New York and New Jersey

USA!

For the past eight months I'd been looking at strange maps, trying to figure out where I was. This map on the airplane was a beautiful sight, because I recognized where I was going.

It was really great to be back in my country. We really are the best game in town. If anybody disagrees with me, go to a better country and send me a postcard.

The first thing I saw on New York after I left the airport was the site of the World Trade Center. The area is buzzing. New Yorkers are aggressively hungry for success. You can see it by how they walk.
They've finally started building the new World Trade Center "Freedom Tower".

The subway was a scary place to take photos. Everybody looks like they just came from a funeral. Grrrrr.

The center of world. (NY Stock Exchange).

Brooklyn Bridge

This is a nice park on the West side of Manhattan.

The Empire State Building

Chrysler Building

I thought this house looked like the one from the "Cosby Show"

Rockefeller Center

New York Public Library

I stayed with my friend Scott in Jersey City. This is his view. There are tons of these big condos being built in Jersey City like this one in the foreground.

He bought me a cake. Thanks Scott.

We drove out to the country on the weekend.

Delaware River

We went out to this old Railroad bridge to jump off and swim in the water. Good fun in the sun. Much more original than going to the beach.

This is Scott (standing) and his girlfriend. Thanks again guys.

This is a nice example of New Jersey architecture. Breathtaking isn't it?

I spent a week in my hometown of Long Valley in New Jersey.
This is my old middle school. A little different than my school in Sikkim.

My family: that's my big brother Erik, my Grandma Wilkin (you can call her Mary), and my mom Kay.
They were all a big help in my trip around the world, so..
THANKS!

This is the house that I grew up in. It seemed like a normal home when I was growing up, but after seeing how the rest of the world lives, I understand that this is a castle, and that I won the lottery when I was born into this situation. I have to thank my Dad, Bruce Anderson, the hardest working guy I know. In case anybody was wondering how a substitute teacher can afford to go around the world...He's the guy that paid for this thing. Sweet.

Dad's garden

This is the sight of my old fortress that I built when I was a kid. My fort was protected by walls of brick, wood, thorny bushes, and holes dug in the ground and hidden with leaves. It had everything except a missile defense shield. I'm not sure why anybody would attack my fort, except for the North Korean kid across the street who was always building stuff in his basement.

A real pizza joint. I had been looking forward to this moment for months. America has the best pizza in the world, and the best pizza in America is in New Jersey.

Note how the cheese to bread ratio is about 50/50. The crust is chewy, and the sauce is thick. THIS is how you make pizza!

______________________________________________

After two good weeks in New York and New Jersey, I took the final flight back home to San Diego. My roommate didn't pick me up. His name is Ian Lewis.

My friends came over to my apartment and graffitied my walls with special messages of support.

My own bed. It might not look like much to you, but for me it looks like heaven.
My pool table, and our robot Queso-6000. I was afraid that my pool skills would have deteriorated and that my roommate Ian (the guy who didn't pick me up at the airport) would beat up on me. I'm pleased to announce to the world that I'm the current champion of the household. All is well in San Diego.

It felt pretty weird coming back home after eight months. Things looked the same...but different. It was like watching a television show after you've missed a full season. I remember talking with another traveler in Sikkim about how weird it is coming home after being on the road for a long time. He told me that the best way to remind yourself that you're back home is to look in the refrigerator. Same mustard, same jelly, same pickles. Its funny but true. I'm really back home.
But as I sit here at my computer finishing off the blog, I'm looking at that map above my desk and my foot is twitching. Anyone up for a road trip?

This is the conclusion of Chuck's World Journal (sniffle). Thanks to everybody who helped me throughout the trip. I can't adequately describe how great it was, so all I can say is "go see for yourself." It wasn't nearly as difficult as people think. I had a hell of a good time and I learned more than I did at college. Next time you are in a bookstore, spend a few minutes in the travel section and just browse for a while. Pick a country and plot out hypothetical trip. Then work to make it happen. Its a big big world and we only get one life. Get out there.

-Thanks for Reading-