Last Day in Los Angeles

What a busy three days we have had since leaving Tucson on Sunday morning. We left on an earlyish flight to Los Angeles - had to leave Suzanne and Bob's house at 7.00 am to check in. The flight was on time and we did not have to pay for our checked baggage, which was a bonus. Suzanne's bag was a bit heavy and she had to take a couple of things out of it and take them on as carry on.

Landed on time in LA and only had to wait about 30 minutes for the Disneyland Shuttle. We arrived at the hotel around 11.30 and were able to check into our room straight away. We took the bags to the room then went out for a walk. It was raining quite heavily and was cool so it was good to have a jacket and Suzanne had an umbrella!

We went around the corner from the hotel (Sheraton Park) and found a small mall called the Anaheim Garden Walk. We had some lunch at a pizza restaurant then walked around some of the shops in the mall. Ity was quite small so it did not take too long, but did get some good bargains there!!

By the time we were ready to go back to the hotel, it had stopped raining and was a bit warmer and more humid.

Dinner was at Molly's, one of the restaurants at the hotel. We had been given a $100 gift voucher that we could spend on meals and drinks, so we used it to pay for the meals we had at the hotel.

Next morning, we had breakfast at IHop - the International House of Pancakes and what a delicious meal. I had French Toast with caramelised bananas. Suzanne had a more healthy meal! After breakfast we took a shuttle to the South Coast Plaza - supposedly the biggest shopping mall on the west coast of the USA. It had so many shops in it that by the time we had done one wing, we were so shopped out we could only manage a couple of shops in the main building of the mall. So many up-market shops to choose from. However, the down side was Starbucks - had to wait about 15 minutes to order and receive a coffee - unheard of in NZ.

We had dinner at Molly's again that night then went to the room to watch TV.

Tuesday, we had decided to go to San Diego for the day on a tour. We were collected about 8.40am then taken to the tour organisers and got into a smaller bus. The driver seemed very friendly, but we soon found out that he loved to talk - mainly about himself, what he had done in his life and his kids. He also gave us a bit of information about p[laces we passed on the way but we soon tired of hearing his voice. We dropped some people off at Sea World in SD then we had a tour around some of the places of interest with minimal stops. The Old Town, the Midway - an aircraft carrier, Coronado Island - very interesting and very up-market, the centre of the city then on to Las Americas - an outlet shopping mall near the border with Mexico. We had about 4 hours to fill in there but we were soon tired of shopping and went to Starbucks to get a drink. The wait there was 20 minutes - quite appalling really. Still it filled in about 3/4 of an hour!

Little did we know it but today was to prove one of the highlights of the trip. We spent the morning packing and checked out of the hotel around 11 then went back to IHop for breakfast. we then walked over to Disneyland to have a look at Downtown Disney, where you can shop for Disney stuff. We were standing looking at the prices on one of the ticket kiosks when a young woman approached us to see if we would like some free tickets for Disneyland! She worked for ABC and had some free tickets through her work and her friends were not able to come. WOW! What a bonus for us. We accepted her offer and spent a delightful 3 1/2 hours doing as much as we could in that time. We were able to go on some rides and look at many of the attractions as well as do a bit of shopping! All the time we kept thinking how amazing was that! The generosity of some people here is just overwhelming! What a day to finish off a great trip.

We walked back to the hotel, then waited for the Disneyland Resorts Shuttle and eventually got back to LAX. We were able to check in around 5.30pm and made our way to the Star Alliance Lounge where we were able to have some food and freshen up before our flight.

What a great trip this has been! Will put photos on here when I get home.


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Location:World Way,Los Angeles,United States

Shopping frenzy in Tucson

Out the door early this morning to visit the local supermarket and do a long list of shops that both Suzannes had planned to do last night.

First stop after the supermarket was Joann's the craft store  for Janet  and a shoe store for Suzanne.  Then it was on to a mall with all the stores Suzanne  wanted to visit.

Note the word SALE!

Busy few days

It has been a very busy time since we left Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon.

We have been very fortunate in staying with a friend in Scottsdale and she has taken us to lots of different places while we have been here.

On Monday, after a visit to the supermarket, we went to visit Taliesin West, the Arizona base of the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture. It is built entirely of the rock and sand found in the local area and is designed to blend into the natural landscape. They have their own water supply from a well 450 feet down from the surface. We did a short guided tour there and saw some of the buildings while getting an explanation of the philosophy and life of the famous architect.

In the evening, we went to a movie theatre to see The Imitation Game. The theatre was something a bit different - you can order meals and take them into the theatre to eat while you are watching the movie. Each seat has its own table! We were early so did not have to take in our meals, but others were partaking during the movie.

Tuesday was again busy. We went into Phoenix to visit the Heard Museum - a museum focussed on the indigenous people in the Arizona area. Some stunning pottery and silver/turquoise jewellery as well as a section devoted to the history of the Indian boarding schools. Indian children were taken from the reservations and put into these school to learn to become like the white people.

Lunch was at the Courtyard Cafe at the Museum and was a superb meal of locally inspired food. It was hard to choose what to have. We also had a bottle of wine produced by an Indian vineyard in California.

After lunch, Elizabeth, a friend of Syd, took us on a tiki tour around the central area of Phoenix and we ended up at a Local art collective where emerging artists are encouraged to exhibit and sell their work. We were fortunate to meet one of the established artists who is leading one of a number of teams in designing and painting a mural on a nearby wall. This gallery is right next to the Convention Centre so has the possibility of attracting a lot of visitors to the city.

In the evening, we went to Wally's, a local restaurant serving family style food, and also met Syd's son and family for dinner. Lovely meal too.

Wednesday dawned bright again, but not quite so clear. The first day we have seen clouds in the sky since we arrived. Another visit to the supermarket for supplies for lunch and dinner. Syd cooked chilli for lunch then we went to a shopping centre to visit Michael's - a craft shop that has a chain all over the USA.

Syd had invited some friends over for dinner, however, only Jim was able to come as his partner was not well. Jim has trained as a cordon bleu chef and he cooked a wonderful dessert with bananas based on a famous New Orleans dessert.




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Location:Scottsdale, AZ, United States

The Grand Canyon

The day dawned fine - sunny and not a cloud in the sky. The only thing wrong was that it was -16 degrees C outside. Still, once you got into the sun it was not too bad. We had left waterbottles in the rental car overnight and they had frozen solid!

We decided to return the rental car this morning instead of leaving it till tonight. A pleasant surprise awaited when Suzanne returned the car. We got a discount for returning it early!

We then got into Syd's card and headed down the road towards the Grand Canyon. It takes about and hour and a half from Flagstaff, but it was an interesting drive, going through different countryside again and learning more about Arizona and its inhabitants as we drove.

On arrival at the Grand Canyon National Park, Syd produced her seniors card and we did not have to pay anything to get in. We drove into the park and headed towards one of the hotels that overlooks the canyon. We parked in the car park there and spent a lot of time being amazed by the sight of one of the most famous landmarks in the world. I am not sure that we were prepared to be so amazed.

Took lots of photos there, then had a brief look into the hotel which was built in the 1920's to accommodate visitors to the park. There is a railhead there so you can take a train from Williams (a nearby town) on an excursion. We then went back to where the road turns off and takes you along the rim of the canyon. There were a number of viewing points along the road and you got a different perspective at each of the viewing points.

Finally, we headed for Cameron, a Navajo trading post with a restaurant and shops, as well as a motel and other services. We had a late lunch of Navajo Tacos, which we could not finish, then took a look around the trading post. The Navajo women make some beautiful wool rugs, some with natural wool colours and others with naturally dyed yarns. The smaller rugs cost upwards of $300 while the biggest rug was $24,000.

We then went to another shop at the trading post where there were some beautifully crafted Navajo jewellery, pottery, weaving and head dresses. The pottery was stunning - the nicest were pit-fired and carved and cost from $4,000 to $12,000. I have never seen pottery so highly priced!

By this time, it was getting late so we turned back towards Flagstaff and arrived back around 5.30pm. Syd drove us around some of the properties nearby - beautiful houses, but not occupied by their owners very often. The lake nearby was almost frozen over.


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Location:Flagstaff,United States

Day 1 in Las Vegas

Day one in Las Vegas was interesting. We slept really well and ended up having breakfast at nearly lunchtime! Still, we didn't need anything else until dinner.

Vegas is full of people from everywhere - the malls are full as are restaurants and buses. New Year's Eve is probably twice as busy as the usual Saturday evening and there are fences up around all the hotels to keep uninvited people out, streets are closed off and the local police force is out in huge numbers.

We walked for what seemed miles today up The Strip passing hotels, casinos, and large shopping malls. We went in to the Miracle Mile, near Planet Hollywood, the shopping centre at the Venetian and Fashion Show. They are all unique, many malls look like they are actually outside with the sky painted on the roof. One even has a realistic thunderstorm every hour! We were fortunate to see the water feature display outside the Bellagio Hotel on the way back to the hotel and it was very beautiful. It was dark and you could see the lighting as well as hear the accompanying music.

Back at the hotel, we decided we were too tired to go out again this evening, so we went over to the MGM Grand via the covered walkway and had dinner at an "english pub" in the shopping complex there. Quite expensive it was too! Just as well we are not doing that every night. Soup for tea tomorrow, I think!!




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Suzanne and Janet's trip to Las Vegas

Almost done with the first leg of our trip to Las Vegas and Arizona.
Left Auckland on Tuesday evening on time, just before 11 pm. Good flight. Janet was able to use a complimentary upgrade to premium economy for this leg, which made it more comfortable trying to sleep - and the food is better!

Flight arrived at LAX about 30 minutes early, but by the time we got through immigration, baggage claim and customs, it was 2.30pm local time. Fortunately, our bags were checked right through to Las Vegas so we just needed to check them in to the transfer desk. We walked from Tom Bradley International Terminal to Terminal 5 where we were to pick up the Delta flight to Las Vegas.

Another trip through security to get to the boarding gates. This time it was the full body scan. People had told me that with my knee replacement, I would set off the metal detectors each time, but nothing has happened with any of the gates I have been through so far!

Unfortunately, we had to wait about 4 hours as the flight did not leave until after 7 pm. There are food and drink places around the boarding gate areas so we were able to get refreshments. Suzanne bought a cup of tea each for us and it came in a very large cup. Took ages to drink too as it was so hot.

We decided to get food to eat before the flight and found a salad bar called Lemonade, where you could get a range of salads and hot foods for quite reasonable prices. One scoop of salad was $3.90 and 2 was $6.90. And they were large scoops! We shared a bowl of chicken chilli as well.

Eventually, we got to board the flight to Las Vegas, about half an hour later than scheduled. When we were all boarded and seated and everyone had loaded up their huge carry on baggage into the overhead lockers, they announced that there would be a short delay as we were waiting for people off a flight from Japan, as well as the pilot for the flight who had just arrived from Mexico. The delay ended up being about an hour and a half as we finally left LA just before 9pm. So a 40 minute flight turned into a 2 hour experience.

We got to the hotel after getting our baggage from Carousel 14. There were 16 of them in the baggage hall along with pokie machines and loads of advertising for shows and restaurants. The Signature at MGM consists of three towers, and they eventually found our reservation and we ended up on the 26th floor of Tower 2. The supposed 2 king sized beds turned out to be one king sized bed and a sofa bed - not made up. So a phone call to housekeeping to get that done - still waiting after half an hour. We also decided that we were a bit hungry so ordered some room service - 50 minutes to an hour. So at this rate, we will be lucky to get to bed before 1.00 am.

Best thing - the hotel has free wifi in the rooms!


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Driving to Flagstaff

Woke a little earlier today and packed up to go to pick up a rental car to drive to Flagstaff. Took a cab to the rental car depot - never seen one so big. All the rental car companies are housed in the one complex and there were loads of people waiting for cars. Finally we were able to check in at the desk and arranged the car. We decided to get an upgrade to an SUV as we were not sure about the road conditions due to a significant snowfall a couple of days ago.

We got onto the right road after doing a trip around the block and drove out of town a bit to a service station where we picked up some food and drink for a late breakfast.

We drove towards Boulder City which is the town built when they were building the Hoover Dam. There was a very long tail back at Boulder City, but we eventually were able to turn onto the road towards the Hoover Dam. Security is quite an issue and all cars were stopped on entry to the area. We were amused when the security guard said "Welcome to the dam and have a dam good day!"
We stopped at a parking space and Suzanne walked up the hill to a track that takes you out onto the road bridge that goes across the river. She got some good photos of the front of the dam, but found the height of the bridge a bit daunting. Driving across the dam was interesting as the border between Nevada and Arizona is halfway across the dam. Also, there is an hour time difference between Nevada and Arizona, so we had to put our watches forward an hour. We drove up the road and parked at one of the many free parking spaces so we could get a view of the back of the dam.

We then got back onto the I40, which is the interstate road the leads to Flagstaff and beyond. Driving across Arizona was interesting as it was so different from anything else we have seen. The area was quite flat but you could see mountains in the distance. Also, the roads are quite straight so you drive for miles without going around a bend.

We stopped at a cow town called Kingman for lunch. We went into a supermarket and it was huge and very busy. You could buy just about anything there. The people were very interesting too. It looks as if it is not a very prosperous town.

Back on the road and following the same highway, we eventually arrived at Flagstaff just on dusk. There was a lot of snow around and still some ice on the roads, but nothing too bad. We found our friend Syd's house reasonably quickly and were soon in the warmth of the house.

Syd took us to a local hotel for a meal which was very nice - clam chowder followed by beef rib steak with baked potato and small salad - too much for me!


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Day 2 in Las Vegas

Today began with breakfast at Starbucks - very cheap! We then asked about taking a bus up to Fremont St and had to walk all the way through the walkways to the MGM Grand, then through the casino and the huge lobby of the hotel. It is massive! We walked around the corner to the bus stop, bought tickets for the day then waited for the bus. While waiting, we saw the Coca Cola shop and the M & M's shop - noted for our return!

The bus to Fremont St took about 30 or more minutes to get there and took us through some of the older areas of Las Vegas to where the original casinos were located.

Fremont St has been modernised a bit and a cover built over about 4 blocks. Up in the roof of the street, they have installed ziplines where people can zip along wires over people's heads. Interesting to watch and comment on but I don't think I would be doing it!

The Mob Museum was only a couple of blocks away from Fremont St, so we walked down there to have a look through. Suzanne was able to get a teacher's discount, which impressed her.

The museum is a history of the mobs and their activities throughout the USA. It was really interesting seeing the story of how the mobs originated in the USA and the impact they had, not only on each other, but how the police and Bureau of Investigation learned to deal with them.

We decided that we were hungry by this time and found a McDonald's nearby. It was in a casino, and was interesting to see the people in that one and compare them with those we saw at the MGM Grand Casino. Quite a different group of people.

We took the bus back to the Strip and had to go to the M & M's shop to get something for David. It was fun looking at all their merchandise and amazing seeing all the people in the shop. We had a brief look in the Coca Cola shop, then the Adidas shop where I found a pair of shoes for the gym. I was not too impressed with the shop assistant who was completely unwilling to assist me or give me advice on what the best shoes would be. Needless to say, I did not say who has "assisted" me when I went to pay - so she won't get the commission on that sale!

Finally got back to the hotel and had a light meal at the cafe, before heading back to the room to pack up ready to depart in the morning.


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