San Francisco sites

During my very short stay in San Francisco recently, I entered and exited through Oakland and found the transit system to be very efficient.

Beginning with the shuttle service that took you from Oakland International Airport to the Coliseum (former home of the Oakland Raiders and the Oakland Athletics, aka A's).

Once at the Coliseum I took Bay Area Rapid Transit, better known at BART. I admit, I was a little intimidated by BART, especially after viewing the different lines that ran throughout Oakland, San Francisco and neighboring cities:

But once you figure out where you need to go and follow the color-coded graphic, it wasn't all that bad. I took the Green line from the Coliseum to Civic Center/UN Plaza. 

Caution: Be sure to pay attention to the signage along the platforms otherwise you'll miss your stop or do what I almost did, got on the wrong line. It helps to ask someone knowledgeable about the schedule and specific lines. Thanks to the ladies who helped me figure it out!

I couldn't help but notice the massive monument that hovered near BART: the Oakland Coliseum itself. 

Once in the city, I either walked to my destinations or if they were a little further out, I ordered an UBER ride. It was fast and simple with a short wait time for the driver. If you've never taken an UBER ride, visit my dealspotr for a promo code for a free ride. 

Needless to say, the transit system (shuttle, train, and UBER), those specifically that I used, were very efficient, fast and convenient. Glad I used them to get around the city.

Now, the very little site-seeing I was able to do, I did with my Cousins. 

On my way to meet the Cousins, I stopped by Treasure Island (est. circa 1936-37) first. This picturesque spot has a wonderful view of the Bay Bridge and the boat dock.

Back in Oakland and before heading back to the airport, I rendezvoused with the Cousins. 

We ate at Samurai Sushi Boat in Oakland and had ourselves a feast (sorry, no photos taken...we were enjoying our food so much, we completely forgot to snap some photos).

I had a BENTO box with California rolls and Salmon Teriyaki served with soup, salad and rice. 

DELICIOUS!

We walked off our meal with a quick stroll down Jack London Square while soaking up the local vibe at the pier. We even got photo-bombed by some random guy! Don't mind my being oblivious to the lipstick stain on my teeth. Hilarious!

There are a few historical points on the pier (not pictured here, of course...sad to say, I had storage issues on my iPhone 6 Plus and that didn't retain my pics) like the Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon, an historic pub built in 1883 named after John H. Heinold; the USS Potomac referred to as the Floating White House, one of the only few floating museums left in the U.S. once occupied by Franklin Delano Roosevelt; and Jack London's Cabin, a tiny house in the middle of the square believed to have been occupied during the winter of 1897-1898.

We topped off our Jack London Square visit with dessert at Kincaid's Classic American Dining right on the edge of the pier with this to-die-for view (don't hate...I have no pictures). 

Dessert included: Cafe Mocha, Coffee with cream and almond syrup, New York Cheesecake, Key Lime Pie, and the prize winner Warm Brie with Macadamia Nut Crust! So yummy!

That concludes my short trip to the Bay Area. 

America's Best Value Inn & Suites SoMa, San Francisco

I've always wanted a career that would allow me to travel, and now my wish came true. I get to travel a handful of times a year, hopefully more.

I recently took a business trip to San Francisco and stayed at America's Best Value Inn & Suites SoMa and have nothing but good things to say.

Here are my top five favorite features about my stay at this hotel:

1) Dead end street. Well L-shaped street anyway. Nestled off Folsom and Hallam streets in San Francisco, ABVIS SoMa (SoMa = South of Market Street) is located caddy corner from a Cul de Sac adjacent to a few houses or town homes, which means no through traffic! 

Directly across from the hotel are what appears to be a three-story business building next to other apartments (judging by the visible balconies). So not quite the alley-view one would expect.

2) Easy street access. As you exit the hotel and turn left for a short walk, you hit Folsom and the city is at your finger tips.

The only drawback is a small pub at the corner that was thriving with late-nighters who were respectful and non-belligerent (thank goodness). I guess it helps that the city (I suppose, anyway) posted a big huge sign at the street's entrance that read: Please be respectful of our neighbors and keep the noise level down (I might be paraphrasing, but you get the point). 

2a) Here's an added bonus: despite the three-story building across from ABVIS, there was just enough room to see the skyline and skyscrapers (in the distance) above the neighbors' rooftops. It was a beautiful view. 

3) Fit for a King. I'm five-feet tall so any room large enough to fit a full, Queen, double or King-sized bed is perfect! This room was equipped with cable TV, a mirrored-desk (in case you want to look at yourself doing work on a laptop or tablet, I guess...OK, so it's a vanity and mirror -- I get it), a min-fridge, a safe located inside the cabinet (too bad the safe didn't work after numerous attempts in changing the combination as instructed in the directions), an open closet with just enough hangers to hang clothes, lay my luggage on top of the luggage rack, an ironing board and an iron (what I call simple amenities).

The bed was calling my name with more pillows than I have in my own house (no joke). It was incredibly comfortable and cozy! Just my size and perfect firmness! You bet I had a very good night's sleep too!

4) Decent sized bathroom. The bathroom, although a little small, was very clean and I especially loved the clear glass doors (maybe they were super clear plastic, I couldn't tell).

Only two shortcomings: a) the shower head did not adjust well and I ended up showering with the equivalent to a garden hose on turbo jet stream (ouch); and b) the small sink was located right next to the toilet, which means guests would have to wait until you finish your business to wash their hands. Awkward.

5) Semi-continental breakfast (not pictured). Semi because there was only once choice of coffee (caffeinated) and Minute Maid orange juice. There were a variety of pastries and muffins to choose from so if you are gluten free or trying to stay away from carb-overload, you'd have to look elsewhere for your morning pick-me-up. Downfall: no fruit or yogurt alternative.

Overall, I had a satisfactory overnight business stay at ABVIS SoMa. I recommend it.

Cost: $209/night (early August rates)

Rating: A-

Power Day

The best thing about summer is spontaneity!

If you're like me, you get up everyday to go to work, spend eight plus hours at the office, hit the gym afterward, spend another couple of hours there on your form (or your legs or arms or cardio or core, pick a body part, any body part), then you head home to get cleaned up, have dinner or a protein shake or both, then dabble a few more hours on the Internet checking Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, or your blogs, write a few things in your blog, or if I'm lucky, take in a Netflix movie before calling it a night, then start the whole thing all over again the next day, then SPONTANEITY on the summer weekends is something to look forward to! 

Today was one of those SPONTANEOUS days.

My daughter (20) and I took a drive to Huntington Beach Pier and went for a four mile run-walk. We arrived early enough to get OK parking and as we drove along Main Street, we noticed even at 9am the community was thriving with breakfast-goers, shoppers, and Pokemon Go-ers! They were everywhere catching 'em all!

One quick note to pet owners who take their fur babies to Main Street, like anywhere, PICK UP AFTER YOUR DOGS! 

This has been a public service announcement!

I'll step off my soap box now. 

Here's a recap of the morning:

The Run

We started at 6th Street and Pacific Coast Highway and ran southbound along PCH for about 1.5 miles. The temperature at 9am was in the mid-60s, cool but not cold. The beach was already crowded and filling up steadily as beach-goers made their way to the parking areas and along the sandy beach. The bike path was a little crowded but not too bad.

I used my Fitbit's timer feature that tracks miles. I didn't want to be gimmicky and use a GPS tracker this time around so my Fitbit came in handy. At the 1.5-mile mark, we made our back. Simple.

We logged about a four-mile run. Not bad, huh?

Power Smoothies

We got cool, refreshing and fresh power smoothies at Nekter. Ari had this fruity Pink Flamingo (pitaya, strawberry, pineapple, agave nectar, and coconut water blended - about 180 calories) and I had the new Mango Delight (mango, pineapple. housemade cashew milk and a little agave nectar - about 248 calories). These were PERFECT after our run. 

Our Breakfast

The guys at Nekter told us about a place where you can get bagels so we went on their recommendations and stopped by Huntington Surf and Sports. I think they should stick to apparel and surfboards.

Our Breakfast

We both had the Sunrise Sandwich with eggs, bagels, cheese and salsa. Honestly, I prefer my eggs scrambled and made on a hot stove or grill, not in a microwave. 

The sandwiches were presented nicely and temperature hot, but that was it -- the only features that appealed to me. 

I guess I've frequented far too many Hawaiian festivals, luaus, and Ho'laulea's where the food is tasty, flavorful and very generously proportioned. I was expecting the same of this surf shop and got a little excited when I saw the Hawaiian and Polynesian paraphernalia. I was sadly disappointed. 

From our view atop the barstools near the window and to the left of where we were seated, there were photos on a wall of many surfers, surfing events, and beautiful ocean waves. This wall caught my eye and I had only wished I had asked one of the employees to tell the history of that wall. I'm sure it's a very interesting story!

The patio area was filling up slowly. The weather was nice and comfortable enough to sit outside for breakfast or a cup of coffee.

The morning was overcast but the cloud covering burned off to beautiful blue skies above.

Overall we would enjoyed the Main Street atmosphere and plan to come back to enjoy lunch and eventually dinner some day before the summer ends.

Shopping

The only shop that caught my eye was this quaint little T-shirt shop, Cali Shore Store.

It was reasonably priced but more so than that, these two particular shirts made me chuckle.

Celebrate what makes you happy!

For all you gym rats -- this one is for you!

Great power day, power run, power breakfast followed by a power nap!