Day 34 – San Francisco – Leg Day & Party in the Park

Today I woke up bright and early to check out of my hostel and head to the bicycle rental store around the corner. Today I’d remain on the tourist trail and cycle through the peaceful bliss of the park and then proceed to cross the Golden Gate Bridge. This is a famous cycle route although with the cold I expected not to see too many people on my route. I could not have been more wrong…

Somehow I had managed to organise my peaceful cycle ride on the same day as College Street Party which coincided with a 10 km race that basically mimicked the cycle route I was taking. The race had long since finished but the party continued despite the protests of the police, who were closing things down block by block only for parties to spring up in areas they previously shut down. In all honesty I was so so tempted to sack off the whole cycling thing and try to crash a party somewhere but I hadn’t seen enough of San Francisco yet and I had too much to do. I settled for enjoying the entertainment as a spectator. And what a spectacle it was:

I was completely dumb founded. Whenever I’ve met Americans in the past they’ve been complete lightweights and I’m pretty sure that stereotype is still true. However I’d always assumed the frat parties you see in the movies are completely over hyped and not remotely close to the real deal. However, now I’ve seen it for myself I can confirm, as much as I hate to admit it, College kids now how to party. That photo of the house with the enormous crowd outside belonged to the some of the college band members and they were in full force blasting out anthems. People clambered on roofs, hung out of windows and chilled on fire escapes. As the day went on, the amount of clothing utilised diminished and when I came across an entire fraternity (male) whose dress code was naked I decided it was time to move on.

Although my first photo was photo bombed by a stray Ironman I did eventually get to a point whereby I could take some photos of the magnificent beach. Unfortunately, in doing so I had inadvertently put myself on the track recommended for elite cyclists and the only way back was through the masses of students now heading to the beach. And so the workout began.

I haven’t been cycling in a very long time and I haven’t done anything resembling exercise since my ankle injury a couple of months ago. In all honesty, it was hell. I repeatedly had to walk the bike when the hills got too steep and my legs burned the entire time. Looking back on it now though it was absolutely worth it. The views from the top of that Hill were sensational.

I then proceeded to cross what must be the windiest cycle path in the States. On the bridge itself the gusts are so strong that a man had perched himself for lunch at a particularly bad section to watch and laugh as countless cyclists tumbled off their bikes and struggled to get up again. Fortunately I escaped this hilarious fate by a whisker and made it to the end unscathed.

Unfortunately I had spent too long in the park so I wasn’t able to visit the Giant Redwoods to the north and instead had to return to the bay area on the ferry.

It was an incredible day in an amazing city. Apart from making me feel like I wish I could afford to do a second degree in the States, I also found the city that would be my choice to live if I moved there. Back to Los Angeles!

Day 32 – San Francisco – Wish I had a Bouncy Ball

After a 15 hour bus journey I arrived and promptly fell asleep in San Francisco. Soon enough I was up and decided to walk across the city to the coast and attempt to catch my first view of the Golden Gate Bridge from a distance.

As I walked through the city it was everything I’d imagined it to be. Ever since that Sony Vaio advert with the bouncy balls I’d wanted to visit this city. The streets rolled over hills and were completely unforgiving. If you didn’t know your way through the sporadic mounds then you’d best be prepared for a workout. It’s very difficult to capture the gradient of these streets in a photo but believe me, there’s a reason why motorised bicycles are so popular in this city.

Pier 39 is a little over priced and touristy for my liking but it does present some great views across the bay. Alcatraz is quite a spectacle as it sits ominous way out in the water. Unfortunately the tours were booked out for my entire stay in San Francisco so I wouldn’t get the chance to see it this time around. There’s also a local sea lion centre which is quite amusing to watch, especially when the enormous ones try to get up on the platforms only to flop against the sides and back down into the water again. The Golden Gate Bridge is also just visible from that lookout point although slightly obscured in the sea mist.

After some excellent Clam Chowder in a Sourdough Bowl I headed back into town and ended up spending the rest of the afternoon relaxing in the park. San Francisco is a beautiful city and I’d pretty much fallen in love with it with just a small walk across a tiny fraction. A couple of days later I cycled a lot further.

If you missed it, here’s my post on what I did the next day, the FA Cup Final!

Day 28 – 31 – Las Vegas – Round 2

There really isn’t a lot to say about going back to Vegas a second time except that the Craps table doesn’t get more forgiving the longer you play. The lights are as bright as they normally are no matter when you go and the all you can eat T-Bone steaks don’t get any smaller.

I would say that we had a great time on Fremont St aka The Old Strip. Considering how cheap it is I’d say that for people around my age is definitely worth checking out if the Strip Casinos have taken a bit more of your budget than you bargained for the night before. 25 cent beer nights are always a laugh. There’s also a fabled 2 cent beer night but we couldn’t find it, not for lack of trying.

It turns out I would be leaving before Sams birthday but we still had a one last hurrah at his plush new pad, the Platinum.

This must have been one of the only hotels in LV that didn’t have a casino and as a result was considerably more expensive. Apparently there’s some connection between Rod Stewart and Sam’s 11th cousin or something but they managed to get a pretty good deal. The night ended much the same way most nights end in Vegas for me, an empty wallet and a happy drunken stumble back home. Things for Sam and his newly arrived English mate were a little more…let’s just say what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.

Onto San Francisco!

Day 27 – San Diego – Balboa Park

Today we left San Diego but not before checking out Balboa Park, on of the city’s major attractions. Placed right in the middle of the city, the park is 1400 acres and dwarfs the older Cental Park in New York City. The scenery is also totally different to that of Central Park in that the heat and drought in California has created quite an arid landscape in places, with various cacti populating the majority of the view.

As we made our way into the outer belt of the park, we stumbled into a Native Indian Festival. It was interesting to see the musicians at work and to find out a bit about their culture. I think I may have wee’d a little when I bumped into this monstrous dog. I was assured that it was only 90% wolf and was quite safe but I wasn’t taking any chances and we made our departure soon after.

We spent the rest of the afternoon hiking through the park, getting lost several times and running extremely low on water before we eventually found somewhere to kick a ball around. The heat was exhausting so we soon gave up and headed back to the car. Although the landscape wasn’t quite what I’d been expecting, it was great to see this side of California.

It was time to head back up to Vegas!

Day 23 – 26 – San Diego – Beach Bum Heaven

San Diego is about as far away from Las Vegas as you can get. In Vegas the party never stops whereas in San Diego the party stops at 2am, period. I’m pretty sure the hippie community on the beach struggles to last past lunchtime so I don’t think they’re too fussed about the strict laws that are enforced as a result of the growing alcoholism issue in the city.

The areas surrounding the beaches on the Pacific Coast are beautiful and a lovely place to relax. There’s almost nothing commercial which means that a lot of things are over priced but not to the extent they’re unaffordable.

For the first few nights we stayed on Ocean Beach in a hostel where we looked slightly out of place, especially once we’d visited the outlet stored to the south and stocked up on new clothes.

As a community everyone is extremely welcoming and I was really pleased to find somewhere where the smartphone isn’t king, an issue which has plagued hostels since I began my journey.

We moved downtown for our final night to see if things were a bit more lively there. We weren’t disappointed and spent the night clubbing at various venues across the city. However, as I previously said, we had gotten used to going out after midnight in Vegas and attempting the same in San Diego lead to a short night.

Our last stop before heading back up to Vegas was Balboa Park. I was desperate to find a game of football and apparently you could find community games in the area. Although we didn’t find any games we stumbled into a Native Indian festival which was pretty entertaining. We even caught a glimpse of a dog which is over 90% wolf, something I didn’t even know was possible.

Day 22 – Phoenix – Texas Roadhouse

Phoenix ended up being a stopover for sleep as opposed to a party as we’d expected. However it is worth writing a short post on the wonder that is Texas Roadhouse. We fancied steak for dinner so spent some time looking up which place had the best reviews. It appeared that Texas Roadhouse is a hands down favourite with the locals so we hit the road.

Hoedowns in the aisles, portions bigger than you can fit in one photo and service with a smile. Everything you would expect from an American Steakhouse.

The food was excellent and the leftover made for great sandwiches the next day. I’d recommend the restaurant highly for anyone needing a decent steak in Phoenix or in any of their many venues across the country. Just look for the Red neon lights :

Look Up – Feedback

I met a girl in Baltimore. I had just got off the coach from Philadelphia and I caught a local bus into downtown. I was completely lost and without the confidence to use my tablet in public I really didn’t know what to do. The bus driver had given me a rough indication on where I needed to get off but from there I was clueless.

Sitting there panicking away to myself, I noticed a girl glancing at me from the other side of the bus. I didn’t think about it too much at the time with everything else that was going through my mind. I got off the bus at the stop I’d been told I needed and the girl soon followed. She asked me if I knew where I was going and I confided that I didn’t. She took the address I was staying at and told me that I needed another bus out of downtown and the stop was a couple of miles away. She said she could walk me there so I duly followed.

It turns out this girl had spent the last few years travelling and volunteering in Africa and South America. She’d returned a few weeks ago to resume her studies in Baltimore. She had noticed my backpack and the pained look on my face and it had reminded her of when she’d arrived somewhere new for the first time.

The whole walk she asked me about my trip, where I’d been, where I was going and listened throughout, enthralled about what I had to say. In truth, I was more interested in her tales as volunteer work in Africa is about as fascinating as it gets but she kept returning the focus to me.

We finally arrived at my destination and she asked me if I had any other questions to which I said no. She said goodbye, wished me luck and turned on her heels and walked back the way we’d come, to her house by the original bus stop. We didn’t even exchange names.

That’s the sort of kindness that is not common enough anymore but its also the sort of kindness that stays with you. “Look Up” reminded me of that event and how fortunate I was that the girl didn’t have her head buried in her IPhone and was able to notice me. Hopefully one day I can pass one the favour.

Day 21 – Grand Canyon – Sunrise to Sunset

We had parked up in a small town called Williams an hour south of the Grand Canyon. This was my first experience of sleeping in a car and I can’t say I felt safe at all. I woke up constantly and even fell asleep on my arm, stopping the blood flow in the process and waking up to see it hanging there completely lifeless.

I was pretty happy to get moving at 0430. Sam wasn’t so much; I’ve never met someone who can sleep with such ease. I eventually got him to wake up and we set off for the Canyon.

The wonder of the world is the most spectacular thing I’ve ever seen and that’s pretty much the only way I can put it into words. I’d highly recommend going for sunrise, partly because it’s a beautiful sight, but also because none of the tourist buses have arrived so it’s perfectly silent and deserted.

After an hour or two we headed back to the car to catch up on some sleep. It might seem crazy to be at a place like the Grand Canyon and to go for a nap but we had slept fairly rough and we were finally in a place we could sleep safely. Once we headed back out the weather had cleared up as well so luck was on our side.

We took the free bus over to the west side of the Canyon to see the views from different perspectives. It really was jaw dropping wherever you stood but there were various places that were only visible from certain sections of the walkway. For example, the Colorado River is actually quite hard to see unless you know where to go.

The sunset is best seen from the East side of the Canyon so we decided to head back over to the other side. Once there we had a couple of hours to kill so we ventured on a hike into the Canyon itself. I really can’t understand why but only 2% of Canyon visitors hike down into the Canyon itself. This really is mind boggling considering the scenery when you get down and we only went on a miniscule hike compared to what’s possible in a day.

We considered staying in the Canyon for sunset but eventually decided that we might get stuck down there as the buses stop running a short time after dusk. We made our way back up and found a perfect spot to enjoy the sun going down having climbed through a bunch of barriers so it was just us and the view. Unfortunately this is where my grudge with the Asian tourist was born as a herd of them came clambering through the foliage, screaming and clicking away with their cameras. 50 foot camera tripods appeared out of suitcases and in a flash the moment was gone. As beautiful as the scenery was, it’s just not the same when you’ve got a lens the size of a small child in the way. Why can’t people just shut up and watch?

All in all, the Canyon was one of the best experiences of my life and I can’t recommend it highly enough. When I go back I’ll make it a three day trip so I can hike down to the river itself and spend some time in the Canyon. At least then I’ll have some peace and quiet.

I can be such a grumpy old man at times.

Day 20 – Hoover Dam

Having been to Walmart to stock up on some Road Trip essentials we were in no hurry to get to the Grand Canyon as we wanted to arrive for sunrise the next. Consequently, we decided to stop off and visit the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead.

The Dam is a pretty magnificent sight and a great test for Vertigo. It’s also the point where California meets Nevada. However I was far more impressed with Lake Mead:

After spending the afternoon at the Lake we moved onto Williams for an overnight stop before moving on to the Grand Canyon.

Day 33 – FA Cup Special (

(This post is not in order so don’t get confused that I’ve magically moved from the Grand Canyon to San Francisco)

I thought it was going to be a lonely day in San Francisco when I set out in the morning to the official Arsenal Supporters Pub: Maddie McGarrys. Although I’d enjoyed the Blind Pig in New York, the turnout had been fairly low as the game meant nothing for Arsenal’s season. I wasn’t expecting the turnout in San Francisco to be any better.

As I made my way up Grant Street, a sea of red appeared on the horizon. Bear in mind that this is San Francisco where it’s so hilly that half the time the horizon is only a few metres ahead of you so it’s not quite as dramatic as it sounds. Anyway, it quickly became obvious that any preconceptions I had on Arsenal support overseas were completely off the mark. The pub had been full for a good half an hour and the crowd gathered outside was growing rapidly. Needless to say I was pretty devastated. Had I really come this far from Wembley to try and find a good spot to watch the game, only to be left jumping at the back of a swarm of arsenal fans trying to catch a glimpse of a television 30 metres away? I hadn’t even brought my glasses.

I snuck through the crowd to the front of the line to speak to the bouncer. He was adamant that no one was going in and that their sister pub a couple of miles away was my best bet. He then proceeded to repeatedly let people in that he knew or people inside knew. I guess this is payback for all those years of favouritism I showed working at the nightclubs in Oxford. I tried everything, even the “I came all the way from London!” to which he replied “Why would you come all the way from London to San Francisco to watch a game at Wembley?”. I think I must have been half asleep when I worked out the logic on that one. Eventually I gave up and slumped against the wall and put on the most pathetically resigned face you’ve ever witnessed. It must have been fairly tragic because he took pity on me just a couple of minutes after kick off and I pushed my way through to take up my place at the bar.

The rest is history to those who actually want to know about the game. The rest of the day was spent celebrating, hugging random strangers and excessive amounts of drinking. God I love the Arsenal.