We <3 L.A.

After Universal we drove down to Santa Monica beach to stay for a couple nights - we did the whole Hollywood shabang and hung out a lot on the 3rd street promenade where you can see people burst into spontaneous salsa dancing or bulldogs skateboarding. 

Apparently the sign used to read 'Hollywood Land', put up by a real estate company, but the 'Land' was destroyed by a landslide.

The Charlotte Olympia window!! 

On our way out of Santa Monica we stopped at Venice Beach. We are huge fans. 

The canals are gorgeous. I could live here quite easily.

Muscle beach!

And we got these silly smoothies in coconuts which transported me back to low moments in Lola Lo...

After a stop at Santa Barbara we arrived at a cute beachside inn in Pismo Beah for two nights - and tomorrow we're heading to San Francisco. 

Unreality

After leaving Vegas we had a stop during our 5 hour drive at a very strange diner in Death Valley - it was lovely but very strange and a bit shifty. 

We had a day in Disney where Nichol became a princess. We rated our day in Universal way better though - if you're coming over to visit I'd recommend Universal over Disney California anyday:

(Set from War of the Worlds)

We're now in Santa Monica (which is beautiful) and heading up the road tomorrow. Today on our tour of Hollywood (more photes to come) our driver was one of those actors waiting for their big break, and he's appeared as several background characters in New Girl - when he told us this I went crazy. That's enough of a claim to fame with me, having been inches away from Zooeybabez <3

Vegas baby

Writing this from my sunbed at Treasure Island, Las Vegas. Yesterday we did the Grand Canyon by helicopter (with an emergency landing halfway to the Canyon for good measure) which was amazing. The photos from that are yet to come. I didn't think Vegas would be my thing but I love the place. I'd be quite happy to spend my retirement days here. HA. This is 'Paris':

'New York, New York':

The Colosseum at Caesar's Palace:

Our breakfast yesterday at Treasure Island:

'Luxor':

And my view right now:

As for turning my spending money into millions, so far I've turned a dollar into $1.07, and then into 27cents. Sad face. 

We're walking the strip tonight and then leaving in the morning to do the long drive to California. I'll be sad to leave Vegas (although the sun here is melting EVERYTHING I own). We saw the resident Cirque de Soleil show 'Mystere' last night - it was INCREDIBLE. Anyway got to go get in the pool, tough life. 

Buhbye nyc

We're waiting for our airport ride to go to VEGAS now. Bit gutted about leaving New York but excited about winning $1 million at Treasure Island and paying off my student loan. Yesterday we checked out the market at grand central:

And I got Dad to come with me to the Metropolitan Museum where I bumped into a portrait mummy (yummy, my favourite) who probably knew Hermione Grammatike at Girton:

We did the Ice Bar at our hotel (-5 degrees) which was pretty awesome. I had a frosty mojito which was quite novel in the ice glass but a bit minging (apparently frosty mojito is just peach schnapps and lemonade):

We went to a beautiful restaurant in Greenwich Village for a drink before going to Red Egg in China Town - the best Chinese restaurant I've ever been to. The Peking duck came with little burgers instead of pancakes.

This morning we saw the bald gay guy from sex and the city (what's his name again??) filming for a tv series outside our hotel - he's the one in the blue shirt behind the woman in the cut off jeans in the middle of the photo:

And then I had THIS for breakfast. Happy days:

NYC

Last full day in NYC before flying to Vegas tomorrow. We've been in the gym twice (cray) - which itself is pretty spectacular:

You don't really mind running for ages when your view looks like this:

...we saw the holy temple:

And went to see Kinky Boots on Broadway which was AMAZING. And to top it off Alice Cooper came on stage afterwards for a photo with the cast:

And last night uni friend Lukas took me to a rooftop bar in midtown, it was pretty fantastic. Running out of superlatives to describe how good this city is. Hopefully going to indulge my craving for seeing antiquities here in the metropolitan museum today..if I can drag the fam along with me (geekdaughter :( )

Americuh hell yeah

We're at the boarding gate about to get on the flight to JFK. We've run Costa out of lattes and granola bars. We've spent £25 on magazines in Smiths. And we've spotted the Man Utd junior team floating around the terminal on the ONE day Nichol isn't wearing makeup. A lot of this trip is a surprise my Dad's kept from us but so far we know after sleeping all day today we're hitting Ground Zero first thing tomorrow. AMERICUH, WE'RE COMING.

capunting

THE DAY WE WENT PUNT/CANOEING was so good. One of the best things I've done in Cambridge. I can't remember who decided to rent the canoe as well as the punt. But we got to Grantchester in it and it was the best thing ever. I wish I could go 'merica on Saturday in the canoe.

Punting to Grantchester from Megan McLaren on Vimeo.

DeBere, champion of the bridge challenge.

The duckbabies took to Sarah in a big way