Around the World in 180 Days - Part 1

Our first stop in Los Angeles, California, after checking in to the Friendship Inn - a windswept Venice Beach.

Amazing preserved animal remains trapped in tar pits, downtown L.A.

Hollywood, a faded icon.

We do a self guided walking tour in Silver Lake, Pete mounts the Laurel and Hardy Stairs.

Rattler!

We head to Mammoth Lakes via Velaquez Rocks, Red Rock Canyon and the Lone Pine Film History Museum.

We are lucky enough to get a couple of days skiing at Mammoth Lakes. Back in time for a G & T and a soak in the jacuzzi at Brendan's condo.

It's bye bye to Brendan, Bonnie and Teddy as we head off to San Francisco.

Unfortunately the road through Yosemite is closed but it is still a spectacular drive through the Sierras.

We do a long walk to Haight Ashbury and The Painted Ladies, Alamo Park

An evening tour, with a really excellent audio guide, of the Alcatraz Prison on the island in San Francisco Bay. Personal accounts from ex prisoners, details about notorious inmates like Al Capone and sound effects help create the atmosphere. Bit chilly though!

Second day exploring San Francisco we take a bus to see the fabulous street murals in the Mission District, the beautiful Dolores Park and the Castro where there is a huge gay scene. What a beautiful city!

We take a bus to the Golden Gate Toll Plaza, ready to walk the bridge. The largest art deco object, built in 1939. Little did we know hordes of young girls were'bridging' too!

Over the bridge we have lunch in Sausalito and catch the ferry back.

Our last morning in San Francisco we do a free walking tour visiting many of the locations from Alfred Hitchcock's 'Vertigo'. Then we catch the overnight sleeper to Seattle.

Sleeping on a train is the best! Oregon out the window next morning. We get to Seattle about 8pm and check into the 100 year old Panama Hotel and Tea Rooms. Definitely feels grungy.

It's a 3 hour flight to Anchorage, Alaska. We pick up our hire car and drive another hour to Jacqui and Bill's where we are welcomed with chicken and dumplings followed by bakewell tart. Next day we are off to Seward sightseeing. First stop, the wonderful Alaska Wildlife Conservation Centre. Exciting to see moose, elk, bison, black and brown bears in relatively natural surroundings.

Moose

Elk

Bison

Next day we set off on a three day road trip to the interior. Our first stop, a frozen picnic by the Susitna River in Talkeetna. We spend the first night at the Rough Woods Inn, Nenana, meet a Iditarod 'musher' in the bar, then it is on to Fairbanks.

After a soak in the Chena Hot Springs we head south to the North Pole to say hello to Santa and his reindeers. Then on to Delta Junction to be entertained by Ukelele Russ. Weird to stumble out of the bar at 10.30pm to discover it is still daylight! We head back to Palmer to enjoy another day of Jacqui and Bill's hospitality then it's off to Boston.

Boston is warm and sunny. Mike takes us on the 3 hour historical revolutionary walking tour, bringing the story of the European settlement of America alive.

Next day we take the bus to New York City.

Central Park is much bigger and more beautiful than I imagined, it really makes the intensity of NYC bearable. Paul and Joclyn make us wecome in their Upper West side appartment. We go to Staten Island and the Statue of Liberty, see a baseball and a lacrosse game, spend 2 days in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, go to the ballet to see a performance of Giselle, eat Bagels, go to Coney Island and more!

We have been traveling for a month and have seen so much across this amazing country. The next leg is six weeks in the car. We pick up the Camry in New Jersey and head north making it to Woodstock the first night. See Part 2