U.S. Trip (Part 2) – Exploring Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and Annapolis Centered on Baltimore

The last week of the U.S. trip was mostly spent living in Baltimore, driving to several nearby cities.

Baltimore is the largest city in Maryland, a natural deep-water port. It is an important seaport city on the U.S. Atlantic coast, located on the western side of the head of Chesapeake Bay.

When entering a train station in the U.S., there is no ticket check. You directly find which platform your train is on and wait. U.S. train tickets do not have seat numbers; just find an empty seat on the train. After the train departs, a conductor checks tickets. Tickets can be paper or electronic (QR code). After checking, they insert a colored paper slip in the luggage rack above the seat.

One of the famous private universities in the U.S. Almost all buildings are in the same style, with abundant greenery. Students can chat, read, and rest on the lawns. The campus is open, with no guards. It's hard to tell how many entrances there are. Campus police and emergency lights are frequently seen.

JHU's medical school and hospital are also among the top in the U.S.

Christiana is located along the highway from Baltimore to Philadelphia. It belongs to Delaware. About a 45-minute drive from Philadelphia and less than an hour from Baltimore. For shopping, you can go to Christiana Mall, a very large shopping center that combines shopping and dining. Delaware is tax-free statewide, so if you catch a sale, it's more cost-effective than outlets.

In Philadelphia: the Mütter Museum, City Hall, the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and street views. The Mütter Museum is a very special, niche museum that exhibits the history of medical development and specimens of various diseases, but photography is not allowed. The outlets near Philadelphia are also worth visiting; they have discounts but are not tax-free.

As the political center of the U.S., with numerous museums and historical monuments, it's truly impossible to see everything in one day. I could only briefly visit the popular attractions. The Pentagon does not allow photography, and only U.S. citizens can make an appointment to tour it.

Annapolis, the capital of Maryland. The United States Naval Academy is located here. You can register to visit, and there is also a museum on the development of the U.S. Navy. A very quiet and beautiful campus. Almost all buildings have white brick and green roofs.

Besides the Naval Academy, Annapolis is also a beautiful harbor town.

In the U.S., people running in parks and on roads are everywhere. They actively greet others, very friendly. As long as you download Google Maps, domestic fitness apps should be able to record exercise routes. I tested Huawei Health and Yue Dong Quan. Both worked fine, but back in China you can't see the specific place names. So if you want to keep a souvenir, it's best to take a screenshot after running.

New York's Central Park, worried that domestic fitness apps might not work well, I downloaded an app commonly used by Americans.

Corning (Huawei Health)

Buffalo (Huawei Health)

Baltimore (Huawei Health)

When driving in the U.S., be sure to carefully read signs. Especially STOP signs at intersections, NO TURN ON RED, etc. When turning, yield to pedestrians: stop before the turn, not at the crosswalk. From Manhattan to JFK Airport, you can take a train or subway to Jamaica and then transfer to the AirTrain JFK RED. Although it's the Red Line, the signs seen at Jamaica Station are yellow.

Many trains can go to Jamaica.

Google Maps navigation is very clear. At the train station, carefully check the screens to find the platform for your train.

From Jamaica to JFK Airport is the Red Line.

I experienced watching a movie in the U.S.: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. My English is basically at a kindergarten level, and the movie had no subtitles, pure English. It was like looking at pictures. The theater I went to had reclining seats; it seems most U.S. theaters have such seats. Also, you can borrow an accessibility device for free, which provides synchronized subtitles. You plug it into the cup holder on the armrest. Having subtitles is much better than just listening.

Travel Notes Directory

1. Baltimore

2. Johns Hopkins University (JHU)

3. Christiana

4. Philadelphia

5. One-day tour of Washington D.C.

6. One-day tour of Annapolis

7. Exercise

8. Final Thoughts

9. Interesting Experiences

Travel Information Hotel Index Guide Index Flight Index Site Navigation Travel Index Cruise Index Corporate Travel Index Franchise Cooperation Distribution Alliance Friendship Links Corporate Gift Card Purchasing Insurance Agency Agency Cooperation Hotel Franchise Destination and Scenic Spot Cooperation More Franchise Cooperation About Ctrip About Ctrip Ctrip Hot Topics Contact Us Careers User Agreement Privacy Policy Business License Safety Center Ctrip Content Center Intellectual Property Trip.com Group Algorithm Publicity