Spymon

Introduction

My partner and I have wanted to go to San Francisco for a good few years now and with her being sent over to LA for work she thought we could tag this holiday on the back of her business trip. Along the way we also had a few days in Las Vegas and a day trip to the Grand Canyon. I've broken this report up into sections to make it easy to navigate and also to save me having to write it up all at once. If you have read my previous trip report then you will know I like to get as much luxury out of my trip whilst spending as little as I can get away with. I hope you all enjoy reading this report as much as I enjoyed my trip!

**I have now updated this report in full, hopefully fixing a number of errors and adding the remainder of the photos**

Day 1 – LHR – SFO on BA World Traveler
Day 1 – Intercontinental San Francisco and Dinner at Bodega Bistro
Day 2 - San Francisco: Fisherman's Wharf, Golden Gate Park and Walks on Eddy, Russian Hill, Haight and Richmond
Day 3 – San Francisco: Ferry Building and Farmers' Market, Embarcadero, ferry to Sausalito, Sausalito, Financial District and MOMA
Day 4 – SFO – LAS on VX Main Cabin
Day 4 – Las Vegas from the 62nd Floor
Day 5 - A Grand Adventure to the Grand Canyon
Day 6 – Leaving Las Vegas – LAS to SFO on VX Main Cabin
Day 6 – Palace San Francisco – Living the Suite Life
Day 7 – Taj Campton Place – Dining with a Michelin Star
Day 8 Part 1 - Homeward bound – SFO – LHR BA First Time in Club World
Day 8 Part 2 - Homeward bound – SFO – LHR BA First Time in Club World
Final Thoughts and Conclusions


Grand Canyon Hoppi Point by Spymon26, on Flickr

Spymon

Another beautiful West London day and it was time to head to LHR T5. Being such a sunny April Fools day I thought I'd walk to the tube station rather than squeeze on to the bus to get to Paddington. This was really a perfect day to set out on an adventure. A sleepy, sunny Sunday in the capital definitely brings out the best in people. After a brisk ten minute walk it was up the stairs to the tube and the couple of stops to Paddington for the Heathrow Express. Compared to the last time I caught the HEX this train seemed to be in much better condition. I'm looking forward to seeing the refreshed trains when they launch later this year. I'm sure someone will post pictures soon enough.


After a short and uneventful journey on the HEX I found myself re-tracing my steps from a few weeks ago and my trip to Lyon. However, today was a little busier, but not the chaos I thought it could be from reading FT the night before! After a short wait to check in at Zone H the agent let me know (and a fair few others from what I heard) that my flight would be departing from T5B and, "you do know there's a lounge there?" I asked if it were better to head straight to the B Lounge, but she replied that, “normally I'd say yes, but this weekend I can't make that kind of promise.” With my boarding pass in hand it was through a fairly fast fast track followed by a not so fast pat down thanks to security telling me, “don't worry about your watch.” I knew better, he insisted, I was right... Thankfully that was about as bad as it got on this trip. I thought I'd go straight over to the the lounge in T5B as the few mentions on here about this lounge say it is normally pretty quiet. After following the seemingly never ending trail of lifts, escalators and the transit train I was in T5B. On the way up to the B gates there are plenty of opportunities to watch the planes and the airport go about its business. I took the final escalator up to the lounge and with a quick beep of the boarding pass I'm in.



On a side note I had been following the Marco Polo Gold/AMEX Platinum thread to see what success I would have getting my OW Sapphire status added to the booking for seat selection, lounge access, fast track etc. After playing dumb on the phone to the BA agent who said it could not be done. (I told her I had done it before, which was only partially true) She then tapped away for 30 seconds and said both the numbers were added. Everything worked fine as miles and tier points posted to BA and I was even able to UUA the inbound leg to Club and at the same time I could use seat selection and the lounge/fast track access at LHR worked fine with my World Traveller boarding pass.

Back to the lounge which was a picture of peace and quiet. I settled in by the window watching the 747s getting ready to trot the globe. It was time for a breakfast of coffee, croissants and... seeing as the lounge attendant had just given one out to the person in front of me, champagne! As lunch time approached I picked up some chicken korma and a glass of white wine. How I managed not to spill a drop of this with the minuscule cutlery and the less than convenient place to put my plate I will never know, likewise how the sauce from my dinner on board kept turning up on different parts of my seat remains a mystery to this day.







Anyway, it was soon time to board and I headed over to gate B47. Boarding was a little chaotic as people started to be let through before any kind of boarding call had been made. A queue had formed in the premium lane but everyone else must have been half asleep as when boarding was finally officially called I walked straight down the regular line and would have been one of the first on board... until I was chosen for secondary screening. Oh well... After enjoying my, "free massage" I settled in to my new home for the next 10 hours and 30 minutes, seat 30A. The seat was just one row behind the seat I wanted and missed with the unlimited leg room, window, and direct access to the aisle.





As we prepared for take my initial impressions of the crew felt positive and I was certain this would be an enjoyable but tiring flight. How often are first impressions proved correct? Not long after take off the crew did a drinks run, I had a very refreshing gin and tonic along with a cup of water. After what seemed like an age the IFE went live though things were not off to a good start as I had a broken set of headphone. My seat mates were using their own so both offered me their sets, but they needn't have bothered as trying to hear the dialogue in A Dangerous Method was about as challenging as trying to whisper something to the person sat in 30F. The only Freudian slip I was likely to catch would be the great Dr Freud slipping on a a banana skin. Soon it was dinner time! The choices were chicken, or pasta in a cream sauce. Knowing that a cream sauce did not always agree with me at the best of times I went with the chicken. Lo and behold it was curry again, though this time it was butter chicken and it was really tasty, not just for an airline meal but in general, though of course no substitute for the amazing butter chicken I had in India a few years ago. The meal was served with bread, salad and a lemony dessert. I had a glass of white wine with my food, all in all a tasty and enjoyable meal, apart from the awful cup of coffee which words cannot describe. I should have known better as a swift trip to the toilet followed which afforded me an opportunity to get my own headphones from my bag which were much, much better. I spent the rest of the flight watching films: Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Moneyball and all but the last five minutes of Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol. There was an end of flight chicken sandwich to finish things off before an approach over San Francisco bay, taking in the Golden Gate Bridge before coming into land. I had arrived and now the real fun begins!

Overall impressions: A nice flight, though the aircraft was looking a little rough around the edges inside and the seat covers in WT and WT+ feel very mid nineties (but not quite as bad as the Burger King we visited in San Francisco!). Service was bang on for economy and the seat was okay for legroom but after 10 hours you really crave some personal space. Thanks BA, for getting me there on time and with a smile.

Spymon

After exiting the plane it was time for the "three Bs" border control, baggage reclaim and the BART. Getting BART tickets as a tourist is easy when you know how. Unlike most major cities things here work in reverse, you put some money in, work out where you're going and then use the +/- to get to the right amount. Once the train gets going it's a 30-40 minute ride into town. There are some nice views but due to the window tints you can't really capture them. Once at Powell Street station it was a short walk across the road and two blocks down to the hotel. My partner was already there so I just picked up my key, checked all was okay and made small talk with the check in lady about living in London as some of her friends were studying there.

I was not expecting too much from the room as it was booked as an Expedia Secret Hotels rate, especially after some of the comments on Trip Advisor suggested that certain guests were not treated overly well. Anyway, the room was on the 12th floor with a nice enough view and plenty of space to be our base for the next three days. The room was also pretty quiet apart from the occasional fire engine which I nicknamed hell hounds due to thinking the apocalypse was about to kick off every time their sirens went off. In the grand scheme of things the fire engines are not particularly annoying or a major factor for losing sleep with the room itself being pretty quiet on the whole. Anyway, we were more than happy with the room and the location of the hotel making it easier to visit the main parts of San Francisco with relative ease.







The week before the trip I had been scouring Chow Hound for dining recommendations. The first from the list was a place called Bodega Bistro specialising in Vietnamese Pho (noodle soup). The restaurant was about a 15 minute walk from the hotel at the corner of Larkin and Eddy Street. A top tip if walking from the Powell Street area to this restaurant is to walk along Market Street till you get to Larkin Street and walk up. Eddy Street in this part of town is not the most pleasant place unless you enjoy socialising with the many homeless and those lacking the soundest of minds who populate this particular street. Once at the restaurant we were not disappointed. We had some spring rolls to start and for mains I had the 'Pho Bodega Sur Demande' rare steak filet slices, well-done brisket, and beef meatball combination in rice noodle soup and my partner had 'Pad Thai' stir fried rice noodles with shrimp, egg, soy sprouts and coarsely grounded peanuts which I remember washing down with an ice cold beer. Anyway, the portions were generous and the atmosphere was good. I'm sure if we lived in San Francisco this would be the kind of place we'd return to on a fairly regular basis. Anyway, we re-ran the gauntlet down Eddy Street and made it back to the hotel. The first day of the trip was over and we needed a good nights sleep as we had a busy week ahead of us.

Spymon

Our first full day in San Francisco started well with Breakfast at Brenda's French Soulfood on Polk Street, about a block away from where we ate the night before. The place was jam packed with a good mix of customers which for somewhere a little out the way is always a good sign. I wrote my name on the board and we took a seat until a table was free. Service here was welcoming and friendly and there are clearly a few regulars that the staff seemed to recognise whilst we were there. Anyway, on to the food... We came here for breakfast after I read about how good it was but we ended up having more of a brunch. This was mainly due to the size of the portions and the fact that we started the day an hour or so later than planned.. I had the 'Egg and Bacon Tartine' and my partner had the 'Buttermilk Pancakes with Fruit' and we both had some coffee to get us going for the day. The food here was great quality, very tasty and the portions were huge. The couple next to us ordered a similar size meal and the Beignets – probably enough to last you the whole day! If the nice people who run this place want to open one in West London I would be queueing up on a regular basis!



After leaving Brenda's we discovered the nicer route back to Powell street area via the Civic Center to go and catch one of the historic cable cars down to Fisherman's Wharf. At first the queue for the cable cars seemed a little daunting but the weather was good and we moved along quickly. A small note of caution, cable car fares are $6 but normal MUNI fares (almost everything else) are only $2 per journey. If you plan to use the cable cars more than once you will almost certainly be better off buying one the MUNI passes from the Tourist Information Center near the cable car stop.



The people operating the cable cars clearly love their jobs and we were soon on our way up and down the hills of San Francisco until we arrived at the terminus a block or two from Fisherman's Wharf. Yes, this area is one great tourist trap but there was one highlight where the photos do not tell the whole story. Our first stop was the Musée Mécanique that contains lots of old fashioned coin operated machines from the last 100 years, entry is free and it's well worth a visit.







After that we walked down to Pier 39 and the sea-lions, nothing more to say on that one.









After leaving tourist land we needed to clear our heads so (after some searching, arguing and anger at the bus maps rather than my awful sense of direction...) we caught a bus towards Golden Gate Park and the Haight/Ashbury area. It really is a very scenic trip with lovely views up the winding roads into the hills. Once off the bus we followed the “smell of smoke" towards where we needed to go. It seems that medicinal marijuana is a popular past-time in San Francisco by the almost ever present aroma of it in the air. Once through the dazed and confused at the entrance of the park we had a good walk around, caught a bit of baseball action and walked over to the Japanese Tea Garden. We did not go in the garden as it was about to close and you had to pay an admission fee. After a short rest we took a walk around the Richmond area below the park and caught the bus back into town for dinner.





That night we had dinner at Helmand Palace an Afghan restaurant on Van Ness Avenue. This place has the ambiance of a typical UK curry house but a menu that is a similar to the numerous Persian restaurants which we are familiar with from Westbourne Grove in London. Sadly I can't remember everything we ordered but I remember having the 'Deygee Kabab' Leg of lamb steamed then sauteed w/ yellow split-peas, onion, red bell pepper, & vinegar. Served w/ sweet pumpkin & spinach rice as a main. The food was very tasty and good value for money but I was expecting something a little more exotic. I think unfortunately we are a little bit spoiled for food like this in the UK which may not be the case in other countries. So, if you like this type of food already you will not be disappointed. If however, you've not had it before this a great place to start. After dinner we headed back to the hotel for an early night for tomorrow was another busy day.

Spymon

We woke up to another beautiful sunny morning in San Francisco. It's amazing how sometimes the right weather conditions make or break a trip. Although not overly hot, the bright sun made it a joy to be outside. With that in mind we took a short MUNI trip down to Embarcadero. Once there we went over to check out the market at the Ferry Building, we were expecting something Borough Marketesque but we were rather disappointed. However, after getting our ferry tickets we picked up some half decent breakfast sandwiches and took in the view.









It was soon time to catch the ferry to Sausalito and the famous views mentioned in all the guide books were delivered as promised.









Once we arrived we took a short walk before having lunch at Poggio which was a nice upmarket Italian restaurant. To start we shared the 'Polpo' roasted octopus with pork belly confit, potato, frisee, poached egg. This salad was absolutely fantastic and everything tasted really fresh and was perfectly cooked. The 'Polpo' was a pretty big plate of food and could have quite easily been a full lunch for one person. To follow I had the pizza 'Salsiccia' rosemary pork sausage, spigariello, sunchoke and mozzarella. My partner had a salad with strawberries and goat's cheese which she liked. Again the quality of the food was excellent and although not a cheap lunch it was certainly a memorable one in the Sausalito sun. After lunch we had a walk along by the marina before catching the bus back over the Golden Gate Bridge and into San Francisco. Top tip: If you see a little old lady struggling to cross the road, chances are she'll be helping you more than you help her as she runs the tourist information booth!









After getting off the bus we walked a few blocks through the financial district to MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) which was free to enter as it was the first Tuesday of the month.









Unfortunately I had misjudged the opening times so we only had an hour or so to look around. We saw 'Rineke Dijkstra: A Retrospective' (which I had seen some of before at a TATE Modern exhibition on Street Photography) and we also caught some of 'Photography in Mexico: Selected Works from the Collections of SFMOMA' and 'Daniel Greenberg and Susan Steinhauser Descriptive Acts' which contained pictures of an Indian Girl talking about her plans for growing up which you could listen to on the provided headphones this was juxtaposed with a wall projection where the artist typed a live commentary about her reactions to what she felt those in the room thought about her art. If you're reading, contrary to what you thought about my opinion of your piece I really enjoyed it, but due to catching a little too much sun earlier in the day it may not have looked like it. Anyway, it was a shame we couldn't spend more time here but with a 5:30 close we had to leave.



We had a short rest in the Yerba Buena Gardens across the road from MOMA before doing a bit of shopping on Market Street.



With dinner time fast approaching we were not too hungry so we looked around to see where we could eat. After much debate (which is the reason I try to research and book our restaurants in advance) we remembered seeing a Cheesecake Factory sign somewhere. I think the only reason we wanted to go there was due to its frequent mentions on The Big Bang Theory. After realising it was at the top of the Macy's we went up to take a look. This plan was soon shot down as fast as we went up, the queue was enormous and almost ended up going back in to the lift from where it came. So after that we decided to go for some vintage Burger King. Staying on the TV show theme as a child I used to love Saved by the Bell, it was always a great show to start the day for many, many reasons. Well, this Burger King looked like it once doubled for the restaurant in Saved by the Bell. Unfortunately the food was not in the same league as the TV show and certainly worse than anything we ate during the trip with the exception of my BA bacon roll on the flight home. We choose cardboard chicken nugget things, the dry whopper, aged chips and even some vintage '92 Fanta (The '97 is much better IMHO). To top it off they even had some very old arcade machines in the corner, perhaps on loan from the Musée Mécanique. They would be better off closing this place down as a restaurant, hire in a few actors and re-open it as the "Saved by the Bell Experience", now that I'd pay for. Sadly we paid for dinner instead.





After a terrible but highly amusing end to our day it was time for bed as tomorrow we were off to Las Vegas!

Spymon

We started the morning at Starbucks for a quick breakfast before checking out and going to the airport. Check out at the Intercontinental was very rapid taking all of about 30 seconds to hand back the room keys. They know their typical customers don't like to hang around. We took the BART to the airport and then caught the air train to Terminal 2. There was a small queue at check in, we stupidly chose the self-service machines meaning we had to pay the $50 for our baggage by card rather than cash. After dropping off our bags we went through security which was fairly quick and uneventful. As we were traveling on Virgin America we did not have lounge access, but there was some good news as one of the bars was showing Chelsea vs Benfica, much to the annoyance of my partner.



After a short wait at the gate boarding started. With Virgin America First Class and Main Cabin Select customer board first and then they board in sections by letter from the back of the plane which works pretty well.

Our flight was on a very new looking A319 called Cloud Cutter. Inside the main cabin has black leather seats and all the seats have access to the IFE system, we had seats 13E and F.







The cabin is lit with purple and blue mood lighting. Perfect to get you in the mood for a trip to Vegas! Once the taxi to the run way began the safety film started. In a bid to get people to watch they have gone with a more comic approach, judging by the laughter at least some of it seemed to be taken in. I'm sure there are you tube videos available for those interested. Once up in the air we had some spectacular views from the window.







During the flight there is a drinks run with complementary soft drinks.



At the end of an otherwise smooth flight we had an extremely bumpy approach and landing. After that we got a brief look at the Las Vegas strip as we completed the taxi to the gate. LAS is an interesting airport and the only one I know that contains a whole host of slot machines inside the terminal building. Being a domestic flight we were quickly off the plane, through to baggage reclaim and out to the shuttle pick up point. After realising all the shuttle companies charged roughly the same we ended up choosing Showtime to take us to our hotel. Their poor timekeeping actually came to the rescue at the end of our trip. Our mini bus twisted and turned through the hotels on the strip, bumping along the road till we arrived at THEhotel at Mandalay Bay where the next part of this report continues.

peersteve

Sounds wonderful, and cleverly written! How did you handle the jet-lag after going all the way to SFO?

Looking forward to your thoughs on Vegas....... the FT'ers have been giving advice to a young Britisher (in another thread) taking his first trip to the USA, with Grand Canyon, SF and LA.....and we suggested adding a night in Las Vegas as a convenient travel connection point and an uniquely American town!

Spymon

We were dropped off near the valet parking area of THEhotel which I initially thought was some kind of service area. We took our luggage through the big dark doors and in to the lobby, eventually finding the check in area (the lobby is in an L shape and from this entrance you hit the corner of the L). After a short wait in line we checked in. The person checking us in looked over to his supervisor asking why this booking was in “hold” status. In my head one of two things had happened, either AMEX had messed up the booking or we may be looking at an upgrade. The supervisor had a quick look and asked us if we'd like a complementary upgrade to a top floor penthouse suite, but it would be about half an hour. We more than gladly took up the offer and we were also given the details of our other FHR benefits. Keys in hand we sat down for an over priced pastry and orange juice before heading up to our suite.



After finding the correct set of lifts (the first set didn't go to the top!) We pressed 62 on the lift, the top floor is actually 64 where they have a restaurant/bar but that technicality didn't really matter. Arriving on the 62nd floor the corridors looked like a David Lynch film shot by Wong Kar Wai. Thankfully none of the guests on our floor would resemble characters from a David Lynch film.



We arrived at our suite just as housekeeping were finishing up and what a suite!! 1500 sqft of prime Las Vegas Luxury! The suite had a living room with a dining table for 8, a couple of large sofas, a big screen TV with CD/DVD/VHS players, a study, a second toilet and a bar area. The bedroom had its own living room with another TV, a bathroom (with very nice L'Occitane products) with two sinks, hot tub, shower, another toilet and then the bedroom, which also had its own TV and a huge walk in wardrobe. However, saving the best till last we had an amazing view over the Las Vegas strip. All that was missing were friends and champagne, sadly we had no friends here to invite and the champagne probably cost more than the room.













After we unpacked we decided to walk along the strip through the casinos to take in some atmosphere before dinner. Mandalay Bay links directly to the Luxor (the big black pyramid) and then on to Excalibur (Disney on heroin). After this we finally found an exit to the street and some natural light. From here it was past New York, New York and then it was time to walk back to Mandalay Bay for dinner.







We had dinner at Charlie Palmer Steak at the Four Seasons. Walking through the Casino floor at Mandalay Bay we arrived at the entrance to the Four Seasons, there was a strong breeze blowing through the corridors that were otherwise empty, was this place haunted? We arrived at Charlie Palmer Steak and took a quick look at the menu to confirm that the 'Cut of the Week' set meal was available. We had a nice quiet table at the back of the restaurant and were topped up with water and fresh bread whilst browsing the menu, strangely enough no mention of the 'Cut of the Week' menu, so we asked for it and with a slightly hangdog look it was brought over. It seemed the vast majority of people dining that evening shared our idea and the wait staff shared the same sad, hangdog look when that menu was requested. That was the only sour note service wise as after we ordered everything was flawless. The menu changes weekly and consists of 3 courses for $48 per person with a starter (prawn and blue cheese salad), main (hanger steak with sides of snow peas and mashed potato), and a cheesecake for dessert with a second mini dessert of an ice cream sandwich biscuit. To add to this unlimited wine (in reality 2 glasses per course) that was paired to match the food. That meal left us full for the next 24 hours and then some, the steak was gigantic and cooked perfectly, the whole meal and the wine were really very good. After a coffee to try and liven the senses it was up to bed for a perfect night time view of the strip (Sadly our camera is nowhere near good enough to capture the view in all its majesty, but my Xperia S did a reasonable job - click on the image below to see for yourself!).



Whilst we were out the hotel had done a turn down service and left us a few bottles of complementary Fiji water. We needed an early night for tomorrow it was a 5:30 am start for our trip to the Grand Canyon

Spymon

In my head I handled it fine, in reality it was a different story as my head couldn't cope with any deviation from the plans I'd made from the trip, the smaller the difference the worse it was. I'm glad I have two days off before going back to work as my head is fried today!

Glad you liked the report so far. Plenty more to come in the next 24 hrs as I recover from the jet lag!

Spymon

The perfect antidote to the neon glow of Las Vegas is the natural beauty of the Grand Canyon. The perfect antidote to a wine fueled dinner and not much sleep is not a long bus journey that leaves at 5:30am. Oh well, you can't have it all... We were a little unsure as to whether we should do a Grand Canyon trip from Vegas, after all you spend more time driving there and back then you spend at the Canyon and after all the hype there was a pretty high chance of a let down. In short there are numerous companies that will take you to the Grand Canyon at various different price points. First choice is South Rim or West Rim, most reports say you get to see the most from the South Rim, so we chose that. Second choice is type of trip, at the top end you can do a helicopter tour, after that you have a small group tour, and then you have a large group tour. After much debate and research we booked a small group tour with Grand Adventures for $140 per person who specialise in small group tours of 10 or less to the Grand Canyon. The day did not start well as either my jet lagged brain or the tour company had got the pick up time wrong by 20 minutes and with the strict instructions to be there on time and the first two calls we made to the company not picked up we were expecting a scam. After the initial scare the tour could not have gone better. Our driver and guide who I think was called Kevin was fantastic. First impressions are important and he was really on the ball and quite chatty considering it was around 6am. We picked up the rest of our tour, a family of three from The Luxor that kept themselves to themselves and a friendly couple taking a break from the kids that we picked up from Vdara.

Grand Adventures are very specific on their website as to the kind of experience on offer and the itinerary to expect. This was in stark contrast to a number of the other companies offering tours. Our first stop was breakfast at “The Golden Arches” or Mc Donalds in Bolder. When you are abroad it's the little differences you notice the most. I had my usual egg and bacon thing, but unlike back at home where this is served in an English muffin, here you have it served on a 'biscuit', or what I would call a scone. As many on here follow the BA board they will no doubt be aware of the various afternoon tea threads discussing at length all aspects of scone, cream, jam and butter from pronunciation to order applied to the scone. Unfortunately they made no indication as to the correct order for sausage, bacon and egg... After eating I can conclude that you are better off with the English muffin than a 'biscuit' (or scone) which just doesn't feel right. All this was washe[img]htd down with a cup of coffee, which considering the quality of much of the coffee in the US of A was actually not too bad. I always wonder what many visitors from the US make of the Italian Espresso?



After breakfast we were back in the van for a photo opportunity with the Hoover Dam. When we arrived we were the only tour group present and we had the bridge opposite the dam to ourselves so we could snap away as much as we wanted. Kevin, our guide filled us on on the history of the dam and the naming of the bridge we were standing on, he also took pictures of us with the dam as a backdrop. As we headed back to the van we saw another Grand Adventures group shortly followed by a huge double decker coach load of tourists. I was feeling a little better about the extra money spent on this tour rather than the cheaper coach tour option. As Kevin explained to us, the whole reason Grand Adventures was started was due to the founder enduring a horrible coach trip from Vegas to the Grand Canyon. The trip was apparently so bad he decided to set up a company providing the complete opposite levels of service to the coach journey he took. After the dam we drove on for another hour or so to Kingman, Arizona where we had a quick rest and fuel stop before continuing on with our journey.



The next stopping point on our trip was in Seligman, Arizona which is the start of the historic Route 66 and a prime example of an image of Americana that helps us foreigners shape a view of what the US is like outside of a bustling metropolis like New York. We learnt a little of the history of Route 66 and its death and rebirth as a historic tourist route. Seligman is famous for being the first part of Route 66 to be restored after the majority of it had been allowed to fall in to disrepair. It is also famous for providing some of the inspiration to the Disney film Cars. After our short stop here it was on to Grand Canyon National Park and the canyon to see what we had driven all this way for. Thanks to the frequent rest stops and Kevin's commentary the hours on the road flew by and it felt like in no time at all we had reached our destination.





We started our tour from the Grand Canyon Visitor Center where we got our first views of the Grand Canyon which was pretty spectacular. We had around 3-3.5 hours following the walking trail along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon with lots of photo stops, a picnic lunch and lots of history about the Grand Canyon and the surrounding area. Here is a situation where the photos definitely do say more than a thousand words.









We took a the free shuttle bus back to our start point with one last opportunity for souvenirs, photos and the toilets, before heading back to the van for our trip home. The trip back was a little more subdued than on the way there due to everyone's tiredness kicking in with some of the group taking a nap. We learnt that after today our van was being retired after clocking up over 400,000 miles in a pretty short space of time. A historic end to a fantastic day out. After being a little bit worried about booking this company due to the crazy amount of positive feedback on Trip Advisor contrasted by a couple of Google reviews stating the Trip Advisor comments were faked I am happy to say we had a great time. Kevin was a fantastic guide and offered the kind of personal service that you could never get with a coach load of 100+ people. He seemed very genuine the whole time and also helped us capture some great photos that will hopefully trigger a lifetime of memories. After saying our goodbyes and heading back to our suite it was time for a rest and a little bit of dinner before bed.

After the indulgence of Charlie Palmer Steak the night before we wanted something a lot less filling and also a lot less expensive! Having spent the previous week researching the restaurants at Mandalay Bay I suggested Burger Bar as it seemed quick and not too expensive. My partner had other ideas and thought we'd find something better. An hour later after checking every single restaurant inside of Mandalay Bay we were back at Burger Bar for dinner. We had a booth and I ordered a 'Hubert Keller Burger' which was topped with spinach and blue cheese with a red wine and shallot reduction. My partner went with the 'American Classic' which came with cheese and bacon. The salad that is normally served inside the bun had de-constructed its way out of the burger and right on the plate. Both were served with skinny fries and I washed mine down with what was supposed to be a local larger that tasted more like an ale... Service was stereotypically American, with our server seemingly powered by endless enthusiasm or perhaps something more potent. This kind of enthusiasm does not go down too well in the UK, usually seen only when buying clothes at the Gap. For me you have to say it like you mean it and judging by the lack of any attempt at personal interaction from our server the enthusiasm clearly was not genuine but merely a means to the 20% tip. Anyway, service and the food were fine and it was off to bed to enjoy our hot tub and the twinkling lights from the 62nd floor. Tomorrow we were heading back to San Francisco for the final leg of our trip.

Spymon

Today was our last day in Vegas, time to say goodbye to our wonderful suite, the casinos, restaurants and all that amazing artifice that makes Las Vegas the surreal place it is. We started with breakfast at THEcafe at THEhotel as we wanted to make use of our breakfast credit. Once again by the time we got down to breakfast it was more like brunch. I had the beautifully named 'Sausage Fest' which consisted of two eggs (mine were poached), a big slice of hash brown potatoes and 4 sausages, two rather nice ones, one rather spicy one and one with enough fat inside it to cause an on the spot heart attack. My partner chose the equally filling and unhealthy '2 Egg Breakfast' which came with sausage and hash browns. We washed this down with a pot of okay tasting coffee and some orange juice. How I finished this breakfast I will never know. Suitably filled with enough calories and cholesterol we decided to walk the strip again and hopefully catch a few other places we had not yet seen. Following the same route as two nights before through Luxor and Excalibur we walked through the City Center, (how I imagine Dubai might be) which consists of shiny buildings filled with high end retail stores and huge luxury hotel towers. After this we had a good laugh at the recreation of Paris where everything was “Le” something just in case you forgot you were in Vegas! Having spent many happy times in Paris I was not confused for a moment, for starters in Paris people only queue for bread and here there were queues everywhere... After that we took a quick peek at the Bellagio though I was disappointed we did not get to see the Venetian after hearing how tacky it was supposed to be. Oh well, maybe one day I will go to Vegas again.











At this point I had made another fatal error of judgement. We were supposed to get our shuttle from the hotel to the airport in about 30 minutes for what had been around an hours walk. We knew if the shuttle was a minute or two late and with a good plan we would just make it in time rather than having to fork out some silly money for a taxi ride. Step one, monorail. Sadly this was only a short an expensive hop that makes the HEX look like good value for money, but it seemingly got us half way back only to lead us the long way through the MGM Grand. At this point we were still just about on time. It was then a hurried dash, though in Las Vegas it's more like an agitated shuffle through Excalibur and Luxor back to Mandalay Bay. Step 2 was completed with arrival at Mandalay Bay. We had five minutes to get up to the room, get our bags, check out and get on the bus. When you are late you wish you were anywhere but the 62nd floor. Dashing downstairs I queued to check out and my partner went to what she thought was the drop off point. Whilst I was waiting to check out she called me to say that the shuttle was 10 minutes late and the pick up point was somewhere else on the complete opposite side of the casino floor. After completing check out and with a map in hand I raced as quickly as possible zigzagging through the tables and slots arriving about 15 minutes late. Thankfully the nice people at Showtime were also running late, more like 30 minutes late. The couple next to use were upset as any later and they would miss their flight. Once on board it was a barely 10 minute drive to the airport and we arrived exactly on time.

Check in and security were largely uneventful apart from the lady in front of me accidentally leaving a half litre bottle of water in her carry on bag and then making out it wasn't hers much to the annoyance of her daughter. After security we grabbed some drinks and made our way to the gate. After a short wait we boarded, this time 12E and F and this time I got the window! The return leg was much the same as the outbound. In short, new comfy aircraft with IFE, mood lighting and a free soft drink. Around 90 minutes later we touched down at SFO where we walked quickly to baggage reclaim then on to the air train and the BART to Montgomery Street for the Palace Hotel.

Spymon

For me this was an amazing end to the day and a great way to be reintroduced to San Francisco after the artifice of Las Vegas. I had relatively low expectations of the Palace as most of the reports said that once you got past the lobby the rooms themselves were small and in need of renovation. There were also a few reports to say the service was less than stellar. Anyway, a short walk from the BART along New Montgomery Street and we wheeled our cases up the ramp and through the doors.



We didn't immediately see the check in area which was just off to the side. A very friendly gentleman looked up my reservation and became even more friendly when we saw that I had booked through FHR and had added my SPG Gold status to the booking. He informed me we had been upgraded to a Palace Suite (a 4 category upgrade!) and went through all the FHR and SPG gold benefits we could make use of. I was then thanked again for my business before we headed up to the 4th floor. Again, my expectations were pretty low, from reading FT almost any large room can get palmed off as a suite and besides after that huge suite in Las Vegas we had surely used up the all our luck for the trip. We open the door into what seems like a decent sized room with a bathroom off to the right. Oh well, it's a nice room, pretty much what I'd hoped for. Then my partner noticed another door at the back of the room. We walk through it to find a huge living room. It looked like the kind of place you would sit and have afternoon tea whilst interviewing a head of state. I really liked this suite, there was a nice view on to Market Street from the living room, the sofas were comfortable and it gave off a wonderful nostalgia of staying with my Grandparents. A word of caution to those considering staying here, yes, the room is a little worn around the edges but in my opinion in only adds to the charm here more than anything else but I'm pretty sure it would bother some people.







After settling in and finding out the neither the Queen or Mr. Sarkozy were in town for a night cap we decided to head over to the Pied Piper bar for a drink and dinner. We later found out that Mr. Cameron was available but we made our excuses... The Pied Piper was an interesting place, it looks very old world, with lots of dark wood, a huge Maxfield Parrish painting above the bar that gives the place its name, low lighting and an imposing bottle filled bar area. However, it is contrasted by the two large TVs showing sports. The crowd inside is much the same, all ages and backgrounds so we felt reasonably at home. I'm sure somewhere decked out like this in London would not have the same homey feel. We took a seat near the window, behind a group of rather loud people who thankfully left shortly after we arrived. Our waiter and barman for the evening took some drinks orders for us. I had 'The Charlie Chaplin' and my partner had an 'Anjou'. After a little confusion that we wanted a food menu as well, I ordered the 'Chicken Club Sandwich' and my partner had the 'Signature Pied Piper Prawn Salad' but with a substitute dressing as she was worried that the Thai dressing would be too spicy. Our waiter offered her the option to try both dressings to make sure it would be all right. In the end she chose the milder option without trying it first. Both the drinks were excellent, to start with, 'The Charlie Chaplin' is an absinthe and whiskey based cocktail, whilst it is very easy to sip away at, this drink is as potent as it is well balanced; proceed with caution unless you want to be carried back to your room. The 'Anjou' was tasty as well but nowhere near as lethal! Soon our food arrived, I had a well proportioned club sandwich with lots of chicken which was filling without being rich, just what I wanted after all that heavy Vegas food. The Pied Piper salad showed much less restraint, it was a tasty giant, with huge king prawns poking out from amongst the leaves.









Shortly after our dinner plates were cleared it was time to return to our room to soak up the atmosphere over a cup of coffee and the sex survey results from a men's magazine. Although disappointing at the time it was a good idea not to have had another cocktail, or else the evening could have taken a turn for the dangerous. It was now time for bed, as tomorrow we had a busy day people watching in the Mission district and that was just for starters...

Spymon

After a nice refreshing shower we headed down to breakfast at The Garden Court. We took a little peak at it the night before and it looked just as grand as described. It's famous for being used in the David Fincher film, The Game as well as being a grand place for breakfast or brunch. After we settled down at our table we began to debate the best hotel breakfast we'd ever had. For the both of us it is still the Park Hyatt in Hamburg thanks to a ridiculous choice of food and excellent service. Though if the criteria was purely on atmosphere alone then The Garden Court at the Palace wins hands down. The breakfast buffet was pretty good as well. I started with some fruit and a pastry followed by a few hot items. My partner took a slightly healthier option. Anyway we were suitably fueled for the day ahead. After checking a few directions for later on it was with regret we said farewell to our suite and checked out of the Palace, leaving our bags for later on where we would wheel them 10 minutes up the hill to the Taj Campton Place.

Finally, after waiting the whole week I finally got to take one of the historic street cars from just near the hotel all the way up to Church Street by the Mission Dolores.





We took a few photos of some of the funkier houses in the Castro before walking along to the Mission.



Stupidly I lost my bearings as the landmark I had in mind was on 18th Street and not 16th Street, so yet again we ended up strolling a good twenty minutes out of our way as I had not looked at my map properly. The original plan was to pick up a bite to eat at Tartine or an ice cream from the place across the road. Thanks to both the queues and our substantial breakfast we just walked straight over to the park for some people watching and a rest. It was another glorious sunny day in San Francisco so people were out in force with BBQs, picnics, dogs etc.





After a while we made our way to the bus stop to get the bus back up to the Haight-Ashbury area in the hope to find a gift or two for my partner's sister. The bus was pretty busy thanks to a large gap in the service and the glorious sunshine attracting many people to head towards Golden Gate Park. After a quick detour around the edge of the park and a giant pretzel we noticed the crowd here at the weekend is pretty different to that earlier in the week. It's a lot more family orientated and there's a lot less 'smoke' in the air. We strolled down Haight looking for a gift and enjoying the view but to no avail.





As we had drawn a blank so far on gifts I suggested we visit the Cable Car Museum. We got the bus back into town and struggled our way up the hill as we didn't feel like queueing for a cable car. The museum itself was not overly exciting but you can see the cable car mechanisms that power all the cable car lines as well as the whole history of cable cars in San Francisco and the USA. The other thing was that it had plenty of souvenirs we could buy as gifts to take home with us to her family. After the museum we headed back to the Palace to collect our bags.

We walked the ten minutes or so from the Palace to Taj Campton Place which is opposite the Grand Hyatt.



Although there was nobody to open the door for us, check in was good. All the FHR amenities were explained to us in full and we had received a 1 category upgrade from a California room to a Deluxe room on the 14th floor (pretty near the top of the hotel). Whereas we were blown away with the rooms at our last two hotels this one was underwhelming in comparison and it was the only place where we got what we expected. That being said the room felt comfortable and luxurious with a nice view from the lounger by the window. There were also Molton Brown products in the bathroom and they always go down well with me!





The main reason for staying here however was to try out the restaurant. As we'd not blown all our money already we were able to treat ourselves to three courses and some drinks. The restaurant had recently received its first Michelin star in 2011 so hopefully we'd not be disappointed.

We went to eat around 8:30. Service in the restaurant was formal but not overly stuffy as the wait staff seemed to be enjoying their work as much as we enjoyed the food. Interestingly if you come with a handbag you get a little cushion at your side to place it on, this is something I've not seen before. We started off with some cocktails, I had something akin to a Gin and Tonic and my partner had a Kir Royal made with Crement rather than Champagne. Food kicked off with a couple of amuse-bouches, the first of which was a fish tartare which had I known I'd probably not have eaten, but it was actually very tasty. This was then followed by a second amuse-bouche which was also doing the trick at nicely cleansing the palate ahead of the starters. I had ordered the spicy lentil soup which is served in an unusual way, the plate is put down with the main ingredients, crab and radish on show in neat little piles, the soup is then poured on over the top. This soup was delicious, lightly spiced to complement the crab, a strong start. My partner had the asparagus which also went down a treat. Next up were the mains. I went with the rabbit which was cooked three different ways, a slightly too rare but beautifully tender rack of rabbit, some rabbit kidneys and a rabbit ragu with tagliatelle. My partner went with the duck, which was beautifully presented and cooked as she likes it, a proper medium rare. After a small debate we went for some desserts. Breaking from my usual tradition of only ordering chocolate based desserts I went with the 'Bruleed Brioche' and my partner went with the 'Carrots and Yoghurt' (better than it sounds) which consisted of a super moist carrot cake and sorbet. Unlike our previous fine dining experience last year at Castle Terrace in Edinburgh, the food here seemed to have a better balance to it and all the dishes worked well together. Perhaps that's the difference between good food and a great meal? Also we were comfortably full rather than feeling slightly ill by the end of the meal. In addition the service felt genuine, at least to some degree, instead of just following a service routine, which to me is really important. It was a good but expensive meal, thank goodness for that $100 food and beverage credit! With that we went off to bed and prepared ourselves to say farewell to San Francisco.

chicagodesi

great TR! love the pics and your style of writing..looking forward to more!

Spymon

Sadly this trip was drawing to a close, but there was still time for a few more highlights. We started off the day where we finished the last, in the restaurant at the Taj, but this time for breakfast. They take service seriously in the restaurant here, even at breakfast and Sachin, our server was dismayed to find that the white napkin did not match my partners black trousers and went to get her a more appropriate black one. The level of service at breakfast is no different to that at dinner. We were given a choice of seating options, a menu, asked if we have any special dietary requirements or food allergies and also if we have any questions about the menu. I don't think I've ever seen this level of detail at breakfast before. We both were started off with what tasted like freshly squeezed orange juice, a pot of coffee and some iced water whilst we got stuck into the menus. In the end we both went with the American breakfast and this is probably the best American breakfast I'd ever eaten. I had the poached eggs with Canadian bacon, my partner went with scrambled eggs and apple smoked bacon. We were asked how we'd like our eggs which was a refreshing change. I had fried potatoes with my breakfast and my partner went with the fruit. We also got four slices of toast, a huge croissant and a pain au chocolat as well. The food was really, really tasty and felt like it had been made to order rather than kept warm under a lamp. Sadly we only managed half the toast and ran out of room for the croissant. Anyway, the FHR credit covered all but the tip. A really solid start to the day and just what you want with a ten hour flight to come later on.

My partner was flying out four hours before me on United, so after walking her down to the BART trying very hard to ignore the 'Jesus Lady' who was singing and preaching away with the passion of the Christ for all to hear. I went back to the hotel to confirm a late check out and have a wander round town. My poor sense of direction got the better of me as I meant to walk up to Chinatown which was about a block up the road. Instead I ended up taking the scenic walk up Nob Hill and down into Chinatown from there.





However, it was a really nice walk in the sunshine and it helped to walk off a little of the breakfast. From Chinatown I circled round to take some exterior shots of the hotels where we'd stayed previously and about two hours later arrived back to the Taj for a little rest and a bit of NBA action on the TV before my flight back.









Soon it was time to check out and the sad realisation of how much money we'd burnt staying at the Taj sank in. It was a really nice stay but somehow the night before at the Palace felt more homely, the suite in Vegas more special and the Intercontinental better value. The food was excellent at the Taj but the rest felt a little bit of a let down considering that it was around $70 more than anywhere else on the trip, it was just missing that x-factor from elsewhere.

Anyway, it was now time for me to make the more than familiar trip on the BART to get to SFO. Thankfully 'Jesus Lady' had departed the station and it was peaceful again. After a 15 minute wait I was aboard the BART and bound for the airport and I can now talk about the part of the trip that I'm sure most people reading this forum are interested in, my first time flying BA Club World. My first Club experience got off to a great start, after walking down to the BA check in area there was no queue for Club check in and I had a lady from Special Services doing my check in. She was very friendly, acknowledged it was my first time in Club and made sure I was aware of all the benefits, lounges, fast track, and advised me to take advantage of my my full baggage allowance next time! I was handed my boarding pass for seat 63A with a nice priority stamp. I was given a brief farewell as the nice lady told me she'd be at the lounge for boarding as well.

As a little aside it was with a huge amount of luck (and far too much time spent on FT) that I ended up in 63A. First of all thanks to here I learnt about UUAs and also that availability often opens up nearer the flight. I spent almost every day checking for availability and a week out it paid off. 12500 Avios later and I had my Club World seat. Secondly, thanks to FT I had managed to get hold of the Cathay Pacific Marco Polo Gold card through AMEX, and additionally thanks to here I found out you could have both the BA number on the booking and the Cathay number so I could select my seat in advance. Finally, again thanks to FT I found out that the best seats on the 747 for a solo traveller are the upper deck window seats, and whilst 62 and 64 A/K were gone apparently 63A is not too bad.

Moving on, security was looking awful thanks to a huge school group of about 50 people who had just joined the line, but after walking right to the front of the empty business class line I was through in no time at all. After that it was a short walk to the lounge, through the doors, downstairs to the lounge agents desk who seemed a bit unsure why I should be in the lounge and eventually twigged, “Oh, you're Oneworld Saphire, right this way.” It was all good from this point on, she showed me the newspapers, and explained that they would be replaced with newer ones when the inbound flight arrived. I made myself at home near the window, grabbed some crisps and apple juice and settled in with the Independent. Whilst the lounge at SFO may not look quite as shiny as the lovely LHR lounges it does have a number of benefits, first of all it's very small and private feeling with a nice view of the gate where the BA flights arrive. Secondly, the lounge staff like to bring round plates of food, I was offered and took up some bruschetta and some strawberries. Thirdly, you can board straight from the lounge! Anyway, after lounging away for a few hours with sandwiches, wine and a good newspaper it was time to say one last good bye to San Francisco and board the plane. The clue it was time to board was seeing the nice special services lady from check in lead a bunch of people from the First lounge to the gate. I followed as the call went up on the tannoy for boarding and was welcomed as promised with a whole lot of warmth at boarding pass check. “Did you enjoy the lounge?” the nice lady from special services asked. Oh yes I did, peaceful, quiet and those nice little extras mentioned above, the perfect way to prepare for a flight.







Time to get on the plane and both doors are used at SFO, the left hand one for First and Club World, the right hand for World Traveller Plus and World Traveller. I was warmly greeted at the door and the crew member told me where to find the stairs to the upper deck. I was greeted again at the top of the stairs and made my way to my seat. My first impressions of the upper deck are that it's small and private due to the lack of seats. Everything felt nice and relaxed. A blanket and the noise canceling headphones were left on the seat. I had a quick look around 63A, four windows, four sidebins and an overhead locker to myself, no wonder everyone was so relaxed at boarding. This was a very different boarding experience to WT, which at least on BA is reasonably civilised unlike the "low cost carrier scrum" on Easyjet. On the upper deck you move in your own time, not at the time dictated by the crowd. Annoyingly my rucksack was a little too large for the side bins, so instead it sat by itself in its very own overhead bin.







For the time being I put the headphones and blanket in the side bins as it was time to try out the famous Club World seat. First impressions were a little disappointing as I felt a little too low and a little too laid back. I was about to reach for the seat guide but instead it was time for a welcome drink and despite the other offerings, champagne was the only real choice! Rather than having to fuss around with tray tables and elbow room I just placed my drink on top of the sidebins and settled in to my seat.



Guide in hand I then managed to work out how to use the privacy screen and get the seat a little more upright, between sips of champagne. It was also time to take a few snaps before the cabin began to fill up with passengers. With the screen up you begin to realise how truly private everything feels and how much space you have compared to WT, so far so good. It was soon time for taxi and take off, and rather than making me feel a little silly for not noticing the picture of the plane taking off on the seat controls and adjusting it the other way, the female crew member advised me I might be more comfortable in a different position and kindly reclined me back in to place. I think menus were distributed just before take off but I didn't get much of a look as the safety film finished and we sped along the runway, up into the air and back towards London. As already noted by others, it is slightly disorienting to be seated backwards during take off but pretty comfortable all the same.