Vacation: Feb 2012 [Los Angeles, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, back to Los Angeles and then back to Chicago]

Laguna Beach, Orange County, California..

Vacation: Feb 11 to Feb 22, 2012..
Trip to Los Angeles, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, back to Los Angeles and then back to home in Chicago...

Day One, Feb 11, 2012: Chicago to LA
Day Two, Feb 12, 2012: LA to Grand Canyon
Day Three, Feb 13, 2012: Grand Canyon to Las Vegas
Day Four, Feb 14: 2012: Las Vegas to Hoover Dam to LA
Day Five to Day Eleven, Feb 15 to Feb 21: LA
Day Twelve, Feb 22: Back to Chicago

Santa Monica: Downtown and 3rd Street Promenade [California]..

Day One: Feb. 11, 2012..
Los Angeles..

Grand Canyon, Arizona..

Day Two, Feb. 12, 2012
Grand Canyon, Arizona..
We reached in extremely bad weather conditions, with snow-fall and very poor visibility, almost near zero. But every now-&-then there was a break in clouds, and some sunshine, and we could see the grandeur of the Grand Canyon! Breathtaking!!! Even under extremely bad weather conditions!

Musical Founatin at Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada..

Day Three, Feb. 13, 2012
Grand Canyon, Arizona to Las Vegas, Nevada..
Las Vegas, Hotel Bellagio, Musical Fountain..
We reached Las Vegas by night and drove around in the city. For whatever reason, I was not in a mood to take many photographs. Few shots include the Musical Founatin at Bellagio Hotel. Our stay was at the huge Circus Circus Hotel. Next morning, we checked out by 11 am; and left for Hoover Dam. So the trip to Las Vegas was extremely short. And I have to admit, my first impressions on Las Vegas was not very favorable! It was too ostentacious, theatrical, flaunting. Not my type! But then, my stay was very short, to come up with a reasonable assessment!

Road trip, from Las Vegas [Nevada] to Los Angeles [California] ..

Day Four, Feb. 14, 2012
Road trip from Las Vegas, Nevada to Los Angeles, California.. and a detour to Hoover Dam..
Perhaphs the best day in my trip!!! The weather too was beautiful. Sunny, blue sky with some cumulous clouds and the temperature around 40 degree F. Perfect!!! Hoover Dam was very impressive and so was Lake Mead and the wonderful sculptures by Oskar Hansen..

Hoover Dam and Mike O'Callagham-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge...

Day Five to Day Eleven, Feb 15 to Feb 21.. Was in LA..
Day Five, Feb. 15, 2012 Stayed at home..
Irvine, Orange County, California.

Disneyland Park, Anaheim, California..

Day Six, Feb. 16, 2012
Disneyland Park, Anaheim, California ..
The least said, the better! Been there, Seen that! Never Again!
[Although, I do believe in never say never again!]

Sunset at Laguna Beach, Orange County, California..

Day Seven, Feb. 17, 2012..
Trip to Laguna Beach, Orange County, California....
Loved it!! Beautiful everything! Saw many art galleries, Heritage Houses, many pieces of Public Art around on the streets, beautiful Laguna Beach and gorgeous sunset at the beach!

Oranges of Orange County, California..

Day Eight, Feb. 18, 2012..
No "tourist spot" in particular. Just small walks around the house, Irvine, Orange County, California..
Exploring some plants & trees of Orange County, California..

"Urban Light" by Chris Burden.. at LACMA, Los Angeles, California..

Day Nine, Feb. 19, 2012..
LACMA.. Los Angeles County Museum of Art!
LOVED IT!!! Wonderful art pieces by Pablo Picasso, Auguste Rodin, Degas, Matisse, German Expressionism.. and lots more.
Also walked on the Miracle Mile!!

Universal Studio, Los Angeles, California..

Day Ten, Feb. 20, 2012..
Universal Studio, Hollywood, California..
I enjoyed the Universal Studio, A LOT!!! Wish I had more time to take more tours. Most memorable, the Studio Tour, Jurassic Park tour, Mummy Returns tour..

Day Eleven, Feb 21, 2012..
Star Homes Grand Tour [Starline Tours]
which included a tour of Star Homes, and then a trip of Hollywood Walk of Fame, Rodeo Drive and few other spots..
Hollywood and Highland Center and Hollywood Walk of Fame..
Beverly Hills: Rodeo Drive..
Movie Star Home Tours...

Flying in the clouds..

Day Twelve, Feb 22, 2012..
Back home!!
Flight back from Los Angeles to Chicago [Virgin America - LAX to ORD]..

RELATED LINKS..
Grand Canyon, Arizona..
Las Vegas, Hotel Bellagio, Musical Fountain..
Road trip from Las Vegas, Nevada to Los Angeles, California..
Hoover Dam ...
Sculptures by Oskar Hansen..
Disneyland Park, Anaheim, California..
Universal Studio, Hollywood, California..
Hollywood and Highland Center and Hollywood Walk of Fame..
Beverly Hills: Rodeo Drive..
Movie Star Home Tours...
Flight back from Los Angeles to Chicago [Virgin America - LAX to ORD]..

NOTE: I have many images from LACMA [Los Angeles County museum of Art], which I will post later.. Some are here..
Los Angeles: LACMA [B. Gerald Cantor Sculpture Garden]..
Los Angeles: LACMA [Pablo Picasso - Various Paintings]..

LAST YEAR's VACATION..
Two Weeks Summer Vacation [Trip to New York City, Washington DC, New Jersey and Philadelphia]..

Vacation: Feb 2012 [Flight back from LA to Chicago]

Flying in the clouds..

I dont travel much. When I do, I can be very amused by some ordinary things. Like, the experience of "flying in the clouds". Yesterday, [Feb. 22, 2012] when I was on my way back to Chicago, from LA; I tried to capture the descent of the aircraft, and the moment when the plane was flying between the clouds..

Left LA on a beautiful sunny morning.

Left LA on a beautiful sunny morning.. But Chicago weather was foul with clouds and rain. But it actually helped me, as I wanted clouds in the sky, to capture the experience of "flying in the clouds"..

Here the airplane is way above the cumulous clouds..
I am not aware of the altitude at which we were flying, but normally commercial airplanes fly in the upper Troposphere, at about 30,000 feet above the ground. And the puffy cumulus clouds form at about 10,000 feet.

I wanted to capture the moment when aircrafts fly between the clouds... so I started capturing the descent..

The DESCENT BEGINS..

The Descent begins..
Closer to the clouds..

Still closer to the clouds..

Entering the clouds..

Flying in the clouds..

Lower levels of the clouds..

Now the cloud is above the aircraft..

About to land at O'Hare International Airport.

And thus ends my 12 days trip to LA - Grand Canyon - Las Vagas - Hoover Dam - LA - and back to Chicago trip..

RELATED LINK:
Vacation: Feb 2012 [Los Angeles, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, back to Los Angeles and then back to Chicago]..

Vacation: Feb 2012 [Los Angeles: Movie Stars Home Tours]

This is a pure reflex action shot. My tour bus was passing by this dont-know-which building and for a fraction of a minute, I got to see this, and could capture it..

Preparation for the 2012 Academy Awards is on full swing..
These images taken on Feb 21, 2012.. and..
The Academy Awards is on Feb 26, 2012..

Road to the Kodak Theater is closed, in preparation for the Red Carpet..

Day Eleven, Feb. 21, 2012..
Star Homes Grand Tour.. with Starline Tours..
The tour promises or entices with offering the view of ver 40 Stars' Homes, including the homes of Tom Cruise, David Beckham, Jennifer Lopez.. and many more. But I hardly saw anything! Maybe the chimney of one house, the gate of another and the gardner of yet another. However, it still was fun going through the Beverly Hills, Sunset Strip and some of LA's exclusive residential neighborhoods, in an open-air bus, on a beautiful February afternoon.

Here are some random shots from the tour..

Beverly Hills Sign..

The famous DreamWorks Logo..

Simon Cowell's house..

Lucille Ball's home

The Chateau Marmont..

The Whiskey A Go Go..

House of Blues..

Paramount Studio..

Pacific Design Center..

Roosevelt Hotel..

Route 66..

Rodeo Drive.. For more, click here..

Hollywood Walk of Fame.. For more, click here..

Hollywood Sign..
one of the most famous landmarks in the world. It is 45-feet tall and spans 350-feet wide. Originally created as a real estate advertisement in 1923, perched high upon Mount Lee, but can be seen far and wide..

RELATED LINK:
Vacation: Feb 2012 [Los Angeles, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, back to Los Angeles and then back to Chicago]..

Vacation: Feb. 2012 [Beverly Hills: Rodeo Drive - Walk of Style]

Rodeo Drive..
Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, California is a shopping district known for designer label and haute couture fashion. The name generally refers to a three-block long stretch of boutiques and shops but the street stretches further north and south.
Location: Rodeo Drive is in Beverly Hills, on the west side of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, between Wilshire and Santa Monica Boulevards.

Torso 2003
By Robert Graham
Aluminum, 14 feet
"Torso" was commissioned by the Rodeo Drive Committee and given to the City of Beverly Hills, the Torso is installed at the intersection of Rodeo Drive and Dayton Way. Standing 14 feet tall on Rodeo Drive, the Torso is carved from solid aluminum blocks and mounted on a bronze pedestal. Dedicated on June 11, 2003, it is the centerpiece for the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style.

From the website, "Rodeo Drive, Walk of Style, click here..
The Rodeo Drive Walk of Style® was introduced in 2003 by the City of Beverly Hills and the Rodeo Drive Committee to honor style legends for their contributions to the worlds of fashion and entertainment.

Selected by an independent group of representatives from the media, entertainment and fashion industries, the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style® honors industry leaders with a lasting tribute that commemorates their life-long achievements. Honorees are presented with permanent plaques featuring their personal quotes and signatures, which are then embedded into the sidewalks along Rodeo Drive.

Recipients of the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style® Award have celebrated this distinguished honor with star-studded awards ceremonies at landmark Beverly Hills locations including Rodeo Drive, the Beverly Hills Post Office and Beverly Hills City Hall..

Two Rodeo..
[Is Via Rodeo and Two Rodeo the same?]
A cobblestone walkway lined with sidewalk cafes, resturants, galleries and luxury boutiques like Versace, Lanvin, Jimmy Choo, Tiffany, Cartier, Charles Jourdan, Valentino, Christian Dior, and Jose Eber..

Cobblestone walkway - details..

The Spanish steps and sparkling fountains of "Two Rodeo," that many tourists pose for the pictures of Rodeo Drive..

Beverly Wilshire Hotel, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles..
Pretty Woman location.. Here Julia Roberts [Vivian Ward] gets a taste of the high-life..

Trees line both sides of the Rodeo Avenue. Most of the small shops do not appear extraordinary - at least not from the outside; inside, though, many of the shops are opulent.

Rodeo Drive is also famous for luxury car sighting..

Bijan's Famous Bugatti Car

RELATED LINK:
Vacation: Feb 2012 [Los Angeles, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, back to Los Angeles and then back to Chicago]..