Christy

A Day in San Francisco: Night Tour of "The Rock" (Alcatraz)

No visit to San Francisco would be complete without a tour of Alcatraz. I highly recommend taking the night tour. Be sure to book your tickets in advance (online: http://www.alcatrazcruises.com/) as they sell out weeks in advance.

A Day in San Francisco:

3:30 PM - 9:00 PM

-Ferry to Azkaban, I mean Alcatraz.

-Night Tour of "The Rock."

(The night tour of Alcatraz is AMAZING, PS.)

-Ferry back to the mainland

From the Ferry Ride:

@ Alcatraz. Photos of inmates.

Cool staircase, PS.

Each corridor and space had a nickname: Broadway, Times Square, etc.

The Gun Galley at the top (where the guards kept vigil, behind the metal bars)
& the key system - when requested the key was sent down to the prison floor via the rope and hook.

Weathered door to the courtyard outside.

Photos of friend Jesika, who came to visit for the weekend and let me test out my new 50mm 1.4 lens on her:

How about THAT sunset:

The reception desk to the prison.

The Hospital wing of the prison.

One of the areas open for the night tour. Very, very cool.

Sunset and the Golden Gate Bridge through the frosted glass blocks. Loving my new 50mm lens.

The Hydro "Therapy" chamber in the hospital wing... creepy!

Exam table

Can't you just picture inmates staring out at the world from these windows? Lonely desperation...

Hospital ward

This is my favorite shot from the day. Isn't it crazy creepy? Yah.

There are all sorts of after hours lectures and extra features on the night tour. Very, very cool.

Originally posted: http://www.departurediaries.com/2012/03/exploring-san-francisco-azkaban.html

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Exploring San Francisco: Submarine

A Day in San Francisco...

2:00pm-3:30pm

Explored Pier 39.

Walked to Pier 45.

Found a WWII Submarine.

That's right. I said A WWII SUBMARINE.

The USS Pampanito

SO worth the $10 admission fee.

One laundry machine for 70+ men.

How often do you really think they washed their clothes?

(Also, only one shower too. Ditto for washing of bodies?)

This bunk is sandwiched between torpedoes.

Yup.

Better not toss and turn at night if you sleep there.

Torpedo tubes

A hatch. It's TEENY TINY.

There are four or five of these to pass through when traversing the length of the sub.

These divide the sub into watertight compartments.

RED ALERT! The lighting on "the bridge" is red.

How would you like to sleep in such tight quarters?

(You can't really see them from this photo, but the bunks

go five rows deep to the left. Imagine the smell! Or don't.)

Kaboom!

PS - Apparently you can rent out the submarine for overnight stays! How cool is that?

Originally posted:http://www.departurediaries.com/2012/03/exploring-san-francisco-submarine.html

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A Day in San Francisco: A Palace, A Tower and A Garden Walk

A friend and I recently ventured into my local metropolitan center, aka San Francisco, and did some exploring.

The weekend is best summarized by said friend's phone call to her husband: "Hey babe, I just saw the Golden Gate Bridge, Coit Tower, toured a WWII Submarine and now I'm going to see Azkaban, I mean Alcatraz. (yah, Alcatraz may have been renamed Azkaban for my entertainment) Tomorrow I'm going to see a Tuscan Castle!"

Her husband's hilariously sarcastic response: "Great. Let me know when you fly a fighter jet!"

11:00am - 2:00pm

Crissy Field, Palace of Fine Arts, Hike up to the Coit tower.

The Palace of Fine Arts

Coit Tower

The REALLYCOOL Back path up/down to/from Coit Tower, which wanders by an amazing neighborhood and some very cool, unexpected gardens in the middle of the city. If you're lucky, you'll see the famous Parrots.

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How to Be a Guest

The Departure Lounge: How to be a Guest
By Christy

Christy:

The minute someone announces that they’ll be moving abroad or taking an extended trip, people who want to "visit you" appear out of the woodwork! Friends and family and even nearly-perfect strangers all want to share in the excitement, intrigue, romance of travel and exploration! I’ve heard cries of “I’m soooooooo coming!” from my sister, mother, countless friends and even my hair dresser!

Too funny!

http://artofmanliness.com/2012/03/30/dim-dash-being-a-houseguest/

While I’m excited to go and explore solo on my trip, I’m also excited to have visitors! I’ve hosted numerous people, at sea, on land, et cetera; I’ve had enough experience with playing the host to have formed solid, reasonable expectations for a guest. Here are my tips for being a guest:

RESEARCH

Do your own research before you arrive. There is nothing more frustrating for a host than a guest who doesn’t know what they want to do, and sloughs off every expectation for “having a good time” on their host. Keep in mind: Your host lives in the place you’re visiting. He/She will know of some great things to do there, but he/she will not know what it is you are truly interested in. You may think that saying “I’ll do whatever” means you’re being flexible and trying to work with your hosts schedule, but it’s actually quite stressful for the host. Spend a few minutes on tripadvisor.com researching things to do in the place you’re visiting and let your host know ahead of time so the proper arrangements can be made.

TIME

Keep in mind that your host lives where you’re visiting: While you may be on vacation and are feeling care free and out for non-stop fun, your host is probably not on vacation (That’s why he/she is still at home), sure the host may be able to get a day or two off from work to tour you around the region, but at the end of that time the host will have to return to work – be respectful of your host’s time.

I once hosted a guyfriend’s girlfriend for the weekend. It.Was.Awful. I asked only that they text me to let me know when she would be dropped off each night, so I could let her into the house (I wasn’t comfortable giving her a key). They would text me at half ten pm and not show up for four more hours. Really, really frustrating.

I’m not going to be working while I’m in Rome, but I will have personal projects going on – reading, writing, learning the language, so don’t expect that I can or will want to devote every waking hour to doting on you. I’m not a babysitter. I like my independence. You should, too.

CLEANLINESS

You may have just scored a free place to stay, but you’re not staying in a hotel and there is no maid!! Clean up after yourself. Make your bed. If you’re sleeping on a couch in a public room, fold up your blankets and sheets and pack away your suitcase during the day. You’re in someone else’s home.

MEALS

Most hosts will provide breakfast for you, and sometimes feed you every single meal. (Personally, my lifestyle is not such that I can offer that to a guest.) If your host offers to feed you, please let him/her know, in advance, if you have any food allergies or special dietary needs.

A couple of friends came to stay in my house for a few nights – I asked if there were any allergies or preferences for food before they arrived, and the answer came back, ‘no’ – however, on arrival, (at 11:00 at night) I found out that one of the guests had a milk allergy and was just expecting a piece of toast in the morning. I don’t usually keep bread in my house and had nothing to feed her in the morning, despite my efforts.

RESOURCES

I am not independently wealthy. Sure, I have a good job, but I live relatively modestly. Don’t expect me to spend my hard-earned resources on your vacation. Yes, I want to go and play with you and I can pay for my own tickets and meals, but I’m not going to pay for yours. This is especially true for the time I’ll be abroad. My resources will be limited. You’ll be expected to pay for your share of what you do.

Horror story:

I live in a duplex house and know the girls who live next door to me fairly well. They somehow ended up hosting a guest for several weeks. Every few days I’d hear horror stories about how awfully this guest was behaving. The guest, an RN (that’s a nurse, if you didn’t know) with a great job in the area, had her lease run out on her without the option to renew (the house was being sold). She knew it was happening but failed to actually go out and find a new place to live. Instead, she invited herself to stay with my neighbors because it was free. My poor, unsuspecting neighbors!! While the nurse was there, she also (without permission) ate their food. She ran up their utilities. She used their laundry soap. She used their shampoo and toiletries. She monopolized their living room, leaving her clothing and belongings strewn everywhere. She invited her boyfriend over to make out in the living room until the wee hours of the morning, and played movies very loudly. Then she took all the money she saved on rent, utilities, food and toiletries and went to Thailand for several months. To this day, she doesn’t think she’s done anything wrong.

I’m not sure why there is such a sense of entitlement among so many people these days, and so little willingness to work for what one does have. Mooches are not welcome.

If you're my guest*:

-Expect to pay for your own meals if we eat out.

-Expect that my apartment in Rome will be tiny and there may only be one bed. You may have to share, or sleep on a futon.

-Expect to pay for your own airplane, train, bus, subway and ferry tickets. Also, your own taxis or any other type of transfer from one place to another.

-Expect to pay for your own tickets to tourist attractions. (I’ve already been, if I go again, it’s to go with you, not because I want to pay to see the same place again).
-Unless I have access to internet and an unlimited international calling plan, expect to pay for your own internet and phone use.

-If we have to rent a car or a vehicle, expect to pay for half the rental and gas.

If you can't afford any of the above, then you can't afford to travel.

Now that’s all out of the way, we’ll get along grandly, so let the good times roll!!
* Sorry, readers, this is not an invitation to perfect strangers or quasi-acquaintances to come and stay with me.

For more Departure Lounge articles about preparing to become an expatriot, visit www.departurediaries.com

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Oh-Sum!

OH-SUM!

Place: Bedouin Camp
Time: After Dinner
Scene: A group of travelers sits around a campfire with their Bedouin host, Sheik Zahid.

Action!

Sheik Zahid to the group: "You know, I am looking for a wife. Who is free?"

Group: Uh... silence.

Pat (part of the group, one half of the "mature" couple on tour): These girls are! (Points to me, Freda and Bea)

Sheik: You know, I learn from you all (the travelers passing through his camp) over the years one thing. I say "OH-SUM!" He grinned a toothy grin and gave two-thumbs-up.

...

Somehow, I ended up being cornered as the Sheik's next wife.

?
Oh-sum! As a person who takes things very literally I was flabbergasted! Was this a joke? What should I do? I didn't want to be rude!

But then again, when push came to shove, there was NO WAY I was getting married.

Not that night. Not to the Sheik.

But, he did offer me a very handsome dowry:
"What do you want? I will give you three Jeeps, one racing Camel (which are super expensive, who would have guessed? ... as in about $100k!), horses, goats, sheep, a gray mule, chickens, a cook, a house in Wadi Rum, a house on the beach in Aquaba. Gold, silver... Oh and my parents and family would move out there and we would all become Muslims.

Riiiiight.

Decidedly, this was all fun and games. (But dagnab, why don't American men make offers of marriage like that???)

And then there was much laughter over sugar-coated roasting marshmallows. The Sheik complemented me on my roasting technique.

"This is a very good woman."

And when my fiance lit up a cigarette I firmly put my foot down: "No smoking!"

And he grinned and repeated "This is a very good woman. See how she cares about my health! Oh-Sum! (Two-thumbs-up)" And then he took a long drag on the cigarette.

And before we all turned in for the night I told him "Make sure you brush your teeth!"

And he said "Oh-Suum!"