San Francisco expense report

[trumpeting_angel]

In addition to being an extraordinary food writer, TH sends a terrific, customized tourist recommendation for San Francisco/Bay Area travelers. His price is quite reasonable.

The views from the Marin Headlands are spectacular; I also recommend traveling to the top of Twin Peaks and to the (Livermore?) Science Building at UC Berkeley for other incredible views. The sea lions at Pier 39 are free! Everything I saw to eat in Marin County was absurdly overpriced, but I wasn't able to spend enough time to leave the heavily tourist-traveled area.

I would not miss Muir Woods for anything. The stillness and beauty of those majestic woods filled with those awe-inspiring trees. We also especially liked the instructions for coping with mountain lions, which if encountered should be looked in the eye, backed away from, and aggressively fought if they attack, in case you were wondering!

I spent much of my time with my step-daughter and grandson, a delight that others on this board will probably forego!

TH, I took you at your word and am sending this expense report:

Hotwire "package" airfare + 7 nights hotel = $1500 for 2

(booked before the latest price war) I chose the cheapest hotel, which I usually do and am sometimes very unhappy about, but this time it was a winner!

The hotel was the newly-furbished Argonaut on Fisherman's Wharf, adjacent to the Cannery. It is a fabulous hotel; I think the only reason it was the cheapest is that it's so new. I'll bet it's pricey.

Breakfast planning: bought a cooler, cereal, milk, soy milk, and juice at Walgreen's on Fisherman's Wharf, fruit at a Farmer's Market, ate breakfast in room every morning. Total about $25 for the week. Brought my own idiosyncratic oat bran/rice bran hot cereal (Allergic to wheat) and made it in coffee cups with my $4.99 water heater.

Good reasonable dinners: Ate at LuLu's, terrific food, daughter and I shared an appetizer, a side vegetable, and an entree. We were stuffed. At Blue Mermaid (in our hotel), chowder for each and shared an appetizer and a salad. We were stuffed. The food is extraordinary at LuLu's, ok at the Blue Mermaid.

Bought a package deal - boat & tour of Alcatraz, bus trip to Muir Woods and Sausalito. Saved $20 or so compared to separate purchases. Learned enough about the BART and busses to prevent renting a car. Saved what, maybe $200 on not renting a car? Daughter is under 17, so her bus fare is 35 cents. Cheap.

Ate dinner in Chinatown. Cheap - the bill for 6 was under $45 with the tip.

Now, the only problems remaining are: (1) jet lag (still arising slightly before noon, I'll have to cut that out by Monday) and "a few" extra pounds. Back to working out and eating lots more salad, lots less Cioppino!

Anyone else had a great vacation or inexpensive travel?

Anne

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Glad the suggestions worked out! Muir woods is definitely a sight, especially if you take the long hike up and around to get the view of the golden gate from the hip of mt tamalpais. Its a long hike with some steep parts though.

I got different advice on mountain lions...I was told to take off my coat or shirt, hold my arms over my head and stretch the shirt between your arms. The idea is to look realllly big and undaunted.

I thought "Swell, they'll find my shredded body and i'll be half naked to boot."

How'd you like alcatraz? I havent been there in almost 10 years.

 

[trumpeting_angel]

Alcatraz is spooky, daunting, deterring (if one needs it), and very sad, all at once. Today's equivalent (the "prison within the prison system" of the Federal system) is at Marion, IL, and it's just a high-tech version of the same thing.

I've worked in jails and prisons, so the dramatizations echo real-life stories of people I've known. So many of the problems noted in the Alcatraz tour are problems in today's prisons - inmates who have nothing to lose and don't mind killing, people incarcerated for so long that, once released, they are completely lost and inept at managing the basics of daily existence, and so on.

I'm not that good at being at tourist at Alcatraz. There's not much "ooh, wow, ooh" for me, since things haven't changed that much and I'm accustomed to the brutality, starkness, conflicts between guards and inmates, and the general inhumanity that prisons breed, both in inmates AND in CO's. It's not a good environment for anyone, really. Don't get me started.

The gulls were nesting, and the place reeked of guano. That's different from the prisons in Mass and CT. . .

I am better talking restaurants! And the weather. Thanks for the warning; I really was astonished at how cool it was. I brought several pairs of shorts that didn't get worn, and not enough long pants. All of my capri pants saw the light of day, though! The perfect compromise.

Anne

 

[John Galt]

I've never been to San Francisco, although I sent my ex. once, also to France, Germany, Spain, but I will save
all that stuff.

My comment is on the prison system (yep this is a repeat
- sorry). I spent a night in jail last year (charges dropped). Pretty interesting. The staff was
completely non-helpful and generally discourteous.
My fellow detainees were uniformly helpful, empathetic,
courteous and kind. Truly, it looked to me like we'd
have been better off with law enforement inside
and the inmates running the show, but then I have
no confidenc in authority (never have) so this probably
colored my views. A real eye opener though.

Joh Galt

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

My perception of alcatraz...nice boat ride, beautiful views of all sides of the bay and the cities, cool view of the golden gate, nature taking the island back over, pretty wildflowers.

Oh yeah, theres an old prison here too.

I guess I shoulda suggeted angel island instead, which is the same, only larger, and no prison!

 

[trumpeting_angel]

No problem with your suggestion, TH! My daughter wanted to go, and I probably would have gone anyway without your suggestion. It was interesting, and I found that fact that "not much has changed" interesting, as well as dispiriting. Makes me think that we would be better off (as a nation) using cheaper methods of punishment and behavioral change. Since this method doesn't work very well, is awfully expensive, and brutalizes those who work in it, as well as those who have to live there.

Of course, there are always those people who just cannot live among us without creating havoc, death, and destruction all around them. I don't have any ideas about an alternative for them.

John, you and I have had this conversation before. I have experienced some of the same, working as a psychologist in a correctional facility. But you probably didn't encounter many lifers in your local holding facility, so I expect you got a somewhat slanted view.

Ahh, well. Home at last, reading up on an arsonist. . .

Anne
who can't completely stay out of those places

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

The only idea I came up with was that every time you're convicted of a crime you get a little mark on your forehead. A little one for a little crime and a big one for a big crime. Three little ones equal one big one.

When you're out and about, anyone around gets to thwak you with a stick if you have a big mark, once for each mark. That'd be the only punishment, no jail or anything else.

It'd have the advantage of everyone knowing who troublesome characters are, would provide immediate and continuous 'punishment', and also would be quite a source of entertainment for many, many people.

I suspect people with lots of big marks would just stay home after a while and therefore wouldnt be around to cause much trouble.

 

[charlie]

You would "cain" them so to speak.

Charlie

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

As long as I'm abel.

Chuck, where do I send you your five bucks for the easy setup?