My family and I jumped on a Christmas flight deal in March to Las Vegas. Our plan was to visit friends and family during Christmas and also do a small road trip to popular National Parks including Grand Canyon.

Day 1 – Saturday December 22, 2012

The price we pay for a cheap flight, is the long journey to get to Las Vegas. We drove to Buffalo Airport at 5am for our 11am flight to New Jersey. We had lunch at Earl of Sandwich before catching our connection to Las Vegas. With the time difference, we got to Vegas at 9pm. Long day but we met my dad’s best friend who drove down to see us from Utah and had dinner at Lotus of Siam, a popular thai restaurant. It was good but nothing I’d crave and travel for. Khao San Road is more impressive in my opinion. We called it a night and stayed at Paris Hotel –my favorite themed casino, but the rooms were just mediocre

Day 2 – Sunday December 23, 2012

We walked to the Venetian hotel hoping to grab breakfast at Bouchon Bakery but found they were closed. So we went to Bellagio hotel and had Jean-Philippe Patisserie instead. WOW! The apple strudel was amazing… It blew me away. The pastry shell was flakey and buttery goodness. It perfectly paired with sweet apple pieces. I mooched off my parents’ croissants and cakes and these were just as delicious. I must be back to try their crepes for they looked amazing! I originally went there to try their macarons but  they were just decent and not memorable.

We took some photos in the winter themed garden in Bellagio and then made way to the premium outlets for some shopping.

On the way, my aunt and cousins from LA gave me a call asking me what I’m doing in vegas. I said “Shopping… See you in LA!” But they insisted on finding exactly where I was. Apparently they wanted to know so they could surprise me with their visit to Vegas! They had to bluntly tell me afterwards since I kept dodging their questions. Such sweet gesture. They went their own way enjoying a 24 hour unlimited buffet pass and we continued shopping into the evening.

We had a late lunch at BJ’s for their deep dish Chicago pizza, which turned out to be very good. I’ve never had deep dish before (except at pizza pizza) so I don’t know how it compares.

Back to the hotel and funny enough, we bumped into my aunts, uncle and cousins. We all hugged each other and chatted for a bit. Oh how I’ve missed them. We went our separate ways again since they went to have another dinner buffet. My parents, sister and I checked out Miracle Mile Shops before grabbing dinner at Pink’s Hot Dogs. I’ve heard this is a must try the last time I was here and finally I had a chance to eat it. The juicy hot dog was paired with a soft warm bun topped with various toppings! Mine was heavy with the cheese but the strips of bacon made it so good. We did more shopping at Ross (my favorite discount store in the US) and then called it a night.

Day 3 – Monday December 24, 2012

We pick up our rental car and my sister and I drove to Bouchon Bakery for some breakfast. They were opened this time and their croissants and pastries were great but not as mind blowing as Jean-Philippe. However, their macarons were much better… But still not as good as Point G in Montreal.

We drove to LA with a few rest and shopping stops in between. In LA, our first stop was Daikokuya, the first ramen I loved. We waited about an hour before being seated and having a very late lunch. It was great ramen but now I have others to compare it to.

After our meal, we roamed ‘Little Tokyo’ a Japanese area and to my surprise, there was a macaron shop called Lette Macarons. It was so good! Better than what I found in Vegas and to par with Point G in Montreal. The flavours were very distinct, the ganache centre was soft and the shell had a perfect balance of chewiness and crunch.

We made way to Thien An Bo 7 mon for  “seven kinds of beef” dinner with my LA relatives. They don’t really have this style of vietnamese restaurant in Toronto so I always love having it in LA. It was delicious and luckily we have lots of leftovers to enjoy in the next few days. We headed home exhausted and I wrapped everyone’s gifts.

Day 4 – Tuesday December 25, 2012

Sleeping in at our Uncle and Aunt’s place, we woke up for breakfast and enjoyed a light Bo 7 mon leftover lunch. My cousins and I played some Mahjong and lounged around until it was time to go to our other uncles’ place and see other other aunts and uncles.

There was a big tree with tons of gifts underneath. I added my gifts to the pile. One by one we gave out the gifts and everyone opened their presents. It was great to see everyone. How I’ve missed them.

We did some grocery shopping for tomorrow’s road trip and headed to a chinese restaurant for christmas peking duck dinner.

Day 5 – Wednesday December 26, 2012

Americans don’t celebrate boxing day but Macy’s opened at 7am for people to get their shop on. I naturally went and scored two nice summer dresses for $15. We had a quick lunch before hitting the road. Everyone waved us goodbye and we were sad to leave. Next time, we need to stay in LA longer.

We had a long 6 hour drive ahead of us to Williams, Arizona. We experienced snow and icy roads near the end. A huge snow storm had just passed and there was an “all lanes closed” accident on the interstate. God damn it! Wewere 15 mins away from our hotel and we wasted 2 hours stuck in traffic.

Day 6 – Thursday December 27, 2012

We drove about an hour to Grand Canyon National Park and started exploring. It was snowy and freezing! One minute the sun was out… the next, the clouds, fog and snow appeared.

The view was spectacular though. Really grand and unreal. We shuttled to different view points and took photos. Many areas were closed due to icy roads and park was filled with tourists. Some were clearly unprepared for the cold because they were wearing t-shirts, flipflops and even shorts! We tried watching the sunset but the clouds were in the way.

Day 7 – Friday December 28, 2012

We woke up really early to catch the sunrise. It was decent and you could see the canyon light up in a orange hue.

We left the park and had to drive the long way through Flagstaff to Page, Arizona. As we drove to lower elevation, the weather became much warmer and the skies were clear.

In Page, we had a quick burger lunch at Slackers. Amazing food for a great price! Then, we started a 2 hour tour to Antelope Canyon which was gorgeous in all the photos I’ve seen. The canyon was amazing but it was very dark so it wasn’t as impressive. Also the canyon was packed with tourists so ruined the experience and made the canyon less sublime.

We ended the day with a drive to Horseshoe Bend and a short 30 minute hike to the beautiful viewpoint.

Day 8 – Saturday December 29, 2012

We had been debating whether or not go drive up north to Bryce National Park because we were worried about the icy roads and freezing temperatures. Luckily, I persevered and it was so worth it.

The roads were so clean and well maintained compared to Grand Canyon. No issues whatsoever and it was all clear sunny skies. It was definitely cold up here but a bit warmer than Grand Canyon. We started with a short hike from sunset point to sunrise point and saw the Bryce amphitheater from above.

My parents were keen to hike down to the base so we did the Queens Garden hike. It got warmer as we declined to the bottom.  The trail had beautiful and unique rock formations, also known as hoodoos.

The park wasn’t too busy or packed with tourists so it was very enjoyable. I loved it. We got to the end of the trail and we either back track or continue another trail that loops back to the top at sunset point, where we started. My parents didn’t want to back track so we continued the loop.

We started the incline on this side of the amphitheater and the view was different from before. The rocks were much larger and there was a steep uphill snake trail. We finished the full 5km trail in about 3-4 hours with many photo stops. Definitely my favorite hike of the trip. We drove to other viewpoints in the park but nothing compared to what we saw on the hike.

Day 9 – Sunday December 30, 2012

We woke up early to catch the sunrise at Bryce Point. Unfortunately, the clouds were in the way so we didn’t get to see the hoodoos with a vivid orange glow. But, it was still fantastic to see the scale of the amphitheatre at this viewpoint.

We drove 2 hours towards our final park, Zion National Park. As soon as we entered, the landscape was spectacular! I was so impressed by the views and the canyon. I didn’t know Zion was this beautiful.

We began the Canyon Overlook hike. I wasn’t sure what to expect but this hike had it all. It was a moderate 1 hour hike to the viewpoint with lots to see along the way.

It was a fantastic hike with an amazing view at the end. It was much more than I expected from researching the park. This trail is a close second to my favorite hike of the trip.

After we finished the hike, we drove into the canyon. The most scenic drive of the trip happened here. We did a short hike to weeping rock but it was all icy and not as impressive in winter. I’d love to be back in the summer when the landscape is lusher and also hike the famous but more strenuous hikes, Angel’s Landing and the Narrows.

Before our 3 hour drive back to Vegas, we had lunch at Cafe Soleil right outside the park. Great stop for lunch, we all loved the sandwiches, wraps and salads. Once we were back in Vegas and check into the Cannery Hotel, we had dinner at Monta Ramen. Long wait but very satisfying final meal.

Day 10 – Monday December 31, 2012

Last day of the trip and last day of the year. We returned our car and boarded for Chicago first thing in the morning. When we got to Chicago, I discovered the Chicago Mix at Garrett’s, which was a mix of cheddar cheese and caramel popcorn. Genius! Salty and sweet bliss. Must enjoy this more back home.

It was a long day on planes, at airports, and with a drive home but it was a perfect holiday getaway. I finally got to see Grand Canyon, one of the world wonders but to my surprise, I enjoyed Bryce and Zion more. I can’t wait to be back and see my LA relatives again. I’d do it again next Christmas, maybe Salt lake city (snowboarding!!) Phoenix, AZ, and New Mexico. I love it out west!