40th: Day Seven - Universal and Sunset

Last night we had a quick Mexican meal and then went to a comedy night in the basement of the hotel. The evening was to feature some top professional comedians and they were very very funny in the main. The problem was that the bar had about 7 people in it! So Pete and I were "picked on" as the English guys throughout. A great evening.

Today we went to Universal Studios theme park and the rides are as good as we had expected, especially The Simpsons ride that was motion and animation in one - and made me feel a bit sick. The theme park is built on top of a hill and includes a tour of the actual functioning studios down at the bottom of the hill. Pete was very excited to see the set of Desperate Housewives. The park was great fun and we managed to go on every ride at least once and see a few shows. The view from the top across the valley made up for the rough location of the hotel. Perhaps this city is worth exploring yet.


This evening we got a bus to Sunset Boulevard and we saw the film premier of something probably awful starring Ashton Kucher. We only saw Tom Selleck and Macy Gray arrive.

We walked along Sunset for a while and had a beer in a cool bar before having some dinner. We were served by a cliche - an actress from Manchester, working as a waitress hoping to make it big in Hollywood.

It's really strange, but America seems to be full of people who look rough and walk along the streets talking to themselves and I am not talking about mobile phones. What's this mental problem all about?

40th: Day Six - The road to L.A.

We started the very hot day by driving across some stunningly beautiful valleys with hills and mountains surrounding us. We had a break in a small town called Los Olivos that had lots of winery offices and shops. It wasn't until we looked it up in the guidebook, that we realised that Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch was just outside of town.

We then went to a vineyard and Pete tasted 7 very expensive wines. On leaving to head cross country toward Santa Barbara, the car lost power up the steep hills and a warning light came on. The car had only 400 miles on the clock! So I nursed it to Santa Barbara airport where there was a Hertz office. The staff there were great and they asked few questions before offering me a Toyota. I really didn't want a Toyota and the assistant noticed that we should have a convertible and so he gave us the only one he had - a gold Mustang! OK, it has some bling, but it makes a fantastic throaty roar when you accelerate.

We eventually made it to the hotel in Los Angeles. Despite being tagged as close to Universal Studios and it being quite nice, it's actually in a really awful looking area. First views of this huge city were not great, but we all know from TV that the city has a lot to offer and not everywhere looks and feels rough.

We have made a quick trip to Hollywood Boulevard, which was not as interesting as I thought it would be. But tomorrow we have a day at the theme park!

40th: Day Five - Big Sur

Today was all about miles. We picked the car up at 9am (it turned out to be a Chrysler - the Mustang "alternative". Even so, it's a cool car that has one an impressive electronic convertible roof. And to be told that the car is brand new with 16 miles on the clock did not help my slight nerves as I was mentally preparing to sit on the wrong side of the car and drive on the wrong side of the road.

We ventured out of San Francisco on "the 101" down to Monterrey and then on to route 1 along the coast. The journey along Big Sur is classed by many as one of the best drives in the world. We were not disappointed. At each turn, we had another amazing vista. This went on for a hundred miles with virtually no side roads or villages or towns. We stopped a few times to take photos, including a long beach packed with seals and sea lions.

We had intended to stop at a local motel, but the weather is hot and sunny and it's Memorial weekend, so the best places on the coast were full or silly prices. So we ended up in Nowheresville around 300 miles from San Francisco.

Tomorrow we enter Los Angeles.

40th: Day Four - Haight Ashbury

It's not until you try to get across San Francisco by that you realise that it's pretty big! It took us well over an hour to get from Fishermans Wharf to the Pacific ocean at Golden Gate park.

The park is simply huge. It's 3 miles long and stretches from the ocean up to the hippy hangout at Haight Ashbury. Take a look at this image to see just how it was carefully designed. We took hours to walk right through it taking in the sites and people watching. We saw a humming bird drinking nectar and it's a shame that I didn't get a chance to take a photograph.

We then walked to Haight Ashbury and had a good look round a huge record store called Amoeba Music and then up Haight itself.


Haight is a great street with an amazing collection of independent stores selling everything you can imagine. It's a little like Camden, but far more laid back.

We then walked to the Castro and as we arrived, we saw 2 completely naked men walking up the street as if it were the most natural thing in the world. The image is blurred, but you get the idea. You saw everything! I am no prude, but come on!

We then went to see the shops Downtown before getting the F line tram back to the hotel.

And tomorrow we leave San Francisco to drive down the Big Sur...

40th: Day Three - Sausalito and beyond

Another early start, but this time I'd enjoyed an 8 hour sleep, so all was well. Starting with a breakfast that consisted on coffee and mini doughnuts, we then rented bikes today from the wonderfully named Blazing Saddles, which has hundreds and hundreds of bikes and accessories.

We started at 8am by cycling along the bay and to the shore at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge. The morning was blue skies and a sun that I knew would get hotter as the day progressed. There were around a dozen mad mad surfers using the waves that broke under the bridge and over the rocks. It looked very dangerous to me.

We then crossed the bridge and it is only at this point that you realise that it is very very high. When I saw the men painting up even higher, my legs went a bit. I'm sure that on a windy day, the crossing by bike is none too pleasant. It was a little shocking to see the Samaritan call boxes actually on the bridge.

We got to Sausalito at Ice Cream time (you decide when that may be) and you can just smell the money. It's a beautiful place puts our coastal "posh" towns to shame - Whitstable is a rubbish tip in comparison. We had the choice at that point to get a ferry back to San Francisco, but decided to cycle on. A tough hilly journey right round the cove to Tiberon which is just as wealthy and has a mix of new houses and expensive looking apartment blocks and old (for America) wooden houses. Despite it being a small town with a tiny theatre/cinema, it does boast an international film festival. Lunch was purchased at the local Deli.

Despite the journey only being around 18 miles, due to the many hills, it took about 4 hours to get from the bike warehouse to Tiberon, plus the time we spent in Sausalito and stopping en route to take many pictures.

We got the ferry back via Eagle Island and then relaxed for a couple of hours before heading off to the baseball.

We watched the San Francisco Giants at the huge AT&T stadium. I really enjoyed it... Pete did not. There was a really great atmosphere despite the stadium being nowhere near full. Our sports could learn a few things from the way events like this are managed. For the record, the Giants won.

40th: Day Two - San Francisco

What a crazy day it's been - done so much and seen every type of weather imaginable. Neither of us could sleep despite being exhausted and were awake at 5am local time. So I went along with the mad plan of getting a cable car at 6am and seeing the sun rise over the bay. We had breakfast at a 50's style diner (complete with full size cow that mooed when orders were ready) and all in all, it was a great way to start the day.

A few things I noted about San Francisco today:

- Everyone holds a Starbucks cup as they walk about (perhaps it's the law).
- There is a Westfield shopping centre with curved escalators that are a little weird to travel on.
- The streets are more steep than I ever imagined.
- There are more iPad adverts than people.

We went to the Apple store and I played with an iPad. I was a little skeptical, but was extremely impressed at the usability.

At lunchtime we ventured to The Castro (home of late gay activist Harvey Milk) using a public transport system that is just a little confusing. Anyway, if you thought that Old Compton Street was gay, well The Castro is super gay with rainbow flags everywhere. Had a cool gay beer in a gay cafe, situated in a gay street, which had a gay decor, with a gay waiter and gay images on the walls.

We climbed the streets to get to the Coit tower to get some impressive views of the city.


Last night we went to the campest show ever called Beach Blanket Babylon. This was Pete's choice and a "San Francisco institution". It was a review show and had I not been physically and mentally exhausted, I think I would have appreciated it more. A fun night all the same.

40th: Day One - San Francisco

It seems like days ago that we left the Jurys Inn hotel in Heathrow where we stayed on Tuesday night, but we've made it to the USA!

The itinery for our holiday (to celebrate my 40th birthday) is as follows:

- 4 days in San Francisco
- Pick up convertable Mustang and take 2 days driving down Big Sur to Los Angeles
- 2/3 days in Los Angeles and a trip to Universal Studios

- Drive to Needles for 1 night

- Drive to Williams for 2 nights incluing a trip to the Grand Canyon

- Off to Las Vegas via Hoover Dam for 5 nights in Trump International luxury

The flight on the Virgin Atlantic Mustang Sally was fine and I actually watched 3 films during the 10.5 hours!  The cabin crew were a flying cliche - all were male, camp and very gay.

Apart from the crazy security demands when entering the USA, the place seems a little alien but welcoming all the same.  San Francisco looks amazing and I am looking forward to exploring the city.  I appreciate the groans from those who have visited, but we are staying down at Fishermans Wharf - the tourist mecca.

Who knows whether sleep will come after being awake for 24 hours...

Here endith Lost (no spoilers)

Lost has ended after 6 years and I am still trying to get my head around the ending. It was no surprise that it will take another viewing! A few questions were answered, but don't expect everything to make sense at the end.

For the first time I can recall, the finale was shown at exactly the same time as the US airing. Though I was not going to start viewing at 5am as I had to leave the house for work at about 6am (a rarity in itself), so we recorded it on the Sky box and watched last night. There were a couple of technical problems at first, but they were soon sorted.

I heard the news recently that Flashforward has been cancelled, so we cant just transfer to that weird TV programme.

Today is the day we finish packing and head off to the first hotel of the holiday. We are staying near Heathrow and fly out tomorrow morning. I do have to work today, but also have to clean the house in readiness for the house-sitter, despite secretly hoping that they would clean for us!

Advance warning: the next 5 on the fifth

As we will be on holiday on the 5th June, here is plenty of notice about the next "5 on the fifth".  It may well turn out a little disjointed, but I will try my best to update my blog as we navigate around the USA. 

Anyway... as usual, everyone is welcome to take part. You can either take 5 random pictures of anything that happens to you on the 5th of June (or the days leading up to it) or perhaps go for my suggested theme. This month, the theme is.. Looking Up.

I hope that you will be inspired take part and tell your friends about it. Don't forget to add a comment on my blog on the 5th with your name, location and link where the pictures can be found. Remember to mention my blog on your own blog so that your visitors get to see the other contributions.

You can join the 5 on the fifth Facebook page here.

Bring me sunshine

With only a couple of days before Pete and I fly off to the USA, we are spending the weekend in Kent at my Mum and Dad's house. The sun is shining and the sky is blue and at times like this, Kent is a very beautiful place. We have been to the local pub and also visited my friend and his family who have just moved back to the Uk from The Netherlands - there go our fun trips to Assen!

We went for a long walk yesterday and I took this picture looking across the fields from the Coldrum Stones just below the North Downs. I like the layers of colours in this image. Coldrum is a 4000 year old long barrow and is simply stunning and makes you wonder just why ancient man needed to drag huge stones across counties to build these burial sites.

So tonight we are back in Hertfordshire to sort our house-sitter out and I need to pack my case as the next 2 days are going to be pretty hectic at work.

And on Monday, we are probably up at dawn to watch the Lost finale!