"2003 - Route 66 Tour : Part 2" Personal Page by Paulie_D

Hey, welcome back...If you haven't read Part 1 yet, you might want to catch up with the rest of us before continuing on.

Click HERE to go to Part 1.

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On the other hand, if you have already made the effort to read all of my cr*p then I'm deeply honoured and hope I can keep it up.

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Anyway, where were we...Oh, yeah...Coming out of the Grand Canyon and headed in to Las Vegas.

September 16th (continued)

GRAND CANYON to LAS VEGAS

We can't go over Boulder Dam in the bus due to security restrictions so, we have to go the long way round, through Bullhead City (great name). Hey, we passed through Kingman 'along the way'. That's another town in the song (you do remember the song don't you? Oh come on, I put it in Part 1, so if you didn't bother to read that, you'll have to move fast to keep up with the rest of us).

Anyway, due to the roundabout way into LV, we get in to the Stratosphere (T) at around dinner time. The Stratosphere has a REALLY confusing room numbering system, so it takes me about 20 minutes to wander the halls before finding my room.

Now, I'd not stayed at the Stratosphere before and, having done a little research at www.tripadvisor.com before I left, I was a smidge (that's a tad to you US types) concerned. Very mixed reviews(!) BUT I found the room quite acceptable and found no cause for complaint AND I spoke to other passengers and they were happy to. (We Brits don't like to complain about things to other but we do talk amongst ourselves).

Anyway, a quick meal later and It's time to blow some blackjack money!

The limits at the Stratosphere are a little lower than at the heart of the Strip (not as low a downtown LV though) so I just clear off the rust from the last time I was in town and get the playing groove back. After the tour ends in LA, I'm headed back to Las Vegas for a few days 'post-tour' wind-down, so I don't need to blow the whole wad tonight.

At around 1 a.m., I hit the wall and decide to crash.

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September 17th

LAS VEGAS

So, another day in Vegas. I've been here a few times before so I skip the city tour & optionals that the Tour Escort has laid on for everyone else and decide to just unwind for the day. I'm a voracious reader (honestly, with these long drives, you have to find a way to pass the time) and I'm getting low on reading materiel. Now, I know that the only bookstore on the Strip is at the Fashion Show Mall and it doesn't seem that far away so I decide to walk. Not the cleverest idea I've ever had. I am always making the same mistake. In Vegas the buildings look closer becaure they are so bloody huge. Anyway, after dragging my aging, overweight carcase to the mall, I load up on books & take the bus back. Much more civilised. Lunch and some afternoon low limit blackjack soon restore me to some semblance of normalcy.

The evening rolls around and we have a helicopter flight over the city this evening. You can read me by clicking this link. (T).

Anyway, after we get back We have dinner and given that we have a very long day tomorrow I don't spend too long at the tables & head for some rest.

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September 18th

LAS VEGAS to LOS ANGELES

An early start today as we are due ot get into LA today for our last couple of nights. However, we first stop at Calico, an old mining community how a Ghost Town. It's a nice enough tourist attraction & we spend a couple of hours or so but the lustre begins to fade in the heat. Anyway, and this is a personal opinion, it's aimed at the younger kids, but hey, it's included in the price of the tour and at least it gets us off the bus.

So now we make dash for LA. Not much to see as we hurtle down the Interstate so our Tour Escort puts on a video of the "Grapes of Wrath". You know the Steinbeck novel about heading west from Oklahoma during the depression. A great film but not much resonance with a great comfortale tour bus.

Anyway, we stop in Barstow (back to the song again) for a fast food lunch before heading into LA, via San Bernadino (which, I promise, is the last time I'll mention that damn song).

We arrive in LA around 4.30 but we head over to Ocean Drive in Santa Monica so that we can visit the official end of Route 66 (see the picture) and see the Pacific Ocean. It's here that we discover that Route 66 is also known as the Will Rogers Highway.

No time for sightseeing as it time for a quick drive through the city to our hotel.

Not much to see in or around the hotel (and I don't feel, probably unwarrented, that comfortable about heading out to scout out the area), so it's dinner and a few drinks at the bar. I am only in LA for one more day as I will be heading back to Las Vegas the next day for some real R&R. Most of the rest of the group will be taking their optional excursions the day I leave so it's a good time to say a few goodbyes as I will be on my own tomorrow.

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September 19th THE LAST DAY

LOS ANGELES

So, here I am, on my own. This morning, my optional excursion is a walking tour of Historic Hollywood. I confess, I 'm not much of a walker being an overweight individual but I'm willing to put myself out for something different.

So, I take the Metro (T) to Hollywood & Highland and what do you know, I'm right by the Chinese Theatre. Anyway, I find my way to the offices of Red Line Tours (T & TL). Please read the Tip & Travelogue for full details.

Anyway, It's time for lunch and I had read some stuff on the internet about a place called Cole's (T) which is the alleged place of the French Dip Sandwich. It sounded intriguing so I made my way there. Damn, that was scary. If it hadn't been broad daylight I wouldn't have walked those streets on a bet.

When I got to Cole's it was pretty empty but the food was great, the beer was cold and I had a great talk with the bartender so the walk wasn't wasted. However, I wouldn't recommend visiting because of the area in which it's located.

Afterwards, I had promised myself I would visit the Bradbury Building (T) (Yes, that's it in the picture). It's not too far from Cole's, so taking my life in my hands, I head back to the main street and walk up South Broadway. I almost walk past it as the exterior looks completely different from how you would expect. As I enter, a security guard reminds me that this is still a working building and that it is appreciated if visitors would be quiet (like I was going to make a noise) and that we are limited to the ground floor and first flight of stairs. A pity as I had hoped to get a variety of photos but I understand the need for limits.

Afterwards, I head back to the hotel to make sure that I have everything packed away that I won't need in Vegas and that everything I will need is accessible.

Then it's down for dinner and a few (OK more that a few) drinks with the rest of the tour group on our final night together. Tomorrow I'm off to Vegas to visit my money.

Well, that's it. I'm done. Thanks for reading. I hope that you liked this rambling travelogue and if you rated some items along the way, thanks for your thoughts.

Hasta La Vista, Baby.