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@skweegee - I always say, when you’re flying, your vacation starts when you get your baggage. On Amtrak, it begins when you step foot on the train. I think those pictures are very indicative of that.
Wow. I would’ve never expected there to be a flood big enough to delay a train. The most delay I’ve had on a train was when a boulder got stuck in the engine in Colorado. That happened a year or two ago on one of my trips, and it was only delayed two hours.
The only routes I’ve ever seen are the Texas Eagle and the Capitol Limited, which is my primary route. I have used the California Zephyr a few times. I really like the Texas Eagle because as far as I know, it’s the only train with Dr. Pepper on board. I wonder if that’s because Dr. Pepper is made in Plano, Texas, lol? I always bring my own drinks on board anyway, so it doesn’t really matter. I’ll definitely have to see more routes. I’ve always been curious about taking a southbound train. Maybe, I’ll use it when I visit Florida eventually.
I agree completely. To me the train isn't just a way to get to a vacation destination or whatever, it's a part of the vacation itself. Or in my case, the train was the vacation itself. But my experience on the 3 long distance routes I did solidified rail travel as my absolute favorite way to travel. The whole time on board was probably the least stressed I had been in I don't even know how long. I had no obligations, nowhere I had to be. It was just me and the scenery and I was free to relax and just enjoy myself the whole time, and I was kind of sad to see it go as I stepped off of the last train at the end of the trip. Now, if you have to be somewhere quickly the train probably isn't your best bet unless it's a short regional hop or something, but if you aren't in a hurry and have the time to spare, the experience the train gives just can't be beat in my mind.
Regarding the flooding, I was thinking that same thing. I knew it had to be bad if it was delaying the train as long as it did, but I was still shocked by just how bad it turned out to be and it made perfect sense as to why they had to hold us in Staples, MN for so long. The flood itself "only" delayed us a total of about 5 hours (3 hours and some change waiting at Staples for the first round of inspections, and the rest to the second inspection stop and the restricted speed through the flooded area). We were already 3 hours behind by the time we had arrived at Staples, which was because of the broken down freight train and a series of flash flood warnings because of the other storms that were moving through Montana and North Dakota along our route.
I've heard a lot of complaints about the way the Texas Eagle has been handled as of late (no observation car and no traditional dining for instance), but I would have to say that having Dr. Pepper on board is a huge plus in its favor! There are a lot of routes I'd like to try as well. I'm thinking of trying out the Sunset Limited/Texas Eagle combo in 2024 for the solar eclipse, since it stops in Dallas (one of the places the total eclipse will be visible from) and I have family in that area. When I finally make my way over to the East Coast for once it will also most likely be done by rail.
I will always choose the train. I’ve also had the chance to use one of their connecting vans, and it was a nice, cozy ride for four hours. The connecting van took me from the Las Vegas Airport to Kingman, Arizona. The driver was fun. The van had three passengers in it and we all got our own seats. I also made friends with this nice lady, but I will likely never see her again. It’s the sad part about traveling and meeting people, but I guess if you’re meant to keep in contact, it would happen.
Sounds familiar. I recalled there being no observation car on that portion on my trip, and that was back in November of last year. I didn’t think this would’ve still been an issue. I wonder how long until everything is back to normal. There’s just something about a can of Dr. Pepper on an Amtrak train. It’s much more refreshing than a can of Dr. Pepper at your house. I really should try more foods, though. I always go for a personal pizza, but I should try the other menu items.
That would be an interesting route to take. There’s a bit of time to go before 2024 is here, but it should still be an adventure.
I equally like the bus, if I’m being honest. Aside from the interesting characters you come across, and that’s putting it nicely, it really isn’t that bad. The only other problem you’ll have is delays, but you’ll eventually get to your destination. I always complain about the seats being uncomfortable and being very difficult to sleep, but the bus stops at some pretty good places to eat. These are some decent problems with only a small upside, but it still has me contemplating which one to talk half the time. I’ll be honest, though, I’ll likely end up just taking the train. I end up sleeping like **** when I’m on the bus.
I’ve come across some trustworthy people on the bus. It was the about 6:00 AM, and the bus stopped at a gas station. I got off and accidentally left my brand new iPhone (at the time) on the seat. Someone was watching it and returned it to me when I got back on the bus. There were a bunch of visibly untrustworthy. They were acting strange and staring at certain passengers, just nonsense. I was very fortunate to get my phone back. I’m thankful for whoever that gentleman was.
Also, one of my biggest struggles when the trip is approaching is finding what snacks to bring with me. It’s always hard because I’m not exactly a sweets person and I tend to prefer real food or potato chips. My favorite chips to bring are Fritos or Cool Ranch Doritos. Although, as I’m typing this, I’m currently craving a cosmic brownie, of all things. It’s normally something I don’t have on the train, that I’m craving.
Part 3 of my rail trip writeup, Amtrak's California Zephyr!
Train: California Zephyr (Chicago, Illinois to Emeryville, California) Scheduled trip time: 52 hours, 40 minutes
If you're looking for a near constant barrage of amazing scenery, this is the route for you. The Chicago to Denver portion really isn't anything noteworthy (most of that time is spent crossing the Plains, which are a bit lacking in that department), but the Denver to Emeryville portion is absolutely stunning. Almost immediately after leaving Denver the train starts climbing its way into the Rocky Mountains, and from there the views just keep on coming. It's something that words alone can't really describe, but even the pictures and videos I took don't do the area justice. You'll spend a bit of time in a less scenic area as you head through central Utah and Northern Nevada (the latter portion is done early in the morning so you'll probably be asleep for it anyway), but then after Reno the train enters California's Sierra Nevada mountains and the views start all over again. To me, this particular route was the trip that kept on giving the whole time I was on board. If you can only do one overnight route, this is the one I'd recommend, and specifically the Westbound train. The Eastbound train gets the same views except in reverse, but the Westbound train enters the Rockies in the morning while the Eastbound is in the afternoon. Because of that, if the Eastbound is delayed you have a much higher chance of going through at least part of the Rockies in the dark, whereas it would take a much larger delay for the same to hold true of the Westbound one.
I had an amazing time on this route. Even the time we spent crossing the Great Plains was enjoyable, as it was still something entirely new to me. I lucked out this time with my roomette, which happened to be on the right side of the train which is the side you'll get most of the views from in the mountains. Since the train was sold out and the observation car was beyond full by the time we left Denver, my room position allowed me to still be able to take in all of the views!
Speaking of the observation car, on this trip I met two incredible people there on the first day of this trip. It all started because the plug block for my phone charger was too large to fit into the outlet in my room, so I had to head into the observation car to find an open seat and plug. The only one available was right next to these two people, who thankfully let me use the seat next to them to charge my phone. We got to talking a bit about our experiences and and spent a lot of time trying to get pictures of a particularly stunning sunset, and enjoyed ourselves enough to agree to meet each other again in the observation car the next day. We ended up spending almost the entire rest of the trip together, sharing stories and talking about the places we lived (one was from the UK, I can't quite remember where the other was from unfortunately), and taking in the scenery together. As much as I prefer being alone when I travel, these two individuals helped bring this trip from incredible to... well, even more incredible. When we finally parted ways in Emeryville (just North of Oakland in the San Francisco Bay area), we all got together once more to take a picture together. I still periodically keep in touch with one of them, who encouraged me to consider applying to Amtrak as a room attendant after I briefly mentioned the idea on our travels. I had already been considering doing so but wanted to wait until I had an idea of how the overnight Amtrak trips were. Now that I know, it is something I am now very seriously considering. I know it's a long and very strenuous job (the attendant I had on the Empire Builder helped give a lot of insight into the demands of the position), but it's also a very rewarding one. My attendants all helped immensely in making my experience on board the best it could be, and I think I'd enjoy being able to help others get the same kind of enjoyment out of their Amtrak overnight experiences as I did from mine.
And now some pictures!
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The trip begins in Chicago! Because we arrived so late on the Empire Builder, I wasn't able to get any good shots of the skyline since it was already dark at the time. I made sure to grab a shot as we left on the Zephyr though!
This is the kind of view you'll be getting for most of the trip through Denver. I personally still found it scenic in its own sort of way, but if you don't care for that kind of scenery you might be glad to hear that most of it (the entire state of Nebraska and much of Eastern Colorado) will be passed at night.
Finally, something to temporarily break the monotony, it's the mighty Mississippi River! You won't be seeing much after this until the next morning.
Sunset over Iowa! It looked much better in person than the picture shows.
As the train begins its climb into the Rockies, you can get some great (and in this instance, smoggy) views of Denver down below. The Denver skyline can be seen just left of center. To the right of the picture, and just below the bottom right of the skyline you can also see the tracks the train has just been down.
There is no shortage of bodies of water in the Rockies. The tracks are paralleled by the Colorado River for much of our trip through the mountains, but the tracks also pass by other lakes and reservoirs.
Apologies for the glare. But there is a certain kind of feeling about seeing the train you're on through the windows that is difficult to explain. It seems that many of the riders also agreed, as often when we went around a bend like this they would all pull out their cameras to record and take pictures. Naturally, I was also among that crowd!
A little too much wall in this shot, but here is a very small sample of the kinds of areas the train goes through on this route. For this one in particular, there are no roads that go through this area. The only way you'll be seeing these areas in person are either on the river or on the train!
This is Glenwood Canyon, Colorado. Or at least, a part of it. This is a part of the trip that neither words nor pictures can come anywhere near doing any amount of justice. I had just sat down for lunch in the dining car as we entered the canyon, and spent most of my time there recording the canyon. I was so focused on the views too that I often forgot to take pictures!
And another canyon! This shot was taken in Ruby Canyon, so-called because of the bright red rocks located all around this area. The rocks are much brighter than the camera shows.
While it was not nearly as scenic as the rest of the day had been, Utah had a lot of neat rock formations. It also had a lot of rain at the time, which lead to 3 separate rainbow sightings. This one was the brightest of the 3.
Into California! This is Donner Lake, located around the similarly-named Donner Pass. Interstate 80 can be seen in the background, just above the back of the lake.
Trees. Trees everywhere. Still made for some great shots though. There is a river running down the middle too, though I'm not sure which one it is.
This is the Benicia-Martinez Bridge, one of the longest rail bridges in the US, which crosses over a part of the San Francisco Bay. It links the cities of Benicia and Martinez (shocking, I know). This was a frame pulled from a video I took looking out the back window of the train. In the entire trip I only ever saw one other person at the back window. It's a truly underrated part of the train!
For a train that is considered to be one of the most scenic passenger routes in the US, it really was determined to keep providing views all the way down to the final minutes. The last portion of this route runs right along the San Francisco Bay between the Martinez and Richmond stations, and still close enough to see it down to Emeryville. Nearing the final station you can see the San Francisco skyline, and if the smog isn't too bad, you can even see the Golden Gate Bridge.
@skweegee - The view of the Benicia-Martinez Bridge is breathtaking. I haven’t taken any routes in Northern California, but that view in itself is making me want to experience that route. Next train trip that I go on, I’m definitely taking more pictures.
I can imagine working for Amtrak would be fun, and it’s cool that you’re considering it. I feel very much at home on the train. I know those jobs aren’t for everyone but it definitely sounds like something you would enjoy.
It's been ages since the last time I actually traveled anywhere that wasn't home. I remember the long trip of moving to Vegas back in December, before that would be going to Oakland to see a concert with my parents and before that, it would be 2019. In terms of long distance, I went to Venezuela in 2009 so that was the last time I traveled.
Never actually been on a train before and always wanted to ride one someday
Well, my trip to Belgium was a month ago now, it all went surprisingly smoothly and I had a great time. It was my first time out of the UK since 2019. We stayed in Brussels, spent 1 1/2 days exploring the capital and then took a train to Bruges the next day. The hotel was fine, but I'd prefer to stay in another area if I ever go back there, as I enjoyed Bruges a lot more than Brussels, it's just more my style of city.
I got to try all the food I wanted to try, Belgian waffles, fries with mayonnaise, Flemish beef stew, dame blanche, and Belgian chocolates.
As for activities, we visited a lot of shops, checked out a big cathedral, saw the Grand Place, visited the Belfry of Bruges, saw an art expo, and took a canal tour of Bruges.
If anyone wants advice on cheap European airlines, if you have a choice I'd 100% recommend Ryanair over Easyjet. My flights with Ryanair were super efficient with no delay or drama. My original flights were with Brussels Airlines, but they cancelled them due to strikes, I rebooked with Ryanair for the same time and day, and it worked out cheaper, even with an added optional fee for priority boarding. With Easyjet my flight was cancelled after 5 hours waiting at the airport because they had no cabin crew available, and they're one of the worst airlines for flight cancellations rn due to understaffing.
Also highly recommend picking early morning flights if you can, they're less likely to be delayed, and if they're cancelled it's more likely you can get rebooked onto a later flight for the same day.
I may have 2 more trips upcoming, my family want to go to Northern Ireland + Ireland next month, and my uni trip to Germany might still be happening in September
Can I bump this? I’ve been getting the travel itch lately and have been binge watching traveling content. Watching others’ Amtrak videos makes me feel like I’m on the train. Some people just want to get off, but I wouldn’t mind being on the train for three days. I get a bit sad each day that passes on the train, and I know I’m closer to departure. I just find trains so relaxing to be on.
I also struggle with bringing a substantial amount of snacks, or just bring a lack of variety. Sometimes it’s a bit pricey to be buying Amtrak pizza and it gets old when that’s all you’re eating. I learned to just write things down that I think will be good snacks to bring on the train with me. My mind goes completely blank the week before and I’m wondering what to bring, lol.
Can I bump this? I’ve been getting the travel itch lately and have been binge watching traveling content. Watching others’ Amtrak videos makes me feel like I’m on the train. Some people just want to get off, but I wouldn’t mind being on the train for three days. I get a bit sad each day that passes on the train, and I know I’m closer to departure. I just find trains so relaxing to be on.
I also struggle with bringing a substantial amount of snacks, or just bring a lack of variety. Sometimes it’s a bit pricey to be buying Amtrak pizza and it gets old when that’s all you’re eating. I learned to just write things down that I think will be good snacks to bring on the train with me. My mind goes completely blank the week before and I’m wondering what to bring, lol.
I definitely understand what you mean, I felt that same way on my last vacation as the days on board my final train counted down. I didn't want it to be over! I watch a lot of Amtrak travel videos too, even if they are videos of the same routes I still like seeing other perspectives of the same trips and hearing their thoughts about it. I'm glad I recorded as much as I did and took so many pictures though, I still go back to them every now and then and, for a few fleeting moments, it's almost like I'm back on board as I relive the memories of the trip. Next month though I'm actually getting another chance to relive the experience in a way, as I'm going to be going back on board for 8 more days of long-distance Amtrak travel and I can't wait!
Snacks are definitely an important part of an Amtrak trip if you aren't in a sleeper! The cafe's offerings aren't anything special and the price adds up fast. They have an okay variety, but if you ride often enough or take a long enough trip I can see how it can get old very quickly.
Ah, it feels great to be back on Amtrak, my home sweet home for the next ten days. Well, not exactly since I will be staying overnight in each of the connecting cities, but the bulk of that time will be spent on board. It is, however, not great to be met with a delay announcement the second the doors open! Judging by the Amtrak tracker I'm expecting a delay of somewhere around 45 minutes to an hour, but that's because of track work which is out of Amtrak's control. At least the seats are comfortable though! Plus, while the people in charge of the route are trying to get rid of the on board Cafe on all trains that run this way, our train luckily still has one. I think once we finally get moving I'll head that way since I forgot to eat lunch before leaving!
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Edit: Well, this first train trip turned into an impromptu road trip instead. The train ended up being canceled because of the nature of the track work, so they chartered a bus for us instead. Not that I mind though, I do like road trips after all!
Well, I just experienced the first major bump in the road regarding this trip. My train out of Chicago was just canceled, along with virtually every single other train from Chicago today due to some kind of nationwide server/network issue that started yesterday morning. I was already prepared for that though and was checking other routes for availability in the near future while awaiting the cancellation announcement. Unfortunately there was no availability on the same route within my available vacation time period, so I ended up getting changed over to the Southwest Chief into Los Angeles leaving on Monday. It might not be the super scenic route through the Colorado Rockies or the Sierra Nevadas I was hoping for, but it is a new route I get to experience! Assuming the issue is cleared up by Monday, that is. And even if I have to fly home, this trip has already been well worth it just from the first two legs.
A month later I'm finally getting around to sharing a bit about my most recent vacation! It started out incredible, but the second half kind of fell apart and ended on a bit of a lower note (no fault of Amtrak though!). This time though I'll try to spare everyone the giant walls of text I had last year and instead let the pictures do most of the talking. First up, the Coast Starlight from Los Angeles, California to Seattle Washington, a 2 day/1 night run! I took this trip right at the beginning of Spring to try to balance out available daylight and snow potential, and in that department it certainly did not disappoint. The rain storms California had in the weeks leading up to the trip also transformed the scenery in the first day so much that it may as well have been a different route altogether. I can't remember the last time I saw California so green!
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While I personally find the ocean views to be kind of overrated compared to everything else this route has to offer, I do have to admit they are still spectacular in their own way! The ocean views don't take long to arrive on the Coast Starlight, and will stay with the train for at least a couple of hours before the train heads inland.
I went to my favorite spot on the train, the rear window, very early on in the trip to try to get some neat shots. Unfortunately, on this trip it looked like the back window hadn't been washed in a few decades so it was very difficult to find parts of the window clean enough to allow my phone to focus on anything other than the dirt. I was, however, amazed at how green everything was!
Beginning the climb out of San Luis Obispo station, still in California, with a segment of the track we were about to use visible in the center. Last year these mountains were brown with dead grass, but this year they were much more vibrant.
The Southbound Coast Starlight train passing by. The train was having mechanical issues during its trip and ended up having to have a freight train locomotive pull it the rest of the way instead of a normal Amtrak one.
A bonus shot of a Federal Railroad Administration office car, which I guess is used to make sure the rails are within regulations. Never seen one before, so it was pretty neat!
The train was running about 2 hours late by the time I woke up, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as normally at this time of year we'd be passing by Mount Shasta and other tall snow-capped mountains of Northern California in the dark. Instead, I once again was able to experience the thrill of opening my room's curtain in the early morning and having the mountain right there in front of me!
Not as much snow in this area as I had anticipated, but that valley still looks just as incredible in the early morning sunrise as it did last year.
Sunrise and a snowy mountain. I'm a sucker for both, not much more here that I could ask for! Except maybe for a few less photobombing trees, a common enemy of mine I frequently encounter on board and typically appearing only at the most inconvenient moments.
Finally in a less tree-filled zone which allowed for a much clearer shot. The picture does not do these mountains justice, they were massive.
Finally entering the second state of the trip, Oregon! Here is the rear half of the train at a fresh air break in chilly Klamath Falls, Oregon.
When I said this drip did not disappoint as far as snow was concerned, this is the kind of thing I was referring to. That whole field in front is nothing but snow, stretching all the way to the hills in the background and it wasn't just a thin layer either!
As we traversed the snowy landscape we encountered a couple of lakes that were completely frozen over. I've experienced snow a handful of times in my life, but have never seen anything like this in person. It was quite the sight to behold!
This is Lookout Point Lake in Oregon. I took a picture of this lake last year and shared it here, but this time it was significantly lower than it was then.
And finally, crossing the Columbia River into Washington. Last year I missed most of the crossing due to a poorly timed restroom break. This year I almost missed it again because my dinner reservation time just happened to line up with the river crossing, but was seated with just enough time to catch a view of the whole crossing. The bridge in the picture is Interstate 5, the main North/South highway connecting California, Oregon and Washington, stretching from the Mexico border in the South to the Canada border in the North. It also features a drawbridge, which can be seen on the left with the giant spires.
I was honestly a bit worried that I might not enjoy the trip quite as much as last year since by this time the novelty factor would've worn off a bit as it was no longer my first time riding Amtrak long distance or my first time on this particular route. Thankfully I ended up being wrong about that, and enjoyed the trip just as much as last time.
Part 2 of the trip, a bit later than I had planned on posting about it. Part 2 involved Amtrak's Empire Builder, which I took from Seattle, Washington to Chicago, Illinois, over the course of 3 days and 2 nights on board. The trip went through what I consider to be the most scenic portion of track in the entire Amtrak network, Montana's Glacier National Park. The scenery drops off pretty hard afterward though, with a near instant change from mountains to flatlands upon passing East Glacier Park station (the station is closed in winter). But the best scenery we had ended up being in North Dakota of all places, where while at an extended service stop in Minot the Northern Lights actually came into view! I had never seen them before, and while they weren't as bright or vivid as they'd appear in areas further North, they were still a spectacular sight and was able to knock another item off of my bucket list! The rest of the trip kind of went a little downhill as delays stacked up due to a nationwide failure of some server system that Amtrak trains use. These issues would eventually lead to the cancellation of what was supposed to be my third leg of the trip (and virtually every single other train out of Chicago for the next couple days), but as far as the Empire Builder goes we were still able to get into Chicago before sunset which is more than I expected to happen and a lot better than last year's arrival at less than an hour before midnight!
Enough rambling though, here are some of the many pictures I took on this leg! (total picture bandwidth: 4.62 MB)
Running along Puget Sound in Washington before heading inland.
Like the last leg, I was really looking forward to seeing lots of snow this time around. And like the last leg, this one certainly didn't disappoint!
This formation looked incredible in the snow. Unfortunately I managed to have trees blocking every single shot I took of it, with this shot being the clearest of the bunch. Pictures don't do it justice though!
Sunset on the first night on board! I do wish the pylons weren't there, but even with them I still love how this sunset shot turned out.
Sunrise at the start of day 2 on board! I believe this is on approach to Glacier National Park, I can't remember if we had passed the station yet or not at this point.
This was definitely within Glacier though.
Snowy mountains covered in evergreens, with a river running through all lit by the glow of the early morning sun. I still stand by my earlier statement that this stretch of track is the most beautiful segment of passenger rail in the Continental US.
In the same spot, but looking the other way. I love looking out the window and seeing the rest of the train following behind!
I took a shot very close to this spot last year. I don't know which version I like better, the summer one or the winter one!
Reaching the end of the mountainous section as we approach East Glacier and the Two Medicine River. The sudden transition makes it easy to get wide shots of the mountains though!
One more wide mountain shot taken from the beginning of the Montana flatlands.
It was quite cold outside heading through Montana...
...like, really cold.
The Empire Builder waiting in Minot North Dakota, having arrived over half an hour earlier than scheduled which gave us well over an hour to step off the train and take in some cold fresh air.
The Northern Lights!
The Northern Lights lasted a little over 20 minutes or so before they became too dim to get pictures of, and faded completely about 10 minutes later.
And the final shot, the Mighty Mississippi River, completely covered in ice! It was pretty thin at this point though, and the ice had already started breaking up only a few miles down the track from here.
My siblings surprised me with a birthday trip to Las Vegas next month. I would've been excited and appreciative if they had asked me first. However, this feels more like a trip for them than for me. I don't drink or hard-core gamble. I also have social anxiety, which I assume that place will still be packed in August. I don't even like Las Vegas that much. Now that my mom is also going, I feel obligated to go. I would feel bad if she stayed behind just to keep me company.
If anyone is from Las Vegas or has visited, is there any way for me to be positive about this? I usually prefer stuff like museums, landmarks, or sweet shops. Are these places far from The Strip? I'm appreciative of any input. Thanks.
My siblings surprised me with a birthday trip to Las Vegas next month. I would've been excited and appreciative if they had asked me first. However, this feels more like a trip for them than for me. I don't drink or hard-core gamble. I also have social anxiety, which I assume that place will still be packed in August. I don't even like Las Vegas that much. Now that my mom is also going, I feel obligated to go. I would feel bad if she stayed behind just to keep me company.
If anyone is from Las Vegas or has visited, is there any way for me to be positive about this? I usually prefer stuff like museums, landmarks, or sweet shops. Are these places far from The Strip? I'm appreciative of any input. Thanks.
Ooh. This is interesting. What a weird gift, honestly, if they didn't ask you beforehand.
Anyways, Vegas does have a few museums. There's definitely a mob/mafia museum there, the titanic museum I believe, and there's an atomic museum (I want to go there so bad.) It's got plenty more so be sure to get a good look on Google and form an itinerary, most of these places charge at least $30 for entry.
Of course there's lots of amazing food, but it'll be $$$. There's also shows all the time, magic acts, burlesque, stand up, singing etc. Take a gander to see if anything fun is peforming during your stay.
If you're able to travel outside of Vegas, there's Hoover Dam. Also the Grand Canyon but that may be really dangerous this time of year with the heat, check with a local guide before doing anything in the desert.
I have a big want to go to Vegas at some point for a tour of the locations in Fallout: New Vegas and a lot of the locations don't take place in Vegas at all. There's a lot of historic casinos as well, and natural beauties outside of the city. (Red Rock Canyon, Mount Charleston, Sloan conservation etc.)
I think you'll still have fun if you go to Vegas. It's a beautiful city, even if it's a place where people throw away their money to the rich and greedy. There's lots of history, beautiful architecture and stunning nature around the city. The Mojave is beautiful.
Agreed. I'm starting to wonder if this wasn't a gift specifically for me; and I was more of an afterthought tagged in. In other words, they hoped that I would go with the flow. This year is a milestone birthday for me, so I'm kind of disappointed to be honest. Not to mention that July and August are usually brutal months for me financially. That's when annual bills pop in. I'm certainly going to be strapped for money on this trip, and will have to budget accordingly.
Anyways, Vegas does have a few museums. There's definitely a mob/mafia museum there, the titanic museum I believe, and there's an atomic museum (I want to go there so bad.) It's got plenty more so be sure to get a good look on Google and form an itinerary, most of these places charge at least $30 for entry.
Of course there's lots of amazing food, but it'll be $$$. There's also shows all the time, magic acts, burlesque, stand up, singing etc. Take a gander to see if anything fun is peforming during your stay.
If you're able to travel outside of Vegas, there's Hoover Dam. Also the Grand Canyon but that may be really dangerous this time of year with the heat, check with a local guide before doing anything in the desert.
I have a big want to go to Vegas at some point for a tour of the locations in Fallout: New Vegas and a lot of the locations don't take place in Vegas at all. There's a lot of historic casinos as well, and natural beauties outside of the city. (Red Rock Canyon, Mount Charleston, Sloan conservation etc.)
I think you'll still have fun if you go to Vegas. It's a beautiful city, even if it's a place where people throw away their money to the rich and greedy. There's lots of history, beautiful architecture and stunning nature around the city. The Mojave is beautiful.
I did see the titanic museum while searching online. That looked fascinating. I haven't heard of the atomic museum though. That sounds interesting! I would have to consult my siblings on the itinerary since my niece and nephew are coming as well. My toddler nephew is quite stubborn and wild. Haha. He would need lots of room to run around. The only thing that I do know is that we'll be visiting the Fashion Show mall, because they have a Hello Kitty cafe there. I did read about some art exhibits there as well as two candy shops. Hopefully that will be fun.
I had a feeling that the food would be expensive too. Everything seems to have a price tag over there. A Youtube influencer said that the portions are huge; so it would be best to split a meal and buy snacks if you're still hungry. Also that the fridges are stocked with food and sensors on the shelves, so they're basically nonfunctional for storing leftovers.
Hopefully you're right and I do get to see lots of architecture and history. Also, I hope that you do get to see the locations that inspired Fallout: New Vegas. Thank you!
Most recently I went to Siem Reap with my boyfriend and my best friend from high school that was visiting. My last time there was in 2016. During COVID the government completely repaved the roads and put in a lot of money into tourism and infrastructure. I live in Phnom Penh, which barely has any sidewalk to walk on... so I was overjoyed by the simple pleasures of walking down treelined paths. Just a really lovely town aside from pub street (any expat drinking area is gross honestly). We were only there for a weekend so we spent one morning at the temples and the rest of the time we were basically eating non stop.
My next vacation is probably going to be Laos or back to Vietnam. We will either take a flight to Luang Prabang in Laos or do Hanoi in Vietnam. Just depends on the ticket prices. Before the year ends I also want to take my boyfriend to Korea to see my family, maybe sometime in the autumn months.
