Once upon time in America
Traveling to get acquainted with this interesting country of the USA is not an easy task. The main difficulties are to collect all the necessary documents for the US Consulate and pass a personal interview in Kyiv. Unfortunately, the attitude towards the citizens of Ukraine is ambiguous, the requirement for documents is increased. So it is necessary to provide as many financial documents as possible about your financial solvency, that the purpose of the trip is to get to know the country, and not to illegally emigrate to the United States. Documents that confirm your financial solvency are copies of real estate documents (apartments, houses, land plots, cars, garages, etc. , which you consider necessary to indicate), bank accounts and salary statements. There are certain requirements. So, the salary must be indicated for the last 6 months and not less than 5000 hryvnia per month, the bank account must not be less than the equivalent of 5000 US dollars. Another important requirement is the presence in the passport of visas about your previous trips abroad, the presence of a "Schengen visa". The interview itself is not difficult. If the documents are in order, you are fingerprinted and a five-year visa allows tourists multiple exciting trips to the United States.
Having gone through all these formalities, we, a group of tourists from Yalta, are flying to the USA. Our route lies along the east coast of the country - New York - Orlando - Miami - Niagara Falls - Washington. The flight is carried out by the leading American airline Delta. 10 hours on the road flew by unnoticed, we are met by New York. The host is the largest travel company that specializes in working with Russian and Ukrainian tourists, Russian-speaking emigrants. For accommodation, tourist-class hotels are provided, by the way, very comfortable. Leaving things at the Comfort Inn hotel, we decide not to wait for the first excursion tomorrow, but to start exploring New York on our own (although there is a 10-hour flight behind us, the time difference is 6 hours, and it is already evening in the city). Where to go? . Of course, to Manhattan, or rather to Broadway - the heart of New York. The trip is purposeful. I really want to visit one of the famous Broadway musicals. We were lucky. It's already evening, Saturday, a little more than an hour remains before the performance, but we manage to pick up the last tickets for one of the most popular musicals "Mama Mia". As soon as you plunge into the atmosphere of the production, see how the artists work, hear their fantastic voices, you understand that you pay money here for good reason. The impression is amazing, no hack-work. Artists work at the highest emotional point, as if this is their most important performance in life. And after all, this is every day, and every day at the performances a full house. One of our tourists said - "If I had the opportunity, I would go to the performances every day. " And she is absolutely right.
The day of the second stay in the country began with a sightseeing tour of New York. Former compatriots work with us as a driver and guide. Naturally, the excursion has not yet begun, our first questions to former fellow countrymen are “How is life in a foreign land? ”. Their answers were somewhat discouraging. “I’m tired of everything, I really want to go home, life has become worse here in the USA. Many have already left, or are about to leave. ” We then asked this question about life in emigration to everyone who worked or traveled with us for 12 days around the country. 80% of respondents are ready to go back.
I liked New York. The city, of course, is very different from the old capitals of Europe. There is no such beautiful architecture, there are much fewer historical monuments, but Americans can and are able to show all the best that is in their capital. We visited the historical and business center of the city, saw the old fortress, the Statue of Liberty, the Broadway and Manhattan bridges, Wall Street, 5th Avenue, Broadway, the memorial complex under construction, where the towers were destroyed as a result of the September 11.2001 terrorist attack, the famous Rockefeller Center . The Metropolitan Museum left the strongest impression. The museum is unique, it contains the best works of art from all over the Old and New Worlds. The museum's budget is staggering - many tens of millions of dollars are spent annually on the maintenance and acquisition of new works of art. And most importantly, the budget is made not from the money that the museum itself earns, but from private donations from patrons. Entrance to the museum costs $20. Officially. But every visitor is considered a philanthropist, in one way or another. You can see all the expositions of the museum not for $20, but by paying only $1. Everyone who enters the museum pays the cost that he considers necessary, or can pay. No difference. And what wonderful collections of impressionists, ancient and medieval culture, masters of the Renaissance. What is not here? ! Anyone can visit the museum by spending one dollar (5 hryvnias). And we recall with sadness the entrance prices to our Crimean museums. Their expositions are not comparable with the collection of the Metropolitan, as well as the prices of 20-30 hryvnias.
And of course, Brighton Beach. All tours of New York begin and end with this famous area of Russian emigration. Everywhere you can hear native speech. A soft South Ukrainian dialect with an Odessa accent, Moscow akanye, Volga okane. Here people live their ordinary lives, never having adapted, or not wanting to adapt to American life. Signboards in Russian, products from that now distant life, their own mentality, their own vicious circle of communication. It seems that you are not in America, but somewhere in Odessa or Kharkov. Nostalgia is felt everywhere and in everything, which seems to hover over this island of emigrants.
Having finished our two-day acquaintance with New York, we fly south to Florida. Our next stop in Orlando starts with a wardrobe change. Here is a stable temperature of + 25-28 degrees. Orlando was once a small town. The population was engaged in agriculture. Later, a space center arose, but the rampant heyday of the city began with the construction of a whole city of Disneyland attractions. There are 17 of them in the city. In principle, there are no tourists in the city itself. There is nothing to see there - an ordinary American city. The most important thing is around the city, where numerous tourist centers are concentrated nearby and the entertainment industry. How important these centers are for the economy of the city, you understand already at the Orlando airport. A huge modern airport, where planes take off or land every 20-30 seconds. Tourists come here not only from all over America, but from all over the world. There is no tourist season here. It is crowded here all year round, especially during the Christmas holidays. Tourists fly in or come here for at least seven days. The Americans created an amazing entertainment center from scratch, which, bringing in billions of dollars in income, has already paid off dozens of times and consistently brings huge profits, which are again invested in the construction of new entertainment centers. All the same, probably such enterprising people as the Americans, who can and are able to make wonderful shows out of nothing, probably do not exist anywhere in the world. To say that the parks made a huge impression on us would be an understatement. The parks are stunning. They are divided into certain topics, not a single performance, not a single attraction is repeated. What are the performances in the Water World park worth. These are different performances with killer whales, super complex tricks with dolphins, fur seals, penguins. These are not just performances - this is a real circus show, where circus acts from different genres are used. It is fun and interesting for everyone from young to old. In one day, at best, you can visit 30-40% of the show programs of one of the parks. And there are 17 of them, and they are all completely different. Their task is not only just entertainment, but specially designed educational programs for children. Probably seven days in Orlando is not enough. We were only there for two days. In reality, you can only see two parks. All day we travel through the parks, and in the evening we exchange impressions in the hotel pool. I didn't want to leave Orlando. But ahead of us was waiting for Miami.
We travel by bus from Orlando to Miami. The tour is led by former Soviet journalist Emil Garber. He leads the tour very well and professionally. On the way we learn a lot of interesting things about the country, about its customs, economy, about the life of ordinary Americans. "Emil! And how are you doing, how do you live in America? “There is a lot of work. There are no days off and no holidays. There are interesting and profitable offers to conduct individual tours around the country. You can earn a lot at once. But they are rare. If for their sake I refuse at least once from a planned excursion, they can be fired, you will be left without a job. Therefore, for the sake of every minute earnings, he must refuse profitable part-time jobs. And in general, everything is tired. If I had the opportunity, I would return home. ”
Miami. How defiantly attractive this name sounds. The city where millionaires and billionaires rest. A city that employs hundreds of thousands of people in the service sector. Approaching Miami, we see vast areas of dry forest. The city is being built, there is not enough land, and therefore they cut down forests, wait for them to dry out, and then boldly cut down dry wood. Here are the finished new areas for buildings. How do we know these tendencies? Poor planet Earth, our poor descendants, doomed for the momentary financial gain of their ancestors to live in the stone jungle. On the outskirts of Miami, there are canals and swamps - places of free habitat for crocodiles and iguanas. We visited one of the crocodile reserves. We saw a small show with crocodiles, sailed on a boat through the reservoirs, where, 2-3 meters from us, crocodiles imposingly basked in the sun.
Miami is beautiful. Our acquaintance with the resort began with a harbor cruise. The ship offers a panorama of the modern city, its bridges and piers, high-rise buildings and around numerous private yachts for every taste and budget, the most beautiful modern ocean liners. There are special cruise ships - casinos. Casinos are banned in the city, but the ban is easy to get around. On the ship you go out into the open ocean and you have a whole night of excitement ahead of you. The island of billionaires left the strongest impression. Our ship comes close to the island and the guide methodically shows the villas of celebrities. There are no forks here. The names of their owners are heard - Hollywood stars, famous tycoons, politicians. But even here there are laws. Not everyone, even a very rich person, can have a mansion here. To live here means to affirm and emphasize one's highest social status. But when the owners of these villas are in place, you can hardly envy them. Hundreds of tourists are waiting for the owners to leave the house, plunge into the pool or just walk along the lawn. I think they feel at this moment, like animals in a zoo. But, you have to pay for everything. Behind the island of billionaires, we look around the "Golden Isles" of millionaires. The morals here are a little simpler, but not that much. It also has its own social circle of masters. The islands are separated from the land by road bridges, through which only the owners and their attendants can pass. We are not allowed there.
We check into the President Hotel. This is the second line. To the beaches and the ocean 100 meters. The first line is Ocean Beach, the most expensive street in Miami, an analogue of our embankment. Numerous restaurants and cafes, expensive boutiques, the most expensive hotels. The park separates them from the ocean. The park has one name, in fact it is a strip of several palm trees planted along the ocean. Life in Miami is seething all 24 hours a day, especially crowded in the evening and at night. The city itself wakes up late. But not us. Since early morning we have already basked on the beach under the rays of the Florida sun. The beach is a huge sandy strip along the Atlantic Ocean. All beaches are free, without any fences, departmental and restricted areas. Paid only sunbeds and umbrellas. In the morning, special modern equipment cleans the beaches, levels the sand. Cafes are open. The water temperature in the ocean is 20-22 degrees. It is comfortable to rest, but only until 12 o'clock, later it starts to get hot. After lunch, we again have a tour of Miami and its environs. We definitely love Miami. Airplanes are constantly visible in the sky. Millions of people fly in and out of the resort. The schedule at the airport is even busier than in Orlando. For each aircraft, airport controllers allocate no more than 10 seconds for takeoff and landing.
Two days in Miami flew by fun, interesting and unnoticed. We are changing our wardrobe again. From the hot south, our path lies north to Niagara Falls. The path lies through New York. From the capital we travel by bus. The ride is long (10 hours), but interesting. It was during this move that we saw the real America. The one about which Ilf and Petrov wrote "America is one-story. " Along the whole way we saw picturesque rivers and mountains and everywhere one-story wooden houses. It seems that life has simply stopped in these places. But it is here that the flavor of American life is felt. The guide's story on the way is a story about the history of the exploration of America by the Dutch, French, and British. A story about their struggle for new lands among themselves and with warlike Indians, about the history of the formation of a new nation.
Niagara Falls greeted us with light frost, snow and ice blocks. Of course, the time for exploring the waterfalls is not the best, but everything has its own charm. If you travel to the waterfalls in the summer, you can travel under the jets of the waterfall on a sightseeing boat along the water border between America and Canada. But we saw extraordinarily beautiful waterfalls in the snow and ice. You can view the waterfalls from two sides - from the Canadian and American. Crossing the bridge to the Canadian side is not a problem. No one will stop at the border. But on foot to return from Canada to America for non-citizens of America, this is already a problem. You can get stuck in Canada for a long time. We didn't risk it. The first European to see Niagara Falls was É tienne Brü hl in 1615. The name translates as "Thunder of water". The waterfalls themselves are separated by Goat Island on the American and Canadian sides. The most impressive waterfalls are "American", "Bridal Veil" and "Horseshoe". The height of the water fall is not very high, 51 meters on the American side and 49 meters on the Canadian side. The length of the water fall is from 330 to 790 meters. The volume of water that crashes down is 4300 cubic meters. The day turned out to be sunny and the rainbows on the waterfalls simply fascinated us. The current of the river is very rough. In the entire known history of waterfalls, only one case is known when a person who accidentally fell into a turbulent stream managed to escape. A little boy was miraculously saved in 1960. The exposition of the museum tells about this, there is even a photograph of the rescue. Today, however, some extremals travel through the waterfalls in wooden barrels. The fall speed from the waterfall is 5 seconds. In the evening, the waterfalls are illuminated with multi-colored lights and look fantastic. In the morning they again appeared to us in a new enchanting image. We realized that at different times of the day, the waterfalls seem to live their new life. No one mentioned the long journey. Everyone wanted to stay at the waterfalls longer, to see them from a new angle. Life itself in the town near the waterfalls, especially in winter, when there are fewer tourists, is significantly different from the hectic life of Miami. But even here there are charms, especially for casino lovers. The lands on which the waterfalls are located on the American side belong to the Indians. And as if feeling guilty before the indigenous population of America, the US government exempted the Indians from a number of federal taxes and allowed casinos to be kept on their ancestral lands. Casinos are different from European ones. There is no dress control here, the audience and morals are much simpler, but the essence is the same, to pump out as much money as possible from gambling people.
Leaving Niagara Falls, we are going to the capital of the United States - Washington, or as the Washingtonians call their city "DC" for short. The city, which arose in 1791. immediately as the capital of the United States thanks to two specialists - a surveyor and a civil engineer. The surveyor was the first President of the United States, George Washington, and the civil engineer, Pierre Charles Lefand. Until that time, the capital of the United States changed its location many times, until finally a decision was made on the border of the north and south, on the lands of the four states, to create a new, permanent capital, which was to become a symbol of the new nation. D. Washington wrote “I see it as a symbol. . . We must build it based on the understanding that in the future a great nation will appear on this continent. . Now we have an opportunity that no nation had before. . Great America must have a great capital! ”
Washington's dream came true. Even during his lifetime, the new capital received his name. True, Washington himself never called the city his estate. He called the new city the "Federal Capital". Today, Washington differs from other cities in America, thanks to its thoughtful buildings and architecture. The city most likely resembles a European capital. Situated on the banks of the Potomac River, the city became not only the administrative capital of the country, but also one of the leading cultural and scientific centers. Unlike other cities in America, you will not see skyscrapers in Washington. The tallest building is the Capitol. All other houses must not exceed the height of the Washington Memorial, and its height is 157 meters. Undoubtedly, the most beautiful houses in the city are the houses where the embassies of many states are located. The city has a lot of beautiful parks and squares, many museums. So, on the banks of the Potomac River, Arlington Memorial Cemetery is located with monuments to Abraham Lincoln and General Robert Lee. The ashes of John F. Kennedy and his wife are also buried here. In the city center, the memorial complexes dedicated to US Presidents Lincoln and Roosevelt are always crowded; a memorial stele built in honor of D. Washington is visible from all sides. Along the Mall National Park, which is a wide avenue, there are numerous museums - a real mecca for tourists. The alley stretched for two miles from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial. On both sides are the National Art Gallery, the Sculpture Park, the American Indian Museum, the Space and Aircraft Museum, the Smithsonian Center and many other museums. This is a favorite vacation spot for citizens and tourists. If you're lucky, in the evening you can get to the center of them. Kennedy. The best singers, musicians and artists from all over the world are invited here. Rostrapovich and Baryshnikov performed here.
We were lucky again with the guide. Mikhail has been living in America for 28 years. Despite his considerable age (68 years old), he works as a guide. An art critic himself, he gave us not just a tour, it was a real show performance, especially when visiting the national art gallery. Mikhail considers himself to be a real American, and apparently asserting himself in this role, his statements about his former homeland are not always loyal. He constantly tried to emphasize, as it were, how good it is in America, and how bad it is here. Already at the end of the tour, he came up to me and said: “I asked your friend Valentine, how is America? And can you imagine, he answered me that life is given to a person once and it must be lived in Yalta. I looked at the old, tired emigrant and replied: "Valentin is absolutely right. " The guide looked disappointed.
So our two-week trip to America came to an end. I definitely liked the country. There is a lot of interesting things to see, learn, and here you can have a great rest. We are sitting in a New York restaurant not far from our hotel. Dump, or just a farewell dinner. Entering the restaurant, we hear Russian speech. The company is at the next table. These are already old emigrants and their friends who have just emigrated to America. New immigrants thank their friends who helped them move to America. A waitress comes to our table. Hearing us talking, she takes our order in Russian. It has been a year since she moved from Kazakhstan and works in a Turkish restaurant. We order "something branded". They offer red mullet, just brought from the Black Sea. We do not believe our ears. "Red mullet?! . Bring it dear and don't forget a bottle of Californian wine. " We share our impressions, remember the funny moments of the trip and summarize. Yes, it is necessary to see America, and if possible, more than once. But you have to live in Yalta! Good-bye America, good-bye.
The material is provided by the travel agency "VISA". The author of the article is V. Zakhodyakin. Our address: Yalta, st. Sadovaya, 19. tel 272961.230581