Been away in the USA for the last 2 weeks on my big adventure holiday. It has been fantastic! LA is massive, Las Vegas has to be seen to be believed, San Francisco is very nice indeed and all the places in between were nice old western style towns. The Grand Canyon and Yosemite National Park provided epic scenery and we had 43C in Palm Springs.

Normally, people say yeah but it's a different kind of heat to the UK so actually it's not that bad. Believe me, that doesn't wash this time. The heat was simply unbearable even in the shade. You could feel it burning your skin and it was hard to breath so we spent more time in air conditioned comfort of the hotel or the tour bus.

Made some new friends on the tour too and we will meet up at Christmas. I also bagged 2 pairs of Levi's from Macy's in San Francisco for $83 which worked out at £54!! The key places visited are as follows: LA, Palm Springs, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Grand Canyon, Williams, Seligman, Las Vegas, Mammoth Lakes, Yosemite National Park, Sonora, Sacramento, San Francisco.

Here are pics taken with my iPhone: http://s746.photobucket.com/user/fiestyst1...e%20photos

Here are pics taken with my camera: http://s746.photobucket.com/user/fiestyst1...a%20photos LL.B (Hons) - University of Derby
LOT (Lord of Time) - University of Gallifrey

Last edited by The Doctor on 15th Sep 2014 7:51 pm. Edited 1 time in total

Nice. Especially the Leona Lewis concert. Good job theres nothing personal on there!

Yes I was aware other albums could be accessed. I had to clear out loads of crap to make room for the shed load of holiday pics. LL.B (Hons) - University of Derby
LOT (Lord of Time) - University of Gallifrey

Glad you had a fab time. Did you visit the cheese cake factory on the top floor of Macys ? They are huge and lush.

No the heats not bad ! We had 50 in Death Valley , Vegas was where it did burn ya lungs a bit and feet , when we were three it was hot ! 46 Jaguar x-type sport gone
Jaguar x-type 2.2d sport one of my best cars ever sadly gone
Freelander 2 GS auto 2008 most unreliable ever ! gladly gone
Freelander 2 GS manual 2013 only time will tell !

YES THE HEAT WAS BAD!!! I never want to see it hotter than that. Our tour guide was in death valley when it reached 53C. Hottest ever was 57C. I much preferred the cooler temps of San Francisco.

I ate too much at the cheesecake factory! LL.B (Hons) - University of Derby
LOT (Lord of Time) - University of Gallifrey

some nice holiday snaps there, though i haven't had chance to see them all

you sound like you enjoyed the trip, so time to plan your next outing  Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

Yes I took a shed load of pics! About 570 in the end with the camera but hey ho!

I would like to do Boston next I think, in the autumn of 2016 perhaps as I will need time to save up. Possibly as a tour that includes Niagara Falls, New York and Washington. LL.B (Hons) - University of Derby
LOT (Lord of Time) - University of Gallifrey

I see you went passed Mono lake where the infamous Clint Eastwood film was made with a wooden set erected. there are no signs of it these days !
Yosemite is fab, we loved it, spent 3 nights there !and 4 at in Timber Cove, lake Tahoe.

Alcatraz is really falling apart these days and cant see trips going on many more years before it comes unsafe. Jaguar x-type sport gone
Jaguar x-type 2.2d sport one of my best cars ever sadly gone
Freelander 2 GS auto 2008 most unreliable ever ! gladly gone
Freelander 2 GS manual 2013 only time will tell !

Pleased you had good time, off myself soon to ny, vegas and San Francisco , and finishing in florida keys , it's our mega 25th anniversary trip, looking forward to it , any tips re: vegas or San Fran
Andy

Vegas will make you tired just looking at it Don't go to the north end of the strip (Strat tower) as it was very rough indeed. I recommend an evening meal at the Sugar Factory (not like it sounds) which is opposite the Bellagio Hotel. We sat outside on the patio area as it was hot and watched the fountains at the Bellagio as we ate. Magnificent views and the food was very good.

I recommend a trip to the top of the 400+ ft Eiffel Tower at the Paris hotel. Great views! Luxor was my favourite of the hotels with NY NY and Paris not far behind. Worth seeing as many hotels as you can to see what they all offer. Definitely do the Gondola in the Venetian Hotel as it is your anniversary. They sing songs to you!

Nice shark reef in the Mandalay Bay hotel too. All day monorail ticket was only $12 each and that runs pretty much the length of the strip to the rear of the hotels on the east side.

As for San Francisco, only tourists call it San Fran. To locals it is San Francisco, Frisco or just The City. Visit the Golden Gate Bridge View. Excellent photo's to be had! Alcatraz is a brilliant tour and the boat only takes 10-15 mins but it is booked up for weeks so reserve now!

If you want seafood, try Swiss Louis down at Pier 39. Lovely crab! We also ate at the cheesecake factory and a lovely Italian restaurant in North Beach called Mona Lisa. They even offer you the chance to eat in the little Fiat convertible car parked out front.

Macy's is good for shopping. No way could you buy 2 pairs of Levi's for £54 over here! £75 each on Amazon. Cable car is a must too. Those night shots of the city that I took were accessed when our coach crossed the bay bridge before taking a left. Great place for photo's and I bet tourist info would show the exact location. Golden Gate park is nice for a stroll.

Not been to NYC since 2006 but if Applejack cafe is still around, they did an awesome breakfast. On another note, we flew premium economy with Virgin Atlantic and the service was top notch. Very attentive. LL.B (Hons) - University of Derby
LOT (Lord of Time) - University of Gallifrey