Well This Sucks

Arrived home mid-afternoon. Party off.

The Village

Last day in New York and indeed of the entire trip. Fortunately we'd left Iain's highlight of the entire vacation til the very end - a visit to John's Pizzeria in Greenwich Village! Well, maybe not quite but it is a requirement on all visits here.

As planned, we spent a relaxing final day browsing around the boutiques of The Village and Soho stopping off for the odd soup and coffee (yep, still freezing). Worth mentioning that we've oddly enjoyed most of our taxi journeys to and from airports and this was no exception with an interesting ride thru Brooklyn (probably less enthralling for our driver on a fixed rate it has to be said).

We decided not to take up the offer of an earlier flight from JFK in order to partake of the pre-flight supper in the BA lounge. Overnight flight to London and connecting flight to Glasgow - usual farce which we won't go into here.

Central Perks

Horse and carriage ride around Central Park this morning. You gotta do it really. Lunch at the Grand Central Oyster Bar. Manhattan in microcosm - inflated prices and snooty service but you can't take away from the excellent atmosphere and, indeed, the superb fresh fish. Sales start early in New York so the afternoon was a trawl around upmarket department stores for a sniff of any wife-compatible bargains. Andie ended up not buying anything in the end. That is not a typo.

Dinner tonight at currently the hottest NY eatery, Spice Market. It is right across from the hotel to be fair so it would have been rude not to give it a try. 10pm was the only time we could get on a Monday! The theme is "Asian street food" which no doubt encouraged the usual idiots to write online reviews that they could get the same fare cheaper in Chinatown. Doubt it. Admittedly it is exactly our kind of place - themed but not OTT, great choices and innovative dishes. Iain likes ginger (as well as spicy) and enjoyed the ginger margarita, ginger fried rice and ginger cookies! The main dishes - vietnamese chicken and Thai cod - were equally exquisite. Only down note was discovering we'd just maxed out our second credit card - oops.

Nonetheless, it was the last night of holiday so visited the deli on way back for some beers to toast a once in a lifetime holiday experience. Er, until the next one most probably.

Happy Wife = Happy Life

After breakfast, Andie headed straight to the largest Gap in North America (possibly) in Times Square to stock up on mittens and scarves. Yep, it's bloody freezing here. We'd booked Sunday gospel brunch at BB King's Bar & Grill, featuring all you can eat soul food and the Harlem Gospel Choir. You can guess who liked which element best. After this, it was off to Broadway for "How the Grinch Stole Christmas - The Musical." Oh yes, ain't no escaping Mr Grinch. Andie cried when the theatre snowed. She really did! Iain got to choose Olive Garden for dinner (pasta chain with unlimited minestrone soup and garlic bread). One hour wait though so plumped for the (admittedly somewhat superior) McCormick and Schmicks, a seafood chain we'd enjoyed eating in previously in Boston. This was even better, washed down with some Californian Chandon (of course).

Busy day this, making up for yesterday I guess, we then headed up to Bryant Park Hotel, where we'd stayed last time in New York but for various reasons hadn't got to visit the cocktail bar. It was shut (Sunday). Never mind though as we grabbed a cab back to Gansevoort where we in fact have a rooftop bar. More City views. Not to mention truly lethal cocktails. Mrs Andrea models the Pink Panther, a truly mind-blowing concoction of gin, vodka, white rum, grenadine, champagne and 7-up. Oh dear.

Sleepy in New York

Early morning fight from LAX to JFK. Good to be arriving in the entertainment capital of the world, in the City that never sleeps, on a Saturday, in the uber-hip meat-packing district with the coolest bars, views and eats in the City. Or it would be were we not utterly cream crackered. Our activities of the last four weeks having finally caught up on us, we settled for soup and toasties and coffee and retired to our room in Hotel Gansevoort to watch a film. But fell asleep while everyone, for once, partied around us.

Studios, Studios, Studios

Wee bit tired but we just had to take a trip to Universal Studios. As well as being a theme park, it's a fully working studio (they were filming Desperate Housewives during our trip and at least one movie) so quite fascinating as well as fun.

Lunch today at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. This is insane. It's a chain of restaurants loosely based on the Forrest Gump movie. Great shrimp, odd concept. Dinner at Cafe Tu Tu Tango. Those following this blog - that'll be us then - will remember the Orlando branch was our fave restaurant prior to this trip. Sadly, but predictably, the LA branch isn't a patch on it, food or vibe wise. To be fair, we have eaten rather well the last few days and weeks so perhaps the bar has been somewhat raised. The Sangria was still bloody good though and, after treating ourselves to a taxi back (we were good this morning and used the C(sh)ity bus), we're presently enjoying wine and cocktails in the hotel bar. Packing schmacking.

Deck the Hills, etc

Early start for our Grand Tour of LA, a bus ride around all the sites of the City with lots of stops to hop off and take photos. Let's face it, even if you've never been to LA, you know what these are so we'll just stick some snaps up instead of the usual blurb. Lunch stop was at the Farmer's Market, you could describe it as a food court I guess but Iain's Indonesian Chicken Rendang and Andie's Drunken Cajun Prawns aren't standard fare at the St Enoch! Iain notes for the record that he feels quite at home with the "charm" of the LA locals.

Tonight we managed to get a table at Spago, the flagship restaurant of Californian celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck (think Gordon Ramsay though not quite such a c***). Ironic that we actually thought we'd lay off the rich food for a while in LA; Andie started with smoked sturgeon topped with caviar and ended with all sorts of odd stinky cheese washed down with a glass of Moet dessert champagne. Then some just baked cookies on the house. The food and wine in between were tops as well. Only downside was that our hotel bar had shut (early) when we got back. We hadn't finished.

Leaving Las Vegas for La La Land

Not exactly the smoothest flight from Vegas to LA but mercifully short. Taxi to the hotel probably took longer thanks to the driver's, "ah, we'll find it" philosophy. In truth, we didn't think we'd particularly enjoy LA, it was more a see the sights as we fly from here anyway stop-off. Initial impressions, of Beverley Hills at least, are very positive. Seems very relaxing, aided and abeted by the hotel (Maison 140)'s perfect location, not to mention it's free early evening wine! It's a boutique hotel (very boutique actually, 40 rooms, almost B&B) in a Colonial
French-Asian theme and actually used to be the home of silent film actress Lilian Gish.

Took a walk down the adjacent Santa Monica Boulevard and found a nice pizza place for lunch. Then a late afternoon visit to the excellent Museum of Television and Radio, making our fourth of fifth favourite pastime seem almost cultural. It's more a library than a museum, you choose what you want to see from the massive archive in a private booth (Alistair Heaven!). Iain enjoyed some political debates and commercials from the 60s and 70s while Andie was
entertained by the Mork & Mindy pilot and Halloween is Grinch night (First he stole Christmas, and now the Grinch is backtracking, trying to make sure he ruins every f****** holiday out there). No time for the Star Wars Holiday Special though (is there ever?).

Luckily we're not here on a weekend so managed to get a reservation at perhaps THE restaurant to be seen at in Beverley Hills - Crustacean. During the customary 30-40 minute wait on our pre-booked table, it dawned on us, perhaps after having failed to spot any celebs, that after all this travelling it would take a lot to impress us. We hadn't reckoned though on Andie's gigantic tiger prawns with garlic sauce from the secret kitchen (only the family owners know the recipe). Food and service were utterly faultless and, compared to UK prices, the bill was more than reasonable making for an excellent night out.

Buy Me What I Want, Not What I Need

Athough perhaps not strictly necessary, Andie decided that a trip to the Fashion Show Mall is a Vegas tradition and, true enough I suppose, they did not have that Diane Von Furstenberg dress at the factory outlets. Lunch at our next favourite buffet, in Paris Hotel. It's French (did you guess?). After feeding ourselves, fed some slots for a while before deciding a rest might be a good idea.

Dinner tonight in one of our favourite restaurants, Jasmine, in Bellagio. Upscale Chinese (did you guess?) and great views of the Bellagio fountains... which were off due to the wind (Andie not chuffed)! Then on to one of our favourite bars, Petrossian, for more champagne and a couple of choice single malts. Last night in Vegas so thought we'd make the most of it and cash in some travellers cheques and lose some cash on Blackjack - Hell, you get "free" drinks - but we held our own as it turned out.

Love, Las Vegas

Despite already having maxed out one of our two new credit cards, we convinced ourselves that a visit to the Las Vegas Premium Outlets was for needs and not wants. Picked up the usual bargains from the usual high street designers. Lunch at the Aladdin buffet, perenially voted #1 in Las Vegas and we couldn't disagree. It's a "spice buffet" so you get the idea - right up our street. We attempted to walk off lunch - no easy task - by footing it to Mirage Hotel for our evening engagement. Naturally this was no ordinary walk as it was via the Forum shops at
Caesar's Palace and Andie heaven - a Marc Jacobs and AP store right next to each other.

Sodding Penn & Teller (tagline "less audience members injured than last year") seem to be doing their very best to avoid us - every year we come here, we miss their show by a day or two. Despite having steadfastly avoided Cirque du Soleil in the past, we were tempted by their lastest show, The Beatles Love. Speakers on the back of each seat added to the effect of a most enjoyable musical experience. Except for all the f****** acrobats and dancers obviously. We
made the mistake of ordering a large magarita each; not clever to go large in Vegas (see picture). 1am Supper in Cafe Bellagio where bellinis are, oddly, frozen.

Champagne Buffet - just what we need!

Not a coincidence that we arrived in Las Vegas on a Sunday just in time for champagne brunch! We're at Bellagio (of course) which rather feels like a home from home, amazing really when you think of when you were wee and you'd never have dreamed you'd ever make it to Vegas. It truly is one of the modern wonders of the world.

After a hectic weekend in Frisco (as we now call it) we took it fairly easy tonight and dined at Sensi in the hotel; top cocktail of the night being the Sensillini, not including Andie's home made Hypnotic / Domestic Non Vintage champagne concoction. Sensi is another fusion place - Italian/Asian this time - but we knew we were on safe ground having been there previously and it also being voted one of Top 20 restaurants in the US. Certainly better than some Chindians we've dined at in Spain/Greece/Turkey anyway. Andie found her new favourite slot machine (see picture). We were also delighted the casino allows pets so we could continue our daily Dog Trump game. On that note... probably time for bed.

When in Rome and all that

Andie mysteriously discovered, after more than three weeks of non-stop eating and drinking, that some of her wardrobe had mysteriously shrunk while in the case. Weird. Iain confirmed this strange phenomenon while trying on his suit later for dinner. Only one thing for it then... shops. After all, this is the busiest shopping weekend in the US and San Francisco offers some of the best shopping in the world on our doorstep. When in Rome and all that.

Several department stores and posh undie and accessory outlets later, necessary purchases had been made (lunch being deemed, on this occasion, for wimps). On our return, we managed to secure a table for later at the hotel's renowned Asia de Cuba restaurant, offering a fusion of Asian and Latin cuisines. You're probably thinking same as we were - could go either way. Fortunately the chef was just the right side of "creative". Andie wasn't allowed lobster - the crab having won last night's fight - instead settling for a whole bass stuffed with crab, her favourite dish of the holiday so far.

For Helen's benefit, pre-dinner cocktails were a blackberry margarita and a lemongrass martini - both utterly delicious. The sparkling wine sangria with the meal weren't bad either. Iain would like to add that he could only agree with our cocktail waitress, Melanie, that Andie looked beautiful tonight. Awwwww.

A Day at the Bay

Although they may not be the most practical form of transport, cable cars are sure a cool way to clank up and down the City's hills and enjoy the Deco beauty of San Francisco in true 1920s style. We took one down to Fisherman's Wharf, a bustling strip of redeveloped waterfront. Andie became the latest victim of the famous Bushman (check him out on Wikipedia). Andie though wasn't impressed.

Took a Duck tour - quack quack - around the City and the bay (for the uninitiated, the Ducks are refurbished World War II Amphibious landing craft) - a great way to get a feel for the City in our experience of the Boston equivalent.

Late pasta lunch on Pier 39 then on to our pre-booked Alcatraz evening tour. Enjoyed great views of the Bay and the City at dusk although the famous Golden Gate bridge is disappointingly unimpressive. The tour itself was most entertaining with night falling adding to the general ambience. Short ferry trip back to Pier 39 to enjoy the delights of mesquite grilled fish at Pier Market. We seem to be striking it rather lucky with good seating and cool views in our chosen eateries; Pier 39 is famous for it's colony of sealions on the adjacent floating docks and they duly obliged by a performance in full view of our table.

Despite the joys of the cable car, we plumped for a taxi after a long day to have a quick one in the hotel cocktail bar. Several glasses of champagne (and a couple of single malts) later...

Everyday is, Like, Thursday (AKA Thursday Part Two)

It's lucky we like Thursdays really as, having crossed the International Date line, we got to experience it all
again in LA. Well, in LAX at least as we're actually travelling on to San Francisco. Fortunately Andie - it's time
to name and shame - had a good idea to fill the near four hour wait. Deciding we were flying with United, we
dutifully made the trek to Terminal Seven, which presumably has it's own postcode. Puzzled that the automated check-in machine failed to acknowledge our booking after several attempts, we discovered we were in fact flying with American. Andie wishes to make clear that all our other domestic US flights are with United and that it was probably Iain's fault anyway. Iain's mood fortunately lifted on seeing a Chillis and a Starbucks in our actual Terminal.

Short flight to San Francisco to arrive at our Hotel, the ultra chic Clift, early Thursday evening. Our first taste of our usually favoured boutique hotel on this trip and it's pretty cool (tho not as cool as it thinks it is). It's right in the heart of the city by Union Square so dead handy for us though unfortunately also for the local jakeys who eerily hang about just outside. It's Thanksgiving here so it's quiet to say the least, many bars and restaurants are shut. So what more excuse do you really need to head to Chinatown? Ate at the recommended R&G Lounge, oddly similar to the place we ate on our first night in Hong Kong (which seems so long ago). We certainly weren't disappointed.

Final day in Fiji (AKA Thursday Part One)

Pretty much more of the same today - reading, cocktails, pool. Our flight wasn't til 11pm but fortunately we'd managed to wangle a free late check out on our room til 8pm. This really helped the day not feel like we were just hanging around waiting to leave. Andie bought some souvenirs (for herself) and off to the airport we went for a ten hour flight to LA, rather oddly arriving before we'd even left Fiji.

Another day, another room

Had to change room - again! - after a comedy effort by the Duty Manager and Engineer to fix our room safe failed miserably. It might have been funny - after all, the rooms are luxurious with a lovely view from our balcony to enjoy while waiting about - except that we hadn't had any lunch and so missed the spa treatments we'd booked. We didn't let it ruin our afternoon though, how can you here really? Quick lunch then spent rest of the afternoon reading and enjoying cocktails by the pool (or in the bar in Iain's case, still feeling the effects of the sun).
Couldn't resist the Indian buffet tonight and were pleasantly surprised for it to exceed our expectations. Came back to our room to enjoy the bottle of Aussie fizz the management had kindly left to apologise for the hassle earlier. The Fijians are undoubtedly the friendliest people on earth though perhaps not the most efficient.

Bula!

The fly spray they gave us didn't really do the job with the ants so we decided to move rooms. An inconvenience rather than a real hassle as we hadn't actually unpacked as such. Once sorted, we went down to plan our spa treatments for tomorrow then visited our sister hotel for a wood fired pizza for lunch. It's just a ten minute walk along the beach (or you can take the Bula bus!) and we stopped off at a terrific spot on the way back, totally deserted like having our own
island (the hotel's not that busy) with the South Pacific lapping at our feet. Dinner tonight at the hotel's Pacific Pasta Kitchen where everything is made to share (except dessert, oddly). Jolly nice.