2015 Holiday (Part 6) - Los Angeles

After a super early start (we were up at 4.15am to get to the airport) and a mad rush to get to the airport (by the time we dropped our car off, and got through security, we arrived at our gate as the flight was boarding), we were on our way to LA, where we were meeting up with the McMains again.

After a short flight, we made it to LA.  Getting through LAX is a nightmare, and even worse when you have to go and pick up a car.  The car rental place was a shambles, and after finalising all the paperwork inside, we went out to the lot to find they didn't have any cars in the range we had ordered (and we were about the 5th group of people there in the same boat)!  After a good 45 minutes of backwards and forwards, they finally upgraded us to the next level and we left.  We headed over to our hotel at Universal City, dumped our bags in the McMains room, and walked across to Universal Studios.

By the time we got there it was around 10am and we were reminded why we usually drive from Las Vegas to LA.  Had we gotten up at the same time, and driven, we probably could have gotten there quicker (and less stressed)!

We met up with the McMains, who had our tickets, and hit the park.  As we only had limited time here, and it was one of the busy days of the year at the park. we all decided to buy the Front of Line passes, which got you quick access to each ride once.

We started with the Backlot Tour, and then the boys and the kids went on the Simpsons ride.

After that we all moved on to the Mummy ride, then the Transformers ride and then Jurassic Park ride (where poor Trav got saturated).  It was then time for lunch so we headed out of the park to Universal City Walk where we all grabbed something to eat.

Once we had finished lunch it was back to the park to do the Shrek ride, the Minions ride and see the Animal Actors show.  By this stage the sun was going down so we went back to our hotel to get warm and take a break.

Around 6pm we headed back to the park to watch the Waterworld show, and wandered through checking out all the lights and the lighting of the Grinchmas Tree.  From there it was off to dinner at the Saddle Ranch Chop House.

We had a great day at Universal Studios, and were so grateful for our Front of Line passes, as all the wait times on each ride were so long, there was no way we could have done it all in the time we had there.

Day 2 and after a slower start we headed out to Glendale Galleria, a nearby mall.  We wandered around the shops for a while, the McMains bought a suitcase to bring all their extra goodies home in, and then we went and had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory (another one of our traditions while we are in the US).

After lunch we took a drive up to the Griffith Observatory, to check out the Hollywood sign and see the city from above.  We then drove into Beverly Hills, along Rodeo Drive, and through some of the nearby streets to check out the massive houses.  We didn't actually know what we were looking at, but guaranteed there were a few houses owned by famous people on our drive!!

After that it was back to the hotel to drop off the McMains, pick up our bags and say our goodbyes, as Wade and I were heading home tonight!

Once we arrived at the airport, we were able to both get an upgrade to Business Class for the flight home!  We left LA around 11.30pm on the 31st December and arrived in Brisbane around 7am on the 2nd January.  So we missed New Year's completely!

It was a great trip - with the highlight definitely being Whistler, but as usual we were glad to be home.

Until next time.......

Here are some photos from our time in LA......

Universal Studios

Backlot Tour

Heading down to the lower section of the park

Back for the night to see some shows and the lights!

Hollywood sign & views from the Griffith Observatory in LA

2015 Holiday (Part 5) - Las Vegas

Next stop on our holiday was Vegas!

We got up nice and early and headed out to the Vancouver International Airport for our flight.  We arrived in Vegas just after lunch and went to pick up our hire car.  Wade ended up upgrading the car to the V8 Mustang (while I was off getting him a drink!!).

This time in Vegas we decided to stay at the MGM Grand, and after checking in and dropping off our bags, we jumped back in the car and headed to Fashion Show Mall.  We wandered around the shops for a while and then drove back down the strip towards the Bellagio.  There were so many people in Vegas in the lead up to New Years, the trip along the strip took forever.  We finally made it to the car park at the Bellagio, and headed inside towards the buffet (which is one of our traditions in Vegas)!!  When we got there we were greeted with a really long line, but knowing how good it was we joined it, and just over an hour later we were seated and the food fest began!!  As usual it did not disappoint and by the time we left we could barely move!!  After dinner we walked back along the strip to our hotel (it was really cold in Vegas, so we walked pretty quickly)!

For our second day in Vegas, we headed to the outlets in the morning for some shopping.  After a few hours it was time for a late lunch so we drove to a nearby In-N-Out Burger shop (something Wade has been wanting to do on our last few trips to the US).  Then it was off to Walmart to pick up our usual end of trip supplies (ie. Candy)!!!  Wade wanted to go to a shooting range as well, but when we got out there, it was a really long wait to have a go, so we called it quits and headed back to our hotel.

For dinner tonight we went to a really nice Japanese restaurant at our hotel called Shibuya.  After dinner we went for one last walk down the strip before heading back to the MGM Grand.  We had an early start the next day as our flight was at 6.45am!

Here are some photos from our time in Vegas:

V8 Mustang (of course!!)

The strip at night (from many angles!!)

2015 Holiday (Part 4) - Vancouver

Boxing Day and it was time to pack up and leave Whistler - which we were all really sad about.

While we had a 7 seater car and there were 7 of us, there was no way we were all fitting with all our luggage, but there was definitely space for 2 of the McMains to drive back to Whistler with us.  Bel and Harry won the golden tickets so they came with us back to Vancouver and Trav and Milly caught the bus!!

We arrived in Vancouver just after lunch, checked into our hotel and drop our bags off, and by that stage it was time to head over to the bus station to pick up Trav and Milly.  We dropped everyone back at the hotel and then it was time to return our car.

We decided to head out to the Capilano Suspension Bridge on our first night, which is just outside of the city.  There was a free shuttle from the city that took us out there (yes - shocker - Wade did actually get on a bus).

As it was just after Christmas, we were still able to see the Canyon Lights display they do at that time of the year.  At the park we got to see the world's largest living Christmas Tree on display, and we also walked across the suspension bridge (and back again), wandered around the treetop adventure section, and walked the cliff walk.  It was pretty amazing to do at night with everything lit up but it was FREEZING and raining!!

Once we got back to downtown, we wandered around a bit, grabbed a quick dinner and went back to the hotel to warm up.

We woke up the next day to rain and grey skies, and did I mention that it was FREEZING!!  The boys had already decided that our morning plans would involve watching the Jets v Patriots game which started at 10am.  We found a pub that was showing the game, walked what seemed like forever to get there, grabbed some food and drinks and settled in for the next few hours.  It was a very intense game for Harry who is a Pats fan and Wade who is a Jets fan, as the game was tied at full time and went into overtime.  Lucky for me - the Jets won so Wade was happy.  Harry not so much!

Once the game was over, we wandered back to downtown and decided to go ice skating.  It was super busy at the rink we went to, but we still had a great time skating (and I didn't fall over once!!).  After that we headed back to our hotel to get warm, and spent a few hours at the hotel bar where it was happy hour!

For dinner we walked down to Gastown, which was not too far from our hotel, and ended up at a great little Indian restaurant for dinner.

After dinner we said our goodbyes as Wade and I were heading to Vegas the next day, while the McMains and mum were staying in Vancouver one more day.

Here are some pictures from our time in Vancouver:

Capilano Suspension Bridge (Christmas Canyon Lights)

Jets v Patriots (it was an intense game for Harry and Wade)

Gastown for Dinner