Milano-ano-ano-ano...

The last trip I made during these two crazy, gorgeous, outstanding years was to Milano in Italy. It's funny that my company sent me there to work as I had just been a couple of months before with my family on holidays visiting the lakes of northern Italy.

The food is nice and the people are extremely elegant! Now I understand why Milano is the capital of fashion!! However, there is not much to see in the city besides the impressive cathedral, the pleasant arcade, the famous La Scala di Milano and the castle.

USA - Los Angeles

Los Angeles was the city I really wasn't looking forward to stay in... I had a hotel booked in the business district area and I had to stay there for the weekend, what means that the area would be almost dead. It's a really really big city and you always need a lot of time every time you want to go somewhere. In addition to that, I went during the summer and it was terribly hot.

I stayed in an old hotel that had an incredible Lobby! I felt as if I was back a century ago! The pool looked like the one in the Titanic, but it looked so old that I didn't dare to take a swim... The hotel public areas were impressive, but the rooms... AARRGGHH!! Lugubrious and dark! The TV channel selection was so poor that I was already bored from the time I stepped in the room. There was not even a minibar! It's the perfect hotel to make a movie, but I wouldn't recommend it, really...

The city itself is OK... although there is almost nothing to see.

This was the hotel:



The city is pretty well maintained and clean. The skyline is really impressive!



This building reminds me of the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao (Spain).

This is Los Angeles' cathedral... Just like Notre Dame... uhu...

The Spaniard Placido Domingo is the director of Los Angeles' Opera House. Clever guy!

I took this picture coz I found the idea sooo clever! They have used solar panels to provide shade in the parking lot! I wish the Spanish politicians were half that clever...

One day I took the time to go to Hollywood Boulevard. I had already been there when I was a kid. This time, I wasn't so excited. However, my attention was driver to the Thai Airways add that informed about the direct flight between Los Angeles and Bangkok!





When I entered a pizza store to grab a slice of pizza and saw the brand of the coffee thermos... AHAHAHAHA!! I couldn't stop laughing! If you read it with an American accent, you would almost say "CHORIZO"!!!

USA - Seattle ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥!!!!!!

AAARRRGGGHHH!!!

I LOVE SEATTLE!!!!!!!!

I always heard Seattle was a nice city, but I wasn't expecting such a nice city at all!!! Its landscape, its skyscrapers, its people, its cleanliness, its streets, its quality of life, its hotels, its squares, the habits, the passion for coffee... EVERYTHING!!!

If I ever had to live in the USA, I would definitely live in Seattle! Unfortunately, I only stayed in the city 38 hours (the shortest stay in a city for the past 2 years), but I managed to do my job quick enough as to spend few hours roaming in the streets of Seattle. I arrived late in the evening of the Gay Pride day. It was a pity I could not see what went on in the streets, but on the next day, all the newspapers were talking and showing pictures of what seemed to be a great and fun event! I also visited some luxury hotels and I was astonished! They were so fantastically different from the ones I had visited in New York!

Is anyone in Seattle looking for a highly professional Spaniard??? I AM AVAILABLE!! :-)

Here are some pics of the wonderful city:

Seattle's famous Space Needle:

The city's skyline:

The parks and squares are very well kept:


This is a Fire Department house by the harbour:



Pike Place Market is a great market where you can find many food items as well as hand crafted items and other curiosities. The ambiance is outstanding and the fish stands staff perform a funny show on a non-stop basis!


The city is incredibly clean and nicely decorated with flower pots. People are so respectful that nothing is intentionally broken or damaged!

Even the darkest back street is clean!!

That was the view from my room:

The gay community in Seattle is pretty large and gays and straights seem to live in perfect harmony. I found this shop which I found very funny... Sooooomewheeeeere Ooooover the Rainbooooow... la la la...!!

One of Seattle's icons is the pig. So the city was decorated with many pigs all created by different artists. A very funny and nice idea!




Question: do you know where Starbucks originated from?? YES! Seattle!! I visited the first Starbucks Coffee shop that opened in front of Pike Place Market. It was packed with tourists!

I think Seattle is the city that has the largest number of Starbucks compared to the number of inhabitants. Amazing! There was one at every single corner!!!




There was even a Starbucks right at the entrance of my hotel!



In this picture, you can see that some coffee shops were only few meters away from each other!

Just as a funny thing, I read in a magazine that Seattle had a hotel (Max Hotel) that catered specially to business women. It has vibrators in the minibar that can be purchased as a Coke or a candy bar! That's a great idea! What about businessmen?? lol

USA - New York

Finally, after traveling extensively for two gorgeous, outstanding and crazy years, I went on my last long haul trip to the USA. Although I was looking forward to meet again the americans, I wasn't that excited about stepping on their horrible airports. They are so paranoid about security that they just make a simple trip to turn into a nightmare!!
My first stop took place in the fascinating but dirty city of New York.
This was the view from my hotel room... NICE!


A bycicle parked in front of the UN building.

It was funny to see such a big French flag at the Waldorf Astoria hotel!



Times Square... what a mess! One of the hotels I stayed at was just 20 mts from that spot!


God bless America! (BEURK)

Ground Zero... Uhu... SCARY!!




God bless America again! (BEURK)

The underground is soooooo smelly and dirty... KaKa!