California road tripping

When booking our USA trip no one had mentioned we would need more than one day to drive the Californian coast between San Francisco and Los Angeles. I must admit I was part to blame as when I checked Google maps, the route time I went off was the freeway one, not the coast one. It wasn't until we were on our Napa Valley tour that the bus driver laughed and told us we would need at least two days to drive the coast.

So we decided we would need to prioritise what part of the coast we wanted to drive, and that for me, was the Big Sur. It was a blissful two hours for me (as passenger) admiring the amazing natural cliff edges and ocean views.

Big Sur

Big Sur cliff edges

Following the Big Sur, we returned to the freeway as quick as we could as day time was already ticking away. We stopped into Santa Maria for some much needed lunch and refuelling and continued on the freeway until Malibu where we hit the coast again. Unfortunately there wasn't enough time to stop in Santa Barbara like I was hoping for... next time!

The weather in LA was a also complete contrast to the first visit in mid April, being cold and rainy now.

Driving through Malibu

Driving towards Santa Monica

Tips
-Fill up your vehicle in a major city before hitting the Big Sur region as petrol/gas prices increase by up to $2 a gallon the more remote you go
-Have a map as back up as your GPS loses service along the Big Sur route
-Spend 2-3 days driving the coast between San francisco and Los Angeles so you can enjoy the drive and don't have to rush
-Share the driving and make lots of stops at the allocated areas so everyone enjoys the view

Last stop San Fran

San Francisco was the last stop of our America trip. We flew in from Miami (6.5 hours later) and stayed downtown near Union Square. It was a much quieter city with an evident homeless problem. There were definitely prettier spots such as Lombard's crooked street and the hilly views but I'm definitely a big city girl.

Union Square

Must dos in San Francisco include:

Alcatraz
This former prison which housed the likes of Al Capone and Robert Stroud (The Birdman) is a 15 minute ferry ride from Pier 33. Visiting Alcatraz Island includes an audio tour on the history of the prison, views of San Francisco and Golden Gate Bridge, and access to the gardens of Alcatraz. Those wanting to visit Alcatraz should book tickets at least two months in advance. We also booked the 8.45am ferry time which was the first ferry of the day and is well worth it as you are the first people on the island and it's the least number of people that will be on the island the whole day.

Alcatraz Island

Alcatraz Prison

Alcatraz prison cells

Fisherman's Wharf
Famous for fishing and seafood, Fisherman's Wharf is full of piers, restaurants, cafes, markets and tourist attractions such as Ripley's and Ghirardelli chocolate. It also provides nice views of Alcatraz Island and Golden Gate Bridge. We enjoyed a nice clam chowder at the famous Boudin Bakery for lunch (a must!) following our Alcatraz trip.

Fisherman's Wharf

Pier 39 

Boudin Bakery

Ride a cable car
Take in the chilly air as you ride on the side of a San Francisco cable car - so much fun! Buy a day pass ticket for $17 to get unlimited rides and stop off at key attractions along the way such as Lombard Street's crooked section and Chinatown. You can also watch how the cable cars turn around at the end of each line.

Cable car

Visit Lombard Street
Lombard Street's crooked section is between Hyde and Jones. Whether you walk it or drive it, it's definitely something that has to be seen and makes for a great photo with all the pretty gardens.

Lombard Street - world's crookedest street

Day tour to Sonoma and Napa Valley

We spent our second day in San Francisco on a day tour to Sonoma and Napa Valley. Our tour included the wineries Nicholson Ranch (Sonoma), Madonna Estate (Napa Valley) and Sutter Home (Napa Valley). We received three tastings at each, which was a lot different to the 8 or so on a Yarra Valley tour in Melbourne. We also visited the cute town of Yountville for lunch.

Nicholson Ranch

Madonna Estate

Sutter Home

So even though our trip ended in a quieter city of the US, it was still a busy two full days!

I'm in Miami Beach

The flight from Orlando to Miami was pretty much up and down, which reminded me so much of flying within Europe. We stayed at Loews Miami Beach Hotel in South Beach, which to me was in the best location within walking distance of Lincoln Road Mall and Ocean Drive.

Lincoln Road Mall

Loews Miami Beach

Ocean Drive

I was actually really surprised by Miami - we both loved it. I think it was a great destination for a little bit of sightseeing and a little bit of relaxing. Plus staying at a beautiful resort also made all the difference.

While we were in Miami we checked out Lincoln Road Mall for shopping and dining; did a bus tour of downtown Miami passing Coconut Grove, Biltmore Hotel, Venetian Pool and Little Havana; did a boat tour of The Everglades to see the gators (disappointingly we only saw three in total whilst out on the boat); swam in Miami Beach; chilled poolside at the hotel; dined at Zuma in downtown Miami (amazing), went to see Kevin Hart perform at American Airlines Arena; and dined along Ocean Drive. So a lot really in two and a half days!

Downtown Miami

South Beach Miami

Mid Beach Miami

The Everglades

It was a crazy city full of life where practically anything goes. It also had a very glamourous side. I would definitely return and stay for longer.

Big kid fun!

Disney World is somewhere I have dreamed of visiting since as young as I can remember so when I was planning my America trip, Orlando was a must. I must admit though, when you have been to one Disney, they are all the same. I probably wouldn't think that if I was still a 10 year old though!

We stayed at Disney Port Orlean's Riverside Resort and soaked up all the Disney theming for our stay in Orlando. The resort was medium priced and came complete with two pools, a dining room, restaurants and a ferry to Downtown Disney.

Ferry to Downtown Disney from our resort

Disney Port Orleans Resort - Riverside

We spent our days in Orlando exploring Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, the four Disney theme parks (all in one day), Downtown Disney and a bit of relaxation.

Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure were definitely more suited to adults with extreme rides like the Incredible Hulk and Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, but the highlight was Harry Potter World. I am so glad I watched the full suite of films before the trip! Everything was designed with such detail and the butter beer was delicious. It's also worth getting the Park to Park ticket so you can ride Hogwarts Express. We also paid for an Express Pass for both parks but they also have the option of Single Ride lines if you don't want to pay the extra money.

Butter Beer

Diagon Alley

Universal Islands of Adventure

You might wonder how did we get all four Disney parks - Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Epcot and Magic Kingdom - done in one day? Well, it wasn't too difficult at all. We chose to focus on the main rides we wanted to go on and as we had already been to Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong and Japan, the only thing we really wanted to see at Magic Kingdom was the fireworks. The key is to plan and map out your day in advance. It may have also helped that we didn't visit during school holidays or on a weekend.

We started the day at Animal Kingdom as that park opened early to Disney World Resort guests on the day we were visiting Disney Parks. We used our three Fast Pass options here. It was really easy to get around Disney World Resort as there were buses to and from each park and to and from each hotel. Next was Hollywood Studios where we enjoyed the Aerosmith and Hollywood Tower rides again (we had done these in Paris). 

Animal Kingdom

Hollywood Studios

I ventured to Epcot on my own while the boy rested and it was definitely more interesting for adults with a big technology focus. We met back up again at Magic Kingdom where we enjoyed a couple of attractions before getting dinner and enjoying the final parade, light show on the Princess castle and fireworks display. All in all it was a magical day, I just wish I was 10 years old again.

Epcot

Disney Castle

Fireworks Finale

On our last day in Orlando, we had good intentions of going to the Kennedy Space Centre but decided to just take it easy after a massive week in New York as well as the last two days at the theme parks. We went into Downtown Disney and watched a movie at AMC cinemas which is basically a restaurant in a cinema. We then relaxed by the pool back at the resort and soaked up our last hours in the magical world of Disney.

Downtown Disney

Amazing Downtown Disney sunset

Top 10 in NYC

This was my second time to the big apple and I must admit I enjoyed the trip a lot more this time. I definitely think the weather was a major factor in this. The first time I visited was in the peak of summer with extreme humidity. This time we were blessed with beautiful sunny spring days. I was also going with no expectations and an open mind, and it was all about America this time rather than an add on to a working holiday in London.

So I thought I'd share my top experiences from my 6 days in NYC.

1. Central Park Bike Tour
I found it much more valuable having a structured bike tour of Central Park rather than doing it on our own. We rode straight to all the relevant locations in the park and our guide provided interesting facts about the park.

2. Dinner at Buddakan
Sex & the City moment at Buddakan - such amazing food and dining room!

3. Top of the Rock
Definitely the best view of Manhattan with Empire State in sight, especially at night.

4. NBA Playoffs
We managed to catch a Brooklyn Nets playoff game while we were in town, although it was a shame they didn't win and it was a one sided game.

5. Lunch at Eataly
Italian heaven no matter where you look. This Italian market has everything from fresh pasta and wine to a butcher, seafood, bookshop, gelato and dolce, restaurants to dine in and more. We enjoyed a lunch at Manzo Ristorante of carpaccio and gnocchi. We also grabbed a gelato on the way out - a must!

6. Visiting my New York family
I met family for the first time on my last visit and was happy to find a suitable time to catch up with some of them this trip. We went out to Long Island for the day from Penn Station and enjoyed a bit of outlet shopping at Tanger Outlets and an early dinner at Joe's Crab Shack.

7. Shopping at Woodbury Common Outlets
This place is amazing! A $40 return trip from Manhattan and a little over an hour away, but the shopping is well worth it. My favourite purchase of the day was a Burberry trench!

8. Walking Brooklyn Bridge
This was a really nice walk and view. I wasn't able to walk it on my trip as it was way too hot!

9. Empire State
As one of the tallest buildings in the USA, this is some experience. Open 8am-2am daily.

10. Rooftop views and drinks
Our hotel in NYC - Citizen M NYC - offered an amazing rooftop bar, where we loved to hang out (when we had any spare time).

My only sadness was finding out the ice rink at Rockefeller Centre closed a few days before we arrived - I really thought I was going to arrive just in time to have a skate! All in all, I thought New York City was really amazing this time around.