So, basically 21st Century cruising is like being stuck on a floating Las Vegas shopping mall! The only difference between this and Vegas is that you're surrounded by ocean instead of desert. I went on a family cruise just over 20 years ago with my sister, parents and grandparents. I was a sulky, Goth teenager then but I don't remember it being this bad. I remember it being different then but it could be that I have poor memory. It was on a small cruise ship i...

So many things to do, so little time! Walking around the Public Market is most enjoyable. Traders are only allowed to sell produce which has been made, grown, fished or produced in the State of Washington and, apparently, the authorities are very strict about this - even visiting the farms and factories to check! Stall holders were handing out tasters left, right and centre and very friendly and chatty. We tried fresh fruit, dried fruit, cheeses, smoked fish, bre...

Oakland Airport - what a great American airport - I'm impressed at the design and ease of use - I wish more airports were as efficient and well-designed as this one! The security agents were friendly, everything was clearly signposted, the shops and restaurants were actually useful and good quality (without costing the earth), free wi-fi and there was plenty of great artwork around! Oakland Airport is Southwest Airline's base near San Fran and, as the flight was ...

The swelling has gone down - just in time to do Wild Wes's Walking tour which started with Wes singing a song whilst strumming a ukulele! This is definitely my kinda tour. According to Wes, there were two defining moments which put San Francisco "on the map": the gold rush in 1848 - which expanded the population from 400 to 25000 in 1 year - and then the devastating earthquake and subsequent fire in 1906. We were then led to the St Francis Hotel (now part of the...

I took it easy today. I've been to San Fran before so I've seen quite a lot already. Besides, I can't walk a lot because of my swollen foot. So, I decide to go to the downtown Ross (one of their flagship stores) for a bit of shopping. I "discovered" a lovely design and furniture store called CB2 today. They have some great retro-inspired pieces and are not afraid to use colour and texture. I was particularly inspired by their novel indoor hanging plant holders ...