Sf decisions

[jannilee]

I'm going to San francisco tomorrow for a few days. Which bag to take???? Iknow I can easily get everything I need in my synapse but what if I shop? I plan to visit Imagiknit and yarn is bulky. Then there might be clothes shopping too. My tristar really seems like overkill. Decisions, decisions!

[dorayme]

Are you driving or flying? And what does your bag repertoire look like? Do you have any shop bags, MCB, LCB or swift? Sounds like you have a clothes solution and need a shopping solution. If flying, I would do the Tristar with shopping and day trip bags marsupial style. The Tristar is easy either packed or light use, and your parcels will all be contained to one bag on the way home. Car travel may make the Synapse a better choice.

I have SAFF in a few weeks. I will be driving with a friend. I have a similar dilemma and not a clear solution. In addition to my things, I will be nannying her infant son so there's a good chance I will have bottles and dipes to schlepping around at the arena. Traveling light seems like it would be less stressful though!

[Foggy Morn]

You might want to include a small folding umbrella - it might actually rain! Fits great in one of the Synapse side pockets.

I'm down by Santa Cruz and it actually drizzled today. No, it wasn't just heavy fog! LOL (Though we've had more than our fair share of that, too!)

[backpack]

Take layers, (tees, long sleeve shirt/cardigan) a wind/rain shell with a hood and a hat.

Even this summer, with temps in the 70's during the day, it got chilly as soon as the sun went down because of the fog and it is even chillier if it drizzles.

Be aware that California, Oregon and Washington are states with sporadic flu cases and tree and grass pollen are present in the Bay Area.

I highly recommend Delancey Street restaurant at Brannan and Embarcadero right at a Muni railway stop, it is a run by non profit non organization which provide job training.

If you walk the whole row of apartment and seemingly empty store front south of the restaurant, you will see a courtyard which round the street to a smaller street which is Delancey, home of Crossroads Café‎
699 Delancey Street
San Francisco, CA 94107
(415) 512-5111

It is run by the same organization and their food, is great, two choices to go sustained me for two days, even 3 when I traveled from the Bay Area to Seattle.

Take a Lifefactory bottle with you and get some of their soda to go.

I assume you will be flying, take some baby wipes with you and plenty of tissues, on the flight in and back, drink, drink, drink lots of fluids and use your layers to keep yourself warm.

If you ever feel hot and light headed, get some food and drink at the airport, wake up and go to sleep on your home state time.

And enjoy yourself!

Take the Tristar and the Synapse and put the Synapse inside the Tristar.

In San Francisco, keep all you clothes in the Tristar, remove the Synapse and use it as the everyday bag.

Due to the bed bug problem worldwide, place your Tristar and Synapse on a desk/console/small table (something made of wood) and leave it there or use the luggage rack after placing the "laundry" plastic bag or a garbage bag on top.

Buy bug spray at the nearest drugstore (find your hotel on the map and zoom in until they show the stores names)

If you fly to SFO, there is always delays in the morning and evening because of the fog.
Get a public transportation card called a Clipper, you can use it in any public transportation agency around the Bay Area.

[dorayme]

come back jannilee and let us know what you chose, how it all worked out, and how the weekend went!

[jannilee]

Well, I'm taking the tristar and my small swift. The tristar has only one section packed so there should be lots of room for purchases. Packing list to follow. Thanks for all the great input.

[dorayme]

Excellent choices! Have a great trip!
I will be checking out your packing lists, both going and coming back. Your trip may give me ideas for my upcoming SAFF weekender.

[pw1224]

I recommend the Irish Coffee at the Buena Vista. Yeah, it's touristy but so what? It's good!

[jannilee]

Well, San Francisco was fabulous. The weather was warm and sunny the whole time - not the usual for sure! My friend and I rode the cable car, shopped and walked and walked. I could sure see the downturn in the economy everywhere. We made our traditional trip to Ghiardelli's to have a hot fudge sunday for supper ( believe me you couldn't eat anything else before or after that! In the past there was always a huge lineup and a wait for tables. This time it was almost deserted. The same was true for other places we went. Even Sears Famous pancakes that usually had a line down the block had no waiting. The wait for cable cars was much shorter and our hotel gave us free cable car tickets. There were tourist discounts everywhere.

Packing list for SF trip going ( all in middle section of tristari- I used an Eagle creek double sided half cube and a quarter cube) :
2 tops
1 pants
3 underpants
2 socks
1 jacket
1 pr sandals

Front pockets:
Toothbrush
Bag with toiletries (very basic)
Ipad and charger

Swift:
Wallet, camera, cell phone, knitting project ( Dahlia cardigan in Madeline Tosh sock for the knitterly out there)

Returning:

All of the above plus shirt, pants, leggings, light sweater, heavy sweater jacket.

The tristar was by no means full, there was nothing in the middle compartment.

The going list will be enough for my week long trip to Spain coming up, I think, especially if everything is quick dry.

I think I would actually rather have a western flyer rather than the tristar. The total weight is the issue for me, not space. I have not great feet and hit my load limit long before I hit the space limit. That being said, I used both the backpack straps and the absolute shoulder strap. Both were very comfy. I think the little swift may be my new travel purse as it is so easy to organize. I am still a little worried about purse snatchers in Spain so might take my cross body bag instead.

The total weight of the tristar returning was 15.6 lb. That would be about my max before I’d go to a rolling bag.

Dorayme... what is SAFF???? The people in the hotel said there would be thousands there this weekend for an Oracle convention. Glad we went before that!

[junebird]

Wish I saw this earlier! You picked a great time time come..weather wise It's clouding up here as I type this. Glad you had a great time. My husband is setting up the Oracle show right now and has been working late. With all the over- time hours, I think I will be able to get a new bag!

[Lani]

Junebird -- your hubby works for Oracle? A good friend of mine manages the Java community so I think she might be there with her regular booth (Java used to be out of Sun, which Oracle bought).

Glad you enjoyed your trip here, Jannilee. Sorry I didn't catch your post before you left; I would've told you to make your way to Bi-Rite ice cream instead of Ghiardelli (the latter is fun but Bi-Rite has some of the best ice cream in the country, IMO). Their balsamic strawberry is to die for. Not to mention salted caramel. Oh no, I'm getting hungry.

[jannilee]

Darn! And I remember seeing bi-rite, too! Next time!

[dorayme]

Thanks for the list and the trip review. I love my Western Flyer and find it a great size both in being small, but in holding plenty. SAFF is the Southern Animal Fiber Festival in Asheville, NC the 3rd week in October. It's full of wool and sheep and bunnies and camelids, hand spinners, and indie dyers. I think it's one of my favorite places. I am on an overnight tonight with my Synapse and I think to have room for purchases I will be bringing my WF to SAFF.

[jannilee]

Sounds like a plan! Are you as spinner as well?

[dorayme]

as a matter of fact I am.