Day2 in San Francisco and Last Day in the US

My day started with brunch at Aveline with my friend HF. Just wanted to show you how I got around on my own. E would always be our navigator and I would just follow him but I managed this time.  I did the same for the walk to Embarcadero the day before.

Just wanted to show E that our restaurant of choice (because it's cheap) 6 years ago was still there in the same location.  I even saw our former hotel which was along the same street.

After brunch, I went back to the hotel to do some last minute packing before checking out to meet our friend DR who brought me to several tourist spots where E and I didn't get the chance to go the last time:

Sausalito

Palace of the Arts

Palace of the Arts with DR

Marina

Also had the chance to see friend from Share CE we went to Lands End Point Lobos.

Last Stop: San Francisco

E and I were in San Francisco 6 years ago and I knew then that I will definitely go back. This time around, I'm lucky to get to stay at the Westin St. Francis on Union Square.  I loved the location because it was really close to everything, no need to take any transportation to get to places.

This is the view from our first meeting:

We had lunch at the Greek restaurant Kokkari Estiatorio.  This should be a really popular place as there was a really long line when we left the restaurant.

We were finally free by mid-afternoon!  I went around the shops around the area until it was time to meet my high school friends.

I'm proud to say that I walked all the way, picking up my friend HF in the Financial District and had the opportunity to tour a genuine start-up company with their free coffee, soda and snacks.  Wow! Then we walked together to Embarcadero. We met our friend NN and his family at OSHA Thai in Embarcadero.

3rd Stop: Washington D.C.

We stayed at the very expensive Four Seasons Washington D.C.  Our room was big but I thought it is overpriced. Nothing really special that would justify the price.

But I did have a wonderful time with my good friend from high school VAK. We had a nice time catching up at the Lounge at Bourbon Steak.  The last time I visited her in DC was 7 years ago.  How time flies.

The next morning, our breakfast meeting was held at  Seasons, also located within the hotel.

We had a very busy day travelling from DC to Wilmington, Delaware by train, and then to Philadelphia by car. Good thing I remembered to take out my iPhone to take this souvenir photo while our limo service passed the Washington Monument on our way to Union Station. Unfortunately no photos of Wilmington and Philadelphia...

Boston!

My first time in Boston was for a mere 24 hours.  Too short but enough to know that I do love the city starting with the airport which was newly renovated.  We stayed at the Copley Square Hotel, which was quite old but charming.  Didn't get to take a photo as breakfast was an official meeting, but liked Langham Hotel's Cafe Fleuri.  We had lunch at Oceanaire Seafood Room which is a popular chain but really elegant.

The view from one of our meeting rooms.  Next time I swear I will see Harvard University.

US Roadshow 2015: First Stop New York!

This has got to be the highlight of my working life:  A US roadshow covering seven cities.  It has been six long years since my last US trip.

Had the chance to set foot on Vancouver on our layover on the way to New York.

A glimpse of Vancouver on our layover

We stayed at this charming boutique hotel for the New York leg citizenM New York and loved staying there, especially the 24/7 cafe which allowed me to have relaxing breakfasts at 515AM.

Saw BFF DL and college classmate CS at Shake Shack Times Square, where we had burgers, fries and shakes while standing up the whole time!

Checking out

The view of Central Park from one of my meetings.  Breathtaking!

Also had the chance to dine in some of New York's hottest restaurants:  Oceana, Fresco by Scotto and Esca.  Unfortunately, I couldn't  take photos because those were official meals, but the experience was amazing.

Friends and Our Last Day in San Francisco (and the US!)

We stayed in San Francisco 3 days and two nights and managed to see most of the city in a day. The best part of our stay was actually seeing friends and spending time with them.


We saw LCN and family on our 2nd day and our only full day. We spent time with the family the whole afternoon (see previous entry):



In the evening we met up with BB, E's ex-officemate who is now based in Vallejo, and her family. We had dinner at this pizza place in Pier 39 at Fisherman's Wharf where E and BB updated each other about their lives. E also updated BB about people and events in his Company. They reconnected through me, BB found me on Facebook!:

The next morning, we had coffee at the Union Square with my friend from Grade School CPD and her husband SD. We counted the years, and it was 27 years since we last saw each other. She looked great by the way, and I think she even looks prettier now! Does she look like a mother of a seventeen year-old?
After our coffee date with CPD and SD, E and I did some last minute shopping at the Westfield Shopping Center. Here, I did some last minute shopping at Bath and Body Works. Also scored a hoodie at USD12 and another pajama at USD9 from Victoria's Secret. There were also a lot of sportswear on sale -- didn't know Victoria's Secret carried a sportswear line-- and scored several items at 50% off.

LCN took a day off from her very busy schedule with the kids to finally see us off. We had lunch at this popular Thai food chain and then had coffee and dessert at Cheesecake Factory at the topmost floor of Macy's Union Square.

And soon enough, it was time to go...

It was another sad day for me... we have officially ended our grand vacation. Back to reality. Of course, reality isn't so bad. We have to go back to work eventually... how else could we pay our bills? To look at it the positive way: It's now time to plan the next vacation!

San Francisco in a Day

In San Francisco, we stayed at the Adante Hotel located on Geary St., walking distance from Union Square. Although the hotel was modest, the central location more than made up for it. And for about USD70 per night, including taxes (which was more than 10%), it was well worth it. An added plus would be the Filipino front-desk personnel Leo, who was so helpful. We felt right at home. Special thanks to my friend JDV who made this hotel booking possible.

We only had two nights in San Francisco and really just one full day, so we planned that day well. Leo offered us a city tour package that cost around USD40 each.

On the Tour Bus, everyone stayed on the upper deck, except E and me. We had the lower deck all to ourselves, and so it felt like we had our own limo service, hahaha!


The Tour Bus basically went around the city so we saw Lombard Street, or the world's crookedest street... but our tour guide said that it's not Lombard anymore, it's Wall Street !:-D We also saw the financial district, City Hall, Castro Street (and all the rainbow flags hanging on residential and commercial buildings),Chinatown and Little Italy.

Our first major stop was at the Mission Dolores, the oldest structure in the city.

Second stop was on Twin Peaks, supposedly the highest point of the city, and the view was breathtaking!


Golden Gate Park was next, where we saw the Japanese Garden where some parts of "Memoirs of a Geisha" were shot.



And then of course, the highlight of the tour was to cross the Golden Gate Bridge and take pictures!


After the tour, we had a few hours before we were to meet my good friend and high school barkada LCN and her family . We had lunch first at Jack in the Box because we saw one near Union Square, and they had this steak and rice dish. We were so hungry after the tour, and it was way past lunch time. After that E and I went on our separate ways. I went to Victoria's Secret where I saw pajamas on 75% off. Got two worth USD7 each! Here's a picture of E at Union Square.



LCN and family picked us up at the hotel and brought us to the Cable Car Museum first before taking us on a ride at a Cable Car! LCN's kids are soooo cute!


We rode the Cable Car to Fisherman's Wharf where we had a Clam Chowder snack!

All of those in one day! We had such a full and fun day.:-)

Viva Las Vegas!

My good friend from college BS invited E and I to Las Vegas. We left their home in Corona at around 4:30AM, and got there right in time for breakfast. After breakfast at IHOP, we went straight to Mandalay Bay for the Shark Reef Aquarium. Couldn't resist a photo by THE Wedding Chapel. We saw a couple of similar chapels when we drove through the strip, but this might be special because it's in the posh Mandalay Bay.

We had a late lunch at Applebee's where I had the Shrimp and Pomelo Salad, and I loved it. After lunch we checked in at our hotel, and wow, were we surprised. BS and wife SS went all out and booked us at the luxurious Wynn Hotel. E and I were so excited, and so grateful for their generosity. It was so hard to leave our hotel room, but we still had a lot to explore.

After enjoying our hotel room and resting for a few hours, we walked through the strip and it was really exciting! The lights, people all dressed up for parties or clubs, and the party atmosphere, it was all so glamorous!

Right in front of the Wynn

In front of the Bellagio where we watched the dancing fountains

Paris and Bally's hotels in the background

Inside the Venetian

We got back to the hotel at around 1AM and we were exhausted walking the 2 mile strip. The next morning, we went to Caesar's Palace and the Bellagio because we missed those the night before.

The grand entrance of the Bellagio


Buffet Brunch at the Bellagio Coffee Shop

We were very fortunate to have been invited by the S family. It was such a grand vacation, the generous and very gracious hosts didn't let us spend for anything, and we are truly very grateful. We will never forget this Las Vegas holiday, and will forever be thankful for good friends!