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Spring Break in Seattle and San Francisco
Talonrazor
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So I'm a student in Alaska making plans for spring break. I'm friends with a bunch of international students, Russians, who are about to have their first spring break in America. So far, all they've seen of the US is Alaska and they want to travel some more. Since we are in Alaska and are poor kids, most spring break options are out (Puerto Rico, Florida, etc). Plus I really do not like Miami or most of California.
So we decided to go to Seattle for spring break as it's a cheap flight. I do love the Emerald City, it's where most of my extended family is, I'm moving there after I graduate to be a cop and I go there at least once a year. It's familiar ground for me. We are planning on riding Amtrak down to San Francisco and spending a day there as well. I'm traveling with a bunch of Russians who are all 20 years old and who are used to nice nightclubs and swanky joints back in the motherland. We can't get into the Seattle nightclubs so I'm looking for other things to do. Pike's Marketplace and the Space Needle, of course. Maybe the Art Museum. We'll hit a couple of the cool music venues as well. But what about nightlife for these kids under 21? Is there anything? Is there any secret hotspots I'm forgetting to go see and do?
What about San Francisco? Any advice for traveling there? Any advice for traveling on Amtrak as well (I've never done it before)? What are some really cool things to see and do in the cities that non-Americans would really enjoy?
Thanks guys!
So we decided to go to Seattle for spring break as it's a cheap flight. I do love the Emerald City, it's where most of my extended family is, I'm moving there after I graduate to be a cop and I go there at least once a year. It's familiar ground for me. We are planning on riding Amtrak down to San Francisco and spending a day there as well. I'm traveling with a bunch of Russians who are all 20 years old and who are used to nice nightclubs and swanky joints back in the motherland. We can't get into the Seattle nightclubs so I'm looking for other things to do. Pike's Marketplace and the Space Needle, of course. Maybe the Art Museum. We'll hit a couple of the cool music venues as well. But what about nightlife for these kids under 21? Is there anything? Is there any secret hotspots I'm forgetting to go see and do?
What about San Francisco? Any advice for traveling there? Any advice for traveling on Amtrak as well (I've never done it before)? What are some really cool things to see and do in the cities that non-Americans would really enjoy?
Thanks guys!
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The only reason I say this is because something similar happened to my friends and myself when we flew to florida a couple of years ago. 5 people, 4 different last names and a row of **SSSSSSSSSSSS** on our tickets... which apparently meant "we're going to harass you constantly and there's nothing you can do about it" we had to go through separate check in lines and separate security checks etc.
I hope that you guys have a good trip but I'd advise you to all purchase tickets separately (to minimize the chance of this happening) and also just to prepare them for the hassle they may face (welcome to mainland America... commie) *sigh*, the shit we put up with... Honestly it may be something they haven't had to experience in Russia... I really don't know.
Ah! I THOUGHT that's what the SSSSS's meant. I got that once (I think it was because I hadn't cut my hair in a while, and it grew into a curly puffy fro-like hairdo), and sure enough they looked through everything I had.
Funny thing though. My wife had put uncovered razors in our bag (unintentionally: she used the bag for her art supplies), and they didn't find them. As I was looking through our bag just afterwords (to make sure everything was all good), I found them and promptly threw them away before boarding the plane just in case. But I digress.
Before they even asked me to unlock it they had a guy with bolt cutters ready to destroy my personal property. For some reason he was wearing what looked to be work out gloves with his short sleeved white security shirt and puffing his chest out... I did not like him.
They were also training new security personnel at the airport so we had to deal with CLUMSY invasive groping of our person and slow, inefficient searching of our luggage.
I haven't flown since. That was probably 4 or 5 years ago.
Aye, I'm with you on finding it invasive... but I did get a brief chuckle about them not even finding the razors after pretty much taking everything else out of the bag... until I realized that if I stepped onto a plane and someone somehow found them (another search, perhaps?) I'd likely end up beaten by the overreacting masses. That's when I tossed the razors out.
Makes you wonder how well trained they really are... I mean, if they're going to invade our privacy, at least do a better than half-assed job of it.
Agreed. And as far as the razors on the plane thing... Plain clothes sky marshals would be my main concern... from what I understand they're allowed to carry.
True
1) Ride ferry from Marin into SF. You get to see Angel Island (the Ellis Island of the West), Alcatraz, and San Quentin. You also get GREAT views of the city from the water.
2) Walk around ferry terminal shops.
3) Grab a Muni transfer pass and ride the car to the Pier 39.
4) Walk around Pier 39, see (and smell) the sea lions, watch street performers.
5) Walk to Fisherman's Wharf, eat crab and have a beer.
6) Walk to Ghirardelli Square, eat chocolate.
7) Get in line for cable cars, and ride said cable cars into China Town.
8) Walk around China Town and buy shit you don't need.
9) Eat at House of Nanking.
10) Walk back to ferry terminal, see Transamerica building.
There are also a ton of stops that you can make along the way, such as Lombard Street and whatnot.
There are youth hostels from $24/night.
Days Inns run from $65/night.
Those are the cheapest options you're going to find that don't involve leaky pipes or cockroaches.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
Don't youth hostels usually involve leaky pipes and cockroaches?
Kidding, kidding!
Ok, seems to be the best idea.
What about Seattle? Any really awesome things to do there besides the usual? And any tips on riding AmTrak?
Thanks a lot for the suggestion! The list from Nitsuj82 is extremely useful, we'll probably hit most of those.
I basically did this a few weeks ago, except entirely walking. And also walked to Coit Tower. It was a lot of walking, but it was so nice that I felt compelled to... so many hills...
That happened to some friends of mine when we went on choir tour in Germany. For some reason, these two brothers (who were as non-terrorist in appearance, name, and demeanor as is possible) were flagged for security out of the group of 40-50 of us. They had to check in at every airport, and recheck all their baggage every time. It was such a hassle.