Our Itinerary
Hawaii | Las Vegas and Grand Canyon | San Francisco | Los Angeles
Introduction
It was early 2007 when I decided to leave my employer (at the time) and venture across to a new company. The project I’d been working on (for over a year) was starting to grind at me, and I was looking for something new – bigger, better.
As it turned out, I ended up finishing up at the end of January, 2007, and did a quick look around for some potential travel destinations, to take some time off for some much needed R & R.
You may recall from the previous entries, our trip to Hong Kong was quite short, as was our Honeymoon in 2005, so it was time for a little holiday payback!
It occurred to me that the annual NFL Pro Bowl was looming in early February in Hawai’i – and only a nine hour flight away – so that was the beginning of some serious travel inspiration. Jumping into the Internet, I scoured the sites and booked tickets for the game.
However, this would only really suit us for a few days – what to do after the game? As Toni had never been to Las Vegas (I had in 2004), and that we had both passed through San Francisco without getting out of the airport – we basically had our agenda.
So, with a new employer lined up, and a few weeks to spare, we set off abroad once more – flying out of Sydney for the sunny shores of Hawai’i – and the NFL Pro Bowl 2007.
This is the 1st of an 11 day holiday to the Western United States and Hawai’i.
Friday 9th February
We landed bright and early In Honolulu. We managed to get through one hour in the customs line before meeting the tour bus to take us to the hotel. We received flower leis on arrival, which was a nice touch.
We partially checked in (room wasn’t immediately available), before walking west towards the large shopping centre (Ala Moana Centre) looking for NFL merchandise.
The bellhop had tipped us off that Pro Bowl merchandise was available at the Hilton, so we didn’t buy anything other than lunch. We screamed through Sears and Macy’s, but didn’t find a lot of interest.
NFL gear was far cheaper at the Hilton, we managed to buy AFC and NFC jerseys and a guide and also had the opportunity to meet a number of Hall of Fame players who were signing autographs.
Pro Bowl Jerseys | Macau at the Hilton Hawaiian
We stuck around and took our first look at the beach while traversing through the Hilton complex. We finally returned to the hotel and decided to sleep for a while, to be fresh for events taking place later in the evening.
We woke at around 6 PM and started our trek to Waikiki beach for the first annual NFL Block Party. The main street was closed to traffic and big stages had been erected for interviews with players, live bands and other entertainment.
There were a number of food vendors, and I ate a chilli dog while Toni consumed steak (because Toni likes steak).
It was pretty packed all around the Waikiki beachfront, with lots of attractions, competitions and several large stages.
Night Entertainment on the beachfront
Thousands of people packed onto the street, we observed cheerleaders, players, team mascots and some half decent bands, plus local radio celebrities. With travel lag finally catching up to us, we ended up heading back via Waikiki along the beachside and through the Hilton before hitting the hay.
Photo from the beach at daybreak (Day 2)