USA and Canada: the trip of a lifetime

Here we are…. After getting back and sorting out my thoughts a bit, the time difference and whatnot, here I am to bore you with my diary. Let's preface a few things just to be clear. There were 4 of us and we are not people who seek luxury or anything like that. That's why for us the important thing in a hotel is not the minibar but rather the cleanliness of the room. As for eating, we went to restaurants only a few times, but more simply at midday, also given the heat, we mostly went for salad and fresh fruit, while in the evening meat and pizza made a fine showing. So total expenditure, just adding it up, around 8000 euros per couple all included (flights, hotels, food, gifts, entertainment, transport, gasoline, etc….). Honestly it doesn't seem like much to me for a trip like this if you consider that practically almost 4000 euros (per couple) is due to flights and car rental.

Unfortunately, as already mentioned in the Live Trip, in Las Vegas we were robbed of all our photographic and video equipment and therefore up to the middle of the trip the photos are truly few. Anyway, this was our itinerary: Wednesday 8 August Flight Milan San Francisco (arrival at 12:30 local time) Thursday 9 August SAN FRANCISCO Friday 10 August SAN FRANCISCO Saturday 11 August SAN FRANCISCO – THREE RIVERS Sunday 12 August THREE RIVERS – LOS ANGELES Monday 13 August LOS ANGELES Tuesday 14 August LOS ANGELES Wednesday 15 August LOS ANGELES Thursday 16 August LOS ANGELES – WILLIAMS Friday 17 August GRAND CANYON Saturday 18 August WILLIAMS – MONUMENT VALLEY Sunday 19 August MONUMENT VALLEY - PAGE Monday 20 August PAGE – LAS VEGAS Tuesday 21 August LAS VEGAS Wednesday 22 August LAS VEGAS – TORONTO Thursday 23 August TORONTO Friday 24 August TORONTO – NIAGARA FALLS Saturday 25 August NIAGA

RA FALLS Sunday 26 August NIAGARA – TORONTO – NEW YORK Monday 27 August NEW YORK Tuesday 28 August NEW YORK Wednesday 29 August NEW YORK – WASHINGTON – NEW YORK Thursday 30 August NEW YORK Friday 31 August FLIGHT NEW YORK MILAN

The itinerary was followed in every part and in fact we even had a few half-days left over here and there to spend a bit of time at the pool. Anyway, everything was planned and booked well in advance from here (by the end of March we had already booked everything) and for some places (for example Monument Valley and Niagara) I absolutely recommend that you move early, and thanks also to all your advice things really worked out for the best. So on 8 August at 4 o'clock (FINALLY) the alarm clock rang. Ten minutes and I was already ready, dressed, washed and ironed. The suitcases the evening before had been properly weighed and measured down to the last centimeter.

The son who drives us to Milan Linate, as soon as he drops us off like the most classic of Judases, writes on Facebook: "…well, the caravan of the elderly has been unloaded at Linate…finally they won't stress me anymore with the trip"…I had a snake in the house and didn't know it….I'll have to remember that when I make my will. Check-in is done with Alitalia with absolute calm (the day before, since the ticket had been issued by Virgin Atlantic, it wasn't possible to do it online) and they assure us that in London we won't have to collect our baggage, which we will find (maybe) in San Francisco. I am diabetic and so I had needles and injections in my carry-on baggage, while my brother-in-law has a pacemaker.

Well, at no airport or customs check was I ever asked anything about needles and injections, while my brother-in-law was never asked for any card but was always given a "manual" search. At 7:30 departure of the Linate – London flight and arrival at 8:45 at Heathrow Terminal 4. The connection with the flight to San Francisco is at Terminal 3 after 1 hour and 50 minutes. It's not much but I assure you the time is enough to board calmly. The Virgin Atlantic flight leaves right on time but once we are on board the first "problem" arrives (so to speak). Our suitcases don't fit in the overhead bins and the flight attendants, without any problem, tell us to put them under the seats. On the return I understood why. Our plane is a two-story Boeing 747 and for the outbound flight we are on the upper deck (on the return on the lower one).

On the upper deck the overhead bins are smaller and don't hold suitcases with the standard dimensions they indicate, which instead doesn't happen on the lower deck where the suitcases fit easily in their compartment. If you can choose, I recommend the seats on the upper deck since I was able to verify that they are wider and moreover have a ledge near the window that can serve as a little table. [img] [/img] [img] [/img] Another thing, don't torment yourself too much about the baggage you bring in the cabin with you; nobody, at least as far as we're concerned, measured or weighed the aforementioned baggage…. Unfortunately the trip was long….long….long….but hey, we were going on vacation…. On Virgin Atlantic there are no films in Italian and not even outlets to recharge a laptop and therefore either equip yourself with a good book…or sleep….or play cards….

On the plane the flight attendants stuffed us with food and drink….we're starting to gain weight, we said to each other…. Arrival in San Francisco took place regularly at 13:25 local time (22:25 Italian time) and after the customs procedures (very long) we waited for our baggage. Unfortunately one suitcase of mine and one of my brother-in-law's had not arrived and so we also lost time filing the report. A bit annoyed we left the Terminal and headed for the Bart station to take the train that would take us to the hotel. First snag: the automatic machines don't accept banknotes higher than $20 so come prepared accordingly. Half an hour on the shuttle train and here we are at the Powell St. station in San Francisco.

As soon as we came out, immediately an immense crowd of people waiting in an orderly fashion for their turn to take the cable car (Powell Street is indeed a terminus) and not even the time to open the map to figure out which street to take before a girl immediately asks us if we need help and points us the way to our hotel. The hotel is the UNION SQUARE PLAZA HOTEL on Geary St (80 euros a night, breakfast NOT included, Rating 6.5). At first glance you immediately understand that the hotel matches what we expected. Nothing exceptional, quite dated but, above all and as far as we were concerned, clean and central. The room is modest in size with a very small bathroom. It loses points for not having breakfast but gains on the central location. Watch out for the WIFI connection.

That same evening I ask the guy at the reception for the access credentials for the free WIFI connection and he, very kindly (and as also reported on the website), writes them down for me on a slip of paper. The next evening, not remembering where I had put the slip of paper, I ask another guy the same thing and he answers that it costs 5 USD a day. I pointed out that on the website it was written differently and he replies that it's written wrong. No problem, I go back to the room, search through my notes and find the credentials from the day before…

Anyway after check-in, a quick shower and off we go to visit San Francisco. The plan called for the Tea Garden but unfortunately at 5 p.m. it's already closed and so we opt for a stroll along Market St., wandering around. Right away we begin to realize we've done something wrong…yes, because as we come out of the hotel we are literally hit by a cold wind. Damn, we hadn't anticipated this and I'm immediately scolded by my wife for having made her leave her pail sweater at home ("but come on, it's 25°…what could you possibly need it for" — famous last words before leaving). Fine, into a supermarket and purchase of a nice little jacket (so we also have a souvenir) from San Francisco. After walking the entire length of Market St. we stop to eat something at GOTT'S Roadside right on the corner of the Ferry Building MarketPlace.

A nice hamburger with fries and beer ($13) and we immediately discover that here in the USA I give up on the little sauces of every kind that are casually doled out to customers. Well, it's time to rest; between one thing and another we've been on our feet for about 26 hours and the tiredness is starting to set in….see you tomorrow…. 9 August The alarm doesn't even go off…..by 8 we're already up and sprightly, ready for our adventure. The first task is to find a place for breakfast and, heading back toward the Powell St. terminus, we come across Lori's Diner ( ). What struck us most was the entrance. The place is in fact all on the second floor and to go up there's a steep staircase full of objects. Once upstairs it feels like stepping into an episode of Happy Days or the movie Grease. Breakfast with cappuccino and a strawberry muffin.

My goodness, we're starting to understand a few things. Here, even if you ask for "small" they don't know what that means. The cappuccino is brought to us in an enormous glass (I don't dare think what the ones listed on the price list as double are like) and the muffin is enormous too…..but both are delicious. Cost $16 but I recommend it. [img] [/img] [img] [/img] We have to wait until 9 to enter the Visitor Center (right at the Powell metro station) to pick up our CityPasses that we had booked and paid for directly from Italy ( ). I highly recommend it. It gives access to various attractions at discounted prices. After picking up our CityPasses we take an F-line tram headed for PIER 39. The F line is a tramway that runs the entire length of Market St. and, once at the Ferry Building, the whole waterfront up to Fisherman's Wharf.

The special thing about this line is that all the trams in service are old historic trams from various cities around the world (Los Angeles, Bogotá, New York, Paris, Prague, Budapest) and among them there's also the legendary ATM tram from Milan. We took the aforementioned tram and got off at PIER 39. [img] [/img] [img] [/img] Calm still reigned on the pier and so we made our first stop: the Aquarium. Very nice, although nothing compared to the one in Genoa. What leaves you open-mouthed is the transparent tunnel where millions of fish swim around. Rays, mantas, sharks (small ones), hammerhead sharks, etc. A truly enchanted place. At the end there are also tanks where you can actually touch these fish and the starfish. It's worth it, go.

On the way out we look at the Golden Gate…and..it's shrouded in fog…darn, now what??? It's almost noon….what do we do??? We decide anyway to follow the plan and board for our "cruise" around the bay. Once we reach the Bridge you can't help but stand and admire this immense work. Unfortunately the fog reigns supreme and throughout our stay it never let us see the Golden Gate. We are nonetheless able to be amazed by so much grandeur. The trip lasts about an hour and once we're back, it's almost 2 p.m., we decide to go eat at one of the places at Pier 39, specifically at FOG HARBOR ( Mixed salad with crab meat. Watch out for drinks. As already said in various discussions, in the USA they use ice in an absurd way. If you don't want it, say so beforehand. In many places they use Refill, in essence you can drink as much as you want simply by filling your glass yourself at the dispensers.

Here Coke or Pepsi cost less than water. Another consideration deserves the beer. It doesn't cost little and is rarely on tap. The Californian one is very good. Keep in mind that for a liter you can easily spend even $16. Anyway our nice salad costs us $25….not bad….but prices at PIER 39 are not exactly cheap…. From the window we see what was supposed to be the colony full of screeching sea lions but unfortunately there are few (at most ten) but they are nonetheless funny and entertaining. After our nice lunch we decide to go as far as Fisherman's Wharf and take the cable car to the beginning of Lombard St. The Cable Cars are old historic trams that run practically with a sort of rack railway.

Very fun, they are one of the symbols of San Francisco, because you can hop on them on the fly and because at the terminus they are practically "turned" by hand by the operator to allow the tram to make the route in reverse. The waiting times to get on these trams are biblical…even 2 hours….but it's worth it.. After our nice queue we take our tram and, upon reaching the intersection with Lombard St., we get off. Lombard St. is another of the fundamental points of the Californian city. Considered, not wrongly, the steepest street in the world, Lombard St. is 400 meters long, one-way and full of hairpin bends that cars must negotiate at a maximum speed of 8 km/h. It was created to "ease" the slope of the street which at this point reaches 27%. The obligatory photos are a must (sigh) and then we go take bus 39 to go to Coit Tower.

It is one of the two highest points from which you can see the city from above (the other is Twin Peaks). Honestly I expected something better. The climb up the tower costs $7 but once you're up the disappointment is great since the panorama is almost completely obscured by the vegetation below. So if you want you can also skip it. A dash to the hotel for a quick shower and then back to Pier 39 for dinner. This time we choose Wipeout Grill ( ). It's a nice typical Californian place with lots of surfboards hanging inside recalling one of the favorite sports of this locale. An excellent dish based on hamburger, fries, salad and beer ($18). A stroll to see Pier 39 lit up and then….to bed.

Today is the last day in San Francisco. It was the city I imagined I would like the most before starting the trip, and I must honestly say that, despite the cold, even at the end of it all the top spot on my city satisfaction ranking goes to San Francisco. After renewing breakfast at Lori's Diner we head toward Alamo Square. Alamo Square is part of a neighborhood with several Victorian-style houses. Most are kept really well and are very pretty. Right in front of the "seven sisters" (the famous seven Victorian houses featured in countless photos), there's a small park where many Californians, and not only them, stop to soak up a bit of sun. Given the day, we decide to stop too in the warm glow of the California sun and, to my amazement, we see that the view over the city is very beautiful (better than the one from Coit Tower).

The park is very lively with locals and their dogs and kids playing frisbee. After a bit of relaxation and having taken the opportunity to eat something frugal, I call the troops back to order and to respect the schedule, and we head to Hayes St. to catch bus no. 21 that will take us to City Hall. After about 20 minutes here we are in front of the so-called city hall. Very imposing..big…and very beautiful. With its dome topped by the ever-present stars and stripes flag. Here the American flag is, besides on all government buildings, also on many private homes, skyscrapers and even cars, a demonstration of the great patriotism that surrounds the American people.

At City Hall we witness a wedding of a Puerto Rican couple (or at least from those parts) very "colorful." At this point the plan called for renting electric bikes to go to the Golden Gate, but in the distance we can see the bridge shrouded in fog and so we decide to go there by bus. The choice turns out not to be positive at all. In fact, to get there by bus takes us almost 2 hours, and once we arrive we're hit by a cold like you only see in Milan in early February. But we couldn't excuse ourselves from going to take a couple of steps on the bridge, at least to reach the first tower, and so, covered up as if we were heading to Sestriere, we set off.

Now, I ask the more expert ones, how is it possible that we, and not only us, were completely covered and there were people on the bridge jogging in tank tops? These people are completely crazy…… Once we've taken the ritual photos we head back determined to catch our bus for the return as soon as possible, but not before having a hot cappuccino. The return turns out to be very traffic-heavy. True, it's also rush hour (it's about 5:30 pm) but the buses on the route are really few. We get off near Ghirardelli Market and then continue to Powell St. Honestly, the cold we got this afternoon is really a lot, and we're also a bit tired from all the walking today. So then my sister-in-law's proposal is greeted with great enthusiasm….buy something to eat and go eat in the room after a nice hot shower….. So we walk the whole of Market St.

from the Ferry Building…we buy something..and then hotel….Tomorrow we travel toward Sequoia Park.

AUGUST 11 San Francisco assessment. Stunning city. Let's forget the cold, but the city deserves all the charm and the reputation that it has created and that surrounds it. One thing I wanted to say is that, unlike New York, here the pedestrian is the KING of the road. There isn't a driver who comes close if a pedestrian intends to cross the street. In short, a real policy of "attention to the pedestrian." Here we are, right on time at 7:00 am in front of Dollar Rent in San Francisco, exactly 250 meters from our hotel…just around the corner…. The lady at the registration asks if we want the full coverage and our "NO" convinces her it's better to take it…and later we won't stop thanking her. We sign and go pick up our car….a Jeep that we'll return…in Las Vegas..in fact it's plated NEVADA. The rental was made through AutoEurope.

The cost was 444 euros plus 85 euros for full coverage for 11 days. We load the luggage and try to figure things out. I've never driven a car with an automatic transmission, so thank goodness before coming to the USA a colleague had me do a couple of laps in a parking lot. The first two stops were surreal, with my brother-in-law almost testing the consistency of the windshield. Well, we set the navigator with destination San Mateo. In fact, our intention is precisely to cross the San Francisco Bay using the bridge. First though we stop for breakfast at a Starbucks on the way. Once near the bridge we're amazed by its beauty. These people do everything big. The bridge crosses the bay at its widest point for a total of over 11 km. Beautiful…a must-do. We continue our stretch of highway along Interstate 5 heading SOUTH, stopping to eat at one of the many snack bars along the road.

Now, I remember many had said to be careful because there are no gas stations along the highways….that you go 100 km before finding a gas station. Well, I'd say nothing could be further from the truth. The gas stations may not be as widespread as on our A4 or A1, but I assure you that at most every 40/50 km there's a service area. And often these service areas are complete with motels and various dining options. The only thing is that they're not like in Italy on the highway but you have to travel "A GOOD" 200 meters exiting it. Luckily, thanks to the various tips taken from the forum, I don't make a fool of myself and once at the gas pump I go straight into the store indicating the pump number and the dollar amount to charge to the credit card. A premise on credit cards. There are several types in circulation: the STOCK ones, the NAMED ones, the PREPAID ones, the BALANCE ones, etc.

STOCK: NON-named PREPAID cards, basically they have neither the PAN number nor the surname and first name embossed on the front of the plastic NAMED PREPAID: prepaid cards with surname and first name embossed on the plastic NAMED (BALANCE or NOT) credit cards with both the PAN and surname and first name embossed on the card. Now, in all the big cities I had no problem with any of the above cards. In small towns though, and at some remote gas stations, the stock prepaid card is not accepted. This is because, since there's no name and surname embossed, they're a bit prejudiced. I repeat, it only happened in small towns (Williams and Kayenta). We pass through Fresno and Visalia and crossing Three Rivers we see our hotel booked for the overnight stay, and we head toward Sequoia Park. We pay our entrance ticket and right at the welcome sign we stop to eat a couple of sandwiches.

On the road we come across an ugly accident (an elderly couple whose car had flipped over) but fortunately everyone is alive and the rescuers are already there. Once at the top we start seeing the first sequoias and I envy my brother-in-law, wife and sister-in-law who can admire them while I have to keep my eyes on the road. First stop, a large clearing after the Visitor Center with several fallen sequoias where you can admire the circumference of the trunk. Second stop, the ever-present General Sherman. When I think that this trunk is as big as my house….and yet you wouldn't say it….Wonderful. Ritual photos absolutely. I also find the occasion to take a photo with a group of very kind American rangers. The first drops of rain start falling and so we decide to retrace the road to return to Three Rivers.

Our hotel is the COMFORT INN & SUITES SEQUOIA (40820 Sierra Dr Three Rivers, CA 93271) (65 euros per night with breakfast and WiFi included – Rating 9). The room looks like a parade ground with two enormous king-size beds and a nice big bathroom. Unfortunately the pool is already closed and so….shower. Near the hotel there are some places and a small market. For dinner we decide to get a pizza at PIZZA FACTORY (on the website you can download discount coupons) where they make mega enormous pizzas and I must say also good. 20 USD including drinks (for Coca-Cola, Sprite, etc. even refills). And so we end the evening with a good big meal.

AUGUST 12 We leave our hotel in Three Rivers with a bit of melancholy and after a hearty breakfast we head toward Los Angeles. We take it easy, stopping here and there. My sister-in-law, shortly after Lake Kaweah, sees some wonderful wooden sculptures on the roadside. We can't not stop and photograph them. Here they're exposed to the elements instead of being kept with jealousy and love. They are wooden sculptures 2 meters tall (and more) depicting scenes from Indian tribes. There's an enormous Indian chief with an eagle and a wolf…another with a wolf and a bear. They're stunning. We arrive in Los Angeles around 1 pm, and at this point we decide to go directly to the Griffith Observatory. Before getting on the road we find a nice park and decide to have our picnic here, since there are tables, with salads bought at a store.

To get to the observatory you have to leave the car a bit downhill because the parking lot is very small and continue on foot. It's not much. Once up top we have the pleasure of admiring Los Angeles from above. I had read that our view doesn't cover the entire surface and in fact you can't see the end of this enormous city. Then..turning around…here I see the famous HOLLYWOOD sign ….darn it's really it…How many times I've seen it in movies….How many times I've thought "who knows if one day…" And now here it is…. I think I took about a hundred photos (sigh) using all available focal lengths. What do we do now?? It's very hot and the idea immediately pops into our heads: "let's go to the hotel and…pool?" Immediately approved unanimously. The chosen hotel is the HOLLYWOOD CITY INN (1615 N. Western Ave). The cost is 70 USD per night per couple including breakfast. Rating 6.5. Let's be clear.

The hotel is nothing exceptional, the room is small and the bathroom is modest too, but it was clean, had wifi, a decent breakfast and a wonderful pool. As said after check-in…swimsuit and…pool. We stayed in for 3 hours…we didn't want to get out anymore…. We forced ourselves but then..out. After changing, we decide to go to dinner. As we leave we're not very convinced about the hotel's location. We'll later understand that it's mostly a feeling of ours. The hotel is in fact near Hollywood Blvd. but in the far eastern outskirts. The neighborhood is populated almost exclusively by Latin Americans. 100 meters from the hotel there's the Hollywood Western stop (red metro line) which is really convenient, and a nice shopping center with groceries. As we leave the hotel the first thing we see is the arrest of 3/4 Latin Americans by plainclothes police officers.

In short, not exactly a nice calling card, but as I said above, it was only appearances. For dinner we decide to take a walk and so, right on Hollywood Blvd., we find Tommy's Hamburger, where we eat perhaps the best hamburgers of our vacation. Really excellent. (cost 10 USD with drinks). So, the thing I noticed here in the USA and whose logic I can't explain, is that in McDonald's or even Starbucks or Tommy's they don't sell beer….Who knows with what logic.

AUGUST 13 This morning they had fun from Italy. Ignoring the time difference (here in Los Angeles we're 9 hours behind Milan), they sent texts and called to wish a happy birthday to my wife and my sister-in-law…yes…yes…they're twins….50 years old (one shouldn't say that for a lady…but who cares….I went through it first). So today is their birthday and to celebrate we decided to take them (as one does with children) to the UNIVERSAL STUDIOS park. Wake up and breakfast…by the pool…how wonderful. The UNIVERSAL STUDIOS (are only 4 metro stops from the hotel, and then a shuttle bus takes you directly to the entrance. We preferred the FRONT OF PASS LINE (129 $ versus the 80 $ of the regular ticket) and I must say it was absolutely worth it.

Basically the PASS lets you skip the line for those attractions where the wait time is more than 10 minutes..and given the crowds it was really a great time saver. Also for the live attractions the central bleachers are reserved precisely for holders of these passes. At 8:30 we're already at the entrance (opening hours 9-22 during this period) and so we take the opportunity to take some photos. At 9…inside, and immediately, as always happens when visiting these theme parks, we become children..children..children. Mindful of what we read and the tips taken, we head straight to do the ones "farthest" from the entrance and so…off to TRANSFORMER. Stunning…wonderful….then JURASSIC PARK….and the MUMMY (what a disappointment)……Then the tram ride to see the scenes where several films were shot including CSI, JAWS, PSYCHO, etc.

Then lunch and back on track with the special effects show, then on to the animal actors, the Simpsons, the house of horrors, the Blues Brothers, Marilyn Monroe and finishing with Waterworld (stunning). In short….we decide to have dinner here and basically…we open and close the park ourselves (they didn't pay us to close). Not content, but we couldn't do otherwise, we decide to also take a tour of the myriad of shops here where the blaze of lights is blinding. Everything beautiful..everything stunning…Now back to the hotel..tired but happy…Best wishes to Graziella and Renata….Happy Birthday

AUGUST 14 Today the day is dedicated entirely to Los Angeles after the usual poolside breakfast. We take the subway and head straight to HOLLYWOOD Blvd. It's 9 am…basically we're the only ones around. Finding an open bar for a coffee was a nightmare…..So we start walking along the Walk of Fame….we see the stars of our cinematic…musical "idols"… Photos galore….We arrive in front of the Chinese Theatre and so we also see the hand+footprint+signature combinations of famous actors. It's now 11 am and finally Hollywood Blvd. comes alive like never before. It almost seemed like everyone had been hiding waiting for the "GO." We lose ourselves in the myriad of shops and little stores, in the shopping center next to the Kodak Theatre where we also stop to have lunch at a place. We then continue with shopping in other places and then take the bus to go see the famous Rodeo Drive.

Rodeo Drive is a strange little street that is considered, I don't know wrongly or rightly, the most expensive street in the world. It seems that all the brands in the universe have agreed to meet in this tiny piece of Los Angeles to open their stores. My wife and sister-in-law attempt a foray into Tiffany while my brother-in-law and I stay outside watching the scene….They come out, as we imagined, disconsolate….. Everything you can imagine and think of the famous brands, you'll find here. Armani, Tiffany, Cartier, Lacoste, Louis Vuitton, Guess, Dolce & Gabbana, etc. In short…accordion wallet. A tour to admire a beautiful Bugatti in front of the Guess store and then we return to the hotel and end the day in the pool….how wonderful…. For dinner we manage as best we can in the room and then take the car to see how Hollywood Blvd. looks at night with all its lights.

Darn it's an incredible thing. You can't even move with how many people are on the sidewalks, and parking is impossible. So we decide that tomorrow evening we'll come by metro.

August 15 Well, today is Ferragosto…or at least it is in Italy. Not knowing well whether it's also a holiday here or not, we decide to move early to go to our destination for this last day in Los Angeles: SANTA MONICA. Along the way, which we'll understand even more on the return in the afternoon, we experience what it means to drive on highways with 6/7 and 8 lanes completely jammed. It takes us more than an hour to get there. The morning is wonderful with a beautiful blue sky. We find without problems a parking spot right by the beach and…straight onto the sand… The beach is just like we've seen it in hundreds of films and TV shows. Wide and long beach with the bike path where hundreds of people run with all possible means (bikes, skates, scooters, feet, etc.).

I search among the lifeguard huts to see if I spot any LIFEGUARD BEAUTY..but unfortunately not a trace…Not even the time to put down the towels and…from Malibu something strange starts appearing…In 15 minutes you can't see even 50 meters…such is the fog that has invaded the beach. But how???? Our photos…the swim in the ocean….the beach photos… Honestly something had alerted us; in fact when we arrived at the beach there were only us, the street cleaners and those jogging. The fog stays thick until almost noon when, as if by magic, the beach comes alive with people, and both the amusement park and the shops on the pier open. We only now understand that the fog phenomenon is completely normal at Santa Monica…. The cold air blowing though discourages us from immersing ourselves in the water…better to forget it.

We have lunch with a nice big salad and after gathering our things we take a walk around the pier, stopping to look at the shops and get a coffee to warm up. Since the weather doesn't allow us to throw ourselves in the water, we decide to go see Malibu. We notice a few nice little villas and after parking, we take a walk on the pier. The women though can't resist the temptation and, having taken off shoes and socks, wet themselves in the ocean…..brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…I find the excuse that I have to take photos. Malibu is nice, very different from Santa Monica. Here the beach is jagged and small, and you understand that it's the villas, which you can't see, that make it famous. Well, it's time to head back also because we want to take a tour of Beverly Hills. To return it takes us almost 2 hours….Once in Beverly Hills we can only admire the accuracy of the details.

The little driveways all with cut and well-kept grass, the trees all well-pruned and those villas that we've only been able to see in movies. Here it seems they compete over who makes the most beautiful and biggest villa. Luxurious and powerful cars… We look around and stand open-mouthed. Oh well..we imagined it….On the way back to our hotel we understand that something is off. Some illuminated signs tell us that Hollywood Blvd is closed and that on the parallel Sunset Blvd traffic is difficult. I'll have many flaws but also some virtues. One of them is that I have an excellent sense of direction. I duck into a right, a right turn, two lefts, then right again and then left again and here we are right at the McDonald's near the hotel. The decision is made immediately. We eat here, shower at the hotel and then take the metro and go to Hollywood Blvd.

After all this we take our good old metro and once we get off at Highland Station we discover the reason for the commotion. The street is completely blocked. Dozens and dozens of 6-foot bruisers prevent even getting close (compared to them Tyson would look like a toddler). Dozens of limousines and SUVs with tinted windows wait patiently for their cargo. Making our way through the crowd we manage by walking along the opposite sidewalk to get in front of the Chinese Theatre, where we understand that today is the world premiere of the film "THE EXPENDABLES 2" with an impressive lineup of actors (Stallone, Lundgren, Schwarzenegger, Van Damme, Norris, Willis). Just at that moment they come out…and everyone starts screaming. Honestly I couldn't see even one of them from how many people there were.

Well, after this sea of people we decide to go to sleep, tomorrow a long drive awaits us..finally the USA I wanted and came for: ARIZONA, NEVADA and UTAH.

AUGUST 16 This morning we leave Los Angeles. The usual poolside breakfast and then off we go. As in all big cities, leaving it in the morning isn't difficult….but to enter there's a kilometers-long queue and when I say kilometers-long I'm not exaggerating….there must have been 20 km of queue….I forgot…Here the highways, being very wide (we even counted 8 lanes in each direction), have an emergency lane on both the right and the left (no dummies here). Also the leftmost lane is for car-share vehicles (cars with at least 2 people aboard). The highways, at least the ones we took, are not toll roads (I seem to have read in some topic that in Florida instead they are), so it follows that the maintenance of them isn't exactly the best (potholes galore…asphalt reduced to the bone, etc.). On the other hand, if they're free you can't really expect more….

I like driving and in fact throughout our trip I always drove. Today's drive is nice and long (almost 800 km) and will take us to Williams. [IMG] decided to be good and respect the speed limits (75 mph – about 110 km/h) but darn it sometimes it's really hard to keep your eyes open. Fortunately the landscape changes now and then. You go from Los Angeles, to the mountains, to the plains, to the desert, then mountains again…at least I distract myself looking. [IMG] on the road we encounter trucks loaded with onions (now I understand why they put them in every dish), SUVs towing motorcycles and campers or motorhomes towing SUVs (but isn't that forbidden where we come from?). Alongside the highway runs the railway and every now and then we see a freight train pulled by several locomotives (3 or 4) that never ends…dozens and dozens of freight cars all together….

Near Kingman we meet at a service area a group of Tuscan kids and so we exchange a bit of information about Los Angeles, San Francisco-Grand Canyon. We stop to eat at a McDonald's. 50 km from our destination the sky starts getting dark…then gray..finally black…black..black…and you start seeing distant lightning and thunderbolts. All of a sudden buckets of water and hail. It's hard to see but the few covered spots under the few bridges present are already taken. We proceed very carefully and after about twenty kilometers it finally stops hailing. We certainly couldn't have thought that in 3 weeks it would never rain, but please not on these days at the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley….I believe these places without sun lose much of their charm (maybe I'm wrong and will be immediately corrected by some forum member). We arrive in Williams and go straight to our hotel.

[IMG] The chosen hotel is the Williams Grand Canyon Travelodge ([url= Grand Canyon Travelodge | Williams, AZ 86046 Hotel[/url]) 60 USD per night with breakfast. The room is neither big nor small and the bathroom is also smallish but everything is very clean. Rating 7. Just time for a shower, rest a few minutes and then we decide to go out anyway for a walk despite the still-falling rain. That's how we discover this town that's, all in all, small but very very charming. Williams is crossed by the legendary and famous Route 66 and every corner of the town recalls exactly that. Our hotel, like almost all the hotels in Williams, is right at the end of town and walking around we discover wonderful views. A few steps from the hotel we find a little piece of the West with a saloon and shops in style. In defiance of the rain we start taking endless photos.

[IMG] then a beautiful coal locomotive on display for tourists as well as other places in western style or 1950s style (Grease). It starts raining hard again and so we go back to the hotel. We go out again around 7 pm, this time by car, and driving up and down we look for a place to eat. The agreement had been clear: tonight, steakhouse to eat a nice steak with fries and a pint of beer (I feel very Tex Willer). Our choice falls on Cruiser's Café ([url= Cafe 66[/url]) where we decide to get the family menu.[IMG] After about half an hour the very kind young lady appears with a tray overflowing with grilled meat of all kinds as well as fries, beans, and beer. I won't tell you our faces at the sight of that tray.

The women (they'll hate me for posting the photo) ask us how we're going to eat all of it but the fact is that in the end nothing is left.[IMG] The meat (quarters of beef, chicken, pork ribs, chops, etc.) was very tender and very tasty. In short, a real delight absolutely to be recommended. The price??? Well in the end we spent 170 USD for 4 (including the tip which was already written on the bill) but it was worth every penny. Well, we decide to also take a couple of steps to digest, and the women take the opportunity to enter a souvenir shop where we buy some T-shirts for the boys and girls left at home [IMG] we have two boys and my sister-in-law two girls) as well as gifts for grandpas, grandmas, etc. In the end, it's almost 9 pm, the lady closes the shop…a sign maybe that we should leave? Well…goodnight…see you tomorrow

AUGUST 17 I wake up early…I run to the window to check the sky….HOORAY…IT'S CLEAR….yes come on….one of the days that, I expect, will be among the best of our trip. Breakfast under the pergola (the only spot for breakfast) and then straight to the car. My brother-in-law's smile has returned and as we get in the car he has a brainstorm: "Since yesterday we took photos with a gray sky, and now the sun is out, why don't we redo the photos here in Williams??" The idea, since it's also early, is greeted with enthusiasm and so we redo the photos of the slice of the western village, [IMG] the Route 66 sign, the main street [IMG] the sign at the entrance to Williams [IMG] the historic train [IMG] in short..a whole other thing. After our photos we head toward the Grand Canyon. [IMG] From Williams it's about 80 km.

We stop at Tusayan, the last town before the entrance, to refuel on water and get our food for lunch. Entrance to the park costs 20 USD per car. As we drive the last kilometers we see a couple of deer on the roadside. Beautiful. We arrive at the parking lot, leave the car and start consulting the map to understand which bus to take. The organization is truly exceptional. The park is served basically by 3 circular bus lines. The ORANGE line which does the eastern loop up to Yaki Point, the BLUE line which covers the center, and the RED line which goes west all the way to Hermits Rest. We take the Orange line and after 5 minutes of road (you can also do it on foot) we get off near Mather Point. We get off…walk 50 meters and…..wonderment….the chills….I stay silent…not a single word comes out of my mouth….I can't believe what my eyes are seeing….THE GRAND CANYON.

[IMG] A spectacle that cannot be described even by posting a thousand photos. The wonder that opens up before you truly leaves you breathless. We stay more than half an hour at this point. I'm literally in a trance. I'm snapped out of it by a group of Italians (I won't mention the region in case someone might be offended) exclaiming: "Well…is this all??? Nothing exceptional.":shock::shock: What? Nothing exceptional??? Are we crazy? No Mauro, better keep quiet….move on and pay them no mind. From Mather Point we decide to walk to South Kaibab (laughing and joking it's almost 3 km) but the views we see and capture are countless. [IMG] From here we continue by bus to Yaki Point where there's a picnic area and we take the opportunity to have lunch.

[IMG] After a moment of rest, we take the Orange bus again and head to the junction with the BLUE bus which will take us to the stop for the RED bus. We decide in fact to take the RED line and stop at every point view, then take the next bus to get off at the following stop. The buses come every 15/20 minutes so they're very frequent and convenient. And so we see Trailview, Maricopa, Powell, Hopi, Mohave, Abyss, Monument Creek, Pima…in short we do them all. [IMG] back by now it's almost sunset and the idea is precisely to grab a few sandwiches and wait for the sun to set. Unfortunately though, in no time a big storm arrives with thunder and lightning and we have to give up and head back toward Williams. Well, the day was unique and unforgettable. Fortunately we took a few photos with the cell phone and they'll stay with us.

Whoever says it's nothing special perhaps lives on an atoll in Mauritius and anyway, even if so, they're still two different kinds of beauty. And tomorrow..another dream…Monument Valley.

The day just past was something unforgettable. I fell asleep still with the first impact of Mather Point before my eyes. This is something I believe will remain imprinted on me for life. But today too the day should be very interesting and give us views to remain indelible in memory. To begin with, the weather is wonderful. Great. We finish our breakfast and head toward Monument Valley. The distance to cover is about 330 km (about 3.5 hours of driving). Direction Kayenta where we stop to get something to eat. On the way to Kayenta we stop near an old post office where today stands a store run by the Navajo Indians. Inside you can find everything and quite lovely stuff too. From gadgets to clothing, to headdresses, to knick-knacks.

We reach the sign marking the border between Arizona and Utah and so we start feasting our eyes.[img] [img] We get out to take some ritual photos and prepare ourselves for the entrance. The entrance price is 5 USD per person. Once at the parking lot you can decide what to do — whether to tackle the route with your own car or trust the Indians with their 4x4s (some might also prefer the old and wonderful horses). We have the Jeep and, following exactly the forum members' advice, we decide that we'll tackle the route with our own car. We see several economy cars and sedans so we tell ourselves that if they can do it….imagine us. Be careful because the road you see at the start can be deceiving because it SEEMS smooth and straight…..it's not. The advice I give is that if you have a "low" car don't do it. We saw a couple of cars that left part of their front end behind.

The potholes are pretty big…. Anyway before daring, it's time to eat. Unfortunately there's no picnic spot here. There's only one table and patiently (really we stood in front making it clear it was time they got up) we wait for a group of kids, since they were just chatting, to get up. Inside the place there's a restaurant…that explains the absence of tables….We begin our journey. A clarification, the tours guided by the Navajos have a slightly different route than the one we can do on our own called Scenic Drive, they have places we can't visit. Anyway the loop should last 1.5 hours….we managed to make it last 3 hours….photos…photos…photos… [img] Monument Valley, called Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park (are rocky plateaus that formed over millennia and is managed in toto by the Navajo Indian tribe who here actually form the Navajo Nation.

All these rock formations found along the route have fanciful names created precisely by the Indians, so here we go; and so we have the THREE SISTERS, ELEPHANT BUTTE, CAMEL BUTTE, THE HUB, etc. all the way to the legendary JOHN FORD'S POINT in honor of the legendary and unforgettable American actor star of so many westerns that accompanied my childhood. [img] We arrive at the entrance parking lot practically at 6 pm and the sun begins to ripple the valley and the monoliths with a bright red. So we stay a little longer admiring the panorama which is of incredible beauty. [img] Someone asked me whether the Grand Canyon or Monument Valley moved me more. Honestly they are two completely different beauties. Both moved me and both are absolutely wonderful and worth visiting.

Maybe the Grand Canyon moved me more but simply because until you're on top of it you don't see it and so you're amazed, while Monument Valley you savor slowly as you arrive. After the admiration we decide to head toward the hotel to see the sunset. Outside the park there's only one single STOP sign and I, due to my own mistake, manage to have an accident with a car driven by a young Navajo girl (she must have been 17). She gets out all scared and we have an incredible time understanding each other. The mom is called but even with her understanding is difficult. Our jeep didn't get much damage but the girl's car instead has its front end nicely smashed (but wouldn't you know it, I have to come here to have an accident). In the end the mom decides to call the Police who, thank goodness no one was hurt, arrive from Kayenta after about an hour.

The officer asks how it happened, takes the documents, photographs the cars, and in the end tells me to inform the rental agency to get in touch with him and gives me his name and phone number. It's already dark when we arrive at the hotel (exactly 300 meters from the accident site), the GOULDINGS LODGE MONUMENT VALLEY (Rating 10. Quick registration and they give us a map, very approximate, indicating which and where our little house is. The hotel in fact has a central building where the hotel rooms are with all the services (pool, restaurant, etc.), 4 attached buildings with other rooms, and some prefabricated little villas scattered across the valley.

Well, we start searching but, pitch darkness and streets completely unlit, don't help us in the search and after half an hour we return to the reception where a kind and courteous staff member accompanies us to our little house (which wouldn't you know it, we had passed by at least 10 times). Unfortunately there are no signs anywhere, so I invite you to arrive here while the sun is still high. Nearby there's a grocery store and, since the restaurant is now closed, we take the opportunity to get something to eat. Well, just the time to get out of the car, climb 3 steps, open the door and….. my goodness….An immense living room with an eat-in kitchen, three sofas, two bedrooms with private bathroom and whirlpool tub, laundry room with dryer, but above all, a beautiful view of Monument Valley.

Price? It was the most expensive hotel of our trip: 275 USD for 4 without breakfast…but it was absolutely worth it….. [img] [img] [img]

Once the anger over yesterday's accident passed, this morning at 5 I woke up. I wanted to be the only one and so I made sure no one heard me….I got dressed and went out with tripod, camera and video camera. In the little house next to ours there were some Asians, also already outside with full photographic equipment. I didn't have time to set up before my brother-in-law, sister-in-law and wife came up right behind me…..Darn it I wanted to surprise them and call them afterward, and instead…..but here comes the sun…. [img] The shadows of Monument Valley are blinded by a red-hot ball. What a spectacle…how wonderful….we stand watching in silence. It's 5:30. It's also a bit chilly. The sun makes the mountain behind our little house glowing red….how wonderful. I stay silent and in my mind I seem to hear Navajo chants…Indian chants….

It's incredible how this place takes you completely out of the world. After our photos we go back inside the house. We get our things ready and then set off again. At 11:00 we have to be in Page, but before leaving we want to go see the famous Forrest Gump spot. It's about 5 km away and is perhaps one of the most famous wallpapers in the world. We get there and at the same spot we meet a group of bikers all decked out with leather jackets, all strictly Harley-Davidson. How nice, so we take a nice photo and a video with these American bikers….yes because to me they were American until they opened their mouths "so lads, are we going or what? We've been stopped here an hour now." Far from American

We go back to our hotel to leave again later to go and eat. I had noted down this place and had promised my brother-in-law and the women, expert dancers, to take them there. The place is KEN'S OLD WEST RESTAURANT at 718 Vista Avenue ( The place, in typical western style, is really nice. [img] [img] The young lady who takes our orders is very pretty…so pretty that as soon as she brings us the beers she can't find anything better to do than pour one over me…..but who cares…we're on holiday…Poor thing..she's more mortified than I am angry…. We eat our nice grilled steak with fries and beer. Buffet style (as many rounds as you want) Our bill is 25 USD a head. Around 9 pm the place livens up with a band playing country music and the guests take the opportunity to dance.

I am relegated by the infamous trio of brother-in-law, sister-in-law and wife, to look after the photographic equipment…while they go on the floor to go wild. Perhaps taken by some remorse of conscience or more simply by the fact that I had the car keys, they come back after about half an hour and we all go and sit at the bar to listen to some more music. The fact of having two twins often doesn't go unnoticed and so a couple of gentlemen ask us for information and we exchange a few words (four is exactly the right number given my poor English). We thus manage to understand that they too have two twin daughters and they show us their photos (25 years old). After a few more songs we decide to go to sleep….tomorrow another good slog awaits us….

20 AUGUST Breakfast at the Holiday Inn is really abundant and, given the journey ahead of us too, we take advantage of it. Before getting on the road to Las Vegas though we have to go and see the Horseshoe Bend. Basically that point of the Colorado River that forms a sort of horseshoe seen in so many images. It's very close to Page, 4-5 km, you just take highway 89 and you'll find the sign for the car park on the right. You walk 10 minutes uphill and then….20 minutes downhill which, obviously, on the way back will be the other way round. I assure you that with the heat even at 9 in the morning you feel it alright. [img] [img] The spectacle is really worth it…. Now here the debate opens about when to go to take the best photos with the best light. Honestly I don't know what to tell you.

I've seen wonderful photos taken at sunset with the sun against you and others taken at midday with the sun beating down…others taken at dawn…. I think it depends above all on what one wants. We preferred to take them in the morning with the sun still in the east… Anyway you should stop for half an hour…we stopped for over an hour…. Luckily right at the top of the climb there's a small arbour where you can rest for five minutes…and I assure you they're needed. Having reached the car we set off again heading for Las Vegas. We take the wrong road and so in the end we lengthen it a bit. We stop to eat at a place on the road in Kingman. A little before Las Vegas on the road we see the Hoover Dam, an enormous dam on the Colorado River on the border between Arizona and Nevada. We leave the motorway and stop to see it. [img] Beautiful and imposing certainly.

After this break we go back to the car and head towards our hotel in Las Vegas. Before understanding where the entrance is we go round the block or the hotel itself 2-3 times. The hotel we've chosen is the Excalibur, a hotel in Neuschwanstein style. Driving along the road to reach the hotel we begin to see the majesty of the surrounding hotels. So we admire the New York, the Mandalay, the Luxor, the MGM, all enormous. Once we've found the entrance to the Excalibur, we leave our car and go into the lobby….and immediately our eyes widen. [img] Good heavens…but how big is it. We'll later understand that here the hotels are all like this. It takes us just under 10 minutes to check in and we go up to our rooms: 18th floor room 2508 and 2504… [img] We go in…enormous rooms with double king beds…big bathroom….in short a fine room.

The room cost the "bargain" of 35 USD per room per night (no breakfast, no wifi). Here in Las Vegas hotel rooms cost really little..basically they hope for the takings at the Casino and bar. Now doing a quick calculation….our hotel has about 4000 rooms….wow…..Just time for a quick shower and immediately out…. In the street there's an incredible mugginess…in the hotels the air conditioning is at maximum…in short be careful not to catch something… It's almost dinner time and so, to avoid wasting too much time, we decide to go to the McDonald's right next to the hotel. After dinner we take a little stroll just to understand that Las Vegas is an open-air amusement park. We thus see that at the New York there's a roller coaster that goes directly into the hotel. Every hotel is immense, with its own immense casino, with its own shops and restaurants (immense)..in short..

everything immensely immense…a real triumph of American megalomania. [img]

Today we wake up nice and easy…after all we'll spend our whole day in Las Vegas…in and out of hotels and attractions. We go down to the lobby and immediately we feel like laughing. People with faces ravaged by sleep are glued to the slot machines (they've probably spent the night here and you can tell also from the cigarette butts in the ashtray next to them). We're not gamblers and so I don't even presume to judge. The thing that struck us though, and that we'd already noticed last night, are two: the first is that here in no hotel and not even in the street are there any clocks; you mustn't understand what time it is, you must gamble, drink, gamble and drink, and gamble and drink, etc….; the second is that in all the bathrooms the taps give out hot water…really hot… maybe because they don't want you to drink the tap water but you should use the hotel bar?? What a waste.

We buy a bus ticket valid for one day (3 USD) so we can get around as we want. [img] [/img] And we begin our tour. Our hotel, the Excalibur, is in the south of the Las Vegas strip (the main road that cuts the city in two from north to south). After us there are only the Mandalay and the Luxor. We opt for the Luxor, this hotel shaped like a pyramid. At night from its summit a powerful beam of light departs visible from miles away. Inside it's really a succession of shops. After the Luxor we take the bus and go north; the idea is to have breakfast and then come back down doing the right side and in the afternoon the left side. By bus we get off at the Fashion Show, a sort of shopping centre in the north topped by a sail, and go to have breakfast at Starbucks. All in all we've always played it safe with Starbucks, both as regards the coffee (Italian) and the cappuccino.

In these mega hotels there are various attractions, often right on the street. Find out about the times so you can get the best spots because, especially in the evening, I assure you they're very popular as well as very beautiful. So we see the pirate show at Treasure Island. [img] [/img] Very beautiful and evocative with wonderful girls and a galleon that sinks. Nice. We then continue our tour and so we see in order the Mirage, the Caesar's Palace, Bellagio, the Montecarlo, the New York. What can I say??? They're all immense. Inside they all have shops not exactly within everyone's reach and so we also have to "rein in" our women's desire to shop. The Caesar's is very beautiful with these enormous marble staircases. The New York has enormous skyscrapers with a reproduction (not so miniature) of the Brooklyn Bridge.

From inside the hotel a breathtaking roller-coaster-style ride departs, very beautiful. [img] [/img]

[img] [/img]

We eat something at McDonald's and then retrace the same road but on the opposite side. We go into the MGM (unfortunately the front is being redone and so the photos aren't great) where a nice restaurant with a tropical forest theme with animated (obviously fake) animals. After the MGM we go into the M&M shop (for the happiness of my niece who explicitly requested a gadget). It's 5 floors all dedicated to the famous colourful chocolate-filled sweets…You'd really feel like stuffing yourself. [img] We continue along the strip looking at all the various shops. The Hard Rock, The Harley Davidson, until we reach the Paris. The Eiffel Tower towers imposingly over the hotel together with the Arc de Triomphe. [img] [/img] We go in too because we want to see how much it costs to go up the Eiffel Tower tonight. It's exactly 16 USD…though….but anyway we decide that tonight we'll do it.

The interior is very nice with all the shops arranged as if you were in the alleys of Montmartre with the sky painted a lovely blue and beneath the pillars of the tower the casino with all its slots and gaming tables. After another 2500 shops (if I'd counted them I reckon I wouldn't be far off) you arrive at the Venetian perhaps the most beautiful hotel, in my humble opinion, seen here in Las Vegas. Basically it's a miniature Venice complete with St Mark's Square with bell tower and canals plied by American gondoliers singing " 'O sole mio". [img] [/img] [img]

The interior then is wonderful. Besides the aforementioned canals it's full of little Venetian-style alleys with a painted sky above that looks real. Stunning. It's almost dinner time and our choice falls on the Outback Steakhouse ( )where a waiter instructs us on what to have ("leave it to me" he tells us) and we humour him. It turns up with 4 steaks two fingers thick with fries, sauces, salad and 4 jugs of beer…..A wonderful wonder…. The meat super tender and tasty. [img] [/img] The price? 160 USD..in short not exactly cheap but I assure you it's deserved as is the tip for Joseph. We go out and it's pouring…for goodness sake…. And as in all big cities when it rains the world stops….The strip floods completely and walking becomes problematic. To cross the intersections you'd need a dinghy.

We wait inside a casino for it to stop and then we decide to go to the Paris to go up the Eiffel Tower and…noooooooooooooooooooooo the ascents are cancelled due to the bad weather and won't resume….for goodness sake what a rip-off. [img] [/img] Oh well…let's go then to see the dancing fountains show at the Bellagio…nice, as is also the next show at the Mirage of the erupting volcano. Well it's our last night in Las Vegas and on the western part of the United States… it's time to take stock. Stunning…all stunningly stunning… I can't find anything about this part of the trip that wasn't to my absolute liking. Certainly the lion's share is taken by the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley but San Francisco, Los Angeles and Las Vegas didn't disappoint either. Las Vegas can't be described. I'd read everything you'd all written but being there is another thing.

Las Vegas is lived at night…by day it's another city. One last thing…but how many people work in Las Vegas and above all in the hotels? See you tomorrow

Here we are…today is the worst day of our holiday…of our trip. That it wasn't going to be a good day was clear right from the morning. In fact we'd planned, given that our flight to Toronto is at 11.30 pm, to spend the morning lying by the hotel pool and, after lunch, head to the airport stopping first at the south Outlet which is right on the road. Instead the weather wasn't kind and we get up to pouring rain. We decide then to take it very….very….easy and go to the outlet in the morning and pick up some clothes for the kids. My brother-in-law hates this kind of thing….from today he'll hate it even more. Before leaving the hotel though we decide to make a quick trip to the casino..Just to say we'd been there and immortalised in a few photos too.

Good heavens…we even manage in half an hour to win 125 USD and, here you see the true gambler, we immediately decide to pocket the winnings…..little…dirty…but immediately…. We wait for them to bring our car and set off for the outlet. It's pouring and the roads are flooded. So is the outlet car park with real lakes. In the end we find a parking spot and leave our car. To avoid any risk, and also because the rucksacks were very heavy, we move everything into the boot…perhaps this action of ours didn't escape someone's notice. The fact is that after a couple of hours I go back to the car to leave some packages and the umbrellas and…I find the car open…NOOOOOOOO…..they've stolen everything… 3 cameras….3 camcorders…a laptop ……as well as a suitcase…… I won't tell you where our morale ended up from that moment on. We no longer had any photos or films…of our "Trip of a lifetime".

I tried to gather a few thoughts (difficult at that moment) and we set off for the airport. There we handed in the car also explaining about the accident we'd had at Monument Valley and, after the attendant tells us we have nothing to pay, we head for the terminal. My brother-in-law no longer speaks….my wife and sister-in-law neither…. I understand my brother-in-law, he'd bought the new camera precisely for this trip. If it were possible they'd want to go home….. I reply that I wouldn't dream of it….It's happened…we were idiots and that's it….but I'm seeing the trip through to the end…in spite of them…. I take the opportunity then to go to the police office to file a report. I won't tell you the comedy….to file the report it took us only 2 hours……but in the end I manage it. We check in and head to the gate. I have to eat something otherwise, given my problem, I'll go hypoglycemic….

With my wife then we go to an "Italian" bar. I get a couple of piadinas and then ask for a "single" espresso and here the laughter begins. The lady serving us asks another how to make an espresso; she gives her the explanations and comes back with a 25 kg tin of ILLY coffee beans…"good" I said to myself"at least the coffee is the good stuff". As she puts the tin on top of the coffee machine it falls to the floor…the comedy…. After picking it up she makes the first coffee and puts it in a Coca Cola glass..she comes up to me and says: "This is short?" "Yes, it's very espresso short. Thanks". She smiles at me, goes back to the machine and fills my Coca Cola glass with coffee pressing the espresso button at least 20/25 times. My wife and I, sensing what was happening, start laughing. After a few minutes she comes back..and gives me the glass and says "This is very strong" …..

OF COURSE BLOODY HELL IF YOU MAKE IT WITH 25 COFFEES THAT'S NOT JUST VERY STRONG….We go back to our seats and I start looking at the photos we'd taken on my mobile…the only ones we had left by now…. At 11.30 we take our plane…destination TORONTO…in short a terrible day

23 AUGUST

On the CanadAir plane they give us coffee and nothing else. Whatever you want….cash. [img] We arrive in Toronto at 7.30 in the morning right on time and so we head off to collect our car at ALAMO at the airport (obviously through Autoeurope). We have a welcome surprise. The car we're given is a magnificent and enormous FORD FLEX, basically a 7-seater, huge, with leather seats, cruise control, parking camera, front assistant that brakes if you're too close to another car,…in short a spaceship on 4 wheels. A car above the category we'd chosen. The price? 355 euros + 95 CAD (insurance) for 4 days. We leave the airport heading for CASA LOMA an old mansion very close to being a castle. The entrance price is 21 CAD each. [img] [img] The entrance though is at 10 and so we take the opportunity to go and have breakfast in a nearby bar.

The neighbourhood where the castle stands is slightly uphill compared to the city and full of very nice little houses in a very relaxing silence. The building, a Canadian cultural heritage site, is very well kept, as are the rooms with late 19th century and early 1900s furniture. Very beautiful the main garden with the fountain. It's worth a visit…perhaps the price is a bit excessive though. [img] [img] Having left the castle we head towards the hotel, the HOWARD JOHNSON INN (14 Roncesvalles Avenue). At the reception they tell us the room will be available at 3 pm (it's 12) and we ask at least if we can leave the car in the car park (which I'd booked). Sure…the car park is 500 metres from the hotel and costs 12 CAD a day (this hadn't been told to us at the booking). We take the car and go off by tram towards the centre.

Yes because the hotel is on the outskirts right at the end of the long lake. We arrive in the centre and go to eat something at Starbucks. After resting a bit we decide to go up the CN TOWER ( the tower symbol of Toronto 553 metres tall and on whose summit. [img] [img] The tickets, there are various types depending on the floors you want to visit, we'd bought from Italy at a cost of 41 CAD each (for all floors). Inside there's a 3D cinema, a restaurant but above all from the top you can see the whole wonderful panorama of Toronto and, they say, on very clear days you can see as far as Niagara Falls. From up there the spectacle is really beautiful. The transparent walkway from which you see the street below is impressive…it gives you a bit of anxiety. [img] [img] We take our photos going all around the tower.

Once we've come down we have to set off in search of an electronics store: in the theft they also stole our mobile phone chargers and those are absolutely needed. So we take a wander through the streets and skyscrapers and I must say that Toronto is really very busy. Having found what we were looking for, our next destination is Center Islands the islands that are right in front of the CN Tower. Careful, many of the ferries that go to Center Islands ask from 10 to 15 CAD for the trip, if instead you take the municipal ferry which you take at Ferrydoc

The ferry takes about 15/20 minutes to reach Center Island. What is it? Basically it's an oasis of peace inside the city. [img] [img] As well as having a wonderful view of the Toronto skyline, Center Island (where no cars are allowed) has excellent cycle and pedestrian paths. Having crossed it completely you arrive at a sort of pier from where you can admire the beaches that the Canadians have created artificially, building beaches sheltered from the waves where everyone can swim. We take the return boat at 7.00 pm and then head by tram towards the hotel where we arrive at 8 pm. We decide to eat at the McDonalds right next to the hotel and then go and get the suitcases from the car. They give us the keys to our room and we go up (3 floors on foot on a really tiny staircase). Having arrived in our room…the nightmare.

The room is tiny…the bathroom too…the walls are written on with biro not to mention the electrical wires scattered around the room. In short…a dump….shower and to bed….

24 AUGUST

Another gem of our terrible hotel in Toronto….We go down for breakfast….it's 8.30…well there's nothing left to eat…the croissants have run out…and a serving lady looks at us as if we were asking for the moon…In short on a scale from 1 to 10 for our hotel today we give …2..yes because we've also found worse. We check out and leave. Before heading to Niagara Falls, we want to go and see the Swaminarayan Mandir ( ). It's a wonderful Hindu temple on the outskirts of Toronto built in 2007 completely by hand. Seeing is believing. [img] [img] [/img] The work is really very beautiful with marble workmanship that leaves you amazed. We go into the temple, the entrance is free, but it's time for mass and so we can't see the main part and so we make do with seeing only a part. But it's enough to understand the wonder of this temple. After the visit we set off for Niagara Falls.

The motorway that connects Toronto to Niagara Falls is about 125 km long….but there's incredible traffic. It takes us practically 2.5 hours to arrive and in fact we get to our hotel at almost 1 pm. The hotel is the SUNSET INN NIAGARA FALLS (5803 Stanley Avenue – Niagara Falls ) COST 70 CAD a night including breakfast. [img] We ask if we can check in and immediately we're accommodated. The room all in all doesn't seem bad. Fairly spacious but the television doesn't work. Going down I point this out to the receptionist who tells me I have to press the button on the television….Oh really??? Really???? Shame that the power button is completely missing….We're off to a good start. For lunch we go to Dairy Queen, a sort of McDonalds right next to the hotel. We get a nice salad (it's hot) with grilled chicken. Excellent..really good. Cost 7 CAD. After lunch we head towards the Falls.

It was my brother-in-law's dream…He'd always wanted it…But his mood is still underground…. The only positive thing about our hotel, we'll list the negatives later, is that it's a 10/15 minute walk from the falls. From what we've heard it seems that car parking costs 10/15 CAD a day and so having somewhere to put the car is already an advantage. We take our walk calmly under a scorching sun and, flanking the Skylon Tower we arrive at the Falls. [img]

[img] What a marvel…what power…what impetus…. We start taking our photos and doing the whole walk strolling calmly and looking at this spectacle of nature in every aspect. The air with the water being lifted by the falls forms a wonderful rainbow which is obviously captured. Once we've done the walk we decide to do the Maid of the Mist. Basically it's the boat that takes you right under the falls. The two banks of the falls belong one to Canada and one to the United States. So the price of the boat is different:20 CAD from the Canadian side and 15 USD from the American one. They give us our raincoats (which will be very necessary) and we go down to take the boat. It's about 5 pm and there's no queue. If you can I recommend doing it at this time because in the morning instead there's a good mile-long queue.

As we go down we're lucky to see a little beaver that poses for the tourists to be photographed. How cute. [img] We get on the boat and set off. In 10 minutes we're under the falls….It's impossible not to get wet. Luckily, unlike the women with us, I don't have hair problems (sometimes it's a blessing…let's put it that way). [img] [img] [img] The power of the water is really impressive…. The whole thing lasts about half an hour. Having left the boat we head towards the centre of Niagara City. Nice with several souvenir shops and places to have dinner. Tonight pizza and the choice falls on a pizzeria right next to the Travelodge on Clifton Hill, PIZZA PIZZA. They make an excellent pizza..and above all enormous…. It's dark by now and so on the way back we stop to look around. The women are looking for some gadgets and souvenirs to take home.

So we go into the Harley Davidson shop, where I buy a multi-purpose knife that will never make it to Italy (they stole it from my suitcase at customs). [img] We then stop in a shop where a Moroccan man does incredible works with sand…We stay to watch him and then buy something…some multicoloured bottles depicting the falls made with sand. [img] As we head towards the hotel, it's 10.00 pm, we hear fireworks coming right from the falls…good heavens we'd forgotten that every Friday and Sunday evening they do a fireworks display. Never mind…it's over now…and we go to the hotel, where we have our first problems. To turn on the television I have to get a pen….the wifi doesn't work on the upper floor but only on the lower one….oh well…Good Night

Today is a day entirely dedicated to Niagara Falls. I spent last night playing plumber. The toilet flush just wouldn't stop filling with water and I had to figure out what to do. Oh well… given this time of crisis, if I were to quit my office job…… Anyway, another flaw of the hotel…..We go down for breakfast and….breakfast consists of a glass of coffee with some really strange colored balls, without even a chair to sit on. The milk…..only upon request…. How sad…. Anyway..once the lavish and abundant breakfast is finished, we head to the falls. We'll dedicate the morning to crossing the border to go see the falls from the American side. They look close…sure…at a glance…but in the end it'll be 4 km there and 4 back….some morning walk. Anyway, we take all the time required and calmly set off.

We see the immense line this morning for the Maid of the Mist and so we congratulate each other on the choice to have done it the previous afternoon. To leave Canada you have to pay 50 Cents (both CAD and U$D accepted). [img]

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We stop to take some photos right on the border line (I was expecting a nice plaque…a monument….instead something really pathetic… At the entrance to the USA another customs process….then finally we're on the other side… We walk through the park while we see several squirrels scampering across the lawn. We reach, at a leisurely pace, the Top of the Falls viewpoint. [img]

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The tower's skyline is stunning. It deserves to be captured in photos. These Americans….just think, the lampposts scattered around the falls park all have power outlets to plug in your laptop or charge your phones….incredible. My brother-in-law is finally recovering from the Las Vegas shock and finally, I couldn't take it anymore, we start laughing and joking again. The desire has finally returned…..HURRAY…. We head back toward the Canadian side and arrive on the other side when it's almost noon…my stomach tells me so. So we decide to have lunch at Wendy's Hamburger in Clifton Hills. A nice big salad with chicken and beer….8 CAD. Calmly we then head to the SKYLON TOWER, the tower that dominates the Falls from above. The ticket costs 37 CAD and includes a 3D film (scandalous…skip it) and the climb up the tower. We go up and from the top you see a wonderful spectacle [img] [img]

You can't not go up. The view of the falls from up here is wonderful. There's a bit of haze so you can't see into infinity…. After coming down from the tower we go back to walking the path alongside the falls….we have all the time to stop and look at shops and little shops. We also see a very cute and characteristic thing….an upside-down house…where everything inside is upside down…cute and fun. [img] [/img]

For dinner we go back to PIZZA PIZZA….and then a stroll to see the illuminated falls and the skyline….When we get to the hotel we find another gem….the room hasn't been made and the towels haven't been changed….the response???? It's not a service included…you have to request it….Are we crazy?????Good night….

We leave our hotel (without any regret) thus also leaving Niagara Falls (here with much regret) and head back toward the airport. We take our time also because our flight to New York is at 15.30. We arrive at the airport (there aren't that many signs on the highway for Pearson International Airport) and hand over our car to the rental company. We head to the gate. The airport is very large so we also do a few "tourist" laps. Our AirCanada flight departs perfectly on time. The view of Toronto from above is stunning. [img] In a little over half an hour we arrive at New York's La Guardia airport. Coming from the north we practically fly over all of New York, in fact the plane arrives right at the bottom of Manhattan and then climbs back up to Queens. So we see all of Manhattan, the skyscrapers, Ground Zero, the Statue of Liberty, the various Verrazzano and Brooklyn and Williamsburg bridges.

[img] [img] La Guardia airport, New York's second international airport after JFK, is actually built artificially on the water of Flushing Bay..the arrival is very evocative. At the airport the usual customs process; actually…much longer than in California. In fact we get out at 17,30…total chaos and the roads are jammed. La Guardia airport isn't served by the subway and therefore to get to our hotel we used the NY Airport Service ( ) where with a 9-seater minibus and for the sum of 13 U$D each they took us to Manhattan. The hotel chosen was the Pennsylvania ( on the corner between Seventh and 33rd. The cost was 98 U$D per couple (no breakfast, no WIFI). Right away you're struck by the chaos that characterizes this area. We're right in the center of Manhattan with the Line 1 subway stop and the railway station practically beneath the hotel. In short, we're well served.

We enter the hotel lobby which is enormous and very beautiful. Check-in takes just under 10 minutes and we're immediately in our room. Coming out of the elevator the first impression isn't pleasant. [img] [img] [/img] More than a hotel it looks like a prison with these long and gloomy corridors and room doors as thick as gateways. On every door it says that it's from 1912…well..they could also change them. The room is very, very large but also very dark so we turn on all the lights to see something. It is however clean and that's what counts. The bathroom…a sore point…even the tub must be the one from 1912, it's so worn…..Anyway, a quick shower and down to the street to go eat something and obviously we fall back on the classic McDonald's near the hotel.

The first thing, after the traffic chaos, that catches your eye is the stench of ethnic food….unbearable…Smell of fried food, kebab, etc. on every street corner…no I don't like it. Another thing we notice is that while in California the pedestrian was sacred, here instead it's the game of "Get the Pedestrian." Pedestrians cross on red lights and cars, especially taxis, do everything to hit them head-on…. After our hamburger, a walk to digest and figure out where we are and so we go to 5th. What chaos…what a mess….we wander around a bit…buy some nice souvenirs and then off to bed…… [img] [img]

Here we are then in New York. The weather unfortunately doesn't promise anything good. Meanwhile we start by going to have breakfast, which is important. Well, our choice, which will prove to be a good one and will serve us for all the following days, falls on the CAFE' "R" on 32nd, 50 meters from our hotel. It's a very large place run by South Americans where they make everything. From ready-made dishes (salads, fruit, Japanese, Chinese, meat) to dishes cooked on the spot (meat, pizza, sandwiches, hamburgers, oriental, Indian, pasta) as well as buffet dishes (pasta, meat, vegetables). In short, we were very happy there and we ate (since the subway is very close) both lunch and dinner for the entire stay. [img] An ENORMOUS plate of fries with chicken breast or grilled pork chop made on the spot for two people with drinks cost on average 9 U$D.

Breakfast with cappuccino and an enormous muffin….4 U$D. In short, I recommend it to you also for the wide choice of dishes. After our breakfast we go take the subway and decide to do the boat tour to the Statue of Liberty, crossing our fingers for the weather. We get the metrocard subscription (27 $ for the weekly…absolutely recommended) and go pick up our NYCITYPASS Yes, here too we got the citypass. It's 68 euros well spent. The pass includes the boat tour to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Islands, the climb up the Empire Building and the Top of the Rock, etc. In short, everything necessary. With the subway, line 1, we get off, by mistake, at the Rector stop, not having any idea where to catch the boat. The fact is that we do the whole walk along the bay and then arrive, finally, at Battery Park. The security measures are impressive. I've never seen so much police around New York.

Police at every subway stop, at every intersection, at every monument. Honestly I can't say whether it's security or fear that another 9/11 might happen…I'm more inclined toward the second. Anyway, welcome. We pass the "airport" controls and take our boat. In 10 minutes we're at the Statue of Liberty. The Manhattan skyline is stunning even with the clouds. You can see the Freedom Tower, the tower erected in place of the twin towers, and all the other skyscrapers. Guys, I'm in New York. My parents come to mind…What an emotion. I photograph the statue with my phone from every angle. We get off on the island and walk around it. [img]

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Photos, photos, photos….of the Statue, of Manhattan, Ellis Island, etc…..The sky has turned very black and in my opinion we'd better head back to the boat. Just enough time to get on it that a real hurricane breaks out. It's Isacc, the hurricane that did real damage in New Orleans and Louisiana. New York fortunately will only be affected by a small "tail." The fact is that we stay on the boat for about an hour…nobody wants to get off…The universal flood. In the end we get off at Battery where it's raining decently but not pouring….half an hour and the sun is back. We wander around the city a bit and then finally decide to cross the Brooklyn Bridge by subway. We take subway line 2 and get off at Clark. We walk 300 meters and in front of us, the sun has already set, we have a wonderful spectacle with the Manhattan skyline completely full of a thousand little lights.

It's an unrivalled spectacle.

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We stay to watch and take photos and then head toward Brooklyn Bridge Park from where we see the bridge of the same name as seen on the famous chewing gum. We stay a bit longer to watch and then take the subway headed to Times Square. The square is essentially the night-time heart of New York. People of all races and colors meet in this square which is practically lit up like day by the big billboards. We also see the famous ball that the mayor of New York at midnight on December 31 activates to officially mark the start of the new year. Every so often an indirect webcam on the square is activated and we too, like almost everyone, show off like the most classic of tourists. It's gotten late….better go to bed….Good night New York…. [img]

After our breakfast at Cafè "R" we take the subway and go to Ground Zero. In fact we've booked the visit ( ) mandatory and free for 10.00. We arrive well in advance so we take a walk and go see Saint Paul Church. My goodness how much police. At every corner police…police…police… At 10, after the "airport" controls, we enter Ground Zero…. [img] [img] I look at the two pools with the names of the nearly 3000 dead of that cursed September 9….I practically relive that day…I remember I was at work…everything stopped…I went home and spent the remaining hours watching all the TV channels possible hoping perhaps that everyone was wrong…I kept watching in silence..not wanting to believe what I saw…It's the same thing I did here…I was silent…I reflected…I prayed to someone so that a 9/11 can never happen again….

Here it doesn't matter whether you're a believer or not…whether you're American or non-American. The fact is that 3000 people (INNOCENT) died anyway without asking for it…. At least silence seems dutiful to me. We practically spend our morning here. After Ground Zero we go to the very nearby Wall Street…We take photos of what is considered, rightly or wrongly, the world stock exchange of the economy. Of course the bull can't be missing…. [img] [img] After lunch we go to Central Park, the green lung of New York. It has nothing to do with the Monza park, but it's very cute and kept very well. Inside there are even several fields for playing baseball. The park is full of people jogging, of grandpas and grandmas with strollers. [img] [img] The Belvedere Castle is very beautiful, from which you can see broad views of the park.

We look for the statue of Balto, the dog from the film of the same name, and take the usual photos. Then I force the relatives into the obligatory search for "IMAGINE" the symbol dedicated to John Lennon. [img] [img] Once found and photos taken we continue to the Rockefeller Center….we see the famous ice skating rink (honestly I expected it bigger)…and we begin our climb to the Top Of the Rock. The ticket is included in the citypass. We go up to the top after a line of over half an hour…but the line is worth it. At the top there opens the wonderful 360° spectacle over Manhattan and New York. We spend about an hour looking at every spire of the skyscrapers, the Statue of Liberty, the Empire, the Chrysler, ….

[img] [img] [img] Before dinner we go to Penn Station, right in front of our hotel, to print the train tickets that tomorrow will take us to Washington….tomorrow an early wake-up and so…early to bed…..

This morning the alarm goes off early…very early…at 5.30 we have the train that will take us to Washington. Fortunately the train departs right from the railway station in front of our hotel. Unlike what happens in Italy, here the indication of which platform our train will be on is given 10 minutes before departure and you only enter if you have the relevant ticket. Meanwhile we have breakfast. So departure perfectly on time at 5.30 and expected arrival in Washington at 8.45….cost 98 $ each round trip (wifi throughout the train) purchased online on the Amtrak website ( ). The cars are comfortable and the seats reasonably large. Along the way we pass through Philadelphia..and see a few skyscrapers. The arrival is perfectly on time at Union Station. We take the subway because our first destination is the Washington Cathedral and to get there you have to take the metro and bus.

Careful, the subscription made for the metro doesn't include the surface bus lines. So here every bus ride is 1.80$. Anyway…the subway is new and you can tell. The stations are very, very large but also very dark… We get off at Dupont Circle station and then go to Massachusetts Avenue NW, about 50 m, and take bus N4 (or even N4-N2) to the intersection between Cathedral Avenue NW and Wisconsin Avenue NW, travel time about 30 min. [img] [img] [img] The Cathedral is truly beautiful. It stands on a small hill and is completely white. The Cathedral is the sixth largest in the world. It opens at 10 so we walk around the block. This area is truly very cute, full of greenery with low single-family houses without fences…something that's very strange for us. At 10 we enter the cathedral. The entrance is by free offering. We walk around the naves and I must say it's very well cared for.

After the Cathedral our tour includes the visit to the Iwo Jima and the Arlington Cemetery. From the Cathedral we take Wisconsin Avenue NW and take bus 31 to the Foggy Bottom Metro stop and then the orange Metro to the Rosslyn stop and then continue on foot to the Iwo Jima Memorial, time taken about 45 min.

[img] The Iwo Jima monument I expected much smaller, but instead it's very large. It's the monument of the Vietnam War. From there, on foot, very close, we go to the Arlington cemetery. Boy, how big it is. An entire hill dedicated to all the American war dead. Of course we go to see the tomb of one of the most important men in the world, JF Kennedy. [img] [/img] The cemetery stands on a hill from which you have a beautiful view of Washington with its monuments, the Pentagon, the obelisk, the Lincoln, the US Capitol. Only flaw, from here to Washington city there isn't a single means of transport so…you have to hoof it and it's about 3 km…in short, quite a walk. We cross the Potomac which besides cutting the city in two also marks the border between the states of District Of Columbia and Virginia.

Having crossed the bridge it's now time to eat something and we decide on a hamburger at an open-air kiosk. At the table next to ours a squirrel climbed onto the chairs and is being fed with chips. A marvel..it sits nice and calm on the chair with its little chip to crunch on. [img] [img] After lunch we continue to the Lincoln Memorial where we take the ritual photos. We then continue to the Vietnam War Memorial, where there are practically all the flags of the states that make up the United States of America with a nice fountain in the middle and the obelisk. [img] To the left of it there's the White House (we walked another 3 km). On the roof you can see the snipers guarding the area and all around police in war gear. [img]

From here we go take the subway to then get off at the US Capitol. It's truly very large and worth the photos. [img] It's impressive to see the deployment of forces at every corner. I really liked Washington. There's a lot of green and it seems to me, despite being a capital, very "human-scale." Today we've hardly walked at all so we go to the railway station on foot….at 18.00 we have the return train. The train departs on time but…after 5 minutes it goes back in reverse….yes that had never happened to me…we were already out of the station for a while and it went back…We set off half an hour late…and so we arrive in New York when it's almost 22. We go eat and then to bed…we're a bit tired….

A day entirely dedicated to New York. This morning we decide to see the Manhattan skyline from Brooklyn in the morning. I recommend it if you want to have the sun in your favor. Premised that at all hours of the day and evening it has its charm, in the morning you have the sun behind you, in the afternoon or at sunset you'll have it in front for postcard photos… Anyway we get off at Clark like the other evening and in 5 minutes we see the skyline. Beautiful. [img] [img] [img] We take our photos and then go to Brooklyn Bridge Park and retake the same photos but this time with the sun. We then decide to cross the bridge on foot. It's possible to visit the Brooklyn Bridge along its entire length on foot, thanks to the raised wooden walkway that passes above the lanes reserved for cars. [img] [img] In Brooklyn the pedestrian entrance is on Tilary Street.

From one entrance to the other it's about 2.36 km, in short a nice walk but it's worth it. Ah, I forgot one thing….WATCH OUT FOR CYCLISTS…it seems they've taken the bridge as a velodrome and they pass at full speed. Once we've crossed the bridge we head toward the heliport. Yes, my kids for my birthday gave me a helicopter ride over Manhattan. Nice, huh??? Don't you also get the doubt that it was instead an incentive toward the inheritance? Joking…Thanks kids. I do the ride alone, the others ARE AFRAID…. And so they practically make me board instantly. The helicopter is an 8-seater very comfortable with leather seats. Nice. Off we go….the emotion is truly great. I'd never tried a helicopter and I must say it's very pleasant. [img] [img] [img] [img] We pass over the Statue of Liberty and travel all of Manhattan up to the New York Jets baseball stadium (big) and then return back.

The flight lasted about 15 minutes and cost 175 $ including insurance. Yes, I understand it's a nice sum but…it was worth it….Thanks again to my kids. My wife said I had the face of a child coming off the rides. After our lunch we go to the tramway that leads to Roosevelt Island. It's a cable car connecting Manhattan to Roosevelt Island.It's taken at the Tramway Plaza and the Metrocards ticket is valid. [img] On Roosevelt Island there's a hospital. Well..in the end I couldn't take it anymore..in the sense that my phone was starting to run out of memory so I bought a camera….yes I know..I could have done it earlier too….My wife already told me…don't scold me too. So we stay there very little and head back toward Fifth Avenue.

Wife and sister-in-law are set on finding the Tiffany store at all costs…I immediately get the temptation to call work to block my wife's credit card…then I give up and instead decide to mark her tight, tight, man-to-man as if I were Bergomi at the 1982 World Cup in Spain. [img] [/img] Talk about a store…..they could have said there are 5 floors. The bouncer at the door opens it smiling at me..it's almost like he wants to invite me to run away while I still can. Fortunately the prices are impossible (but who was it that said you save money at Tiffany's???) and so when we reach the door and the bouncer from before sees we don't have any little bag…he tells us to open the door ourselves… Well…nearby there's also the Apple Store…and here it's me who thrusts myself inside…. Here too the prices are however very similar to Italy and so I lose every spendthrift ambition.

Around 18 we decide to do the climb up the Empire State Building…so as to see sunset and night lights…We didn't however count on the line and so when we're at the top the sun has already set. [img] [img] [img] It seems everyone had our idea and so now they're waiting for nightfall. I wait for a spot in the front row which I finally manage to get, not without a few arguments, half an hour later. I wait for evening to fall and then….go with photos…photos…photos…. After coming down we decide to go to Times Square to blow some money (or rather credit card) to make the kids at home happy…So here we enter the Hard Rock Café and the Aeropostal where we buy T-shirts and sweatshirts. [img] [img] [/img] We take the last photos of the square and then go back…it's our last evening in New York…and we're quite sorry….

Here we are…we're at the end of our…TRIP OF A LIFETIME. Today we have the return flight to Milan at 17,20 and so we have almost the whole day available. So we free the room and leave our suitcases anyway at the hotel for the modest sum of 4$ each. We have our breakfast and then…sea at Coney Island. Yes we decided to spend it like this. So we take the Q subway line and get off right at the terminus. It's about 40 minutes of travel. [img] [img] We come out of the subway and the air you breathe is truly the unmistakable air of the sea. The women immediately take advantage to lie down on the sand while my brother-in-law and I decide to take a walk. The beach is very big complete with an amusement park (it seems to be a constant in the USA). We do the whole seafront up to the tip from which, according to my sense of direction, we should have a stunning view of the Verrazzano bridge.

It's about 2 km on a boardwalk made of planks that honestly could use some maintenance. Unfortunately on arrival at the very tip we have a surprise. The whole tip is off limits. In fact it consists of a village of private little houses complete with an entrance guarded by police. The bridge is only barely visible….Damn. Oh well..we go back with our tails between our legs… [img] [img] So we take advantage to take some photos on the beach and then on the pier. Around noon we decide it's time to head back toward Manhattan. We have lunch for the last time at Cafè "R" and then go pick up our luggage. By subway (Line A) we arrive at the Ozone Park terminus where with the elevated monorail we reach our terminal…My goodness how big the airport is. We do our process and check in the luggage.

All the gifts (except my collectible taken in Canada and that will never see the Italian sun) we put in the carry-on. At 17,20 we depart and so ends our trip of a lifetime. What to say….apart from the misadventure in Las Vegas everything went wonderfully well. We saw places that will always remain imprinted in our memory….I was moved by the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley and then stood open-mouthed at Niagara Falls….Wonderful cities like San Francisco and Williams and Las Vegas….and then Washington and New York where everything seems bigger. ….A thank you to all of you on the forum for the advice and suggestions that served me so much…bye everyone.