Erk's 2014 Pacamerican Circle

[erkpod]

I should stop drinking now. When I spill booze on myself, it's time to stop.

 

[erkpod]

Tuesday 7/1, Day 7

Still in Vegas for the moment. New Media Expo was hectic which ended yesterday. The iOS AFF app issues have been not helping. Lots to report in words & pics when the app is stable.

I've had a great time in Vegas (mainly due to New Media Expo) even though I got very sad this morning when a ray of sunshine left to fly home to NYC. Love the power of the interweb!

Next stop SFO tomorrow & my first VX flight. My first DL flight registered within a few days to my VFF tally.

 

[bluedoggin]

Really enjoying your trip report erkpod, and seeing your photo at Penrith station got me excited as a local boy I'll be heading off from the Riff in March for a boys trip to LA and Vegas......... Needless to say your Vegas photos are ramping up the excitement for me! I was in Vegas 6 months ago to marry my lovely wife (Grand Canyon wedding not Vegas Chapel!) and I can't wait to get back there with my mates.

As a side note, although you aren't a gambler, I am, having just bought into a racehorse and enjoying the odd bit of poker and blackjack, I found the gaming floors did not interest me at all. In fact, I pretty much forced myself to play blackjack for half an hour at the Bellagio just to say I'd played the tables in Vegas. I had so much fun strolling the Strip checking out the place, while I found the gaming area boring (also drove a Lambo but that's another story!)

Anyway, this has been a really good read and I am looking forward to the rest of your report. Safe travels mate

 

[erkpod]

Flight report
Wednesday 8/1/14
LAS - SFO
VX251
Plane: N841VA, A320
Seat: 10A (exit row), Y

Captain: Ken
CSM: Forgot her name

Check-in: Went to kiosk. Kiosk advises of bag fees (2 bags) of $25USD. Went to desk & waited about 5 minutes. Lady advised no fee for me after I said & proved I'm VFF SG. Was advised on possible weather delay or 30 minutes. Priority tags added. VA priority tags not removed.

Security: Joined a line. Was herded into a faster line, possibly a newly opened lane. No need to take shoes or jacket off. O ly had to put phone in carry on bag. I did take my belt off. Steel capped boots didn't activate detector. The TSA staff I saw were friendly but professional. Officer near x-ray entry said he had the same phone case as me but saw mine looked newer. About 15-20 minutes in total. Shoes/jacket on trial has been going on for 2 weeks at LAS.


Concourse: Slot machines everywhere. Lots of good wifi & charging stations. Didn't explore shops or look for any lounges. Did some plane spotting.

Boarding: F boarded first followed by rows 3 & 10. Mostly up to you to put BP on scanner. Usual carry-on zoo onboard.

On Time Running: About 60 minutes late into SFO. Long boarding process. Plane's previous sector was JFK - LAS. Lots of issues due to storms/blizzards in mid-west, east coast & NE. A new issue is the new crew hours introduced this week.


Seat: VA need these seats! Comfy, big seatbelts (complete with airbags!), seatback IFE. Seat seems wider than VA Y but not as wide as VA J for similar aircraft. Extra leg room due to exit row.

Crew: Not scared of the passengers in relation to telling them to be quiet during the safety demo. Professional & friendly. Mostly in black - did see one FA in a red coat on descent. Domestic VA pilots seem to talk more. Captain did explain delays while awaiting pushback at LAS.

Safety demo: Spectacular video on the IFE screens. If you haven't seen it, search for Virgin America Safety Video or #vxsafetydance on YouTube. Best. Safety. Video. Ever.

Baggage claim: Fast. Priority worked.

 

[TomVexille]

It is possible the seats were wider as the A320 cabin is wider than the 737 cabin

 

[drron]

Ah the memories.Las vegas is anything to everyone.
We stayed once at New York,New York.It was a month after 9/11 so it was $25 a night as no one wanted to stay there.However because of our exorbitant rate we were put in a room that the roller coaster went by........at the bottom of a descent.Needless to say you went to sleep when it ceased operations.
Another who doesn't go for the gambling.First trip in 1981 mrsdrron put a quarter in a slot machine and got a $100 jackpot.So I decided to do the same-yep,1 quarter and another $100 jackpot.Not gambled there since.

Enjoying the report.But I wont start any of my TRs when I begin to plan as I have May 14,sept 14 and December 14 trips now planned so starting on May and Sept 2015 now.

 

[drron]

Forgot to add-I spent a night in a hotel at DFW with a VX crew.Well I was with mrsdrron and they were somewhere else in the same hotel.Noted that only 1 was in red and she definitely appeared to be the boss.

 

[erkpod]

Day 8, Wednesday 08 January
Vegas - San Francisco

On this trip, I decided not to go to NYC as I wanted to spend some time in Miami before my 70000 Tons of Metal cruise at the end of February. But I love NYC so it was a hard choice.


This weekend changed that. I met someone this weekend who lives there who is rather awesome so I've booked a trip MIA - JFK - MIA. It's direct to JFK but there's a change in ATL on the way back.

I booked the trip via the Delta app on iOS. Interestingly, it only has the US as a country for the credit card billing address. So I used Beverly Hills CA 90210 & it worked.

Epic fail downtown SFO. The Super Shuttle dropped me at the wrong spot. The driver didn't show me where the hotel was & would not accept my credit card at the end of the trip. If he'd done it at the start of the trip when he was screwing up everyone's address (I was first off for once!), it would have been better. He'd driven off by the time I worked out I was at 530 Bush St instead of 590. A short cab ride fixed that. Funny to find that the bell hop is also called Eric.

Getting onto the internet at the hotel was horrible. It wasn't free but $15 for the week here wasn't as bad as the $20.16/day resort fee at the Rio in Vegas. The website to register would not accept my card despite several attempts. I went downstairs & got the front desk to call customer service of the internet company. That company says they don't accept non US issued cards. So they gave me free access. Later I've found out that both my bank's credit card was charged 3 times & also my VFF Global Wallet. My bank emailed me & I emailed them back. I noticed the same on my VFF Global Wallet.

Tomorrow's my first full day in SF & hope that the weather is better than when I arrived (overcast).

 

[erkpod]

Forgot to add-I spent a night in a hotel at DFW with a VX crew.Well I was with mrsdrron and they were somewhere else in the same hotel.Noted that only 1 was in red and she definitely appeared to be the boss.

The jacket only appeared at the end. It wasn't jacket weather at LAS but it was at SFO.

 

[Magpie10]

Thanks Erkpod keep the TR coming am really enjoying your TRY. Cheers v

 

[erkpod]

Day 9, Thursday 09 January
San Francisco


Day 9 in San Francisco started sunnier than my arrival yesterday. It took me around 90 minutes to walk from the hotel to the bottom of the Powell cable car route. I was either taking photos, recording audio, picking up a Muni Passport (7 days for $29, great value!) and a US SIM card.


The Muni 7 Day Passport ($29) is available from Walgreens among others & covers Muni buses/trolley buses, Muni light rail (who appear to be calling themselves Muni Metro now), the vintage streetcars AND the cable cars. When you think that one ride is $2 (except cable cars, which are $6), it's great value. 1 & 3 day passes are also available. The pass is NOT valid on BART.


I saw a T Mobile store & walked out with an unlimited data & unlimited US calls/SMS for $70/month. It's valid for a month if you don't top it up & aimed at International citizens. The SIM card is another $10 & you can add unlimited international calls for $10/month. It's BYO unlocked phone. Other price points with lower limits are available. I was so excited to get 4G (but not the battery drain!) & the setup was quick. I did, though, have to return because the hotspot feature was not set up.


I walked downtown & got a streetcar to the Castro (my first time). Another walk & KFC for lunch.




Back to the hotel to charge the phone (was not expecting to have 4G battery drain today!) & more exploring downtown. I caught the Muni Metro to Balboa Park & back. The view of the city from the Dolores Park on the K line is outstanding! I love how these light rail vehicles run in what I call the fun sized subway under downtown & then on street outside that area.


I caught my second cable car of the day & was looking forward to getting back to the hotel to charge the phone & send photos from the camera to Flickr now that the hotspot feature works. But the cable car changed that.




A lady with a European accent heard & recognised my accent. We got chatting & it turns out she's actually been living in Australia for most of her life but is originally from Italy. She asks if I'd like to come out for a drink (is the Pope Catholic?) just as my stop came up. Forgetting my plan, I tell her my phone is flat & I don't know what the number is because I got it today. We continue to ride the cable car & I become her personal photographer. I should have taken a photo or hundred with my camera that I had with me. Damn!




I find out that it is her first trip to SF. We arrive at Lombard St (the crookest street in the world). But we don't have a car so we walk down the footpath & then walk to Fishermans Wharf, where we decide to start drinking & talking. A local lady & later her boyfriend joins us. A few drinks ensue & several languages are spoken. Some guy speaking Italian & Spanish from South America arrives & things go down hill from there. Everyone except me & the South American guy seem to be unhappy. Both ladies leave together & the guys go our own ways. I wanted to ensure that my new SF virgin friend was safe but she was with a local lady now & didn't want the guys hanging around. We'll see if she contacts me but if she doesn't, I'm not fussed. How it ended wasn't nice at all. Everyone whose company I was enjoying were having sookylala moments.


I eventually find the cable car again but there's a long wait. A service vehicle used to push broken cable cars passes & later a replacement bus passes me heading in the opposite direction. Soon after, the bus picks me up. We pass the broken down cable car & the queue of cable cars behind it. The bus drops me & 2 Canadian ladies off as another cable car line can pick us up for the journey downtown.


The Canadians & I compare weather & not surprisingly, they live near Winterpeg. The cable car arrives at my hotel but not before I plan to return to this cable car in daylight for spectacular photos.


Feeling a lot drunk (the barman don't measure the drinks & I also had a shot (Erk never has a shot at home) at the end of day 9.

 

[erkpod]

Thanks to everyone who are enjoying this. I don't blog (I'm an audio/photos kind of guy) but this is cool to write & read back later. Hope the app issue is sorted soon as I have many pics I want to add.

 

[erkpod]

Now that the new version of the AFF app is available, time to catch up with some photo highlights. If you want to see a LOT more photos, add me on Flickr (erkpod).



This young lady is the reason I'm now heading to New York. We were tweeting each other within the same hotel in Vegas as a part of New Media Expo. She recognised my profile photo, we chatted & we ended up going out to dinner & hung out. Even if I don't see her in NYC for whatever reason, it's an extra 3 flights & I'll be in NYC. Win/win!



Well that didn't work, did it? If it wasn't for the interweb, podcasting & social media, I would not be here.



I'm pretty fortunate (not lucky!) to be where I am right now & I'm having a great time. So many people are struggling out there with more serious problems than I've ever had.



Erk to the white courtesy phone...



No, I won't be printing any selfies!

 

[erkpod]

"You'll have to speak up, I'm wearing a towel!"

Feeling very second hand after a short but sharp drinking session on day 9 at Fishermans Wharf.

I am so slow sometimes. I had a great chance to use the towel line but didn't until 2-3 days later.



Feeling a little emotional in Union Square, San Francisco



Jack In The Box, opening soonish at Fishermans Wharf San Francisco


Aqua Duck tour of San Francisco was awesome. Giving me a quacker & some music to play along with it was fun for me but a mistake to the uptight lady in front of me.

 

[erkpod]

This waitress at the Heart Attack Grill saw me looking in the window & was happy to pose.



Pepsi Throwback!



Anyone missing a tyre can find it in the Castro district, San Francisco



Did you read all the terms & conditions when you parked there?

Alternate caption: You bought a Jeep?



I'll pass if that's ok! No junk touching for me!

 

[erkpod]

Some arty shots!


From the shuttle bus at T1, LAS


Strong lines & angles at T3, LAS






Accidential arty bus photos, San Francisco

 

[bass_ke]

Whoa, I too am glad to be back after the app outage!

Keep the pics coming erk and writing about your SG experiences, I'm plotting for a us trip in nov

 

[erkpod]

If anyone heads to Vegas, leave the Strip & head downtown to the Fremont St Experience. On the opposite side of Las Vegas Boulevard to the mall, also check out the Container Park. It is part of a redevelopment of downtown.

There's bars, fashion shops & places to eat. There's a kid playground & a large area suitable for listening to live music.

The buildings look like they are made from containers. It's a good atmosphere.

The downtown area & the Fremont St Experience have a more local feel to it & less of a Strip experience. So much more family friendly than the Strip.

 

[erkpod]

Fremont St (downtown Vegas) by night.

 

[UP4014]

Great reporting ​erkie.