USA - APRIL 2004
Thursday 1st April
Enjoyed our flight down to London sitting next to a chap who
was going to live in Australia for a year. We chatted for the whole journey
about America and competitions and game shows. He was stopping off in Singapore
for 4 nights before going on to Sydney. Our flight to San Francisco was
slightly delayed taking off but we soon made up time. We were served drinks and
snacks then a chicken or pasta meal with salad, roll, cheese and crackers,
grapes and a Cadbury Caramel ice cream tub and more free drink! We watched a
film called Mona Lisa Smile starring Julia Roberts then some comedy shows. Then
it was time for more free drinks and a snack of shortbread and a snack size
Toblerone. After another film (The Station Agent) we were served a snack of
cheese and ham roll, crisps, Kit Kat and tea. Then it was time for our descent
into San Francisco. We phoned for our transport to take us to our hotel and
then checked into our huge room. We unpacked and went for a walk down to
Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39. We went to bed exhausted at 10.00pm after being
up for 23 and a half hours.
Friday 2nd April
Awoke early so got up and had showers at 5.30am. Went for
breakfast at a nearby McDonald’s before phoning home and then starting our
journey up to Coit Tower. We reached it after climbing a huge hill and quite a
few steps. We took photos from the top of the hill as the view was spectacular
and we had a clear blue sky. We then went up to the top of the tower and the
view was breathtaking.
When we came down we noticed a policeman in a security
buggy checking under all the cars in the car park with a mirror for
(presumably) bombs. We then walked all the way down Kearney Street through
Chinatown. Had a sandwich with juice at the Cable Car Corner Café before
visiting the Cable Car Museum. We then walked all the way down through
Chinatown again. Stopped to watch the Green Street Mortuary Band leading a
funeral cortege. Jim nearly took a film of it by mistake thinking it was a
parade! Got our photos taken at the Chinatown Gate
before heading up to Union
Square. We sat for a while watching some workmen build a stage and catwalk
and
then we walked down Powell Street to see the cable cars turn round on their
turntable. We then visited the San Francisco Shopping Centre and had a Chinese
meal in the food court followed by a Krispy Kreme Donut – delicious. Then it
was time to make our way back to the hotel up and down and up and down and up
and down all the steep hills of San Francisco. How they ever built a city on
land as hilly as this I’ll never know. Got back to the hotel about 7.30pm and
had to have a hot bath to ease my aching legs – we must have walked for miles
today. Watched a little bit of TV then fell asleep exhausted about 10.00pm.
Saturday 3rd April
Up bright and early again and had breakfast in McDonald’s
again. Boarded our bus for our tour of the city and set off past Lombard Street
through Chinatown and down to the bay to go across the lower level of the Bay
Bridge to visit Treasure Island. We stopped for photos then came back over the
top level to continue our tour. Next stop was City Hall and the Civic Center
and then the “Painted Ladies” – a row of Victorian houses with a beautiful view
of the city in the background. Our tour guide told us that San Francisco was
built on 43 hills but one was flattened, so now there are only 42 – Jim and I
feel like we have climbed every one of them!
The tour then took us down to Pier
43 for our trip to Alcatraz. We had a lunch of sandwiches and coffee when we
landed. We then took the audio tour, which was very realistic. We listened to
it through headphones and we could go at our own pace. At some points you could
hear the prisoners shouting and rattling their cell doors.
We then went to Ghirardelli Square and received a free sample of
chocolate before having a look round the shops. We strolled home along the sea
front visiting various shops and then went for our evening meal.
Then we came
home exhausted again, had a couple of drinks and watched TV.
Sunday 4th April
Opened my birthday cards and went for breakfast. Caught the
cable car to Union Square then a bus from Market Street to the main library.
Logged on to the internet for 15 minutes to open all my birthday e-cards, then took the bus to the Marina to see the Golden Gate Bridge. Had a meal in Mel’s Diner on Lombard Street (I had Chicken Pot Pie followed by home made Chocolate Fudge Cake and Jim had Grilled Pork Chops followed by Hot Apple Pie with Cinnamon Sauce).
Logged on to the internet for 15 minutes to open all my birthday e-cards, then took the bus to the Marina to see the Golden Gate Bridge. Had a meal in Mel’s Diner on Lombard Street (I had Chicken Pot Pie followed by home made Chocolate Fudge Cake and Jim had Grilled Pork Chops followed by Hot Apple Pie with Cinnamon Sauce).
We then took the bus to Jackson/Hyde and rode the cable car over
Russian Hill (steepest hill in San Francisco).
We then came back to the hotel exhausted and packed our suitcases to leave in the morning.
We then came back to the hotel exhausted and packed our suitcases to leave in the morning.
Monday 5th April
Had breakfast at McDonald’s then bought a souvenir Alcatraz
t-shirt on the way back to the hotel. Checked out and climbed aboard our
shuttle bus back to the airport. Checked in for our Las Vegas flight and then
came across an Intel Wireless Free stand with 11 laptops for the public to use.
Spent about 40 minutes checking our e-mails and sending greetings to various
friends and family. We then made our way to Gate 75 for our flight. We had a
very smooth flight and then collected our luggage and caught the shuttle bus to
the Riviera. Checked in – unpacked – had a Chinese meal from the food court and
went for a walk down the strip. Started off in the Venetian and watched the
gondolas going round. Listened to some musicians in “St. Marks Square” then
browsed the shops. Had our go on the slots before crossing over the walkway to
Treasure Island. Had a look round then had our go on the slots there. Next stop
was the new Frontier Hotel – like going back to the Wild West! Had our go on
the slots and ordered a drink. Then we were off to the Stardust – another go on
the slots and another drink! We finally ended up in our own hotel – The
Riviera.
More slots and more drinks and just before we decided to go to bed we hit a small jackpot - $50. What a great way to end the night. Finally fell into bed at 2.00am!
More slots and more drinks and just before we decided to go to bed we hit a small jackpot - $50. What a great way to end the night. Finally fell into bed at 2.00am!
Tuesday 6th April
Had breakfast in the Food Court then set off down the Strip.
First stop The Venetian to take film and photos then on to the Casino Royale,
Harrah’s, Imperial Palace, O’Shea’s, Flamingo, Barbary Coast, Bally’s and
Paris.
We then crossed over and went to the Holiday Inn Boardwalk Surf Buffet
for dinner. After that we visited a souvenir shop and bought a 2005 calendar.
Then it was on to the Bellagio. What a stunning hotel – flowers everywhere,
some sculpted into swans.
We watched the amazing fountains set to music on the
way out. Absolutely beautiful.
By the time we walked from the hotel exit to the
end of the Bellagio it was time for the fountains to go again, so we watched
them for a second time.
Then it was on to Caesar’s Palace and The Mirage before coming back to our hotel exhausted.
Then it was on to Caesar’s Palace and The Mirage before coming back to our hotel exhausted.
Wednesday 7th April
Had breakfast in the hotel food court – Quizno’s Subs and
tea – then had a free shot on the slot machine in our hotel and won a mug and a
pack of cards. Went to Westward Ho to book our dinner, show and free drinks for
$10.95. Went to Slots of Fun then Circus Circus before returning to get changed
for dinner. Had a lovely 2 course meal with coffee and free drinks and an
Hawaiian Aloha Show. Visited a souvenir shop then set off for the Sahara Hotel
and The Stratosphere. Then came back down the Strip to our hotel for a few
drinks and a shot of the slots. Ended the night $10.70 up.
Thursday 8th April
Had breakfast in the food court again – 2 beef and cheddar
wheat subs and tea. Crossed the road at our hotel to take photos and walked
past the Westward Ho. A man handed us a card to get free ice-cream between 12
and 3.00pm and we thought there was a catch to it. Amazingly, there wasn’t! We
each had a delicious bowl of soft ice-cream with 100s and 1000s topping with
butterscotch sauce. Guess where we’ll be going every day from now on between 12
and 3.00pm! We sat in the sun for 10 minutes outside (too hot to sit any
longer) before setting off down the Strip. We called in at Treasure Island for
a look round then made our way past The Mirage and Caesar’s Palace. We called
into the Bellagio for a rest and watched the US Masters on the big screen in
the Sports Book Section of the Casino. We then crossed over the road to the
Aladdin, then back again to the Monte Carlo where we had something to eat in
their food court. Then it was on to New York New York,
Excalibur, The Luxor, Mandalay Bay, Tropicana, San Remo and the MGM Grand.
Excalibur, The Luxor, Mandalay Bay, Tropicana, San Remo and the MGM Grand.
We then caught the bus
right back up the Strip to our hotel and had a shot on the slots and won
$21.70. Went to bed exhausted again.
Friday 9th April
Had breakfast of a Quisno’s Beef and Cheddar Sub and tea.
Sat at the pool for half an hour before crossing the road for our free
ice-cream at the Westward Ho. We then went to the internet café to check our
e-mails ($10 for 50 minutes). After that we walked to the Las Vegas Hilton,
just off the Strip, via the Greek Isles Hotel and Casino. Spent about an hour
at the Hilton before returning to our own hotel and going for our 2 for 1
champagne dinner buffet. Spent the night in the casino playing the slots and
having lots of free drinks.
Saturday 10th April
Woke up with a sore head! Had breakfast in the food court
again then phoned home and sat in the sun by the pool. Then it was time for our
free ice-cream over at the Westward Ho and caught a free Elvis tribute show.
As it turned a bit windy and cloudy we changed from shorts into trousers and set off to walk downtown to Fremont Street. It took us about an hour to walk there. We started off our day of casinos with the Golden Gate, closely followed by the Plaza, Main St. Station, California Hotel, Las Vegas Club, New Orleans, Lady Luck, Golden Spike, Fitzgerald’s, Fremont Hotel, 4 Queens, Binion’s Horseshoe and finally The Golden Nugget.
As it turned a bit windy and cloudy we changed from shorts into trousers and set off to walk downtown to Fremont Street. It took us about an hour to walk there. We started off our day of casinos with the Golden Gate, closely followed by the Plaza, Main St. Station, California Hotel, Las Vegas Club, New Orleans, Lady Luck, Golden Spike, Fitzgerald’s, Fremont Hotel, 4 Queens, Binion’s Horseshoe and finally The Golden Nugget.
Watched the lightshows on the hour 3 times then caught the bus
back down to our hotel and had a couple of drinks in our room.
Sunday 11th April
Got a carry out breakfast from Burger King and ate it in our
room looking out onto the Strip. We then sat in the sun at the pool for a while
and met 4 couples from Edinburgh. We then went souvenir shopping and had our
free ice-cream. We then set off to walk to the Rio Hotel, which is off the
Strip. It took us about an hour and we had to stop off in the Venetian and The
Barbary Coast for a rest and to shelter from the sun. We visited the Gold Coast
Hotel first, which had bingo in session and also a 70 lane bowling alley. We
then went over to The Palms and had a Panda Express Chinese meal in their food
court. We then made our way to the Rio. We watched two of their Masquerade
Shows in the Sky
before catching the shuttle bus back to Harrah's and walking
back up the Strip to our hotel. On the way we saw the volcano erupting at The
Mirage.
We packed our suitcases and went down to the casino for a final go on
the slot machines.
Monday 12th April
Got up at 5.15am and were picked up just after 6.00am and
taken to the airport. Had a cup of tea and a biscuit while we waited for our
flight to Los Angeles. Enjoyed a very smooth flight and then made our way to
the next departure gate for our flight to New York. We were about an hour late
taking off and had a female pilot! She did a grand job. We watched the film
Payback with Ben Affleck and Uma Thurman then had a meal of beef and mashed
potatoes followed by chocolate cake. It was dark when we reached New York and
pouring down with rain. We managed to get our shuttle bus to the hotel alright
and unpacked in our incredibly small room and went for a quick wander to
McDonald’s for supper and then back to our room for an early night as we were
up so early this morning.
Tuesday 13th April
Had breakfast at McDonald’s and then caught the tour bus for
our city tour. It was pouring with rain so we were glad to sit somewhere dry
and warm. We hopped off at Pier 17 to have a look at the shops and then got on
the next tour bus that came along. Got off at Times Square and went to book
tickets for “Phantom of the Opera” for tomorrow afternoon.
We then caught the
next tour bus and went round the tour again. This time we got off at the
nearest stop to Ground Zero and walked to see where the Twin Towers used to be.
We then walked down to Battery Park to see the Staten Island Ferry but it was
too misty and foggy to see the Statue of Liberty. We passed the huge golden
globe that was recovered from the Twin Towers and erected as a memorial to the
victims of the tragedy. It was very cracked and mis-shapen and has a fire
burning constantly in front of it. We jumped aboard the tour bus again and
returned to Times Square just in time to catch the 2nd Annual TRL awards being
filmed in the MTV studios in Times Square.
After that it was time for dinner.
We found a food court near our hotel and had a steak and cheese sub. As it was
still raining, we then bought some cans of Miller and hurried back to our
hotel, where we watched the awards on television and saw where we had been
standing in Times Square.
Wednesday 14th April
Got up and had breakfast in McDonald’s again. Went to the
Empire State Building as the weather was slightly better. Did the Skyride
simulated ride first then took the lift up to the 86th floor. Couldn’t see more
than a mile away so didn’t get to see the Statue of Liberty or the Brooklyn
Bridge. Met a few Scottish people at the top before we came down.
It started
raining AGAIN when we got outside so we rushed back to our hotel to dry off
before nipping round the corner to the theatre to see “The Phantom of the
Opera”. Didn’t enjoy it very much as there were loads of noisy school children
round about us using their mobile phones and a very young child kicking the
back of my seat. The mother eventually left with the child as it was screaming
the place down. All that for $50 each!! We then went to buy a couple of souvenirs
and had a Chinese meal in the food court. Ended our holiday watching TV,
drinking and playing cribbage in our room as it was STILL raining.
Thursday 15th April
Got up and had showers before heading off to McDonald’s for
our last breakfast. At least it was dry this morning! We then walked along to
Grand Central Station to see all the chandeliers inside the huge main hall.
We
called in at the public library on the way back to the hotel but didn’t have
time to wait for internet access. We found a small office on 43rd Street
between 6th and 7th Avenue called The Village Copier where it cost us $2 for 15
minutes of internet time. We then came back and finished packing and checked
out of the hotel at 11.45am. We had to sit in the foyer with our cases as the
shuttle bus didn’t pick us up until 2.20pm.
Would you believe it – we left New
York in brilliant sunshine! Checked in at the airport and had to wait about two
and a half hours for our flight.
Took off about half an hour late and watched a
film called “I’ll Be There” starring Craig Ferguson and Charlotte Church,
whilst eating a meal of beef and potatoes with salad, roll, cheese and
biscuits, grapes and dessert along with a bottle of white wine. The meal was
followed by a liqueur of Bailey’s Irish Cream. We then tried in vain to go to
sleep, but as usual we couldn’t. Then it was time for breakfast of fresh fruit,
orange juice, a hot croissant and jam with a cup of tea. It took us ages to
land, so our flight time was just over 6 hours. We then had to make our way to
Terminal 1 for our connecting flight to Edinburgh. Had a smooth flight back to
Edinburgh and joy of joys – our luggage arrived at the same time as we did!!