Lee

Lee’s World

California/Las Vegas May 2005

For about five days either side of Memorial Day 2005, I returned to California and Las Vegas.

The first couple of days were spent in Los Angeles - staying at the amazing Westin Bonaventure Hotel in downtown LA. The hotel is one of the most photographed buildings in the World. It is clearly of its time, and hotels would not now be built like this. I booked the hotel using the Priceline website so got a real bargain (£29 per night plus tax and service). Despite not booking through Westin hotels, their loyalty card still ensured that I had a room on the 27th floor (for loyalty card holders). The view across to the West was fabulous.

Whilst downtown I explored some of the areas Mark and I had visited when he lived next door to the Bonaventure - places like the Cathedral of All Angels, the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and the Richard Riordan Library. I also spent time in Beverly Hills, shopping on Rodeo Drive, visiting the Greystone Estate, and spending time in Westwood.

Westwood lies to the West of Beverly Hills around Wilshire Boulevard, and is the home of UCLA. It is also the home of the Westwood Memorial Park, where amongst others are buried, Marilyn Monroe, Dean Martin, Jack Lemmon, Billy Wilder, and Natalie Wood. It's well worth looking out for, if you have the time - not easy to find though.

After a couple of days in LA, I moved up to Palm Springs to spend time with Mark. We spent a quiet weekend, catching up with friends, seeing Star Wars III, and of course more shopping, both at Cabazon Premium Outlets and in Palm Desert, further down the Coachella Valley. We had such a great weekend - perfect relaxation.

Memorial Day came far too quickly, and it was time to move on. I dropped my car back in LA - the traffic was very heavy back into LA - and got on a plane to Las Vegas for the final three nights of the trip.

I stayed again at the Luxor Hotel - they offered such a great rate ($59 per night plus tax). I asked for a room high in the pyramid, and got a room on the 6th floor (out of 30) on the first night, then bumped up to a room on the 22nd floor facing up the strip over the Excalibur hotel for the rest of the stay. It had the most perfect Vegas view - and also the view down into the hotel from the largest atrium in the world was astounding. The lifts go up at an angle of about 40⁰which takes some getting used to.

As in December, when I was last in Vegas, I shopped and spent time in the Spa. I also spent time exploring the new kid on the block - the Wynn Resort, Steve Wynn's new hotel near the Venetian Hotel. The thing that struck me most was the similarity to his other hotel ventures - parts of it were very similar to the Bellagio Hotel, in the shopping arcade, the swags and curtains of the casino, and the restaurant design.

The highlight of the trip to Vegas (other than the bargains) was on the Wednesday night for Barry Manilow's Music and Passion show at the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel. All of the old classics, with a lot of camp, and a lot of showmanship besides. Ninety minutes in the presence of a master entertainer. If you're in Vegas, forget the other shows (other than Forbidden Vegas), and see this one!

What a trip!