Facts, Figures and Best Ofs |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 16:46 |
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Observations About America 3 – General |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 16:41 |
Here’s the last post about observations! These cover a number of topics to do with general living and travel in the USA. ... |
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Observations About America Part 2 – Food & Drink |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 16:38 |
Everyone knows American’s love their food, so I won’t bore anyone with accounts of large portions, burgers, and a shocking number of obese people. Here are a few things we noticed that neither of us had considered in the past: ... |
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Observations About America Part 1 – Driving |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 16:35 |
So as we travelled across America we kept a little note page where we jotted down differences between the USA and the UK. These may or may not be interesting, and I have tried to group them as well as possible. ... |
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Day 62 – All Good Things Must Come To An End |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 16:32 |
Here it is: the last day of our travels, and it definitely doesn’t seem like its two months since we arrived in New York City! The main thing we did this morning was go for brunch with the family. We went to a really nice local deli, where we got fresh chicken soup and sandwiches. It was sad when we were finished, since it was time to say goodbye to Maxine and Lindsey. ... |
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Day 61 – Winding Down |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 16:31 |
Our last full day in the USA (not counting time spent flying over tomorrow night), began with a lie in after three full days of amusement parks. Once we were up we headed into the city for the last time. ... |
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Day 60 - Disney's California Adventure |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 16:29 |
Today was our second day in Disneyland resort, and we visited the other main park: Disney's California Adventure. Instead of leaving extra early and battling through rush hour, we decided to leave after rush hour today and this meant the drive was much more peasant. ... |
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Day 59 – The Land Where Dreams Come True |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 16:28 |
The title could only be a reference to Disneyland, which was our main destination today. Specifically we visited the Magic Kingdom, and we left bright and early to make the most of the day. The drive took us right through a typical Los Angeles rush hour, with it taking around 2 hours to drive the 60 miles to Anaheim. Interestingly the traffic constantly moves but only at about 20mph. ... |
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Day 58 – Universal Studios And Citywalk |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 16:26 |
Today we visited Universal Studios, which was our third Southern Californian theme park. We had an early start and were out of the house by 8.30am. The usually 30 minute drive took about 75 minutes because of rush hour, but we still arrived just in time for the 10am opening. ... |
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Day 57 – A Return To Hollywood |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 16:24 |
After a tiring weekend, we had a well deserved lie in this morning and didn’t actually leave the house until about 1. Well rested, we drove to the Chinese Theatre again, and parked in the handy carpark nearby. Our first stop was Ripley’s Believe It Or Not museum, which is just across the road on Hollywood Boulevard. ... |
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Day 56 – Whales, Dolphins And Lots Of Fish |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 16:20 |
Our second day in San Diego had us visiting the other obvious site: Sea World. Before we made our way to the theme park we first had breakfast with Lindsey and her friends. We went to a restaurant which claimed to make ‘the best pancakes in the world’. They were definitely the best we have had all trip but its going to be some time before we can confirm whether the claim is true. ... |
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Day 55 - San Diego's World Famous Zoo |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 16:19 |
After a late night last night neither of us were in the mood for a long drive this morning but we still managed to get out by 9 for the drive down to San Diego. It was around 150 miles and covered a rather bland section of coastal freeway. The main observation from the drive was just how huge Los Angeles is – around 60 miles across. ... |
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Day 54 – More Shopping And An Evening Out |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 16:17 |
Today was our most relaxing day in a while. Since our tickets for the theme parks haven’t arrived yet (we ordered them online), and the weather was still miserable, we headed to the local Premium Outlets mall in Camarillo. Its around 30 miles west of Los Angeles, and is the same brand of outlet mall that we have previously seen in Chicago and Las Vegas. ... |
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Day 53 – Shops And Overcast Beaches |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 16:14 |
Today was our ‘beach day’ in LA, and we went to explore the famous Santa Monica and Venice beaches. We set off at midday again and it only took around half an hour to get to Santa Monica. The weather was very overcast so we decided to explore the shopping area first. We parked at the brand new high-end mall at the bottom of 3rd street, which was home to lots of designer shops. ... |
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Day 52 – Hollywood And Beverley Hills |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 16:12 |
Today was our first day exploring Los Angeles. We started late so as to miss the morning rush hour, which apparently is pretty terrible on the freeway from West Hills to Downtown. Our first stop was the Chinese Theatre. Unlike other major cities we have been in, parking was really easy and there was a car park right on Hollywood Boulevard. With validation it was only $2 for four hours! ... |
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Day 51 – Reaching The West Hills |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 16:08 |
The second day of our coastal drive began with us heading to San Luis Obispo from Morro Bay. San Luis Obispo would be another average town by the ocean if it weren’t for one main site: the Madonna Inn. Named after Alex Madonna who created it with his wife Phyllis, the inn is famous for having over 100 uniquely designed rooms. ... |
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Day 50 – Tall Trees And California Route 1 |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 16:03 |
The first day of our two day drive from the Bay area to Los Angeles began with us visiting Big Basin State Park. Its a short drive from San Jose and is best known for its redwood grove. We took the main trail around the grove and saw a number of trees similar to the giant sequoias of sequoia national park. ... |
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Day 49 – Boat Tripping And More Of Downtown |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 16:00 |
Our third day in San Francisco began with us hoping to take a trip over to the island of Alcatraz. We woke up nice and early and drove straight to Lombard Street, which is famous for being the windiest in the world. It features five hairpin bends on a hillside, and all drivers must start at the top and work their way down. ... |
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Day 48 – Exploring The City By The Bay |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 15:59 |
Today was mainly spent completing the 49 mile scenic drive around the city. We started out heading to where we joined the drive yesterday, and going in the opposite direction around the loop (which actually turned out to be the correct way). This firstly took us through Golden Gate Park, which is the Hyde Park/Central Park equivalent for San Francisco. ... |
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Day 47 – Bay Area And The Pacific |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 15:57 |
The morning and early afternoon today were spent driving from our motel in Mariposa to San Francisco. The drive went up the central valley, and then west to the Bay area. It was one of the busiest stretches we have driven, with the motorway reminding me quite a bit of the M1. ... |
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Day 46 – Last Of The National Parks |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 15:51 |
The day began driving from Mariposa to the entrance of Yosemite. This took us on US Route 140 through the Sierra Nevada mountains. The road ran mostly along the Merced river and it was a nice scenic drive. At one stage we had to take a detour down a single track road since part of the main road has been blocked since 2006 by a rock slide. ... |
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Day 45 – Some Very Tall Trees |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 15:47 |
Our main destination today was Sequoia national park, which is home to the world’s largest trees. The drive began with us heading further up the Central Valley of California to Visalia, where we got some lunch. While we were there we got some petrol and the woman working at the station had been to Middlesex University and had lived in Barnet – small world! ... |
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Day 44 – The Valley Of Death |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 15:45 |
Today was mainly a driving day, with us heading to our accommodation in Bakersfield, California via Death Valley National Park. The morning began with us checking out of the Venetian, which was definitely a shame given we are going back to hit-or-miss motels for the next few nights. ... |
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Day 43 – The Last Day In Vegas |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 15:43 |
Our last full day in Vegas began with us treating ourselves to a buffet breakfast at one of the hotels. We chose the Mirage since we wanted to see the famous Siegfried and Roy ‘Secret Garden’ animal park there after. The park was opened by the famous illusionists to conserve the rare white lions and tigers featured in their acts. ... |
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Day 42 – Welcome To The Venetian |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 15:42 |
This time three weeks we will be home! Its strange how quickly the last few weeks have gone, and we can’t believe we only have one proper day left in Vegas. On a more cheerful note, today was a successful day of sightseeing in Vegas, which was free of rain or intimidating grey clouds. ... |
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Day 41 – A Day At The Stratosphere |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 15:37 |
When we woke this morning the weather seemed to be back to the usual desert climate: around 95 degrees and bright sunshine. As a result we headed straight down to the pool to take advantage of it, and to take a dip. After drying off, we had some lunch at the poolside cafe, though the service was much worse than the other day – probably as a result of the Saturday crowds. ... |
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Day 40 – More Clouds, More Hotels |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 15:35 |
Today we woke up to more clouds and puddles of water on the street; evidence of rain during the night. While very unlucky for a trip to Vegas, at least 35 degrees and clouds is better than the miserable forecast for London! As a result we headed straight out to see some hotels, in case it brightened up by the afternoon. ... |
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Day 39 – Winning And Shopping |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 15:26 |
When we woke up today it was very cloudy out (though still over 90 degrees), so we decided to delay time by the pool and instead visit the other major outlet mall. This one happened to be near our hotel and we spent a couple of hours there altogether. It is run by the same company as the outlet we went to in Chicago, so there were no real surprises in the shop selection or pricing. ... |
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Day 38 – Relaxing On The Strip |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 15:24 |
This morning began later than usual, as we took advantage of not having to check out of our hotel by a certain time. Well rested, we decided to relax by the pool until the early afternoon. The pool was really nice, and there is a large Jacuzzi right next to it. We spent our time between the two, and it was great to finally be able to cool off from the heat in a pool. ... |
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Day 37 – An Introduction To The Gambling Capital |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 15:17 |
Today was our first day without a national park, state park or national monument in over two weeks! While we have seen some amazing places and had a great time doing all that travelling, it is great to be back in a major city for the next week or so. ... |
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Day 36 – The Last Day In Canyon Country |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 15:15 |
Waking up at the North Rim had its benefits, since we got to have a very filling breakfast at the North Rim Lodge, while overlooking the canyon itself. We also took the opportunity of the sun being on the other side of the canyon to take some more photos, with the light coming from a different direction. ... |
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Day 35 – A Very Grand Canyon |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 15:13 |
The North Rim of the Grand Canyon is about 120 miles south of Hatch, Utah where we woke up this morning. The first part of the drive had us backtracking to Kanab, which we passed through yesterday. This wasn’t a problem since it was only a short stretch, and we were soon on the main new route of the day: Arizona route 67. Route 67 is the only road too and from the rather secluded North Rim. ... |
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Day 34 – Dinosaurs And Bryce Canyon |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 15:10 |
We hit quite a big milestone today: 5000 miles! It certainly doesn’t feel like we have driven that far, despite averaging over 1500 miles a week. ... |
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Day 33 – Valley Of The Sandstone Monoliths |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 15:04 |
The main destination today was Monument Valley, which is around 150 miles south of Moab, on the Utah/Arizona border. We left early, so as to get as much time in the valley as possible. ... |
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Day 32 – Arches And The Island In The Sky |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 15:01 |
We woke this morning to bright sunshine, which couldn’t have been better after the weather yesterday. As soon as we were ready we headed straight back to Arches national park to see it properly. Our first stop was a 1.6mile round-trip hike to Landscape Arch. This arch is one of the longest in the world and is extremely thin. ... |
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Day 31 – Electric Storms In Canyon Country |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 14:56 |
Today was the start of our trip around the national parks of the South West. We left Salt Lake City as soon as we were ready so we could make it to Arches national park in time to see some of the park in the late afternoon, and a nice sunset. The drive started out pleasantly, with the landscape again changing to what is known as ‘Canyon Country’. ... |
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Day 30 – Salt As Far As The Eye Can See |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 14:55 |
The last day of our first month in the USA began with a trip out to the Newfoundland evaporation basin, otherwise known as the Bonneville Salt Flats. The flats are around 100 miles west of Salt Lake City, and there is only one road in that direction; the I80 interstate. ... |
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Day 29 – Our First Taste Of The South West |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 14:53 |
The highlight of our morning today was going out for our first diner breakfast of the whole trip. We both had an American pancake stack which was very tasty but the portion was huge and nearly knocked us out! Soon after we left Pocatello and headed south to the Idaho/Utah border. ... |
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Day 28 – Jackson, Wyoming And South Eastern Idaho |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 14:51 |
Today was mainly a travelling day, with our last stop in Wyoming and our second unanticipated night in Idaho. After setting off from our ski cabin we headed back over the mountain pass to Jackson so we could see the town properly. On the way we drove past a cattle train, which consisted of probably around 1,000 cows being escorted up the highway by a bunch of cowboys (and girls) on horses. ... |
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Day 27 – Lower Yellowstone And The Grand Tetons |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 14:46 |
Today was our second day in Yellowstone and we woke up in much nicer surroundings after changing motels yesterday. We ended up in a quaint cabin type motel, complete with decorations of moose and elk. ... |
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Day 26 – Exploring Upper Yellowstone |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 14:45 |
Today was our first of two in Yellowstone National Park. We decided to get the northern areas visited, since tomorrow we will be exiting the park from the south to get to our next destination. The roads in the park are more or less in a figure-of-eight shape, so we covered the top of the eight. ... |
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Day 25 – Wyoming Route 14, The Most Scenic Drive In The USA |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 14:43 |
Or so it said on a guidebook I saw in a shop today. I haven’t driven every road in the USA but so far would have to agree. The day began in Sheridan, and a short stretch on the I90 motorway before we reached route 14. This was our last drive on the I90 for the rest of the trip, and it was sad to say goodbye given we have taken it all the way from Buffalo, New York! ... |
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Day 24–Wyoming, The Most Sparsely Populated State |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 14:40 |
Today was our last day in South Dakota and we set off from Rapid City in the morning on our journey to Sheridan, Wyoming. The main stop on the drive was Devil’s Tower, which is a short way across the South Dakota/Wyoming border. I had read that Wyoming is the least populated state, but I hadn’t realised it would be so noticeable. ... |
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Day 23 – Animals And Memorials |
Friday, July 13, 2012 - 01:06 |
The day started with breakfast at the hotel, before heading to the local Walmart to stock up on essentials since the next leg of our journey is in some very remote areas. We packed a lunch and then headed to Bear Country USA, which is a 3-mile drive around wildlife park. In the park we saw many animals, including wolves, deer, elk and lots of bears! ... |
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Day 22 – Exploring Badlands National Park |
Friday, July 13, 2012 - 01:03 |
Our day started extra early since we woke up at 6.15am to watch the sun rise over the national park. This was a great site since the sky was completely clear, but we immediately went back to bed after it had risen! ... |
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Day 21 – More Than Expected From South Dakota |
Friday, July 13, 2012 - 01:00 |
We woke up this morning relieved that we could finally leave the horrible motel we stayed in! We started the day by checking out the namesake of Sioux Falls; the Falls itself. This was better than expected, and was a decent sized waterfall set in lots of the red clay we saw at Pipestone. ... |
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Day 20 – Introduction To The Great Plains |
Friday, July 13, 2012 - 00:56 |
Today was our last day in a city for a while! Neither of us particularly enjoyed Minneapolis but we are hoping we can handle being away from large settlement for the next 10 days or so as we travel to Salt Lake City. After preparing some lunch for the road we headed off on our trip to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. ... |
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Day 19 – The Twin Cities |
Friday, July 13, 2012 - 00:54 |
So it turns out there’s a reason why the car number plates here are so homogeneous – there isn’t much to do in Minnesota! We started the day with high hopes that Minneapolis would be a great city that we could talk about since not many people come up here. However, after driving around the city centre for little more than 5 minutes we realised there wasn’t going to be much to talk about. ... |
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Day 18 – Minnesota, Land Of 10,000 Lakes |
Friday, July 13, 2012 - 00:52 |
The main part of our day today was completing the drive to Minneapolis from Chicago. We made a packed lunch for the drive in Wisconsin Rapids and then set off. The drive was mainly past forests and dairy farms. There were a number of times when the smell of cheese was overpowering – Wisconsin definitely lives up to its name of ‘America’s Dairyland’! ... |
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Day 17 – A Boat Tour And Driving North |
Friday, July 13, 2012 - 00:51 |
This morning was our last waking up in the superb Motel 6 of Arlington Heights. We decided to drive to the city today because we were going to the pier which had no metro stations near it, and the over ground trains cost even more than city parking! Chicago was a relatively easy city to drive in (and probably the only one of its type we will be passing since I didn’t drive in New York). ... |
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Day 16 – The Windy City |
Friday, July 13, 2012 - 00:45 |
Today was the earliest start in a while because we wanted to catch the 9.29 commuter train from our Chicago suburb. The trains had a novelty factor because they are double decker, but we were let down by it breaking down and delaying us 20 minutes before reaching the final station! ... |
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Day 15 – Happy Labor Day! |
Friday, July 13, 2012 - 00:28 |
Yes the title is spelt correctly. For some reason they miss out the ‘u’ here! Labor day is a nationwide bank holiday which is meant to signify the end of summer and was traditionally the last day of the summer holidays for schools. Apparently nowadays most schools go back in late August instead, but I guess a day off is still nice to have. ... |
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Day 14–Cleveland, The Birthplace Of Rock And Roll |
Friday, July 13, 2012 - 00:18 |
The morning started off slower than planned. The first thing we did was drive around a few banks (some are open on Sundays here) to cash travellers cheques, but no luck there as we aren’t account holders. We also had a browse around a couple of large supermarkets, where James finally purchased some weights which he had been missing since our arrival! ... |
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Day 13 – Thundering Falls And A Tour Of The Rust Belt |
Friday, July 13, 2012 - 00:16 |
The day began with us both waking in Canada for the first time in our ridiculous motel 6 room (it had a jacuzzi right in the middle of the bedroom area). We started out by heading up the Skylon tower for an amazing panoramic view of both the American and Canadian falls, as well as the surrounding areas. ... |
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Day 12 – Driving On The Wrong Side Of The Road |
Friday, July 13, 2012 - 00:10 |
Today was the start of the second part of our trip – the (roughly) 5,000 mile road trip from Washington DC to Los Angeles. ... |
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Day 11 – End Of The First Chapter |
Friday, July 13, 2012 - 00:08 |
Day 11 and our final day in Washington and without a car! We decided to take things slowly since the next few days will be very busy until we reach Chicago. We woke about 11 and then didn’t actually get out the house until about 1.30. Our first stop was the local AAA office to get some maps. Cindy and Glenn are members so they get given free maps of any city, state or region anytime! ... |
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Day 10 – Some History And Some Laughter |
Friday, July 13, 2012 - 00:07 |
Today was the earliest start in a while because we had to be at the White House by 9.30. The security was pretty tough – Cindy had a small bag with her and they wouldn’t let her in! Luckily she had been before but it was still a shame. We had our passports checked twice and weren’t allowed to take anything except some money and a phone, which had to be turned off. ... |
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Day 9 – Monuments and Museums |
Thursday, July 12, 2012 - 19:27 |
Today was the third day in DC. We started the morning by taking a trip up the five hundred and fifty foot (ish) high Washington Monument! Only ten people can be in the elevator at a time so we had to wait a while in the heat for our turn. It took around 30 seconds for the elevator to climb the monument, and once at the top we observed amazing views of the city for forty miles around. ... |
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Day 8 - Sight seeing in 36 degree heat |
Thursday, July 12, 2012 - 19:21 |
Today was our first day of proper sight seeing in Washington DC and we started out by getting the metro to the city centre. The metro system here is deep tunnel like London but half the price and they have managed to work a full air conditioning system into the trains and tunnels – something to think about Boris! ... |
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Day 7 – America’s Favourite Pastime |
Thursday, July 12, 2012 - 19:08 |
So now we have been here a full 7 days and it really doesn’t feel like that long. ... |
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Day 6 – It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia |
Thursday, July 12, 2012 - 18:58 |
Today we spent the day on a whistle-stop tour of Philadelphia’s best downtown sites. The weather was amazing all day – about 30 degrees consistently so that really added to the experience. ... |
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Day 5 – A Change Of Scene |
Thursday, July 12, 2012 - 18:53 |
Today was the last day in New York and also the first day in Philadelphia! We started the day by packing up our bags for the trip and then heading down to 5th Avenue to visit the expensive shops. Lauren had a look for makeup in Mac but couldn’t make up her mind, while I had a look for jeans in the Diesel store and also couldn’t make up my mind. ... |
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Day 4 – Finally Making It To Lower Manhattan |
Thursday, July 12, 2012 - 18:50 |
Today was our last full day in New York City and we finally made it to Lower Manhattan. We got straight onto the subway after breakfast (and saying goodbye to Ann the apartment owner) and got it right to the end of the line, which was the Staten Island ferry and Battery Park station. ... |
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Day 3 – Not Quite As Planned |
Thursday, July 12, 2012 - 18:47 |
So today we originally planned to go to a Broadway show in the evening and explore downtown during the day. On getting to the discount ticket (TKTS) stall in Times Square around 11am we saw that only matinees were available. Even with a discount the tickets were still $70 each so we chose between the two cheapest shows: West Side Story and Promises Promises. ... |
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Day 2 – Exploring NYC’s Midtown |
Thursday, July 12, 2012 - 18:46 |
So today we didn’t really have a plan since we weren’t sure how jet lagged we would be. Ended up waking early (around 7) since that put us at lunch time UK time. We started out by taking the metro down to Times Square and having a walk around. This eventually led us to Macys for some browsing and a mid-morning Starbucks. ... |
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Day 1 - Arrival In New York City |
Thursday, July 12, 2012 - 18:43 |
Just arrived in New York City after what seemed like a shorter-than-7 hour flight! Survived the subway from JFK as well. Here’s a picture of our room in the huge Upper West Side apartment we are staying in. Now to freshen up and go for dinner (or 3am snack by UK time). ... |
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