Tracey Alvarez's Blog, page 6
August 8, 2016
Day 31, 32 & 33 ~ New York City!
Day 31 ~ In which #KiwiChickInUSA and her DH say goodbye to Baby (AKA the Dodge Challenger)
It was a little bittersweet for us driving from Washington D.C to New Jersey today, as we both knew it was the last time we’d be driving the Dodge on American roads. In case you haven’t guessed, DH and I **LOVE** road trips and we have had a blast this time. So with sinking tummies, we left the car at the shipping yard in New Jersey and hopped into a cab to head into New York City. Only to be caught in THE biggest traffic jam EVER while trying to get into the Lincoln Tunnel.
Anyway – we made it back to NYC! Woot! Once again we’re staying at the Hotel Pennsylvania midtown opposite to Madison Square Gardens. Funny story. Nine years ago DH and I and our 2 kids (then 6 and nearly 10) arrived from a crazy-long flight from New Zealand on our very first trip to America. We’d booked into the Hotel Penn and rocked up on into their foyer at around 2.30 am…only to be told we’d screwed up our booking and we weren’t expected until 2pm the next day. Total disaster. Not wanting to pay another US$500 for a room for 12 hours until we could check in, we left out bags at the hotel and stepped back outside.With two kids in tow we loaded them up with sugar and kid-friendly caffeine (ie Coke) at the Tick Tock diner on 34th street/8th Ave and then wandered around Times Square (once we’d checked with a police officer that it was safe) until the sun rose. You know what? That total disaster turned out to be one of the most amazing memories we have as a family of New York.
Once we’d checked in to our room, we hit the streets of NYC and like two eager salmon, swam/floundered through the craziest, most diabolically insane crowds I’ve ever experienced up ten blocks to Times Square. It felt like literally every person in New York had converged in the area, and I pity the poor EMT with sirens wailing trying to get through traffic and douchebags who casually pulled out in front of them – not to mention the idiot pedestrians who continued to dodge across the road in front of them also.
At the last minute we decided to get discounted tickets to a Broadway show – which we did, to Matilda. We really enjoyed Matilda and the child actors, wow! Super talented. After the show we again got caught in massive crowds in Times Square as we walked through flashing neon madness to our hotel.
Day 32 ~ In which #KiwiChickInUSA pays her respects and has all the feels.
Have to confess I didn’t sleep well on my first night in NYC, not used to the constant honking from the street below and the room we’re in seems to be behind the elevators which means pretty constant rattling noises. Ugh. Anyway, we breakfasted at the aforementioned Tick Tock Diner which had changed quite a bit since our last visit.
Then we tried to remember how to use the subway system – took a little longer this time, but we eventually made it down to the World Trade center stop. The two memorial pools in the plaza there are beautiful and a fitting tribute. We spent a while just walking around in silence, because it’s just that sort of place. At least, it was to us – not so much to a small percentage of people who carried on loud, laughing conversations. Something that pissed me off.
Unfortunately the line to get tickets into the museum was huge and we waited in the sun for almost 3/4 of an hour – and THEN there was another 1/2 hour wait to get into the museum. The wait was worth it, however. I didn’t realize, when we were lining up outside, that the museum went down into the remaining foundations of the Twin Towers. So I was already emotionally unprepared for the impact that would have on me. Seeing the bent and broken chunks of steel that the first plane had plowed into, the crushed Number 3 fire engine, the remaining steel pillar of the towers covered in notes from rescue workers…and then there was the moving exhibit with recorded memories from survivors, and the powerful and heart-breaking recordings of victims who hadn’t made it. No wonder there were strategically placed boxes of tissues around the exhibit – I needed them.
I think the thing I took away from the museum and visiting the site was this: those ordinary men and women who died in the towers and on the planes had no idea of the scale of the tragedy that they had unwittingly become a part of. They didn’t have time to analyse who did the despicable act and why. All they cared about in those last moments were the people they loved – family, friends, spouses. And the incredible bravery of the firefighters, police and paramedics who were (and this was mentioned more than once in the audio recordings) “just doing their jobs”.
The moving tributes of the museum and memorial were not reflected in the One World observatory, however. This, unfortunately was purely about getting as many people upstairs, fleecing them for as many $$ as possible, then getting them out again. While the views were amazing, I didn’t enjoy the experience much. Starting with the almost obligatory green-screen group photo (which we to frowns bypassed) and then the overpriced food ($9.80 for a stale doughnut and a bag of potato chips) and ‘standing-only tables’. Very few seats where you could just enjoy the view, and a souvenir store selling 9/11 stuff that took up a large chunk of space. It would’ve been nice, considering the location, to have just ONE observatory in New York that had a more discreet souvenir shop and didn’t have the vibe of ‘we’re out to get more of your money’. Somewhere, I don’t know, that you could actually enjoy the view that you’d paid $40 to go and see.
Being in a rush to get back to Times Square and see one more show before we left town, we ended up having a hot dog and shared pretzel for dinner, topped off with a Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream for desert. We found discount tickets for Cirque du Soleil “Paramour” which was fun and in the beautiful Lyric theater.
Day 33 ~ In which #KiwiChickInUSA has a laugh in NYC
Just a short blog today because it’s past midnight and I’m stuffed! Today we had lunch at Tom’s Restaurant – AKA Seinfeld’s diner.
Walked around the neighborhoods in the area.
We got a taste of Harlem via a milkshake at Harlem Shake.
And relaxed for a little bit at the north end of Central Park.
And topped the night off at the Broadway Comedy Club with some stand-up comedy and wickedly over-priced drinks.
It was hard to say goodbye to the neon lights of Time Square one last time…
It was a little bittersweet for us driving from Washington D.C to New Jersey today, as we both knew it was the last time we’d be driving the Dodge on American roads. In case you haven’t guessed, DH and I **LOVE** road trips and we have had a blast this time. So with sinking tummies, we left the car at the shipping yard in New Jersey and hopped into a cab to head into New York City. Only to be caught in THE biggest traffic jam EVER while trying to get into the Lincoln Tunnel.
Anyway – we made it back to NYC! Woot! Once again we’re staying at the Hotel Pennsylvania midtown opposite to Madison Square Gardens. Funny story. Nine years ago DH and I and our 2 kids (then 6 and nearly 10) arrived from a crazy-long flight from New Zealand on our very first trip to America. We’d booked into the Hotel Penn and rocked up on into their foyer at around 2.30 am…only to be told we’d screwed up our booking and we weren’t expected until 2pm the next day. Total disaster. Not wanting to pay another US$500 for a room for 12 hours until we could check in, we left out bags at the hotel and stepped back outside.With two kids in tow we loaded them up with sugar and kid-friendly caffeine (ie Coke) at the Tick Tock diner on 34th street/8th Ave and then wandered around Times Square (once we’d checked with a police officer that it was safe) until the sun rose. You know what? That total disaster turned out to be one of the most amazing memories we have as a family of New York.
Once we’d checked in to our room, we hit the streets of NYC and like two eager salmon, swam/floundered through the craziest, most diabolically insane crowds I’ve ever experienced up ten blocks to Times Square. It felt like literally every person in New York had converged in the area, and I pity the poor EMT with sirens wailing trying to get through traffic and douchebags who casually pulled out in front of them – not to mention the idiot pedestrians who continued to dodge across the road in front of them also.
At the last minute we decided to get discounted tickets to a Broadway show – which we did, to Matilda. We really enjoyed Matilda and the child actors, wow! Super talented. After the show we again got caught in massive crowds in Times Square as we walked through flashing neon madness to our hotel.
Day 32 ~ In which #KiwiChickInUSA pays her respects and has all the feels.
Have to confess I didn’t sleep well on my first night in NYC, not used to the constant honking from the street below and the room we’re in seems to be behind the elevators which means pretty constant rattling noises. Ugh. Anyway, we breakfasted at the aforementioned Tick Tock Diner which had changed quite a bit since our last visit.
Then we tried to remember how to use the subway system – took a little longer this time, but we eventually made it down to the World Trade center stop. The two memorial pools in the plaza there are beautiful and a fitting tribute. We spent a while just walking around in silence, because it’s just that sort of place. At least, it was to us – not so much to a small percentage of people who carried on loud, laughing conversations. Something that pissed me off.
Unfortunately the line to get tickets into the museum was huge and we waited in the sun for almost 3/4 of an hour – and THEN there was another 1/2 hour wait to get into the museum. The wait was worth it, however. I didn’t realize, when we were lining up outside, that the museum went down into the remaining foundations of the Twin Towers. So I was already emotionally unprepared for the impact that would have on me. Seeing the bent and broken chunks of steel that the first plane had plowed into, the crushed Number 3 fire engine, the remaining steel pillar of the towers covered in notes from rescue workers…and then there was the moving exhibit with recorded memories from survivors, and the powerful and heart-breaking recordings of victims who hadn’t made it. No wonder there were strategically placed boxes of tissues around the exhibit – I needed them.
I think the thing I took away from the museum and visiting the site was this: those ordinary men and women who died in the towers and on the planes had no idea of the scale of the tragedy that they had unwittingly become a part of. They didn’t have time to analyse who did the despicable act and why. All they cared about in those last moments were the people they loved – family, friends, spouses. And the incredible bravery of the firefighters, police and paramedics who were (and this was mentioned more than once in the audio recordings) “just doing their jobs”.
The moving tributes of the museum and memorial were not reflected in the One World observatory, however. This, unfortunately was purely about getting as many people upstairs, fleecing them for as many $$ as possible, then getting them out again. While the views were amazing, I didn’t enjoy the experience much. Starting with the almost obligatory green-screen group photo (which we to frowns bypassed) and then the overpriced food ($9.80 for a stale doughnut and a bag of potato chips) and ‘standing-only tables’. Very few seats where you could just enjoy the view, and a souvenir store selling 9/11 stuff that took up a large chunk of space. It would’ve been nice, considering the location, to have just ONE observatory in New York that had a more discreet souvenir shop and didn’t have the vibe of ‘we’re out to get more of your money’. Somewhere, I don’t know, that you could actually enjoy the view that you’d paid $40 to go and see.
Being in a rush to get back to Times Square and see one more show before we left town, we ended up having a hot dog and shared pretzel for dinner, topped off with a Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream for desert. We found discount tickets for Cirque du Soleil “Paramour” which was fun and in the beautiful Lyric theater.
Day 33 ~ In which #KiwiChickInUSA has a laugh in NYC
Just a short blog today because it’s past midnight and I’m stuffed! Today we had lunch at Tom’s Restaurant – AKA Seinfeld’s diner.
Walked around the neighborhoods in the area.
We got a taste of Harlem via a milkshake at Harlem Shake.
And relaxed for a little bit at the north end of Central Park.
And topped the night off at the Broadway Comedy Club with some stand-up comedy and wickedly over-priced drinks.
It was hard to say goodbye to the neon lights of Time Square one last time…
August 6, 2016
Day 30 ~ Washington D.C
Day 30 ~ In which #KiwiChickInUSA visits the Capital
An early start this morning to beat the heat on a 2 hour walking tour of the Washington monuments. We thought we’d allowed enough time to get through D.C rush hour traffic to the parking building we’d pre-booked – evidently not, as when we arrived on the corner of the park beside the Washington monument, our tour group was nowhere to be seen since we were over 5 minutes late. Oops. Luckily we spotted them under a shady tree closer to the monument, so we caught up without drama and enjoyed learning about the Washington monument, World War II memorial, Vietnam War memorial, and Lincoln Memorial. We’d last visited the monuments/memorials nine years ago with our kids so it was really neat to come back here.
After the tour ended we hopped on the Circulator bus and found a food court for lunch. Then we jumped on again for an almost round trip before we got off at the National Museum of American History. We spent a fascinating chunk of time at the museum and it was well worth a visit since last time we were in D.C this museum was closed.
By the time we’d left the museum we were both tired but we were booked into a ghost tour starting at Layfayette Park, so after a quick dinner we met our guide. The tour was fun (and luckily not to taxing on the walking front) but again, no ghosts spotted.
It finished outside the White House which was lit up very prettily and from there we slowly limped back to the parking garage to collect our car. Only we got lost and ended up in the bowels of some other parking garage! Funny now, not so funny at the time – but we did eventually get to the right garage to pick up the car, only to get stuck in traffic jams at 10.30pm! Busy city. But not as busy as tomorrow night’s destination…NYC.
An early start this morning to beat the heat on a 2 hour walking tour of the Washington monuments. We thought we’d allowed enough time to get through D.C rush hour traffic to the parking building we’d pre-booked – evidently not, as when we arrived on the corner of the park beside the Washington monument, our tour group was nowhere to be seen since we were over 5 minutes late. Oops. Luckily we spotted them under a shady tree closer to the monument, so we caught up without drama and enjoyed learning about the Washington monument, World War II memorial, Vietnam War memorial, and Lincoln Memorial. We’d last visited the monuments/memorials nine years ago with our kids so it was really neat to come back here.
Taken by Miss 15 when she was Miss 6.
Us in 2016.
Miss 15 when she was Miss 6. One of my favorite photos of her, completely spontaneous. We were all overwhelmed by the magnitude of lives lost.
DH in 2016.
After the tour ended we hopped on the Circulator bus and found a food court for lunch. Then we jumped on again for an almost round trip before we got off at the National Museum of American History. We spent a fascinating chunk of time at the museum and it was well worth a visit since last time we were in D.C this museum was closed.
By the time we’d left the museum we were both tired but we were booked into a ghost tour starting at Layfayette Park, so after a quick dinner we met our guide. The tour was fun (and luckily not to taxing on the walking front) but again, no ghosts spotted.
It finished outside the White House which was lit up very prettily and from there we slowly limped back to the parking garage to collect our car. Only we got lost and ended up in the bowels of some other parking garage! Funny now, not so funny at the time – but we did eventually get to the right garage to pick up the car, only to get stuck in traffic jams at 10.30pm! Busy city. But not as busy as tomorrow night’s destination…NYC.
August 1, 2016
Day 24, 25, & 26 ~ The Walking Dead Geekzone in Georgia
Day 24, 25, & 26 ~ In which #KiwiChickInUSA geeks out over The Walking Dead…
If you’ve not heard of the AMC show ‘The Walking Dead’ or if zombies and awesomeness aren’t your thing, you may want to skip this blog post…
I’ve been a huge TWD (gonna shorten it like this from now on because I’m lazy and still excited by OMG-I’m-actually-here!) fan since Season 1 of the series, so it was a HUGE buzz for me to geek out in Georgia. First stop of the morning was Grantville, Georgia, a sleepy little Southern town about an hour away from Atlanta (I think). From memory, only one episode was shot here, called “Clear.” When we arrived there was hardly anyone on the main street, except for a couple of police cars parked outside the diner. There actually weren’t that many other businesses open, even though it was just before lunchtime on Saturday. That didn’t deter us (though the stinking hot sun & humidity nearly did – just kidding, I leaped from the car camera-ready. We took some photos of the apartment where Morgan holed up (though we couldn’t go inside unfortunately) and then wandered along the road to where the infamous brick wall was where Morgan went to burn bodies.
Next stop was another small town called Haralson, where the feed mill where the Governor and Rick have their show down. Because the area is private property we weren’t allowed on it, so we had to be satisfied with some photos. Good choice by the show’s location scouts as it was a decidedly creepy place even in broad daylight.
Then onto the main event (at least for this part of Georgia), the adorable town of Senoia (aka Woodbury, and unbeknownst to us, Alexandria). Senoia is exactly how I’d imagined a small Georgian town to be: beautiful old houses, perfectly looked after and clean main street, lovely little stores and friendly locals. We managed to find a park right on ‘Woodbury’s’ main street – which in the series manages to look almost flat, but it isn’t.
The town was packed with walkers tourists and it was really, REALLY hot. We headed straight to the ‘Woodbury Shoppe’ (TWD store!) which I goggled eyed four different directions at once while DH clutched his wallet. We gave up trying to browse for long as the shop was again, packed with walkers shoppers.
So, downstairs to TWD museum. THIS was fun! Autographs on written on the wall by the actors, an actual jail cell from the show, a zombie head in a case, the actual and famous ‘Dead inside, don’t open’ doors, and *swoon* a life-size cut out of Darryl and HIS BIKE. Here is where I got into rule breaking territory…while the security guard wasn’t looking, I touched the bike’s seat (and you know, that’s almost as good as touching Darryl’s butt, heh heh). Once I’d finished drooling looking, we started chatting to a nice lady who turned out to be the assistant manager of the store and who was thrilled to find out we were New Zealanders. She wanted to take a photo of us for the store’s Snapchat following, and we asked if we could pose with the massive security guard, Spence, who as it turns out is having his 15 minutes of fame as an extra on the new Season 7 trailer. Spence was a good guy and interested also in us being from NZ, mentioning that he’d heard of The All Blacks from a talk show he’d watched recently. Small world.
By this time we were starving, and decided to eat at Nic & Norman’s (a restaurant owned by Norman Reedus & series producer, Greg Nicotero) where stars are often spotted, only there was a wait to get a table…a FOUR HOUR wait.
So, we decided to eat the nearby Senoia Coffee & Cafe. While DH was using the restrooms, I sat scanning the menu, drinking my Zombie Dark coffee, until the door opened and this guy walked in….
My heart started pounding so hard it nearly knocked me off the chair. Fumbling with my phone, I desperately tried to find DH’s number to tell him to hurry the heck up before Andrew Lincoln left with his order. DH finally emerged and he too did a double-take after my frantic and unsubtle flailing in the man’s direction. Bolstering up our courage, we scurried over to say ‘Hi’, but he was already talking to a wide-eyed couple in front of us. We managed to blurt out that we were from NZ and so happy to meet him–actually, I babbled like an idiot and really have NO idea what I said–but then he replied and I twigged. He had a lovely Southern accent and if you’d heard Andrew Lincoln speak, there’s no mistaking his posh London accent. Actually, I was kinda glad at that stage that it wasn’t Andy, because the second thought spinning through my head after I recognized him was, “Miss 15 will never, ever speak to me again if I’ve managed to score meeting Rick Grimes!” But even after taking a photo with him, DH and I *still* weren’t convinced he wasn’t the real deal as the resemblance was uncanny. It took asking a server after we left to find out he’s a nice guy (which we knew) called Alan. And Alan is evidently a tour guide with this company http://www.georgiamercantile.com/ and it has been mentioned on Tripadvisor how much he looks like Lincoln. To illustrate we weren’t the only ones fooled…while we walked past Alan and his tour group, a car pulled up with two women in it. They rolled down the window and were fan-girling big time and snapping photos…not sure when the penny dropped that a huge actor like Andrew Lincoln wouldn’t be moonlighting as a tour guide on a hot Saturday afternoon…
On our self-guided tour around Senoia, we discovered the railway line that Michonne and Carl walked along.
We saw the tops of buildings poking out of Alexandria. Unfortunately we couldn’t get any closer and the whole thing was fenced off and blocked by security guards.
Back to TWD store we spent a small fortune on stuff, some for me, some for Miss 15 who is a hardcore Daryl fan. I can’t tell you what I got her sorry, she’s probably reading this and rubbing her hands in glee. Or warming them up to throttle her mum for sending her photos of her favorite show’s locations.
Last stop before we left town was a drive-by past the house where Carl sat on the roof and ate a giant can of chocolate pudding.
Day 25 ~ Atlanta
We wanted to visit two spots in Atlanta that weren’t included on the Walking Dead tour we’re doing tomorrow morning. First stop is Rick Grime’s house that he returns to in Season 1, Episode 1 where he’s sitting on the steps in his hospital gown having a really, bad, day. The house is actually for sale, so it wasn’t super weird to just pull out and snap a few photos.
Second stop was close to Turners Field (there was a game finishing so traffic was pretty crazy) the derelict and spooky railway yard used in ‘Terminus’ (Seasons 4 & 5). *Note* We found out later that you DO get to visit it on the Walking Dead tour. It was hard to get decent shots of the place as it was completely fenced off with ‘No Trespassing’ signs everywhere. With the overgrown weeds, the vandalism and general neglect, it gave off some really creepy vibes.
Day 26 ~ Atlanta Movie Tours
Today we did the Big Zombie Tour 1 with the Atlanta movie Tours. Our tour guide was a funny dude called Charlie whose claim to fame is being a regular walker (zombie) on The Walking Dead. His most notable zombie role? He played the walker suspected of chowing down on Sofia in Season 2 when she wandered into the woods – Daryl shot and gutted him to check he hadn’t. Charlie had some amazing and downright hilarious behind-the-scene stories to tell us from his time on-set. Well worth doing this tour, I recommend it if you’re visiting Atlanta.
On the three hour tour we went to a number of locations from the show. We saw:
The bridge/arch where Rick firsts enters Atlanta.
The street where Rick and Glen covered themselves in walker guts and stole a truck.
The doorway where Daryl and Rick went into rescue kidnapped Glen from the Vatos gang (but it turns out they’re protecting the old people in a resthome, awwww).
Rick’s police station where he, Morgan and Dwayne visit in Season 1, Episode 1.
The hospital where Rick wakes up in Season 1, Episode 1.
That famous overpass from the publicity stills from Season 1.
We had a fantastic time in Georgia and we hope to come back again (and so does Miss 15 who is just, like, DYING with jealousy and insisting that next time she comes too)…
If you’ve not heard of the AMC show ‘The Walking Dead’ or if zombies and awesomeness aren’t your thing, you may want to skip this blog post…
I’ve been a huge TWD (gonna shorten it like this from now on because I’m lazy and still excited by OMG-I’m-actually-here!) fan since Season 1 of the series, so it was a HUGE buzz for me to geek out in Georgia. First stop of the morning was Grantville, Georgia, a sleepy little Southern town about an hour away from Atlanta (I think). From memory, only one episode was shot here, called “Clear.” When we arrived there was hardly anyone on the main street, except for a couple of police cars parked outside the diner. There actually weren’t that many other businesses open, even though it was just before lunchtime on Saturday. That didn’t deter us (though the stinking hot sun & humidity nearly did – just kidding, I leaped from the car camera-ready. We took some photos of the apartment where Morgan holed up (though we couldn’t go inside unfortunately) and then wandered along the road to where the infamous brick wall was where Morgan went to burn bodies.
Morgan’s apartment building.
Next stop was another small town called Haralson, where the feed mill where the Governor and Rick have their show down. Because the area is private property we weren’t allowed on it, so we had to be satisfied with some photos. Good choice by the show’s location scouts as it was a decidedly creepy place even in broad daylight.
Then onto the main event (at least for this part of Georgia), the adorable town of Senoia (aka Woodbury, and unbeknownst to us, Alexandria). Senoia is exactly how I’d imagined a small Georgian town to be: beautiful old houses, perfectly looked after and clean main street, lovely little stores and friendly locals. We managed to find a park right on ‘Woodbury’s’ main street – which in the series manages to look almost flat, but it isn’t.
The town was packed with walkers tourists and it was really, REALLY hot. We headed straight to the ‘Woodbury Shoppe’ (TWD store!) which I goggled eyed four different directions at once while DH clutched his wallet. We gave up trying to browse for long as the shop was again, packed with walkers shoppers.
So, downstairs to TWD museum. THIS was fun! Autographs on written on the wall by the actors, an actual jail cell from the show, a zombie head in a case, the actual and famous ‘Dead inside, don’t open’ doors, and *swoon* a life-size cut out of Darryl and HIS BIKE. Here is where I got into rule breaking territory…while the security guard wasn’t looking, I touched the bike’s seat (and you know, that’s almost as good as touching Darryl’s butt, heh heh). Once I’d finished drooling looking, we started chatting to a nice lady who turned out to be the assistant manager of the store and who was thrilled to find out we were New Zealanders. She wanted to take a photo of us for the store’s Snapchat following, and we asked if we could pose with the massive security guard, Spence, who as it turns out is having his 15 minutes of fame as an extra on the new Season 7 trailer. Spence was a good guy and interested also in us being from NZ, mentioning that he’d heard of The All Blacks from a talk show he’d watched recently. Small world.
Remember this chair?
Me and Darryl who’s standing protectively by his bike.
Love Eugene’s mullet.
Spence the cool security guy, me and DH in front of *those* doors…
By this time we were starving, and decided to eat at Nic & Norman’s (a restaurant owned by Norman Reedus & series producer, Greg Nicotero) where stars are often spotted, only there was a wait to get a table…a FOUR HOUR wait.
So, we decided to eat the nearby Senoia Coffee & Cafe. While DH was using the restrooms, I sat scanning the menu, drinking my Zombie Dark coffee, until the door opened and this guy walked in….
My heart started pounding so hard it nearly knocked me off the chair. Fumbling with my phone, I desperately tried to find DH’s number to tell him to hurry the heck up before Andrew Lincoln left with his order. DH finally emerged and he too did a double-take after my frantic and unsubtle flailing in the man’s direction. Bolstering up our courage, we scurried over to say ‘Hi’, but he was already talking to a wide-eyed couple in front of us. We managed to blurt out that we were from NZ and so happy to meet him–actually, I babbled like an idiot and really have NO idea what I said–but then he replied and I twigged. He had a lovely Southern accent and if you’d heard Andrew Lincoln speak, there’s no mistaking his posh London accent. Actually, I was kinda glad at that stage that it wasn’t Andy, because the second thought spinning through my head after I recognized him was, “Miss 15 will never, ever speak to me again if I’ve managed to score meeting Rick Grimes!” But even after taking a photo with him, DH and I *still* weren’t convinced he wasn’t the real deal as the resemblance was uncanny. It took asking a server after we left to find out he’s a nice guy (which we knew) called Alan. And Alan is evidently a tour guide with this company http://www.georgiamercantile.com/ and it has been mentioned on Tripadvisor how much he looks like Lincoln. To illustrate we weren’t the only ones fooled…while we walked past Alan and his tour group, a car pulled up with two women in it. They rolled down the window and were fan-girling big time and snapping photos…not sure when the penny dropped that a huge actor like Andrew Lincoln wouldn’t be moonlighting as a tour guide on a hot Saturday afternoon…
On our self-guided tour around Senoia, we discovered the railway line that Michonne and Carl walked along.
We saw the tops of buildings poking out of Alexandria. Unfortunately we couldn’t get any closer and the whole thing was fenced off and blocked by security guards.
Back to TWD store we spent a small fortune on stuff, some for me, some for Miss 15 who is a hardcore Daryl fan. I can’t tell you what I got her sorry, she’s probably reading this and rubbing her hands in glee. Or warming them up to throttle her mum for sending her photos of her favorite show’s locations.
Last stop before we left town was a drive-by past the house where Carl sat on the roof and ate a giant can of chocolate pudding.
Day 25 ~ Atlanta
We wanted to visit two spots in Atlanta that weren’t included on the Walking Dead tour we’re doing tomorrow morning. First stop is Rick Grime’s house that he returns to in Season 1, Episode 1 where he’s sitting on the steps in his hospital gown having a really, bad, day. The house is actually for sale, so it wasn’t super weird to just pull out and snap a few photos.
Second stop was close to Turners Field (there was a game finishing so traffic was pretty crazy) the derelict and spooky railway yard used in ‘Terminus’ (Seasons 4 & 5). *Note* We found out later that you DO get to visit it on the Walking Dead tour. It was hard to get decent shots of the place as it was completely fenced off with ‘No Trespassing’ signs everywhere. With the overgrown weeds, the vandalism and general neglect, it gave off some really creepy vibes.
Day 26 ~ Atlanta Movie Tours
Today we did the Big Zombie Tour 1 with the Atlanta movie Tours. Our tour guide was a funny dude called Charlie whose claim to fame is being a regular walker (zombie) on The Walking Dead. His most notable zombie role? He played the walker suspected of chowing down on Sofia in Season 2 when she wandered into the woods – Daryl shot and gutted him to check he hadn’t. Charlie had some amazing and downright hilarious behind-the-scene stories to tell us from his time on-set. Well worth doing this tour, I recommend it if you’re visiting Atlanta.
On the three hour tour we went to a number of locations from the show. We saw:
The bridge/arch where Rick firsts enters Atlanta.
The street where Rick and Glen covered themselves in walker guts and stole a truck.
The doorway where Daryl and Rick went into rescue kidnapped Glen from the Vatos gang (but it turns out they’re protecting the old people in a resthome, awwww).
Rick’s police station where he, Morgan and Dwayne visit in Season 1, Episode 1.
The hospital where Rick wakes up in Season 1, Episode 1.
That famous overpass from the publicity stills from Season 1.
We had a fantastic time in Georgia and we hope to come back again (and so does Miss 15 who is just, like, DYING with jealousy and insisting that next time she comes too)…
Day 25 ~ Juliette, Georgia
Day 25 ~ In which #KiwiChickInUSA gets a taste of Fried Green Tomatoes
Another hot, humid day today as we drove from Forsyth, Georgia down some beautiful country roads to the tiny town of Juliette, where one of my favourite movies ‘Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe’ was partially shot. If you’ve read my latest book, KISSING THE BRIDE, you may spot a FGT reference in it. 
We have been to Juliette and eaten at the cafe before, back on our 2009 road trip with our kids, so it was lovely to come back again. We did indeed eat more fried green tomatoes, but instead of the very relaxed pace we experienced last time the cafe was packed. Understandable being a summer weekend I guess, but kind of a bummer as I was hoping to sit and enjoy the atmosphere one last time.
DH and I sweltering in the sun.
Me with the kids in 2009.
Still love this place in 2016
And I loved it when we first visited in 2009.
After lunch we wandered through the tiny touristy antique shops and smiled in delight at the gorgeous Georgian drawl.
We’re spending the night in Atlanta (and we also checked out a couple more Walking Dead locations, but I’ll leave that for tomorrow’s post) and for the first time in a while the temperature has dropped with the rain and it’s actually very pleasant.
July 29, 2016
Day 21 & 22 ~ New Orleans
Day 21 ~ In which #KiwiChickInUSA visits the Big Easy…
We left Baton Rouge where we’d spent the night and drove through a torrential rain shower to New Orleans. Like the weather in the Far North of New Zealand (shameless plug for my Far North series Hide Your Heart and Know Your Heart) the weather can go from sunshine to rain to back to sunshine again in only a short space of time. The cloud cover was appreciated as even though it was a little muggy, we didn’t have the heat of the sun to contend with as we finally found some reasonably price parking (OMG the parking is EXPENSIVE in the city) and walked to the Segway tour of the city we’d booked.
I have to admit to a teensy bit of smugness at being able to hop on a Segway this time as a seasoned pro (LOL) and without too much instruction, we were off bouncing down the very rough streets of the French Quarter. Some amazing buildings and architectural styles here, and very cool to buzz down the famous Bourban Street and see the beads/flowers etc hanging off the wrought iron balconies, just how I’d seen them in books/movies etc. We stopped briefly in Jackson Square and were able to wander through the park and take a peek inside the USA’s oldest cathedral (though I believe it’d been rebuilt since a fire razed it in the 1800s?). We did get caught by a fairly heavy shower and while others in the tour put on their bright blue Oompa-Loompa rain ponchos, DH and I are made of tough Kiwi stuff and waited it out. Sure enough, the sun was back out again in ten minutes or so.
For lunch we backtracked to Cafe Du Monde, famous for it’s coffee and beignets. I ordered with a mumble because I had no idea how to pronounce ‘beignets’ but since everyone in the Cafe was getting the exact same thing, it was cool and the server knew what I meant. Word of advice, don’t go here if you’re in a hurry as the servers are rushed off their feet with the huge volume of customers. The coffee and beignets were well worth the wait though – yum!
After lunch we strolled down one side of Jackson Square to the Louisiana museum where we spent an hour looking at a exhibition about Hurricane Katrina. While the disaster was in the news a lot in New Zealand back in 2005, the impact of it didn’t really hit me until I had walked through the exhibition and had seen some of the streets that were affected. The spirit of bravery and resilience of the communities of NOLA, the everyday heroes and stories of strength have given me much admiration for this city.
This evening we went on a Haunted History 5-in-1 tour in the French Quarter. Our guide was Gabriel and during the 2 hour walking tour he had me completely spellbound with his stories of ghosts, vampires, and crimes committed in New Orleans. Gabriel was a natural storyteller and while chatting with him afterwards it came as no surprise that he was also a writer, working on his first novel. He if writes half as well as he tells stories I would totally buy his book. We had a lovely stroll around the streets of the French Quarter, and I think it was then, with the gas lamps, and the live bands and the beautiful old buildings and the OMG the amazing history that I fell in love with NOLA.
After the tour, we stopped at Pat O’Brian’s pub to try a New Orleans’ classic cocktail, the Hurricane. We sat in the piano bar and listened to some amazing live music with a very enthusiastic bar. By the time DH and I went to leave I realized three things (one of them just now as I’m typing this – that ‘realized’ is a reeeeaaally hard word to spell at times). The first is the Hurricane is bloody lethal to someone who doesn’t drink much alcohol. Two, New Orleans is super awesome and I could spend a LOT more time here quite happily – it’s funky and raw and real and weird and cool all rolled into one sweaty mass (at least in summer). And having typed a lot of this, I think this slightly tipsy writer who got the giggles mistaking a black and white taxi cab for the PO-lice, better go to bed.
Day 22 ~ In which #KiwiChickInUSA eats a Po-Boy and walks through the City of the Dead…
Before you ask, no, I didn’t wake up with a hangover, though I was still pretty damn tired. All this amazing touring stuff is taking it out of me – I need a vacation. Bet you don’t feel sorry for me…I wouldn’t either. So, today. We drove into the Garden District of New Orleans this morning, taking the chance that we’d be able to find some parking near the Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, and as luck would have it, we found one right outside. Inside the cemetery it’s kinda creepy and beautiful and sad and damn fascinating reading the tomb inscriptions and imagining the lives of the people who once walked NOLA’s streets. Above all, it was peaceful…though really, really hot!
Back in the Dodge, we drove around some of the Garden District, goggling at the amazing houses and stopping briefly outside Ann Rice’s old residence. Interview with the Vampire was one of the first vampire books I read as a teenager and it’s made me want to reread the whole series now that I’ve visited Ann’s ‘vampire town.’ We also cruised by Sandra Bullock’s residence (one of my favorite actresses) but unfortunately she wasn’t around to invite DH and I in for a cuppa.
Next, we parked up in the cheapest parking garage we could find near the French Quarter – which as you can imagine, involved A LOT of walking to reach the actual French Quarter. And holy crap, does American cities need to install MORE FREE PUBLIC RESTROOMS. Tourists need to pee, officials! Especially when they’re not used to chugging 50 litres of water a day to try and stay hydrated. Anyway, I digress. We finally made it to Jackson Square again, where I *again* felt sorry for the mules lined up with their carriages ready to pull tourists around in the stinking heat, and met up with the tour guide for our Tastebud Tours. Tastebud tours is a walking/sampling of NOLA cuisine tour, and of course if it involves food, DH and I are in. We stopped in at five places and sampled a Po-Boy, jambalaya and gumbo, cannoli, muffaletta sandwich, and a pecan praline. The food was very tasty, but learning more about New Orlean’s history and the cultures that make up it were wonderful.
After the tour had finished I just had to go back to a souvenir shop where I’d discovered these treasures and buy one of my own. He’ll hang from the shelf of my office desk at home and remind me of NOLA.
We opted to take a bike taxi to the St Charles streetcar stop from the French Quarter because we were just too stuffed to walk the 7+ blocks in the heat. We jumped on a streetcar and traveled the length of the St Charles line, just enjoying resting our feet and watching the world go by. Some incredible houses on this route, blew our minds.
We left Baton Rouge where we’d spent the night and drove through a torrential rain shower to New Orleans. Like the weather in the Far North of New Zealand (shameless plug for my Far North series Hide Your Heart and Know Your Heart) the weather can go from sunshine to rain to back to sunshine again in only a short space of time. The cloud cover was appreciated as even though it was a little muggy, we didn’t have the heat of the sun to contend with as we finally found some reasonably price parking (OMG the parking is EXPENSIVE in the city) and walked to the Segway tour of the city we’d booked.
I have to admit to a teensy bit of smugness at being able to hop on a Segway this time as a seasoned pro (LOL) and without too much instruction, we were off bouncing down the very rough streets of the French Quarter. Some amazing buildings and architectural styles here, and very cool to buzz down the famous Bourban Street and see the beads/flowers etc hanging off the wrought iron balconies, just how I’d seen them in books/movies etc. We stopped briefly in Jackson Square and were able to wander through the park and take a peek inside the USA’s oldest cathedral (though I believe it’d been rebuilt since a fire razed it in the 1800s?). We did get caught by a fairly heavy shower and while others in the tour put on their bright blue Oompa-Loompa rain ponchos, DH and I are made of tough Kiwi stuff and waited it out. Sure enough, the sun was back out again in ten minutes or so.
For lunch we backtracked to Cafe Du Monde, famous for it’s coffee and beignets. I ordered with a mumble because I had no idea how to pronounce ‘beignets’ but since everyone in the Cafe was getting the exact same thing, it was cool and the server knew what I meant. Word of advice, don’t go here if you’re in a hurry as the servers are rushed off their feet with the huge volume of customers. The coffee and beignets were well worth the wait though – yum!
After lunch we strolled down one side of Jackson Square to the Louisiana museum where we spent an hour looking at a exhibition about Hurricane Katrina. While the disaster was in the news a lot in New Zealand back in 2005, the impact of it didn’t really hit me until I had walked through the exhibition and had seen some of the streets that were affected. The spirit of bravery and resilience of the communities of NOLA, the everyday heroes and stories of strength have given me much admiration for this city.
This evening we went on a Haunted History 5-in-1 tour in the French Quarter. Our guide was Gabriel and during the 2 hour walking tour he had me completely spellbound with his stories of ghosts, vampires, and crimes committed in New Orleans. Gabriel was a natural storyteller and while chatting with him afterwards it came as no surprise that he was also a writer, working on his first novel. He if writes half as well as he tells stories I would totally buy his book. We had a lovely stroll around the streets of the French Quarter, and I think it was then, with the gas lamps, and the live bands and the beautiful old buildings and the OMG the amazing history that I fell in love with NOLA.
After the tour, we stopped at Pat O’Brian’s pub to try a New Orleans’ classic cocktail, the Hurricane. We sat in the piano bar and listened to some amazing live music with a very enthusiastic bar. By the time DH and I went to leave I realized three things (one of them just now as I’m typing this – that ‘realized’ is a reeeeaaally hard word to spell at times). The first is the Hurricane is bloody lethal to someone who doesn’t drink much alcohol. Two, New Orleans is super awesome and I could spend a LOT more time here quite happily – it’s funky and raw and real and weird and cool all rolled into one sweaty mass (at least in summer). And having typed a lot of this, I think this slightly tipsy writer who got the giggles mistaking a black and white taxi cab for the PO-lice, better go to bed.
Day 22 ~ In which #KiwiChickInUSA eats a Po-Boy and walks through the City of the Dead…
Before you ask, no, I didn’t wake up with a hangover, though I was still pretty damn tired. All this amazing touring stuff is taking it out of me – I need a vacation. Bet you don’t feel sorry for me…I wouldn’t either. So, today. We drove into the Garden District of New Orleans this morning, taking the chance that we’d be able to find some parking near the Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, and as luck would have it, we found one right outside. Inside the cemetery it’s kinda creepy and beautiful and sad and damn fascinating reading the tomb inscriptions and imagining the lives of the people who once walked NOLA’s streets. Above all, it was peaceful…though really, really hot!
Back in the Dodge, we drove around some of the Garden District, goggling at the amazing houses and stopping briefly outside Ann Rice’s old residence. Interview with the Vampire was one of the first vampire books I read as a teenager and it’s made me want to reread the whole series now that I’ve visited Ann’s ‘vampire town.’ We also cruised by Sandra Bullock’s residence (one of my favorite actresses) but unfortunately she wasn’t around to invite DH and I in for a cuppa.
Next, we parked up in the cheapest parking garage we could find near the French Quarter – which as you can imagine, involved A LOT of walking to reach the actual French Quarter. And holy crap, does American cities need to install MORE FREE PUBLIC RESTROOMS. Tourists need to pee, officials! Especially when they’re not used to chugging 50 litres of water a day to try and stay hydrated. Anyway, I digress. We finally made it to Jackson Square again, where I *again* felt sorry for the mules lined up with their carriages ready to pull tourists around in the stinking heat, and met up with the tour guide for our Tastebud Tours. Tastebud tours is a walking/sampling of NOLA cuisine tour, and of course if it involves food, DH and I are in.
We stopped in at five places and sampled a Po-Boy, jambalaya and gumbo, cannoli, muffaletta sandwich, and a pecan praline. The food was very tasty, but learning more about New Orlean’s history and the cultures that make up it were wonderful. After the tour had finished I just had to go back to a souvenir shop where I’d discovered these treasures and buy one of my own. He’ll hang from the shelf of my office desk at home and remind me of NOLA.
We opted to take a bike taxi to the St Charles streetcar stop from the French Quarter because we were just too stuffed to walk the 7+ blocks in the heat. We jumped on a streetcar and traveled the length of the St Charles line, just enjoying resting our feet and watching the world go by. Some incredible houses on this route, blew our minds.
July 25, 2016
Day 18 ~ San Antonio, TX
Day 18 ~ In which #KiwiChickInUSA has a need for speed…
After a killer drive from El Paso TX to San Antonio TX yesterday, I woke up this morning still tired. Coffee helped only marginally helped, but we had a tour booked at 9am, so into the city of San Antonio we went. And can I say, that it is one of the prettiest cities I’ve been in so far. Gorgeous old buildings, lots of trees and parks and a really nice vibe to the place.
We sensibly decided (I think) to do a Segway tour of the city to save killing our legs in the high temps. I’ve never been on a Segway before, and I was really nervous. DH of course picked it up really fast – but you know how there’s *one* in every group that the tour guides give the slant eye to because they get cocky? Yeah, that was my DH. He was doing a little show off move and stepped off the Segway by accident (fell, really, but he’s denying it) and then he hit an unexpected bump in the sidewalk while not watching and again, stepped off accidentally (read: fell). The tour guide really earned her tip… But the tour was really amazing, and I was soon zooming along and slaloming through posts and all sorts – and it was FUN. We saw far too many historic and interesting spots to list here, but the thing I enjoyed most was hearing about a haunted hotel in San Antonio that used to be a prison.
After the tour we walked back to the Riverwalk and had lunch in a Mexican cafe. The Riverwalk was crowded, but very pretty and I would’ve liked to spend more time here. Next we went to The Alamo, but because the line to get into the main church/chapel building was so long, we instead walked around the grounds and through the museum there instead.
We arrived back at our hotel about 3pm and I confess, I flaked out in a Nana nap for nearly 3 hours! Something I almost never do in the afternoon. But much more alert after this, we headed back into the city and went up the Tower of the Americas for some incredible views over the city as the sun was setting.
Oh – and I saw my first squirrel. My life is complete… 
July 23, 2016
Day 15 & 16 ~ Phoenix to El Paso, Texas
Day 15 ~ In which #KiwiChickInUSA visits a museum…
After a day relaxing with family and lounging in their pool the whole bunch of us descended on the Heard Museum in Phoenix. The museum was fascinating with displays of Native American art and history. I was moved by the amazing (and sometimes heart-wrenching) displays and the incredible talent of the artists, not to mention the incredible skill of past generations who’d created amazing woven creations, pottery and basketry.
After the museum, we drove to Scottsdale for lunch. I was hoping to bump into ‘Outlander’ author, Diana Gabaldon, there, but no such luck. Because my cousins were missing Kiwi food, we went to a cafe selling the next best thing – an Australian bakery. We feasted on mince pies, sausage rolls, lamingtons and vanilla slices. We also couldn’t resist doing a little shopping at the pretty touristy shops in Scottsdale, but OMG the heat – 113 F (45 degrees C) – unbelievable!
Day 16 ~ In which #KiwiChickInUSA and her DH have a run in with the law…
Up early this morning to say goodbye to family and hello to looooong straight roads leading from Arizona to New Mexico. We stopped in Casa Grande for a Cracker Barrel breakfast. Cracker Barrel is our FAVORITE chain restaurant in the USA, so we were buzzing to finally go to one again. One filling breakfast later (I had bacon, eggs & this amazing blueberry/lemon stuffed French Toast) and we hit the road again.
Just after the border to New Mexico, DH said, “Uh-oh, I think those flashing lights are for us.” And sure enough, we were being pulled over by the State Police. Ooops. The officer that approached us was very nice though, and mentioned that DH had overtaken a car that wasn’t pulling over in the fast lane (a no-no here, even though many other cars were doing the same thing) plus going a wee bit over the posted speed-limit. Luckily he was kind enough to let us go with a warning. And yes, he was a very fine looking member of law enforcement. LOL
The rest of the drive through New Mexico and into Texas was thankfully uneventful and we arrived in El Paso without further brushes with the law!
Dinner tonight was our first experience of barbecue at Rudy’s Barbecue and it was pretty tasty once we got the hang of ordering.
After a day relaxing with family and lounging in their pool the whole bunch of us descended on the Heard Museum in Phoenix. The museum was fascinating with displays of Native American art and history. I was moved by the amazing (and sometimes heart-wrenching) displays and the incredible talent of the artists, not to mention the incredible skill of past generations who’d created amazing woven creations, pottery and basketry.
After the museum, we drove to Scottsdale for lunch. I was hoping to bump into ‘Outlander’ author, Diana Gabaldon, there, but no such luck. Because my cousins were missing Kiwi food, we went to a cafe selling the next best thing – an Australian bakery. We feasted on mince pies, sausage rolls, lamingtons and vanilla slices. We also couldn’t resist doing a little shopping at the pretty touristy shops in Scottsdale, but OMG the heat – 113 F (45 degrees C) – unbelievable!
Day 16 ~ In which #KiwiChickInUSA and her DH have a run in with the law…
Up early this morning to say goodbye to family and hello to looooong straight roads leading from Arizona to New Mexico. We stopped in Casa Grande for a Cracker Barrel breakfast. Cracker Barrel is our FAVORITE chain restaurant in the USA, so we were buzzing to finally go to one again. One filling breakfast later (I had bacon, eggs & this amazing blueberry/lemon stuffed French Toast) and we hit the road again.
Just after the border to New Mexico, DH said, “Uh-oh, I think those flashing lights are for us.” And sure enough, we were being pulled over by the State Police. Ooops. The officer that approached us was very nice though, and mentioned that DH had overtaken a car that wasn’t pulling over in the fast lane (a no-no here, even though many other cars were doing the same thing) plus going a wee bit over the posted speed-limit. Luckily he was kind enough to let us go with a warning. And yes, he was a very fine looking member of law enforcement. LOL
The rest of the drive through New Mexico and into Texas was thankfully uneventful and we arrived in El Paso without further brushes with the law!
Dinner tonight was our first experience of barbecue at Rudy’s Barbecue and it was pretty tasty once we got the hang of ordering.
July 20, 2016
Day 13 ~ Las Vegas to Phoenix, Arizona
Day 13 ~ In which #KiwiChickInUSA takes a walk down memory lane…
We said goodbye to the glittering Vegas lights this morning and headed out of town – stopping briefly for breakfast at a tiny Mom and Pop diner where we did what I love to do most – talk to people and listen to a snippet of their stories.
Then we hit the road west, driving in increasing heat to the Hoover Dam. When were were last there nine years ago, the massive bridge bypassing it was just being constructed, so it was very interesting to see it again. The last time we crossed over the Hoover Dam was when we were towing a 34 ft 5th wheel trailer (and we didn’t get out) so being able to stop and get a closer look was great. Although it was so scorching hot outside at 10.30 in the morning, I confess we only took a few photos and climbed back into the air conditioning again!
Back on the interstate for a bit, then into the little town of Kingman where on that same trip nine years ago we had lunch at this restaurant with our two kids. Did I mention I’m missing them heaps now?
Driving further West we detoured into Seligman, where again, been there – but liked it enough to come back. This time we had lunch at the Roadkill cafe (yum) and then strolled down the main street to some of the same spots we visited last time. Some things had changed (like the old cars parked by the curb with mannequins posed in them) and some businesses didn’t appear to be open now – which was a shame. It was still a cool little place to stop and chat to the locals for awhile and enjoy a cherry sno-cone.
On the way out of town, DH convinced me that it was now or never to try driving the Dodge, and that this was my last chance to be able to say to YOU guys, ‘Hey, I drove on Route 66′ – that was enough to motivate me. But here’s the thing: I’m a bit of a car buff (it’s rubbed off on me from DH) but I don’t enjoy driving. In New Zealand, we drive on the left hand side of the road, and the driver’s side is on right side of the car. I *can* drive a manual (stick shift) but my everyday car is an automatic. So driving a new car, on the wrong side of the road, seated in the wrong side of the car AND it’s a stick shift, was just…freaking terrifying, to say the least. But I shakily pulled up my big girl panties and did it anyway – at least for five minutes or so. And it wasn’t so bad, although I went from first gear to fourth and then when I was slowing down to stop I got a little panicky and made DH shift down the gears for me. And who should I pull in next to on the lonely stretch of Route 66? A sheriff’s car. Holy crap! DH quickly explained I was just driving for the first time in the US (wonder the guy didn’t ask to see my licence!) and we swapped seats. It could only happen to me…
We finally made it through some stunning desert landscape to our cousin’s place in Phoenix. It’s soooo good to be back with family. We’ll be here for the next two days, just catching our breath and relaxing.
We said goodbye to the glittering Vegas lights this morning and headed out of town – stopping briefly for breakfast at a tiny Mom and Pop diner where we did what I love to do most – talk to people and listen to a snippet of their stories.
Then we hit the road west, driving in increasing heat to the Hoover Dam. When were were last there nine years ago, the massive bridge bypassing it was just being constructed, so it was very interesting to see it again. The last time we crossed over the Hoover Dam was when we were towing a 34 ft 5th wheel trailer (and we didn’t get out) so being able to stop and get a closer look was great. Although it was so scorching hot outside at 10.30 in the morning, I confess we only took a few photos and climbed back into the air conditioning again!
Back on the interstate for a bit, then into the little town of Kingman where on that same trip nine years ago we had lunch at this restaurant with our two kids. Did I mention I’m missing them heaps now?
Driving further West we detoured into Seligman, where again, been there – but liked it enough to come back. This time we had lunch at the Roadkill cafe (yum) and then strolled down the main street to some of the same spots we visited last time. Some things had changed (like the old cars parked by the curb with mannequins posed in them) and some businesses didn’t appear to be open now – which was a shame. It was still a cool little place to stop and chat to the locals for awhile and enjoy a cherry sno-cone.
Our kids in Seligman 2007…
DH on same seat in 2016…
Back in 2007, my kids with some classic vehicles in Seligman.
On the way out of town, DH convinced me that it was now or never to try driving the Dodge, and that this was my last chance to be able to say to YOU guys, ‘Hey, I drove on Route 66′ – that was enough to motivate me. But here’s the thing: I’m a bit of a car buff (it’s rubbed off on me from DH) but I don’t enjoy driving. In New Zealand, we drive on the left hand side of the road, and the driver’s side is on right side of the car. I *can* drive a manual (stick shift) but my everyday car is an automatic. So driving a new car, on the wrong side of the road, seated in the wrong side of the car AND it’s a stick shift, was just…freaking terrifying, to say the least. But I shakily pulled up my big girl panties and did it anyway – at least for five minutes or so. And it wasn’t so bad, although I went from first gear to fourth and then when I was slowing down to stop I got a little panicky and made DH shift down the gears for me. And who should I pull in next to on the lonely stretch of Route 66? A sheriff’s car. Holy crap! DH quickly explained I was just driving for the first time in the US (wonder the guy didn’t ask to see my licence!) and we swapped seats. It could only happen to me…
We finally made it through some stunning desert landscape to our cousin’s place in Phoenix. It’s soooo good to be back with family. We’ll be here for the next two days, just catching our breath and relaxing.
I know I love coffee, but not even I could get through a mug this size!
July 19, 2016
Day 12 ~ Las Vegas
Day 12 ~ In which #KiwiChickInUSA learns a life lesson…
Today was a lesson in perseverance in spite of stupidity. As I’ve mentioned in earlier posts, my spirit is willing (and desperate to see/hear/experience everything I can) but my body is not, and is demonstrating this by swelling my feet/ankles up and making walking painful. But I have a book to research and I wanted to check out some of the casino and hotels for it and somehow we ended up walking A LOT as much as we tried to save our energy. By midday we’d only managed to buy tickets to Mystere (Cirque Du Soleil), buy new Sketchers for me since my other walking shoes had become too tight, and traipse a short way up and down The Strip in temperatures rising to the high 90s to a couple of different Walgreens trying to find something to help my legs/feet.
We then **finally** found out way to the High Rollers Ferris Wheel thingy (after getting lost in both Hurrahs and Linq casinos) we really enjoyed the 30 minute ride with some incredible views.
Then we over-estimated our capabilities by taking the monorail down to the MGM Grand (where we walked for like a thousand miles through the casino) and out onto The Strip. Really, bad, idea. I won’t bore you with details of heat or how far we walked, let’s just say by the time we finally made it back to our hotel I hated every human being (and especially the ones trying to sell me something or women wearing heels for Pete’s sake) and my feet were snarling at me every time I made them take one more step.
Luckily, I recovered in time for Mystere. It was simply the most captivating show I’ve ever seen. God, I LOVE the arts and Mystere was a feast of artistry, talent, strength, skill…I could go on and on. I admit a few times I had tears of exhilarated joy in my eyes from watching the breathtaking beauty of the performance. Just loved it, and it was a wonderful way to finish off our stay in Las Vegas.
Last night I dreamed of flying…
Today was a lesson in perseverance in spite of stupidity. As I’ve mentioned in earlier posts, my spirit is willing (and desperate to see/hear/experience everything I can) but my body is not, and is demonstrating this by swelling my feet/ankles up and making walking painful. But I have a book to research and I wanted to check out some of the casino and hotels for it and somehow we ended up walking A LOT as much as we tried to save our energy. By midday we’d only managed to buy tickets to Mystere (Cirque Du Soleil), buy new Sketchers for me since my other walking shoes had become too tight, and traipse a short way up and down The Strip in temperatures rising to the high 90s to a couple of different Walgreens trying to find something to help my legs/feet.
We then **finally** found out way to the High Rollers Ferris Wheel thingy (after getting lost in both Hurrahs and Linq casinos) we really enjoyed the 30 minute ride with some incredible views.
Then we over-estimated our capabilities by taking the monorail down to the MGM Grand (where we walked for like a thousand miles through the casino) and out onto The Strip. Really, bad, idea. I won’t bore you with details of heat or how far we walked, let’s just say by the time we finally made it back to our hotel I hated every human being (and especially the ones trying to sell me something or women wearing heels for Pete’s sake) and my feet were snarling at me every time I made them take one more step.
This is my KILL ME NOW face.
Luckily, I recovered in time for Mystere. It was simply the most captivating show I’ve ever seen. God, I LOVE the arts and Mystere was a feast of artistry, talent, strength, skill…I could go on and on. I admit a few times I had tears of exhilarated joy in my eyes from watching the breathtaking beauty of the performance. Just loved it, and it was a wonderful way to finish off our stay in Las Vegas.
Last night I dreamed of flying…
July 18, 2016
Day 11 ~ Las Vegas, baby!
Day 11 ~ In which #KiwiChickInUSA arrives in Sin City…
We left San Diego at around eight this morning and I was a little bummed that I didn’t get to see more of this interesting city. Next time, I hope! So onto the interstate heading north east, the temperature climbing steadily from 27 degrees C, to a high of 42 degrees C (80 – 107 F) by the time we stopped for lunch at Peggy Sue’s Diner in Yermo, CA. We’d last stopped at this very same diner on our 2009 roadtrip with our two kids, so it was a buzz to return there. The place was pretty packed, but it was a fun–if not nutritious-diner lunch. For old times sake we decided to take a walk out the back of the diner where there were some ‘diner-saurs’. Stepping out from the air conditioned restaurant into the desert air felt like walking into a giant dryer. Holy heck it was HOT.
We arrived in Las Vegas at around 5pm, the temperatures still too hot to breathe. On the walk from the carpark to the Treasure Island Casino/Hotel where we’re staying, I became convinced that the super-hot air pressing down on us from all sides was part of the casino’s evil plan to hurry us inside the doors.
After a quick rest (I have swollen ankles/feet again, dammit) we headed to the Fremont St experience. And what an experience it was. Torn between laughter, amazement, and shuddering embarrassment (from the dude in nothing but a Borat-style man-kini) we strolled the length of the overhead canopy. The Elvis impersonator we watched was very cool and I handed over $10 to a sweet-talking 79 year old hustling me with a ‘save the animals’ pitch. Yeah, I’m a sucker and he was a hoot (telling my DH how lucky he was to have such a HOT wife – LOL)
Finally a steak dinner at one of the neon lit casinos while people watching (always fun) and back to our room to relax before the chaos and heat tomorrow brings.
We left San Diego at around eight this morning and I was a little bummed that I didn’t get to see more of this interesting city. Next time, I hope! So onto the interstate heading north east, the temperature climbing steadily from 27 degrees C, to a high of 42 degrees C (80 – 107 F) by the time we stopped for lunch at Peggy Sue’s Diner in Yermo, CA. We’d last stopped at this very same diner on our 2009 roadtrip with our two kids, so it was a buzz to return there. The place was pretty packed, but it was a fun–if not nutritious-diner lunch. For old times sake we decided to take a walk out the back of the diner where there were some ‘diner-saurs’. Stepping out from the air conditioned restaurant into the desert air felt like walking into a giant dryer. Holy heck it was HOT.
We arrived in Las Vegas at around 5pm, the temperatures still too hot to breathe. On the walk from the carpark to the Treasure Island Casino/Hotel where we’re staying, I became convinced that the super-hot air pressing down on us from all sides was part of the casino’s evil plan to hurry us inside the doors.
After a quick rest (I have swollen ankles/feet again, dammit) we headed to the Fremont St experience. And what an experience it was. Torn between laughter, amazement, and shuddering embarrassment (from the dude in nothing but a Borat-style man-kini) we strolled the length of the overhead canopy. The Elvis impersonator we watched was very cool and I handed over $10 to a sweet-talking 79 year old hustling me with a ‘save the animals’ pitch. Yeah, I’m a sucker and he was a hoot (telling my DH how lucky he was to have such a HOT wife – LOL)
Finally a steak dinner at one of the neon lit casinos while people watching (always fun) and back to our room to relax before the chaos and heat tomorrow brings.
