Summer Across the Nation

By KAMRAN YASHOUAFAR | Junior Reporter

Summer of 2025 was an adventurous year for me. I spent three weeks traveling along the East Coast, visiting the New England states: New York, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

My travels started in the Big Apple, New York City. I took a ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. I got to try amazing pizza from Prince Street Pizza, and even took the underground train to the Broadway industry to tour Shubert Theater.

I rented a boat in Central Park, visited the zoo and had a famous hot dog from one of the carts. I finished my trip in the state by climbing the Empire State Building, where I enjoyed the stunning view of the city line.

Next, I drove to Rhode Island. My hotel was centrally located in the main city of Providence, walking distance from Brown University. I took a day trip to the chic island of Newport.

I visited the Newport’s Gilded Age mansions, which offered a unique trip through 250 years of American history, architecture, art and landscape design. It was also nice to bike along the old railroads and grab an ice cream to cool off from the hot, humid day.

I visited Brown University and the surrounding college town as well. It was unusual being on a college campus during summer, but it was still nice to get a glimpse of college life on such a prestigious campus. Although Rhode Island was nice, it wasn’t my favorite place.

My journey continued to Nantucket Island in Massachusetts, where I celebrated Fourth of July in a small town atmosphere. As the morning went on, the entire town poured into the center square where the firemen sprayed us with their fire hoses and the whole town participated in a water fight.

I also rented a bike and toured the entire island on a 15-mile journey riding from one beach to another, stopping to jump in the ocean each time.

My last stop was in the famous city of Boston. This was the highlight of my trip. I arrived at the hotel in the morning and then began to explore the city before stopping at a famous Kosher restaurant for lunch.

I visited a museum that featured a reenactment of the Tea Party and took a walking tour through the city’s historic highlights, such as the Boston Common and Paul Revere’s smith shop. My favorite spot was the Cheers Pub, a famous bar based off the TV sitcom “Cheers.”

I ended my visit to this amazing town by visiting Boston College, one of my top university choices. Boston was filled with so much history, and yet so alive with culture and young people.

Although most of my friends spent their summer in Europe, I spent my summer exploring the different parts of our own home country and learning about the history that has impacted our lives today.