Grand Canyon – one day road trip

It is advised not to try and cover grand canyon from Vegas or nearby in one day. Most of the people would recommend taking a night stop at canyon, watch the sunset and(or) sunrise and enjoy all the view points. I agree to the advise completely and if you have the time then you should definitely do that, especially if you are with kids. But if you don’t have the time, you don’t need to drop it off from your plan. We were in that situation and we managed to do it. It will be a long day and you will be exhausted and on road for a lot of time but its feasible.

Take care of these things and you should be good for the plan –

1. Start early- You must plan this out. Remember it is difficult to sleep off early in Vegas and you are bound to get late 🙂 If you are reaching Vegas during evening hours it might be a good idea to plan it on the next day, cos anyways you might be tired and would like to sleep early. You should leave by 7 am to beat any traffic and get a good head start.
2. Rental car – If you are picking up a car after coming to Vegas then it is better if you can do that on the previous night. If the cost difference is a lot then find out when do they open and schedule your pickup at the earliest. Usually the stores will open around 8 am.
3. Carry food –Making minimum number of stops is very important. We had packed up food the previous night and carried that with us, so we didn’t have to stop much except for stretching out and bio breaks.
4. Split the drive – The drive will take 5 – 6 hours so it is advisable to have two drivers sharing the time. It can get exhausting for a single person. Make sure you have had adequate sleep the previous night 🙂
5. Other attractions – You will be tempted by the sign boards on the way for lake mead, hoover dam and other attractions but you have to be focused 😛 If you have decided to go with this plan then stick to it and head directly for the place.
6. Leaving time – You should reach around lunch time. Now that you are finally here take your time to enjoy the place and soak in the beauty. The plan is tight and you are on clock but don’t forget you are on road for 12 hours to actually see this. So just fix a time by which you should start back and forget all the worry and enjoy the magnificent creation.
7. Lunch – Once you cross the park entry gates, there is only a small shop where you can find sandwiches and other stuff. So it might be a good idea to stop at the last food and rest stop to pickup lunch and go inside and eat it. There are picnic tables inside.

Enjoy – I know it sounds more like a mission than a trip 🙂 but once you have taken care of these things and fixed your times you can sit back, play those country songs and enjoy the road trip. Once you reach there, just find a spot and sit in peace and absorb the beauty of one of the world’s largest and unique creations. And then, take a lot of pictures! 😀

Also, if you do not want to drive then bus tours are also an option. It will be more expensive as per head the charges will be minimum 80$. But yea you don’t have to take any hassles for planning and everything will be taken care of. You will get to spend about 3 hours in the park. Make sure you take the south rim tour and not west rim.

P.S. Everything I have mentioned above is in relation to going to south rim of the Grand Canyon Park.

Happy travelling.

xoxo

Things to do on the drive

There are many fun things to do on this route. We actually could see only 3 because of time crunch but if you are in no hurry do check others stops too.

1. Elmer’s tree ranch – This is my favorite. In the middle of nowhere, this guy has created a full forest of glass trees. He has made trees out of metal rods and hung glass bottles, guns, wind chimes, road signs and a lot more on to those. It was mesmerizing to see the effort he has put. We were not lucky enough to meet him though. There is no entry fees but he has kept a box to accept donations.
   

   

   

   

   

   

   Elmer’s tree ranch

   

   

   

   
2. Route 66 – Fulfill your dream to drive on the mother road ‘route 66’ by just taking a small detour from the normal route. Take the exit and cover this road from Victorville to Barstow. Also to reach the tree ranch you have to shift to this road anyways.
3. Train Car Eateries – A rail station converted to eating and shopping joints. Pretty popular place so you will find a lot of cars stopping here. Pick up a snack or just buy some souvenirs of California and route 66. This will come as soon as you take the last Barstow exit.
   

   

These are the only things I could cover but there are a lot more stops to see. The Mormon rocks, old woman meteorite, ghost town, death valley, zzyzx road. Josh’s blog here explains all of these beautifully.

Happy travelling

xoxo

If you only have one day in SFO and especially if you are a first timer I would recommend taking one of the hop on hop off bus tours. I took the red route HOHO of big bus tours. Some people might argue that you can cover the places on your own too. I will list down the stops where I hoped off and explored so if you are up for it, can plan those spots without the bus too.

Also, it is very important to start your day early because you have lots to cover. The buses usually start at 9 am so try to catch one at the earliest. You can chose any of the stops to get on as per your stay location and buy the tickets on the bus itself. For the red route I paid 50$ per person for the single day tour.

Spots that I covered:

1. Embarcadero Center – I started the tour from this spot. There’s a Bart stop just a few blocks away from the bus pick up point. Full of sky scrapers and large business complexes, you can see lot of suits walking around. Once you get on the bus, the commentator of the tour will tell you about various buildings and the effect of 1906 earthquake around that area. It gives a general feel of the busy and fast running city.
2. Union square – Name any fashion label and you can find a shop here. There is a beautiful park in the center of all these shopping hubs. If you do not want to shed huge number of bills, just take a walk around the park streets, do people watching, take a cable card ride and enjoy the vibe.
3. Haight Ashbury – The house to 1960s hippies and the birth of the hippie culture is right here. Victorian homes, high end boutiques, chic cafes, collectibles shops, anything & everything related to music shops, amazing graffiti and whatnot.
   

   

   

   
4. Golden gate north bridge – This doesn’t need an introduction. One of SFO’s most popular spot and an engineering marvel. Take as many photos, just look at it for a while and appreciate the beauty. I was jumping with excitement when the bus went on the bridge. If you have more than one day, biking on the bridge is highly recommended. Check the video here.
5. Pier 39 fisherman’s wharf – Another famous touristy place. This was the last stop in the last red route bus so you can get down here in the evening. Lots of restaurants along the waterfront, a little pricey though. Good for taking a walk especially with all the lights during the late hours. You can see seals down the pier. From one end it has a good view of the city bay lights.
6. Lombard street – The crooked street you saw in one of the Hitchcock’s movies. The bus will just pass through the area so you need to hop off here to see the windy street and take some pictures.

Though the day will be pretty much done with above spots but if you still have time or planned to skip some of the above locations, here are some more that you can explore.

7. Chinatown – I think this is one of the biggest Chinatowns in the States. It is a predominant Chinese neighborhood and has lots of Chinese restaurants, souvenir shops, bars.

8. Golden gate park – This is a huge park and can easily take up half a day if you try to cover it all. It has museums, hiking and walking trails, many hidden statues. These statues are pretty interesting and you should read up about them here or any of the sites and check some of them out.

Again there’s a lot to see and you need to pick what excites you the most. Big no no to “Too much in too less.”

Happy travelling.

xoxo

 

 

 

 

“Too much to do too less time” is a near universal problem for all travelers no matter where we go. Of course, same is the case with Vegas, because it has a lot to offer. But trust me on your first trip to Vegas even if you end up doing 2 things out of that 20 items list, its going to be crazy fun! It’s Vegas baby and the vibe of this place is just amazing.

I am listing down many of the possible things to do. Don’t try to do all of it especially if you have 2-3 days but pickup what excites you the most.

Free or low budget things to do

1. Las Vegas Strip – Just pick a tumbler, pour in your drink from the 24 hour store and walk on the strip. Las Vegas Strip is exploded with extravagant hotels/casinos where you can spend a few hours just walking and getting awed. Every hotel has a different theme and its all too beautiful. Some of the must sees are:
   • Bellagio fountain show – Bellagio is located at the heart of the strip and every 15 minutes there is an amazing fountain show right in front of it which is free to watch. Check the video here.
   • Flamingo garden – Flamingo has a small garden with lots of flamingos and some other birds including a black swan. Amidst all the gambling and lights and showbiz this little place gives a nice feeling.
     

     
   • Venetian Gondolas – Its a nice walk along the Venice – themed waterways with lots of fancy shops alongside. Hop on to one of the gondolas if you like, its a little pricey though.
   • Mirage Volcano show – This happens around 2 3 times a day mostly at 8pm, 9pm and 10pm. These timings keep changing so check before you plan.
   • Other than these check out some brilliantly themed casinos. Caesar palace is a must one. Eiffel tower at Paris is beautiful.
2. Drink cheap – Do not drink at the clubs. Just go sit in one of the casinos. Pick a slot machine and keep tipping the waitress to enjoy the free drinks before hitting the party. Also you can pick up drinks from any 24 hours store and pre game.

   

3. Roadside artists – Catch some of the talented artists performing on the roadside. But be sure if you stand and watch , you should tip them 🙂 Check the video here.
4. Eat at white castle – Now its no big deal and white castle is all over United States, but if you are from outside and want to tick mark the ‘Harold & Kumar’ place from your check list then do eat at one of the joints on the strip. Plus the mini burgers are ahhmazinggg and super cheap too. Btw the one shown in movie is somewhere in Ontario.

   

Time to pay up

Other things to do while in Vegas that will need you to shed out your pockets. Now there are always ways to save up on these too.

1. Gamble – There is really no limit on this one and you have to keep a check on yourself. Decide the maximum you want to spend before you sit on one of the tables. Black jack tables usually have a minimum bet from 10$ so that might be a good place to start. For beginners, picking any one of the casinos on the strip should be fine.
2. Las Vegas shows – They say that one of the Vegas shows is a must watch. Cirque de sal shows are one of the most popular ones but for first timers even less popular ones should be good e.g. variety show is one you can try which has a mix of all forms. Read up tripadvisor reviews of the one you are planning to watch. NEVER pay for the full ticket price for the show. Tix4Tonight have counters at multiple places on the strip and they give discounts on the tickets as high as 50%. Their counters open at 10am for that nights shows. So go stand in that queue and grab your discount.
3. Buffets – Las vegas gets better day by day in its food. If you are in for it try out one of the buffets. Keep your stomach empty through the day to make the most out of it 😉 Buffet prices may start from minimum 50$. Some of them have discounts on Tix4Tonight too.
4. Clubbing – Pre load and hit one of the popular clubs. Remember some of them have very strict dress code and long queues. So put up your smartest attire and be patient. Many of them will have entry charges starting from 20$ and conditions to buy minimum of 2 drinks. Ladies don’t ignore those guys standing on the streets and handing out flyers because they want more and more ladies in these clubs. So you might be lucky and get a free entry. Boys, not so much.

Other basic & hidden expenses

• Stay – There are plenty of options to stay stating from as low as 15$ but those will be far from the strip. Strip rooms will usually start from 50$ minimum. I personally feel its worth paying for a room on the strip especially if you are there for a short trip. If you book in advance you might get some good discounts. When staying on the strip, for me it doesn’t really matter if I am staying in Caesar or some other place. Because you are hardly going to be in the room. But that’s again a personal choice.

  

• Resort fees – don’t be surprised when the receptionist asks you to pay up a resort fee when you are checking in. This is a ‘Vegas hotels’ thing and they charge you upfront for facilities like Wi-Fi, pool, spa etc. which is not included in the hotel fees. It might be around 30$ per day. So save the shock and disappointment and factor this amount in your stay budget.
• Rental car – Unless you are planning to visit any locations outside like canyon, lake mead, red rock, you do not need a car.

In the end whatever you decide to do, Vegas is not going to disappoint you. So don’t stress it out and have loads of fun!

Happy travelling

xoxo