Originally Posted By goodgirl For the last couple years I have been flying down to the Bay Area each spring and fall. I usually stay at SuzieQ’s home where several other close LP friends join us. We scrapbook, Lisann22 makes her Native American jewelry, and we plan our next trip to Disneyland. When I mentioned to Lisann22 that I had never really seen San Francisco, she insisted that I add an extra day to my next trip and she would show me her city. So I bought a ticket and flew down last Thursday evening. However, I should mention that on Wednesday before my departure, within a matter of hours and over 350 emails, our group changed our plans. Instead of scrapbooking on Saturday, we would drive to Disneyland! WARNING The following is a summary of my San Francisco and Disneyland trip. Yeah. Yeah. It’s long as usual. I can’t help it. I’m wordy. Deal with it. Scroll down half way for the LP Gay Meet report. In the next day or two I’ll put up a link to the photo album. SAN FRANCISCO Lisann22, SuzieQ and I headed to the city. The weather was gorgeous. Beautiful blue sky, warm—sometimes hot—sunshine. This was primarily a driving tour. Although I had the opportunity to stop at any time, I really liked having this complete overview of the city. I’ll be back next Spring for a much longer time and an opportunity to explore everything more thoroughly. We entered the city via the Bay Bridge. Knowing she’s an avid baseball fan, I was surprised Lisann22 drove us past Pac Bell Stadium without stopping. I suppose that will be an all-day event next spring. We headed downtown and over to Fisherman’s Wharf and Ghirardelli Square. She pointed out the hotel she usually refers out of town visitors to (sorry, I don’t recall the name). Then over to the Golden Gate Bridge. As we approached the bridge, the entire section where the cars drive over it was enveloped in fog. It didn’t feel like crossing a bridge at all. We stopped at a lookout point for photos and the view. You could see a blanket of fog come over the hill, cross over the bridge and roll out to the bay, disappearing. Looking across to the downtown area, it appeared as if the skyscrapers were floating on a cloud. Awesome. We drove on to Sausalito, admiring this picturesque community and then backtracked across the Bridge to downtown San Francisco. We headed to Chinatown. Evidently there is an entrance to Chinatown which Lisann22 wanted me to see. We drove down a street. Oops. That’s not it. Turn here. Oops. We can’t turn there. Drive down another street. Can’t turn there. Continue on. Can’t turn there either. Blocks down we turn. Then the sequence starts again. Back and forth, up and down. Block by block, over and over again I became familiar with the shops and buildings. I innocently raised the question, “Would a map help?†“We don’t need no stinkin’ map,†was the reply. On we drove, up and down the streets. Finally we reached our destination. The entrance to Chinatown! We parked the car, got out and walked up the street on one side and back down the other. Fascinating. Most of the shops are piled high with goods. Thousands of cheap trinkets and lots of exquisite Chinese art and jewelery. After Chinatown we waited for a cable car. When one finally arrived, SuzieQ and Lisann22 insisted I ride the outside of the car. With my feet planted on the step and my hands hanging onto a bar for dear life we rode up and down the hills. “This could be some sort of thrill ride at DCA!†I thought to myself. We returned to Lisann’s vehicle and continued our driving tour. The Castro District was our next destination. Colorful rainbow flags and banners. We were running out of gas so stopped to fill up. As Lisa turned off the engine and started to open her door I said, “Oh! That’s right! You have to pump your own gas in California. I’ve never done that before.†Lisa gave me the raised eyebrow look. “In Oregon it’s against the law to pump your own gas. Attendants do it,†I said. “Get out of the car, girl,†Lisa said. So I came around and she gave me a lesson in pumping gas. Given we were in the Castro District, there’s all sorts of innuendo I could write here on the directions she gave me, but rather than get the report admined, let’s just leave it at that. Back in the car we drove up to a place called Twin Peaks. Oh My God! My jaw literally dropped at the view of the City from up here. “Stop the car! I have to take a photo!†We found a safe place to pull over and snapped a few pictures. Then back down for some more driving through the Castro District then into the Mission District where Lisa spent time as a child. Unbelievable to think she grew up right there. Right in the middle of everything. I am so impressed how each neighborhood has its distinctive features and then blends into another neighborhood. We drove back downtown and parked at the Fairmont Hotel. Dinner was to be at The Tonga Room. Kar2oonman was waiting for us at the entrance to the restaurant. I was so tickled that he came down for this! The Tonga Room. Wonderful! If the Tiki Room and Rainforest Café collided, you would have The Tonga Room. Our table was next to a lagoon. Every 30 minutes there was a rainstorm with water falling along the lagoon’s edge (right next to me!). In the lagoon was a small boat which held a four piece band. The food was excellent! The drinks were fun! Lisa and Sue ordered run-of- the-mill wine and daquiris. I thought I heard Kar2oonman order a Bora Bora Whore. I quickly grabbed the menu and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw it was a Bora Bora Horror. I had a Tonga Itch: vodka, rum, orange Curacao and pineapple topped with grenadine. Topped with pineapple, cherry and a little umbrella! After dinner we hugged Kar2oonman goodbye and headed back to SuzieQ’s. Velo had arrived and Wendebird followed shortly after. We chatted away until almost 1:00 am. THELMA & LOUISE TRAVEL “We take you over the edge.†<a href="http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/ViewPhoto?u=4134265&a=31916528&p=72922305&f=0" target="_blank">http://albums.photo.epson.com/ j/ViewPhoto?u=4134265&a=31916528&p=72922305&f=0</a> My friends Lisann22 and SuzieQ know how to put a Disneyland trip together—even a trip at the very last minute, from the Bay Area and back….in 25 hours! DISNEYLAND – GETTING THERE Call us crazy, but we arose at 3:00 am after only a few hours sleep. Iceknyght arrived at 3:30 and parked his Mustang in SuzieQ’s garage. SuzieQ, Lisan22, Iceknyght, Velo, Wendebird and I climbed into the Q family’s SUV and departed Antioch at 3:58 a.m. Along the way I got to see the turn offs to some familiar sounding cities…Pas Robles (where m2 lives)…Bakersfield (home of DisneyChica and JustDuckee)…The Grapevine!...and finally as the sun came up….into Los Angeles. SuzieQ drove the first leg; Lisan22 the second half. We reached Disneyland in five and a half hours. And that’s with only one 20 minute pit stop to fuel up on gas and caffeine! DISNEYLAND – BEING THERE I love Disneyland! It’s like a drug for me. I was happy. I was with some of my best friends. We entered the park and absorbed the atmosphere. Iceknyght lived up to his “Honey, I broke another attraction†Golden Doobie. His ability to shut down rides is amazing. Indy went down as we approached it. So on to Pirates. It halted in the area between Miss Candice’s grandfather and the Blue Bayou. After a few minutes, however, we were on our way. After Pirates we met up with BlacksheepUncle and mmaus1962 then headed to Splash. Splash is my favorite ride at Disneyland. You get a little show, you get some thrills. At the part where Brer Bear is hung up in the ropes, the ride broke down. They evacuated us off the logs and we had to walk through the attraction, out a door and “backstage.†I started taking photos but was reprimanded by a cast member. I guess they don’t want you sharing pictures of Mickey with his head off or Goofy smoking cigarettes. Okay. I’m only joking. There wasn’t much to see as we waited for complimentary passes to use later in the day. We headed to Jungle Cruise but Iceknyght was at work again. Have you ever heard of the Jungle Cruise going down? I mean, really! So we headed for lunch at Rancho. The rest of the afternoon is a blur and I may have things out of order. We didn’t have energy to do ride commando so we paced ourselves. Saw the show at the Opera House and confirmed that Main Street in the movie is indeed a set and not the real thing. Oh, just prior to the show we sat down on the benches in front of the little photo slide show of cast members from Disneyland history. Just sat there watching it run over and over and over until we heard the announcement that it was okay to go into the main theater. As we all arose from our seats you could hear this groan in unison from us! It was like that through the day. Spurts of energy and then hitting a wall. Caffeine or sugar and then a spurt of energy. Decided to ride the Train and found Disnygirl was working as a conductor. Went all the way around the park. Saw Haunted Mansion with the Nightmare Before Christmas Overlay (awesome as usual), Splash (got soaked), Tiki Room (Ole, ole). At this point we got a call. PixieGlitter had arrived with her family. We met Mr. Glitter and the Little Glitters and Mama Glitter. All of them just as delightful and perfect as the Glittery one herself. (Except they keep their clothes on.) We rode Jungle Cruise and it was fun to watch little Alex Glitter’s eyes as the elephants and hippos appeared. He ducked when our (icky, female) guide shouted duck. I love it when a kid still believes its real. On to Pirates, Big Thunder and Space Mountain. Oh! I met Push, the trash can along the way. Dinner was at the Plaza Inn. I had the Cobb Salad. One of my favorite meals. It was then time to head over to the LP Gay Meet at the Cove Bar. DISNEYLAND GAY DAYS I’ll take a moment and mention that this weekend was Gay Days at Disneyland. Although not an official Disneyland event, this has grown to be a large popular event for the gay community, their friends and families. Many wear red shirts to identify one another and show their numbers. I was glad our trip coincided with Gay Days. It was heartwarming to see so many people together. Granted, on any day at Disneyland there’s a large mix of gay and lesbian individuals but on Gay Day you get to see who they are. Happy; having a good time. Lots of smiles and laughter; just as it should be at Disneyland. I really liked the atmosphere that permeated the park on Saturday. (I’ve been to the park on Gay Day and Bats Day now. I guess all that’s left is the dreaded Cheerleader Days!) THE LP GAY MEET This meet was organized by oc_dean and scheduled for Saturday at 6:00 pm at the DCA Cove Bar. I like putting a face behind a screen name and there were two LPers I really wanted to meet: gadzuux and BlueDevilSF. Both had signed up to attend this meet so I thought I would drop by to say hello. While packing for the trip, I couldn’t find my LP button so all I had was my little Daisy Duck “Good Girl†pin so I put that on. I arrived at the Cove Bar a few minutes after 6:00 pm. I walked along the bar down to the main area where most of the tables are located. I knew what oc_dean looked like but I didn’t see him anywhere. Instead, I saw small groups of men in red shirts; very attractive young men happily engrossed in conversation with one another. I tried to obtain eye contact with several people and while all acknowledged me with a smile, none seemed to be “waiting†for anyone to join them. Well, what else to do? Gadzuux! Although I wasn’t sure what he looked like I recalled he was a little older (maybe late 40’s). So I looked around. One guy fit the bill but he was with a woman. Then I spied an attractive man at the bar in a red t-shirt and jeans. Hmmm. I approached him. Have you ever had one of those moments where words are coming out of your mouth and at the same time there’s a little voice in your head saying “Girl, if you’re wrong, this person is going to think your nuts.†“Excuse me,†I said to the man at the bar, “but are you by any chance Gadzuux.†He smiled (whew!) and said yes! Introductions were made. He took me over to his table and introduced me to three of his friends (not LPers). He’d given them the grand tour of the Disneyland Resort over the last two days. We were both perplexed as to what happened to the LP Gay Meet. I got on my cell phone and called Inspector 57, hoping he might be at his computer. Sure enough, he was. He checked the meet thread: BlueDevilSF – We didn’t think he was there (dang!) Oc_dean – No show Tiggirl – No show (but she was a maybe anyway) PastKnight – Wasn’t sure who he was WorldDisney – Yeah. Right. I handed the phone to gadzuux so he could say hi to the Inspector. While they chatted, I turned my attention to his friends. They were perfectly delightful. The kind of people you could spend an evening with and have a wonderful time in conversation and laughter. However, I didn’t want to overstay my welcome and I had my group back in Disneyland to get back to. One of the men offered to take our picture. So, here it is…a historical record of the 1st Annual (?) LP Gay Meet: <a href="http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/ViewPhoto?u=4134265&a=31916528&p=72922308&f=0" target="_blank">http://albums.photo.epson.com/ j/ViewPhoto?u=4134265&a=31916528&p=72922308&f=0</a> I then parted company with them and headed back to Disneyland. DISNEYLAND EVENING It was time for some caffeine so I stopped at Blue Ribbon Bakery. No one in line. I placed an order for a frozen mocha and waited 15 minutes. What’s up with the slow service in the restaurants!? It was like that at Rancho and Plaza Inn too. I met up with my group and we rode Buzz. Then meandered back to Mansion. Except for SuzieQ, Velo and Lisan22 who were going to stake out a spot on Main Street for the fireworks. Well, Mansion was a disaster. According to the CM, the Fastpass wait was going to be 20 minutes before we got on. Lisan22 called to say they had good spots for fireworks but would lose them soon without more bodies to save the space. We inched our way back to Main Street. The fireworks were awesome. I just can’t believe how good they are. And, as with last July, there is nothing better than watching them with your friends and hearing the oohs and ahhhs around you. After the fireworks there were hugs all around as we departed ways. Our group boarded the Tram back to the Mickey and Friends Parking Structure. Thank goodness Iceknyght was too tired to evoke his powers on the tram. DISNEYLAND TO HOME We departed the parking structure at 10:30 pm. SuzieQ drove; I rode shotgun. At our pit stop I gave out. Someone had filled my eyes with sand. Wendebird took over. She scanned the radio dial for upbeat music. (Why hadn’t we thought of bringing tunes!?!) The next thing I knew I was waking up from a slumber to really loud Aerosmith. It brought a smile to my face. Cool! I’m still with my friends. It wasn’t a dream. Wendy had found an Aerosmith greatest hits CD so everyone sang along with all the tunes and before you know it, at 3:45 am SuzieQ pulled her rig up to the house. Whew! We made it! Down to Disneyland for a full day of fun and back all in less than 25 hours! Gotta love that T&L Travel! Iceknyght departed in his Mustang for his 40 minute trip home. The rest of us somehow made it to our beds and crashed. The next morning Lisan22 dropped me off at the Oakland airport and I returned to Portland. The end. (Unless, of course, anyone wants to go to Disneyland next month!)
Originally Posted By DreamFairy How totally thrilling! Sounds like you have a wonderful weekend. Especially squeezing in an extra day in disneyland this year I am so jealous..lol.. Thanks for sharing another fantastic weekend of memories. I can't wait to see the pictures.lol..
Originally Posted By SuzieQ I still can't believe we pulled it off! OMG - 24 hours of awake time for a DL trip after only a couple of hours of sleep. I felt my age today, LOL
Originally Posted By SuzieQ Careful -em. You never know when Thelam and Louise Travel might strike again!
Originally Posted By wendebird Thanks for the great report goodgirl! It was such a fun time. Oh, I know, when we were at Rancho, we heard an announcment for all guests to file back out of the queue. Big Thunder went down while Icey was eating lunch! I think it's an all time record for Icey, 5 rides in 12 hours.
Originally Posted By goodgirl <<2 pics is all you took?>> You know me better than that! I have lots of photos. I just ran out of time last night. And I have a class tonight so look it'll have to wait until Wednesday.
Originally Posted By friendofdd What a terrific report, GG. I loved your impressions of The City. It was my pleasure to work there 8 or 9 years on two separate occasions. I can even find the Lion Gate to Chinatown, easily. Probably my native american blood. Gadzuux looks different that I had pictured. I think you all may be nuts for doing a 25 hour blitz, especially when you know having Icey along will delay every attraction. However, when I was your age I might have done it too. Thanks for doing your usual, wonderfully descriptive, fine job of making a report.
Originally Posted By Captain Jack Sparrow Great report Theresa, glad everyone had a blast.The report made me want to visit San Francisco again, it's been way too long,almost twenty years now.I'm sure Lisann wouldn't mind being our tour guide :>) To the ship!
Originally Posted By Ursula Wow, you guys seemed to have a great time!! I can't believe I was in the park the same time without running into any of you. What's that? Oh, you saw me first, that's why. :+) So, I was there. Y'all were there, but get this...not any rides I went on were down. Not only does Icey need to be in the park, but he needs to be really, really near the ride to make it go down.
Originally Posted By Lisann22 Absolutely Captain Jack - it's an open invitatin to your family and you know it! FWIW - SuzieQ and I knew EXACTLY where the entrance to Chinatown is, it's just there's a ton of construction going on and no right or left turns to streets normally available - very FRUSTRATING indeed but not surprising for SF! Wish we would have ran into ya Ursula, we looked for other LP'ers.
Originally Posted By SuzieQ Ugh - there was construction just south of Union Square and they wouldn't let you turn ANY direction! So back out to Market street, where there are no left turns until you are almost at the Embarcadero. At least goodgirl got to see the Financial District that way!
Originally Posted By wonderingalice Awesome report, Theresa... So much fun to read... as always! I was surprised to hear - considering his profound jinxiness - Icey's Mustang actually started up and got him home... ;-) Now, MY Mustang always gets me home, but I don't have a bad mechanical aura around me. Heh heh heh...
Originally Posted By mj9401 Great report Goodgirl. You sound like you all had a blast!! I can't wait to visit San Francisco in January.
Originally Posted By iceknyght >>I think it's an all time record for Icey, 5 rides in 12 hours.<< Actually, my record is an official 5 rides at WDW... 7 total for that trip, which is also a record... >>I was surprised to hear - considering his profound jinxiness - Icey's Mustang actually started up and got him home... ;-) << Luckily, I have no problems outside the park *knocks on wood* and my car works just fine! Although, it was interesting to take Hwy 4 to Sue's house... My first time going down this road and it's at 3 in the morning... Let's just say when the sign say's to take the corner at 10 mph, they ain't kidding! >>Not only does Icey need to be in the park, but he needs to be really, really near the ride to make it go down.<< Yes I do... My powers are growing though... I mean, to take down an attraction the size of Splash?!
Originally Posted By SuzieQ <<Although, it was interesting to take Hwy 4 to Sue's house... >> Picture 25 miles of winding, 2-lane levy-top road in the pitch dark! And don't forget to throw in a few of real narrow drawbridges just for fun. Why is there always a hairpin turn leading into and out of the bridges?
Originally Posted By iceknyght That's what I was trying to figure out! Horrible design! And those bridges were nar-row!! But it was fun in my car!
