Greetings from Las Vegas...

13th Feb, 2008

Well, we are all together and checked into our palatial suites in Vegas, eventually.

Diane and I took almost as long to get from Niagara Falls to LA as it took Clive and Lorraine to get from Sydney.

We were picked up promptly at 09:30 by the taxi to get back to Buffalo for the flight to JFK. A blizzard was due to hit in the afternoon so we were just happy to get out of Buffalo at 12:30, albeit 30 minutes late.

We were greeted in New York by a steady stream of light snow. I went to Terminal 4 to pick up our bags we left in storage, doh!!, so we checked in at 14:30 for the Qantas flight back to LA, due to leave at 18:40. With 4 hours to kill we had some lunch and I had a pedicure at a SpaExpress outlet in the departure lounge (yes, this is Bob typing!!!). I was unable to get internet access so it was just a case of waiting. Boarding time rolls around and it is obvious that this flight won't be leaving at 18:40. The plane hadn't even arrived from LA yet, although it was due at 16:30. The snow is getting heavier, cancelled flights are starting to dot the TV screens and we find out even if the plane arrives now, the pilot and co-pilot are stuck in gridlocked traffic somewhere on the streets of NY, ETA unknown. Eventually the plane arrives, the pilot arrives and although most flights are now cancelled due to the weather, we are still good to go. We board at 19:45, 90 minutes late, settle in and get ready, we should be airborne shortly.

Yeah, right.

The plane gives a bit of a jolt at the gate, moves a foot or so and comes to a stop. After 5 minutes the Captain advises that the tug (?) that pulls the plane away from the gate couldn't get traction because of the snow and had to leave and get chains fitted, delay about 20-30 minutes. Finally the plane pulls out and the Captain tells us that because of the time spent in the gate, we had to proceed to the de-icing hanger and get the wings de-iced and treated. We wait for at least an hour for a British Airways flight in front of us to get treated. We eventually pull in and they go to work on us. They appear to be finished but still we wait. Now the Captain tells us that the British Airways flight that was in front of us had to wait so long to get clearance that the wings had iced again and it was on it's way back. As such, they decided to redo our plane, so another hour wasted.

We finally leave the ground at a quarter past midnight !!! 4 1/2 hours on the plane and we are finally in the air. Dinner is served, Skybed reclined and we are both off to sleep. We get to LAX at 02:00 (gain 3 hrs with time change). I go to the counter and ask what is the ETA for Clive and Lorraines flight, due in at 06:30. At this point I'm secretly hoping it has been delayed so we can check into our hotel and get more than 3 hours sleep. The agent checks "Sir, you'll be pleased to know that flight is early, arriving at 05:55" Terrific.......

Clive and Lorraine clear US Customs at 07:00 and are met by their chauffeur, me, holding a sign "The RATS". It was clearly the most impressive sign among the many signs held by those poor souls who meet and greet tired and irritable travellers for a living.

We returned to the hotel, picked up Diane and finally all 4 of us are together for 'USA and Canada 2008' and headed for the US Airways terminal for our flight to Vegas. The plane was an hour late, only an hour...not bad, not bad...., finally touching down in Vegas at 14:30. The highlight of the flight was when a male crew member asked Lorraine and Diane if they were twins or just sisters. Considering Lorraine had just flown from Australia with little sleep, she was rather chuffed. We expect Diane to talk to us again sometime tomorrow, although I believe US Airways are off the agenda for future travel.

We jumped a shuttle and headed for The Palazzo. We were the last drop and as the door closes behind the second last drop at Flamingo, it snaps a hinge and falls on the ground!!!! Now we are about 300 metres from our final destination, all of us have been on the go for over 24 hours and we have to wait 30 minutes for a replacement bus to take us the last bit. Not sure if I'm down to my last or not, but there cannot be too many straws left!!!

Clive, always the engineer





We finally checked into The Palazzo. It is just superb.

This is one of the many fountains in the check-in lobby



The walkway off the gaming floor to the shopping arcade and link to The Venetian



And finally, the room......









More later....

Valentines Day in Vegas...

14th Feb, 2008

More pictures, slightly less editorial today......

The Palazzo external....


....and at dusk



Clive and I took the girls out for Valentines Day lunch and told them to eat ANYTHING they fancied. After all, if a girl can't indulge on Valentines Day, when can she indulge.

They both started with a Spaghetti Alfredo entree, a creamy white wine sauce with fresh field mushrooms, a hint of garlic poured over fresh al dente spaghetti. Diane then went for an Asian main, mouth watering beef in a spicy black bean sauce and a delightfully fruity Orange Chicken. Lorraine chose a more western creation, succulent lamb cuts, complimented by a gorgeously creamy sweet potato mash.

These meals were washed down with a refreshing iced tea before the piece de resistance...deserts. They both chose a wickedly sweet creme brulee' followed by large strawberries dipped in chocolate and a small section of banana, also dipped in chocolate and coated in nuts. Yummyyyyy.

The evidence...



That Clive and I, aren't we just the best !!!!!!

Yep, no doubt about it, that $15.95 all-you-can-eat buffet at Treasure Island is great value.



We then needed to walk off the calories, so headed down the strip visiting casinos as we came to them.

A couple of Valentines Day shots at the Mirage....




and a nice shot of the girls....



We didn't actually get to see too many casino gaming areas. With all the shops along the way in Caesars etc. it was painfully slow progress, certainly for Clive and I anyway.

Diane tried on a pair of $3,000 sunglasses.....


I was pretty safe in the knowledge that even Diane would understand they were way out of our budget. Clive on the other hand was looking decidedly fidgety and rather nervous.

One of the dozen, no make that dozens, of shoe shops that the girls just HAD to look inside. What is it with woman and shoes??



We headed back to The Palazzo via the Flamingo where the girls covered the weekly rent for some lucky clothing store. We then went through the Venetian where we saw the living statues....


....I'm sure those who have seen them are also amazed how they can keep so still for so long.

Finally, Clive and Lorraine came across a welcome sign, obviously unveiled for their arrival.....



In the evening we went to a dinner/show, Tony and Tina's Wedding at the Rio. Whilst not that bad a night, it wouldn't go down as a must see. Lorraine had seen the show previously and said that the cast and show had completely changed and she was very disappointed.

That's all for now, until later.......

Goodbye Vegas...

15th Feb, 2008

Well, we have left Vegas and have arrived in San Francisco.

After a nice buffet breakfast at The Palazzo Cafe, our final day in Las Vegas saw the girls take off to do some shopping, again, whilst Clive and I stood in a line for an hour to get some show tickets. We obtained tickets to see 'Stomp Out Loud', then we had to get to Planet Hollywood Casino where the show was playing to pick up the actual tickets and get seating. The whole process took about 3 hours, but as devoted husbands we didn't complain......much.

Both girls came back from the shops modelling new jackets/coats. Clive wanted to know why Lorraine needed a 'raincoat' and in his typical shyte stirring way has managed to slip the word 'raincoat' into every second sentence the past 24 hours. For those that know Clive, I'm sure you can just hear him saying it as you read. BTW, it's a lovely jacket and Lorraine has told Clive "It's called style Clive, you wouldn't understand".

'Stomping Out Loud' was brilliant. It ran for 90 minutes and not one word was spoken nor sung. It was a group of young dancers/musicians/performers that used everyday items to compose music and melody. It was just so well done.

After the show we had dinner at The Bellagio, watched the dancing waters show before casino hopping our way back to our suites at 2am.

A few piccies of the Vegas strip....

The Bellagio




Paris




Venetian





Wynn's



Caesars Palace...note the circular escalator







Mirage




Bellagio dancing waters show.....

Greetings from San Francisco...

17th Feb, 2008

Greetings from San Francisco.

The flight over on Southwest was fine, about the first leg that has actually been on time for the whole trip so far.

We arrived at around 3pm and caught a taxi to our hotel. Our hotel room is fine, but it suffers badly from following on after The Palazzo suite, we were so spoilt by that room!!!

Like all good tourists, we headed off to Fisherman's Wharf for dinner via cable car....


The Cable Car ride is intriguing. I just can't imagine OH&S laws in Australia would let people just jump on the outside of a vehicle, stand on a 12 inches wide wooden platform and start careering down a hill a foot or two away from traffic coming in the opposite direction, hanging onto nothing more than a railing. the part that is hard to believe is that it happens here in the US, the absolute home of the dopey litigation claims. Go figure.

At our final destination....



We ate at a seafood place that Clive and Lorraine realised they had eaten at 20 years earlier when they sat down and saw the view. Clive was having trouble reading the menu in the soft lighting, so borrowed Dianes reading glasses. They suit him, don't you think??



We returned to our rooms for an early night after a late final night in Vegas the evening before and a tiring flight to SFO. I managed to get a live audio feed of the Swans/Hawthorn match on the internet, but was so sleepy I fell asleep at half time. I awoke in the morning to find out the Swans got beat by just 2 points. Considering the very inexperienced team we fielded I was quite happy until I read that Nick Malceski did an ACL (knee) and will miss the rest of the season. I was instantly gutted.

We all walked to Union Square for breakfast this morning. Union Square is about 5 blocks from our hotel, fortunately all downhill as this pic of a passing cable car shows....



On the way about 2 blocks from our hotel is a 'nude male revue'. Clive reckons the theatre is very aptly named. I have to agree....



At Union Square we passed an eatery that had a lineup of at least 50 metres. This was at 09:30 in the morning!!! During the course of the day we found plenty of evidence that San Francisco folk have no qualms about lining up for quality food or restaurants.

After breakfast we took a taxi trip to a Sports warehouse that has among other things a large variety of ski equipment. We walked out with thermals, gloves, liners and neoprene face masks.

We jumped a cab to Sausalito via the Golden Gate Bridge....



Sausalito is a quaint little village with no shortage of expensive arty crafty type shops. A highlight of Sausalito was some guy who balanced rocks on the shore, much to the amazement of a crowd of onlookers. I have to say it was an impressive display....



The attempt....



The result....



Whilst walking back to catch the ferry back to San Francisco Wharf we walked past the local hamburger shop. Earlier in the day we looked thru the window of the shop as burgers rotated on a circular grill. Again we had evidence that the locals are prepared to lineup and wait for quality....



The lineup to get on the last ferry back to SFO wharf was seriously massive. There are any number of places where you can hire a bike from SFO and ride over the Golden Gate Bridge and cruise all the way downhill to Sausalito. To avoid the trek back uphill to get home, you can take the bike back on the ferry. As you can see, half of San Francisco decided to ride the bike to Sausalito today....



We returned to San Francisco Wharf at about 6pm. The girls cut loose in Walgreens, a drug store that sells just about anything, for the best part of an hour. Makeup, medication, just about anything 'chemisty' is way cheaper in the US and the girls took full advantage. Just outside of Walgreens is the end of the Cable car line....



.... and the line starts it's climb up to Nob Hill and ultimately down to Fisherman's Wharf. Our hotel is right in the distance at the top of the hill....



We then jumped a taxi to Chinatown. We asked the driver to take us to somewhere nice and without further ado drove us to the House of Nanking, supposedly one of the finest Chinese restaurants in San Francisco, which itself has the reputation of being the best Chinatown in the US. So we have been delivered to the best and guess what, there was a lineup to get in....





We were advised by the taxi driver to just let them order for you, they will just bring out nice dish after dish. At first we took that advice with a grain of salt, but whilst waiting in line we became chatty with a young local couple who claimed this was the best Chinese restaurant in SFO. They told us we must order the 'pan stickers' and 'sesame nanking chicken' but after that the house would probably choose the meals for you. This appeared to be a weird local custom that the restaurant chooses what you want to eat, but we thought we'd see what would happen. However, upon seeing the menu we decided we want this, we want that, we also want the other etc. The boss appears to take our order. Lorraine orders the sesame chicken and pan stickers, she begins to order something else and the boss snatched the menu from her hand and say's "first time?...I look after you, don't worry" and takes off before we can say anything leaving us all rather shocked, but also amused.

The meal was delicious, although a tad more expensive then we imagined it would be. When we left, guess what, the line had grew....



Taxi back to the hotel room, after dinner drinks and coffee and it's bedtime.

Tomorrow Clive and I will head to Alcatraz whilst the girls head to some shops...there's a shock!!!

Janet, rest assured, Lorraine has been racking up the shoe purchases. The last count was 4 I think, but one of those pairs has interchangeable top straps, or something like that I don't really understand, so she reckons she has bought 8 different pairs so far.