A tour of the United States: the cities and the great parks of west

This is the diary of our honeymoon made in September 2009 and lasting 18 days in the mythical American West. We traveled with the British Airways scheduled flights starting Sept. 13 from Milan to Los Angeles via London - Heathrow, staying two nights in Los Angeles and then doing the tour planned to stay in different cities and in parks in this order: Los Angeles, Palm Springs, Phoenix, Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Bryce Canyon, Las Vegas, Death Valley, Yosemite National Park, San Francisco, Santa Maria and Santa Monica. From here we returned to Italy on Sept. 31 arriving at London Heathrow on the evening of October 1.
The location, the order of the stages and the nights we have chosen us based on what we wanted to see, on internet, and reading guides. We have benefited from the help of a travel agency and experience of the owner to book the best hotels and cars since we did not have budget problems because the trip was our gift list and then we wanted to be sure of staying in places we guarantee quality and comfort for visits and trips.
A trip like this costs € 2500-3000 per person, depending on the flight and the hotel selected. To this figure must be added the cost of fuel (at $ 0.3 per gallon that is about 0.7 € per liter) and eating (remember that here you have to tip waiters, the 'TIP'), as well as the entrances to the parks (the card should do that first visit, so with every $ 50 in revenue apart from the Monument Valley which is Navayo reserves and costs $ 5 per person) and a few inevitable purchase. The highway is not paid except to cross the bridge (the Golden Gate costs $ 6) or some 17 thousand as the scenic drive ($ 13).
With photos and stories I hope to share with you the incredible effect that they have given us those places, the majesty of the parks and the hustle and bustle of the city, a world where everything is so great that sometimes left us breathless. If you have to give up something I advise you to visit rather not visit a city but do not miss the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley and Death Valley, but also lesser-known parks such as Bryce and absolutely extraordinary and JoshuaTree or Antelope Canyon.
Do not be afraid to tackle a trip like this, we have 2998 miles journey of 5000 km without any problem, the streets are huge and the traffic there, except a little 'course in the city. I advise you to rent a car that allows you to travel wherever convenient, in fact we have chosen a Nissan SUV and we were fine. Also never forget to bring your water and something to eat.
What I recommend is not to heed the usual lovers 'DIY', book hotels in Italy so that you can stay inside the parks or you risk losing a lot of time and travel with anxiety to arrive late and could not find housing nearby. The rest is very important that you might prepare the addresses of places you want to visit and those of the hotel before leaving, then the browser will take you anywhere.
Finally it is important to know a little English, ask for and read information, but also simply to order food, because the Americans are very helpful with tourists but they speak a slang often difficult to interpret.
And Away We Go ...

 

Los Angeles

Rise early and drive to Malpensa airport, left on time and in a couple of hours we are in London. After 3 hours of waiting, you depart for Los Angeles where we landed at 15.00 local. The time to collect your luggage and carry out the checks, then we got on a bus that took us to the Hertz car hire for your car. We took an SUV to be more comfortable and I would say that choice was never more apt. Set the first address on the navigator Never Lost we have reached the Sofitel hotel in Beverly Hills, a very nice facility. That evening, the first stop was the Walk of Fame, almost two steps away. What a thrill to walk treading in the footsteps of the stars and celebrities in front of the Chinese Theatre, in particular the star Michael Jackson was surrounded by white flowers. Dinner in a nearby and then we went to bed.

Los Angeles

Wake up and convenient to drive around Beverly Hills and Melrose, between the villas of famous people and typical houses made up the shops of Rodeo Drive where we took the opportunity to buy now clothing, while in the afternoon we went to see the famous Hollywood sign and Universal Studios, cute though many people avoid them because the entrance is probably very expensive. Finally, dinner at the Rock Cafe.

Palm Springs

Leaving Los Angeles after a fantastic breakfast from Huts in Melrose we headed to Palm Springs, a quiet tourist town famous for its golf courses, wealthy Americans are here to relax ... leave your luggage at the Hotel Ryatt (quite modest) we went to visit the Joshua Tree National Park, entering from the north. At the information provided us by reporting around the map that we could do better, we also purchased a card that allowed us to go into all the parks. The Joshua Tree is a very special park, is characterized by these trees (the Joshua Tree in fact) are unique in the world and from various colors of the hills, surrounded by deserts. We walked a trail up to a dam, seeing hares, squirrels and lizards, immersed in a perfect climate. Finally we reached a hill from which you could see the San Andrea Fault. All with our car along a beautiful road and practically deserted. Then we came back to Palm Springs and then we had dinner in a restaurant in an Italian guy find it quite well.

Phoenix

We started with a comfortable after a hearty breakfast of eggs and potatoes and we headed to Phoenix. Here we stayed at the Hotel Scottsdale Cottonwoods Resort, practically a village with apartments and very nice. This city is very clean and tidy, everything seems new, but there is nothing interesting, just huge roads, houses and modern buildings, lots of banks and offices. Patience was a necessary step to get closer to the Grand Canyon ... Dinner at a Mexican restaurant and then to bed the next day we were in for a great day.

Il Gran Canyon

Lasciata Phoenix di buon mattino dopo una colazione così così in hotel ci siamo diretti verso nord. Lo spettacolo della natura che abbiamo incontrato era davvero suggestivo, abbiamo viaggiato tra immense praterie e colline colme di cactus raggiungendo la prima tappa di giornata, il Castello di Montezuma, una costruzione nella roccia risalente agli indiani e in origine completata da una parte in legno che oggi non esiste più. Siamo ripartiti lungo la Hgw-17 per un pezzo, poi abbiamo svoltato come avevo previsto verso Sedona attraversando la Coconito National Forest. Qui abbiamo visto le prime vere montagne restando davvero affascinati di fronte al loro colore rosso e alle enormi distese di nuvole. Che spettacolo!!! Attraversata Sedona siamo saliti oltre la foresta raggiungendo Flagstaff: qui abbiamo percorso un pezzo della mitica Route66 per poi proseguire verso nord lungo la US-180 fino a raggiungere il Gran Canyon. Dopo aver chiesto indicazioni siamo arrivati all’ Hotel El Tovar, davvero il rifugio più bello del South Rim, e lo spettacolo a cui abbiamo assistito è assolutamente unico al mondo. Il Gran Canyon è quanto di più maestoso abbia potuto creare la natura nel corso di migliaia d’anni. Giusto il tempo di depositare i bagagli e abbiamo intrapreso la Hermit’s Road cioè il sentiero a sud ovest, in parte a piedi e in parte in autobus fino alla sua estremità, assistendo ad un tramonto spettacolare. Ormai stava calando la notte, perciò siamo tornati all’El Tovar e qui abbiamo cenato davvero bene, 2 steaks favolose ed un vino da far girare la testa. E prima di andare a letto siamo usciti di nuovo per ammirare le stelle in un silenzio quasi irreale: credo che quello sia uno dei pochi luoghi al mondo in cui se ne possono vedere così tante, grandi e luminosissime. Fantastico!!!

Gran Canyon and Monument Valley

Rise early to watch the sunrise: it was cold but it was worth it, amazing colors and light, surrounded by deer graze in the meadows. Returned to breakfast, we loaded the luggage and then walked the path east stopping at various points of observation. The depth that can be seen in this area is unique, it was great to get off the trails to Colorado but we had more time. Back to the car we started and we walked the South Rim to the east, stopping at the observation points as the most popular Mother Point to Desert View, where there is a tower with souvenir shops run by Indians and where you can really see Colorado well. Finally and sadly left the Grand Canyon we headed to Kayenta eating something in the car because it was already afternoon and there were still many miles to go before we reach the legendary Monument Valley! We arrived there around 16:00, we checked into the hotel-The New that is inside the park, where we went directly to our suv ... what fun! It was like being in a western movie, the colors of the rocks and earth were even more intense than we had imagined since it was nearing sunset. Following the path we have achieved all vantage points such as the John Ford Point el'Artists Point, then at sunset we returned to the hotel, we had dinner based on typical Navaho foods and then we went to bed tired but very happy with what we saw this fantastic day.

Antelope and Bryce Canyon

Again we got up at dawn and despite the cold we have witnessed another spectacle of nature. We saw the sun rise slowly to the horizon with three Butte in front of us, the clouds that created colorful taking incredible shapes and torn by the rays of light. E 'was hard to leave these places, but after a good breakfast and some shopping we started towards Page. Here we arrived at 11.00, we went immediately to pick up the tickets we had booked via the Internet to Antelope Canyon and then we went running to see the Horseshoe Bend, the famous 'Horseshoe' carved by the Colorado, which are accessible through a stretch of desert on foot. Back in the center we went to the Agency and we climbed into the jeep driven by a large Indian Antelope Canyon has led us along with a caravan of other cars through the desert, where the drivers had fun competing with each other to make us jump. What a laugh! The Antelope is really fascinating: they are tunnels dug into the rock by erosion of wind, where you can watch remarkable play of light, in the hours when the sun is at peak, descends from above like giant rays. The colors are very strong and changeable. I really can not miss! Returning to town we bought a pizza from Pizza Hut and there we enjoyed watching from the dam, Lake Powell, then spreading to the north, objective Bryce Canyon. Bryce is another park unique to the shape of its rocks. Unfortunately we arrived late in the afternoon during a lightning storm, going from 35-40 ° C for a Page at a temperature much colder. However, after check-in to 'Best Western Hotel we were not discouraged and we headed by car to the first viewpoints. After parking and crossed a short stretch of forest we were walking in front of the nth natural spectacle. Sunrise Point and Sunset Point are great here in contrast to the Grand Canyon is easier to go down along the route, unfortunately the time we could not do it now, so we decided to put all the next day. Return to the hotel we had dinner, we took a tour of the shops and then we went to rest, the day was very exciting but also very very hard.

Bryce Canyon, Zion Canyon and Las Vegas

Beautiful day, had breakfast we headed to Sunset Point to make the Queen Mary's Trail, a route very attractive for two hours down the valley between pinnacles of rock and various plants. Returned from the path we left around 11:00 Bryce through the Red Canyon, a small park full of red rock squirrels, and then we went in the direction of Zion National Park where we arrived early afternoon. Zion is a park where they meet and mountains of red and white rocks smoothed by the wind, is the most impressive mountains carved out by the course of the Virgin River. Park the car we took the bus that runs along the scenic route, unfortunately we had the time to take only the most famous path that starts from the last stop and runs along the river, where you meet lots of squirrels. Unfortunately we were unable to reach The Narrows, the extreme point of the route where you can see the gorge carved by the flow of water in the rock up to 600 meters high, because we had to ford the river and we could not threaten to hurt us or to wet cameras and documents. Then we returned to the parking lot, we have eaten enough and we left towards Las Vegas where we arrived in the evening. You can imagine the impact we have had to arrive at dawn in the city symbol of fun after days spent in the wilderness, rivers and mountains ... DEVASTATING! Fortunately, the navigator took us to 'Luxor Hotel smoothly through the traffic, just arrived c 'was the baggage handlers who have downloaded the car and took us check-in area where it looked like an airport! Bring your luggage in the room we immediately took to park the car and then we ate very well in a Mexican restaurant in the Luxor and decided to visit the city the next day because we were very tired.

Las Vegas

After days of dawn we got up alarms with comfortable and we started the tour of the city having breakfast in a bar of 'New York hotel. Then we went from 'Excalibur, from the Bellagio and Caesar, making a shopping tour, and in particular we have entered a huge shopping mall with a ceiling decorated with artificial clouds, finishing lunch at a local eccentric named Margaritaville where we ate 2 cheese burger with fries and beer truly exceptional. In the afternoon we continued the tour through Paris and then to the Venetian, we believe that apart from the elegance of the Bellagio is definitely the most fascinating complex in Las Vegas, with the gondolas that pass through the copy of the grand canal and gondoliers sing, in addition to the reproduction of Piazza San Marco and the artificial sky. Incredible! After some unavoidable purchase we headed back to the Bellagio where we witnessed the spectacle of the fountains with music and light shows and then we had dinner in an Italian restaurant. Then we returned to our hotel to pick up the car and we headed to the old Las Vegas seeing the Riviera hotel, the Hilton, the tower and the old arcade with the neon signs, as well as a lot of great local where weddings are celebrated, returning to Luxor late.

Death Valley

A quick breakfast in a bar in the Luxor and then we went to the legendary Valley of Death. After a bit 'of kilometers in the desert we had to stop due to work being stopped and began to feel that the temperature was climbing. The first leg of the journey was the Desert View, vantage point can be reached by following a road in anything up to a parking lot, and only after you find to be very high. There was a slight breeze freshened, and once again we found ourselves faced with an incredible show. Returning to the valley we reached the famous Zabriskie Point, made a bit 'of photos we left right away because it was almost noon and really began to be felt the heat. Shortly after we arrived at Furnace Creek Ranch: cute, you just seem to be in the far west and the name says it all. Unload your luggage and freshened a bit we headed to Salt Lake which is located 86 meters below sea level. Here there is very little water, is virtually an enormous expanse of salt on which we have gone a bit 'and then quickly back in the car because the weather was hot, I think there were between 45 and 50 ° C. Following the directions on the maps we were directed to other viewpoints (by car, with air conditioning, it was fine), we walked the Artist's Tour, a ride up and down rocky hills in the middle of a moonscape, and then we came back at the ranch even crossing a coyote. In the evening we had dinner at the ranch saloon and then went to rest.

Yosemite National Park

A quick breakfast in a bar in the Luxor and then we went to the legendary Valley of Death. After a bit 'of kilometers in the desert we had to stop due to work being stopped and began to feel that the temperature was climbing. The first leg of the journey was the Desert View, vantage point can be reached by following a road in anything up to a parking lot, and only after you find to be very high. There was a slight breeze freshened, and once again we found ourselves faced with an incredible show. Returning to the valley we reached the famous Zabriskie Point, made a bit 'of photos we left right away because it was almost noon and really began to be felt the heat. Shortly after we arrived at Furnace Creek Ranch: cute, you just seem to be in the far west and the name says it all. Unload your luggage and freshened a bit we headed to Salt Lake which is located 86 meters below sea level. Here there is very little water, is virtually an enormous expanse of salt on which we have gone a bit 'and then quickly back in the car because the weather was hot, I think there were between 45 and 50 ° C. Following the directions on the maps we were directed to other viewpoints (by car, with air conditioning, it was fine), we walked the Artist's Tour, a ride up and down rocky hills in the middle of a moonscape, and then we came back at the ranch even crossing a coyote. In the evening we had dinner at the ranch saloon and then went to rest.

Mariposa Groove e San Francisco

After a good breakfast we went to Mariposa Grove, which is the south entrance of Yosemite Park and where is the forest of Giant Sequoias. The impact that you have in front of those creatures is impressive, some are really huge, can reach 100 meters high. The redwoods do not burn and are not attacked by parasites, they die only when they fall for natural events. After touring a couple of hours fascinated by these plants we started in the direction of San Francisco. We arrived in town late afternoon and just like in Las Vegas the impact with the bustle and the traffic was not just indifferent, we also found a somewhat harsh climate and a very annoying wind. After reaching the 'Handlery Hotel in Union Square and parked the car and we were refreshed we headed straight to the port using the old cable car, tram open and still work through a system of rope to pull a driver and front a rear brake that (are absurd and very expensive, $ 5 each way). Once at the Fishermans Wharf we wandered a bit 'between the shops and then we entered the restaurant that inspired us more, because the cold was felt, and after a heavy dinner, made with the famous shrimp we came back at the hotel.

San Francisco

On the first day in San Francisco we decided to turn the city on foot, so we took the cable car and went straight to the port because we had booked via the internet visit to Alcatraz for 11.00. The morning fog in the harbor there is always the first to board we went to Pier 39 to see the seals following their unique appeal. It 's amazing how many there are, even the smell emanating is rather nauseating, however, inspire much affection. After having breakfast in a cafe on the pier we went to Pier 33 and we took the boat and came to Alcatraz a few minutes while the fog, meanwhile, had risen. I must say that visit that prison does something, there is nothing but impressive walk through the aisles and maybe go into an isolation cell with earphones listening to the explanations of the audio guides, which fortunately is also in Italian, makes you reflect. In fact very well tell you the various escape attempts, you can see the holes dug in the cells, the masks were used to confuse the guards, the clothing worn by prisoners and the guards themselves, the mess hall, the room with the instruments control that are now laughing at the time, but art, listening to the original stories of some prisoners and you can see photos of the most famous, imagining that the first 40 years had lived right there dentro.Terminato the tour we came back with the boat to the harbor and we had lunch in a restaurant on Pier 39, after which we headed on foot to the Coit Tower in North Beach where you can admire the entire city. From there we walked to the famous Lombard Street in Russian Hill, a road downhill all the way to the corners where tourists are vying to be photographed, then we headed to Nob Hill visiting a church and admire the cathedral, looking for the famous Victorian houses from which we probably passed without notice because the fatigue was beginning to be felt. Slowly we got to the hotel in Union Square and went to rest a bit 'because we were just in pieces! I advise everyone to get around town using the car or any means, as we did not listen to us who says that he turned to walk because it is a massacre, the climbs are very heavy and then along those paths is not much to see! Towards evening we came back we took a tour of shops near the hotel, which was in the most commercial area of the city, then we went to dinner at an Italian restaurant where the food was great.

San Francisco

After the fatigue of yesterday, had breakfast we retrieved the car from the parking lot and we were much better. First we tried the monumental entrance to Chinatown and have discovered with astonishment that it was a short walk away. After a quick tour of the many Chinese shops we headed toward the Golden Gate Park that we visited, however, not being huge, since there is nothing that interested us. From there we went back to the harbor and we reached the Golden Gate Bridge: Follow the traffic and we were on the bridge after crossing it we stopped to admire it. Made a brief stop on the other side because we came at last the fog was rising and we could see the bridge in its majesty: he is without doubt the main attraction of San Francisco. At this point we recrossed the bridge and we headed to Sausalito, a small tourist town full of shops and restaurants, where we had lunch and walked. In the late afternoon we returned to San Francisco, we stopped at the mall where they sell Ghirardelli chocolate really good, we have rebuilt in Lombard street car and then we came back to the hotel for dinner. I must say that San Francisco has not affected us much, perhaps after visiting the wonders of the parks were no longer used to the hustle and bustle of the city, if you want to turn it into a council car so it only takes one day to see everything.

Monterey and the coast of California to Santa Maria

Made breakfast we set off in the direction of Monterey where we arrived late in the morning. We visited the pier, again full of seals, we were impressed by the huge jellyfish that were seen in the water next to the divers and then we headed towards the center where there are numerous shops and restaurants. We have the opportunity to go shopping and then we ate good fish, sharing in the early afternoon along the coast, particularly along the 17 Mile Drive, a scenic road where they are paid fabulous villas in golf courses and great beaches. Unfortunately the weather was beginning to get cloudy, in fact as soon as we entered the famous HighWay1, the world's most famous scenic route, we ended up in thick fog for which unfortunately we could not see almost nothing of this coast, arriving late afternoon in Santa Maria , where we stayed and dined at the hotel Santa Maria Inn. Here there was nothing to see but we needed to make an intermediate stop because they get to Santa Monica we could not have just done.

Santa Monica

We left early on continuing our journey along the coast, fortunately the weather was sunny most of the day before, so we stopped in Santa Barbara and after a quick breakfast we visited the pier, where we managed to get close to a beautiful pelican. From there we continued stopping several times to see the typical houses and piles up at the legendary Malibu surfer. In the late afternoon we arrived in Santa Monica, we reached the 'Loews Hotel, a fantastic facility located in front of the mythical wheel on the pier, we rested a bit' and then we went for a stroll downtown. Here we were surprised by the beautiful Promenade, a pedestrian street full of shops and pubs of every kind, where we had dinner at Barney's, a local very nice with screens on all sides that played football games, with plaques on the attic, bike set up counters and a myriad of beers on tap as I had ever seen. Here we dined very well, then we went back to the hotel but before we moved from the pier for a closer look at the wheel lit up and admire the ocean.

Santa Monica and Disneyland

As the day was not very clear, we decided not to spend it soaking up the sun on the beach and we decided to visit Disneyland, which is located about an hour from Santa Monica. Just arrived it seemed there was no one but then we had to think again: you have to walk from the parking lot a bit 'before arriving at the entrance, across an entire area of shops and restaurants. Furthermore, we had a good tail to get tickets (as dear to Universal Studios), there are almost as exhausting checks at the airport. But when you pass through the gates and everything seems to change it looks like you really live in another world: trains, trucks, buses, shops ... all done exactly as in a cartoon! And lots and lots of lots of people, especially children, despite being a weekday. Probably the chaos was due to the fact that while there is still a month were already preparing to celebrate Halloween, in fact there were pumpkins everywhere. Since we had not had breakfast we went into a bar and we got something to eat, then we went to the first attraction that we were interested, to Indiana Jones what a thrill it was crazy running into a jeep in the middle of the dark tunnel and courses 'Water children ... we're back! Then we turned nearly all the other attractions, based on eating hamburgers and fries, we went for a ride on the ferry, we visited the house of mouse, and so on ... back to hotel in late afternoon. In the evening we had dinner again at Barney's, then doing a tour of shops on the Promenade.

The last day

Now our adventure was coming to an end, after loading the luggage we went to buy a few things on the Promenade and then we headed to Venice which is located a few steps from Santa Monica. There we walked along the road that runs along the beach where there are shops of every kind, seems to be on the Adriatic Coast, there are outdoor gyms, basketball courts, people running or riding a bicycle along the bike path and especially c 'is a huge beach, the famous one you see in many TV series such as Baywatch, with the huts of the lifeguards and the yellow jeep, the boys who fly kites and a few people sunning themselves. After the recent acquisitions we have plenty of lunch in a little place down the road, then it is still early we went back a bit 'in Santa Monica and comfortable we headed to the airport. With a little 'to regret, because we were really good, we returned the SUV and we went by bus to the airport, we checked in and went boarding. Unfortunately, the plane was an hour late but in flight we recovered the lost time, no problem in London and then we got home on time on 1 October.

CONCLUSION
I hope to be able to convey how much we enjoyed your trip and the best things we've seen, the States do not have much culture to offer those who visit them, but are fascinating for their natural beauty and the vastness and variety of landscapes meet. While you can admire what nature has created over thousands of years, on the other you can see how man has managed to adapt by building both large cities where life goes so fast-paced but also small towns Urban lost in the void where people live in absolute peace. If you love nature and like to travel, do not miss a trip like this!