Vacation report
May. 7th, 2005 03:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tenayaEven though it's been two weeks, I thought I should write something about my trip. I'd only been to Vancouver once for an afternoon in 1972 and what I remember was a city on hard times. This time, I was totally delighted the details of which I'll put
We had a great time and think the folks that live up there are blessed. In fact, we're going to go back next year for a second helping.
We left out of LAX on Sunday and I saw that Robert Picardo was also on our flight. Flying with Alaskan Airlines was very pleasant. We rented a car with Alamo and had a choice for an upgrade, so we got a Buick Allure; I thought I'd see what it was like to have a luxury type car (I still prefer my Subaru.)
We stayed at the Hampton Inn and Suites out near the stadiums. The guide book led me to suspect the area wasn't that good, but it was fine. I very much recommend this place if you like a comfortable place with a lot of nice features that won't cost as much as some.
We saw Stanley Park (wished for more time there,) Capilano Bridge (costly, but it's up there on the tourist 'must do' list,) Granville Island markets (we enjoyed the cheese shop the most) Gastown (bought some cedar plaques and had a nice dinner at a pub,) Museum of Anthropology at UBC (very worthwhile and the UBC campus is beautiful,) Queen Elizabeth Park (where they filmed SG-1's The Gamekeeper, and was absolutely lovely! We also had a lovely soup/sandwich type of meal at
Seasons Hill Top Bistro while we marveled at the wonderful view.)
We relocated to the Hilton across from Metrotown for Creation's Stargate Convention. I had a great time there. The set visit was great, most of the talks were interesting and entertaining. The dessert thing didn't work because there was too many people for the guests to see in the allotted time. MS & CJ showed up and spent maybe 10-15 minutes at maybe 3 or 4 tables before they relocated to some chairs lined up on the 'dance' floor where people were eventually brought up table by table to chat/have photos with them. In my opinion, the guests maybe had 3 or 4 people that were hovering around them early on. Once they went to sit and have people come to them, there was maybe 5-10 minutes while a group of more forward type of fans (maybe 8-10?)swarmed them, had their moment, then things got organized. Actually, I'd say the whole crowd was very well behaved. I felt sorry that things had turned into another photo session and left. Peter Williams was being DJ with his reggae collection and there was one song I had to go up and ask about. It was from a cd called Bluegrass celebrates Bob Marley. It was a intriguing mix of folk and reggae and I've ordered a copy of it. So, if people are saying the guests were mobbed and it was dangerous, they are exaggerating things a great deal.
We also went to Horizons for a wonderful meal at 'O'Malleys.' Great place, with great food (a to die for maple creme brulee) and fantastic view. We also managed to see 'Daniel's house' in Chimera, and 'Daniel's apt' in The Light.
It was fun and fannish and just enjoyable to do with other fans.
After the con, we traveled north on the Sea to Sky Highway as far as Squamish. Shannon Falls was a pleasant walk, but due to geology, you could see much of it. Stawamus Chief granite monolith was impressive. Apparently, Joe Flannigan has climbed this. I didn't see any climbers when I was there, though.
We turned back here and took a nice drive with 2 ferry trips until we reached Powell River. The motel we booked there looked like it was untouched from 1948. The walls were thin paneling, the shower one of those little plastic stalls that get inserted in a spare corner, and the whole place smelled of mold. But, we slept well and got an early start to catch the first ferry of the morning over to Vancouver Island. We went up to Campbell River and wandered around. Elk Falls was very impressive, as was the drive up through Strathcona Park, which was mountainous and wild.
The next 3 nights we stayed in Victoria at Chateau Victoria Hotel and Suites. This hotel was just a couple of blocks from the thick of things, very roomy AND had a net connection through web tv (which is a pain to use, but at least I could keep my inbox from maxing out.) The only thing is that it doesn't have a/c. They did have table fans in the rooms though and that made things tolerable. The view was fantastic. We went to Butchart Gardens and I have never seen so many bulbs! Amazing plantings! Very, very impressive. We had tea there and it was just a perfect day (except for getting sunburned despite the sunscreen I was wearing. I actually came back with more of a tan than I've had in years. *g*) I also enjoyed the BC Museum and the shopping. We also visited a Raptor center and watched a show where they put a redtailed hawk, an owl named Gandalf, a peregrin mix named Aragon and a small but mighty kestrel. There was a 'bunny' lure they had named Legolas, which caused me to laugh out loud, probably louder than was appropriate but it was funny. The redtail hawk had developed a liking for garter snakes had had pounced on one within minutes of being displayed.
The Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay ferry back was a beautiful journey as the ship threaded through the islands. When we passed the ferry coming from the other direction through a somewhat narrow passage, I went out on deck to savory the moment. The ships blew their horns at each other, deep and loud, and it echoed across the passage. A very handsome man struck up a conversation with me, which was quite nice. He was from South Africa, had migrated up to Vancouver and was just rather chatty as he pointed out Mt. Baker in the distance. We watched for sea-life as we discussed politics and the prettiest cities in the world, and pointed out good photo opportunities to each other.
Our last night we spent at a hotel near the airport for an early flight home in the morning. Of interest was the bus load of minor league baseball players that checked in. I'm sure there were story opportunities there....
I had bought a few objects d'art that put me over my limit for customs and got shunted around and had a bag searched. I had the feeling that they thought if I was stupid enough to be honest, they were going to give me the full treatment. No body searches, alas. BTW, go get your receipts stamped BEFORE you check in for your flight to get your GST back.
Lastly, Tori Higginson sat in the seat in front of Mom for the flight back. She seemed nice and down to earth and had a new do that gave her hair a lot of curl. A good look for her.
When we got home, we were given a big, warm welcome by our three cats. Of interest is that Brindle somehow opened a crank type window, savaged the screen and leaped about 6 feet down to freedom 7 days into our trip. The kitty nanny did manage to get him back inside after only one day. Apparently, she was beside herself on how he had gotten out; chewing through a window was a new one for her. Brindle of course had to flaunt he was outside and took a bath in plain view or kitty nanny would not even have know he was out. He's been a changed cat since we've come back; more affectionate and obviously trying very hard not to bit/scratch us. He even wants to cuddle at night.
.
I do have a couple of questions though:
1) What's with the compulsion to back into parking spaces? Is it only BC? Do Alaskans do it, too? How about the rest of Canada? And why?
2) Is it expected to leave a tip for the housekeepers in hotels? The guide book lead me to believe it is.
3) Do Australians have the custom to leave tips for anything while in Australia?
4) Are gas prices higher than usual at the moment in Canada?
5) For Americans returning home: do you get the idea that the customs people REALLY don't want to here about it if you've come back with more than the $800 you're allowed?
6) We were in Vancouver in mid-April; does the traffic get significantly worse once the cruise ship season begin?
7) Why so many signs warning against vandalism? I saw no crime while up there, so is it a really a problem or do they just like to keep people from bad habit?
We had a great time and think the folks that live up there are blessed. In fact, we're going to go back next year for a second helping.
We left out of LAX on Sunday and I saw that Robert Picardo was also on our flight. Flying with Alaskan Airlines was very pleasant. We rented a car with Alamo and had a choice for an upgrade, so we got a Buick Allure; I thought I'd see what it was like to have a luxury type car (I still prefer my Subaru.)
We stayed at the Hampton Inn and Suites out near the stadiums. The guide book led me to suspect the area wasn't that good, but it was fine. I very much recommend this place if you like a comfortable place with a lot of nice features that won't cost as much as some.
We saw Stanley Park (wished for more time there,) Capilano Bridge (costly, but it's up there on the tourist 'must do' list,) Granville Island markets (we enjoyed the cheese shop the most) Gastown (bought some cedar plaques and had a nice dinner at a pub,) Museum of Anthropology at UBC (very worthwhile and the UBC campus is beautiful,) Queen Elizabeth Park (where they filmed SG-1's The Gamekeeper, and was absolutely lovely! We also had a lovely soup/sandwich type of meal at
Seasons Hill Top Bistro while we marveled at the wonderful view.)
We relocated to the Hilton across from Metrotown for Creation's Stargate Convention. I had a great time there. The set visit was great, most of the talks were interesting and entertaining. The dessert thing didn't work because there was too many people for the guests to see in the allotted time. MS & CJ showed up and spent maybe 10-15 minutes at maybe 3 or 4 tables before they relocated to some chairs lined up on the 'dance' floor where people were eventually brought up table by table to chat/have photos with them. In my opinion, the guests maybe had 3 or 4 people that were hovering around them early on. Once they went to sit and have people come to them, there was maybe 5-10 minutes while a group of more forward type of fans (maybe 8-10?)swarmed them, had their moment, then things got organized. Actually, I'd say the whole crowd was very well behaved. I felt sorry that things had turned into another photo session and left. Peter Williams was being DJ with his reggae collection and there was one song I had to go up and ask about. It was from a cd called Bluegrass celebrates Bob Marley. It was a intriguing mix of folk and reggae and I've ordered a copy of it. So, if people are saying the guests were mobbed and it was dangerous, they are exaggerating things a great deal.
We also went to Horizons for a wonderful meal at 'O'Malleys.' Great place, with great food (a to die for maple creme brulee) and fantastic view. We also managed to see 'Daniel's house' in Chimera, and 'Daniel's apt' in The Light.
It was fun and fannish and just enjoyable to do with other fans.
After the con, we traveled north on the Sea to Sky Highway as far as Squamish. Shannon Falls was a pleasant walk, but due to geology, you could see much of it. Stawamus Chief granite monolith was impressive. Apparently, Joe Flannigan has climbed this. I didn't see any climbers when I was there, though.
We turned back here and took a nice drive with 2 ferry trips until we reached Powell River. The motel we booked there looked like it was untouched from 1948. The walls were thin paneling, the shower one of those little plastic stalls that get inserted in a spare corner, and the whole place smelled of mold. But, we slept well and got an early start to catch the first ferry of the morning over to Vancouver Island. We went up to Campbell River and wandered around. Elk Falls was very impressive, as was the drive up through Strathcona Park, which was mountainous and wild.
The next 3 nights we stayed in Victoria at Chateau Victoria Hotel and Suites. This hotel was just a couple of blocks from the thick of things, very roomy AND had a net connection through web tv (which is a pain to use, but at least I could keep my inbox from maxing out.) The only thing is that it doesn't have a/c. They did have table fans in the rooms though and that made things tolerable. The view was fantastic. We went to Butchart Gardens and I have never seen so many bulbs! Amazing plantings! Very, very impressive. We had tea there and it was just a perfect day (except for getting sunburned despite the sunscreen I was wearing. I actually came back with more of a tan than I've had in years. *g*) I also enjoyed the BC Museum and the shopping. We also visited a Raptor center and watched a show where they put a redtailed hawk, an owl named Gandalf, a peregrin mix named Aragon and a small but mighty kestrel. There was a 'bunny' lure they had named Legolas, which caused me to laugh out loud, probably louder than was appropriate but it was funny. The redtail hawk had developed a liking for garter snakes had had pounced on one within minutes of being displayed.
The Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay ferry back was a beautiful journey as the ship threaded through the islands. When we passed the ferry coming from the other direction through a somewhat narrow passage, I went out on deck to savory the moment. The ships blew their horns at each other, deep and loud, and it echoed across the passage. A very handsome man struck up a conversation with me, which was quite nice. He was from South Africa, had migrated up to Vancouver and was just rather chatty as he pointed out Mt. Baker in the distance. We watched for sea-life as we discussed politics and the prettiest cities in the world, and pointed out good photo opportunities to each other.
Our last night we spent at a hotel near the airport for an early flight home in the morning. Of interest was the bus load of minor league baseball players that checked in. I'm sure there were story opportunities there....
I had bought a few objects d'art that put me over my limit for customs and got shunted around and had a bag searched. I had the feeling that they thought if I was stupid enough to be honest, they were going to give me the full treatment. No body searches, alas. BTW, go get your receipts stamped BEFORE you check in for your flight to get your GST back.
Lastly, Tori Higginson sat in the seat in front of Mom for the flight back. She seemed nice and down to earth and had a new do that gave her hair a lot of curl. A good look for her.
When we got home, we were given a big, warm welcome by our three cats. Of interest is that Brindle somehow opened a crank type window, savaged the screen and leaped about 6 feet down to freedom 7 days into our trip. The kitty nanny did manage to get him back inside after only one day. Apparently, she was beside herself on how he had gotten out; chewing through a window was a new one for her. Brindle of course had to flaunt he was outside and took a bath in plain view or kitty nanny would not even have know he was out. He's been a changed cat since we've come back; more affectionate and obviously trying very hard not to bit/scratch us. He even wants to cuddle at night.
.
I do have a couple of questions though:
1) What's with the compulsion to back into parking spaces? Is it only BC? Do Alaskans do it, too? How about the rest of Canada? And why?
2) Is it expected to leave a tip for the housekeepers in hotels? The guide book lead me to believe it is.
3) Do Australians have the custom to leave tips for anything while in Australia?
4) Are gas prices higher than usual at the moment in Canada?
5) For Americans returning home: do you get the idea that the customs people REALLY don't want to here about it if you've come back with more than the $800 you're allowed?
6) We were in Vancouver in mid-April; does the traffic get significantly worse once the cruise ship season begin?
7) Why so many signs warning against vandalism? I saw no crime while up there, so is it a really a problem or do they just like to keep people from bad habit?
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2005-05-08 12:20 am (UTC)The guide book probably put a warning there because it's near the Lower East Side, aka the "bad part of town". During the day it's generally ok. There might be some addicts mulling about but they'll leave you alone if you don't bug them. The homeless people might ask you for money but if you decline they usually don't bother you again. It's at night that the crazies come out. Even still though, I went to school for a while right at the edge of that area and I walked home after dark, most of the time by myself, and I was always fine.
We also visited a Raptor center
Hee! That's 5 minutes from where I'm living right now. *G*
1) What's with the compulsion to back into parking spaces? Is it only BC? Do Alaskans do it, too? How about the rest of Canada? And why?
I don't know too many people who do it. My dad does because he prefers to just pull out when he's leaving. If he can't back in, he likes to find a couple spaces where he can pull in and then drive through to the next space. I have no idea what the big deal is.
2) Is it expected to leave a tip for the housekeepers in hotels? The guide book lead me to believe it is.
As a general rule I would say yes, especially if it's a higher star hotel. But sometimes gratuities like that are included in the room price. I usually just ask at the front desk.
4) Are gas prices higher than usual at the moment in Canada?
YES. Omg, yes. Gas is insane right now. When I started driving 9 years ago, gas was 50 cents a litre. Up until about a year ago it was hovering between approx. 60 and 70 cents. This over a dollar a litre crap just started last month and yes, people are pissed. Fortunately it's pretty easy to get around on public transit. We probably shouldn't complain since gas in Europe is at least twice what we're paying.
6) We were in Vancouver in mid-April; does the traffic get significantly worse once the cruise ship season begin?
Not really. The touristy-type things and public transit get crowded but that's not just cruise ship passengers. I worked in a hotel in downtown Vancouver and not too many of our cruise passengers rented cars. They usually took a taxi or public transit. There are shuttles that go around to the hotels and pick up passengers and take them to the ship (they also drop them off back at the hotel after the cruise as well).
Then again, I refuse to drive in Vancouver so I'm not exactly an expert on the traffic conditions.
7) Why so many signs warning against vandalism? I saw no crime while up there, so is it a really a problem or do they just like to keep people from bad habit?
It's a problem in certain areas of the city. My friend lives in East Van and she went out to her car one morning and the window was smashed. Nothing was taken, they just smashed the window.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-05-08 12:53 pm (UTC)I appreciated the skill of folks were able to whip their cars into cramped spots in reverse. I tried it a few times, but the rental car was larger than I'm used to so I wasn't comfortable doing it. I was wondering if it had to do with a colder climate and cars stalling in reverse when cold, but I didn't think Vancouver had that many below freezing days. I like doing what your dad does (find a spot where you can pull through).
The gas was pretty high, but I heard not one complaint.
The first place we left a tip for the housekeeper, she left of notes of thanks in return. Sweet, but a bit of a surprise.
I thought the area around the raptor center was lovely. We stopped for lunch at a roadside market/sandwich shop and had a great meal. I forgot to mention how tasty all the baked goods are up there! All of them taste homemade, if you know what I mean. It was all very relaxing and enjoyable. What a great place to live.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-05-09 10:58 pm (UTC)I'm just a terrible driver to begin with so I usually don't even bother trying to back in. I asked Dad yesterday why he likes to back in and he said a big reason is because if he gets a fire call, he can just hop in the car and drive away. And no, we don't get too many below-0 Celsius days. It usually hovers a couple of degrees above freezing. At night it might get down to about -7/-10.
The gas was pretty high, but I heard not one complaint.
Really? That's good. It must just be my friends that are doing all the bitching. ;)
thought the area around the raptor center was lovely. We stopped for lunch at a roadside market/sandwich shop and had a great meal. I forgot to mention how tasty all the baked goods are up there! All of them taste homemade, if you know what I mean. It was all very relaxing and enjoyable. What a great place to live.
Ooh, I wonder if that was the Old Farm Market. They make really yummy sandwiches. *G* I like to buy my veggies there and they have this cheese and olive bread that's to die for. :)
(no subject)
Date: 2005-05-09 11:47 pm (UTC)Yes, it was the Old Farm Market! We bought some of those little pies, which were delicious, then decided to buy some sandwiches and eat lunch there. I had a ham and cheese thing that is making me hungry just to remember it. I know if I lived up there, that place would be regular stop. Such an intriguing mix of goods and the produce was very hard to resist. You're a lucky girl!
(no subject)
Date: 2005-05-08 10:54 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-05-08 12:37 pm (UTC)