Only one more sleep

One day to go 🥳
Preparations for our trip are in full swing!
Suitcases are nearly packed, the To-do-list is getting smaller and we have started on our Timeshift Program ... staying up late withRead more
Finally, we are off ...

After months of planning and a lot of rejigging in the last week, we are finally on our way. Yippee 🎉
Leaving Portsmouth in the pouring rain 🌧️🌨️
Still trying to minimise exposure toRead more
Next step in the journey

Horrendous drive up with lots of rain. Rather wet at Heathrow too.
Early enough to enjoy breakfast in the lounge 🥐🍳☕🫖 but no 🥂. Far too early!!
One of these days ...

Traveling is an adventure and one has to deal with whatever is being thrown at you ..
☝️Taxi 10 min late
☝️ Horrendous driving conditions to the airport
☝️Change of aircraft over nightRead more
The day seems continues as it started..

by not going totally to plan
✌️ordered vegetarian meal but by the time they come to serving it, they miscounted and didn't have one left
✌️plus the screaming baby, so much for trying toRead more
We finally arrived

After queueing up for a long time to get through immigration, having a job finding transport to get us downtown we finally arrived at our hotel.
Journey duration - 20 hours door to door.
Think weRead more
A hooray for Timeshifter

Slept pretty much all night following our Timeshift plan. So in theory we are back to our normal rhythm already.
After a day without caffeine yesterday, its back to fully loaded today - at leastRead more
In the hunt for breakfast

With breakfast not included in the hotel rate, we thought it will be easy to find something close by.
Close by indeed but oh boy, not the most healthiest option. When I asked for oats or muesli,Read more
DTLA - Art, History and Architecture

Explored Downtown Los Angeles aka DTLA this morning - walking along Broadway with all the theatres (all of it looked pretty run down and shabby) Pershing Square and the famous Millennium BiltmoreRead more
Santa Monica

More walking - this time through 3rd Street Promenade and along the seafront in Santa Monica
Dinner at Uovo - a pasta restaurant claiming that the pasta is made in Italy and freshly imported overRead more
Hiking Griffith Park

Went on a hike in Griffith Park today. A very hot and dusty affair but still very interesting hearing some of the stories connected to the park and Los Angeles itself.
☝️ The park is named afterRead more
Griffith Observatory

Spent the afternoon at Griffith observatory.
It's is a unique hybrid of public observatory, planetarium, and exhibition space. It was constructed with funds from the bequest of Griffith J. GriffithRead more
Goodbye LA

First impressions weren't the best but in Fergus' words 'it grew on me'
👎Walking through downtown, particularly along Broadway, everything felt pretty shabby
👎 There are lots of homelessRead more
Just arrived at San Francisco

Flying in over San Francisco Bay Area
.
First impressions
👆Real contrast to LA, compact well ordered city with lots of hills
👆Very steep hills, walking up and down feels like preparation forRead more
SF - Chinatown Autumn Moon festival

Very lively in Chinatown this afternoon with dragon dances and bands playing.
Main through road seems to be very touristy. Trying to scout out a place to eat for later in the week, we didn't reallyRead more
Alcatraz - must see attraction

Spent most of the day on Alcatraz learning about the history of the island - morphing from a location of a lighthouse (during the gold rush in California in 1848/1849) to a strategic fortification asRead more
A Dog's life in the city

We are staying in the 'middle' of San Francisco and I am really surprised about how many dogs are around.
Big dogs I mean!
Sure there are a few small dogs but the majority we have seen are reallyRead more
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner in one

Went out for breakfast this morning on the look-out for something not too stodgy but filling
We chose a place called 'Farm Table' on Post Street after reading good reviews.
Things to note:Read more
SF sightseeing - Japantown

There are only three Japantown's left in the U.S. niw. San Francisco's is the largest and oldest surviving one. The others are in Los Angeles and San Jose's Japantown.
Japanese began moving to theRead more
A hint of France in San Francisco

Staying in a slightly different type of hotel in San Francisco and one with rigorous Covid measures still in place.
The hotel looks and feels very French - in fact the owners are French. And it'sRead more
Rediscover San Francisco

It's been 34 years since I visited SF, it's like discovering a new city. And boy, it feels like we walked every street in SF.
Up and down the streets all day long - over 20700 steps, 67 floors upRead more
Wine Country - must taste attraction

There are 'must-sees' and there are 'must-tastes'
Wine country is definitely a 'must-taste' for us!
Being in California, we had to add another wine tour to our list.
Booked with 'Edge of theRead more
SF Chinatown & Portsmouth square

Our last morning in San Francisco.
Did we leave the best for last??
Before setting off to the airport, we are trying to get our steps in by wandering around Chinatown and surroundings.
First toRead more
Goodbye SF & California, hello SLC

Leaving SF and the Golden State. Heading for Salt Lake City (SLC) in the Beehive State.
It's assumed that Utah is called 'Beehive state' as it's a leading producer of honey with thousands of poundsRead more
Living in 'The book of Mormon' 😉

Spending the day in hot Salt Lake City where the temperature hit 38 degrees today. Celsius not Fahrenheit
We started the morning exploring 'Temple Square' - a huge complex owned by The Church ofRead more