San Francisco Fleet Week

Cruising high above the West Coast en route from San Francisco, CA to Seattle, WA - I can’t think of a better time to talk about planes?!

Well, “fleet week” in San Francisco, for me, turned out to be an accidental activity that we stumbled upon that consumed 5 hours of time on a beautiful Sunday afternoon between the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz island. What started out as a random weekend to catch up with friends in California, ended with watching the most spectacular aerial acrobatics I have ever seen!

After viewing dozens of planes cruise by, including the: United States Air Force F-35 (man this guy is loud and fast!), United States Parachute Team, and one can't leave out the gigantic C-130 to just name a few. While impressive, the initial show of force and talent displayed was all to work up to the highly sophisticated coordination of the United States Navy Blue Angels.

The precision flying of 6 aircraft consisting of highly decorated military professional aviators cruising between 350 and 3,000 feet off the surface of the San Francisco Bay at upwards of 450 miles per hour is fancy - but then consider the distance between one plane’s wingtip to the cockpit of a neighboring plane being only 18 inches apart - likened in many cases to a high stakes game of airplane chicken. At times, the rate of closure between two crafts was over 1,000 miles per hour!

As the F/A - 18 Hornets went about their aerial acrobatic dances with grace and agility showcasing the aircraft's power, flexibility, and might, one can’t stop appreciating the talent of our country’s military personnel and be thankful for their daily service and sacrifices.

Even if you’re exploring the San Francisco Bay Area and you don’t have the privilege of watching the Blue Angels soar, make sure you have on your list a stop at The Buena Vista for an Irish Coffee (or two!) - which happens to be the cafe that first mastered and introduced this delicate drink to the United States. The food is amazing too!

Delta Porsche Experience

So this is kinda fun!

Not many travelers can relate to this experience, but at times when I’m traveling - and have a flight layover - it’s so amazing not to ‘walk’ to the next gate!

Even though you’re refreshed from a full meal and a comfy seat in the first-class cabin (haha); picture a Porsche sports car driving up to your gate, and when you bounce off the plane you see a Delta driver waiting to bring you to the car!

You’ll drive around the airport, weaving in and out of airplanes, make periodic stops for plenty of picture opportunities, checkout often-not-seen inner workings of the airport grounds (the baggage sorting area is amazingly cool!), and then magically you’re delivered to your next gate. Now that’s a pretty neat way to spend a layover!

What’s the catch? Following your cruise across the tarmac chatting with a Delta employee that loves their job (I mean, I kinda want this gig!) - you will soon realize it’s a sneaky way to generate sales leads for Porsche! Porsche has decided that the clientele Delta stylishly jets around (those that travel excessively and spend tens of thousands a year on Delta air travel, apparently) happen to also be the population segment they want to sell to…no wonder why the cars are provided to Delta for free; and rumor is that due to the success of this program, Tesla is even trying to get in on the action!

In the meantime, before I’m ready to spring for an upgrade from my “luxurious” Honda CR-V I’ll be enjoying plane fulls of people watching (and being jealous of!) me on my private tour throughout the tarmac, haha!

Disney Hidden Mickeys

I was recently talking to a colleague about Disney…She spent a painfully excruciating amount of time justifying why everything Disney is just (literally) for kids, and how silly my addiction (to having an annual pass while I was living 1,500 miles away) was - I felt the unrestrained, overflowing passion to be clear about one thing - when you’ve proudly mastered Magic Kingdom’s Buzz Lightyear ride by scoring 999,999 (the maximum score) on both laser guns when riding solo (I guess that makes me somehow a simultaneous double Galactic Hero?!) - as a milestone adult achievement - it's safe to say Disney is not just for kids…in fact maybe it's just for adults?? - actually, that's brilliant - a day without the crying kids (haha)?! Let's make that happen!…now that sounds magical…

So the real question remains - when you have memorized the script to the Jungle Cruise attraction (anyone up for a pair-of-docks?) or the positioning of Frozen’s hidden magic band photo opportunities - what do adults do at Disney??!!

Such a simple answer! Search for Hidden Mickeys (and Mickey's friends)!

Actually it’s not so simple - be on the lookout for what looks like a representation of Mickey Mouse that has been seamlessly placed into the design of the attraction, movie, sculpture, or overall theme throughout the parks!

Hidden Mickeys aren’t obvious, without doubt, will past most guests by without noticing a thing - but for the sharp observers, it’s a fun scavenger hunt throughout the lands….

Here’s a couple to get you started!

I can't lie….this was an extremely proud moment….and yes, I collected two Galactic Hero prizes…