The Virgin Traveller

[blackcat20]

I don't think you mentioned which Hotel you stayed at in Chicago, other than indicating it was part of IHG. I was wondering where you stayed? I'm trying to book my accommodation for Chicago in August, and current options looking good are Sofitel Chicago Water Tower (Platinum with Accor) or Holiday Inn Chicago-Mart Plaza River North (Unfortunately, my compliementary VA IHG Platinum has lapsed). Do you have any suggestions or recommendations?

Thanks

All the hotels are listed in the second post

 

[blackcat20]

Monterey to Santa Barbara

We knew this day was going to be a long one, so after a bad nights sleep (courtesy of the upstairs hotel guest) we had a quick complimentary breakfast at the hotel and hit the road around 9am. The plan was to stick to Highway 1 the entire way, even where that meant taking some slower, more rural roads. Boy was the view worth it.

The road is long and winding, and in most places you certainly can’t do the speed limit safely. There were also many Mustangs out and about, including quite a few with Aussie flag waving out the windows. Unfortunately being the driver means you can’t enjoy the view in all its majesty, but there are plenty of places to pull over to take a few snaps (Vista Points are often signposted).





My friend had told me to stop for the Elephant seals, so we did. Boy do they smell! But they are a pretty impressive sight, and there are people there that you can ask questions if you are so inclined.



We made a quick pit stop at Hurst Castle, but purely for a loo and coffee. While the castle seems very impressive, it was already going to be a long day, and I was still all museumed out from Chicago. Most of the last part of the drive is through farmer’s fields which is quite interesting. If you don’t have the time or the inclination, you can continue on Interstate 110 to get there sooner.

Before long we were arriving in Santa Barbara. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon, though not warm enough for a dip in the ocean. The hotel I had chosen turned out to be a great selection, one block from the beach, and a short walk from State Street. For dinner we booked into Toma Restaurant and Bar which overlooks the beach. The food was fabulous (such as stuffed squash flowers) and the service amazing. Eeyore made an appearance at the table (as those on Facebook might be aware, Eeyore enjoyed his trip around the US) and the waiter thought we were just fabulous. After six hours of driving on the “wrong” side of the road, I was definitely ready for bed.

 

[blackcat20]

Los Angeles
The last leg of the trip was upon us, the drive from Santa Barbara to Redondo Beach via the Premium Outlet mall at Camarillo. Our little motel put on a great breakfast (waffle machine!), and then it was time to hit the road. It was a shorter driving day, so we were at the outlet mall well before lunch. Boy did I shop up a storm! It’s safe to say I walked away with four new handbags, including a lovely Coach bag marked down from $400 to $128. There also happened to be an In-N-Out burger at the mall, so I made sure mum got the full experience (though she did refuse the animal fries).

Then it was time to make our way to the hotel, the Crown Plaza at Redondo Beach. Things didn’t look great when we were told on arrival that they were updating their computer systems. Manual check-in meant everything was done on paper. Despite handing over my WP card, no upgrade was given, no wifi access, nor information about the lounge (email communications later resulted in some apology points). The view from the lounge wasn’t too bad though.



The next couple of days were a whirlwind of making sure mum saw the highlights of LA, including Hollywood and the Griffith Observatory.



My favourite burger place is 25 Degrees on Hollywood Blvd, at the Roosevelt Hotel. I always get this one, with prosciutto, pesto and burrata, and their sweet potato fries. There was a rather unpleasant moment with an aggressive homeless person but the staff dealt with the situation exceptionally well.



Our last day was spent in Santa Monica, just chilling out and enjoying the sunshine and some fabulous Mexican food. And as always, a little last-minute shopping.



Then it was time to drop the car off (Alamo were a dream to use), check in at the airport and make our way to the Star Alliance Lounge. We even spotted a fellow AFFer in the TSA queue. The lounge is a great space, food options are pretty decent and it was really nice to shower after a long day, and before the long flight home. Even Eeyore enjoyed himself.

 

[blackcat20]

The Star Alliance Lounge
The wall of wine bottles alongside the buffet.


Inside the shower suites





The famous chicken.



The outdoor patio; no one out there and the fires were all off.

 

[blackcat20]

VA24
The prized seat, 1A. I let my mum have this one on the way home, and won’t make that mistake again. She decided five hours out of Melbourne was time to get dressed to “beat the rush” which meant me being kicked multiple times. It made for some unpleasant jet lag later in the day.



A pre-departure drink (or two)



Chocolate tart for dessert with a little Noble One. We had a fabulous flight attendant who made sure our glasses were never empty.



A pre-bed drink at the bar



Wing-tip coming into Melbourne



And I'm set to do it all again in a matter of months!

 

[Nug300]

Great report, heading to all those places later in the year and reading this makes me that much more excited to get travelling!

 

[polardabar]

A cool trip and an amazing thing to do for your mum, blackcat20.

I'm working on getting my folks over to Oz, but they don't seem very keen. "Way too far, way too old." But you never know.

Hope you both had fun...

 

[robd]

Which bubbles were you drinking in the Star Alliance Lounge? As VA SG I am assuming you were in the Main lounge, not the First section?

 

[blackcat20]

Which bubbles were you drinking in the Star Alliance Lounge? As VA SG I am assuming you were in the Main lounge, not the First section?

Couldn't tell you, sorry. I think it's an NZ wine. And yes, the main lounge.

 

[oz74]

Great TR. Loved the photos!