Please tell me Oh City of San Diego, it's no secret that you have been having financial problems, so why are you redoing the sidewalks in my neighborhood that were just fine, with private contractors, of all things?

As we know, there were last fall's budget cuts, there is the pension crisis, and there are potholes so big that they are damaging cars, so why has the sidewalk on every corner of my neighborhood been dug up when there were no apparent problems. I jog the neighborhood several times per week and with a few exceptions have seen no breaks in the sidewalk or any real reason they weren't good enough.

What it looks like is that each corner is being replaced with a handicap accessible ramp. So ok, I get it, but still it doesn't seem to me enough to warrant the time and resources of hiring a private company to do this work. And I'm sorry, but for any wheelchairs that need to get up on the sidewalk, there is a driveway at least every 20 feet, so is it really necessary to put a ramp on every corner? In lieu of all the budget cuts and layoffs, I would think there are many other more pressing issues that could make use of this money. And why not use city workers that are on the payroll instead of hiring outside contractors to do the work?

Perhaps this is something that was approved years ago, or maybe it's cheaper to contract it than to use city workers? Beats me.

San Diego and California, just let it be noted that you're not winning any supporters. Without your great weather you would be lost.


Related Links:
A letter to the City of San Diego
Water Conservation - A letter to the city

Labels: budget, San Diego

I have been meaning to post this since I got back from Spain. To the right is a picture of what I packed, and actually there are quite a few things that I didn't end up using, some I would bring again since they were precautionary, but others I would scrap.

I actually only wore 2 or 3 different shirts the whole time, so I could have not brought one or two that I never wore. Also, brought two pairs of shoes, one "nice" pair of Sketchers in case I was out for dinner, and a pair of running sneakers. Only wore the sneakers, so I could have scrapped the other pair. I only read one of the books that I brought, so the others (not the guides) were overkill. The Lonely Planet guides were essential for me though. I also didn't use the quick drying towel or the lock that I brought. Those two things I would probably pack again though since they take up such little room. The other stuff I could have gone without, though on a different trip they may have been useful.

As for budget, my plane fare was around $1000 to fly from San Diego to Barcelona, and then Malaga to San Diego. Not great but also not bad. Expenses while in Spain totaled about $1200 for the 10 days, and this is after the exchange rate. This includes everything including hotel, food, drink, transportation, obligatory gifts, and incidentals. I wasn't trying to go on the cheap, but I also didn't want to go 5 star, so I am happy. While I was there the exchange rate was hovering between 68 to 72 cents to 1 Euro, so I spent approximately 850 Euros. This means I was well under 100 Euros per day, which makes me happy. And if I take out the transportation it drops to about 80 Euros per day. I am proud to say that I never took a cab and I really utilized the public transportation. I realize this total is a lot if you are a budget traveler, but also considering that it's Europe and how the economy is doing, I feel that I was right around where I hoped to be, as the same trip could have cost a LOT more.

If I break it down further, I spent an average of 40 euros (~$58 USD) per day on hotel, and this is actually skewed high because of the cost in Barcelona. Which then means I was spending about another 40 euros per day on food, drink, and local transportation. This actually breaks down quite nicely, since some days I was having only one cheap meal with a beer or two, and others I was spending a bit more to enjoy myself. Then add in coffee and probably a grand total of $150 on random gifts to bring home for the family, and there you have it. A great 10 days in Spain on an average budget which could be increased for more luxury or decreased to fix a shoestring budget.


Related Links:
Barcelona to Cordoba by Train
Barcelona, Spain
Graffiti, Barcelona, Spain
Graffiti, Granada, Spain

Labels: budget, packing, spain, travel