As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
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There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
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Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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I love the pictures of alcatraz....i've always wanted to go there and visit! Hey isnt that the bakery from Samantha's brown's great weekends?????!!!!!
The tour sounded great and sounds like San Fran is a bit of a work out*L*
The hotel room upgrade rocks too!! did you say that's the one samantha brown reccomended???
Cant wait to hear about chinatown!
Great pictures. We went to SF a few years ago and did the Alcatraz tour. One of the inmates in your pictures, Leon "Whitey" Thompson was there. It was interesting to talk to him. I got one picture of him when we were leaving looking back at the prison and I wondered what he was thinking, he seemed to be in deep thought.
Great pix of Alcatraz! I've only been to San Francisco once (way back in 1990), and we didn't make it to Alcatraz. Definitely on the list for next time!
I'm so glad you're having a great time in SF so far! I think Samantha Brown really needs to consider you as her assistant. I mean, it makes sense, doesn't it?? Your hotel room looks like one of the best in the place! And as usual, the photos are great. I love the one in the prison kitchen with the knives hanging/painted on the wall!
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Brings back so many memories. Isn't that hill CRAZY up to Alcatraz??? LOL I told Sam and Kassie about it to warn them when we head over there in May. I loved the audio tour. Did they still have all the loud silverware clanging when you reached the mess hall? The girl we took to WDW this last trip, Rissa, well her boyfriend's mother was in the The Rock. She was a stripper on a TV set in the movie. LOL Seriously! LOL
You've been somewhere I've never been - The Cable Car Museum - we'll have to check that out, it sounds interesting.
So what did you think about the sourdough? Different than the sourdough we eat outside of SF, isn't it? I LOVE it and mom will occasionally express me some from Boudin.
Excited to read more and makes me more excited about our upcoming trip!
Yvonne, I thought the hill at Alcatraz was bad until I climbed up to the Fairmont. I thought that was even worse! And SF sourdough is so great!
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Originally Posted by Lemap760
Great updates. Thanks for the quick tour of Alcatraz and San Francisco.
Did that parking sign say $16? I hope that wasn't per hour.
I wouldn't doubt it. Parking is ridiculously expensive (and scarce), which is one of the reasons I decided to forego renting a car.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Minnie Lor
The cable car museum sounds really cool. Alcatraz could be interesting. I heard somewhere that they have a ghost tour. That would've been a thrill on halloween.
I hadn't heard about the ghost tour, but I do know they have a night tour which sounds really cool.
Quote:
Originally Posted by scdisneyfan
I love the pictures of alcatraz....i've always wanted to go there and visit! Hey isnt that the bakery from Samantha's brown's great weekends?????!!!!!
The tour sounded great and sounds like San Fran is a bit of a work out*L*
The hotel room upgrade rocks too!! did you say that's the one samantha brown reccomended???
Cant wait to hear about chinatown!
Yes, that's the same bakery! And it's sooo good. Walking around SF is really nice, but yeah, a workout sometimes. And Samantha stayed at the Fairmont on one of her Great Hotels episodes. It's a beautiful hotel.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gin7274
Great pictures. We went to SF a few years ago and did the Alcatraz tour. One of the inmates in your pictures, Leon "Whitey" Thompson was there. It was interesting to talk to him. I got one picture of him when we were leaving looking back at the prison and I wondered what he was thinking, he seemed to be in deep thought.
How cool! I guess there are special guests like that from time to time. I'm sure it was interesting meeting someone who'd actually been there.
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Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
I'm so glad you're having a great time in SF so far! I think Samantha Brown really needs to consider you as her assistant. I mean, it makes sense, doesn't it?? Your hotel room looks like one of the best in the place! And as usual, the photos are great. I love the one in the prison kitchen with the knives hanging/painted on the wall!
That'd be a dream job for me! And I got a great upgrade since I checked in before the weekend rush.
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Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
Day Eight – Saturday, November 1 Who Ordered the Rain?
I woke early to rain. It was raining harder than it had been the day before, and it was also foggier than it had been the day before. I got ready for my adventure and headed out.
It rained (downpoured at times ) the entire day so I really don’t have many pictures to share from this day.
I got a few pictures on the way out of the hotel.
These were all filmed at the Fairmont, including the old TV show Hotel
I started out in Chinatown. Karen’s sister Kirsten had given me a little card with a walking tour of Chinatown, and I mostly followed that. It reminded me a lot of the Chinatown in NY City, but it was kind of different too. I bought a dragon kite for my nephews at the Chinatown Kite Shop. I was amazed by all the different kites and had a hard time choosing one. I ended up going with one that looked easy to fly.
I think my favorite was the little shop where they hand make fortune cookies. That was pretty cool to watch. I found out that you can bring your own fortunes and then they’ll put them in cookies for you for a party or whatever. I think that’s the coolest idea!
I was planning to eat something in Chinatown, but I just wasn’t hungry (which may or may not have been because of the “food” hanging in shop windows ). Also, the rain was kind of a downer, so I decided to head back to the Fairmont.
Of course, as soon as I got back to my hotel, the rain stopped (and the sun came out ) but that only lasted 20 minutes or so and then the rain started up again, and kept up for the rest of the day.
That’s the Mark Hopkins Hotel, and the restaurant Top of the Mark was right across from me (I could see in there at night)
I did a little exploring in the lobby (I know I took some pictures, but my camera was acting a bit wonky and none of them are there – I also took a bunch of the fabulous carved pumpkins that all the departments of the hotel made at the Fairmont and those pictures are lost too ). I did a bit of shopping and then it was time for Karen to pick me up.
In spite of the rain, I got to see almost everything in San Francisco! Karen is a fantastic tour guide (one of her many talents). We drove around the city for a bit and I got to see some famous sights, most notably the Palace of Fine Arts (which I joked looked just like the one at California Adventure).
We were planning to have lunch over in Sausalito, so we drove over the Golden Gate Bridge () It was really cool driving across the bridge, if a little foggy. We stopped and had a fabulous lunch (I had lobster bisque and spinach and artichoke ravioli that was scrummy ). We had a great view of the city when it wasn't covered by the fog.
Kirsten had told us about a great spot to see the bridge, and we found it. It would’ve been fantastic if it hadn’t been so foggy. It was kind of cool to sit right there, 100 feet away from the bridge and not be able to see it! When we drove back over, you could only see half of the bridge. The top half disappeared into the fog. I actually enjoyed seeing it that way, especially since I'd gotten a good look at it the day before.
Back in San Francisco, we drove around some more. When we got to Lombard Street, I actually took some pictures from inside the car.
When we first started down Lombard Street (which, in case you don’t know is one of the most crooked streets in the world), Karen was driving slowly so I could get a picture. The car behind us got annoyed and honked his horn. I told Karen “Yeah, Karen, you need to floor it!!” Dude, it’s a crooked street. You can only drive like 10 MPH. Get over it!!
We also drove through a pretty upscale neighborhood and were surprised to see how many homes had pretty elaborate Halloween decorations.
We stopped at Ghirardelli Square for some hot chocolate (and it was a perfect day for it). I enjoyed the exhibit on how they make their yummy chocolate.
We drove around a bit more and I got to see so much. I know we saw Coit Tower, AT&T park (where Karen’s beloved Giants play), City Hall (which I thought was gorgeous) and the Presidio. You name it, Karen took me there! again Karen, for being such an awesome tour guide.
All too soon, Karen was dropping me off at the Fairmont. It wasn’t terribly sad because we thought we’d see each other again in little more than a month, but it turns out that it’ll be more like 6 months. It was fantastic being able to see San Francisco for the first time with my gal pal as tour guide.
I went back to my room and watched television until I fell asleep.
Up Next: Flight Delays from H*%&
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Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
Day Nine – Sunday, November 2 Flight Delays from H*%&
I was up extra early thanks to Daylight Savings Time ending. My flight wasn’t that early, but I actually needed to get going pretty early if I wanted to get breakfast and catch the shuttle on time.
I took a few final pictures on my way down to the restaurant in the lobby.
I enjoyed the breakfast buffet. There were so many fabulous choices and everything was delicious. They even had two different smoothies. There was so much I was too full to try everything I wanted. And I didn’t even visit the omelet station. No wonder it was $27!
After breakfast, I rolled out of the restaurant and headed back up to my room. I packed up and took one last look out the window.
I waited in the lobby until the shuttle was scheduled to arrive then I stepped outside. I noticed this plaque declaring the Fairmont an official landmark (I found it hard to believe the hotel was over 100 years old!).
The shuttle came and I hopped on. We made one more stop to pick up one more passenger, and then arrived at the airport in no time. When I got to my gate (quite early) they were announcing that people who had connections in Las Vegas (me) should take the earlier flight to Las Vegas because of flight delays at McCarran Airport.
I already had a 2 hour layover, so I asked the gate attendant if I should bother getting the earlier flight and he suggested that I did, so I walked down. I ended up with a boarding pass like B57 instead of the fantastic A21 I had, but I was still able to snag a window seat.
We landed in Las Vegas on time. Then I waited. My notes just cracked me up. They say “Caught shuttle. Earlier flight. Airport. Airport. Airport. Lunch. Airport. Airport. Airport. Airport.” That’s about how it was. If I’d known how long I would’ve been sitting in that stinkin’ airport, I would’ve taken a cab to the Strip and done some sightseeing. I ended up sitting there for 7 hours. There was an entire runway shut down because of construction, so everything in and out of Las Vegas that day was subject to (long) delays. Aaack!
I had Pizza Hut for lunch and grabbed a sandwich to eat later on the plane (the terminal is sorely lacking in good places to eat). We ended up leaving 3 hours after the original flight time. Once we got in the air, the flight was pretty much uneventful. I ate my sandwich then slept a bit. We landed at 2:15 a.m. Eastern time (and I had to get up for work in like 3 hours).
Up Next: Final Thoughts and Ramblings
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Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
Wow the Fairmont is GORGEOUS! and your view was SPECTACULAR!!! You got so much done!!! As usual GREAT PICTURES! I felt like I was Right there with you!! Loved the Alcatraz Tour! And the shots of Lombard Street! Too bad you had to wait so long in the airport
Sounds like you had a fantastic trip!
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What a great last day Sharon! Sorry it rained though Sausalito is a cool place!! And that Ghiradelli is a great one!! I agree the food in McCarren is lacking....we stopped there on the way back from Sacramento!!
Thanks so much for taking us along!! Looking forward to your final thoughts!!
Great finish Sharon - what a shame about the rain though. And what a nightmare trip home - I can't imagine sitting that long at Vegas airport, it's not exactly full of facilities. :
Its great that you did the samantha brown stuff and that hotel is super gorgeous!! I was amazed by your pictures!
Lombard street is one of my DBF must do's in life but it was so funny abou the guy honking at you guys what a moron!
Ghiradeli hot chocolate yummmmo! sounded delish!
But the flight delays on the way home sounded terrible! I hate getting stuck in the airport and I always think i bring enough to entertain me but that never happens!
I cant wait to hear your final thoughts....(i see your countdown and i'm wondering if there will be a PTR for that????Hmmmm)
I really enjoyed the city of San Francisco a lot. It reminded me a lot of New York City, which is a good thing. I am a big fan of bridges, so it was quite a thrill to get to see the Golden Gate Bridge and especially to drive over it. If the weather had been better, I would’ve loved to walk or bike over. But that’s something for next time!
Transportation:
Southwest Airlines – Even though I suffered horrendous flight delays on my return, that was because of the airport, not the airline. SWA actually tried to help me out by getting me to Vegas earlier, it’s just too bad that it didn’t help. I’m so happy with SWA that I don’t even look at other carriers anymore.
Airport Shuttle – I just booked the shuttle in the lobby. I don’t have the name of the company, but if anyone is interested, I can look through my receipts for the name. The van was on time, not too packed and made only one stop after picking me up. The driver was safe, which isn’t always the case. I’d use them again.
The Resorts:
The Fairmont San Francisco – I chose the Fairmont based on an episode of Great Hotels and my BFF Samantha didn’t steer me wrong! It was a gorgeous hotel and in a great location (though being on top of a hill was only an advantage going downhill ) The Fairmont feels more like a luxury hotel than the Disney resorts, and I felt a little spoiled staying there. I’d definitely stay there again.
So that ends my ramblings. Thanks so much for sticking with me, and as always, thanks for so many wonderful comments. It’s a lot of work writing trip reports, but knowing people are reading along and enjoying it makes it a whole lot more fun!
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Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
I always look forward to your TR's because so much detail and funny stories...you have such a full life that I enjoy reading about something I want to do someday...and now that we've met I can put a face to the person its so great!! I can't believe you are BFF's with Sam because we are soooo BFF's (problem is she doesnt know it yet *LOL*)
I'm so glad you had such a good trip and experience and thanks so much for sharing with us!!
What a great trip, Sha. My dad is actually in San Fran right now. He loves it there!! I'm glad you had such a great tour guide Can't wait for your next adventure. . . .
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Your hotel room looks like one of the best in the place! And as usual, the photos are great. I love the one in the prison kitchen with the knives hanging/painted on the wall!
Walking around SF is really nice, but yeah, a workout sometimes. 
And Samantha stayed at the Fairmont on one of her Great Hotels episodes. It's a beautiful hotel.
) the entire day 
). Also, the rain was kind of a downer, so I decided to head back to the Fairmont.
) but that only lasted 20 minutes or so and then the rain started up again, and kept up for the rest of the day. 
). I did a bit of shopping and then it was time for Karen to pick me up.
) It was really cool driving across the bridge, if a little foggy. We stopped and had a fabulous lunch (I had lobster bisque and spinach and artichoke ravioli that was scrummy 
When we drove back over, you could only see half of the bridge. The top half disappeared into the fog. 
I actually enjoyed seeing it that way, especially since I'd gotten a good look at it the day before.
I told Karen “Yeah, Karen, you need to floor it!!” 
again Karen, for being such an awesome tour guide.
It wasn’t terribly sad because we thought we’d see each other again in little more than a month, but it turns out that it’ll be more like 6 months. 
It was fantastic being able to see San Francisco for the first time with my gal pal as tour guide.
I ended up sitting there for 7 hours. There was an entire runway shut down because of construction, so everything in and out of Las Vegas that day was subject to (long) delays. Aaack!
I agree the food in McCarren is lacking....we stopped there on the way back from Sacramento!!
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