Nov 13
San Francisco’s streets were more like how I remember them last week when I was huffing and puffing up and down those towering hills.
I was staying at the top of Nob Hill, one of the seven famous hills in the city, although the list of the city’s hills is nearer to 50.
Please click for moreBack home indoors after almost a month away in the United States. The dog was ignoring me, but we rekindled a little on our morning walk earlier.
It was pretty restorative being away from this small isle for the past 4 weeks, travelling East Coast to West, and back again. When I left at the beginning of December Covid was in the rear view mirror and now it is back in the front seat. California and Florida have a complete different mindset when it comes to the pandemic, and one could easily see that after spending time in both States.
Please click for moreAt home in Sarasota, Florida this evening after a whirlwind and exhausting eleven day work trip, or as my daughter calls them work vacation’s.
A Five night kick-off in Las Vegas is not to be recommended, although the time there was more dominated (other than work) by sports more-so than gambling. I actually didn’t even get to sit at a table to lose any money. One reason I wasn’t that bothered was due to mandatory mask wearing at all times within the casinos.
Please click for moreHard fought..
And a stuttering and often ugly performance tonight but 3 very valuable points against what I was thought was a very decent Rochdale team, playing with a style far better than their league position indicates.
I watched for the first time on EFL’s iFollow service, which allows overseas fans to watch live games. Charlton remember don’t subscribe to iFollow but almost all of our League One opponents do and for a fiver for a match pass I thought it was good. No commentary just live pictures and atmosphere, although there was a delay in the sound, but I’d recommend it, if you are able to take advantage. By the way I would encourage you take this CAFC media team’s survey on their Valley Pass service.
I stared at the Arrivals board at Miami airport today to see which carousel my bag was going to end up at and for the life of me I could not remember where I had just flown in from. It was San Francisco and last week was every part of fun and successful, but the time difference was a killer for me this time as well as carrying around a stinking cold.
Vegas was low key, we could feel the numbness and it was quieter than I remember it from other times. Los Angeles was hot, and hectic. Burbank we saw one of our largest clients and home to the ‘happiest place on earth.’ The San Francisco days were long and exhausting mostly stuck in a room, and when we went outside it was chilly.
I have had a tremendous summer of travel, but my head spins when I think about where I have been and some of the absolute sadness and tragedy that many of these places have had to deal with, and how lucky I’ve been to miss some of these awful events.
After an excellent week in California I flew back today to Miami, where the family will meet me tomorrow for half-term.
So, I have a night on my own in Miami, and after checking out the DJ line ups in South Beach, I have made the executive decision to not leave my bed, and after 5 hotels in 6 days, it is a treat to not have to be running out of the door. My night is set, I have wine and I will watch the Chicago Cubs hopefully secure a World Series spot for the first time since 1945.
I have arrived in Anaheim, California tonight after a long day of travel. I am out on America’s west coast for the week with work and Anaheim, Newport Beach, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, San Francisco and Napa Valley are all stops along the way.
Napa is a great way to finish a trip, but I have an interesting day tomorrow when I spend a day at Disneyland. I can see you rolling your eyes, but hear me out.
Please click for more
The first of my 2015 Top Fives, and an annual look back at the stuff that sticks out in my memory as something a bit special.
I’ve done this for many years now and always welcome your comments. Some Top Fives are regular features, some others I mix up a little bit, but one list I always compile is the Favourite Places I found myself in during the past year.
Please click for more
The last day of an exhausting, busy but fun week on America’s west coast. The work trip began in Los Angeles on Sunday in 90-degree heat. There were meetings Monday morning downtown, the afternoon seeing a client in Santa Monica and the evening in Newport Beach. It was a long day and sleep-wise one I never recovered from struggling with the time difference, only last night sleeping for more than five hours, our final night, just in time to leave for home. Of course.
Tuesday and Wednesday we were in the great city of San Francisco, comfortably in my Top Five of American cities. Meetings started early were back to back and ended with great dinners and too much to eat and drink. We wrapped up the trip yesterday with a day in Napa Valley, 17 of us travelling out over the Golden Gate Bridge on the Gillig Bus, to St Helena for our first tasting stop, the beers on the bus serving as a base.
Please click for more
Tomorrow a group of us fly out to Los Angeles mirroring a work trip we did last year. The group is slightly different, as is the schedule but the purpose is the same.
We get to LA on Sunday night, hopefully with my luggage unlike last year, then Monday is busy running around downtown, then out to Santa Monica for meetings before driving down to Newport Beach, about 45 miles down the coast from LA. There we’ll have dinner, and will crash before flying early Tuesday to San Francisco.
Please click for more
Admit it, the posts you have been waiting for. Chicago Addick’s Top 5 Favourite’s of the past year.
I am going to begin this year’s Top 5’s with Places. I got to some fascinating spots in 2014 and these were my Top 5 Favourite Places, with one in particular surprising me.
1) Mexico City
Some people were aghast that we’d take ourselves and our daughter to Mexico City, but I am a huge sucker for cities and will give anywhere the benefit of the doubt and sure enough with five centuries of history there were gems and awe-inspiring moments aplenty, none other than the area known as Zocalo (photo), the vibrant heart of the Centro Historical where a compact grid of streets poured fervour and ceremony out of every street corner.
Gritty, overcrowded, smelly, polluted, busy and dangerous are all words associated with Mexico City, but beneath the warnings we saw some terrific architecture, proud monuments, a lot of green and pleasant land and happy people.
Please click for more
After collecting my lost suitcase just an hour before I left my Los Angeles hotel, I flew north this morning to San Francisco where I will be until Friday.
Please click for more
Chicago Addick 