California Trip- Downtown Disney, Hollywood Blvd and Griffith Observatory

On our way to California from our hotel in Las Vegas, "Zzyxx Road" how do you read this sign?

Scary town ;-P

Going to Downtown Disney

Downtown Disney, just right outside Disneyland

Apple with Chocolate shaped as Mickey Mouse

Apple coated with red, white and blue cream for the 4th of July theme

Hollywood Blvd

On our way to Kodak Theatre

The famous, "walk of fame"

Looks like the girl got lost and asking Batman and Catwoman for the right directions hehehe

at Kodak Theatre

at Kodak Theatre ground

overlooking Hollywood sign from Kodak Theatre

Overlooking Los Angeles taken at Griffith Observatory Park

Hollywood Sign taken at Griffith Observatory Park

Griffith Observatory


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Road Trip to California (from Las Vegas)- July 2, 2011

Our second day in Las Vegas, we drove all the way to Anaheim, California for 4 hours. We met up our friends from Hawaii at Downtown Disney but we didn't go inside the Disneyland due to lack of time. We stayed there a bit, ate snacks and chit chat with our friends and then all of us headed to Hollywood Blvd. I lived in Long Beach California for 8 years but we'd never been to Hollywood Blvd and Griffith Observatory hehehe. I blamed my husband to that ;-P but now I keep myself busy traveling around here in Washington or other states or countries just to catch up what I missed in California and I won't let that happen to me again hehehe.

My first time to see the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Kodak Theater (dang! hehehe). We went also to Hard Rock Cafe to buy a shot glass for my collection ;-) we stayed at Kodak Theater ground for few minutes and decided to go to Griffith Observatory to see and take pictures of the "Hollywood Sign" where we also met up another friends from Long Beach.

We enjoyed the trip though it was so exhausting, we had a late dinner and left California around 9:30pm and arrived at our hotel in Las Vegas at 1:30am and no time to paly the slot machines hehehe.

Grand Canyon, Arizona

My son was showing me his "plank"

The Colorado River

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Day 2 Trip:

During our second day in Las Vegas, (July 1, 2011) we drove up to Grand Canyon, Arizona. It took us 4 hours to get there but it's worth to drive when we saw the breathtaking view of Grand Canyon. That was my third time to see it but I'm still loving to see the wonder of this canyon, its landscape is so amazing, it's really wonder's nature and a proof that God created it. My first time we were there was Aug. 2002, my son was only 1 year old then. We went the second time 2003, with my friend and her family who came to US for vacation, but that time my husband was in Korea ( 1 year tour). And now this time....with my new baby, my DSLR camera hehehe so much better shots than before. I remember my first sony digital camera, I have to use the 3 1/2" floppy disk that can only take 1 shot if I use the best quality (~1.4Mbytes is the disk space). So just to save memories I have to use email shots which have poor quality pictures. That camera was humongous hahaha, I should have kept i for souvenir.

The Grand Canyon National Park is separated into South and North rims. The South rim is the most popular one with 90% visitors coming in and it's all year round open to the public. And obviously we were in the 90% visitors of the South rim. There are multiple points in the park where we could see different views and angles of the canyon. We took the shuttle bus just to see the different views. The Pima Point is where we saw the Colorado river view.

We only stayed in Grand Canyon Park for approximately 5 hours since we had only limited time, we drove back to our hotel in Vegas around 7:30pm. We were so exhausted when we got back to the hotel, no time to gamble. We headed straight to our room and slept.

Las Vegas Vacation- Belagio

On our plane heading to Las Vegas, Nevada

Another top view

at the airport, McCarran International Airport, Las Vegas Nevada

Even at the airport there are already some slot machines that you can play with

at the car rental area, where you can see some slot machines

another sneak view of the slot machines, it's very tempting already hehehe

driving to our hotel

Caesar's Palace Casino taken from our car

Mandalay Bay

Encore and Wynn Casino Hotels

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At Night

Circus Circus Casino Hotel

Driving around at our first night

The Mirage Casino Hotel

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Belagio

Inside the Belagio Casino Hotel

Another view inside the Belagio

The Liberty Bell of Belagio, celebrating the Independence Day

My son, pretending to drink the water fountain hehehe

Close-up view of the huge wheel at the Belagio, looks like a ferris wheel

still at Belagio, love the design of the ceiling

Last view of the liberty bell and the American flags

Eiffel Tower and Paris Casino Hotels

View of Belagio and Caesar's Palace Casino Hotels

Belagio's Dancing Fountain

Last shot, the finale ;-)

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Sorry for this late post, I've been so busy with our road trips and I hope I can catch up soon ;-) with my travelog.

The pictures above were all taken last June 30, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. It's been almost 8 years since we visited there. My son even forgot everything we did when the last time we were in Vegas. When we used to live in Long Beach, California, we always go there (Vegas) every year even if it's just 1 day trip and I remember one time we just went there just to eat breakfast at one of the hotel's breakfast buffet and after that we just walked around took some pictures and then went home the same day, we only spent 4 hours there and spent more time shopping at the outlet nearby.....and it's a 4-hour drive to Long Beach, CA. And actually we did it again this trip hehehe.

And now, we're thousand miles away from California and Las Vegas we were so happy to see the "sin city" again for the first time since we came back from overseas (Japan and including Hawaii). Would you believe it that we never had the chance to gamble during our stay there??? I think we used our hotel just to sleep over and never spent time in the hotel more than 8 hours at all hehehe.

The next day we headed to Grand Canyon, Arizona and by the time we came back it's already midnight and very exhausted to play at the casino.

We had a good deal with our package (I think), which included the flight and hotel at $279 for 4 days and 3 nights already (per person). We stayed at Circus Circus Hotel but never had the chance to bring my son to play at the arcade nor to see the free circus show (ohhh too bad for my son though)....and the fact that Circus Circus hotel is popular for kids' activities hehehe .....well at least I didn't mention it to him or else he will really get mad at me hahaha.

We went to Vegas with our friends and their families but without my daughter ;-( we were 3 families who came all from Washington and bought the same travel package at the same time ;-) through online. My daughter had her separate trip to Long Beach, CA and stayed in her best friend's house but she didn't go to Vegas though.

Hey actually, I don't gamble (it's really true! hehehe) I would rather go shopping for few hours to spend my money than to spend it to slot machines just for few minutes hehehe (am I a good girl?). But we never had the chance to go shopping too (good for me though since I didn't have enough budget for that hehehe), so we just went on a road trip to different scenic views and take souvenir pictures to share with our friends on facebook and on my travel blog hahaha.

I will post more pictures from our road trips to Grand Canyon and California and then New York and Canada.

By the way, I have spent only $1 at slot machine when I was waiting for my husband to get our rental car at the car rental area, a shuttle bus away from the airport ;-) and I lost hahaha. That's the only time I played the slot machine.....and didn't come back at the casino and I didn't regret it at all.