UPDATED: The start of a TR - slowly writing blog, new posts up

[ehsmum]

Don't get too excited but I've started a blog with our trip report. Have only done day one and there's nothing Disney related yet, but here it is:

http://clare-usa2010.blogspot.com/2010/08/let-adventure-begin.html

 

[Kalice]

Tried to open your blog but I couldn't will try again tomorrow.
I love reading trip reports, they don't have to be Disney.

 

[Jade+3]

I love trip reports with heaps of photos!!!

Did the Holiday Inn charge a fee for parking?

I am always excited to find hotels that allow 5 in a room! Looking forward to see where you stayed for the rest of your holiday.

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

I enjoyed reading the first day of your trip. Great photos and lots of detail.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Love the blog! Great pictures and your kids look like they were having a great time!

 

[ehsmum]

Thanks for reading everyone . One day down, 41 to go! :lol:.

I love trip reports with heaps of photos!!!

Did the Holiday Inn charge a fee for parking?

I am always excited to find hotels that allow 5 in a room! Looking forward to see where you stayed for the rest of your holiday.

It was US$20 a day for parking, plus tax, plus tip etc etc.

Most of our hotels were chosen based on the fact that they would allow 5 in a room. The HI was not my first choice but it was the only centrally located hotel that would let us book one room and we were quite happy with it .

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

I kind of feel bad. Do you think I peer pressured you

 

[ehsmum]

Oh God no! Sorry, my sense of humour doesn't always translate well online! I always intended to do a trip report blog but I just haven't been well enough to get to it. I wanted to start though before the details become too fuzzy. It's all good .

 

[aussietravellers]

Ehsmum, the blog is fantastic! What a great idea. I really enjoyed reading the first day and look forward to reading about the rest of the trip.

Is it hard to set up the blog? Do you know if there is a private setting that only specific people can read? I was thinking of doing an online travel journal (well my son was), as he will be off school for 12 school days (one week at the end of term and then the first two weeks back of term 4) I was going to get him to do an online travel journal, that his class can log into each day and read about his adventures and see photos of what he has been up to.

 

[ehsmum]

Okay, I've done Day 2

http://clare-usa2010.blogspot.com/2010/08/universal-studios-hollywood.html

I know that not a lot of DISers are fans of Universal Studios but we loved it!

 

[ehsmum]

Ehsmum, the blog is fantastic! What a great idea. I really enjoyed reading the first day and look forward to reading about the rest of the trip.

Is it hard to set up the blog? Do you know if there is a private setting that only specific people can read? I was thinking of doing an online travel journal (well my son was), as he will be off school for 12 school days (one week at the end of term and then the first two weeks back of term 4) I was going to get him to do an online travel journal, that his class can log into each day and read about his adventures and see photos of what he has been up to.

It wasn't hard to set up at all! I just googled "blog" and went to the first site that came up - blogspot. Not sure about the privacy settings, but I'm sure they are there.

Good luck with the online travel journal. That was our plan as well seeming as the kids missed 4 weeks of school. We were going to do it via their school website which has a blog section but we just never got around to it. We were busy every day and when we got back to the hotels at night we were too tired. We sent a couple of emails and photos to their classes but the blog/travel journal never happened!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Love Day 2. The photos at Universal are amazing and I'm sure the kids all enjoyed the characters. I didn't see the Donkey in the collection; I hope that you found him and spent some time chatting with him...

Based on your two days blog, I think that next time I'm in LA, I might indeed stay a couple of nights in Hollywood. It's been a long time since we've stayed there.

 

[aussietravellers]

It wasn't hard to set up at all! I just googled "blog" and went to the first site that came up - blogspot. Not sure about the privacy settings, but I'm sure they are there.

Good luck with the online travel journal. That was our plan as well seeming as the kids missed 4 weeks of school. We were going to do it via their school website which has a blog section but we just never got around to it. We were busy every day and when we got back to the hotels at night we were too tired. We sent a couple of emails and photos to their classes but the blog/travel journal never happened!

Well I have been thinking that I don't actually know how regular the updates to the online journal would be! But the school has said that missing three weeks that he should keep a journal so I thought the online one may be cool. But yes, I can see that we will be too busy or tired to update it. I did find a pretty basic one, so just upload a few pictures and type a few lines (he is not going to write a whole page ).

I do follow quite a few blogs on blogspot, they seem to have the best set up (the blogs all look great). I wish there was an iphone app where you can just enter some photos and a few lines of writing and upload it to a travel journal or blog (like you can upload photos to facebook).

Thanks for the info

Oh and day two looks fantastic! We were/are umming and areing about US in Orlando, but your blog post has sort of leaning me more to the "we should go" (even though Orlando will be a little different to LA, but it will be similar). So thanks for blogging about it

 

[lovintheland]

Hi, I'm thoroughly enjoying your blog

 

[Jade+3]

I would love to go back to US, as my last visit was in 1997, but my kids are still too young.

Your report has me considering staying in Hollywood. We usually stay at El Segundo, which is near the airport.

Where did you go to take the photo's of the Hollywood sign?

 

[heidispidi]

Reading this has been GREAT so far! You've got me looking forward to Universal Studios - looks like the kids had a great time! Can't wait for the next installment.

 

[ehsmum]

Love Day 2. The photos at Universal are amazing and I'm sure the kids all enjoyed the characters. I didn't see the Donkey in the collection; I hope that you found him and spent some time chatting with him...

Based on your two days blog, I think that next time I'm in LA, I might indeed stay a couple of nights in Hollywood. It's been a long time since we've stayed there.

We didn't get to meet Donkey in Hollywood but we did meet him at US Orlando and he was hilarious!

Well I have been thinking that I don't actually know how regular the updates to the online journal would be! But the school has said that missing three weeks that he should keep a journal so I thought the online one may be cool. But yes, I can see that we will be too busy or tired to update it. I did find a pretty basic one, so just upload a few pictures and type a few lines (he is not going to write a whole page ).

I do follow quite a few blogs on blogspot, they seem to have the best set up (the blogs all look great). I wish there was an iphone app where you can just enter some photos and a few lines of writing and upload it to a travel journal or blog (like you can upload photos to facebook).

Thanks for the info

Oh and day two looks fantastic! We were/are umming and areing about US in Orlando, but your blog post has sort of leaning me more to the "we should go" (even though Orlando will be a little different to LA, but it will be similar). So thanks for blogging about it

I think the online journal (or even a written journal) is a great idea, we just couldn't get into it. If the school required it we would have put more effort into it but it was my idea, not the teachers' and it proved to be too ambitious. They were happy with the couple of emails and photo updates that they got .

We went to Universal Orlando as well and loved it too. Bear in mind that Movie World is my favourite theme park on the Gold Coast so I love that kind of thing. US Orlando has some great rides and different attractions then in Hollywood and of course WWOHP is fantastic

I would love to go back to US, as my last visit was in 1997, but my kids are still too young.

Your report has me considering staying in Hollywood. We usually stay at El Segundo, which is near the airport.

Where did you go to take the photo's of the Hollywood sign?

I'll have to look at the map to get the directions. We bought a Stars Home and Crime Scenes map (I think it was $8) which had a good route that got us pretty close.

 

[Travel Mum]

That's interesting to me that you drove around the Toluca Lake area because that's where I lived for 6 months when I finished uni and nannied for a U.S. family. I really enjoyed living there

 

[ehsmum]

Wow, Travel Mum that must have been such a great experience! Toluca Lake was gorgeous, I'm so jealous!!

I've done day 3 - getting closer to Disneyland!!

http://clare-usa2010.blogspot.com/2010/08/legoland.html

 

[Mum from oz]

Great blog!! Loving hearing about your trip I'd freak out if I got really lost!