Cali Adventures

A few days in Anaheim meant a visit to Disney's other park: Disney California Adventure.

I was very impressed with the theming of this park, and how it ties in with the state it is situated in. It is similar to Disney's Hollywood Studios in WDW, with similar rides and theming, however, being a stones throw away from Hollywood itself made it feel more relevant (if that made any sense). 

My favourite part of the park was Paradise Pier. This is unique to this Disney park and was my favourite place to hang around (and take good Instagram photos).

Let's not forget that my favourite chocolate shop in the world is there (yep, you guessed it: Ghirardelli). Simply walk in, claim your free sample of chocolate, then cross over to the bakery opposite for a free sample of bread! Who doesn't love a good freebie!

The shops and restaurants around here are themed around the San Francisco piers, so it kind of felt nostalgic and like I was revisiting the places I had already been to on this trip.

Paradise Pier is home to a very cool ride, California Screamin', which is a fast rollercoaster that launches you across the lake and sends you flying upside down!

California Screamin'

Also situated here is Toy Story Midway Mania, which is the same as the one in DHS. I really like this type of ride but hate the long queues it has so try and ride this early, because it is so worth it!

Disney California Adventure has some other really cool rides that I would recommend riding. First up is the Grizzly River Run. 

Rapids and I don't really mix, so it was no surprise that I was the one that got the wettest on it! Thank god for Californian sunshine!

The aftermath of Girzzly River Rapids

Around the corner is Soarin' around the World. This beauty of a ride is a Disney classic and will blow you away. I don't want to spoil it but I will say it is a calm, gentle ride where you can sit back, relax and enjoy the experience.

Over on the Sunset Boulevard strip, you will see the looming The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. This is also a Disney classic, and I was so glad I got to ride this before it turns into a Guardians of the Galaxy themed ride. This also attracts long queues so FP it!

I said this is my DHS blog post, but I really recommend taking the time to walk down the Buena Vista Street to take in the detail here. It really is like being transported onto a movie set and there are shops and restaurants situated along the street. Also, the street entertainment is abundant here and is a great way to break up the attractions.

Buena Vista Street

If you head straight to the back of the park, you will enter Cars Land. You will literally be transported into the Cars movie, the set is that amazing! I was really impressed and even got to see the one and only Lightning McQueen. Plus, it is home to the arguably the most popular ride in the park: Radiator Springs Racers.

Word of advice, join the single rider queue if you want to save time!

The good thing about this park is that it has a show for you to take a nice (air conditioned) break from the heat. At this time, it happens to be Frozen: Live at the Hyperion. Now I am a big fan of Frozen but even I am a little overwhelmed by how much of this film we are bombarded with. It's a big film which I haven't been able to escape since it was released. However, I just could not miss seeing it onstage.

As this is the only show there, it is popular and will attract a big queue up to 90 minutes before it starts! If you want a decent seat, get there early!

I started queuing about 45 minutes before and was told that I had a slim chance of getting in. I was actually a little disappointed at the thought of missing it as I knew this was my only chance to see it whilst being here. Luckily, I managed to get in by the skin of my teeth, and I am so thankful that I did because it was one of the best shows I have ever seen.

I am a big fan of musicals and I have seen some great ones, but this was something else! To have such a talented cast sing the well-known songs was really magical, and the set design was even more amazing! As a member of the audience, you really are transported to Arendelle and it is so much more than a corny, karaoke version of the film. Only Disney can recreate Frozen and do it with justice.

People of all ages will love this so if you really want to see, you will be glad to hear that you can get a FP for it! It will be 60 minutes of enjoyment of the incredibly popular film.

All that was left was to watch the night time show at Paradise Pier. As it got dark, I took the opportunity to see the different lands with the lights on after reading recommendations. Cars Land is especially good to see in the dark because it looks amazing the neon lights, and you can get some great photo's.

The finale of the day was watching World of Colour. 

This is where classic Disney movies are projected onto the fountains in front of the Mickey Ferris wheel, and it is the icing on the cake for a day spent in Disney's California Adventure.

This also uses FP, so get one for a guaranteed good view.

After standing for god knows how long, it was time to say goodbye to my time spent at Disney. I was really glad to get back to my hotel room and crash on my bed. This day had been the perfect ending to the most perfect trip, and I am so lucky to have been able to travel all this way and visit a place that I love and have dreamed of visiting for so long.

Until next time!

A visit to the happiest place in the world...

A trip to LA would never be completed unless you take a visit to the happiest place on earth... Disneyland!

As a small Disney fan (ok, maybe a huge fan), it would have been wrong for me to have travelled half way across the world and to not have visited the birthplace of Disney.

If you didn't know, Walt Disney chose an orange grove in Anaheim to become the home of Disneyland in 1955. It was the only park he personally visited after he designed it.

With it only being a 45-minute drive from LA, I jumped at the chance and booked myself a 3 night stay at the Anaheim Quality Inn and Suites. I chose this because of how cheap it was, and also I wanted to be within walking distance of the parks. Wow, I was not disappointed! This place was perfect!

After living in hostels for the past 3 weeks, it was so good to have a whole room to myself! This place was so clean and comfortable that I would not turn down another chance to stay here in a heartbeat. Plus, the free breakfast was amazing with its own waffle machine! That in itself had me sold!

breakfast waffles are the best

A short 5-minute walk around the corner brings you to the park entrance. I chose to spend my first day in the Disneyland park.

Walking through the entrance was magical. To have walked the path that Walt Disney himself had walked 60 years before was unbelievable. As a big Walt Disney fan, it was simply a dream come true.

If you have been to any Disney park then the main park is essentially Magic Kingdom. There are many similarities as well as the classic rides that are everywhere, including Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain and It's a Small World.

A few differences include the New Orleans themed square which I absolutely adored. The scenery was incredible and having visited New Orleans just a few weeks ago made it even better.

I took advantage of the single rider (top tip) and walked on to most rides, including my favourite; Indiana Jones! Seriously, I think I went on this ride like 5 times?!

I did a lot of walking so I took a breather by trying my favourite soft serve in the entire world: Dole Whip! Opt for the dole whip float, which is pineapple soft serve on top of pineapple juice. It tastes amazing!!

Dole Whip Float

As I went around, the Halloween season was in full swing. The decorations and pumpkins were out and so was the Halloween theme on a few rides. The best was the Haunted Mansion, which was decked out with Christmas decorations based upon The Nightmare Before Christmas. This made the ride extra popular so I can't stress how much nicer it is to get a FASTPASS for this ride! The added theme makes it 10x better!

Haunted Mansion

To relax for a bit, I took a seat near the castle to watch the Soundsational Parade in the afternoon, which wasn't my favourite of parades I've seen in the past, but was still a nice break from all the walking.

If you want a good view, get there about 30 minutes before as it does get busy quickly.

One of my recommendations is to take a breather from all the rides to walk around the shops. On Main Street USA, there are loads of really good shops where you can buy so much merchandise. Also, there is the famous Jolly Holiday Bakery which does the nicest Matterhorn Macaron! I had seen Instagram pictures of these so was dying to try one. Warning, be prepared to queue based on how popular it is.

Mickey apples for days

The end a perfect day at the parks, I watched the fireworks over the castle on Main Street. I have got to say, I was a little disappointed having seen Wishes at Walt Disney World last year (see blog post here) last year. Unfortunately, I missed the 60th-anniversary fireworks but these were so disappointing. I know it was off season but come on Disneyland! Plus, I was situated just behind a tree which happened to where the fireworks were positioned so it blocked my view majorly.

the best photo I could get!

It was still a nice way to end the night and after walking all day and taking around 30,000 steps, I was so ready for bed and to get a good nights sleep before hitting Disney's California Adventure the next day. Stay tuned for the upcoming post on that park!

California Calling

My Trek America posts may be over but my time in the USA certainly wasn't. I still had one more week of solo travel before it was time to return to the UK, and so I made the most of it by hanging around LA for a few more days.

Originally, I was meant to spend 4 days in LA, giving me plenty of time to see the whole city. Of course, when you're traveling, plans change at the last minute so I ended up with only one full day in LA!

I made use of the time that I had and opted to find the cheapest Beverly Hills tour I could find and explore the Hollywood Hills. As it was so cheap, it did mean going around in some crappy van with no sun protection, so my advice would be to spend that little bit more for decent AC and cover. Nevertheless, I still got to see some pretty cool sights, including some of the famous houses of the rich and famous.

The tour took us to a cool view point of the Hollywood hills and sign, as well as around the 90210 area where we saw amazing houses including Lauren Conrad's house that was featured in The Hills (fangirl moment)!!

It also took us down Rodeo Drive, although I didn't spot any celebs shopping whilst I was there.

I took a walk down to Sunset Boulevard, which is home to the iconic clubs and bars that have hosted famous bands in venues such as Whisky a Go Go and The Viper Room. It was pretty cool, but I was there on my own in the dark so I did feel a little unsafe, especially as there was a protest happening at the same time. I thought it may be better to go back to the hustle and bustle of the Walk of Fame, and it just so happened to be a premiere of Westworld that night!

It was cool so actually see Hollywood in action! I even met JJ Abrahams whilst waiting to spot some celebrities. Pretty cool huh?!

Also, my favourite chocolate shop in the world is based on the walk of fame: Ghirardelli! Seriously, go in there and you are greeted with a free sample! Who could turn down free chocolate?! I may have walked in there multiple times throughout the day...

My next destination was San Francisco! With it being a 5-hour drive from LA, it is the perfect place to visit for a few days. You can either take the freeway route (less pretty) or the coastal route (very pretty) although it does take longer, but the views make it worthwhile.

Going from 30 degrees in LA to 12 degrees in San Fran was a bit of a shock, so I ended up buying a coat in Forever 21 as soon as I got there, so bear this in mind!

There are loads of things to do in San Fran, which is a city like no other! From the steep hills to the piers by the water, you'll find something to do here!

Lombard Street

I wandered around the city for a bit and visited the largest Chinatown in a city, which had loads of cute shops featuring Chinese souvenirs. The restaurants are also nice around this area.

Our first stop was to Lombard Street, the windiest street in the world! It was nice to take pictures, but be warned, the hills do make your thighs burn! From here, we strolled down to Fisherman's Wharf, where the piers are based. Around here is seafood galore, and you can pick up a cheap, tasty meal to eat by the water.

Someone had told me previously that the best corn dogs were found in San Francisco, so I had to try one! My verdict: It was ok, it didn't blow me away and I kind of wished I had tried the fish, but it wasn't the worst!

First taste of the Golden Gate Bridge

Make sure to check out the world's best chocolate shop in this area, yep you guessed it, Ghirardelli (it is the birthplace after all!)

Next on the agenda was a trip up to the Twin Peaks. Basically, this is an awesome viewpoint of the city and makes for some great Instagram pictures. From here, we walked down to the Golden Gate Park which is absolutely huge and would take all day to walk around.

Twin Peaks Viewpoint

Golden Gate Park

The name gives away the next place to visit, which is the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. Luckily, the weather was amazing to see it and gave us some really good photos. We walked across the bridge, just taking in the views and the fact that we were walking on the most famous bridge in the world.

There is so much more to do in San Francisco, including a visit to Alcatraz, which unfortunately I didn't have time to do. Union Square is a central place to stay which is close to the shops and cool restaurants, including the Cheesecake Factory which is a must visit.

San Francisco is the perfect place to visit if you are on the West Coast of America. It's only an hours flight away from LA or a 5 hour drive, but make sure it is on your list of places to visit. You will not be disappointed!

Trek America: San Diego and Los Angeles

My final Trek America post starts in San Diego. Before we arrived we drove from Vegas and into California, stopping off at a retro American diner which literally transported you back into the 1950s!

After a long drive, we arrived in San Diego in time to see the sunset on the beach. It was a poignant moment to our last few days left on the tour!

San Diego beach is like the typical Californian beaches, with cool shops along the front and a mini amusement park. Sort of like a cooler and more hipster version of Brighton!

Cali Sunsets

That night, we ate in a really cool Italian restaurant where you share big plates which are distributed around the table via a turning table top, which even had a statue of the pope on top (a bit weird!) If you are in San Diego, I'd recommend going, especially if there is a big group of you. It's called Bucca di Beppo.

Our hostel was situated near and was called USA Hostels. This chain is very nice and I would recommend staying in one of them anywhere!

The next day was our free day, which was spent by the beach. We went in the sea a few times which was really warm although a bit rough! We also explored the amusement park and had a few rounds in the amusement arcade.

It was so hot that even the amusement park had a power cut which meant that we couldn't go on the rollercoaster, so we ended up pretty much chilling and sunbathing on the beach all day. If you do this, make sure you reapply sunscreen to avoid looking like a lobster.

Other places to visit in San Diego include the San Diego Zoo and it is also home to the original SeaWorld.

Our final night was spent in the most appropriate way, by a fancy meal followed by us hitting the bars!

We went to a dueling piano bar, which I'd really recommend going to as I don't think there are any in the UK. Basically, the singers on stage will sing the songs you request on the spot using live piano's and instruments! These people are so clever and entertaining.

Afterward, we went to a cheap bar near our hostel which played the best music, and of course did cheap drinks! The night gets a little hazy at this point but I know that it was the perfect end to the most perfect trip!

In the morning, we were all feeling a little worse for wear, but it was time to depart for our final location and the one place I have always wanted to visit: Los Angeles.

Our first stop was Venice Beach. I have to say, it's nice but a little rough. Very hipster and home to the muscle beach part. If you wander further up, you get to the nicer Santa Monica area where the pier is located. It is definitely worth hiring a bike and cycling between the two.

Venice Beach

Due to feeling very hungover, I don't have many pictures of the beach, however, believe me when I say it is worth visiting! We drove into Hollywood after to the finishing point of our tour: The Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Everyone had told me beforehand that I would hate how tacky LA is, and yes, it is a bit tacky, but I loved it! The street is full of entertainment, shops, food places, photo opportunities and loads more!

You could spend hours looking at all the stars, and the Highland mall also has the perfect view of the Hollywood sign. Definitely worth visiting and also a great place to hop on a Hollywood/Beverly hills tour.

My 'I finally made it to Hollywood' pose

The trek came to an end and it was an emotional moment saying goodbye to people who had become really good friends! It was sad because a few were going on to travel afterward so it wasn't like we could meet up soon in the UK.

And so my Trek America posts draw to a close, and if you have enjoyed reading these and are considering joining a trek, 100% go for it! Every fear and anxiety you have before going will disappear as soon as your tour departs. You will regret not going for it more than regretting going on it.

Finally, just a quick thank you to Trek America for being such a fab company and giving me memories that will last a lifetime. Check out their website for their huge range of North, Central and South America trips! Just be prepared for the worst post-tour blues.

Hope you enjoyed this series,

Love Charlotte x

Trek America: Las Vegas

This post begins with my experience of flying over the Grand Canyon in a helicopter! Seriously if you have the money to do this, do it!! Yeah it's expensive, but where else can you fly over one of the most amazing natural wonder of the world and experience it from above?

I highly recommend you save up for this, it is 100% worth it and the views are absolutely incredible. As I was the only one from my group doing it, I got to sit in the front and had the prime view of the canyon. I also had a super cool pilot who played the best music in our headphones that just made the experience even more incredible!

It was roughly 45 minutes long, but you are so in awe that time flies by and before you know it, you are back on the ground.

I flew with Maverick Helicopters

After all that excitement, the day just kept getting better as we headed to Las Vegas! On the way, we stopped at the Hoover Dam to see how huge it is (it's really big and worth seeing). Next stop was VEGAS BABY!!!!

Hoover Dam

I have dreamt of visiting Vegas for a long time, so actually driving down the strip was amazing. After a very rushed check-in to our hotel (we stayed at the Golden Nugget, which is quite far away from the main strip), and a quick bite to eat, we got ready to party in the party bus!!

This was included in our tour and was so much fun. It even had a stripper pole! It took us to some of the main sights such as the wedding chapel that Britney got married in and where Elvis is the priest, and also to the famous Las Vegas sign where we had our picture taken.

The Wedding Chapel

By this point, we were all pretty drunk, so it was time to hit the clubs! We did stop to watch the fountains outside the Bellagio, as well as a look inside the lobby. It is crazy how big these hotels are, and experiencing drunk just makes it seem so much bigger!

We went to the club called The Marquee, which is situated in the Cosmopolitan Hotel. Vegas is expensive to party, but all females got free drinks till 11pm, so it ended up being really cheap and getting us very drunk!

After a lot of dancing, we left the club to do some gambling! When in Vegas aye?! By this point, it was the early hours of the morning and the night gets a little hazy...

The next morning, we woke up to some lovely hangovers!

It was really cool that some of our tour group were in the room directly next to ours, so it was adjoining. We all crowded into one room in the morning feeling sorry for ourselves and trying to piece together the night before. As the hotel came with robes, we thought it would be funny to wander down to the lobby Starbucks and get some coffee. Of course, everyone was staring at us which was a bit embarrassing and very funny! A lot of people were asking us if we were on a hen do! I thought there would be loads of hungover people but nope, apparently only us!

Once we were feeling a little less fragile, we explored the hotel pool which by the way, has a slide which goes through a shark tank!!

A bit of sunbathing and the hotel buffet helped a bit, and with a nap on top of that I was feeling a lot more refreshed.

I used this time to have a go on the slot machines. It did not end the way I would have liked, and I ended up losing money and walking away with no winnings. Ah well, at least I tried!

Nearby is the lively Fremont Street which you should definitely explore. They have a zip wire which is 114 ft and you can fly across the street. There's also loads of bars and street entertainment, so it was only fair that we got another alcoholic drink!

Fremont Street

That night, we got a taxi to the strip to explore the world famous hotels. My recommendation is to go into these hotels at night, they are insane!! They are the best hotels I've ever seen, with my favorites being the Venetian and Caesar's Palace (where they filmed the hangover). The Venetian has a canal inside where you can ride Gondolas (how cool?!) and is also home to Carlo's Bakery (Cake Boss reference).

Caeser's Palace also has a shopping mall where the ceiling makes it look like you are outside, and also is home to Omnia nightclub where Calvin Harris just so happens to DJ. Pretty cool huh?

Caesar's Palace

There are loads of other hotels worth checking out, like the Flamingo, Hotel New York, MGM Grand, Treasure Island and so much more. Two nights in Vegas was simply not enough, you need closer to 5 to truly experience it. There's so much more to do, like shopping, shows, more partying and rollercoasters!

This is a long post but Vegas is a pretty big place and there is so much to do that everyone of any age will have an amazing time there, so make sure you visit it! Keep following for upcoming posts on San Diego and LA!