At last there’s another option for getting into Tokyo cheaply without a JR Pass!
Before, the two cheapest options for getting into Tokyo was taking the Keisei Skyliner (Y1920, 62 min) or the Keisei Tokkyu, (Y1000, 74 min). Both trains drop you off at either Keisei Ueno or Nippori Station on the Yamanote Line.
Now as of 28 March, JR East is introducing a combo Suica bundle for Y3500 that has a one way journey on the N’Ex (Narita Express) for Y1500 and also has a Y1500 Suica credit that can be used on all the other trains and buses in the Tokyo area. Y500 is the card deposit. The Suica card can be used in stores and some fast food places and can be recharged and reused like an ordinary Suica. It’s a good deal since you’ll be spending money in Tokyo ANYWAY on things like snacks and transport. With this deal, taking the N’Ex into Tokyo, Shinjuku or even Yokohama is Y1500! Now that’s a good deal, and good deals in Tokyo are hard to come by. So now there’s one less excuse not to go for Hanami!
So after my Friday night plans fell through (grrrr), I decided to do the San Francisco thing and geek out on the computer.
Walking Ixus has had the same look for three years; I figured it was time to freshen it up. Still working out some of the kinks, but the new sitemap goes something like this:
Archives and Categories are on the left.
Fun Stuff is on the right.
Kinda matches up with your left/right side of the brain thing, huh? Here’s something else for your left/right side of the brain thing…
First it’s been really cold and it rained today. It also hailed while I was riding my motorcycle back to the house. What did I learn? I can ride in the rain (must buy a rainsuit) but I kanna ride in hail. At all. I nearly ate it three times in four blocks…
In event planning, the devil’s in the details. Such as it was with my friend’s 40th Birthday Party. Mark’s not one to do things on a small scale. And his party (planned by his wife, Angie) was planned very well. How?
First, there was a pre-party.
Kinda like kissing the ring, except these are balls!A glass of red and Cars on the Blu-Ray playerFirst taste! Mmmmmm.Two guys and a lotta gals!
About 20 of use met at his house and proceeded to down 9 bottles of wine in three hours along with hoity-toity snacks to go with the wine including:
Totino’s Pizza Rolls
Jalapeno Cheese Poppers
Meatballs
Blondies (the evil version of brownies)
Spicy sausage wrapped in bacon
Mashed potatoes (?)
Perfect snacks to complement a 2001 Whitehall Lane…
Freshly killed mashed potatoes…
Next, we all carpooled (except for the birthday couple and 10 select guests) to dinner in Palo Alto where we proceeded to be loud, silly and downing 11 more bottles of wine which was brought from the house.
Getting in the party van!IMG 3635
As the evening went on, the crowd got sillier.
IMG 3612IMG 3632IMG 3624IMG 3640This be the G-rated version!! WAHAHAH
Even the birthday “cake” wasn’t free of silliness!
Looks like they’re fighting over who gets to eat it first…She won that contest…That’s a lotta empties…
After dinner, we continued our festivities at Blue Chalk and then ended with a nightcap back at the house. That was fine, until the karaoke was fired up. I endured k-tv until 0330 when I declared it was time to leave. And that’s why I got home at 0430 this AM!
As I noted in an earlier entry, the UK Government has, with very short notice, doubled the Air Passenger Duty (APD) also known as a “tax” for passengers who fly to or from the UK. Story here and here.
Although this won’t be a big deal for corporate types who fly there on business or rich folk or gov’t types, here is how it breaks down for the rest of us…
* Economy class flights in Europe, internal UK flights – £10
* Business and first class flights in Europe – £20
* Economy class long-haul flights – £40
* Business and first class long-haul flights – £80
Of particular interest to the back/flash packer crowd are the amounts for economy class tickets. Since back/flash packers normally fly the cheapest fare they can find, these taxes hit them at a greater percentage than it would for a rich corporate government bigshot.
Economy long haul flights to and from the UK will be taxed at £40 (US$78) each way. That means that out of any ticket you buy that ends up in the UK, US$156 of that will be tax. That makes the US$299 r/t deal to London sound a lot less palatable, dun it?
Now, US$156 can buy you a nifty ticket on Ryanair or Easyjet to other parts of Europe. Neat. But wait, you’ll have to pay £20 round trip for that trip. Or US$78 plus the price of your ticket. Dun sound like a bargain anymore does it?
The worst part of this tax is that it’s supposed to go “to the environment”. Nothing more. No further details. Sounds like a slush fund for Labour and a virtual mugging of travelers to me!
But here’s a bright spot. This is greater incentive to visit the City of Light instead. Despite the language barrier, the food’s better and the cigars are cheaper. And for US$129.50 (less than the tax) you can take Eurostar into London if you must go.
On Mason near Bay Street, at the Powell-Mason cable car turntable, I give you the most caffeinated trash can ever seen, ANYWHERE!
Burp. Burpburpburpburp
Across the way is a Starbucks. They sell a lot of coffee to tourists waiting for the cable car to take them back to Union Square. Where there’s even more Starbucks for them to get their caffeine fix…
I delivered my guest to SFO so she could catch an international flight that was supposed to leave at 0600. That usually means that passengers need to be delivered to the airport 2 (?) hours in advance.
When we arrived at the Terminal, there were no airline personnel around. Or maybe we were at the wrong end of the Terminal. In either case, she’s on to colder climes and I made my way to bed. I slept to 10:00 and made brekkie. Then I fell asleep again. Just woke up and am still exhausted!
Oh yeah, 恭喜發財! Happy Year of bacon, I mean pork chop, I mean the pig!
I’ve recently realized that the Napa Valley, for all of its greatness (great wine, great food), CAN be overdone.
Two weekends ago, I did my annual pilgrimage to Silver Oak and surrounding wineries. This past Friday and Saturday (CNY eve, yes I know…) I did Napa all over again with my visiting from overseas friend. I can truthfully say that’s I’m knackered. Too much good wine, too much good food, too much CHOCKY (yes, S-A, it IS possible) that I’m actually craving something more ghetto, something more common.
Maybe like a chef salad? Or a Chicken McNugget? No, not THAT tired of good food yet…
Friday was a great day of wine and food. It started with Domaine Chandon. Champagne, whoops I mean “sparkling wine” and salmon. Not bad for the first snack of the day…
Salmon. Looks good and it’s so easy to assemble!
Lunch was at the Rutherford Grill along with a visit to BV. These two always go together. For over three hours!!
Rutherford Grill’s famous Spinach and Artichoke dip
Someone’s at the dip…
They make a great rotisserie chicken! Moist and everything!
By the time we finished lunch, there was only time to hit one more winery before closing time. And that was V. Sattui again. Remember the adult ho-ho? Well, we bought one and mostly split it.
IMG 3574
A mostly devoured Adult Ho-Ho. And it wasn’t all me! My half is still on the plate..
It was SOOO rich and filling that there was no dinner! That was a lot of chocolate…
Saturday we went to Copia for their annual “Death by Chocolate” event.
This….is Copia’s parking lot
And yes, the title of the event was an accurate description. Besides the very long demonstration events where dessert cooks were making desserts (takes a very long time to do that), there was a tasting event from 1300-1500 on both floors. Every form of gourmet chocky and wine to complement it. So much that I’m actually swearing off sweets.
For a week.
Copia also has a fancy restaurant named after Julia Child. We had a small lunch.
Cream of Cauliflower soup.
The happy diner.
A very good burger
Things in Napa usually shut down by 17:00 so it was back to SFO to wind up this visit. And if you live in The City, you know that traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge is crap going inbound. So we wound up watching the traffic roll in from the Headlands instead.
After 20+ years, I visited the Magic Kingdom AKA Disneyland with an out of town friend. Even though a lot of things have changed here (where’s Fort Wilderness?), much of the charm is still there.
The Main Street drag
The Lion King
Parades several times daily
Parking lot
The queues are still there (Space Mountain with loud RedHotChiliPeppers soundtrack)
We built this place!
As far back as I can remember, people have always complained about the high price of food and beverage at Disneyland. The stalls scattered all around the park are pricey but the sit down restaurants are strangely reasonable, considering what you get.
For good sit down food, this wasn’t that bad.
IMG 3453
IMG 3449
A tower of beignets!
And naturally, the day ends at Disneyland with fireworks.
IMG 3487
Fireworks begin at 21:30 instead of 21:00 now
I realized during this trip that my interest in transportation began with a visit to Disneyland when I was very young. A LOT of the rides and attractions here revolve around transportation.
Space Mountain
Autopia
Matterhorn
Big Thunder Railroad
Monorail
All are things that society needs to get around (or will get soon). That explains my facination with transportation maybe?? Some things here are more recent necessities…
The most cheerful security checkpoint in California. Not operated by TSA
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