Month: June 2017

Today we left Vancouver, British Columbia and returned to Seattle.  To be frank, at times I had my doubts we were even in Canada.  Until yesterday we didn’t hear anyone say “Eh”.   I’ve never met a Canadian who didn’t use that expression, so what gives?  I kept asking myself where are we?  Then like a shot from above, my faith in mankind was restored.  A stranger walking by us turned and said, “Looks like it’s finally gonna cool down eh?”.  He went on to say something else but I was so excited I didn’t hear the second sentence except that, it too ended with “Eh?”.

Prior to leaving the city we went to the Granville Island Public Market.  This is your typical farmer’s market with lots of wonderful booths.  We saw the usual farmer’s market type vendor with fresh fish, fresh vegetables and all sort of confections.  There were also a number of artists sharing their wares and I bought Patrice a lovely necklace as a souvenir.  I didn’t get anything at the market but was sure tempted.  See below.

After the market we headed back to the USA.  Unfortunately border control had other ideas.  I don’t recall if I mentioned, but it took us about 18 minutes to cross the border from Washington to British Columbia last week.   Today it took us 1 hour more than that (yes 1 hour 18 minutes) today to go the opposite direction.  If we had a Global Entry pass (which we do but didn’t bring) crossing back into the USA would have taken about 5 minutes.   But we made good use of our down time by trying to learn the Canadian national anthem just in case they wouldn’t let us back into the USA (like they threatened our friend Lance you might recall if you read the blog comments).  We did a great job; after one hour we had the first line completely memorized (the first line is “O’ Canada” for those of you not familiar with the tune).  We will work on the second line our next trip.  That reminds me, I heard recently that President Trump wants to change our national anthem as part of his program to “Make America Great Again”.  Apparently he is upset because he is under the impression that the first line is “Jose can you see”.

When we finally made it into the city we decided to visit the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.  This was of modest interest but I would not recommend it unless you have run out of other things to do.  If you have young children and would like to teach them the value of community service this might be a worthwhile stop.

After that we met Patrice’s childhood friend, Lynn and her husband Terry for dinner. We ate a Duke’s Chowder House (there are a number of them but we ate at 7850 West Green Lake Dr N) and had a splendid meal.  After dinner we took a walk around Green Lake and had a wonderful chat with two very dear friends.  On our walk we met a budding photographer and asked him to take a photo of us.  See below.

Tomorrow we head for home and back to work.  Let’s hope we won’t have to wait another 27 days for our next vacation.  After all, I need to write.

 

 

Today we visited two more “Must See” sights in Vancouver.  This morning we went to Capilano Suspension Bridge.  This is a privately owned entity that was built in 1889 and now has been developed into a tourist attraction.  The bridge is rather high over a river and can be a bit frightening to women and children.

Patrice here, boy is Robert full of hot air.  See below.

The park included a very interesting nature tour where we learned about the foliage and animals in the region.  After that we heard a less than exciting talk about the birds in the area.  We did get to see an owl which was very interesting to watch.  I was very envious of his ability to almost do a complete 360 with his head.

We next headed to lunch at The Flying Pig in the historic Gastown district (102 Water St,). This place was recommended to us by our friends Zara and Chuck who recommended Nightingale which we enjoyed last night.  They specifically recommended we get the Salmon Sampler.  See below.

I am recommending Chuck and Zara become restaurant critics.  They are 100% in our experience.

After lunch we went to Stanley Park named after Lord Stanley from NHL Stanley Cup fame.   We toured the park directly BEHIND our two guides.  See below.

The tour took about an hour and was a good overview of the sights to be seen.

Dinner was at Cincin (1154 Robson St) recommended by my friend Gail.  This was another excellent meal.  Maybe Gail should team up with Chuck and Zara?

Tomorrow we head back to Seattle.   Now the only question is: Where did I put my passport?

Today we left Victoria and headed to Vancouver via the BC Ferry.  I won’t bore you with any more details about the amazing ferry ride except to say I also found a video arcade and Best Buy vending machine on board this trip.  We also used the wifi on board.  It wasn’t very fast but it did work.  Before we left Victoria we saw the ship below.  It is called the Sea Owl and sold for $75 million.  It sports a crew of 18 and I am sure this comes as a shock, it is owned by a CEO of a Hedge Fund.

From the ferry we drove directly to our hotel.  When we reached the city center of Vancouver we felt right at home.  Traffic in Los Angeles is no worse than what we experienced here this afternoon.  After getting settled we decided to just walk around the town and head from our hotel to the restaurant at which we made reservations.

Tonight we dined at Nightingale (1017 West Hastings) at the recommendation of our friends Chuck and Zara.  We could not have been more pleased.  They suggested we request to be seated at a Chef’s Table from which you can see the happenings in the kitchen.

We got to see (and smell) all the various dishes as they were being prepared.  That alone was a wonderful experience.  Sorry, I didn’t take any pictures but we had the 1.) Oven roasted cauliflower, sunflower seed, green harissa; 2.) Crispy fried chicken, preserved lemon yogurt, dill, espelette; 3.) Potato gnocchi, san marzano tomato, stracciatella cheese, basil and finally a 4.) Pizza with san marzano tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, basil, olive oil.  For dessert we had Sticky toffee pudding, maple chantilly, candied walnut.  I don’t know what half those words mean but all of it tasted delicious.

In addition to food and ambience, the service was flawless.  The staff could not help us enough.  At times I wasn’t sure who was our server since so many people asked if we needed anything.  We got to talk to Ash, the sous chef, who explained some things about the dishes as they arrived.  For those who have been reading this blog you might recall when I posted back in May [“BBQ and Baseball Tour 2017 Day #3”] I said that our meal at the Modern in New York might have been the best I had ever had.  Well this place has it beat.  You can check out their menu at https://hawknightingale.com/menus/.

Enough about food.  I need to work out.  I think I will rest first and hope the urge passes.

 

This morning we took a water taxi from just outside our hotel to Fisherman’s Wharf where we met up with the crew of Eagle Wing whale watching tour.  I was a little worried when we were introduced to our captain, a one-legged man named Ahab.  Actually his name was really Chris and he was born in Glendale, California and lived in Hermosa Beach (attended Redondo Union High School) before settling in British Columbia.  The tour was very well run with lots of support.  In addition to the crew they supplied us with sunscreen, binoculars, hats, gloves and jackets for those of us who came ill equipped.  They also had emergency equipment aboard, see below.

I promised my friends I would send them a great shot of an Orca or two.  So here it is.

We didn’t get to see the whales as pictured above but we got some pretty decent views of the backs and dorsal fins.  I was resigned to the fact that we saw some whales and parked my camera in my pocket when suddenly 3 orcas surfaced immediately next to our boat.  I struggled to get my camera out but was unable to do so in time.   I had to be satisfied with the sighting even if I couldn’t share the experience with my friends back home.

After our whale adventure it was off to the Butchart Gardens.  We were told this was another “must see” sight and it did not disappoint.  Apparently the Butcharts made major coinage from harvesting the rock quarry at the site that is now the gardens.  It is said that Mrs. Butchart thought it would be a good idea to turn the remaining hole into a garden and a spectacular floral exhibit is the result.  The welcome brochure states that they welcome 1 million visitors a year so the gardens might be more profitable than the quarry ever was.  Most of the exhibits don’t have name tags but I did recognize a few.

And one of the few plants that did have a name tag.

Tomorrow we head back to the mainland via the BC Ferry and then on to Vancouver. See you soon.

We decided to make this a guilt free day.  Knowing what we had planned for lunch we went to the fitness center to work off some calories early in the morning.  We then headed to the Empress Hotel for High Tea which we had been told was a must do for Victoria.  The Empress Hotel first opened for business in January 1908.  In 1939 it was visited by King George VI (that would be Colin Firth from The King’s Speech and not George III from the Broadway play Hamilton for any Millennials reading the blog).  According to Wikipedia for many years the hotel did not have a sign above the front entrance.  When a sign was finally put up they received some strong criticism as exemplified in the statement made by an irate gentleman, as workers raised the sign above the front entrance: “Anyone who doesn’t know this is The Empress shouldn’t be staying here.”

Our hotel supplies a shuttle service to any place you want to go to in downtown so we decided to hop on and take a ride.  When the driver dropped us off at the Empress we caught the end of the water taxi ballet that is performed on Sunday mornings in the Inner Harbor.  Then it was inside for tea.  The hotel looks just as one would expect. Beautiful lobby with magnificent chandelier, wide spiral staircase and ornate accessories decorating the facility.  We were too hungry to dawdle in the foyer and headed straight to the tea room.  The ground rules were explained and then we got to enjoy a lovely meal and were given a wide variety of teas from which to choose.

While eating we got to relax and watch boats in the inner harbor and listen to a piano soloist playing some of our favorite songs.

After the Empress we decided to walk back to the hotel and explore the neighborhood.  My friend, Virgil, recommended we check out Roger’s Chocolates on Government Street.  This was not a kind recommendation.  After High Tea the last thing we needed was chocolate but I couldn’t resist.  The chocolate was fantastic but as I tell my patients do what I say, not what I do.

We then returned to the hotel to rest for a bit because we had tickets to see Ziggy Marley tonight.  He is here as part of a Jazz Festival in the city.  Ziggy who’s real name is David  is the son of reggae icon, Bob Marley.   The theater was packed and everyone seemed to love the show (including Patrice).  Practically everyone stood up and danced to the music.  I have to admit this is not my type of music.  But at least I have more appreciation for what Patrice has to go through during baseball games that go to extra innings.

Tomorrow we are going to look for whales and explore the famous Butchart Gardens.

Today we are in Canada.  I hear you asking, “What about baseball”.  Well last night we did see the Astros play the Mariners at Safeco Field.  Patrice is even becoming a bit of a baseball fan.  I didn’t even have to remind her that we were going to see the Astros play Seattle.  (Patrice here, don’t tell Robert but I always can tell who is playing because I can see it on his shirt).

We had great seats.

And the place was magical.  The Mariner pitcher, Felix Hernandez, was making his first start after a lengthy recovery from an injury.  Apparently he is very much the phenomenon here in Seattle.  His nickname is “The King” and a group of fans sit in a group down the left field line, wearing yellow t-shirts.  For $30 the fan gets a ticket to the game (in “The King’s Court” section), a t-shirt and a “K” card.  The “K” card is a yellow card with a big letter K on it.  K being the baseball scoring term for a strike out.  Anytime Hernandez gets 2 strikes on a batter the fans start waving their K cards at a frenetic pace. If he completes the trick, and strikes the batter out, they go crazy.

Unfortunately the Court had a good night.  Hernandez got 6 strike outs in 6 innings and the Mariners won 13-3 (Ugh).

So as I was saying we are now in Canada.  We left Seattle early and drove north to the border.  There was a long line of cars waiting to enter but it did not take an extremely long time.  When we got to the entrance the agent asked for our identification and queried us about our itinerary, if we were carrying any firearms or if we had more than $10,000 in cash.  Apparently a large amount of cash is a sign of criminal activity.  I am sure criminals break down quickly with this intense questioning and fess up the cash they are carrying.

We then made it to the BC Ferry which would take us to Victoria, British Columbia.  The ferry is incredibly impressive.  The vessel carries about 300 vehicles (the count will be less if they have tour buses and trucks which take up more room).  The ship is quickly loaded and then you are off on the 1 1/2 hour trip from Tsawwassen (that isn’t important but I wanted to show off that I could spell Tsawwassen correctly) to Swartz Bay.  The onboard experience is remarkable.  The sights are beautiful, of course, but what is more impressive is that you do not feel like you are at sea.  There is virtually no sway while you are cruising along.  Also all your needs are cared for.  They have a cafeteria, gift shop, business center (with computer terminals), ATM, play area for the kids, bar (I know that is a shock) and an elevator if you are physically challenged.

We are just getting settled at our hotel.  Soon we are going to go for a walk and check out the area.  I very much want to have a low profile.  No ugly American here.  We are going to try to blend in and be one of the locals.  I might even throw in an occasional “Eh” to sound very Canadian.  Bye for now.

Patrice here again.  Let me show you Robert’s version of blending in,  Here he is checking out where we should go next.

Last night we had dinner at Barolo which was not great.  Why do I mention it?  Because on the menu they had “100% Natural, Hormone-Free, Humanely Raised Veal Scaloppine”. So they are very quick to point out how well these animals were treated but what they fail say is that these critters were JUST BABIES! and THEY MURDERED THEM!

I was really excited about today because we were due to go to see the Astros play the Mariners.  On these baseball trips I have to placate Patrice  by agreeing to participate in activities that appeal to her.  After all she has been such a great sport agreeing to go to baseball games with me.  Patrice wanted to go to Chihuly Garden and Glass.  Our daughter, Erica, while in college attended a Dale Chihuly workshop where she learned how to work with glass.  The exhibit was spectacular.

In addition to the indoor exhibits Chuhuly had beautiful gardens with a variety of glass sculptures to accent the natural beauty.  I took some pictures but they don’t do the exhibit justice so I won’t even bother to post.  But let me say this, the garden looks like someone is caring for it 24 hours a day 7 days a week.  I have never seen a garden that has demonstrated such meticulous care.

Next to the gardens is the Pacific Science Center which had a special exhibit of Terracotta Warriors from China.  Followers of this blog might recall that I went along reluctantly to visit the Judaic and Asian Museum in Memphis but was pleasantly surprised and greatly enjoyed what I thought was a hidden treasure. Today I was much less reluctant and again I was rewarded.  This collection of Chinese Terracotta Warriors will only be displayed here in Seattle and in Philadelphia prior to their return to China.  I could speak volumes about the art work but I won’t (is that applause I am hearing?).

Also in close proximity was the Seattle icon, the Space Needle, so we took a trip to the top. Since we bought a package to view all three attractions we received a “Blast Pass” which is the Space Needle equivalent to Disney’s Fast Pass.  While others waited an an extremely long line to get to the top, we essentially walked straight to the elevator and were escorted to the top.

 

From the Space Needle we took a ride on the monorail to Pike Place market.  This is similar to the Farmer’s Market in Los Angeles and I am sure many other cities.  We did see one very interesting store that showed they offer the 3 main food groups.

A bit further down the street we found a market that offered a wide variety of very tasty looking fruits and vegetables.

There is one very interesting city landmark at Pike Place Market and that is the original Starbucks store.  The chain has grown to a coffee monster but this little store seems to be doing just fine.  Check out this tour of the store that I filmed today.  https://youtu.be/eTK4UGaRmT4

Enough for now.  It is time for baseball.

We are off again for a much needed vacation.  Its been 27 days since we returned from our BBQ and Baseball Tour so we needed a getaway.  That doesn’t count our weekend visit to David, Robyn and the boys for Father’s Day.  I rarely post when we visit the boys (I don’t want to bore you with the words of a very proud grandpa) but this visit did provide some great moments.  Before we arrived Owen called Patrice to find out when we would be arriving.  He left the following message on her voice mail, “Hello, Grandma…. this is Owen…….. your grandson”.  This boy likes to be precise.  Charlie was not to be outdone.  He was talking to Auntie Lindsay and observed, “Auntie Lindsay, you’re pretty small for a grown up.”   Charlie also included me in his brutal honesty, “Grandpa, I know you are old because your hair is white.”

Today we left for Seattle to add one more MLB park to our count.  Our flight here was very smooth and the Sea-Tac airport was like a dream.  We had a relatively short walk from our plane to baggage claim and our luggage was already there and ready for pick up when we arrived.  We then caught the shuttle bus for a short ride to the rental car place.  Thanks to our friends Bill and Niki in Nashville we decided to use Sixt which is a German company with a small presence in the USA.  They quoted me a rate that was significantly less than Hertz so I decided to give them a try.  Hertz was going to give me a Toyota but Sixt was renting me a MERCEDES!   I knew that had to be too good to be true and sure enough they didn’t have a Mercedes for me so I had to settle for a CADILLAC!  See below.

The car is fantastic.  It comes equipped with safety features such as lights that warn you of cars in your blind spot when you are changing lanes.  It has a rear view camera and will start beeping if you are in danger of hitting another car, wall or person.  It also has a navigation system.  But most important there are two USB ports to charge both our phones.

We are staying at the Silver Cloud Hotel.  This is a chain of 10 hotels all in Washington except for one in Portland which would be in Washington except for the fact it is Oregon. I picked this hotel because it is literally across the street from Safeco Field and rumor has it we will be going to a baseball game there tomorrow.  The hotel is a bit pricey but it has something that is hard to beat, amazing location.  If you are interested in going to the ballpark you can’t get any better than this.

Upon arrival to the hotel we were told that we had been upgraded to a suite.  Upgraded to a suite?  On our trips we are very loyal to the Marriott brand and I don’t ever remember them being upgraded to a suite.  This is our first time at a Silver Cloud Hotel and already I am trying to find another excuse to travel to Washington.   I am convinced they have us mistaken for someone else.

There is also a great bathroom with two showers (one stall and one shower-tub combo). We have complimentary bathrobes, free wifi, a safe and all sorts of little knick knacks to make our stay comfortable.

After relaxing a bit in the hotel Patrice asked “Are you interested in Lox?”.  I love lox so I jumped out of bed.  The place we were going was called Hiram Chittenden Lox.   I have certain rules about eating.  For example I never eat a curry dish unless it is at an Indian restaurant.  I will not order grits north of the Mason Dixon Line (made that mistake last year).  But most important I won’t get bagels and lox unless I see at least one (and preferably two) hunched over Jewish guys behind the counter or the cash register.  So I must admit I had some trepidation because Seattle, Washington is not my idea of a haven for Jews and Hiram Chittenden does not sound like a guy who ever studied for his bar mitzvah.  Upon arrival to the place I realized I had been tricked.  These lox are spelled locks.  And they are not the type you eat or use to secure your valuables but rather the type that help boats transfer from one body of water that is either higher or lower than a second body of water (like you find at the Panama Canal).  Although my stomach was disappointed I found the experience very interesting.  In regards to sea traffic these are some of the busiest locks in the  world.  They are small so you don’t find ocean liners here but you do see a large number of pleasure boats and smaller commercial craft.  It was very interesting to see them in operation and has increased my interest in a trip to Panama.

Tomorrow begins the real reason for this trip.  More about that later.