West Coast Part B
Day 4 in order. Today is the day to drive to San Diego, which is also the southernmost section of Highway 101 on the West Coast. The coast is very beautiful. We stopped at Laguna Beach along the way to check in. It has a strong Mediterranean vibe, with very clean beaches and various Latin-style coffee shops and historic buildings. Arrived in San Diego and checked in at the Westin hotel in the city center. The hotel has great decor and a convenient location, just an 8-minute walk to the beach, right next to Midway. The hotel offers a complimentary one-hour boat tour. The Starbucks in the hotel lobby is also very convenient and serves food and drinks until late. I heard San Diego isn’t very safe at night, so we rested early and had Mexican tacos. Day 5, after touring San Diego, we took a noon Southwest Airlines flight to Las Vegas, the legendary city in the desert. The surface temperature was 42 degrees, but it was dry, so the heat was not uncomfortable and helped eliminate some internal moisture. Checked in at the Venetian Resort, where you can basically spend half a day just at the hotel, exploring the Grand Canal Shoppes. At night, we also checked out the nearby Sphere arena. Day 6, we booked a trip to Antelope Canyon, a 12-hour day tour arranged by the travel agency. The bus was very comfortable. There was a 2.5-hour stop at a supermarket for rest and hydration. The 5-hour one-way trip was not boring. The guide was excellent and we gave a $20 tip at the end. There are many national parks worth visiting in the Las Vegas desert. I think Antelope Canyon is highly recommended. I’ve been twice and still find it very rewarding. The local guide’s recommendations always teach me something new. Day 7, we continued to stroll around Las Vegas. The day was planned for visiting various shopping malls and outlet shopping. We also tried the famous 24-hour land, sea, and air buffet. It’s low season in July, and the Venetian Resort was the cheapest hotel we stayed at among all cities, so staying at a super-star hotel in Las Vegas now is very cost-effective. Days 8–10 San Francisco + Silicon Valley. Days 11–14 Seattle and surrounding areas. We had a visa-free transit stay in Seoul for one day and took the chance to check out Seoul. The next update will cover San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge, Silicon Valley, Stanford, Apple Park, Google, Mountain View, Chinatown, Seattle’s Rainier, Boeing factory, Space Needle and glass museum, waterfront, and the return flight on Korean Air’s 787 Dreamliner to Seoul. The next update will be from Seattle.