Monday, July 22, 2013
End of the GART
Got a good sleep and woke up refreshed today (Nick, maybe not as much). We all did final packing of bags and checking of the room to make sure nothing was forgotten. All good, so we cabbed to the airport and went through security, which was very intense and only had full body scanners available for everyone. Once we got through we learned our flight was delayed by an hour, so we now had like 3 hours to kill. Went for a long lunch in the only restaurant we could find (super poor selection of shops and restaurants in the departures area here) and watched some baseball on the TV. Then just lounged around and tried continually to use the awful wifi here. At least the bathrooms had Dyson airblade hand dryers, so it wasn't a total loss. So all in all, a quiet, uneventful finish to the whirlwind journey that was the 2013 GART. Thanks for reading along with us!
Golden Gate Bridge and Giraffes
Nick was out late so he sleeps in, while I reorganize my suitcases, and Matt leaves to work on vows with Jamie over breakfast. Once Nick wakes up, we take a very long cab ride to the Golden Gate Bridge. We considered walking it but 8 KM one-way seemed like too much to ask this morning. So we snap some photos in front of the bridge (which is uncooperatively half concealed in clouds) while our cabbie waited, then we hopped back in and were driven way back across town to the piers by Fisherman's Wharf. This is where the America's Cup sailing races are happening today. So we stroll up and inquire where to view the races and learn that they finished 2 hours ago! We had been misinformed the day prior when we asked en route to the ball game. So instead we went in this video dome to watch a promo video about the races that gives a good history and touches on specifics of the boats. Sort of cool. Got our photos with the cup, which we lean is the oldest trophy in international sports. Grab food truck food with the last of our cash at the number 6 ranked food truck in the country. Delicious spring rolls and tacos. We start walking back to the hotel. On the way we come across Coit Tower, which is a massive stone column on the top of a tall hill. The view of the city and the bay from here are spectacular. Running pretty low on time now, we hustle back to the hotel to iron our formal clothes that have been sitting in the bottom of our suitcases for the better part of a month now. Get everything looking presentable (ourselves included) and take another pricey cab ride, this time to the San Francisco Zoo, where Jamie and Carissa's wedding is taking place.
We put our wedding gift inside of a rolling cooler, which we then wrapped in animal-themed wrapping paper and had to pull a long ways from the gate to the actual spot where the ceremony was taking place. Once we got there we saw that we were also the only ones that 1) brought a large gift, and 2) brought the gift to the wedding. Faux pas. Alas, the ceremony went off without a hitch; Matt performed well in his role as minister, and the self-written vows of the bride and groom were awesome. Behind them as they recited their vows were a variety of horned beasts, storks, and zebras. Fittingly, the groom and groomsmen all wore matching zebra pattern ties and belts that really popped. Once the ceremony wrapped up, we all headed to the boardwalk overlooking the lemur exhibit for hot appetizers and an OPEN BAR. Then, in groups of 15, we were taken to the giraffe exhibit and got to feed them bananas and lettuce. Very cool looking creatures up close. After a couple hours of appies and drinks (in the freezing cold!) we all headed back to the groom's parents' rented house for more drinks and chicken still leftover from Friday. Once everyone has their fill, we a head of in cabs back to Union Square. Nick and a couple of the groomsmen go in search of some bars, while myself and Matt call it a night.
We put our wedding gift inside of a rolling cooler, which we then wrapped in animal-themed wrapping paper and had to pull a long ways from the gate to the actual spot where the ceremony was taking place. Once we got there we saw that we were also the only ones that 1) brought a large gift, and 2) brought the gift to the wedding. Faux pas. Alas, the ceremony went off without a hitch; Matt performed well in his role as minister, and the self-written vows of the bride and groom were awesome. Behind them as they recited their vows were a variety of horned beasts, storks, and zebras. Fittingly, the groom and groomsmen all wore matching zebra pattern ties and belts that really popped. Once the ceremony wrapped up, we all headed to the boardwalk overlooking the lemur exhibit for hot appetizers and an OPEN BAR. Then, in groups of 15, we were taken to the giraffe exhibit and got to feed them bananas and lettuce. Very cool looking creatures up close. After a couple hours of appies and drinks (in the freezing cold!) we all headed back to the groom's parents' rented house for more drinks and chicken still leftover from Friday. Once everyone has their fill, we a head of in cabs back to Union Square. Nick and a couple of the groomsmen go in search of some bars, while myself and Matt call it a night.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Prison and Baseball
Get up just in time to take a taxi to Pier 33. Nick and I meet the big group of others from the wedding (Matt stays at the hotel to work on his wedding speech) and we take the boat across the bay to Alcatraz. It turns out the tour is fully booked until mid August now, so thank heavens Carissa (bride) booked these tickets well in advance for everyone in the group. Took the self-guided audio tour and explored the prison. Pretty cool. It was a bit sad how extensive the gift shop is at a place designed to hold the worst criminals in American history. That being said, I still bought a deck of cards and a wallet (it would make more sense if you saw them). America's Cup is being hosted presently in SF and we see an Italian vessel doing the course while we are on the ferry. When we get back to dry land, most of us wander over to pier 39 (Fisherman's Wharf) for a late lunch/early supper. Have seafood at a place called Fog Harbor that was really good. The wharf is stupid busy though; up there with the most touristy and most packed place this whole trip.
Back at the hotel, Matt bought some tickets online for the baseball game tonight, so we meet him at the stadium and watch the Giants defeat the Diamondbacks. Showed up a couple innings late as the stadium seemed a lot closer than it actually ended up being... Unlike the Braves game, this one was packed! Sold out and the fans were seriously into it, which always makes it more fun. What worked against us though, was the fact that it got COLD AS HECK out. Matt brought jackets for Nick and I but we still had shorts on and everyone was shivering big time. Nick and a couple other guys from the wedding group head out to find a bar. Matt decides to call it a night as he officiates the wedding tomorrow and needs to be functional. I also call it a night so I can update the blog then go to sleep. Travel exhaustion has caught up with me a bit and I'm sure tomorrow will be a big night after the wedding so this is a preemptive strike.
Back at the hotel, Matt bought some tickets online for the baseball game tonight, so we meet him at the stadium and watch the Giants defeat the Diamondbacks. Showed up a couple innings late as the stadium seemed a lot closer than it actually ended up being... Unlike the Braves game, this one was packed! Sold out and the fans were seriously into it, which always makes it more fun. What worked against us though, was the fact that it got COLD AS HECK out. Matt brought jackets for Nick and I but we still had shorts on and everyone was shivering big time. Nick and a couple other guys from the wedding group head out to find a bar. Matt decides to call it a night as he officiates the wedding tomorrow and needs to be functional. I also call it a night so I can update the blog then go to sleep. Travel exhaustion has caught up with me a bit and I'm sure tomorrow will be a big night after the wedding so this is a preemptive strike.
5000 miles and a bachelor party!
Check out of our hotel and drive straight to the Santa Cruz boardwalk, which, much like the Santa Monica pier, is a huge developed beachfront area with an amusement park, boardwalk, shops and restaurants. We walk around the shops and down the pier then back to the car. It was quite chilly until the sun came out; the ocean breeze is fierce. I crush through an entire bag of freshly made saltwater taffy which was totally worth the diabetes that may result from it. We drive up a very cool twisty highway to San Jose and stop for lunch at In-N-Out Burger (we had to eventually...) which was good as always. Just outside San Francisco we see a NASA research center with massive metallic hangars and some sort of mega structure made of tubular piping. As we hit the edge of San Fran we hit gridlock traffic. At 2 PM! We crawl along in the car until we finally exit near downtown. Fill up with the most expensive gas of the trip (4.49/gallon) then carry on to our hotel. Unload the car fully and Matt takes it to the room while Nick and I drop the car off at Budget. Final mileage count: 5055. No damage, no tickets.
We walk back to the hotel and pop up to the room. Nicest room and hotel by far of the whole trip (and also 2 or 3 times more than any other hotel thus far) and our view of the Union Square area is fantastic. After a celebratory beer, we take the subway to the area where Jamie's (the groom at the wedding we'll be attending Sunday) family rented a house. Headed over there and had beer, KFC, and Pizza while meeting a whole array of people down for the wedding. I remember only a handful of names, but will recognize the people at the wedding now. After the dinner and socializing, the boys walk over to a karaoke bar for the start of the bachelor party. Matt and I get to belt out Bohemian Rhapsody for an appreciative crowd (remember what city we're in) and in our 4th state this trip. The guy running the songs though (a KJ as he called himself; for Karaoke Jockey) was like a soup nazi for karaoke. A song nazi? And would only let you have one song cued up to sing, would give you 3 seconds to get to the stage after calling out the next song (if you didn't make it he skipped to the next person), and would tell the crowd "THAT IS THE ONLY TIME THAT SONG IS BEING SUNG TONIGHT" when popular songs were sung. So after a few of us got to sing a song, we grabbed cabs and headed to the Broadway area of SF. Here we stumbled upon a bar hosting a beer pong night so we headed in and opted instead for flip cup. Went through a lot of beer, as they were $2 each. They sort of shut down for the night so we tried a couple other clubs on the street, but both were sucky, so we grabbed beer and headed to the hotel. Here the group sort of dispersed though, and after a few of us had cheeseburgers, that was the end of the night. Hopefully it was a strange/fun enough night for the groom to enjoy himself.
We walk back to the hotel and pop up to the room. Nicest room and hotel by far of the whole trip (and also 2 or 3 times more than any other hotel thus far) and our view of the Union Square area is fantastic. After a celebratory beer, we take the subway to the area where Jamie's (the groom at the wedding we'll be attending Sunday) family rented a house. Headed over there and had beer, KFC, and Pizza while meeting a whole array of people down for the wedding. I remember only a handful of names, but will recognize the people at the wedding now. After the dinner and socializing, the boys walk over to a karaoke bar for the start of the bachelor party. Matt and I get to belt out Bohemian Rhapsody for an appreciative crowd (remember what city we're in) and in our 4th state this trip. The guy running the songs though (a KJ as he called himself; for Karaoke Jockey) was like a soup nazi for karaoke. A song nazi? And would only let you have one song cued up to sing, would give you 3 seconds to get to the stage after calling out the next song (if you didn't make it he skipped to the next person), and would tell the crowd "THAT IS THE ONLY TIME THAT SONG IS BEING SUNG TONIGHT" when popular songs were sung. So after a few of us got to sing a song, we grabbed cabs and headed to the Broadway area of SF. Here we stumbled upon a bar hosting a beer pong night so we headed in and opted instead for flip cup. Went through a lot of beer, as they were $2 each. They sort of shut down for the night so we tried a couple other clubs on the street, but both were sucky, so we grabbed beer and headed to the hotel. Here the group sort of dispersed though, and after a few of us had cheeseburgers, that was the end of the night. Hopefully it was a strange/fun enough night for the groom to enjoy himself.
Friday, July 19, 2013
Chicken & Waffles, Pastries, and Wine, Oh My!
Today after checking out of the hotel and dumping the baggage in the car (still residing a block away in the public lot) we walked a pretty good length to find a restaurant recommended by Matt's girlfriend. Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles. Oh yes. And while we weren't the only white people there (there were also a couple hipsters) we were certainly very much the minority. Which was cool, plus the food was unbelievable. Wow. Worth the walk there and back. So now absolutely stuffed, we hop in the car and drive to the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) and begin heading north.It's a beautiful drive along the ocean past a bunch of little beach communities. We stop about halfway to San Fran at a random little Danish village called Solvang. It's a little tourist spot filled with little shops and windmills and Norwegian style architecture. We pop into a cool little wine store and do a tasting. The girl pouring the wines says we absolutely have to go down the block and try a famous Danish pastry called Aebelskivers. It's like a pancake ball covered in jam and icing sugar. So we share a few over coffee then browse the town a bit more. We go through a cool cuckoo clock shop and a year-round Christmas store. Very eclectic little town.
Back on the road we make another stop a few miles north at a place Nick stopped at when he was here for work earlier in the year called Los Olivos. It's two streets with over 40 wineries/shops. We see an interesting looking one called Alexander & Wayne and stop in for a tasting. Nick and Matt buy bottles so we all get vouchers to go for another tasting at their sister winery next door called Arthur Earl. Here it's moreso Italian and Spanish wines, and we do a tasting here too. Bathroom break then back on the road north again. We hit a place called King City once we are very hungry so stop for pizza and arcade games at a little local pizzeria.The sun sets and it gets very very dark out. The GPS takes us down some single lane back roads to get to Santa Cruz and we finally arrive at our motel around 10. "Hey, is that an Aspirin under the edge of the bed? Nope, looks liiiiike...oh, a hypodermic needle! How fun!" The cap was on and it appeared unused so we maneuvered it into the trash can using tissues. Matt wasn't feeling well (Roscoe's coming back with a vengeance!) so he hung in the room while Nick and I headed out to Pacific Avenue to check out the nightlife. We find only 2 bars on the whole stretch; one of which is a dodgy looking hip hop club and the other is an Irish pub. So we opt for the latter and head in. It's four separate rooms inside; one main one with a long bar playing 80s music and Goonies on the TVs. Next to it is a billiards room with 2 tables. Behind that is an empty room with disco lights playing 80s electro-pop. Across from that is another dance room playing 80s nu wave music. Bizarre. We get beers and go back to the billiards room. End up playing doubles against a couple travelling Brits and play a few games. One we bet on beers (and lose), while another we play for Canada's independence from Britain (which we also lose, so sorry about that folks).There's a random guy in a corner of the billiards room painting watercolour paintings. Mid-game at 1:40 the bar kicks everyone out. Apparently they need the place empty by 2 AM. So we chat a bit more with our British pals then walk back to the motel.
Back on the road we make another stop a few miles north at a place Nick stopped at when he was here for work earlier in the year called Los Olivos. It's two streets with over 40 wineries/shops. We see an interesting looking one called Alexander & Wayne and stop in for a tasting. Nick and Matt buy bottles so we all get vouchers to go for another tasting at their sister winery next door called Arthur Earl. Here it's moreso Italian and Spanish wines, and we do a tasting here too. Bathroom break then back on the road north again. We hit a place called King City once we are very hungry so stop for pizza and arcade games at a little local pizzeria.The sun sets and it gets very very dark out. The GPS takes us down some single lane back roads to get to Santa Cruz and we finally arrive at our motel around 10. "Hey, is that an Aspirin under the edge of the bed? Nope, looks liiiiike...oh, a hypodermic needle! How fun!" The cap was on and it appeared unused so we maneuvered it into the trash can using tissues. Matt wasn't feeling well (Roscoe's coming back with a vengeance!) so he hung in the room while Nick and I headed out to Pacific Avenue to check out the nightlife. We find only 2 bars on the whole stretch; one of which is a dodgy looking hip hop club and the other is an Irish pub. So we opt for the latter and head in. It's four separate rooms inside; one main one with a long bar playing 80s music and Goonies on the TVs. Next to it is a billiards room with 2 tables. Behind that is an empty room with disco lights playing 80s electro-pop. Across from that is another dance room playing 80s nu wave music. Bizarre. We get beers and go back to the billiards room. End up playing doubles against a couple travelling Brits and play a few games. One we bet on beers (and lose), while another we play for Canada's independence from Britain (which we also lose, so sorry about that folks).There's a random guy in a corner of the billiards room painting watercolour paintings. Mid-game at 1:40 the bar kicks everyone out. Apparently they need the place empty by 2 AM. So we chat a bit more with our British pals then walk back to the motel.
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Roller Coasters & Comedy
Up at 9 AM today and ready but then things got delayed; it took a while to book Six Flags tickets with their website, then we had to ask for the front desk to print them which took a solid 30 minutes so by the time we hit the road it was nearly 11. We take the freeway over to Valencia where the park is located, park and walk into Six Flags Magic Mountain. Shortly after entering and seeing the lines we realize that a FlashPass is a necessity. So we go to rent buy them and encounter not one for 46.99 as is advertised everywhere, but 3 different levels of FlashPass. Regular for the 46.99, Gold for more than that and platinum for more than that. All the regular does is book a ride for you for later (one ride at a time) and you don't have to physically wait in line but it would still say come back in two hours to ride this. So that seemed dumb. But the gold and platinum were significantly more expensive. We mulled it over and bought the 3 gold passes which cut wait times in half. So they give us this little device that clip to the belt and looks like a Tamagotchi. It has a list of the rides and what time you could book them for. You select one and once it hits the acceptable time, you go up the back entrance (skipping the line) and ride the ride. Then you book your next ride. It ended up being worth the money. On most rides we had no wait at all. Our longest was maaaybe 30 minutes for a popular one. When I went to this park in 2010 I was there for half a day with no FlashPass and rode a total of 2 rides. Super long lines and very frustrating. This time we rode 10 coasters and could have ridden more if we hadn't gotten our fill already. So after some Panda Express for lunch, here is what we rode:
1. Tatsu. This puts you in a Superman type position and blasts you around the track.The world's tallest, fastest and longest "flying" coaster.
2.The Riddler's Revenge. The world's tallest and fastest "stand up" roller coaster.
3.Batman the Ride. Feet dangling roller coaster.
4. Superman: Escape from Krypton. Blast backwards at 100 mph up a track that leaves you suspended hundreds of feet in the air, then zoom back down.
5. Scream. Floorless coaster.
6.Colossus. Old sketchy wooden coaster.
7. Goliath. Monster coaster with a 255 foot drop into a 120 foot tunnel at 85 mph.
8. Viper. Get turned upside down 7 times.
9. Ninja. The West coast's fastest suspended coaster.
10. Apocalypse. A wooden coaster that went very fast around a lot of corners and drops. Didn't look great from the outside but probably my favourite of the day.
So all coastered out, we grabbed dinner at a BBQ place in the park. I got to have a massive old-timey leg of turkey while the other two opted for BBQ sandwiches.
We walked a couple miles back to our car and drove back to Hollywood. Got cleaned up then walked to Meltdown Comics for a comedy show. There is a room in the back of a comic book store with folding chairs and a little stage. Two guys from the Nerdist podcast do an intro and some banter then bring on a series of comedians for 12 minute sets. We see maybe 6 different ones, two of whom I recognize but all quite funny. First is Anthony Jeselnick who is a well known comic that has appeared on Comedy Central Roasts (as a roaster) and has his own show now called The Jeselnick Offensive. He tells us he has 17 jokes for his opening monologue for his show on Thursday and needs to trim it to 10 so we are his test audience. He fires off the 17 topical jokes based on news stories and writes which ones do the best. Now we'll need to watch his show to see the product of our work. The other notable act was the Sklar brothers. Look them up on IMDB. You probably have seen them in something before. The show wraps up after a couple of hours and we walk back to Hollywood Blvd. Stop at a karaoke place for a drink but it is not our crowd at all. So we carry on and grab a bucket of Coronas at a busy hookah bar and have some birthday shots for Nick's bday once it hits midnight. We head back to the motel to book the hotel tomorrow in Santa Cruz then hit the hay.
1. Tatsu. This puts you in a Superman type position and blasts you around the track.The world's tallest, fastest and longest "flying" coaster.
2.The Riddler's Revenge. The world's tallest and fastest "stand up" roller coaster.
3.Batman the Ride. Feet dangling roller coaster.
4. Superman: Escape from Krypton. Blast backwards at 100 mph up a track that leaves you suspended hundreds of feet in the air, then zoom back down.
5. Scream. Floorless coaster.
6.Colossus. Old sketchy wooden coaster.
7. Goliath. Monster coaster with a 255 foot drop into a 120 foot tunnel at 85 mph.
8. Viper. Get turned upside down 7 times.
9. Ninja. The West coast's fastest suspended coaster.
10. Apocalypse. A wooden coaster that went very fast around a lot of corners and drops. Didn't look great from the outside but probably my favourite of the day.
So all coastered out, we grabbed dinner at a BBQ place in the park. I got to have a massive old-timey leg of turkey while the other two opted for BBQ sandwiches.
We walked a couple miles back to our car and drove back to Hollywood. Got cleaned up then walked to Meltdown Comics for a comedy show. There is a room in the back of a comic book store with folding chairs and a little stage. Two guys from the Nerdist podcast do an intro and some banter then bring on a series of comedians for 12 minute sets. We see maybe 6 different ones, two of whom I recognize but all quite funny. First is Anthony Jeselnick who is a well known comic that has appeared on Comedy Central Roasts (as a roaster) and has his own show now called The Jeselnick Offensive. He tells us he has 17 jokes for his opening monologue for his show on Thursday and needs to trim it to 10 so we are his test audience. He fires off the 17 topical jokes based on news stories and writes which ones do the best. Now we'll need to watch his show to see the product of our work. The other notable act was the Sklar brothers. Look them up on IMDB. You probably have seen them in something before. The show wraps up after a couple of hours and we walk back to Hollywood Blvd. Stop at a karaoke place for a drink but it is not our crowd at all. So we carry on and grab a bucket of Coronas at a busy hookah bar and have some birthday shots for Nick's bday once it hits midnight. We head back to the motel to book the hotel tomorrow in Santa Cruz then hit the hay.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Beach & Hollyweird
Got a relatively early start today, then drive out of Vegas. We're running low on gas so we stop at a spot about 20 miles out then see it is right next to an outlet mall so we pop in there and tour the stores. Matt and Nick stock up on some dress clothes, but nothing catches my fancy. Grab some Carl's Jr. for lunch, snap a photo with the Welcome to California sign then carry on heading West. We power through straight to Santa Monica, park and walk to the ocean. Dipping our feet in the water completes the Atlantic to Pacific journey! We walk the beach, then the pier and hit up the arcade for some old school fun. Then we grab dinner at the Mexican restaurant right on the end of the pier. It's only about 75 and windy so the beach is not too busy.
We drive to our Motel 6 in Hollywood (through rush hour traffic...ugh), which ends up being one block off Hollywood Blvd. However we have to utilize overflow parking a couple blocks away for $12 which is a hassle. We unpack then set out to wander the Hollywood Walk of Fame. We go one way until it gets dark and sketchy, then turn around and start walking back the other side. As we are coming up to a bar/restaurant this big group of shall we say "urban youth" pushes their way into the back door of this place. Maybe 30 of them pile in then rush out and run past us towards the dark sketchy area. Several security guards run after them and people inside the bar are yelling "My phone! My wallet! They stole everything!" So basically they bum rushed a bar and robbed everyone in there then bolted. Wow. Sketchy. We carry on back into the busier, touristy, bright area of Hollywood Blvd. A couple blocks from there we see a crowd gathered and a ton of police cars blocking a street as a building is on fire. Exciting! We walk to the Chinese Theater and see all the impersonators. Two of the better ones are Axl Rose and Slash posing together for photos. So evidently they aren't that good of impersonators. Not finding any good bars, we walk back to the motel. Plan out our day tomorrow, then flip on the TV. Breaking news story: "Flash mob responsible for dozens of robberies on Hollywood Blvd. being sought by police. They've gone into a bunch of businesses and robbed people, grabbed cash registers, smashed windows and carried on."
Holy crap! We saw their first robbery and walked literally right through the group of them! Close call! Hollyweird indeed. Maybe Sketchywood is a more accurate nickname though... Anyway, tomorrow we ride roller coasters.
We drive to our Motel 6 in Hollywood (through rush hour traffic...ugh), which ends up being one block off Hollywood Blvd. However we have to utilize overflow parking a couple blocks away for $12 which is a hassle. We unpack then set out to wander the Hollywood Walk of Fame. We go one way until it gets dark and sketchy, then turn around and start walking back the other side. As we are coming up to a bar/restaurant this big group of shall we say "urban youth" pushes their way into the back door of this place. Maybe 30 of them pile in then rush out and run past us towards the dark sketchy area. Several security guards run after them and people inside the bar are yelling "My phone! My wallet! They stole everything!" So basically they bum rushed a bar and robbed everyone in there then bolted. Wow. Sketchy. We carry on back into the busier, touristy, bright area of Hollywood Blvd. A couple blocks from there we see a crowd gathered and a ton of police cars blocking a street as a building is on fire. Exciting! We walk to the Chinese Theater and see all the impersonators. Two of the better ones are Axl Rose and Slash posing together for photos. So evidently they aren't that good of impersonators. Not finding any good bars, we walk back to the motel. Plan out our day tomorrow, then flip on the TV. Breaking news story: "Flash mob responsible for dozens of robberies on Hollywood Blvd. being sought by police. They've gone into a bunch of businesses and robbed people, grabbed cash registers, smashed windows and carried on."
Holy crap! We saw their first robbery and walked literally right through the group of them! Close call! Hollyweird indeed. Maybe Sketchywood is a more accurate nickname though... Anyway, tomorrow we ride roller coasters.
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