FIRST TIME IN AMERICA
Finally, your U.S. Visa is approved after your application went through the Electronic Visa on-line, which is definitely convenient compared to a 3 days and night queue line in the past. You have saved some dollars and now, you are ready to travel.
Where will you stay? Most Filipinos have relatives in the States but schedules have to be made. The 5-5-5 rule may apply: very close friends can accommodate you for 5 days; close relatives, 10 days; while immediate family members, for 15 days. Beyond that, your visit may no longer be welcome.
You leave Manila for San Francisco on March 18 at 9 p.m. and after a 13-14 hours flight, you reach San Francisco - same day, same time! You actually gain time when you travel east to west and lose it on the return flight, and finally understand what "jet lag" is.
I travelled with friends but we stayed in hotels. Relatives provided the transportation because points of interest average 2040 kilometers apart. Taxis were expensive plus the obligatory 15% tip.
Instant family reunions were held at the residence of Edwin Espina's daughters, potluck style, and your favorite food columnist cooked those live Dungeness crabs (induced to sleep in ice shavings during transport), asparagus (plump and tender, to cook in less time) and the Romanesco broccoli. The variety of vegetables, meats and other ingredients in American groceries is simply staggering.
In San Francisco, there are three places to visit for food and wine culture; Fishermans Wharf, Chinatown and Napa Valley. We took a tour bus and we had lunch at the Fog Harbor Fish House. We tried the Dungeness Crab Cakes, Baked Oysters, Mixed Grill and Shrimp Louis Salad. The bill was $130, plus 15% tip from each diner, a total of $150 for 4 persons. Ouch!
Chinatown is a favorite destination for tourists but we had to park the car about 10 blocks away. My friends missed cooked rice so we had dinner there (but I won't really recommend the place since our selection of Chinese food here in Cebu is excellent).
We visited Napa valley twice. After breakfast at the In-N-Out Burger (excellent cheeseburger), it took two hours to reach Sterling Vineyards. Snacks were at GOTT's Roadside and I had a taste of Ahi Tuna Burger at 14.99 and apple juice at 2.99. Itinerary for the second trip was the Francis Ford Coppola Winery, Chateau Montelena and Culinary Institute of America with my sister Firelli Alonso Caplen, her classmate, Cindy Bernaldez Gaabucayan, and Raul Bernaldez driving. They used GPS navigation devices but you could still get lost because cloud cover could be dense. But there was no drinking because driving under the influence (DUI), excuse me, is a criminal offense there!
America is a shopper's delight and I shopped at Best Buy and Fry's Electronics for blu-ray movies and gadgets, shopping outlets for clothes but always within budgetary and luggage weight limits.
More restaurant visits, this time to the Elephant Bar Global Grill for American food (Wood Grilled Tri Tip, with BBQ gravy), Filipino food at Fort McKinley Restaurant (Bibingka Soufflé was great) and fast food at McDonalds. No tip was allowed at the burger joint but everyone had to clean their own table and doggy bags were readily available in all restaurants for leftovers.