tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57245656050619873772024-03-05T01:05:23.741-08:00Travel WheelsBecause life is too short to stay at homeVincehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10180480234705044194noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724565605061987377.post-75346149849429562822015-09-01T18:22:00.000-07:002016-01-04T18:58:38.111-08:00Rome - Sep 2015<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rome will definitely be a challenging city to visit for any
wheelchair user. I knew this before coming here, but I was willing to face
those challenges head-on because one of my bucket-list items was to see the
Coliseum. Yes, I did see the Coliseum, but not without some blood, sweat, and
tears. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span><span style="font-size: large;">CCOMODATION</span></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I booked my first Airbnb room close to Termini station to
make it easier for me to get to. That turned out to be meaningless (see below).
The host said there were no stairs and an elevator and that he had a friend in
a wheelchair visit him recently so everything would be fine. When I arrived
there were two small steps, no big deal because I can handle that. But the big
problem came when I wasn’t able to fit into the elevator! This was the first
time this had ever happened to me. I came close to not fitting into the
elevator in other cities, but this time the door was very narrow. The host had
to place a kitchen chair in the elevator for me to transfer onto and then she
carried my chair up the stairs. On the contrary, once I got into the apartment,
everything was fine. The place was very spacious and the bathroom was large
enough to get into without any issues. But not being able to get in and out of
the building was not going to work and so I immediately needed to find a new
room which was quite disappointing and a waste of precious vacation time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Two days later, by sheer luck, I was able to find a real
wheelchair accessible room only a 10min walk from Vatican city. This was more a
like a hotel room. There was just a bed, desk, and bathroom and the best part was
that it was specifically designed for wheelchair users. There was a roll in
shower with grab bars. The only odd thing was the two steps to get into the
room. I would have preferred a room in a flat with other people I could talk
to, but at this point, I was just happy to have a suitable room and bathroom I
could use comfortably. I would recommend staying in the area of Vatican City if
you can since the sidewalks are smoother with more curb cuts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">A</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">CCESSBILITY </span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The infrastructure in Rome is terrible. Italy is not exactly
a poor country so I don’t know why that is the case. Visiting Rome will
seriously test your perseverance, but with lots of planning and having proper
expectations, you can make your visit more enjoyable and less challenging. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Sidewalks</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sidewalks in Rome are absolutely atrocious. I booked my
first Airbnb room close to Termini. It was supposed to be a 15min walk, but
ended up taking almost 2 hours! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rome sidewalks can be:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Narrow and uneven</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">broken or missing</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">End randomly</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Cobblestoned – large and small</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Loose or missing cobblestone</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Without curb cuts, or only have curb cuts on one side</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There was a time when I crossed the street on one side with
a curb cut, and when I got to the other side there were two steps to get up!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Roads</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Roads are no better. Drivers are nuts in Rome! There are no
lanes. People just drive wherever they like on the roads. And if you’re a pedestrian
waiting to cross, you will be cut off by motorcyclists and cars turning right
every single time! There is no right-of-way for pedestrians. Be warned!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Airport</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7BSHzcOT1VzKp_ORHI_32aA7V182asAendRHQsABAk6pc264ByFsqxdzdio41lwQlPy-27TRsR6Z6-RyHOKUlG8sdYCa1elbiCv2gtTxd-yAe3rLv5cPF2YIWTEJSF2JH3e127Erd8R0H/s1600/VieRom+182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7BSHzcOT1VzKp_ORHI_32aA7V182asAendRHQsABAk6pc264ByFsqxdzdio41lwQlPy-27TRsR6Z6-RyHOKUlG8sdYCa1elbiCv2gtTxd-yAe3rLv5cPF2YIWTEJSF2JH3e127Erd8R0H/s200/VieRom+182.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leonardo Express</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I took the Leonardo Express from Fiumicino airport to
Termini station in central Rome. I was able to go online and book special
assistance to get from the gate to my luggage and onto the train. This can be hit or miss. The employee didn’t
know where he was going and ended up taking me on a wild goose chase through the
airport. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyway, the Leonardo Express was surprisingly very
accessible. I booked assistance because I was afraid the train would have steps
and thus would need help getting on. However, the train was flush with the
platform and I was able to get on an off on my own. There are designated spots
for wheelchairs and an accessible toilet. The ride takes 30min and costs 14€
each way with no discount for the disabled. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.rfi.it/cms/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=99103b2ecbfcc310VgnVCM1000008916f90aRCRD#3" target="_blank">For train assistance</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.aboutroma.com/accessible-rome-transport.html" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">General Access Info</a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5c8EIpWqnU2omrr92dwFu-R5wata52HvJWD5k08cfCQEwXK_ETRHvha-Rpcqn0D3mXzYUEHw8ZUe_ZqJ0zguyAPJrINi0K8_k1ng4hen-Ecu9TGRsTXhNC_EZkM4SMmg2Pk3nfcl2K7BB/s1600/VieRom+310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5c8EIpWqnU2omrr92dwFu-R5wata52HvJWD5k08cfCQEwXK_ETRHvha-Rpcqn0D3mXzYUEHw8ZUe_ZqJ0zguyAPJrINi0K8_k1ng4hen-Ecu9TGRsTXhNC_EZkM4SMmg2Pk3nfcl2K7BB/s200/VieRom+310.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wheelchair toilet in Vatican</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Public Transit</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The most disappointing thing about Rome for disabled people
is that most forms of public transit are not accessible. The metro and trams
are not accessible at all and I knew this going in. However, I thought most of
the buses would be good. This is not the case. Some bus lines are accessible,
but many are not. For the lines that are accessible, not every bus is accessible!
And the most frustrating thing is that there’s no way to find out. The transit
web site doesn’t tell you. The only thing you can really do is just go to the
bus stop and hope for the best. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When you do find an accessible bus, you enter from the rear
door and the driver has to manually flip out the ramp. I’m not sure if there’s
a charge for disabled people, but I never paid. There was no way I was paying for that kind of service. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Taxis</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bad sidewalks combined with bad public transit, meant I had
to take taxis sometimes. The taxis in Rome are fine. There are many of them and
I saw many van taxis. However, they are not cheap and can really add up if that’s
your main form of transportation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">A</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">TTRACTIONS</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"> / S</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">IGHTS</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you can negotiate the shitty sidewalks and public transit
to actually get to the attractions, disabled people will be well taken care of.
I only visited two attractions due to the limited transportation options, so I
opted to visit them multiple times. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXPelCOk7Fpg2jEoafTMkJe8snzLSANBBGeElUQXKLAh2x_QKTFrntu2H-LjB3E9jaYy6B6MgEmtzHLD_R49Il1wl48WYl9M2j0K07Ikf0UWkr85KLlrk8EZG7qCkrYynmSCfX6ci8ZhoV/s1600/VieRom+367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXPelCOk7Fpg2jEoafTMkJe8snzLSANBBGeElUQXKLAh2x_QKTFrntu2H-LjB3E9jaYy6B6MgEmtzHLD_R49Il1wl48WYl9M2j0K07Ikf0UWkr85KLlrk8EZG7qCkrYynmSCfX6ci8ZhoV/s200/VieRom+367.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coliseum</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I did manage to find an accessible bus to take me to the
Coliseum which is surprisingly very wheelchair accessible. The area is
surrounded by cobblestone, but it can be done slowly on your own or with some
help. Once there you can skip the ridiculous line and go straight to the counter
for a free disabled ticket. There is even an elevator to take you to the 2<sup>nd</sup>
level where it is smooth all the way around! You can go wherever you like! The
terrain is rougher on the 1<sup>st</sup> level, but you can still explore all
the areas without encountering any stairs. After that, I would recommend
checking out the Roman Forum. There will be ramps in some places and very high
curbs in others. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihBEenaIsl26ThH5aLglkx7UvKo5GMM0opTPOS-gS-p2_TU-_q1QJpGavLL4sX-e2fQD8AXT79V-5Omh8qYdkGs7TOoQroKFb7_-Zn8JUPZj42gpwSI69ci9J13TT9MOJBU6FhMbCcVKVK/s1600/VieRom+254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihBEenaIsl26ThH5aLglkx7UvKo5GMM0opTPOS-gS-p2_TU-_q1QJpGavLL4sX-e2fQD8AXT79V-5Omh8qYdkGs7TOoQroKFb7_-Zn8JUPZj42gpwSI69ci9J13TT9MOJBU6FhMbCcVKVK/s200/VieRom+254.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vatican Museums</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Vatican Museums are absolutely beautiful and you can
easily spend the </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">whole day there. Admission is free for the disabled and once
inside it’s mostly flat and there are accessible toilets. The counter agent
asked me for documentation to prove that I was disabled and I just pointed to
my wheelchair. Since I didn’t have any specific documents he asked for my
passport and printed out a ticket with my full name on it. The galleries are
gorgeous and you could literally spend all day here. To get into the Sistine Chapel,
you will need to take an old school lift that goes along the railing, and then
down a narrow hallway. Once there
though, you will be in awe at how beautiful it is. I feel sorry for the guy who
has to yell out all day long “no photos please”.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To get into St. Peter’s Basilica, you will need to exit <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLiFQegqXeO0S9OG6f2eUqZfs6yTH0J3k7387-ROe1eyXFRKptG041JzP86IxgAqyM7JB9Pl0i9g20snO-VD-0Vt-N4Ck4Nt9LD039M651WU6Ezw556slFGA01cqMQ5E0Jpzga6KyfFdpD/s1600/VieRom+320.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLiFQegqXeO0S9OG6f2eUqZfs6yTH0J3k7387-ROe1eyXFRKptG041JzP86IxgAqyM7JB9Pl0i9g20snO-VD-0Vt-N4Ck4Nt9LD039M651WU6Ezw556slFGA01cqMQ5E0Jpzga6KyfFdpD/s200/VieRom+320.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ramp into St. Peter's Basilica</td></tr>
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the
museums and go outside and around. There’s another huge line, but just skip it
and go straight to the front. There’s no admission fee for anyone. Take the
elevator up and then the ramp to get inside. I thought Sagrada Famalia was an
amazing church, but this one blows it out of the water! The Catholics
definitely have some coin. The architecture, the lights, the sounds, the
sculptures and artwork are all breathtaking. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmd2cv8z5PUFhFCFI-HzPaZOrYUenTTy7EN4ai-m8_cFWDMUUIaPhJC6KRDFCB7twE9pzTcHK9O5Kc8Ioh5n42HbufOe9fIBzsJvCgagcmXolBlpxgCPG7FSqLqBNSobGQjhpKoAz71ZpB/s1600/VieRom+220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmd2cv8z5PUFhFCFI-HzPaZOrYUenTTy7EN4ai-m8_cFWDMUUIaPhJC6KRDFCB7twE9pzTcHK9O5Kc8Ioh5n42HbufOe9fIBzsJvCgagcmXolBlpxgCPG7FSqLqBNSobGQjhpKoAz71ZpB/s200/VieRom+220.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. Peter's Square</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After that, be sure to spend time in St. Peter’s Square.
Seeing this in person was a surreal experience. That balcony where the Pope comes out to
address the people, is an image I had only seen on TV. And now I was actually
here. I spent a lot of time just hanging out and strolling around in this area.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.sagetraveling.com/rome-accessible-travel" target="_blank">Here is a good resource for access in Rome</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJZWY9HPCxjT4M75zRnRPvhGt-RduBFjZdQWC5Q9rJwbM4XSW26Dc2z0rokv7HVKkeZLcutpWuZbFxmMOboWPK4bll5SiehLQlPU6yUV5LckTmLo_dAdhXZIS6GFPkKVoj4nh-MYEM3jH/s1600/VieRom+249.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJZWY9HPCxjT4M75zRnRPvhGt-RduBFjZdQWC5Q9rJwbM4XSW26Dc2z0rokv7HVKkeZLcutpWuZbFxmMOboWPK4bll5SiehLQlPU6yUV5LckTmLo_dAdhXZIS6GFPkKVoj4nh-MYEM3jH/s200/VieRom+249.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Be sure to try the ice cream from<br />Lemongrass Gelato</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I didn’t do any nightlife in Rome and that is because I
couldn’t get to them on public transit. Even if I took a taxi, I may not have
been to cross the street on my own. So I chose to skip the nightlife altogether
in Rome. I did find some other unique delights. I ate ice cream every day and
it was some of the best ice cream I’ve ever had! This may be a cliché, but I
did eat some very good pizza and pasta!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Overall, I am sad to say that Rome is the first city I have
visited where I am confident I would not return. I am still happy that I came
here and got to see some of the most famous and recognized places on the
planet, but the nightmare challenges I faced trying to get around could not
entice me to return. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Vincehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10180480234705044194noreply@blogger.com1Rome, Italy41.9027835 12.49636550000002441.524646 11.850918500000024 42.280921 13.141812500000025tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724565605061987377.post-16812456959104036832015-08-31T20:20:00.000-07:002015-12-06T20:22:00.560-08:00Vienna - Aug 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_AFt6ET5RxQ/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_AFt6ET5RxQ?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I’m still not certain where I got the idea to visit Vienna,
but I’m sure glad I did. I thought Barcelona was the most wheelchair accessible
city in Europe, but I’ll now have to pass that award to the city of Vienna,
Austria. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Vienna is very modern for a European city. There are new
buildings everywhere and even the old ones are beautifully restored. Nothing
looks run down or old and about fall apart. Everything is extremely clean.
There isn’t a piece of trash anywhere to be seen! The Viennese are very clean
people. Vienna is always ranked highly for their standard of living, I now I
can see why. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span><span style="font-size: large;">CCOMODATION</span></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I managed to find a couchsurfing host on this trip for my
first 2 nights. His name is Hartwig and he lives in a huge, modern apartment
along the Danube river. He was a cool guy. We joked about how he was the white,
Austrian guy who was a Buddhist and I was the Asian guy who had a thing for
German girls! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After that I booked a room with a young couple through
Airbnb. They lived in an area called Millennium City. Their apartment is
literally in a shopping mall. The whole area was very modern and didn’t feel
like Europe at all, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Staying with them was my best Airbnb experience so far. Before
I even arrived, they meticulously answered all of my questions about steps,
elevators, and the bathroom doorway. They have two bathrooms and the guest
bathroom had a stand-up shower, whereas theirs had a bathtub and they switched
bathrooms just so I would be more comfortable. On my first night, they invited
me to have dinner with them. The next morning, the wife left me apple cake and
coffee for breakfast. They gave me plenty of tips on what to do and how to get
around the city. I never felt like a renter, but rather always like a
houseguest. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKUvlXyDn7ecQ13HyOq3TtGM-y_qjTEGPhpM5qbqFnKVYD8Nqgcg7PpdRjYSnjN2Z_tYYQkffu1HNOT9HG9tqEbQGrqu4pQaIyFWMOHIO4cLgmz6jkZzo6H-cyeqEwvJrO1xnDZr8MLDRr/s1600/VieRom+113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKUvlXyDn7ecQ13HyOq3TtGM-y_qjTEGPhpM5qbqFnKVYD8Nqgcg7PpdRjYSnjN2Z_tYYQkffu1HNOT9HG9tqEbQGrqu4pQaIyFWMOHIO4cLgmz6jkZzo6H-cyeqEwvJrO1xnDZr8MLDRr/s200/VieRom+113.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Karin and I in the Burggarten</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I sent Karin a couchsurfing request, but unfortunately she
wasn’t able to host </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">me. However, she did offer to show me around the city and
it turned out to be one of the best days of my entire trip. Karin uses a power chair
so I knew she would be a good guide. We met up on the shopping street Mariahilfer
Strasse where she took me to her favourite restaurant for wiener schnitzel. </span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YEr-FWHmv5E911DO44cSD-E-IndOYBs5kS6ELNXUPQtTXGtbn7hoUe6_KCuKERGycvGhVkYxtIoF3-HppS7tRhsNqWfuuZp5V_NQvuDVOIzV1qQpGi1KFFFtcdN4NJi6yq52Q7xe40GY/s1600/VieRom+126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YEr-FWHmv5E911DO44cSD-E-IndOYBs5kS6ELNXUPQtTXGtbn7hoUe6_KCuKERGycvGhVkYxtIoF3-HppS7tRhsNqWfuuZp5V_NQvuDVOIzV1qQpGi1KFFFtcdN4NJi6yq52Q7xe40GY/s200/VieRom+126.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Couchsurfing meetup in WUK</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We
wandered around the Ring and the 1<sup>st</sup> district, checking out various
buildings and parks like the Burggarten. This is where I bumped into a friend –
from Vancouver! And found swing dancers! We then joined a couchsurfing meetup
in WUK and partied with other travelers until late. Karin is super friendly and
very outgoing. Meeting here was definitely a highlight of my trip. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span><span style="font-size: large;">CCESSBILITY</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I mentioned above, Vienna, is the most wheelchair
accessible city in Europe I have visited. Here is a fantastic resource for
people with disabilities visiting Vienna. </span><a href="http://www.wien.info/en/travel-info/accessible-vienna" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Accessible Vienna</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Sidewalks</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The sidewalks in Vienna are simply the best out of any city
I’ve been to. They are flat and very wide (even by North American standards)
and there are very few cobblestones! The city is mostly flat and there are curb
cuts everywhere. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Airport</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I took the City Airport Train non-stop from Vienna
International Airport to the city centre. The train station is very easy to
find as soon as you leave the arrivals area. There is a discount of about half
price (5€ each way) for the disabled and the trip only takes 16 minutes. There
is a bit of gap between the platform and train, but I think if you ask they’ll
put down a ramp for you. Once on board, there is a special section for
wheelchairs which I noticed people like to store their luggage in, but the
train staff will tell them to move. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Public Transit</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My go-to form of transit was the metro, which is quite rare
because the metro is not usually accessible – even in North American cities. In
Vienna, not only is the entire metro completely wheelchair accessible, it’s
very easy to use. The elevators are located in logical and easy to find areas.
There was no ‘running around’ the stations trying to find the elevator or
taking the wrong ones. In some stations there was one elevator to get out and
that was it! And they all worked! I didn’t come across a broken elevator even
once. Fares run on the honour system. I’ve treated every city like the transit
is free for the disabled. In other words, I didn’t pay. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I didn’t end up taking any buses, but every one I saw was
accessible. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The trams were the only part of Vienna that was not entirely
accessible. The newer trams are good, but there are still quite a bit of older
trams that you can’t get on. Don’t worry, between the metro and buses, you can
get anywhere you need to go easily. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span><span style="font-size: large;">TTRACTIONS</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> / S</span><span style="font-size: large;">IGHTSEEING</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of the main things I wanted to do was see an opera,
because that’s what Vienna is famous for. However, I learned that all of the
opera houses are closed in July and August. And I left on August 30. Fail! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt5ees_n51iJ3U0s6xIjPYE6Jw-AJxhl9g_p9fvxCeOT4q2RPyVLQAmxL0jQVm0WC9S82_nnRfjYDmLvlu7vl3AqKfPhKfPqA-l-v-DhQllPEE3V2Xv5hsZoCZ4Cpl8J9GbJQb3HylAnSK/s1600/VieRom+088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt5ees_n51iJ3U0s6xIjPYE6Jw-AJxhl9g_p9fvxCeOT4q2RPyVLQAmxL0jQVm0WC9S82_nnRfjYDmLvlu7vl3AqKfPhKfPqA-l-v-DhQllPEE3V2Xv5hsZoCZ4Cpl8J9GbJQb3HylAnSK/s200/VieRom+088.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top of Shobrunn Palace</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The next top tourist attraction in Vienna is probably <b>Shobrunn
Palace</b> which is very easy to get to as it is located right beside a metro
station. The palace is completely wheelchair accessible and there is a reduced
price for the disabled. I paid for a guided tour and joined the wrong one that
was in Italian. Eventually, I did find my English group! To get upstairs, you
will be escorted up special elevators, but once up there it’s all flat. Behind
Shobrunn Palace is a beautiful garden which is actually free to enter. I highly
recommend going up the pathway to the top to see some amazing views of the
city. There are no stairs, but it’s definitely very steep. Check out my VLOG to
see more of this. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Mozart Haus</b> is located right in the city centre, but it is
tricky to find. It’s best to use your GPS or have someone take you there. The
entire museum is accessible by elevator, but the only problem is that you can’t
access that elevator on your own. Only the staff can take you from floor to
floor. I happened to be there during a quiet time and several times I was
‘trapped’ on a floor because I couldn’t find any staff to operate the elevator
for me. Aside from that, it was pretty
cool to learn about the history of Mozart and the time he lived in Vienna. It
turns out he was quite the baller! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Note: For all attractions that have an audio tour, I
strongly recommend bringing your own ear phones to plug in. This will free up
your hands instead of having to hold the device to your ear. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Naschmarkt </b>is a waste of time and I don’t recommend going
here. There are some cool foods to try and some unique clothes, but overall
there’s lots of junk – especially in the flea market section which to me looked
like just random piles of laundry. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The <b>Museums Quarter</b> is a cool place to hang out. I didn’t
actually go to any of the museums here, but one night I did enjoy a free
classical music concert. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Food</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgij582R0PnlJrNfRfIyGWJSZlCy76q1_BhxRkirDhCFD9JcDtj8yCCkXkrhFomx4_MGzpSFGucWjEs7lyZ_OGpERYNov04MBDLPMY611v_ZLJk4U13Jte9DBwYQHW-2OBy2k_xMELLrJDJ/s1600/VieRom+096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgij582R0PnlJrNfRfIyGWJSZlCy76q1_BhxRkirDhCFD9JcDtj8yCCkXkrhFomx4_MGzpSFGucWjEs7lyZ_OGpERYNov04MBDLPMY611v_ZLJk4U13Jte9DBwYQHW-2OBy2k_xMELLrJDJ/s200/VieRom+096.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wiener schnitzel!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I don’t talk about food much, but I’m going say a few things
here. Austrians are big on meat. Their national food is wiener schnitzel and I
ate plenty of it. Some restaurants are certainly better than others.
Apparently, the best wiener schnitzel is at Figlmüller, which is right in the
centre of the city. However, I tried to go twice and both times there was a
very long line and the place is not very accessible. There are steps within the
restaurant and the tables are tight. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Radatz is a very good deli found in the shopping malls. I couldn’t read the German menu so I pointed
to what I wanted which was a big piece of meat on a bone – like a pork hock.
Now I thought it would come with salad or potatoes or something, but the server
just put it on a plate and gave it to me. So I just ate it like that and it was
delicious! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I friend told me I had to get Sacher Cake and the famous
place to get it is from the Hotel Sacher. I tried it and thought it was good,
but I don’t think it’s necessarily something to write home about (as I’m doing
right now haha). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Nightlife</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The nightlife in Vienna was surprisingly very good. One
night I attended a couchsurfing meeting in WUK which is an open-air courtyard.
The next night we were in the Museums Quarter. This place is like a huge beer
garden, except there are no bars selling alcohol. People just come here to hang
out and bring their own alcohol. (If you need more, there are plenty of people
walking around with backpacks selling booze) Everyone is friendly and just
having a good time. Something like this would never work in Canada. The laws
are too strict and most definitely a fight would break out eventually. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The first nightclub I went to was <b>Volksgarten</b> because
another couchsurfer suggested it. This place was massive. There’s a large
lounge area and dancefloor inside, and then an equally large bar and dancefloor
outside. There was a timed water fountain right in the middle of the dance
floor which I found very odd since you could be dancing away and then all of
sudden the fountain turns on and you get wet. The whole place is flat and
wheelchair accessible. There’s even a single-room toilet on the main level.
Cover is 15€ and it’s open to 6am!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The next day which happened to be my last full day in
Vienna, I was wondering around downtown and I came across a parade of
nightclubs! There were all these huge semi-trucks with people drinking and
dancing on the trucks and on the street around the trucks. Electronic music was
blasting from each truck and they were lined up one after the other. I later
found out it’s called the Vienna <a href="http://viennasummerbreak.at/?lang=en" target="_blank">Summerbreak Festival</a>.
There was an official afterparty at <b>Praterdome</b> Nightclub and that’s where I
partied that night. The music here was better, but the venue itself was kind of
strange as there were many corridors and oddly-shaped rooms. I don’t think the
building was originally designed to be a nightclub. One unique thing about this
place is that it sells pizza and other foods right in the club. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What I loved most about Vienna is that you can simply wander
around and find something amazing going on. Some of the best things I found
were purely by accident like the international food festival, jugglers in the
park, outdoor movie festival, free classical music concert, parade of
nightclubs, and swing dancing in the park! </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjipdJx3yaXO8UgUkPEarI8LI4v_SueEhkY8vwCrFKtLTfp7230m9M5eCn6asrXgKy21BGl0IkW9ETQ-cJuToLvfYuvTpE2dJhrCjDxBdMn3wT5-lfs_-d23evuKiApioLWzBjHSabuuguD/s1600/VieRom+048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjipdJx3yaXO8UgUkPEarI8LI4v_SueEhkY8vwCrFKtLTfp7230m9M5eCn6asrXgKy21BGl0IkW9ETQ-cJuToLvfYuvTpE2dJhrCjDxBdMn3wT5-lfs_-d23evuKiApioLWzBjHSabuuguD/s200/VieRom+048.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Famous Maria Theresa statue</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Vincehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10180480234705044194noreply@blogger.com1Vienna, Austria48.2081743 16.3738189000000647.8696338 15.728371900000059 48.546714800000004 17.019265900000061tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724565605061987377.post-76779824000951879462014-09-01T18:57:00.000-07:002014-12-23T20:03:30.379-08:00Barcelona - Sep 2014<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/hxdJuL7dtVs?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Barcelona is the most wheelchair accessible city I have
visited so far in Europe, and thus is my favourite city in Europe. I chose this
city specifically to party and hang out on the beach and I did just that. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span><span style="font-size: large;">CCOMODATION</span></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I wasn’t able to find a couchsurfing host in Barcelona. I
did receive an offer from one guy, but his elevator was too small. I asked him
to measure it and I determined it was standing room only! … for one person! Why
bother even having an elevator if it’s only good for one person? I have
encountered the problem of small elevators in every European city I’ve visited.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHWhl0k8zsjC5ty0hisbJcvT-NN0oD7NCIT9S2meJqkZ4reQeJo9-gjn_axdpxcDtotiT-vt6p9fYLotwmFeQP0RtRwFsh8NqJiEsxHcBSf_m9TUM0jIBCjUrUlz_gg4Ag387kjq7ADj9v/s1600/ParBar+329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHWhl0k8zsjC5ty0hisbJcvT-NN0oD7NCIT9S2meJqkZ4reQeJo9-gjn_axdpxcDtotiT-vt6p9fYLotwmFeQP0RtRwFsh8NqJiEsxHcBSf_m9TUM0jIBCjUrUlz_gg4Ag387kjq7ADj9v/s1600/ParBar+329.JPG" height="111" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Airbnb host and her roommate</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I booked a room through Airbnb that was located about a
20min walk from the beach. The owner of the apartment was named Oria and she
had two other roommates. It was a very spacious three bedroom apartment. I
slept in Oria’s rather empty room while she slept on the living room couch or
somewhere else altogether. My only issue was that the bathroom doorway was too
narrow and the only way I could get in was by taking the door completely off
the hinges for the duration of my stay. Oria hung up a curtain for privacy. Staying
here was a lot like staying in a hostel. People were constantly coming and
going – mostly friends of the roommates, but also other Airbnb renters. Everyone
was very welcoming and nice. They even cooked a few meals for me and invited me
to hang out with them. It was pretty much like staying with friends. The
exchange of money was more like a token of appreciation and to help cover the
cost of having me there. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I stayed with Oria for 4 days and then moved to an entire
apartment to myself which I gave a tour of in the VLOG. It was a bit further
out from the waterfront and located on a busy street, but the apartment itself
looked completely renovated and furnished entirely with IKEA! Honestly, my
reasons for renting a place all to myself was so I could bring a party home
which almost happened, but not quite. More on that later. I stayed here for
three days and then moved back to Oria’s for the remainder of my time in
Barcelona. I admit it was more fun having people around and being closer to the
beach and La Ramblas. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">A</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">CCESSIBILTY</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I mentioned above, Barcelona is a paradise for
wheelchair-users. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sidewalks</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmVKNKZuVTcPZ8K_mM7pNSSk3SeID7ymcStgE9TxykSYQhyphenhyphentaX_rNuTWOUn7aGObwjvpbQBzDhn2HNJgE7HgwtA6xZulBd5zn_6mT5q_wyowc2UwMxs9dSSdvY3xXNHA-4bA_QXuY7t5NY/s1600/ParBar+170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmVKNKZuVTcPZ8K_mM7pNSSk3SeID7ymcStgE9TxykSYQhyphenhyphentaX_rNuTWOUn7aGObwjvpbQBzDhn2HNJgE7HgwtA6xZulBd5zn_6mT5q_wyowc2UwMxs9dSSdvY3xXNHA-4bA_QXuY7t5NY/s1600/ParBar+170.JPG" height="111" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ramps down to the beach</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I don’t know if it’s like this all over Spain, but Barcelona
has very different sidewalks. They don’t have curb cuts per se, but very wide
ramps from the sidewalk to the street. I think these were made for the
motorcycles which are parked on the sidewalks, rather than wheelchairs, but
they are extremely useful. While Barcelona is a flat city, most sidewalks are
paved with some sort of stone. This requires more energy to push and can
possibly slow you down. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Airport</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Barcelona–El Prat Airport has the easiest transportation to
the city centre of any airport I have visited… in the world! And I mean that!
As soon as you leave the terminal, you will find the Aerobus stop. Every single
bus is wheelchair accessible! It’s not one of those tall busses that have 5
steep steps to get in. It’s a low floor bus with pull-out ramp at the rear door
– very similar to a city bus. You don’t have to book anything in advance.
There’s a bus every 5 or 10min (24/7) and takes you right to Playa Catalunya in
35min. Cost is 6€ one way and there’s no disabled discounted. I wished every
city had this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.aerobusbcn.com/en">http://www.aerobusbcn.com/en</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Public Transit</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I didn’t use public transit very often so I can’t give too
much advice here. Everywhere I went was within walking distance. I didn’t even
need to use the metro. I did use a tram a few times when I was staying in an
apartment by myself. It’s completely accessible and very easy to use for
wheelchair users. However, the lines are not useful for getting to tourist
attractions. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Beaches</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoyDRWkN9u5vxIiCicE-AXpHR1CSTQAKKyKpoi-bJUkAADfKph35rUZJCY4BbYMEFIbQlt171HK0b_WeGTmcXE7kEYrLueT52lxtDad8xlTY0PvZQ6Y-MABe-q9KUdfN74I-H5tQjmIEsQ/s1600/ParBar+234.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoyDRWkN9u5vxIiCicE-AXpHR1CSTQAKKyKpoi-bJUkAADfKph35rUZJCY4BbYMEFIbQlt171HK0b_WeGTmcXE7kEYrLueT52lxtDad8xlTY0PvZQ6Y-MABe-q9KUdfN74I-H5tQjmIEsQ/s1600/ParBar+234.JPG" height="111" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smooth path down to the water</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Barcelona beach is the most wheelchair friendly beach I have
visited… in the </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">world! I seem to be saying that a lot. It beats out Vancouver
and anything I’ve seen here in North America. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are two levels to the beach. The top level is
street-level and completely flat. To get to the lower level, there are long,
wide ramps everywhere. At beach level, the boardwalk is wide and flat. This
design alone is enough to make me happy because it allows me to walk along the
beach without difficulty. However, there are wooded pathways that go from the
stoned boardwalk right over the sand and down to the water. And there’s not
just one pathway, they’re located about every 50 metres or so. Oh yeah, and
there are restaurants and wheelchair toilets at every station. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx0XVKXS8fH8ehxYsZAw1-ZTagZJt9kyovaWDqkLQfnE44duIXh8DFGe7jtUGWQ8xtieIQAIPOmAo6JHPzCXXoxTx7JDr3ocLK-6CF5YwhPJjDECzVfp8iPPfElnT5DodH2clPnKC4UElA/s1600/ParBar+235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx0XVKXS8fH8ehxYsZAw1-ZTagZJt9kyovaWDqkLQfnE44duIXh8DFGe7jtUGWQ8xtieIQAIPOmAo6JHPzCXXoxTx7JDr3ocLK-6CF5YwhPJjDECzVfp8iPPfElnT5DodH2clPnKC4UElA/s1600/ParBar+235.JPG" height="111" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dedicated beach area for the disabled</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And to top it all off, there is even a designated beach area
specifically for the disabled! Here they have wooden floors over the sand (with
a covered area, and open area), beach wheelchairs, private wheelchair toilets,
and dedicated lifeguards! Sounds like a resort for the disabled. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></o:p><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3jLP2e3GXhwa_L2kn7JicNai0cWttyUlNF7e75w47xKvB1P08bwSeK6j77xce3qnU5clM_EGNwkM1ImapOhCVYTMiMsVoxH3PGEKe3C2_y0l-wxfCmeLiApqIA17ubXZrGAUFMsYAZzWu/s1600/ParBar+237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3jLP2e3GXhwa_L2kn7JicNai0cWttyUlNF7e75w47xKvB1P08bwSeK6j77xce3qnU5clM_EGNwkM1ImapOhCVYTMiMsVoxH3PGEKe3C2_y0l-wxfCmeLiApqIA17ubXZrGAUFMsYAZzWu/s1600/ParBar+237.JPG" height="111" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There is an uncovered and covered area</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></o:p><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></o:p><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></o:p><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I rolled up and down this beach many times, every </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">day. It
was my favourite thing to do in Barcelona.</span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></o:p><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></o:p><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></o:p><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span><span style="font-size: large;">TTRACTIONS / </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">S</span><span style="font-size: large;">IGHTSEEING</span></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQn3VFNFCd-s2-650F_HX9AUDapzaLPduaM7ZllObj-IH7YNmNG-YuHb9eVFjlyrbqwORnE9dc3CmB46iwq2lRCUh0_fU1GXKBXzMm8uncwcGzbXoxt18_X5BZ9OGPLLRKGqBwx7petr-L/s1600/ParBar+215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQn3VFNFCd-s2-650F_HX9AUDapzaLPduaM7ZllObj-IH7YNmNG-YuHb9eVFjlyrbqwORnE9dc3CmB46iwq2lRCUh0_fU1GXKBXzMm8uncwcGzbXoxt18_X5BZ9OGPLLRKGqBwx7petr-L/s1600/ParBar+215.JPG" height="111" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stained glass windows</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Sagrada Familia</b> is a Catholic church designed by the famous
Spanish architect <b>Antoni Gaudi</b>. This place is beautiful and unlike any church I
have ever visited. Admission is free for the disabled and an attendant. Go to
the front of the ticket office (don’t wait in line. If anyone asks, just say
you were told go to the front) and obtain your free ticket. The towers are not
accessible because there are stairs to the elevator – talk about a poor design!
After getting your ticket, you will need to go around the block and enter
through the group/school entrance. You may have to wait and get your bags
checked by security before going inside. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJxaM7NPWZKnkPd6_8sMWbyg7i_6MjFWGsGIOeRRNRji7awUVu3Qoxx9Ni1rZ7tV6pDfndPjrWA6knfXhDBR1XCwITjv8_DW11rGRnNx2C0r2Hsz_czgyxlb3MznTs4uqM0mspXxnBymGd/s1600/ParBar+185.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJxaM7NPWZKnkPd6_8sMWbyg7i_6MjFWGsGIOeRRNRji7awUVu3Qoxx9Ni1rZ7tV6pDfndPjrWA6knfXhDBR1XCwITjv8_DW11rGRnNx2C0r2Hsz_czgyxlb3MznTs4uqM0mspXxnBymGd/s1600/ParBar+185.JPG" height="111" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very steep ramps</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Warning: Even though <b>Sagrada Familia </b>is wheelchair
accessible, there are some very steep pathways. I am quite strong and can
usually push myself up any hill, but even I had to ask for help here. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwlVfKZRyLZVmP7ZQ6BU0kg-lRO9QAnoI69UnBK9komtai_BqdHW67VO5CztAHxLYEIRxI4WBj7Xb60fctCvdZok0O-SLwCPpNwNA4rMw1TiFyzWNAl13V5peF4MXe_fR9h2lP_MVonFBR/s1600/ParBar+292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwlVfKZRyLZVmP7ZQ6BU0kg-lRO9QAnoI69UnBK9komtai_BqdHW67VO5CztAHxLYEIRxI4WBj7Xb60fctCvdZok0O-SLwCPpNwNA4rMw1TiFyzWNAl13V5peF4MXe_fR9h2lP_MVonFBR/s1600/ParBar+292.JPG" height="111" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A mountain of fruit!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>La Boqueria</b> is a large public market right on the main drag
of <b>La Rambla</b>, which goes from <b>Playa Catalunya</b> to the <b>Christopher Columbus
</b>monument. You will find the most amazing food and drinks here and it’s not very
expensive either. My favourites were the fresh fruit juices that were only 1€
each. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Warning: This is a
very busy area and apparently a hot spot for pickpockets. Fortunately, I didn’t
run into any troubles, but I know people who have been victims of pickpockets
in Barcelona. Do a simple search on how
to protect yourself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The <b>Arc de Triomf</b> is cool to see and fully wheelchair
accessible, unlike the one in Paris. <b>Rambla del Mar</b> provides a relaxing walk
near the sea and yachts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">N</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">IGHTLIFE</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This was my main reason for coming to Barcelona – to party!
And boy, I was not disappointed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There is an area on the beach with a concentration of about
5 or 6 nightclubs. Some of these are restaurants during the day. Wander around
this area any time of the day and you will find promoters handing out passes
for free cover before 1:30am. You heard me right. It was no problem for me to
get into a club before 1:30am, so this essentially meant free cover. Normally it
was 15€. In most of North America, nightclubs close at 2 or 3am, but not in
Barcelona where the party is just getting started by this time. I came to this
area EVERY SINGLE NIGHT because they were open EVERY NIGHT and they were busy
EVERY NIGHT. Not just Friday and Saturday, although they were the busiest on
those nights. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisyyhS2lQeBL8cQ-NSWyKuN7UPUlwYe1DqxoL7VCtL0hNOuVLYuaXa0EhrpzIzZ_U-LMBWOClDTx26ZwpZXpt1C_Xs2mrbCb_5rHvSRrgCOJ94-bQJRGOcAf_2bWcwxLAxNQ9VNpFyxOeA/s1600/ParBar+271.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisyyhS2lQeBL8cQ-NSWyKuN7UPUlwYe1DqxoL7VCtL0hNOuVLYuaXa0EhrpzIzZ_U-LMBWOClDTx26ZwpZXpt1C_Xs2mrbCb_5rHvSRrgCOJ94-bQJRGOcAf_2bWcwxLAxNQ9VNpFyxOeA/s1600/ParBar+271.JPG" height="111" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Opium Nightclub</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My favourite spots were <b>Opium</b>, <b>Pacha</b>, and <b>Shoku</b> and you will
find mostly </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">tourists here. All were open
until 6am. Drinks are pricey at around 12€ each. The music is pretty main
stream with the DJs spinning top 40, lounge, and hip hop. The bouncers let
everyone in. It’s not like Berlin where they can turn you away for no apparent
reason. Wheelchair access was surprisingly very good. All have some steps, but
I found ramps built in. Opium and Pacha have one of those old school lifts to
get down to the dance floor. It’s one of those lifts that follow a railing and
requires a key and takes forever! It was quite a production whenever I used
these. It was actually just faster to have the bouncers carry me. There were
even single room wheelchair toilets. I usually only encounter these in hotels
or nice restaurants, rarely have I seen one in a nightclub.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMpmuQg6vZ14Hn_doVgaj2CLTy4nY2lmbzdiL6IcnZtkyLgUPsKiVvl6g-lIoEPx9fa2GK5jzWS-bB8MAtd1JZr6DM4r1TDUjbyIJDsZ9qtHF3oJarEy6OJ1myT-tjvfJ1aA7GyTAJ31ui/s1600/ParBar+274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMpmuQg6vZ14Hn_doVgaj2CLTy4nY2lmbzdiL6IcnZtkyLgUPsKiVvl6g-lIoEPx9fa2GK5jzWS-bB8MAtd1JZr6DM4r1TDUjbyIJDsZ9qtHF3oJarEy6OJ1myT-tjvfJ1aA7GyTAJ31ui/s1600/ParBar+274.JPG" height="111" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pacha Nightclub</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One night I met two girls – one was Brazilian and the other
Argentinian. We were having fun dancing and drinking together. They literally
had to beat other guys off with a stick so I thought ‘great’, she prefers
hanging out with me. When the club closed, we left together. They were still in
party mode, so I suggested going back to my place because I had a 3 bedroom
apartment all to myself. As we were hailing a taxi, that’s when she dropped a
bombshell on me – she said she was a ‘working girl’. My enthusiasm dropped to
the floor at that point. Here I was, feeling like a king because I was leaving
a club with two hot girls and going back to my rented apartment. Little did I
know that they were actually hookers. She did say she was hanging out with me
because she enjoyed my company and told me she couldn’t care less that I was in
a wheelchair. However, I couldn’t help
but feel like the only reason they were hanging out with me was because they
only thought of me as a potential customer. I was also slightly annoyed because
I could have spent time with other girls who were not hookers. So, I politely
declined their offer and put them in a taxi and I… went home… alone. It’s
definitely a story for the books.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpvfRcRb9fV-4hnA8dqiWqh6R_7B5Lj9YuDVlSmlceia23kqyXV6viBamBwF2bP9pfxnl-wV1f70BFQ3s-MNmFkb1e9z4v4mpwxvw73KxMzLAVW1pgC0ASKRDJRDOnoSz0dXSxJZQTnfmo/s1600/ParBar+333.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpvfRcRb9fV-4hnA8dqiWqh6R_7B5Lj9YuDVlSmlceia23kqyXV6viBamBwF2bP9pfxnl-wV1f70BFQ3s-MNmFkb1e9z4v4mpwxvw73KxMzLAVW1pgC0ASKRDJRDOnoSz0dXSxJZQTnfmo/s1600/ParBar+333.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making friends wherever I go</td></tr>
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Vincehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10180480234705044194noreply@blogger.com2Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain41.3850639 2.173403499999949441.1944764 1.8506799999999495 41.5756514 2.4961269999999494tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724565605061987377.post-91758635707508824642014-08-29T13:03:00.000-07:002014-11-01T13:50:22.312-07:00Paris - Aug 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/XhIKHUKwZX4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span><span style="font-size: large;">CCOMODATION</span></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I sent out couchsurfing requests for Paris, and I did manage
to get a few offers to host. However, those people lived quite far away from
the city centre. I knew that the metro was not wheelchair accessible, so staying
at any one of these places meant at least an hour bus ride each way into
central Paris. I opted to rent an apartment through Airbnb, which I had used
for the first time last year in Berlin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The apartment was in a great location – an area called the
Latin Quarter, but there were many accessibility issues to deal with. The owner
told me beforehand the place was step-free with a ramp inside – good. I headed
straight there after arriving at the airport. There was a ramp to get to the
front doors which was fine, but the ramp in the lobby was extremely steep. I’m
pretty sure the angle was more than 45° with no railing! I’m a strong guy, and
I couldn’t even get up this ramp on my own. It wasn’t even a wheelchair ramp.
It was something the maintenance or delivery guys used to get a dolly up and
down the steps. Worst part was that it wasn’t even a full ramp. It was two
narrow ramps side by side. One for each wheel. I wished I had taken a picture
of it. Very luckily, this building was connected to several other buildings as
part of a complex, and I was able to enter through the next building and get
level-access to the elevators. Whew! Disaster averted! The elevator was tiny. I
had to enter backwards and my wheelchair, which is already narrower than most,
just barely fit in. Then I had to tuck my feet in to get the door to close. And
then came the actual apartment itself. One word: small. I knew Parisian
apartments were small, but this was beyond my expectation. I think it was about
200 square feet. I was able to maneuver around, except the bathroom door was
too narrow. I rarely have this problem in North America, but for some reason in
Europe, the bathroom doorways are always narrower than the rest of the doors. I
have no idea why they build apartments this way. I would think it would be
easier and cheaper to make all the doors the same size. So, I had to place
furniture like end tables and chairs inside the bathroom, and shimmy from chair
to chair. And to top off the whole bathroom fiasco, the shower was a stand-up
and about 2 feet off the floor! It was extremely difficult to get in. Check out
my Paris video for a fast view of the apartment. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My biggest advice to you is no matter where you are staying,
whether it’s a hotel, hostel, Airbnb apartment, trailer, boat, or tent, ALWAYS
ask them to measure the width of the bathroom door. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigdISOFQDvZLkD4NMAbveb9zBZbvFuyXVzEzWYGC_YmZYi2iPsUnipgOaR_aRq0NyK0f4r1u7IbChVMxw62jynh5xpTs0hPdf07_Hp1X21UA2MqJ01jo1gQYOtX_cU0DRh3m3UXl1AVqBp/s1600/ParBar+041a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigdISOFQDvZLkD4NMAbveb9zBZbvFuyXVzEzWYGC_YmZYi2iPsUnipgOaR_aRq0NyK0f4r1u7IbChVMxw62jynh5xpTs0hPdf07_Hp1X21UA2MqJ01jo1gQYOtX_cU0DRh3m3UXl1AVqBp/s1600/ParBar+041a.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pain au chocolat everyday!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After explaining the problems to the owner, she agreed to
refund me 2 of the 4 nights I was there, which was a nice gesture. Other than
the access issues, I loved the neighbourhood. There was a bus stop right in
front of the building to take me to all the central places. There was a bakery
where I got pain au chocolat every day. On one day there was a small farmers’
market to buy fresh produce and meat. There were many nice cafés and restaurants.
Wondering around this neighbourhood everyday just felt very Parisian. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span><span style="font-size: large;">CCESSIBILITY</span></span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had heard from many wheelchair users that Paris was not a very
accessible city. However, I actually found Paris to be very accessible. The
city is flat. There are curb cuts everywhere. There is some cobblestone, but
it’s manageable. There are cafés and shops with steps, but I found many that
did not. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Transportation</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From Charles de Gaulle airport, take the RER B (it’s the
only train line) to central Paris. It’s completely accessible. Cost is 10€ one
way with no disabled discount. Board at the front of the train where the
platform is raised. Have an airport employee assist you if you prefer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Metro is not accessible at all. Only one line (14)
claims to be accessible, but I had great difficulty trying to use it. I
couldn’t find elevators to get to the street. At Chatelet station, I got on a
horizontal escalator thinking it was the only way to get out, and then it
gradually turned into a steep uphill escalator that lead to 3 stairwells. Bust!
It was dangerous and could have ended badly! I strongly recommend taking the
bus instead. The bus system in Paris is actually very good. I don’ know why
more people don’t take it. In most cities, I prefer taking the bus anyway
because you don’t need to worry about hunting around for elevators, finding the
right train line, and then finding the right platform. Alternatively, you can
board a bus on street-level in one of only two directions and away you go! It
would only take you maybe an extra 10min plus you get to see more. And if you
travel late at night after the Metro closes, like I do a lot, you have to take
the night buses anyway. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.ratp.fr/en/">http://www.ratp.fr/en/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span><span style="font-size: large;">TTRACTIONS/</span><span style="font-size: x-large;">S</span><span style="font-size: large;">IGHTSEEING</span></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbfFxgLUr8DNdegguo_4Dz_7imql5DkciQAFlRVcosxOFjX5Qpf5yLZ2hFZGSgHC4dUs_6sFhivz59v621pVCqYjStPQlj7LavFIkXd6TbG5QjJlmWLu0mcNpJckH8i21hyphenhyphenECU3hKv5-K_/s1600/ParBar+018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbfFxgLUr8DNdegguo_4Dz_7imql5DkciQAFlRVcosxOFjX5Qpf5yLZ2hFZGSgHC4dUs_6sFhivz59v621pVCqYjStPQlj7LavFIkXd6TbG5QjJlmWLu0mcNpJckH8i21hyphenhyphenECU3hKv5-K_/s1600/ParBar+018.JPG" height="200" width="111" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The <b>Eiffel Tower</b>
is, of course, the top attraction to see in Paris. I went there<br />on my first day
and unfortunately, it was raining off and on. The 1<sup>st</sup> and 2<sup>nd</sup>
floor are accessible and there’s a special line for you to enter so you don’t
need to wait in the long, regular line. Wheelchair users will not be able to
get to the very top. I actually didn’t go up at all because of the weather and
also because it occurred to me that if you want an aerial view of Paris, you
kind of want the Eiffel Tower to be in it!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJkDWl3r7XWTS2_Yo3SbuaVMev5cocRKcEf_Sz8ESQC-oLsizCqIH_IEoABIj2ic1Wm7aAgRuZuJT8NEK7Y07FGkUKnML2bocU6h7RClVQ449tKjYaImy_zyLupT2cfmRVtkryRkzaksF-/s1600/ParBar+123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJkDWl3r7XWTS2_Yo3SbuaVMev5cocRKcEf_Sz8ESQC-oLsizCqIH_IEoABIj2ic1Wm7aAgRuZuJT8NEK7Y07FGkUKnML2bocU6h7RClVQ449tKjYaImy_zyLupT2cfmRVtkryRkzaksF-/s1600/ParBar+123.JPG" height="111" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">typical lift in the Louvre</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The <b>Louvre</b> is a
gorgeous museum and completely wheelchair accessible. You can skip the line and
go straight down the piston-like lift to the concourse level. Best of all, it’s
free for the disabled and an attendant! You will need to take elevators to the
various levels, but for the most part, it is fairly flat. Be prepared to spend
the entire day here! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The <b>Arc de Triomphe</b>
is not accessible, but you should still go see it. The centre is only
accessible via stairs and tunnel that go underneath the traffic circle.
However, it’s still nice to wonder around the outside and along the famous <b>Champs-Élysées</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD0LDDd5m9kqYiuUM1n5wCLaUZLhNf7LbgNntiUivwDePhtkY2GpGvYTXeZNchvX4IbWKHBhf-w0qVfdJ7WsbO2L3qgiqNeu0_xW1LW7XtvlwcLrYt2sXmT0ZG0NYGreNnwO7kJNJJHQH8/s1600/ParBar+147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD0LDDd5m9kqYiuUM1n5wCLaUZLhNf7LbgNntiUivwDePhtkY2GpGvYTXeZNchvX4IbWKHBhf-w0qVfdJ7WsbO2L3qgiqNeu0_xW1LW7XtvlwcLrYt2sXmT0ZG0NYGreNnwO7kJNJJHQH8/s1600/ParBar+147.JPG" height="111" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I would highly recommend checking out the iconic <b>Moulin Rouge</b> and the <b>Boulevard du Clichy</b> – Paris’ so-called
red light district. Tickets to the Moulin Rouge are expensive and will cost at
least 250€, but it’s worth seeing from
the outside. The Boulevard du Clichy is a sketchy street lined with strip
joints and sex shops. It’s entertaining to see during the day, but I would
caution coming here at night. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Gare du Nord</b> and
the surrounding neighborhood is very interesting to see for the architecture. If
you are looking for a wheelchair accessible hostel, I would highly recommend <b>St. Christopher’s Inn</b>. Apparently, it’s
brand new. I was there one night for a couchsurfing meetup and was shocked to
see how accessible it was. Normally, hostels seriously lack in wheelchair
access. The entrance was level. There were wheelchair toilets in the bar, a
small lift up to the private room where the meetup was held, and also more wheelchair
toilets in that area. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFtFl0xwpn81pSeYdHS4MkIRh7VO7gZau0JDIplY7fJmjK9G4yHjfKoe81PFs0EW-Pf-4fJnjzwI4-A6v-xxLMIRry6xR88t6ohZP8t28T4SfvPAZYi6Q_q3uRpOGCwsYSPZrpDDkHfVvV/s1600/ParBar+160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFtFl0xwpn81pSeYdHS4MkIRh7VO7gZau0JDIplY7fJmjK9G4yHjfKoe81PFs0EW-Pf-4fJnjzwI4-A6v-xxLMIRry6xR88t6ohZP8t28T4SfvPAZYi6Q_q3uRpOGCwsYSPZrpDDkHfVvV/s1600/ParBar+160.JPG" height="111" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Did I?</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">L</span><span style="font-size: large;">ANGUAGE </span></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was also warned that Parisians were not friendly people in
general. I did not find this at all. Maybe it’s because I’m in a wheelchair,
but who knows. My game plan was to learn basic phrases in French like “hello,
goodbye, thank you, please, that’s good, toilet, elevator, help” etc (all in
French of course). I think if you try to speak French, they will know you are
not a native French-speaker and will be more open to interacting with you. I
found this strategy worked very well and discovered I could speak a lot more
French than I thought! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Overall, I found Paris to be very accessible with many
services for the disabled and I would highly recommend any wheelchair user to
visit the city of light. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Vincehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10180480234705044194noreply@blogger.com0Paris, France48.856614 2.352221900000017748.6894645 2.0294984000000178 49.0237635 2.6749454000000177tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724565605061987377.post-9885343996443926382013-09-01T18:59:00.000-07:002014-01-05T12:12:30.138-08:00Berlin - Sep 2013<div class="MsoNormal">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBreI4LvZPWyuLpeqqpY9gsEKEB-zLyVcMnghmcDoZJmt82lHT_Bfhj55SM2SMueydfZUiI08ZmqAZz2JBX2iFOH3SU4kovh89EIUyCTtYD4NRkhhfQzQO4eKkQRKi6SlZZ_xCxoPd0oxH/s1600/AmBerlin155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBreI4LvZPWyuLpeqqpY9gsEKEB-zLyVcMnghmcDoZJmt82lHT_Bfhj55SM2SMueydfZUiI08ZmqAZz2JBX2iFOH3SU4kovh89EIUyCTtYD4NRkhhfQzQO4eKkQRKi6SlZZ_xCxoPd0oxH/s320/AmBerlin155.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brandenburg Gate</td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">C</span><span style="font-size: large;">OUCH</span><span style="font-size: x-large;">S</span><span style="font-size: large;">URFING / </span></b><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span></b><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">CCOMODATION</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For the first time in my couchsurfing adventures, I was not
able to find a host in Berlin. I sent out many requests and one girl even sent
me an invite, but her apartment had stairs. So I ended up renting an entire
apartment from a guy through Airbnb. His place was one of the very few that had
an elevator and no stairs anywhere. It was also close to a metro station and
not too far from the centre of Berlin. It was a 1 bedroom apartment with living
room, kitchen and washroom I had no trouble with. The owner travels a lot for
work and rents out his place when he’s not home. After a few days, I thought
about moving to another place so I could experience a different part of the
city. But once I started getting settled and used to the public transportation,
I decided it would be much easier to just stay there. I ended up staying for
just over a week and he was there for 2 nights and slept in the living room. The
apartment had everything I could ask for and only cost me 30€ a night.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span><span style="font-size: large;">CCESSIBILITY</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Overall, I was very impressed with the accessibility of
Berlin and I would rank it right up there with London. The city is fairly flat.
There were cobblestones in random places, but it’s nothing I couldn’t manage. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Airlines</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUudrZKuF51EllfIxQEi8YX-p2vx4cs30p5pcOndwCTl-JfHBUZ9ul8m-0v8EFBqUQQK5G4EOg6KQ4vj8jMdtGrh_BBl7S8yNsqApZZE5kjgPn6qs1ur_bSFEOMuGp70VEeHjiuBaQci2c/s1600/AmBerlin064a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUudrZKuF51EllfIxQEi8YX-p2vx4cs30p5pcOndwCTl-JfHBUZ9ul8m-0v8EFBqUQQK5G4EOg6KQ4vj8jMdtGrh_BBl7S8yNsqApZZE5kjgPn6qs1ur_bSFEOMuGp70VEeHjiuBaQci2c/s200/AmBerlin064a.jpg" width="112" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Airport staff uses the<br />
'stair-climber thingy' to<br />
get me on the plane</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I flew <b>Easyjet</b> which had a direct flight from Amsterdam to
Berlin for super<o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">cheap. The planes are nothing fancy, but they treated me very
well. I got special assistance getting on and off the plane and no one was
‘annoyed’ for having to help a disabled person as what sometimes happens when
flying. Their planes don’t connect to the terminal. So you take a special bus
that literally drives 2 minutes on the tarmac to your plane and then they use
one of those mechanical stair-climbing chairs to get you onboard.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Washrooms</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqhnOjQ2hFL2uTGKqIyoDamMDvygUWMitAc_wb2ge_3vBTD-KK-mTg2dvEQnS7T3f690ViKqEnpfn0HNSY-XGkhvW5mOi3PkQOBJFMiiXI1cyJX0qNLMb1IBHB6Q3CkdDfEz8vPK-82bA_/s1600/AmBerlin203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqhnOjQ2hFL2uTGKqIyoDamMDvygUWMitAc_wb2ge_3vBTD-KK-mTg2dvEQnS7T3f690ViKqEnpfn0HNSY-XGkhvW5mOi3PkQOBJFMiiXI1cyJX0qNLMb1IBHB6Q3CkdDfEz8vPK-82bA_/s200/AmBerlin203.JPG" width="111" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toilet with overhead<br />
bar at Frankfurt Airport</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finding accessible washrooms can be a challenge. I used my
tried and tested routine of finding a coffee shop or hotel. And like in
Amsterdam, I did have to resort to some back alley urination. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Transportation</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVfj_g5yJCm8wfirq2H3LNyBrIHM5Z9_0kh2xgyKyA1Dz5zr0ZnlNaDbGMp2gZ2K8EGygiqNAi0zJ8t9PQhVau6S2TorCrfd3DCUi_b9j4RlwLLioKWsZFmjp9JLOtDTvv6YbQOt1dXxKa/s1600/AmBerlin070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVfj_g5yJCm8wfirq2H3LNyBrIHM5Z9_0kh2xgyKyA1Dz5zr0ZnlNaDbGMp2gZ2K8EGygiqNAi0zJ8t9PQhVau6S2TorCrfd3DCUi_b9j4RlwLLioKWsZFmjp9JLOtDTvv6YbQOt1dXxKa/s200/AmBerlin070.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wheelchair seating on S-bahn train</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All the buses and trams are completely wheelchair
accessible. Most of the metro stations have elevators. Some don’t so you’ll
have to plan an alternate route. You can plan a “barrier-free” route using the
BVG site. It saved my ass many times! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.bvg.de/index.php/en/index.html">http://www.bvg.de/index.php/en/index.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My only issue was getting used to the German names and
learning the difference between S-bahn and U-bahn. But the best part of all is
that the transit system is free for the disabled!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>ICE train</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My flight back to Vancouver was from Frankfurt so I had a
figure out a way to get there. Flights were very expensive so I decided to take
a fast train called ICE. As with most inter-city trains, these have 3 very high
steps to get in so you have to request special assistance. An employee will
operate a manual lift to get you on. Once inside you’re fine. There’s a
designated space for wheelchairs and an accessible toilet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here’s the problem: once I got to Frankfurt station, there
was no one there to help me off. Somewhere, there’s a breakdown in
communication. At the risk of getting stuck on the train to the next stop, some
kind people actually carried me off. I had a take a 2<sup>nd</sup> train to get
to Frankfurt airport and an employee helped me get on, but I encountered the
same problem again at the airport. No one was around to help off and I had to
get carried again. For me in my manual chair, I can be carried. It’s annoying
and you have to swallow your pride, but whatever. But if I had a powerchair I’d
be completely screwed and that’s what angers me. If you’re going to have a
special needs accommodation system in place, you have to make sure it works.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span><span style="font-size: large;">TTRACTIONS / </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">S</span><span style="font-size: large;">IGHTSEEING</span></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmtEgApIKtNXBVtY4u0R2m4l_0KZzjrkKLUa56esPxIVamcvjqNcFUtACzi3k4F8V3fANbCAh1qEGEWNOUEciw0VjIeoaV3wyRxnUeFyv2oHwny6_-9QAOIkaGwiH95HCrk0EEuOLLrONS/s1600/AmBerlin072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmtEgApIKtNXBVtY4u0R2m4l_0KZzjrkKLUa56esPxIVamcvjqNcFUtACzi3k4F8V3fANbCAh1qEGEWNOUEciw0VjIeoaV3wyRxnUeFyv2oHwny6_-9QAOIkaGwiH95HCrk0EEuOLLrONS/s200/AmBerlin072.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alexanderplatz fountain</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Berlin doesn’t really have a downtown, but there is a
central area. My favourite starting point was <b>Alexanderplatz</b> which is only a
single 10min train ride from where I was staying. There’s lots of people and a
shopping mall, and from there you can pretty much get to anywhere in the city. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdBr0Y5ESQe4lNp4PNMNIRkqgDo6L_CCiH5BNWIMsMpISwDrP83L9Tcjh34yq-bEoWjzDAauWBd6ec4ahRD7SXc2X9V79vBIZBv6tagRPoW_7WrpqjqfYIYhCzhp0-oeecWmT4BGFWn7M0/s1600/AmBerlin126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdBr0Y5ESQe4lNp4PNMNIRkqgDo6L_CCiH5BNWIMsMpISwDrP83L9Tcjh34yq-bEoWjzDAauWBd6ec4ahRD7SXc2X9V79vBIZBv6tagRPoW_7WrpqjqfYIYhCzhp0-oeecWmT4BGFWn7M0/s200/AmBerlin126.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Berlin Wall Memorial</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I did manage to visit one museum – the <b>German History
Museum</b>. I found it fascinating to learn about 2000 years of German history. There’s
a discounted rate for the disabled and everything is accessible. <b>Postdamerplatz</b>
is another area that’s very modern compared to the rest of Berlin. There’s a
shopping mall and huge theatre. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I visited the </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Berlin Wall Memorial </b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">which is free and was intrigued
by its history. I also saw </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Checkpoint </b><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUys4Hv2-hCPH_-1UuhQKX-gxe7QJ8G2dIrZ2fr7J6FZBT_sN3PVwB0DjzrJTBPJRrWKqhsgPNFEIMEPEk-tORZm9HMeplkyEZCvhOhlaEmQMTvMKm9RbIrncLaJeruyEkHgADrO-dBHwM/s1600/AmBerlin159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUys4Hv2-hCPH_-1UuhQKX-gxe7QJ8G2dIrZ2fr7J6FZBT_sN3PVwB0DjzrJTBPJRrWKqhsgPNFEIMEPEk-tORZm9HMeplkyEZCvhOhlaEmQMTvMKm9RbIrncLaJeruyEkHgADrO-dBHwM/s200/AmBerlin159.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tierpark</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="goog_1887123928"></span><span id="goog_1887123929"></span>Charlie</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> and </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Brandenburg Gate</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. All flat
and easy to get around. </span><span class="hascaption" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Tierpark</b> and the <b>Victory Column</b>
are gorgeous.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On my last day, I met this cool German girl in
Alexanderplatz. She showed me around <span class="hascaption"><b>Hackescher Markt</b>
where there is really cool graffiti art and we watched live music in the park
on museum island. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEighz2rWdLpPcfZwSp-lxmno8mBGUnU2PmJR64i9O8ApMGpNtLf2TnRLG3vJSZmLkPwctJ3dbelQlZAiXcxdzY44sHTEL2-6iMcIgilAGTFrNjyF6X2IpTJzDNpGb4yHWctzdzGyO-9noXg/s1600/AmBerlin170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEighz2rWdLpPcfZwSp-lxmno8mBGUnU2PmJR64i9O8ApMGpNtLf2TnRLG3vJSZmLkPwctJ3dbelQlZAiXcxdzY44sHTEL2-6iMcIgilAGTFrNjyF6X2IpTJzDNpGb4yHWctzdzGyO-9noXg/s640/AmBerlin170.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hackescher Markt</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Nightlife</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Berlin nightlife is unlike anything I have ever experienced
anywhere. The culture here is very free and liberal, especially when it comes
to alcohol. I saw people drinking on the metro, outdoors on the streets,
sidewalks. And the bars pretty much stay open until people go home which could
be all night. Another thing I’ll mention is that Germans are all about techno
music – and it’s usually minimal techno. Just look it up on youtube and you’ll
know what I mean. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyAS-dh8AhliQiD8S1tmePsHb9abO2SbJvKLTuEmPUlQid2X0-WBR-5bsD40-oK516969LVk-PGziymLOouQ_SzIbJOc8jlH4_O1vgdHBFqxc4YR9tx5PjoMu0CNSkopprYvQm6NMdVfP_/s1600/AmBerlin074b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyAS-dh8AhliQiD8S1tmePsHb9abO2SbJvKLTuEmPUlQid2X0-WBR-5bsD40-oK516969LVk-PGziymLOouQ_SzIbJOc8jlH4_O1vgdHBFqxc4YR9tx5PjoMu0CNSkopprYvQm6NMdVfP_/s200/AmBerlin074b.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Violetta, my partner in crime<br />
at Club der Visionaere</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On my 2<sup>nd</sup> night, I joined some couchsurfers at <b>Club
der Visionaere</b>. This former boathouse is very cool because it’s an open-air
venue located on a river and it’s pretty much open all night. You would never
find anything like this in Canada or probably North America. I met this fun
Russian girl there and we partied the night away. We left at 5am and there were
still people there!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The next night, I couldn’t find anyone to go out with me so
I went solo to Berghain which I heard was one of the most famous clubs in
Germany and the world. It’s located in an old power station. I’ve heard Berlin
nightclubs are notorious for being selective on who they let in. In other
words, you can wait in line for hours, get to the front, and the bouncer can
simply turn you away with no explanation. I got to <b>Berghain </b>at about 1am on a
Saturday night (or Sunday morning I should say) and there were at least 200
people waiting in line. There was no way I was going to wait hours for a chance
to get in so I pulled out the disability card. I went to the front of the line
and I asked the bouncer if there were any stairs inside. He said we have an
elevator to take you up so it’s no problem. I said it’s just me, can I go in? And
he let me right in. No wait! I saw others getting turned away and the people at
the front had this look on their face like ‘who the fuck is this guy?’. So I
pay my 15€ cover and then this huge guy leads me through a series of dark
corridors, and heavy, locked doors and finally up the elevator. I thought to
myself either he’s going to kill me and no one will find my body, or I’m going
to the coolest nightclub ever. There are actually 2 different clubs. The main
one is Berghain which at 1:30am had hardly any people. There was a lot of
smoke, laser lights, and scattered bodies moving (not dancing) to booming
techno music. Honestly, they looked like zombies. I was so freaked out that I
was ready to turn around and walk right out, but then I remembered how lucky I
was to even be there in the first place so I stayed. Now the one thing I hate
about these nightclubs is that they allow smoking and if it weren’t for that, I
could have stayed for much longer. The whole place looks like something out of
a Saw movie. There are many dark rooms that you can explore. Apparently, people
have sex, but I didn’t see any of that. After a while I went to the other club
in the building which is called Panorama Bar. The music was slightly more
upbeat, but it was still techno. I left at around 5am and there were still at
least 200 people in line. As I was leaving, I asked the bouncer what time they
closed and he said very casually Monday morning. Holy crap! He told me I could
even come back tomorrow with my hand stamp. Then I asked when they opened and
he said Thursday night. So apparently you can party from Thursday night to
Monday morning straight! Berghain was definitely an experience, but I’m not
sure if I would ever go back there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvirev3ilt-lxH4eKBloYZGwvxgMliIeDPvvgA3OGTEMq7ITVxjiKCyaCR93R0F5nCPzl0WU8KCQ-H-egGkBBeq7JO6PpqxI8_kj2-z889gsgbYYwCdVQMtEEvafwNG_4-10osxU5q58j1/s1600/AmBerlin091.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvirev3ilt-lxH4eKBloYZGwvxgMliIeDPvvgA3OGTEMq7ITVxjiKCyaCR93R0F5nCPzl0WU8KCQ-H-egGkBBeq7JO6PpqxI8_kj2-z889gsgbYYwCdVQMtEEvafwNG_4-10osxU5q58j1/s200/AmBerlin091.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Late nights with couchsurfers<br />
at Suicide Circus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I joined some couchsurfers one night and went to <b>Suicide
Circus</b>. It reminded me a lot of a tree house. Seriously. I don’t think it’s an
actual building. I think someone went to Home Depot, bought a bunch of lumber,
and built a nightclub. Haha. They play techno. I was here on a Wednesday night
and stayed until 5am. There’s Berlin nightlife. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On my 2<sup>nd</sup> last night, I needed to take a break
from the techno so I did some research and found a couple places that played charts
(or top 40 as we call it) , hip hop, and house. Me and another guy I met a
couchsurfing meetup tried to get into <b>40 seconds</b> in Postdamerplatz. When we got
to the front, I asked if there were stairs inside. He turns to my friend and
says “we have no space for him” and motioned for us to leave. Meanwhile, a
group of 10, better-dressed people right behind us all went straight inside. To
this day, I still don’t know if I was discriminated against because of the
wheelchair or they just didn’t want us in there. In any case, it was one of the
rudest experiences I’ve ever had. I knew of another place called <b>E4</b> close by
and the bouncer practically begged us to come in. This place played great
non-techno music and we found some fun girls to party with. The only bad part
was that they closed at 4am.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On my very last night I had to leave the city at 4am which
sucked because that meant I couldn’t party late. There was one more famous club
I wanted to see called <b>Weekend</b> in Alexanderplatz. We got to the front and the
bouncer asked who was playing tonight and I didn’t know so he turned us away.
Damn! That’s a total of 3 clubs I got turned away from. We found another club
just around the corner called <b>Sky Club</b> and we got in no problem. Unfortunately,
it was only 11:30pm and we were the only ones in the whole place. At 1am there were still only a few people
there, but I had to leave so I could get back to my apartment, pack, and catch
my train to Frankfurt. So my last night of clubbing was uneventful, but overall
my nightlife experience in Berlin was very unique.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Berlin is an amazing city. It’s very wheelchair accessible.
I loved its liberal and artistic culture. I wasn’t planning on staying here so
long. I actually wanted to see Munich for a few days, but I enjoyed Berlin so
much I just decided to stay. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
Vincehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10180480234705044194noreply@blogger.com1Berlin, Germany52.520006599999988 13.40495399999997552.210736099999991 12.759506999999974 52.829277099999985 14.050400999999976tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724565605061987377.post-17981779790436095512013-08-18T14:57:00.000-07:002014-01-04T15:28:34.765-08:00Amsterdam - Aug 2013<h2>
</h2>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD1ic6Z9hGbJNguV9OfiVDZXuRLbetB8DSC1tkjpgYuY7chzUBZkIz-UTRw7hsdE4gdpggm7pk5KnXGGuXFmK4EeD_L0SalNAQcUAVCOTZWqI1CJN_-R1zWpEC1UDx4wLxTQlHqt1Us3OB/s1600/AmBerlin014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD1ic6Z9hGbJNguV9OfiVDZXuRLbetB8DSC1tkjpgYuY7chzUBZkIz-UTRw7hsdE4gdpggm7pk5KnXGGuXFmK4EeD_L0SalNAQcUAVCOTZWqI1CJN_-R1zWpEC1UDx4wLxTQlHqt1Us3OB/s320/AmBerlin014.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red Light District</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">C</span><span style="font-size: large;">OUCH</span><span style="font-size: x-large;">S</span><span style="font-size: large;">URFING</span></b></h2>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyY6eiQvUROmbSEr23CBEQEUJK8bjMxxoBfhe9WoSdxeFBrObpBiuAVcvuX9rsVOIW4Lm_KeFFULrQTLDzbjbScq9RmFc9C_kiP20UO8uNA4sUiJws_jsXthurHKI1R66KSiiZkP-QMpdC/s1600/AmBerlin025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyY6eiQvUROmbSEr23CBEQEUJK8bjMxxoBfhe9WoSdxeFBrObpBiuAVcvuX9rsVOIW4Lm_KeFFULrQTLDzbjbScq9RmFc9C_kiP20UO8uNA4sUiJws_jsXthurHKI1R66KSiiZkP-QMpdC/s200/AmBerlin025.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Menno, my host in his garden</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I sent out many requests and got declined many times, but
luckily I did get</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">one invite and that was from Menno. He lived right in
Amsterdam and his place was one level. There was only a small step to get into
the washroom. He was extremely welcoming and always made sure I was
comfortable. He originally let me stay for only 2 nights, but after meeting me
let me stay for the whole 4 nights I was in Amsterdam. What made my stay with
Menno most unique was how much pot we smoked together. Menno’s garden had these
very tall pot plants as you can see from this photo. Of course, if you go to
Amsterdam, you have to smoke. I don’t smoke a lot to begin with, but his stuff
was pure and very smooth. We had many interesting conversations. Great guy!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span><span style="font-size: large;">CCESSIBILITY</span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Streets</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC_ChiFLS5rjE7-csp_m7zD9tMb_t7e-1K9GI1kuqXt_ygo_6-3jZpeCFtl3TZq26uYOIthyj9Nf4aOpVqbzdXiqPmm1p1_o9o7hBZ-Qb7Fqgi_W44jlUeu4FEx-SlUhDdMsmYQTXNmaUt/s1600/AmBerlin041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC_ChiFLS5rjE7-csp_m7zD9tMb_t7e-1K9GI1kuqXt_ygo_6-3jZpeCFtl3TZq26uYOIthyj9Nf4aOpVqbzdXiqPmm1p1_o9o7hBZ-Qb7Fqgi_W44jlUeu4FEx-SlUhDdMsmYQTXNmaUt/s200/AmBerlin041.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">marked curb cut</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Getting around in Amsterdam on the street is fairly easy in
a wheelchair because the city is flat and bicycles seem to be the main mode of
transportation. There are bicycle lanes integrated into every street and crossing
the network of streets and bike lanes took a couple of days to get used to. The
only issue you will have are cobble stones. Some areas are more challenging
than others. For example, the cobble stones on most pedestrian paths are flat
and require little extra effort. Whereas the cobblestone in places like <b>Dam
Square </b>are very bumpy and require lots of energy. But I say bring on the cobblestone because
it’s still better than having a bunch of stairs stop you in your tracks. Another annoying thing is that cyclists like
to park their bikes anywhere on the sidewalk, turning them into a slalom
course. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Shops, restaurants, buildings</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was getting really frustrated the first few days because I
could not get into any stores on my own. Every place has at least a few steps
to get in. After a few days I just said to myself screw it, this isn’t North
America, so don’t be pissed it’s not North America. Whenever I wanted to go
upstairs, I simply asked strangers to help me.
I had to swallow my pride, but at least I wasn’t denying myself the
experience I wanted to have. The planet is not always accessible and sometimes
you just have to adapt.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Washrooms</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finding accessible washrooms will not be easy. Getting
inside a shop is challenging enough, but usually the washroom will be located
downstairs or not accessible period. Your best bet is to find a nice hotel. For
the first time on a trip, I did plenty of back alley urination simply because I
had no other choice. Hey, sometimes you gotta do whatcha gotta do. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Transportation</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Amsterdam is a small city and very walkable. I only used
public transit on my first and last day when I was commuting to the airport.
The trams are all accessible. The accessible entrance is at the rear door.
There is no discount for the disabled. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The <b>Dutch Railway</b> trains, which is what you take from the
airport into Amsterdam, has several steps to get on. There are manual lifts
located on the platform, but finding staff to help you is another story.
Apparently, you have to book ‘disabled assistance’ a week in advance which I
think is absolutely ridiculous. It takes 5min for an employee to get a key,
operate the lift, and help me onto the train. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I was leaving Amsterdam and returning to the airport,
this employee at <b>Centraal Station</b> became irate because I needed assistance, but
had not booked in advance. He flat out told me I wasn’t getting on the train,
and I said I have a flight to catch so I’ll ask people to help me. Then he
started going off about how if one of them got hurt helping me then who would
be responsible and blah, blah, blah. In
the end, he found staff to help me on the trains and I thanked him politely. I
didn’t fire back at him for fear he might not help the next guy. Anyway, he was
a total dick, but fortunately that kind of attitude is extremely rare.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span><span style="font-size: large;">TTRACTIONS / </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">S</span><span style="font-size: large;">IGHTSEEING</span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaHVST2refo5fWkWs3M5cFwIYqQoDnlyjqYN-QnlyPG6Sq4CjGr_4ZG7eJ1WroLONYxXzfsjK7MwaHR9t6XZEIhroip7YHtz5gRK3jvs2o_tCaXDOA0PN5lQYVWwvKGIV67paRGcmh9scc/s1600/AmBerlin006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaHVST2refo5fWkWs3M5cFwIYqQoDnlyjqYN-QnlyPG6Sq4CjGr_4ZG7eJ1WroLONYxXzfsjK7MwaHR9t6XZEIhroip7YHtz5gRK3jvs2o_tCaXDOA0PN5lQYVWwvKGIV67paRGcmh9scc/s200/AmBerlin006.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dam Square</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A warning about navigation – Amsterdam is an extremely
confusing city to get around. On my first day, I bought a city map that didn’t
help at all. Street names are difficult to find and not all streets are on the
map. So if you can’t even find out where you are on the map, then that map
isn’t of much use. As beautiful as the city is with the bike lanes and canals,
every street looks exactly the same! I was using a paper map and Google Maps on
my smartphone, and I still got lost constantly! Instead of a grid, the city is
a web of canals, so it’s difficult to know if you’re going north, south, east
or west. Let’s just say I had to ask for directions a lot. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0l8Pd5pjJVKY483AEWNawP2l_15CT5KckeoJEjyq3vZayfoAWbhyWJITUkKYUrgcI1M7avqrnjk8l7LJNKIzk1x62m9DiWya11kRy71uhKc5uqILm8h_9Vetnxkp7mY4pcRpCRHOwHo3T/s1600/AmBerlin061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0l8Pd5pjJVKY483AEWNawP2l_15CT5KckeoJEjyq3vZayfoAWbhyWJITUkKYUrgcI1M7avqrnjk8l7LJNKIzk1x62m9DiWya11kRy71uhKc5uqILm8h_9Vetnxkp7mY4pcRpCRHOwHo3T/s200/AmBerlin061.JPG" width="111" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">one of many<br />
coffee shops</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Amsterdam’s famous Red Light District was rather
underwhelming. I was expecting pure debauchery, but what I experienced was far
from it. Of course, there are the many coffee shops where you can peruse a menu
of various marijuana products. I did do this a couple of times because you kind
of have to when in Amsterdam. There are also many prostitutes flaunting their
goods in the windows. Some are absolutely gorgeous and some… well, not so
gorgeous. But what I wasn’t expecting were the busloads of tourists and parents
pushing their children in strollers all around the Red Light District. It made
the place feel like some kind of theme park where instead of rides and games,
there are hookers and pot. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My favourite area was <b>Leidseplein</b> where you’ll find many
stores, bars, and nightclubs. There are also hotels and hostels. After my first
night, I spent 3 nights in a row partying here. My favourite clubs were <b>No. 129</b>
and <b>Van Dyke Bar</b>. One night at 3am, I randomly met Adam Kellerman who is a
Paralympic wheelchair tennis player from Australia.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The only museum I managed to go to was the <b>Van Gogh Museum</b>.
It was much smaller than I thought and it didn’t even have the only Van Gogh
piece that I know – Starry Night (which is actually in New York). <b>Dam Square</b> is
a cool place, but is completely covered in cobblestone making for a bumpy ride.
There’s lots of people around and there’s shopping. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8bOaIgppEF6LT8fDujQVF1ip6lqtuJMRNFH0p9yWSsYy9_a7N-2T7_9IhJDOmAlstiigBNcqW4Cc_2iosLz2Eqi0JDyljoVl-rehsgtZ-bsIHKnA6IHVroMHY8UOuQ5wxoivDprbl5ZRK/s1600/AmBerlin030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8bOaIgppEF6LT8fDujQVF1ip6lqtuJMRNFH0p9yWSsYy9_a7N-2T7_9IhJDOmAlstiigBNcqW4Cc_2iosLz2Eqi0JDyljoVl-rehsgtZ-bsIHKnA6IHVroMHY8UOuQ5wxoivDprbl5ZRK/s200/AmBerlin030.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dutch breakfast</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of my most memorable moments was this one morning when I
chose to have a sit-down brunch at a random café I found just a few blocks from
Menno’s place. It was around 10am and a gorgeous warm, sunny day. I was sitting
outside facing the canal, watching trams and people on their bicycles going by.
At one point the draw-bridge opened up so a boat could pass underneath. The
breakfast was the most delicious I had ever had – potatoes, eggs, bacon (not
the greasy and salty American kind either), tomatoes, beans, bread, and fresh
orange juice. Everything just felt very European.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Vincehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10180480234705044194noreply@blogger.com4Amsterdam, The Netherlands52.3702157 4.895167899999933132.2976212 -36.413426100000066 72.4428102 46.203761899999932tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724565605061987377.post-23997314569687796852012-09-10T21:15:00.000-07:002013-04-21T12:31:28.708-07:00Switzerland - Sep 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZXCqHAwbaM0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US"> </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">C</span><span style="font-size: large;">OUCH</span><span style="font-size: x-large;">S</span><span style="font-size: large;">URFING</span></b></span></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0PHBwbJkfc9pJj8LG-3l59wP4fgCyi3Quw2MKAfBhyphenhyphen3NK0rSma1S7VHfxd5L0OWjnKSO1px-fU1v4ZDG053tMd6x1aLXns1uLE8hLfZgkjwpEglZXdZ6PSmCdaJQThd0PXTjF_K8Fg-Yk/s1600/London420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0PHBwbJkfc9pJj8LG-3l59wP4fgCyi3Quw2MKAfBhyphenhyphen3NK0rSma1S7VHfxd5L0OWjnKSO1px-fU1v4ZDG053tMd6x1aLXns1uLE8hLfZgkjwpEglZXdZ6PSmCdaJQThd0PXTjF_K8Fg-Yk/s200/London420.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Corinne on the lift at Chapel Bridge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I met Corinne kind of randomly when I
responded to a question she posted on a couchsurfing forum. She’s a Swiss girl
who is also in a wheelchair and happened to be in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">London</st1:place></st1:city> the same time as me. We spent a day
together in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">London</st1:place></st1:city>
and we just got along really well, like old friends. I knew that I had to go
see her in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Switzerland</st1:place></st1:country-region>.
It was really nice and special to travel with someone else who is also in a
wheelchair. We have the same needs. We both need elevators, ramps, and
accessible washrooms. I didn’t feel bad for having to drag someone to find an
accessible route because she needs one too.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Corinne was absolutely an amazing host. She
picked me up at the <st1:city w:st="on">Lucerne</st1:city> train station and
immediately showed me around <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Lucerne</st1:place></st1:city>.
For our first dinner together she made cheese fondue – traditional swiss food.
She showed me around a special hospital in Nottwil for people who have had
spinal cord injuries. She even took me to her parents’ house where they made
traditional Swiss Raclette. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since I started couchsurfing in 2009, I
have always chosen the destination city first and then looked for hosts after.
However, this is the first time I travelled to a place specifically to visit a
couchsurfer and that’s what made this part of my trip very special. We are
similar in the sense that even though we have a disability, it doesn’t stop us
from doing the things we love like traveling and couchsurfing! My time with
Corinne will always be one of my most memorable couchsurfing experiences ever.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span><span style="font-size: large;">CCESSIBILITY</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><b>Transportation<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><b>Airport</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhar0cIjR5AXZISKhkY3_FuxXghqnzPN10mWA7cNe2fhypu7iiAsfBCUI_IELuz1SnGDdyPQZnTqBBpAJmmFKz0WPNWyxGMsIaxqc4Qk0zjS5NTZSkvHIPaZ0Rk3_aJy7u3xxk8OZzG9TGl/s1600/London564.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhar0cIjR5AXZISKhkY3_FuxXghqnzPN10mWA7cNe2fhypu7iiAsfBCUI_IELuz1SnGDdyPQZnTqBBpAJmmFKz0WPNWyxGMsIaxqc4Qk0zjS5NTZSkvHIPaZ0Rk3_aJy7u3xxk8OZzG9TGl/s200/London564.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riding the private shuttle from the<br />
terminal to the plane</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I flew into <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Zurich</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">International</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Airport</st1:placetype></st1:place> and didn’t have
any problems there. My plane was a small one that you board right on the tarmac
and the only way to get on and off is with the staircase. In <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">London</st1:place></st1:city>, they used a power-assisted wheelchair
that ‘climbs’ the stairs. In <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Zurich</st1:place></st1:city>,
I got into my own wheelchair and rolled into this tall box-shaped vehicle that
drove me to the main terminal. I was the only passenger who got to ride in this
contraption, so I felt pretty special. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><b>Trains</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The train station is underneath the airport
and from there you can pretty much get to anywhere in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Switzerland</st1:country-region></st1:place>. I did notice that some
of the trains have a very high step to get up. If this is the case, then you
have to ask for special assistance and then they will get out a ramp or lift.
The train that I took to and from <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Lucerne</st1:place></st1:city>
was flush with the platform, but had about a foot long gap to go over. Be sure
to pop a wheelie to get on!</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><b>SBB</b> <a href="http://www.sbb.ch/" target="_blank">http://www.sbb.ch</a>
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<span lang="EN-US"><b>Buses</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I never actually took a bus since Corinne
had a car, but they are all accessible. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span><span style="font-size: large;">TTRACTIONS / </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">S</span><span style="font-size: large;">IGHTSEEING</span></b></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Everyone is really friendly in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Switzerland</st1:place></st1:country-region>.
It’s very clean, the grass is bright green, but this country is pretty much the
most expensive country in all of <st1:place w:st="on">Europe</st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The famous <st1:placename w:st="on">Chapel</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Bridge</st1:placetype> in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Lucerne</st1:city></st1:place> has several steps to go up. Now there
is a lift to get up, but it barely works and is super slow. And top it off, you
need a special key! Swiss residents can get a ‘universal’ key that it used all
over the country like these lifts, washrooms etc. But if you’re a tourist, I
have no idea what you’re supposed to do.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the Lake Lucerne boat tour</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I hosted Sabrina in 2010 in <st1:city w:st="on">Vancouver</st1:city>, and since I was traveling so close to her home
town of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Zug</st1:place></st1:city>, I
definitely wanted to meet up with her. She took me on the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Lake</st1:placetype> <st1:placename w:st="on">Lucerne</st1:placename></st1:place>
boat tour which I really enjoyed. The 1hr tour is 25 francs and your
‘attendant’ gets on for free! Only the main deck is accessible (of course), but
there are nice views from the stern of the boat. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sursee city is a really nice historical
part of town, but there are cobblestones everywhere. I managed to do it, but it
was a lot of work. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hotel Montana Luzern has this really cool
elevator that goes up the side of a cliff and it’s fully accessible. Once at
the top, you can have drinks outside on the terrace where you can enjoy
beautiful views of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Lucerne</st1:city></st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdql57_eOhitsh2WrMGDpDn9WR1HoEnoNZ5Oubblq-bqLYB_Uv17UIegFusy6lS_AbfCRuIOn7BLBTMMogNdpbb3DtRqi0s_oI0AERCrACSXvT7d0V7z69rnrJLZz-ynLvK-6Rs0jIG7Y7/s1600/London546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdql57_eOhitsh2WrMGDpDn9WR1HoEnoNZ5Oubblq-bqLYB_Uv17UIegFusy6lS_AbfCRuIOn7BLBTMMogNdpbb3DtRqi0s_oI0AERCrACSXvT7d0V7z69rnrJLZz-ynLvK-6Rs0jIG7Y7/s200/London546.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pilatus Luzern gondola</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Piliatus Luzern is a gondola ride that I
did on my last day. We were pressed for time and didn’t do the entire route,
but we did do a small portion of it. I don’t think this attraction is
technically wheelchair accessible, but we made it work. Each car is pretty
small. The operator stopped the ride completely (everyone else on the ride was
probably thinking “what’s going on?”) and helped each of us up a big step to
get inside. He literally had to push, maneuver, and lift both of us. I still
have no idea how we both managed to fit in with our wheelchairs, but somehow we
did it. And I’m glad we did too because I got to see some amazing views!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Vincehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10180480234705044194noreply@blogger.com0Lucerne, Switzerland47.050334799999987 8.3156129000000247.007056299999988 8.234931900000019 47.093613299999987 8.39629390000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724565605061987377.post-47715988977626712852012-09-08T22:21:00.000-07:002012-11-20T22:32:50.487-08:00London - Aug 2012<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For months, I was trying to decide where to go for my
vacation this year. I have always loved the Olympics and Paralympics, so I
thought I would go to London
and watch the Paralympic Games. This was my first time outside Canada/U.S. I
have always been hesitant to travel outside North America
because I knew the accessibility would not be the same as it is here. Not only
is the accessibility comparable to here, this trip opened my eyes to new
cultures and experiences. Bottom line: there’s a whole lot more to see in this
world outside North America.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">C</span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">OUCH</span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">S</span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">URFING</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I stayed with a record 3 different hosts on my London trip and also made
many friends – all through couchsurfing. When I look back on this trip, I
realize that I was with people almost every single day. What really made this
trip special were the people I met and the relationships that were made. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU8oVpu5JF8WBG_E8aYN4PoEYHbYL1KwXKs7ATvHqsdrL6fo-csLv3OQSHlT8zrobX22WtiTB1S91gfcDBFqM-w9W7f5U21C8_NNlHlH7ILj1Dk-50S0hqnaoYMJ7ivKAE-14N6NfSXNGB/s1600/London037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU8oVpu5JF8WBG_E8aYN4PoEYHbYL1KwXKs7ATvHqsdrL6fo-csLv3OQSHlT8zrobX22WtiTB1S91gfcDBFqM-w9W7f5U21C8_NNlHlH7ILj1Dk-50S0hqnaoYMJ7ivKAE-14N6NfSXNGB/s1600/London037.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dan and Fay</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">My first host was a young couple who lived on the outskirts
of London. It
was a place called Chorleywood, which is literally the 2<sup>nd</sup> last stop
on the Metropolitan Underground line. It took me almost 2 hours to get there
from Gatwick Airport. Dan and Fay are a wonderful
couple and they lived in this cozy little apartment just a 5 minute walk from
Chorleywood station. Upon my arrival, Fay gave me the Official Paralympic Guide
book as a gift because I told them that was my main reason for coming to London. That was the
first time a host had given me a gift and I thought it was very sweet of them. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We explored the city like tourists and on my first full day
they took me to see the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace,
Piccadilly Circus, and even stopped in a
traditional English pub where I had steak and kidney pie. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">However, we did have one mild setback. The elevator in their
building broke one night and Dan had to carry me up to this apartment. Luckily,
he lives on only the 2<sup>nd</sup> floor! The elevator was fixed the next day.
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I stayed with Don for a few days in south London
near Clapham Junction and Wimbledon. He’s got a
nice apartment in the 8<sup>th</sup> floor of a building with great views of London. His apartment was
mostly acceptable except for the bathroom. It was too small to get my chair in
so I had to transfer out. The shower was completely out of question since it
was a stand-up shower with a step to get in. Otherwise, the rest of the place
was good and I slept on a big comfy couch. We watched a film on the origins of
the Paralymics Games and had brunch one morning at a French cafe. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bhavik and I watching the Paralympic <br />
Opening Ceremonies in Trafagar Square</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Bhavik originally couldn’t host me at all, but I ended up
staying with him for more than a week. He is from India
and was living in London
for 4 months on a work project. He lived in East London
in a serviced apartment where there was a pullout sofabed in the living room
with its own door. We even had housekeeping so it was pretty much like living
in a hotel! I had actually planned on staying in a hotel in central London for at least a
couple of days on this trip, but since Bhavik was so much fun to hang out with
and he invited me to stay longer, I just stayed with him the remainder of my
time. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I actually met Bhavik before surfing with him. He invited me
to a do the London Eye and party with a bunch of other couchsurfers. During my
week with Bhavik, we went to a lot of bars and nightclubs and partied with many
other couchsurfers, including some who also stayed with us. I don’t normally
spend so much time in bars and clubs, but the nightlife in London is absolutely amazing. </span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">A</span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">CCESSIBILTY</span></span></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I don’t know what London
was like before the Paralympics, but I found getting around to be very easy. I
saw many people in wheelchairs. I would rate the accessibility just as good as
any eastern North American city. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">North Americans use the term ‘wheelchair accessible’, but
the British seem to like the term ‘step-free’ to mean the same thing. I like
using ‘step-free’ because it’s more descriptive and precise. Step-free means
just that – no steps!</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Public washrooms (restrooms, toilets)</span></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQC3a4ZlKdhk39RxuSa_E5xuu3aNpkzblcip6Q8VqgVcUkl0CWD77GPbtWNo-y_lhWm3k54HTVGbBHx9SGt8-sK_B9kuq-nv8xWpXC4AkDUkMtDOEpgwCC2Lyp9WboTI70_xUfpoq_i1lr/s1600/London409.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQC3a4ZlKdhk39RxuSa_E5xuu3aNpkzblcip6Q8VqgVcUkl0CWD77GPbtWNo-y_lhWm3k54HTVGbBHx9SGt8-sK_B9kuq-nv8xWpXC4AkDUkMtDOEpgwCC2Lyp9WboTI70_xUfpoq_i1lr/s1600/London409.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We definitely need these buttons in <br />
Canada, if you know what I mea<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>n</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">When you’re out and about, finding an accessible washroom is
always a concern. I found the easiest solution was to find a café like
Starbucks or Pret a Manger which are everywhere. Just keep in mind that if
there’s a step to get in, there could still be a fully accessible washroom room
inside and if the entrance is level, there may not even be an accessible
washroom. All of these washrooms will have a call/emergency button which I
assume notifies the staff. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8MNJXsJauuiQtKjFeowPFaqS_clmMvTf8ktQyAYPazVoEt_vqZ0YvwvdIaQIXPPJXCk_JZkK3qwZoRaysPRJJwTrucU-289T4ocyYYTOQQv8l03yqibZ5543J48CkwWScmgmw-6q5_urF/s1600/London234.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8MNJXsJauuiQtKjFeowPFaqS_clmMvTf8ktQyAYPazVoEt_vqZ0YvwvdIaQIXPPJXCk_JZkK3qwZoRaysPRJJwTrucU-289T4ocyYYTOQQv8l03yqibZ5543J48CkwWScmgmw-6q5_urF/s1600/London234.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the high-tech toilet in Westfield Mall</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In Westfield Mall in Stratford,
there is the most high-tech wheelchair accessible washroom I have every seen.
It’s about the size of an apartment, has height-adjustable sink, and changing
table with hydraulic lift!</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Shops</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Some shops and restaurants have a level entrance, but many
have a step or two to get in. If that’s the case, ask if they have a ramp,
which many do. I can pull myself up one step, but two requires help or a ramp. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Streets</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">London
is very flat and I don’t remember encountering any major hills. There are curb
cuts at every street. However, London
is a very busy city and many areas are heavily congested with pedestrians. Some
areas have cobblestone, like Covent Garden,
but they can be easily avoided by going around the outside. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Transportation</span></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Airport</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I flew in and out of London
through Gatwick Airport which is very accessible. If you
need any kind of special assistance, any personnel will gladly help you. I
remember near the arrivals area, there are super nice accessible washrooms. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Underground (Tube)</span></b></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHnXSRmMK_8qGMOsP_7aOwqXElAq35x3DkKCpj1dheTvCl5feyN2JsuS0lBvqlqCWHyBRHX6DlKrT-TSp1fTkVvDngDCIbmGKaAK_QfDa-e59SYFNJqAjw4M7jFMmFbZclYwNirVEsv1rz/s1600/London077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHnXSRmMK_8qGMOsP_7aOwqXElAq35x3DkKCpj1dheTvCl5feyN2JsuS0lBvqlqCWHyBRHX6DlKrT-TSp1fTkVvDngDCIbmGKaAK_QfDa-e59SYFNJqAjw4M7jFMmFbZclYwNirVEsv1rz/s1600/London077.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Disabled space on a newer Tube train</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The London Underground is the main mode of transportation
around the city, but only about 20% of the stations are accessible. The ones
that are accessible are done properly. Navigating the system can be quite
complicated. It’s similar to the New York City
subway, but London
does a much better job of making it accessible. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">There is a very good transit website where you can even plan
a step-free route. I used this all the time. <a href="http://www.tfl.gov.uk/">www.tfl.gov.uk</a>
There’s a Step-free tube guide which you can get online and on paper which
shows you all of the accessible stations. Keep in mind there’s a difference
between step-free from street to platform and step-free from street to train.
The latter means there is a step, anywhere from a few inches to a foot, from
the platform to the train. If that’s the case and you can’t get up on your own,
find a transit staff and ask for assistance. They will put down a ramp for you
and radio the station where you’re getting off and someone there will put the
ramp down for you. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">There’s lots of transit staff around to help you. Unlike NY
where no one helps you. The signage is also very good. There are plenty of
signs directing you to the elevators and step-free routes. And best of all, I
never encountered a broken elevator. They may have been slow, but at least they
worked. Unlike NY where there were broken elevators everywhere. Sorry to bash
NY. Great city, but I hate their subway with a passion. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">One last note: there is no discount for disabled persons on
the Tube unless you’re a UK
resident. You have to pay full price and it’s expensive. I spent more on public
transit in London
than I have in any other city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Buses </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As I stayed closer to central London, buses were actually my main form of
transportation because every single one is accessible. And that’s only a recent
improvement for the Olympics. Plus wheelchair users ride absolutely free!
Here’s the setup: As the bus pulls up to the stop, make sure the driver sees
you. You wait at the rear door and an automatic ramp comes out and you
enter/exit through the rear doors. There are two spaces for wheelchair users
with no tie downs or anything. Simple. Effective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">DLR</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Stands for Docklands Light Rail. It’s an above-ground train
system very similar to the skytrain here in Vancouver. DLR is located only in the east of
London and
since it’s newer, every train and station is fully accessible without
assistance. This is how I commuted to Stratford
to watch the Paralympics. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">National Railway and Gatwick Express</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This is an older railway system that I only took a couple of
times. They operate within London and to other
cities in England.
You will definitely need an agent to help you. They will put down a manual ramp
for you to get on and off because the step up is quite high. The Gatwick
Express takes you directly from Gatwick
Airport into central London. It’s pricey, but it has no stops so
your travel time is cut in half. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Taxis</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I only took a taxi once and it’s an interesting setup.
Unlike in Canada where you
have to specifically request a wheelchair accessible taxi, in London every taxi is accessible. The backdoor
opens wide and an automatic ramp comes out, the backseats go up and there are
straps if you want them. It is a bit tight there even with my small manual
chair. I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t be big enough for a powerchair, but I’m sure
there are bigger taxis to accommodate powerchair users. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">P</span><span style="font-size: large;">ARALYMPICS</span></b></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLiyxXCMDPk0RYyLFZG25CSLdjkKMkaJgwQpYbSwcc8JWFtStSdNiGyqLe3S3TT1VUN_XOJmJTau9jmtrcEu4G9TNC7jLPO-Het_MMeM1dGF8O7BnOxkpiVrbrHLzpHqbzd3yBJpEnrrVS/s1600/London315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLiyxXCMDPk0RYyLFZG25CSLdjkKMkaJgwQpYbSwcc8JWFtStSdNiGyqLe3S3TT1VUN_XOJmJTau9jmtrcEu4G9TNC7jLPO-Het_MMeM1dGF8O7BnOxkpiVrbrHLzpHqbzd3yBJpEnrrVS/s1600/London315.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Now for the main reason for coming to London in the first place – to see the 2012
Paralympic Games! I remember how amazing the games were here in 2010, and I
wanted to relive that experience. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi43Vw-JeCI_smwhwJlIsDNYtWnbXdj_5UqZiswzx3IsoBydh5l75fNTvKjZOifWozvGabaPt30awNVOUq7HVcfph6lwEaxpvNntz3GpFis_A9zLxVyQTXLyD38PdRlVTQhs6jRB4NSrS-t/s1600/London302.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi43Vw-JeCI_smwhwJlIsDNYtWnbXdj_5UqZiswzx3IsoBydh5l75fNTvKjZOifWozvGabaPt30awNVOUq7HVcfph6lwEaxpvNntz3GpFis_A9zLxVyQTXLyD38PdRlVTQhs6jRB4NSrS-t/s1600/London302.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">London Olympic Park</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">First of all, getting tickets to the games turned out to be
quite challenging. There was no physical ticket office. You could only buy
tickets online, but you had to be a UK
resident with a UK address
and have a UK
credit card. As a Canadian (or any foreigner for that matter), I couldn’t buy
my own tickets. And to top it off, many events were sold out. I wanted to see
the opening ceremonies, but the cheapest available was 200£. I ended up
watching the opening ceremonies in Trafalgar
Square on a big screen. I had to have Dan, my
host, buy tickets, but it worked out quite well. He called in, because you
can’t buy wheelchair tickets online, and managed to get tickets for men’s
wheelchair basketball on the first day of competition for only 15£ - and the
attendant was free! But wait, it gets even better. </span><br />
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The <b>Olympic Park </b>is located in <b>Stratford</b>,
in east London.
The place is massive! Your ticket gives you access to the whole park which has
the Olympic Stadium, Aquatics Centre, Basketball Arena, Velodrome, several
soccer fields, tennis courts, Copper box, plus the Olympic Store, the two
largest McDonald’s in the world, Westfield Mall, and the Athletes’ Village. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-j9osX7hFRzeKtgt2KIyr3yV49k4Vi8XEcNCKy7KZ-nZHkqnfxCmfrQ_u_Khyphenhyphen_rMuZCqrwlve7rAyYbhV1pSP3sX3kw58mW3fVeQ1J9VjHVtX436wulxpquUqRsQOzR0tX6cZk54-6dNR/s1600/London308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-j9osX7hFRzeKtgt2KIyr3yV49k4Vi8XEcNCKy7KZ-nZHkqnfxCmfrQ_u_Khyphenhyphen_rMuZCqrwlve7rAyYbhV1pSP3sX3kw58mW3fVeQ1J9VjHVtX436wulxpquUqRsQOzR0tX6cZk54-6dNR/s1600/London308.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Men's wheelchair basketball</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Our basketball tickets allowed us to watch all basketball
games that day. We watched US
vs Turkey in the morning and
CANADA vs Japan in the afternoon. I was quite
happy I got to see Canada
compete since I know a few of the players. There were more games in the
evening, but we had had enough so we checked out the rest of the park. Our
ticket also allowed us to watch a women’s goalball Great
Britain vs China. Throughout the day we
checked out the other sports venues, ate at McDonald’s and purchased Paralympic
merchandise. Even though this was the only Paralympic tickets I was able to
get, I was extremely satisfied with the experience. </span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">A</span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">TTRACTIONS</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"> / S</span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">IGHTSEEIN</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">G</span></span></span></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_2LV8l_hxaX77SgUfVdG-v8Gq0UtS_C56oU-PsHAd2UsmduQeaTgS1xtwjd9Ssye_3_LTx84MjBaUrwoIbxd07isTuBEwW2cq_J2K3kSKvGYTbB70fJ2Uq-KDweJXAh_j_oaSJmkzNrGa/s1600/London021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_2LV8l_hxaX77SgUfVdG-v8Gq0UtS_C56oU-PsHAd2UsmduQeaTgS1xtwjd9Ssye_3_LTx84MjBaUrwoIbxd07isTuBEwW2cq_J2K3kSKvGYTbB70fJ2Uq-KDweJXAh_j_oaSJmkzNrGa/s1600/London021.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big Ben</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">On my first day in Central London
I saw the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Houses of Parliament</b> and
the famous <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Big Ben</b>. Unfortunately,
it wasn’t open to the public. Next I visited <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Westminster Abbey</b>. It may be more than 1000 years old, but they
made almost every part of it accessible. A few areas had steps or narrow
passageways and because of this anyone in a wheelchair and their attendant is
free!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Buckingham</b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> Palace</b>
is not open to the public, but it’s quite a sight to see even from the outside.
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Trafalgar Square</b> was where the
Olympic Clock was located, but I’m sure it’s not there anymore. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Piccadilly Circus</b>
and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Leicester Square</b> are within walking
distance and also a must-see. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">One day I did the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Big
Red Bus tour</b> which has fully accessible buses. You have to sit on the
bottom deck of course, but it’s still worth it. It costs £29 for a 24hr ticket
which also includes a free Thames River Cruise and free walking tours. I don’t
normally do tours, but this one is a good idea to do at the beginning of your trip
to give you an idea of what’s around, and then later on you can visit the
attractions you’re interested in.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMuCrcQKGvkn-4Hs0nMbGADF60MkgRogwH_4ayPE2mtR9AIhzwa_3BKl00gChxpXHKsB7oMl7GN0xTaWIC4sSmVBjo2KPY5R5urbKBogeJeW3xrs5a6SE7ZQiLyX-Hy36W1J9sbSkOLV2V/s1600/London125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMuCrcQKGvkn-4Hs0nMbGADF60MkgRogwH_4ayPE2mtR9AIhzwa_3BKl00gChxpXHKsB7oMl7GN0xTaWIC4sSmVBjo2KPY5R5urbKBogeJeW3xrs5a6SE7ZQiLyX-Hy36W1J9sbSkOLV2V/s1600/London125.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tower Bridge with the Paralympic symbols</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">There is step-free access right across the famous <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tower Bridge</b> and on the south side
there is a brand new plaza and fountain area which is all flat.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiof21AS5bmbP_D2CIaxFm-l_eCkw7SI5tQ8InQaRmB4L85vMSD9M3MOochwPSgjG1Ksi4yIORgOtY4G3SzW6HOJjzfFR0Zy5qMJdhY2GxHyMQd_B8Q1tzNMdst6Y2DWXjLAiVKq5WhoJ3N/s1600/London161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiof21AS5bmbP_D2CIaxFm-l_eCkw7SI5tQ8InQaRmB4L85vMSD9M3MOochwPSgjG1Ksi4yIORgOtY4G3SzW6HOJjzfFR0Zy5qMJdhY2GxHyMQd_B8Q1tzNMdst6Y2DWXjLAiVKq5WhoJ3N/s1600/London161.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Highest point on the London Eye</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">London Eye</b> is
an amazing attraction and one of the highlights of my whole trip. Don’t let
someone tell you it’s just a Ferris wheel because it’s so much better than
that. It costs £15 and the attendant is free. Wheelchair users can go to the
front of the line which is very convenient because the lineup is very long.
They’ll stop the London Eye and put a ramp down for you. Inside the capsule you
can roll around easily and enjoy amazing views of London!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I unique aspect of London
I really liked where the pedestrian-only streets. My favourite was <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Carnaby
Street</b>. There’s cool artwork and shops and
pubs. Keep in mind many have a step or two to get in, but just ask if they have
a ramp and most likely they will. Even the alleys were nice. In Vancouver, the alleys are
dirty, unlit and usually have junkies shooting up or using them as a public
toilet. But in London,
they are very clean and even nice to look at for the architecture. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kensington Gardens</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Another great thing about London is all the city parks. For such a
large, metropolitan city, I was really surprised at how much green space there
was. One of my favourite places was <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Kensington</b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> Gardens</b>
where you’ll find <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Kensington</b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> Palace</b>
and the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Albert Memorial</b>. You can
spend hours wondering through <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Hyde Park</b> and walk along the ponds. Every park has
paved paths so you’ll have no trouble getting around. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Another favourite place (I seem to have many) is <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Covent Garden</b> which I would compare to Granville Island
in Vancouver.
There are plenty of unique shops and merchants selling art, crafts and typical
fare you would find at a farmer’s market. Be sure to visit The Icecreamists
where you find some ‘unique’ flavours of ice cream. The only annoying part
about Covent Garden was the cobblestone, but
you can avoid them by going around the outside. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I was planning on visiting many museums because I heard they
were mostly free, but I actually only managed to see one: the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">British</b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> Museum</b>.
No admission fee here. I literally spent 6 hours here and probably could have
spent more if the place didn’t close so early (5pm). I was absolutely
fascinated by everything in sight and since this is one of the few activities I
did alone, I was able to take my time and just relax and enjoy myself. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">N</span><span style="font-size: large;">IGHTLIFE</span></b></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Couchsurfers having drinks at the<br />
Piccadilly Institute</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">London
made me enjoy nightlife again. The nightclubs here are extraordinary and make Vancouver’s nightclubs
look like broom closets. The first one I went to was the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Piccadilly Institute</b> with other couchsurfers. It has 3 floors and
they even had an elevator! Each floor has different DJs and music. Multiple dance
floors and a lounge area. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Camden</b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> town</b> is apparently known for the
market, but I enjoyed it for the nightlife. There’s a beautiful network of
canals and bridges. Combine that with cobblestone and getting around in a chair
is a challenge, but with some help it can be done. I loved this one nightclub I
was taken to called <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Shaka Zulu</b>. It
had its own escalator! There were huge African-inspired art and sculptures. The
place pretty much looked like a museum instead of nightclub. Amazing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Another great area is <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Huxton Square</b>
where I partied and bar-hopped. The thing I found about London is that it’s really easy to meet and
talk to other people, especially when you’re out drinking. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My last night night in London at <br />
Chinawhite nightclub</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">On my last night in London,
I was invited to a VIP party hosted by a couchsurfer at a nightclub called <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Chinawhite </b>near <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Oxford Circus</b>. No elevator here, so I had to get carried down some
steep stairs by my friend and the bouncer. I was taken through four different
rooms, and more stairs, before we finally hit the VIP area. There were comfy
couches, private bar and dance floor, hot ladies and free vodka for the night.
What more could you really ask for? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I spent a lot of money on my London trip, even though I didn't spend a dime on accommodation, but it was worth every penny. It was by far the best trip I have ever taken. What made it really special was the amazing people I met who will be friends for life. The accessibility was far better than I ever expected. So far, London is the only city I have visited where I would actually want to live.</span> </div>
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Vincehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10180480234705044194noreply@blogger.com4London, UK51.5073346 -0.127683151.3492066 -0.4435401 51.6654626 0.1881739tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724565605061987377.post-64381266839250648462011-09-20T17:02:00.000-07:002012-03-18T15:19:11.612-07:00West U.S. Road Trip - Sep 2011<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBvFLx_uyuC7hT8lTC_bKSbhJQTrgknkvEAIoXpGllq1r3DEKdwW4COG0Xy14tBNma3TYnDMPuYdZTLOpBMMsTAx34XaV1126XuQNzIC17qzlupHmWYfKwD9chM8iPz20oGMs66qlJHHB9/s1600/_Route.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBvFLx_uyuC7hT8lTC_bKSbhJQTrgknkvEAIoXpGllq1r3DEKdwW4COG0Xy14tBNma3TYnDMPuYdZTLOpBMMsTAx34XaV1126XuQNzIC17qzlupHmWYfKwD9chM8iPz20oGMs66qlJHHB9/s320/_Route.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My route through 7 states</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In Jun 2011, I purchased a new Honda after my 1992 Honda
Civic decided to die on me. What better way to break in a new car than a
kick-ass road trip! So in September, I journeyed on a solo road trip through
the western <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region>.
<i><b>Over 17 days, I drove my new Honda Fit 7000 kms through 7 states. </b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Originally, I had planned to just visit <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Portland</st1:place></st1:city> for a few days. Then I decided I
wanted to see the <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Oregon</st1:place></st1:state>
coast. And then I thought why not make this a long road trip and drive all the
way to see the <st1:place w:st="on">Grand Canyon</st1:place>! I could also
check out <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Las Vegas</st1:place></st1:city>
while I was in that area. So I built a road trip around that. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For those who don’t know, I drive with simple hand controls
and spinner knob. There is a lever on the left side just below the turn signal.
I pull back for gas and push forward to brake. Since I have to steer with one
hand, there is a knob at the 2 o’clock position on the steering wheel that
enables me to make turns more easily. Anyone else can drive my car since the
petals are unaffected. To get in the car with my wheelchair, I pop the
quick-release wheels off and place them behind the front passenger seat, and
then I lift the frame over my body and rest it on the back seat. I do all of
that in reverse when I get out and that’s all there is to it. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sleeping in the car is fun!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My accommodations were a mix of couchsurfing, motels, and
sleeping in my car. Since my Honda has seats that fold all the way down flat, I
thought I could turn it into a makeshift camper. I bought a self-inflating air
mattress and sleeping bag and slept in the back. Of course, I had to rearrange
all my other gear and wheelchair. My wheels fit nicely on the dashboard, the
frame propped up on the passenger seat. Food and various other items went on
the driver’s seat and my suitcase of clothes was propped up vertically right
beside me. Oh yeah, and I had to sleep in an ‘S’ position, even with my short
legs. It may have been cozy, but it was comfortable enough to sleep for the
night. When traveling spontaneously and driving on the road all day, it’s just
so convenient to be able to pull over somewhere and crash for the night, rather
than making arrangements with a couchsurfing host or trying to find a motel. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDIyzFpaYN8cMz-aLkVy5D0-iQMLXqmvsgPiFpw7gzRogOBuMMhWf57GoYUiGrvHfcgfDn8FePKwlfzHNlDbiGfej-vmVwGhVbf8_kJ8ISOCgywVcC3vAg7mQR4fALcODWiUntSRTZxv0/s1600/WestUS1001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDIyzFpaYN8cMz-aLkVy5D0-iQMLXqmvsgPiFpw7gzRogOBuMMhWf57GoYUiGrvHfcgfDn8FePKwlfzHNlDbiGfej-vmVwGhVbf8_kJ8ISOCgywVcC3vAg7mQR4fALcODWiUntSRTZxv0/s320/WestUS1001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beginning odometer reading</td></tr>
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<st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>OREGON</b></span></st1:place></st1:state></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVO9SZ46a37mu8rmVJmggmey6XL2Zi9N6jf_Nszs3-_qfKXugvyZ6uYjLDW-XRcfIOPET5Zbu3JFHW_u46kOpyk-X3TdtK1Lvw4iwpDuaby8hyy4Qm60lPDgbYVZIAcsbTEn78ajcrcN3E/s1600/WestUS1004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVO9SZ46a37mu8rmVJmggmey6XL2Zi9N6jf_Nszs3-_qfKXugvyZ6uYjLDW-XRcfIOPET5Zbu3JFHW_u46kOpyk-X3TdtK1Lvw4iwpDuaby8hyy4Qm60lPDgbYVZIAcsbTEn78ajcrcN3E/s200/WestUS1004.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loehn, his girlfriend and I at an<br />
Irish pub</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My first stop on this road trip was <st1:place w:st="on"><b><st1:city w:st="on">Portland</st1:city> <st1:state w:st="on">OR</st1:state></b></st1:place>.
This was my first time to <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Portland</st1:place></st1:city>
and I really enjoyed my time here. I couchsurfed with a guy named Loehn, who
also uses a wheelchair. That was actually one of the main reasons why I wanted
to surf with him. Since he was uses a wheelchair too, I knew for sure that his
place would be completely accessible for me. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A'voodoo doll' donut from<br />
Voodoo Donuts</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Loehn offered superb hospitality. Due to <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Seattle</st1:place></st1:city> traffic, I didn’t arrive until 8 or
9pm. We made dinner together and chatted. The next day, he and his girlfriend,
took me to this Irish restaurant downtown and grabbed some donuts from the
famous <b>Voodoo Donuts</b>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Portland</st1:place></st1:city>
is a very wheelchair accessible city. There are some hills, but it was
manageable. All buses and the light rail are fully accessible. Public
transportation is even free in the downtown zone. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On my last day, Loehn took me to the <b>Saturday Market</b>
(picture a huge farmers’ market downtown) and checked out offerings from local
artists and various foods from local producers. We had lunch where <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Portland</st1:place></st1:city> is famous for –
food carts!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exploring Canon Beach with my<br />
Freewheel</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Later that day, I left <st1:city w:st="on">Portland</st1:city>
and headed towards the coast and my first stop was <st1:place w:st="on"><b><st1:placename w:st="on">Cannon</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Beach</st1:placetype></b></st1:place>.
This small beach community is absolutely gorgeous and very picturesque.
Unfortunately, I just happened to be there on Labour Day, so it was also very
crowded. It was a beautiful, sunny day though and I loved seeing the miles of
sandy beach and those rock formations that come out of the water. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First night sleeping in my car beside<br />
a barn</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After the sun set, I headed south on highway 101 and
starting looking for place I could sleep for the night. I wanted to find a
quiet, secluded place that didn’t have highway traffic zipping by, but I had
trouble finding such a place. And then it got dark. I finally found an open
clearing near a barn and parked my car and got ready to spend my first night
‘camping’ in the car. As I was falling asleep I heard a loud ‘moooo’, followed
by another and another. I looked up and realized I had setup camp right beside
a fence where there were cows. It looks like I chose to sleep on someone’s
farm! Oh well. No harm done. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My travel buddy 'Chris' loves cheese</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The next day I drove into <b>Tillamook</b> and visited their famous
cheese factory. They make other dairy products here too, but I think cheese is
the main food. It’s kind of neat to see how cheese is made, plus you get to
sample a bunch of cheeses for free. I picked up some cheese curds on my way
out. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I continued south along 101 and experienced real <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Oregon</st1:place></st1:state> coast weather –
fog and mist. It was like that pretty much almost all the way to <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">California</st1:place></st1:state>. Along the
highway, there are many scenic lookout points, but it can be hit or miss because
with the foggy weather you can barely see in front of you. Along the way, I
picked up this brochure for <b>Sea Lion Caves</b> where they advertised an elevator
that would actually take you down into the caves. However, when I got there, I
learned that you have to go down a flight stairs to get to that elevator. So it
wasn’t accessible after all. I was very disappointed! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the southern part of the <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Oregon</st1:place></st1:state> coast, you get into sand dunes. Now
of course, there’s no way I could get my wheelchair into the sand dunes, but it
was still neat to see. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For my 2</span><sup style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">nd</sup><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> night sleeping in the car, I drove
into </span><st1:place style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" w:st="on"><b><st1:placename w:st="on">Coos</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Bay</st1:placetype></b></st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> and decided to sleep in a Wal-mart
parking lot that I found by searching for it on my GPS. I heard they allowed
overnight parking in their stores that were open 24 hrs. I thought this would
be a good idea, since there is a washroom and also I could buy groceries and
supplies. Well apparently, sleeping in a Wal-mart parking lot is not a well-kept secret because there were plenty of other RVs and cars with fogged up windows.
It was almost like a campground in itself! I managed to find a quiet corner of
the parking lot, but it was so foggy that night that I’m sure no one could even
see my car anyway.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">South Oregon Coast</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The next day, the sun broke out for a little and I got to
enjoy the <st1:placename w:st="on">Oregon</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Coast</st1:placetype>
for a bit before I headed into <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">California</st1:place></st1:state>.
I want to mention that <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Oregon</st1:place></st1:state>
was my favourite state to visit. There’s no state sales tax. So the price you
see is the price you pay. There are no self-serve gas stations, meaning they
have to pump gas for you. I also discovered my new favourite store – Fred Meyer
which is kind of like Superstore here in BC. I always bought my groceries and
gas here when I could and it was very cheap. </span></div>
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<st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>CALIFORNIA</b></span></st1:place></st1:state><br />
<st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></st1:place></st1:state></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The only 'Welcome to' sign I was able<br />
to photograph</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My first stop in <st1:state w:st="on">California</st1:state>
was at a visitor center in <b><st1:placename w:st="on">Crescent</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">City</st1:placetype></b> near <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Redwood</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">National Park</st1:placetype></st1:place>. I told
them how long I was there for and what kind of vehicle I had and they were very
helpful in suggesting how to see the famous redwood trees. Unfortunately,
hiking was not an option for me, but luckily there were two self-guided driving
tours that were absolutely amazing. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">stopping along Avenue of the Giants</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The first tour was on a single lane, hard packed dirt road
where I got to see these remarkable ‘giants’. The speed limit is slow,
something like 5 or 10 miles/hr, but that’s fine because it gives you time to
enjoy the scenery. The brochures don’t lie. These trees are gigantic and some
have been around for more than a thousand years. You can feel like a tiny ant
when looking up at these trees. The second tour was on a paved highway called
the <b>Avenue of Giants</b>. It was actually a scenic detour to Hwy 101. You could
drive faster here, but that means you’re not as close to the trees so this tour
wasn’t as up close and personal as the first tour. However, it still made for a
scenic drive. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For my 3<sup>rd</sup> night sleeping in the car, I found a
scenic outlook with a gorgeous view of the <st1:place w:st="on">Pacific Ocean</st1:place>
and tall cliffs. I thought it would be the perfect place to wake up in the
morning. However, as I was getting ready to sleep, this car pulls up and parks
right beside mine. There were a bunch of kids inside and they were blasting
loud music. For the first time on my trip, I felt kind of scared because it was
just my car and theirs out in a remote place. I didn’t know if they were going
to try and break into my car or start shining a flash light inside or what.
Anyway, they all got out and after a short while went for a walk. At which
time I decided to start the car and take off. There was no way I was going to
sleep being that nervous. After some driving, I found the head of a hiking
trail complete with restrooms. It was directly off the highway, not too noisy,
and I was the only one there. So I crashed there for the night. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Driving through a Redwood<br />
tree </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The next day I wanted to check out one of those road side
attractions I had read about where you can actually drive through a tree. You
have to pay 6 bucks! There’s no gate attendant so they count on you being
honest and putting your money into a box. And if you’re wondering, I was honest
and paid the full $6. I have to say it was a unique and fun experience that lasted
about 30 seconds, but hey, it’s something I will probably never do again. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I continued south along hwy 101 through northern <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">California</st1:state></st1:place> where I saw
less ocean and more hilly, grassy terrain. I was headed to see my next host in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><b>San Jose</b></st1:place></st1:city> where I would
spend a few days checking out the Bay Area. After 3 nights of sleeping in my
car, I needed to sleep in a real bed and have a real shower, so I found through
my GPS a Motel 6 in <st1:city w:st="on"><b>Santa Rosa</b></st1:city>, just a few hours
north of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">San Francisco</st1:place></st1:city>.
It was very hot that day – the first real heat I had felt on my trip. My room
was <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">ADA</st1:place></st1:city>
accessible with wide doors, grab bars, and roll in shower. The motel itself was
a bit on the shady side. When I went to the ice machine there were some guys
smoking and drinking outside their rooms. They even offered me to come in for a
drink. I respectfully declined. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The next day I headed towards <st1:city w:st="on"><b>San
Francisco</b></st1:city> and drove over the iconic <st1:place w:st="on"><b><st1:placename w:st="on">Golden Gate</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Bridge</st1:placetype></b></st1:place>.
I had walked back and forth over the bridge a couple of years ago, but driving
over it was another great experience altogether. I wished I could have recorded
driving across, but that would have been awkward and highly dangerous since I
need both hands to drive. By the way, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Golden Gate</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Bridge</st1:placetype></st1:place>
is tolled and will cost $6 going southbound. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">hot girl in nurse uniform serving up<br />
donuts? now that's what I'm<br />
talking about!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I met my next host Karl in downtown </span><st1:city style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" w:st="on">San
Jose</st1:city><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> where he showed me around the </span><st1:place style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" w:st="on"><b><st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">San Jose</st1:placename></b></st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
where he went to school. He took me to this funky donut shop called </span><b style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Psycho
Donuts</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> where hot girls in nurse uniforms serve up donuts! By the way, in
downtown </span><st1:city style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">San Jose</st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">,
if you have a handicap parking permit, you can park at any metered spot for
free. I found the same to apply in many other cities too. Karl was born with
the brittle bone disease and thus uses a power chair. Despite that, he gets
around very well and even couchsurfs! I thought me being in a manual chair was
difficult to couchsurf, but he does it in a power chair which I found totally
inspiring. Karl is Vietnamese and lives with his family in a house in </span><st1:city style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">San Jose</st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. Of course, the
house was completely accessible.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Facebook and Apple<br />
headquarters</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While I was in the Bay Area, my goal was to visit the major
internet and tech companies. I started off at <b>Facebook in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Palo Alto</st1:place></st1:city></b>. For a multi-billion dollar
company, Facebook headquarters looks like an old public library. I got as far
as the front lobby where I was stopped by security. There are no areas open to
the public. There is however, a pathetic sign in the lobby, where another
couple was getting their pictures with. That’s all Facebook had to offer. Next
was <b>Apple in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Cupertino</st1:place></st1:city></b>.
Apple has a cool campus and there was supposed to be a flagship Apple store,
but it turned out to be useless. There were some Macbooks and lots of clothing,
but it was much smaller than I had imagined. And there were no ‘geniuses’ to
help you, just dorky-looking cashiers who stood behind the counter. I thought
the Apple stores they have in the mall back home were way better than the
supposed flagship store. I also tried to get into the main building, but again
I was stopped by security. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Google Headquarters with Alex<br />
and his dog</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihSDW0JdutaIqQY0GjjH2h3dTwZXAeB2GflnHOr_MWwN_LNATN_hgrDbT9yDYwyGuyjbTHvNF0M5xpjrwbVarFzDOncN1dJvp8jD5g66J-CMpAdXNmQaMDfvG5BcIJg9mHmH7edibAfxZb/s1600/WestUS1099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihSDW0JdutaIqQY0GjjH2h3dTwZXAeB2GflnHOr_MWwN_LNATN_hgrDbT9yDYwyGuyjbTHvNF0M5xpjrwbVarFzDOncN1dJvp8jD5g66J-CMpAdXNmQaMDfvG5BcIJg9mHmH7edibAfxZb/s200/WestUS1099.JPG" width="150" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My final tech stop was <b>Google in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Mountain View</st1:place></st1:city></b> and that’s where I hit the
jackpot. Actually, one of the couch requests I made was to a guy named Alex who
worked at Google. He wasn’t able to host me, but offered to take me on a tour.
Now I thought he was going to tell me he was an engineer or programmer or
something, but in fact, he teaches a free Kung Fu class twice a week to Google
employees. But he still gets access to all Google benefits. The Google campus
is like <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Disneyl</st1:placename><st1:placetype w:st="on">and</st1:placetype></st1:place>, except everything is free. There
are sculptures of cupcake, frozen yogurt, éclair, gingerbread, and honeycomb –
all of which are versions of the Android operating system. There are free
bicycles you can use to get from building to building on campus. If you drive
and have an electric car, you can plug it in and charge it for free. There’s a
shuttle service that operates all over the Bay Area. For example, if you live
in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">San Francisco</st1:place></st1:city>,
a bus will pick you up and drive you to and from work everyday! There’s also a
late night car service so if you’re there late at night, a free taxi will drive
you home. There’s a beach volleyball court, tennis courts, numerous classes and
many other free organized activities. There’s even a hair salon if you want to
get your haircut. What blew my mind was the free internet. Of course, Google
has free wi-fi all over campus, but they also provide free wi-fi to the entire
city of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Mountain View</st1:place></st1:city>!
And the best part of all was the free food. Alex took me for lunch where I
could eat pretty much any food I wanted: burgers, pasta, salads, sushi, pizza,
Thai, Mexican, Indian, various desserts, and every kind of beverage known to
man. I was completely overwhelmed and just wanted to eat everything – and I
probably did. Apparently, you can eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There’s no
reason for you to buy food at home, or even own a kitchen for that matter.
Visiting Google headquarters was definitely one of the highlights of my road
trip. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">End of the access path at Santa Cruz<br />
beach</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The next day, Karl and his friend took me to <st1:city w:st="on"><b>Santa Cruz</b></st1:city>, which is a beach community about an hour south
from <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">San Jose</st1:place></st1:city>.
It was really cold there that day because it’s on the ocean. There’s a midway,
arcade, and pier. I found this ridiculous ‘access’ path on the beach that only
goes out about half way to the water. I was not impressed. We had dinner at a
restaurant on the pier where we saw wild seals. I remember telling Karl that I
was headed for the Grand Canyon and <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Las
Vegas</st1:place></st1:city> and I was going to sleep in my car in the middle
of the desert. They seriously contemplated coming with me, but unfortunately
they had plans over the weekend and a test to study for. I thought I was nuts
for wanting to sleep by myself in my car in the middle of the desert, but it
turns out Karl and his friend was just as nuts as me!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Why did I drive to the middle of the<br />
desert again?</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I left early the next morning because I had a long 8 hr drive
to Mojave and I wanted to get there before dark. But I didn’t leave before
having homemade pho noodle soup his mom made for breakfast. After my longest
day of driving, I made it to a very small town called <b>Kelso</b> in the middle of
<b>Mojave National Preserve</b>. I was surprised my GPS even recognized the place. It
was scorching hot that day, even at 4pm in September. I would have died without
air conditioning in my car. There was a small visitor’s center which exhibits
the history of the desert. Everything was accessible including an elevator and
individual restroom outside. I watched a 15 min video that was very
interesting. There was even a diner in the center. It was hard to comprehend
this tiny civilization that existed in the middle of nowhere. But since it’s
technically a preserve, I guess they’re funded by National Parks and there are
trailer parks, campgrounds, and hiking trails around. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Driving through the
desert was very scenic and I saw terrain I had never seen before. I particularly
liked seeing the <b>Joshua tree forest</b>. As it got dark, I found a clearing behind
these large, cylindrical storage containers where I parked my car for the
night. The desert is an eerie place at night. I did see other cars, but they
were few and far between. I was always able to come to a complete stop in the
middle of the road and take pictures. When nightfall came, there was crazy
lightning in the distance and that made me think a storm was coming. But the
lightening just continued and I didn’t hear any thunder. Then the wind started
howling and ironically, it began to rain, in the desert! I knew there were
campgrounds so there probably wasn’t a major threat from animals, but sleeping
by myself in the middle of the desert with the howling wind made for a very
spooky night. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My car commercial shot</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The next morning while I was brushing my teeth a truck
pulled into my clearing and this big black guy gets out followed by a woman. I
thought I was completely alone out here so you can only guess how surprised I
was. I panicked and immediately started rearranging my gear so I could drive
the hell out of there. But instead they walked in a different direction and
began looking for something. My only guess was that they were looking for
firewood, which is of course rare in the desert. And then they drove away.
Close call. </span></div>
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<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>ARIZONA</b></span></st1:state></st1:place><br />
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></st1:state></st1:place></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exploring Grand Canyon</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After my adventures in the desert, I headed towards the <st1:place w:st="on">Grand Canyon</st1:place> – my main reason for going on this road
trip. It’s a long drive to <b><st1:place w:st="on">Grand Canyon</st1:place></b>. Even
after you exit Hwy 41, it still takes a little over an hour just to get to <st1:place w:st="on">Grand Canyon</st1:place> – the part where all of the hotels are. As
you enter the park gates, you have pay $25 per car for a 7 day pass. Be sure to
ask for a regular map and access map which identifies all of the wheelchair
accessible trails as well as other access facilities. They will also give you a
special parking pass that will allow you to drive and park in areas that are
restricted to busses. <st1:place w:st="on">Grand Canyon</st1:place> is a very
wheelchair friendly park. Once you’ve finally made it to the south rim and
parked, you can either get around by walking, biking, or taking the free
shuttles that operate all over the park. Since I was driving most of the day, I
only got to the south rum just before dusk, but I was able to enjoy a beautiful
sunset right over the <st1:place w:st="on">Grand Canyon</st1:place>. It was
very picturesque. When you see <st1:place w:st="on">Grand Canyon</st1:place>
for the first time, it looks like a painting. It looks surreal. It’s a
marvelous sight that I think every person should see at least once in their
lives. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For my first night in the Grand Canyon, I parked at this
viewpoint because I wanted to wakeup to see the <st1:place w:st="on">Grand
Canyon</st1:place>. Sometime after midnight, while I was asleep, I get a knock
on my window and I see a big flashlight shining into my car. I thought to
myself ‘this isn’t good’. Without thinking about it, I opened the car door and
it was a park ranger who told me I can’t sleep in national parks. She asked for
my driver’s license and ran it to make sure I hadn’t already been given a
warning. So I guess now, I’m in some kind of national database of people caught
sleeping in national parks. She told me I could either go look for a real
campsite, or just drive to the nearest town and park my car and sleep. She was
actually very polite about whole thing. I think she felt bad about waking me up
and I’m sure she was nervous being all alone and having to knock on this dark
car window. She even gave me her full name and said to mention it if anyone
else bothered me. Ironically, I ended up parking my car in a hotel parking lot
and slept there. I chose that spot because my car would blend in with the
others and I could go inside the hotel and use the restroom at any time, On my
entire road trip, this was the only run-in I had with any authority.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A double rainbow at the<br />
Grand Canyon</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I spent the next day walking along the nicely paved paths of
the south rim. For the most part, I found the paved trails easy to maneuver,
but there are some sections that are steep and the path gets so narrow that my
chair can’t even fit through. In some areas, the pavement turns to dirt so I had
to turn around. But you can see plenty from the paved routes. There are fully
accessible restrooms everywhere, both flush and pit toilets. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wheelchair parking spot for trucks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After sunset, I said goodbye to <st1:place w:st="on">Grand
Canyon</st1:place> and headed for Meteor Crater. It wasn’t on my original
itinerary, but being as nerdy as I am, I wanted to check it out since it was
only a couple of hours away. For that night I slept in my car in a rest stop.
There was a large area for trucks, but there was only one truck so I parked my
car in the back and slept. In the morning I found a handicap parking spot for
trucks! I have never met a truck drive in a wheelchair, but I suppose <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Arizona</st1:place></st1:state> wants equal
access for all. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meteor Crater</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Meteor Crater</b> turned out to be the coolest roadside
attraction I’ve ever seen. It’s the world’s first proven and best preserved
impact crater. Most of the site is accessible. There’s an elevator inside.
Outside, there are two viewing decks. The main deck is accessible and you can
see everything from there, but there’s no elevator to the upper deck. People try
to trivialize the crater and say that it’s just a hole in the ground, but it’s
so much more than that. I found it to be very educational and I learned a lot
about meteors. I even bought a piece of the meteor in the gift shop. </span></div>
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<st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">NEVADA</span></b></st1:place></st1:state><br />
<st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></st1:place></st1:state></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Circus Circus Hotel</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I booked 2 nights at <b>Circus Circus in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Las Vegas</st1:place></st1:city></b> through expedia.ca. This hotel is
located on the north end of the strip and it’s nowhere near as nice as the
other hotels, but my room was clean and it only cost $30 CAN/night. Keep in
mind that most Vegas hotels charge a ‘resort fee’ which can vary from 5 to
$25/night in addition to the regular room rate. It covers things like internet,
phone, gym, pool, etc. The fee was $9/night at Circus Circus. You have to pay
it when you check. I think it’s just a cash grab that really should be built
into the room rate. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I didn’t enjoy Vegas as much as I thought I would. It can be
a very overwhelming place with all of the bright lights and sounds. The hotels
are gigantic. When I first got there, I got a hotel map and made the mistake of
thinking I could go for a leisurely stroll down the street. It took more than
an hour just to walk from one end to the other! There are hordes and hordes of
people. Everywhere you go there are solicitors who get right in your face
trying to give you cards advertising ‘escort’ services. The streets are
littered with those cards. I discovered that Vegas isn’t a great place for a
solo traveler. People are there in their own groups, and they’re there to
party. I guess I was too used to seeing natural beauty, and when I finally got
to Vegas, it was all too artificial for me. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vegas strip at night</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Surprisingly, I found it difficult getting around in a
wheelchair. There’s no real sidewalk along <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Las Vegas Blvd.</st1:address></st1:street> There is in some areas,
but a lot of the time you have to kind of go into the hotel property. At many
intersections, pedestrians don’t walk across the street. They would walk up
stairs or escalator, cross a pedestrian bridge and walk down. I, on the other
hand, would have to find a hidden, slow elevator on both sides. There were some
occasions where the elevator was broken, and when that happens, I have to cross
the three other streets in the intersection just to get to the other side.
Sometimes, it would take 15 min just to cross a street! It was very
frustrating. You can try the monorail, but just getting to the monorail is a
hike, and it doesn’t stop at every hotel. There’s also public buses, but they
charge a lot (more than regular public transit because it’s the strip), and the
buses were always full. Then I remembered, I’m on a road trip and I have my own
car. So I actually just drove everywhere. There’s free parking at every hotel. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Don’t get me wrong though, I did enjoy some things about
Vegas. I was enchanted by seeing all of the glitz and glamour. I treated myself
to a show – Cirque de Soleil Zumaniti which actually had topless women.
Exploring all of the gigantic hotels was amazing including the famous Bellagio
fountains. I’d have to say my favourite hotel was <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Luxor</st1:place></st1:city> which is the Egyptian themed hotel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Las Vegas</st1:place></st1:city>
is a strange place, geographically speaking. You have this huge, booming
metropolitan city that’s smack dab in the middle of the desert. They must use
an enormous amount of water and electricity and I don’t know where it comes
from. Once you drive out of the city though, it’s a completely baron desert
land. It’s like driving on Mars. I actually found that to be more interesting
than Vegas itself. </span></div>
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<st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>UTAH</b></span></st1:place></st1:state><br />
<st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></st1:place></st1:state></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanging out with cute Morman girls<br />
in Salt Lake City</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I only spent one day in <b><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Salt Lake City</st1:place></st1:city></b>. I stayed at a very run down
Motel 6 in the downtown area. I remember the counter agent saying to me “The
only room I have left is the handicap accessible room. Is that alright?” Of
course, I said yes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I started off at the <b><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Salt
Lake City</st1:place></st1:city> visitor’s center</b> downtown and saw lots of
brochures for something called <b><st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Temple
Square</st1:address></st1:street></b>. By the way, there’s lots of free
wheelchair parking downtown. After I entered <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Temple Square</st1:address></st1:street> I went directly to the main
visitor’s center and noticed immediately this was a religious area. Next thing
I know, these two (very attractive) ladies approached me and asked if I would
like to a tour. I thought there would be a group, but it was just the three of
us. On the tour, I quickly discovered that <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Salt Lake City</st1:city></st1:place> is the world headquarters of
the <b>Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints</b> – aka Mormons. These guys
definitely have some coin because the buildings are absolutely gorgeous. I was
interested in learning about the historical significance of Mormons and the
architecture. My tour leaders however, were more interested in learning about
me and my religious beliefs. They asked what I thought about particular
paintings and sculptures. They even asked for my contact info so they could
keep in touch with me. (I gave them fake info). Overall, they were polite and did give me a good tour, but I was not
interested in joining their faith.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Olympic Stadium at U. Utah</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I knew <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Salt Lake City</st1:place></st1:city>
hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics so I wanted to see something related to that. I
took the light rail all the way to the <b><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Utah</st1:placename></st1:place>
to see Rice-Eccles Stadium</b> where they held the opening and closing ceremonies.
I tried walking there at first, but realized quickly that their city blocks are
huge. It takes 10 min to walk one block! There’s also a small Olympic museum. I
was the only one there at the time. Public transit is free in the downtown core
and costs around a dollar elsewhere for disabled users. </span></div>
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<st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>IDAHO</b></span></st1:place></st1:state><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boise State capital</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I wasn’t expecting much from <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Idaho</st1:place></st1:state> (which smells like a farm everywhere
you go), but I found cool things to do and enjoyed it more than I thought I
would. I only had one day to spend here so I chose to check out the state
capital <b><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Boise</st1:place></st1:city></b>.
I slept in a rest stop just outside the city and started my day at the
visitor’s center downtown. A nice lady there made some suggestions on what to
see that day. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prison life is tough!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My first stop was the <b>Anne Frank Memorial Garden</b>. They had excerpts
of her diary engraved onto large stones and after reading them, I felt very
humbled. After that I wandered around the state capital building then drove to the
<b>Old <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Idaho</st1:place></st1:state>
State Penitentiary</b> which is an old prison turned into a tourist attraction. Of
course, a prison open to the public is going to draw comparisons to Alcatraz in
<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">San Francisco</st1:place></st1:city>. <st1:place w:st="on">Alcatraz</st1:place> is more famous and renovated, but this prison
was more authentic and rustic-looking. There may have been 5 people inside. I
pretty much had the place to myself. It’s very eerie exploring an old prison by
yourself. Everything was pretty accessible. There are ramps to get inside every
building. In the cell blocks, you can even get inside some cells, but
unfortunately you can’t get to the 2<sup>nd</sup> level. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After visiting <st1:state w:st="on">Idaho</st1:state>, I
started making my way back home through eastern <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Oregon</st1:place></st1:state>. This is where I saw sand dunes and
wind mill farms which were kind of cool. When the night came I found this
viewpoint on top of a hill overlooking a city. There were no clouds and it was
new moon so the stars were brilliant. It reminded me a lot of that night I
spent in my car in <st1:placename w:st="on">Lake Superior</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Park</st1:placetype> on my cross <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region> road trip. Again, it was
just me, my car, my gear, and all the stars. This is the stuff road trips are
made of.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I thought about sleeping there that night, but then I
remembered the incident I had back at the beach viewpoint in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Crescent City</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">California</st1:state></st1:place>.
So I continued on and had a heck of a time finding a place to park for my last
night sleeping in my car. The rest stops I passed were small and very busy, so
I knew I wasn’t going to get much sleep there. I actually ended up sleeping in
a church parking lot. It was quiet, secluded, and I was pretty sure no one
would bother me there. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On my last day of driving, I stopped by an outlet mall just
east of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Portland</st1:place></st1:city>.
I wanted to take advantage of some tax-free shopping before going home, but
there were no stores I was interested so I was quite disappointed by that. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ending odometer reading</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This <st1:place w:st="on">Western US</st1:place> road trip
was a great adventure for me. I visited new cities and drove across terrain I
had never seen before. I wished I had more time to visit more places like
southern <st1:state w:st="on">California</st1:state>, <st1:city w:st="on">Phoenix</st1:city>, New Mexico, <st1:state w:st="on">Colorado</st1:state>, <st1:state w:st="on">Wyoming</st1:state>,
and <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">North Dakota</st1:place></st1:state>.
Overall, I was very impressed with the accessibility during my travels. Every
parking lot I pulled into, even the ones in the middle of the desert, had
designated handicap spots. Every city had free handicap parking downtown. Every
rest stop had accessible rest rooms. Every attraction I visited, except for <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Sea</st1:placetype> <st1:placename w:st="on">Lion</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Caves</st1:placetype></st1:place>, was at least
mostly accessible if not fully. Public transportation was great when I had to
use it. And most importantly, people were always polite to me and willing to
help. </span></div>
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<br /></div>Vincehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10180480234705044194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724565605061987377.post-44065674894416550912010-09-05T20:23:00.000-07:002012-03-12T16:54:43.427-07:00New York - August 2010<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finding a host in NYC proved to be quite difficult. I guess that happens when you travel to one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world during the peak summer months. After sending out close to 100 CS requests (I’m serious!), I finally got an offer from a very nice girl named Rona. She lives in an apartment in </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><st1:place w:st="on">Queens</st1:place></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> with her boyfriend Ross who were both amazing hosts. They are both artists. Rona works at an art museum and Ross makes funky lamps from a home studio.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rona and Ross having pizza on <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCc5SOIbAeqIY3-H_7Y33-NS9DHDg2Uv-rsBX0aVJYbIf9SC0Tneocc0UNTw8X-ORAgrGStjmAtM6-G8yL4UhKXLBzMEVEPCPVkYLD10qm-O9UCH9bhq2c8Jgba5p6tuw8Bw3Qc9GzV5ZA/s1600/NY-017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rona and Ross were nice enough to pick me up at LaGuardia Airport, which is very close to their place, on the day of my arrival and I ended up staying with them for most for my of time in NYC. We spent my first night planning out activities I was going to do. She knows the city very well. My sleeping arrangement was an air mattress setup in the living room. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rona is definitely a foodie and took me out to some of her favourite restaurants in the city. She even made me a hot breakfast every morning! She took good care of me and went out of her way to ensure I was comfortable. Rona was a different host in that she knew a lot about accessibility because her sister had to use a wheelchair for a year. Before I even arrived, she measured the bathroom doorway and let me know about the elevator and no steps to get into the building. The bathroom doorway was too narrow for my chair to fit through, so I had to transfer to an office chair with wheels and used that in the bathroom. It was a little awkward, but I’ve done it before. She was also immensely helpful in planning accessible routes on public transportation (discussed in greater detail below). </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After spending a few days with Rona, I had to leave because she had some other friends coming over for a few days, but I asked if it would be alright to come back after they left and she was perfectly fine with that. So I spent the next few days in a hostel in the city and traveled to <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Philadelphia</st1:place></st1:city>. When I got back to NYC, Rona and Ross were going to be out of town for a few days, but they just left me a key and let me stay in their place by myself! It’s obvious they completely trusted me. The day after they got back, they drove me to the airport to catch my flight back home. Rona was such an amazing host and she made my first trip to NY a memorable one.</span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">A</span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">CCESSIBILTY</span></span></span></span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Transportation</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There is only one word to describe the NYC subway system – FRUSTRATING! The subway here is the most difficult to use out of any city I’ve been to. If a subway is simply not accessible (like <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Montreal</st1:place></st1:city>), then I can handle that. But when they try to make it accessible and do a half-assed job, then it drives my crazy. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here are the obstacles you have to overcome when using the NYC subway in a wheelchair:</span></div>
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<li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">NYC subway is complex enough for anyone to use, but not every station is accessible. MTA website tells you which ones are.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If a station is accessible, you have to check which lines the elevator goes to. A station can realistically have 6 or 7 lines, and sometimes the elevator doesn’t go to every line. </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you found an accessible station and the line you want to ride, you may only be able to go in one direction because the elevator only goes to one platform.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The process for getting into the station is also cumbersome. You have to swipe your pass, push the turnstile by hand, then go tell the station agent you’ve paid so they can open the emergency exit and let you in. When you leave a station, you also leave through the emergency exit and set off the alarm every time.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The elevators are notorious for breaking down. There’s actually a page on the MTA website that tells you which elevators are broken, but sometimes this list isn’t up to date. I’ve shown up at a station only to find the elevator was broken, but the website didn’t say it was. Plus, the elevator could be out for days, even a week. </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Working elevators are difficult to find. They’re usually hidden in a corner somewhere, or at the very end of a platform. You usually have to take multiple elevators and navigating those concourses was not easy. The signage is poor and there are lots of people. Not to mention the dumb-ass, able-bodied people who like to use the elevators when they have two perfectly good legs. The <a href="http://www.mta.info/accessibility/">MTA</a> site even has (confusing) instructions on how to find the elevators.</span></li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Note: You have to be very careful not to miss your stop.</i> If you do, you could be stuck on that train for a while because there aren’t that many accessible stations for you to get off and ride back. I learned this lesson the hard way. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I rarely saw a wheelchair user on the subway and I can understand why. I recommend finding the main accessible stations, like <st1:place w:st="on">Times Square</st1:place> and Grand Central Station, and then planning your trip around that. All of the busses are accessible, so you’ll always have that mode of transportation, but they do move very slowly. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tip: MTA has reduced fares for disabled people with a medicare card. I’m not American, so I don’t know what these are. I just bought a full fare, 7-day pass. If you pay full fare for the subway, ask the station agent for a return ticket. You get it for free and it’s good for about two months. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I took the <st1:place w:st="on">Staten Island</st1:place> ferry one day and I loved it. I didn’t even have to take an elevator in the terminals to get on/off the ferry, but there’s no elevator on the ferry itself so you can’t get a view from the top deck.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I decided to spend a few days in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Philadelphia</st1:place></st1:city> and my couchsurfing host there recommended I take the Boltbus. Boltbus was perfect because every bus has a wheelchair lift, so I didn’t have to call 48 hrs in advance and reserve a bus with a lift like you have to do on Greyhound. Boltbus only travels to a few cities right now, but if you can ride with them I highly recommend it.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Streets</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">NYC streets are for the most part ok. There are curb cuts at almost every intersection, but sometimes there isn’t. Crossing streets will definitely require some weaving because of where the curb cuts are located. There are lots of cracks and uneven sidewalks congested with lots of people. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I found NYC curbs to be lower than other cities – around half a foot maybe. If you can get some speed, you can hop up these curbs no problem as I did many times. </span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">A</span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">CCOMODATION</span></span></span></span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I stayed for a couple of nights at the YMCA Vanderbilt. It is somewhere between a hostel and a hotel. It’s located about 5 blocks from Grand Central Station in midtown <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Manhattan</st1:city></st1:place> which makes it an ideal place to stay if you’re traveling mostly on foot. I paid only $125/night including all taxes and membership fee. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are two elevators. Actually, I remember one breaking down, but it was fixed within a few hours. I wished MTA was like that! I stayed in a large private room, but there are only a few so book early. To my surprise the washrooms had a large wheelchair stall with handle bars, and there was even a private shower room (ie: one big room for one person to shower) with shower stool. The hotel wasn’t designated as <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">ADA</st1:place></st1:city>, but it was perfectly accessible for me. </span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">A</span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">TTRACTIONS</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"> / S</span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">IGHTSEEIN</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">G</span></span></span></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Temple of Dendur in <br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/"><b>Metropolitan Museum of Art</b></a><b> </b>is one of the nicest art museums I have ever been to. Admission is by donation, but if all you donate is a dollar, no one will stop you. The accessible entrance is to the left of the main entrance. There are signs pointing to it. Ask for the official Access Map at the information desk. It will point out all the elevators and accessible washrooms. Most of the exhibits are flat, but to get to the Asian art section, there are stairs. You can reach this area by taking an elevator, but unfortunately for me, it was broken that day so I had to miss out on Asian art which is something I really wanted to see.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My favourite part was the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Temple</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Dendur</st1:placename></st1:place>. There is a ramp and lift to get up. The staff will have to operate the lift for you. Then there are is one high step to actually go inside. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">By far, the best bang for your buck is the<a href="http://www.statuecruises.com/"> <b>Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island</b></a> tours. For $12 you get a ferry ride to both islands. There’s a ramp they lower to get on and off the ferry. On <st1:place w:st="on">Liberty Island</st1:place>, you get access to the museum and pedestal. The crown is not wheelchair accessible because there are only stairs to go up, but I heard it’s not worth the extra money. You have to wait hours to go up because they only let a few people in at a time, it gets really hot inside, and once you get to the top the viewing windows are small and narrow. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I checked out the museum which I really enjoyed and walked around the park. You can pay for the audio tour, but there are actually free guided tours throughout the day which I think are better. Unfortunately for me, the day I went the elevator to the pedestal was broken, so I didn’t get to see the view from higher up, but I still enjoyed the museum and taking nice photos in front of Miss Liberty. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After that you go to <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Ellis Island</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Immigration</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Museum</st1:placetype></st1:place> which I really enjoyed. It’s completely accessible (with working elevators) and it too has free guided tours all day long. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brooklyn Bridge at dusk</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on"><b>Brooklyn</b></st1:placename><b> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Bridge</st1:placetype></b></st1:place> is completely accessible, but it’s steep going up and there are lots of people. I would recommend starting your walk across from the <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Manhattan</st1:place></st1:city> side. I only went about ¾ of the way across, so I’m not sure what the access is like on the <st1:place w:st="on">Brooklyn</st1:place> side. What I really like about this bridge is that the pedestrian walkway is above traffic, so you don’t have cars zipping beside you. If it’s the summer, try going at night so it’s not so hot. You’ll get fantastic views of the <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Manhattan</st1:place></st1:city> skyline from here. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Lower Manhattan from<br />
Empire State Building</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I loved the <b>Empire State Building</b>! I’ve never jumped so many lineups in one location before, and there are plenty of them. There’s a lineup to buy tickets, for security, get your picture taken, take the first elevator up, take the second elevator up, and the elevators back down. If you’re in a wheelchair, the ushers whisk you to the front of every line. I felt like a celebrity! When you actually get outside to the viewing deck, there is literally a wall of people. Just tell the usher you want to see and he’ll clear a spot for you. It’s totally awesome! And the best part – ask for a disabled discount when buying your ticket and get $5 off. You can’t go wrong.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I met Bernard through the<br />
CS groups and we hung<br />
out in Times Square</td></tr>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Times Square</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> is a must, especially at night. There are so many lights that it feels like daytime, even at night. It’s flat everywhere, so you should have no trouble. The hardest part is navigating around the crowds of people.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I only went to one Broadway show, and that was <b>Green Day the Musical</b> at the <st1:place w:st="on"><st2:sn w:st="on">St.</st2:sn> <st2:middlename w:st="on">James</st2:middlename> <st2:sn w:st="on">Theatre</st2:sn></st1:place>. There were no stairs, and therefore no elevator to take, but the wheelchair seating was in the orchestra level at the very back. I was satisfied. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bethesda Fountain</td></tr>
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<st1:place w:st="on"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Central Park</span></b></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> is absolutely huge and cannot be explored in just one day, though I tried. There are lots of paved walking paths and roads, but they can be a bit bumpy in some areas. There are also some hard-packed dirt/gravel trails that I didn’t have a problem with in my chair. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sandra wasn't able to host me, but<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">About an hour subway ride from <st1:city w:st="on">Manhattan</st1:city> is <st1:place w:st="on"><b>Coney Island</b></st1:place>. There’s a fair with rides and games, beach, and boardwalk. It’s flat and there are ramps so I didn’t have any trouble. I really liked the boardwalk and pier. It’s made with wooden planks, so the ride is bumpy and will require some extra work. I didn’t ask about beach chairs to get out on the sand. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I checked out the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>United Nations</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> one rainy day. The buildings are completely accessible. I didn’t go on a tour because the ticket lineup was very long and it cost like $18 plus a two hour wait for a guided tour.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">brisket sandwich at Katz's</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">People kept telling me to go to <b>Katz Deli</b>. I went there for lunch one day. It’s completely accessible. No steps at all to get in. I paid $15 for a sandwich and I just did not think it was worth it. </span></div>
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<br /></div>Vincehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10180480234705044194noreply@blogger.com0New York, NY, USA40.7143528 -74.005973140.5217853 -74.3218301 40.9069203 -73.690116100000012tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724565605061987377.post-63300248961711891612010-09-05T20:10:00.000-07:002012-03-12T16:55:13.372-07:00Philadelphia - August 2010<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Olivia (middle) and her roommates </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">took me to a neighbourhood pub</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">on my first night.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finding a host in Philly was easier than NY. One guy whose CS profile said his couch was accessible agreed to host me, but then told me there were four steps to get into his house. Now I can handle a few steps, as I did in LA, but I continued to look for another host without steps to make things easier for me.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finally, a girl named Olivia agreed to host me. She lived in an apartment with another guy and girl. Thankfully, there were no steps to get into the apartment. The washroom was a bit tight, but the doorway was wide enough for my chair and I could get in all the way and still shut the door.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Olivia is a spunky girl with lots of energy and life. On my first night, her and her roommates took me to a neighborhood pub for dinner and drinks. I learned that all three of them were medical students at the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Pennsylvania</st1:placename></st1:place>. Olivia was nice enough to give me a key to the apartment so I could come and go was I pleased. This turned out be very helpful because since they were all so busy, I spent most of time in Philly doing things on my own. My only other time talking to Olivia was late on my second night when she got home from work. She knows the city very and even though she couldn’t join me for sightseeing, she recommended some great sights to see and pointed me in the right direction. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Every city bus was accessible with low floors and a ramp that flips out. Philly isn’t a very big city, so I got around fine just on the bus. I didn’t need to take the subway at all so I can’t comment too much on that. However, when I looked at the subway map, it looked like almost every station was accessible. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have to admit, my mean reason for wanting to visit Philly was to see the <b>Rocky statue and steps</b> made famous by Sylvester Stallone in the Rocky movies. I loved this movie when I was a kid, mostly because I used to watch it with my Dad. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So on my first full day, I headed straight on over to the <b>Philadelphia Museum of Art</b>. The statue is located at the bottom of the stairs on the right side. There was a guy selling T-shirts and other Rocky merchandise, but I didn’t buy anything. Now, to get to the top of the famous steps you need to push up the road that leads to the main entrance. You then go through the parking lot on the east side and eventually end up at the top of the stairs. So you may not be able to the climb the steps in your wheelchair, but you can persevere like Rocky did and push yourself up that steep road and raise your arms in glory when you get to the top!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From there, I pretty much walked right across downtown Philly, which is very doable, and checked out the <b>Liberty Bell</b> and <b>Independence Hall</b>. Both are free and fully accessible. I never knew that <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Philadelphia</st1:city></st1:place> was such a historical city, so it was kind of neat to learn about its significance in American history. </span></div>
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The best Philly Cheesesteak from</div>
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Jim's</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My host suggested I go to Jim’s for the best Philly Cheesesteak and she was absolutely right. I had the authentic version which is made with cheese whiz and fried onions and it was the best I had ever had. Funny story: Jim’s is also the first place that someone asked me if I was in a wheelchair. I’m dead serious! I was in the lineup looking at the menu, and an employee walks up to me and says with an ‘afro’ accent “you in a wheelchair?” I hesitated a bit, but eventually replied yeah. Then he pulled me out of the line, told me to go sit over at a table and he would come by and take my order. So essentially, I got table service in a place where people were getting herded through like cattle. Later on, I saw a sign that read disabled persons can just get a table and someone would come take their order. I was quite impressed this small eatery had a policy like that, but being asked if I was in a wheelchair does make for a good story.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Later that night I kept wondering around and found Benjamin Franklin’s grave and a park with the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Overall, I found Philly to be a very nice city that despite its age was still very accessible. </span></div>
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<br /></div>Vincehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10180480234705044194noreply@blogger.com0Philadelphia, PA, USA39.952335 -75.16378939.757580499999996 -75.479645999999988 40.1470895 -74.847932tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724565605061987377.post-90306975133918041162010-07-10T21:39:00.000-07:002012-03-12T16:53:56.146-07:00Los Angeles - July 2010<div class="MsoNormal">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Liz and I celebrating 4th of July</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finding a host in LA was difficult since I chose to go during the 4<sup>th</sup> of July long weekend. Most people I wrote to were either busy or out of town. I also learned something new about CSers in LA that didn’t exist in other cities. There were many single, male hosts who only hosted females. What’s up with that? Kind of creepy if you ask me.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyway, I learned that the key to finding a host in LA is to expand your search geographically to include the sprawling suburbs. I finally got an offer to host from a very nice girl named Liz who lived with her brother and parents in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Burbank</st1:place></st1:city>. I found it awesome that her family was warm to the idea of couchsurfing. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Liz and her family were absolutely amazing hosts and their hospitality was extraordinary. She picked me up at LAX and drove me all the way back to their house in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Burbank</st1:city></st1:place> – about 45 min each way. Liz designated her house as wheelchair accessible, but there were actually two steps to get in. She told me already through email so I was prepared. Since I’m a strong and mobile guy, I was able to get out onto the steps and pull my chair up and then hop back in my chair. Once inside, the house was mainly flat except to get to the TV room, but I didn’t need to watch TV while I was on vacation. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The guest house in the back yard</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The original sleeping arrangement was to setup a mattress in the living room. However, they actually have a guest house in the backyard they normally rent out. As luck would have it, the tenant moved out only a few days before I arrived. So they told me I could stay in the guest house! I had my own room, kitchen, and bathroom! It turned out to be my most luxurious couchsurf yet. As for meals, I had home-cooked meals with the family everyday. Even on the day when I was out with my own friends, Liz called and told me they would save some dinner for me when I got back. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Liz’s Dad was fun to talk to, especially since he loved <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region>. We talked about finance, politics, and Canadian things like hockey. I was very fortunate to have them as hosts and they were a very sweet family indeed. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I found LA to be one of the most accessible cities I have visited. It is true when they say you really need a car in LA because everything is spread out and the public transportation system is not good. I can’t say anything about public transit because I was driven around everywhere, but pretty much every place I went to was very accessible and I didn’t have any problems. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LA Zoo</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I told Liz that I liked zoos and so she suggested going to the <b>LA Zoo</b> on my first day. Since I’m writing this 8 months after my visit, I can’t remember if I got a discount. It won’t hurt to ask. The zoo is massive and I don’t think I saw everything. It was also very hot that day so I didn’t want to see everything under the beating sun. There were a few steep hills, but everything is paved so I didn’t have any trouble. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getty Villa in Malibu</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The next day I joined Liz and her friends at the <b>Getty Villa</b> in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Malibu</st1:city></st1:place>. This place is not only one of the nicest art museums I have ever seen, it’s also a model of accessibility. And it’s FREE to boot! They don’t even ask you for a donation! However, you have to pay $15 for parking. Since it’s built on a hill, I thought the wheelchair access would be bad with lots of stairs, but I could tell they built the museum with accessibility in mind. I didn’t have to go on a wild goose chase to find ramps. They were built right along side the steps, out of the same material – which was usually marble. Elevators where no problem, and there was designated seating in the theatre.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jade and I in front of Van Gogh mural</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We then went for lunch on the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Third Street Promenade</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> in </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Santa Monica</st1:city></st1:place></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. After that I met up with Jade who couchsurfed with me the summer before in </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Vancouver</st1:place></st1:city></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. We walked along the famous boardwalk in </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on"><b>Venice</b></st1:placename><b> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Beach</st1:placetype></b></st1:place></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. Medical marijuana is legal here and there was no shortage of people wanting to sell you ‘prescriptions’. There were plenty of merchants selling various items of clothing, artwork, and even something called cactus jelly. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Norm Macdonald</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of my goals while visiting LA was to spot a celebrity and to my delight while walking along </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on"><b>Santa Monica</b></st1:placename><b> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Beach</st1:placetype></b></st1:place></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> I spotted Norm Macdonald who is also Canadian. He was a fixture on Saturday Night Live back in the 90s. Jade and I finished the day off wondering around the Santa Monica Pier and ate some sweet potato fries.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Jackson's star</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The next day I met up with Anne who was my very first couchsurfer a year earlier in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Vancouver</st1:place></st1:city>. She took me to the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Griffith Observatory</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> which is also another free museum. From there you get the closest views of the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><st1:place w:st="on"><b>Hollywood</b></st1:place></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b> sign</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. After that we headed to the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><st1:city w:st="on">Hollywood</st1:city></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> and </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Highland</st1:city></st1:place></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> centre which is really just a mall, but what I really wanted to see there was the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Hollywood Walk of Fame</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> and </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Mann’s Chinese Theatre</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. Anne and I had to be very aggressive to get a photo taken in front of Michael Jackson’s star.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bob's Big Boy with Matt</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The next day I had lunch with Matt Getze at </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Bob’s Big Boy</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> in </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Burbank</st1:city></st1:place></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. Matt has a website about disability travel that I stumbled upon one day while researching accessible travel. Matt and I have much in common: we both are wheelchair users, we both had polio as children, and we both love to travel - solo. Since Matt lives in LA, I wanted to try and meet him to talk about traveling in a wheelchair. It was very inspiring to meet Matt and hear his stories. Check out his site:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This day also happened to be the 4<sup>th</sup> of July and Liz and her family took me to a concert at the Starlight Bowl in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Burbank</st1:place></st1:city>. We watched bands play, ate fried chicken and watched fireworks. Boy, did I every feel American!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Burnadette, Sabrina, and sister<br />
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<o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For the last afternoon of my trip, I went to meet Burnadette and her couchsurfer Sabrina. I was supposed to surf with Burnadette for a couple of days, but I ended staying with Liz the whole time. She took me to eat the best fish tacos in LA and then to <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><b>Manhattan Beach</b></st1:place></st1:city> before dropping me off at the airport. </span></div>
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<br /></div>Vincehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10180480234705044194noreply@blogger.com0Los Angeles, CA, USA34.0522342 -118.243684933.6312602 -118.87539890000001 34.4732082 -117.6119709tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724565605061987377.post-34135569757796532542009-09-02T23:52:00.000-07:002012-03-12T16:57:18.733-07:00Chicago - Aug 2009<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">C</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">OUCH</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">S</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">URFING</span></b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finding a host in </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Chicago</st1:place></st1:city></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> took a few tries, but I eventually stayed with a very nice girl named Sylvia who works in theatre. She lives in a large apartment with her roommate, Sean, near Wrigley Field. There was an L station just a few blocks from her place, so I was able to take the train straight there all the way from </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Midway</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Airport</st1:placetype></st1:place></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sylvia was very accommodating to my travel schedule. Sean was home at the time of my arrival to let me in, then Sylvia gave me a spare set of keys so I could come and go as I wanted. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My sleeping arrangement was a very comfortable futon in the living room. There happened to be another couchsurfer there my first night who slept on a mattress on the floor at the opposite end of the living room, but the room was so big that I barely noticed he was even there. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Chicago</st1:place></st1:city> has an elevated subway system appropriately called the ‘L’. Many stations are accessible, but not all. The closest station to Sylvia’s place is <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Belmont</st1:place></st1:city>, but at the time of this trip they were actually in the process of installing an elevator. So I had to get on/off at the next station <st1:place w:st="on">Addison</st1:place>, which was only a 10min walk to Sylvia’s. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sean, German couchsurfer, and Sylvia<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The reason I was in <st1:city w:st="on">Chicago</st1:city> in the first place was because I was on my way from <st1:city w:st="on">Ottawa</st1:city> to <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Minneapolis</st1:place></st1:city> to see a friend from University. I figured since <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Chicago</st1:place></st1:city> was on the way, I would stop over for a few days and check the city out. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On my first night, Sylvia took me to the outdoor movie festival in <b>Grant Park</b> where we watched Tootsie. This is the same park where Barrack Obama made his victory speech after winning the 2008 election. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Cloud Gate</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I spent the next day on my own exploring downtown. I saw <b><st1:placename w:st="on">Willis</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Tower</st1:placename></b> (formerly <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Sears</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Tower</st1:placename></st1:place>), but I didn’t go up because it was cloudy that day. Being a banker and finance major, I geeked it up and checked out the <b>Chicago Mercantile Exchange</b> where derivatives and commodities are traded in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> There’s a free little museum in the lobby, but there’s not a whole lot to see there. The <b>Federal Reserve Bank</b> also had a little museum and between the two places, it was an educational couple of hours out of the rain learning about American finance. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chicago-style hot dogs from<br />
Gold Coast Dogs</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtZC1-bkN9kufWnmN6bu5noUkfFYNNRxWThK3EnGjh7nFQ4u5zQIM82KW5inBi0q7VFQ2vOlIMr3lF2EGAN0k6qtgIlnqbUhjlCWvP4Dm96EZljnRtSmifiT1BfwRPi4J9URYiLyfoIrhO/s1600/Ottawa-Midwest-077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtZC1-bkN9kufWnmN6bu5noUkfFYNNRxWThK3EnGjh7nFQ4u5zQIM82KW5inBi0q7VFQ2vOlIMr3lF2EGAN0k6qtgIlnqbUhjlCWvP4Dm96EZljnRtSmifiT1BfwRPi4J9URYiLyfoIrhO/s200/Ottawa-Midwest-077.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">dolphin show at the <br />
Shedd Aquarium</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On my last day I spent the afternoon at the <b>Shedd Aquarium</b> which is enormous and has a huge amphitheatre for dolphin shows overlooking <st1:place w:st="on">Lake Michigan</st1:place>. I found it to be much nicer than the Aquarium here in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Vancouver</st1:place></st1:city>.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For my last night, Sylvia and I met up with some other couchsurfers and took in some campy, local theatre. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I didn’t expect much from <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Chicago</st1:place></st1:city>, but I really enjoyed it there. It has some fantastic building architecture and great scenery, being right on the lake. There’s plenty to do and lots of famous food to eat. Who knew this city in the middle of the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> could be so fun? </span></div>
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<br /></div>Vincehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10180480234705044194noreply@blogger.com0Chicago, IL, USA41.8781136 -87.629798241.6889521 -87.94565519999999 42.067275099999996 -87.3139412tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724565605061987377.post-22597046823552279252009-09-01T23:49:00.000-07:002012-03-12T16:56:29.721-07:00Montreal - Aug 2009<div class="MsoNormal">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mont Royal</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was only in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Montreal</st1:place></st1:city> for a couple of days to attend my cousin’s wedding. I chose to stay for an extra night and couchsurf before heading back to <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ottawa</st1:place></st1:city>. I stayed with a girl named Marianna who lived with her boyfriend Mihai. Marianna is from Mexico and Mihai is from Romania. They are both students at <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Concordia</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype></st1:place>. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Marianna had a nice apartment downtown. Unfortunately, the bathroom doorway was too narrow for my chair so I had to use a rolling office chair in the bathroom. Thank goodness for those! I slept on a futon in the living. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The day I was there happened to be one of the hottest days of the summer and Marianna had no air conditioning – not even a fan! She also lives on the second floor, so having the windows open means having to hear street traffic. I remember lying wide awake on the futon, not moving, but still sweating. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Overall, Marianna and Mihai were very nice hosts. Marianna pretty much spent the whole time with me. She even made me a hot breakfast in the morning. Mihai only worked the first day and the three of us spent the next day together visiting sights in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Montreal</st1:place></st1:city>. </span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">A</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">CCESSIBILTY</span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Montreal</st1:place></st1:city>’s metro is not accessible. Actually, there are 3 stations in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Laval</st1:place></st1:city> that have elevators, but that is pretty much useless. The street busses are all accessible, but they have a strange setup because the wheelchair ramp is at the back. So you wait for the bus at the front and tell the driver you need the ramp, then go to the back and board.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I rode the Greyhound between <st1:city w:st="on">Montreal</st1:city> and <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ottawa</st1:place></st1:city> and for that you must book 48 hours in advance so they can arrange to have a bus equipped with a lift for you. It’s rather inconvenient and doesn’t allow for spontaneous travel, but that’s what you have to do. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">A</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">TTRACTIONS / </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">S</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">IGHTSEEING</span></b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Marianna and I spent my first day walking around downtown, <b>Old Montreal</b>, and the <st1:place w:st="on">St. Lawrence River</st1:place> waterfront. It was very hot that day – probably around 30°C. The next day they took me up to <st1:place w:st="on"><b>Mont Royal</b></st1:place>. It was even hotter this day. I’d say around 32-33°C. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the evening, I met up with my high school friend Phil and his girlfriend for dinner in the <st1:place w:st="on"><b>Latin Quarter</b></st1:place>. This is a very vibrant and artistic part of the city, but unfortunately most places are not accessible. Either you will find stairs going up or stairs going down to get into most restaurants or café’s. However, we did manage to find a nice Italian place with a level entrance. </span></div>Vincehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10180480234705044194noreply@blogger.com0Montreal, QC, Canada45.5086699 -73.553992545.3306269 -73.8698495 45.6867129 -73.238135500000013tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724565605061987377.post-89710116714745132912009-07-02T20:52:00.000-07:002012-03-12T16:51:59.124-07:00San Francisco - June 2009<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-X_3eVpga6zMhXajXMnyrfD9JnL7KJyz49m7kKhhsAIVNSgqXfZCRukqWse0Qz8CrXu1n4vy3svPyitVzpQOGChfiaC0UGdSdq1r0GH6qgdyJKk_mnOMe1kFjtu_LEttX4ph3rC_zg0Xt/s1600/San+Francisco-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-X_3eVpga6zMhXajXMnyrfD9JnL7KJyz49m7kKhhsAIVNSgqXfZCRukqWse0Qz8CrXu1n4vy3svPyitVzpQOGChfiaC0UGdSdq1r0GH6qgdyJKk_mnOMe1kFjtu_LEttX4ph3rC_zg0Xt/s200/San+Francisco-001.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lye's house in Oakland</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For my first couchsurfing trip, I decided to take a short 4
day trip to <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">San Francisco</st1:place></st1:city>.
This was my first time to <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">California</st1:place></st1:state>
and it started off as quite an adventure. I had requested to stay with a number
of hosts, but the only one who accepted was Lye. He didn’t live in <st1:city w:st="on">San Francisco</st1:city>, but rather <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Oakland</st1:place></st1:city> which was easy to get to on the Bay
Area Rapid Transit (BART). The BART line I needed to take went directly from
SFO airport to <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Oakland</st1:place></st1:city>
and his house was only 4 blocks away from the station. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihnngSD28u-JrThft1RBh_lTk-ip0_aun1g2mqSAb4NkpSbR7Ywm0X7Gt2iL7NlJ2ACDUFv5XWYdTUVxl1BMwmHZL0jGFskWeLEDyWsmOH8mpeatnDW0s8PHwj9k91lk-MdkWApK6sGdVB/s1600/San+Francisco-125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihnngSD28u-JrThft1RBh_lTk-ip0_aun1g2mqSAb4NkpSbR7Ywm0X7Gt2iL7NlJ2ACDUFv5XWYdTUVxl1BMwmHZL0jGFskWeLEDyWsmOH8mpeatnDW0s8PHwj9k91lk-MdkWApK6sGdVB/s200/San+Francisco-125.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">with Lye at the Ferry Building</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I talked to Lye once on the phone a few days ahead of time
just to confirm all the travel details. He lives with his wife in this
beautiful house and I was supposed to stay in a guest house they built in their
backyard. Lye told me beforehand that they were flying in from <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Boston</st1:place></st1:city> on the day of my arrival. When I
arrived at his house in the early evening, no one was home. I called him on my
cell phone and he told me their flight was really delayed and that he wouldn’t
be home until the middle of the night.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So here I am, a very long ways away from home on my first
couchsurfing trip, and just about ready to spend the night on some dude’s
porch. I was starting to regret joining couchsurfing. But while on the phone
with Lye, he directed me to a spot around the side of the house where he hid a
spare set of keys for the house, and car! He apologized profusely for not being
home and told me to go ahead inside and make myself at home. He also said if I
needed to go anywhere, I could use his car! I was quite taken aback by his
trustworthiness. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now there were 4 steps to get inside, but they were really
wide steps so I was able to bum it up and pull my chair up with me. It was
absolutely gorgeous once inside. There was a spare bedroom with its own
bathroom! It’s like I was staying in a bed and breakfast. Lye felt bad I was
all alone so he called his friend and asked her to come by to check on me. We
chatted for a few minutes, but then she had to go so I was on my own again. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I relaxed for a bit and ate dinner, and I tried to wait up
for Lye to get home, but I was very tired so I went to bed. I woke up the next
morning and that’s when I actually met my host! So essentially, I had the keys
to his house and car, I slept in his house, and I did all of this before even
meeting him! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyway, Lye is a great guy and I hope no one ever takes
advantage of his generosity. He was very helpful at planning things to do while
in the city. We went out for dinner one night, and he took me on a driving tour
of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">San Francisco</st1:place></st1:city>.
Even though things got off to a rocky start, he turned out be a great and
memorable host. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Transportation</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Overall, pubic transportation in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">San Francisco</st1:place></st1:city> is very wheelchair friendly. BART
is mostly accessible, but not every station has elevators so keep this in mind
when planning your trip. Be sure to purchase a Red Ticket for people with
disabilities that will get you 62.5% off regular fares. Big savings! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I never rode the subway so I can’t make any comments on
that, but from what I saw they look accessible. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Street Cars have a ghetto accessibility system. Every stop
has these concrete ramps and a platform at the top specifically for wheelchair
users. When you’re on the platform, you wave down a street car and then the
operator manually folds out a metal ‘bridge’ for you to wheel into the car.
Once inside there are the usually straps and tie-downs. It may seem old school,
but it gets the job done!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Cable Cars are completely inaccessible. There’s no way for a
person in a wheelchair to get on. These are ridden mostly by tourists because
when you think of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">San Francisco</st1:place></st1:city>
transit, you think of the historic cable cars. You can still get around pretty
well using other forms of transit. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">other couchsurfers I met up with<br />
at Pride Parade</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Before leaving for </span><st1:place style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">San
Francisco</st1:city></st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, I had joined the SF Couchsurfing group and
I learned that a bunch of CSers were getting together to watch the Pride Parade
on the day of my arrival. That morning, I pretty much went directly from SFO
airport to downtown and met up with other CSers to watch the parade. I ended up
spending the whole day with people I had just met and it was a blast. I even
met one girl there who was from my hometown of </span><st1:place style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Ottawa</st1:city></st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Golden Gate Bridge</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The <st1:placename w:st="on">Golden Gate</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Bridge</st1:placetype> is a complete must for any person of any
ability when visiting <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">San Francisco</st1:city></st1:place>.
Not only is it free, it’s completely accessible. You can wheel across and back
without ever encountering any steps. Keep in mind that it can get windy, foggy,
and cold (even in July) on the bridge. Be sure to bring a jacket!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alcatraz</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The highlight of my trip was taking the <st1:place w:st="on">Alcatraz</st1:place>
tour. I thought an old prison would be a nightmare for someone in a wheelchair,
but it turned out to be one of most accessible places I’ve every visited. It
costs around $26, including the ferry and audio tour. If you can, buy your
tickets in advance online and avoid waiting in the long lineups. However, if
you’re disabled, you can just skip the lineups anyway. The ferry was no
problem, but I couldn’t get on the 2<sup>nd</sup> level where you can enjoy
better views. No big deal. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once on <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Alcatraz</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Island</st1:placetype></st1:place>, everything is
fairly flat and really easy to get around. The main cell building is at the
top. You can either take a tram that only seniors and anyone with limited
mobility can take, but I chose to challenge myself and push all the way to the
top. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The main cell block is very flat and even has a modern
elevator to get to the 2<sup>nd</sup> level. The only obstacle was a few steps
outside in the courtyard, but other than it was extremely easy to enjoy the
entire prison. No trip to <st1:city w:st="on">San Francisco</st1:city> is
complete without seeing <st1:place w:st="on">Alcatraz</st1:place>. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">horse zodiac in Chinatown</td></tr>
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<st1:place style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" w:st="on">Chinatown</st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> is a popular
tourist attraction in SF, but I didn’t have anyone to show me around, so I just
strolled around aimlessly on my own. The main street is steep in some sections,
but otherwise it’s very clean and there are many cool shops and restaurants.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Union Square</st1:address></st1:street>
is a great downtown meeting place. You can just grab a seat here and relax here
with a cup of coffee while enjoying the free Wi-Fi courtesy of Google. There
are stairs but you can get to the various levels by just going around the
outside, along the sidewalks. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE58juZqSN79kmwekvwuns-ZfEpSs7Q_X7Dm7dDr_itsPzJfKEknBTt5KVY9Y_q0ErwRwlQ9_S94jEGVyyZ88m5KUlIzwQEJkZCVkMdbUv8b-Pc3flFfuhUF7-Q9jEn3SHyny4PFsRKwzg/s1600/San+Francisco-132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE58juZqSN79kmwekvwuns-ZfEpSs7Q_X7Dm7dDr_itsPzJfKEknBTt5KVY9Y_q0ErwRwlQ9_S94jEGVyyZ88m5KUlIzwQEJkZCVkMdbUv8b-Pc3flFfuhUF7-Q9jEn3SHyny4PFsRKwzg/s200/San+Francisco-132.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">stupid sphinx in <br />
Fisherman's Wharf</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fisherman’s Wharf is an over the top tourist trap. For some
reason, it’s a major tourist attraction and I have no idea why because there is
nothing authentic or unique about it. When you think of a fisherman’s wharf,
you might think of a pier where you can buy fresh, live seafood off a boat, but
not here. Instead, you get tacky souvenir stores, stupid museums like Ripley’s
Believe It or Not, out of place sculptures, and an amusement park that’s a
total rip off. It reminded me a lot of the over-the-top section of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Niagara Falls</st1:place></st1:city>. Check it
out because you kind of have to, but don’t spend a lot of time here. </span></div>
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<br /></div>Vincehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10180480234705044194noreply@blogger.com0San Francisco, CA, USA37.7749295 -122.419415537.6745235 -122.577344 37.8753355 -122.261487