USA 2019/2020 San Francisco Jan 12-Jan 17

San Francisco

Sunday Jan 12:  Arrive Oakland
Mon Jan 13: Oakland
Tues Jan 14: Oakland
Wed Jan 15. Oakland
Thurs Jan 16 - early start.  Fly via Seattle to Fairbanks

Sunday Jan 12

Uber XL to Airbnb Oakland
Ree has been liaising with Jesus our host.
Kids get better room and en-suite. We get a TV in our room.   Drew camps in to watch TV!

Kids are tired
Down the road for the local IGA

Then Lozza and Ree hit the street
Under the bridge - homeless +++; doesnt smell good

Thai restaurant - sure come down; wait time is 2 hours!
So we stroll down the road a bit until we find Eritrean!  Just like London 2013.

Monday 13

Not an early start
BART @39th & Montgomery to Embarcadero

Start at Embardero
Toward union square
No ice skating but Zozo offered some drugs
Macy’s for a bit then more walking

A bit of shopping and more checking out the "vibe"

Next a quick bit to eat

Pier one farmers market to pier 35
Seals

A quick pop in to the Imaginarium shop.  The museum isn't open until tomorrow so we'll be back!

Let's walk a bit.

Fisherman’s what - same as Monterey and Sorrento!
Golden Gate Bridge view
A LOT of walking

Art exhibition - bronze statues, melted coloured plastics make an ocean, a fox in a barrel, hippo held up by straps, other colourful stuff.  Nothing cheap.
Up the big hill and up some stairs to the top of Lombard St.  Steep and curly.
Down we walked to dinner

North beach is cool
Little flowers inside dried resin made into earrings.  Zoe buys fish earrings

Dinner at the “stinking rose” garlic restaurant.
Repeat customer from 1993!

Home by bus - more than one stop - the. BART

Tuesday 14

Happy #51

Baye st mall. 
First to the public market aka food hall and Peets coffee.
Flat whites but no Peruvian street food today.
Victoria’s Secret for a few minutes ish
LD peruses Barnes & Noble

Drew leads us to the BART ON 39th and McArthur. 
3 off at Montgomery to catch the 5R to golden gate state park and a little bit of "Rise and Grind".

Zoe to Castro area.   2 nervous parents
A, A and L to stroll the botanical gardens - OK they were shut so we strolled around them.
Were going to get a hire bike BUT all were being put away - it's a bit late.

So much more to do here.
At least one of us will be back soon.
Next, a walk through Chinatown

And finally, as recommended by Emily UR, special birthday dinner at the Slanted Door back at pier 1. Quite a few people there!  Lucky we had booked a LONG time ago.  WOrth it!

Wed Jan 15
Ree to gardens for Bison

Rest to imaginarium
All to Alcatraz

Dinner at Noosh - share plates.
Long line but they needed four for a table so jump the queue we did.
Nobody in front of us minded!
Well found Zozo.

Thursday Jan 16
Oakland to Fairbanks via Seattle

Early start
Bags at the door
Uber 1: arrived 5:40 not 5:50. Wouldn’t wait. Uber charged us for his cancellation.  Uh uh baby. 
Uber # 2;  Through pretty busy am traffic to arrive SFO for Alaska airlines to Fairbanks via Seattle.


Few snacks and off we go
Seattle is a blur.

Plane delayed in landing so its a sprint to change terminals for transfer - no easy thing.
Rush to train from one terminal ring to shuttle.  Then shuttle to next terminal ring then train to geminal B.  Sheesh!

Easy but simple (no screens, no real hot water aka no tea) but super nice crew.


Land at Fairbanks airport

Winter Woolies required?   Ohhhhhh YES!
Temp range for the day is -24 (max) to minus 29.  Sheesh

L and A get the hire car from the lot about a minutes walk away.
Unplug it!

Drive around the airports front as Lozza misses the turnoff then park out the front to put the bags in.
Painfully cold.  Boot won't close.
Hertz guy comes to fix it - he isn't wearing gloves.  LD is in 5 layers and is ready to say his last goodbyes.

Fairbanks is beautiful