Cricket's Nomad Tips

Travel Gadgets

1. Mini Speakers – I have a small one from JBL.  You instantly have a stereo for your hotel room, campsite or even on a desert isle.
2. Rolling Suitcase that fits in Overhead Bin 
3. Noise-Cancelling Headphones – I have a set from Bose.  I haven’t even noticed a crying kid on a plane in years. 
4. Playing cards – I know, so old school.  Hours of bite-sized fun.
5. Clear Plastic Case from Flight 101 - keep plane-sized toiletries in here

Sydney

I have been lucky enough to have a one-year gig here – this is an amazing city. The harbour makes the city gorgeous from any view.

 

 

Top 5 Days

1. Bondi to Coogee Walk – 2-3 hour walk along the most gorgeous coastline.  Start with breakfast in Bondi and end with a drink in Coogee.  If you want a shorter walk, just stop in Bronte.  Or start in Coogee and end with a cocktail at Icebergs.
2. Rent a Sailboat – Grab your friends and rent a sailboat from …. For the day.  Grab some pinot gris and to Jones the Grocer first and get a great picnic.  You can take a dip in the water mid day.  The perfect, perfect day.
3. Paddington Markets – Start with a killer brunch at Flat White with a great cup of coffee. Then walk around the Paddington markets on Saturday or Oxford Street any day of the week.
4. New South Wales Museum and the Botanical Gardens – Check out the Aboriginal art in the basement and stroll through the nearby Botanical Gardens.
5. Blue Mountains – Stop in Leura on your way then do a hike in the best-smelling mountains ever.

High Style, Low Maintenance Hotels

1. The Establishment – Downtown spot that has unique rooms.  A bit of a scene, but is small and special.  Eat at e-sushi and have late night drinks at Est.
2. Regents Court – Darling hotel in Potts Point on a little side street.  Amazing roof gardens.
3. Echoes – beatuful splurge with the best view of the Blue Mountains.
4. Kathryn’s B&B – Only 3 rooms and 2 have a shared bath, but this is in a great location on Queen Street. Walk to great shopping and get a feel for an English neighbourhood.
5. Ravesis – On Bondi, which is ultra-touristy, but a gorgeous beach.

 

 

Top 5 Foodie Finds

1. Jimmy Licks – Ultra cool, in a happening area of Potts Point.  Don’t miss the salt and pepper cuttlefish

2. Icebergs – On Bondi Beach with a great view. Worth the splurge for a special night out.  Or sit in the bar and have oysters and a champagne cocktail.
3. Wasavi – Awesome sushi in 5 Ways in Paddington.  They don’t take reservations so plan to have a drink first at a local pub.  If they are full, there is a great Spanish tapas place around the corner.
4. Bathers’ Pavilion Café – So, so, so cute.  Great views of Balmoral beach.  The restaurant is fancy prix fix, and the café has wonderful food in a darling, Spanish vibe.
5. Sydney Cafe - make sure to ask to sit outside.  Gorgeous views of the bridge and Opera House.

Misses

1. Prepare – much to my preconceived notions, people aren’t that friendly if you ask for help.  They won’t go out of their way to help you, so don’t count on the kindness of strangers.
2. Circular Quay - Besides the Modern Art Museum, this is really touristy.  Go ther to get on a ferry, but get in and get out.  
3. Taxi drivers – don’t usually know where they are going. Bring a map.
4. Distance – Australia is so far away from everything!  Be prepared for long plane flights, even within the country.  Qantas owns this market, so there isn’t a lot of competition for prices.  Save up your miles to get here.
5. The Rocks - Maybe worth a walk through, but not much more.

Tips

1. Tipping – no need to tip.  I still can’t help it, I leave 10% for good service.
2. Get a view of the City – go to dinner at Café Sydney get a drink at Quay or walk over the bridge. Café Sydney’s food isn’t that great but the setting is absolutely spectacular.  Sit outside and view the Opera House and the harbour.  You won’t ever forget this. The city is especially gorgeous at night.
3. Thorn Birds – oldie but a goodie about the Outback.
4. Get in the water – either sail, water taxi or boogie board on Bronte beach.  This city is special cause of the beaches and harbour.  Spend as much time as you can on the water.
5. Aboriginal Art – Study up on the history, then go to galleries and art museums to check it out.

San Francisco

 

 

 

This is my town with some of the best people in the world.  I LOVE it and could fill the entire blog just with foodie recommendations.

 

Top 5 Days

1. Hike and Oysters – Drive up to Point Reyes and take the hike back to a tiny lake with a rope swing.  Gorgeous views of the Pacific Ocean along the hike.  Drive a bit further to Tony’s Oyster Shack for beer in a frostie mug and BBQ oysters on Tomales Bay.
2. Glide Church – Get there early for the best gospel music ever.  This is a non-denominational church that welcomes anyone – and trust me, there is every walk of life here.  Listening to this choir would convert any atheist.
3. Dominos at the Ramp – Take your friends and some bones to a Sunday afternoon at the Ramp.  This is a little bar on the water overlooking big shipping containers.  Not fancy at all. The salsa dancing starts at 5.  Coronas and bloody marys flowing all day long.
4. Golden Gate Park – Check out the recently remodeled De Young Museum for Asian art, rollerblade and go to the Japanese Tea Gardens.  Try to go on Sunday afternoon to watch the Roller Disco group, let by the Sheik of Blade.  This guy wears a silver turban, brings a huge speaker system to the park and plays old school hip hop while a loyal crowd roller blades.  The best free entertainment in town.
5. Steep Ravine Hike - best workout on Mount Tam. Loosen up those burning legs with a glass of wine at the Mountain Lodge.

High Style, Low Maintenance Hotels

1. Hotel Vitale – Very simple in a great location right across from the Ferry Building

2. Waters Edge – Take a ferry over to Sausalito for great views of the city and a chill vibe.

3. Adagio – Simple and good value.  In Union Square.  In the center of town, so everything is a short cab ride away. Neighborhood isn't great

4. Huntington Hotel – Beautiful on Nob Hill.

5. The Clift – A bit too cool, but the Redwood Room is historic for late night country club cocktails.

Foodie Finds

1. Zushi Puzzle – atmosphere isn’t great.  But see Roger, the best sushi chef in town, for Kobe Beef Surprise and the best cuts of raw fish.

2. Foreign Cinema - This is a special treat.  They place French films outside.  Great food and service and you won't find anywhere else like it.

3. Slanted Door – A big restaurant in the Ferry Building, so sit at a table on the water.  Delicious, high-end Vietnamese. Also try OTD on Filmore Street.

4. Chez Panisse - Why not go to Alice Water's famous restaurant while you are here?  Organic and picked or caught that day.

5. Delfina – The best little foodie spot.  Get the salad with pancetta.  In the heart of some of my favorite Mission foodie places – Bi Rite, Limon, Tartine Bakery. 

Misses

1. Weather – pack layers… Mark Twain was right, “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.”

2. Late Nights – This is no New York.  You have to search for a great place late night.
3. Homeless – I couldn’t believe it when I went back and stayed in Union Square.  It is so sad.
4. Fisherman’s Wharf – Skip it.  So commercial and there are so many other great things to do.  The only reason I would go is to catch a ferry to Sausalito, Angel Island or Alcatraz.
5. Beaches – They are beautiful, but such a tease.  Frigid water.

Tips

1. Sit at the bar – If you want to learn about wine or get the best cut of toro, then sit at the bar and chat up the sushi chef or bartender
2. Don’t rent a car – Take cabs and only rent a car to get out of the city.
3. Get outside the city – The city becomes truly the best in the world only if you get to hike in Marin, have Coronas in Tiburon or rent bikes in wine country.
4. Hoof it – Like Paris, the best way to see this city is just to stroll through the neighborhoods.  Walk in Jack Keroc’s footsteps through North Beach.  The city is only 7 miles wide and deep.  You can get to know it fast.
5. Tales of the City – A fun read by Armistead Maupin that chronicles a group of friends living in Russian Hill.  The flavor of the city hasn’t changed.

 

 

 

 

Top 5 Travel Websites

Top 5 Travel Websites:

1. Tablet Hotels - They only have the best.  Some are a bit too swanky for me, but they never list big, corporate hotels or teddy bear/lace curtain places.
2. Chic Retreats - Small, never frilly hotels.  Better than B&Bs. Join for $15 and get 10% of any of the hotels. 
3. Trip Advisor - Get the inside scoop on what room to request and reviews from all over.  Take it with a grain of salt.  Most people probably don't have the same travel tastes
4. Frommers - They have the entire books on line.  So much better than Lonely Planet or Fodors.
5. Starwood Hotels - Get your American Express for Starwood and ditch the limiting airline points cards.  I've stayed in Venice, Mexico, South Africa, Paris and New York on free points.  I've stayed in many spots I wouldn't splurge on otherwise from their Luxury Collection.

Cambodia

March 2007 - Got to take a sidetrip here from a Yahoo! Conference in Singapore with Meg Garlinghouse.  Angkor Wat has always been on top of my places to visit.  What an amazing country - put it at the top of you list.  Stayed in Siem Reap, so we were close to Angkor Wat.

Top 5 Days

1. Angkor Wat - The mother of all temples.  Get there at 5 am to avoid the crowds and the heat.  This is on my top places of the world.
2. Floating Villages - Take a boat ride down the river to the land of true nomads.  These folks rarely see land, as their homes are on stilts in the water.  Have a drink watching the sun set on the water.
3. Markets - Wander through the markets to pick up local pottery, wood carvings and linens.
4. Spa - Spend a day at Hotel de la Paix with fresh fruit for breakfast, a Thai-style massage and dip in the pool.
5. Other Temples - Check out Bayon, the Passages of Elephants and the temple where Tomb Raider was filmed.

Top 5 "High Style, Low Maintenance" Hotels

Hotel de la Paix - one of my favorites in the world.  Don't stay anywhere else.  Fits my high style, low maintenance description perfectly.  Amazing service, spa, vibe, food and outdoor dining with fire pits everywhere.  In the heart of the city, so you can walk to all the local spots.  iPods in every room that have tours of Angkor Wat that you can take with you.

Top 5 Restaurants

1. Khmer Kitchen - We had 3 courses and 4 beers for $11.  Really.
2. FCC - A great local hotel to grab a cool dinner.
3. Markets - Grab fruit and nuts during the day.
4. Khmer Set - A 9-course meal with mini plates at the Hotel.
5. Raffles - This is famous, so worth a lunch or dinner here.

Top 5 Misses

1. Artisan Markets - these are sanitized for western travelers and prices marked up. Hit the local markets.
2. The heat - get up early and stay inside during mid-day.  Cooking here.
3. Local peddlers - many locals rely on tourism to live.  So they are quite aggressive to sell things and help you.
4. Khmer Rouge - 1.7 million Cambodians were killed in a mass genocide by Pol Pot in the late 1970s.  Hard to believe this happened during my lifetime.  Don't miss watching the Killing Fields and reading the history before you visit.
5. Discrimination - Just like all countries, many Cambodians have prejudices against other countries.  They have a real disdain for the Thai.  In 2003, a Thai movie star said Cambodia should give Angkor Wat back to the Thai people.  Within 10 minutes, all the Thai restaurants, embassies and local shops were burned.

Top 5 Tips

1. Killing Fields - Watch to help understand the turmoil of the 70s.
2. First They Killed My Father - Written by a gal my age, Loung Ung, about the Khmer Rouge genocide.  The author lost most of her family to Pol Pot.
3. Visa - get one on line before you visit.
4. Plan with the seasons - hot as hell in April.  Come when it is not scorching.
5. Hotel de la Paix Concierge - if you plan this, you don't have to plan anything in advance.  They will do it all for you.  They hook up tour guides, drivers, restaurants and spas.