellinen sijainti, silla metroasemakin oli siina ihan lahettyvilla ja etaisyydet mihin tahansa Manhattanilla olivat lyhyita. NYC:in nahtavyyksia varten olimme etukateen ostanut City Pass:in, jolla oli vapaa sisaan paasy viiten vapaastivalittuun kohteeseen: Water Taxi + Ground Zero, American Museum of Natural History, NBC Studio Tour (Rockefeller Center), Empire State Building ja Statue of Liberty Ferry. Lisaksi, olimme ostaneet liput Broadwayn Leijonakuningas musikaaliin ja New York Rangers:in kotipeliin Madison Square Gardenissa. Muita mainitsemisen arvoisia paikkoja, joissa tuli kaytya ja nahtya, olivat mm. Time Square, Wall Street, Brooklyn Bridge, Rockefeller Plaza, Trump Tower, Apple Store 5th Ave, Central Park, Chinatown ja Rucker Park.

Ensimmaisena paivana hypattiin Water Taxin kyytiin, joka kuljetti turisteja ympari Manhattanin saarta, midtownin lansipuolelta downtownin kautta Manhattanin itapuolelle Brooklyn Bridgen viereen ja takaisin. Vesitaksin meno-paluureitin valilla tehtiin yksi pysahdys, jonka aikana paasi kaymaan 9/11 -paivan muistomerkilla.

Toisena paivana vierailtiin Rockefeller Plaza:lla ja Rockefeller Center:issa sijaitsevilla NBC Studioilla. Muutamien keskusteluohjelmien lavasteilla paastiin pyorahtamaan, mutta melko keskinkertainen tutustumiskierros se oli verrattuna esim. Los Angelesissa sijaitseviin Universal Studios tai Warner Bros Studios -kierroksiin, joista jalkimmainen on naista kolmesta ehdoton suosikkini.
Studiokierrosta ennen ehdittiin siina viela NBA ja NHL -store:issa kaymaan. Ihan siisteja, mutta melko pienia putiikkeja ja hinnat tietysti ihan omissa sfaareissaan. Iltapaivasta kaytiin sitten Empire State Building:in "nakoalakerroksessa" (Observatory Deck), jossa vierahtikin hulppeat nelja tuntia, silla olihan sita pakko saada yo-, paiva- ja auringonlaskun maisemakuvat kun kerran sinne asti oltiin raahauduttu.

Maanantaina, Road Trip:in kolmantena paivana, oli sitten museoretken vuoro. American Museum of Natural History sijaitsee ihan Central Parkin vieressa, ja kyseiselle museolle on teetetty ihan oma metropysakkikin, joten paikan loytamisessa ei suurempia ongelmia ollut. Museon sisalla oli sita peruskamaa, mita nuorempana oli aina haaveillut paasevansa nakemaan: dinosaurusten luurankoja ja taytettyja Afrikan villielaimia. Jotain avaruustutkimukseen liittyvaakin siella oli, mutta ei mitaan maata mullistavaa. T-Rex oli ehdottomasti museoretken kohokohta. Kokonaisuudessaan kuitenkin ihan kiva paikka.

Tiistaina aamusta kymmenen aikaan haimme liput lautalle, joka veisi meidat Liberty Island:ille. Seuraava lautta lahtisi kuitenkin vasta kello kahden paikkeilla, joten paatimme kayttaa ylimaaraiset nelja tuntia tehokkaasti ja vierailla mm. Brooklyn Bridge:lla ja Wall Street:illa. Liberty Island:in lautalle jonotimme ehka noin 40 minuuttia, mika oli pisin aika yhdessakaan jonossa NYC:in vierailun aikana. Itse asiassa se oli ainoa paikka johon tuli jonotettua, joten melko kivuttomasti sujui turistinahtavyyksien kertely Manhattanilla. Liberty Island:ille paastya oli vihdoinkin vuorossa se kauan odotettu vapaudenpatsaan nakeminen omin silmin. Melko vakuuttavan nakoinen patsashan se oli, ja hetkeksi siina tuli pysahdyttya miettimaan kuinka kauas sita onkaan tullut matkattua. Kotisohvalta katsottuna vapaudenpatsas oli aina tullut miellettya jonain kaukaisena asiana/paikkana tuolla rapakon takana, jota tuskin koskaan tulisi livena nakemaan. Siina se nyt kuitenkin oli parin metrin paassa. Melko epatodellinen ja uskomaton tunne, mutta pakko se oli kai uskoa todeksi.

Tiistai-illasta oli vuorossa jalleen yksi matkan kohokohdista, kun paastiin katsomaan NHL pelia Madison Square Garden:iin (MSG). New York Rangers:in vieraaksi oli tullut suomalaisvariakin omaava Carolina Hurricanes. Halvimmat takarivin liput olimme peliin ostaneet, mutta nakymat olivat silti ylariviltakin viela aivan riittavat. Talla kertaa ei tullut pulitettua lipuista kuin $55, mutta lippuluukulta ostettuna halvimmat liput Rangers:in peliin olisivat olleet $78 ja Knicks:in (NBA) peliin $220. Edella mainitusta syystakin NHL -peli oli luontevampi valinta opiskelijakukkarolle, mutta tavoitteenani oli muutenkin kayda edes yhdessa NHL -pelissa vaihtovuoden aikana. Ja mikas sen parempi paikka sille, kuin Madison Square Garden.

Keskiviikkona otettiin sitten hieman rennommin. Aamupaivasta kaytiin katsastamassa legendaarinen katukoriskentta, Rucker Park, jossa useampikin korislegenda on kaynyt palloa pompottelemassa. Toki itse en vielakaan tahan nimmekkaaseen listaan kuulu, ei ollut palloa mukana. Rucker Park sijaitsee ymmartaakseni Harlem:issa, joten olikin ehka parempi etta olimme siella keskipaivan aikoihin, ei tarvinnut siten ihan turhan paljon olan yli katsella etta mita sielta tulee. Talla kertaa ei ollut kuitenkaan ketaan koriskentalla heittelemassa, mutta se ei silti hymya irrottanut allekirjoittaneen kasvoilta, kun oikeen paikan paalle oli korispyhattoon paassyt kaymaan.

Iltapaivasta sitten kaytiin katsomassa Leijonakuningas Broadway musikaali Minskoff teatterissa. Vahan tyyriimpia oli liput talla kertaa, lahemmas sata dollaria. Kokemus oli kuitenkin ihan kaymisen arvoinen, ja kylla se kaikki odotukset ylitti. Ei valittamista, viihdyttava show.

Jossain vaiheessa Manhattanilla vietetyn kuuden paivan aikana tuli koko Central Park:ikin kaveltya lapi sik-sak periaatteella, kun ihan itse sain suunnistaa. Oli kuitenkin sen verran traumaattinen urheilusuoritus, 3 tuntia kavelya, etta jossain valissa matkan varrella on muistijalkikin kadonnut siita etta mina paivana siella tuli oikein tarkalleen kaytya. Vahva veikkaus on kuitenkin sunnuntai.

Torstai aamusta hyppasimme bussiin ja matkasimme kohti Philadelphiaa. Matka ei ollut kovinkaan pitka, vain n. 2 tuntia. Philadelphiassa ei ollut tarkoitus viettaa yhta paivaa enempaa, ja illasta suuntaisimmekin jo kohti Washinton DC:ta. Rockyn kotikaupungissa (Philadelphiassa) vierailulla paa-asiallinen tarkoitus oli tietenkin kayda Philadelphia Museum of Art:in portailla ja Rockyn patsaalla. Ja kyllahan siina sitten piti uudellen elaa se legendaarinen kohtaus ko. elokuvista, joissa paahenkilo juoksee samaiset portaat (takaraivoonkin jo juurtuneen) tunnarimusiikin soidessa taustalla. Aivan mahtavaa!

Washington DC:ssa vietimme kaksi yota, mutta kaytannossa vain yhden kokonaisen paivan. Yksi paiva oli siina kaupungissa ihan riittavasti. Maisemat ja katukuva oli kylla siistia ja viihdyttava, mutta todelliset nahtavyydet pystyy kylla yhden paivan aikana kiertelemaan, ellei sitten ole erityisesti museoiden ystava. Selvasti naki etta paikkakunta oli hallinnon keskus, silla poliiseja ja turvamiehia oli joka nurkalla ja arkkitehtuuri oli melko prameaa. Pylvasrakennuksia oli enemman kuin tarpeeksi, ja valilla sita miettikin etta ovatko kaikki rakennukset siella edes niin valttamattomia, muuallekin ne rahat olisi varmaan voinut laittaa. Mutta jalleen kerran paljon tuli taas nahtya: White House, Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, Capitol Building, Pentagon (jossa ei saanut otaa kuvia ulkona, sisalle ei paassyt ilman ajanvarausta) ja Air and Space Museum. Lyhyesti tiivistettyna Washington DC on muistomerkkien kaupunki, mutta myos erittain viihtyisa paikka vierailla.

Kolmas ja vaihtoreissun viimeinen pidempi Road Trip taalla Amerikan mantereella tuli sitten paatokseensa, ja pikku hiljaa tassa alkaakin olla lahtolaskennan vuoro kotiinpaluun osalta. Viela on jaljella viimeinen loppurutistus koulutoiden parissa tulevan viiden viikon aikana, ja sitten onkin taas aika pakata laukut ja sunnata kohti koti-Suomea. Viimeisista viikoista otetaan kuitenkin viela kaikki irti ja nautitaan taysin rinnoin. Muutaman blogipaivityksen saatan huhtikuun aikana laittaa, mutta matkustelukertomukset ovat nyt taman vaihtoreissun osalta tassa. Amerikkaa tuli ristiin rastiin matkusteltua, ja lahes kaikissa paikoissa kaytya mita olin haaveillut. Muutama paikka taalta toki loytyy, missa viela hamassa tulevaisuudessa voisi kayda, mutta niille reissuille lahdetaan sitten vaikka hyvalla kaveriporukalla, jos ja kun matkakuume taas iskee!

Me at Rocky Steps

Spring Break Trip, Part I: New York (Manhattan)

Almost two months has passed since I last time posted anything to my blog. It's not that I forgot my loyal readers, but I actually devoted some time for studying this time :)  The Iowa winter was very gentle and we barely even had snow, so there's nothing much to tell about that either.

Anyway, the exchange blog continues again with another "travelogue". This time I will be writing about my spring break trip to New York with Antti and Abdul, two other international students here at ISU.

We left to New York on Friday the 9th of March, which was the first day of a week long spring break. After arriving to La Guardia airport, somewhere in Queens, at 7pm, we didn't have much time to do anything but checking into the hostel that night. The place definitely wasn't any "five-star hotel": Our rooms had no other furniture than beds. However, the location of the hostel was perfect since the distances from midtown Manhattan to any attraction were relatively short. 

Downtown Manhattan

Saturday noon we took a water taxi tour around the Manhattan "island". The tour was one of the five attractions we had admission to with our city passes. Starting off with the water taxi tour turned out to be a good idea, because this way we got a grasp of the geographical layout of the New York City area right from the beginning. At the end of our tour we arrived to East River Pier (or Ferry, check google maps), which was right next to the Brooklyn Bridge, and walked all the way to see the Ground Zero (or 9/11 memorial) on the west side of Manhattan. The memorial basically consists of two big pools with the names of the 9/11 victims. The two new skycrapers are currently being built right next to the pools.

Night time view of uptown Manhattan.

Because the weather for the first two days was quite cold, we decided to explore the midtown area (and some indoor attractions) the second day of our trip. First, we went to Rockefeller Plaza and took the NBC Studio Tour at Rockefeller Center. Some of the places we got to see during the tour included the studios of "The Dr. Oz Show" and "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon". After the studio tour we headed to Empire State Building. Surprisingly, there wasn't much of a line to the Observatory Deck, so we had some extra time to spend up there and ended up waiting a few hours for the sunset in order to capture all the three views (day, sunset and night). From the observatory deck we were able to see the whole Manhattan and nearby areas, such as New Jersey, Brooklyn, Queens, Central Park and a little bit of Harlem.

T-Rex, Abdul, me and Antti

On Monday morning we visited the American Museum of Natural History. For the first time in my life I had the chance to see the big dinosaur skeletons, and indeed they were pretty impressive. The museum also had a section for the history of space research, which we took a quick look at. After the museum visit, Monday afternoon, we had a chance to catch up with a former ISU exchange student from last fall. She had just come back from her own travels, so the hour-long reunion that we had was full of great stories. 

Bowling Green Bull and the "Trio"

Tuesday was reserved for visiting the Liberty Island and Ellis Island. We picked up the ferry tickets for the Statue of Liberty early in the morning and headed to downtown. Along our way to Battery Park, where the ferry would depart, we explored the downtown area more closely, particularly Wall Street. Approaching Wall street, one can really see the difference between downtown and the rest of Manhattan. Closer to Wall Street you can encounter more people wearing suits and carrying suitcases, but the infrastructure changes quite a bit too: Downtown has the most skyscrapers by far. However, the street itself wasn't as glamorous as I thought it would be and the surrounding area felt like quite a labyrinth. In contrast, midtown and uptown are fairly simple to navigate in. When you look at the map of Manhattan, the streets and avenues are numbered from right to left and from down to up in a "smallest to largest" order. Anyway, after Wall Street we quickly stopped at the famous Wall Street monument, the Bowling Green Bull, a 3200kg bronze sculpture. 

Statue of Liberty and me

Finally, finding our way out from Wall Street we headed to Battery Park. There we would have to line for some time for the ferry, but it was still less than an hour, which wasn't that bad since that was about the only time we had to line for anything in New York. The ferry took us to Liberty Island where the famous Statue of Liberty stands. The day couldn't have been better for visiting the Island. The chilly and slightly rainy weather of the previous days had turned into a warm and sunny spring weather. Admittedly, after arriving at the Island and standing there seeing the statue with my on eyes, made me realize how far I had actually come. So many times had I seen it on TV, but actually being there right next to the statue, made the experience "so unreal and amazing". 

MSG

 One of my favorite things we did in New York was when we went for an NHL game. Thanks to Abdul we got the tickets for Rangers-Hurricanes game with a reasonable price, $55 each for seats in the backrow. Rangers play their home games in the same arena as the Knicks, in the "world's most famous arena": Madison Square Garden (MSG). Compared to a basketball game, the backrow seats in an NHL game are not that bad at all. You can easily watch the game without using binoculars, but that's maybe because the hockey rink is almost twice as big as a basketball court. However, visiting MSG and going for an NHL game were, once again, things that I had long wanted to do, which made it even more memorable.

Rucker Park

The last day in New York we went to see a Broadway show, The Lion King. The price we paid for the tickets was close to $100 and we purchased them online a week  before the show. Later we found out that there's a ticket office on Time Square that sells Broadway tickets at half price or less for musicals that are not sold out and have shows on that day. Nevertheless, we wouldn't have had any other choice but to buy tickets in advance anyway since The Lion King is one of the musicals on Broadway that usually gets sold out days before the shows. However, our tickets were for a two o'clock show, so we still had some time to kill in the morning. On my request we agreed to use that time for visiting Rucker Park, "the mecca of streetball". The outdoor court with its stands had always looked a lot bigger on TV and on youtube clips, and it was in a somewhat hard-to-find location in Harlem, too. The time we were there (at noon), I didn't see anybody hooping, but that didn't bother me. After all, I was standing on a same court that reached its legendary status by hosting various exhibition games and tournaments that still to this day attract NBA players to come to NY and showcase their skills, while proving the basketball nation that they are the very best in what they do.

After spending six days in New York, it was time to head to Philadelphia and Washington DC. For the latter part of our trip I will post another "travelogue" to this blog. I will do my best to get it done as soon as possible, however, not before I have recovered from writing this terrible turmoil of Finglish. Hope you enjoyed reading it, though :D

Kansas Jayhawks vs. Iowa State Cyclones

Lauantaina paatin vihdoinkin kayda katsastamassa koulun korisjoukkueen pelia. Kausi on ollut kaynnissa jo hyvan tovin, silla ensimmaiset pelit pelattiin jo marraskuun alussa, mutta laiskuuttani en ollut aiemmin ehtinyt Hilton Coliseumilla kayda peleja katsomassa. Iowa Staten joukkue pelaa yliopistokoripallon korkeimmalla sarjatasolla, NCAA (1 Div), ja melko kovassa konferenssissakin, silla kauden aikana vastaan asettuu mm. edella mainittu Kansas seka Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M ja Baylor.
Lauantaina pelattu peli oli yksi kauden tarkeimmista peleista, silla Kansas on kansallisessa rankingissa sijalla #5, ja jos paikkaa maaliskuussa pelattavasta (March Madness) lopputurnauksesta hamuaa, niin voitto perinteikkaista "koriskouluista" on aina askel lahemmas lopputurnauspaikkaa. Urheilun saralla kuluva lukuvuosi on sujunut (Iowa State) Cyclones:ien osalta yli odotusten, silla jo syksylla koulun jenkkifutisjoukkue paatti kauden melko hyvalla voitot-tappiot "recordilla" (6-7) aiempiin vuosiin verrattuna. Futiskauden kohokohtia oli mm. kauden alussa irronnut voitto "paikalliskamppailussa" University of Iowa (Hawkeyes) vastaan seka viimeisessa pelissa kotivoitto Oklahoma Staten joukkueesta. Koripallon osalta kausi on myos lahtenyt mukavasti kayntiin, ja talla hetkella joukkue taisteleekin paikasta edella mainittuun 68 joukkueen kesken pelattavaan March Madness:iin. Pelia en ala tassa sen enempaa analysoimaan, mutta alempana on linkki ESPN -sivun videokoosteeseen ko. ottelusta. Sen verran pystyn kuitenkin paljastamaan, etta voitto sielta ISU:n joukkueelle irtosi, ja taas yksi kova paanahka osoittamaan etta Cyclones kuuluu NCAA koriksen lopputurnaukseen.

ESPN highlight -video, KU vs ISU
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=7514089

For my English speaking readers I will keep it short, since you most likely already know the outcome of ISU vs KU game :)
Above there's a link to highlights of the game on ESPN.go.com.
Anyways, this was my first time seeing ISU men's basketball team play, and indeed they were very impressive by pulling out an important wink over #5 ranked Kansas Jayhawks. As in the ISU football games last fall, the atmosphere in this sold-out game was just unbelievable, too, and the crowd really did all they could to help the Cyclones win by rooting for their team right from the start until the very end. There are still a couple of big games left this season for ISU, so I think, after this kind of performance, I will probably have to go see a few more, in hopes of the Cyclones making it to March Madness ;)

Sold Out Hilton Coliseum (you can't really see the balcony level in this pic)

I wish I remembered who is this guy... Inside Hilton Coliseum anyway.

California Road Trip: San Francisco

Taman blogipaivityksen alkuun kertaan hieman mita tapahtui California Road Trip:in Los Angelesin etapilla. Losiin saavuttiin joulukuun 22. paiva, noin klo 3:n aikaan, ja matka kesti hieman vajaat kolme tuntia bussin kyydissa. Hotellimme sijaitsi Hollywoodin etela-osassa, mika ei nimesta huolimatta ollut mitenkaan satumaista aluetta. Ensimmaisena iltana tutustuimme paremmin LA:n kantakaupunkiin, ja heti hotellin nurkalla odotti naky, jota ei kovin useasti tule vastaan muualla (paitsi elokuvissa), kun 3 kaverusta odotteli raudoissa LAPD:n tutkiessa toverusten ajopelia, jos sielta loytyis mahdollisesti jotain takavarikoitavaa.

Kantakaupunkiin kuljettiin paikallisliikenteen avulla (bussi), eika sinne hotellilta kestanyt kuin ehka vartin verran. Ensivaikutelma Los Angelesin kantakaupunkista ei ollut mitenkaan mairitteleva, silla kodittomia oli (kerjaamassa rahaa) lahes joka nurkalla, ja illan aikana tuli viela lisaksi nahtya 3 muuta pidatysta aiemmin mainitun episodin lisaksi.

Alun shokin jalkeen suuntasimme toisena paivana Universal Studiosille, joka on kaytannossa huvipuisto (theme park) eri elokuvateemoilla varustetuilla mini-vuoristoradoilla seka kiertoajeluluilla ihka oikeilla kuvauspaikoilla. Parhaiten mieleen kuitenkin jai Terminator 3D -show, joka oli sekoitus 3D -elokuvaa ja pienimuotoista teatterinaytelmaa. Kokonaisuudessaan Universal Studios oli ihan viihdyttava paikka ja saattaapi olla, etta sinne viela joskus toistekin taman vuoden puolella eksyn, silla erikoistarjouksena lippuluukulla myytiin 2012 Annual Pass -lippuja kaupanpaallisina :)

Matkan aikana tuli tutustuttua myos Hollywoodiin jonkin verran. Walk of Fame:lla kaytiin useammankin kerran, ja Hollywood sign (en muista suomenkielista nimea, jos silla sellaista onkaan :P ...ne kirjaimet kuitenkin) tuli nahtya nakoalapaikalta. Lisaksi, ohjatun turistiajelun merkeissa tuli pyorahdettya Beverly Hills:issa. Voin kertoa, etta ei siella mitaan ihmeellista ole :D  rikkaiden kampat on pusikkojen takana, joten niista ei paljon paase nakemaan (ja tamankertaisellakaan kierroksella ei nahty ainuttakaan julkimoa).

Yksi nakemisen arvoisista paikoista LA:n alueella on silti ehdottomasti Santa Monica. Ja jos mielessa on matkustaa Los Angelesiin, niin suosittelen varaamaan hotellit juurikin Santa Monican alueelta: etaisyydet mm. Hollywoodiin, Universal Studios:ille tai Warner Bros Studios:ille ovat melko pitkat (julkisilla 1h-1h30min), mutta S.M.:n  alue on silti ylivoimaisesti yksi viihtyisimmista ja turvallisimmista mita LA:sta voi loytaa, ainakin omasta mielestani.

Toiseksi viimeisena paivana kaytiin viela Warner Bros studios:illa, jossa paastiin nakemaan taas kuvauspaikkoja ja lavasteita. WB tour:in ehdottomia kohokohtia oli elokuva-ajoneuvojen (Batmanin kiesi), -asusteiden (Batman, Jokeri, Harry Potter) ja Big Bang Theory TV-sarjan kuvauspaikan nakeminen! Kaiken kaikkiaan hieno kokemus tamakin reissu.

Seuraavana vuorossa oli sitten matkaaminen San Franciscoon, jonne taas kuljettiin bussilla reippaat 8h. San Franciscossa otettiinkin sitten hieman rauhallisemmin, ja paivat kuluivat enemman tai vahemman kaupunkiin tutustuessa kavelymaratoonien muodossa. Kaikista tahanastisista kaupungeista California Road Trip:illa San Francisco oli ainoa, jossa voisin kuvitella joskus asuvanikin (...viihtyisa siis). Ihmiset ovat ystavallisia, kodittomia ei ole yhta paljon kuin LA:ssa ja kokonaisuudessaan SFon melko turvallisen tuntuinen. Ainoana miinuspuolena ovat korkeuserot: yla- ja alamaet ovat melkoinen riesa, jos kavellen paattaa kaupungilla kierrella.

Rennommasta tahdista huolimatta pakolliset nahtavyydet tuli kaytya lavitse, kuten esim. Golden Gate -silta, Alcatraz -saari seka -vankila, Fisherman's wharf ja Chinatown. Nahtavyyksien lisaksi, San Francisco on myos "oiva" paikka shoppailulle, silla kaikki merkittavimmat vaateliikkeet yms. ovat keskitetysti Union Squaren laheisyydessa ja valikoimaa on enemman kuin tarpeeksi. Muutama lantti sinnekin tuli siis kulutettua.

San Franciscosta lennettiin takaisin (Des Moinesin kautta) Amesiin perjantai-paivana (6. tammikuuta) ja seuraava lukukausi oli alkava jo heti maanantaina. Lunta ei viela heti tammikuun alkuun Amesiin ollu ehtinyt sataa, mutta loppujen lopuksi sitakin sitten saatiin 15.:nnen paivan tienoilla. Lampotilatkin on tammikuun edetessa yltaneet -15Celsius asteeseen, joten ihan kunnon talvisaat alkaa olemaan. Viela en ole talvitakkia silti ostanut, ja koitankin selvita kevyemmalla varustuksella koko talven lapi, jos vain mahdollista. En uskoisi sen kuitenkaan ongelmaksi muodostuvan, silla sisukkaimmat kaduntallaajatkin kulkevat taalla viela mita erikoisimmissa yhdistelmissa -10C:n pakkasissa (mm. talvitakki-pipo-shortsit-sandaalit?!? ...ja kaverihan oli tietty pyoralla matkassa). No, aina ei voi ymmartaa :) ...

We traveled from LA to San Francisco on December 29th, so that we would have some time to get familiar with the city before the new year's eve. Our hostel was located near Chinatown, which made it possible for us to try different kind of Asian foods almost every day. And indeed we did try various foods, which was a nice experience (at least for a potatoe-based-diet-eater like me). In San Francisco we also visited the must-see tourist attractions, such as the Golden Gate bridge, Alcatraz and Fisherman's wharf, but overall the pace of exploring everything was much more relaxed compared to how it was in LA or Las Vegas. 

Out of all the cities we had been during the road trip, San Francisco was by far the coziest one, and maybe the only place where I could ever see myself living in: the streets were clean, not too many homeless people, and in general it felt like a safe city. We spent a total of 8 days in SF, and the return flight to Ames (or actually to Des Moines) was on Friday, January 6th. Once again, it was time to say goodbyes to the last ones left from the Fall 2011 ISU (one semester) exchange group.

Thanks to the California Road Trip crew for awesome memories! I wish you all the best, Goodbye!

However, life goes on, and the spring semester is already in full swing. The next big trip I will be making, is going to be to New York during the spring break in March. Until then I try to study hard, enjoy this freezing Ames weather and hopefully have time to see a few basketball games.

At the Golden Gate bridge

Just a random street in SF

Alcatraz

California Road Trip: Los Angeles (in English)

Vegas and San Diego behind, the next stop was Los Angeles. Our hotel was located in South Hollywood, which, despite the name, wasn't that nice at all. We arrived at the hotel around 3pm or 4pm, and the first thing we saw was three people being arrested and their car being searched right next to our hotel! Nice! For the rest of the day we went to downtown LA just to look around and get a glimpse of the big city atmosphere. Along the way we saw three more arrests, and the first impression was that LA is not that safe! ...not to mention all the w*irdos :/

After a bit of a shocking start, we decided to visit Universal Studios on the second day of our stay in LA. For the ones who haven't been to Universal Studios, basically, it is a theme park full of different kinds of (rollercoaster) rides with their movie themes. Also, they have a tour, which takes you to the studios themselves (only outside though) and on the tour they have displayed few special effects and movie sets. We spent the whole day at Universal Studios, and got to see almost everything they have there (Terminator 3D, Jurassic Park, Simpsons, The Mummy, Shrek, just to mention few).

Like so many times, when you mention LA, you immediately think of Hollywood. So, on the third day we decided to have "a light day", and head out to see the Walk of Fame (where we would return several times later on during the trip). It was also Christmas Eve, so there was a lot of people on that particular street (walk of fame), some of them dressed up as superheroes, and asking by-passers to take pictures with them, only to get some tip. Needless to say, as a first-timer in Hollywood, I fell to this trick and had to pay $10 to Green Lantern, Spiderman and Black Spiderman.

Enthusiastically heading to the fourth day of our stay in LA, while temperature rising to around +24 Celsius degrees, we wanted to spend the day by the beach in Santa Monica. The Santa Monica Pier, where we spend most of the (Christmas) Day, is also the home for Baywatch TV show. Unfortunately, the water was too cold for swimming, so I wasn't able to let "Mitch Buchannon" to save me that time.

Rested and fully recovered for the fifth day, we continued exploring LA and especially Hollywood area. We went for a tour that took us to see Beverly Hills, Hollywood, and in the end, also, the Hollywood sign from a good view point. The tour itself was more or less just speeding through the neighborhood of rich and famous people, so it was nothing spectacular actually. We didn't even see ANY famous people... or maybe one, but I didn't know him. However, the chance for me to be starstruck came the following day when we went to see a Lakers game :D Trying to keep this short, I won't start talking about the game too much, but going to Staples Center was definitely one of the highlights of the trip for me!

If the trip hadn't already been unbelievable enough, it only got better when we took a guided tour at Warner Bros Studios on the seventh day! Again, we had the chance to see movie sets that had been used in several movies. For example, the upside down kissing scene from the movie Spiderman was shot there (see the picture below), and many other scenes from other movies, of which names I can't remember now. Also, we were allowed to enter a garage that was full of vehicles which were used in movies, such as Batman: The Dark Knight, Austin Powers, Harry Potter and Hangover. Nevertheless, my favorite part of the tour was seeing the sets of the "Big Bang Theory" TV show!

Even though it was our last day in LA, we still had enough time to go and see the campus area of USC (University of Southern California), as well as Little Tokyo, on Wednesday. Unfortunately, before leaving for San Francisco, we also had to say goodbyes to some of the exchange students who were returning back to their home countries at this point. So, for those people, I want to say thank you for making this trip, and the whole semester, unforgettable!

<3

Spiderman kissing scene set

Me and my ride

Me (and the Hollywood sign)

At the Lakers game!

  

California Road Trip: San Diego

Las Vegasin jalkeen vuorossa oli San Diego, jonne matkattiin bussilla. Tien paalla vietettiin reippaat kahdeksan tuntia, mika ei loppujen lopuksi hyvassa matkaseurassa tuntunut kovinkaan tuskalliselta tai pitkalta ajalta. San Diegossa vietettiin yhteensa kaksi yota, eli kaupunkiin tutustumiseen oli kaytossa vain yksi kokonainen paiva, koska maaranpaahan saavuttiin myohaan illalla ja lahto oli aikaisin aamulla toisen vietetyn yon jalkeen. San Diegon kantakaupunkialue ei mitenkaan paata huimannut nahtavyyksien tai kauneutensa puolesta, mutta kaupungin laheisyydessa sijaitseva Coronadon saari oli erittainkin viihtyisa.

Keskiviikko -aamupaivan (21. joulukuuta) vietimme enemman tai vahemman siis kantakaupunkialueen laheisyydessa. Iltapaivasta suuntasimme kohti Meksikon rajaa ja sen vieressa sijaitsevia poistomyymaloita. Jenkkilan ja Meksikon erottava raja-alue ei ollut ihan niin taianomainen kuin olin odottanut, ja kyseiset kaksi valtiota erottava "aitakin" oli melko vaatimattoman nakoinen. Henkilokohtaisesti odotin nakevani jotain kiinanmuurin kokoista rakennelmaa, mutta Tijuanaan vievan portin laheisyydessa aidan korkeus oli ehka 3 tai 4 metria, ja kauempaa katsottuna naytti hyvinkin vaatimattomalta.

Seuraavana paivana matkamme jatkui kohti Los Angelesia, jossa tulisimme viettamaan noin seitseman vuorokautta. Talle ajalle mahtuu jalleen sen verran paljon kerrottavaa eri nahtavyyksista, etta pyhitan niille oman kokonaisen blogipaivityksen, jonka saan toivottavasti kirjoiteltua ensi viikon aikana :)

Leaving Sin City behind, next up would be San Diego. On Tuesday, December 22^nd, we took a bus from Las Vegas, leaving at 11am and spending more than 8 hours on the road. We reached San Diego around 8pm and quickly headed to the hostel. The first impression of the city was that it was not that safe overall. However, this was before we went to LA, which is a whole another story.

 

On Wednesday, we walked around downtown, and took a ferry to Coronado island, which is probably the nicest area in San Diego. Later in the day we went to check the shopping outlets next to the Mexican border. Even though we didn’t have much time for the shopping, we still had the chance to see the border itself near Tijuana.

 

Long story short, we definitely had too little time to spend in San Diego, but managed to see at least a little bit of the city. Next destination was going to be Los Angeles, where we would go by bus again. However, this time it would take only 3-hours to get to our destination.

Mexican border

EDIT: Video added July 3rd, 2012