Sunny jollies

I find myself here on the PC attempting to book hotels and transport for a few days off I have at the beginning of next month. I haven't had enough holidays this year so I decided to take a week off with the idea of popping off to London for a few days to catch up with chums and do some touristy stuff. Now, I've been looking at train tickets. There was much publicity a few months back about the confusing range of train tickets available and the conditions you had to observe to get them. Like anyone would want to go for anything other than the cheapest tickets available. Very often these days its cheaper to get two singles and indeed, for my trip out on Thursday I can get one for £12.50. Marvellous. Sunday is a different matter. Nothing under £50 unless you want to travel really late and run the risk of your train being cancelled or getting to your destination so late that one has to get a taxi home (and it aint cheap from Manchester to here in a cab). The journey on a Sunday already takes upwards of 3 1/2 hours by the looks of it. No doubt due to engineering works. Joy. I did think of getting a train there & a flight back. It'd be cheaper and quicker. But the cheapest/best flights are either from Stanstead (too far) or leave too late in the day. Humph! So a three hour journey on the train it is. Now I just either have to ring up & see if they have any cheap tix or traipse to Manchester Piccadilly to get them in person. Despite it being more convenient to buy tix online I often end up buying them in person because that's where I can get the best deal. 21st century my arse.

So, then to hotels. I haven't had a huge amount of luck with hotels in London. Most places I have been able to afford have been decidedly dog-eared when I got there. Peeling paint, dirty carpets, bathrooms so tiny you couldn't swing a gerbil never mind a cat and one room with a faintly odd smell. The last one I stayed in was about the best. Very convenient location and it was clean and not too pokey but the bed!!!! Oh dear oh dear. Ever seen that episode of Father Ted where they're trying to give stuff up for lent and they get a nun in who replaces Ted's mattress with bricks? I think she'd been let loose in my hotel. Such a pity as it was the nicest so far. And recommended in my Lonely Planet book too. This time I've got my eye on another one from the LP book. Its in Kensington which is a little bit out of the way but in such a high falutin' neighbourhood that its got to be good, surely? And lots of readers love it apparently. The price makes me a tad suspicious though. Far too cheap for that area ie £35 a night. I'll still give it a go though if they've got a room spare.

One thing I really, really must do is finally decide if I'm going to go to San Francisco and LA next February. Some chums go every year to the Gallifrey Dr Who convention in LA and it sounded like so much fun that I wanted to go too. But I don't just want to go to LA for a Con. I've been told by a few people that LA isn't much to write home about anyway and is really awkward to get around on public transport. So I decided I'd go to San Fran for a week first then spend a few days in LA. Flights look reasonable and the LAX Marriott where the Con is held is also within my budget I think. I'm having trouble finding a hotel in SF though. There's so much to choose from. I think I've got an idea of which one to stay in but I'm wondering if I'd have the same problem in SF as I have done in London ie the cheapest hotels are deeply dodgy. And what with everything else the cost is mounting so rapidly that my purse is cringing with fear. I'd love to go. I've even kept those couple of weeks free just in case. Of course, what I could do is forego SF altogether and just go to LA for the Con and a few touristy bits. SF sounds much much nicer though. Oh what's a girl to do? I have to decide sharpish as time is really getting on and before I know it'll be Christmas and my finances will be depleted.

Talking of Christmas and hotels though (sorry to mention the C word) our works Christmas do is going to be very posh indeed. Never ones to do anything by halves we're having it in the new Hilton hotel in the very new Beetham Tower skyskraper on Deansgate. And there's talk of a few of us staying over. Rooms are upwards of £110 a night though. We reckon if we can persuade 10 people to stay over we could pay £11 each. Lets see, two, maybe three in the bed, one in the bath, one in a chair or sofa (if there is one) and that leaves six kipping on the floor. Ooh its like my twenties all over again. Bagsy being in the bed though. And preferably with my boss. Snigger.