Shar and I will be flying in to Seattle Saturday 9/3 and drive up to Vancouver from there. We'll stay in Vancouver until Wednesday 9/7 when we drive back down to Seattle staying there until we fly back out Friday morning, 9/9. It's our 10th anniversary, so I can't spend all my time with 914 whack-jobs, but Shar is pretty agreeable when it commes to my obsessions.

We've never been to either, so is there "must see" stuff we should visit?

Side note: Rather than use our miles for the flight there and back, we used them to upgrade to first class. It isn't even a direct flight, but I don't care as long as they keep the drinks flowin...

Camp 914?

No whack jobs up there....they're only in CA....

Actually, I did fly into Seattle once... at 10 p.m. Bought my truck and drove straight down to Portland to visit with Craig and Jim. Never did get to see Camp914 though. I don't think I can take that kind of time this trip. Camp will have to wait for WCC06.

Teener whack-jobs are everywhere! It's a mindset, not a locale.

I'll be in Seattle then too, hell I live here. I think the latest club event for then is DaveHunts BBQ/fire the new engine that weekend.

What to see here or in VAnBC? I like the Chinatowns in both and go to DimSum at either town. Skip the chicken feet....

In Seattle throwing eggs at Bill Gates house is always fun....
Laborday weekend is Bumbershoot fest. which is always fun with food and lots of music.

Wackjobs?? that would be KevinP (rhodyguy)


I though Britan was moving up then and maybe Mueller was visiting then too?? WTF is everyone coming to Seattle for anyway??

QUOTE (Gint @ Aug 21 2005, 08:47 AM)

Teener whack-jobs are everywhere! It's a mindset, not a locale.

Can I quote you on that?

I'm assuming that's the GWN version of Vancouver...the younger one.

pike place market is one of the must see things.

on your way back from BC take a detour at bellingham on chuckanut dr. it runs along the coast of puget sound. this will take you right back to I5 just north of mountvernon.

google it or map quest fairhaven and you will find it.

Some things to see in Vancouver, B.C. : Downtown including Robson Street, Chinatown, Gastown, Granville Island, Stanley Park, Grouse Mountain, Capalino suspension bridge. Have a great time!

Hey Mike Come on down. CAMP is always open, if I have some notice that you will be here. A couple of guys form Holland showed up at my front dopor a few weeks ago. They wanted to see CAMP 914. I was at a cruzin about 20 miles away. They wanted to see the real CAMP, I gave them directions, they went up and took pics. Another fellow called the other day, he was from the Reno area, in town to drop his son off for college, wanted to see CAMP 914. Never did showup.
CCLINMAPQUESTME

QUOTE (Bleyseng @ Aug 21 2005, 10:54 AM)

I'll be in Seattle then too, hell I live here. I think the latest club event for then is DaveHunts BBQ/fire the new engine that weekend. What to see here or in VAnBC? I like the Chinatowns in both and go to DimSum at either town. Skip the chicken feet.... In Seattle throwing eggs at Bill Gates house is always fun.... Laborday weekend is Bumbershoot fest. which is always fun with food and lots of music. Wackjobs?? that would be KevinP (rhodyguy) I though Britan was moving up then and maybe Mueller was visiting then too?? WTF is everyone coming to Seattle for anyway??

Speaking for myself, because I've seen a lot of at least the western half of the U.S. except for Oregon/Washington State.

So you want to have dinner Wednesday night or what?

You will love Vancouver, BC. You are getting good suggestions from Guy and I would recommend Troy's Puget Sound detour on the way back if time allows. See you here next summer. Better be driving a tangerine six!

QUOTE (boxstr @ Aug 21 2005, 11:03 AM)

Hey Mike Come on down. CAMP is always open, if I have some notice that you will be here. A couple of guys form Holland showed up at my front dopor a few weeks ago. They wanted to see CAMP 914. I was at a cruzin about 20 miles away. They wanted to see the real CAMP, I gave them directions, they went up and took pics. Another fellow called the other day, he was from the Reno area, in town to drop his son off for college, wanted to see CAMP 914. Never did showup. CCLINMAPQUESTME

I won't have time this trip to drive all the way down there Craig. We'll only be in Seattle for two days as it is. I'm hoping to see Camp either before or after WCC06.

I bet no one attending WCC '06 will not see Camp!

QUOTE (messix @ Aug 21 2005, 10:59 AM)

pike place market is one of the must see things. on your way back from BC take a detour at bellingham on chuckanut dr. it runs along the coast of puget sound. this will take you right back to I5 just north of mountvernon. google it or map quest fairhaven and you will find it.

Awesome. That I can do and that's the type of driving tips I like. Combine a necessary trip with some great sight seeing opportunities. Thanks!

Must see?

My new oil cooler ducting ...

Eddie

Oops!

Forgot to resize.

Eddie

QUOTE (Eddie914 @ Aug 21 2005, 11:15 AM)

Oops! Forgot to resize. Eddie

Allow me...

If you are in downtown Seattle and want to do tourista consider the underground tour in Pioneer Square. Walk onto a ferry to Winslow and explore there and come back to see Puget Sound (don't take a car, too expensive). Take the monorail to Seattle Center and check out the Experience Music Center (wacko building but sort of a rock and roll hall of fame).

Maybe we could get the local guys together and hijack them for a trip to Redhook Brewery. Few twisties, food and beer.

Dave

QUOTE (DNHunt @ Aug 21 2005, 11:41 AM)

If you are in downtown Seattle and want to do tourista consider the underground tour in Pioneer Square. Walk onto a ferry to Winslow and explore there and come back to see Puget Sound. Take the monorail to Seattle Center and check out the Experience Music Center (wacko building but sort of a rock and roll hall of fame). Maybe we could get the local guys together and hijack them for a trip to Redhook Brewery. Few twisties, food and beer. Dave

Sounds great Dave, thanks. As for the twisties, we'll only actually be in Seattle wth any time Wednesday late afternoon/evening and all day/evening Thursday. If we could pull it off, it sounds good.

i second dave on the ferry ride. you can't beat the view of seattle from there on a clear day with the cascades to the east and the olympics to the west.

On a clear summer day there is nothing more scenic than the Puget Sound area. Ferry ride and strolling the Seattle Piers and Pike Place Market would be #1 on my list for Seattle.

Hop a ferry to the san juan islands for the day.

Keep the wife AWAY from Ranier Plaza. You'll get stuck shopping and that place can be big bucks. Geoff is a good source for restaurant info in Seattle.

Vancouver will amaze you. Very, very cosmopolitan. People from all over. Very fun.

Dave

We'll meet for dinner on Wed night no problem. What kind of food do you like or are you willin to try something different?? Vietnamese? Tapas? Funky Mexican? Carribean?(Mojito's which SirAndy liked)

Pike Place is cool but get there before lunch as its swamped with tourists after that....

A ferry ride is really nice over to Bainbridge Island, walk around, shop, have coffee if its SUNNY. sucks if its cloudy and rainning.....

Pioneer Square is fun especially at night if you like music, bars, night life. During the day there are tours (the Underground is pretty damn fun).
I could even get you out on Lake Washington on a sailboat if you want. (let me know in advance). That is soo much fun on a sunny day!

914wise, you can help me install the motor!

In VanBC, Grandville Island is great with its huge market/restaurant court, shopping....
Robson St in the late afternoon to evening for shopping
Chinatown for everything!
Stanley park is really nice....

Give me some ideas what your likes/dislikes are.

Sailing sounds cool, but that has to be a nearly all day project and would use up a lot of Seattle time.

As for food, well, I'll try anything once. What the hell is Tapas? That may be a winner because I do like to try new stuff. Vietnamese is good and Shar and I both love Mexican, but I'm not crazy about funky Mexican. Or Carribean for that matter. To tell you the truth, when I'm that close to seafood, that's my preference. When we're in S.F., we eat clam chowder on a sour dough bowl for breakfast. There's some kind of Fisherman's Warf like affair there in Seattle isn't there?

Yep, that's the pier area and Pike Place market. I think (remember I am a Portlander so Geoff knows best) the ferries folks are recommending leave from there as well.

QUOTE (Gint @ Aug 21 2005, 11:39 AM)

Sailing sounds cool, but that has to be a nearly all day project and would use up a lot of Seattle time. As for food, well, I'll try anything once. What the hell is Tapas? That may be a winner because I do like to try new stuff. Vietnamese is good and Shar and I both love Mexican, but I'm not crazy about funky Mexican. Or Carribean for that matter. To tell you the truth, when I'm that close to seafood, that's my preference. When we're in S.F., we eat clam chowder on a sour dough bowl for breakfast. There's some kind of Fisherman's Warf like affair there in Seattle isn't there?

Seafood in Seattle is really nice, several places come to mind on first ave in Belltown.

Tapas are Spanish dishes. Tango, Cafe Serafina are both great so\pots.

The new Vietanmese spot is Tamerindtree, great food in little Saigon.

There are some Fisherman Wharf spots on the waterfront or at Piike Place Market which suck. Total ripoff for what you get

Sailing is for a couple of hours (2) thats all unless we go racing! yeah baby!

Whistler - About a 1.5 hour drive from Vancouver. Yeah, yeah, there's no snow but Whistler village is still worth visiting.
Richmond Night Market - It's only on the weekends, but the food there is amazing.
Stanley Park - Walk the Seawall and take in the view or visit the Vancouver Aquarium. Remember to bring extra film or spare memory cards if your camera is digital.
Granville Island, Downtown, Chinatown, etc... Have fun finding parking

good god..... what is up with all you NW people and sittin there on the 'puter when it] such a nice sunny..... er' rainy [it always rains up here, don't listen to all that seattle has sunny nice summers. it rains.it rains all the time, and when its not raining its gray overcast and depressing. ]

so dont move here.

we have huge slugs too

my excuse.... i'm working

QUOTE (bnd @ Aug 21 2005, 01:18 PM)

Granville Island, Downtown, Chinatown, etc... Have fun finding parking

The way to avoid that is take the 'hop on - hop off' bus using a 2-day pass. I seriously suggest not driving around town. Traffic can be a mess plus there are some streets torn up downtown, or blocked-off due to movie filming.

Hell, its not that bad in Van,BC. Whistler is fun but ya gotta stay over and hike and stuff to enjoy it.


Here is one good seafood place in Seattle
http://www.flyingfishseattle.com/

mike, if you can, i suggest you take the train to vacouver. nice ride, you'll see much more than I-5, and coming back into the states will be less of a hassle. quite a bit of the ride is right next to puget sound. you don't need to drive IN seattle at all. buses in the downtown core are free and you get around much faster anyway. the seattle art museum is impressive as is woodland park zoo. the zoo is one of the top ranked in the nation. you can do both in one day easily. pike place market is highly overrated, esp after 9am.

i take it you are not flying united as denver is the hub out of seattle. southwest? where do you have to go first? pheonix or dallas/fort worth?

k

We'll have to layover (like 35 minutes only) in Dallas/Ft.W or Houston something. I''m not really sure, TExas is all I know. We have an American Airlines credit card which is why we had all of the miles. American is my favorite airline and I use them whenever I can. They even moved all of the seats in coach to give more legroom on all of their planes.

Train huh Kevin? That sounds pretty interesting. We could always rent a car in Vancouver for a day when we get there to drive up to Whistler and what not. Any more info on this train? Amtrak I assume? How far is the train station from the airport?

Jeff - Flying Fish or Tapas sounds great to me.

mike, so your plan is to head directly from seatac to vancouver? or lay over one night when you get to town? if you get into seattle and out of the airport after 3pm, you aren't going any direction, on any freeway, until 7pm ; right on the train, check the amtrac web site. it's great ride. i've recently had the opportunity to ride from portland to tacoma a few times. saw areas of wa that i had no idea existed. off the beaten path, if i ever sell this house i know where i'm moving. bruce might be able to comment on taking rental cars across international boundries. i think it's frowned upon.

k

When your in Vancover take the ferry to victoria and check it out then have high tea at the Empress hotel its a great town and your wife will never be mad at you again. Just got baack from seattle area. Drove my dayughter and grand daughter and her 2 hourses to fort worth Tx so she could compete in the AQHA worlds final for youth 4 days down 10 days there 4days back I am happy to be home

Bernie

QUOTE (rhodyguy @ Aug 21 2005, 08:06 PM)

mike, so your plan is to head directly from seatac to vancouver? or lay over one night when you get to town? if you get into seattle and out of the airport after 3pm, you aren't going any direction, on any freeway, until 7pm ; right on the train, check the amtrac web site. it's great ride. i've recently had the opportunity to ride from portland to tacoma a few times. saw areas of wa that i had no idea existed. off the beaten path, if i ever sell this house i know where i'm moving. bruce might be able to comment on taking rental cars across international boundries. i think it's frowned upon. k

That has always been the plan until you posted that bit of onfo Kevin. We may have to modify the plan and stay overnight in Seattle.

Hi Bernie!

the westin in downtown is pretty nice. a little spendy but centrally located. i'm a big fan of using metro and sound transit (buses). just outside of bagage pick up there are bus stops. once you're on the bus there is one stop between you and westlake center (major specialty shopping at street level), the main transfer area in seattle (clean & safe), for i think $1.50 each. the cab ride is about $15 and you can't see over the drivers turban. westlake center is about 3 blocks from the westin.

k

QUOTE (Gint @ Aug 22 2005, 05:51 AM)

QUOTE (rhodyguy @ Aug 21 2005, 08:06 PM) mike, so your plan is to head directly from seatac to vancouver? or lay over one night when you get to town? if you get into seattle and out of the airport after 3pm, you aren't going any direction, on any freeway, until 7pm ; right on the train, check the amtrac web site. it's great ride. i've recently had the opportunity to ride from portland to tacoma a few times. saw areas of wa that i had no idea existed. off the beaten path, if i ever sell this house i know where i'm moving. bruce might be able to comment on taking rental cars across international boundries. i think it's frowned upon. k That has always been the plan until you posted that bit of onfo Kevin. We may have to modify the plan and stay overnight in Seattle. Hi Bernie!

Is traffic super bad even on weekends?

no, it's not sharon. most of the time.

k

sharon, i just had a quick look at the Amtrac site. if you and mike should decide to go that route, the daily train is the 510 Cascades which has a scheduled departure time of 7:45 am. it will more than likely be a bit late departing from seattle as it originates in salem, i think, and there is usually some conflict with freight trains. enjoy your stay in the pacific northwest.

k

Vanvouver eh?.... If you are taking her out on the town there is always the Cannery, try salmon wellington... it is a bit of a pain to get to there but well worth the extra ten minutes, If you like cheese cake...Cheese Cake Etc on Granville, shopping on Robson street, the Stanley Park-walk around the sea wall 11km, Granville Island market for fresh food and stuff...... kayaking in Deep Cove, Deep Cove Kayak, and best of all..... lotsa Canadian Whisky
Steve

There is always traffic but its not too bad on the weekends moving along at 45-55 mph until you are well past Everett.

Taking the train is a good idea if you want to relax and not fight traffic for one hour just to get outta Seattle-Everett.
I have had no problems taking a rental car across the border many times.
Bring your birth certificate, voter registration and drivers ID if you don't have a passport as the US Border guys can be a pain in the ass nowdays. Easy to get in Canada its hard getting into the US!

What do you wanna spend for hotels? There is a brand new one on Broadway and Madison thats nice for less than the Westin. I can drive you guys around some if you want, like getting you to the train station from the Hotel.

I have never taken the ferry from Downtown Van BC to Victoria BC, its a passenger only one isn't it? The car one from Tawassen you MUST have a online reservation or you will wait freakin 4 hrs to get on as there are so many cars.
Victoria BC is really beautiful and downtown you can rent a bike or walk to get around plus take a bus out to the Buchart Gardens (they're ok to see). I prefer to stroll around the waterfront shopping, eating, etc as its really nice. In fact much nicer than Seattle's or Van BC. I don't get excited about driving up to Whistler in the summer as its a small road with lots of traffic with tons of road construction going on with delays. Whistler itself is a skiing town but you can hike and sightsee. (waste of time IMHO)
Victoria is much nicer of a place to visit and shop (Can dollar is about .84 US so there are some savings) plus they have nice stuff there. No Wallmarts I have seen yet.

QUOTE (rhodyguy @ Aug 21 2005, 08:06 PM)

bruce might be able to comment on taking rental cars across international boundries. i think it's frowned upon. k

Can anyone speak to this authoritatively? We didn't have any trouble last year when driving into St. Catherines from Niagra Falls. With the rental car anyway. We just had to prove to the Canadians that the kids were ours. LOL. They ever asked anything about the rental car. And the U.S. didn't care about squat.

QUOTE (Bleyseng @ Aug 22 2005, 08:41 AM)

There is always traffic but its not too bad on the weekends moving along at 45-55 mph until you are well past Everett. Taking the train is a good idea if you want to relax and not fight traffic for one hour just to get outta Seattle-Everett. I have had no problems taking a rental car across the border many times. Bring your birth certificate, voter registration and drivers ID if you don't have a passport as the US Border guys can be a pain in the ass nowdays. Easy to get in Canada its hard getting into the US!

As I said above, it was the exact opposite last summer going in from N.Y. But we both have and will bring passports.

last weekend al and i cruised thru seattle pretty fast. a bit later dave and mike got stuck in a pretty good back up due to a chipper/truck incident, so there's no telling. b-way and madison? why stay on capital hill to save a few bucks? unless your going to be at their disposal, driving around town can be confusing enough for semi locals. re the train, like flying, you MUST be there early. with a 7:45 departure. they can hop on a bus on 1st ave and be at King St station in 10 minutes.

k

Can anyone speak to this authoritatively? We didn't have any trouble last year when driving into St. Catherines from Niagra Falls. With the rental car anyway. We just had to prove to the Canadians that the kids were ours. LOL. They ever asked anything about the rental car. And the U.S. didn't care about squat.


My wife takes a rental car from Van BC to Seattle quite
often for her job....no problem....
I think it is important to let the rental car place know
that it will be going over the border so it is insured
properly....

QUOTE (cardiaceagle @ Aug 22 2005, 02:24 PM)

Can anyone speak to this authoritatively? We didn't have any trouble last year when driving into St. Catherines from Niagra Falls. With the rental car anyway. We just had to prove to the Canadians that the kids were ours. LOL. They ever asked anything about the rental car. And the U.S. didn't care about squat. My wife takes a rental car from Van BC to Seattle quite often for her job....no problem.... I think it is important to let the rental car place know that it will be going over the border so it is insured properly....

Monique and I usually rent a car to go since we travel with guests and the Passat isn't big enough for 5 with bags. We have never had a problem and yes get the proper insurance. The drive is nice once you get past Everett (75mph) and scenic. The train is nice too...
I mentioned the Hotel on Broadway as its very nice, far from freeway noise and a bit cheaper if you want. The Westin isn't all that cheap or if money is no object stay a the waterfront Marriott as its beautiful.
When I travel I spend money on everything else not on the place I sleep, hell my eyes are closed, don't watch tv, and don't care if it has a view.

Gint, PM me if you want to hook up. I don't mind showing you around if I can work it out. It will get me outta working....

http://www.seattle.com/westin-seattle/
pic of the Marriott

http://www.silvercloud.com/14home.htm

I love Seattle Mike! How about I curl up into a fetal position and cram myself into your checked luggage. I just need a little water and some saltines. You can pick me up on your way back from Vancouver. I'm sure Sharon would be cool with it.

Yeah, OK Ben. Love ya man, but I don't think you'd fit. LOL And I just shipped one dependant off to CSU. I'm not ready to replace him right away.

QUOTE (BMartin914 @ Aug 22 2005, 10:00 PM)

I love Seattle Mike! How about I curl up into a fetal position and cram myself into your checked luggage. I just need a little water and some saltines. You can pick me up on your way back from Vancouver. I'm sure Sharon would be cool with it.  :D

Ben, Mike will take the smallest bag absolutely possible, and I cram everything I own into my luggage. I routinely check a 49.5 lb bag (Mike should probably wear a belt to keep from busting a gut when he lugs it). So you'll have to crate yourself up like everyone else if you want to ride along.

I'd really wanted to see Whistler, but think this may not be the trip for it. I'll wait until ski season.

QUOTE (Bleyseng @ Aug 22 2005, 06:33 PM)

Gint, PM me if you want to hook up. I don't mind showing you around if I can work it out. It will get me outta working....

Will do Jeff. Give us a couple of days to work stuff out. There has been a lot of info to digest in this thread. I tend to overplan vacations and not spend enough time relaxing. I'm getting better at not doing that, but we have so little time in Seattle this trip that I'd like to try to cram some stuff into that day and a half.

I'm re-thinking sailing. If you can work it out it might be really cool. Especially if it can be easily done in 2-4 hours. An afternoon sailing and dinner afterwards? Can you get out on a Wednesday or Thursday afternoon?

Gotta talk to Shar...

I moved this post to Where's Geoff

enjoy you stay on capital hill. ground zero for seattle's gay community(not that there's anything wrong with that). bring your black leather chaps and nipple rings.

k