Sorry for the slight delay in entries - the more we are in bigger cities the harder it is to get free internet access. For this reason I'm going to skip our 'adventures' in Virginia - they basically involved going to an Interpol concert and going to Shenandoah National Park which is the only US National Park I've ever been to and now I've been there twice. It was really cold there (they still had snow) but the drive that cuts throught the park is very good with lots of opportunities for little walks off the side to rocks, waterfalls etc.

Washington DC

This was the first city/town that we'd come to on the trip that I'd been to before. I didn't really recognise it that much though because when I'd come before we did a lot of the activities outside the city (Arlington cemetry/Washington's home etc). All I remember of the city itself was it being fairly empty and dead feeling and getting shouted at by a strange man who was cursing us for not being in Church on a Sunday morning. (That guy should practice what he preaches I thought).

I also remember going to the Holocaust memorial museum which is just one of the many excellent museums in DC. The Smithsonian institution runs 16 museums in DC on all manner of subjects and they're all free. The collections are undoubtedly excellent and indeed they should be (it's reckoned that the Smithsonian as a whole only displays about 1% of its entire collection at any one time. I visited the Museums of the Native American Indian, American History and Natural History. All were very well done. The only disadvantage of them being free is that well to be honest if you go at the wrong time it can be a bit of a rabble in there - too many people and kids running around shouting which isn't really prime museum atmosphere.

As we are in cities more and more Howard and I spend the day by ourselves and meet up for the late afternoon/evening. I think this is a really good thing because it allows me to get freedom and control but also to still have someone around for you and to socialise with. I like to get things done more than Howard and he likes to take things easier so it suits us both.

In one of my days on my own I walked and walked and really got a feel for the place. Planned towns (like DC) interest me because I like to see what works and what doesn't. The centrepiece of the city is the Mall which runs from the Washington Monument at one end to the Capitol building at the other. It's very pleasant and is filled with people. It works well to give a heart to the city. I like it when places have a real centre. A big square, park or even an iconic building. In this sense DC works very well and I had a nice day wandering around the different memorials, monuments and the lake. My problem with DC is thye same as it was before. It can often feel quite lifeless. You don't get the sense of ti being a thriving city, one that is buzzing and alive. In London or New York for instance people are everywhere (it can be annoying certainly but it's what cities are about). In DC the centre feels a bit carved out for this Government building or that embassy or whatever. In London you feel like people are livng all around you, above every shop and down every alley is someone's home. DC on the other hand feels a bit devoid of people which for a city is a very strange thing indeed.

Richard, 9th April, New York City