Bucket List Holiday – USA & Canada 2014

Hollywood.

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Our time in LA has been spent in the West Hollywood and Hollywood area.

Our hotel – the Ramada On Santa Monica Blvd at West Hollywood- was suggested for us by our travel agent back in Melbourne, and it has been sensational. It’s not absolute top-of-the-line but it’s really nicely appointed and the service is outstanding. It’s also really well situated as there are lots of bars, cafés and restaurants as well as shops, salons and gyms.

When I posted about my Route 66 experiences in Albuquerque I had no idea that our hotel in LA was also on Route 66. That was a lovely bonus that I discovered upon arrival.
It’s really cool when things work out like that. Aces.

Jetsetting #6

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It’s really cool looking over the desert landscape of Arizona en route to LA. Dark rocky outcrops stand out among with the rich sandy tones of the plains. A large blue lake shimmers in contrast to the rocks and sand, while a ribbon of settlement and farms draws life from its water.

The Rocky Mountains extend north and south, the highest peaks still lightly dusted with snow. I can see where the snow is starting to melt and run down to meet the streams below.
I didn’t realise I was going to see these majestic mountains, and I feel so small but also so blessed at the same time.

The landscape flattens into a rich tapestry of pasture and agriculture, fed by streams and another bright blue lake. They give way to much more settled areas, networks of roads and then the suburbs of LA.

I would have taken pictures of all of that, but the window at my seat is too scratched to allow any photography. That’s a very great shame, because everything I saw was amazing.

New Mexico

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New Mexico is beautiful.
It’s different to every other part of the USA that we have visited. There is a very strong Mexican and Native American influence on the culture and way of life.

The scenery is breathtaking. The colours of the desert soil and rocks change through the day.
The Sandia Mountains rise behind Albuquerque, creating a dramatic backdrop to the life of the people who love there. At sunset they turn a dramatic pinkish-red colour, for which they are named: “sandia” translates to “watermelon”.
We went up into the Sandias in the late afternoon and looked out over Albuquerque, the desert around it, and the volcanoes in the distance. We would have loved a chance to visit those lava fields, but our time was too limited.
As the city lights began to flick on and the dusk deepened, I could clearly see Route 66 passing right through town.

The people of New Mexico are very friendly and engaging. They love to stop and talk. They smile a lot. They love to be helpful and are very welcoming to visitors.

My first visit here has been very special. This place has touched me in quite a powerful and almost spiritual way, which I had not expected.
I am not sure whether I have fallen a little bit in love, or whether I’ve enjoyed a beautiful flirtation.
Either way, I am leaving with some delightful memories which I am sure will make me smile for many years to come.

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American Diner #2

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Diner 66 on Route 66 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is super cool.
There’s lots of neon lighting, retro-styled waitresses, a Classic American style menu, and great rock’n’roll playing on the jukebox.
The service is quick and friendly, and the food is good. The chili chese fries are a must if you visit here: it’s worth having those as a starter and ordering a 66 Burger without any sides, or even just having them as your meal. They are sensational.
This was a fantastic Route 66 dining experience. I absolutely loved it.

Jetsetting #5

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It’s been a huge day.
In addition to exploring downtown Houston, we have flown to Albuquerque via Dallas with an almost 2 hour layover during which my husband went out for a cigarette and nearly got himself locked out of the airport. I’m still laughing about that one.

It’s almost midnight Central US. time, but an hour earlier in Albuquerque because that’s in the Mountain Time zone. That makes today a 25 hour day for us.

I’m tired and yawning more widely than most stereotypical caverns. I can’t wait to get to our hotel and get horizontal.

I can see the lights of the city as we come in to land. It’s quite an extensive array of lights, and very pretty. Cities always do look rather impressive when you fly in at night, now that I come to think about it.

These airline pilots are impressive. We haven’t had a rough landing yet, with all the travelling we’ve done since leaving home on Friday, March 28.
We’re on the ground again and taxiing to the gate.

Bed is just that little bit closer. Bring it on.

Jetsetting #4

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It’s much greener around Houston than I ever realised. I always thought Texas was dry and dusty. I guess I have based that assumption on too many movies and TV shows.
Is it bad form to blame John Wayne and Chuck Norris?

Flying into Dallas, I can see that the same presumption is wrong there, too. Hollywood has a lot to answer for.
The city lights in Dallas are just coming on as dusk falls. It looks really pretty from the air.

I wonder if Dallas has free-range cowboys. Houston didn’t have any that I could see. The only cowboy boots I saw all day were my own.

Houston #2

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While I was in Canada, one of the things I wanted to see was a Mountie.
That didn’t happen.

Today in Houston, I saw a mounted policeman.
He had another policeman mind his horse while he went into a building. When he came out, he got back on his horse and calmly rode down the street.

This chain of events made me happy, even though he wasn’t a Canadian Mountie.

Security #2

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As we were riding the bus back to our hotel, we were stopped at a red light when we saw the Police pull a car over on the highway nearby. There were several police cars with lights flashing, officers with guns drawn and pointed, and several “alleged baddies” with their hands in the air, then getting handcuffed.
The light changed and the bus drove on, leaving the unfolding drama behind us.

I thought at the time that it was reassuring to know most of the police in Houston are working to serve and protect the community instead of yelling at tourists who clearly have no idea where they are going.