Alaska Cruise 2025 - Leaving for San Francisco (08/08/25)

 

Our day started very early, as we had to be at the airport by 10 AM.  And this is where the problems started.  On the way to the airport, an 18 Wheeler was attempting to make too tight a turn under the EL and blocked traffic for about 10 minutes.  This wasn't the worst part of the day.  When we arrived at the airport, we had problems with our boarding passes for which we needed help. And we encountered a Karen....

At first, the Karen was willing to help a little, but didn't listen to us or pay attention to our needs.  Both of us needed to have our Trusted Traveler Numbers attached to our boarding passes, so that we could use TSA PreCheck.  She got my boarding pass fixed, but RQS had to look up her number from another airline's site.  We asked for help again, but the Karen started redoing my pass and was ignoring RQS. So I started shouting to get attention, but I drew the wrong kind of attention. After things calmed down, the Karen refused to help RQS, or even let her through to the kiosks we were told to go to, as the Karen was taking things out on RQS to get even with me.  (You can guess what will go into a "nastygram" RQS plans to write.)  I ended up going through 1 PreCheck line while RQS got her problem dealt with at the kiosks on the other side of the floor.

Once we were past the TSA checkpoint, I was able to relax.  It took me a while to chill, but we had no further problems at JFK.  We got on the plane with no problems, and had an uneventful flight to San Francisco.  And that's where we were greeted by someone from Princess Cruises, helping us with our luggage and the cab to the Mark Hopkins Hotel in Downtown SF.  Both of us were tired and needed sleep.  But if we slept, we wouldn't be able to find something affordable to eat.

Around 6:30, we took a cab to the Stinking Rose, a restaurant specializing in Garlic dishes.  They moved to a new and better location since I ate there.  So I was glad that the cabbie knew that the place relocated to a spot further down the street.  RQS loved the place, finishing up her ravioli.  As for me, I enjoyed the food, but couldn't eat more than a half portion.  

By the time 8 pm came, it was time to go back to the hotel and finally get some much needed sleep....  

Norwegian Fjord Cruise Vacation - 06/14/24 (Visiting the Tower Bridge and Family)

 

Neither RQS nor I wanted to get lost in the London Underground while staying for a short time in this large city.  So we decided to stay near our hotel and see some nearby sights.  Luckily, the Tower Bridge (often mistaken by tourists for the homely nearby London Bridge) and the Tower of London were near enough for us to spend a nice afternoon in the UK's capital city.

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We had no fixed plans for the day, and got moving a little late - but not late enough to enjoy the breakfast that came with our room.  With our stomachs filled to capacity, we walked from our hotel to the bridge, then started to explore the neighborhood on the other side of the bridge before returning to the bridge for a tour.

As many people know, the Tower Bridge is one of the most iconic sights in London, next to the Parliament building and Big Ben.  But many people don't know that one can go into the bridge's towers and walk across 70 cm thick glass panels to a tower on the opposite side of the Thames.  And that's where we encountered a family of "Karens."  

(Someone from the family of "Karens".)

One feature of many tall tourist attractions is a glass floor, where people can stand or sit on it to have their pictures taken.  The Tower Bridge has one of these floors, and many people dawdle while getting in their "important" photos.  While transiting the walkway between the towers there was a large family (I presume to be French, given their lack of concern for others) hogging space over a glass square.  When they shifted slightly, I posted RQS on the glass and started to take my picture.  And then the "Karen Family" decided to move into our square as I was starting to take my photo.  I was a little annoyed belted out (in my deep, rich, loud Mario voice) to STOP!  They were taken aback.  No one had ever challenged them for being inconsiderate before.  (Being a New Yorker does come in handy sometimes, as we don't have to care what some unknown "other" thinks of us.  Heck, the "F-Word" is only a mild intensifier here, with no one thinking the word is profane when Samuel L. Jackson utters it in this city.  But I digress.)  I got my picture, and then we left the walkway 10 minutes before these Karens.  (You should have seen them give us the "stink eye" as we rested in the gift shop.  But then, I don't care what my lessers think.)

Next, it was back to the hotel to rest, and wait for my niece (and husband) to come over for dinner.  We went to a nearby French restaurant (don't ever say that I claim that all things French are bad) and had a nice dinner.   All too soon, it was time to let my niece go to her sister in law's birthday party, and we bid each other farewell until next time....