Merge pull request #11 from henryjburg/drafts

Add D.C. '23 and Monterey '24 trips
henryjburg · Jan 25, 2024 · 7804b65 · 7804b65
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diff --git a/content/blog/2023-05-03-washington-dc/gt_books.png b/content/blog/2023-05-03-washington-dc/gt_books.png
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+---
+title: Washington D.C.
+date: "2023-05-03"
+archive: false
+---
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+Dad was in town for a few weeks, so we headed up to Washington D.C. for a few days! This was another nice "metro" trip in the sense we weren't hiking or scrambling between waypoints...
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+One of the things that surprised me about D.C. is the fact that there really isn't a lot of retail or cafés around downtown D.C. Fortunately, there are plenty of sights and museums both in and around D.C.!
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+![smithsonian.png](smithsonian.png)
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+The **Smithsonian** was one of the first stops - this is a great experience and I could spend another day there again. Most of the museums are just down the road from the Capitol, so they are very accessible if you are in that area. My favourite museum was the **National Art Gallery**. I really appreciated the layout, but also the variey of works and exhibits - at the time, there was an exhibit on Dantés *Inferno*.
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+![ng_1.png](ng_1.png)
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+![ng_2.png](ng_2.png)
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+![ng_3.png](ng_3.png)
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+![sg.png](sg.png)
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+The **Sculpture Garden** also is a fun walk, plenty of interesting exhibits just nearby to the National Art Gallery.
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+![nationals.png](nationals.png)
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+We headed to a slightly rainy Nationals v. Cubs MLB game, but I had the chance to meet a new friend! Not sure if I should be too attached to Fredbird (St. Louis Cardinals)...
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+Aside from the museums and sport, there is plenty of US history to learn about between D.C. and **Arlington, VA**.
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+![wh.png](wh.png)
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+![w_monument.png](w_monument.png)
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+![lincoln.png](lincoln.png)
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+![lm_monument.png](lm_monument.png)
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+After a day of walking, we covered the **White House**, **National Monument**, and the **Lincoln Memorial**. I was pretty excited to capture a nice shot of the National Monument from the Lincoln Memorial.
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+We also spent some time walking around **Arlington National Cemetery**, and combined with the war memorials along the way, is a solemn reminder of the cost of war.
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+![gt_books.png](gt_books.png)
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+I would recommend taking the metro over to **Georgetown** and **Old Town Alexandria**! Above is a photo of a nice sunny bookstore in Georgetown. Both cities have plenty of local charm, with high-quality shopping and dining dispersed through each city. They are very walkable!
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diff --git a/content/blog/2024-01-21-monterey/above_shark_cove.jpg b/content/blog/2024-01-21-monterey/above_shark_cove.jpg
diff --git a/content/blog/2024-01-21-monterey/carmel.jpg b/content/blog/2024-01-21-monterey/carmel.jpg
diff --git a/content/blog/2024-01-21-monterey/index.md b/content/blog/2024-01-21-monterey/index.md
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+---
+title: Monterey, CA
+date: "2024-01-21"
+archive: false
+---
+
+After 2023 was less travel-filled compared to 2022, I set some goals to continue to get out a bit more and cover off more of the US that I was keen to see. It was almost 12 months since I last visited my friends in San Francisco, so I found some cheaper fares and headed over for a weekend in January. At the end of my last entry about San Francisco, I mentioned Monterey was driving distance from SF, so this time I decided to rent a car for a day and drive south to check it out!
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+We set out just before 9 AM from downtown SF and set the first stop to be **Shark Cove Bay**. We went along CA-1, since this would avoid any congestion around San Jose, but also have more scenic views as it runs largely along the coast. After about an hour of driving, we arrived at Shark Cove Bay.
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+![shark_cove.jpg](shark_cove.jpg)
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+There isn't a clearly marked turn or carpark, but you are able to see the trails on a map. I would make sure you keep an eye on a map so you don't accidently miss it! There is a gravel area to the side of the road that you can pull off onto.
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+You can then walk down to a fork with some signage and rubbish bins - left and under the pole leads down a trail to the bay itself, and going right allows you to walk up along the cliffs and get a view over the entire bay.
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+![above_shark_cove.jpg](above_shark_cove.jpg)
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+Above is the view over the bay, you can see where the "shark" name comes from! You can walk right up to the edge of the cliff, but be particularly careful in wet weather. It was particularly windy at this point!
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+![sand_shark_cove.jpg](sand_shark_cove.jpg)
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+Once you reach the bay itself, you are presented with a spectactular outlook to the famous rock formation! Be aware of the tides so you don't get your shoes wet. From Shark Bay Cove, head about another hour south and just past Monterey you'll reach **Carmel-by-the-Sea**. This is a beautiful little town, with upmarket shopping and dining all within a walking distance of some of the cleanest beaches I've seen in the US.
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+![carmel.jpg](carmel.jpg)
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+From Carmel-by-the-Sea, you can continue north again to Monterey. We decided to head to **Santa Cruz** instead, intending to catch the sunset from the boardwalk.
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+![sc_boardwalk.jpg](sc_boardwalk.jpg)
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+Unfortunately it was too overcast to see any good sunset, but there were plenty of sea lions hanging around! We didn't walk along too much of the boardwalk, but there is plenty to do around that area. After having dinner in Santa Cruz, we returned to SF, rounding out the trip by 8 PM.
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+Sure, it was overcast and slightly rainy for most of the day, but the incredible views can't be washed away! I really enjoyed this little roadtrip and would highly recommend doing something similar if you have a car and an empty day in SF.
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