San Francisco
The Golden Gate Bridge
San Francisco was the final stop on our great adventure. We were both excited to see the city and sad that this would be the last place we would visit before heading back home to England (in the middle of a recession woo!).
It’s definitely feels like the most European city we’ve been to in America. They have trams and places like ‘little Italy’, and shockingly the food portions are actually quite sensible! We were staying the Green Tortoise, a really friendly hostel with an enormous social area that looks like it used to be a ballroom. We can highly recommend it, the rooms are ok, but they do brilliant free dinner nights a couple of times a week. Now normally when traveling ‘free’ is slang for useless (think free internet, free breakfasts…), however here it was actually quite tasty!
One of the best things about San Fran is that you can pretty much walk everywhere. There’s a few places a bit further out, but most days we were packing in the miles on foot, it’s a great way to experience the place.
On the first day we had to drop off Hank, our trusty Dodge Charger hire car. Hank had been perfect for the big American roads – I’ve never driven a car so enormous! Whilst all that space inside had been great on our 12-14 hour drives across states, now, in a busy city with a confused sat nav he was proving to be a bit of a liability. We eventually found the underground carpark where we had to drop him off. I can only imagine it was designed with the specific purpose of making you crash the car seconds before you return it, incurring an enormous bill. Never has such a big car made it through such a twisty, complicated and tiny carpark. Olly was dripping with sweat by the time we handed over the keys, but somehow he had navigated the maze safely.
We arriving back on the surface, now without transport and quite some distance from our hostel. There was only one thing for it, we would pub crawl our way home. Any distance can be covered provided there are enough drinking establishments on the route!
We were not to be disappointed. San Francisco has one of the liveliest and diverse bar scenes we’ve come across. We visited hotel bars, famous bars from the last century and dive bars very much from this one. However none were quite as special as the anonymously fronted Bourbon and Branch. With no sign and no windows it’s not exactly easy to find. But we had read about it in the guide book so we knew it had to be there. The best clue came about when two very stylishly dressed people walked up to a plain door in a grey wall and pushed the buzzer. The door was opened only a fraction, only darkness could be seen within, and after a brief exchange the couple were ushered in and the door quickly closed.
This must be it we thought! As the most stylishly dress that evening Olly was selected as our representative and we tentatively approach the door. He pushed the buzzer and girl answered “What’s the password?”.
“Err… can we come in for a drink?”
“Sorry we’re full”
And with that the door was closed. Clearly “can we come in for a drink” was not the password. However we are not easily beaten, so it was off to the Apple store to use the free internet (another place where ‘free’ is actually good) to do some research. Time was of the essence, we were quickly sobering up and still had a few miles to cover. After a bit of detective work we discovered what we thought the password was and returned to try our luck once again.
We pushed the buzzer again and did our best to look ‘cool’.
“What’s the password?”
“Um… books?” I couldn’t believe this was going to work.
“I’m afraid the library is full tonight, but I can offer you a booth in the bar”
We were in! The door was opened and we walked tentatively inside. It was dark, lit only by very subtle low lights giving the place an orange glow, it looked as it hadn’t changed in 50 years, it may not have. We were taken to our booth, past all the unrecognisable silhouettes and handed the most comprehensive cocktail menu I have ever seen by the welcoming waitress.
“Is this your first time here?” I think she could tell.
She rattled off a list of special cocktails, the likes of which I have never heard of, included one called The French Girl from Ipanema, how cool is that! We ordered our drinks and took in the surroundings. It turns out that the bar used to be an old Speakeasy, one of the secret bars from prohibition times and they had continued the tradition. When I noticed the bookcase opposite us open up to reveal a secret bar, apparently the library, I realised we were in the coolest bar I had ever seen.
Sadly cool doesn’t come cheap here though and we could only afford the one drink, so it was back on the road to the hostel. We made it back feeling we had seen a great deal of the famous bar scene we’d heard so much about.
The next few days were spent doing all thing things you would expect. We visited the Golden Gate bridge, an absolute must if you’re in the city. Went up the Coit Tower, which probably wasn’t worth it in the end, and took a trip across the bay to Alcatraz which really is worth every penny (especially is you’re a fan of the film The Rock, like Olly).
As it was our last city we threw caution to the wind and ate out and drank like there was no budget. We had some great times in bars like Vesuvio in North Beach where people like Jack Kerouac, Dylan Thomas and Bob Dylan used to hang out. We saw a pilot for a new crime show being filmed on a hill next to our hostel and nearly got run over by a real criminal as his car flew over the intersection we were crossing, complete with police car blaring after him.
That’s what’s so great about San Francisco, it has a roughness, a feeling that art and culture are closer to the surface here and if you stayed long enough it would influence you in ways you never thought possible.
Sadly though, we wouldn’t have time for that, and we boarded the plane for the long flight home to England. Lamenting the fact that the trip was over, but excited for the journey we were about to begin.
Yosemite National Park
Unsurprisingly it's called Mirror Lake
I’d always imagined this would be where Yogi Bear was found, you can imagine my disappointment when Olly broke the news to me that that is actually Yellowstone National Park! Oh well, I decided we should go there anyway.
After seeing all the stunning national parks in New Zealand, Olly and I weren’t too fussed about Yosemite, we’d heard it was meant to be nice but I kid you not, we were on the verge of not going. Bloomin’ good job we did! It was stunning.
If you’ve ever seen Ansel Adams black and white photography of flowing waterfalls and towering mountains then you’ve seen Yosemite, many of Ansel’s shots were taken there.
Once we entered the National park we drove through winding roads, carved out of snow capped mountains filled with flowers, above a winding river at the side of stunning waterfalls. We were in the middle of nowhere and surrounded by nature. The air was crisp and the atmosphere alive.
There were various places to stop around the park and various walks to do. Yosemite is home to one of the worlds tallest waterfalls, which of course we visited, but we opted for the 10 minute trot to the lower falls rather than the eight hour trek to the top. Besides the fact that we were all feeling a little bit tired, we were also wary of the bears that were advertised as being everywhere in the park. Not the cute cuddly ones like Yogi, the big grizzly mean ones!
The lower falls offered a great photo opportunity. The boys being boys decided to climb up the slippery rocks to the mouth of the waterfall, a bit risky but it made for some great photos.
After seeing the falls we headed on a walk to mirror lake which did exactly what it said, it mirrored the scenery perfectly. We all stopped at the side of the lake, taking rest on some stones and watched the reflection in the water, only being marred by fish swimming and making ripples in the surface of the water.
As the sun set we drove through the mountains and out of Yosemite feeling quite satisfied with our day with nature, if you’re thinking of going to Yosemite, make a weekend of it, take a proper pair of walking shoes and a bear proof tent, I guarantee you’ll have a great time.
The Big Sur
Route 1 – Surely one of the best drives in the world
Doesn’t it sound mysterious?! Even when we were there we weren’t sure what it was! The Big Sur is 90 miles of amazing drive along a narrow road etched out of the side of the cliff, with no barriers and jaw dropping views. With every hairpin bend Hank was blessed with an ‘oh my god’ as we fit narrowly around the corner, thankfully no one else was coming the other way!
We hit the Big Sur after a 12 hour journey back to LA and a rather fun night in the lovely Santa Barbara in a not so conventional hostel. We stayed in top bunks in 12 bed dorms with no ladders, I had to rehearse hoisting myself into bed three times before we went out that night I was so worried!
The Big Sur started just after one of the most incredible beaches we’ve seen, packed to the rafters with elephant seals! I’ve never seen heard or smelt anything like it. We watched as the seals waddled up the beach whilst Chris was kept hostage by an over keen American who was headed to Wales on holiday (yes, that’s right, Wales on holiday) and was looking for tips, his most useful being to bring a waterproof as it’s more than likely to rain, brilliant. The American did warn us though that cars have been known to go over the cliff whilst driving here as the driver was focusing on the scenery rather than the road. From then I made sure that whoever was driving Hank had both eyes on the road!
It was breathtaking though, for some reason I had never expected this from America. We hugged the cliff for 90 miles, the road only making a slight diversion as it went inland through a forest of redwood trees, amazing.
We watched the sun set from a rocky outcrop just outside the ‘Big Sur town’ a more picturesque sight you couldn’t have wished for (apart from of course the Grand Canyon the day before, it’s a tough life!). The town of Big Sur is meant to be one of the most romantic towns on earth, there wasn’t much to the town I must say, but the sun set we saw was pretty romantic.
We finished the day in the best grill in Monterey town, it seemed almost like the perfect end to the perfect day, to be topped only the next day by the magical sights of Yosemite national park…
The incredible Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon – truly amazing
After a night out in Vegas celebrating Helen’s birthday, it was a tough early start as we embarked on our eight hour drive to the Grand Canyon via the Hoover Dam. Luckily Hank the Tank was big enough to keep us comfortable on such a long journey.
In less than an hour we’d arrived at our first destination, the Hoover Dam. It is as the name suggests, a big Dam! It’s a very impressive and strangely familiar sight having made an appearance in various films before. But, in reality, that’s all it is and I must say it didn’t provoke much more reaction in me than ‘oh look, there’s a big dam’.
After a quick click of the camera we we loaded ourselves back in Hank and continued forth to the main spectacle, the Grand Canyon, which we were hoping to make by sunset.
As the hours ticked by and we got further and further in land something rather unexpected appeared, ice!! It was hot when we left Vegas! And I’d imagined the Grand Canyon to be in the desert – that’s hot isn’t it?! Large chunks of snow and ice lay along the ground. Finally, we reached our destination and after disembarking from Hank we realised the reason for the ice, it was freeeeeeezing! It turns out the canyon is well above sea level, about 7,500ft. We reached for our bags and layered up. Moments later, much resembling four michellin men, we were off to see the canyon.
Wow wow and mega wow!! What an amazing sight. As Olly put it “I think this is one of the most amazing sights we’ve seen all holiday” and it was. A panorama of awe inspiring geological formation confronted us, as the sun was setting the reds, purples and golden glows of the rocks shone through. The canyon stretched as far, as wide and as deep as the eye could see. As we stood on the edge glancing over, birds flew below us – a very rare sight!
In case anyone is wondering we went to the South Rim of the canyon, right next to Grand Canyon Village. I’m sure there’s better places to go, but for ease of arrival and sheer wow factor this place was perfect for us.
The canyon provided a wealth of photo opportunities for Olly as you can imagine. With ice on the ground though, no barriers and Olly’s keen sense of adventure, my heart did end up in my mouth a few times as he encroached far too near the side of the canyon. There was in fact one instance when he was doing the classic ‘jumping’ photo and he slipped backwards on the ice, we were sure he was a gonner! Thank god he survived!
As the sun set it was magical (if a little bit chilly at minus four degrees, without a coat, and wearing flip flops). I wish I could have a house right on the edge of the canyon, with a glass wall so I could curl up in front of a fire with a warm mug of tea, and watch the ever changing face of the enormous canyon.
Las Vegas
Slots of fun
Las Vegas must be one of the craziest places on earth, it’s wacky, it’s quirky, it’s crazy… It’s Vegas!
As we were staying mid week we managed to bag a bargain and stay somewhere ‘Vegas’ without splashing the cash too much. We had three nights at the Luxor, opposite the MGM Grand and slap bang next to the Excelsior, we couldn’t have asked for a better location on our budget. The rooms were enormous. We had private rooms with ensuite, I’m telling you, it doesn’t get better than that when you’re traveling.
On our first night we decided to walk up the strip and take in Vegas’ main delights. As darkness fell, the whole city went up in lights and everything suddenly came to life. We passed, amongst other things, lions in the MGM, gondolas in the Venetian, water fountains in the Belagio, an erupting volcano at the Mirage and a pirate show at Treasure Island. There was a mini Eifel Tower and Statue of Liberty, you could change countries with a turn of the heel. We walked miles that evening and mostly with our mouths aghast, seeing really was believing. And that was all outside the casinos, watching the gamblers inside at the table was a whole other experience.
Having seen the cheering around the tables and free drinks swirling around, we decided to increase our chances of winning by attending gambling lessons, put on for free by our hotel. We had instruction on roulette (even I started to understand this one), black jack and craps – the most complicated game on earth.
We decided to put the blackjack to the test and arranged a dummy game between the four of us in our room. This gave us the confidence (well the wine may have had something to do with this) to have a go at a real game. Unfortunately I can report that playing blackjack in a casino is considerably faster and more stressful than playing with your friends. Our $50 went up to $80, for around 15 seconds we were on a high, however 40 seconds later it was all gone. We left with a sense of shock and bewilderment, but at least we had tried. It wasn’t all bad news though, we did all strike lucky on the one cent slot machines, winning about $10 between us, we were very proud!
Vegas was everything I expected and more. I think anyone who goes there will be stunned by the lights, the glitz, the glamour and unbelievable wealth of some. If you’re going to Vegas, my advice would be, embrace the tackiness and have a gamble, even if it’s a one cent slot machine, it would be a crime not to.
Hollywood baby!
Welcome to Hollywood baby!
After a long 14 hour flight, made that much more comfortable by the lovely Quantas, we touched down in LA. It was 6am and as we flew over the city we could already see that rush hour had begun. We’d heard of rush hour traffic, and now we’d seen it!
For our final country, we were meeting up with friends from home, Chris and Helen. They were due in on a later flight though, so it fell on us to pick up the car. This is where we met Hank the Tank, a car so enormous he hardly fits in the lane, he was literally, a tank! After getting used to driving on the ‘wrong side of the road’ (Olly had about 10 seconds for this before he was met with massive highways and mega traffic) we headed for Venice Beach, which was close to the airport so we figured was a nicer place to wait for Chris and Helen’s plane. Never before have I been to a more random place. It was hippies galore, it was muscle men, it was crazy people, it was LA! After a brief kip on the beach (along with the many other people sleeping there having not been home after the night before) we walked along the beach front. The shops all had a marijuana theme and we were being hounded to go and see ‘Dr Gangha’. Random! At the end of the road we found a lovely cafe where we sat and enjoyed the largest croissant I have ever seen and half a litre of coffee – welcome to America!
Once we’d collected Chris and Helen from the airport and introduced them to Hank we embarked in what turned out to be a fantastic 3 days in LA. We walked along sunset boulevard, walked the starred pavement, saw the Chinese theatre, saw the Hollywood sign, watched the sun set over Santa Monica pier and had lots of junk food. In Beverly Hills, after Olly struck a deal with a transvestite on the side of the road, we had ourselves a map of where all the stars live and did our own guided tour of the area. The houses are like large hotels, it was incredible to see. Be warned though, the place is a maze, we seemed to end up in front of Frank McCourts house everywhere we went.
Universal Studios was probably my favourite outing in LA though. It’s like stepping into another world. After an hours queuing (with terrible hangovers from the free beer the night before – never again!) we entered the film version of Disneyland. It was great to see how the movies are made, going through the mummies tomb, driving down Wisteria Lane and rambling through a set from War of the Worlds were all part of the back lot tour. We even saw dancing cars – I guess this is Hollywood baby!
After three days of maxing it out in LA, it was time for somewhere even more extreme – bring on Las Vegas!
All the paragraphs are by Lau, all the pixels are by Olly. Hope you enjoyed it! You can read more about us on the