A Short (?) Drive to L.A.

After Vegas, I took a drive to the L.A. area to make the 5 1/2 hr flight worth while. I Spent the night in Riverside (and here) and woke up to snow falling. So, what about this global warming? Riverside seems like it would be a good place for a longer visit but I was out of there quickly. I headed towards the hills north of L.A. and did some driving along Mulholland Drive. It winds along the ridge of the Santa Monica Mountains and Hollywood Hills. Afterwards, I drove over to Sunset Strip in Hollywoood to stop at Mel's Drive-In. I sat outside to enjoy the weather... which really wasn't that enjoyable at 63 degrees, but it was sunny. After two days of L.A., it was time to head back to Vegas to catch a plane home.

Las Vegas

Vegas,... this is someplace everyone one should do once, unless if maybe you live close. I go to Vegas for the Consumer Electronic Show each year (1.7 million sq ft of electronics). Other than that, I wouldn't make a special trip to go there. I booked a room through Hotels.com, which I have used before, at the Wild Wild West. It was painless. It's off the strip a couple blocks. I've stayed there in the past and it was satisfactory. All I need is a clean room, a bed a couple channels and net access. But they charged an extra $4 amenty fee when I got there. It was for local calls and internet service. Internet service meaning dial-up. No high speed available there. So next year, I'll get a place on the strip and cover the cost by not having to rent a car. Seeing as though I've seen everything that there is to see within driving distance (Hoover Dam and Death Valley), I won't be needing the car. The public transportation system works... but not well if you go off the strip.