US Tour: The Cities and Great Parks of the West

Los Angeles

Wake up at dawn and transfer to Malpensa, we leave on time and in a couple of hours we are in London. After 3 hours of waiting we set off again for Los Angeles where we landed at 15.00 local time. The time to collect the luggage and comply with the checks, then we got on the Hertz bus that took us to the car park to rent the car. We took an SUV to be more comfortable and I would say that never was a choice more apt. Having set the first address on the Never Lost navigator we reached the Sofitel hotel in Beverly Hills, definitely a fine establishment. That evening the first stop was the Walk of Fame, practically 2 steps from the hotel. What an emotion to walk treading on the stars and the handprints of famous people in front of the Chinese Theatre, in particular Michael Jackson's star was surrounded by white flowers. Dinner in a nearby place and then we went to rest.

Los Angeles

A leisurely wake-up then a drive around Beverly Hills and Melrose, among villas of famous people and typical wooden houses up to the shops of Rodeo Drive where we took the opportunity to buy clothing right away, while in the afternoon we went to see the famous Hollywood sign and the Universal Studios, nice even if many people avoid them probably because the entrance is really very expensive. Finally a little dinner at the Rock Café.

Palm Springs

After leaving Los Angeles following a fantastic breakfast at Huts on Melrose, we headed to Palm Springs, a quiet tourist town famous for its golf courses, where wealthy Americans come to relax… After dropping off our bags at the Hotel Ryatt (fairly modest), we went to visit Joshua Tree National Park, entering from the north. At the information office they gave us a map and pointed out the best route we could take; we also bought the pass that allowed us to enter all the parks. Joshua Tree is a truly unusual park, characterized by these trees (the Joshua Trees, of course) that are unique in the world and by hills of various colours, set amid desert expanses. We also walked a trail as far as a dam, spotting hares, squirrels and lizards, in a perfect climate. Finally we reached a hilltop from which you could see the San Andreas Fault.

All of it in our car along a beautiful and practically deserted road. Then we went back to Palm Springs and afterwards had dinner at a trattoria run by an Italian guy, and we were pretty happy with it.

Phoenix

We set off at a leisurely pace after an abundant breakfast of eggs and potatoes and headed towards Phoenix. Here we stayed at the Hotel Cottonwoods Resort in Scottsdale, practically a village with separate, very nice apartments. This city is really very clean and tidy, everything looks new, but there's nothing interesting, just huge roads, modern houses and buildings, loads of banks and offices. Never mind, it was a necessary stop to get us closer to the Grand Canyon… Dinner at a Mexican restaurant and then to bed, a big day awaited us the next day.

The Grand Canyon

After leaving Phoenix early in the morning following a so-so breakfast at the hotel, we headed north. The natural spectacle we encountered was truly evocative; we travelled through immense prairies and hills full of cacti, reaching the first stop of the day, Montezuma Castle, a structure in the rock dating back to the Indians and originally completed with a wooden part that no longer exists today. We set off again along the Hgw-17 for a stretch, then turned off, as I had planned, towards Sedona, crossing the Coconino National Forest. Here we saw the first real mountains, and we were truly fascinated by their red colour and the enormous expanses of clouds.

What a spectacle Cathedral Rock was!!! After crossing Sedona we climbed beyond the forest and reached Flagstaff: here we drove a stretch of the legendary Route 66 and then continued north along the US-180 until we reached the Grand Canyon. After asking for directions we arrived at the Hotel El Tovar, truly the most beautiful lodge on the South Rim, and the spectacle we witnessed is absolutely unique in the world. The Grand Canyon is the most majestic thing nature could have created over thousands of years. Just enough time to drop off our bags and we set off along Hermit's Road, that is the south-west trail, partly on foot and partly by bus right to its end, witnessing a spectacular sunset. By now night was falling, so we went back to the El Tovar and had a really good dinner there, 2 fabulous steaks and a wine to make your head spin.

And before going to bed we went out again to admire the stars in an almost unreal silence: I think that's one of the few places in the world where you can see so many of them, so big and so incredibly bright. Fantastic!!!

Grand Canyon and Monument Valley

Woken at dawn to watch the sunrise: it was cold but it was worth it, incredible colours and plays of light, surrounded by deer grazing on the grass in the meadows. Back at the hotel for breakfast, we loaded the suitcases and then walked the trail towards the east, stopping at the various viewpoints. The depth you can glimpse in these places is unique; it would have been wonderful to go down along the trails as far as the Colorado but we had no more time. Back at the car we set off and drove the South Rim towards the east, stopping at the most famous viewpoints such as Mother Point all the way to Desert View, where there's a tower with souvenir shops run by Indians and from which you can really see the Colorado well.

After finally and sadly leaving the Grand Canyon we headed towards Kayenta, eating something in the car because it was already afternoon and there were still quite a few km to cover before reaching the legendary Monument Valley! We got there around 16.00, we checked in at the hotel The New, which is right inside the park, where we drove in directly with our SUV… what fun! It felt like being in a western film, the colours of the rocks and the earth were even more intense than we had imagined since sunset was approaching. Following the route we reached all the scenic points such as John Ford Point and Artists Point, then at sunset we went back to the hotel, had dinner based on typical Navajo foods and then went to rest, tired but very satisfied with what we had seen on this fantastic day.

Antelope and Bryce Canyon

Once again we got up at dawn and despite the cold we witnessed another spectacle of nature. We saw the sun rise slowly on the horizon with the 3 Buttes in front of us, the clouds creating plays of colour, taking on incredible shapes and torn apart by the rays of light. It was hard to leave these places, but after a good breakfast and a few purchases we set off towards Page. We got there around 11.00, we went straight to collect the tickets we had booked online for Antelope Canyon and then headed off in a hurry to see Horseshoe Bend, the famous 'horseshoe' carved out by the Colorado, which you reach by crossing a stretch of desert on foot. Back in the centre we went to the agency and got on the jeep driven by a big Indian man who led us to Antelope Canyon together with a caravan of other cars through the desert, where the drivers had fun bouncing us around as they raced each other.

What a laugh!!! Antelope is truly fascinating: it's tunnels carved into the rock by wind erosion where you can witness extraordinary plays of light which, in the hours when the sun is directly overhead, come down from above like enormous rays. The colours are very strong and shimmering too. Truly not to be missed!!! Back in town we bought a pizza from Pizza Hut and enjoyed it looking out at Lake Powell from the dam, then set off again northwards, our goal Bryce Canyon. Bryce is another park unique in the world for the shape of its rocks. Unfortunately we arrived in the late afternoon during a storm, going from the 35-40°C of Page to a decidedly colder temperature. Anyway, after checking in at the Hotel Best Western we weren't discouraged, and we drove towards the first viewpoints.

After parking and walking a short stretch of forest on foot we found ourselves before yet another spectacle of nature. Sunset Point and Sunrise Point are fantastic; here, unlike the Grand Canyon, it's easier to go down into the valley following the trails, but unfortunately the weather prevented us from doing it right away, so we decided to put it all off until the next day. Back at the hotel we had dinner, took a stroll around the shops and then went to rest; the day had been very exciting but also very, very tiring.

Bryce Canyon, Zion Canyon and Las Vegas

A splendid day; after breakfast we headed to Sunset Point to do the Queen's Mary Trail, a very evocative 2-hour route that goes down into the valley among rock pinnacles and various plants. After coming back from the trail we left Bryce around 11.00, crossing the Red Canyon, a small park of red rocks full of squirrels, and then we continued towards Zion National Park, where we arrived in the early afternoon. Zion is a park where you come across both mountains of white-red rock smoothed by the wind and more imposing mountains carved out by the course of the Virgin River. After parking the car we took the bus that runs along the scenic road; unfortunately we only had time to walk the most famous trail, which starts from the last stop and runs alongside the river, where you come across lots and lots of squirrels.

Unfortunately we weren't able to reach The Narrows, the farthest point of the trail where you can see the gorge carved out by the water in rock up to 600 metres high, because we would have had to ford the river and we couldn't risk getting hurt or getting the cameras and documents wet. So we went back to the car park, had something to eat and set off again towards Las Vegas, where we arrived in the evening.

I'll leave you to imagine the impact we had arriving at sunset in the city that symbolises fun after days spent among desert, rivers and mountains… DEVASTATING!!! Luckily the sat nav led us to the Hotel Luxor without any problems through the traffic; as soon as we arrived there were baggage handlers who unloaded the car for us and accompanied us to the check-in area, where it felt like being in an airport!!! After taking the bags up to the room we went straight back down to park the car and then we ate very well at a Mexican restaurant inside the Luxor, deciding to explore the city the next day because we were very tired.

Las Vegas

After days of waking at dawn we got up at our leisure and began the city tour, having breakfast at a bar in the New York hotel. Afterwards we passed by the Excalibur, the Bellagio and the Caesar, doing a bit of shopping; in particular we went into an enormous shopping centre with a ceiling decorated with artificial clouds, ending up at lunch in a bizarre place called Margaritaville where we had 2 cheeseburgers with fries and beer that were truly exceptional. In the afternoon we continued the tour, passing by the Paris and then the Venetian, which in our opinion, apart from the elegance of the Bellagio, is definitely the most fascinating complex in Las Vegas, with the gondolas crossing the copy of the Grand Canal and the gondoliers singing, as well as the reproduction of St Mark's Square and the artificial sky.

Incredible!!! After some inevitable purchases we headed back to the Bellagio where we watched the fountain show with music and plays of light, and then we had dinner at a good Italian restaurant. Then we went back to our hotel to get the car and headed towards old Las Vegas, seeing the Riviera hotel, the Hilton hotel, the tower and the old casinos with their neon signs, as well as an enormous number of venues where weddings are held, getting back to the Luxor late.

Death Valley

A quick breakfast at a bar in the Luxor and then we set off towards the legendary Death Valley. After a few km in the desert we were forced to stop because of roadworks, and standing still we began to feel that the temperature was rising. The first stop on the route was Desert View, a scenic point you reach following a road into nowhere to a car park, and only afterwards do you realise you're very high up. There was a light breeze that cooled things down and once again we found ourselves before an incredible spectacle. Back down in the valley we reached the famous Zabriskie Point; after taking a few photos we set off again immediately because it was almost midday and the heat was really starting to make itself felt. A little later we arrived at Furnace Creek Ranch: nice, it really feels like being in the far west, and the name says it all.

After dropping off our bags and freshening up a bit we headed to the Salt Lake, which lies 86 metres below sea level. There's very little water there; it's practically an enormous expanse of salt, and we walked on it a bit before quickly getting back in the car because the climate was scorching — I think it was between 45 and 50°C. Following the indications on the maps we headed towards other viewpoints (by car, with the air conditioning on, it was fine), we did the Artist's Tour, a route up and down among rocky hills in the middle of a lunar landscape, and then we went back to the ranch, even coming across a coyote. In the evening we had dinner at the ranch saloon and then went to rest.

Yosemite National Park

The route that leads from Death Valley to El Portal inside Yosemite National Park was probably the longest of our trip, not so much for the km (about 500) as for the travel time (about 7 hours not counting the stops), since as well as getting to Yosemite we had to continue inside it, crossing the whole of it, and there the road, although beautiful, is quite winding and you feel like you'll never arrive — a curve to the right and one to the left, then another to the right and so on through the forest. Before leaving Death Valley we also managed to see some sand dunes, a shame they were far from the road. Then, after cresting the pass, we found ourselves before the spectacle of the Sierra Nevada, a long mountain range beyond which lies Kings Canyon National Park and, within it, Sequoia National Park.

Unfortunately we had to give up visiting this park and the tallest sequoias in the world that live there because we would have needed another day; anyway, we would see sequoias in Yosemite too. So we continued north while the climate began to get cooler and cooler, the desert giving way to lakes and streams, the mountains taking on ever more intense, autumnal colours, and the prairies populated by enormous herds of cattle. After passing Mono Lake we reached Tioga Pass and finally entered Yosemite National Park. Here it's one succession of lakes and forests; there were tourists fishing and strolling, but the spaces were so vast that it felt like being alone. Along the way we stopped to admire some of these lakes; we also reached a peak where the rocks allowed you to see the effects of the great glaciations.

Finally in the afternoon we reached the centre of the park, and here we admired the most imposing mountains, that is El Capitan and the Three Brothers, where a thin trickle of water was also visible at one of the famous waterfalls, which, to see them properly, you have to come in spring when the snow melts. Continuing towards El Portal, we stopped to admire the glacier, arriving at the Yosemite View Lodge in the late afternoon. The hotel was really nice; we had an apartment next to a stream from which you could see lots of birds and squirrels coming close in search of food. Finally in the evening we had dinner at the village restaurant, elegant and refined.

Mariposa Groove and San Francisco

After a good breakfast we headed towards Mariposa Grove, which is the southern entrance to Yosemite park and where the forest of giant sequoias is found. The impact you feel in front of those creatures is impressive; some are truly enormous, they can reach 100 metres in height. Sequoias don't burn and can't be attacked by parasites; they only die when they fall due to natural events. After wandering for a couple of hours fascinated by these plants we set off towards San Francisco. We arrived in the city in the late afternoon and, as in Las Vegas, the impact with the hectic life and the traffic was no small matter; on top of that we found a rather harsh climate and a very annoying wind.

After reaching the Hotel Handlery in Union Square and parking the car we freshened up and headed straight to the harbour using the old Cable Cars, open trams that still run by means of a cable-pulling system with a driver at the front and one at the back braking (they're absurd and very expensive, $5 per ride). Once at Fisherman's Wharf we wandered a bit among the shops and then went into the restaurant that appealed to us most, also because the cold was making itself felt, and after a heavy dinner based on the famous prawns we went back to the hotel.

San Francisco

On the first day in San Francisco we decided to explore the city on foot, so we took the Cable Car and went straight to the harbour because we had booked the Alcatraz visit online for 11.00. In the morning the harbour is always foggy; before boarding we went to Pier 39 to see the seals, following their unmistakable call. It's incredible how many there are; even the smell they give off is rather nauseating, but they inspire a lot of tenderness. After having breakfast at a bar on the pier we went to Pier 33 and took the boat, reaching Alcatraz in a few minutes while the fog, in the meantime, had lifted.

I must say that visiting that prison has quite an effect; there's nothing impressive about it, but walking through the corridors and perhaps entering an isolation cell while listening to the explanations through the audio guide earphones, which fortunately are also available in Italian, makes you think. In fact they tell you very well about the various escape attempts; you can see the holes dug in the cells, the masks they had used to confuse the guards, the clothing worn by the prisoners and the guards themselves, the mess hall, the room with the surveillance equipment that today seems laughable but back then was cutting-edge; you hear the original accounts of some prisoners and you can see photos of the most famous ones, imagining that 40 years earlier they had lived right in there.

Once the tour was over we returned by boat to the harbour and had lunch at a restaurant on Pier 39, after which we walked towards the Coit Tower in North Beach, from which you can admire the whole city. From there we walked to the famous Lombard Street in Russian Hill, a steep winding little street where tourists compete to have their photo taken, then we headed towards Nob Hill, visiting a church and admiring the cathedral, looking for the famous Victorian houses, which we probably passed without noticing because tiredness was beginning to set in.

Slowly we made it to the hotel in Union Square and went to rest a bit because we were really worn out! I'd recommend everyone to get around the city by car or possibly by public transport; don't listen, as we did, to those who say they've explored it on foot, because it's a massacre — the uphill stretches are very hard and then there's very little to see along those streets! Towards evening we went out again, did a bit of shopping near the hotel, which was in the most commercial area of the city, then went to dinner at an Italian restaurant where the food was excellent.

San Francisco

After yesterday's effort, once we'd had breakfast we picked up the car from the car park and found ourselves much better off. First of all we looked for the monumental gate of Chinatown and were astonished to discover it was just around the corner from the hotel. After a short wander among the numerous Chinese shops we headed towards Golden Gate Park, which however we didn't visit, as it's enormous and there was nothing there that interested us. From there we went back towards the harbour and reached the Golden Gate Bridge: following the traffic we found ourselves on the bridge and, after crossing it, we stopped to admire it. After a short stop we went back to the other shore because the fog was finally lifting and we could see the bridge in all its majesty: without a doubt it is the main attraction of San Francisco.

At this point we crossed the bridge again and headed to Sausalito, a small tourist resort full of shops and restaurants, where we had lunch and took a stroll. In the late afternoon we returned to San Francisco, stopped at the Ghirardelli shopping centre where they sell very good chocolate, drove Lombard Street again by car and then went back to the hotel to go to dinner. I must say San Francisco didn't impress us much; perhaps after visiting the wonders of the parks we were no longer used to the chaotic life of the city — if you want a tip, explore it by car, that way one day is enough to see everything.

Monterey and the California coast up to Santa Maria

After breakfast we set off for Monterey, where we arrived in the late morning. We visited the pier, also full of seals here, we were amazed by the huge jellyfish you could see in the water next to the divers, and then we headed towards the center, where there are numerous shops and restaurants. We took the opportunity to do some shopping and then we ate some good fish, setting off again in the early afternoon along the coast, in particular driving along the 17 Mile Drive, a scenic toll road where there are fabulous villas among golf courses and enormous beaches.

Unfortunately the weather was starting to cloud over, in fact as soon as we got onto the famous Highway 1, the most famous scenic road in the world, we found ourselves in thick fog, so unfortunately we couldn't make out almost anything of this coast, arriving towards evening in Santa Maria, where we stayed and had dinner at the Santa Maria Inn hotel. There was really nothing to see here, but we needed to make an intermediate stop because we wouldn't have made it all the way to Santa Monica.

Santa Monica

We set off early, continuing our journey along the coast; fortunately the weather was clearer than the day before, so we stopped in Santa Barbara and after a quick breakfast we visited the pier, where we managed to get close to a beautiful pelican. From there we continued, stopping several times to admire the typical stilt houses and the surfers, all the way to the legendary Malibu. In the late afternoon we arrived in Santa Monica, we reached the Loews Hotel, a fantastic structure located in front of the legendary Ferris wheel on the pier, we rested a bit and then we went for a stroll in the center.

Here we were surprised by the beautiful Promenade, a pedestrian area full of shops and venues of every kind; there we had dinner at Barney's, a very nice place with screens on all the walls broadcasting football games, with license plates on the ceiling, motorcycles displayed on counters, and a myriad of draft beers like I had never seen. Here we had a great dinner, and finally we went back to the hotel, but first we stopped by the pier to see the illuminated wheel up close and admire the ocean.

Santa Monica and Disneyland

Since the day wasn't very clear, we gave up spending it sunbathing on the beach and preferred to visit Disneyland, which is about an hour from Santa Monica. As soon as we arrived it seemed like there was no one there, but then we had to think again: from the parking lot you have to walk a bit before reaching the entrance, crossing a whole area of shops and restaurants. We also waited in a long line to get the tickets (very expensive, like at Universal Studios), and there are exhausting checks almost like at the airport. But when you cross the gates everything seems to change and you feel like you're really living in another world: little trains, trucks, buses, shops… all made exactly as in the cartoons!!! And so so so many people, especially children, even though it was a weekday.

The chaos was probably due to the fact that, although there was still a month to go, they were already preparing to celebrate Halloween, in fact there were pumpkins everywhere. Since we hadn't had breakfast, we went into a café and got something to eat, then we went to the first attraction that interested us, the Indiana Jones one: what a thrill it was to ride in a crazy jeep through tunnels in the dark and through streams of water… we became children again!!! Afterwards we went around almost all the other attractions, eating hamburgers and fries, we took a ride on the steamboat, we visited Mickey's house, and so on … returning to the hotel in the late afternoon. In the evening we had dinner at Barney's again, then did some shopping on the Promenade.

The last day

By now our adventure was coming to an end; after loading the luggage we went to buy a couple of things on the Promenade and then we headed to Venice, which is just a few steps from Santa Monica. There we walked along the street that runs alongside the beach, where there are shops of every kind, it feels like being on the Romagna Riviera, there are outdoor gyms, basketball courts, people running or cycling along the bike path, and above all there is an immense beach, the famous one you see in so many TV series like Baywatch, with the lifeguard huts and the yellow jeeps, the kids flying kites, and few people sunbathing. After doing our last shopping we had a hearty lunch in a little place along the street, then since it was still early we went back to Santa Monica for a bit and then leisurely headed to the airport.

With some reluctance, because we had really had a great time, we returned the SUV and took the shuttle to the airport, we checked in and went to boarding. Unfortunately the plane was an hour late, but in flight we made up the lost time, no problems in London, and so we arrived home on time on October 1st.

CONCLUSION I hope I've managed to convey to you how much fun we had on this trip and the most beautiful things we saw. The States don't have much culture to offer to those who visit them, but they are fascinating for their natural beauty and for the vastness and variety of the landscapes you encounter. On the one hand you can admire what nature has created over thousands of years, on the other you can see how man has managed to adapt, building both great cities where life rushes by at a frantic pace but also small urban centers lost in the middle of nowhere where people live in absolute tranquility. If you are nature lovers and you like traveling, don't miss a trip like this!