LAX

Well we've arrived safely at the airport, dropped of the car, got the shuttle bus to our terminal, dropped off the bags, been through security and here we are waiting at the gate. And, frankly what a disappointment LAX is. I think that the airport is arranged into a large number of smaller terminals, and all we have here is a duty free shop, a newsagent/bookstore, a couple of other small stores, and a few places to eat. We were expecting so much more from one of the biggest airports in the world. Maybe some of the other terminals are bigger and better. Disappointingly, whilst there does appear to be free wifi, we can't connect to the internet with it, so the ipad has gone back in the bag and this is coming via email from the Palm.

Not a whole lot to report from today. Finished off packing and then went to IHOP for brunch. Tried to find La Brea mall for a quick look, but the directions from the IHOP cashier turned out to be duff so we gave up on that, went back to the hotel, picked up our luggage and came to the airport.

Looking forward to seeing everyone (and Barley!) really soon, even if it will just be briefly for the cruisers! Still, not too long until the Med cruise!

Nearly there

Today was our last full day in America, we think!

Up not especially early, and went over to the DCA park for a while where we grabbed a pastry for breakfast, and made sure to queue up early for the Aladdin show so that we could get some better seats than last time. Show excellent again, and grabbed a few more decent photos.

Other than another ride on the Monsters Inc ride, that was about if for parks today. We headed to Downtown and did a bit of last minute shopping. Jake got some Disney-based story books, I got a Disneyland jacket and Nicky got some new luggage.

Back at the hotel we made a start on the packing before meeting up with Henry and family for bowling, pool and then dinner at Bubba Gump's.

Off to bed now. May sneak into the park one last time tomorrow if there's time.

Sent from my iPad

Mystery tour

So, the day of the mystery tour dawned early-ish and a bit cloudy, but after attending to a couple of work calls we were on the road. I'd explained that there were to be four parts to the tour, but that was all that they knew!

Stop 1 - the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Downtown LA. A bit of a risky start, especially for Jake, but he was suitably impressed by Frank Gehry's amazing architecture, and as a bonus we were able to take a self guided audio tour, narrated by John Lithgow (Lord Farquar to Jake!).

Stop 2 - Hollywood Boulevard. One of those places that it would be wrong not to go to at some point with so long in LA. A bizarre and, as we had been warned, tacky place. Still, we were able to find and have photos with some good stars on the walk of fame, including Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse, and we went into Madame Tussauds, and had pictures with more stars, ranging from the President to Britney and the Terminator! And, finally we were able to get a decent picture of the Hollywood sign up in the hills. Lunch at Johnny Rockets.

Part 3 - a driving tour, including going up into the hills, along Mulholland Drive to some lookout points, and then back down into Beverly Hills past some mega homes, and along Rodeo Drive. We didn't stop. Nicky says that she gets depressed by going to shops where she can't afford anything.

Stop 4 - the Getty Center. Highlight for Jake was the tram ride from the car park to the museum. Highlights for the rest of us included some Da Vinci drawings, Van Gogh's Irises, and one of Monet's many paintings of the pond and bridge in his garden, as well as the beautiful gardens.

Back at hotel now, worn out by a long day, and having just checked with the tour guests, the mystery tour gets a thumbs up.

Sent from my iPad

More parks -again

Thanks to everyone who has been getting in touch with us via blog comments, email and Facebook, sharing what hopefully is some good news about airports starting to open up again for flights home. Fingers crossed for Friday. Getting a little bit Groundhog Day-ish here today. After a late start we went into the parks for a while. Highlights were taking pictures of Jake with each of the letters of the big California sign outside DCA (will need to look for the right page format with the photo books to make this look good), getting to ride down Main Street at the top of a vintage double decker, and doing two more animation classes - today's pictures being of Donald and Pluto!

Had dinner with Henry and family at the Italian restaurant in downtown. Their flight home today was cancelled, so they are booked in for Sunday now.

I have plans for a trip out tomorrow and am keeping it as a surprise for N&J. Fingers crossed that they like it!

Sent from my iPad

Universal

Sorry about no post yesterday. Not a whole lot to report really. We moved hotels, across the road into the Paradise Pier hotel. Not as nice as the Grand Californian, but perfectly ok (annoyingly costs us more DVC points than the GC which is caused by it not being a proper DVC location -v. frustrating). Otherwise we spent most of the day by the pool, and then in the evening went out for a meal with Jake's friend Henry and his Mum and Dad.

Today was our Universal day. After a couple of calls with work, we were on the road by about twenty to nine, and despite heavy traffic in some places we were waiting at the gates to purchase our tickets by a few minutes past ten, which was when the park opened.

The first thing we did was to head over to the backlot tour. We walked straight on to a tram, and thoroughly enjoyed the tour, which lasts for about 45 minutes. Interesting to see all the new sets that have been built, and are now very nearly finished, after the 2008 fire, albeit obviously sad that the BTTF courthouse square was lost in the blaze. McFly nerd that I am I excited to see the Lyon Estates gates - at least a little something has survived.

The tour is a mixture of real sets that have been, and are used for filming, and some set pieces there for the tourists (Jaws, Earthquake, Mummy effects). At one point our guide had to turn his microphone off because we weed going past a soundstage where a CSI episode was currently being filmed, and we weren't able to go down Wisteria Lane - there was a security guard at the end of it along with some "closed set" bollards. Nicky was a mixture of disappointed that we didn't get to see more of the set and excited that filming was happening just around the corner.

After the backlot tour we queued up for the Simpsons ride. Jake loved it. I survived despite my dislike of simulator rides. As always full of sharp Simpsons humour.

After a break for coffee and a pastry we went and found the Shrek 4D show. I had seen it before at Universal in Florida, but last time we went there Jake was only 3 or 4 and he got into the pre show area (after a wait of an hour or so) so Nicky had to take him outside. This time we all managed to see it (Jake had seen the film sans the 4th D bit as it is an extra on one of the Shrek DVDs!).

We came out of the show and enjoyed wandering around the park and enjoying the scenery for a while before getting to the 2pm showing of the Animal Actors show. Exciting news - Jake was picked to be a volunteer for the canine actors part of the show and was up on stage for about 5 minutes. Our cameras went into meltdown, and he absolutely loved every minute of it - superb!

Afterwards we went to the lower lot area of the park (the studios are on a pretty steep hillside and so this involved going down 4 fairly long escalators). I did the Mummy coaster ( backwards and forwards in the dark, Mummy effects, no inversions), we had a look at the archive displays, and we saw Beetljuice, Wolfman et al, but other than the Jurassic Park river adventure, which none of us fancied, there wasn't much else at that end of the park, so we came back up to the top and went and found the Waterworld stunt show

Show was fantastic. We were in the first row after the splash zone. Still got a little bit wet, but it was really hot today so didn't exactly matter. After a look at the studio store we headed out of the park and spent some time in the City Walk area, including dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe before coming back to the hotel.

Plan is for a later start tomorrow, possibly heading into the Disney parks for a while.

Sent from my iPad

Pixie dust

So, a fairly quiet day today, spent mostly around the pool here at the hotel. Jake made friends with a boy called Henry, who is also here for a little longer than originally planned! The weather was lovely and warm, and Nicky and I enjoyed sunbathing and relaxing by the pool.

Yesterday, I'd spoken to the front desk about the possibility of extending our Disney passes, as we only have one day left. I didn't get very far - the best suggestion being to upgrade to annual passes at a cost of nearly $400. This afternoon, Nicky spoke with them and had considerably more success than me, and we've now ended up with passes that will cover the rest of our stay, and at a fraction of the cost. Nice one!

This evening we had dinner at a pizza restaurant in Downtown. Who knows, maybe tomorrow we might pop into a park!

Sent from my iPad

Still here

Well, plan A said that we would be on a plane back to Heathrow by now, but plan A went out of the window what now seems like a long time ago thanks to a volcano in Iceland.

The day started rather early when Virgin sent us a message to confirm that our flight had been cancelled. We were on the phone to them by 6am but they said that the earliest flight home that they could book us on was the same flight next Friday (!!!!!!) so all of a sudden we find ourselves with another week here in California.

I'd had the phone on speaker whilst we were waiting for quite a while to get through to Virgin (no doubt they were taking a fairly large volume of calls) and unfortunately this had woken Jake up. His first reaction to hearing about our lengthy delay was not at all positive, but Nicky managed to get him to see the bright side reasonable quickly. Judging by Nicky's Facebook traffic today it sounds like Jake may not be the only one in his class who won't make it back to school for the start of the summer term.

Similarly, when I called work it sounds like I am not the only one stuck overseas. Hopefully being away for another week won't prove to be too much of a problem - there is one rather important meeting next Thursday, so I will need to brief colleagues at some point between now and then. The biggest work bummer is using up my annual leave. What with our 2 week holiday booked in the summer it doesn't look too good for a long break by the time we get to Christmas!

Next up was the challenge of sorting out our accommodation. I went to the front desk, but they told me that I would need to call DVC member services to organize new reservations. Calling them, they have managed to get us a further two nights here at the Grand Californian, but then we need to move over the road to the Paradise Pier hotel. Good job that we'd just got our new Bay Lake Tower points, as this extra booking has done for them for this year, plus a borrow from next year as well. Still, at least it's not "real" money!!!

Can't say the same about everything else, but at least it was easy to call Budget and extend our rental for an extra week. We did try calling our travel insurance to see whether they would help us with any of our additional costs, but the clear and resounding "no" didn't come as that much of a surprise.

Now that we have all of this extra time we need to decide what to do with it. We only have one day left on our Disney passes, and extending them would essentially involve upgrading to an annual pass, which is rather expensive, so we are going to make do with one more day in the Disney parks. We've already done the vast majority of the rides that we wanted to do anyway. If we're lucky, they may have the Matterhorn Bobsleds back up and running when we use our last day.

Previously we'd decided that we would stick to Disney parks for this holiday, but with the extra time we're thinking that we will go over to Universal for a day. I will definitely need to pinch the memory card out of Jake's camera by then. The bad news is that I have taken about a thousand photos so far, so prepare to get bored, very very bored when we finally get home. You have been warned!

As to our day today, after this morning's stress we went out to Denny's for some comfort food - breakfast at lunchtime. Everything looks better after a couple of syrup-soaked pancakes. Then we went over to the Garden Grove shopping area - Anaheim's answer to the Pointe in Orlando. Looks to be very new and a pleasant environment, but lots of units still to be leased. They had a bowling alley, so we went in for a game. We were almost the only people in there, and it was the nicest bowling alley I've ever been to by quite some margin. Sadly I have to report that I was the only one not to get a strike. Jake was the winner, and the only one of us to break into three figures. I got a little bit of revenge on one of their American pool tables. Jake and I played a game of 8-ball and then a few games of 9-ball, a game which was new to Jake but which he
picked up well. Not wanting to boast (much!) but I did manage to clear the table at one visit from the break off in one game - only time I've ever managed that.

We popped to the supermarket (well two actually as the Walmart we went to was a bit disappointing so we stopped in at a Target as well) for some essentials - bottles of water, fruit, snacks, breakfast bars and so on.

Then back to the hotel and Jake enjoyed a dip in the pool before we headed to Whitewater Snacks for tea.

Weather forecast is for mid 70's and sunshine tomorrow, so plan is to stake out a good spot by the pool (we also picked up some suntan lotion at the supermarket today).

Sent from my iPad

Rides

Another park-filled day today, and who knows, maybe we'll end up having another one tomorrow. The latest on the volcanic ash situation is that the Virgin website is currently estimating that our flight will be delayed until just after midnight, and there should be a further update when we get up tomorrow.

Today we started the day off in DCA and did Toy Story Mania (I won!) and then Nicky and Jake went on the Fun Wheel and played on some of the boardwalk games, winning some soft toys, whilst I went on California Screamin (which was a pretty cool coaster) and then the Maliboomer (fires you 180 feet straight up a la Dr Doom). Next up I went on Mulholland Madness (just like Primeval Whirl at AK although the car don't spin) and N&J went on the Jumpin' Jellyfish and the Golden Zephyr. Between us, we'd done a pretty good job on the Paradise Pier section of the park.

Jake was keen to do another drawing, so we headed for the Animation Academy and this time we got to draw Goofy, and I think that all three came out very well. Whilst we were in the animation area we went to Turtle Talk with Crush. Radical dude - you rock!!

By now we were ready for lunch so we grabbed some food in Bug's Land, and then went on a couple of the rides there, the Chew Chew train and the Tuck and Roll buggies (slowest dodgem in the world). Both rides really for the smaller guests, but we got to tick them off!

We were just in time for the Aladdin show, a live action abbreviated version of the movie, but done very well. Interestingly a song for Jasmine that I'd not heard before - would be interesting to know if it was an Ashman/Menken original that was cut from the movie.

We couldn't resist taking in Muppet Vision 3D, even if it did turn out to be exactly the same as in Florida, and then Nicky was persuaded, against her better judgement, to come on the Grizzly River Run with us. We all got wet, but I think that Nicky came of worst, getting absolutely soaked, but she did admit that it was fun, albeit only because the ride is next door to our hotel entrance, so we could come straight back to the room to dry out.

After a swim back at the hotel we went into the Disneyland park this evening. Had dinner at ten Blue Bayou (food ok, service rubbish, not worth the hype) and then enjoyed Haunted Mansion, It's a Small World (where the new game is to spot the Disney movie characters in the ride) and then the Storybook Land Canal Boats, before heading out of the park, retreating to the sound of fireworks.

Sent from my iPad

Lakers

Late start after a busy day and we all enjoyed a lie in this morning. Nicky and I went over to the World of Disney store in Downtown for a shop and to enjoy the benefits of 20% off before midday. We picked up some sandwiches from the bakery next door and brought them back to our room for lunch.

After lunch we went down to the pool for a while. Jake and I played ball in the pool, I hot-tubbed, Nicky had a swim and a sunbathe.

Mid afternoon we got in the car and headed for downtown LA. Finding the Staples center turned out to be really easy and we parked right across the road from it. We had a look in the Lakers store and Jake got a cap and a Bryant shirt. Nicky was very disappointed that nowhere had any Lakers foam fingers!

We had tea across the road at the ESPN Zone and after a little wander we went in and got settled in. Our seats were right at the top but we had a great view. Confusingly, even though the Staples center is the home of the Lakers, it is also home for the Clippers who they were playing, and this was a Clippers home game, so the banners, court etc were decked out the the Clippers logo. I think that the Lakers must be coasting a bit as they've already made the playoffs, so there was no Kobe tonight and the Lakers lost by 107 to 91. Still, we all enjoyed the spectacle - lots of fun and a good atmosphere.

Roads were fairly busy around the stadium so it took a while to get back, and we only made one wrong turn.

Sent from my iPad

More parks

Busy day, log day, so keeping blog brief - up early and in park for EMH - not many rides open early - went on 3 in Fantasyland - Alice, tea cups and Mr Toad - then to Indy ride - like Dinosaur at AK - I liked it - N and J didn't - went on jungle cruise - had apple slices and caramel sauce - to tomorrow land and Autopia - Nicky rammed me - claimed it was due to my sudden braking - Innoventions and the house of tomorrow - I want a 100 inch tv and a table that plays draughts - saw family of Portsmouth fans - they made fun as I was in Spurs top - got monorail to Downtown - went over Golden Gate for 2nd time in holiday - offsite to Walgreens the Dennys for lunch - had a swim - to DCA but too late for more picture drawing so back to sorcerer walkthrough - Storytellers cafe for buffet tea - N and J back to room and me back to park for more rides - did the mountain hat-trick - Big Thunder then Splash then Space - a couple of quick Buzz rides plus pirates and
back home to bed.

Sent from my iPad

Parks

Well it was probably a good thing that we had a fairly slow start this morning given how much we've ended up doing. I could claim that we decided to have a lay in because it was raining, but the truth is that we didn't notice until we'd headed out of the room.

Breakfast at the hotel (Mickey waffles and French toast) and then into DCA. First stop Soarin' which is just the same as the one in Epcot, but it was here first! Great as ever, and by the time we came out the sun had appeared. Next up was a new ride for us, the Monsters Inc, Mike and Sulley to the Rescue ride in the Hollywood Backlot area (which is a bit chaotic at the moment as the middle of the main street is boarded off whilst they install a tram). The ride involves sitting in a Monstropolis taxi going through a number of scenes summarizing the movie storyline. The room with all of the doors is great.

After this we went into the animation area and to the Animation Academy where we all got to draw Jack Skellington. I was hoping for a more classic character, but still fun. On the way out there was a Toy Story zoetrope (?) which was excellent - will be interesting to see how it comes out on the camera.

Then we went to the Sorceror's Workshop, a walkthrough exhibit with more hands on animation. In the Beast's library we all got to find out which Disney character we're most like. Apparently Jake is Woody, I'm Jiminy Cricket and Nicky is Tarzan's Jane.

Carrying on around the park we had a look around the Golden State area which is a bit like Monterey Bay (!) and had a look at the bakery tour and the tortilla factory, enjoying the free samples in both. Wandering into Paradise Pier we played on some of the boardwalk games - Jake won a Woody toy, and then went on the Fun Wheel (a non swinging version).

By this point we were ready for lunch so we went back over to the bakery. I had clam chowder I. A bread bowl -again! One more ride after lunch and Jake and I went on the Grizzly River Run, a raft ride similar to Kali River Rapids at Animal Kingdom. We both loved it - Jake's first time on a ride like this - and we both got soaked! The good news was that the ride is really close to the entrance directly into our hotel, and so we could come back to the room to change into some dry clothes.

After a pitstop we were back out to explore the rest of Downtown and went to the cinema to see the Wimpy Kid movie which was good fun. There's a monorail station in Downtown so we hopped on after the movie and off in Tomorrowland, and straight into the queue for the Nemo submarines. These were quite like the Nemo ride in Epcot with a mixture of underwater stuff and screens with Nemo characters.

Next we decided to give Captain EO a try. Mixed feelings about this one - great that it has been brought back as a tribute to MJ, but it was made in 1986 and to be totally honest it hasn't aged all that well. It was nice that MJ got a cheer when he first appeared on screen, but a shame that a few bits got unintended laughs.

After a slice of pizza for tea we snuck into Buzz for a quick bit of target practice. Modesty forbids me from saying who got the highest score. The fireworks were just a couple of minutes later so we were able to watch them, although we didn't get the best vantage point and ended up with some of them being behind a tree. May try to get a more Main Street vantage point in the next few days.

Back to hotel and off to bed now. Plan is to get cracking again early tomorrow as there's an extra magic hour first thing.

Sent from my iPad

Arrived Disneyland

Well we've arrived in LA and at the Grand Californian hotel at Disneyland. We started off this morning (seems like ages ago) in Santa Barbara and had our hotel breakfast before checking out and getting on the road. We drove through Malibu (past the Two and Half Men house apparently!) and into Santa Monica where we stopped for a trip to the pier to play some arcade games and have a corn dog.

Getting back on the road we made a point of driving up Santa Monica boulevard but it really wasn't anything to write home about - even though I am! I blame Sheryl Crow for getting our hopes up - maybe it gets better further up towards the city centre.

LA roads are large as expected. Several times on the way to Disneyland we counted 7 lanes across our side of the road. Got close to Disney with no problems but then had to stop to study the map to find our way to the hotel.

Grand Californian is a very nice hotel. A bit reminiscent of the Wilderness Lodge at WDW. After we'd checked in and unpacked we went for an explore around the parks, which really are on the doorstep of the hotel. We went straight into DCA using the entrance from the hotel and had a little look around there before heading across to the Disneyland park. We arrived just in time for the Celebrate parade on Main Street.

Very strange being in the California version of the park. Everything seems familiar and unfamiliar all at the same time. Lots of recognizable rides and attractions, but no quite in the "right" (Florida!) locations. And as the guidebooks and websites had warned, the castle is really small!

Enjoyed a good look around the park. Fairly busy, but we are hopeful that it will be quieter over the next few days. Didn't go on any rides apart from doing a circuit on the train before heading back to the hotel. Had dinner at the hotel food court.

Big plans for parks and rides tomorrow.

PS - won't be a Chelsea v Spurs cup final after all. So much for top four and last four. Now fifth and out!

PPS - yes, now enjoying blogging from iPad with big screen and big keyboard!

Sent from my iPad

Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara today, and almost as exciting as anything else is the news that the iPad is up and running. We found an Apple store in Santa Barbara today and they very kindly plugged my iPad into one of their macs so that the setup could be completed. I'm now up and running properly!

Anyway, the day started off in Grover Beach and after a quick breakfast at the hotel we got on the road. Decided to stick to the freeway today rather than the more windy Highway 1 and so we arrived in Santa Barbara by about eleven in the morning. We dropped our bags at the hotel and went for a wander. Checked out the pier and then Jake and I had a game of ball on the beach. Then it was up State Street into the main part of town. Had lunch at Joe's cafe and then did the walking tour around some of the town's historic sights. This included the courthouse where we went up the tower to enjoy the views of the town.

Walking back down the main street (State Street) we noticed the Apple store and a plan was hatched. Got the electric tram back to the front and came back to the hotel for a while. When we went back into town we got the tram back up as far as the Apple store where as well as getting the iPad set up we all got new covers and cases.

Had pizza for dinner and we're all pretty tired after another fun day.

Next stop LA and Disneyland!

Grover Beach

So, we thought we'd taken a lot of photos yesterday ...

Started the day off checking out of the Clement in Monterey. Took the scenic route down 17 mile drive past lots of flash houses, the lone cypress and Pebble Beach. We stopped off at the golf course. Much excitement as Nicky found a bottle of Morgan Chardonnay (we'll put an ice bucket to good use at some point in the next few days) and I got a Pebble Beach 2010 US Open baseball cap. May be getting ahead of myself in golf majors but couldn't miss the opportunity.

Driving down Highway 1 was just spectacular. Highlights were Bixby Bridge, Big Sur (where we stopped for lunch) and then a whole beach full of elephant seals. Truly amazing.

Stopped off in Pizmo Beach for an ice cream and then came to find our hotel (at the second attempt). The Holiday Inn Express isn't quite up to Intercontinental Clement standards (e.g. No zen garden in the room !!!) but it's fine for an overnight stop.

Just had dinner next door at the AJ Spurs steakhouse. Had steak and a beer with "all the fixins" - which turn out to be soup, beans, salad, bread, potatoes and rice. Quite full up now!

Aquarium

Today we went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which is about 100 yards along Cannery Row from our hotel, and now we can see why people say it's the best in the world.

We started off with the Sea Otters and then worked our way around the rest of the exhibits - sealions, jellyfish, shark, octopus, pengiuns, and loads more.

Once it was time for lunch we decided to head out of the aquarium (getting hand stamps on the way out) and went to Archie's Diner around the corner. Next door to it were some outlet stores where we got Jake a pair of Converse shoes.

After a bit of a look around Monterey Bay and a quick play on the beach we popped back in to the hotel for a pitstop before heading back to the aquarium for the last hour or so before it closed so that we could enjoy it with smaller crowds.

Lots and lots of photos today - managed to get the total on my camera under 200 by deleting the duff ones, but Nicky took loads as well.

After the aquarium we walked back along Cannery Row and Jake and I had a ball game on the beach.

Then back to the hotel and to their restaurant for dinner. Food was good, and Nicky and I shared a half bottle of Morgan Monterey Chardonnay. Happy days!

Monterey

We finished off packing up our things in SF this morning before heading a couple of blocks from our hotel to the Budget rental place to pick up our car. We decided to upgrade to a larger car (for an extra 7 dollars per day!) and then went back to the hotel to pick up our bags.

Heading out of SF was fairly easy. We zigzagged through the grid of streets until we came to Highway 1 and then stayed on it.

Scenery on the way down was lovely. For the majority of the time we stayed very close to the Pacific Ocean. We stopped off in Santa Cruz and went to the Boardwalk where we enjoyed playing in the arcades. Jake won lots of tickets (partly thanks to Nicky hitting the jackpot on one of the machines). We had corndogs on a stick for lunch! Weather was glorious.

Arrived in Monterey at about 3pm and checked into the very posh Intercontinental Clement Hotel. Had a look around Cannery Row and Jake and I played ball on the beach (with one of his prizes from the arcade).

We had dinner at Bubba Gump's which is next door to the hotel. Jake really wants to see the film now. The place was full of Forrest Gump stuff - signs saying "I cut the grass for free", pictures of Lieutenant Dan, Jake's meal arriving in a Jenny shrimping boat, and so on.

We're slobbing out at the hotel now. Off to the aquarium tomorrow.

Alcatraz and Angel

And so our time in SF is coming towards an end, but we've had a great day to round it off.

We started off by heading down to Pier 33 to get our Alcatraz tickets. There was a moment of panic when it looked like they were sold out for the day, but thankfully it turned out that there were some tickets left for the Alcatraz plus Angel Island tour. We had no idea what Angel Island was all about but the boat was going in ten minutes so we said yes to the tickets and jumped on board.

First stop Alcatraz after a fifteen minute ride and some more photos (Nicky is wondering whether I'll have taken more photos of the Golden Gate bridge this holiday than of the Disney castle!!). Walked up the hill to the main prison building and did the audio tour. Fascinating stuff. Turns out that there was an escape in 1962 when three inmates dug holes in their cell walls and climbed out through the service space between the cells. Got off the island and were never seen again. Sounds more than a little bit Shawshank. Bought a book to learn more about it.

Back to the dock at midday for the ride to Angel Island where we had a tram tour. Island is now a national park (as is Alcatraz). Formerly used as an army base and as the West coast's Ellis Island. We all really enjoyed the extra bit of our tour and were glad that we'd ended up with this bonus to our day.

Water was surprisingly choppy on the way back to Pier 33 and then to Pier 39 for some more arcade fun before coming back to the hotel.

Wine and apple cider at the hotel before heading back out. Went to Ghiradelli's square and picked up some chocolate before going to Capurro's (restaurant opposite the hotel) for dinner. This time I did get my clam chowder in a bread bowl.

Off down the coast tomorrow.

Sent from my iPod

An Apple a day - nearly

Not up too early. Got cable car into city. Stood on the edge. Rain stopped earlier than expected. Went to Apple store. Out of ipads. Did shopping. Jake got new games. Went back to Apple store. Ipads had been delivered. Bought one. Went to Cheesecake factory at Macy's. Had lentil soup. Key lime cheesecake. Not as nice as Jake's white chocolate and raspberry swirl. Rode the F market streetcar back to hotel. Discovered that need to sync ipad with iTunes before using. Bummer. Had free glass of wine at hotel. Ice cream from Ben & Jerry's next door. Finished Cannery Row. Enjoyed it. Tired now. Going to bed.

Sent from my iPod (not my ipad)

Rainy day

Picking up where I left off yesterday, we went out for a wander in the afternoon walking up the amazingly steep Hyde Street and taking some photos at the top of Lombard Street (the famous windy road) before carrying on to Union Street and having a browse in a few shops and some dinner.

We walked home a different way to avoid the hills, but still had tired feet ready for bed by the time we got back.

Didn't wake up quite as early this morning and we went out and got the cable car over to Union Square. Had coffee and muffins for breakfast at Borders. Got a copy of Steinbeck's Cannery Row - seemed appropriate given our next destination.

We were going to get on the tour bus from Union Square but lots of others had the same idea so we hopped in a cab to the California Academy of Science. Excellent museum and a great place to spend a rainy day in San Francisco.

We canned it back to Fisherman's Wharf and had a late lunch at Johnny Rockets. Stopped in to Walgreens for a few provisions and spent the rest of the afternoon chilling out at the hotel. Just ordered some room service - I'm having a bread bowl of clam chowder.

Forecast says it will be rainy again tomorrow. Shopping is planned. Hopefully dry and getting warmer from Tuesday.

Sent from my iPod

Enjoying SF

Time for a blog update. Blogging via email using iPod touch and the Argonaut wireless network (which is also enabling me to tweet and Nicky to post pictures and updates to Facebook). Ain't technology grand!

Seen Dad's comment on my previous post. Welcome to the 21st century now that broadband has finally arrived with you. Keep them coming - nice to know that someone is reading my posts.

So flight over went smoothly. We all managed to get a bit of shut eye, so hopefully the jet lag won't be too bad. I read my Grisham book and Nicky and Jake enjoyed a few movies.

We landed at about quarter past two and I think we were in our taxi by about three. Turned out that we were on the same flight as Jonathan Ross and his family. Nicky got his autograph for Jake at baggage claim!

We arrived at the Argonaut in the rain and our room is very nice. We couldn't really appreciate that we had a room with a view because of the misty and rainy conditions, but now we can see the Golden Gate bridge very clearly from our window.

Once we'd unpacked the rain had stopped so we went for a little stroll to Ghiradelli's Square and had some tea at Lori's Diner. Then back to the hotel for an early night.

We were all awake stupidly early this morning so we watched a bit of TV (J watched the Chelsea game!) before heading out at about half past seven. Turns out that the Fisherman's Wharf area doesn't really open up until about nine. We had breakfast at Denny's and we were on the first open top tour bus of the day. It was pretty cold up top, but we stuck it out almost all the way round including over the Golden Gate before heading downstairs for the return the other way. Lots of photos!

The bus dropped us about 100 yards from our hotel, so we stopped in at Starbucks for a thawing hot chocolate before popping back to the hotel.

Since then we've been out for a walk along the wharf area and been to Pier 39 - saw the sealions. Now back for an afternoon nap and to contemplate our next move. I expect we'll be back out later - the sun is out and the forecast is fir rain for the next couple of days so we should make the most of it.

Our tour bus tickets are still valid tomorrow and a nice lady gave us a couple of tram tickets earlier on which are value for the next two days so we should be getting around OK even if the weather does take a turn for the worse.

Right, time for a nap.

Sent from my iPod

The airport lounge post

In accordance with tradition, here is the post from the gate lounge at the airport. We are safely arrived here in good time, Nicky is reading Hello and Jake is playing on his PSP.

This morning has gone smoothly. Uncle Martin arrived at half past six and we loaded up and hit the road. We were here by a quarter to eight and despite the airport feeling fairly busy, check in and security had short queues.

Had breakfast at Chez Gerrard (OK but not as good as F&B at Gatwick) and being true creatures of habit, or shopping purchases at the airport were the same as always - game and new headphones for Jake, Grisham and ken ken books for me, and perfume and magazine for Nicky.

Hopefully we'll be boarding soon. I think we're all looking forward to a good snooze on the way to San Francisco!