Blog – Rio Cruise Nov 20, 2008 Day 1

It is 10:45 pm Nov 20, 2008 and we are sailing south from the San Francisco Bay aboard the Star Princess. I’ll write this, then sleep.

It wasn’t the day in San Francisco which we had planned. In our plans we arose, cabbed to the Asian Museum, saw the Afghan treasures, exhibition; perhaps stopped in the Apple store to discuss interesting computer issues with the people at the Genius Bar, and then as the afternoon waned, cabbed to the motel, grabbed the bags, and off to Pier 35 to get aboard the Star Princess. In our dreams.

We spent the morning at Best Bay getting a spare battery for Mary Alice’s camera, and a card reader for mine; then at Longs getting aspirin, envelopes and similar things, capping it off with a yarn purchase at the Orange Yarn store. At least now I can say I have shopped in the Tanforan Mall.

About noon I went to the barber at the Good Nite Inn and got a hair trim and beard cut while Mary Alice dined at the Beijing Buffet. It was nearly 1pm when we called the cab. By then we knew the Star Princess was leaving port about 4pm, and we had to be aboard by 3, so we headed right for it.



(Mary Alice and all of our luggage for a 32 day cruise, at the motel waiting for a cab. She's really good at packing everything we need, and nothing we don't)

Embarking was a breeze. This cruise’s first half what we in the know call a “repositioning” cruise. The boat goes from Port A to Port B – in this case SF to Valparaiso – because as the seasons change so does the need for the ship. No pleasure cruises to Alaska in the winter. But, in South America it is not winter. Quite the opposite, it is summer. When the ship is being repositioned it does not hit the glamorous ports, and so many people prefer cruises which the usual itinerary. So much the worse for them.

We have about ½ load of passengers, but apparently a full crew. Getting the ship at Pier 35 was marvelous. Lots of Princess people there answering questions and pointing out the next place to go in the check-in procedure. All very happy to see us (or anyone else). We must have been on board in 10 minutes. (NCL in Miami was over 1 hour).

I’m pretty high on the trip right now. The Star Princess is just out of dry-dock where an extensive overhaul was done. Everything is bright and new. Cruise Critic had quite a few reviewers who had been on the ship earlier in the year and did not enjoy the food for the most part, and occasionally the service. Others liked everything. Right now I’m with the like everything crowd.

We wanted to be up on the top deck when we sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge. Sailing time was 4 pm, so that seemed easy enough to do. But the Captain came on the intercom and said supply loading was taking extra time and we’d sail about 5 to 5:30. That’s around darkness this time of year. Then he came on and said it would be perhaps 6:30. At 7 we hadn’t sailed, so Mary Alice and I sailed down to Deck 5 to the Capri restaurant for dinner. No wait, private table (often you are asked if you would like to sit at a table for 4 or 6 with other couples, which I enjoy, but the traffic this evening would not support it.), quick service. Got a Ravenswood (Sonoma) wine, a shrimp cocktail and settled down for some serious dinner ordering. M.A. had beef, I had Virginia ham. While on the salad course, the ship began to move. So we told the waiter to have the kitchen hold the main course until we got back, and elevated to deck 14 to see the Golden Gate Bridge as we sailed under it.



(the Bay Bridge and San Francisco's lights as we sail off )

It was a cool, moonless night, and the lights of the city, and the Bay Bridge, were beautiful. The Golden Gate Bridge is not well lit for cruise ship viewing, but I did get a nice shot of the north tower as we went under it.



(North tower of the Golden Gate Bridge from the Pacific Ocean)

Dinner was served soon after we got back to the Capri. It was quite good. Couldn’t resist dessert and decaf cappuccino, to finish it off. And soon enough sweet dreams (woke up to find that I had slept on, and melted, the pillow chocolate. What a mess)

I believe this counts as the first blog entry from the Rio cruise. I'm sitting in the Good Nite Inn (sic) in South San Francisco using an internet service for which I have paid an extra $6.99, and which works very well - increasing my suspicion that motel wireless failures are not my computer's fault. We always stay at the Good Nite when departing from SF because we can park the car here - in this case for a month - for about $15. Besides, the memories.... the GNI is next door to the SSF Convention Center which is where I took the Baby Bar, and the Bar exam, back in the 20th century.

I think it is safe to call the past 72 hours hectic. I drove to Ukiah Tuesday morning to handle an arraignment. The plan was to be back in Garberville by noon to go to the bank and hand a client quite a bit of money that I had recovered from a forfeiture attempt by the state. That client had driven over 1000 miles to get the money, and due to some problems Monday, had been waiting over 24 extra hours. So into court to find that the case has 3 co-defendants, 1 of whom is not there, and another of whom has a lawyer but that lawyer is not present. I try to get everything set over until Jan and come tantalisisngly close when the DA pipes up and the next thing I know we are to come back at 1:30. Swell, this means I can't get to Garberville at noon, and, most likely, I will not be able to get there before the banks close.

But, as the great Loboscesky did, I get an idea. I drove to Willits, found the missing attorney, and got him to appear for me at 1:30. By 2 I was in Garberville handing money to a very happy client. I drove home, signed a letter needed at the last minute, to help a client retrieve an computer from the Feds, and left for Redding. I got a milk shake at the Mad River burger stand - I wanted a bacon & cheese burger but didn't feel I could wait the 15 minutes that it would take to cook. I arrived well after dark at the TraveLodge and on their recommendation went to Caruso's to eat - its just up the road. It was late and the dining room was absolutely empty when I walked in. There's a spooky feeling. Why isn't anyone eating here? Did they all die? Should I have gone to Mi Casa, or Lem's instead?

I was pampered by a slightly overeager waitstaff - no less than 4 of them I believe. It was like shopping in China where employment is better than efficience. One brought the menu, one brought the water, one took the order, one cleared the table. Something like that. Dinner was good, wine was fine, for dessert I had Tirimisu (I hope you know what this is because I can't spell it). It was huge. At least 4x4x4 inches. I couldn't eat it all.

Met client, slept, appeared the next morning, and by 9 am I was on the road home. To me the vacation began then. Home just after noon, a flurry of packing, and we're on the road to... Garberville where we had to go to the bank, the accountant, drop off some photos of a party, and get a snack to eat on the road. Leaving Garberville I felt we were really on the vacation. Except that we had to stop at Staples in Ukiah to return a defective Palm PDA. While we were there we got a high capacity card for M.A.'s camera, some notebooks, pencils, and then visited the Craft's shop looking for yarn. Surely the first act of the vacation?

By 8:30 we had dropped people off in SF, and reached the Good Nite. They have the Bei Jing buffet attached, and it has the world's most astonishing display of foods. Thirty or forty items ranging from dim sum to pepper steak. Finished it off with a glass of wine at Houlihan's in the Holiday Inn down the street. The bartender was one of those high energy people who are always doing 3 or 4 things at once, and expending extra energy on each one. It took 10 minutes to get change for the $20 I paid for the wine with.

Now we're on the vacation, for sure. More later. We embark around 1pm.

So, where did I eat? In the final 3 day countdown before the trip, I have an 8:30am hearing in Ukiah, so I'm in town the night before. Patronas is closed, Walter's big room freaks me, I wanted duck - so it is the Thai place that attracts my feet. They almost forgot I was there after giving me a table. When they remembered, I ordered #81. Duck smothered in peanut sauce, on a bed of spinach. Delicious. The wine comes in small glasses. I recommend the beer instead.

Tomorrow night I may well be in Redding. Hard to tell what cuisinary tale I'll have for you from Redding.

I'm on Facebook now.

Last night I joined a long-time friend for dinner at Oberon, which for those who need directions, is right across from Hurricane Kate's, and just around the block from the Cafe Waterfront. Once a culinary fans supply shop, the space is now an upscale restaurant with a large bar running down the north side, very high ceilings, and a number of comfortable tables. I'm told there is a private banquet room upstairs, but as I was having a private meal, I didn't go there.

The wait person recommended the Syrah as 1st pick among the reds available by the glass, which curried instant favor with me, if you don't mind a little food punning. I had the filet mignon and it was thick, juicy, and very good. Vanilla carrots came with it. To my surprise that's what they were, and it worked well. The mashed potatoes were, well, mashed, not real hot and without gravy or butter to add to them. Good tho. I had blueberry crisp for desert and did not enjoy it enough to recommend it, altho my friend and I emptied the dish. It doesn't matter to a beer and wine guy like me, but they are getting a full liquor license any moment now evidently. Everyone was friendly, service was good. My friend said it was a bit less expensive than the Avalon, which I have still to visit, and I thought it was in the same price range as the Cafe Waterfront. Next time I may order the burger to see if they can equal Patrona with that dish.

Tonight, I'm going where my feet take me. A couple of nights ago I was driving to Crescent City to hole up for an early morning hearing and pondering where to eat. If I ate before getting to my destination, I couldn't drink any wine. But it was 6ish as I came through Eureka and perhaps nothing but the Apple Peddler would be open in Crescent City, and I don't care for the Peddler. What to do? Suddenly I realized with a shock that I was waiting in the Taco Bell drive-up line. I got the combo and a small caffine soda and dined as I drove. Ummm. As Chuck Berry said "It goes to show you never can tell."

My feet took me to the Cafe Waterfront, and my tongue took me to the 1/2 pound burger. They were out of Syrah, but the wait person said the Zinfindel was his fave, and it was quite good,. The burger was an excellent standard burger. Let me explain. There are really 3 kinds of burgers. The mom and pop burger, slathered in mayo, is a true "meal on a bun" with lots of lettuce and tomato, swimming in the the mayo. There is a flavor to such a burger than I have never experienced elsewhere in the world of cuisine. Your standard burger is what the Cafe Waterfront gave me, and an excellent standard burger it was, with tomato and pickle, slice of cheese on it, and fries with 2 mustards & ketchup. Good stuff. The gourmet burger, such as they serve on some days at Patrona, is a rethinking of the entire concept by someone who understands how to make beef really taste good. I am seeking these at other places - or even consisently at Patronas where I had the best burger in my life, and another night, an adequate burger.

Afterwards I drifted into the Works where the guy runnig the store spontaneously mentioned John Fahey, and then Skip James. I mean, a conversation made in heaven, or what? I have bragging rights to those names, and used them. The guy is a real record collector and fanatic, and if you want to know about music, he's the go-to guy in Eureka in my opinion. If you haven't a clue as to who John Fahey and Skip James are, check them out. Astonishing musicians.

Green Tea ice cream closed the evening. I get a small cup at Bon Benierre (which I can't spell) and then eat it slowly as I walk back to the Townhouse in the foggy alleyways of Old Town. Lots of ambience to go with the green tea flavor. Is this Shanghai?, Wonton? .....ah the memories.