Blast from the Past - 3 part post: May 2009

Beverly Hills

After 15 hours of flight, we finally reached our destination. We only had a week to explore the 3 cities so, on the first day, we immediately roamed the streets of Beverly Hills. First stop was Sunset Blvd, then drove pass by Rodeo Dr where we saw huge houses probably owned by famous celebrities. Not much to do there but stroll around and visit shops. On the second day we went to Universal Studios which, in my opinion, was more enjoyable. I was taken by the city but I'm not so sure it's a place i'd go running back to visit.

 read more below 

Las Vegas

Our hotel for a couple of days was the Bellagio situated near the Mirage and Ceasar's. There were around 3000 rooms but most of it seemed booked. Inside the lobby, you could immediately notice the ceiling covered with hand-blown glass flowers; and the view from our room window we could easily spot the famous dancing fountains. We also got tickets to Cirque de Soleil's "O" (eau), which was filled with acrobats performing stunts that are just mind-blowing, though I heard Le Reve was way better.

Although the casinos are the highlight of Vegas, there's still so much to do that kept us pretty occupied. There were magic shows, wax museums, indoor sky diving, rollercoaster rides etc. I heard that the attractions there are constantly upgraded, i bet it looked different now from when we last visited. Surreal's a word to describe Vegas. The strip itself was already an attraction filled with hotels with signature themes such as the New York New York skyline, Mirage volcano, Luxor sphinx and the Venetian gondolas. Each was brilliant in their own way. The added bonus is that we got to shop while sightseeing since stores were smack dab in the middle of every hotel.

San Francisco

Last stop would be the hilly streets of San Francisco. Lucky for us the line for the tram wasn't long when we got there. We headed to the famous Fisherman's wharf for our late lunch. There were a lot of restaurants by the sea which provided a spectacular view, and you get to see the Alcatraz as well.

~ patty lloren