The American voyage – Part IV

 Part IV – A change of scenery

What better way to achieve peace and tranquility after busy Vegas than head out into the wild? One of the wonders of the world, the Grand Canyon, is no more than ~3.5 hours away by car. Too good an opportunity to waste, right? Besides, driving there also allowed us to get closer to "the real America", so to say. We also found the time to stop by Hoover dam as it was only a few kilometres off our chosen path. Having the time to stop at interesting places like this makes for a more enjoyable vacation. We never intended to drive to the Grand Canyon and back in one day, anyway. In fact, we spent a night in a small town approximately one hour from the Canyon just to charge our batteries. Well, there was that and the fact that we were not entirely sure how to continue our trip the day after. However, after discussing pros and cons, we decided to go with our original plan and head toward San Francisco after visiting the Grand Canyon. But first things first...

Hoover dam being on the way made it a compulsory stop.

That's some bridge!

The Grand Canyon is grand. Really grand. So grand that it probably deserves more attention than we gave it on our visit. As we were on a bit of a schedule (hotels booked in other cities) and had plenty of driving ahead of us, we couldn't spend a whole day there, but still found enough time to walk around and gaze at the beauty and size of the whole thing. It's easy to spend time just gazing over the canyon and all the animals that have made it their home, mainly squirrels and birds by the looks of it. I saw plenty of birds flying majestically over the canyon and I suspect some of them might have been eagles, but I'm no expert on birds. Standing there watching all of this was a strong contrast to the restlessness of Vegas just the day before. Supposedly, they arrange trips into the valley of the Grand Canyon too, which I can only imagine makes for a more complete experience. Truly a marvellous place to visit, but our trip had to continue.

If you think this looks amazing, imagine being there in person!

The drive from Grand Canyon to San Francisco is a long one, and being smart drivers, we decided it would be better to spend the night somewhere along the route to SF instead of driving there in one go. There's no point driving that long if you don't have to, right? Stressing a lot is never good during a holiday. So after our short visit to Grand Canyon, we set a course for a hotel by the lovely name of Oak Tree Inn, outside Barstow, California. Driving there took several hours too, but we got to see more of the desert and more of America on the way, which was great. That being said, the desert does get boring after a while. Another reason to get to the West Coast is to get a change of scenery. However, much of the charm of a road trip lies in visiting those roadside cafes and restaurants and seeing how ordinary Americans live. That's something we both enjoyed. When we finally arrived at the Oak Tree Inn several hours later, we didn't do much more than eat some snacks and watch TV. The drive to San Francisco continued the following morning and with it, the realization that our trip was coming to its end too.

San Francisco. Cool name for a cool city. And by cool I mean low temperatures. San Francisco even took us vikings by surprise. Having been spoiled by the heat of the desert for several days, coming to San Francisco felt a bit like being tossed from a sauna to a snowbank. To put it another way; It felt like being back in Norway. It was an odd feeling, being cold again and having to wear a jacket! In mid-July nonetheless. Outrageous!  After the initial shock, however, we realized San Fran wasn't a bad place. It just wasn't a very warm place. At least not during our stay there. Fortunately, there were other things to do than just complain about the weather. Like vising Fisherman's Warf and especially Pier 39. (Unfortunately the supposedly entertaining sea lions were a no show). Now, Pier 39 is one of the top sights in the city and not without reason: The place is beautifully situated next to the sea with an open view to both the Golden Gate bridge and the Rock (also known as Alcatraz). In addition to this, there are several cafes, restaurants and shops on the pier itself. In fact, there is even an old-fashioned merry-go-round there if you like those for one reason or another. 

Pier 39. One of the biggest tourist attractions in SF.

Fisherman's Warf quickly became our favorite spot in the city. We didn't fancy downtown SF and found the atmosphere there to be a bit dodgy to be honest. Sure, Fisherman's Warf is a tourist trap, but I suppose it is so for a reason. There are plenty of things to see and do there. I suspect it would have been even better if those darn sea lions would just show up. Despite the lack of said animals, we had plenty of fun. We did the usual sightseeing and also found time to go on a cruise around the Golden Gate Bridge and the Rock, which was fun. A great way to see the major sights of the city. If you want tickets to the ship that actually visits the prison, you should book them ahead of time.

Fisherman's Warf!

We also visited places like Golden Gate Park and Haight-Ashbury later on. The park's enormous size surprised us, but we still got to see plenty of it. It was obvious that many of the inhabitants of the city enjoyed having this green oasis nearby and being able to escape the noise of the big city. I assume most people have heard of Golden Gate, Alcatraz and maybe Fisherman's Warf, but what about Haight-Ashbury? We had never heard of it previously, so it was a novel experience for us, albeit a very enjoyable one. Haight-Ashbury is a part of SF famous for its hippie culture, which becomes very obvious if you visit the place. There are plenty of shops there that sell marihuana equipment (and I suspect maybe the product itself too, if you know who to ask), hippie clothes and articles. The streets and nearby parks are also populated by, how should I formulate it, "colorful" people. Idiosyncratic is in fact the perfect word to describe Haight-Ashbury. Visit it if you have the chance. It's a place that you won't easily forget. 

Haight-Ashbury in all its glory.

Some of that unique SF architecture.

That should pretty much sum up our SF trip. We stayed at a hotel in Castro Valley, which is a 30-40 min trip if you use the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit). Basically, a train connection. Not bad considering how much money you can save by living on the outskirts. We only stayed there for a couple of days before we set a course for Los Angeles again. Driving from SF to LA was something we were looking forward to very much as we were going to take the longer, scenic route known as Highway 1. Rumor has it that it's one of the most beautiful routes in the world and this turned out to be no understatement. 

Do you like scenery that makes you want to pinch yourself just in order to confirm that you are in fact awake? Yes? Do yourself a favor and drive along Highway 1 before you move into an old folk's home.  After spending days driving in the desert, driving along Highway 1 was like coming to another world. Gone were the straight roads, the hundreds of trailers and the tumbleweed! Hello ocean, curvy roads and vegetation! The scenery is so stunning we felt guilty for not stopping every five minutes just to take it all in. Luckily, we have proof of being there thanks to cameras. And mind, we did stop occasionally. We both agreed that it would have been more than nice to have a couple of extra days to fully enjoy everything along the route to LA. At this point, however, we only had a couple of days left of our vacation, which means we had to be selective and do some prioritizing.  

Writing this in late December, I don't recall where along Highway 1 we spent the night, but it must have been some four-five hours from LA. As we were driving there, we couldn't help but marvel at all the beautiful locations along the route. There were plenty of places where we could imagine spending more time, but as I pointed out, our trip was coming to and end and we were bound for LA. Luckily, we had time to drop by places such as Monterey Bay Aquarium and check out some of the sealife. Aquariums are always fun and this was no exception. The fact that it was located in such beautiful surroundings didn't hurt either. 

Somewhere along Highway 1 toward LA. Stunning.

The day after, we eventually made it to LA after having passed countless picturesque places along the route. Arriving in LA during rush hour traffic was a rough change of pace after this. After finally making it to the airport and delivering our rental car at the airport, we had to spend like an hour in a taxi to get to our hotel in Hollywood. We made it there eventually, both of us tired at this point. Being able to check into our hotel and order some food was wonderful after such a busy day. The food wasn't particulary good this evening, but that's besides the point. Afterward, we tried to decide what to do with our remaining days in LA. One thing was for sure: We were going to visit Craig Ferguson's talk show the following day as we had tickets to his show. In addition to this, we figured we should at least visit Universal Studios since we hadn't visited any other amusement parks. The rest of the time could easily be spent doing random sightseeing in Hollywood and nearby. This worked out well. Heck, we even found time to visit the Griffith Observatory, which offers a stunning overview of LA. Completely for free. 

Our holiday eventually came to an end and we attemped to prepare for all the hours of sitting aboard airplanes and at airports that were ahead of us. Going back to Norway wasn't easy after all the fun we'd had in the States. The trip had been well worth the wait and the money. I rarely think and reminisce about trips several times a week, but for some reason I just can't help myself. The US and everything we saw, experienced, tasted and felt has left me feeling overwhelmed. Being able to relive the trip by describing it to others is giving, but at the same time it makes me wish we were back in our Cadillac, driving along the coast without a worry in our mind. Just living in the moment, savoring it to the fullest. There's no doubt I'll be visiting again in the future. 

The American voyage – Part III

The American voyage – Part III, Amidst sinners and gamblers

Sin city. Slot machines. Neon signs. Dancing fountains. Dodgy nightclubs. Luxurious hotels. What city comes to mind? Could it be...Las Vegas? If so, that's a bingo! When you do a trip to the US, you have to make it a proper one and what better way to accomplish that than by going to Vegas? Just rolling into Vegas in our Cadillac felt unreal. There's so much to process: all the stunning hotels, all the people, all the signs, all the noise and all the action. After a while, you simply come to view Vegas as nothing but an amusement park for adults in the middle of the desert. It's crazy, stressful and spectacular all at the same time. I still find it hard to believe that I've actually been there. And I want to go there again!

Now, some people seem to hate Vegas, but my friend and I found it to be one of the highlights of our trip. In fact, there were only two minor problems with the place: 1)The heat was....unusual, to say the least. At 43c, it felt like what I imagine it feels like to live in close proximity to the sun. However, that being said, it was also strangely enjoyable at the same time. As long as a bottle of sweet H2O was nearby. Having access to a pool doesn't hurt either. 2) There are plenty of people handing out flyers along certain parts of the strip. These people don't always take "no" for an answer and continually try to force you to accept their flyers. "What magnificent products do they advertise?", you may ask and rightfully so. Oh, what else but hot and steamy action with wild college girls. These girls are even willing to come to your hotel room and party with you! Only a phone call away! I suppose this kind of thing is part of of the whole Sin City package, but I still found it odd that they had no issue handing these flyers out to families either. 

So what about all those shiny hotels, you ask? If you've seen any movies filmed in Vegas, you'll have an idea of what they look like. But even then, you won't really be able to experience the sensation that comes with being in Vegas in person. Now, these hotels, especially the ones along the strip, are so extravagant and over the top, I doubt I will ever see or visit such ludicrous places ever again. Unless I visit Vegas again, of course. It seems all the hotels are trying to outperform each other, with the newest ones often being the most glamorous of them all. Just stopping by these hotels is an experience in itself as it gives you a chance to marvel at the madness inside. Truly, Las Vegas is like visiting another planet. The Vegas atmosphere is best experienced by simply walking up and down the strip in the evening, taking in all the sights, sounds and smells. It's a place hard to describe properly in words. You just have to be there. Vegas is so unique, it's worth the trip in itself. And if you don't fancy it, you can always just fuck off.

That shiny hotel was our home in Las Vegas.

You get to see and experience a lot of things just by walking along the strip, but if you are willing to depart with some money, you can take it to the next level. We decided to do just that. One day, we drove to the outskirts of Vegas to see and try some of the fastest cars on the planet. There's a great place called Exotics Racing where they let car enthusiasts realize their wet dreams. Of course, sitting behind the wheel of cars like Ferrari and Lamborghini don't come for free. My friend, however, having the money and being a huge car maniac, decided to spend some cheddar on this particular activity. And he did seem to have a lot of fun burning rubber on the track. While I didn't drive any cars myself, I had fun filming the event and participating in a drive along with one of the professional drivers working at Exotics Racing, which was an adrenaline inducing experience in itself. Fun, fun, fun! A place well worth visiting if you're a car man (or woman). 

What is a Vegas trip without a show? No Vegas trip at all. There being so many shows made it hard to pick one, but we eventually decided on going to see Rock of Ages at the Venetian. It had received plenty of good reviews and we both like rock music. The price wasn't too bad either as we bought them from a ticket office with discounted prices. Don't worry, they are easy to find. Like most humans, we enjoy food, so we decided we might as well try Gordon Ramsay's BurGR restaurant prior to the show. Queing took us about 20 minutes, but we waited even longer than that for the food itself. A shame and an obvious screw-up from the staff whose worried looks were a tell-tale sign. And the fact that our ever so pleasant waitress said we need not tip. The wait was indeed horrific, so we left no tip (I think this was the only time we didn't leave a restaurant tip on the whole trip). The burger in itself was magnificent, though. Unfortunately, after waiting so long for the meal, we were forced to sprint to the Venetian to make it to Rock of Ages in time. Needless to say, it's not an easy task when you've just digested a burger, some filthy fries and a huge milkshake. We did, however, make it there in time. 

A filthy burger at Ramsay's BurGR restaurant.

The show itself was even better than I anticipated. It contained plenty of humour, unique characters and loads of catchy rock songs. The audience seemed very much into the whole thing (especially the drunk ones), which made it all better. Plot-wise, it's not a mindblowing story, but my guess is that most people watch it for the music anyway. It was a fun two hours or so and definitely one of the highlights of the trip. Afterward, we decided to check out the strip again and ended up visiting the Bellagio fountains. A great way to end our last night in Vegas.  

One of Vegas' landmarks, the Bellagio fountains.

The American voyage – Part II

The American voyage – Part II, Los Angeles

So how does one possibly exceed the greatness of NYC? Well, going to Los Angeles could be considered a step in the right direction. LA is situated on the west coast, which means one has to spend about five hours in the air to get there. When are they going to invent those darn teleports? Anyway, we eventually got there and as the plane was making its descent to LAX, my eyes were fixed upon the mountains and the desert-like landscape surrounding the city. This view was a huge contrast to NYC. I'll admit to being a bit startled by the thought of spending the next couple of days there. I mean, it's LA. Who knows what kind of madness takes place there? According to TV shows and movies: a whole lot of it. There was, however, one pleasant surprise to LA; the climate wasn't humid, just very hot. I call that an improvement. As soon as we got out of the plane, our mission was simple: get the luggage, find a cab driver that looks semi-sober and non-suicidal and give him the hotel address.

That bed was as heavenly as it looks.

One thing caught us by surprise shortly after arriving: the distances between different sights are often huge. In my naivety, I thought living in downtown LA would be sweet as a nut (on the map it seems to be close to Hollywood and other known areas), but little did I know it was quite the distance from sights like Santa Monica and Hollywood. Furthermore, being in Hollywood meant you were still far away from Venice Beach, Santa Monica and other sights. There just didn't seem to be one spot that gave you easy access to all of those famous spots. What a conundrum! This was a valuable lesson as we were to return to LA to spend the last days of our trip. Despite the nice hotel, the soft beds and soft pillows, we decided not to get a hotel downtown next to Skid Row on our return. (Yes, Skid Row is one of the more dodgy areas of the city). 

Santa Monica Pier.

Weather-wise, LA was close to perfection. The temperature was around 25-30c, which felt just right. It was neither unbearable nor too cold. The exception being the day we desperately tried to find the studio where they were shooting "Conan". Long story short: we got off-track, the deadline for checking in was getting close and we were stranded in some suburban hell hole and had no access to water. The worst part was probably having to walk past all those nice looking gardens with water fountains taunting us. At one point, the thought of us passing out because of dehydration didn't actually seem that unlikely. Luckily, we survived, as this blog post proves. I think a lot of it was due to the fact that an extremely friendly bartender/waiter at a restaurant near the studios (we eventually made it to the show!), supplied us with cold water AND ice cubes. Entirely free of charge. Rarely if ever has water been so refreshing. This selfless waiter's kind gesture makes me believe mankind isn't all evil.

Due to the distances and our limited time in LA, it feels like we didn't do much more than watch "Conan" and explore certain parts of the city. Typical sightseeing, I suppose. Speaking of, we did go on a guided bus tour that took us to the main sights in Hollywood, Beverly Hills etc. It was a clever way of getting to see things we otherwise wouldn't have had time to see. Not to mention the fact that we'd probably never be able to navigate ourselves through all of these sites without some serious help. However, I'm glad to report we found the time to check out Santa Monica, which is worth visiting because of the sights and people alone. Great fun and one of my favorite memories of our trip to LA. Unfortunately, we didn't get to go to Venice Beach. Why? Because it was just too darn far away. And we prioritized other things like eating.  

That pretty much sums up our first visit to LA. We did get to have more fun there on our return, though, but more about that later. Next up: Las Vegas. Stay tuned!

Couldn't find my own name on any of the stars :(

The American voyage – Part I

  

New York City. The one and only...

The American voyage – Part I, New York

Once upon a time, many moons ago, two very pale young Norwegians decided a proper holiday was due. They set out to venture and see one of the wonders of the world: the United States of America. The Final Frontier. Fast food heaven. The home country to the biggest movie stars in the world. All of that and then some. The decision to go there was made quickly as both of said Norwegians had long dreamed and yearned of going there. In fact, the discussion can be summed up with these two lines:

"-So, how about we go to the US in [year]?"

"-Hell yeah, let's do this thing." 

However, there was an obstacle in the way: One of them had to undertake and complete a big project before they could as much as order the trip. So the whole thing started with excitement and continued with a mix of both excitement and anxiety as the prospect of the trip itself was still kind of unreal and the feeling of impatience that arises when you have to wait for something to happen. In fact, the booking of the tickets and other practical arrangements would have to wait almost two years! At the end of the excruciating wait, however, was the trip. What better way to stay motivated throughout work and studies than have a real juicy and fat carrot waiting for you at the finish line? Turns out waiting for a good thing is...well worth the wait.

Eventually, the day had come. Summer arrived and a more detailed plan could take form and tickets could be booked. Everything was in order. Basic questions like "Which cities should we visit?" and "What car should we rent?" were discussed (several times) and with every decision made there was always a fear of missing out on something important or risk spending too little time in some places. We wanted a certain degree of freedom, which means we only booked certain things in advance. Some parts of the trip would be decided later on. This actually turned out to work pretty well. After stressing about everything from where to spend the first nights and remembering to fill out the necessary paperwork, a solid plan started taking shape. Of course, with tickets and hotel rooms booked, the eagerness of the two Norwegians escalated. The last weeks prior to the trip put our sanity to the test, indeed. And if one happened to be present at Copenhagen airport on the 1st of July, one would have caught a glimpse of two very impatient, very nervous and very excited young men waiting for their flight to New York. Little did they know of what was ahead of them at the other side of the Atlantic.

Arriving in NYC ("Gotham City") was surreal. Now, we set foot on American soil in the late evening (of course our flight was behind schedule because of technical problems!) and got through the dreaded border control without any problems, save for some mild nervousness in the form of stuttering and sweaty hands. At this point, the first thing on the agenda was getting a cab to Manhattan where our hotel was situated. One of the first things we experienced while waiting for the cab was how hot and humid NYC is. It was like walking around in a giant sauna. And we all know how enjoyable it is to walk around in a sauna dressed in clothes and with heavy bags in one's hands. Luckily, the Gods had pity on us and we didn't have to wait too long before a yellow cab manifested itself in front of us. Now, our eyelids were getting heavy and our minds were getting tired as it was around 5 AM or so our time. Sitting in the cab, I recall staring out the window as the taxi cruised toward Manhattan. Tall skyscrapers, huge billboards and traffic lit up the surroundings. I truly felt like we were headed toward Gotham City itself. It was probably just a question of time before the Bat-Signal could be spotted over Manhattan. 

 Grand Central Terminal.

Our hotel was located close to Grand Central Terminal, which proved to be an excellent location. Besides an embarrassing episode during our first ten minutes at the hotel (we didn't manage to open the door to our room and had to fetch the piccolo to assist us...), the rest of our stay was great. Starting our trip in NYC was a good decision overall. It's not called the capital of the world for no reason. Famous landmarks like the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, the American Museum of Natural History, Broadway etc. can all be found here. Needless to say, it's not a place where you get easily bored. Another big plus is the fact that you can see a lot of the sights just by walking around. Mind, you should have good shoes and decent stamina to do this. We spent hours just walking, which isn't everyone's cup of tea. On the other hand, I didn't even have good walking shoes and I survived! However, there's so much to see so it rarely felt like a hassle. Plus, you can always do a couple of pit stops at a café or a pub and enjoy a cold beer, a coffee or a smoothie. Furthermore, there's always the option of using the subway, which we did occasionally. 

Having a couple of days in NYC is by no means enough to explore the whole city. Unless you have supernatural powers or are willing to go without sleep for longer periods of time. We realized early on that we had to skip some things. Unfortunately, we did not get to visit Coney Island nor did we find the time to see a Broadway show. The latter should probably be booked well in advance in order to ensure you get a ticket to your chosen show. Still, there were several places we got to admire. Some of the highlights include Times Square (beautiful, especially in the evening when the neon signs light up the place), Intrepid museum (you will probably enjoy it even more if you are into military history), Central Park and Madam Tussaud's. That being said, I felt the city and the atmosphere itself was worth going there for. You are exposed to so many sights just discovering the city. For us, it felt like a sensory overload of sorts, with the atmosphere and surroundings being so different from what we are used to. NYC is a place hard to forget. 

 

Central Park. Almost makes you forget you're in a metropolis.  

Being from Europe means there are several things to learn about American culture. Of course much of this can be learned by reading guides, but it can still take some time getting used to. It is, of course, common to tip the staff at hotels, restaurants and yes, even the crazy cab drivers. Yes, even if they seem to have little respect for your life and an aversion to adhering to the speed limits. Taxes are also added when you come to the counter, which was a novel experience in itself. That being said, we felt that the customer service in most places seemed to be better than we're used to at home. People actually smile and ask you how you are doing. It's no doubt phony to some extent, but does it matter? It felt nice and made tipping itself feel less...unwarranted. One thing I didn't care for, however, was the pushy beggars and guides that lurked in certain places. Saying "No thanks" didn't always suffice, but of course it's a lot better than shouting "Beat it!".

The culinary side of the trip deserves to be mentioned, too. You might associate the US with burgers, fries, pizza and other such treats and you wouldn't be wrong. There are plenty of restaurants serving all of that and more. You can also find more exotic food from all corners of the world in NYC. Now, I don't know if the food we were served was sprayed with some magic powder or if it was us being exhausted after walking around the city for hours, but I can't recall us ever being disappointed with the food we ate. And let it be said; I have never had better burgers than the ones I tried in the US. De-li-cious. And no, I'm not talking about McDonald's and their so-called "burgers". Thanks to an app (surprised?), we managed to track down recommended establishments and they didn't disappoint. Never hurts to read what other people say about the place before you decide to go there and splash your cheddar, right?

Speaking of, I feel this is a suitable time to come with my personal endorsements. The places? 5 Napkin Burger @ Broadway if you are into burgers. On the other hand, if you are into Mexican food, you have to stop by El Rio Grande @ Murray Hill. You're welcome. No, I'm not getting paid for doing this!

Now let's give our arteries a proper challenge!

Regardless of New York's magic and appeal, our adventure in the States had merely started. After spending some days in NYC, another place was calling for us. A little city by the name of Los Angeles, situated just on the opposite coast. Leaving NYC was difficult knowing there was still much to see there, but we also knew new wonders were awaiting us on the west coast. 

Was LA worth the trip, you ask? Did we spot any celebrities? Stay tuned for part II and you'll know soon enough, you curious little devil, you.