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Tombstone Arizona

Alice Lipka
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Tombstone Arizona

I was eager to see historic Tombstone Arizona, iconic town of the wild west. It’s about a three hour drive south from Phoenix, close to the Mexican border. It was one of the last wide-open frontier boomtowns in the American Old West. The town prospered from about 1877 to 1890, during which time the town’s mines produced about $85 million in silver bullion. It was the largest silver district in Arizona. Its population grew from 100 to around 14,000 in less than seven years. Today, it is best known as the site of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and draws most of its revenue from tourism.

Tombstone was an open market for cattle stolen from ranches in Sonora Mexico, by a loosely organized band of outlaws known as The Cowboys (Ike, Billy Clanton, Frank, Tom McLaury). After the arrival of the law abiding Earp brothers (Virgil, Wyatt, Morgan and Warren) there were ongoing conflicts with the Cowboys. The Cowboys repeatedly threatened the Earp brothers until the conflict escalated into a shootout on October 26, 1881. The now-famous gunfight is often portrayed as occurring at the O.K. Corral, but the actual gunfight was on Fremont Street.

They have re-enactments of the gun fight daily at the OK Corral outdoor theatre.

Points of interest:  The Bird Cage Theatre and Boot Hill Cemetery. The Bird Cage Theatre was a combination theater, saloon, gambling parlor and brothel that operated in Tombstone during the height of the silver boom. It had a reputation as the wickedest theatre between New Orleans and San Francisco. And just wander around the town. The Longhorn Restaurant and Big Nose Kate Saloon are buildings with a history. In 1881 assassins fired shotguns at Marshall Virgil Earp from the Longhorn. He was badly wounded, but survived. In 1880, the building that is now Big Nose Kate’s Saloon was the Grand Hotel. Wyatt & Virgil Earp and Doc Holiday frequented the hotel and saloon. It was here that Ike Clanton and Frank & Tom McLaury stayed the night before the THE Gunfight.

Boot Hill Cemetery, formerly called the “Tombstone Cemetery”, is known for its infamous “residents”. It contains the graves of Billy Clanton, Frank McLaury and Tom McLaury; the three men who were killed during the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.

Lester Moore was a Wells Fargo agent who was shot in 1880 by an irate customer named Frank Dunston. Apparently, he was angry over a package that arrived late and damaged. Before Moore hit the floor, he fired off a shot that killed Dunston, but it was already too late for him. There is some debate if this is true, but for now the potential myth continues.

Where to Stay?

Where to Eat?

  • Crystal Palace Saloon
  • The Longhorn Restaurant – The BBQ pork & beef ribs at the Longhorn are perhaps the best in town. The Longhorn is located on a very historic property. In 1881 assassins fired shotguns at Marshall Virgil Earp from this building. He was badly wounded, but survived.
  • Cafe Margarita 
  • Big Nose Kate Saloon in 1880, the building that is now Big Nose Kate’s Saloon was the Grand Hotel. Wyatt & Virgil Earp and Doc Holiday frequented the hotel and saloon. It was here that Ike Clanton and Frank & Tom McLaury stayed the night before the THE Gunfight.

Enjoy! Giddy up Cowboy!

For more on Arizona please see the following blogs:  Arizona, Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Horseshoe Bend, Lake Powell and Antelope Canyon.

Los Angeles California

Alice Lipka
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Los Angeles California

Los Angeles is not a city I thought I would ever like, but, to my surprise, I do. However, technically it is not really L.A. that I like, but some of the districts and incorporated cities within Greater L.A. According to Wikipedia, the city is divided into the following major areas: Downtown Los Angeles, East Los Angeles, Northeast Los Angeles, South Los Angeles, the Harbor Area, Greater Hollywood, Wilshire, the Westside, and the San Fernando and Crescenta Valleys. 

Beverly Hills

It is further divided into over 80 districts and neighbourhoods, that were developed and incorporated piecemeal. The Westside, Wilshire and Greater Hollywood areas are the ones we went to, and probably where most go for the L.A. “experience”. More specifically, we liked West Hollywood, Hollywood Hills, Beverly Hills, and Santa Monica. Oh, and of course, Malibu. Beautiful scenery and some of the best shopping and restaurants in the world! What’s not to like?

Beverly Hills

We wandered around the usual attractions:

  • Beverly Hills Rodeo Drive and area
  • Hollywood Hills to see the view of L.A. and the Hollywood sign
  • Sunset Strip
  • Hollywood Walk of Fame
  • Grauman’s Chinese Theatre
  • Santa Monica Pier
  • Drive through Malibu
  • Universal Studios (on a previous trip)
Beverly Hills someone’s Bugatti

 

Beverly Hills
Grauman’s Chinese Theatre

Grauman’s Chinese Theatre is the famous movie theatre on the historic Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood. It has been home to many premieres and three Academy Awards ceremonies. It still functions as a movie theatre.

There are nearly 200 Hollywood celebrity handprints, footprints, and autographs in the concrete of the theatre’s forecourt.

I’m not into “celebrities” and neither is Jimmy, but it was fun to see some of the old hand prints. Marilyn Monroe’s hands and feet were so small! My all time favourite actor is Al Pacino, so I had to get a photo of that. Having taken acting lessons many times, I certainly admire great performers for their craft and I know how difficult and all-consuming it is to become a good one. In my opinion, there are not many truly great actors, but Al Pacino is definitely one of them.

 

The Hollywood Walk of Fame has more than 2,600 stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street. This part of Hollywood is crowded with tourists.

Santa Monica and the Pacific Ocean

The Santa Monica Pier and beach is nice and relaxing. From here you can drive to Malibu along Route 1.

Universal Studios

On a previous trip I went to Universal Studios and highly recommend it if you like movie memorabilia. At the time, they had the following displays: Bates Motel and mother’s house from the film “Psycho”; the Apollo 13 space capsule; western film sets; The “Back to the Future” time travel car; “Jurassic Park” creatures and more. I’m sure they have interesting film sets on display today as well. They rotate the display based on current and classic films.

Where to Stay?

We stayed at the Sunset Marquis, the rock n’ roll hotel. It’s an old renovated hotel in West Hollywood, close to the Sunset Strip. It is famous for the rock n’ roll guests of the past and present. Some of our favourite bands stayed here in the 1970’s: The Runaways, The Clash, The Ramones and others. There is a recording studio on the premises, a restaurant, lounge, spa and two pools.

What’s really nice about this hotel is the 3.5 acres of tropical gardens. It’s a mini jungle. And the hotel is very close to legendary venues such as The Roxy, The Rainbow,  the House of Blues, The Comedy Store, Viper Room and Whisky a Go-Go.

The best rooms are in the Villas. They have great bathrooms with a soaker tub and railhead showers. Very roomy. Of course, they cost more. At this time, they started around $595. The rooms in the main part of the hotel have pretty small bathrooms, like the type you get in older apartment buildings with a shallow tub.

 

We enjoyed our stay here very much!

Other options I recommend:

Below are some fabulous recommendations from a friend in LA. Next time we will stay at one of these hotels:

Where to Eat?

We ate at the hotel restaurant, Cavatina. Great food, not cheap. The ambiance is really nice since it is set within the tropical garden area.

Other recommended restaurants for 2017:

Below are some great recommendations from my L.A. friend with impeccable taste – Thank you Claire!

Come to Los Angeles for great food, great shopping, beautiful scenery and a bit of driving. It is certainly on the list for places to see in the USA.

Las Vegas Nevada

Alice Lipka
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Las Vegas Nevada

Las Vegas, in Nevada’s Mojave Desert, is a resort city famed for its vibrant nightlife, centered around 24-hour casinos and other entertainment options. There is one word that describes Vegas well: color. This is a city of color and light. I’m not sure why they call Paris “the City of Light”, Vegas is THE city of light and you can see the blazing light from miles in the distance. I remember driving into Vegas at night and seeing this glow as bright as the sun from at least 50 miles away and knew this beacon of light could only be, Las Vegas.

Even if you don’t gamble this is a must see. The hotels are luxurious and very reasonable for 5 start hotels. Vegas has also become a foodie mecca. Some of the top chefs in the world have opened restaurants here. Gone are the days of tacky Vegas with bad food – yes you can still go to All you can eat buffets with crap food, but for the traveler that likes quality you will find a lot of good food and drink. And great shows! It’s a perfect weekend getaway for a nice dinner and show, and leisurely relaxation at your hotel pool.

Its main street and focal point is the Strip, just over 4 miles long. This boulevard is home to themed hotels with elaborate displays such as fountains synchronized to music as well as replicas of an Egyptian pyramid, the Venetian Grand Canal, and the Eiffel Tower.

There is an abundance of attractions in Vegas. I think Fremont Street and the Bellagio Fountain show on the strip are some of the most spectacular free attractions.

by Laurent Go

Fremont Street Experience is a five-block entertainment district in historic downtown Vegas. The centerpiece of Fremont Street Experience is Viva Vision, the world’s largest video screen. The Viva Vision screen is 1,500 feet long, 90 feet wide and is suspended 90 feet above the pedestrian mall below. The screen has 12.5 million LED lights and a 550,000-watt sound system. Viva Vision features free light shows, free, every night of the week. Fremont Street Experience also has an extensive schedule of live concerts and entertainment on three stages.

Located outside the Bellagio hotel–casino at the intersection of Flamingo Road and the Vegas Strip, the Fountains of Bellagio are a spectacular display of water, music and light.

The Shows

Vegas has many wonderful shows. People don’t go just to gamble anymore. They go for the great restaurants and performances. The shows are always changing, but some key staples have been there for a long time:  Blue Man Group, Cirque du Soleil, Penn & Teller, Celine Dion etc. Go to Vegas.com to see what is playing.

Copy of the Trevi fountain in Rome.

Where to Stay?

My choice is the Bellagio Hotel. It is a luxury hotel with great restaurants, perfect location and Chihuly glass in the lobby on the ceiling. But there are a a lot of great options in Vegas.

On a previous trip I stayed at the Monte Carlo, now known as Park MGM, which is less expensive and also very nice.

Wynn Las Vegas is also a great hotel. Vegas is always changing and creating better and better hotels and attractions.

Vegas also has great shopping. There are many high end stores in the city, and outlet malls close by. The Fashion Show mall is at one end of the strip.

And of course, almost every hotel has a casino. In my opinion, the slots are a waste of money. Odds are very slim that you will win. Best odds are with Blackjack or Poker (with Poker you are not playing against the house but with other players). If you do play, set a limit and don’t go over no matter what. Casino’s are geared to lure you in and make you spend all of your money. That’s how they stay in business. Don’t let them trap you.

Where to Eat?

Las Vegas has an abundance of excellent restaurants ranging from Michelin star, to big buffet, to hole in the wall. One of the best Pad Thai dishes I ever had was at Noodles in the Bellagio hotel. Great authentic Asian food designed by Executive Chef Patrick Lee and reasonably priced.

There are several high end restaurants to try if your budget can accommodate it. For more details on each go to Vegas.com:

Joël Robuchon and L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon at MGM Grand
France’s “Chef of the Century” Joël Robuchon serves fine French cuisine at his two restaurants at MGM Grand. Joël Robuchon is the more formal venue. It is also the only Las Vegas restaurant to receive three Michelin stars.

Picasso at Bellagio
At Picasso you can enjoy French and Spanish cuisine surrounded by works from the legendary artist. The views of the Bellagio Fountains and the Strip are beautiful from the outdoor patio. Executive chef Julian Serrano ‘s menu has earned the AAA Five Diamond Award 13 times.

Guy Savoy at Caesars Palace
This restaurant boasts a Forbes Travel Five Star Award, AAA Five Diamond award, two Michelin stars, the Wine Spectator Grand Award and inclusion on the Gayot.com Top 40 Restaurants in America list, just to name a few honors. The restaurant is designed to emulate the menu of Savoy’s Paris restaurant. It’s the only place in the U.S. you can taste Savoy’s food, including his famous artichoke and black truffle soup.

Sage at Aria
This restaurant has a sophisticated atmosphere and amazing contemporary American cuisine from acclaimed chef Shawn McClain. He combines farm-to-table produce, artisanal meats and sustainable seafood to make your meal memorable.

Twist at Mandarin Oriental
Twist is the only place in the U.S. where you can experience the cuisine of three Michelin Star-chef Pierre Gagnaire. This fine dining restaurant, located off the 23rd floor hotel lobby at Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas, features a stunning view of the Las Vegas Strip through floor-to-ceiling glass windows.

Gordon Ramsay Steak at Paris Las Vegas
If you’re looking for a good steak, look no further than celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant at Paris.

Day Trip to the Grand Canyon

There are many companies that offer day trips by bus or helicopter to the west part of the Grand Canyon. If you are in Vegas and have never been to the Canyon, this is a must see. The company we chose was Maverick Tours. I picked this company because it has the top safety record of any tourism-based aviation company in the world, they have new quiet ECO-Star helicopters, and their helicopters feature wrap around glass and theatre seating for good visibility. Everyone has a good view. By the way, the pilot is pointing to Lake Mead. We also flew over Hoover Dam.

For more information on the Grand Canyon please go to my Grand Canyon blog.

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