Once I got in the city I felt like I was close to home, the cold air mixed together with the pollution was nothing short of Riverside, CA. However, the history of this city made this trip unforgettable, the architecture and art put me in a different time period. The best time I had was walking to the Eiffel Tower at 1:00am in freezing weather... nobody was on the streets it was just us.

This would have to be my favorite city in the states. The state of Washington had clear skies in the summer and allowed vegetation to grow beautifully. One of my favorite places I visited was the Chihuly Garden and Glass which is located next to the space needle. The "art gallery" was all hand blown glass crafted by Dale Chihuly.

Fun Fact: In 1986, he was honored with a solo exhibition, Dale Chihuly objets de verre, at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Palais du Louvre, in Paris!

I appreciated seeing his art at two different museums across the world.

One of my favorite and last places I have been was up north in Mammoth. I stay in Crowley, which is 20 minutes away from Mammoth and that was my first real experience in a vast green valley. I finally understood the calm feeling you get when standing in a meadow and listens to the sound of nature. One of my favorite things I did when I was up there was swimming and paddling boarding in June lake. What surprised me the most about this lake was it wasn't cold and you could walk so far out before it got deep. This was also the cleanest and clearest lake I swam in...

Something you aren't used to in Riverside.