Elizabeth Perruso

Wow, what a city. I went there a few years back, for spring break of my senior year in high school. I have never had so much fun. While it’s a city full of history, it’s far from dull and stuffy, as the English stereotype can imply. It’s also a really open and friendly city, with some of the nicest people I have ever met.

During the day, I spent a lot of time trying to culture myself. I went to the British Museum (the Egyptian exhibit is out of sight), the Tower of London (amazing), Hampton Court (home of Henry VIII), and a bunch of other places. At night, there’s the theater, tons of great restaurants, and other things to do.

I’m really horrible at writing these blurbs, but I can’t impress upon you guys how great London is. If you can, go visit. It doesn’t matter if you’re not a history buff and just looking for a fun time, or if you’re just looking for a relaxing vacation. To sound completely cheeseball, there’s something for everyone. I’ve been dying to go back, and hopefully I will get to some time in the future.

Great place to visit, but not a great place to live for a very long time. It’s a government town, in the most glorified sense of the term, which makes sense, since it’s our nation’s capital. The museums are great, and there are lots of fun things to do, if the new security measures don’t bother you too much.

Living around there was not fun. Growing up, you can only go to the Air and Space Museum for field trips before you want to vomit if you see another moon rock. The traffic is horrendous, as the streets are not really designed to handle all of the traffic. Plus, it gets bloody hot and ridiculously humid during the summer. It’s neat to be around so much history, but growing up around there can really make you take it for granted, and that makes me sad. I wish I didn’t feel that way about our capital, but oh well. Such is life.

Great vacation spot, though. Go see it.

Honestly, I was surprised how much I loved Dallas. It’s Texas, and I’ve never been one to get excited about the prospect of Texas. Maybe it’s because I’m now an uppity New-Englander, but Dallas felt so laid back, like a city that was comfortable in its own skin. It’s very different from the East Coast, where I’ve lived most of my life. The East Coast is so bustling and jostling and constantly on the go with success and rules staring you in the face, and Dallas was just chill, fun, and very neat.

Plus, you can smoke anywhere, and that was a nice little perk. The bars are fun, and the people are incredibly amiable and friendly, which also surprised me. Overall, two thumbs up for Dallas. Fine family fun.

It’s a weird, but very pretty town. Driving around, when not swerving to avoid deer, is lovely, as all the streets are tree-lined. It’s an odd place to live as a teenager, as I did. My house was in the woods. I didn’t see my next door neighbor aside from one time when I forced to have dinner with them. I spent most of my time in the neighboring town of McLean, as Great Falls is kind of boring, socially. (Hi, they decided not to build a McDonald’s in our town, and instead built an Arby’s, as the former would have brought the “ruffians” in.)

Like I mentioned, though, it’s beautiful, especially in the fall and winter time. There are horse farms all over the place, and it has some lovely little restaurants. I wouldn’t call it a destination place, but it’s a nice place to live.

37 Rutland is quite the party palace, with video games, movies, the occasional tripping over a remote. (I swear, it was trying to bite me.) There’s drama, intrigue, insanity, and other fun things. C’mon down!