Route 66 - Travelling The Mother Road with Babies and On a Budget - Las Vegas – Los Angele

Hey, welcome back for the final leg of our Route 66 adventures - in which we head for the hills... of Hollywood!

We hit the road from Vegas to Barstow (miles & miles of road)

After making the most of our last day in Vegas we left just after a gorgeous buffet lunch in the MGM Grand to get to San Bernardino, California. It was over a 3 hour drive bringing us through Barstow which had a few lovely museums but unfortunately we didn’t have time to stop. 

We also passed by the famous Joshua Tree National Park. I really wanted to get to another of my favourite motels in Rialto, A Wigwam motel where all of the rooms are concrete wigwams!

Wigwam Motel, Rialto California

We paid $65/ approx €50 for a large Wigwam that had two queen size beds. They also have their own little bathroom complete with a shower. There is an outdoor swimming pool & a BBQ pit you can use. They even have free wifi - WIGWAM WIFI FTW!

Our Tee Pee!

We had dinner just across the road in a Chinese buffet where we paid $6.50/ approx €5 for a huge dinner each, afterwards we rolled home! As we drove further towards L.A. the following morning we saw lots of signs for an air show in Miramar, the Air Force Base made famous by the movie Topgun. So we headed for San Diego for our breaths to be taken away...

Miramar, San Diego, California - It's a Boy!

My hubby was delighted with himself to be able to get up close to all of the Navy, Air Force & Marines' flying machines. Me on the other hand had a little drool at all of the awesome men in uniform! Entrance is free but if you want a seat it can cost anything up to $250pp into the VIP areas. 

We were so lucky a high ranking officer (hubba hubba) saw us with twin babies & ushered us through the barriers out of the sun & into the Officers' Marquee, he even got us a drink! Now that’s service.

California Dreamin’ - (Not a brown leaf in sight!)

We drove the coast road back towards Los Angeles & stopped at one of the many glorious beaches to dip our toes. We made straight for Santa Monica Pier which is the last stop on Route 66. 

We stayed at Hotel California just a 10 minute walk from the pier and the beds even had polished surf beds as headboards. We paid $85/€63 B&B, The rooms were nice but very much on the small side it’s more of a motel than a hotel.

Mirrors on the ceiling, pink champagne on ice at The Hotel California!

We went to find a gas station to refill the car and found on right at the end of Rodeo drive. It was so seedy and just not a nice place to be after dark. I made sure to lock the car doors especially when we stopped. We had booked onto a tour bus (expensive at $50/€37 each) for the following morning & our last full day in California as we wanted to take in all the sights.

Now at this stage I’ll point out that we had already been in L.A. on two different occasions and didn't like it that much so we were giving it another shot.

We had a fabulous dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co on Santa Monica Pier.

We checked out & actually got to leave Hotel California! We drove to our next hotel. Sheraton Gateway Hotel near LAX. ($150/€111 B&B) The hotel was ok, nothing great you’d probably get a much better room in a different hotel for that price. 

We unpacked the car & I had hubby drive it back to the airport drop off point so we could get the airport shuttle bus the next day. Our Sightseeing tour bus collected us from our hotel even though the depot was only around the corner.

Hollywood sign in them there hills!

We were advised never to walk anywhere in L.A. Advice we gladly stuck to as on previous visits we saw a few people carrying guns in their belts. You usually hear people advising tourists to beware after dark in such & such a city & I have to say we had no problems in many other US cities like Boston, New York, Chicago & Washington D.C. L.A. on the other hand is a different kettle of fish altogether. 

It was a city that wasn't for us, the straw that broke the camel’s back was when we saw a girl dressed as Tinkerbell openly buy & take drugs (quite possibly angel dust) on the walk of fame. Childhood. Ruined. 

Mann’s Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Blvd.

Our tour bus stopped off at the Hollywood walk of fame & saw the famous Hollywood sign up in the hills. There are tons of people dressed as different characters all hoping you’ll want your picture taken with them for a few dollars. The tour also took us to Venice beach and then onto an indoor craft & artisan food market before dropping us back to our hotel.

 

Hollywood Blvd

I thought Los Angeles/ Hollywood  was just overrated. If you are going I’d recommend seeing Santa Monica Blvd & pier then heading to Universal Studios for the day. You can get a day pass for roughly the same price as the sightseeing tour bus of Hollywood.

One of the many brilliant displays in Universal Studios.

We checked in for our flight the following day & brought home 9 bags! We shopped our asses off at the outlet malls. We also got to bring home the travel cot & cheap strollers that we were planning on leaving behind as the lady on check in just gave us extra tags for them.

There you have it, a quick overview of both of our trips along Route 66. It is seriously a fantastic holiday unrivalled by any other we have taken. I’d still be here next year telling you about everything if I could detail every stop we made & show you all of the pictures. All I can say is, we will definitely be going again!

Tell us, have you hit the road to drive Route 66 - think you might? 

Pop a comment below or come chat on the Twitter machine - @StoneTravel4

Route 66 - Travelling The Mother Road with Babies and On a Budget - Viva Las Vegas!

Hey, welcome back to our Route 66 road trip. On this edition of Tuesday's Travels we're stopping off in Sin City itself - VEGAS!

Las Vegas is fantastic but just not ideal for children. They have strictly no under 21’s on any Casino floor, but we had a fantastic time walking the strip and watching the Bellagio Fountains and the outdoor show at Treasure Island hotel.

Excalibur Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada

                                               

We also brought them to the sharks at the Mandalay Bay. We stayed in the Stratosphere at the end of the strip it’s cheap as chips at only $40/€29 per night room only. It’s very hard to beat a burger & angel hair onion rings at Roxy’s Diner in the Stratosphere, It’s simply mouth watering. 

Another good hotel you can get at this rate is Hotel Tropicana at the other end of the strip. The airport is right behind the Tropicana and slightly further off the strip from Tropicana as a fantastic outlet mall.

Stratosphere Hotel, Las Vegas NV

Brunch on the 107^th floor!

While in the Stratosphere we had the most delicious brunch in their revolving restaurant Top of the World on the 107th floor over 800 feet above ground. Steak & cocktails for us & meals for the children worked out at less than €100 - well worth a little splurge!

Dessert selection at Top of the World Restaurant, Stratosphere Hotel

There are a host of thrill rides along the strip so if you are a dare devil give some a whirl! The best ones are the roller coaster at New York New York (I was a big chicken) and another is Insanity 906 feet above the strip on the top of the Stratosphere.

This one I just decided to get mad & go on it. I screamed my head off as the safety barrier was lowered at the side of the building and the seats swung out over the edge. They then twirled faster & faster so the momentum swung the seat so you were facing the ground.

(Sue here - I'd just like to point out that Corrina had to remove her glasses for the ride so whether or not they just brought her out back and blew a wind machine at her full pelt - we'll never really know)(Also, Blind Coasters For Those with Glasses™ will be coming to a town near you soon. I just have to save enough for a wind machine) (As you were, Sis)

Looking up out the window at Insanity!

We brought the children to Fremont Street as they have free over head light shows every hour on the hour. They were amazed by it as the lights dance in time to piped music. The girls even managed to collect party beads from the hostesses as we were passing casinos along Fremont Street!

Fremont Street Cowboy & Cowgirl, iconic Vegas neon.

Fremont Street, Las Vegas, Nevada

The next morning we parted ways for an hour as hubby needed to visit a firing range so he could shoot things! As we had been in Vegas a few times before and visited a few firing ranges he felt he just had to do it again.  

Colin headed to the Gun Store on Tropicana where for less than $70/€51 he got to fire 4 different guns & even got a souvenir t-shirt. They take care of everything for you hearing/eye protection, safety lessons, and they’ll even take your photo for you.

The Gun Store, Tropicana Ave, Las Vegas

Meanwhile I brought the children to see the Car museum & fish tanks at Caesar’s Palace.

Mad Maggies tempting a fish with their toes!

While in Las Vegas you can visit the Grand Canyon, we didn’t on this occasion as we had done it on our last visit. There are oodles of packages to choose from & we decided to take a plane ride out to see it from the air before landing for lunch on the ledge of the Canyon. It cost us about $250/€183 each for the day trip of a lifetime.

One of many photos from the air!

When you land you are brought to the visitor centre where your tour guide picks you up & brings you on a very informative walk around the top of the Grand Canyon. You also get to meet a genuine Hualapai Native American who will show you his tribes way of living in & around the Grand Canyon.

That’s where we had lunch right on the ledge!

When we went, the glass walk way wasn't opened but it is now so we might just have to go back to get a better view!

Join us next week for the home stretch from Nevada into California.

Route 66 - Travelling The Mother Road with Babies and On a Budget - Albuquerque, New Mexico to Hoover Dam, Nevada!

Why hello there! Welcome back to our Route 66 shenanigans. 

Buckle up, we are ready to go.

Hot dog jumping frog, Albuquerque is next. Soz but another rule is you have to sing this one too! They host the International Hot Air Balloon Festival each October when the skyline is transformed into something from a fairytale.  They also have lots of vintage motels & The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History, where you can learn everything from the Atomic age.

We also met some of these monsters in New Mexico, worst part is they can jump. Eeek!

We drove through the dessert passing by the occasional Casino in the middle of nowhere to get to Gallup New Mexico. Gallup is home to one of our favourite hotels on Route 66, El Rancho Hotel & Motel. It’s truly not to be missed. Many of the old Hollywood stars used to stay in El Rancho such as Clarke Gable, John Wayne, Katherine Hepburn and even Ronald Regan. Their photographs line the walls. There is a restaurant, bar and a fabulous gift shop. ($120/€88 B&B for the penthouse suite)

Lobby El Rancho Hotel & Motel, Gallup, NM

Cross the state line into Arizona first town is Lupton where there is a Navajo Indian Reservation then onto Holbrook with another of my favourite places to stay. The Wigwam Motel, where the rooms are all concrete wigwams! It is a gem of a place in Arizona and another not to be missed experience. There were seven of these motels built across the USA but only two are still around today. ($40/€30 room only)

Wigwam Motel, Holbrook, AZ

The Eagle’s once sang “Standin’ on the corner in Winslow Arizona” so we had to do just that on our next stop! Although the noise of blaring of the song on repeat from the 3 souvenir shops on the corners will drive you loopy after a 20 minute pit stop.

                                                            Winslow, Arizona 

On the road again this time to Flagstaff, Arizona it’s easily the most scenic town on 66 also home to the 1st Muffler Man. There are only a hand full left and are used as tourist attractions now. We took time to go to the visitor centre which is housed in the Amtrak Depot to get lots of info on local attractions.

I’m a firm believer in making the most of your holiday especially when you’ve travelled a fair distance so at this point we took a detour off Route 66 & made our way to Tucson via Phoenix along one of America’s most scenic routes. On the way we passed by a few huge outlet malls so we naturally had to stop & buy some bargains!

Fall display at one of the outlet malls.

It’s a pretty long drive so we stopped overnight at the Super 8 in Casa Grande, Arizona. Don’t do it! It’s a horrid motel that has dirty rooms, rubbish breakfast and laundry facilities that doesn’t even wash your clothes properly. Also the whole town closed about 9.30pm. (We stupidly paid $77/€57 B&B)

                                    Airplane Graveyard, Tucson, Arizona

My husband was thrilled to finally see the Airplane Graveyard as he always wanted to see it. It’s vast, I can tell you that! Hundreds & hundreds of planes line the roads for miles. We also visited Pima Air & Space museum while we were there. You get to tour 80 acres of planes (there is a tour bus!) & you can also board a few of them including a Concorde. Admission was $15 & the children were free.

Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson AZ

Once we finished in Tucson we made our way across Arizona towards Las Vegas as it’s over a 6 hour drive we stopped for the night in Wickenburg. We had never heard of this town but we were so glad we stopped. It’d a real cowboy town just like out of the movies. Rows of little wooden shops with porches complete with swinging benches. As we arrived at about 10pm I decided I’d try to haggle the price of the motel. Hey it worked!! We got a deal of $70/€52 instead of $120/€88 B&B.

We stayed in the Wickenburg Inn a lovely motel with an outdoor pool & Jacuzzi. They also had washing machines & dryers so we took full advantage of that!

Arizona

On the road again this time to Las Vegas passing through Hoover Dam, traffic can get a bit crazy here and you pass through a couple of security checks. There is a museum you can visit but we just wanted to get to the bright lights of Vegas so we drove on through after taking a few snaps.

Hoover Dam on the border between Arizona & Nevada.

See you guys next week & we’ll let you know how we got on in Las Vegas!

Route 66 - Travelling The Mother Road with Babies and On a Budget!

Hai and welcome to the first installment of Tuesday's Travels with mise, Corrina. Mother of 4 and half childer, Wife of Colin, Sister of CherrySue and Haver of AWEsome holidays with very few eurobux. 
As promised, we're starting out with Route 66. 
Buckle UP!

When we first drove Route 66 our twins Orla & Aoife were 11 months old & I was expecting our third child. We loved it so much that we did it again the next year with 23 month old twins & 5 month old baby Seamus! We thought we’d never get a chance to do it again but then we realised how cheaply it can be done. That and the fact that children under 2 years travel for a nominal fee on flights. 

We found when travelling with children and on a budget, the best time to go is in October as you won’t be paying high season prices & the weather is perfect. The photos you see over the next few Route 66 posts will be a mix of both trips showing you the best of what Route 66 has to offer.

Sue always gets the heebie jeebies at this pic of New Mexico (Historic Route 66), I always tell her we would've seen a truck coming since last Tuesday!!

What a difference a year makes!! (Sue still hates it)

While travelling Route 66 you not only get an amazing holiday you also get to see some of the most beautiful little towns and experience the vast variety of food & culture that the US of A  has to offer. The first thing we did was bought 3 different guidebooks so we could get a broad view of what there was to see and do on the 2,448 miles (4,000km) from Chicago to L.A. 

Famous Neon on Route 66

Next thing I did was book separate flights as it was (and is) cheaper that way. We used American Airlines to Chicago and Aer Lingus from L.A. to Dublin. I also booked our rental car from O’Hare Airport and haggled via e-mail so I saved the one way fee of $199! The last thing I did was book hotels for the first and last night of our holiday. Other than that we were free to explore the 8 states and 3 time zones of The Main Street of America.

We hired a minivan so we had lots of room for the children & shopping 

(but not off-roading, much to the hubby's chagrin) 

Happy Little Eggs with OODLES of room. 

So we packed the car with our 11 month old twins and headed to Dublin Airport. We brought the girls car seats with us, sealed them in refuse sacks at the airport and checked them in with the luggage, free of charge, saving us a fortune on renting them per day. We also left their prams here and brought them to the plane in their slings. 

Driving from O’Hare Airport into Chicago. 

When we got to Chicago and collected our car the first thing we did was head to a supermarket where we bought strollers for $6 each and travel cots for $15 each. This saved on the nightly rental fee, which can cost anything up to $15 per night(!) We also bought a $5 ice box so we could keep the children’s food & drinks cool in the car while travelling.

Wal-Mart trolleys big enough to carry a family!

View of Chicago from Navy Pier 

First Stop was Chicago, Illinois.  We stayed in the Travelodge Hotel Downtown Chicago we got a great rate, (approx $85 room only). There was a Dunkin Donuts next door but just around the corner is one of America’s best franchises, Jimmy John’s. They make the best subs and sandwiches with the freshest fillings, you have literally hundreds of options to choose from.

Jimmy John’s, sharing is caring you know!

We booked the Chicago City hop on hop off trolley tour via Viator.com as they had the best rates. A trolley/bus tour is the best way to see a City in a short amount of time. We got to see Millennium Park (The Bean), Wrigley Field and Sears Tower. 

Orla & Aoife at Sears Tower in their $6 strollers.

Right across the harbour from our hotel was one of Chicago’s biggest attractions, Navy Pier and if you time it right you might just be there on one of their free fireworks nights! It truly is a stunning way to see the city after dark. I’d recommend eating at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co on Navy Pier and the Cheesecake Factory do great lunch specials with enormous desserts!

Fireworks over Navy Pier, Chicago

While travelling Route 66 you will pass through Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona before ending in Santa Monica, California. We also took a detour down to Tucson Arizona to see the Airplane graveyard and across to show the children the bright lights of Las Vegas.  While we did it in 3 weeks the first time we easily did it in 2 weeks the following year.

My hubby dressing to look the part!

We'll park it there and allow you to catch your breath but do please drop by this time next week to see the next leg of this once twice in a lifetime trip. 

Have you been to Chicago? 

Any tips or recommendations on places to see or things to do?