...And Vegas Can Keep It

Bit of a snappy finish to that last post so apologies for that. I've got a chance to finish what I was saying now!

So, our last night in New York was pretty awesome, as had been the rest of the trip in general. With a last lunch in Central Park the following day, we boarded the plane to Vegas. The flight was relatively eventless with the exception of a bit of turbulence and flying over the Grand Canyon which was impressive even from thousands of feet. We also met Chaise, a Bronx New Yorker who happened to be staying at the same hotel as us in Vegas, The Luxor.

Upon landing, we were initially really impressed by the city's sights and surrounding desert landscape. Checking into the hotel was something else... a far cry from our small New York hotel, The Luxor was massive, glossy and in your face. In fact, that's a pretty good description of Vegas in general.

Unfortunately, and this is where Leigh and I will differ in opinion, I have to say that I didn't like the city that much. It didn't have any of the class or sophistication I had imagined or was led to believe. I was expecting swanky casinos, classy women and amazing hotels. Instead, the place was full of tacky buildings, strip joints, hookers and people out to get as wasted as was physically possible. Not that I have anything against that of course, it was just I've seen it all before in places like Tenerife and it simply wasn't what I was expecting. Although it was nice to meet a fair few English and Scottish people while we were there, going to a city full of tourists was never a part of the America trip I thought I'd resent so much! They say that you either "get" Vegas or you don't. I think I fall firmly into the latter camp, though I have to admit, after a few drinks, everything does begin to make sense. That said, I can get wasted and have trouble finding my way home in Birmingham rather than having to travel to the middle of a desert for it. Party pooper I certainly was.

Thankfully for me, we spent most of our whole day in Vegas on a trip to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Travelling via minibus, propeller-driven plane and coach, this was again simply awesome and another stand-out moment of the trip. The flight was a bit rough and I was glad to not have to get back on that plane again, but the bus trip through Arizona's forest-lined roads was fantastic. Both Leigh and I wished we'd driven this part of the trip, but I can definitely find myself coming back here for a longer stay at some point in the future. The place was lush and beautiful with stereotypical rural American roads.

As for the Canyon itself... words can't come close to doing it justice. It looks enormous from the air and it's even more stunning from the ground. Looking into the chasm, it looks like a scenic Hollywood backdrop, extending forever into the horizon and deep into the abyss. I even (rather foolishly) took my life into my hands at one point by clambering down to one of the more vertical outcrops where everybody else was staying firmly behind the handrails. It just had to be done though. Standing on that rock was one of the most incredible things I've experienced, as moving as the lights of New York by night and by the time I clambered back to the relative safety of the footpath, my heart was beating out of my chest. Don't worry though Mum, I never got close enough to really put myself in danger!

Then we had the second of our two beery nights out in Vegas, meeting up with Chaise again and drinking into the early hours. That we had to get up at 5.30am didn't seem to be too much of a major issue at the time (though I have to say, Leigh was definitely way more hardcore than me as he carried on drinking and hit the slots long after I'd hit the hay).

So the flight this morning was enjoyable, probably the smoothest I've ever been on, helped of course by the fact that we were in First Class and it sounded as though Kevin Costner was our pilot. And so I sit here in sunny San Francisco. I've managed to banish the culture shock of Vegas from my memory and we've already spent half a day enjoying the beautiful hilly landscape of Frisco. We've seen some of the famous streets, nearly been run over by a tram and rather embarrasingly discussed the pros and cons of why they'd build Starfleet Academy in the city whilst listening to Lee quoting lines from Star Trek IV involving Humpback Whales. So for now, you'll excuse me if I leave this essay for a while as we've got a city to explore!