Tuesday 6/19/12

When we arrived in Vancouver, we parked the rental car in the underground garage of the Best Western Plus Uptown and have been taking public transit ever since.

We began our journey with a new Ford Focus. It is a great car for our travels; large enough for our many suitcases, quiet and comfortable, gets great gas mileage but is really, really lousy at turning. It has a surprisingly large turning radius! Thumbs down on this car. If you get behind one in traffic, don't get frustrated with the driver. It's the car's fault!

Both Tuesday and Wednesday, we spent time riding around Vancouver with our all day transit pass. We stopped at coffee shops to enjoy a beverage and use their Wi-Fi. Today, we tried Blenz - a Canadian competitor with Starbucks.

Tuesday, we had lunch at Sushi Moro - another restaurant recommended by Martha and Andrew, our coffee tour companions. We enjoyed a nice meal in the area called Yaletown. I like this section of Vancouver very much. We ordered a large mixed Bento box and had mango ice cream - yummm!

We took the bus to Granville Island. This section of Vancouver has a quaint village atmosphere with a market filled with vendors offering fresh vegetables and other wares. It reminds me a little of San Francisco. The day was cold and overcast; grey and dark like most days in Vancouver.

Then, at 7:30 pm, out came the sun. No wonder so many people were out biking and walking. The paper said that this June has been one of the coldest on record. In Vancouver, cold Junes are called Juneuary. The mornings have been 40 to 41 degrees and it takes until 6 pm for it to reach a high of 50 and even up to 60.

Wednesday, June 20th The Longest Day of The Year

Once again, we started our day with our spartan hotel breakfast. I needed some real coffee so we headed out to find a coffee house which is easy since there is literally one on every corner. Coffee shops are everywhere and all good. Cinnamon rolls seem to be very popular, too.

Today is our Granville - Gastown Tour with the Tour Guys. Susan booked this tour on line before we left Florida. The surprise here was that the tour is FREE! This company offers all kinds of tours - each on a different day of the week. They do ask that you tip what you think the tour is worth. What a bargain! We spent 105 minutes with our guide, Jessica and learned a great deal about the rich history of Vancouver. Jessica referred to herself as a history nerd who scours old records to glean authentic details about early Vancouver that even Vancouverites do not know. Great fun!




We enjoyed lunch at one of the top destinations for good sandwiches in the city. Meat and Bread at 370 Cambie Street, lived up to everything Jessica told us. Amazing food! Wow! Porchetta is their signature sandwich and the grilled cheese with Canadian white cheddar is equally tasty. Don't miss this place!

I have to mention the incredible weather that made PNW residents go nuts. Two days of perfect, glorious sunny weather with temps. in the mid-70's brought out the best in everyone. The skies were a rare blazing blue and there was an air of happiness and bright joy that was palpable. Susan has taken over 600 photos and only a few show blue skies. And then we went right back to normal Northwestern weather. So savor the beautiful pictures with blue skies and plan for cold and rain when you visit.

We spent the rest of the day riding the bus and viewing many different areas and neighborhoods of Vancouver. We stopped at the campus of UBC, University of British Columbia, and strolled the grounds of the massive campus. The rose garden was a favorite back drop for graduates in cap and gown posing for photographs. The North Shore Mountains made a wonderful background.

Back on the bus and back to our hotel. We packed up and pre-loaded our car to be ready to hit the road, first thing in the morning, to return to Seattle. We ended our evening with another delightful surprise. We tried a sushi restaurant right across the street from our hotel. The place was a dumpy, ordinary looking place called Hime Sushi. We were welcomed as if we were family. We sat in front of the sushi chefs and watched them prepare meals. Our sushi platter of many different varieties of sushi was divine. We found a real gem and the price was very reasonable. Another recommendation from us!

Day 4 to 7

Been a little busy as you can imagine! A good example is yesterday, in Vancouver, we left our Best Western at 7:30 am and returned at 11 pm. I will start with Day 4 and work forward. Please tap on the photos to view them in a new window and larger size.

Friday June 15th, 2012

We enjoyed our helicopter tour of Seattle. We flew with our pilot, Trenton, in a trainer so the helicopter was the size of a Smart Car. Teeny-tiny. We flew just 500 to 1000 feet off the ground. We could see all of the city in a very up-close way. The highlight was flying up and around the Space Needle and over the top. What a unique perspective! After the short flight, we headed to the waterfront to dine at a famous seafood restaurant called Salty's. The restaurant is on Puget Sound facing Seattle with a spectacular view. Our food looked good but was subpar. We later heard that management had changed and quality had taken a dive. So don't go there until they fix it!

Seattle from across Puget Sound

While driving back to the lovely city of Bellevue, home to Microsoft and Bill Gates, we detoured to view the spectacular gardens of the neighborhood around the Hilton Bellevue. The homes are Craftsman style mixed with modern on tiny lots. While stopped in front of one home to take photos, the owner came out to see why we were there. She warmed up considerably when I mentioned where we were staying. After a good conversation, we said our goodbyes and headed to the end of the dead end street.

As we drove out, we saw our new friend standing there with a beautiful bouquet of freshly cut peonies in varying shades of pink. She said the flowers were to brighten our hotel room. What a wonderful, thoughtful thing for her to do! We were so moved. This is typical of everyone we met while in Seattle. It is SUCH a friendly welcoming place. The peonies drove with us to Vancouver and are still gorgeous in another hotel room.

Saturday June 16, 2012

We left our very nice Hilton Bellevue and drove down to the famous Pike Place Market area. Parked in a parking garage (very expensive parking everywhere) and joined our tour guide for a coffee tour that Susan booked ahead of time online. We joined our guide, Ed (about our age) and our small group of 8 for the Seattle By Foot Coffee Crawl tour. Ed gave us an incredibly detailed and interesting history of the Seattle area and coffee.

We visited 6 different coffee shops in different sections of the downtown Seattle area. Each store was special and each coffee sampled was unique. Some places served us 2 different types of coffee and some served us amazing food along with our coffee. Our favorite place was the chocolate store that served us coffee in a cup of fabulous hot chocolate. We greatly enjoyed talking with Ed and appreciated his vast knowledge of almost everything. You could tell he really loved his job and his life. We highly recommend this 2.5 hour tour.

Washington Park Arboretum

After happy coffee time, we drove to one of the top Public Parks in the world. To our delight, we discovered that the Arboretum has FREE admission! We could have strolled through over 200 acres and viewed over 40,000 trees and shrubs but the day was at an end. We saw dogwoods in bloom, rhododenrums and Giant Sequoias and many, many other plants that do not grow in Florida. I found my new favorite place on earth and highly recommend visiting this park.

Consulting a list of restaurants within one mile of the Hilton Bellevue, we chanced upon the Sea Star in downtown Bellevue. You normally need reservations but of course, they had a perfect table for us. We learned that we were sitting in the number #1 rated restaurant out of 185 restaurants in town. This was the famous, Sea Star, owned by John Howie - a very well respected chef in the PNW. He was on Iron Chef and Top Chef Masters. The meal, setting and service was 5*. Copper River Sockeye salmon is in season and we have enjoyed it at every chance. Our fine dining experience at Sea Star far exceeded our expectations. We highly recommend dining here every chance you get.

Sea Star restaurant in downtown Bellevue

Sunday June 17th, Father's Day 2012

Elevators in Hilton Bellevue lobby

Meals were not included with our Hilton booking but we managed to get free certificates for breakfast each morning. The hotel has a terrific breakfast bar with everything you could ever want. I was in heaven with a large bowl of fresh yogurt, homemade granola with cashews and covered in fresh berries - all ripe and locally grown. It was better than a big bowl of ice cream.

Sunday was our day to leisurely drive up to Canada. The scenery was as breath taking as expected with enormous tall evergreens of every type and rock walls lining parts of the highway. Ever since we departed the plane in Seattle, we have noticed how good the air smells. Clean, crisp and refreshing with a pine scent describes it. The air is pure and crystal clear. Temps have been cool and slightly below normal for this time of year but that is why we are here. We crossed the border at Lynden, WA with a wait time of 27 minutes. We later learned that right after we crossed, a fugitive from Canada was caught at the same place. It has been all over the CBC. We just missed the action!

We arrived in Vancouver on Highway 1A and checked into the Best Western Plus Uptown. At first glance, we were not impressed but as we spend time here, we see that the location is convenient. Although the rooms are small, the beds are super comfy and the place is clean so no complaints.

Monday June 18th in Vancouver, Canada

Monday dawned cool, crisp and overcast. After a spartan hotel breakfast, we headed out to spend the day at Grouse Mountain. This is the big ski resort in Vancouver that offers summer activities. We learned that they now make more money during the off season than from ski and snowboarding sports. We spent the entire day on the mountain and found plenty to keep us entertained. Grouse Mountain was not touristy at all. It was more natural and relaxed than expected. The zipline tour that Susan had booked as a surprise was a great deal of fun. We zipped down five different lines and hiked up and down slopes between lines and even took the Screaming Eagle chair lift to another zip line. Each line gained elevation until line 5 was pretty scary looking. We were comfortable in our harnesses by then and enjoyed the tremendous views from 4,300 feet. The altitude was a kicker for us sea level folks but we powered through it. The day included many activities and educational shows and before we knew it, we had to leave the mountain. We were wet and cold but greatly enjoyed our day in the rain forest ecosystem atop Grouse Mountain in the North Shore Mountains of the Pacific Ranges. This day is a must when visiting the Vancouver area.

Grouse Mountain That is snow behind us!

Miku Sushi

We ate dinner at Miku Sushi - a downtown restaurant recommended by a couple we met on our coffee tour. They live in Vancouver and dine at Miku regularly. This was another restaurant where reservations are a must but - as par for our trip - they had the perfect table for us. We were in heaven enjoying the finest sushi in a modern vibrant setting. We savored many courses and reluctantly left at 10 pm.

Public transport is superior in Vancouver. A day pass covers modern clean buses, water buses that are large modern ships and the Sky Train that is above ground fast transportation - similar to the elevated train in Chicago. A bus ride returned us to our hotel before 11pm.

 

Day 3: PNW trip

Mary and I are in Seattle on Day 3. Day 1 was our travel day and it turned out to be a very long day due to airplane mechanical problems and a huge thunder storm in Atlanta. We were supposed to arrive in Seattle at 7:38 pm PST and got here at 3:40 am PST! At least we got here. Long story but because of two nice women, Danielle and Leslie, at the Delta counter in Atlanta, we were able to get 2 seats on the next plane to Seattle. The flight was scheduled to leave at 9:47 pm and finally got off the ground at 1:30 am EST. We met a really interesting man while we were waiting for the second plane to leave. Dave is an oceanographer who will be in Brunei, Borneo in a week and specializes in robotic submarines and the Titanic. Weather delay shut down all the Atlanta flights due to a huge thunder storm. By the time we got to our hotel in Bellevue, it was 4:30 am. We slept for 2 hours and we managed just fine for the rest of the day.

We rented our car at the hotel (easy) through Avis and got upgraded to a Ford Fusion for a discounted price of an extra $5 per day. Turns out it is a nice car and so worth the extra $. Mary got us breakfast coupons for free for 2 mornings from the night clerk when we checked in so we had breakfast in the hotel. Nice buffet and nice people that work for our hotel, the Hilton Bellevue.

Headed out to Seattle to go on our Pike Place Market food tour scheduled for 10:00 am. I had printed Google maps and used my map app on my iPhone so found the way easily to the parking garage and the start of the tour. I booked it with Savor Seattle and the 2 hr. tour turned out to be fun and very interesting. Our tour guide, Brett, was really funny! We would never have been able to find out all the information he gave our small group of 8 and we got to sample some good food. Fresh doughnuts, salmon, peach salsa and cherry products, Piroshky, clam chowder and seafood bisque, cheese, and crab cake bites.





We were getting tired so after the tour, headed back to our hotel. It's about a 20 min. ride back to Bellevue which is east of Seattle across Lake Washington. We drove around the residential area near our hotel and the gardens of the houses are gorgeous - maples, dogwoods, willows, rhododendrons, peonies, roses, etc. Mary and I got some coffee at the hotel coffee place and checked our email and chilled for a while. Ended up using our Subway gift cards for a free quick dinner and crashed early.

Today, we have gorgeous weather. Clear blue skies and 45 in early am. Supposed to get up to 73 by 4 pm. We are at a Starbucks in downtown Bellevue to use our Starbucks gift cards for free coffee and breakfast and to use the free Wi-Fi. We have a 1:00 pm appt. to go on a helicopter ride today. So exciting! Gorgeous flying weather, too.

More later.

Delayed in Atlanta

So... Our plane was scheduled to leave Atlanta at 5:05 pm and after sitting on the runway for 1 1/2 hr. they realized the broken radio could not be repaired. Flight was cancelled and everyone had to deplane. The problem was that Delta had contracted the flight to Alaskan Air and told the passengers that the hotel voucher and reschedule of the flight would be at their main desk. Long story, but I got Delta to get us on a flight scheduled to leave at 9:47 pm. Atlanta had a huge thunder storm and all flights were delayed. We are still waiting to board and are scheduled to leave at 1:15 am getting into Seattle at 3:15 am PST.

We met the most interesting person. Think - The Titanic, Woods Hole Institute & Brunei. Stay tuned!

I'll miss the kids!

Do you know how hard it is to get cows to pose like this? Just kidding. They are naturals at this modeling business. 

This is a mulch pile that I had dumped in the pasture until I could get to it. The cows have decided it is their new playground. They just can't get enough of playing King Of The Hill. 

Every day they visit this pile and just stand on it. Cows are so easy to entertain!

Aren't they cute?

The Countdown Is On!

We launch our vacation in just a few days! How exciting! 

Delta Airlines is the Official Airlines of TwoSistersDreamVacaction

Only because that's what we are flying to Seattle. Non-stop. FIRST CLASS!!

Life is good.

Our rental car is ready and waiting. Our hotel rooms are booked. The itinerary is roughed out. Events have been planned and tickets have been purchased. All thanks to Susan- the best sister on the face of the earth!

Wish us fun times and luck and stay tuned for more updates. 

One of my recent pottery platters

 

Here is a large platter I finished recently and I love the way the glazes came out. The method of glazing is termed landscape because you can create "scenes" that look like mountains or water or sand.

We will be spending a good chunk of our time in Seattle. A MUST see on my

list of things to do in Seattle, is to visit the new Dale Chihuly Exhibit that opens

May 21, 2012. Can you imagine a 12,000 square foot exhibition area filled with

Chihuly glass? An outdoor area will also feature a walkway underneath glass

chandeliers which leads to a glasshouse that features the piece pictured above.

It contains over 1,000 glass pieces in red,orange, yellow and other colors. There

will be many other pieces featured both inside and outside- some from as far

back as 1971. I might spend the entire day here ooohing and awwing.

This is a slideshow - enjoy!
Here is a great link :

 http://blog.seattlepi.com/thebigblog/2012/04/11/peek-inside-world%E2%80%99s-largest-chihuly-exhibit-in-seattle/

New posts on my other blog

Check out my other blog posts

orchidlady's blog

Hotel Accommodations

I've won hotel prizes and so far have won 100,000 Hilton points, $250 at Marriott Residence Inn and one night at the Seattle Grand Hyatt. We can stretch those out and probably get 10 days at 3 hotels. Hilton has an offer where 15,000 points and $50 will get one night so with some of the cash we've won, I can get a week at a Hilton.

Now for the rental car...

Maybe I can convince my husband to let us use some of his Marriott points!

TICKETS!!!

Our tickets are booked.
They are set in stone and sealed in place.
We are flying to.........................


                                   Seattle, Washington --- 2,600 miles away

                    Watch out Seattle! We'll be there to see you in June 2012!

Please send us any advice or tips you may have about traveling to the Pacific Northwest. This will be the first time for both of us to visit so we could use some help! Our next step is to book hotels, rent a car and finally form an itinerary.                             Look out folks- here we come!

Spring has arrived!

Happy Spring everyone. What a wonderful time of year here. We have had a winter of above average temperatures for a change. We are enjoying glorious days of perfect weather. And what could be sweeter than the perfume of orange blossoms? Enjoy your Spring days!

The Joys of A Clean Fridge!

I had not planned on cleaning the fridge. It was not on my list of " must do" items. BUT... I accidentally discovered a whole new world when I pulled out one of the crisper drawers. Where does this stuff come from? It looked as though someone spilled jar after jar of sticky something or other and the unknown substances had oozed into every crack and crevice of the lower half of my fridge.  Hours later, a sore back and two sore knees produced a much cleaner cooling cabinet. Now, when I open the door I get untold pleasure and satisfaction from a good job well done. I have my fingers crossed that this will last for many months to come. Yeah-right! I think next time I discover the Lost City of Goo, I will just buy a new fridge!

+++++ Happy warm December Boxing Day+++++

This is how I spend much of my time- tending to citrus. And I am ever so grateful for the above average temperatures for the month of December.

A huge thank you to my friend Kathy, who gave me the most amazing Breville juicer. Now I can have a fresh pitcher of sunshine in no time!

And, while reading previous posts on here, I realized that I never fully explained why I started posting. So here goes. Better get your cup of coffee or beverage of choice.

I won two airline tickets to fly first class anywhere in the world. Great win, right? And the first person who came to mind as the perfect travel companion is....... my sister. Trouble is, I won only the tickets. If we fly to far away lands- then what? We have no money or gift cards for anything else.

 To make it a real challenge, I proposed planning a vacation using only sweepstakes winnings. We like challenges. To make it an even bigger challenge, I thought a blog would be a good way to document our travels and post photos. Can you say steep learning curve? I am still on the upward side of that curve!

Our journey is slowly emerging for 2012. I am leaning towards the PNW while my sister really wants to go to New Zealand. I am hoping we can do both.
And if I am really lucky, we can enjoy several vacations together over the coming years. So, stay tuned because you never know what will just pop up out of nowhere.

That is a good summary of life actually. Stay open and flexible because you never know what will come your way. If you had told me I would be writing a blog, I would have accused you of being crazy. Well, aren't we a crazy bunch!

Buckle your seat belts and stay tuned. Check back now and then and see what is next on the roller coaster ride of life. You can join our blog or leave comments. Try it! You might just like it enough to start your own blog!

December adds to our trip

Susan and I have purchased new boots in preparation for our big trip. Course, we'll be traveling in June so not sure how much we will need these heavy boots. But if we want to scale the mountains of Montana---we are ready!

Florida Fall thoughts

I was just out planting a tree and thought of this lovely saying. Luckily, trees grow faster in Florida than other places. There is a chance I will someday sit under the dozens of saplings I have planted but then again... I'm a short person!

Tis the month of giving thanks

" Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful."

Buddha

Almost November

You know it's Fall when the Tithonia bloom!

Photo taken this afternoon

Happy October!

This is as close as we get to pretty Fall colors here in the South. Today, we greeted the day with delicious temps in the low 50's. It has been close to 5 months since we have enjoyed such cool dry weather. Heavenly!

We have had an unusually high amount of rain for September. There are now subtle signs that Fall is here. The Cypress trees are turning rusty red, the summer weeds are dying off and soon the winter weeds will sprout, the pastures have a golden brown tint to them and it is actually cool in the morning instead of the 80's. Last week might have been our last gasp of summer with highs in the mid-90's . You know we're there when we do not have to run the A.C. !

                                          Welcome September! 

We continue to plan our dream vacation and are aiming for June 2012 as our launch date. The PNW is calling our name. We will be borrowing ideas from our well traveled family and friends who have experience and hopefully have still kept their itineraries! Looking forward to your in-put.