San Francisco Part II

After waking at 4am, I still didn't get up until 11am. For some reason, the early morning TV news managed to lull me to sleep. This happened in NYC and LA as well, so I guess I've discovered the cure for early waking insomnia. When I did manage to get up, I ambled (because I was on holiday, and thus could amble) over to the Red Bus at Union Sq. I made an awful mistake here: I purchased some Coke. People had told me that it tasted different, but no one warned me that it tasted like plastic. Every so often throughout the day, I forget and take a sip. And each and every time, I screwed up my face. Coke disaster aside, I sat in the top of the open bus and took picture of people going about their business. When I was in London, I'd just ignore the tourist buses but you can really see a lot from up there!

Inner City School complete with concrete baseball 'field'

The notable sights of San Francisco are really quite close together, but the hills are like Wellington on steroids - there is no way I'd bother walking it all. We did pretty much the same trip that I did the day before, but went across the bridge. Just getting on the motorway to get to the bridge was pretty trippy, I was fairly sure I was going to die because we were on the wrong side! Clearly, I am not meant for driving in the States.


They made us aware that it was going to be windy and cold going over the bridge, but hey - I grew up in New Plymouth! It's not called Taranaki Hardcore for no reason! I was prepared, I had a beanie, sunnies, a Kathmandu jumper - the San Francisco Bridge was not going to beat me! I stayed on top, with about 6 other people, 4 who went downstairs halfway through. The entrance to the bridge is stunning, but about halfway along, all I could think about was the cold, cold wind.

It was so stinging that my contacts were drying up and I had tears streaming down my face. In my "I am so tough" mindset, I had forgotten just how much I hated the cold. And it was cold and windy. I huddled into my jumper, silently thanked my Aunt for telling me to take this jumper over the others and tried to hide. My hands went grey and as I discovered later that night, I got windburnt cheeks. Hot.

My photos of the bridge look very hazy and grey, which is odd because it was quite a clear day (although, did I mention that the wind was very cold?). It took me forever to manage to take photos from the other side of the bridge because I couldn't manage to get my fingers to work in the right motion.

After I managed these quite snaps, I took sweet, sweet refuge in the bus. It was warm.

Please? Where is the DO NOT SMOKE sign?

Thankfully, I sat in the protected lower level and managed to coax some blood into my fingers. I could feel! By the time we got back into San Fransisco proper, I was normal some more. Enough so, that when the driver asked if anyone wanted to get off to walk the crookedest street, I jumped at the idea! Silly me. The crookedest street is so because back in the day (of horse and cart, not the 80's), horses would go too fast down the steep straight hill, toppling over and breaking their necks. So the street was made to go crooked, so as to give them a shallower gradient. Or something. Accents + wind + aging sound system are hard to understand.

Of course, in order to have a steep down street, one must have a steep up street. This didn't faze me at the beginning,

You can't even see the top of the street! Side note: The cars are all parked at a 90 degree angle so they don't accidentally roll down the street


But I made it! I started from down there somewhere

People live on the street! I didn't realise that it was only one way

It was here that I pulled out my map, got rid of my jumper and decided that I could manage the walk to Fisherman's Wharf. And I did! I made it without getting lost! It was a very nice walk, excellent area.

The other side of the Pacific Ocean

Fisherman's Wharf itself is a little, um overdone? It's a wharf that feels quite cheesy and overpriced (which is what Lonely Planet said), so after a quick look around - there is a store where you can buy baseballs for a few hundred dollars?! - I decided to catch the tram back to Union Square. There are only a couple of tram lines left in San Fransisco, and the Powell St one has to use an old fashioned way of turning around - being manually pushed on a turntable. That was entertaining, and there was only one annoying child/parent (tally for the day? 6), so it was good.

Sadly, I ran out of time for Alcatraz, so this was as close as I could get - and I have many pictures that look exactly the same:

Instead, I headed back to my hotel where I had a nap (what is the joy of going on holiday if you don't nap at all opportunities?) after running around trying to find a plug converter since I left mine at home. For some reason, I let the sale guy talk me into getting an earthing converter for the converter. Thankfully, I woke a little early to get ready to go to dinner with my friend, who I had missed the night before, because lo and behold he knocked on my door early. Surprised the hell out of me, and I had to scramble to get finish getting ready.

We went to a Mexican Restaurant, since the only one I have been to is Hola! in Parnell, and let's be honest, I go there for the frozen margaritas. He directed me to the BART station and I had a mild freak out that we were going to the Mission - Lonely Planet had said that it was best not to go there - but I figured I was with a San Franciscan so I'd be ok. And I was! I talked incessantly about pumpkin pie and various other unimportant things. He walks really fast! I mentioned my confusion with some basic things (the light switches are upside down! The whole tipping thing, the weird plugs, the giant utes), which he mocked me for and despite my insistence that New Zealand was at the top of the world - there are maps to show it - I was unable to convince him.

Sunil and I - you can clearly see how I'm windburnt and jetlagged

The Mexican place was nice and very vege friendly - I had (half) a tofu burrito. I also managed to knock their tip cup into the rubbish bin, for which she glared at me, and then I forgot to tip (!) as I ran away in embarrassment. Awkward. The corn chips were bigger and plainer than the ones at Hola! but the salsa? Freaking spicy, like someone dumped half a bottle of Kaitaia Fire in it. The burrito was huge, but so good. I felt a little bad about not finishing it, but it wasn't like I could take it with me? They should offer a forginer size.

We then went to get pie. I was fixated on pumpkin pie because it's so foreign. How can mashed pumpkin, which I have for dinner with peas and kumera, be in a pie? We do have pie in NZ, but our pies are savory, meat based type. When they are sweet, they are normally shortcrust, so I was very excited by the idea of pie. Sadly, the pie store did not have pumpkin pie (because they are organic, locally sourced only **eye roll**), so I settled on pear pie. It was more syrupy/sugary than our pies.

After pie, we BARTed back to Powell St, and went up the Westin St Francis. It has a glass elevator up to 31 stories, so you can see most of SF at night which was cool. I have no idea why I didn't take any pictures, but sometimes I just fail. After that awesomeness, we chilled in my hotel room where he made fun of the taniwha on the 10cent coin and we watched Greys Anatomy (live!).

I had to be at the airport at 6am the next morning, so we bid adieu and I crashed out.

Next: I navigate the BART at 4am, loose the top of the poster container and eat pancakes. All before 7am! Also, I fly to NYC, loose another 3 hours (on top of a 5 hour flight!) and take a two hour shuttle ride, eat pizza and sleep in the best bed ever.

Nearly failed

Today completely got away from me. One minute it was 8am (or really, 15 past when I walked into KC, and 35 past when I got to my desk...it's just like 8am), the next it was half twelve and then it was nearly three. I got buried under a pile of exciting paperwork. For real, it was exciting because it's my study and we are ahead of schedule for Phase One and Phase Two. Plus, I get to consult about clients, and write notes.

I know I'm sad, but I'm perfectly okay with this - I love data.

Anywoo, this post is not about my ability to ramble about my job (that's a post in itself), but more about how I nearly failed to post on my second day of "Post Everyday". I do have a good explanation - not excuse! - as I was at K's school performance, then I was tutoring T till 10pm. Plus I was up at 4am (!) when the power meter reader box thingy decided to click incredibly loudly. Nothing like being woken up by your Aunt because she didn't know what to do either. Apparently the power company has sorted it, but I will not be a happy chappy if it goes off.

And there I go again, rambling. So random thoughts for today:

• You really know you are out West when there is a kid named Holden, and it's accepted as perfectly natural
• Parents who don't want CYFS involvement should not name their kids stupid names
• I may have accidentally started a revolt with telling people that my contract is ending and not being renewed. They are quite pissed. I find this amusing.
• Sleeping with a 6 year old is akin to sleeping with a hot water bottle that never looses its heat.
  
• I am yet to drink a hot chocolate without burning my tongue
• I don't like winter, fog, rain, cold or the dry lips I get from the combination of these
• 11pm is not an appropriate time to remember that the last meal I ate was last night. A handful of jet planes, half a chocolate bar, a Sherbert Fizz and half a bottle of dinner does not make for healthy eating
• Random acts of kindness are fun and amusing. However, I am still annoyed when I let someone in and they don't wave or flash their hazards to say thank you.
• I feel that there is something that I need to do tomorrow (other than dash a PhD proposal) but I can't remember what the hell it is

Tomorrow will be better. Hopefully.

This Kauri Tree really is square
(Coroglen-Tapu Rd, Coromandel)

San Francisco Part I

You know when you avoid doing something for so long, and it's always in the back of your mind just niggling at you? But not doing it is still easier than actually doing and it just becomes this awkward thing that you know you need to do, but it's been to long. Every so often I'd catch myself thinking, that would really good to blog about so I don't forget, but I'd remember that I still hadn't blogged about America and it would all be avoided instead.

But no more. I will blog every day, or at least mention something random or funny that happened. I need to make this ultimatum or it's not going to happen. So without further ado, America!

San Francisco Part I

The day before I left for America, I was fluttering around at my parents place, still finishing things and packing. Yes, I was in Brisbane despite flying to San Francisco from Auckland. I had to catch a horrid early morning flight, which was only really horrid because I had to get up at 415am since my parents live so far out. Le sigh. Dad was really sweet and made sure that I got checked in all okay, carrying my suitcase and giving me cash so I could get breakfast. Aww.

Dad cutting his delicious carrot cake

Waiting at Auckland Airport was boring and stupid, but luckily they let me check in early (6 hours early!), so went through security and took over a whole row of seats. Airport seats are not made for laying on.

What's up with people queuing really early? Do they really think that they will miss out on their seat? Anywoo, despite the gunners I made it to my seat, sulked a little about my travel agent not booking my vege meal, got over myself and settled down to watch the entertainment. How did people travel long distance without it? The meal was predictably bad since it was all about the meat, but they had cheese! I may have danced in my seat. Sleeping on the plane was also predictably bad and I have no idea what I watched. But that was ok, I had cheese! Plus, since I didn't order a vege meal, I got to have pancakes! Mwahahaha, suck it stupid Englishwoman sitting next to me who wanted it but had ordered a vege meal (She got all shity at me when I declined to swap seats with her husband because he was sitting in the middle seat).

Air NZ AKL-SFO 7/10

Of course, karma had it in for me and I ended up stuck in a line with Stupid!English couple. Le sigh. The American Customer officers were carrying guns! It was scary, and the actual customs guy was very rude and seemed quite frustrated with asking me questions. I was terrified that he wouldn't let me in, and so glad that I managed to remember the name of my hotel. I was pretty much grinning when I got through - I'm sure I'm on some list now. Opps.

I had it all planned out that I would catch the BART to the Powell St station and it would all be sweet. Except, I failed at the first hurdle of getting a BART ticket. It's not like other ones where you select between your destinations and it tells you the ticket price and spits out the change. These ones require you to view from the list on the side how much your ticket price is and then use the up/down to equate the ticket price tot hat which you need. It seems such an antiqued system, and it confused people other than me - Americans!
I made it, eyed up people walking past and made it onto the BART tube thingy. I did manage to get off at my stop, dragged my suitcase up to the top (because I seemed to have lost the ability to turn around and check for working escalators), and promptly got lost. All my preparation in looking at street view, and I fail. Thankfully, I am a geek and printed off a map that indicated I was one block over to the right and I needed to go up and left. Totally okay. Found hotel, checked in and discovered that it was .....not what the pictures suggested. The whole of the second floor (because I insist that the Ground Floor is not the First Floor) was draped in painter's plastic. It was very um, not polished? Disappointing? Who cares, it had a running shower and a bed? Hell yeah.

Once I had worked out that the light switches were in fact, not broken, I got to experience the pure joy that is showering after flying/airport grossness for over 24 hours. It was truly glorious.

I had a few hours before I was meeting up with a friend, so I took the receptionists advice and checked out the Apple store. Free internet! Let's not discuss how long it took me work out how to use an Apple computer, but I appreciated the free internets and the lack of gun on the security guard.
Afterwards, I hung out in Union Sq before jumping on a open deck bus for the request red bus tour. Not exactly built for great audio, however I managed to catch a few things as we circled around. And I got snap happy:

Awesome graffiti

Post - Great Fire buildings, with copper framing

Pretty Buildings

More Pretty Buildings

Union Square

Very Blurry Alcatraz

IHOP!!!!
(International House of Pancakes)

Yellow School Bus! Barnes and Nobel! World Market!

I went back to my hotel to get ready to meet up with my friend, only since my phone wouldn't roam unless I was at the airport, there was a mass miscommunication and I ended up in the restaurant and he waited for me in the hotel lobby. Fail. Anyway, I gave up about an hour later (stupid waitress looked so sorry for me), and I had a grilled cheese sandwich.......never again. It was brown, all of the meal. Ugh. I ate some and then regretted it, and Wham! Jet Lag! I think I managed to tip, but hell if I know I did it right, and this fear followed me everywhere.

I managed to make it back, pass out on the bed and awoke at 2am when the garbage men in the alley below decided to play games. American TV? Just as bad as NZ TV at that time, although their early morning news is weird and kind of false? I'm not sure exactly, but I found this in NYC and LA as well, so I guess it's normal for them.

Next: San Francisco Part II - windburn, walking, trams, culture shock and pie