Phoenix, Arizona

Hotel Exploring welcomes you to Phoenix, Arizona! You first start off with exploring the all new Phoenix Sheraton.  This is a great hotel for holding business meetings and for convention attendees.  It is very near to the all-new Phoenix Convention Center.  The Hyatt Regency is also close by.  Enjoy Phoenix Sheraton Parts 1 to 6.

Phoenix Convention Center has been expanded and renovated.  Phoenix Convention Center Parts 1  to 12 explores the entire structure, as well as some behind the scenes footage.  You will get to see the air handling units as well as the service tunnels! Some of the many cool features are the cutting edge technology of the meetings rooms, the huge floor to ceiling windows, and the gigantic awnings.

The construction was done by Hunt Construction Group.  It cost $600 million and tripled the size.  This is my most favorite architectural wonder to explore in downtown Phoenix.

Phoenix Convention Center

Phoenix  is the capital and largest city of the American state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data,  and is the anchor of the Phoenix metropolitan area (also known as the Valley of the Sun), the 12th largest metro area by population in the United States with more than 4.1 million people. In addition, Phoenix is the county seat of Maricopa County, and is one of the largest cities in the United States by land area. Phoenix is the largest capital city in the United States and the only state capital with over 1,000,000 people.

Phoenix was incorporated as a city in 1881 after being founded in 1861 near the Salt River, near its confluence with the Gila River. The city has a notable and famous political culture and has been home to numerous influential American politicians and other dignitaries, including Barry Goldwater, William Rehnquist, John McCain, Janet Napolitano, Carl Hayden, and Sandra Day O’Connor. Residents of the city are known as Phoenicians.

Located in the northeastern reaches of the Sonoran Desert, Phoenix has a subtropical arid climate. In summer average high temperatures can be over 100°F (37.8°C) and have spiked over 120°F (48.9°C) on occasion. (Source:  Wikipedia)

San Francisco

San Francisco is the fourth most populous city in California and the 13th most populous city in the United States, with a 2010 estimated population of 805,235. San Francisco is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of more than 7.4 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland.

In 1776, the Spanish established a fort at the Golden Gate and a mission named for Francis of Assisi on the site. The California Gold Rush in 1848 propelled the city into a period of rapid growth, increasing the population in one year from 1,000 to 25,000,and thus transforming it into the largest city on the West Coast at the time. After three-quarters of the city was destroyed by the 1906 earthquake and fire, San Francisco was quickly rebuilt, hosting the Panama-Pacific International Exposition nine years later.

During World War II, San Francisco was the port of embarkation for service members shipping out to the Pacific Theater. Today, San Francisco is a popular international tourist destination, renowned for its chilly summer fog, steep rolling hills, eclectic mix of Victorian and modern architecture and its famous landmarks, including the Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars, and Chinatown. The city is also a principal banking and finance center, and the home to more than 30 international financial institutions.

Another outstanding thing about San Francisco is the food.  There are some really great restaurants.  The seafood and especially the clam chowder in sour dough bread bowl is fantastic.  Also, loved the Chinese food and the Italian.

In 2008, I went  to Los Angeles to see my cousin.  I met Steve Robinson who used to be the camera man for Dirty Jobs on Discovery Channel.  The second day of the trip the three of us did hotelexploring together in downtown Los Angeles.  We explored high rise hotel in downtown Los Angeles!  It was great just to be in downtown Los Angeles.  I liked comparing all of the different buildings and architecture.  Make sure to check out Los Angeles Hotel Exploring, parts 1 to 18.

 Los Angeles (Spanish for “The Angels”) is the most populous city in California and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City,with a population of 3.8 million,on a land area of 498.3 square miles (1,290.6 km²). It is the focal point of the larger Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside combined statistical area, which contains nearly 17.8 million people and which is one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world and the second largest in the United States. Los Angeles is also the seat of Los Angeles County, the most populated and one of the most multicultural counties in the United States. The city’s inhabitants are referred to as “Angelenos.”

Often known by its initials, LA, and nicknamed the City of Angels, Los Angeles is a world center of business, international trade, entertainment, culture, media, fashion, science, technology, and education.It is home to renowned institutions covering a broad range of professional and cultural fields, and is one of the most substantial economic engines within the United States. Los Angeles has been ranked the third richest city and fifth most powerful and influential city in the world, behind only New York City in the United States^. The Los Angeles combined statistical area (CSA) has a gross metropolitan product (GMP) of $831 billion (as of 2008), making it the third largest economic center in the world, after the Greater Tokyo Area and the New York metropolitan area^.  As the home base of Hollywood, it is known as the “Entertainment Capital of the World”, leading the world in the creation of motion pictures, television production, video games, and recorded music. The importance of the entertainment business to the city has led many celebrities to call Los Angeles and its surrounding suburbs home. Los Angeles hosted the 1932 and 1984 Summer Olympics. Los Angeles is also home to renowned universities such as the University of Southern California and the University of California, Los Angeles.

Los Angeles was founded on September 4, 1781 by Spanish governor Felipe de Neve. It became a part of Mexico in 1821 following the Mexican War of Independence. In 1848, at the end of the Mexican–American War, Los Angeles and the rest of California were purchased as part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, thereby becoming part of the United States. Los Angeles was incorporated as a municipality on April 4, 1850, five months before California achieved statehood.

Los Angeles enjoys a Mediterranean climate, with an average of 35 days with measurable precipitation annually.

San Diego