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#mariaonthego Travel Adventures: Europe 2016 - The Baggage

The two biggest logistical hurdles I came up against in planning a month of travel turned out to be what to pack for a trip that would take me from Spain to Svalbard and climates in-between and how to carry it all. I will cover what to pack in a future post, but today I want to start with the carrying cases.

 

 

*Disclosures: I purchased all items that I used on my trip and reviewed here. None were provided for review purposes. This post contains some affiliate links. If you choose to purchase something through any of them, I will get a small commission but you will not pay more for any items. Thank you for your support!

 

Backpack or Wheels?

 

In doing my research I was quickly faced with a question of identity I had to answer: Am I a backpack or wheeled-luggage kind of gal? Do I check bags or carry on only? These apparently are quite existential questions with passionate advocates and an us vs. them mentality easily found across travel blogs.

 

As an in-between traveller I discovered a way to split the difference with wheeled luggage that could be worn as a backpack if necessary. I went with the IKEA UPPTÄCKA wheeled backpack. This combo bag can be worn as a backpack or rolled on wheels and it also has a detachable daypack.

 

This is a super versatile bag at an excellent price point. However, in use I discovered several cons that mean I won’t be using it as my primary travel bag in the future. The single-pole handle makes it less stable when rolling and the bag tended to tip over when I was pulling it behind me. The zipper attaching the smaller backpack to the main bag broke off while my luggage had its own mini-adventure from Brussels to Berlin (more on that in a future post). The bag, though it technically fits carry on measurements, in reality, it doesn’t fit in the sizing bins for many airlines and needs to be checked.

 

In addition to this suitcase, I also brought a duffle bag. I thought I could attach it to the wheeled bag using a Bag Bungee but found in practice that attaching a bag to a single pole handle means the attached bag swivels around and requires constant adjustment. As a result I ended up carrying it using the shoulder strap across my body.

 

I would have taken just the IKEA bag with my gear for summer weather, but I brought the duffle to haul the heavy duty wind-proof, water-proof cold weather gear I would need for my trip to Svalbard. Despite the fact that it was summer and 24-hours of daylight time when I visited, Svalbard is still closer to the North Pole than it is to Oslo and, especially out on the water where there are icebergs, it is COLD!

 

Two more bags joined my entourage along the way. Towards the end of my trip I was hauling the wheeled backpack, two cross body duffle-type bags and a backpack. Dos muchos. Never again.

 

One Bag to Rule Them All

 

In the future I plan to travel with a single carry on bag which will be this one that I picked up in Norway.

 

 

This expandable and convertible bag can be carried by its handles, used with a shoulder strap or worn as a backpack and is made by Samsonite (but I can’t find any information about this model online). Some comparable bags would be:

1. Campmor Essential Carry-On (Budget Option)

2. eBags TLS Mother Lode Weekender Convertible (Midrange)

3. eBags TLS Mother Lode Weekender Convertible Junior (Probably what I would try next if I ever need to replace the Samsonite)

4. Tom Bihn Western Flyer (High End)

5. Red Oxx Mini Boss (Rugged)

 

Bags Within Bags

 

In that bag I will include a fold-up or packable backpack to carry as a daypack on tours when I don’t want to bring my luggage with me. This is the one I took with me to Europe and it was a lifesaver when my luggage was delayed for several days by a baggage handler strike in Brussels and it ended up being my only bag. The lack of structure meant I could stuff a lot into it which was useful since I had to pick up some extra clothes and underwear. My only quibble with it is that the flap covering the top front compartment tends to get caught in the zipper but otherwise, this lightweight backpack that folds up into its own small travel case came in incredibly handy.

 

 

Online, you can find a zillion different models of similar relatively inexpensive packable backpacks. I can’t vouch for their quality but mine has held up beautifully for light-to-moderate mostly city (not out on the trail) use. If you think you might need something more heavy duty, outdoor gear manufacturers offer similar items at slightly higher price points. This REI model is beloved by lots of travel bloggers, praised for its durability and backed by REI’s excellent warranty. For the most lightweight, pack-down-the-tiniest versions, Sea To Summit is your brand.

 

Another bag I found indispensible during my travels was a crossbody bag from Travelon (I found mine at Target). I ended up using this bag as a cross between a wallet and a very small purse. I could easily fit my passport, a pen, two phones, credit cards, cash, coins, a cleaning cloth for my glasses and lip balm which was my minimum have-on-me-at-all-times kit. I wore it as a crossbody bag but it can also be worn as a waist pack or used as a wallet with the strap removed. RFID protection, locking mechanisms on the strap and main compartment zipper and a slash-proof strap gave a sense of security as a nice bonus. My friend, Carolina, in Zurich marveled at how much this small bag managed to hold.

 

The third bag I will likely continue to roll up and include in my future travels is my black patent LeSportsac purse (similar model). LeSportsac bags are lightweight and stylish and the model I have withstood being crushed and crumpled up in my luggage yet consistently emerged unscathed and wrinkle-free. It was great for those occasions where I needed something bigger than the small Travelon bag but also something more elegant than my day-glo orange daypack. The only downside to this bag is that the lining is also black so it can make it hard to find items.

 

 

Packing Ultra Light

 

In my next post I will explore how to pack small enough to carry only a bag small enough to fit not just in overhead bins but also under the seat in front of you. Also, how do you pack light enough so that carrying everything doesn’t get uncomfortably heavy nor run over some airlines carry on weight restrictions? I did not succeed on this trip but I am determined to do so in the future.

 

Previous Posts:

1. #mariaonthego Travel Adventures: Europe 2016

2. #mariaonthego Travel Adventures: Europe 2016 - The Flights

#mariaonthego Travel Adventures: Europe 2016 - The Flights

Yesterday, I told you about my summer travel itinerary which took me on a total of 15 separate flights over the course of a month of travel. Today I will give you insights into how I chose a few of those flights and some money saving tips.

 

Google Flights, My New BFF

I started my research with this tidbit of information I had filed away in the back of my mind (and Evernote): WOW Air would be starting $99 flights to Iceland and $199 flights to Europe from SFO in June of 2016. Alrighty then!

 

To begin, I looked for reviews of WOW flights to see if this budget airline was more Southwest-style budget or Spirit-style dirt cheap for a reason. Several reviews like this one convinced me that WOW would not be the way I would be going.  Also, those super-cheap fares were immediately snatched up and the best remaining deals weren't available until something like November, well past the summer peak season. On the other hand, paying $2,000 - 4,000 for an economy round trip ticket (or potentially more if I purchased separate one-way tickets) on a major carrier like United, Delta, British Airways or Air France wasn’t in the budget so my next step was to look for well-reviewed lower cost carriers. 

 

After much reading, I decided that Air New Zealand Premium Economy, with its stylish spaceseats (I will give this flight its own review), from Los Angeles to London would be my outgoing flight and, even though I wasn’t flying WOW Air, I would do an Iceland stopover on my way home via Icelandair in their Economy Comfort class. Despite purchasing separate one-way tickets and flying in premium economy rather than in rock-bottom priced economy seats, my tickets to and from Europe cost me less than a round trip ticket would have on one of the better-known legacy carriers. Even if I had gone the budget economy route, paying extra for checked baggage, seat assignments, water, food, etc… wouldn’t have saved me enough to make up for having to sit in far less comfortable seats for 5-10 hours.

 

 

In investigating Air New Zealand, I discovered that if you book a ticket flying out of SFO, they put you on a Virgin America flight to LAX and then you fly ANZ directly to Heathrow from there. So, since I have a fair bit of points accumulated on Virgin America, I would burn a few of them before the Alaska Airlines transition and just cover the SFO to LAX flight myself. If you have enough miles or points on an airline for domestic travel but not enough for international, this can be a way to save money by getting you to a hub city for a well-priced flight overseas.

 

I chose London as my arrival point as I planned to travel with my UK friend and I knew we would be going to Berlin so I had to arrive in time to comfortably travel to Germany for the first Springsteen show on my schedule. Off to Google Flights I went to find the best price/date for my flight in. Tuesdays seemed to offer the lowest cost so I booked a flight for June 14th. As it’s a 10 hour overnight flight from LAX to LHR, I didn’t arrive until Wednesday morning on the 15th. That still gave me four days to get to Berlin.

 

After my friend had to bow out of the trip, I debated staying in London for a couple few days before heading over to Berlin, travelling to Berlin straight away or cramming in another city between London and Berlin. As London is the only city I’ve ever visited in Europe (or even outside North America for that matter), I again turned to Google Flights and found that I could tick an item off my dream list and go to the Frank Gehry-designed Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain before popping over to visit a grad school friend in Zurich, Switzerland on my way to Berlin.

 

Particularly if you have any flexibility in your dates and/or locations of travel, Google Flights is a fantastic way to find the best combination of price and quality of flight options. I adore this tool and can’t recommend it highly enough.

 

Trains Vs. Planes

I investigated train travel between cities which Europe is famous for but only one route made potential sense for me (overnight from Zurich to Berlin). However, the trains were virtually sold out with the only remaining sleeping berth option in a 5-bunk car where I would be joining random strangers. This option might be appealing if I were an adventurous backpacker and it were substantially cheaper than flying but it was actually nearly 3 times the cost.

 

After my first Springsteen show, it cost well under $100 to fly from Berlin to Copenhagen on EasyJet even upgrading to their “Flexi Fare” pricing giving me priority boarding, checked luggage allowance, a seat assignment and more. The catch however was that EasyJet flies out of Berlin’s more remote Schönefeld airport rather than the more accessible Tegel airport I had flown into (something I did not notice until I was in Berlin). I was able to take a relatively inexpensive train to Schönefeld but that required leaving before dawn. My other option would have been an expensive cab ride that would have erased the savings on my flight.

 

The lesson learned here is to pay close attention to the details on super-cheap flights. Do you have to pay for everything down to seat assignments and a cup of water, a la carte? How easy and/or expensive will it be to get to or from a secondary airport these airlines often operate from? Are there flights available at convenient-for-you times or are very early morning or red eye flights your only options? Can you really travel with a single (as in no additional purse or personal item – just one thing) 11 pound max carry on and no checked luggage? If you’re an in-between traveler like me then probably not. However, strategically paying for extras or upgrades and using airports that might not be the main hub but accessible to where you are staying if you’re not in a city center hotel can make for great savings. Additionally, upgrading to the next higher class (premium economy or business) on European carriers often gives you access to airport lounges where you can charge your phone, get something to eat and drink and, in many cases, even shower while you wait for your flight for a relatively small premium above the cost of an economy ticket.

 

Iceland Stopover 

Reykjavik is all the rage these days. I know three friends who visited the land of Bjork this summer alone and many more who’ve got it on their wish list. With competing low-cost carriers increasing their flights from the U.S. and offering free stopovers in Iceland of up to a week either coming from or going to several destinations in Europe including popular choices like Amsterdam and Paris, you would be crazy not to pay a visit, right?

I knew I wanted to return on Icelandair and since I had found in my research that Boston is a hub airport for them (as well as WOW Air), I decided to visit a friend in Providence, Rhode Island before heading back home to the Bay Area. It would be nice to break up the trip back from Reykjavik by flying just 5 hours to the East Coast rather than 12 hours to the West Coast and easier to snag a low fare. Plus, I know from experience that for some reason, flying from Providence to San Francisco is dirt cheap so I got a bonus U.S. week in my summer vacation for not much, if any, more than coming straight home.

Google Flights discovered an even better option though than flying Icelandair from Oslo and stopping over in Iceland. I found a discounted premium economy fare that was inexplicably far cheaper than economy on SAS from Oslo to Iceland so I nabbed that and then picked up a one-way ticket from KEF to BOS on Icelandair. The total cost was significantly lower than purchasing a stopover flight on either airline. Once again, Google Flights FTW!

 

Summary of Tips and Tricks:

1. Use Google Flights to find the best prices and options. I have found this tool far more useful than other sites I’ve previously used like Kayak or Orbitz.

 

2. Investigate using frequent flier miles to get you to a city with better or cheaper flight options than your local airport.

 

3. Consider upgrading to premium economy (or whatever the next highest class of service is) on international or intra-European flights for more comfortable seating, “free” food and beverages, increased checked luggage allowance and possibly airport lounge access (I wound up being able to use lounges in London, Copenhagen, Oslo and Reykjavik). It can be cheaper than purchasing all these items separately.

 

4. Pay attention to the details. The cost of getting to and from the airports ULC carriers sometimes use alone can wipe out any savings you get from flying on them.

 

5. When pricing flights on European carriers, see if you can book in the local language, using a European currency. This can sometimes save you up to hundreds of dollars especially right now when the U.S. dollar is relatively strong and the Euro and other European currencies are weak (particularly in the wake of Brexit). 

 

6. If you dream of the romance of riding the rails, in Europe you will probably need to book as early as possible, especially in the summer. Unless you are OK with sitting upright overnight or bunking with your 4 newest best friends.

 

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#mariaonthego Travel Adventures: Europe 2016

#mariaonthego Travel Adventures: Europe 2016

Come Along And Ride On A Fantastic Voyage

I recently embarked on a dream trip which took me to ten (or nine depending on how you count – more on that later) different countries in three weeks. Some of you followed along with the occasional pictures I posted on Instagram and Facebook. But I want to share details much more in-depth here for a few reasons.

 

 

One reason is because my trip was awesome and, though I wish I could have packed you all into my over-stuffed luggage and brought you along, you will have to settle for sitting through my slide show. Another more practical reason is to inspire you, dear readers, to think about how you can embark on your own dream travel. Hopefully I can offer some specific tips, tricks and things I’ve learned along the way that can help you in your planning. Especially if, like me, you are somewhere in-between the gap year, budget backpacker and finally retired, higher-end traveler (who likely isn’t reading blogs but instead working with their travel agent).

 

The Backstory

A while back a good friend posted on Facebook that she wanted someday to see a Bruce Springsteen concert with me as I’m the biggest “tramp’' many of my friends know, having seen The Boss in concert 60+ times now (I’ve lost exact count over the years). Several other friends then commented that they too would like to see a Springsteen concert with me. So, when Springsteen announced The River Tour for 2016, I contacted those friends who commented and who lived in cities with tour dates and told them that, if they were serious, I would come for a visit and join them for a show. Thus began my year of travel (I’ve managed to take some kind of trip every month so far in 2016).

After seeing shows with friends in Chicago, Washington, D. C., Oakland and Los Angeles, Bruce decided he was having too much fun to stop and he added not only more U.S. shows but announced a European summer tour as well. Since the friend who started this whole thing lives in the UK, I made plans to see a show with her across the pond!

Unfortunately, my European friend was unable to join me for any Springsteen concerts due to some ongoing health issues. However, I decided to make the trip solo. My mother died last year and I’ve had the (granted clichéd, but truthful) “life is short” epiphany. I have more fully embraced a memories-not-things philosophy. My mother had travel dreams she was never able to realize and so, I decided that since there never is a perfect time to go, I would go now. And the adventure began…

 

 

The Itinerary

Three Springsteen shows formed the nucleus of my tour: June 19th in Berlin, Germany; June 22nd in Copenhagen, Denmark; and June 29th in Oslo, Norway. From that core I figured out the rest of my itinerary. I wound up with:

June 14: San Francisco, California to Los Angeles, California

June 14-15: Los Angeles to London, England

June 15: London to Bilbao, Spain

June 17: Bilbao to Zurich, Switzerland (Via Brussels, Belgium)

June 19: Zurich to Berlin, Germany

June 22: Berlin to Copenhagen, Denmark

June 23: Daytrip to Malmo, Sweden

June 24: Copenhagen to Longyearbyen, Svalbard*

June 26: Longyearbyen to Tromso, Norway

June 28: Tromso to Oslo, Norway

July 2: Oslo to Reykjavik, Iceland

July 5: Reykjavik to Boston, Massachusetts

* Here is where the sort-of tenth country comes into play – Longyearbyen is pretty much Norway but technically not fully as it’s subject to the Svarlbard Treaty which gives a bunch of other countries some important rights and access. At any rate, you have to go through passport control in Norway to get there and you get a stamp so I’m going to count it as a separate “country.” 

 

Coming Up

I have many more posts coming in which I will share details about the places I visited and the sights and activities I enjoyed in each city. Also, I will share tips and tricks I discovered for packing lighter than you probably ever have (certainly more than I ever have!) and travelling more affordably than you might think. Even if you are just sightseeing vicariously, I hope you will join me. But, even better, you might find yourself making some notes for your own big adventure. I hope so!

A Valentine For Billy

He will be remembered for his wit, creativity, sense of humor, kindness and love of animals.

My friend, Bill died on August 9, 2014. All of the above from his obituary in a local newspaper is true. I will remember all those things about him and more. Here is a tiny fraction of my memories.

I love this song… let’s dance!

During my first year of college, one of my roommates introduced me to fraternity parties. We lived around the block from fraternity row at UCLA and when they had parties that were open, we could walk over and drink, dance and listen to DJs or live bands (which some frats occasionally hosted), mostly undisturbed as we weren’t sorority girl material. At one of these parties, my roommate ran up to me breathlessly, dragging a handsome, tall blonde guy behind her. “You two have to meet! You like the same weird music!” He flashed a smile, we started talking bands we loved and, before the night was out, we were best friends forever.

You can be my little sister!

Bill had pledged the fraternity because he was sleeping with one of the members. Once that was over, Bill declined to join and I never got to experience that little taste of pseudo sorority life.

I was no stranger to good looking men befriending me and pouring their hearts out, confessing their troubles or watching out for me like an older brother. The pattern was the same: I would fall in love with their kindness and openness, develop a crush, let them know I wanted to be more than friends and then they would come out as gay.

Like many a nerdy teenage girl, this was a role I was born to play. It was no different with Bill. The difference with Bill was, through his final confirmation fling with a curvaceous, dark-eyed woman and gentle letting down of me and declaring his certainty in his sexuality, we remained the closest of friends. Frankly, I was relieved when he ended things with Sylvia and began to pursue men in earnest because the contours of our relationship became clear.

I found a place that’s hiring!

One of my first college jobs was working in a fancy Beverly Hills boutique. A co-worker introduced me to her gay best friend and their favorite club on Hollywood Boulevard. Bill and I started to meet them there regularly. I also got deeper into the punk rock scene and did hair modeling at the Vidal Sassoon Academy where I got my hair cut for free so students could learn advanced techniques they could take back to their salons. This included wild dye jobs for which I eagerly signed up.

I arrived at the Beverly Hills boutique one day with jet black hair and fire engine red highlights. The head of human resources told me I had a day to get my hair back to a color that grows out of someone’s head naturally or I would be fired. I complied.

Shortly thereafter, unbeknownst to me, Bill called all the record stores in town and asked if they were hiring. One was. Bill called me excitedly and told me to get over there right away. I did and, long story short, I got the job at Licorice Pizza on Wilshire Boulevard which would turn out to be one of the greatest experiences of my life and the source of many of my dearest friendships that last to this day. All because Bill loved me that much and hated to see me miserable with my spirit crushed and creative fire extinguished.

To Edie Sedgwick!

Bill and I eventually became roommates and at our second place we lived with his boyfriend, Jim. Jim was a quiet Ivy League athlete turned brilliant computer scientist working on a PhD with a cocaine habit (that eventually morphed into a heroin addiction), and the love of Bill’s life. There are so many stories from those apartments and those days.

Like how we talked about starting a band. Bill named us Coup Des Grâce and even went so far as to post flyers around campus looking for additional members. Like his obsessions with musicians such as Janet Jackson and that one time when he called up Teena Marie’s hotel room, pretended to be her assistant and actually got her on the phone for a few seconds, just long enough to profess his love. Or like how Bill would direct and choreograph groups of friends as we lip synced to music videos.

One of my favorite memories was of the Siamese kitten he adopted and named Edie Sedgwick before finding out that she was a boy cat; a boy cat that needed to be neutered. The thought of Edie losing her balls made Bill and Jim sad so they threw a “Goodbye to Edie’s Balls” party, took pictures to remember them by and drank to Edie who was unimpressed by all the morose hoopla.

She looks like an angel.

I can’t remember where we were but it was someone else’s home. I was napping and, as I moved into that twilight just before you wake, I heard Bill and Jim whispering to each other as they stood nearby watching me sleep. And in that moment I felt how much I loved them both. I think that was the last time I saw Jim. The next memory I have of him is Bill telling me he had died. He was at a party, did too much cocaine and had a heart attack. The All American swimmer drowned in a hot tub.

Bill was never the same. Decades later I noticed that he listed his relationship status on Facebook as “widower.” Bill was also no stranger to drugs and he spiraled downwards. He completed rehab more times than I can remember because it never really stuck.

Several of those rehab stints happened at a center in Arizona. At one point he appeared to be so successful at kicking his habit that the rehab center hired him as a counselor.

During that time he called me while I was still living in Los Angeles after college and said he wanted to come for a visit. He flew out; I picked him up at the airport and drove him back to my apartment. As soon as we got there, he called a friend to come pick him up and when the friend arrived, Bill left as quickly as he had arrived.

I didn’t see Bill for the rest of the weekend. On Sunday night he called me to ask if I would give him the money he needed to buy a plane ticket back to Arizona. He had cashed in his return ticket and spent all the money on heroin.

That was my breaking point. I felt used and I was furious. I told him, “no” and that I would put his untouched, unpacked bags outside my door for him to pick up. I wished him luck and told him that I would no longer speak to him as long as he remained a user even though that meant it was likely our last conversation.

As it turns out I was almost right.

So, is this the famously infamous Maria X of BEYOND HELP! notoriety? Si, para seguro, Senorita....

Yes indeed my love - how the hell are you? Still making music?... I keep losing you and it bums me out because you are always in my mind and heart….

Thanks for yer message, Maria! Really buoyed my spirits, you always were the sweetest.

A few years ago Bill found me and reached out to me on Facebook. In the intervening years since we had last talked, he had moved to San Francisco, changed his name to Billy Valentine, started a band, become a local rock celebrity, worked with Linda Perry and Christa Hillhouse from 4 Non Blondes until it fell apart and he moved upstate near where his parents had settled in retirement.

Billy Valentine and Christa Hillhouse (from Billy Valentine's Facebook page)

I was grateful he was alive and finally had the experience of being in a band and performing on stage. So few of us realize our dreams that way and I was proud of him for what he accomplished. That he found a community who adored him for his gifts was no surprise to me.

Eventually, as was Bill’s habit, he stopped communicating and disappeared. About a month ago I reconnected with a mutual friend of ours from our UCLA days whom I hadn’t spoken with in years. She asked about Bill and so I pulled up his Facebook page to see if it showed any signs of him being active on it recently thinking, if so, I would try and track him down again through it, holding her out as a lure to get him to respond.  

Instead, I was shocked, devastated and confused by what I saw there: a series of RIP postings on his wall. I could not wrap my mind around the idea that he could be dead even though all his friends knew that the day was likely going to come much sooner than it had any right to and many of us were surprised that it hadn’t arrived yet. Nevertheless, Bill was a death-defying fighter for too long for it to be real.

I reached out to anyone I could find connected to him. I posted a comment on one of the RIP messages asking his friend in a picture with him, posted along with a profession of eternal love for her friend, to check her messages. I asked; she answered with the truth. That was when I finally allowed my heart to shatter.

Despite our times of trouble, Bill’s light eclipsed it all. My life is so much more because I knew, loved and was loved by, Bill Frisbie. Rest peacefully, my friend.

I Hated The Commercial But Loved The Car: 2014 Cadillac ELR Plug-In Electric Hybrid Review

Pros:

• Zero noise, zero vibration, full torque at zero RPM make the Cadillac ELR fantastic to drive
• Plug-in hybrid technology gives great mileage while removing range anxiety
• Gorgeous and luxurious driving experience

Cons:

• $83,000+ price tag for the model I drove
• For the price, it's not the top of the luxury food chain
• Effectively a two-seater car due to unfit-for-humans backseats.

Bottom Line: This is a car for a select niche but, if you are in that niche, I found the Cadillac ELR tremendously satisfying to drive.

First, let's talk about that ad, get it over with and then move on to electric vehicles and the car itself. You remember the commercial that aired during the Winter Olympics and the Oscars? The one with (admittedly great acting by) Neal McDonough extolling the virtues of workaholic Americans accepting luxury cars as our reward in place of vacations like those lazy French bastards, n'est-ce pas?

 

While some found the commercial a stirringly patriotic ode to the United States' brand of capitalism, Cadillac's CMO was sufficiently concerned about the tone to substitute the plug-in electric hybrid ELR for an unnamed model the ad originally featured. "Poolside" was designed to cut through the advertising clutter during those high-profile advertising showcase events and drive awareness for Cadillac and, to that end, it succeeds wildly. But while you might have passionately argued pro or con for this commercial's message, I bet most of you don't remember the actual car advertised. And that's a shame because the Cadillac ELR is a terrific car that, despite being a super niche offering, more people should know about.

Cadillac ELR Beauty Shot © General Motors

I was offered the opportunity to drive the Cadillac ELR for a week and I leapt at the chance. Part of me was curious simply because I was so fascinated by "Poolside"  because, despite my distaste for the message, it is a brilliant piece of advertising and it succeeded in making me take notice of Cadillac as a modern automaker in a way that even the elevation of the Escalade to a Hip-Hop and Pop Culture status symbol hadn't. I also have a deep interest not only in cars but also in green auto technology. I currently drive a conventional hybrid Ford Fusion but plug-in electric hybrid technology has moved to the top of my next-car wish list. I have range issues that make me a bit nervous about a purely electric car so a plug-in hybrid seems like a good compromise.

And that is where the Cadillac ELR shines. I live in Northern California which is the epicenter of green automotive technology adoption so I've seen pretty much every hybrid and/or electric car on the road. By the completely unscientific methodology of using my eyes, the popularity of plug-in electric autos seems to be growing rapidly. Sales data, however, confirms my hunch and, in fact, plug-in electric vehicles are outselling conventional hybrids at the same point in time from when they were introduced. In other words, even though hybrid and electric vehicles are a tiny fraction of the vehicles on the road, there is a growing chance your next car will be electric rather than a hybrid.

The hottest of the electric cars in this part of the world is our local superstar, the Tesla Model S. The higher range 85 kWh battery is rated at a range of 265 miles. That would cover even some of the longest daily commutes here in the Bay Area easing range anxiety for most. Coupled with the increasing number of charging stations available around town and Tesla's build out of supercharging stations, you can easily re-charge while at work, out to brunch, on a Target run or at the movies. If you have $80,000+ to spend on a luxury car, the Model S could be your only car. For most other purely electric models of car (with ranges under 100 miles), it is unlikely many owners could rely on an electric as their only vehicle thus many also own an (at least partially) gas powered backup for longer drives.

There are lots of reasons why luxury car buyers might be interested in electric car technology. Development of cleaner, greener automobiles relies on not only manufacturers creating and offering the technology, but also needs early adopters to purchase these cars. Since they usually sell at a premium to their gas-powered siblings and often are not eligible for rebates, discounts and other deals, even with local, state and federal incentives available, the initial buyers generally have deeper pockets and higher incomes. The luxury versions are also where manufacturers put in their latest and greatest bells and whistles. If you want it first you have to start at the high end. Plus, higher end buyers are more likely to have the ability to invest in things like adding chargers to their home and making it even cleaner and greener by installing solar panels to support charging. In California and some other locations, you can get a sticker for electric cars allowing you to drive solo in car pool lanes, which is another big selling point.  There is the additional benefit of not having to stop at a gas station (or less frequently at least). I went from weekly to monthly fill-ups when I got a hybrid.

Another plug for electric technology is that electric cars are wonderful to drive. The engine in my housemate's electric Fiat 500e was rated one of 2014's ten best, not just of electric engines but all engines. I found the Cadillac ELR to be exceptionally smooth, quiet and powerful. Electric engines have full torque available at zero RPM which makes acceleration easy and fantastic for things like getting on the freeway or passing when necessary. The lack of vibration and engine noise is delightful and makes the ELR truly luxurious to drive.

Since the ELR is a Cadillac there are other high-end luxury features that let you know it is a premium ride. Plush 16-way adjustable leather seats are standard and the model I drove had upgraded 20-way adjustable seats (although, I'm still a little unsure of how much I like the two-tone contrast of the brown leather seating and the black interior trim and surfaces). The Bose stereo provided fabulous sound. I found GM's CUE touchscreen infotainment system, although not generally well reviewed, slightly easier and preferable to use than my Ford SYNC system.  And I loved the optional upgraded safety package with cutting edge technology like a vibrating Safety Alert Seat that kicks in if you get too close to other cars or objects and automatic braking to ensure you stay a safe distance from the car ahead of you when you have cruise control engaged. The model I was loaned also had a gorgeous "Crystal Red Tintcoat" that is a $995 upgrade option. When the base price of the car is $75,000, what's another grand for it to look that pretty?

On a side note with respect to pricing, you probably want to consider leasing when it comes to electric vehicles. Leasing often does not make the most financial sense for cars used for personal rather than business use and purchasing (preferably paying cash rather than financing) a used vehicle so you avoid the initial depreciation hit is generally recommended. However, given how rapidly electric vehicle technology is evolving, leasing a new car so you can take advantage of incentives and then trading-in when more advanced technology comes on the market can be a smart option.

Another selling point for the Cadillac ELR versus its most obvious competitor, the Tesla Model S, is that, unlike Tesla who is fighting entrenched dealership laws that restrict their ability to sell in many states, you can buy a Cadillac ELR in all 50. Also, not only are you less limited by the hybrid vs. pure electric technology, if you live in a region where charging stations are less plentiful than they are in places like California or Oregon, you aren't dependent on getting back home to recharge when necessary.

The Cadillac ELR definitely has some potential downsides to note. It is a two-door coupe so that means the doors are wide and heavy. The ELR's sexy swoopy design leads to non-existent headroom in the cramped back seat. At 5' 5" tall, my head scraped the roof while sitting in the back seat. I would say you could only fit small children back there but with a car seat they might be too tall. So the back seats really are only fit for stashing your coat or bag while driving and you have a passenger in the other front seat. Compared to other super luxury cars- not just luxury electric cars, the ELR is poorly reviewed. It is often dismissed as an overpriced Chevy Volt. And GM gets the side-eye from some for killing off its pioneering and beloved EV1 electric car, taking government bailout money and for the recent delayed recall of vehicles for problems that resulted in several deaths.

However, if you are concerned about climate change and the role gas-powered automobiles play in causing that environmental danger, I would encourage you to learn more about GM and Cadillac's innovation and commitment to developing cleaner technology. One example is a program Cadillac is developing with utility providers, starting in Southern California, where you can arrange for your car to charge using only renewable energy sources. I spoke with Shad Blach, an Environmental and Policy Expert for GM about these issues and he expressed Cadillac's vision of providing a car that offers the highest in technology and ultimate luxury. It's a niche Cadillac is qualified to occupy and, as Blach sees it, once car drivers better understand what electric vehicle technology offers, manufacturers won't be able to keep up with demand. Even though Cadillac has sold fewer than 1,000 ELRs to date, Blach assured me that, unlike Fiat Chrysler's CEO who is begging buyers NOT to buy the money-losing Fiat 500e which was developed primarily to meet California's higher-than-federal fuel efficiency standards, GM and Cadillac see tremendous opportunity in the electric vehicle market.

As I said, the Cadillac ELR is very much for a niche market. If you are looking for a new car, have an income over $200,000, want to buy a car for you and not the whole family, want to support emerging cleaner automotive technology but have range anxiety with electric vehicles and you don't live in Silicon Valley, the Cadillac ELR might be the car for you. Bottom line: I loved driving the ELR, I was sad to give it back, and if I were buying a new car now and it was in my budget, the Cadillac ELR would be near the top of my consideration list. And, if the ELR doesn't fit your budget, the similar and roomier Chevy Volt is certainly worth a look and a test drive.

Disclosure: I was loaned a Cadillac ELR for a five-day extended test drive. I was not compensated for my review. All opinions are my own.

 

National Nutrition Month Photo Challenge Kick Off

My friend Marcia Silva at the Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties invited me to take part in Feeding America's Photo-a-Day Challenge for March which is National Nutrition Month®. Hunger is one of the key areas in which I focus my charitable giving and support so I eagerly agreed. Plus, since this is my year of 30 day challenges and of a photo+story a day, this is a perfect project for me to take part in.Hunger remains a significant problem in this country. Far too many people go hungry every day. There are many challenges on this front for food banks to fight including helping those people who use food bank services get nutritious food and learn how to make the most of their limited resources to prepare healthy food choices on limited budgets.

Feeding America reports* that:

Feeding America strives to provide those facing hunger not only with enough food to meet their needs, but also with increased access to healthful, nourishing foods. This includes providing our clients with Foods to Encourage (F2E), such as fruits and vegetables, low-fat protein, whole grains and low-fat/non-fat dairy. These foods are emphasized in the 2010 USDA Dietary Guidelines, but they are often out of reach for many of the families we serve.

Nearly two-thirds of the food we distribute through the Feeding America network is classified as F2E. Providing a range of fruits and vegetables to those facing hunger is a top priority. As part of this effort, each year, Feeding America distributes more than 800 million pounds of fresh produce. Our goal is to increase our distribution of fresh produce to 1 billion pounds annually.

Marcia also wrote a terrific post showing how the Second Harvest Food Bank is working here on the Peninsula and South Bay to increase the amount of healthy food they are able to provide as well as to share nutrition information with community members.

I hope you'll follow me and Second Harvest on Instagram or Pinterest to see the photos I'll be sharing daily over the month of March. Better yet I hope you'll take on the challenge yourself and share a photo-a-day and encourage your friends, family and followers to think about nutrition and ways in which they can support Second Harvest or their local food bank.

*Taken from: "National Nutrition Month® Overview: Promoting Nutrition in the Feeding America Network
2014 Theme: Enjoy the Taste of Eating Right"

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10 Ways to Prepare for National Nutrition Month

Second Harvest Food Bank Of Santa Clara And San Mateo Counties

10 Reasons Why The House Should Extend Unemployment Insurance Now

Some numbers to ponder...

Image by photologue_np shared via CC license

1. Private sector jobs lost in last year's government shutdown:       120,000
2. Cost of the government shutdown:                                            $24 B
3. 1 year cost of extending federal unemployment insurance (as has previously been done):                                                                                                                                  $25 B
4. Current proposed UI extension length:                                      3 Months
5. Cost of 3 month extension:                                                      $6.5 B
6. Percentage $6.5 B is of the overall economy:                            0.0004%
7. Stimulus to economy from providing insurance:                         $1.64 for every $1.00 spent
8. Number of jobs created by temporarily lifting the individual mandate in the Affordable Care Act as demanded by House Republicans in exchange for extending UI:                     Zero
9. Number of job seekers for every job opening:                            Three
10. Sobering reason why (from six weeks ago):

The JOLTS data are also a reminder that the current elevated unemployment rate has little to do with a skills shortage or mismatch, as unemployed workers dramatically outnumber job openings in all industries.

“In no industry does the number of job openings even come close to the number of people looking for work,” writes Gould. “This demonstrates that the main problem in the labor market is a broad-based lack of demand for workers—not, as is often claimed, available workers lacking the skills needed for the sectors with job openings.”

 

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December Daily Photo Project

As I mentioned in my post about challenging myself in 2014, I plan to do a daily photo in the month of December both to continue the exploration and discipline developed during NaBloPoMo (which I completed!) and to prepare for my still-developing idea of doing a different monthly challenge as part of an overall reinvention project for the year of 2014.

I will post to Instagram with the hashtag #DecemberDailyPhoto and the number so, for example, today's is tagged #DecemberDailyPhoto 1. If you'd like to follow me on Instagram please do! And feel free to drop me an email or message me on other social media and I'll be sure to follow you back. I might post some photos to Facebook and/or Twitter and I'll try to post something here some days. As part of a focus on photos I'm going to work on my Twitter account and uploading and backing up (hard drive & cloud) photos I have in a variety of places. The goal of taking the daily photo is improving my eye, creativity and photo taking skills in general.

Today I had lunch with my sister today out in Pleasanton. I worked at one of the Macy's stores there in the Domestics department for a few months before moving out to the buying department in San Francisco. The photo I shared on Instagram was of the Macy's Home sign. But here I offer you a snap shot of the weather as I waited outdoors for my sister to park her car. It reads 70 degrees but it felt more like 80. Sunny and warm in December. I'm a lucky girl to live here in the beautiful Bay Area.

A Vote For Compassion: I Could Have Been Diane in 7A

*Updated below*

Much of the time I am a people pleasing good girl to a fault. I also used to fly, a lot. (2013 is the first year since I was a small child that I did not get on a plane.) Nevertheless there have been a couple of times where I have behaved on an airplane in a way that, if you didn't know me you might have rolled your eyes at me, hard.

One of those trips might have been when I was returning home to California from a business trip in Connecticut. About a year prior, I was on another week-long business trip to New York and my dog Zoe got very sick, was at the emergency vet most of the time and nearly died. The vets and my sister who cared for her while I was gone believed that she only stayed alive to hang on to see me again. She lived and her health improved when I returned but she would respond only to me. Both because it was so scary to have that health scare while I was 3,000 miles away and because she wouldn't respond to anyone else, I began to bring her with me when I traveled. Since she was 3.5 pounds I could easily put her in a pet carrier under the seat in front of me.

On the Connecticut trip Zoe once again got very sick and I looked through the phone book to find a 24 hour emergency vet. I rushed her over there in the early morning hours. The vet told me that the only real option was to euthanize my beloved pet. Her heart was massively enlarged and her chances of surviving any treatment were slim. And, as the vet pointed out to me, since there was a very real chance that even if she did survive the remainder of my trip home, she could die on the cross-country flight home. In a carrier that I wouldn't be allowed to remove her from. I made the decision to put her to sleep but she died in my arms before the vet could administer the shot.

Zoe (L) and Gracie (R)

I was in Connecticut to moderate focus groups and led my first groups a few hours after I signed the paperwork to have Zoe cremated and have her ashes shipped to me. I thought I had covered up my red puffy eyes well with some quickly purchased Visine and makeup. I thought I had partitioned off my sadness, moved into powerful business lady mode and was ready to do my job. But I'm sure the shock and grief showed because I was almost fired from the job. I will always appreciate that I was allowed to continue working because it's how I cope. When I was in New York on September 11 I worked rather than watch the tragedy happening unfold.

When I went to the airport to return home I had to cancel the "excess baggage" allowance I had purchase. That's how you pay for the under seat space pets in cabin occupy. And then my flight was cancelled. And I was re-routed on three different flights and my six hour trip turned into 18 hours.

One time that I clearly remember being annoying on a plane was on another flight I was on because my scheduled flight had been cancelled. In my flying heyday I almost always flew first class through upgrades. Some, on occasion, given to me as a result of being nice to gate agents. I was in economy on the rescheduled flight and wait-listed for first class because too many first class upgrade passengers were now on the rescheduled flight. I would have to wait and see if I made the cut for the new ranked order of premiumness.

The airline called me but I couldn't get to my tucked away phone fast enough while we waited on the tarmac to get the logistics of the flight with a whole bunch of newly booked passengers on it sorted out. I saw the flight attendants plucking people around me for their upgrades. In my anxiety I told my row mates (I was in the middle seat) that I was hopeful to be upgraded which would then leave them with an empty middle seat - yay! Then I hit the button overhead to ring the flight attendant so I could ask (very nicely) if possibly the missed call was the airline calling to tell me I had been upgraded. It wasn't. It was an automated message telling me that my rescheduled flight was delayed. I didn't get an upgrade on that flight and fortunately the two men sitting on either side of me, though they were certainly entitled to mock my entitled behavior, and I wouldn't have blamed them if they did so in their minds, were kind and polite and we had an smooth, uneventful flight. They did not buy me drinks, send me passive aggressive notes and order me to suck their dicks. If they had I can't imagine I would ever slap them - I would be too afraid and behaviorally conditioned not to - but I can see how someone might get there.

On my trip home after Zoe's death I might well have been annoying or obnoxious or irritating. I don't know because I don't remember. I do remember being frustrated and near tears when I had to explain why I was cancelling and requesting a refund for my excess baggage and that was before the 18 hours of no-fun, trying to get home to my other dog, Gracie, waiting in airports and flights began.

Yesterday lots of people shared the [UPDATE: Now confirmed to be fake] Elan/Diane story. Some saw humor in it. Others found it not funny at all. Commenters in various places thought Diane deserved to be put in her place for being rude to the flight attendants and behaving so poorly in public and for being a weirdo who wears a face mask. Plus her totally bitch slapping Elan trumps his dick eating misogyny. Today the most linked story on my Facebook timeline is this one from Liz Dwyer at Los Angelista.

Liz tells a story about flying after her brother's death. I can't even imagine her pain.

"...about how after my brother's suicide the TSA people at LAX were going thru my bag and when they asked me if I had any money on me, I'd say no, and then the metal detector would go off and I was all, "I have no idea WHY that is going off...oh wait, is that money in my pocket?" And so they pulled me aside and were grilling me and I was finally like, look, my brother just died so I have no fucking clue what you're saying."

I agree with Liz's perspective. There are comments on her post from mostly anonymous commenters who don't and who are #TeamElan4evah. Nevertheless I hope Liz's closing thoughts are the ones people take away from this whole debacle. I hope my story can add to the call for not automatically judging people as the worst and maybe offering a little compassion first.

Also, I'd love to hear Diane's side of the story. I know I can't be the only one who's dying to hear it!

Maybe she's totally fine and just super eccentric and likes wearing face masks. Maybe she'll say "Yep, I was having a moment. Mea culpa." Regardless, we could all stand to have more empathy for each other, and it never hurts to step inside someone else's shoes. C'mon, Elan Gale, let's have less dick eating and more actual love and caring in the world. We could all certainly use it.

There are times when, no matter the story, action has to be taken. I was on a flight to London that was delayed for several hours because a passenger was seemingly drunk, yelling and running up and down the aisle. The flight attendants and the pilot came and talked to her and her husband several times before he finally threw his hands up and said "my wife is fucked up." With that the couple was removed from the plane by security and we were able to take off. I'm sure she had a story but at that point she was endangering the safety of other passengers. On the return flight a man screamed at a flight attendant because they had run out of the meal he wanted by the time the cart reached our row. He also got a talking to from the pilot and was detained when the flight landed. I am sure these three people had stories but their cases were handled in an appropriate manner. Alcohol and passive aggressive notes certainly would not have made the situation any better. Slapping might have ensued. But it sure would have been funny if it had been live tweeted!

What's your take on the Elan/Diane story? Do you agree with the try-a-little-tenderness-first #TeamEmpathy #TeamCompassion approach or do you think Diane deserved to learn that public tantrums are not acceptable? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Debate and dissent are encouraged however attacks are not. I reserved the right to not publish any comments I find to be out of bounds.

Related must read: Kelly Wickham/Mocha Momma's take, "Pulling Back The Lens on #TeamElan"

Post linked below for an alternate point of view.

 

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Elan, and Diane in seat 7A

Black Friday Sunny Side Up

I am reading lots of Black Friday horror stories today of people fighting, shooting and trampling each other. As bad as these stories are I suspect there are many more positive stories, like mine.

After our early afternoon Thanksgiving meal I drove my sister, nephew and mother to their respective homes I drove across the bay and went to a Target near my home. I joined the queue at 7:50 and by 8:30 I was in the doors and finally found my way to the special line snaking through the grocery department dedicated to TVs and Apple products on sale.

Double yolks for luck and double happiness.

The people in front of me were chatty and nice. One woman in particular showed me pictures and told me stories about her beautiful and bright "miracle" daughter who came later in life after a decade plus of infertility and a dozen rounds of IVF. She wanted to get an iPad she could share with her child.

We hoped that we would make it to the point where employees had a makeshift stockroom and be handed the device of our choice. We all agreed that it was worth the wait to give it a shot and that it hadn't been too painful to try. As we reached the last "U" of our line we saw the racks of product and there were tall stacks of the iPad minis and smaller stacks of iPad Airs that one gentleman in front of me quickly counted and compared to a rough count of the people ahead of us. We were safe! And then employees opened up boxes and stacked some more so people behind us in line, anxious bumping man behind me included, would be too.

I couldn't see how many people were in line behind me but I hope that everyone who wanted something was able to get it. Certainly I appreciated that the store had stocked so much of the special, highly discounted products they heavily advertised. While I waited, I saw many people pushing their carts with big flat screen TVs filling them and I also checked out a few other items that had caught my eye from the circular and was pleasantly surprised that even two hours after opening there were scores of the items still on the shelves.

Just before I reached the head of the line, there was some confusion among the employees about what was left in stock but even though a few people ahead of me who asked for the same item I hoped to get were initially told erroneously that the store had run out of the configuration they requested or that they were getting the last one, the mistaken employees were quickly corrected and the customers handed what they had waited for. And so was I. An employee then walked me directly to a register rather than making me wait in another line and two hours after I arrived, with discounts and trade-in value, I was able to replace my aging first generation iPad that I could no longer update with a brand new Air for less than half price.

There was no trampling, stampeding, hurting or rudeness that I observed. People seemed upbeat and positive, helped by being able for the most part to be able to find the bargains they came to find, for which I give Target kudos for smart management. Hopefully it was a fun family activity for those who shopped and the employees working were happy to have the hours and they weren't taken away from their families.

As I left I saw the woman I had chatted with in line and told her how much I enjoyed meeting and talking with her. I appreciated how she had helped the time pass quickly for me. She wished me a Merry Christ..., caught herself mid-word, and said "Happy Holidays" instead. I celebrate Christmas so that would have been welcome but even if I did not I would appreciate the kindness and offering.

During the SF Bat Kid day I saw many tweets from people who said their faith in humanity was restored. I like to think that the goodwill generated that day confirmed rather than restored my faith in humanity. People are mostly good but too often what gets our attention and sells media are the stories of the worst of human behavior. My hope is that's because those stories are the exception and therefore shocking. As a result we don't hear the stories of Black Friday shopping that was fun, efficient under the circumstances and successful. We do hear the manufactured outrage that we must bid a "Merry Christmas" otherwise we are destroying the holiday or that only "Happy Holidays" is acceptable to avoid offense rather than spreading the notion that any kindness is better than no kindness at all.

However you spent Thanksgiving or Black Friday, I hope you spent your days contendedly. And I hope your holiday, however and whatever you celebrate or don't, are as happy as they can be.