Tag: USA

The planning continues

On By dreamer2207In travelLeave a comment
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com


So, we’re beginning to plan our itinerary for our trip to Vegas in a few months. Now I love nothing better than itinerary planning. Making sure we have a list of everything we want to see and fitting it all in. My husband and I will be in Las Vegas for five nights while possibly spending one of those nights out at the Grand Canyon South Rim. I’ve always wanted to do the all American road trip but having never driven in the USA in my life I figured that the drive from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon would be a good starting place.

I’m a big lover of fitting in as many things as you can in the time that you are there so this will be a good challenge. I’m also a massive aviation fan so would love to fit in a visit to Victorville which is well known as the aircraft graveyard where most planes go to retire.

There seems to be so much choice for entertainment in Las Vegas. Music shows, illusionists, tribute acts, while also having established acts such as Celine Dion being a permanent fixture. Also who can forget the gambling 😀 . I’ve already been looking up all the different types of card games and types of other gambling you can do; I was pleasantly surprised to find out that some hotels do free gambling lessons if you want to learn how to play.

What’s everyone else’s thoughts who have done Vegas before? We both most definitely want to enjoy our time there and don’t want to be nursing hangovers at any point (although we do like to have a few drinks).

I have our trusty guide book to help and pin point a range of things to see and do but I very much like to get off the beaten path and do like the locals do.

My husband and I (I’ve probably mentioned it countless times on other posts lol) are attempting to try hillwalking this year as a way to get more exercise without actually feeling like were exercising. So have been looking at also visiting nearby Red Rock Canyon. I’ve always wanted to explore the USA in great detail, especially their national parks. Having been to a few in the past it just ignited my need to explore more in depth.

If anyone has any tips or advice about car rental or anything else about Las Vegas please get in touch, it would be great to hear from you 🙂

Who loves Seattle?

On By dreamer2207In travelLeave a comment
Photo by Johan Bos on Pexels.com

One of my most favourite places in the whole world is Seattle. It’s vibrant, calming and an extremely friendly city. Myself and my husband visited in September and the city was having an apparent unusual heatwave (not that we were complaining about it at all).

There’s so may different things to do in Seattle depending what you’re into. I made an itinerary filled with things we’d already looked at and decided we wanted to do. These included the MOPOP (Museum of Pop Culture), the Science Museum, the Space Needle and I have to say my personal favourite was…….. The Boeing Factory! Now I will admit that I am a MASSIVE aviation fan. I love planes, love everything about them (I will eventually write a post about my obsession but I don’t like to out myself as weird too soon lol).

I’m going to kick off with my favourite which was the Boeing Factory. Anyone who has any kind of interest in aviation will love it. There is a shop where you can buy all kinds of memorabilia related to the manufacturer. There is a museum which has aircraft engines on show, also explains about different engine types. The piece de resistance is when you are taken on the factory tour where you can see actual building of aircraft that are to be delivered to airlines that will be put to commercial use. The tour guides are very knowledgeable and do their best to answer any questions you may have. You are not allowed to take anything into the factory tour with you (ie phones and cameras) so all bags are put into lockers at the main entrance.

In keeping with the aviation theme another place to visit is the Museum of Flight which has a range of full size aircraft for you to board and have a look around and learn some of the history of these amazing machines. Again there are guides who can answer any questions you may have. We had a chat with a gentleman about the Air Force One aircraft and this man knew his stuff. There is also an area that takes you through the stages of early flight, to the war and to modern day jetliners. For aviation buffs a definite must see.

Pike Place Market located in downtown Seattle was an amazing place to be. I loved it down there. This is where you’ll find the original Starbucks, the queue was phenomenal. We took a previous tour guides advice and didn’t go in as he said you can get the same drink around the corner and not wait in line. We did take some photos outside though. You have plenty eateries in this area, there was lots of choice. We visited Peroshky Peroshky for a pasty. For those of you with a sweet tooth there is Le Panier, a French patisserie (we genuinely enjoyed the chocolate eclairs 🙂 )

In the Market itself we visited The Sound View Café for breakfast and had amazing views of the Puget Sound. The food was fantastic and the staff were lovely.

On our first full day in Seattle we booked a city tour to get our bearings and discover and bit more than what we might have on our own. The tour took us to The Freemont Troll, The Fish Ladder at Ballard Locks (there is an amazing deli a short drive from here called Fishermen’s Green Market and Deli – they make the most delicious fresh wraps), Kerry Park, The water homes, plus lots of interesting commentary from the guide telling us all about the history of each area, immigration and how many people actually move to Seattle each year.

For those of you who like a bit of jazz music, we visited a venue called Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley. The act we seen was a bass player called Marcus Miller. The venue itself is very small and intimate which was fantastic. You have the option of going to the show and sitting at the bar or being able to have dinner before the show. We went for the dinner option and the food was wonderful. Our final bill if I remember right came to roughly $120 and that was two mains, two desserts and two alcoholic drinks.

Seattle has so much greenery and park space that it’s impossible not to be able to find a place of quiet amongst a big city. It gave me a sense of calm which I really enjoyed, it was an intangible feeling that you can’t ever really explain properly. I’ve been to a lot of cities throughout the US and I can wholeheartedly say Seattle is my favourite. I seem to enjoy the west coast as opposed to the east coast. The east coast doesn’t have the same chilled out vibe that you can find in the west.

Anyway enough of my rambling for now as I could go on for ages about Seattle :D.

Getting the 2019 travel plans started!

On By dreamer2207In UncategorizedLeave a comment
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So 2019 is just around the corner now and it always gets me excited for another chance to plan my travels for the year. I love to travel and experience different places and cultures, I’ve been quite a few places across the globe but there’s still so much out there to explore.

One of my favourite destinations has to be the USA. There’s so much variety in just one country. Where is everyone’s favourite travel destinations? Why are they your favourite?

When I travel I prefer to visit a destination as a local rather than a tourist (much as though I will visit the main tourist attractions if it’s my first time in a place). I’d always loved the thought when I was younger of emigrating and living abroad, I still do if I’m honest. I like to get the feel of what it would be like to live in a place as a local, so like to try Air BnB now when I go away to see what the housing is like in place and not in a hotel environment.

Planning out my travels takes me a great deal of time because I do quite a bit of research into what I’d like to see when I’m there, prices, what the accommodations are like. I spend time reading reviews on places and restaurants and am also a big advocate of trip advisor, I use it a lot. I make an itinerary to make sure I can fit in everything that I want to see in the time that I am going to be there.

At the moment I’ll be visiting Las Vegas but hope to add on a few more destinations before the end of the year. I seem to prefer the west of the USA as opposed to the east. It seems a lot more chilled and relaxed whereas the east always struck me as overly busy and stressful. What’s people’s thoughts?