• Germany

    Berlin

    February 14, 2016 - By 

    All my friends told me Berlin was edgy, hip, and grungy.  Other than the murals and scribbles of graffiti sprayed every few meters throughout the city, I didn’t think it was that at all.  Maybe that thought will change when I see the rest of Europe, but for now I’ll say Berlin was incredibly clean and pleasant.  Even slumming it on the sidewalk waiting for a spätkauf, or convenience store, to open upon our arrival wasn’t too bad of an experience. Graffiti like this could be found EVERYWHERE.  Seriously, I had never seen so much graffiti in my life. Major U.S. cities…

  • Uncategorized

    SF to Berlin (Air Berlin)

    February 11, 2016 - By 

    In previous years we used United miles to travel.  This time around we used American AAdvantage miles to fly business international from San Francisco to Berlin, Germany. Although American Airlines devalued their entire AAdvantage program for 2016, we were traveling early enough (February) to avoid the devalued award chart changes.  Only flights booked on March 22, 2016 and after were affected.  Whew. Before I dive into our flight experience, I must say how horrible it was to book tickets using AAdvantage Awards.  First of all, award travel was scarce.  Second, almost all flights had three legs with awfully long layovers.  Third, all but…

  • California

    Touring The City

    February 5, 2016 - By 

    As of February 2016, I’ve lived in San Francisco for 7.5 years.  Before that I lived in Berkeley for a couple of years, and before that I spent most of my life in San Jose, where I was born and raised.  Unlike many residents in the area, I am actually a native to the Bay Area.  This world-famous, innovative, leading hub of tech and development is my home, and San Francisco has played a huge role in my life from childhood to adulthood.  It began with quick weekend day trips with the family as a child (Chinatown, Fisherman’s Wharf, Union Square, the Ferry Building,…