Day Six – Bye Vegas, Hello San Fran

Wow! A lie in. 6.15am. Getting better.

As the sun beats down on the Bay Area in San Fran, there’s not a cloud in the sky. Not the fog I was promised rolling in off the sea, nothing. Which is a bloody shame.

When we arrived yesterday we walked outside and felt a bit of a chill. We’d come from the relatively tepid 90 degrees in Las Vegas to the relatively cool 65 degrees of California. First stop….Macy’s to buy sweatshirts and jeans. I bought a reduced, last in the pile, no more discounts but 90% off today plain blue sweatshirt with a hood. Nikki bought two pairs of jeans, three tops, a jumper, some coffee mate and a lip gloss. I’m told it’s a woman thing.

Anyway, I’m not bothered that she’s giving my pension to Tommy Hilfiger, I’m slightly miffed that after spending a small fortune on an Eskimo kit that it’s actually warm. Our room is a corner affair, with views over Nob Hill. It’s a bit like New York here, but with a bit more character. Imagine if New York decided that it wanted to be a small town in Cornwall, well that’s here. It’s not as big or as plush as the hotel in Vegas, but it’s got a toilet and a bed….what else do you need for a grand a night.

After bleeding the shops dry we opted for a pint and a bite to eat….oh forgot to say….

When you fly internally in the USA it’s a bit like getting on a bus….you don’t need to clear customs, just walk off the plane and get your bags. At least that’s the theory. For this to happen your bags have to have arrived with you at your destination. “Why are those two tourists sitting on the baggage carousel”?. “How do you know they’re tourists”?. “Because the bloke is wearing a peach t-Shirt and shorts, and it’s snowing outside”. Yep, we were missing a bag. My golf clubs to be exact. Apparently they left Las Vegas, but, and I quote, “we’re not sure where they went, they’ve not arrived in San Francisco”. Don’t you love security. They did reward us for our inconvenience with a bottle of Buxton Spring water and a chewy Quaker bar from Crewe. Thanks…
Alcatraz today. Thirty years in the Police and I’m paying good money to go see a disused prison. Worlds gone mad.