South West USA

Located in the heart of downtown Bakersfield, home to Crystal Palace and country music's capital of the west, the Wyndham Garden Bakersfield is moments away from shopping, restaurants, golf, tennis, jogging and hiking trails, and more. Guests can treat themselves to accommodations at the hotel where the staff consistently strives to make guests' stay as comfortable and pleasurable as possible. The hotel features one restaurant, a fitness center, a swimming pool, 24-hour front desk, free parking, tennis courts, guest laundry facilities, and a business center. The property offers 90 richly appointed guestrooms featuring 37-inch flat panel LCD TV���s. One can enjoy an impressive service and amenities including cordless telephones, high-speed Internet access, AM/FM alarm clocks, coffeemakers, and hairdryers.

Olive Garden serves up authentic Italian cuisine. Their signature breadsticks and one-of-a-kind menu make them an American icon. Standard Italian options like Bruschetta, Calamari, Ravioli, and Eggplant Parmigiana line their lengthy menu. More exotic items like salmon, chicken dishes and innovative pizzas are also available. For the calorie-counter, Olive Garden has a range of low fat and low carbohydrate options. Their bottomless salads ensure a well-balanced feast. Enjoy your meal with a bottle from their extensive wine list or one of their tropical island drinks. Finally, top it all off with a little something from their dessert menu—their cakes, custards, and ice creams are sure to win you over. Lunch and take out menus are available.

Located in Williams' oldest building, this Mexican cantina calls itself the town's funnest restaurant, and you may very well agree. Sonoran-style Mexican and Southwestern cuisine are served in the former "Cabinet Saloon," renowned for its gunfights and shady ladies. Many of the building's original architectural features remain, including the ceiling trim and hand-painted wainscoting. The building is directly across from the train depot in the downtown historic district. The usual suspects including burritos, enchiladas, tacos, chicken, beef and pork combination plates, go well with the frosty Margaritas and other house specialty drinks. Both smoking and non-smoking dining rooms are available.

Though this is not by any means the only place in the area specializing in steaks and barbecue, the food is done well here—and well done, if you prefer. The staff is friendly and dining here feels like stepping into an old Gunsmoke episode. As you would expect, this spot is designed to resemble a Wild West saloon. Full bar service is available. On weekends, the live music will set your toes to tappin'. Steaks, prime rib and barbecue dinners are simple but satisfying.

The Grand Canyon in Arizona, is not the largest, nor the longest, nor the deepest canyon in the world. However, the gorge cut ages ago by the Colorado River earns its name not from its size, but from its spectacular beauty and awe-inspiring vistas. And, it’s still unimaginably large. In fact, the canyon is so big that one can usually find a peaceful spot to contemplate this behemoth of a landmark, even with five million visitors a year at Grand Canyon National Park.

The colorful layers of rocks exposed in the Grand Canyon are old, 2,000 million years by some estimates. The park itself seems infantile by those standards, although it is actually one of the oldest national parks in the country, designated as such in 1919, three years after the creation of the National Park Service. However, it was first afforded federal protection in 1893 as a Forest Reserve and later as a National Monument. The stream of visitors has been steady ever since, with most arriving at the South Rim, which is 30 miles and is accessible by park roads. For those wanting to forego air-conditioning, the Grand Canyon offers amazing hiking, from short loops on well-maintained trails to serious and lengthy treks through the wilderness.

The Grand Canyon draws more than 10 million visitors a year. As one of the seven natural wonders of the world, this amazing landscape awes and inspires. A mile in depth and more than 250 miles long, the Colorado River winds through its vast corridors. Drive or ride the Grand Canyon Railway as an alternative to getting there. Park amenities include both rustic and upscale lodging. Fine dining is available at the four-star dining room of the El Tovar. Admission is around USD20 per car.

At 7,406 feet, Grandview Point is one of the highest lookouts along the south rim, providing sightseers with a unique view looking down on the mountains. Due to its altitude, it receives more moisture, which in turn brings more vegetation than to other areas along the south rim. This is where Grandview Trail descends into the canyon to take hikers by the site of the old Grandview Hotel, one of the original tourist facilities in the late 1800s.

This is one of the top ranked Helicopters tours in the world. The motorcoach will pick you up and take you for a scenic drive to the Grand Canyon National Park. The tour includes spectacular Canyon viewpoints, time to shop, and a walk along the Canyon rim. You can explore Bright Angel Lodge and numerous viewing points. A motorcoach will shuttle you to two impressive viewpoints along the rim and you to can take in the sights of the Canyon its great photo opportunities.You then take 25-30 minute helicopter tour over the heart of the Canyon. This helicopter tour takes you into the widest and deepest part of the Canyon where the view goes on for miles. You will see the Kaibab National Forest and the towering Temple of Ra. Once back from your return flight you can view the many souvenirs and southwest Indian curios at the South Rim before returning back via motorcoach

While the Canyon is evidence of layers and layers of natural history, the Village, an assortment of buildings deemed National Historic Landmarks, make up its Historical District. Together, they demonstrate man's interaction with the natural wonder for the last 100 years. Architect Mary Colter designed almost half of the buildings included in the district. Those include Hopi House, Bright Angel Lodge, and Lookout Studio. Other buildings included in the district are the Santa Fe Railway Station, El Tovar Hotel, Bucky O'Neil's Cabin, Kolb Studio and Red Horse Station.

The Skywalk offers visitors an absolutely stunning view of the Grand Canyon, from a Glass Bridge suspended 4,000 ft above the Colorado River. Located on the Hualapai reservation just west of Grand Canyon Village, this $40 million architectural marvel juts out 70 ft from the edge of the chasm, with a glass-bottomed walkway revealing the canyon from a dizzying perspective. Opened in March 2007, upwards of one million pounds of steel went into the construction of the Skywalk, which can withstand 71 million pounds of weight and canyon winds of 100mph. All in all, a not-to-be-missed, seeing-is-believing, step-out-over-eternity experience, even for the likes of Buzz Aldrin. Admission USD25.

South Rim's Grand Canyon Village is the hub of activity for canyon visitors. A variety of accommodations, from historical landmarks, quaint cabins, modern facilities or camping and hookups for RVs, are available. Museums, gift shops, restaurants, mule rides, train rides and other activities are clustered here as well. Yet, it is the spectacular canyon views that bring the visitors back each year. The Visitor Center, which was previously located here, is now across from Mather point.

The Hampton Inn Kayenta hotel is a adobe style hotel with charming rooms enhanced with Native American colors and decor. The very spacious lobby is comfortable and tastefully decorated with a Southwestern touch. A warm double-sided fireplace makes guest feel at home and cozy.

Las Vegas is the largest city in the state of Nevada. Commonly referred to as the “Entertainment Capital of the World,” it is situated in the midst of the southern Nevada desert landscape. The city has giant mega-casino hotels, decorated with lavish care and attention to detail to create a fantasy-like atmosphere. The casinos have names that evoke romance and mystery—Luxor Hotel and Casino, The Hotel at Mandalay Bay, Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino, and the Excalibur Hotel and Casino. Others evoke popular worldwide destinations, such as: New York-New York Hotel and Casino, Paris Las Vegas, Monte Carlo Resort and Casino, and The Venetian. There is an abundance of shows and many of the larger casinos now include high-end shopping areas with designer stores.

Opportunities to gamble are found in most places in the Las Vegas metro area, as well as McCarran airport and small supermarkets. However, please be advised that it is state law that all gamblers must be at least 21 years of age. Las Vegas is also the wedding capital of the world. Both parties must have valid ID and the cost is $55 per couple. The Las Vegas Wedding Bureau is open from 9 a.m. to midnight seven days a week, including holidays. No waiting period is required.

Vegas has some of the best climbing in America. Red Rock Canyon is located on the western edge of the Las Vegas city limits and features hundreds of traditional/gear and sport routes. Climbing is possible year-round, though spring and fall tend to be most comfortable.

It’s one of the hottest, driest and lowest destinations in the world: California’s Death Valley National Park. At 3.4 million acres of mountains and desert, Death Valley is also the largest national park in the contiguous United States.

Take precautions when you visit; the famous desert temperatures often exceed 120 degrees Fahrenheit and visitors have suffered heat stroke. Still, Death Valley’s striking snow-capped mountains and red-rock desert offer breathtaking landscapes and the area offers an array of activities. Visit the Furnace Creek Area, which features hikeable Golden Canyon, the stunning Dante’s View overlook and the lowest point in North America: the Badwater salt flats. Other Death Valley sites include the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, Darwin Falls (a year-round spring-fed waterfall) and the mysterious moving rocks on the Racetrack Playa.  

Yosemite National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in east-central California. Yosemite is internationally recognized for its spectacular granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, giant sequoia groves and biological diversity. The 750,000-acre, 1,200 square-mile park contains thousands of lakes and ponds, 1,600 miles of streams, 800 miles of hiking trails, and 350 miles of roads.

Physically fit travelers will enjoy hiking the park’s many trails and footpaths. Check with rangers for trail conditions; snow and hazards from falling rock close many trails in winter. No permits are required park-wide for day hikes. The valley also offers some of the most challenging and spectacular rock climbing in North America, with vertical faces more than  3,000 feet tall. There are still commercial horseback-riding concessions in the Yosemite Valley, Wawona and Tuolumne Meadows areas.

For cross-country skiers the park offers over 350 miles of trails, with 90 miles of marked trails and 25 miles of groomed trails originating at Badger Pass. Downhill skiing options include 10 runs at Badger Pass. The majority of these runs are for beginners and moderate skiers, so thrill seekers may wish to ski elsewhere.

Sacramento, the capital of California, is located in the northern half of the state’s Central Valley, and positioned along the Sacramento River. The city is the heart and soul of the Sacramento metropolitan area, which consists of four counties: El Dorado, Yolo, Placer and Sacramento.

Sacramento is a historically rich town, and offers up many points of interest to anyone fascinated by the California Gold Rush. In 1841, Swiss immigrant John Sutter established Sutter’s Fort, Sacramento’s earliest settlement. Eventually, the fort was overrun with gold seekers after gold was found there in 1848. If you happen to get gold fever, there are plenty of places (such as Placerville) in neighboring counties to try your luck gold panning.

If the children are burned out on exploring the city’s history, there are many kid-friendly locales to keep the whole family entertained. Check out the Sacramento Zoo, which is home to more than 140 native, endangered and exotic animals. Defy reality at Fairytale Town, a children’s park that allows kids to become part of the fairy tales they’ve come to love.

Sacramento can get hot in the summertime, so if you need to cool off amidst your exploration, look no further than the Sacramento Marina. The largest marina on the Sacramento River offers limitless possibilities, including houseboat rentals, ski boats and pleasure cruisers a way to enjoy the river for any lifestyle. 

San Francisco, a bustling, cosmopolitan city in northern California, is the centerpiece of the Bay Area, well-known for its diverse ethnic and political communities, hilly terrain, world-class restaurants and scenic beauty.

It is the home of the ‘50s beat generation, the ‘60s flower power students, the ‘70s gay rights movement, the ‘80s culinary revolution and, of course, the ‘90s technology boom. Today, the city remains the epicenter for all things cyber and is on the leading edge of the sustainable food movement.  

Ride a cable car, walk across (or windsurf under) the Golden Gate Bridge, scribble poetry in a North Beach café, shop at the hip boutiques along Union Street, check out the latest exhibit at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, see an opera, then club-crawl through cyber-cool South of Market.

So much to see and do, it’s no wonder why Tony Bennett left his heart there.