My 30th birthday was coming in a few months and for the first time in my life, I really wanted to celebrate my birthday in a big way. So I started thinking about how to ring it in and perhaps combine with some travel. I spoke with a couple of my best friends and with their encouragement, I decided to celebrate my big birthday at the entertainment capital of the world, Las Vegas! And thus started my next journey and below are the stories from travelling in the USA.
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I was really excited about this trip and literally counted the days till my flight! Like a lot of non-Americans, my knowledge of the US came from popular culture. As depicted in TV and movies. It’s bigger than life adverts definitely worked on me and I had always wanted to visit it!
Although the trip started with Las Vegas, in my mind I was always going to do a bit more. And I did end up adding a few more places to the itinerary. It was first time I was building a “proper” itinerary and guess what? I went all out with spreadsheets and various options for the itinerary. That was the first time when planning literally took over my holiday. But it was worth it though!
The journey from Manchester to Las Vegas was exciting for, not just me but, all three of us. Albeit it was dampened a bit in Manchester when my friend (who has an Islamic name) was pulled up “randomly” by security before we boarded the plane. Unsurprisingly, he was also detained for about 30 mins at the Las Vegas airport. His girlfriend and I didn’t face any of that. Just the stress of not knowing what’s going on with him was a killer. It was a collective sigh of relief when he eventually came out of his detention.
Once we got that out of the way, we were bubbling with excitement to explore this new city in a new country. The taxi from the airport into the Las Vegas Strip was not long but interesting because the driver kept on asking us which route shall she take. We kept telling her we don’t know anything about any of the routes and just take us the quickest way! But she didn’t like that answer. It was one of the most weirdest interactions we have had with a taxi driver but we eventually made it to our hotel!
We were staying at the Excalibur hotel. One, because it was on the cheaper end of the Strip. And two, because it looked like a freaking castle! Well mainly because it looked like a castle! We arrived exhausted that evening and were struggling to stay up. But before we went to bed we wanted to have some food. And that’s when we discovered Baja Fresh! Since that day, Baja Fresh has stayed with us and we consider it to be this holy land of Mexican American food. And we won’t have any arguments on that! Now any Americans reading this might laugh but for me, no trip to the US is complete without eating at Baja Fresh and (later) Popeyes.
Over the next five days, we explored the Strip, Freemont Street and also took day trips to the Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon. The bright lights of Vegas were blinding indeed and I enjoyed every moment of it! And the best thing was I got to party with none other than Jamie Foxx on my birthday! It was in a relatively small club at the Bellagio where we has the guest DJ for that night. I couldn’t have rung in my 30th birthday in a better way!
Different people have different opinion but, the thing that stood out most for me in Vegas was the food. For those who have never been to Vegas, there is a certain perception about this city. But having visit it twice, Vegas is so much more than clubbing, drinking and gambling. The Wynn Buffet is the best buffet I have ever experienced and we still talk about it till this day. Some of the shows are incredible and you should watch at least one suited to your taste. By the way, you can read my detailed guide of things to do in Las Vegas.
Los Angeles was my next stop after Vegas. My friends were staying in Vegas for a couple more days before returning back to Manchester. So I was flying solo from then. I took a bus from Vegas to LA and it was quite an interesting experience. The journey itself wasn’t too bad, but just felt like it took ages. Public transport isn’t that great in the US, compared to other developed countries, and I kinda learnt it the hard way!
For those who know me personally, I am a big Liverpool FC fan. And earlier that year, Steven Gerrard, one of the greatest LFC player of all time, signed for the American soccer (football for rest of the world!) club LA Galaxy. So I had tickets to watch LA Galaxy for a match in Major League Soccer. Only thing I didn’t realise was how difficult it was to get to the stadium without private transport. So I had to ultimately not go to the game as it would have been pretty difficult for me to get back to the hotel afterwards.
Los Angles in general wasn’t what I thought it would be. To be fair, everyone I spoke to who had been to LA before advised me not to go to LA. But I wanted to go anyway. Now I say it to everyone who wants to visit LA, don’t do it! Apologies if anyone gets offended by what’s to come. Outside of the glamour of Hollywood and Beverley Hills, I found LA shabby, grim and even dangerous. It’s a city I don’t think I’ll ever go back to. Universal Studios was fun though!
And it was also fun to unexpectedly meet a friend from my Engineering days in India and his family. That was the best thing about LA for me! Santa Monica Pier and the Griffiths Observatory were ace too. However, if you do want to visit LA, you can read my guide about the top things to do in LA.
From LA, I continued my Californian tour by visiting San Diego first and then San Francisco. Whilst most people know about San Francisco, San Diego happens to be one of my favourite cities that I have visited. And to top it all, I met a Scouse family at the train station. Speaking of trains, it was one of the most beautiful train routes that I have been on, from LA to San Diego. The train line runs by the Pacific Coast and provides some glorious views enroute. Definitely recommend that if you are into train rides or beautiful views.
Home of the Comic Con, San Diego really surprised me with its locale, food and beauty. Howver the thing that I enjoyed the most walking through Old Town. I have never seen anything like that and it was like something I’d see in a Western movie. Albeit much more friendly and welcoming! Balboa Park is another thing that I really enoyed exploring.
And let’s not forget the beautiful island of Coronado. San Diego is also I visited the SeaWorld. Although it was enjoyable at the time, having known what I know now, I probably won’t go back to another SeaWorld. Anyway, if you are looking to visit San Diego any time soon, feel free to read my guide about the top things to do in San Diego.
The last part of my trip brought me to San Francisco, the centre of the big tech revolution of the world. It is a such a fabulous and picturesque city that I can definitely see myself living there. If I has that opportunity, that is! From it’s world famous trams, to even more famous Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco is a great place to wander and explore. The Alcatraz was another exciting place to visit. And how can I forget the Sea Lions on Pier 39!
It was also the first city where I actually went “shopping” the first time in this trip, and I was amazed by how cheap big-branded retail products were compared to the UK! I was also able to make my way to the beautiful city of Sausilito, across the bay. I would highly recommend doing this, as it gives you a great opportunity to capture the unique San Francisco skyline from the other side of the bay.
The only thing that took me by surprise was the amount of homelessness. 70 percent of San Francisco residents cite homelessness among the top three problems in the city. As Tech companies and grown in the area, it has somewhat driven the locals out of the housing market and making it too unaffordable for them. And, we can see this happening in a number of cities of the world. I am not here to solve for this, but thought to just highlight this burning issue.
So, that was the end of my first trip the US. What started off as an option to celebrate my 30t birthday, became a trip of my lifetime. I have the most fondest memories of this trip. Over the years, I have visited a few more US cities, but the first trip always remains special.
I hope you have enjoyed reading about my stories and experiences from travelling in the USA. For my next blog, I will be recollecting of the time when I travelled to Spain. Till then, thanks for reading, and take care! Adios.
