Our trip to the southwest started with a major hiccup: our flight was cancelled (see Adventures in air travel). So instead of flying to Phoenix on Monday, we flew directly to Las Vegas on Tuesday, which meant missing out on the Grand Canyon, but avoiding several hours driving. We got into Vegas around 2pm, picked up the car, and went straight to the bed and breakfast. Then we went down to the Strip to walk around a bit, have dinner, and see V: The Ultimate Variety Show. We weren’t really sure what to expect, but it was really fun – a bit of dancing, a hint of magic, amazing feats of strength and balancing, some neat juggling, and a lot of humor. I definitely recommend it.
USA
US Southwest
We’re planning a two-week trip in the southwest US for April, including the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas (for shows, not gambling), Valley of Fire, Pine Creek, Lake Powell, Four Corners, the Hopi reservation, Taos, whitewater rafting, Madrid, Santa Fe, and El Paso. We’ll be driving a lot, obviously. Our schedule is pretty packed already, but I’d love to know if we are missing anything essential.
French Restaurants in San Francisco
During my recent trip to California, my husband and I met with a group of adult students who use my French site. In addition to treating us to a lovely lunch (at Nora’s Café, in Palo Alto), they had thoughtfully printed out information about some of their favorite French restaurants in San Francisco. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to visit any of them as we were leaving the next day, but I thought I’d share them here.
The Golden Gate Hotel
During my recent trip to San Francisco, I stayed at The Golden Gate Hotel on Bush Street, which was so lovely that I decided to blog about it. I found it online and chose it partly due to the location (I had two days of meetings near Union Square), partly due to price (it was one of the cheapest lodging options I found), and partly due to features (I love bed and breakfasts and this one was described as European, which sounded interesting). In any case, it turned out to be a great choice – our room was darling, the staff was delightful, and the warm croissants were divine. If you need a place to stay in SF, I highly recommend The Golden Gate Hotel.