Before I continue, let me just say that I had to go back to Vallejo, CA, on Friday, April 26th, because I didn't budget enough money for my San Francisco vacation and had to go back home to cash my check so I could have more spending money on hand. When I did the math, I found out that it would take about $150 per person each day to vacation in San Francisco, provided that one doesn't spend too much money on souvenirs and that one finds the cheapest hotel accommodation in the first place!
Now, I'm seriously considering taking-up someone's offer to stay free--or at a greatly reduced rate--at a fancier hotel in San Francisco.
When I left my condo, I decided to put in a gallon's worth of gas in my car's tank first. So, I headed for the Chevron Gas Station across from Six Flags Discovery Kingdom ( f.k.a. Marine World, Africa, USA ) on Fairgrounds Drive.
I was on Sereno Drive when I noticed in my rearview mirror a silver car that went around another car that stopped at the stop sign at the intersection of Cima Drive. And the silver car then drove on the wrong side of the road, going about 45 mph in a 25 mph residential zone! He passed by me, a young black reckless, inconsiderate, irresponsible Dumbass Idiot male Driver! In all likelihood, he was the one who went around traffic on Fairgrounds Drive and drove a white pick-up truck across a red light last year. And he probably was the same one who drove on the wrong side of the road, on Fairgrounds Drive again, to cut me off some time last year, too!
As if that was not bad enough, an automotive cleaning products salesman accosted me at the Chevron Gas Station, very aggressively trying to get me to buy his stuff. I told him that I wasn't interested. It took a while for his harassment to stop, and for the obnoxious asshole to leave me along, as he began to notice that I was starting to get angry.
I got to the El Cerrito Del Norte Bart Station only to find out that the 10:10 a.m. Fremont-bound train had a mechanical problem. We, the passengers, all had to walk down from the platform and walk up to the opposite platform to catch the next train that had to be rerouted around the stalled train.
We waited for the San Francisco/Millbrae-bound train at the MacArthur Bart Station.
A man sat next to me with a coffee cup in his hand. I stopped drinking coffee four months ago back in December 28th of last year. I could smell his coffee, and it was making me nauseous!!! And four months was all it took for it to give me that kind of an adverse reaction to coffee.
I got off at Powell Street Bart Station. I walked up to Powell Street and Ellis Street when I should have gone the other way, Powell Street and Market Street--so much for common sense!
When I got to the waiting area around the Cable Car Stop, I realized then and there that weekends is not a good time to go to Fisherman's Wharf via Cable Car--too many tourists!!!
Of course, where there are tourists, there are beggars. One beggar, a young white man, had a cardboard sign which read: "I Need Weed." Can you believe the audacity ...! I wonder if the cop even saw him. And there was another beggar in a wheelchair who was obviously fast asleep, yet holding a cup; I put two quarters in his cup.
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| It took about 15 minutes or so for this Cable Car to move down from the corner of Ellis Street to this Cable Car Stop. In the picture, the driver, the conductor and a street cop are turning it around on the turn-table. |
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| This picture shows three Cable Cars, near the corner of Ellis Street, waiting for their turn to move down to the turn-table. In the distance, you can see the second Cable Car travelling up Powell Street. |
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| This is the fourth Cable Car being turned around on the turn-table. |
I boarded the fifth Cable Car because there were a whole lot of people ahead in line of me. As the Cable Car was travelling up Powell Street, some asshole near where I sat farted silently. Oh, Lord. The stench of it all. The conductor had to open some top windows for cross-ventilation. The Cable Car was so full of people that the conductor actually forgot to get my fare. When we got to the Fisherman's Wharf Cable Car Stop at around 1:48 p.m., I handed him the $6.00 fare as I said, You never gave me the chance to pay you. He thanked me and gave me a ticket stub, which was pointless to keep at that point. Anyway ....
So, I finally got to eat at Joe's Crab Shack. The time was approximately 2:00 p.m. when I got there. It is on the second floor of the building that you see below. I sat at the bar, for faster service. I ordered the "Joe's Surf and Turf Burger w/ Fries ( $11.59 ) with a side of Coleslaw ( $3.29 ) and a glass of water. The burger was huge--it could easily qualify as a junior "Dagwood Sandwich"! Ha, ha, ha. I left a $2.00 tip. For the amount of money I spent at this place, though, I could have eaten a Sunday dinner at a Chinese buffet restaurant.
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| I found this on Wikipedia. |
I went across the street from Joe's Crab Shack to look at the tour boats docked and waiting for tourists to board. The tours are for a one-hour trip on San Francisco Bay. I didn't have the time for such a trip as that wasn't on my "To-Do List" for the day.
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| This is the Cable Car Stop on Taylor and Bay Streets. The one in the foreground was waiting for passengers to board. In the background is a Cable Car that had just unloaded its passengers. |
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| This is on the corner of 4th and Mission Streets. I took this picture on my way to AMC Metreon to see TAI CHI HERO. |
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| I sat across from AMC Metreon's box office to start this blog. I had a half hour before the 4:40 show started. |
I didn't particularly liked this movie, if only because I'm really tired of the wire-work ( i.e. wire-fu ) used extensively in this movie. Wait for this to come out as a DVD rental and watch it along with its 1st part, TAI CHI ZERO ( 2012 )--see my blog on it back in Oct. of last year-- in this two-part series.
Here are some things wrong in this movie: When the "monster" machine was dismantled, how were the pieces carted away, and how fast was it done"? That meal prepared for the prince was like an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet--and I wasn't even invited! Why wasn't I invited? Why would the prince release the inventive genius, especially with his invention of the "heaven's wings", when the prince could have hired his services to bolster the royal army's war machinery and weaponry? How long were they kept in prison for because that railroad ( many miles long and laid down in mountainous terrain ) would have taken a considerably long time to finish? The audience wasn't awed by the wire-work. In fact, some wire-work scenes elicited just the opposite reaction: People laughed at them. Please, don't ruin an otherwise good kung-fu movie with stupid wire-work! Most of Peter Stormare's lines were stupid, both in structure and in delivery. Who wrote his lines? And why didn't he suggest revisions to his lines, considering that he is an internationally-acclaimed actor? He lost his "little horn" after he finally had sex! I guess that makes sense. Ha, ha, ha. I'm just surprised that he didn't ask for a cigarette afterwards. This is a preposterous "origin" story of Tai Chi!
After the movie, I went to the Far East Flea Market on Grant Avenue in Chinatown because I wanted to buy a Samurai set. Then, I saw the price: $29.95. I thought that it was being sold for only $19.95 when I visited this place on Tuesday of last week. I guess I read the price wrong. I bought a hat and a wallet, instead. I spent $7.16 on my purchase. Anyway, I'll definitely be coming back here to buy a Samurai set.
Then, I walked across the street to buy something at Eastern Bakery. I bought a 16.9 oz bottle of Kirkland Water and three pieces of Fruit and Nut Pastry for a quick snack on my walk back to the Bart Station. I spent $3.85 for this purchase.
I didn't see the Buddhist nun this time around.
Between Sutter and Post Streets, on Grant Avenue, I stopped to transfer my money and my cards into the new wallet as I sat on the edge of a white concrete planter.
And I made a left on Geary Street so that I could take this picture of the mannequins wearing optic yellow underwear:
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| Enjoy! |
I didn't take a picture of the mannequins in the nearby window display of Harputs Union because they had already put skirts on them. Ha, ha, ha.
And I took this picture of the Chinese restaurant which I probably mistook for a Chinese buffet restaurant last year:
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| This is near the corner of Geary and Kearny Streets. I'm pretty sure that this was the Chinese buffet restaurant that I saw last year. Maybe, it changed ownership. |
When I got-off at El Cerrito Del Norte BART Station, I decided to have a meal at the Safeway Supermarket across the street from the train station.
I bought a fruit smoothie, a sandwich and a package of muffins for a total of $10.97. I sat in the dining area to eat my meal---Nope! I didn't eat all of the muffins; I only ate one.
When I got back to Vallejo, I swung by the Safeway Supermarket on Admiral Callaghan Lane to buy an ice cream, a couple of Cara-Cara Oranges and some Cookies. I spent $12.56 on my total purchase and I got another Safeway Gas Reward for a total of nine ( 9, i.e. 90 cents off per gallon on a one-time trip ) gas rewards. I met two co-workers while I was at this store, Mace and Shannon.
I will be sure to redeem all 9 of my gas rewards tomorrow when I go fill-up my Hyundai Accent's gas tank at the American Canyon Safeway Supermarket Gas Station.
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