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I am trying to look at LAX to San Francisco, preferably via the Starlight and the Thruway bus. Whenever I put it into the Amtrak site it tells me that the station is not valid. I have tried all of the SF final stops.
How do I do this?
-------------------- Vicki in usually sunny Southern California Posts: 951 | From: Redondo Beach, CA | Registered: Aug 2006
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For some reason, I can't find the bus schedule that shows the times. They might not have one, although the bus route and bus number will pop up when you attempt to make a reservation.
The above stops covers a pretty good area of SF. There is a nice Hyatt Regency on Embarcadero at Market which is a short walk from the Ferry Building stop. By "short walk" I mean 10 minutes. If you don't want to walk it, the SF Muni historic street cars stop right in front of the Ferry Building, and you can hop on one of those and it will take you almost to their front door (you'll just have to cross the street). The Hyatt Regency is famous if you've ever seen the Mel Brooks movie, "High Anxiety". Several other movies have been filmed in their lobby as well--it's beautiful. This hotel is also convenient not only to the historic street cars (Muni "F" line), but BART is right there also (underground).
Posts: 2355 | From: Pleasanton, CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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During several of my trips to San Francisco, I noticed that the hotels I had booked were visible from the bus window as we traveled along the route.
Rather than ride all the way to the next official stop (where I would have to either pay for a taxi or transfer to public transportation), I asked the driver if he/she could simply open the door at the next street corner and let me off so I could walk to my hotel.
Since I was traveling light, and had only a large carry-on bag, they were happy to comply.
The Ferry Building is an actual staffed station. I believe it's the first stop on all the Thruway bus routes, and a good place to catch a cab. The remainder are curbside stops, marked by small signs. They are not at hotels, but most have hotels nearby. I'd suggest the Handlery Hotel Union Square. It's two blocks north on Stockton from the Shopping Center bus stop.
Posts: 103 | From: St. Louis, MO USA | Registered: Oct 2002
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Possibly our present-day "Mariners' around here will disagree, but I'm not sure I'd want to be aboard on one of 'em in a "blow".
full disclosure: author's log is comprised of two Trans-At sailings and six cruises, as well as a six-year tour as a "Fairfield Navy Cadet".
Posts: 9976 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Except for the Staten Island Ferry, I've pretty much done all my "cruising" on rubber tires or steel wheels. No flying (except on rare occasions) or sailing (even rarer occasions).
Posts: 1530 | From: Ocala, FL | Registered: Dec 2006
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This is the second "grounding" by a Costa ship this week. The earlier one was in the Bahamas where most of the damage was to a reef. The parent company, Carnival, had better be lining up the lawyers.
Frank in sunny but cool SBA
Posts: 2160 | From: Santa Barbara, CA, USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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Really scary. The US based cruises do the life boat rehearsal before leaving the first port. This ship was was going to do it the day after this disaster. But the ship listed so badly, so fast, that the boats were not usable anyway.
The only consolation is that it was near land. Too near, I guess that was the problem.
-------------------- Vicki in usually sunny Southern California Posts: 951 | From: Redondo Beach, CA | Registered: Aug 2006
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This from my previous trip report might be a help:
"The night before it took us two hours after train arrival to make the Thruway bus trip to our hotel. That was a good thing. While the bus driver did little to tell us where we were (an occasional mumble), we had a complete tour of the city: Caltrain station, baseball stadium, Embarcadero, Fisherman�s wharf, Chinatown before heading to the retail section near Union Square where our hotel was located. By that time most of the bus� 30 or so passengers had left. So we were delighted when the driver walked back to the remaining passengers and asked the names of our hotels. We then received door to door service that was very much appreciated at the end of a long day.
Many thanks to Frank for his excellent hotel recommendation. The King George hotel was perfect. We like the smaller hotels with a little personality, and this fit the bill. It was reasonably priced in a great location with a good restaurant (Caf� Mason? for a late dinner on one side and the fun Lori�s diner for breakfast on the other).
Posts: 2397 | From: Camden, SC | Registered: Mar 2006
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I'm glad to hear that The King George lived up to our recommendation. Like all smaller, hotels, it does have some quirks like the single, slow elevator. We always try to get an "06" room (206, 306, etc.) because they are larger and have cross ventilation.
Vicki--
How do you feel about not requiring people to at least bring their lifejacket to the drill? I have mixed feelings -- it is certainly easier -- but I am sure there are plenty of people who would not know where to look for it much less how to put it on for "the real thing".
Frank in sunny and warming SBA
Posts: 2160 | From: Santa Barbara, CA, USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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On our most recent Royal Caribbean cruise passengers were specifically instructed to NOT bring their life jackets with them to the muster stations. When I asked a ship's officer about this later I was told that it was a matter of "liability" -- there have been too many people who have tripped on the straps while walking to the station or going up and down the stairs.
Vicki--
Not to be contrary but I know of at least two occasions where the drill was not held until the following day -- both were late night sailings.
I didn't feel comfortable about that OR about people not knowing where their lifejackets are and how to put them on. But, of course, I feel the same about people who ignore the safety demo on an airplane.
Frank in sunny and warming SBA
Posts: 2160 | From: Santa Barbara, CA, USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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Frank, off the high seas and back to your profession as a Flight Attendant, you should be pleased to know that anytime I'm on a flight, and it is time for the pre-flight safety briefing, I have put my reading material down and I am all eyes and ears.
Secondly, I am absolutely astounded that getting harnessed into a lifejacket is no longer part of the boat drill. I am not sure what jurisdiction a US investigative agency will have over an incident away from US waters involving a foreign flagged vessel, but if there were any injuries srising from the Costa incident because a passenger was not secured in a life jacket....well let the thunder roll.
Finally, it is good to see a little activity around here again.
Posts: 9976 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Indeed they stopped having people wear their life jackets to the briefing due to the problems negotiating the stairs (you can't see your feet with a life jacket on) and tripping over the trailing ribbons. But HAL still has us appear at our lifeboat station. They no longer seem to go through the thorough roll call by rooms although they play at it.
The cruise BB notes that some HAL ships have not held the drill until day two. And the Costa ship was on an itinerary that included people getting on and off at all ports. About 80 people had boarded at the recent port and the next day was to be the "home" port visit with the drill.
Thanks for the info about the bus to SF. And some hotel ideas too.
As for the airplane briefing, the comedian on our last cruise had only one good joke. He referred to the "your seat cushion is a flotation device" instruction. And then he asked, as the passengers all stood on the wings of that plane in the Hudson River, how many of them were holding their seat cushions?
-------------------- Vicki in usually sunny Southern California Posts: 951 | From: Redondo Beach, CA | Registered: Aug 2006
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One amongst several reasons I prefer to fly someone other than Southwest is because either they, or they allow their employees, to think that the pre-flight safety briefing is simply an excuse for Saturday Night Live.
While I am well aware that I'm "not exactly" known for my sense of humor in this life, I fail to see any of such when a Flight Attendant "charges" out of the aircraft's forward galley with the demo seat belt wrapped around his head (hey, isn't that what happened on 9/11 - well if "United 93" is to be believed).
The safety briefing is no time to joke around.
And yes, Mr. Smith, I know your favorite airline, Virgin America, also has comedy routines for the briefing, but I have never had occasion to fly them. They seem to be mostly a to/from/within West Coast operation - somewhere I have no need to travel nowadays (not any kind of boycott be assured; just no reason).
Likely I'll be on an aircraft during '12 (didn't fly at all during '11 - just no reason - and I'm not into airline joyrides), for flights to KHPN and KRIC, and in all likelihood it will be United, i.e. the United side of UCH. However, there might also be a KORD-KJFK/KBOS-KACK which would be on JetBlue/Cape Air.
Posts: 9976 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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I'm not the flight attendant in this household. That would be the "other" Norman -- my partner of soon to be 36 years.
The announcements on Southwest have been toned down quite a bit in the past several years. It started with 9/11 and has continued. You still, though, get the occasional zinger -- usually aimed at people who have their stuff spread out over the seats next to them hoping for a vacant one on takeoff or people who just can't seem to decide which seat they want to occupy.
Vicki--
Norm says that it's possible that the reason the USAir pax didn't take their seat cushions is because not all are intended to be used for flotation. The first goal of that crew was to get people out of the aircraft and they knew that help was very near. They did a truly outstanding job of doing just that.
Frank in dark and cool SBA
Posts: 2160 | From: Santa Barbara, CA, USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Gilbert B Norman: And yes, Mr. Smith, I know your favorite airline, Virgin America, also has comedy routines for the briefing, but I have never had occasion to fly them.
I don't care for the "live" comedy routines either when it comes to the safety briefing on an airplane. However, I do feel that Virgin America did a pretty good job with their safety video (they don't do it "live" unless the IFE system is down, and on the occasions where I've seen that happen, they were all business). Here is Virgin's humorous but effective safety video:
posted
Speaking of boat drills, one should seen that conducted on the US Flagged s/s Constitution August 1960. Sailing from Naples first afternoon out, it was like having joined the Navy. The officers stowed their Whites and were in Khaki, the announcements were in "Now hear this..." style. No joking no messing around.
Posts: 9976 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Gil, my father was a professional musician and he once had a gig playing in the band on the Independence, I believe in the early 50's. He was able to visit his birthplace near Naples, Italy but, unfortunately for us, without "Mom and the kids."
I remember him showing me his official-looking ID card, which I think was issued by the Coast Guard or Merchant Marine or other such US agency, and telling me about the rigid on-board drills they had. ID card looked like a military ID card.
The Constitution and Independence were the flagships of the American Export Lines, but the United States put them to shame when it first started sailing.
Posts: 1530 | From: Ocala, FL | Registered: Dec 2006
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Because there are less than a handful of United States flagged passenger ships of any size the execution of things like muster drill varies widely.
I noticed that even the venerable Cunard (Now part of Carnival Corporation along with HAL and Costa among others) has changed the registry of some ships from Southampton to Hamilton, Bermuda. The reason: They can offer "Wedding at Sea" packages under Bermudan law.
HAL's ships are still registered in the Netherlands and fly the Dutch flag but the headquarters is in Seattle. Royal Caribbean's headquarters is in Miami but the ships are registered in the Bahamas (RCCL) or Malta (Celebrity and Azamara).
Well, there's your morning dose of cruise trivia. There are several great websites which will give you more.
Frank in cool and overcast SBA
Posts: 2160 | From: Santa Barbara, CA, USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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Since we're going back to the 50's, I happened to be culling books the other day and found the one my parents used on their first European trip: Fieldings Travel Guide to Europe 1954-55. He had this to say about the 'America'-the one they used over (back on the Nieuw Amsterdam):
"Comfortable and pleasant...Service is not as polished nor as eager-beaver as on some of her European competitors. This is also true on the 'United States' because pride in domestic work is not particularly the American Tradition."
Imagine today's travel writer saying that! As to rates:
"Should you book on the 'Queens', $80 per day First clsss-or higher!-entitles you to this: an inside cabin, no bath, no daylight"
Which is quite high given inflation. London hotels on the other hands however appear to be a better deal and he rates Claridges, Savoy, and Dorchester as the top three:
"...but the best hotels charge as much as $8 to $15 per night for a single room." Imagine that!
Posts: 2397 | From: Camden, SC | Registered: Mar 2006
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quote:Originally posted by Gilbert B Norman: I am not sure what jurisdiction a US investigative agency will have over an incident away from US waters involving a foreign flagged vessel
Absolutely none whatsoever.
However, they might ask to be invited or even requested to attend, especially if a US citizen was involved in a crime, and it would be up to the host country to either grant permission or to diplomatically say "up yours".
There was an incident not so long ago when a British (?) national went missing on a Bahamas registered boat, off the coast of Peru I think. Bahamas had jurisdiction but only sent one officer to investigate and quickly wound up that investigation with no real conclusion, yet the family still had a loved one stolen from their lives.
-------------------- Geoff M. Posts: 2426 | From: Apple Valley, CA | Registered: Sep 2000
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Just wanted to let you know I did book the Starlight from LAX to SFC, both ways. Will take a roomette for the privacy, PPC, meals, etc. What a civilized way to travel.
We will be cruising from SF to Alaska and back to SF, 10 days. Smitty, this is your chance to take a cruise, convenient port for you. The Sea Princess, July 2nd. Take a look at it.
Will spend some days in SF post cruise and one pre -cruise. Priceline for that closer to the departure date.
Thanks for all the info to help me sort this out.
And by the way, the AGR agent, Amanda, who booked this was quite knowledgeable, didn't need any help figuring out what I wanted. And somehow we got into a discussion about the value of a human life in China which started with my AGR points for my iPhone not being posted yet and moved on to the three day delivery from China and the factory there which employs 230,000 people! Nice gal.
-------------------- Vicki in usually sunny Southern California Posts: 951 | From: Redondo Beach, CA | Registered: Aug 2006
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Thank you for the cruise info, Vicki. I will take a look right now. It would be great to be able to depart from SF! The only catch is, the weather will be chilly and I would rather have a warm, tropical environment. I'm curious to see what type of rate I can get with this cruise.
Posts: 2355 | From: Pleasanton, CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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