21 December 2023

New York at Christmas time…what a fabulous time of year to go! This was a mother and daughter trip for my daughter’s 18th birthday, as being her mother’s daughter she loves to travel and had always wanted to visit 'The Big Apple' during the Christmas season. We had 4 nights and 4 days and a long list of must do’s, including my daughter’s ‘bucket list requests’ - the Taylor Swift Exhibition, the New York Library, Ice Skating in Central Park, a visit to Barnes & Noble, Grand Central Station, the Friends apartment building and a Broadway Show. With a lot of planning and a lot of steps we managed to do everything on our list and had the most amazing time. Accommodation We stayed in the boutique style Moxy Times Square Hotel which is something a little different to your typical hotel experience. The rooms are designed in an urban style and the social spaces are varied with a casual bar and lounge, a rooftop bar (over 21’s only) and a grill restaurant. There’s even a barber shop on the ground floor. It’s in a great location close to lots of attractions and only a short distance away from the subway, which we made great use of to save our tired feet! Sightseeing We began our sightseeing with an open top Big Bus Tour, which was a great way to see Manhattan and gain our bearings for the rest of our trip. Highlights of the trip for us were the SUMMIT One Vanderbilt, which I would highly recommend visiting at sunset…the views were just amazing; 9/11 Memorial and Museum, definitely do the audio tour it is both fascinating and heartbreaking at the same time; DUMBO for views of the Manhattan Bridge followed by a walk across Brooklyn Bridge, which luckily for us we also managed to catch at sunset; Ice Skating in Central Park was also a bit of a ‘pinch yourself moment’…even if I did fall over! Food When it comes to food we did quite often grab something along the way, such as a hot dog or pizza slice from a street vendor. However, we did come across a nice little restaurant on 3rd Avenue, Ruby’s Café, which was away from all the hustle and bustle of Times Square with great service and food at a good price. I can definitely recommend the crispy rice bowl with smoked salmon and the creamy chicken pasta, both myself and my daughter really enjoyed these two dishes. Ellen’s Stardust Diner is also worth a visit for that 50’s diner experience but with singing waiters…very good fun. And you can’t go to New York without trying out the bagels…Liberty Bagels was our bagel stop and they were absolutely delicious. Our final treat for the trip was Afternoon Tea at The Plaza Hotel. This was a lovely end to our trip, although I wouldn’t recommend the caviar macarons….definitely not something I will be trying again in a hurry! If you do fancy a trip to the Plaza Hotel you will need to have a reservation for the restaurant. I would recommend booking a table as soon as you can as availability does go quickly. A trip to New York at any time of the year would be fabulous, but visiting at Christmas time just made it that little bit more special.

04 October 2022

We finally made it! This trip was originally planned for Summer 2020 but Covid put paid to that. Everything had to be cancelled and rearranged but this actually ended up being a blessing in disguise as what started off as a two week trip turned in to a three week trip with lots of extra amazing places to visit added on. San Francisco Starting off in San Francisco, also known as ‘Fog City’ (and boy was this true first thing in the morning!) we got to cycle across the Golden Gate Bridge, which for me was the highlight of this part of the trip…stopping halfway across and looking out at San Francisco with Alcatraz in full view was truly special. We did also visit Alcatraz Island which was just brilliant…even the teenagers enjoyed this (a great way to sneak in a bit of a history lesson!). Chinatown, Coit Tower, The Painted Ladies, The ‘Full House’ house (my youngest daughters must see) and the 16th Avenue Tiled Steps were just some of the other fantastic places we got to see over our three days here. Top tip – it starts off cool so wear layers to remove as once the fog lifts it turns into a lovely warm day. Coastal Drive We then continued our journey down the West Coast stopping at Santa Cruz, Monteray, Pismo Beach and Santa Barbara. This part of the trip was just stunning. I would definitely recommend following the coastal road when travelling through this part of California, it may take a little longer (especially with the many, many places to stop and see along the way) but it’s 100% worth it. The views are just spectacular, although some of those cliff top drives were a little hair raising! We got to ride the famous Giant Dipper in Santa Cruz, walked the beautiful trails of Redwood State Park, saw the breath-taking views from Bixby Bridge and the famous Elephant Seals at Vista Point. Every part of this drive was just absolutely amazing. Disneyland (Anaheim) So this is the reason this trip was planned. As a family we’ve been to Disneyland Paris and Disneyworld Florida, now it was time to visit the original Disneyland California and it didn’t disappoint. Both my husband and eldest daughter are massive Marvel fans so Disney California Adventure Park was our first stop for the new Avengers Campus. The old Tower of Terror, now Guardians of the Galaxy, is definitely a family fav. Soarin’ is another absolute gem, I just love how you feel as though you are actually traveling through all the different countries, it’s such a clever ride. The following day was Disneyland Park, with Rise of the Resistance being our main aim for the day. Top tip – get to the park for rope drop and head straight for this ride as it’s not included with Genie plus. We felt that Genie plus was definitely worth the extra money, it saved time (especially in Disneyland Park which we found to be the busier of the two) and allowed us to experience everything we’d planned to. LA It had to be done…the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Hollywood Sign, Celebrity Homes Tour, Universal Studios and the Warner Bros Studio Tour- another highlight of our trip. When visiting Universal Studios we found that if you get there for opening and visit the Lower Lot first, followed by the Studio Tour and finishing with the Upper Lot, you can fit everything in with minimal queue times. For any Funko Pop fans out there, whilst visiting the Hollywood Walk of Fame you must visit their flagship store. It’s situated at the top end of Hollywood Boulevard and you’re able to create your own Funko Pop in their factory, but be sure to get there early as queues start to form around an hour before opening. For a bit of relaxation Santa Monica Pier and Venice beach are great beaches to visit whilst you’re in the area. Roller skating or cycling along the boardwalk is very popular, with hire shops located in both locations. San Diego The last leg of our trip and time for a bit of downtime. We stayed in a lovely resort on Mission Bay where we were able to have some pool time and take part in some water sports. We celebrated my daughter’s birthday whilst in San Diego by visiting Kansas City BBQ, the bar where scenes from the original Top Gun were filmed! If you’re looking for somewhere nice to eat, Little Italy is a lively neighbourhood full of pavement cafes and restaurants where you are literally spoilt for choice. The final highlight for us was attending a baseball game at Petco Park…even though we knew nothing about the game before we went, the spectacular park and the atmosphere (especially when they scored a home run!) drew us in and we had a fabulous experience that left us buzzing with excitement. Top tip – it doesn’t really matter which seats you book as everywhere has a great view and there’s also other places around the stadium where you can sit or stand to watch the game. It’s a very relaxed atmosphere with people milling around the stadium throughout the game. Well, that’s it… We had such an amazing trip which completely exceeded our expectations and best of all we got to spend lots of quality family time together making memories that we will never forget! Overall top tip - use packing cubes...these were an absolute life saver! I was dreading living out of a suitcase for three weeks but these cubes helped to keep everything organised and meant we didn't have to unpack our whole suitcase in every destination. They worked so well I will now be using them on every trip I go on.