Summer of Fun Week 6

Downtown Vancouver:  Olympic Cauldron...served as the broadcast center for the 2010 Winter Olympics

Ready-Set-sail...yep, later today we board our cruise and set off for the inner passage of Alaska.  But first, I shall catch myself up with what we've seen-heard-done in the past week.

SAW...

I can easily see that with these epic-type adventures, the days start to become a blur around the 10 day point.   What did we see this week?  In looking over my pictures, I'd have to say we've seen a little bit of everything:   From the classics to the off the beaten path...here are a few of the week's visual highlights...

The flowers at Pike Place Market were incredible...and very affordable...

Apparently in the Seattle area...you either go to Starbucks or you go for coffee...they are not one in the same.   I prefer "coffee"...I can get Starbucks back home..this was a cozy coffee shop in the town of Snohomish..yummy...

 Walls of gum and flying fish...both "classics" of the Pike Place Market...

Everett=Boeing airplane manufacturing...took the tour, no cameras allowed, which is a shame as it was hard to fathom the size of the hangers...large enough to allow for 5-6 747s to be assembled at the same time...

HEARD

The familiar voices of friends...be it friends we've known for decades to friends we've just met through our online interests.

   It's been a wonderful way to learn about the areas we are visiting through their local take on things.  

My friend Sue served as a gracious hostess and taxi driver as she showed us around the city of Vancouver.   Recently retired from the city, she had the inside scoop on some of the lesser known quirks of the city...my favorite story was the one she shared about a resident who intentionally tried to kill off the trees in order to list her condo as a "unobstructed view".   I guess I found the story unsettling because in our section of CO, trees are not abundant and so trees are a selling point, not a hinderance.

DID

Oh the things we've done this week...here's the highlights along with my opinions on whether I'd encourage other travelers to include these places on their trip to the Pacific NW.

 Last Friday, Patrick and I took the "duck" tour of Seattle.  Yes, a wee bit corny and cheesy, but a thoughtful tour of the city, infused with facts, and funny stores about the city.  Yes, worth the price of admission.  The tour takes you on Lake Union and the guides even show you the classic house from the movie Sleepless in Seattle.   I found it amusing to learn not only how little of the movie was actually filmed in this city, but also, that the year they filmed, they had a major drought and many of the rain scenes involved special effects.  

 On the weekend, we visited a couple different attractions in the Everett area.  Our favorite was a docent led tour of a very small museum called the Historic flight foundation.  A very small museum that held a collection of aircraft dating from the 1920s to the 1960s.   What was unique to this museum is that all the restored aircraft can be flown...and for a price, you could be the passenger on one of these vintage aircrafts.   For an aviation and or history buff, this should definitely be a must see event.  Our friends in Everett took us to visit one of the wineries in the Seattle area.

typically I am a huge fan of this wine label, but perhaps it was the heavy lunch I'd had or it was they were trying to push some of their higher end varieties, but I left the tasting not very impressed.  Just the same, it was interesting to see what the locals do on the weekend...as the tasting room was packed, as our friends commented it was actually a quiet crowd compared to other times they'd visited.  

Here in Vancouver, we visited the iconic Capilano Suspension Bridge.   first built in 1889, the suspension bridge crosses the Capilano river some 230 feet above the river, and spans 460 feet in length.  I was worried the height would leave me feeling unsettled, but given we arrived early in the morning, there was little sway and the views were incredible.  

We also took a horse drawn carriage through Stanley Park.  A great way to see the park, and hear the history of this park, which is even larger than our Central Park in NY City.  

In addition to these structured experiences, we toured Vancouver by car.  Like any big city, one needs nerves of steel and patience, but in general this big city has a unique feel to it..almost like a small town.  The shiny high rises are rather eye catching and everything appears new=clean and fresh.  If you are passing through Vancouver, be sure to set aside an extra day or two just to explore...you won't regret it!

Until next time...I hope you are able to enjoy a little escape of your own...