Trip to the West Coast

It was my third time to visit California last November 16 to December 2, 2007 but it seemed it was again my first. Just like my trip in 2001 and in 2005, I was once again very excited to go to the US not only because it meant a long vacation for me but more importantly because I was travelling with my wife for the first time to the US.

A few weeks before that much anticipated trip, we have already prepared our itenerary to ensure that we will maximize our time while in the US. In fact, we even ocassioned our 2-week vacation trip in the celebration of Thanksgiving when the biggest sale are happening all over the states.

During our first week of vacation, we stayed in San Diego where my cousins and my wife's cousins are living. We slept from one house to another and granted all the dinner invitations that we have received from friends and relatives. One of our iteneraries in San Diego was to see Sea World which we really enjoyed so much even if it was already my third time to visit the park but the first for my wife. The Shamu Show is still the best animal show that I have seen with those giant false killer whales flipping and flapping across the huge pool. Another important thing to do in San Diego, in fact my wife's list, was to shop in Outlet stores where we got to buy some designer clothes at a very affordable price.

We then went to Las Vegas for two nights of pleasure and gambling on the different big casino. At the strip, we went from one hotel to another to check all their well themed lobby which are really stunning. The Caesar's Palace hotel is one great place to experience Rome while The Venetia hotel will let you feel that you are in Venice. The Belaggio hotel has it's own theme but it's main attraction was the dancing water fountain at the front lagoon. And of course, aside from the hotel tours, we also did Outlet store tour where we were able to buy some more stuff.

From Las Vegas, we went back to San Diego and spent Thanksgiving day with my wife's cousins. We tried to go to the shopping mall a little late that morning ofThanskgiving day but all shops were full of people and all the nice stuff that were on sale were gone already. I was hoping to buy Wii then but we were told that all units were sold as early as 4 or 5AM that day.

After Thanksgiving, our next stop was Los Angeles and we stayed in a hotel with three of my high school friends. Though it was my third time here, I was again excited to visit the place not only because I will be meeting my high school friends after six years but also because I'm a movie buff and being in Los Angeles means being near to Hollywood. In fact, one of the first theme parks that we visited in LA was Universal Studios. I got to see once again the location settings of some of the famous Hollywood movies such as War of the World, The Grinch, The Psycho, The Jaws and others. Also, we were able to visit Wysteria Lane which is the setting of Desperate Housewives which I get to watch once in a while. All the wonderful shows and rides are also still there as 2 years ago like Mummy the Ride, The Jurassic Park, the Water World, the BackDraft and Terminator 2D. What was missing then was Back to the Future but they were replacing it with a new one, plus they have added new attractions like Shrek 4D and Fear Factor Live. Our one-day visit to Universal Studio was exhausting yet we enjoyed every minute of it.

A trip to California would not be complete without visiting the happiest place on earth... the Disneyland. Just like my two previous visits to the park, I felt like a child again upon entering the gate of Disneylad. All my favorite disney characters were there ready to pose for a souvenir photo. We enjoyed all the different kiddie rides but still my favorite so far is their attraction It's a Small World where you get to see miniature of the different people of different colors around the world including Filipino.

We also went to Hollywood Boulevard where the famous Walk of Fame is located. We tried to follow as many stars as we coul along the sidewalk until we've reached the Kodak Theater which is famous for the Oscar show. I felt like I was a celebrity upon climbing the stairs of the theater where all the biggest stars convene to attend the annual ceremenony. A few steps away was the Chinese Manchester Theater were hand and foot prints of some of the famous Hollywood celebrities are marked on the pavement.

The last stop of our West Coast trip was San Francisco. Together with my high school friends, we travelled further to the north by car which took us six hours to reach our destination. It was my second time to San Francisco but the beauty of the place still mesmerized me. The Golden Gate was still majestic as ever. The Palace of Fine Arts was still a beauty of art to behold. The very cool weather and winding road reminded me again of Baguio which is a favorite place of mine. And oh by the way, we still alloted a few of our time to visit one of the biggest Outlet Stores at the nearby city of San Jose which culminated our enjoyable and memorable vacation to the west coast.