straniero

I use a Blur song as the title of this TR because I think it fits perfectly.

After years without a real holiday, at the beginning of 2014 I decide it is the right time to take the lady on a trip to the US western parks. I understand most of you FTers are Americans – you will not see any exotic destination here. But for a European, that has been quite a trip, and one of the things I had in my once-in-a-lifetime list.

Having this trip in 2014 is ideal because:

• I have some money left (strange if not incredible)
• Being CFP I can use the business upgrade on the way to the US
• Having some miles to burn I can also upgrade the flight on the way back

Playing with Matrix I manage to get this basic itinerary:

FCO-LAX-FCO for 2400 € total. This includes FCO-LAX in Y (booking class upgradeable to J with AZ BusinessForYou) and LAX-FCO in T (upgradeable to J with 35k miles per person).

Good, but I can do better. I then try to add PHX, since my itinerary will lead me there: 2200 € total.

Good, but I can still do better. I add LIN on return (since Mme straniera will have to fly to LIN anyway): 2000 € total. Ok, now I am happy with the results. I know I can still do better – or save money using other booking classes. But this is not a mileage run, it’s a holiday, and besides, I can score two J flights at what I consider a fair price: 1000 € per person.

I call CFP call center and in some 30 minutes, adjusting the flight dates, I have my tickets reserved with confirmed upgrades. Due to unavailability of upgrade space on the way back, I opt for a LAX-JFK-FCO.

The final itinerary is then:

FCO-LAX (AZ J) – LAX-PHX (DL Y)
LAX-JFK (DL Y) – JFK-FCO (AZ J) – FCO-LIN (AZ Y)

During this trip we will see, in this order:

Phoenix – Oak Creek – Grand Canyon – Flagstaff – Monument valley – Lake Powell – St. George – Zion national – Bryce Canyon – Kodachrome basin – Dixie forest – Brian Head (!) – Salt Lake City – Idaho Falls – Yellowstone – San Francisco – Stockton – Yosemite – Tulare – Sequoia – Ridgecrest – Death valley – Rhyolite – Las Vegas – Los Angeles.

Red for the car, blue for flights, trains or buses:



The final program looks like this: 14 days, ~6000 mi / 10000 km, 14 Hilton properties, 2 hand luggages and 2 bags, 4 rented cars, 3 buses, 2 internal flights and 1 train – the California Zephyr! Things will change during the holiday, thanks to a landslide and a bunch of hobos, but not so much.

We will not be able to explore everything top to bottom, but at least we will get a grasp of everything and may decide to come back someday to the most impressive places.

Day 1

Fast forward a couple of months and it’s departure day!

We head for the airport using the dirty local train and get past immigration in a minute.

The plane – not very visible from my position:





The lounge is meh, like every other airside lounge at FCO:



but luckily after a little while it’s boarding time.

FCO-LAX
AZ 620
10:20 22:25 (14:25 local)
Seat 05E / 05G (J)

Gates open and I am immediately selected for hand luggage check. Now, I have nothing against baggage checks – they sort of make me feel better knowing someone does some actual checks sometimes. What irritates me is the guard rummaging through my things without wearing gloves. After my remark gloves magically appear, though. Since I’m not carrying anything illegal (or at least I’m very good at hiding… hey, just kidding!) they let me go and we can reach our seats.

Some pics of the cabin:
The very private 5L seat:



Rest of the cabin:





View from the seat:



Compared to my last AZ TATL flight, which I carefully reviewed here, this plane seems clean and less worn out.

Now, one small excursus about Mme straniera. She is worried because it’s her first flight outside of Europe, she is not a huge fan of flying (ye, I know… she must have other qualities /angel) and it will last 14+ hours. Even though I spent the last three weeks mentioning how on a big plane you feel turbulences way less and how the flights are mostly uneventful, she spent the last three weeks claiming she will be too worried to even get out of her seat to go the bathroom and she will be scared for 14+ hours by any unnatural noise she hears.

Knowing that all, I opt for a shock therapy made of booze and ugly movies. This proved to work on several other occasions and I am confident it will work this time as well.

The difference is noticeable: here she is after sitting down, pretending to be calm and smiling (the black stripes ruin the effect but I need to protect the innocents):



and here she is after welcome-on-board sparkles and red wines during lunch:



As you can see, a smile is appearing on her cheeks. Mission accomplished! I am also happy to report she managed to get up from her seat at least 4 times, and she also *dared* to open the curtain on the galley window to see outside. Upon landing she said: lovely! And in a minute, she was convinced to RTW in 2015. But that’s another story, and hopefully another TR.

Back to this TR, shortly after takeoff tables are set and lunch starts.
Standard AZ layout. I love the salt and pepper thingies:



Choice of wines: Montefalcone rosso DOP Colpetrone 2001 and Joel Vigneti Storici Garda DOP Classico Groppello Ca’ Maiol 2011: 9 / 10. As usual, no pics, but lots of glasses.

Country style cheesed filled pizza: 8 / 10. Good. Far better than the frozen carrots from my other TR.



FAs bring the tray to the cabin and prepare the dish in front of you, asking what pasta you want (both) and how much you want (much):



Matera style cavatelli and basil and tomato pasta: 10 / 10. Yummi! Being Italian, I am picky about three things, and one of these is food. Eating pasta al dente on a plane makes me happy. Double round and I’m ready for the main course.



Bari style veal: 8 / 10. Soft and tender, very tasteful.



Licorice cake: 9 / 10. I also eat my gf’s since she’s stuffed.



Dessert wine: Semèle Montefalco Sagrantino Passito DOCG Signae Cesarini Sartori 2007 barely visible on the left: 8 / 10. I’m not a huge fan of passito, but it is good nonetheless. This sentence is copied over from the other TR, as is the wine.

Several glasses of red wine after, it’s time for some pics. We are there:



Golly gosh, the banchisa!









The flight goes on uneventful and I can get some sleep. I also remember watching a movie but cannot remember which one.

Fully lie flat:



Trying crosswords after all the wine is bad.

Somewhere between here



and there



breakfast is served.

Breakfast: 7,5 / 10. I was still stuffed and did not enjoy it as much as I could. My vote could have been higher otherwise.



After landing in time, we get to the immigration and clear it in less than 10 minutes. I think this is one of the perks of being among the first to disembark, in fact while we get out I see hordes and hordes of people approaching and I’m happy to be through already.



This thing moves. Not in my pic, but it moves.



We change terminal and get to Delta lounge:



I can’t think of a single reason why I would photograph the roof, but here goes:



After 3 long hours it’s time to board the flight to PHX.

LAX-PHX
DL 4598
18:06 19:27
Seats 05A 05B (Y)

Just a quick shot of the cabin:



and a hanging plane (I think we’re in PHX already – after 16 hours of flight, 3 hours of wait and with my body thinking it’s 5 am the day after I am feeling a bit dizzy)



We get to the Phoenix Hilton Garden Inn:

straniero

Day 2

The morning after I start with a light breakfast:



My American lifestyle!

Just to make it clear: I love that food, I ate the best burgers ever during this holiday, and I love this country – I wouldn’t be flying there for holidays otherwise. However, the difference with my food habits is quite noticeable here.

We ask the person at the reception how to get to the Enterprise rent a car and he, with extreme kindness, organizes for the Hilton pick up to take us there for free. We get a Chevrolet Sonic and spend the next 20 minutes with the lady telling us how to drive automatic. I must admit I have been absolutely impressed by the kindness and the level of service we got in Arizona and afterwards in Utah and Idaho – a level unthinkable for current Italian standards. We have lots to learn in this regard.

Anyway, we hop on the car and begin our trip towards Oak Creek:





Skunk road (literally translated from Italian):



Someone with a huge cactus in the back of the truck:



And we finally get to Oak Creek and Sedona:





It took me a while to see Snoopy’s belly:



Lunch in Sedona and we’re off to Grand Canyon:



We look for a helicopter ride but the winds are too strong and all flights are canceled for the day. Too bad!

The Canyon is impressive and pics cannot show how vast it is:













On the way back:









After the visit we head to Hilton Flagstaff Garden Inn:







I just remember this from dinner:

straniero

Day 3

The day after we wake up early and rush to Monument Valley:





When we get there the weather is cloudy, and we decide to have lunch before strolling around. Notwithstanding the look, it is not bad:



Right after lunch we take the Sentinel Mesa foot path (I dare not use the Sonic on dirt roads) and as soon as we’re approaching the mesas and we are far away from the base camp, what looks like a sandstorm begins. Olé!











We get back to the car and return to Hilton Flagstaff Doubletree:

straniero

Day 4

Usual light breakfast and then Antelope canyon!



I love and I love and I love all of this:















The weather is still not good and I am sure the colors here are far more beautiful than what we see, but the canyon is still fascinating. The Navajo guide explains the history of the canyon in a tour that lasts approximately one hour. It is not possible to visit the canyon without a guided tour.

Going down:



Trying to hide:













On the way to St. George we stop at the panoramic view of Lake Powell:









A bus. Hey, it’s like being in a movie!



We reach Hampton Inn St. George in the late afternoon:







Creative way to use a table:



We ask the person at the reception where to eat and we are advised to go to Casa Dona Maria, a Mexican restaurant:







Fair quality, no more no less.

straniero

Day 5

Starbucks finally:



I don’t know what it is for but I like it:



Today we’re going to Zion national park. We get there mid morning and take immediately the free bus (only hotel guests or people with special permits can use the car inside the canyon).

Zion is beautiful:

















After the visit we hop on the car and run to Bryce canyon, after a quick visit to Subway that I can’t help but document here:



Bryce canyon is… wow. Just wow.











Still not happy with the day, we get to Kodachrome basin:







This park cannot be visited with the America the beautiful pass, and it’s far from the beaten path. However! It’s a wonderful park, it’s quiet, silent and not crowded, well worth a visit.

For the night we are supposed to get to Brian Head. Pics on the way…





Dixie national forest:









I chose the Hilton Brian Head hotel because of the mountain beautiful view, but when we get there, there is no Hilton property. Turns out the hotel left the Hilton chain a few weeks before. Mmm. Well mr. Hilton could have told me, instead of allowing me to make a reservation. Anyway, we get to the hotel since the reservation is valid: it is really nice, and there are very few visitors; only 3 rooms are occupied.

As beautiful as it is, I can’t help but think about the Overlook hotel.

Anyway here are the pics:





















For dinner I have probably the best steak so far, but the wines are ‘marsalati’ – they taste like liquor because the bottles have been left open since the last visitors three months before. For a 10$ glass, I’m very unhappy; I notify the waiter and he feels mortified. He gets me another glass from a new bottle and doesn’t make me pay for the wine in the end. He’s been very good in turning a bad situation into a win.

straniero

Day 6

Quick breakfast at La Boulangerie Marie:



We return the car and use this day to take Greyhounds from Cedar City to SLC and then to Idaho Falls. An entire day goes by. Now, I had a different memory of Greyhound buses – but the one we used to SLC is in very bad shape, with a noticeable smell – there are around 10 people that look like hobos going to SLC for the hobos festival (this is the word one of them uses). Also, the bus is more than 90 minutes late, and we may lose our connection in SLC.

The stop in Cedar City:





Luckily we get just in time in SLC and catch the minivan to Idaho Falls:



The difference in quality is huge. We get to Hampton Inn Idaho Falls at around 10 pm:

straniero

Day 7

Well… breakfast. Need say more? The combo sausage and muffin works wonders if you plan to spend your day stuffed and thirsty.



The day after we get a new car (a Nissan) and head to Yellowstone. The temperature is very low (we’re close to Canadian border after all) and it’s snowy:











After around two hours we enter the park:





We spend our morning surrounded by bison:











And we get to a restaurant on the upper side of the park where I enjoy a bison bratwurst (yea!) and some horrible cheese fries (ugh):



After lunch, quick visit to Liberty Cap and we move towards Grand Prismatic.















I already know by that time that I will not see it, and when we get there a snowstorm begins, so here’s the only thing I could see:



Sigh, sigh. I was so looking forward to that, even though with hindsight, I may have realized in advance that it was still winter. I’ll be back. I also obliterate a camera lens trying to use it in the storm, completely drain the camera battery and proceed to steal the gf’s tablet for the next round of photos.

Luckily, there are other springs in the park and we stop to see the beautiful Sapphire pool:





We then head to Garden Inn Idaho Falls and finish our day at Outback steakhouse. The food is very very good, and the winner of today’s name challenge goes to my dessert: Chocolate Thunder From Down Under! I feel so proud of eating it.

straniero

Day 8

Another transportation day. The Salt Lake Express bus is very clean and takes us in no time to SLC. The plan for the day is to wait a couple of hours in the train station and get the California Zephyr to Reno. Another thing I’ve been really looking forward to. However we face a few problems:

• There is no train station – or better said, there are rails and a small office (closed)
• It’s Sunday and everything is closed, except a Chinese restaurant somewhat close
• When we get back to the Bus station to wait for our 11 pm train (the two stations are at the same place), the band of hobos that we met in the bus a couple of days ago is still there and is making for an unpleasant experience to all the people in the station. We get to a point where the station guards have to intervene
• When the train office opens, we discover that our train is delayed by 12 hours because of a landslide. Oh sigh

Anyway, with the gf being uncomfortable (and me not that happy either), we check the various solutions we have and decide for a hotel in SLC and a day driving to San Francisco the day after. The hotel is, needless to say, the Hampton Inn Salt Lake City, where we arrive at about midnight:

straniero

Day 9

Light breakfast! I’m getting older.



Taxi to the airport (the rental offices there open sooner than in the rest of the city), we rent a Passat and we get ready to face 10 hours driving through Nevada. Nevada, by the way, is beautiful, for what we can see, even though we decide not to stop to take pictures since the road ahead is long. Just a quick stop in Winnemucca to finally try Taco Bell: tasty!



Potato road!



The scenery changes dramatically from Nevada to California, and after a long while we return the car at the SFO airport and take the shuttle to Hilton Doubletree San Francisco airport:











After 5 minutes of complete immobility I realize she’s only pretending to read, but she’s totally asleep:



After waking up (‘Sorry I was pondering’) we order chicken with something (her) and the ultimate burger (me) – sorry too tired to write down the names:

straniero

Day 10

San Francisco! Bus to Moraga steps and quick walk to the park above:













Bus to Golden Gate bridge and same picture as the last 3 billion SF tourists – no time to walk it, though:





Bus to Lombard street, where I can’t find a place to take a good picture that gives justice to the originality of this street:







Cable car! Definitely an experience, if only to say ‘been there, done that’:



The pier, with Alcatraz from afar:





They are so cute:





The one in the water looks like me relaxing at the spa.

At around 6 pm we catch the train to Stockton:







And we get to the Hilton Stockton for the night:











The surroundings seem very nice:







Dinner at the hotel:

straniero

Day 11

We rent the third car (Nissan):



And it’s time for Yosemite:











During lunch a furry friend joins us but we’re not allowed to give him food – paws off my pizza!





Breathtaking landscapes and furry friends everywhere:





At the end of the visit we move to Hampton Inn Tulare:

straniero

Day 12

Early wake up and off to Sequoia national park:









The sandwich does not look good, but it’s tasty and light – no sauces, only meat lettuce and cheese:



Yay! under the tree finally, I’ve always wanted to do that:



Climb time. It’s a long way to the top (puff puff pant pant):









Approaching the General:





The General is huge and even with the 10-24 lens I struggle to take a picture of the entire tree from a close position:







After the visit we start our ride towards the next park:







The Joshua tree! Score! ok maybe not the original one used by U2, but still a Joshua tree:





The night sees us at the Hampton Inn Ridgecrest:









And we have dinner at the Grape Leaf:









Quite good. I can’t say we have had a very bad dinner so far.

straniero

Day 13

We head over to Death Valley:















Being May, the temperature is already very high and we stay out of the car only for the limited time needed to take pics.

Rhyolite is a semi-abandoned village out of the valley, more or less on the way to Las Vegas:











Lunch at Denny’s in Beatty:







And on to the city of perdition! We return the car, head to Hilton Doubletree Las Vegas:



I was about to say I like the… but realized it’s better if I say that I like the logo!







We venture in the city of thousand lights:

























Words cannot describe the folly. It deserves a longer visit.

McDonald’s finally!







A visit to the slot machines:





Here something interesting happens. Being the kind and generous soul I am, I give the miss all the money she needs to play the slot machines. When she wins this enormous amount of money, she claims it’s her own and refuses to split!

Ahhh… women:



I drain the battery on the way out, so no night pics. Sigh.

straniero

Day 14

LAS airport:





LAS-LAX
DL 4532
09:55 11:10
Seats 05A 05B (Y)

Flight delayed by 2 hours. I take advantage of the delay to deep dive in the depths of the human mind. Who on earth could proudly sell these… things?







After two hours we leave for an uneventful flight. We land in Los Angeles, have a burnt but tasty lunch at the airport and head to Doubletree LAX Airport:













Quick trip to Sunset Boulevard looking for some real idols:













This is probably the most abused landscape in the US:



Dinner in the hotel, since we have to wake up at 4 in the morning:







There’s a story behind everything, but this really makes me wonder…

straniero

Day 15

Return day, sigh. Times flies when you’re having fun. We wake up early. Very early. Too early for my liking, to catch

LAX-JFK
DL 2487
06:45 15:11
Seats 14A – 14B (Y)



Thanks to STE+ status we seat in Economy Comfort. The cabin is crowded:







Whoa! I almost forgot the obligatory toilet pic:



Soaring through the clouds:







Uneventful flight. We land in time and head to AZ lounge (AF is being restructured). The lounge is meh: clean, but the offer of food and drinks could use some love. The AF lounge is restructuring, so we stop here anyway. I spot a couple of planes as well:







At 5 pm we reach the gate where boarding is ready to start.

JFK-FCO
AZ 603
18:00 08:35 (local)
Seats 05E 05G (J)

Cabin view:

















The FAs hand us amenity kits (there are two versions, male and female – of course I forget to take pics), offer OJ (still the blood orange one – joy!) and sparkles and leave the menus:







Soon after departure,



The tables are prepared for lunch and I forget to take note of the wines list. Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. This time I blame waking up too early.

Asiago cheese mousse with bread croutons tomato and orange peel – 8 / 10. Finally a good starter.



Vegetables and pecorino dumplings and pasta with PDO San Marzano tomatoes and basil – 9 / 10. Tasty! The FAs come for a second round and ask what I would like. My honest answer is: everything. They then proceed to refill my dish at an unbelievable level. O double joy!



Pistachio, ginger and wild greens stuffed chicken breast – 9 / 10. Tasty, tender.



In the meantime I test all the red wines they have on board.

Italian delice – 8 / 10. I was too stuffed to really enjoy it.



I sleep for a while, watch something that I don’t really remember on the tv, and it’s time for breakfast:



Nothing special, but the OJ!

Getting there…



We land in time and I take a last picture of our plane.