Wide awake at 3:53 am in Hong Kong 4/18/17 because of jet lag. Went to bed last night after dinner at 10 pm. Perfect time to catch up on the blog.
Morning of the 16th we met in the lobby and it all really began. Bill clarified some of the rules and we went out to take a group photo in front of a trolley car. Each destination we scavenge at is called a leg. San Fransico will be an easy one. They are ranked like golf as pars in this case a par one. Your ranking times the leg score gives you your running score. SF will also be pass fail. Complete the mandatory scavenges and at least 8 total and you pass.
We went back inside to plan what we would do and I discovered my phone was missing. Not the best start. Turns out that somewhere before we went to take the team photo, I left it in the hotel or it fell out in the hotel. We back tracked to find it, but it was gone. Got back late in the day and the hotel had it. Housekeeping found it and turned it into security. About 10 am. I checked before we left and the conseirge and the front desk said to check with lost and found. We scavenged all day until about 4:40. Cut off for turning in score sheets was 5. Checked with lost and found, no phone. Set off for a Sprint store and got a new phone. Returned and went to the front desk to give them a different credit card, since I cancelled the card I had lost in the phone case. They told me the system said "We have your phone at security".
I am now the only one with a backup phone. It just can't make calls, text or email, because it isn't activated.
Back to SF. We talked to Team Ying, another father/daughter team here because of Zoe. Sydney is 3 or 4 months older than C and a grade ahead, their birthday fall om each side of the grade cutoff. Kind of a mirror image of C, bright, pretty, social, just the asian version. She and C hit it off immediately. Allen has my CPA/attorney who doesn't practice to run his real estate company thing beat. He created an app while in med school. During his spare time at med school, residence and practicing as a heart surgeon he grew it into a successful software company. Ultimately, quit practicing medicine, grew the company and sold it.
We agreed to meet at 10:30 at Ghiradelli Square and go on the Segway tour. Before the tour we all rode a street car. One of our scavenges. I knew from a prior SF trip you can get on the street cars at any stop. Many tourist wait for hours at the wharf stop to get on. Walk up the hill a little and get on in 10 minutes. We waited behind some people and got on the second car that came by.
There were 4 mandatory scavenges to choose from and both girls chose the Segway tour. It was a great choice. None of us had ridden one before. Our guide was dressed in a pink Easter Bunny costume. He had been doing some gorilla marketing and given his outgoing nature did the tour in it. He interacted with people along the tour including taking pictures with tourists.
No photos at this point becase I'm not waking C at 4 am to get them off her phone. If I understand blogging correctly we can add and edit later. If you look back later, content may be added, my grammar and spelling may magically improve.
We did the tour of the wharf area. Lots of turn of the century construction. There was a massive earth quake in 1906. Much of the city was destroyed. Water and gas lines broke all over. Gas caused fires and there was no water to put them out. Interestingly the firemen did save some bars and brothels. The wharf area expanded into the bay significantly, because all the rubble was pushed into the bay.
The tour covered a number of scavenges. We went to Wasington Square, which is no longer a square because it added a small irregular area when an additional street was built. St. Peter & Paul church is on the square. Famous because Joe Dimaggio married his first wife Dorothy there and tried to marry his second wife Marilyn Monroe there. It is a catholic church and don't recognize divorces. Joe thought a $35k donation might sway the priest. He was wrong. Would have been a career ending move. Those were both scavenges on the list. Also had gelato there.
Went along the wharf which is now the third largest tourist attraction in the US. Not that high on the list until a colony of sea lions moved there in the 90's. They tried to get rid of them with various noise harassment, but failed.
Went out on a pier in the bay. Guide explained the founder of Segway made all his money from technology he developed and licensed. He used the Segway to popularize the technology. Much of it is used in cell phones. Rotate the phone and screen rotates, phone can tell up from down, battery technology, etc. One of the reasons Apple became so succesful was that Steve Jobs was friends with him and licensed his technology first for cell phone use. On the way back, Easter Bunny guide pointed out some edible flowers you can buy for big money at natural grocers. He picked some and ate one. Offered them to us. Allen wisely declined and he ran out before he got to me. Lady in the front popped one in her mouth and announced it was disgusting. Girls only nimbled theirs.
Stopped by Ghiradelli shop and got a free piece of chocolate. No compliants from the lady in front. Then the tour ended. It lasted two hours. Although you just stand on it, it really tires everything from your lower back down, unless you are 14. Then your feet are a little tired until you take half a dozen steps.
We separated from the Yings. You can only do 3 joint scavenges with another team. The rest of the day we marched up and down hills. We visited Lombard Street (the famous curvy street), beautifully green, but not in bloom yet, Telegraph hill, intersection where 3 streets named for state capitals meet, Chinatown, etc.
Time to do some laundry and eat breakfast.
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