San Francisco Vacation Days 1 and 2

Day 1

A few weeks ago Z. took me on an awesome vacation to San Francisco to see the San Francisco Symphony and the San Francisco Opera! I wanted to share our adventures with you and perhaps a few cheap traveling tips.

Z. and I are lucky enough (or not because we have to drive out of town either way) to have two airports to choose from when flying: the Eugene Airport or Portland International Airport. When planning a trip we look at ticket prices, taking into consideration driving costs and parking. We love flying out of Eugene because it's a great airport and only 45 minutes away but this time, flying out of Portland was the way to go.

We were taking a morning flight, so we decided to make an adventure out of it and stay the night in a hotel near the airport, using hotel points, of course.

This was not the first day of vacation for Z; he had his car serviced and went to work for a couple of hours. Even though he had my fantastic company, I don't think he felt on vacation. By lunchtime we were on the highway and eventually we made our way to Ikea, a stop we reserve just for trips to keep the experience special. We weren't there to shop, we were there for lunch but I did make Z. wander around. Z. was sensible and enjoyed Ikea's veggie wrap. I, of course, went for their Swedish meatballs. I got the combo which was a plate of 15 meatballs and mashed potatoes with a salad and soda for $5.99. Not a bad deal. And tasty!

Those of you who have experienced a meal at Ikea will know exactly what I love. I was disturbed by the cafeteria format - get in line, grab a tray, pick out your cold food, have your meatballs and mashed potatoes served to your from some hotel pans - but now, I appreciate the experience. It's so different than anything else in my day-to day life.

We spent the afternoon window shopping. Z. was a trooper, going into two pet stores just so I could gawk at fish. I have a slight obsessination (obsession + fascination = obsessination) with tropical, freshwater fish. Then, we watched a movie we had checked out from the hotel and then hit the sack, gearing up for a very early wake-up. It was a delightful, low-key day spent with my sweetheart.

Day 2: The Big City

The Airport

Checking-in and going through security can be easy and painless...if you are prepared. Z. is a consummate traveler and this is his domain but I will share the things we do to help make a pleasant journey.

• First, we check into our flight online as soon as we are able. 
• For short trips like this vacation, we each bring a backpack, no checked luggage.
• Z. has a particular spot he likes to park in once at the airport to make for the shortest bus rides going to and from the terminal.
• Even though we were already checked-in, we like a paper copy of the boarding passes from the airline. We use the check-in kiosks. They really are straight-forward and easy to use. 
• Since we didn't have checked luggage we headed straight to security. 
• I have two pieces of advice for travelers that will make everyone's day more pleasant:
1. DO NOT BRING ANYTHING YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO.
2. Put wallets, keys, cell phones, everything, from your pocket into your backpack or purse then you do not have to worry about making the machine beep, this is especially important with the new scanners.
• This means nothing is loose or in one of the airport containers and everything fits neatly in a bin or on the conveyor belt. Z. only brings a laptop if he's on a work trip or it is a particularly long trip so we are through pretty quickly. Putting my shoes back on is the step that takes the longest.
• Don't get sucked into buying food at the airport; bring some snacks with you. The one exception I allow myself is a bagel from Starbucks. And, you can bring an empty water bottle through and either refill it at a drinking fountain or ask a barista to fill it up for you.

Well, our flight was delayed by a couple of hours. We went for short walks, watched planes, and read. Sometimes a delayed flight can have a silver lining. Z. got to finally see, in person, the Lufthansa Airbus A380 (aka the Whale Jet) upon our arrival to SFO. He's a big airplane fanatic and this was a highlight of the trip for him! If we had been on time we would have been in downtown San Francisco before the Whale Jet berthed at the International Terminal.



Once at SFO

Here's a tip that I thought everyone knew but multiple parties at SFO within my hearing did not:

• Figure out how you will be leaving the airport before your trip.
• And if you plan on using public transportation, figure out what kind of ticket you will need for your trip and locations you can purchase your tickets at.

There are so many little things you can do that do not cost any money but can significantly improve your trip.

We knew we wanted a transit pass. This is the second time we have gone with a 3-day transit pass for $21 and I think it is fantastic. The pass lets you ride the muni, streetcars, and cable cars as much as would like. One round-trip on the famous cable cars costs $12!  Here is a link to the transit website showing the passes, prices, and there is a link that shows locations of where you can purchase a pass. I am digressing; I will discuss the advantages of SF transportation for travelers in a later post.

We knew that (and on our previous trips did) you could buy a transit pass from the information desk in baggage claim at the airport. Turns out, we could now also pay using a card (before it was cash only) and get our Bart ticket. One stop shopping! The Bart is the train that will get you from the airport to the city. Do not be afraid of the Bart! It may be dingy and run-down looking but it gets you where you need to get.

Getting the Bart ticket at the information desk was a great idea. Even though we had to wait on the clueless people ahead of us, we did not have wait in line at a kiosk at the Bart station.

San Francisco

We had finally made it to the city! We knew exactly what we wanted to do: take the Bart to the Embarcadero and catch a streetcar to In-N-Out Burger. Before this trip, I had never tried In-N-Out Burger and was definitely looking forward to the chance. Z. had been raving about this place since his very first visit to an In-N-Out a few weeks earlier. He had done a little research and discovered their "secret" menu. The menu that is posted has Double-Double, cheeseburger, hamburger, french fries, shakes, and beverages on it. Very simple. The website lists a few different variations on the basic cheeseburger that you can enjoy but there are many more possibilities. This article provided plenty of entertainment and inspiration.

Z. knew exactly what he wanted: a grilled cheese animal-style, fries and a chocolate shake. Animal-style means your sandwich has pickle, extra spread, and chopped grilled onions added. It was my turn to decide. I wanted a cheeseburger animal-style, fries well-done, spread on the side, and a chocolate shake. I was nervous that I would mess up my order then the cashier would laugh at me for trying to be slick. I did just fine, ordering a hamburger instead of a cheeseburger. Not bad for my first time. The food was great! That was definitely one of the better burgers I have had. I couldn't complain about the price either. I spent a little over 6 bucks for a huge lunch. Just wait until you see what I had on my second visit to In-N-Out!

We had a little bit of time before we needed to check-in the hotel so we wandered down towards the water. San Francisco may be a bustling, major city but you can find moments of quiet and repose. I don't want to give away our secret little gem but do look in on historical sits or parks. They are generally free and you never know what you might discover.

After taking a break at the hotel with a steaming americano, we headed towards Davies Symphony Hall to listen to the San Francisco Symphony perform Bartok's "Blue Beard's Castle". Before I begin gushing about the amazing orchestra, let me take a step onto my soap box. Everyone, even if you don't like classical music, should see a major symphony orchestra live, at least once. The sounds coming through speakers may sound moving and beautiful but the sound a high-caliber orchestra can produce is not like anything you can imagine. Z. has described the experience to like, "The sound is bigger than themselves [the performers]". I find it inspiring to be sitting in front of a large group of people who are experts at what they do working together towards a common goal  in unity.

After that mind blowing experience, we trotted back - well, my short legs trotted while Z. walked briskly - to the hotel, found a vending machine with overpriced root beer and called it a night.

I have two more days of food and adventure to share with you!