So I am now kind of the cheerleading mascot. No, I don’t don the Colt uniform and prance around like a horse. It’s more like I’m a cheerleader for the cheerleaders. I went to practice a couple of times this week and it was so good to see my girls again. Steph, Drew, Kadeidra, Jourdan, Deliana, Talitha, Jess, Keena, Janique, & Juli are all great and I can’t wait to see what they come up with this season.
Once I left Arizona, I gave up on the vacation blog. I guess that I kind of felt that no one was going to read it anyway.
I was able to spend time with my Aunt, cousins Danielle and Nicholas, cousin Chris and his girlfriend Mavis, and cousin John and his fiance Stephanie. After leaving Arizona, we spent three days in Disneyland, and then moved on to four days in the Hollywood and Los Angeles area. Next stop was two days in Las Vegas, followed by one more day in Arizona before flying home to New York. Those five hour trips through the desert were super fun (not).
We drove over the Hoover Dam on the way from Las Vegas to Arizona and it was pretty amazing. I’ve been there before, but that was nine years ago. The water level was extremely low and that can’t be good for the dam. I was also able to see the new bridge that is being built to bypass the dam so you no longer have to drive on it (terrorist concerns and all, I suppose).
As far as Hollywood goes, we drove all the way up Beachwood through Hollywoodland and got as close to the Hollywood sign as possible. I was upset because the streets are so narrow and windy and it felt like the mountain was closing in on us. But even worse than that was Mulholland Drive; easiest the scariest road I’ve ever been on; I had a full-blown panic attack up there.
We went to the Neon Museum graveyard in Las Vegas, which houses a bunch of old neon signs from former casinos, and even some current casinos who just happened to replace their signs. I saw signs from the Golden Nugget, Caesars Palace, Stardust, Moulin Rouge, Aladdin, Silver Slipper, La Concha, Barbary Coast, and more. I miss the days of the Sands, Hacienda, Mint, Dunes, Algiers, etc. Many of the new hotels are gorgeous; the Venetian, Paris, Wynn, Mandalay Bay, Monte Carlo, and Bellagio come to mind; but they lack that <i>something</i> that those old casinos had. We stayed at the Rio, which is off-strip and owned by Harrah’s… let’s just say that I wouldn’t recommend it.
Well, now that I’m back from vacation, this will cease to be a vacation blog and just a regular old blog.
Our second day in Arizona consisted of driving an hour out to Maricopa to see my cousin John’s new house and meet his fiance Stephanie. I was bored, cranky, and in a bad mood, so I slept the entire time we were there. I also visited my first ever Safeway supermarket. They sell liquor in grocery stores here, which is convenient.
Today, our third day in Arizona, was more eventful. We went to Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright’s house in Scottsdale. I bought a box of notecards and a sticker to put on my car. After leaving Taliesin West, we went to the Arrowhead Mall. This mall makes me happy because it has a Dairy Queen and Orange Julius in the food court. I got a blue raspberry Mister Misty (or whatever they’re calling them nowadays) from Dairy Queen. I also bought a new pack of colourful eyebrow rings at Spencer’s (much bigger selection than the store at home) and some undies at Aerie. Next we went over to my aunt’s house and I went in the pool with my cousins Danielle and Nicholas. We all ate dinner at Carrabbas; I had rigatoni with marinara sauce (much spicier than any marinara sauce I’ve ever had before) and a cosmopolitan.
http://picasaweb.google.com/kristen.miller/TaliesinWest# [Pictures of Taliesin West]
Tomorrow is our last day in Arizona. I have no idea what we’re doing except that we’re having dinner at Chris and Mavis’ house. We’re heading to Disneyland on Wednesday.
I am severely ticked off with the internet situation. I’m currently staying at a Homewood Suites, which is owned by Hilton, and have complimentary internet. We’re going to be staying at the Universal Hilton in Hollywood next weekend; they charge $9.95 per day for internet. Why the hell is the internet free here and not there. The internet also costs $9.95 per day at the Rio Las Vegas. The internet is thankfully free at the Disneyland Hotel. I want to know where these hotels get off charging people that ridiculous amount of money for the internet, when the Motel 6 will let you use it for free. I sure am glad that I lugged my laptop across the country only to be able to access the internet for half of my trip.
I am tired, stressed, and cranky, and it’s only day three of my vacation.
Departed from Newark Airport (EWR) at four-something this (September 12th) afternoon and arrived at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport (PHX) at seven-something this (September 12th) afternoon. Six hour flights suck. The security theatre at EWR was surprisingly not at all as bad as I had suspected. The concourse of the airport was easy to navigate. During the flight, I alternated between sleeping, reading, playing solitaire on my laptop, and staring out the window. PHX was also easy to navigate, even the shuttle to the rental car building. We rented a pretty turquoise-blue sport-utility wagon.
We’re staying at a Homewood Suites here in Glendale. I have my own bedroom and bathroom. The internet is free and wireless, so I’m writing this from my bed. I have my iPod hooked up to the alarm clock to play my sleep playlist. I love having my own room so I can stay up as late as I want (it’s 3:35a here, which makes it 6:35a in New York). I figure that since my sleeping schedule at home is so fucked up to begin with, changing time zones won’t make a difference.
Now for the bad part. I spent about an hour at my aunt’s house tonight. Between her five cats and two dogs, and my cousin’s cat and two dogs, my allergies are going berserk. I’m sitting here in bed with a bottle of Benadryl and a box of tissues. I hope that I’ll be able to sleep tonight. I’m just not going to be able to spend much time at my aunt’s house; I can’t stand these allergies.
Tomorrow’s agenda includes visiting my cousin John’s new house and meeting his fiance Stephanie, and perhaps a dip in my aunt’s pool with my little cousin Nicholas. We’ll have to see if my allergies are up to it, because right now, I feel like shit.
In just a few short days, I’ll be embarking on my wild west adventure. I’ll be visiting my family in Arizona, going to Disneyland, touring Hollywood and Los Angeles, and then taking in the sights of Las Vegas. It’s been nine years since I was out west, and I’ve forgotten what it’s like. The temperature is going to be above 100 degrees in Arizona and close to 100 degrees in Las Vegas, with milder temperatures in the mid-80s in California. I’m not looking forward to the six hour flight or having to navigate Newark and Sky Harbor. My brand new Dell Studio 1555 laptop and JVC digital camcorder will be accompanying me on this trip, and I hope to document the trip well with words, video, and pictures.