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Bearrison Street Fair Trip, Day 1 of 4
Oct. 17th, 2024 11:59 pmTHURSDAY
We got up at 5 AM and were packed, dressed, and had a light breakfast by quarter to seven. I called for a Lyft, and for the first time in recent memory we were driven by a lady, in a silver Prius that I had some difficulty entering and exiting. There were traffic and routing issues, most notably getting stuck behind an SUV going 20 MPH in a 30 zone, the GPS not considering HOV lanes and ramps, and the lack of signage pointing to the "kiss and ride" loop resulting in an awkward turn-around to avoid being forced onto the I-5 express lane. The train trip was fairly uneventful.
When we arrived at Sea-Tac, the shuttle cart was not available, but the walk wasn't bad. We got our bags dropped off at the bridge level and took advantage of the premium security queue at checkpoint 3. Our gate assignment changed twice while we made our way to the North Satellite, but we soon found seats near the gate. When it came time to board, a lady standing in the first class lane didn't step up when it was her turn, so people went around. I think she figured it out right after we checked in.
Our chief flight attendant was a tall, muscular Asian dude wearing a form-fitting T-shirt with his wings (badge) pinned to it. The safety demonstration kits were stowed directly over my head, and after the briefing was done, one of the ladies giving the demonstration told the other, "Don't you dare!" just before she stowed her kit. Not sure what that was about. Gary snoozed while we were taxiing to the runway for takeoff (into the south on 16L), and once we were airborne, I dozed as well until our hot flight attendant, now wearing an apron as well, verified our pre-ordered meals and took our drink orders. By the time we'd finished our lunch, it was almost time for final descent into SFO.
Once we had landed, we made a beeline for the restroom, retrieved our checked bags, and headed for the Airtrain to catch BART to the hotel. We ended up taking a Red Line train after almost boarding a Yellow Line train and finding a dude cashed out on the only immediately available seats (as the train operator signaled the doors to close for immediate departure). Along the way to the hotel, I checked my email and ended up changing my medicine delivery with UPS to Monday instead of Friday (tomorrow); I also contacted Max from soc-motss to let her know we'd arrived.
When we reached Powell Street Station, we found the same exit we'd used last year and made our way to the hotel. After dealing with some technical difficulties, the desk clerk got us keys to our room on the top (8th) floor. We unpacked quickly, and I set up my CPAP to forgo the humidifier for a quick nap. I arranged with Max to meet for dinner at Max's Opera Cafe on Van Ness at 6:30, and Gary plotted a course from the restaurant to a Safeway opposite the Caltrain station. That settled, I slept for nearly two hours while Gary watched the baseball playoffs. At five I got up, showered, and dressed for dinner, and we left at 6 just after the Cleveland Guardians won over the Yankees 6-5 with a walk-off home run in the bottom of the tenth.
We caught a 5R bus by the cable car turnaround and arrived just in time to find Max seated opposite the front door. We had an excellent meal, including latkes and fried calamari appetizers followed by sandwiches for us (I had a Reuben and Gary had a toasted pastrami sandwich) and a salad for Max. We had a pleasant and wide-ranging conversation over the meal, which concluded with the coining of the phrase "the bathroom people" to name the anti-trans mob.
After pictures and hugs, we left the deli and caught the 31 bus to the Safeway for distilled water and supplies. On our way in, we saw a lady and a gentleman, each walking with a cane, making their way to exit, so we stood aside. Both appreciated the gesture very much, with the gentleman greeting us with "Mahalo". The cashier was nice enough to double-bag the heavy bottles for the trip to the hotel. We caught the N train at the end of the line to return to the hotel. Gary had the new Matlock series on the TV and the Kraken game on his phone (they beat Philly at home, 6-4).
After the game and the show were over, I looked up Mr. S Leather and found it to be right around the corner from the Lone Star Saloon, a short bus trip from the hotel. That settled, I worked on my journal and prepared for bed, falling asleep by 11:30.
We got up at 5 AM and were packed, dressed, and had a light breakfast by quarter to seven. I called for a Lyft, and for the first time in recent memory we were driven by a lady, in a silver Prius that I had some difficulty entering and exiting. There were traffic and routing issues, most notably getting stuck behind an SUV going 20 MPH in a 30 zone, the GPS not considering HOV lanes and ramps, and the lack of signage pointing to the "kiss and ride" loop resulting in an awkward turn-around to avoid being forced onto the I-5 express lane. The train trip was fairly uneventful.
When we arrived at Sea-Tac, the shuttle cart was not available, but the walk wasn't bad. We got our bags dropped off at the bridge level and took advantage of the premium security queue at checkpoint 3. Our gate assignment changed twice while we made our way to the North Satellite, but we soon found seats near the gate. When it came time to board, a lady standing in the first class lane didn't step up when it was her turn, so people went around. I think she figured it out right after we checked in.
Our chief flight attendant was a tall, muscular Asian dude wearing a form-fitting T-shirt with his wings (badge) pinned to it. The safety demonstration kits were stowed directly over my head, and after the briefing was done, one of the ladies giving the demonstration told the other, "Don't you dare!" just before she stowed her kit. Not sure what that was about. Gary snoozed while we were taxiing to the runway for takeoff (into the south on 16L), and once we were airborne, I dozed as well until our hot flight attendant, now wearing an apron as well, verified our pre-ordered meals and took our drink orders. By the time we'd finished our lunch, it was almost time for final descent into SFO.
Once we had landed, we made a beeline for the restroom, retrieved our checked bags, and headed for the Airtrain to catch BART to the hotel. We ended up taking a Red Line train after almost boarding a Yellow Line train and finding a dude cashed out on the only immediately available seats (as the train operator signaled the doors to close for immediate departure). Along the way to the hotel, I checked my email and ended up changing my medicine delivery with UPS to Monday instead of Friday (tomorrow); I also contacted Max from soc-motss to let her know we'd arrived.
When we reached Powell Street Station, we found the same exit we'd used last year and made our way to the hotel. After dealing with some technical difficulties, the desk clerk got us keys to our room on the top (8th) floor. We unpacked quickly, and I set up my CPAP to forgo the humidifier for a quick nap. I arranged with Max to meet for dinner at Max's Opera Cafe on Van Ness at 6:30, and Gary plotted a course from the restaurant to a Safeway opposite the Caltrain station. That settled, I slept for nearly two hours while Gary watched the baseball playoffs. At five I got up, showered, and dressed for dinner, and we left at 6 just after the Cleveland Guardians won over the Yankees 6-5 with a walk-off home run in the bottom of the tenth.
We caught a 5R bus by the cable car turnaround and arrived just in time to find Max seated opposite the front door. We had an excellent meal, including latkes and fried calamari appetizers followed by sandwiches for us (I had a Reuben and Gary had a toasted pastrami sandwich) and a salad for Max. We had a pleasant and wide-ranging conversation over the meal, which concluded with the coining of the phrase "the bathroom people" to name the anti-trans mob.
After pictures and hugs, we left the deli and caught the 31 bus to the Safeway for distilled water and supplies. On our way in, we saw a lady and a gentleman, each walking with a cane, making their way to exit, so we stood aside. Both appreciated the gesture very much, with the gentleman greeting us with "Mahalo". The cashier was nice enough to double-bag the heavy bottles for the trip to the hotel. We caught the N train at the end of the line to return to the hotel. Gary had the new Matlock series on the TV and the Kraken game on his phone (they beat Philly at home, 6-4).
After the game and the show were over, I looked up Mr. S Leather and found it to be right around the corner from the Lone Star Saloon, a short bus trip from the hotel. That settled, I worked on my journal and prepared for bed, falling asleep by 11:30.