Whispering sweet nothings.

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turtlemichael said:
Auckland to San Francisco via Sydney.

We were across to the International terminal around 11.15 for our 14.05 B737 QF144 to Sydney. We used the QF lounge which was quite empty on arrival and groaning by the time the flight was called. We didn’t try the Emirates lounge because when I told Turtle 2 some people had been turned away, that was the end of that.

The flight left a little late but was basically on time on arrival. We had no issues with the flight though the seat was less comfortable and the meal less appetising than the one the day before in NZ Y+. Service was friendly and professional.

After a bit over an hour in the QF J lounge in Sydney we were on our way on QF73 to SFO. We had two seats on the upper deck. To say the plane was tired was an understatement. Does anyone know which plane flew QF73 on December 28?

The seat droop was very pronounced, the seat controls needed the FA to poke around before they’d work and then only occasionally and the video screen and dated system were so cloudy it was near impossible to watch anything.

The meal, pre-ordered, was poor in appearance and quality. I got a mini-lecture at breakfast for ordering the yogurt without the fruit. That was not done but they’d made a special exception for me and served a small dish. I’m glad, I didn’t ask for the caviar.

But it was full, or near full, so I guess Qantas does not worry too much though this plane should be pensioned off. It served the prime purpose of getting us there in one piece and a little ahead of time so that is a good thing.

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QF73 barramundi main

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Breakfast with said bowl of yogurt

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Stunning day as we cross the Californian coast.

Now on to the delights of San Francisco.
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Qantas really need to work on their concept of customer service with food. It isn’t like you wanted something specially cooked! Not great about your plane though, we are on the same flight next May. We did book downstairs though.
 
We are staying at Parc 55 near Union Square and very close to Powell and Mason. We move on to the very much grander Four Seasons for the last night before we sail at the weekend. That is part of the World Cruise deal.

Our other stays in recent times have been at the Hilton Financial District and Hilton Union Square but Parc55 beats them.

We were early to check-in and had to wait about 45 minutes until dead on 15.00 but we were upgraded to a corner room. That looks like about three levels above the base grade room we booked. Apparently upgrades at this hotel are not that usual. Although the room is dated and bland in the way American Hiltons mostly are, it is spacious and clean with a good bed. The shower is over one of those low baths and a challenge to get the temperature to stay as you choose.
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A very good thing about the hotel is its location just about at the epicentre of San Francisco. Perhaps I should choose another word than epicentre in relation to this city? But it is easy to get anywhere.

In Hilton FF circles there is much debate about the breakfast here. It turns out to be a good buffet in our opinion. The choice and quality are fine and better than any other Hilton I’ve experienced in North America. For HH Diamonds the choice is as set out on the grubby notice below. I do not know what the choice is for HH Golds. The issue for some is the choice of hot or cold and a $10 supplement if you want some of both. We were content with the cold so had no issues. There was a row at a nearby table when the waiter spotted one HH couple with one having the cold and the other having the hot then exchanging items. After advising them he presented the bill for $20.00 which unsurprisingly got a very bad reaction. You can argue that the rule makes little sense, but you can’t argue that it is not clear. It’s also counterproductive to put the wait staff in the role of policeman as I'd be sure that happens every day.
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Apologies for the state of the notice - I didn't do it and it did not reflect the very good cleanliness state of the actual buffets:)

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Cold buffet
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Cold buffet
 
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City Hall

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San Francisco Symphony warming up for a performance at Davies Hall.

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Owen, the cat, at Aardvark Bookshop in Church St. We have been going to the bookshop on visits for at least 25 years. Sadly, like many bookshops it is to close in January. Owen has a new home. Not so sure about the mouse.
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Christmas is over.
 
The climb up to Grace Cathedral, diagonally opposite the Mark Hopkins Intercontinental on Nob Hill, is well worth it, though the quads may never recover.
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Light installation in the Cathedral.

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The labyrinth.

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Keith Haring screen in the AIDS Memorial Chapel at the Cathedral

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Oh wow! The cathedral is beautiful. I stayed in the Mark Hopkins for a week and did not even think to visit the cathedral. So thanks for the fill in!
 
We’ve been to four decent restaurants here and a couple of duds. I’ll ignore the duds but give some details of four we liked.

Bouche 603 Bush St. (at the top of the steps up from Stockton St) 415-956-0396 https://www.bouchesf.com/

It’s a French/American bistro type place – small, crowded and lively. The menu is limited. For mains there are one vegetarian, one meat and one fish. There were a greater number of starters. There is also a surprise dish which you take pot luck with. It turned out to be a blood sausage and was excellent, as were the pork chops which we both had. Mains averaged around USD30.00. The wine list was mainly French and reasonably priced. 4.5/5.0
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Next is Dobbs Ferry which we chose because of its proximity to Davies Hall where we were seeing a NY Eve concert. It is at 409 Gough St. near Civic Center. 415-551-7700 https://www.dobbsferrysf.com/

Here were a lot of pre-theatre diners but, given the location, they were good at this. There is also in another part of the building an upmarket sports bar, if there is such a thing. We had the NY Eve special menu with paired wines. It was $80.00 a head. There was no choice but the seafood lasagna, roasted stuffed quail and olive oil cake went down well. On normal nights the mains range from low-20’s to low 30’s. The atmosphere was calm and refined. 4.5/5.0.

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Stuffed Quail

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Olive Oil Cake

John’s Grill 63 Ellis St, about 100 metres from Parc 55 and the Union Square Hilton. 415-986-0069 http://www.johnsgrill.com/

This is a traditional mid-range steakhouse, unlike some of them in NYC. It was built 2 years after the SF Earthquake and is in its 111th year. It is bustling, busy, and atmospheric. You don’t linger for a romantic meal. We had a NY Cut and a rib-eye after oysters and a clam chowder.. The NY cut was good but the rib-eye was near the best I’d had in many a day. Prices are very good. Unfortunately, I forgot the camera and only have pix of the outside. I’d go back in a heartbeat. 5.0/5.0

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Finally, there is Jeanne D’Arc in the Cornell Hotel at 715 Bush St. 415-421-3154 http://www.cornellhotel.com/restaurant-jeanne-d-arc

It is a long established and serves what it describes as hearty country French. The food is not particularly inventive or exciting but consists of solid choices like rabbit and duck. Must of the attraction is its old worldliness and its eccentricity. The pix give a clue It is a 4-course set menu with a lot of choices for $56.00. The wine list is a decent size and the most reasonably priced I’ve experienced in SF. We had a very good Pouilly Fuisse for $38.00, of course with the++ 4.0/5.0

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Hearty rabbit stew.
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Oh, another excellent place for lunch is Wise and Sons which is a Jewish deli inside the contemporary Jewish Museum between Market and Mission and 3rd and 4th. Great pastrami! Entry from Mission. We thought the Museum itself was disappointing and overpriced.
 
Great t/reporting Michael ; you make sfo look and sound really attractive.
Every time we go there to visit my son, I complain about visiting such a bland boring place.
Perhaps my vision needs a touch of rose colour….
 
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San Francisco looks like it has moved to LA on that map.

Day 1. Jan 6. Off we go, sort of - sailing from San Francisco to Papeete. Well, almost. At sail away time the Captain tells us that we are going a kilometre out into the bay for the night as it was too rough to refuel us today at the dock (wind/rain) and we'll be bunkered at anchor overnight. The new current plan is we sail out 12 hours late in the morning (Monday Jan 7). Good thing - we'll actually see the Golden Gate Bridge as we sail under it rather than in the dark.

Day 2. Jan 7. And at 8.00am we are underway to Tahiti. Sailing out of San Francisco is spectacular despite the grey skies. We have 8 days at sea until we see land again. But wait folks, there is more. Update: Two hours into the cruise and I spoke too soon. We are turning round and heading back to SF because of a medical emergency. There was a call for a stretcher party a while ago so someone has taken a tumble. It is not surprising as the sea is rolling significantly outside SF Bay and there are a number of people who are not to steady on their feet. There is no such thing as walking in a straight line at the moment.Turns out to be an elderly man has broken his hip. Sad and his cruise is over only two hours in. But most cruises don't go under the Golden Gate three times in a day!

We'll hear from the Captain as to revised plans in the morning. It is hard to believe there will not be some revision to the schedule with effectively a 24 hour delay but we shall see.
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Sunrise.
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turtlemichael said:
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San Francisco looks like it has moved to LA on that map.

Day 1. Jan 6. Off we go, sort of - sailing from San Francisco to Papeete. Well, almost. At sail away time the Captain tells us that we are going a kilometre out into the bay for the night as it was too rough to refuel us today at the dock (wind/rain) and we'll be bunkered at anchor overnight. The new current plan is we sail out 12 hours late in the morning (Monday Jan 7). Good thing - we'll actually see the Golden Gate Bridge as we sail under it rather than in the dark.

Day 2. Jan 7. And at 8.00am we are underway to Tahiti. Sailing out of San Francisco is spectacular despite the grey skies. We have 8 days at sea until we see land again. But wait folks, there is more. Update: Two hours into the cruise and I spoke too soon. We are turning round and heading back to SF because of a medical emergency. There was a call for a stretcher party a while ago so someone has taken a tumble. Turns out to be an elderly man has broken his hip. Sad and his cruise is over only two hours in. But most cruises don't go under the Golden Gate three times in a day!
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Sunrise.
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Ah. The joys of cruising. Hopefully you are done and dusted now. Sad about the broken hip but if that happened in a couple of days time - 8 days at sea.
 
It is indeed spectacular going under the Golden Gate Bridge.I would guess going out at sunrise would normally be wonderful.pity about the clouds.
 
Day 4. Jan 9. We are now getting into the soporific joys of cruising. We've had good weather and just a regular and gentle pitch and roll of the sea. This morning we are well off the coast at about 24 degrees north so nearing the tropics. The weather is warmer. I've been doing a 45-60 minute walk around the deck prior to sunrise and I'm far from alone. The accepted way of travel is anticlockwise but there is always someone who wants to go the other way causing bottlenecks at various points. Glaring and tut-tutting usually work. The food has been very good and our cabin is lovely. We don't have a balcony which is basically a cost saving measure given the amount we used it on previous cruises. The ship came out of drydock 3 weeks before this World Cruise start. Carpets, curtains, soft furnishings etc have been replaced and most of the public areas have been tizzed up. It gives the ship a lighter feel and I think it has been successful. All up it is going well.
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zig said:
TM is the floral arrangement part of the floral enhancement through Project Invictus?
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Zig, I suspect it is because we are going all the way rather than just a segment or two, but I'm not sure and I'll ask.
 
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