Woo Hoo, finally off to the States.


My trip to The United States started on Sunday 9th of September, Leaving Melbourne, Australia, 10.55am with United Airlines, via Sydney. First stop San Francisco.




Arrived SFO 11am Sunday morning, the long weekend for the Labour Day Holiday. The main thing I noticed was the new security measures at the airports, and the no liquids, bans on flights going to the US. Security is much tougher these days and particularly in light of the security scare out of Briton when a plot to blow up planes enroute to the US was foiled just weeks before. Flight was long long long............... and to make matters worse the inflight entertainment stuffed up, so we had no movies for the duration of the trip. Flight time.......... 14 hours. The United staff, all very friendly, and as per usual the male staff, gay.
Arrived SFO to be awestruck at finally being in the United States. Caught my ride from the airport straight to the hotel, The Metropolis Hotel on Mason street. (near the corner Turk And Mason) The dreaded TENDERLION area of SFO. And you know what, the hotel turned out to be very comfortable for the price (about $150 AU) I was impressed, the staff were all great, friendly and helpfull. The only thing about the hotel, when you walked out the entrace at night time, you always made sure you walked left, and then on to Market or wherever you where going (turning right took you straight into The Tenderloin, not a place you wanted to go at night time, or during the day for that matter) The Tenderloin is a place for the homeless, drug dealers, criminals and a mainly black area and if you are a white man in SFO, you just don't go there.

First stop after checking in at the hotel, Union Square. The shopping hub of SFO. If you want to shop, you'll find everything from clothes to shoes to electronics..... well just everything.