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  • San Francisco trip Nov7-Nov11,2008

    1/2/200912:48:24 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

     

    Frisco 11/7/08
    Flight on AA out of JFK was smooth
    We used the BART to get from SFO to Embarcadero and switched to the MUNI at Embarcadero using the F line. I have to say that the fact that we carried our luggage on the plane was key in cutting down our time. As soon as we were off the plane, we toyed with the taxi idea, but decided since we had arrived so early (10:30am), we can take our time getting to the Hyatt at Fisherman’s Wharf. So we took the air train from our terminal to the Bart which is clearly labeled. We used the machine on the platform to purchase one way tickets. The machine is a bit of a pain to use, since a lot of tourists like us do the same thing. The line tends to move slowly. And of course the person behind is trying to help the tourist, even though he is a tourist himself and has never seen this machine. Anyway it’s like the blind leading the blind. Funny. 
    In SFO they have these info computers that are pretty easy to use, but no live person in case you have questions.
    BART took just 35 min and $5.35 one way per person- pretty good deal if you are on a budget. Once of the BART train you have to go outside and walk a block to the MUNI F line which runs the length of the Embarcadero. Embarcadero is a pretty palm tree lined thoroughfare on the bay that leads to the Wharf. This costs $1.50 pp and you need exact change.
    Hyatt fisherman’s Wharf is pretty amazing, check in took 2 seconds at the self serve kiosk that actually had a live person if you needed them, which we didn’t. We have a corner room, fairly large size with a king bed and the room is beautiful and clean. I like that. Nice bathroom amenities (Portico).
    Went out and explored the area around Fisherman’s Wharf. We bought the tickets for the Hop On/Hop Off bus and checked the area out with guided commentary. I think this is a great intro to any city, and Dave and I try to do this if there is one everywhere we go. It serves to orient us and gives us ideas for further explorations.
    We then headed to Roy’s for my birthday dinner, which was delicious. We loved the Roy’s in LA last year for our birthday, and this one didn’t disappoint and was as good as we remembered. My regret for not eating in the one in Honolulu when we were there in ’07. Since we’ve been up for a long time and sat on a plane for 6 hours, we decided to splurge on a taxi to Roy’s and back. Well worth it.
     
    Nov8, 2008 Saturday
    Cloudy day. We are up early, bonus of being from the east coast.
    Our bodies are still on EST. We were on the way to Ghirardelli Square (because I wanted to see it) for breakfast and came across the cable car lines. Lucky for us they were ready to roll, so we hopped for a ride. We bought the all day pass for $11 per person. This allowed us to use all the MUNI transport for the day, which includes the famous cable cars. Considering that a single ride costs $5.00 per person for the cable car and $1.50 for the rest of the MUNI each way, this is a good deal. The cable car operator was very friendly and helpful.
    I have to say that every person in San Francisco has been extremely nice and helpful, especially the MUNI transport operators.  It was the cable car operator who suggested the world famous, Zagat rated Sears Fine Foods eatery for breakfast. This place is in Union Square, right across from the Sir Francis Drake Hotel. The line was only about 5 minutes and we did get the best table in the house by sheer luck. The pancakes were delicious and I would definitely recommend this place. From there we decided to take the #7 MUNI bus to Haight and Ashbury, the famous hippie place from the 60’s. Very funky and fun. We walked up Haight to the Golden Gate Park and strolled around a bit. Then we took the bus to the hotel for a rest. But first we grabbed some lunch at Fish Alley, in Fisherman’s Wharf- which is 3 blocks from our hotel.  Fresh, right out of the fryer, the calamari was delicious and the clam chowder in the sour bread dough bowl was good too. I must say that we covered a fair amount in 4 hours and needed a siesta.
     It was foggy and rainy in the afternoon, but we headed out anyway. We were going to use the cable car and then head over to the Golden Gate Bridge. However, one of our day passes was lost and therefore we couldn’t use the cable cars again. So we decided to grab the #30 to the #28 and go over the bridge into Sausalito. Well mistake #1, the 28 doesn’t go over the bridge. You need to get off and use a different bus for that which is not part of the MUNI. So before we knew it, we were heading   completely the wrong way and had to get off and go to the other side of the road and come back from where we came started. It was here that the highlight of our day happened. I sat next to Joyce Khoury. This woman befriended us on the bus ride and gave us running commentary of everything we were passing. She was our private guide. Per her suggestion, we got off the stop with her in the Marina district on Chestnut.   Chestnut Street here has some great shops and restaurants right along with the Mac Store and Pottery Barn. It was funky with a great vibe and less touristy than some of the Union Square areas. I cannot say how much Joyce’s chance meeting meant to us. Seeing her neighborhood, which she clearly loves and is proud of, through her eyes, was the most amazing experience. Thank you, Joyce.
    We took the #30 to Chinatown, walked around and soaked up the very busy Saturday evening neighborhood. We decided that we would eat in Chinatown and looked for a restaurant that was busy with the locals (which is a good indication of how authentic and good it is). We found it and God help me but I can’t remember the name. However, we were seated in a very crowded and tight restaurant by a Chinese woman. We ordered the combo for $15.00 per person and well worth it.
    It included spare ribs, shrimp balls, mixed fried rice, sweet and sour soup, shrimp with lobster sauce and chicken with cashew. More than enough food. I have to say that this was a great day of exploration, the kind that Dave and I enjoy the most.  And what made the day was meeting Joyce.
    Sunday Nov 9th Big Sur/Monterey
    We woke up early as usual and decided to grab a quick bkfst right across from the Hyatt. It was delicious and reasonably priced .We tried to get our car a little earlier, but decided against it because we were going to be charged an additional day. So we took the F down the embarcadero and up Market Street just for the heck of it and visited the Ferry Building with some cute shops.
     
    Picking up the car was easy, the office was right at the back of the hotel; we used Budget because it was so close to our hotel. The GPS is a wonderful device, but it didn’t account for a parade that had us sitting in traffic for an hour.
    Once we were out, we had no problems. We took a couple of detours.
    One was Cupertino and Sunnyvale; we drove through some incredible neighborhoods and had lunch at a Hawaiian bar b que place. Once again we lucked out and the food was delicious and reasonable.
    Taking Route 17 through the mountains was very scenic. Once we got to the coast on US 1, it became very foggy and damp, but I was determined to see Big Sur. Maybe it was the fact that I build it up in my so much, maybe it was the weather, but I must say Big Sur didn’t live up to my expectations. We did drive down to the Post Ranch Inn and had the audacity to walk in and ask whether we can grab a drink in their restaurant that has these spectacular views. So we proceeded to the top got 2 drinks for $20 and hung out at one of the most expensive places on the west coast for a half hour. We then turned around and drove back to Monterey Marriott (our destination for the night). After some rest, we headed out on foot for some dinner and stumbled on yet another goodie on the wharf, within walking distance of the hotel. Had a great meal at the Fisherman’s Grotto. Great clam chowder.
    Nov 10th Happy Birthday Dave!!!!
     Here we go to Napa. Got to the Marriott in Napa. Right off the main highway at the very beginning of Napa. We were going to try an organized tour, but got there too late for that. They all depart before 11am, even the Wine Train. So we grabbed a map from the concierge desk and set out on our own. Truly, we were not prepared and had no idea where we were going. We drove through Yountville, very quaint and walk able. So if you don’t want to use your car to get to some of the best NAPA restaurants, you should stay in Yountville itself. This town is expensive and has veryexpensive  lodgings and restaurants.
    We continued to Rutherford and came across Rubicon Estates, owned by Francis Ford Coppola. Absolutely gorgeous. We paid for the wine tasting and tour of the chateaux $25.00 per person and worth it. You get to taste 5 different wines; we really liked the Pinot Noir and bought a bottle of it. The tour itself was interesting and the weather was perfect. We did a little lunch there by buying some cheese, wine soaked salami and a baguette with some wine and enjoyed our lunch in the vineyard. It was probably the least expensive lunch we could have had in notoriously expensive Napa. But the best was yet to come. There was a camera crew on the estate filming for the Travel Channel and they interviewed us about our experience at Rubicon. Look for us on the travel channel in the spring. So hopefully we we’ll have our 5 minutes of fame.
    For dinner we decided to forgo the expensive restaurants, not because we were cheap, but we just weren’t that hungry after all the wine and cheese. We found another great local restaurant right in Napa called BarBERQ and had a great meal. We also realized that we couldn’t bring the wine that we bought that day on the plane, so we decided to bring it with us to the restaurant. Apparently this is done all the time and different restaurants charge a different corkarage fee. We paid $15 and it was still worth it. Some restaurants charge as much as $40for the corkarage.
    Nov 11th
    Goodbye San Francisco. We had an uneventful drive back from Napa, and returned the car. When we got to the terminal, it was still early and we were able to get an earlier nonstop flight back to JFK, which was a great blessing for us, since we had to get the kids and drive back home 1.5 hours
    All in all it was a fantastic birthday celebration. San Francisco residents  are very friendly and helpful and we enjoyed our time there.

  • hawaii

    10/18/20073:22:09 PM Link 1 comment | Add comment

     

    I had a great opportunity to visit Hawaii in May. The non stop from Newark on Continental to Honolulu is not bad at all. 10 hours going and 9 coming back.

    The time difference will definately play havoc with you for the 1st 24 hours. Guarantee you will be up at 5 am, and so is everyone else who just flew in.

    Definately try to get at least a partial ocean view with balcony. We stayed at the Sheraton Moana Surfrider ( now the Westin Moana Surfrider). This hotel is one of the originals. Try to sit out on the verandah. Highly recommend.

    Honolulu was a lot of fun and plenty to do for the one day that we were there. Try Diamond Head and Hanauma Bay.

    While you will not need  a car if you plan just staying on Waikiki Beach, it's a good idea to have one if you are planning on any other excursions.

    We were exhausted after Maui. Did the Road to Hana. If you are prone to motion sickness, be the driver. Yes it takes all day. You are going at 10 miles/hr most of the time. The amount of switchbacks is unreal. The scenery is unforgetable. Gas up before starting the trip. Once you're on the road , there are no gas stations. So bring food, drinks and use the facilities before you start out. Oh and bring bug spray....It rains there on and off.

    The Haleakala Crater is another trip worth taking. Couldn't get my husband up for the sunrise tour, so we just did it in the morning. Beautiful views and then you get above the clouds and it' surreal. Make sure you bring a sweater, especially if you're doing the sunrise ( bring blankets for that).

    We stayed at the Sheraton in Kanaapali Beach. Great rooms, didn't spend much time there though. Did the Old Lahaina Luau-love it!  The only thing that I would do differently, is to stay either in Wailea or Kihei, because it is closer to all the things that we wanted to do.  Staying in Kanaapali forced us to first drive 30-45 min to get the road that would take you to other parts of the island.

    Stayed at the Grand Hyatt Kauai. If you can afford it,  do it.  Thankfully didn't have to pay and were treated like royalty for 4 days, thanks to my husband. He was the Liberty Mutual's Rookie Liberty Life Leader for his region. Yeah!!!

    Did the Napali Coast with Captain Andy's. Great tour, not for the faint hearted. You are on a zodiak for a good 1- 1.5  hours each way,  going at 55mi/hr and holding on for dear life. But what a great time!!!!!! The rest of the time on the Garden Isle was spent relaxing at the Hyatt. What a gorgeous property!!!!!

    Couple of things to remember

    Aloha Spirit

    Don't sweat the small stuff.

    Do rent a car, especially once you are out of Honolulu. And you cannot get around without a car on the other islands.

    Food is expensive

    Don't rent a convertible if you have more than 2 people in your travelling party... the luggage will not fit in the trunk.

    If anyone has questions .. feel free to contact me             Lana

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