You can imagine how excited I was when I found out Sue and her mom were taking the train to
Vancouver, BC -- and they invited me!
I love the train. And when I finally saw it coming down the the track at the
Amtrak station in
Everett, Washington I knew I was in for a big treat.
The weather had been really rainy for the past five days, so we were lucky to be on the train at all. Sue found out later that it was canceled for several days (meaning the passengers had to be put on a bus ... no thanks!).
Sue got a latte at the station and then she checked her e-mails. She brought her laptop with her and they have free
Wi-Fi at the Everett depot. Sweet!
So I just sat quietly with Sue's mom, Jean, while she read the
Everett Herald.The train arrived a few minutes late -- Sue took a photo of it, although it's a bit blurry as it was raining and she didn't want to get her camera wet. But here it is, coming down the track:
We were traveling Business Class. For around 12 dollars more each way, you get a $3 coupon for food/beverages; a quiet car with lots of newspapers; and best of all you detrain first in Vancouver, BC to go through
Canada Customs/Immigration.Make sure you bring your passport (Sue recently lost hers, so she had to bring her birth certificate, but that's another story)!
Cliff was our conductor; he's a nice guy, and he even carried me back to my seat after we had breaky in the dining car.
We arrived in Vancouver around 11:45 AM and made it through customs/immigration with no problems. I stayed in my bag just so I wouldn't complicate things.
Sue is up here so often that she really knows how to get around. We caught a cab to
Hotel Le Soleil where we'd be staying for one night. She found a good rate at
Orbitz for the three of us. It's a nice little boutique hotel with a separate living room (that's where I slept ... this is me underneath the bathrobe on the sofa):
Sue spent the afternoon at
Ian Daburn Salon getting her head rearranged (that's what Sue's dad used to call it). I hung out at the hotel and Sue's mom went shopping. But Sue's hair did look really nice when she came back. I wonder if they do bears?
That evening I decided to stay at the hotel and order room service. Sue and her mom went to the
Parkside for dinner. It's in the West End just off Denman near the landmark
Sylvia Hotel on English Bay. They had a tasty three course dinner and told me all about it.
Luckily the next morning we could sleep in. Sue went out in the pouring rain and picked up coffee and muffins for herself and her mom; I checked out the mini-bar but decided to have an apple instead (they have free apples and little bottles of water at the front desk).
Then it was off to the
Spruce Body Lab for our 11:30 appointments. Sue's mom had an hour-long massage at the Yaletown spa and Sue and I had a fabulous facial in a lovely all-white room with little candles. Here I am in the treatment bed ... don't I look young and fresh?
Of course we were starving after all that pampering so we took a cab to the
Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. Sue loves having lunch here at 900 West, which is located just off the historic hotel's lobby.
She looked for Cindy, one of her favorite waitresses, but her co-worker Wayne said she had the day off. No worries, as the friendly waiter took very good care of us. Here is a picture of me with Wayne right after we finished our fab-o French dip sandwiches with Caesar salads:
Soon it was time to head back home. We took a cab to Pacific Central Station an hour ahead of the 6 PM departure time. Since we had such a late lunch, we ate light on board, not even going to the dining car.
I love riding the train and watching the world go by!
