'If you come to San Francisco...'

Last September, Qantas introduced the only direct flight from Melbourne to San Francisco, USA. On Sunday evening, I took the 14 hour flight, flying through the night and arriving ahead of schedule in San Francisco on Sunday evening.

Flying into San Francisco has its advantages; the one main one is not Los Angeles! It's a smaller airport, and fewer people pass through at any one time. For the first time since the automatic security machines were installed in USA, I passed through easily and seamlessly and within minutes. Rubbing my hands together, I arrived at the luggage carousel, where the first pieces of luggage were already passing by. I waited. I waited, and finally, after seeing the people from my plane who did have to wait to pass security collect their luggage and start their holiday, I was still left waiting at Carousel 11. Finally! I saw it coming through the shute and drop on the opposite side. Then I realised that I was going to have a problem accessing my case. It was stuck up on the top, wedged between a couple of other pieces of luggage, and I would have to move three cases to release mine, all while the carousel moved at a slow, but impossible pace. I made my way around to the other side of the carousel, hoping that it would have been released, but it was not to be. I must have looked like a dickhead, trotting along, moving one case out, then another, then another, before mine slid to the bottom, and I was able to heave it off, stand it upright, pull up the handle, and head for the exit.

Welcome to San Francisco.

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Title quote by John Edmond Andrew Phillips

Accommodation: Hyatt Regency, 1333 Bayshore Highway, Burlingham, CA