West Coast Hotties

Streetwalkers? Illegal Seattle limousines get sleazy.

If you see a Lincoln towncar in Seattle offering "limo rides for the price of a taxi" - you might want to think twice.  Limos and taxis are licensed in Seattle and other cities - but an underground economy has sprung up of unlicensed drivers ready to take you on a ride.  There is no regulation of this industry as it basically is a guy with a car - who can sell rides for a price.  A number of criminals have been found to be operating in these services and they do operate outside of the law.

While most limousine sedan services are licensed - make sure to ask to see a license.  There are likely as many unlicensed services (or more) as there are licensed.   Some of the drivers of the unlicensed towncars may not have been able to pass the more rigorous written and driving tests required to operate legally in the industry.

This practice is most notorious under the Alaskan Way viaduct in Seattle where the cruise ships arrive and board on the way to Alaska.  Our advice:  it's not the best way to save a buck - use a licensed taxi or limousine service when you travel to Seattle, San Francisco, and other cities. 

The Seattle Post Intelligence broke this story - and we gratefully link to them here.

Public "Whorage" : Broken Trust at the Mini-Storage

  Moving Day:  You've got a lot of stuff, and need somewhere to put it.  Across America, Public Storage is the #1 mini-storage provider and growing annually at a ferocious clip.  When we found Public Storage's reservation on the Internet - it was ultra-convenient.  You could book a storage unit, just like a hotel room - and there were huge discounts too.  We got our first month free, and the rent was very reasonable for the metro-Seattle (Bellevue) Washington area. 

We trotted down to the Public Storage to pay for our reservation and check out the storage.  That's when things went downhill - fast.  At the Storage office, the staff seemed uneducated and clueless.  They had no idea about the $1 deal - despite our "reservation" - but even worse -- they charged us well over 20% the rent on the reservation.  We told them about the error, but they refused to change the rental rate and pressured us to sign a lease with the incorrect rate.

Repeated calls to Public Storage in Kirkland, Washington were ignored (they only occasionally answer their phone) -- so we followed up with a formal fax explaining the issue and documenting our reservation.  It was easy enough for them to ignore the fax (with a print-out of our reservation) also.  If you're looking for mini-storage, we'd avoid the website for Public Storage.  The website "reservations" are both meaningless and ignored at the storage locations.    We'd fall just short of considering this fraudulent - but it's pretty close.

Public Storage has done an excellent job of turning us from a fan -- into their most public detractor.  We'd recommend you avoid them.   The story does have a happy ending - we found space in our garage and canceled the entire contract with these bumbling scammers.

Update June 17:  After speaking with the exact personnel who gave us the wrong rate (and we noted to them) - we finally received a 15 second voicemail from the "manager" that our rate had been revised.  We also received a form letter (it is designed for rent INCREASES) noting our new rate.  Looks like they're a little better on the rent increase side.

In the spirit that makes our country great - we showed Public Storage mini-storage the laws of supply and demand.  We canceled our "$1 first month" contract within the first month so they turned a continuous annuity of $317 per month -- into just their wasted time.  The same people were again at the desk when we canceled - they couldn't care less why we were canceling (they didn't even ask) - and had no questions / apology regarding the bait-and-switch rent rate tactics.  Public Storage, we hardly knew ya....

Lingerie & Espresso in Seattle: Very Hot Coffee

Our street team continued our research of Seattle's independent drive-thru coffee stands in their fight against big, corporate chains like Starbucks.  Last week - we reported on the publicity a Salem, Oregon "Coffee Nation" drive-thru has gotten with bikini baristas serving up coffee daily.  We'll be profiling a new and very special coffee drive through around Seattle every week with our personal review.  We'd like to include a photo of Seattle's best servers - but they declined our offer for photos, so we included a close representation below.

Today, we visited a Seattle lingerie coffee stand in Kenmore, Washington.  My Best Friend espresso seeks to become busy commuters "best friend" with a smile; great mochas; and some very tiny and transparent lingerie.  We'll be profiling a variety of these coffee stands that dare to compete with flare around the Seattle area, and hope to get comments and feedback with others around the United States.

There was a line (surprise) and My Best Friend's espresso and our server was wearing a black nightie that left very little to the imagination.  We pulled up and placed our order which was taken with a very nice smile.  There were around three workers keeping the busy line moving (there were people behind us too) in this off the beaten path area just north of Seattle and Microsoft's Redmond HQ.  The prices at $3.75 may even have been cheaper than Starbucks and we had a lot more fun.  If you live in the Seattle area or are visiting soon - Best Friend Espresso is worth a trip.  We're confident you'll be leaving a very nice tip.

My Best Friend Espresso (Detailed Map to Find It)
7330 NE Bothell Way 
Kenmore, Washington  98028

Coffee Baristas in Bikinis: Your coffee is so.... HOT.

Running an independent coffee shop against big-names like Seattle headquartered Starbucks is no picnic.  In Salem, Oregon, a new drive-thru coffee stand decided to take a new tack in the competitive world of coffee.  They picked their coffee serving baristas to work in bikinis. 

Owners Adam and Steven were feeling the pressure when government rules blocked clear access from a popular road into their drive-thru -- so they decided to fight back with creativity.  Coffee Nation is a partner with Hawaiian Tropic sunscreen to serve your coffee with a smile - and from the kind of server that many men appreciate greatly. 

The approach is fun, different - and definitely attention getting.  Coffee Nation also gets paid by Hawaiian Tropic to promote their product.  It's a partnership thats satisfying to customers, partners, and owners -- and a unique way to get some attention.

Any other bikini servers around San Francisco or across America?   As this story spreads - we're finding the trend has hit other Northwest cities.   At least three other drive-thru coffees around Seattle are offering similar service and the story is gaining national attention.  We'll roll up in our "limo" soon and update you in detail...

You will definitely want to make a trip to see the (extremely hot) bikini and lingerie baristas a part of your trip to a Seattle Hotel.   

Don't miss our incredible new slideshow bikini barista video of the Sweet Spot Cafe in Seattle.

San Francisco Beach Protest

Over 1,500 protesters in San Francisco spelled out a controversial message in an original way.  As the nation's debate over the war in Iraq continues to grow - citizens are finding more creative ways to express their views.   You might agree or disagree with the message, but its certainly a memorable way to send the message.   More photo's of this San Francisco beach protest can be seen here.

Making shopping bags illegal in San Francisco.

San Francisco's Board of Supervisors approved a ban on the evil of plastic shopping bags this week.   You no longer have to fear the environmental desctruction being wreaked by these wild bags - since you won't be getting them in San Francisco any longer.

The ban is estimated to save 450,000 barrels of oil annually and remove 1,400 tons of trash from landfills -- I guess these really add up!

"Recyclable" plastic bags are allowed (weren't these what supermarkets gave out anyways?).

California - leading our nation.   We support the environment - but this seems a bit excessive.  Thoughts?

Porn Production in a Historic Building?

We normally stay away from "news" around San Francico to focus on travel subjects - but this story caught our eye.  San Francisco neighborhoods are up in arms over a porn production company - focused on S&M topics - moving into one of the city's most historic buildings  -- the Mission Armory.

Yes, Kink.com - purveyors of S&M porn would become a stable, owner of a 200,000 square foot historic building (for a mere $15 mililion) that has sat empty for over thirty years.  The beautiful irony of this story is that the neighborhood was formerly up in arms that - gasp - the building would be used for CONDOs.  You can see the evil condo plans depicted by the former evil developer.  Now - being used as what is effectively office / production space -- they furor has only increased.  Take your pick - porn or condos (maybe it should be used for condoms instead of condos). 

This seems like a bit of an over-reaction, but I guess it's hard to know what it would be like to have a porn company operating next to your own house.  By all accounts, it's a boring and methodical process (like making any movie) which is 100% behind closed doors.   What do you think  -- is this appropriate to protest this use of the historic Mission Armory Building in a City neighborhood?

Story Links

Protests of Kink.com in San Francisco

Neighbor Statement on Mission Armory Building 

Public Meeting on Porn / Sex Movie Production at Historic San Francisco Building

Armoured Mercedes Limousines

What is the ultimate limousine for your trip?  Perhaps - announced this week -- the ARMOURED Pullman limousine from Mercedes.  Taking the name of an incredible railroad maker - the Pullman is for executives who demand the tops in quality and more importantly -- safety.  The Pullman limo exceeds standards set by any standard tested by the public or independent organization. In can withstand military standard small-arms projectiles, automatic firearms and grenades -- and do it with class and style. 

The Pullman limo is used to transport ultra-executives and celebs and can only be purchased via private consultation with Mercedes.  The engine pushes over 500 horsepower and over 600 lb-ft of torque.  If you've got about $500,000 to spend on the perfect limousine -- the Pullman is ready for your private showing. 

Look out Starbucks... A $40 cup of coffee in San Francisco...

If you thought inflation on gas prices was getting bad....   now restaurants are offering "super-premium" coffee similar to wine lists.   Single estate coffee can be found at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in San Francisco - where one of the top items is the rare coffee beans which are made from bird droppings.  Yes, the bird eats coffee beans - then poops them out which apperantly adds amazing (???) flavor to them.  The bird is called the Kopi Luwak and beans from its poop sell for over $75 a pound (could that be close to the price of good weed?)

So - if you've got the disposable income, try the new $40 cup of coffee in San Francisco.  It's certainly unique, and will at least help you stop complaining about the prices at Starbucks for a while. 

Crookedest street in the world?

Since the start of sfTravel.com in 1996, battles have raged on whether San Francisco's famous Lombard Street is the world's crookedest street.  We've received input from around the United States, but now want to open it up the world.

As far as we're concerned - Lombard Street is THE crookedest street anywhere.  If you disagree and can back it up -- feel free to comment.  Take a look at our photo above - it's crooked beyond belief or even reason and is attracting thousands of Nebraska tourists every day.  We'd love to see your photo if you think your city has got a more crooked street - because otherwise...

San Francisco's Lombard Street is the crookedest street in the universe!