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The Selfish Years

~ Over 200 cities, 42 countries, 6 continents and counting.

The Selfish Years

Category Archives: North America

Traveling with an Infant Means Less International Travel for Now

01 Wednesday Jul 2015

Posted by misterselfish in Accommodations, Hyatt, New York City, North America, United States

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Arizona, Chicago, Hawaii, Kauai, New York, Seattle, Sedona, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Vancouver

Baby Selfish is now 5 months old and is starting to transition out of the “will-sleep-anywhere” phase to the “wants-to-look-grab-and-yell-at-everything” phase.

New Here

Don’t believe the hype. She’s actually been around for several months.

While I am a huge fan of cheap third world countries, Baby Selfish seems to be thriving under a steady routine, and I’m not sure what third world countries she could visit at this point. Probably none.

So instead, we decided to explore more of good ol’ North America. Check out our 2015 – 2016 travel schedule.

2015 - 2016 travels

USA! USA! USA! Also… Canada.

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Bling Bling y’all! Upgraded at the Hyatt Regency Montreal

29 Monday Dec 2014

Posted by misterselfish in Accommodations, Hyatt, North America

≈ 1 Comment

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Hyatt, Hyatt Regency Montreal, Selfish Year, Selfish Years

This is post sixteen of sixteen of our summer trip to Greece. Check out our other posts in the series here:

  • Greece Lightning: Heading to Greece
  • Acropolis for Breakfast: Staying at the Hilton Athens
  • Starting at the Top: The Acropolis
  • Oompa! Eating Athens
  • Taking it Indoors: Athen’s Museums
  • Athen’s Other Sites
  • Room with a View: Staying in Santorini
  • Santorini’s Spectacular Sights: Part 1
  • Santorini’s Spectacular Sights: Part 2
  • Looking for Santorini’s Best Eats
  • It’s All Greek to Me: Heading to Naxos
  • There’s a Meat Town in Naxos!
  • Shots! Shots! ShotsShotsShots! Heading to Mykonos
  • A Delightful Day Trip to Delos
  • The Trashy Side of the Greek Islands
  • Bling Bling y’all! Upgraded at the Hyatt Regency Montreal

Finding decent award flights from Europe to the States is a pain. Finding decent award flights from Europe to the States during the Summer is a nightmare. As America’s go-to playground during the Summer, everyone and their mum seems to head to Europe during the June – August timeframe.

Ideally, Mrs. Selfish and I would have flown Athens to Frankfurt to San Francisco, but 5 months out I couldn’t find any availability. Instead, I settled for the best known award trick – flying through Canada.

Since we had 14 hours overnight to kill in Montreal, I was pleased to find the Hyatt Regency Montreal, a category 3 Hyatt (now Category 2 in 2015). I also discovered an old childhood friend lived in the area, so we decided to meet up for dinner.

map

Mrs. Selfish and I missed our ferry from Mykonos to Athens, but managed to catch the next one out.

Pro-tip: Mykonos has 2 ports, and which one you use is determined by the ferry company, NOT the ferry destination.

From there we stayed at the Athens Hilton one last time, before boarding a morning flight to London, where we grabbed some fish and chips, before jumping on an Air Canada flight bound for Montreal.

Like EVA airlines, Air Canada doesn’t really have much of a 1st class section in their fleet, but their Business Class was excellent and we arrived at 6pm.

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The Musée Mécanique at Fisherman’s Wharf

19 Thursday Dec 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in California, North America, San Francisco, United States

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California, Fisherman's Wharf, Musée Mécanique, North America, San Francisco, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, United States

Mr. Selfish and I are not huge fans of Fisherman’s Wharf. Since it tends to be overrun with tourists looking for sourdough bread, we generally avoid the area. However, on one fine day, we took a leisurely stroll through North Beach and ended up at Fisherman’s Wharf.

Wharf 01Wharf 02Wharf 03

It was a lovely day, and we enjoyed the clear view of Alcatraz from the Wharf.

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A Day Trip to Sonoma

17 Tuesday Dec 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in California, Food & Drinks, North America, United States

≈ 1 Comment

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Basque Cafe, California, Chateau St. Jean, Cline, Day Trip from San Francisco, Jacuzzi, Landmark, Napa, North America, Roche, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Sonoma Tuesday Night Farmer's Market, The Girl and the Fig, United States

Mr. Selfish and I timed it, and it took us 45 minutes to get from SF to the first winery in Sonoma. That’s right – 45 minutes. Indeed, we will be taking many more trips to wine country during our stay in SF. This post will go over our first day trip to Sonoma, which was on a Tuesday to take advantage of the Sonoma night farmer’s market.

Sonoma 034

After doing a great deal of tasting in Australia and New Zealand, I was surprised to discover that most of the wineries in Sonoma and Napa charge a tasting fee, which can vary from $5 to even $20 per person. Being the budget conscious person I am, I researched the wineries that were either free or had lower tasting fees.

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Visiting the Legion of Honor for Free

10 Tuesday Dec 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in California, North America, San Francisco, United States

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California, Legion of Honor, North America, San Francisco, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, United States

Mr. Selfish and I try to avoid paying for museums when possible. One of the first Google searches I performed while settling down in SF was free museum days. I discovered that during the first Tuesday and Wednesday of every month, certain museums are free. Moreover, if you are a Bank of America customer like we are, there is one weekend a month where certain museums are free. We are slowly but surely going to hit up these museums during the free days. We started with the Legion of Honor.

Legion 04Legion 05Legion 06Legion 07Legion 08

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My Obsession with the Golden Gate Bridge – Part 3 (Lands End)

28 Thursday Nov 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in California, North America, San Francisco, United States

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

California, Coastal Trail, Land's End, Legion of Honor, North America, San Francisco, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Sutro Baths, United States

Mr. Selfish and I have been taking advantage of the amazing sunny weather we’ve been having in SF. People keep telling me that it is not typical, so every time, it’s even remotely sunny I drag Mr. Selfish somewhere outside to view my current obsession – the Golden Gate Bridge. I may have mentioned this obsession previously (Part 1 and Part 2). During one particularly nice and sunny day, we went to Lands End to walk along the Coastal Trail, which has quite a new view of the Bridge.

Land's End 10Land's End 21

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Hiking Along Tomales Point in Point Reyes

26 Tuesday Nov 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in California, North America, San Francisco, United States

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California, Cowgirl Creamery, Drake's Bay Oysters, Marin, North America, Point Reyes, Point Reyes National Seashore, San Francisco, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Station House Cafe, Tomales Bay Foods, Tomales Point, Tomales Point Trail, Tule Elk, United States

Mr. Selfish and I are enjoying how close SF is to so many easy and fun day trips. One of our first day trips was to the Point Reyes National Seashore, which is located north in the westernmost tip of Marin. I browsed the various trails and decided on the Tomales Point Trailhead, which is about 10 miles round trip. Tomales Point boasts of coastal trails and an abundance of tule elk.

Point Reyes 07

Since it is in the most western part of Point Reyes, the drive from SF took about an hour and 20 minutes. On our way, we stopped at Tomales Bay Foods to visit the original creamery and store for Cowgirl Creamery. We picked up some provisions for a picnic during our hike.

Point Reyes 01CowgirlPoint Reyes 02

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Walking to the Ferry Building for Roli Roti’s Porchetta Sandwiches

21 Thursday Nov 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in California, North America, San Francisco, United States

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Bay Bridge, California, Cupid's Span, Ferry Building, North America, Porchetta Sandwich, Roli Roti, San Francisco, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, United States

Mr. Selfish and I love living in cities where you can walk. Not only is it great exercise, but you don’t have to look for parking. Being in Nob Hill, we have taken to walking to the Ferry Building on the weekends. The walk is about 1.5 miles one-way and takes about half an hour at a leisurely pace through Chinatown. We usually go on Saturdays because we enjoy browsing the farmer’s market and tasting all of the delicious samples.

Ferry Building 01Ferry Building 02Ferry Building 03Ferry Building 04Ferry Building 10

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Russian Hill: Are there Russians on the hill?

19 Tuesday Nov 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in California, North America, San Francisco, United States

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

California, Coit Tower, Lombard Street, North America, Russian Hill, San Francisco, San Francisco City Guides, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, SF City Guides, Transamerica Pyramid, United States

As I’ve mentioned previously, Mr. Selfish and I are currently living in the Nob Hill area of SF. We are right next door to Russian Hill and have been exploring the area.

Russian Hill 01Russian Hill 03

As you can see, we’ve been fortunate to have amazing weather as we face those steep hills.  This post is dedicated to Russian Hill.

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SF Chinatown: Groceries, Walking Tours, and the Cable Car Museum

14 Thursday Nov 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in California, North America, San Francisco, United States

≈ 2 Comments

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Cable Car Museum, Chinatown, North America, San Francisco, San Francisco City Guides, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, SF City Guides, United States

Mr. Selfish and I are enjoying our neighborhood in SF. We recently learned that although we officially live in Nob Hill (a/k/a Snob Hill), we are quite close to Russian Hill and Chinatown. We’re having a grand ol’ time exploring these areas, but Mr. Selfish has particularly taken to our new quest for the best baked pork buns in Chinatown. It’s a difficult task but someone needs to blog about the best buns in SF, which will be a post as soon as we have tried a few more places.

This post is dedicated to Chinatown. Mr. Selfish and I just enjoy meandering around. It almost feels like we’re in China especially when the little old Chinese women shove me and I instinctively shove them back.

Chinatown 01Chinatown 02Chinatown 03Chinatown 04

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My Obsession with the Golden Gate Bridge – Part 2 (Battery Spencer & Battery Wagner)

12 Tuesday Nov 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in California, North America, San Francisco, United States

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Battery Spencer, Battery Wagner, California, Golden Gate, Golden Gate Bridge, Kirby Cove, Marin County, North America, San Francisco, Selfish Years, The Selfish Years, United States

In my previous post, I went over my obsession with the Golden Gate Bridge, specifically the day that I dragged Mr. Selfish to Crissy Field, Fort Point, and onto the bridge itself. This post will continue with my obsession and go over another day during which I forced Mr. Selfish to view the bridge from the Marin side.

We drove across the Golden Gate Bridge and luckily snagged one of the few parking spots at Battery Spencer. Then, we walked up a little way and wow, the view was amazing.

Golden Gate 01Golden Gate 03

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My Obsession with the Golden Gate Bridge – Part 1 (Crissy Field & Fort Point)

06 Wednesday Nov 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in California, North America, San Francisco, United States

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Battery East, Crissy Field, Fort Point, Golden Gate Bridge, North America, San Francisco, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, United States

Since we’ve been in San Francisco, the first I do when I get out of bed in the morning is to check on our view of the Golden Gate Bridge. Most of the time, it’s sunny and glorious. There have been a few times when it has been foggy, and I’m sure I can expect the frequency of that view to increase. In any case, I adore the view and look forward to seeing how the bridge looks at the beginning of every day.

Here’s the view from our window on various days:

Golden Gate 01Golden Gate 02Golden Gate 03

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18 Observations about the United States (Part 2)

23 Monday Sep 2013

Posted by misterselfish in North America, Rant, United States

≈ 1 Comment

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Observations about the United States, Selfish Year, Selfish Years

Editor’s Note: This is a continuation of yesterday’s post on our American observations. These observations are my opinion on the good ol’ US-of-A after traveling abroad for a year. You can view Part 1 here.

10. The most aggressive (Western) drivers.

Aggressive-Drivers_thumb

I drove around Ireland, England, Spain, Australia, and New Zealand, and for the most, part people were diligently following the speed limit. Not so in the States, where people are constantly speeding 10-15 mph over the speed limit. When we returned from Spain I was surprised to find I had received two speeding tickets!

11. America is all about making that dollar…

Buy-it_thumb

Billboard advertisements line the highway. Websites are covered in ads. You can buy stuff in the air! Yes, America is all about making money. People regularly opt for a higher salary over vacation time, often forgetting to use the 2 weeks they get per year. Contrast that with Europe and Australia, where it’s quite common to get 5 to 6 weeks of paid vacation.

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18 Observations about the United States (Part 1)

22 Sunday Sep 2013

Posted by misterselfish in North America, Rant, United States

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Observations about the United States, Selfish Year, Selfish Years

Mrs. Selfish and I first started taking Thanksgiving trips abroad every year starting in 2006. There seemed to be something poetic about leaving the country during Black Friday – when people are often trampled to death during sales.

We really looked forward to leaving the States and diving into a country where we didn’t understand the language, culture, or customs. There was something exciting (and perhaps a little dangerous) about the whole traveling abroad experience and the States always seemed boring by comparison.

After a year abroad, however, there were many things I missed about the good ol’ USA. There are definitely some crappy parts about the States, no doubt about it, but after having visited 33 countries (25 on this trip), I can definitively say there is no place else like America.

Here are a few things we noticed.

1. Convenience is king.

Convenience

Trying to get groceries in Germany on a Sunday? Not happening. What about a meal in Australia after 2pm, but before dinner? Good luck. How about a haircut in France after 5pm? Don’t even bother.

America is the home of 24/7 restaurants and next-day delivery. If you have the money you can pretty much get whatever you want, whenever you want. Businesses are open, and they want your money.

2. Food is not as fresh.

Bad Produce

Disappointingly the price you pay for convenience is quality. In order to get produce year round America does horrible things to its food. Tomatoes are grown in the swamps of Florida, harvested green, and then shipped cross country. Chicken and beef are stuffed with growth hormones. Base ingredients are just not as good.

Fortunately it is possible to find a good meal in the States. It just requires a lot more research and planning than many other countries.

3. But beer and coffee are the best.

We’ve had beer across Europe, Asia, and Oceania, but without a doubt the best beer is in America – and I’m not talking about the Bud/Coors/PBR crowd. America is home to an amazing microbrew scene that is constantly reinventing itself and is all about variety. Try to get a stout in Germany, or a good IPA in Ireland, and you’ll see what I mean.

And don’t get me started about coffee.

France? A joke – they’re rumored to sometimes reuse their grinds over multiple cups of coffee for different customers. Asia? Mostly instant – Nescafe rules the day over there. Australia & England? It’s amazing they can taste the coffee itself when each cup is more milk than coffee.

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Heading West: Last Stop at Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe

21 Saturday Sep 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Cross Country, North America, United States

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Cross Country, Emerald Bay, Emerald Bay State Park, Fannette Island, Lake Tahoe, North America, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, United States

Our last stop before our destination in San Francisco was Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe. After spending a little time at Yellowstone, I figured that Lake Tahoe would also be a bit rustic and out of the way. To my surprise, it was quite developed. Nevertheless, it was still quite beautiful.

We only had a couple of hours in Lake Tahoe, so based on my minimal research, we decided to do a short hike in Emerald Bay State Park.

Lake Tahoe 001Lake Tahoe 002Lake Tahoe 003

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Who’s Selfish?

Mr. and Mrs. Selfish are an obsessively organized couple who sold all their junk to travel abroad for a year. Now settled in San Francisco, they have since visited over 200 cities in 44 countries over 6 continents. This site chronicles their travels.

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