Stopover in San Francisco

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Someone once told me that flying is the way to travel - as long as you have time to wait at airports! How true that is especially these days with heightened security and endless queues. I think it took almost as long to get through customs at departure and arrival airports as the 12 hour flight itself. Two meals, two wines and 3 movies later (not easy to sleep) we arrived in San Francisco where the sun shone and the wind was blustery. The shuttle bus to downtown SF was our first introduction to the friendly locals. Chatting to the other shuttle passengers passed the time whilst the driver negotiated the twists and turns of the freeways and the steep city streets.

Our bags safely installed into our poky 5th floor hotel room (at least there was an elevator), we strolled downtown to Union Square and found the the Golden Gate taproom and grill where we propped ourselves at the bar and rectified the solution to the problem "The problem with the world is that everyone is a few drinks behind" Leicester researched various craft beers and I settled for the Smoky Tree Sonoma Pinot Noir - a very nice drop it was. We decided against playing the Wheel of Beer.

After a bar snack, we weaved our way back to the hotel and a well deserved sleep.

The next day... we breakfasted at a 1950s diner furnished with red vinyl seats, historical baseball pictures, a gasoline pump and a 1950s chevvy adorning the front entrance. We shared a table with a couple from London in town for a conference. The all American breakfast of pancakes, eggs, bacon and sausages was rather filling to say the least. I managed to find a green tea which was lovely after the in-flight coffee which most certainly was not.

Rather than wait in a queue for the cable car we took a muni to Fishermans wharf. The helpful guy politely suggested that we looked as though we would qualify for the senior rate of $1. I forgave him for even thinking let alone verbalising that thought especially when the driver wouldn't even take the $1 - aaargh there are some advantages to being 'senior'.

We wandered around the piers, people-watched, enjoyed the antics of the sea lions, ate a very nice shrimp Louis salad (is this really going to be all about food and drink?) hmmmmm - maybe? maybe not? Well I just have to mention the candy store and the chocolate shop too!

After the cable car ride back to Union Square, we did some shopping in the Skechers store. Another bar, another happy hour, another interesting mix of cultures to talk to. Where else would you meet - Londoners, irishwomen, a Mexican soccer playing in Portugal, and a guy from Kentucky all on the same day?

Then time for a rest and a repack of the bags before an early morning start to catch a mid-morning flight to Denver. Actually I started writing this whilst still at the SF airport as that flight was cancelled - go figure - isn't that what I started this blog with? More delays and time wasting ensued and we finally got to Wichita by 10.30pm. Another full day of travel time which was actually only 4 hours flying time! The last straw was finding that our bags were missing! Fortunately, they turned up after a few minutes delay. The bags had flown first an earlier flight - a lucky break at last.

Gotta love flying.

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