Waterfront station is where the SeaBus, and trains from different directions come home. Commuters disembark, zig-zag through the station, and spill out onto West Cordova Street. From here, you can choose the type of Downtown Vancouver experience you want: the buzzing stores, pubs and clubs on Granville; the spread-out restaurant patios at Coal Harbour; the relaxed weekend… Read more »
The odd thing about the Gold Dust Lounge was the absence of food. No matter how you sell it, I will not get excited about Chex Mix, let alone consider it a meal replacement. So, 1am found me dining al fresco by a train station, attacking a paper bag containing an In-N-Out (el-o-el) burger and… Read more »
After a windy ferry ride from Sausalito to Fisherman’s Wharf, I was covered in mayonnaise. The eat-all-things approach I adopt when visiting a place (and on most Mondays) got in the way of my finishing my salad, so the remainder of the seafood mix hitched a ride back to San Francisco with us. It was… Read more »
When you have four days in a fascinating place, you end up with a series of wonderful, enviable choices to make. The first one for us – Sausalito vs the Golden Gate Bridge photo opp. I am happy to report that we went slightly less touristy, and hopped off the tour early at the very… Read more »
Getting the most of a sampling session without falling into a guilt trap and ending up with an unnecessary purchase or few takes tact and will power. Or callousness. You have to express enough interest to appear a potential buyer, without seeming keen on any one product. I find that you have to look slightly… Read more »
I get as worried about tour guides as I do about opening acts at concerts. You can find me trying to influence, with my mind and magic, the situation to be, usually done with a “please be good, please be good” mental chant, crossed fingers and a little too much anxiety than is needed before… Read more »
Quiet long drives through beautiful places – there are few things I love more. Some of those things are wine, cheese and fudge. Day One had all of this. Our time with the gorgeous redwoods did not feel long enough, and before we knew it, we were leaving behind the fog and the foggy Golden… Read more »
Waking up after three hours of sleep is a lot easier when you know you’re leaving your bed for Napa, and not your routine commute. A 7-something AM cappuccino and bagel clumsily consumed at the pick up point outside the Parc 55 hotel was all I needed to help me explain to myself why my… Read more »
I can see quite a number of planes right now that I would rather board than the Alaska Airlines one that my ticket wants me to get on. Gate 20 does not look appealing, when, in the distance, I can see the place that gave me four days of sun and undulating streets, fog and… Read more »