Viking Invades Alaska!

[Pushka]

I did take a seat. In my Viking red jacket.


Off to do some shopping for a baby. Figured US might have a better range. Still nothing grabbed me. I did end up buying the cutest little dog toy in a presentation box with My first dog and birth date name and weight as a birth gift and that when I came back to Hotel is a jellycat style that I love but haven’t seen this in Australia.



Then went through all the big player stores and loved this atrium that had curved escalators.







Crickey the hotel internet is fast. Must measure it.

And this is the Powell Street Trolley Tram turn around. Deserted as weather is a bit bleak.



Mm, Speedtest shows download less than ours at home but upload is 10 times faster.

 

[love_the_life]

I did take a seat. In my Viking red jacket.
View attachment 164570

Off to do some shopping for a baby. Figured US might have a better range. Still nothing grabbed me. I did end up buying the cutest little dog toy in a presentation box with My first dog and birth date name and weight as a birth gift and that when I came back to Hotel is a jellycat style that I love but haven’t seen this in Australia.

View attachment 164571

Then went through all the big player stores and loved this atrium that had curved escalators.

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Crickey the hotel internet is fast. Must measure it.

And this is the Powell Street Trolley Tram turn around. Deserted as weather is a bit bleak.

View attachment 164575

Mm, Speedtest shows download less than ours at home but upload is 10 times faster.

I just hope you weren't pretending to be Cersei.

 

[Pushka]

I just hope you weren't pretending to be Cersei.

Oh no. My money is on Sansa. Although I haven’t seen the latest. She’s probably gone by now.

 

[get me outta here]

Me too.

Ha - I probably was there at the same time as you

 

[Pushka]

Last night we went to the Cheesecake Factory. We didn’t have a booking but we mentioned it to the great bartender at the Hotel and she said “honey I got to fix that for you or you won’t get it.” So she called up and booked us for 20 minutes later. We thought she was being dramatic. She wasn’t. We went to the check in area and it was crowded with people holding beepers. They knew who we were and said we’d get the next available table which we pretty much did.





They have two menus. A skinny one and a normal one. The calorie content of the foods was staggering. The highest being around 2600 calories for appetizers - nachos and the pork sliders. My burger was around 600 calories. The chicken around 1800 presumably because of the skin.







I was thinking I might have desert so I chose from the skinny one. A skinny burger and MrP chose the chicken teriyaki.



And a side of fries. I finished the burger and most of the salad and about a quarter of the fries. And we were more than full. Serves were too big. As we know. And we enjoyed it.

 

[Pushka]

Yesterday I bought the great nephew and niece two cute T shirts and then I read the instructions on them. They will love them. Great niece is a Peppa pig addict.








Very clever design.

 

[love_the_life]

Yesterday I bought the great nephew and niece two cute T shirts and then I read the instructions on them. They will love them. Great niece is a Peppa pig addict.
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Very clever design.

Very cute.

 

[Pushka]

Waiting in Oakland airport for our AA flight from SF to Flagstaff (Grand Canyon) via Phoenix. Oakland is like a large regional terminal. No lounges. Smaller than Adelaide in Terminal 1 anyway.

Yesterday wasn’t memorable. Weather pretty tank. Heavy rain and cold winds. We decided to walk down the end of Mason to catch the cable car to Pier 39. When we arrived we estimated a 45 minute wait, it was dry at this stage but a chilling wind. We decided we’d try for the cable on the way back and left the queue. Walked back up a bit and grabbed a cab at what we thought was the rank. ie he was the first cab in a line of several. Driver simply growled and said we should have got the bell hop about 10 metres further up - we’d walked past him. My response to that was that we weren’t staying there. His response - doesn’t matter. My response - whatever. Not a phrase I usually use but this guy was a jerk. Cab smelt awful. Not BO but just awful.

So jerk decided he would drive real slow to miss every light. Then did right and left turns that were completely unnecessary. We knew as we’d walked that route the day prior.

Got to Pier 39 and gave him his fare - in $1 bills mainly and a $3 tip. More than he deserved. As we opened the cab door the heavens opened so he had to sit and wait it out for another fare as everyone had run for cover.

Best ad for Uber and pleased to say that’s what we’ve used from then on. With great success.

We stayed under cover for some time until the rain slowed to showers and thought we’d grab some lunch. Not memorable. TBC.

 

[Pushka]

Ok. Just completed the first hop from Oak to Phx and we are in the Admirals lounge. It’s not large but averagely busy so it’s fine. We spend a lot of time here next week on the way to Vancouver.

So yesterday we ate a quick lunch then we wanted to walk towards SF bridge as we’d done 25 years ago with the kids. It wasn’t warm but it improved greatly once it stopped raining.

We passed by the bakery that supplied the goodies where we’d had lunch. Very busy.




Then through to Fisherman’s Wharf. Stupidly I’d thought that Pier 39 was Fisherman’s wharf and couldn’t work out why nothing looked familiar. Doh.

Some of the lobster offerings.



Lovely views for the restaurants.



This is apparently the largest Krispy Kreme bakery in USA? Which probably means the world.



I think these are good burgers?

 

[Pushka]

We kept walking towards the Bridge.



Across the Bay I recognized the path I’d taken a photo of the two boys when they were 5 and 10 years, in 1995.

Then.


Now. It looked much nicer 25 years ago.



Spied a guy fishing who’d caught these two. A Halibut! And something else. I forget.



Now this is my kind of boat.

 

[Pushka]

We then booked an Uber this time and they arrived promptly and in a nice clean car. Excellent.

Dinner last night was ok. We had to pack for an early morning flight.

Decided we’d allow plenty of time to get to the airport this morning and use Uber again. Taxis were quoted online as costing around $120! Uber - quoted around $50 and cost $48. Bargain. Uber arrived within a minute of booking. Traffic was quiet going out of the city.

Oakland airport is basic. That is all.

Caught these pictures entering into Phoenix airport just now.







And AA/American Eagle uses a net to keep the pesky Y passengers from using the First Class ( ) toilets.




Currently in the AA lounge waiting our flight to Flagstaff. I’m up to date!

 

[ellen10]

I'm enjoying following your travels and useful information. Enjoy the next stage.

 

[Pushka]

Just arrived into Flagstaff. The flight passed over Sedona - I had no idea it was so close. Took a couple of photos through a very dirty window.





Arrived and most were hiring cars. There was a taxi rank but no taxis. Tried Uber and no drivers. Called up taxi - 90 minute wait for the four we tried. Tried Uber and success. He arrived and we almost hugged him. It was very cold. Maybe it will snow!

Anyways he got a nice tip.

Hotel is nice with lots of freebies like dinner and breakfast. I think we catch the shuttle to the GC too early. Maybe sausage in bread and run to Amtrak.

 

[blackcat20]

Last night we went to the Cheesecake Factory. We didn’t have a booking but we mentioned it to the great bartender at the Hotel and she said “honey I got to fix that for you or you won’t get it.” So she called up and booked us for 20 minutes later. We thought she was being dramatic. She wasn’t. We went to the check in area and it was crowded with people holding beepers. They knew who we were and said we’d get the next available table which we pretty much did.

View attachment 164776

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They have two menus. A skinny one and a normal one. The calorie content of the foods was staggering. The highest being around 2600 calories for appetizers - nachos and the pork sliders. My burger was around 600 calories. The chicken around 1800 presumably because of the skin.

View attachment 164778

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I was thinking I might have desert so I chose from the skinny one. A skinny burger and MrP chose the chicken teriyaki.

View attachment 164780

And a side of fries. I finished the burger and most of the salad and about a quarter of the fries. And we were more than full. Serves were too big. As we know. And we enjoyed it.

I’ve waited for a table at every Cheesecake Factory I’ve ever been to. My go to is the Cobb salad; eat half and take the rest for later.

 

[Pushka]

I’ve waited for a table at every Cheesecake Factory I’ve ever been to. My go to is the Cobb salad; eat half and take the rest for later.

So many people had boxes to go.

 

[love_the_life]

Just arrived into Flagstaff. The flight passed over Sedona - I had no idea it was so close. Took a couple of photos through a very dirty window.

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Arrived and most were hiring cars. There was a taxi rank but no taxis. Tried Uber and no drivers. Called up taxi - 90 minute wait for the four we tried. Tried Uber and success. He arrived and we almost hugged him. It was very cold. Maybe it will snow!

Anyways he got a nice tip.

Hotel is nice with lots of freebies like dinner and breakfast. I think we catch the shuttle to the GC too early. Maybe sausage in bread and run to Amtrak.

Good you finally got an Uber - it's awful arriving in a new place and finding no transportation when you had assumed there would be.

 

[Pushka]

The weather gods have looked at the way I’d carefully packed my suitcase and had a laugh. Alaska Cruise parka and wet gear in a woolies compression bag on the bottom for use in just over a weeks time, along with warm beanie, mittens and scarf. Then warm weather items for GC and later Hawaii, then on top, slightly heavier items for coolish San Francisco. Well, within 24 hours the wet weather gear had been dragged from the bottom to deal with cold wet San Francisco. That was fine for two days. Last week the Grand Canyon had been 30 degrees so put in some extra shorts and a T shirt just before we left as I get rather hot. Ho Ho Ho. Tonight I have dragged out the compression bag and fluffed up the parka for the Grand Canyon tomorrow. Along with beanie and gloves. Snow on them thar hills! But next week once we’ve left it will be back to 30. We checked on Alaska temperatures and Vancouver and it’s in the 20’s. This is just ridiculous. We came back to GC because last time in December it was a total white out. Please dear God, don’t let it snow again. Three times is once too many.

We got into the lift today with a whole bunch of ageing Harley Davidson bikers. The Hotel is located on Route 66. They were in leathers and around our ages. They started saying how cold it was in late spring. I said to MrP so they could hear, See, it isn’t my fault, it’s not supposed to be like this! And they gave me the thumbs up!

 

[blackcat20]

Meanwhile it's 21c in Melbourne...

 

[Pushka]

Meanwhile it's 21c in Melbourne...

Don’t tell me! Crazily that’s what it’s going to be in Vancouver. I need it to rain for my plants!

 

[RB]

Enjoying your write-up. It is a long time since I was in San Francisco-I thought that the BART might have been an option to the airport?