The USA

The blue bits above are all the places that I stayed at least one night.

It is over now and it was better than I imagined. People ask me what was my favorite bit, a question I can't answer because the "bits" were all so different; it would be like comparing favorite music to favorite building to favorite food.

Some suggestions...

I offer some suggestions of hotels in various spots in the USA...

Anna Maria Island, Florida - Seaside Inn http://www.seasideresort.com/


New Orleans, Louisiana - Hotel LeCirque http://www.neworleansfinehotels.com/hotellecirque/


Clarksdale, Mississippi - The Shack Up Inn http://www.shackupinn.com/


Laredo, Texas - La Posada http://www.laposadahotel.com/


Gallup, New Mexico - El Rancho Hotel http://historicelranchohotel.com/


Malibu, California - Casa Malibu http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g32676-d78107-Reviews-Casa_Malibu_Inn_on_the_Beach-Malibu_California.html


Santa Cruz, California - Dream Inn http://www.jdvhotels.com/hotels/centralcoast/dream


I stayed in plenty of nice hotels thanks to Hotwire.com (see Tip No. 5) but the ones listed above were a bit special.

Home

Back home and ready for it...

The Dark Knight

Before we flew back we went to see a 10.00 am screening of The Dark Knight... Believe the hype... Heath Ledger's performance is astonishing, I have never seen anything so menacing in a film rated PG and it is difficult to think of anything in any film beyond Jack Nicholson in the Shining or the Haunted Forest in Snow White. But he is not alone, Christian Bale is perfect, Gary Oldman makes a grand Commissioner Gordon, Aaron Ekhart is a wonderful Harvey Dent (that name might ring a couple of bells for Batman aficionados) and Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman are delightful. The film is long, a bit too long and becomes less taught in the last 40 minutes but that is a cavil... A morning in San Francisco well spent.

The Castro

Last night went up to the Castro district for a wander and cocktails... The cinema has just been restored and the films programmed are always as camp as this pairing to commemorate Sydney Pollack's death.

Food again...

If you go to San Fran Cisco,
be sure to eat at Swan Oyster Depot

I know it doesn't scan but it is much better advice... The best clam chowder outside New England, delicious crab, marvellous prawn, shrimp and of course the oysters are perfect.

Bug Cemetery

The front of my car after crossing a continent...