Bummer! Summer is over here on the east coast (more about this trip next week).  The weather had been amazing until Labor Day. Then the temperature changed instantly- it's now cold and rainy.  It was like Mother Nature flicked a switch. As you can imagine, I'm looking forward to going back home to Southern California, where it's endless summer. 

I left off last week at my first family reunion in Erie.  From there I jumped back on the Anderson shuttle for a measly $9.95 (read about Anderson Shuttle in last week's newsletter), and two hours later I was at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport heading back home to Los Angeles.  After a quick layover in Chicago I  was back in LA LA land!

I was only in L.A. for a day, but that was plenty of time to catch up on my errands (mostly bills, unfortunately). Remember my $107 Avis car rental last month in  ?  Well, I just received my credit card statement and guess how much Avis really charged me? $150! I was livid!  I logged on to carrentalnumbers.com , found Avis' 800 number and called them right away.  I asked, "Why was I overcharged by $43?"  Just as I suspected: The agent said for fuel. I said "Oh no...I went to the Conoco station right there at the airport like everyone else, and filled that puppy up to the rim.   I can fax you my receipt to prove it."  Surprisingly, the guy said, "No problem. I'll just credit your card $43." It was that easy.  I advise always matching your receipt with your credit card statement, just in case a car rental company tries to pull a fast one.
 
That evening I flew up to San Francisco, just for a night.  I was there to do the Call for Help TV show on Tech TV.  Call for Help is a great program that gives consumers all kinds of tips and tricks to make them more web-savvy.  I highly recommend it, and will write more about my appearance later.

I hadn't been to SF since they opened up the new BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) station at the airport in mid-June. SFO (airport code for San Francisco International Airport) was in dire need of public transportation and it seemed like they were building this station forever.  It's finally completed, and BART's SFO station is located on the Departures/Ticketing Level (Level 3) of the International Terminal.  I was eager to check out the new service, so I followed the signs from baggage claim.  BART is easily accessed from any terminal. Just hop on the free AirTran tram that takes you to terminal 3.  From there, follow the signs to BART.  It's easy, and you don't have to lug bags up and down stairs.  There are escalators and an elevator.

BART (which is really a subway) costs a fraction of cab fare. BART is a $4.70 ride to downtown, compared to $40 for a taxi. You purchase your ticket from a machine, which can be a little confusing, but don't worry: There is an information booth, and an attendant will come out and help (as he did for the couple in front of me).  It was kind of late when I took BART, 9 p.m. A bunch of foreign travelers stood on the platform, and I thought to myself, "Maybe the locals know something that I don't? Maybe I shouldn't take it so late?"  But I figured I had made it that far and already bought my ticket, so I followed through. 

I'm glad I did.  I learned a lot.  First of all, SFO's BART station is not a through stop.  It's either the last stop or the first (depending on which way you're heading).  The good news, is when you get on at SFO you will be the only passengers, so don't worry about bumping into people with your bags.  The bad news is, the train is very drab. More importantly, there are no luggage racks or designated places to put your bags.  I plopped mine on the empty seat next to me. 

Maybe it was just me, but I found BART to be depressing. The lighting is gloomy, there are no colorful pictures or even ads on the tan walls, so the terrible whistling noise when you go underground sounds more eerie. When the train makes its normal stops, you can bet a bunch of freaks will get on like they did on my trip. Freaks?  You know, those scary people you see in every city -- the ones you would never go to dinner with. 

Don't get me wrong: I'll definitely take BART again, especially during the day.  It's an incredible deal, and not only saves you a lot of money, but time -- especially in rush hour.  The ride from SFO to downtown SF takes about 25 minutes.  It makes three stops in the city. I got off at Powell and Market.  That's where you wait in line to get on the cable cars.
 
From there I took a taxi to my buddy Rick's apartment (I saw Rick in Sydney a few months ago), which was only a couple miles away. Taxis are damned expensive in SF.  That short ride cost me $10 (it would've been half that in NYC).  Rick's apartment is in Pacific Heights and is soooo sweet.  He has an awesome 4 bedroom/bath bachelor pad. He was away, and it was little weird staying at someone's place without anyone home -- especially because I arrived late at night and couldn't find the lights.  It felt creepy walking around with the lights off, like I was in a scary movie.  I had my fist up, in case Freddy or Jason popped out.

The next morning I called for a taxi (unlike NYC, you can't just flag down a taxi unless you are in downtown SF).  I get a cool taxi driver who looked like an executive, but I could tell was once a hippie.  He told me most of his life story before dropping me off at Tech TV studio . That ride cost me a cool $20.  Ouch! 

I was a little nervous about doing the show because it was my first live nationwide interview.  But the guys at Tech TV were super cool, and eased my nervousness right away.  They introduced me to the stage crew, and we all hung out playing '80s video games on a machine that Roger, one of their hosts, made.  My segment was seven minutes long and when it was over I felt like I nailed it.  It turned out to be my best TV appearance yet. I was pretty proud and relieved. 

(Speaking of TV, did you catch Amber Airplane on the Food Network this summer?  She was in all of their summer Unwrapped promo commercials. She was the pretty blonde hanging out on the beach behind the host, Mark Summers.  How cool was it to see her?)

Instead of going right back to SFO as I originally planned, I decided at the last minute to surprise my cousin Joe who works downtown in a gym in Little Chinatown.  I took a $20 taxi to see him.  (Maybe I should've rented a car?) Joe treated me to a great Asian meal down the street from his work, at a place called Burma Superstar on 309 Clement St.  The food was excellent, but the service was a little slow.

From there I took another taxi to SFO. Guess what? I had the same taxi driver who told me part of his life story earlier in the day. The driver was amazed to see me again, especially in another part of town. He said it was the first time it ever happened to him. It was cool -- we knew each other by first names, and he finished his life story.  Pretty funny, huh?  It made the 25-minute, $40 trip to the airport go by fast. 
 
It was great to finally be home at the beach for a week. Amber Airplane and I caught up on our work and chores. Get this: She told me she was going to clean out her closet for Goodwill, so I figured it would be nice to pack up a bag for them. Check out all the clothes she ended up parting with: five trash bags worth. The worst part was about an hour later Ms. Airplane told me she needed to buy a dress for the birthday party we were attending that night. Are you kidding me? Why don't you just reach into one of those bags and pull out a dress I'm sure you never wore.  Don't get me started.

We got out of the house and went to the Manhattan Beach AVP (Association Of Volleyball Professionals) Open.  This tournament is the Wimbeldon of volleyball and is always fun to attend.  Trust me, it's 10 times better than it looks on TV.

Later that evening we went to the Santa Monica airport for my cousin Arty's birthday party.  Remember this place? It's where my brother ordered and ate a bowl of crickets. Actually, that's the downstairs restaurant (Typhoon). This time we were upstairs at Hump, their sister restaurant.  Hump serves Japanese, and is known for having some of the best sushi in L.A. (That's what I hear; I hate sushi ).   I can tell you the edamame and vegetable tempura were tasty, and it was surprisingly not too expensive. Check it out for yourself.  Hump , 3221 Donald Douglas Loop South, 3rd floor, Santa Monica; tel.: 310-313-0977.

The following day we were at another local airport, John Wayne in Orange County, to pick up Amber's sister's sister-in-law.  Did you get that? Well, do you remember crazy-driving  Jimmy from South Dakota?  Of course you do. This is his sister Jackie.  She had never been to California, and was starving when we got her. Therefore, the first place we took her was the Cheesecake Factory in Redondo Beach, 40 minutes from the airport. I know they have these restaurants all over the country, and I'm sure most of you have been there, so I won't bore you with a review.  But if for some crazy reason you are (I mean, were) like Jackie, then try one of their many dishes and massive portions of food. If you still have room, try some delicious Cheese Cake.  Cheese Cake Factory, 605 North Harbor Drive, Redondo Beach;  tel.: (310) 376-0466.

The next day went to Brentwood to see my childhood friend Timmy. He is a photographer, and was kind enough to take some last-minute head shots of me.  After a few pictures we got some din-din (lunch really) at Chin Chin.  $5.95 lunch bowls hit the spot, as did their chocolate-dipped fortune cookies. Chin Chin, 11740 San Vincente Boulevard, Brentwood, tel.: (310) 826-2525.

As you can see, it was another tough week in sunny California !  Next week pack your bags, because we're off to NYC for the MTV Video awards, a Yankee game, and of course some quality time with my family.

Happy travels,

Johnny Jet