Santa Barbara: The American Riviera

The sun finally came out Thursday morning, a virtual spotlight on this California town that advertises itself as being The American Riviera. With only a day to explore its beach areas and the historic downtown, the pedometer was recording in high gear.

If you have a bit more time, the tourist association has produced a brochure listing "101 Free Things to Do" but I filled a day exploring buildings and businesses that line State Street; the heart of its historic district. Red tile roofs, atop white stucco walls, the trees just leafing out and flowers in bloom made it seem a storybook setting.

Joel, who was on a business trip here, joined me in the afternoon so we headed to Stearns Wharf for a look at the Channel Islands, the beach and harborshops.

When the pedometer hit five miles it was time for a Happy Hour cool one at the Santa Barbara Brewing Company, 501 State Street. Revived and refreshed we headed to Pierre Lafond's Wine Bistro, just across the street and down the block at 516 State Street for wine, flatbread and some of the best mussels we Washingtonians have ever eaten.

(Our first rainy night in town we dined at Olio e Limone Restaurante, 17 W. Victoria, where the husband and wife team Alberto and Elaine Monello's staff prepared some melt-in-your-mouth raviolis for our dining enjoyment).

"It never rains in southern California. . ."

So goes the song from our younger days. . .and those of us who live in the sometimes unbearably wet Pacific Northwest would like to believe that refrain. Okay, so how could it be the sprinkles that began as was approached the Santa Barbara airport became a full-fledged downpour by the time we had retrieved our bags from the open concept baggage claim? Southern California - land of palm trees and beaches and Wednesday afternoon: rain.

Dug out those trusty umbrellas that are a permanent fixture in our luggage and put them to good use. Arrived at the hotel somewhat wet and cold. . .it wasn't a promising start to our 10-day road trip that will take us from the shores of the Pacific Ocean to the desert lands of Las Vegas.

Thursday morning and the sun has returned. I am off to explore. . .will share my finds in the next post.

Ridin' the Rail to Seatac Airport

Getting to Seatac Airport from downtown Seattle has been easier -- and cheaper -- since the Airport light rail station opened in December. Operated by Sound Transit Link Light Rail takes you from Westlake Center in downtown Seattle to the airport in 37 minutes. There are 10 stations along the route including stops in the International District, Pioneer Square and at the Stadium.

One-way adult fares are $2.50 and youth ages 6 -18 are $2. (Keep your ticket handy to show to a Fare Inspector on board). Tickets can be purchased from vending machines at the station that work much like automated bank teller or parking ticket machines.

Passengers need only walk from the airport staion along a covered, lighted, level walkway on the mezzanine level to the terminal. At Westlake Center's transit hub connections can be made to buses. Or most hotels are within a few blocks of the station.

After arriving home from Hawaii, we took a taxi home, slightly over 20 miles from the airport and the fare with tip was $61. Next time using Light Rail and connecting to the Metro bus, the cost per person will be $4.50 or $9 for the trip.

Madeira Memories: Ribeira Brava

Clean up efforts are underway on Madeira, the Portuguese island off the coast of Northern African that was unexpectedly struck by deadly flooding on Saturday. Reports say that a month's worth of rain fell in eight hours, causing deadly mudslides and turning the artistic roadways into riverbeds. Among the hardest hit were Funchal, the cruise ship port and Ribeira Brava (pictured in this post) along the south side of the island.

Clean up is underway in those areas and Madeiran tourism officials are reporting that hotels on the north side of the island are operating and the airport is open. The same officials are saying that those who are planning to visit are being encouraged to do so. A good source of information about Madeira is Madeira Live.

[The photos above were taken during a one-day stop in Funchal last April; our first land stop after a week-long Atlantic Ocean crossing on a Holland America repositioning cruise. With no set plans for our day, we hopped a local bus and visited Ribeira Brava. The roadway wound around steep hillsides and we lost count of the numbers of hairpin turns and tunnels we experienced to reach the charming little town. Top photo is from the bus as we set out and second is Ribeira Brava.]

Hidden fees. . .does the buck stop here?

While booking a Hertz rental car for an upcoming road trip from Santa Barbara, California to Las Vegas, Nevada we were pleased to see that we would earn Alaska Airlines frequent flier miles.

As we read further we learned they do award points . . .for a price. Persons renting cars in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico are subject to a frequent flyer surcharge of 75-cents a day up to $5.25 per rental in order to be awarded those points. Now admittedly the amount it isn't astronomical. . .but let's see, don't they call those programs 'award' or 'loyalty' programs? Maybe they should be called Pay-for-Points programs?

With auto reserved (likely without those points), the research turned to accommodations. We are considering a stay near the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation area some 20 minutes outside Las Vegas. So, using our favorite site, Expedia, we found several possibilities including what seemed to be a good deal at the high-end Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa. Rooms rates were listed at $130 a night; admittedly, that's for a view toward The Strip, not of those nearby striking red rocks, but still, an okay price for this glitzy hotel. Reading through the rules we found it's $130 plus hotel fees of $24.99 a night, bringing the real price to $155 a night. Had they just said so, we may have booked it. Their additional 'fee' killed the deal.

Funchal, Madeira - 'a Ghost Town'

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the residents of Madeira, the Atlantic island several hundred miles off the African coast, that has long been a popular stop for ships crossing the Atlantic. We've been fortunate to visit Funchal - one of our favorite ports of call - three times on cruises in recent years. The photos on this post were taken during our most recent visit in April 2009.

The BBC and MSNBC tonight are reporting the town of Funchal -- as well as other towns on the island -- were hit today with severe flooding resulting from a rainstorm with unexpected severity. Initial reports are estimating more than 20 persons killed and dozens injured. Their beautifully patterned black and white cobblestone streets are covered with mudslides and overturned cars are strewn about. A witness told the BBC that Funchal is 'a ghost town'.

We know all the cruise enthusiasts who've visited Madeira share our concern for the lovely people who have welcomed us over the years to their postcard-like garden island. We all will continue to monitor the events there with great sadness.

Hula Babe and Beach Boy Moonwalk

While Michael Jackson will forever be the world's moonwalking king, Hula Babe and Beach Boy did their own version several times just down the beach from our place at Ko Olina. You'll never see our fancy footwork on You Tube, still photos will have to suffice.

We spent hours exploring tidal pools found on this faux-lunar surface. Each pool had its own community of small fish and other little creatures. Flat, white-sand beaches were nearby but didn't hold quite the entertainment options of our lunar explorations. A few times we saw families also exploring the area and for the little ones the place was a Thriller.

Our favorite spots were just north of the J.W. Marriott property and south from Lagoon Four on Ko Olina's site, near the entry to the Marina. You explore at your own risk, the signs are posted. . .but then isn't that what you do with any travel experience?

Dealing with Pickpockets

Last fall Joel was targeted by pickpockets minutes into the train trip into Athens from Piraeus, its nearby port city. A theft that took only seconds to accomplish provided a lengthy aftermath, one in which we believe was finally completed two months after the theft. We remain on alert for any irregularities.

We consider ourselves seasoned travelers who are alert to such attacks, but today's sophisticated pickpockets still outwitted us. Our initial disbelief turned quickly to frustration which only intensified as we worked our way through the process of canceling various plastics and a race to the cash machine to obtain enough Euro's to carry us through the rest of the trip without those plastics.

We had taken many of the precautions I've listed below; but we hadn't quite been diligent enough. Hindsight is 20-20 and this is what we we will be doing in the future and offer as suggestions to others:


Before leaving home:

1. Register your foreign destinations with your bank's credit card fraud department. All it takes is a phone call.

2. Determine how the bank will contact you about suspicious card activity if you will not be available by phone during your travels. Have either the fraud department or customer service department, explain how they will contact you if they put a hold on your card while you are traveling. Then call them back, talk with a different person, and make sure that your record clearly states how they will reach you.

• During one of our trips, we were assured by a woman in the fraud department where we had registered our travel that we would be contacted by email -- she read the email address back to me for accuracy -- before putting a hold on an account. They didn't. But when we arrived home we found three automated messages on our answering machine telling us a hold had been placed on the account and advising us to call immediately. We didn't get that message in Paris.



• I did call the fraud department immediately and talked with a representative who told me the fraud department would never email; only customer service can generate emails and apologized for the inconvenience. (Luckily we still had enough cash to get us to the airport).

3. Record your card numbers, security codes and expiration dates and then keep those with bank phone numbers in a separate but secure place as you travel.

4. Double check those customer service phone numbers printed on the back of your card BEFORE you leave home. The replacement card sent to us after our return last fall still has imprinted on it the numbers that are no longer working. Because we had a computer - and in room web access - we could look up the bank's web site and got correct numbers; all of which took valuable time at a time when 'time was of the essence'.

While traveling:

1. Pickpockets come in every shape and size. Well-behaved looking children to dressed-for-success-adults are as likely to swipe your belongings as is the person who may look like a vagrant in search of money.

2. Travel defensively - that doesn't mean be rude, it means don't always be polite. If someone repeatedly prevents you from moving out of congested doorwells of Metro trains, buses, or waiting areas to less congested areas, force your way past them if need be.

3. Be aware of your surroundings: keep an eye on those around you. Does someone seem to be watching you? Are they repeatedly looking at your bags? Did you feel a brush against a leg or bag? Do they seem to be doing a visual scan of your body? Are they speaking into cell phones? It could be they are talking to 'teammates' planning their strike and getaway. [Don't be paranoid about it, as not everyone who looks at you or who speaks into a cell phone is a pickpocket - just be aware of those around you.]

4. Use a money belt or other means of securing your money and passport and credit cards to you in a manner that it would be impossible to reach even with the most sophisticated wires and hooks.

5. Split your cash and credit cards, don't carry all in one place.

6. Wear shoulder bags to the inside when walking on crowded sidewalks and streets. This will keep theives on bikes and motorcycles from coming up behind you and making off with your bag.

7. Don't look and act like a tourist. . .if you are trying to read your guide book or your camera is hanging from your neck. . .you look like a tourist. Suitcases, shoulder bags or backpacks are red flags - keep them in front of you, with your arms around them when squished into jam-packed public transportation. It is a snap to slash the bottom of a backpack and make away with your belongings before you even realize you were targeted.

8. Read up on your destinations. Most travel books and web sites include information about safety and safeguards you can take.