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Destinations

Exploring Los Angeles California

Posted on June 6, 2011

Los Angeles - City Skyline from Mulholland Drive

Los Angeles, the last stop for many on the way back to Australia from the USA. But it was not somewhere I realised that I wanted to spend any time until maybe ten days before my flight from LAX was going to be leaving.

For some time I had thought of doing whatever I could to avoid having to be in Los Angeles any longer then I could. My first time in LA I spent the eight-hour stopover in an Airport Lounge. My second time in LA I change my flight so a 9-hour stopover would be just three hours.

Finally, I gave in; firstly I was going to stay two days. Then because of a mistake in remembering my flight details, it turned into three days. Finally, when I was looking at hotels, it ends up being five days. Which to be honest was probably just about right to see the city and have a little what turned out to be forced down time as well. There are some things that I would change about my visit and some that I wouldn’t, but that is what hindsight is good for.

Hotel Location

The first and possibly the only thing that I would change is the hotel I choose to stay in. This was a hotel near the airport. Which when I first booked it was a good idea if you are only going to be in a city for less then two days. However, for a five-day stay, it is worth finding a hotel that is better located to most of what you want to see.

Transport

Getting around LA is pretty easy, especially if you are staying on or near a metro subway line. Even being on a bus line means you get almost anywhere you want in the city with only one or two bus changes. The only thing you need to be aware of is that depending on where you are staying the transport does take time. Not really a major issue, you just need to be aware of this if you have to be somewhere at a specific time.

Another good point to remember is that even though public transport does not leave directly from LAX airport, there are shuttle’s that connect with public transport which can get you to your hotel for less then a shared ride shuttle. Although this will be far from the quickest option.

What to see

This is likely to go a little longer then some of my blog posts previously purely because I am rolling five days in Los Angeles all into one post. However, this should make it more complete for those of you looking to visit Los Angeles. Following is what I got to see in 5 days, depending on the depth you wanted to explore different places you may be able to see more or less.

Hollywood

At the corner of Highland Ave and Hollywood Blvd, are some of the highlights of Hollywood. The location of the Kodak Theatre the home of the Academy Awards, from here you can also get a decent view of the Hollywood Sign. Close by you can also find Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, El Capitan Theatre, and Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. Another highlight is the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which extends off in each direction featuring stars for many, many famous people from today and the past.

Beverly Hills – Rodeo Drive

Rodeo Drive is home to some of the most exclusive designer brands in Hollywood, if not the world. You would recognise many of them if you followed fashion at the awards shows. It seems that there are two options to visit here. You can get here early before opening time and avoid too many tourists around, of course only a benefit if you don’t want to at least try finding something you can afford here. Your other option comes later in the day, but there will be plenty more people around.

The Beaches

I managed to get to three different beaches in my time in Los Angeles. These included Santa Monica Beach, Venice Beach and Manhattan Beach. There are many other beaches as well however these are the most convenient to where I was staying at the airport. About half an hour and you can be at any of the three. Of course just like in Australia these beaches are all very popular, even though the weather was not the warmest when I was in Los Angeles, this did not stop people visiting the beach in large numbers. Although it did mean fewer people are going in the water, I imagine.

Santa Monica

While Santa Monica Beach may be a nice place to see this is not all that Santa Monica has to offer. Santa Monica Pier, combines an amusement park with a roller coaster and Ferris wheel, with places to eat a few other attractions. Santa Monica Place is also a good place to stop if you want to shop or find a nice restaurant to sit down for a meal. Finally, there is the 3rd street promenade, combining more shops with places to eat.

Los Angeles Downtown

Just because Los Angeles is better known for Hollywood doesn’t mean that there isn’t more to it then the small area that is Hollywood. Downtown Los Angeles has many interesting areas’s and places to see. If you get to Downtown by subway, Union Station will likely be your first stop; it is a really big old station building. Stepping out of Union Station it is not far to the Old Town area which has some historic buildings and a sort of flea market.

Some of the other places worth seeing are the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Nokia LA Live and also the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, is a more modern example of a cathedral.

Mulholland Drive

While not to far from Hollywood, this is still one of those places that you need a car to make it easier to access. While it is possible to take a tour that will take you along here, it is much better to have the flexibility of having a car. There are some different lookout spots along here, and all over some spectacular views over most of Los Angeles. Also, an alternate stop to see the Hollywood sign, and probably the best view of the Los Angeles skyline.

More To Explore

There was still plenty of other sights in Los Angeles that I missed. However, they will still be there, later on, the next time I get to visit. Having a local to show you around is a good place to start in Los Angeles, however, if you don’t just do the best you can with public transport and hopefully you will get to see all that you want to see.

Destinations

Exploring Dallas Texas

Posted on May 18, 2011

Spending 28-days on a cruise ship sounds like the perfect way to relax. Something that I do not disagree with. However, it is a little harder to get back into getting around yourself. Since disembarking in San Diego, I took a couple of days to catch up. I organised some last minute flights and accommodation in Dallas and well here I am.

San Diego To Dallas

Today was entirely a travel day, with a little time in San Diego in the morning. Travelling from San Diego to Dallas in my case was a two stage journey. It could just be the timing of booking the flight, but there were no direct flights available. So I booked a flight which went San Diego > San Francisco > Dallas.

When checking in I was quite pleased to secure a first class upgrade for quite a reasonable price. It is always nice to be a little more comfortable when flying. The flight from San Diego to San Francisco went smoothly. However, the two-hour layover in San Francisco dragged out to almost 4 hours. As a result, I arrived in Dallas around 9 pm. To cap things off, there was almost a problem with getting the room I booked. But at the end of the day, all was well, and I was soon in bed getting ready to see the sights.

Day 1 – Dallas

The first thing that I noticed about Dallas is how far apart everything is. Of course, this makes it difficult to do too much in one day. So I choose something close by (The Sixth Floor Museum) and took advantage of the hotel shuttle to get there.

The sixth floor Museum is located in the former Texas School Book Depository. The museum is quite a historic landmark in the United States. The sixth floor is said to be the position which Lee Harvey Oswald took on the 22nd of November 1963. It is from this position he took the shots which led to the death of John F. Kennedy. Of course, this leads to the name and the location of the museum itself. Seeing and hearing the history through the self-guided tour was very interesting.

I took a casual approach to the rest of the day, just walking the general area to finish back at the hotel. There were two main area’s that caught my attention on this walk. The first is a park in front of the convention centre named Pioneer Square. This is a 4-acre landscaped park featuring over 40 bronze statues. The statues include both longhorn’s and cowboys on a cattle drive along the Shawnee Trail, created by Sculpture Tobery Summers.

The second spot which caught my attention on the walk today was Thanks-Giving Square. A wonderful little spot in the middle of the city full of fountains, grass and trees. The walls are adorned in sayings and a centrepiece with three bells, state and national flags.

Day 2 – Dallas

Today was set to be another walking day, exploring the area around the Arts District. There are a number of museums around this area and a couple of other interesting spots.

First up I decided on riding the McKinney Avenue Trolley (M-Line) for the full loop. The Trolley departs from nearby the Dallas Museum of Art and heads into the Uptown and West Village areas. The ride was definitely enjoyable, but there was not much that caught my eye and I continued back to the start.

I decided to take a walk around the Nasher Sculpture Center and try to interpret some of the sculptures. It would appear that for the most part, I struggled to match my interpretation to the description. One fun installation that caught my eye was a big room full of orange balloons. It was my sort of art where you could take part of try to navigate through the balloons. In some ways, it is quite disconcerting, but quite an interesting experience.

My final stop for the way was not far from the Nasher Sculpture Center. The Cathedral Santuario De Guadalupe is built in the Victorian Gothic Style. The building is quite eye catching and is in excellent condition due to restoration efforts. In general, it seems to be simple but elegant with some beautiful stained glass windows and pipe organ.

Day 3 – Dallas

The main highlight for day 3 was a visit to another museum by the name of Old Red Museum. The first piece of history is the building the museum is located in, The Old Dallas Courthouse. The build is very distinctive built from red brick and featuring multiple turrets around the building. There is also a clock tower right at the top.

Once inside the museum, the building is almost as interesting as the exhibits. There are four different gallery’s each of which covers a different period of Texas history. Not to give too much away to those who may want to visit the museum I will just share two pieces.

The first is the stairs in the building. Especially the railings have some amazing detailed ironwork, which caught my eye.

The second is a restored Pegasus Gas Station sign which signs brightly again. Not above a gas station anymore, but you can imagine how it stood as a beacon at one time.

Day 4 – Fort Worth

The cities of Dallas and Fort Worth are in many ways conjoined. Over time they have expanded to become almost a single metropolitan area. Today I was meeting a friend who lives in Fort Worth to take a look around. The train from Dallas took roughly an hour which soon passed once I realised there was Wifi available.

First up was a visit to the Fort Worth Stockyards. In some ways, I was kind of expecting more than what was here. Even still this was a great way to experience just a little of what old-style Texas may have been. We both enjoyed our time in the maze (picture below) and also took the opportunity to grab some lunch.

If our planning had been a little better we could have taken a ride on the Grapevine Vintage Railroad. However, it seems they were just departing as we arrived. So that may be something to check out next time.

After the Stockyards, we decided on an indoor activity as the sky looked fairly ominous. We choose the Amon Carter Museum, which is an art museum with a Texas theme or style. We just made it inside as the rain decided to come down very heavy and quite happy with the choice.

Day 5 – Dallas

For my last day in Dallas I decided to explore the Dallas Historic Village. The village is made up of a collection of around 30 buildings from the 19th century. These buildings cover most of the different buildings you would expect to find in a community. From the houses, stores, workshops and community buildings.

I could probably write extensively about this village. But honestly it is a journey that is very visual and to be honest worth exploring yourself. I will share a couple of images below from my visit.

Millermore is a house from the mid-1800’s in the Greek Revival style.

There is also the main street with a number of stores and the saloon. It is worth checking the time of your visit and try to be here to see the reenactment of a shoot out.

Finally, I spotted an old style popcorn cart, just disappointing it was closed today.

Goodbye Dallas

The time in Dallas has been very enjoyable. Although there was a rough start with a late arrival and the hotel. In the end, everything worked out quite good and I discovered quite a few interesting places.

With the exception of a little rain in Fort Worth, the weather was quite good. With temperatures around the mid to high 20’s (Celcius). A nice change from the very hot and humid weather through the Panama Canal.

If you have enjoyed this post I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Cruising

28 Day Panama Canal Cruise Summary

Posted on May 17, 2011

The idea of travelling by cruise ship had never occurred to me until booking an 8 week trip to America. Eight weeks is a long time to fill in when you are continually on the move. The idea of boarding a ship without concern for transport from one place to another was appealing.

Soon enough with a little searching, I had a cruise picked out. With a little more research an even better option soon presented itself. Of course, before I knew it I was booked and had half of my time all worked out.

My Very First Cruise

The cruise that I selected as my first cruise experience is a 28-day Panama Canal cruise. The cruise is on board Holland America Line MS Statendam. Starting and ending in San Diego, including a total of 14 ports and two transits of the Panama Canal. This post will give a brief overview of the past 28 days with links to a few more detailed posts.

Boarding In San Diego, USA – 15th April 2011

San Diego is a great place to board a cruise. If you are flying in on the day, the airport is quite close to the cruise terminal. Or if staying for a couple of days some reasonable hotels are quite close to the cruise terminal.

I was waiting in the hotel foyer early to get the shuttle to the cruise ship. In the end, I likely could have walked without to much trouble, as it was only about 1.5km.

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – 18th April 2011

The first port of call for the cruise was Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Since I had never been to Mexico, I was not sure what to expect here. Erring on the side of caution, I opted for taking a city and country tour, offered by the cruise ship.

Taking the tour here made for a much more enjoyable first stop I believe. Prior to this cruise, I had travelled a little, almost entirely in English speaking countries. Mexico was quite a different experience. I did consider heading out for a walk after the tour but the area did not seem safe to walk alone.

Huatulco, Mexico – 20th April 2011

The second stop in Mexico was Huatulco, a small seaside village. Although I would have liked to maximise the time here by taking a tour, there is little that was offered by the cruise line here. As it turns out, this worked out very well here.

Huatulco is a small town, the town centre is quite close to where the cruise ship docks. There was quite a lot of military and police walking around with rifles with could be a little disconcerting, however, it also has that little comfort knowing at least they are aware of potential problems and not ignoring this. In the end, I took a short walk to the shops, found a nice cafe and caught up on some emails, and then got in an hour at the beach.

Puerto Chiapas, Mexico – 21st April 2011

While the first two ports in Mexico were close to towns, Puerto Chiapas is somewhat isolated from anything much, and not within walking distance to see anything of interest. As such, I was very glad to have opted for a tour here.

There was a secondary motive for taking the tour here. The first part of the tour took us to see some of the ruins and artefacts around the area, while the second portion of the tour was visiting where they harvest cacao and a demonstration and sampling of how they make chocolate. The chocolate making and sampling were of course what peaked my interest.

Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala – 22nd April 2011

The next port of call kind of end up a little disappointing as it turned out that this was Good Friday and the tours offered were all cancelled as a result. There was an option for a bus trip to Antigua. However, I opted against this and enjoyed a little time in a cafe very near the port and some time on the ship.

Fuerte Amador, Panama – 24th April 2011

Our stop into Fuerte Amador was kind of like a bonus based on the timing of our transit through the Panama Canal. We arrived in the evening, so this was essentially a night time visit, and while there was not a lot to do, there were a couple of restaurants and gift shops to take walk around. The image above is the sunrise the following morning before the ship raised anchor and headed for the first of the locks to transit the Panama Canal.

Panama Canal, Panama, Eastbound – 25th April 2011

The Panama Canal was one of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken. However, the amount of time that it saved ships travelling from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean is significant.

The above image is as the ship is approaching the Miraflores Locks, which are two of the three locks on the Pacific side of the Panama Canal. It is quite a different and exciting experience each time you transit the canal, even just comparing this transit and the one later on this cruise in the westerly direction.

Cartagena, Colombia – 26th April 2011

This stop in Columbia was a little different to the other ports on the cruise. While it is not somewhere that I had ever thought about travelling, since it was part of the cruise itinerary it was interesting to see.

It was very much a different and somewhat busier city than any of the other ports, with a lot of traffic, and at all the tourist spots a lot of street sellers. They were trying to sell just about everything from cold drinks, t-shirts and even curtains and table cloths. Even still on the tour that I joined here, I got to see some of the old city which is still a charming place.

Fort Lauderdale, USA – 29th April 2011

Fort Lauderdale was the half way point on this cruise, which meant there was a lot of people who departed the ship, and another group who joined. I was glad to be staying on as I think 14-days would have been too short.

I was lucky to be able to join with a few others from the cruise ship who were staying on, who had rented a car for the day. As such got to visit a few more places than if I had to find my way around. There was a visit to a fascinating flea market with some great priced clothing and also a visit to the beach.

Oranjestad, Aruba – 2nd May 2011

There were a couple of options for tours in Oranjestad. However, they did not seem too exciting, and I opted for walking the town and port to explore. The only problem, there were four cruise ships in the port today which made for a rather busy day in the town. Either way, it was nice to walk around the area and see some of the town, try some local food and see a little wildlife.

Panama Canal, Panama, Westbound – 4th May 2011

Entering the Panama Canal to travel west is a little different, unlike from the other direction where the locks are in two sets, the Gatun Locks are grouped together as one set of three. Also for the transit, through the locks, there were two other cruise ships ahead, unlike the cargo ships on the previous transit.

While the location is essentially the same, I think you do tend to experience the canal a little different each time. You will see different ships transiting at the same time as yours. You may see various parts of the canal (it is 77km long and takes 8-10 hours to transit), and you don’t spend the whole time watching.

Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica – 6th May 2011

To my knowledge, there was not a lot to do in Puerto Caldera, and rather than miss an opportunity to see some of Costa Rica since I was here, I decided to take a tour. The tour I choose was a little adventurous with a focus on zip lining. While I had previously as a child played on the flying fox in parks, these zip lines were a bit different.

There is a total of 10 zip lines strung between the trees. After a brief safety talk on the ground, we headed uphill via a short gondola ride and the only way down was via the zip lines. Each was a couple of hundred metres long, and you were just hanging between trees. A fun and exciting experience.

Huatulco, Mexico – 8th May 2011

The stop in Huatulco was the only port duplicated on the entire cruise. Having walked around the town last time, today I spent most of the day on the beach, enjoying the warm water and relaxing atmosphere here.

Acapulco, Mexico – 9th May 2011

I can honestly say this is the only port I would have been happy to skip. Although I could have chosen to take a tour here, there was nothing that got my interest. So I had planned maybe just a little walk around near the cruise ship. However, that plan changed when I spoke to some other people from the ship. After they experienced some interesting experiences with locals.

I decided it best to stay within the port area and onboard the ship. Much happier to stay out of way of potential problems. Some other cruise lines that at the time altered itineraries as a result of possible security risks. Even so, there were still some good views from the cruise ship, though.

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico – 11th May 2011

Cabo San Lucas is my favourite port of call in Mexico from this cruise. In some ways, it does not even feel like the other ports in Mexico. The scenery is quite beautiful, with beaches as far as the eye can see. There are also some amazing stone features to the western side of the city.

The only downside to this port is that it is a tender port. Meaning that the ship anchors away from the city and the lifeboats are used to ferry passengers to shore. We were in port for a relatively short period when you consider the tender takes about 45 minutes each way.

San Diego, USA – 13th May 2011

San Diego has a lot to offer whether you are spending time before or after your cruise here. I opted for a couple of days after the cruise (partly because I had not planned anything else). I spent this time visiting a few areas like Seaport Village, The Old Town, Coronado Island, and The San Diego Zoo.

The Ports In More Detail

Part 1 – Explores Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Huatulco, Mexico, and Puerto Chiapas, Mexico.

Part 2 – Visits Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala, Fuerte Amador, Panama and Eastbound Panama Canal Transit.

Part 3 – Explores Cartagena, Columbia, Fort Lauderdale, America and Oranjestad, Aruba.

Part 4 – Explores Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and Returning to San Diego.

Summary

I hope that you enjoyed this little taste of the ports of call for my cruise. You can probably already tell that I had some fun and get to see some very different places. The most enjoyable parts were the lifetime experiences on this cruise. Things like zip lining in Costa Rica and Transiting the Panama Canal twice.

So this is just a taste of the ports and more is available in the four posts listed above. As well as some more information about the ship, food, ports and the experience with pictures. I would love to hear about your first cruise if you would like to leave a comment below. You can connect with me on social media, pick your favourite social network below.

Destinations

A Day Exploring The San Diego Zoo

Posted on April 15, 2011

Today is my last full day in San Diego before departing on my 28 Day Panama Canal Cruise. Tomorrow morning I will be packing up and heading to the pier to board the MS Statendam. The cruise line is Holland America Line and this is, as I think I have mentioned before my first ever cruise. However, I still have today to share with you before the cruise comes around.

San Diego Zoo

I had tried to set out a plan for today, but that got a bit mixed up when it came to the detail. Originally I wanted to get to the zoo around 9 am and see as much as possible in 4 hours. However, when it came to the hotel shuttle bus they do a specific drop off and pick up for the zoo. The drop off time is 10 am and they come back at 4 pm for the pickup. So instead of having four hours to see the zoo, I end up being there for six hours. But once you are in the zoo the time does go very quick and I was able to fill in all the time.

Skyfari

There are a number of ways that you can get around the zoo. The one I will use most is walking, but with such a large area to cover I am happy to take the odd shortcut. So my first stop was Skyfari, a chairlift which takes you from near the front of the zoo to the top of Polar Rim.

You get a rather good view over the park from Skyfari. So unless you do not feel comfortable with heights I highly recommend giving it a go.

Polar Bears

The name might have been a little giveaway, but Polar Rim is home to you guessed it the Polar Bears. I stopped to take a little look and they were in the middle of a feeding time. Which meant they were out and about.

Decisions

Once you have taken the first couple of obvious options it starts to get tricky making decisions at which way to go. There are two options from the top of Polar Rim. I started out with the Eagles and Pandas which were in one direction. That turned out to be the best decision as there is a way you can loop back to the top and take the other option. So getting to see both without having to double back to much.

Elephants

The elephants are of course some of the bigger residents at the San Diego Zoo. There are a number of different species of elephant. However, they are all older animals and there are no baby elephants here.

Meerkats

Meerkats are one of the cuter animals here. They sort of remind me of smaller dogs, especially considering that they do like to dig. Plus when not digging they do plenty of standing or laying around.

Camels

While the animal below does have a small resemblance to a camel in appearance, that is exactly what it is. The domestic Bactrian Camel is primarily found in Asia but has been introduced into other areas of the world. It does have a rather interesting hair do I think.

Monkeys

The San Diego Zoo has quite a number of different species of monkey. Everything from smaller breeds right up to the Gorilla. I have a few photos but unfortunately my record keping was not quite up to par so do not know the specific species.

Habitats

While the San Diego Zoo is all about the animals there is another aspect to the experience. The Habitats and gardens that are created for the animals to live in and for asthetics for the visitors are interesting as well. Such as this small waterfall that I spotted, and efforts are made to give animals a habitat that seems somewhat natural.

Hippopotamus

If anything the Hippopotamus do seem to know how to relax. Honestly, I do not know what else to say about them though.

Birds

There is also a rather large collection of birds at the San Diego Zoo. Many are rather difficult to photograph as they are always on the move. However, this one was sitting in place, while you cannot see it there is a very long tail. One of the more interesting species, but not entirely sure just what species.

Koala

Getting to the display with Koala’s did bring back some memories of home for sure. The San Diego Zoo has a number of koala’s, including a program where they are loaded to other zoos. The program helps to gain some funding which helps to provide assistance to maintaing koala homelands in Australia.

Flamingos

Snakes

A breed of rattlesnake, just one of many different varieties on display. Some are much easier to find in their display than others.

Sunset

After finishing at the Zoo and getting back to the hotel, I decided to head out and see the sunset on purpose. That is instead of just as an afterthought because I was in the right spot. There are some rather nice colours in the sunset around San Diego. Another thing that I enjoyed was seeing the sunset over the ocean to the west, well the harbour anyway.

The Airport

One rather interesting thing about San Diego is the location of the airport. Which in turn can create some interesting pictures of the planes landing on the actual flightpath. The plane below is only a matter of seconds off landing and has come down directly over the city.

The Cruise

As I mentioned above tomorrow I will be heading off on the 28 days Panama Canal Cruise. At this stage, I am unsure how much internet access I will have. Wifi is available onboard the ship, but at a premium price for a slow service, I understand. So I will have to see what is available in port to provide updates on here. If I do not get the chance to update along the way I will be keeping track and get something up once I return.

Destinations

Exploring San Diego Harbour Cruise

Posted on April 14, 2011

Today I wanted to get started with the Harbour Cruise I missed yesterday afternoon. So I made sure to get down for the first one of the morning, just to be sure I did not miss it again. Also because I wanted to spend a little time this afternoon working out some bookings for after my upcoming Panama Canal Cruise. Plus there is also one or two last minute tours I wanted to book for ports along the way on the cruise.

San Diego Harbour Cruise

The cruise around San Diego Harbour is offered in two one-hour segments. There are two different sections, one to the north of the pier and one to the south. If you have the time, I would recommend taking the two-hour option. You do get to see more, but the cost difference is negligible. For a one-hour cruise, you will pay $25, while the two-hour cruise is only $5 more. (Price updated May 2017)

North Bound

The first cruise of the day starts out to the North. There are some interesting things along here, but they are more interesting in person. I got a couple of photos along this way but not as many as I had expected. But maybe this is a result of the poor weather this morning as well. There may be an opportunity to get some more when departing on my cruise as this is the route the ship takes to leave the harbour.

Above – is a replica Mississippi Paddle Boat, we are told it was operating as a restaurant. But I am not sure if it still is.

Above – In both the south and north directions we were passed by a US Navy Hovercraft. They seem to create quite the wake, so there was a little bit more movement afterwards.

Above – You do get something of a view of part of the San Diego Navy Supply Base Nia, but not much.

South Bound

As the cruise heads on towards the southern loop you get a view of the bridge that crosses from San Diego City to Coronado. Coronado is a residential area next to the Naval Base.

South of the bridge is an extensive range of ship yards and Navy Piers with many US Navy Vessels. They range from Frigates to Aircraft Carriers and hospital ships. I think this is close to the most interesting part of the cruise hearing some of the information about these ships. Information like the size and scale of the some of the ships and just how long it can take to build some of the ships. The industry provides significant value to the area both in the way of jobs and industry.

Finally, the cruise gives an opportunity to get a rather good view of the USS Midway from the water.

The Afternoon

Once the harbour cruise was finished this morning I had a little shopping to finish up. On the cruise there will be a number of formal nights and I did not pack a suit. I had considered the options of hiring a suit or looking if I could buy one. The cost of renting one for 28 days, has given me cause to head out and see what I may be able to buy. What I did pack was a pair of black pants, so I only needed to buy a jacket to match. It turned out to be quite an easy find and only cost around $70.

Man Vs. Debt

For the evening a friend has mentioned about an event happening in San Diego this evening. It was a meet and greet with Baker from the blog Man Vs. Debt. I met Baker, his wife Courtney, and Milligan their 3 year old daughter. Along with a group of other great San Diego locals. They are really nice people and the idea behind the blog is great. Some people would say why get into debt to begin with, but in all honesty, far more people find themselves in debt then not in debt. The blog is well worth having a read, still something that I am working on doing.

Tomorrow is my last full day in San Diego and I have plans to visit the San Diego Zoo. I expect that I will likely spend around three to four hours here, and want to get that out of the way early. So that I can get back to the hotel and get my bags organised and make sure everything is ready to go for the days after the cruise. It is very important to have this all worked out since, I will be limited on internet access while onboard the cruise.

Destinations

Exploring The USS Midway In San Diego

Posted on April 13, 2011

For my second day in San Diego, there were two main things planned. In the morning I was to visit the USS Midway, and for the afternoon I would take a cruise on the harbour. Well, one thing worked out, and one thing did not.

USS Midway

The USS Midway is a decommissioned aircraft carrier that served the United States Navy for an unprecedented 47 years. The USS Midway was decommissioned in 1992, and 2004 opened as a museum ship in San Diego.

I would highly recommend a visit to the ship if you are ever in San Diego. Even without a huge interest in Naval history, I found myself onboard for over three hours. However, I think for anyone with any interest a whole day could be filled looking around the ship.

Interesting Facts

There are some rather interesting facts about this ship. The USS Midway was commission just one week after the end of World War II in 1945. For the next ten years, she was the largest ship afloat and the first US Aircraft Carrier that was too large to transit the Panama Canal. While this is a rather large ship itself, it is dwarfed by the ships which have since replaced it. I will leave you with a few pictures from my visit.

Harbour Cruise

After visiting the USS Midway, I had planned to take a harbour cruise. The cruise would last around two ours and explore to the north and south of the harbour. But things come unstuck after I got delayed slightly. It turns out I did not read the information accurately, and I arrived just minutes after the last cruise departed for the day. I had mistakenly thought there was one other cruise an hour later. But not to worry I will be on the first harbour cruise in the morning.

Couch Surfing Event

The last thing on for the evening was to attend a San Diego Couch Surfers Event. It was a good small event, and I got to meet a couple of local people. However, I did not find that it had the same energy or connection between attendees that I found in San Francisco. Unfortunately, I will not be here for another event that is on in jut a few days. But might be able to attend one when I return after my cruise.

Destinations

Exploring The San Diego Maritime Museum

Posted on April 12, 2011

Today I am moving cities again, the past six days in San Francisco has been great. But it is time to move on to San Diego, my last stop before boarding the 28 Day Panama Canal Cruise. The start this morning was early to be ready and on the airport shuttle at 8.15 am. While my flight is not until 11.45 am the shuttle took a considerable time to get to the airport.

Flying San Francisco to San Diego

My flight today from San Francisco to San Diego is with Virgin America. The flight will be a short one at just 1.5 hours. I also had booked the ticket in first class for a rather good price.

The choice to book first class today was purely based on securing an excellent price. But it does give you some very nice extra benefits. Besides the nice big comfy seats at the front of the plane, there was another benefit as well. That was being able to take the priority lane through security, which I think saved a good half an hour today. Plus it was a good way to get an all inclusive ticket instead of having to add luggage and such.

San Diego

Even though I only arrived in San Diego this afternoon, it is a rather nice place. At least the area of Downtown that I am staying in seems to. The biggest downfall is that there is a plenty of noise from two placs. First is the airport quite close to Downtown, with the sound of aircraft taking off and landing. The second is the train line that runs directly behind the hotel. But not to worry I am sure that I can survive this for a couple of days considering some people live with it all the time.

My arrival was rather early this afternoon, and that gave me a good chunk of time to get familiar with the area. The hotel is quite close to the waterfront and not far away is the Maritime Museum which seemed like a good place to fill in some time.

San Diego Maritime Museum

The San Diego Maritime Museum has four ships and two submarines on display that you can walk through. There are three rigged ships, The Star Of India, Californian, and HMS Surprise. The fourth ship is the Berkeley, a very well maintained ferry from San Francisco. The two submarines are the USS Dolphin and the Foxtrot B-39 Soviet attack submarine.

I am very happy that I made the decision to visit the Maritime Museum, it was a very good experience. There are probably many people who have had the chance to see ships and submarines and such. But for me, this is probably only the second Maritime Museum like this that I have visited. Seeing some of the history and the way things might have been in the past is a great experience.

The submarines were the most intriguing; I just cannot even begin to imagine working within one. The USS Dolphin seemed to be easy enough to get around. However, the Soviet submarine was a very tight fit to get around. There would be some getting used to living and working in such close quarters.

Maritime Museum Photos

The Star of India, the world’s oldest active sailing ship, begun her life on the Isle of Man in 1863.

Inside the officers and first class dining on the Star of India.

The HMS Surprise is a replica of the 18th century British Frigate.

Inside the gun deck of the HMS Surprise.

The front of the Soviet Attack Submarine at the San Diego Maritime Museum.

The USS Dolphin is a decommissioned US Navy diesel-electric submarine.

Interior of USS Dolphin, the Galley to be more precise.

A part of the interior of the Berkeley Ferry from San Francisco. It is a beautiful old steam ferry.

I finished the afternoon at the San Diego Maritime Museum and saw the sun setting as I was leaving the USS Dolphin. With this photo being on the Gangway between the USS Dolphin and Berkeley Ferry Boat. I hope that you have enjoyed this post, I would have loved to be able to share some more photos. But the position of the sun in the late afternoon here did not work in my favour today.

Destinations

Exploring San Francisco By Trolley Bus

Posted on April 11, 2011

I have been in San Francisco for just a few days and the time has gone by so quickly. Today was my last full day to explore, and there were a few things that I wanted to get around and see. But at the same time, I had to be back at the hotel at a reasonable hour to get everything packed up for an early flight in the morning

To make the most of my time and save trying to figure out multiple public transport routes I decided to take the Hop On Hop Off Bus. The ticket was fairly reasonably priced and got me to almost all of the stops that I wanted to visit. However, the ones it did not go to were not far to walk.

The total time to complete the loop on the bus was around 2 hours. Like other cities, all of the must visits sites are somewhere along the circuit. While I had been to one or two already, they were good to see again. The route did get a slight alteration today due to a protest that was happening. However, the area that was missed is an area that I had walked yesterday so no big loss.

I have some pictures to share today, so let’s get into it.

San Francisco Hop On Hop Off Bus

Above: This octopus shaped hedge is nearby to Pier 39 where the Hop On Hop Off Bus starts the loop.

Below: The Hop On Hop Off Super Sightseeing Trolly Bus in San Francisco

The building below is adorned with the name Ghirardelli, which is a local chocolatier.

One of the famous San Francisco Street Cars, they do take on some rather impressive hills and make it up and down.

One of the entrances to China Town in San Francisco

The view below is looking back towards the city and Fisherman’s Wharf from the Western extreme of the Hop On Hop Off Bus loop.

The house below looks nice and simple but can rent for up to $5,000 a week in holiday periods I am told.

The last of the setting sun on my last day in San Francisco. I have a feeling that it will not be my last visit to the city, though.

Destinations

More Exploring In San Francisco

Posted on April 10, 2011

Today looked like a beautiful day to be out and about exploring San Francisco with a nice bright sunny day. I had a couple of things planned for today. However, I will have to see how the timing goes to fit it all in, especially being the weekend. There seems to be a lot more people around, especially in the touristy area’s where I headed.

The Exploratorium

For the last ticket from the City Pass Booklet, I had to make a choice. I could visit The de Young Museum or the Legion of Honor and Exploratorium. I just had a feeling the Exploratorium would be a little more fun. Which even without knowing what the alternative was I would say it is probably right.

The Exploratorium is likely to be a little more focused toward the younger visitors to help teach science principles. But to be honest, it is a whole lot of fun for us big kids as well. There are plenty of gadgets and things to touch and play with, which is always fun. It is essentially one big science centre with a more unusual name.

It is a lot larger than the Brisbane Science Center back home. However, not quite as big as the Pacific Science Center in Seattle. I don’t have too many pictures from inside for two reasons. First, there were too many cool things to play with to have time to get the camera out. Second, with so many kids around I thought it might be better to keep the camera away anyway.

But still got a couple of photos, playing with sand on a spinning wheel (above) and dry ice on water (below).

Around the City

From the Exploratorium there was a very similar walk to what I did yesterday. However, today I decided to walk along the waterfront, instead of through the streets. There are some things along the waterfront, the first of which that caught my attention is Fort Mason

Fort Mason

Fort Mason started life as a fortified military base for the Spanish in 1176. The site has been used for many different purposes over the years. However, today it operates for public purposes such as parking, commercial space and event space.

Maritime Museum

The next thing I passed along the waterfront was the Maritime Museum. Unfortunately, I did not get to visit the Maritime Museum but did get a photo of some of the ships on display. The one pictured below is a Square Rigger from 1886 named the Balclutha.

San Francisco City Hall

In the afternoon I end up going for a walk through the city. One of the very impressive buildings that I came across was the San Francisco City Hall. It does very much stand out and has some character to it.

There is still so much more that I would love to see in San Francisco. However, tomorrow is my last day in the city. Being that it is a weekend day again and going from the experience today I will need to possibly leave some things out. It just seems much harder to get around through the traffic and all the extra people.

Destinations

Exploring The City Of San Francisco

Posted on April 9, 2011

After attending a Couch Surfing event last night, I got started a little later than I had planned. But I got to meet a couple of great new people, and it was a good change from just going solo. Even with the later start though I think that I made a rather good use of my time today and got to see some great places.

De Young Museum Hamon Observation Tower

One of the better views of the city can be found at the de Young Museum Hamon Observation Tower. Due to the location of the building it only needs to be nine stories high. Considering the location itself is set at a high point within Golden Gate Park, just across from the Academy of Sciences.

California Academy of Sciences

To start the day I made a visit to the California Academy of Science. Unlike some of the other science centres that I have visited it does mix things up a little bit. There are the elements of not just a science museum, but also a planetarium, aquarium and a living rain forest. To be honest, they do more justice to all of them than some establishments do to just one.

There is a great range of hands-on science, to have a go at. However, it is not all about being hands on with plenty of information provided around the exhibits as well.

The California Academy of Sciences as you can see it from the observation deck at the de Yong Museum.

These guys are African Penguins, that do look a little different, but still cute.

The above exhibit is a rather boring one for most of the time, as it is just a pendulum swinging. However, it is said to be proof of the Earth’s rotation. Around each hour one of the small steel bars will be knocked down.

Golden Gate Bridge

From the Academy of Sciences, I caught the bus down towards the harbourside to get a look at the Golden Gate Bridge. Of course, it is possibly the most recognisable thing about San Francisco. I did share an image of the bridge from my harbour cruise yesterday. But I figured why not share some more today from a different angle. Today I am on the southern side up high on the bluffs.

The Golden Gate Bridge is a rather fantastic piece of engineering. When you consider the construction start in the early 1930’s it is quite the feet. The southern or closer pier in the above image goes down 34 metres below the low water level. Into water that is tidal with the Pacific Ocean. Just some of the numbers that surround the construction of the bridge are amazing.

Palace of Fine Art

While the walk is quite a distance, I decided to walk from near the Golden Gate Bridge to Fisherman’s Wharf. The route that I took was some 8.6 kilometre’s total with a few rather interesting stops along the way.

The first stop was at the Palace of Fine Arts, not too far from the Exploratorium. Which is a spot that I want to visit while in San Francisco, but just don’t have the time today. The Palace of Fine Arts is a group of columns with a dome on top. They are a remnant of the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition.

Lombard Street

How would you like to live on the street known as the most crooked in the world? That is the title that Lombard Street in San Francisco holds. At least the section of Lombard Street between Hyde and Leavenworth Streets anyway. There are a series of switchbacks to help with the impossible grade of the hill otherwise.

Getting a great picture is far from easy but consider this for a moment. There are a series of about 8 or 9 switchbacks over a distance of just 400 metres. Obviously doable, but not the easiest or most pleasurable of drives I would imagine.

Coit Tower

If you are to continue along Lombard Street, the part that is not crooked anyway, you eventually reach Telegraph Hill. Right on top of Telegraph Hill is Coit Tower. Erected in 1933 with a bequest from Lillie Hitchcock Coit, to help beautify the city of San Francisco. The tower is a rather prominent feature on the skyline of the city. But the best bit for me was that you could pay a small amount to go to the top of the tower. Again giving some great city views just like the tower at the de Young Museum.

Although there are windows in place, people try and find the cracks to drop coins out. But I am not quite sure what the point behind this is, happy to capture the photo all the same.

San Francisco’s main city Skyline from the top of Coit Tower.

Older Posts

Newer Posts

Hotel Location

Transport

What to see

Hollywood

Beverly Hills – Rodeo Drive

The Beaches

Santa Monica

Los Angeles Downtown

Mulholland Drive

More To Explore

San Diego To Dallas

Day 1 – Dallas

Day 2 – Dallas

Day 3 – Dallas

Day 4 – Fort Worth

Day 5 – Dallas

Goodbye Dallas

My Very First Cruise

Boarding In San Diego, USA – 15th April 2011

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – 18th April 2011

Huatulco, Mexico – 20th April 2011

Puerto Chiapas, Mexico – 21st April 2011

Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala – 22nd April 2011

Fuerte Amador, Panama – 24th April 2011

Panama Canal, Panama, Eastbound – 25th April 2011

Cartagena, Colombia – 26th April 2011

Fort Lauderdale, USA – 29th April 2011

Oranjestad, Aruba – 2nd May 2011

Panama Canal, Panama, Westbound – 4th May 2011

Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica – 6th May 2011

Huatulco, Mexico – 8th May 2011

Acapulco, Mexico – 9th May 2011

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico – 11th May 2011

San Diego, USA – 13th May 2011

The Ports In More Detail

Summary

San Diego Zoo

Skyfari

Polar Bears

Decisions

Elephants

Meerkats

Camels

Monkeys

Habitats

Hippopotamus

Birds

Koala

Flamingos

Snakes

Sunset

The Airport

The Cruise

San Diego Harbour Cruise

North Bound

South Bound

The Afternoon

Man Vs. Debt

USS Midway

Interesting Facts

Harbour Cruise

Couch Surfing Event

Flying San Francisco to San Diego

San Diego

San Diego Maritime Museum

Maritime Museum Photos

San Francisco Hop On Hop Off Bus

The Exploratorium

Around the City

Fort Mason

Maritime Museum

San Francisco City Hall

De Young Museum Hamon Observation Tower

California Academy of Sciences

Golden Gate Bridge

Palace of Fine Art

Lombard Street

Coit Tower

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