I got back home on Thursday morning, but jet lag is still in full on disorienting, being a bitch mode. Grrrr. I think though that this is the perfect time to write about the wonderful two weeks Alex and I had in California to remind me that the jet lag is totally worth it!
As I mentioned, Comic Con tickets didn't happen for us, but this merely altered our holiday as opposed to ruin it. We flew from Manchester to San Diego, with a stop over in New York, then visited Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Yosemtie and then flew home via New York from San Francisco. I'm going to detail it all place by place and try to keep it as concise as possible, but bear with me please! There's a lot to talk about.
We arrived in San Diego at pretty much bed time, so it wasn't until the next day we got any kind of sense of the place. Our hotel, the Wyndham Bayside, was in the perfect location. We woke up, walked out of our hotel and were literally right on San Diego Bay. The place was stunning.
This picture was taken from the deck of the USS Midway which was about 7 minutes walk away from our hotel. The Midway is an aircraft carrier that was used against the Japanese in the battles in the Pacific during the Second World War. Now, Alex and I are both history fans and like to nerd out on holiday, but I'm more taken with 'people' history, whilst he's into weapons and strategies etc. This was evident in the fact that while we watched a film about a particular battle in the war that saw one group lose all of it's members bar one, Alex managed to admit it was incredibly sad but focused on the strategy and facts, while I cried that so many people died. War is a terrible thing, but it was wonderful that in a park, view-able from the deck, is a statue of the famous nurse and sailor kiss, reminding all around of love. It was from that statue that we walked along the bay, passed the convention centre that was hosting Comic Con (there were almost more tears), through the lively, cultured Gaslamp Quarter to the Hard Rock Cafe for some lunch. We then pottered through a nearby mall and I bought some trainers - a must do thing as American branded trainers are super cheap compared to English one, same with Levi jeans but more on that later. Unfortunately, we then found out we didn't have enough time before our flight to travel round the bay to the sea lion island, so we went back to our hotel only to discover Southwest airlines were having issues with their systems and our flight to Las Vegas was cancelled.
4 hours later than expected, after being put on standby for a later flight than we were initially booked onto, we arrived in Vegas! And let me tell you, bright lights city set my soul on fire.
I was utterly surprised by how much I liked Vegas. I mean, it's tacky as tacky can be, it's too hot (44 degrees minimum during the day) to really go anywhere without walking through air-conditioned hotels and casinos, and it's pretty expensive. However, I think the fact that it is the original tacky is probably why I just got on with it and enjoyed. The place is outrageous, and it owns that fact, so you may as well just enjoy it. A personal highlight, and a bit of a dream come true was seeing the Blue Man Group live - incredibly entertaining! We also went to a gun range because, as the Olympics is proving, shooting can be a sport, a skill, merely hitting a target, like archery or boules, it doesn't have to hurt people. Just saying.
After three wonderful nights at the marvelous Mirage hotel, it was time for Los Angeles. As expected, L.A. for me was a soulless sh*thole. It really didn't appeal to me as a place so much so that it is now my least favourite place ever and London has been bumped up to second least favourite. Everything there is rather spread out, and it's difficult to get your bearings and feel completely comfortable. It all felt rather bland and pretentious, not for me I'm afraid. Having said that, I'm glad I went and saw the landmarks, another box ticked off the list of things to see. I did quite like the walk of fame, and feel you can tell a lot about a person by which stars they take pictures of - I took many a picture to be fair, here's one of my favourites.
Dick Wolf is the creator of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit which stars Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson who is to adult Laura what Gina Gold was to young Laura; goals. I didn't realise he had a star on the walk of fame so it was a pleasant surprise, and the whole road, though heavily congested is a definite must-see. My other must-see of L.A. is Warner Brothers studios. This gem was in the downstairs of the building that had Harry Potter items upstairs a.k.a. heaven.
I'm Batman('s ancestor).
The tour was fantastically run, and even is you aren't a fan of Warner Bros. films or T.V. shows, it would entertain most.
Our next stop was our first visit to San Francisco. We stayed near the Port of San Francisco and had this beautiful view of the Bay Bridge within 5 minutes walk from our hotel, the Harbor Court hotel.
During this first visit we used City Sightseeing tour buses to see as much of the beautiful individual of a city as possible, as we have used in many other places with great success, and we used in Los Angeles on this trip. Unfortunately, it seems that Big Bus are the more effective tour operators in San Francisco as they had more buses meaning less waiting times at stops. It didn't affect our trip too negatively, but forewarned is forearmed as they say.
From San Francisco we drove to the stunningly impressive Yosemite National Park. I say we, Alex drove as they add on very expensive insurance to hire cars for every driver under the age of 25, and as he is a more experienced and confident driver than myself, it made sense. We stayed for one night in the Yosemite Lodge which is just outside of the park. I would advise staying there or staying within the park, every other option is some distance away, including gas stations so top up your tank before you hit the park. Then you won't have to pay extortionate amounts, or worry about running out whilst you're absorbed by the incredible views Yosemite provides.
You could look in any direction whatsoever and have your eyes widen in awe. The whole place is beautiful, a really scared area of unspoiled nature.
Two days and one night in serenity later and it was back to San Francisco. Whilst there we were disappointed with the fact that tickets to visit Alcatraz prison island sell out at least a month before the date, so we had no chance of getting any. Instead, we had relaxing days visiting the original Levi factory and store, then buying discounted Levis, exploring Fisherman's Wharf where our Zephyr Hotel was located, and visiting other hubs of San Fran; Union Square and China Town. During our first trip to the city we had a delicious dinner at a great Chinese I'm infuriated I can't remember the name of...I'll fill it in as soon as it comes back to me. We also tackled the infamous fog to travel the Golden Gate bridge.
It was completely worth it, and the difference on the other side was spectacular.
There is also an adorable little place called Sausilito on the other side of the bridge. It had a very European feel to it, and even more stunning views from its shoreline.
I'd say, though I feel I'm not a California girl, for the views alone San Francisco and Yosemite are worth a revisit. I also am still desperate to go to Comic Con, so San Diego I will return, and I will visit the sea lions! Whilst over that way I may drop by Las Vegas for some fun, or tag it on to a Grand Canyon trip which we didn't manage this time as it takes up a full day and we were only there for 3 days, each filled with plans. L.A. however...it's not me, it's you, I don't think we'll be meeting again...
Ultimately, I am very grateful for the time I had away, I fully appreciate I'm a very blessed young person to have seen so many sights and had so many experiences. Until the next one!
As I mentioned, Comic Con tickets didn't happen for us, but this merely altered our holiday as opposed to ruin it. We flew from Manchester to San Diego, with a stop over in New York, then visited Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Yosemtie and then flew home via New York from San Francisco. I'm going to detail it all place by place and try to keep it as concise as possible, but bear with me please! There's a lot to talk about.
We arrived in San Diego at pretty much bed time, so it wasn't until the next day we got any kind of sense of the place. Our hotel, the Wyndham Bayside, was in the perfect location. We woke up, walked out of our hotel and were literally right on San Diego Bay. The place was stunning.
4 hours later than expected, after being put on standby for a later flight than we were initially booked onto, we arrived in Vegas! And let me tell you, bright lights city set my soul on fire.
After three wonderful nights at the marvelous Mirage hotel, it was time for Los Angeles. As expected, L.A. for me was a soulless sh*thole. It really didn't appeal to me as a place so much so that it is now my least favourite place ever and London has been bumped up to second least favourite. Everything there is rather spread out, and it's difficult to get your bearings and feel completely comfortable. It all felt rather bland and pretentious, not for me I'm afraid. Having said that, I'm glad I went and saw the landmarks, another box ticked off the list of things to see. I did quite like the walk of fame, and feel you can tell a lot about a person by which stars they take pictures of - I took many a picture to be fair, here's one of my favourites.
The tour was fantastically run, and even is you aren't a fan of Warner Bros. films or T.V. shows, it would entertain most.
Our next stop was our first visit to San Francisco. We stayed near the Port of San Francisco and had this beautiful view of the Bay Bridge within 5 minutes walk from our hotel, the Harbor Court hotel.
From San Francisco we drove to the stunningly impressive Yosemite National Park. I say we, Alex drove as they add on very expensive insurance to hire cars for every driver under the age of 25, and as he is a more experienced and confident driver than myself, it made sense. We stayed for one night in the Yosemite Lodge which is just outside of the park. I would advise staying there or staying within the park, every other option is some distance away, including gas stations so top up your tank before you hit the park. Then you won't have to pay extortionate amounts, or worry about running out whilst you're absorbed by the incredible views Yosemite provides.
Two days and one night in serenity later and it was back to San Francisco. Whilst there we were disappointed with the fact that tickets to visit Alcatraz prison island sell out at least a month before the date, so we had no chance of getting any. Instead, we had relaxing days visiting the original Levi factory and store, then buying discounted Levis, exploring Fisherman's Wharf where our Zephyr Hotel was located, and visiting other hubs of San Fran; Union Square and China Town. During our first trip to the city we had a delicious dinner at a great Chinese I'm infuriated I can't remember the name of...I'll fill it in as soon as it comes back to me. We also tackled the infamous fog to travel the Golden Gate bridge.
I'd say, though I feel I'm not a California girl, for the views alone San Francisco and Yosemite are worth a revisit. I also am still desperate to go to Comic Con, so San Diego I will return, and I will visit the sea lions! Whilst over that way I may drop by Las Vegas for some fun, or tag it on to a Grand Canyon trip which we didn't manage this time as it takes up a full day and we were only there for 3 days, each filled with plans. L.A. however...it's not me, it's you, I don't think we'll be meeting again...
Ultimately, I am very grateful for the time I had away, I fully appreciate I'm a very blessed young person to have seen so many sights and had so many experiences. Until the next one!
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