San Francisco Day 1
SIN NRT SFO
This travel blog aims to inform you of the cost and time needed to travel within San Francisco. We spent a total of 3 days, 2 nights in the coastal city in California. Prices quoted include a tax of 9.25%. The trip begins with the whole family waking up at 5.45am on Thursday to reach the airport at 6.15am. Our flight with ANA was at 8.15am. Finding the flight was a problem though, as our e-ticket reflected a different flight code from the one we saw at the airport. We did not see NH112 as printed on the ticket, but in its place was NH8. That was the first minor setback. After going from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2 to find our row, we had our luggage checked in, and proceeded to the departure gate E5, which wasn’t too far a walk. The flight to Narita airport was pretty smooth, I watched movies during the 7-hour flight. We were served Kings ice-cream by the friendly air stewardesses as well. They thought we were Japanese and spoke to us in their language while we could only politely reply in English to each new face that spoke to us. I ordered the alcohol on board like I knew it all, from the Shanghai experience – first an Asahi dry, followed by a Suntory Premium. Upon arriving at Tokyo, we were initially taking our time to get to the connecting flight hall because the time on my watch said it was only 3.20pm, and our flight was 4.40pm, but after a while we realized to our horror that after adding an hour to reflect Tokyo time, we had 20 minutes to get to the next departure hall!
Running from one terminal to another was no fun, especially when ANA at Singapore did not tell us the gate number at Narita airport – she said we had to find out when we got there. And acting smart, we tried to read off the display boards at Narita’s departure board to find the flight at the same time, though once again the flight number did not tally with that of our ticket, but since it happened once we thought it was another change of flight on the spot. At the end, it was a mad dash for gate 53 in terminal 2, from 38 in terminal 1 where we landed. The underground hallway connecting the two terminals was long and wide, it resembled a sanitized sewer and gave me the creeps with the hollow echoing of our footsteps as we ran to meet the timing. It was only upon completing the final sprint that we were told that boarding time was 4.40pm, and we had 10 minutes to spare. That run was good, on hindsight, for our health, just to ensure we entered the US in the pink of health ><
Finally, we were on the longest leg of the journey yet, having been airborne from 5.15pm Japan time until 10.05am San Fran time – a grand total of almost 9 hours, on top of 7 hours from Singapore, and an hour of waiting. On board the plane we were served Haagen Dazs ice cream, and beef lasagna Japanese style. Nearing the final 3 hours of the flight, I was still awake as the time difference slowly set in – we flew from a place where it was dawn, to another place which was just experiencing day break. I could not sleep, either because the Ocean’s Eleven series was so captivating, or my body clock was getting screwed. I must mention the turbulence we experienced nearer the end of the journey. I really thought the plane was going to tear apart, as it did not just ascend and descend drastically – this time was probably the worse I have ever seen, as the plane rocked left and right as well. Having a clear view of the wing from the window was not a good idea either, as I could see it move so much it could have broken right off. This was to be the precursor to our impression of the US, where everything is bigger, even the turbulences.
With fatigue setting in, we took a cab from SFO to our hotel, and crashed all the way till 8pm San Fran time. Realizing there’s nothing left to do around our hotel, we had a chat with the friendly concierge at the Vagabond Inn, booked online before we left Singapore. To save money, we got a Queen bed single bed and squeezed onto it. The facilities included the usual bathtub, fridge, TV and kettle. But it also had an ironing board and microwave, to make a quick snack without going out. It was cold at night, around 10 deg C and almost double in the day. We planned to sign up for local tours on the second day but after a talk with Wilson, our friendly concierge, decided to go our own way.
014 – dawn in San Fran
Expenditure:
Hotel:
5/7/2009 $74.00
5/8/2009 $74.00
Vagabond Inn Executive: USD $162.80 (inc 10% taxes)
Air tickets: SGD $951 x 3
Taxi to hotel (found out later there was a half-hourly shuttle to our hotel for free): USD $11.90
Meals: provided by ANA, and dinner was instant noodles we brought
San Francisco Day 2
Vagabond Inn Millbrae station Golden Gate Park Golden Gate Bridge Fishermen’s Wharf Union Square Millbrae station
The first morning in San Francisco. Outside temperature was cold as the sun was hidden by clouds and the winds were strong. That’s for staying just by the coast. But in exchange for the cold we got fresh air and good circulation. All 3 of us woke up at 6am though the alarm was set at 7am, probably because we slept too much the day before during daytime in the US. First time experiencing what they call jetlag. Really a bad bad lethargic feeling where an unseen evil force saps your energy away without leaving a backup battery. Breakfast was a treat, with choices of cereal, bread, muffins and bagels, lots of spread for the bread: peanut butter, jam, butter, honey and cream cheese. The highlight of breakfast must be the waffles machine, where we cook the mixture and wait 2 minutes for the motherload.
After that heavy breakfast, we were ready to take on San Fran and what it has to offer. We walked down to Millbrae station, one of four mass transit lines in operation, and took the BART down to Embarcadero, followed by a train that went above ground as well. That train took us to Ocean Beach. We did not know that after yanking at the cord to stop the train, we had to press the bar at the door to open the door manually. For that we missed the accurate entrance of Golden Gate Park. Eventually we made it there, after exiting near the left-most end of it, and got close to the sights, sounds and smells of nature. Highlights of the hike include a toilet with no door, air that is fresh and fragrant with flower scents, close up and personal shots of seagulls and squirrels.
Then we took the MUNI to the Golden Gate Bridge, a route 29. Waiting time was long, but it was worth the wait, upon reaching the suspension bridge. Upon alighting, we were greeted by the statue of the chief engineer behind the structure. Apparently, it was a great feat for the Americans because it was thought to be impossible to build at that time. We walked all the way to the first hump on the suspension bridge, mobbed throughout the long hike by cyclists and joggers who overtook us. The greatest pity is not having stayed till night time to take pictures of the illuminated bridge as seen on postcards.
Having taken enough photos and recovering from the awe of the magnificent bridge, we went on to take bus 28 to the area closest to Fisherman’s Wharf, which was a place known as Fort Mason. Be warned that there are two buses that have the same 28 plate but travel in opposite directions, just take note of the terminal station which is shown on the display board in front. The walk from Fort Mason to Fisherman’s Wharf took around20 minutes – you will walk through a park where people might be sunbathing, up a hill which allows you a distant view of the Golden Gate bridge, and down to a pier which is very near Alcatraz. That brings me to the second biggest pity of the day: not having visited the structure which held Al Capone captive.
It was however quickly forgotten as the seafood lunch by the wharf was so tasty that it made up for the loss. We ate at Ciioppino’s, an Italian restaurant that was run by the third generation of descendants of fishermen. The Dungess crabs, shrimp and calamari were very fresh and made me fall in love with their natural flavours. Dipping them in salsa and tarter sauce made them provide a tangy sensation on the tastebuds. A local recommended that we try the sourdough bread, and that was exactly what we did. It tasted like bread from Russia, a kind of sour cream bread that was appetizing to pave the way for our main course. I also embarked on the mission to try the American beers, so we tried the pale ale.
One thing to take note, check the back of the printed maps of the area provided by your hotel and see what places have coupons offering discounts at the many restaurants, as we missed a shot at free clam chowder at Ciopinno’s. We went on to take the Hop On Hop Off sightseeing trip around downtown San Fran, with Philip as the witty tour guide who yakked all the way downtown, singing Frank Sinatra at this restaurant called Morton which only played his songs. Though I read that the Tenderloin area was home to great restaurants, we did not go there due to time constraints. And more so because of the urban legend on how its name came about – that it was historically so dangerous that cops who patrolled that area were given risk allowances so high that they could afford to eat the expensive tenderloin steaks as a compensation for putting their lives at stake patrolling that area. Wonder what actually goes on there. After two rounds around town, we alighted at Union Square, and walked around the shops. GAP, H&M, Macy’s and Tiffany’s were all near the place we alighted. My impression of San Fran was further upped when I was looking at a map while waiting for the traffic light to change, and a friendly girl asked if I needed help. It was not as easy to find a toilet along the streets but there’s always a Starbucks close by.
Since we were in the States, it didn’t make sense to eat Chinese food. Or so we thought as it was only the second day after all and we were eager to see what wonders we could uncover in the lore of the American diet. The cheeseburger ended up more than enough for our little stomachs – everything IS bigger in the States. But we were really still full from the seafood attack earlier, it’s up to you to decide who attacked who. It was an enjoyable walk back from In-N-Out burger, just outside of Millbrae station, with the wind blowing gently and the air fresh in our faces.
Breakfast: hotel
Lunch: Cioppino USD 40 for free flow sourdough bread, two pale ales, a warm glass of milk, side dish of risotto, seafood platter serves 2-3
Hop On Hop Off sightseeing tour: USD 26.99/pax valid for 48 hours
Dinner: In-N-Out Burger USD 12.99 for two cheeseburger sets, includes medium fries and soft drink, one hamburger
San Francisco Day 3
After complaining while we were walking to and from Millbrae station that we were wasting a lot of time walking, I got my way. We walked down the road from our hotel and found the vehicle rental shop. After negotiating and making friends with the dealer, he let us have a Sering convertible for the day, and we were on our way!
While I planned to go to Google and eBay since we were going to drop by Palo Alto, I didn’t think we had enough time. In the end we went to Stanford University along the San Jose 101. Things to get used to when driving in the States: left hand drive, means you peek out the left side instead, to check blind spots if you still do; then again there were so much more cars than motorbikes there. Driving an auto car made it easier to concentrate on the road, and road signs. It takes time to adjust to the mph speed limit as well, as the labeling on the speedometer was different. Of course you don’t want to peer down too often.
We had lunch around the university town, in a restaurant that served Vietnamese food, but it more like fusion because the noodles were thicker and the portions were insane. The interior was very innovatively decorated, using glass bottles with their bases cut away to act as lampshades. After lunch, we took a drive around the campus and it was on flat land, with lots of trees all around, and a shopping mall inside. Having visited Stanford, we left for San Fran again. The drive back was plagued by congested traffic even on the freeway. There were moments where the car in front stopped totally, so a note to drivers, to set aside some time for travelling down this part of California.
Without much ado, after returning the car, we went back to our hotel, said our goodbyes to Wilson who happened to be on duty again, and left for Seattle on the 7.30pm flight, which draws the action-packed San Francisco chapter to a close.
Breakfast: by hotel
Car rental: Blue Oval:USD 88.33 5 hours, we could return anytime before the next day without incurring charges, after 5pm when they close just park and leave the key inside the mail box outside
Lunch: ZAO serving Vietnamese food, 261 University Avenue, Palo Alto: USD 30.59 for a beef ramen, monk’s delight, and a chicken pho, all of monstrous proportions
Transport to airport: free shuttle by hotel, usually 10 mins late. There was a domestic and international hall in the airport, and inside the domestic hall there were restaurants as well as stores selling sourdough, which seems to be an ideal souvenir from this part of the States. Renting trolleys cost USD 4 as well, and the machine dispenses a quarter upon returning, that’s why Tom Hanks could afford to buy his burger kings in The Terminal.
