Some things you should know if you ever decide to visit here.
•Food is HELLA expensive. Booze is too. Think of the Redwood Room as your regular hangout with their prices. It’s like that.
•Beverages (as in comes in a bottle) costs CH3.50. For a bottle of water or a bottle of Diet Coke (500ml). Anywhere except the grocery stores, where it’s a bit more like it should be (cheaper)
•Did I mention that all the stores are closed on Sunday except for the stores connected to an airport or railway station? They’re open and since they’re the only game in town, that becomes the hottest place to be! On Sunday. That’s not just a Zurich thing, it’s a Swiss thing.
•Lodging is hella expensive also. It’s Manhattan level prices here. The friggin’ hostel is CHF30+ a night for a bunk. Again, like Manhattan…
•The Swiss Federal Railways. Almost JR like efficiency and density. They don’t play silly tunes on the platform though. This IS Switzerland!
•Canton (county) Public transit is a mix of buses and trams. Strangely enough, the fleet here is clean, safe and punctual. They run on something called a “schedule”. Now for those of us who live in San Francisco, this is a foreign concept (or something of fantasy that doesn’t involve purging the entire second floor of Silly Hall). This is what a “schedule” means outside San Francisco when the word is applied to transit:
schedule |ˈskejoōl; -jəl|
noun
a plan for carrying out a process or procedure, giving lists of intended events and times : we have drawn up an engineering schedule.
• (usu. one’s schedule) one’s day-to-day plans or timetable : take a moment out of your busy schedule.
• a timetable : information on airline schedules.
•Best of all, good Cuban cigars are hella cheap! A Ramon Allones Specially Selected sells at the La Casa del Habano for CHF10! Convert it yourself and you’ll see that’s half the price they are in Hong Kong, the other source for good quality Habanos.
Almost makes a CHF14.00 Big Mac Value Meal worth it! BTW, you get 30 minutes free Wi-Fi with that…