6^th October – Victoria, Again

Another smooth night at sea and we wake up to a beautiful sunny day.

I am most definitely sick, damn it. Coughing up a lung but doing my best not to share it around and keep all germs to myself.

We will be docking in Victoria this afternoon so that gives us the day to go to the gym, have breakfast, and start packing.

The cruise line offers an amazing service, I hope it is as good as they say, where they will work with the airline to ensure our bags are picked up from the ship, transferred to the airport, and checked in. We do not need to collect them as we disembark, instead we just walk off, get on the bus and head to the airport.

Not only that, but they will get our boarding passes sorted too. Is this too good to be true?

The only downside, which is insignificant at best, we have to get our bags packed and ready to go tonight. Which means we will need to have an overnight bag for tomorrow’s clothes and any toiletries that we can take onboard a plane.

In AU and NZ you can take liquids of any size on a domestic flight, that is not true in the US or Canada. You have to have travel size.

We get most of our luggage sorted and will finalise it when we get back from Victoria.

As is the norm now, we watch whales and porpoises as we workout at the gym. Everyone is watching and calling out when they see anything.

We also have wine and chocolate pairing today, so that will be fun. We head up to Le Bistro, where these are held, and end up sitting with Tony and Jill. Jill introduces herself and Tony, it seems like Tony is not interested – does not really look at us when we say hi.

Turns out he is legally blind. DUH. Not 100%, he suffers from molecular degeneration and has, over time, steadily lost his eyesight. How awful!

The real kicker is that he had just finished studying as a sommelier – passed all his exams and did very well. Then his sight started to go, part of being a sommelier is exploring the colour and depth of the wine, something he can no longer see.

However, it does not impact his ability to smell, taste, and describe the wine. We were so lucky to be sitting with them.

Mario led the wine pairing experience, and whilst I prefer a wine and cheese, I did enjoy the wine and chocolate. Jason opted not to have the wine, ordered a beer and simply enjoyed the chocolate instead 😊

Tony says I have an educated palate for wine, you see all this “study” pays off!!!!

There is another blind wine tasting after this, but Tony feels he would have an unfair advantage as he already has the blind part covered.

Jill recommended that I order the chianti off the wine menu. They even had the part number memorised – I like these people.

We opt not to stay for the second tasting, Jason has been very patient and is bored.

We head off for a late lunch where we watch whales out the window. I try the chianti and Jill was right. It is very, very tasty.

Filling in time until we dock I spend time listening to Jason sleep as I write a bit of the blog and go through the hundreds of photos. Finally, it is time to get off the ship.

There was an excursion we had signed up for, but as seems to be the theme, it was cancelled and we opt to do our own thing.

Walking to Fisherman’s Wharf and catching a pickle boat into downtown Victoria. As usual the captain was friendly and chatty. He is from England so there was a lot of rugby talk.

Once we land in downtown we head off for a walk of the city. I have booked us at Finn’s for dinner again, we enjoyed the food so much last time we figured, why chance it. Lets go with what we know.

When we were last here, we did not make it to Chinatown, so we do some exploring on the way to the brewery Jason has selected for today. This brewery is Herald Street Brew Works (Herald Street Brew Works), the beers are quite different and unique, not something that Jason looks for in a beer. But he manages to force down a couple. Actually he admits they were not too bad.

It is Sunday evening in Victoria so there is not a lot going on, its time to head off for dinner and watch the sunset – Victoria, you did it again.  

Finn’s Seafood Chops Finn’s Seafood Restaurant | Downtown Victoria, BC Overlooking the Harbour (finnsvictoria.com) did not disappoint. We enjoyed the meal and the service was very good. Though I confused the server by wanting to use up all my Canadian dollars and settle the balance with a card. We did get there in the end.

With plenty of time to walk back to the ship for a night cap before we finish our packing and say goodbye to our bags, hopefully not permanently.

We leave Victoria at midnight and arrive in Seattle at 600am. It really isn’t that far, when we did this in the ferry it took 2.45 hours. I guess they want to lull us to sleep with the gentle sway of slow engines 😊

7^th October – Goodbye Ship, Goodbye Seattle, Hello San Fran you goddess

We had a slow start to the day. I did not feel like breakfast and Jason didn’t want to go on his own, instead we got ourselves organised.

As expected our bags disappeared from outside our room last night and have, hopefully, been dispatched to the airport to get on our flight.

We shower, check, double check, and triple check our room. Then wait for our disembark time which is approximately 800am, could be earlier, could be later. You just won’t know.

The announcements are not being broadcast to our room either, so we have to prop our door open to find out if we are being summoned.

At 730am we get our call, the red group. We gather our things, farewell our room and follow the flow of people off the ship.

Goodbye Norwegian Sun, goodbye lovely staff, goodbye average food.

We are herded onto a bus and make way to the airport. So far everything is going to plan, this feels strange.

Seattle Airport is insane busy, so many people, so many different lines, and signs. There are also a lot of people telling you where you need to go, which is awesome. We join one of the many, long security lines and wait until it is out turn.

You have to take your shoes off here, at all airports we have been to so far. I have no issue, but poor Jason can barely reach his shoes on a good day when he is sitting down, let alone when he is standing in a line with nothing to lean on.

Its interesting to watch.

Through security and head to the Alaska Airline Lounge, we are not members but I know you can pay to go in, and we have 4.5 hours until our flight.

As per Jason’s run sheet we check the gate on our boarding pass, we find the gate, and do the usual recon. Make sure we have eyes on the gate, know the distance, and can make it in the appropriate period of time.

In order to get to the right place we need to walk down the hallway, down the stairs, and onto a train that will take us to the correct wing of the airport. Ummm, ok. So we head over to the N wing, because our gate is N10.

It all checks out, the gate on the boarding pass, N10, is only 5 minutes walk from the lounge. I was a bit surprised that a gate was on the boarding pass, as it was issued last night. But feeling like shit, I didn’t even raise my concerns.

We go into the lounge and it is very comfortable. There are these amazing seats where you can lie back and watch all the planes take off. Jason was in his happy place! Whilst he plane spotted, and napped, I wrote some and snacked. The breakfast was pretty interesting, you could make your own breakfast burrito! Oh yeah baby, lock that in, thank you.

There is also a pancake machine and a bar. I can spend 4.5 hours here, no problem.

For lunch there are still burritos you can make yourself, and also macaroni and white cheese. Seriously, with the white cheese again!

I sit and write, Jason sits and watches, and time clicks by.

It is 40 minutes before we are due to board and Jason, my wonderfully neurotic human, decides he needs to double check the gate. And thank goodness he did.

Turns out the little voice in my head was right. The gate on our boarding pass was made up. We are actually boarding from an S gate. And in order to get to an S gate we have to take 3 trains.

From N we need to go to A, to go to C, and from C to S. Easy right. It sounds far more difficult than it was. But we are out of synch and Jason is not happy, he is freaking out and we have to leave the lounge NOW.

We get the first train, then the next, and then the last. We are in the right place in less than 10 minutes. He is happy now. Only another 30 minutes until we board. Sigh.

Some interesting observations. Whilst waiting to board I hear a flight, destination Chicago, advising they have overbooked the flight. They are looking for volunteers who do not need to travel today, they will receive a credit and fly at a different time today. Who honestly books a flight with the expectation that they may or may not need to travel, I mean other than anyone flying with Jetstar? There was a queue of people lining up for the offer, the compensation must be sufficient.

Almost every airline was warning that flights were fully booked and offering to check in larger carry-on items to ensure everyone had room. I guess the flight industry is booming after all.

As much as I would like to offer up my carry on, it contains all the items you are not allowed to check in.

The flight boards on time and we are off. Well done to the neurotic man next to me and his endless need to triple check everything.

One of our main purposes for going to San Francisco is to see Shanthi, Beatrice, and Ash. It has been 8 years since we last saw them in NZ. I cannot believe 8 years has gone so fast.

Unfortunately for us, Ash is in Geneva, Switzerland so we won’t get to see her.

The wonderful Shanthi has offered to pick us up from the airport, so that saves any drama regarding getting to our hotel. I am still a little nervous about our bags that I have not set eyes on since the previous evening.

Standing at the baggage carousel we wait, and wait, and BOOM! They start to arrive! One by one the bags appear and we are overjoyed. Who would have thought, they cannot organise an excursion but they can get our bags off the shp, through customs, on a bus, checked onto a plane, and delivered to the correct airport. Happy, happy days.

We pile into Shanthi’s car and head to the hotel, a quick check in and dump the bags. Shanthi has kindly agreed to let us use her laundry. Clean underwear, yay!

The night is lovely, we hang with Shanthi, B, Spot the Cat, and their two lovely pups, June and Rocky. I get my puppy fill giving lots of pats and receiving a LOT of kisses. A lovely home cooked meal, wonderful conversation, puppies, and good wine. What more can you ask for.

A massive thank you to Shanthi and B for the very enjoyable evening and clean clothes.

Now, the debate, getting home. I have been hearing about Weymo for ages and I am really excited to try it, especially seeing their cars all over San Francisco. Jason is not keen, seriously not keen, however with enough nagging and plying of beer he gives in!

A weymo is ordered and we wait. I don’t have a phone number that will let me set up my own account so Shanthi orders one for us. The lights on the top show your initials to indicate this is your car, plus you have to use the app to unlock the doors before you get in.

The doors are unlocked, we get in, and, the very funny Bea states “Mom, you are sending them to die”.

The drive is very comfortable, yes a bit creepy and weird watching the steering wheel turn unassisted, the break and accelerator compress.

There is a console where you can change the music channel, I thought Jason was going to expire when I started playing with this! “DON’T!!!” I found this amusing, I am a bad wife.

But its like a lift home and a show. By the end of it Jason is sold, agrees its cool and we hope to experience it again.

Back at our hotel, The Harbour Court Hotel (Harbor Court Hotel | San Francisco Hotels | Official Site), which is right by the Bay Bridge. It is a lovely hotel, the exterior is red brick, and the interior has been recently refurbished. The ceilings are lovely and high, we have a fabulous view.

Good night!

Tomorrow morning we are going to go out for a walk before we are picked up by our personal travel guide to the stars, Shanthi.

8^th October – San Fran in all her Glory

A wonderful sleep in a very comfortable bed. The hotel is a little noisy, because it is an old building. There is no outside noise that gets in though, so I slept very well.

I do wake up feeling like absolute shite. Coughing up all sorts of nasties. BLURGH.

The view out our window is gorgeous and we stare at the lightening sky as Jason feeds his coffee addiction.

Up and out for a walk along the waterfront. The sun is up and it is a warm start, we head to Red’s Java which has been around for ever. I think Jason gets his hopes up about the level of coffee he can expect here, it is essentially your atypical greasy spoon. You pay your $2.75 and get pointed to the bench that has the drip coffee, creamer, and sugar. Help yourself, and you can keep getting refills if you like.

Must be great for those that need a lot of coffee early, Jason assembles his concoction and we continue walking.

Fleet Week is on in San Francisco, it is an annual event that celebrates and honors the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces. It features a Parade of Ships, an Air Show, Ship Tours, Concerts, and various community events. You can even do tours of some of the ships etc. It’s a fantastic opportunity for the public to interact with military personnel, witness impressive displays of naval and air power, and enjoy a range of festivities.

I wish I had timed it better so we could be there when it all kicked off properly, but we will have left by the time the fun really starts. There is a massive aircraft carrier docked down from our hotel, we really wanted a closer look and some photos (assuming I won’t get arrested).

You can get reasonably close, but there are gates and some very, very, very serious military guards checking people through the gates. I had wanted to ask when they were doing tours, but none of these serious looking people had an air of approachability.

We walk on.

Finding a farmers’ market, open Tuesday and Thursday if you are interested, with lots of fresh berries. Wahoo! We pick up a few punnets and head back to the hotel where they provide a nice continental breakfast.

We wait for our tour guide.

There is so much to see in San Francisco its hard to narrow down the list. Luckily Shanthi had already collated the must dos and put them into a manageable order.

After parking up we walk downtown, to get on one of the famous cable cars. They are in all the movies. As we wait for our turn Shanthi talks us through the closures that have taken place. So much of the centre of the city is empty with Macys next in line to close up. It is really sad because the city is gorgeous, the old buildings, high ceilings, and ornate windows. All closed up with the inevitable vandalism starting.

The city never really recovered from Covid. I am not sure if there were any other underlying reasons, its just sad.

As we listen to some pretty average busking our cable car finally arrives, just in the nick of time as a new busker had just arrived to join in.

The cable car is such fun, especially because its not raining. Otherwise, that would have been quite a different experience.

At one of the stops a middle aged gentleman joins us. Standing next to Jason on the running boards. The chap is dressed to impress, he looks like he is out of the Village People, the Biker/Leatherman in his summer outfit.

He is not tall, possibly a little shorter than me. Black hair and goatee possibly dyed. Very short, very tight, black denim shorts, very tight black t-shirt, leather harness, leather bum bag – possibly carrying all the essentials (the mind goes wild), massive gold rings on every finger, and a black leather cap.

Seeing him and Jason standing side by side was quite the sight. I wish I had taken a photo but I did not know how to start that conversation. I did sneak one as he left the cable car and went into a bar. See below.

I love the fact he was very comfortable with himself – bless San Fran and her vast array of eclectic humans.

We jump off at the end of the Powell Hyde line at Fisherman’s Wharf to start exploring. Popping in briefly to the Mechanical Museum on Pier 45 (Welcome to the Musée Mécanique (museemecanique.com)) which is filled with some creepy shit from arcades and shows. I saw a Tetris video game in there and was quite insulted this was included in a museum, it was one of my favourites.

We walk up to the Original Ghirardelli Chocolate & Ice Cream Shop. It is a very nice area with boutique shops, and you can do some chocolate tasting. It would be rude not to. Jason votes for the caramel as his favourite, Shanthi and I agree on the salted caramel. I would really like to indulge in an ice cream but it feels too early, and a touch greedy.

Walking along Fisherman’s Wharf and to Pier 39 it is so different to how I remember it, I was last here in 2011. Back then it was thriving with people, like too many people. Now it is incredibly quiet and a lot of the fish suppliers on have shutdown, It feels deserted even though there is a very large cruise ship in town today.

Next on our to do list is the beautiful, steep, and lung burning walk up to Coit Tower, where you can get spectacular views of the city. There are many ways to get to Coit Tower but Shanthi knows the secret, pretty, and green way up. It also involves a lot of steps.

Starting at the Bottom of the Greenwich Steps about a half a block in from the corner of Greenwich and Sansome Streets. You will find a hidden stair case. Just follow your way up, up, up. The first section of stairs is around 200. With a couple more sections to follow. I gave up counting, but there are a lot. It is worth it though.

If you do this walk, remember to look behind you, you will see the best views. Plus you can have a breather whilst you pretend to take photos. I may have done this.

At the top you are rewarded by some of the best views of the city. We did not go to the top of Coit Tower, I don’t think the view would have been any better.

Its getting late in the day and we are hungry! Time to walk down the hill, thank the gods, and towards a San Francisco institution, Sotto Mare.

Sotto Mare (Italian Seafood | Sotto Mare Restaurant | San Francisco (sottomaresf.com)) is an Italian restaurant in the North Beach area. The building had many prior formations before undergoing restoration, Sotto Mare Oysteria & Seafood Restaurant opened in March 2007 and they have been flat out ever since.

There is one dish in particular we are here to sample. By we, I mean Jason and Shanthi, as it is filled with shellfish and I don’t want to get sick.

Cioppino! There was some debate last night about the origin of this dish, but some internet searching proves it was invented here in San Francisco by Italian immigrants.

It is traditionally made from the catch of the day, which in San Francisco is typically a combination of dungeness crab, clams, shrimp, scallops, squid, mussels and fish, all sourced from the ocean the Pacific. The seafood is then combined with fresh tomatoes in a wine sauce.

The menu states there is enough seafood for two people, the menu is wrong. There is enough for an entire family. Jason and Shanthi give it a really good nudge but wave the white flag in surrender and Shanthi takes the rest home for another meal.

I had salmon and the food was delicious as well as the bread. I do love carbs. All washed down with a delicious bottle of wine. I love holidays.

After we have stuffed ourselves silly its time to visit Chinatown. San Francisco’s Chinatown is one of the largest and oldest in the US and it is filled with restaurants and lots of little shops. Today we are heading to the oldest bakery, Eastern Bakery, Shanthi has a craving for a pineapple bun. There is actually no pineapple in it, the way it is baked creates a pattern that looks like a pineapple on the top.

It’s a funny place where the owners still believe the world is riddled with covid, they are not wrong, and will not let anyone in the shop. You order at the door, they scurry away and fetch your items and bring it back to you. When Shanthi queried this, the old chap just points at a sign about social distancing etc, and hands over her baked goods.

In the meantime I have popped next door to a cool shop with so many things I never knew I needed. Amazing Chinese kitchen implements, I want them all, but show restraint and leave with two tiny chopstick beds. I needed them.

Continuing our walking tour we, eventually, end up back at the car. It is heading towards late afternoon and we all have things to do. The last part of our tour ends with a drive to the Golden Gate Bridge. Of course you have to see it, its iconic. Jason had suggested we walk over it until I explained it was 1.7 miles, one way.

Shanthi drops us back at our hotel where we bid farewell. I highly recommend Shathi’s Guided Tours, a 5 out of 5 star rating from me. In all seriousness it was an amazing day and so great to spend time with her. Thank you my friend.

We have a little rest. One of us needed a nap. No points for guessing.

Tonight is the Alcatraz Night Tour. I did this last time I was here and loved it. So creepy and informative. Plus you have a boat ride across the harbour which is a bit of a sightseeing experience in itself.

You get to travel around the island before we dock, they don’t do that during the daytime tour. Also, at night, it really gives you impression of just how isolated the prisoners and guards must have felt each day when the part timers went back to the mainland.

I wont go into too much detail about Alcatraz or the tour itself. I do recommend it. Its spooky, interesting, and a bit depressing. There is a self guided tour with a recorded narration. Which somehow, we managed to fuck up on Jason’s device. This meant he was telling me to go one way and my tour was telling me to go another. He was getting mad at me. Damn lucky I didn’t lock him in one of the cells!

As part of the night tour there are also a couple of presentations. One we watched was related to escape attempts and whether, in fact, anyone had escaped Alcatraz. I vote yes. Did they survive? Meh, that’s another story (Alcatraz Island Night Tour | Alcatraz Island Tours – AlcatrazIslandTickets.com).

After our tour, the presentation, photos and generally freezing our butts off, we board the boat to go back to the mainland. It is getting late and we need to find dinner. Initially Jason had seen some hot dog vendors by the dock and was keen to try it. I managed to talk him out of it. No point in rolling the dice.

As we walk back to the hotel we pop into The Fog In (yeah, great name for any bar in San Francisco, especially as we are enveloped in fog this evening). Where we had a lovely dinner with lots of left over pizza for breakfast tomorrow.

Back at the hotel we pack up and prepare to depart. Tomorrow we leave lovely San Fran and head to Palm Desert to see our lovely friends Mark and Mari. We are excited.

Exhausted sleep takes us.