San Francisco

Hi Everyone
San Francisco - what a city we loved it. Everything you see in the movies is there and more. The cable car rides up and down the steepest of streets, famous Fisherman's Wharf, Chinatown( the next biggest outside of Asia), the quaint hippy trendy suburbs of Mission and Haight, Castro the Oxford Street of San Fran, the Pink Ladies(houses that are in movies and TV shows such as Mrs Doubtfire), the notorious prison and island of Alcatraz and of course The Golden Gate Bridge.

Union Square just down the road from the hotel

look closely that is Mez to the right of the pic

SF from the ferry back from Alcatraz

The Pink Ladies that we got 2 buses and a cable car to see but the view of the city from Alamo Park that Mez is in was worth it. 

In the short time we stayed here, 4 days 5 nights, we managed to do some of it, we could spend weeks in this area of California.
The weather was very kind to us as well having rather hot days and only one morning of fog. When we arrived we had to wait for our room to be ready so sat at the bar and chatted to a very helpful local who told us that every day the fog comes in and sometimes stays and then other days burns off. The day the fog rolled in it burnt off early.
We stayed in a upmarket(definitely very much more upmarket from some of our accommodation) hotel right in the heart of the city near Union Square called the Sir Francis Drake and it was just perfect. Being on the 19th floor of a 22 floor building we had fab views of the city. The cable car pulled up at the front door and the other transport systems that they have such as the bus and subway were all close by.

Cable car passing the front door of the Sir Francis Drake Hotel

Mez and the doorman

Of course you cant come to San Fran without a ride on the cable car and on one occasion the only room left for us was on the running boards holding onto the outside of the car. It was great fun but you had to watch out for parked cars and road obstacles just in case you hit them, again this would not be allowed in Australia for safety reasons.

A typical street in SF

A view looking down one of the streets from the side of the cable car

We did the tourist thing and went to Fisherman's Wharf and had lunch at The Wipeout Bar a really cool place with great food and interesting decor.

Fisherman's Wharf and we only had those fries as they were full of GARLIC - good for us

Wipe Out Bar full of old surfing bits and pieces 

We also took a bike tour of the bay area and rode across The Golden Gate Bridge. Didn't realise at the time the number of hills that would be involved as the tour was to follow the bay. It was very tiring but so good to ride over the bridge and go to a hip town called Sausalito. We then boarded the ferry from Sausalito back to Pier 39 at the wharf. 

Don't we look a treat in our helmets with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.

We wandered around Chinatown and had some authentic dinners, strolled through the streets of Mission and had drinks at a local hangout in Castro called Twin Peaks- for all those that remember what a good TV show that was I loved it.

We took the boat across to the famous Alcatraz Island and had a roam around the island seeing an 18 minute video of the history of the island from the early military days, to the implementation of the prison and then the settlement of the American Indians until the present day as a tourist destination. They also give you headphones to follow an audio of the history of the prison and the escape attempts as you roam the cell corridors, exercise yards, shower block and the mess hall. A very interesting and comprehensive view of prison life and the many infamous prisoners eg, Al Capone also known as Scarface also Robert Stroud so called 'Birdman of Alcatraz' only to mention a few, is gained.

Alcatraz from the ferry

Closeup of a typical cell and below cell row

Sign as you arrive depicting the different eras of this island

Shower block at Alcatraz

Last night we were very cheeky and hitched a ride on the side of the cable car up from the subway. As the cable car stopped at the lights we jumped on the running board(with the drivers permission) then jumped off a few stops up the steep hill without paying but the driver was cool and had a bit of a laugh.

There must be something in the water here though as there are quiet a number of souls that are weird and wonderful- if you get my drift. 

All in all we had a great time and San Francisco is definitely one of my favourites.

Off to our last stop Los Angeles and then home.

New York

Hi Everyone
NEW YORK- well we made it and this means that the holiday is heading for home in a couple of weeks. We spent a very busy time in this famous city firstly taking the hop on hop off bus all over doing the uptown one day and the downtown another. As well as that we bought a 7 day ticket to the subway and we walked and walked all over.
Our first day of adventuring took us, unexpectedly, to a festival in Eighth Avenue where most of the road was closed off to traffic and the street was lined with stalls of food and fair for miles. Eighth Avenue is like most streets in New York very very long and wide and is part of the grid system of naming streets and avenues. The Avenues run from north to south and the streets from east to west. It makes finding your way around clear and simple if you know in which direction you are facing because when you come up from the subway you really need a compass to know in which direction to head or you do like us and walk to the next street to know if you have headed in the right direction.
There are over 8 million people just in New York City and there were a lot of them there this day.

Eighth Avenue and the throngs of New Yorkers and tourists

Stayed around the area until dark to visit Time Square by night- nothing like this place anywhere that we have seen on our adventure. Flashing lights, crowds of people just stopping and watching, massive billboards and of course the hundreds of yellow cabs.

Time square by night

The hop on hop off bus took us downtown to Ground Zero and the 9/11 Memorial site. We were very lucky to obtain tickets to the new 9/11 memorial reflection pools and surrounding grounds. You need to obtain a ticket which gives you a time and date that you can obtain access to the site but this has to be done online which we didnt know until arriving there. One guy in his usual abrupt New York style said no way today but I asked another more hospitable New Yorker and he handed me 2 tickets for 12.15 that day so off we went feeling very lucky indeed.

The security to this site, right next door to where they have started work on the new trade centre which when finished will house 7 new buildings the tallest being 104 stories high, was unbelievable- more than going through the airport.

Inside the site are two reflection pools that are a foot print of the original twin towers and around the edges of these pools are the names of all those that perished on that fateful day. It was a very moving experience and one that if you get a chance is a must see.

This is going to be the tallest of all the new towers and is only half finished is going to be twice this size when completed. There are 3000 working on this site around the clock to get this completed. 

One of the 2 reflection pools. They are  simplistic in style and there are purposely no flowers on the site. The water cascades from the sides down to the floor of the pool and this water then flows into the smaller square in the middle. 

Closeup of side of pool

The side of the reflection pool with the names of all the departed.

From there back on the bus to Battery Park to catch the Ellis Ferry (part of the hop on ticket) to the Lady of New York - the Statue of Liberty. A most impressive monument.

On ferry heading to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty

The Lady of New York standing proud and tall. She has become an international icon of freedom and liberty, the most recognisable symbol of democracy in the world.

We were very fortunate to have booked tickets to see the New York Yankees(baseball team) play the Tampa Bay Rays. Sitting in the new multi million dollar stadium we were entertained by the crowd as well as the players warming up. Game starts to the whole stadium singing 'God Bless America'- very patriotic these Americans and then they all start singing 'Take me out to the ballgame'-entertaining to say the least. The game starts and as well as the most impressive mastery of skills I have seen there are all sorts of distractions in between innings. They have competitions running where they pick someone from the crowd and ask them questions to win prizes. And what I found unbelievable were the Vendors. These are the guys that walk up and down the isles selling everything from candy floss to hotdogs to beer to icecreams you name it you dont have to move everything is bought to you. They were also very entertaining. All in all it was another must see.

New Yankee Stadium

Closeup of the Candy

Candy on the left and popcorn above just 2 of the numerous items available for sale            

We were also fortunate while in NYC to see 3 very good but very different broadway shows, actually 2 broadway and one off broadway show.

Firstly we saw Fuerza Bruta, an off broadway show that was nothing like I had experienced before it stimulated the senses there were no seats in the theatre and all of the action was overhead. At one stage they had people swimming in a pool on top of you- am not doing this show justice by my explanation think Simony is the one to ask.

Then Memphis was the next Broadway show and how good was this. We loved the historical storyline and the singing - out of this world.

Then came War Horse-different from the other 2 shows but wonderful. It is a play about a horse being enlisted into WW1 and his young owner enlisting, although only 16, to try to find him. A very moving and enthralling performance. At times the audience were teary and gasping as they were transported back to the trials and historical events of the time. The use of puppetry was unimaginable as the actors brought the horses to life, if for no other reason but to see the use of puppetry you have to see this if you ever get a chance. I was amazed at the talent and imagination used.

Shopping was another activity that we undertook in NYC so much so that we have both bought another suitcase and they are both full.

Lunch in Madison Square Park near our hotel(The Gershwin) after shopping

Of course, a trip to NYC is not complete without taking a trip up to the Top of The Rock, Rockefeller Building that is but unfortunately the day we picked to go it was a bit cloudy but still could see for miles.

The Rockefeller Building

Famous  picture of workmen building the rock

From the top with Empire State Building behind Mez's head

Had a busy and great time in NYC mastering the subway,although not as easy or as good as London, shopping, shows, the baseball and walking through lots of suburbs on our early morning walks- need to do a lot more of these when we get home as the food is not the best for the weight situation.
Some of the sites of NYC below-

The Flatiron Building

Billboard

This is for Eli - 'Thank God its Friday' is a bar in NYC

Car parking NYC style

And the NYC cabs are everywhere

The brownstone buildings that reflect an era of construction in NYC

Farewell NYC off to San Francisco.

London - Days 6, 7 and 8

London - Days 6 and 7

On the tube again this time to see the famous changing of the guard with thousands of other tourists. We decided to do a walking tour for this and we were guided to where the guard-change actually starts in St, James Palace and then we walked at a very fast pace with the procession of guards and band playing. We were then taken to Wellington Palace were another regiment were preparing to start their march with another band. If we had taken ourselves down to the palace gates we would have missed the majority of all the leadup to the actual changing of the guards.

The very start of changing of the guard at St, James Palace

Marching down The Mall

Closeup of the famous hats

After that lunch at a really old English pub, recommended by a ‘bobby’ that we asked, we then back to the hotel to get ready for our first west end show.

We went to the Playhouse Theatre to see Dreamboats and Petticoats, a very entertaining musical with loads of 60’s, 70’s and 80’s music – all the stuff we know and it showed as the theatre was filled with a more mature audience –a great time was had by all at the end lots of the audience were up dancing – we were very well entertained.

Next day we were on the trek of another touristy adventure. This time we visited St Paul’s Cathedral. We were very lucky to have been given a personal tour of the Cathedral by one of the volunteers that work there each day. A magnificent building and the history behind its creation and survival over many hundreds of years was extremely interesting. We went at the right time as they have been working on restoring the building inside and out for the last 15 years and it has only recently been finished. I was struck by the grandness and purity of the structure. The restoration has peeled back hundreds of years of soot and grime from the surface to reveal walls and ceilings with beautiful detailed work and the brightness of the interior shines through. As the guide explained  - the Cathedral is as it was when first built or even better. Let me tell you if you get a chance to come to London visit St, Paul’s. We spent hours there.

Back to get ready for another West End experience. This time we went to the Lyceum Theatre to see The Lion King. How good was this- the singing, the acting, the way the actors became the animals, the costumes(unbelievable), the dancing and to experience all of this in a grand old theatre was the highlight of the week for me.

Day 8

Have been on the go for days now as you can see so today we decided to have a layback day. Caught the tube to Camden markets. This is an area that as soon as you come up from the tube to street level you are confronted by market stalls lining the streets. There are stalls everywhere and even though one market blends into another they have a very different feel to them. We spent most of our time in the alternate market section where it has been described as funky. Lots of very interesting characters man this section with lots of very unusual wares for sale. Unfortunately most too heavy or too big to fit in the already bulging suitcases.

Back to try and pack to get everything in and under the weight restrictions for British Airways.

Up early at 5.30 even though not much sleep was had as it was very noisy with Friday night partying happening all night.

Sorry about the lack of pictures we have been so busy forgot to download them from camera.

Off to New York.

London- Days 4 and 5

Day four and five.

Moving day so we had to pack up and in doing so lost track of time and were five minutes late for breakfast and missed out-things can only get better but unfortunately they didn’t.

We left our things in a room and went out for the day. We have mastered the underground tube and are getting ourselves all over the place. The Brits complain about it but we think they should spend some time trying to get around Sydney. Think they would have second thoughts. 

First visit for the day was Westminster Abbey were we paid 3 pound extra to tour the Abbey with a guide- well worth doing if you ever decide to visit the Abbey. It is a magnificent building with tonnes of history attached, a very interesting place. It is truly amazing how many people throughout history are buried here.

Westminister Abbey one of the many beautiful buildings throughout London

Big Ben right next to the Abbey

One of the many great pubs in London

View of the Abbey, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament from the London Eye

After that a trip across town to Harrods famous department store. What an impressive store and the Xmas section was beautiful. Spent time roaming around and being amazed at the cost of things. Came across two Xmas bon bons for the small price of well over 1000 pounds(about $1600)- they must have been lined in gold. Had to buy something but on a much much smaller scale.

Mez eyeing off very expensive bon bons in a locked case

one of the many beautiful displays in the Xmas department of Harrods

Back to the hotel where the fun begins. We moved into a room much bigger than the previous, room 604. This room had three windows but only one opened and the blinds were so thin that you could see straight through them just as well as they didn’t pull up or down- not going to be good in the morning as the room faced the east and the early morning sunrise. No internet access up here so decided to start a word doc for the blog. Next minute the only opening window fell out just missing my head and hand but clipped the corner of the laptop and it instantly went off and the only thing that stopped it from shattering into thousands of pieces was it landed on my bag and the table I was at.

Well that was the last straw, the one that broke the camel – in this case Mez’s and my back.

Mez went down stairs to get the manager as I was in a state of shock and was very upset over the laptop. The owner came up and inspected the mess and we again packed up our things and were going to leave. I sat down in the foyer on the computer trying to find accommodation(yes it started to work again but has a crack in the blue case-very lucky)while Mez ran around Earls Court looking for alternate accommodation and we even had the girl on the desk looking as well. We couldn’t find any unless we wanted to pay thousands for the remaining five days. There was another exhibition on in the area and therefore no accommodation anywhere. We really didn’t want to stay here we were over it.

What did we do?

We had no choice- no rooms anywhere- but to stay in the last remaining room-503 that they had until they fixed the windows and blinds in 604. The owner bought us a bottle of wine and was very apologetic and ordered us cooked breakfasts for the next day as breakfast is cereal and toast-very sufficient. But we did have an incident with that as well when Mez had a boiled egg that was off.

We did have a bit of a laugh at the end of a very upsetting day when the owner bought the wine up to the room and the handyman, who helped us move to 503, was trying to fix the window in this room as it was a push out variety and it would not stay open. I fixed it with a coat hanger when they left. We stayed the night and again moved rooms back to 604 with fixed windows and new blackout blinds. We have noticed things around the hotel have been on the improve so maybe it was all meant to be to get the place into a liveable state.

Next day was another big one as well. Caught the tube to the London Eye- London’s massive ferris wheel that gives you a view over most of London. The weather was great with very clear skies so viewing was perfect. It is a must if you visit London. Next again across town to Madame Tussauds, also a fun place to visit.

A view of the London Eye from Westminister Bridge

A rare occurrence Westminister Bridge with no traffic

Spot the Aussie at Madame Tussauds

Thought you might like this one Sim

Back to the hotel to get ready to see a live English soccer match. We acquired tickets to see Chelsea play a German team at Chelsea’s home ground at Fulham. Just the ride in the tube to the ground was an experience with thousands of fans crammed into the carriages literally like sardines. The pie and mash before the game, the English and German fans chanting and the skilful play from both teams gave us another memorable experience.