13-18 January 2013

Marathon Man – San Francisco

Now Las Vegas was always a strange place to rest and it was necessary to escape to find a more relaxed environment in San Francisco prior to the upcoming Triple Crown Marathon series over the Martin Luther King long weekend.

Having booked flights and accommodation, I was to find on arrival at Las Vegas Airport that the US Airways flight was now being operated by United. I was informed by the person booking the flight on the phone and at the Check In Counter at US Airways that all was fine.It was later to turn out that on arrival at United the ticket had not been pushed across  to United, and then I was told that there was money to be paid in the order of $250 prior to being able to confirm the flight.

I was stunned and with the help of the ‘friendly’ United Check-In lady I was able to have her assistance to explain the reality as she clearly did not accept my version and could not care less. In the end the original flight was missed and I was to later board a late afternoon flight arriving into San Francisco.

The Travelodge was close by the airport and due to the value proved to be a long way from most things. I caught the bus into town on night one to find a large Westfield Shopping Centre for a meal in the food court.

The public transport system certainly attracted the crazy with some people talking at the top of their voices. The bus drivers proved to be entertainers and very helpful in providing assistance and travel advice.

I was very fortunate to find Irene Diamond who practises a form of Myotherapy massage to later have a much needed treatment. I had earlier been at the Pier overlooking Alcatraz and The Golden Gate Bridge where I met up with Michelle Tullose from Austin, Texas who was in transit on her way to learn to surf in Hawaii. It was great to spend some time together and catch up while both travelling solo.