2001 – West Coast USA

We travelled to the West Coast USA in September 2001 – two weeks after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York.

Our itinerary started with a few days at the ‘Luxor’ hotel in Las Vegas.

The hotel, like much of Las Vegas, was deserted and we got a great upgrade on our room.
We had a ‘Presidential Suite’ near the top of the pyramid.

While we didn’t gamble we enjoyed the architecture and design of the hotels, including New York, New York.

Excalibur – where I made a friend,

and The Venetian.

We also took a helicopter flight into the Grand Canyon.

After a few days in Las Vegas we rented a Ford Mustang and drove through the desert to Newport Beach, south Los Angeles.

We stayed in Newport Beach for a few days and visited Los Angeles and Hollywood

then drove south along the Pacific Coast Highway.

Encountering squirrels along the way.

And stopping to visit Hearst Castle in San Simeon.

With its beautiful pools.

We continued south to San Francisco, home of streetcars,

Pier 39,

and Alcatraz.