Touring the USA (June 2010): the West Side

As we left San Francisco, we rent a car and drove east side with the only real goal to catch a plane to Mexico from the LA airport.
What to do in the middle ?
Planning on the go we drove through:
- the Yosemite National Park, with its long trees and very beautiful iced Lake.
- the red-hot Death Valley, a western movie taste with its 50 degrees and desolated roads
- Las Vegas
- Grand Canyon
- Los Angeles.

Very briefly into the last 3 mentioned:
Las Vegas is almost intentionally ugly, kitch and very hot during summertime, if you like to play (I 'm not very fond of it) it may be very funny, if you don't it's a waste of time.
The Grand Canyon is breathlessly beautiful, you don't see it until you get very close at it, then all of a sudden you realize there is a huge hole in the middle of the forest and the visual impact is astonishing.
If you go during the early or latest hour of the day, it's a mix of shining red colours coming from its rocks carved by the wind.
Los Angeles it's like a beautiful and empty woman to me, sparkling everywhere you look at it but lacking a real soul.
Nice houses, gardens, bodies, faces gave me the sensation of being into the "American Beauty" style life, where showing off is the primary thing and the real life lies underneath...somewhere !!!.
E.

Travel Informations:
Nothing particular to remind, the Aria Resort Hotel in Las Vegas was worthing the while but I guess every hotel is as nice as cheap through the whole city.

Touring the USA (June 2010) : San Francisco

I got Married.Stop.
I spent one month on Honeymoon.Stop.
I travelled, we travelled A LOT !!! Stop.
First step of "on our own" travel, San Francisco.
When you imagine a place and it's like the way you imagined it, sometimes can be a let down , sometimes you love it.
I loved it.
"The Frisco Bay" it's like you paint it in your thoughts, uphills and downhills all the way through, a strong visual impact almost from every spot, allowed and free to be who you really are, whatever you are, wherever you are.
The book guide says: San Francisco was since ages the town where every "rejected" from society could find its shelter, since then this spirit of embracing people from every spot has been kept, you'll easily find people ready to help you as soon as you'll look in trouble".
Thought it was only a book guide advertise, I had to reconsider it and believe it's true, no way of puzzling on the town map without someone stopping and offering to help (for free).
I don't know whether this spirit belongs only to "Frisco", neither I could tell what of this city belongs to Americans, I only got the clear impression I was inside of a meltin pot of cultures, a worldwide mix of faces and styles in the same place.
At the end we spent 3 days in town, loving the long walks through it's straight paths, enjoying the lovely temperature (it will be the best through the whole USA tour) and even appreciating the fresh food from the Fisherman Wharf.
Would I ever live there ?
Yes indeed !!!
E.

Travel informations:

- Restaurant Pompei's Grotto:
As matter of facts, any restaurant at Fisherman Wharf should be as reliable as not cheap, we just tried this one and it offered really tasty and fresh crabs, as well as other seafood.
- Hotel Le Meridien San Francisco:
- This was an excellent hotel and very well located (close to Battery Street), honestly it was on a honeymoon budget, therefore a bit expensive for a normal traveller (which I am in most of my trips:-)