Last year when we stayed at the iconic Wigwam Motel in Holbrook whilst driving Route 66 through Arizona, we said we would also love to stay at the other location in San Bernardino but unfortunately for us on that trip, we simply did not have enough time to be able to fit both into our plans. We did however make a quick stop when we drove past the motel on the final day of our road trip on our way to Santa Monica and said that we would definitely come back and stay on a future trip to California. We made sure to keep that promise that we made to ourselves so whilst in Los Angeles for work this summer, we drove to San Bernardino for one night to finally stay there and sleep in a wigwam once again! (more…)

Route 66 which is also known as the Mother Road and the Main Street of America stretches 2448 miles across eight states from Chicago in Illinois to Santa Monica in California and is the ultimate bucket list road trip for many people. It was something that we had been planning do for such a long time after several cancellations over the last few years and we finally drove Route 66 in September 2023 as part of a much bigger road trip all way from New York to Los Angeles and it was definitely worth the wait. (more…)

On our recent trip to California I was looking for things to do whilst we spent a few days in Palm Springs when I noticed a place called Pioneertown on the map. I was immediately intrigued so I had to find out more. Pioneertown is an old Wild West town hidden out in the desert close to Palm Springs and Joshua Tree National Park making it incredibly easy to visit and a perfect side trip when visiting the area. (more…)

The Hollywood Sign is one of the most iconic and must-do sights in Los Angeles and definitely something that you will want to take a photo of as well as get as close to as possible. However if you look up driving directions to the Hollywood Sign, all of the navigation apps will automatically send you to the Griffith Observatory several miles away. From here (as well as from the other “official” viewing spot at the Hollywood and Highland shopping complex on Hollywood Boulevard), you will only be able to see the Hollywood Sign far away in the distance. (more…)

Alcatraz is one of the most popular tourist attractions in San Francisco and the top of most peoples lists of places they want to visit whilst in the city. The former prison located on an island in the middle of San Francisco Bay is famous for housing some of the most dangerous and notorious criminals in US history such as Al Capone, Robert “The Birdman” Stroud and George “Machine Gun” Kelly. (more…)

If you like Star Wars and are going to be in San Francisco, then you have to go and visit the Yoda Fountain located at the Lucasfilm offices in the Presidio area of the city. (more…)

Recently I have found myself trying to make a more determined effort to visit different sights and attractions I have been putting off going to for ages and the Queen Mary in Long Beach is no exception. I have lost count at the number of times I have been to Los Angeles over the years and never got round to heading to Long Beach however last month, I finally made that journey. (more…)

Last week I finally got to see a Space Shuttle close up – something that has been on my list of things to do for a long time. I knew that Discovery was on display at the Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington and also knew that Atlantis was on display at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida but had somehow completely forgotten that Endeavour was on display in Los Angeles despite being a frequent visitor to California. (more…)

If you have ever driven on the I-15 between Los Angeles and Las Vegas then just outside the town of Baker you will have seen a sign for Zzyzx Road. I have always taken a photo of the sign when driving past however I had always wondered if there was anything to see so when driving past it in October, we actually left the freeway to see if there was anything to see. (more…)

Last year I found a photo on the internet showing a great view across the outside movie sets at Universal Studios in Hollywood – all the places you get to see if you’ve ever taken the Studio Tram Tour whilst in the park. With a little help from Google Maps I managed to find out where the photo had been taken. (more…)