Yosemite Day 1

We had a great breakfast at Con Azucar Cafe. The coffee was fantastic and the avocado toast was delicious.

 We headed to the airport to pick up a rental car and drove from Sacramento to Yosemite!! Our first stop on the way was the Lodi Wine Center. We will definitely be coming back here. Wonderfully curated wine tasting. We picked up some bottles for our Yosemite stay.

Then, we headed towards Yosemite. We stopped at California's Oldest Bar: Iron Door Saloon for some delicious wings and burgers. 

Then, it was a windy, up and down drive to the Park. 

We checked into the Ahwahnee and this was our view of Half Dome from the room: 

We headed to Yosemite Valley Lodge's Mountain Room for a great mussels and trout dinner. 

Coast Starlight and Sacramento

 We left the Conrad and headed to Union Station to board the Coast Starlight Amtrak train from Los Angeles to Sacramento. We had a one bedroom and it was fantastic: 

In Sacramento, we enjoyed Field Work Brewing for lunch and then headed to Sutter Health to see the Oakland A's play. It was so fun seeing a major league team play in a minor league ballpark. 

Warner Brothers Studio Tour

 Yesterday morning we had a very fun studio tour at Warner Brothers in Burbank. We stayed at the Best Western Plus on Riverside Drive in Burbank which was only a five minute drive away. We booked the Deluxe Studio Plus tour which includes two hours with a guide and two hours on our own at the museums plus lunch. It started at their lounge where we had it all to ourselves to enjoy some snacks before we met up with our guide Ken. He used to be a camera operator but had become a tour guide about seven years ago. He took us around the various backlot sets which have been used for so many movies and television shows. He would point to a street corner and tell us that is where Chevy Chase drove his car during Christmas Vacation. Or this is where Peter Parker kissed Mary Jane upside down. He was also a very big fan of Gremlins, using that movie more than any others as he would point out where things had been filmed.

The most interesting part of the tour for me was the prop warehouse. It's four floors of what you first describe as a Hoarder House!! But there is an organization to the suspected chaos. Every item is carefully barcoded and tagged. Each area is generally one theme or style of props. Such as one area having a lot of Egyptian statues or art. One area having everything you'd need for the West Wing or any other White House show.

A whole section of any type of phone imaginable. And many famous props such as the leg lamp from Christmas Story or a couch from Casablanca. Some props, including that lamp and the couch, are designated to never be used again. Sort of like museum pieces. Although they are just sitting out, collecting dust. The leather from the Casablanca sofa was thick with dust and cracking. I thought they'd be more preserved. They also have an electronic inventory system where you could search for nearly anything and up will pop a list of what is available and where it's located. The productions will rent out the props for the number of days they feel they'll need it. And the warehouse isn't just for productions filmed at Warner. We saw trucks for other studios pulling up for their pickups.

The studio also has several replica sets of Friends and Big Bang Theory where you can get your picture taken on those iconic coaches. And there is also the famous Friends fountain. Not being a fan of either show, that moment was lost on me. But if you are a fan, you'd really enjoy it. There was also another museum that has interactive sections about sound and sound editing. Plus an impressive collection of some costumes from Batman and Wonder Woman.

We checked into the Conrad Hotel downtown. Loved it. We took their included car service to Union Station to ride the free bus to the Dodgers' game. Another ballpark off the list. It was a beautiful night for baseball.

Los Angeles: Nixon and Reagan museums

 We flew from IND to LAX on Saturday night. On Sunday we got our rental car and continued our Presidential library quest by visiting the Nixon and Reagan libraries. The Nixon one was more memorable and transparent, with a whole exhibit on the Watergate coverup. It was a good bookend for the excellent post-Watergate exhibits they have at the Ford library in Grand Rapids.

The Reagan library wasn't as transparent with only slight mentions about the Iran-Contra scandal. It also had a really strange section featuring all the dictators of the time. It did have the Ronald Reagan Pub although I was disappointed there weren't bar stools or draft beers. The best part was the Air Force One and Marine One you could walk through. We also took a quick look through the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit.

We celebrated all the driving with margaritas at the Mexican restaurant across from our hotel.

Last Day at Hyatt Vivid Grand Island

Yesterday was our last full day at the resort. We ordered room service and enjoyed it out on our balcony, watching the golfers start their rounds.  We then headed to the rooftop pool. Once we arrived we could tell a rainstorm was rolling in as we saw some dark clouds in the distance.  Not to worry since you're going in the pool anyway!!  We survived the short rainstorm and eventually the sun came out. At 1 PM they had very fun music trivia. They'd play a song and you had to shout the password for that round and then the answer. For example, one round the password was guacamole. The winning team then decided on the number of points for the next song. They had some tricky ones including knowing the difference between "Ice Ice Baby" and "Under Pressure". After about fifteen rounds, we were the winners!!  No real prize except knowing you can go home with that important victory under your belt. 

Lunch was at the ceviche restaurant and it was just as good as the prior time. The chef had added some pulpos (octopus) which was so tasty. After lunch we sat by the main pool and I might have had a nap.  We waited for what they labelled as the DJ Pool Party but it was only the DJ playing some songs.  We then headed back to the rooftop pool to see Moises, William and Andrew.

 By 5 PM another storm was rolling in with heavier rain and some thunder and lightning so they closed the pool. We hung around watching the storm from our covered seats.  

It was the time to head back to the room for a mandatory rest period.  At 7:30 we headed to Oishii which is the Asian themed restaurant.  Some really good dishes including tempura green beans, korean-style wings, fried gyoza, spicy tuna roll, mixed teppanyaki and Torikatsu Chicken which was like an orange chicken.

 After dinner we went to the lobby to see the silent disco party. Normally when we've seen these on cruise ships and other resorts, you have people singing and dancing to the lyrics of the track they are listening to with their headsets.  Last night, it was mostly people sitting in their seats, having a coffee or cocktail and contemplating life.  It was like a silent party funeral. 

An interesting vibe. We decided to call it a night and headed back to the room. 

Today we'll check out of the hotel at noon and get our transfer to CUN at 12:30.  We have a 3:30 flight to IND, connecting in IAH.  We should be in our apartment around midnight. It's been a nice five night stay at this new resort. Will definitely return. They have a lot of interesting activities. The staff has been so friendly and helpful. And really good drinks and food. I highly recommend upgrading to a Vantage Club room since that's the only way you can access the rooftop area and pool during the day.  Vantage Club also has higher end spirits such as my favorite Don Julio Reposado. The resort is a great value considering all the amenities they offer.  If you're considering a vacation in Mexico, reach out to my wife at angie@tripswithangie.com.

Hyatt Vivid Grand Island Beach Club

We had a great day at the Beach Club yesterday!! Beautiful weather, nice pool, great service and delicious food. 

The Poke Tuna Nachos were definitely the highlight. 

 We returned to the resort at 4:30 for a mandatory rest period. At 7 PM we headed to dinner at La Lys which is the French restaurant at the resort. I started with the Tarragon Mussels and Angie had the Forest Salad. The mussels were in a Roquefort tarragon sauce which was really tasty. Angie also tried the French onion soup which was thicker than most but had a lot of flavor. I tried the onion quiche which was more like a souffle. It needed a bit more seasoning and more gruyere, but was better once I added some salt and pepper. For our mains, Angie has the beef tenderloin which was cooked medium. She only got one small carrot and a tiny asparagus stalk!! I had the baked ratatouille. I wasn't sure how this would be presented. What came out was really stunning!! Quite a talented use of the mandoline. And the stacks of thinly sliced eggplant, tomato and zucchini were carefully layered in a specific order. Tomato, zucchini and eggplant. Rinse and repeat!! All served on a pureed ratatouille and then baked. Such a great flavor. I am always so impressed by a chef who can bring out the best in vegetables.  

After dinner we headed to the main lobby for some karaoke. Some talented singers. I sang Angie's favorite "Mr Brightside" along with "Ring of Fire". 

 A fun evening activity. Afterwards we went to the rooftop bar for a cocktail and then headed back to the room. 

Today is our last full day at the resort. We ordered room service breakfast. Then we'll head to the rooftop pool. Lunch at the pool side ceviche restaurant. After music trivia at the pool and probably pool volleyball. Dinner will be at Oishii which is the Asian restaurant at the resort. It's located on the rooftop.

A Wild Fire Show at Hyatt Vivid

We had a fun day at the resort yesterday!!  Angie spent the morning having a site inspection with one of the sales managers, getting some insight into the resort. I was in the rooftop pool enjoying the views where Angie joined me about 11 AM.  

Lunch was ceviche and tostada by the main pool off the lobby!! Certainly some of the most flavorful fish I've had. A perfect balance of lime, onion and chiles.  We might have that again today.  After lunch we headed back to the rooftop pool where the staff had organized a game of Pictionary.

Dinner was sitting poolside for a 4th of July buffet.  

They had a great assortment of proteins including a burger and hot dog bar, hot wing station, pork tenderloin, grilled steaks and chorizo. Pretty tasty!!  They had a guitar player singing mostly country songs for about ninety minutes until the DJ took over for a set of dance classics.  At 9 PM it was time for the fire show!  I've seen a few of these over the years but this was the wildest!! At times, the flaming batons would drop and the pool deck would be set afire!!  And one of the men had his pant leg set on fire. He didn't return. For the final act, two of the ladies had "tiaras" that had torches. I don't know how their hair was on fire.  Pretty sure they must not use Aquanet. 

Today we don't have any definitive plans but will likely be up at the rooftop pool. Maybe take the shuttle over to the Beach Club for lunch. We booked a Bali bed for Sunday (tomorrow) so that's our all day plan for that day. Dinner tonight is up in the air. At this resort you need to make dinner reservations each morning for that night. Or you can just walk up to a restaurant and see if they can seat you. It seems as if they aren't taking any reservations today so we'll find out later which restaurants have availability. It will either be French, Italian or Asian.