Category Archives: Travel

Geek Out, Travel

Nintendo Store San Francisco

It came as a bit of a surprise when I heard that Nintendo would be opening a new store at Union Square, in downtown San Francisco. When you mention downtown San Francisco nowadays, the image that comes to mind are shuttered retail stores and fentanyl addicts. But in May of 2025, a month ahead of the Switch 2 launch, Nintendo opened only its second store in the USA.

Nintendo’s first store was at Rockefeller Plaza in New York City. I’ve visited there regularly since it opened over a decade ago. The San Francisco store has attracted a line of fans and tourists since its opening. Because of its popularity (and possibly to reduce the risk of theft), the store security has limited the number to 100 customers who can enter the store at a time. When I got there, the line was about a half block long, and it took about 20 minutes in queue before I got in.

The store has two levels. The street level has most of the San Francisco labeled Nintendo Store merchandise, and you will also find sections dedicated to the Mario Bros., Donkey Kong, and Animal Crossing. Downstairs are sections with merch for Splatoon, Pokémon, Pikman, Zelda, and the new Switch 2 console and games.

Whilst the San Francisco store is physically smaller than the New York Store, its design feels more like a boutique for a fashion brand than a retail game store. The San Francisco store offers a wider selection of products, apparel, and merchandise from a wider range of Nintendo franchises. Even if you’ve been the New York store, it’s well worth visiting the San Francisco store for a different experience.

Travel

NYC Fifth Avenue Apple Store

The Fifth Avenue Apple Store is Apple’s flagship store in Manhattan. Opened in 2006 and with its iconic glass cube installed in 2011, this store was built on the site of the General Motors Gardens. It still contains potted trees which are carefully illuminated by sunlight and artificial lighting.

The store was originally designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson. Its renovation in 2011, which included the construction of its iconic glass cube entrance, was by Foster + Partners and Apple’s chief design officer Jony Ive. It visually harkens to I.M. Pei’s Louver pyramid. The Apple Store sits at the corner of Fifth Avenue opposite Grand Army Plaza at the corner of Central Park.

Travel

Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge

Super Nintendo World is the Super Mario-themed area inside Universal Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles. This land opened in February 2023 and is a duplicate of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan in Osaka. The marque attraction is the Augmented Reality (AR) dark ride, Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge.

This ride and Super Nintendo World have had some long lines and waits so I opted to pay an extra $35 surcharge for Early Access to the park, which allowed us entry at 8 am instead of 9 am. This is egregious because back in 2000, $35 was the general entry fee to get into all of Universal Studios.

I’ll leave the debate on the value of this extra fee for later. It allowed us to walk straight up to the entrance of the Mario Kart ride, which displayed only a 15-minute wait. We breezed through rooms that contained the switchbacks for the line cue. The rooms were worth seeing as they were as meticulously designed as the rest of Super Nintendo World.

The cue takes you through the entrance of Bowser’s Castle, decorated with trophies from the Mario Kart races and fanciful workshops showing the construction of the obstacles and baddies from various Super Mario games. If you are a single rider, you can request to go into a shorter bypass line. Whilst shorter, this misses out on the decor and experience of the cue rooms.

Near the end of the cue, guests pick up a plastic Mario Visor Cap, which has a ratcheting headband similar to a modern bicycle helmet. This is the head mounting system for the AR goggles that are hard-wired into the ride karts. There are 4 seats per kart, and each seat has its own steering wheel and a wired set of AR goggles which attach to the brim of the Mario cap via strong magnets.

Hanging in front of you, the AR goggles project images of Mario Kart targets, baddies, and power-ups. Pressing the button on the steering wheel fires a power-up (ie. turtle shell) and turning the wheel aims the shot. You are presented with virtual baddies and allied players through the ride that you can shoot or protect to earn points. Even without the AR visuals and game, the ride itself is fancifully designed like a real-life version of the Mario Kart game.

Your team member’s power-up shots are visible in your goggles as well as your own. During my ride, I found it impossible to play the game while simultaneously filming it because of the position of the AR goggles near my face. For most of the ride, I was forced to take off my goggles and hold them in front of my camera, in hopes of capturing the experience.

The ride simulates the various tracks of the Mario Kart game and ends on the Rainbow Road, and finally, a boss battle with Bowser. You’re presented with your individual and team score at the end of the ride. The ride ends at the same platform as the start, exiting the opposite side of the kart. Pioneered at Disneyland, the ride exists through a large Nintendo gift shop, which is the only gift shop in Super Nintendo World. You can buy souvenirs or a Power-Up wristband for additional fun and expense.

Travel

NYC The Oculus

The Oculus is the architecturally stunning transit hub next to the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan in New York City. It houses the NJ PATH station with connections to 12 NYC subway lines. It also houses dining and stores managed by Westfield. It connects to the NYC Fulton Street subway station, One World Trade Center Tower and Observatory, Brookfield Place, and the Ferry Terminal in Battery Park City.

Designed by famed Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. In utility, function, and aesthetics, it is one of the finest transportation structures in the world and certainly the best transit building built in the United States this century.

Travel

NYC Ground Zero Memorial

The 9-11 Ground Zero Memorial is a pair of square fountain cascades that trace the footprint of the World Trade Center towers that once stood in this hallowed ground. Cascading waterfalls drain into the below-ground museum dedicated to the 2,996 who died on September 11, 2001 during the terrorist attack. At ground level, visitors can explore the park that formed the base of the Twin Tower plaza.

Travel

NYC One WTC Sky Lobby

I got rare access to the Sky Lobby at One World Trade Center (aka Freedom Tower) in lower Manhattan, New York City. This commercial lobby is not accessible to the general public, used by tenants and clients of the building. I was invited by a friend at NY Life Insurance to tour the Sky Lobby.

Travel

SF Great Highway Last Drive

My last drive on the Great Highway before they permanently closed it in March 2025. In 2024, a slim majority of San Francisco voters, approved Proposition K, closing the Great Highway to convert it into a public walkway and park. The majority of local neighbors voted against the closure.

Travel

SF New England Lobster

Just south of San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is a bona fide New England lobster pound. A place with open saltwater tanks holding live lobsters. They are flown in from Maine to SFO and offloaded and stored at the New England Lobster Market and Eatery in Burlingame, California.

This establishment is modeled after traditional lobster pounds and shacks in New England. This store is the source of “fresh Maine lobsters”, served in San Francisco’s fine restaurants and hotels. The general public is also welcome to shop in the market for live lobsters, shellfish, frozen lobster tails, and local crab. The market also has an eatery and restaurant that serve delicious lobster rolls, lobster tacos, and whole lobsters to the public.

While its far from the prices found in Maine, its still the cheapest place to eat fresh New England lobster in California.

Travel

SF Twin Peaks Panorama

https://youtu.be/-F_GWQ_6V1M

Twin Peaks is a hill above downtown San Francisco that offers a panoramic view of San Francisco Bay, Downtown San Francisco, and the Golden Gate Bridge. This is a popular spot with locals and tourists. But if you are a visitor, be warned that car thieves are known to frequent the area, so don’t leave anything valuable in your car.