flights booked

[tielan]

Got a RTW ticket going west around the globe.

Sydney -> Istanbul (leave 9th, arrive 10th)
Istanbul (arrive 10th, leave 15th: many things planned and not half enough time, going with travel friend from FFA)
Istanbul -> Edinburgh (leave 15th, arrive 15th)
Edinburgh to London (from 15th to 22nd many wending ways through countryside and dale w/ parentals)
London -> Boston (leave 22nd, arrive 22nd)
Boston to Toronto (from 22nd to 28th, many wending ways through MA, NY, and into Canada - note: I will probably try to get up to Ottawa, but will have to come back down to Toronto because the flights into the US all leave from there)
Toronto -> San Francisco (leave 28th, arrive 28th)
San Francisco (from 28th to 29th, one day & night to visit and catch up with people in CA)
San Francisco -> Sydney (leave 29th, arrive 31st)

If you are anywhere along this travel path, I would LOVE to see you in person, whether to drink a cup of coffee, eat a meal, be taken to your favourite place in the area and lectured about how awesome it is, whatever is your thing!

My plans are to stay in places downtown (hotels, hostels, airbnbs maybe although they'd be exxy) and easily accessible by public transport, whatever that might look like in said cities. Thankfully, London, Boston, and San Francisco have decent (well, they were decent the last time I went) public transport options, but without an international license I'm not fit to drive myself around (also, except for London, you drive on the wrong side of the road even if it is the right-hand side), and I categorically refuse to use Uber.

Also: VISAS. Must start arranging now. I'm pretty sure I don't need one for the UK, and I'm not sure about Canada (probably not), but will almost certainly need one for Turkey, and definitely for the US.

Comments

[jenab]

It just occurred to me seeing your itenary that you will be in the US/Canada close enough to Halloween to experience a few things if you are interested.

If you are, there is the Legends of Horror at Casa Loma. More in the mid town area of Toronto but accessible by public transit.

https://casaloma.ca/project/legends-of-horror/

[tielan]

I am cautiously interested? I am not one for horror or ghost tours, but I do like dress-ups, and if there are neighbourhoods to visit, I am all for wandering around admiring people's home displays!

[umadoshi]

I've never been to that particular event (haven't been in Toronto in October except when I lived there), but I second Casa Loma in general as well worth a visit.

Also, Mother's Dumplings in the downtown Chinatown is my favorite restaurant in the world. (Food recs are mainly what I have to offer for Toronto. ^^;)

[tielan]

I will 100% take food recs in any city! (Whether I can make it to the place? Or do the lining up? Another matter entirely!)

[umadoshi]

My absolute Toronto go-tos, then, are the aforementioned Mother's Dumplings on Spadina, Dlish Cupcakes on Queen West, and Holy Chuck burgers (a few locations).

(And at Holy Chuck, if you are at all a fan of bacon, I highly recommend getting something with their bacon patty. [Back bacon, that is, not side bacon.] It blows my mind that I've never seen a bacon patty anywhere else, because it seems so obvious and is so good.)

[adafrog]

Yay!

[tielan]

It's a little bit exciting and a little bit terrifying!

[velithya]

I've gotten an international licence the times I've been overseas, it was a pretty painless process and not too expensive either! Could be worth doing if you'll be in a place where driving would be handy.

[tielan]

Yeah, I'm thinking...maybe.

[velithya]

Here's the RAC WA info page about them - I imagine there's a local equivalent company who should be able to offer them for similar pricing/ease?

[eggsbenedict]

Ooh, fun!

Canada has a visa waiver thingie like the US ESTA that you have to apply for, but it's easy to book.

I did find an international license is just a technicality - you can prebook international car hire from home, and your regular driver's licence will be used for ID/fines if they happen. XD; You can get one from NRMA if you want one though. My real barrier is not being able to drive stick so J had to handle that in France.

[tielan]

I figured Canada would do something like that, but wasn't entirely sure what - I think the last time I was in Canada was back in 2002 and I do not at all recall a visa being required, although they did take my passport away for a little bit longer after glancing over the Americans in the car. Of course, they all thought that was hilarious.

I can drive manual, but probably not for the left-side drive... Might be useful to have a licence, though.

[ladyjax]

We're still in the Bay Area and I should be back in town by the time you swing through this way. Exciting!

[tielan]

I would love to catch up with you if we can swing it. I should be in SF for at least 24 hours on a Saturday.

[gingicat]

I'd love to see you when you're in Boston - thankfully, the rapid transit near me (the Orange Line) should be back in service by then. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/08/18/business/mbta-boss-explains-business-leaders-why-30-day-shutdown-orange-line-is-necessary/

[tielan]

If we can make it happen, I'd love to see you!

[tielan]

Hey, so I'm arriving in Boston on the 22nd, planning to stay through the 23rd and then head out on the 24th. (Exactly how I'm heading out, I haven't worked out: train or plane or automobile or whatever.)

Would you be available to meet up on Sunday 23rd? Are you the walking around kind? Or would you rather meet somewhere specific? I'm trying to decide how best to spend a day, and I'm kind of thinking of walking around various community gardens and eating my head off...

For somewhere to stay, I'm looking at booking at a boutique hotel in Back Bay, but some of the recent reviews are not great (especially their after-hours procedures for getting in) and I'm wondering if an ordinary hotel might not be a better option this time?

Also, I am due to arrive 9pm East Coast time from the UK, will probably end up taking at least 2 hours to pass customs and so am not likely to get in until close to midnight...which was badly planned. So it might be better to go with a standard ordinary hotel...

[gingicat]

You will likely be better off staying at a hotel near the airport. The Blue Line is right there, and you can take it into downtown and go pretty much anywhere from there. Some hotels even have shuttles to the Blue Line or Silver Line.

Husband has been out of work for far too long, so walking around or something else that is free would be ideal for me. If you want green space, the best plan would be to transfer to the Green Line and head to the Boston Common from there. I could bring a picnic lunch but I'd need to know your preferences.

[tielan]

Okay, so presently trying to work out whether I'm going to be in Boston for the 23rd at all, due to a confusion about which day my family are where in Scotland, and follow-on issues with being able to catch flights after all.

I'll let you know, but I'm afraid it may be only a week or two before that I can confirm. But picnic lunch is great, and I am very willing to contribute towards!

[gingicat]

Fortunately my schedule is more flexible!

[kat_lair]

Oh this looks like an amazing trip!

[timespirt]

Enjoy your trip hon. I would love to see Scotland.