I spent four and a half days in San Francisco for a grand total of $550, and I am here to tell you: it is all about the scam. Shiner had to be there for work, so I decided that was a good opportunity for me to be there for cheap. Shiner had to work on the weekdays, but we were able to spend the evenings and weekend together. I got a free but totally luxe hotel by shacking up with Shiner, and I got several free meals by sharing an entree he would just end up expensing anyway. I also got to see him during what would have been a very long business trip apart. He got some distraction and stress relief in the middle of said business trip, and his employer got a marginally de-stressed worker bee. Win-win-win.
Here's where I spent money:
$330 on a plane ticket--not the cheapest deal out there, but the cheapest flight for the dates I needed in order to get the free hotel, etc.
$12 on a roundtrip BART ticket between the airport and downtown
$75 on food
$24 on alcohol (for myself, my cousin, Shiner, and his BFF)
$18 on a three-day MUNI (transit) pass
$8 on tea for two at the Japanese Tea Garden
$18 on a ferry for two from Tiburon back to SF
$40 on souvenirs--blossoming teas from a Chinatown tea shop and Persepolis, since I can hardly be expected to visit City Lights without buying any books
$24 on a cab from the airport back home, since my train was no longer running when I arrived in.
Here's where I didn't spend money:
-the hotel and several meals, since Shiner was able to expense them
-lots of sights. The stuff I wanted to do most, like walking through neighborhoods, Golden Gate Park, GG bridge, Grace Cathedral's labyrinth, window shopping, and streetcars, were free or free with my transit pass. Next time we'll hit Alcatraz with their fancy public radio-produced tour and Muir Woods, but at least this way I've got a great excuse to go back
-airport dreck. Pack a sandwich and an empty water bottle with you through secutiy, and fill up the water bottle on the other side of the TSA corral. Way better than paying a tenner for a sandwich made sometime last week.
9.19.2008
Subsidized Vacation
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1 comments:
If you ever go back, consider skipping the $18 MUNI pass. It's only $1.50 to take the bus or subway, and you get a transfer that's good for several hours, including return trips. The monthly pass is $45 and that's a good deal, but I've always thought they were ripping off the tourists with the $18 three-day passes.
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