Parallax "shops" in SF (or Las Vegas) areas?
banjo
Posts: 447
Will travel from Finland to Las Vegas for a conference early November and will spend a few days (~48 hours) in San Francisco with a colleague before returning home.
Anyone knows of any shops in SF area (or Vegas) selling Parallax "stuff" to bring home with me?
BTW Any recommendations for in which area to stay in SF? Would e.g. some hotel close to e.g. Union Square be a good alternative for us if we want to utilize public transportation?
On the "must" list from the top of my head to see is at least Golden Gate, Alcatraz. I'll surf the web to find other places to visit but feel free to propose other "musts"
Anyone knows of any shops in SF area (or Vegas) selling Parallax "stuff" to bring home with me?
BTW Any recommendations for in which area to stay in SF? Would e.g. some hotel close to e.g. Union Square be a good alternative for us if we want to utilize public transportation?
On the "must" list from the top of my head to see is at least Golden Gate, Alcatraz. I'll surf the web to find other places to visit but feel free to propose other "musts"
Comments
Not sure about SF shops.
Try Fry's Electronics in Palo Alto (near Stanford University south of SF) or Las Vegas (near the airport).
Alternatively, rent a car and drive about 100 miles (round trip) to Parallax in Rocklin ... (order online and "Will Call"?)
I don't visit San Francisco, so I can't help with lodging or any other SF "culture" stuff. The Zoo and Pier39 (Alcatraz tours there) are nice though.
Did not know Parallax HQ is relatively close, will consider that option as well. If we are lucky we might perhaps get a "factory tour" at the same time.
Can you shop the Parallax online store and then have it shipped to your colleague's house in SF.? Could still save alot in shipping that way.
-Tommy
They are a small but very active authorized distributor and carry a wide variety of Parallax products. They do not have a storefront shop to browse that I know of, but you can order online and pick up products from their warehouse by appointment (see the Contact Us link). I do not know if they would make a special order if there is a Parallax product you would like that they do not currently carry, but it would certainly be worth asking since you have some lead time.
http://www.hobbyengineering.com/
Ask for...
-MattG
Yes, that's a good bet for Parallax stuff, and you can achieve one of the pillars of Parallaxia ;-). Make sure they are not on holiday before you go.
Fry's DIY around here is really unkempt except for all the Arduino books, AND their price for a DIP Propeller is still $12.50.
The Golden Gate bridge is a must see if you can see it through the fog! Just after lunch might be good. Check the weather forecast. A main reason so many people love to live in SF is that the fog keeps things cool almost all year round. I've never been to Coit Tower, but Pier 39 is a main tourist trap on "The Wharf" very close to the Alcatraz tour boats, the Sea Lions, some 3 masted schooner, Ripley's "Believe it or Not" museum, a public parking structure, street vendors, entertainers, vagrants, and a cable car stop (must ride a cable car while you're there). China town gift shops and restaurants are moderately interesting. There are many more things to see around here of course ... I've been in San Jose for about 30 years (far from SF in distance and ways), and still haven't been to Yosemite. Btw, the Zoo is a bit boring but my grandson loved it Penguins and all.
Don't forget to take a jacket. The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco. a quote sometimes attributed to Mark Twain. This also applies to Seattle and other ocean side cities ... similar quotes also attributed to Mark Twain. LOL.
I've been privileged to have been allowed three trips. Definately go to Parallax and meet the people who make this stuff happen.
Jeff
A question for anyone that has visited Parallax. What else is around there to do and which major Airport is it near? I would love to take a trip there but in order to justify it I need to have someplace for the wife to also visit. (She has NO interest in electronics!!!!)) She works for a major airline and I can get there for free!!!
1) Thunder Valley Casino, Roseville Galleria Mall, Folsom Lake, High Hand Nursery and Cafe, Historic Downtown Sacramento, Staybridge Suites Rocklin, and last but not least Mikuni Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar (because there is no Sushi better than a Rocklin Roll except maybe a Marilyn Monroll).
2) Sacramento International Airport.
Kiitos, Ken Gracey
Thx others for the other recommendations related to electronic shops and tourist attractions!
Terveisin,
Thomas
If a Saturday, there is a farmer's market at the Ferry building. If you like to walk, amble from the Ferry Bldg along the Embarcadero past pier after pier (tourist pier 39 and the Exploratorium on pier 15) to Fisherman's wharf, Ghirardelli Square, and then beyond that over the hill to Fort Mason, the yacht harbor, Crissy field, Fort Point then up onto and across the GG Bridge. Or, rent a bike for the same route. Or hire a rickshaw. Or hop on and off the Embarcadero trolley.
The commercial center of town is Union Square, and there is a cable car from there to and from Fisherman's wharf (Usually long lines though). Union Square is by the Chinatown gate, and it is an interesting walk down Grant (tourist) or Stockton (working) to little Italy at Columbus Street. Then straight down Columbus Street via streetcar to Fisherman's Wharf.
Golden Gate Park has a lot to offer. Inside the park there is a new science museum, also, the de Young Museum of Art, where there is a free elevator ride to the top floor and a fabulous 360 degree view of the city.
Thx Tracy for the input. BTW My colleague is from India so Finnish would not be an option for him
Hmm, perhaps we could take a flight from Vegas to Sacramento (instead of to SF) and rent a car there to visit "mecca". Then we'd of course need to find some transportation from Sacramento to SF. Sorry to ask again...but any decent bus/train routes between e.g. Sacramento & SF?
I'm sure Mike Robinson at Paratoys would be happy to give Mrs. North powered paragliding lessons.
Yeah, this is easy. We could pick you up at SMF (Sacramento airport), bring you to Parallax, and then drop you at the downtown Sacramento Amtrak station so you can get back to San Francisco Transbay Terminal. Once you're there you can easily get to SFO, BART, or some place to rent a bicycle so you can cross the Golden Gate Bridge. There's nothing you need to worry about ahead of time to do this.
I don't think you should scour the local RadioShacks for cheap QuickStart boards. I can give you a handful of them at Parallax and I won't try to sell you batteries or cell phones at the same time.
As for the wife, we have a giant shopping mall called the Westfield Galleria in nearby Roseville. Compared to Finland prices even the Coach purse store would look like a flea market from your perspective.
Ken Gracey
http://www.museemecaniquesf.com/
Ken, I never stop getting amazed at your and Parallax friendliness and closure to customers!
Who knows, we might very well accept your generous offer to get picked up at SMF. And I'm sure I'd buy a lot of cell phones and batteries from you if they'd have the Parallax brand
(Un)fortunately my wife is not with me (hurray, no shopping needed) to US as it is mainly a business trip, but I have a colleague from India who will travel with me.
As it turned out with flight schedules and business meetings we could not fit Rocklin into the schedule this time which is a pity. So from Vegas we fly directly to SF. Looking forward to escape the dark and rainy November here in Finland...
Ken or other Parallaxanians: You indicated it would be possible to ship to our hotel (in Vegas or SF). Should I just order the normal way and put my name c/o <Name of hotel> as shipping address? When would I need to place my order to ensure the package is shipped while I'm in US?
FYI: We'll be at Mandalay in Vegas 7-12 November and at King George in SF 13-15 November. In Vegas we are visiting CA World, anyone else from this community who will be there?
Kiitos!
-Thomas
Yes, what you propose is normal around here and should reach you just fine. I routinely send hardware to educator's courses (up to $5K in 4-5 big boxes) like you suggested:
Ken Gracey (arrives Nov. 6th)
c/o Hotel California
123 Palm Tree Boulevard
Hollywood, CA 85235
Something like that will work fine. It looks like we have two chances to get the package to you so I wouldn't expect that you'd go home empty-handed.
What a great way to escape the Finnish VAT and shipping. It can nearly pay for your trip to the USA.
Also, when you're staying in San Francisco you're only two hours from Rocklin. Let me know if you end up having any free time.
Ken Gracey
Thx Ken, I've now placed my order (#196961) with UPS 3 days. Hopefully it arrives to the hotel latest on Wednesday 12th. I understood from the Season of Sales that you will soon have a -10% off on the whole store, but unfortunately I could not wait with my order til then. Still I'm however saving many dollars (in reality getting more for the same amount I had planned to spend) by not needing to pay any customs and VAT and higher shipping costs to Finland :-)
I understand Rocklin and SF are relatively close, so while it's very tempting to rent a car, it does not seem realistic with our schedule.
-Thomas