I decided to take the Amtrak in to Vancouver because it was cheaper and I wanted to take the scenic route. I booked my ticket online ahead of time, printed my ticket and showed up to the train station (if you book 2 weeks in advance, they have a great deal)
The train left Seattle really early so I made myself a snack from the breakfast offerings at the hostel and I had my chowder left from the day before
It takes 4 hours to get from Seattle to Vancouver, stopping at major cities in between, so if you're not tight on time, it's a really nice ride up. There's wifi, power outlets, and a bistro dining cart serving food, drinks and alcoholic drinks! (I take the train in to Portland the next day and find that not all trains are created equal)
The ride was as smooth as a train ride can be... There were many beautiful scenes and most of it was eerie cause it was really early and a bit foggy in parts
Oh Canada... Apparently I look threatening or entering the country for 1 day to eat was unheard of (my response to why I was crossing the border for one to find a hockey playing husband didn't bode too well with him) because I got pulled in to customs and the agent pulled everything out of my bag (examined my toothpaste and shampoo very carefully too) and questioned everything from birth until the moment I came to stand in front of him... Then wished me a pleasant stay in Vancouver 😕
These geese were everywhere also wishing me a pleasant time in Vancouver, aye!
Someday there will be world where wifi is global and I won't have to hop from Starbucks to Starbucks to use my phone to figure out where I am and where I need to go... I was able to exchange US dollar for Canadian dollar at the train station, many places do take US dollar and my credit card doesn't charge a foreign transaction fee, so I only exchanged $20 (their coins are very hard to decipher the monetary amount so read carefully, but their bills are easy to read and they feel nice too)
Science World Center
The train station lets you out at the Main Street/Science World Center so I walked around there for a bit and hopped on the Skytrain to get to a trolley tour I heard about. So the Skytrain cost $2.50 CAD to get to the Granville stop (I could have also gotten off at Waterfront) and took all of 5 mins to get there. As soon as I got out, it was a madhouse of tall buildings, retail shops, businessmen, tourists and Asian people!!
I need a Starbucks cause I am lost!...
On the way up I read about a San Francisco style Red Trolley tour that I wanted to join (http://www.vancouvertrolley.com/tours/hop-on-hop-off) so I needed to find out where I needed to be to join... Where's Canada Place?
So the Hop on, Hop off tour starts at Canada Place, which also is connected to the convention center so if you get lost, you can just ask the information desk where the trolley will stop. The first trolley comes at 9am, makes 32 stops and comes back to Canada Place. The idea is that at any stop you are welcome to hop off to explore the area, the next bus will be by in 45 mins so you can hop back on and go to the next stop(s). The last trolley leaves Canada Place at 3pm so on that trolley you will not have the opportinity to hop off and hop on as there is no trolley to follow, of course you can hop off but no one will come get you... The tour takes about 2.5-3 hours so it's a nice way to kill time and explore/learn about the city too! The tour costs $40 CAD, you get coupons for other tours and if you join the tour after 2pm, the pass is good for the next day as well!
I got to ride around the city, I took memorable photos, and the driver gave many interesting factoids about the city (I'll try to recall those factoids as best as I can)
The Olympic torch and a Lego orca!
I enjoyed the tour very much and wish I had more time to hop on and hop off.. The driver was very knowledgable about the city and was personable so I thought it was a good deal... Don't forget to tip!
At first I wasn't going to stay the night anywhere in Vancouver but I decided against it cause it was really cold, I was tired and my bag was really heavy (wah! 😩) I was already eyeing a hostel so I stopped there to see if a room was available (after stopping at a Starbucks to figure out where it is)... I wish I had thought of this sooner so I didn't have to carry around my back pack!... The Cambie Seymour... A nice place to stay for a night or longer... And the bottom floor is a bar! The wifi they offered was the best signal range I'd ever experience at a hostel so far. I had a beer while I caught up with some friends online and figured out where to eat
My friend suggested that I go check out Chambar and it was close to my hostel so I went for it
Chambar is a sexy bar/restaurant that was packed when I walked in! I got a seat at the bar (of course) and ordered their house ale. The awesome bartender answered my questions while gracefully making drinks and suggested what I should order, the chef was trained in Belgium so there was a mixture of Belgium classics and local French influences. The woman sitting next to me, her daughter and her daughter's friend ordered the Moules Frites and they looked delicious! I decided to go with the thing that I can't have in California cause the legislatures want to dictate what I eat.... Foie gras!!!
It's been too long old friend.... The terrine was nicely seasoned and went perfect with the brioche toast, the granita provided a lovely tart balance to the richness
I also ordered the Olive oil poached Scallops with chorizo, escabeche vegetables, avocado and Peruvian peppers - this was also delicious. The scallops were cooked perfectly, again pork makes the world a better place, the pickled vegetables and peppers made the dish that much better
While I waited for my dinner and watched the bartender work, I asked the woman sitting next to me if the restaurant was always this busy (cause it was Thursday night and it was packed!), and she said it gets pretty busy but that Justin Timberlake was in town and most of the people were there just having dinner before the show! HA!
After dinner I returned to my hostel to have a couple more drinks and use the wifi then called it a night cause I had to be up really early to catch the train again
I took the Skytrain from the Granville station to Main Street/Science World Center ($2.50 CAD and 5 mins), checked in for my seat assignment and proceeded to look threatening..... Yes I got interrogated from the US side as well!! Even though I did nothing wrong, they managed to make me feel like a criminal!
I had a seatmate who was a very nice young lady, she got the window seat and I the aisle which is what I prefer except the only power outlet was by her foot and there was only 1! And the train was full so I couldn't even jump seats... Like I said, she was very nice and let me hog the outlet for 6 out of the 8 hours we rode together... This train was held up by several delays along the way and had to stop at most cities between Vancouver, BC and Portland... Again it's scenic and inexpensive if time is not a factor for you. My saving grace was the Bistro Lounge and wifi throughout the train (I even got interrogated one more time at the border!)
Cool sculpture thing at the border
Like I said, it's a very beautiful ride down... Once the conductor makes his head count and people like me get the third degree at the border, you can just go hang out in the Bistro Lounge and read or chat with other people or get a drink and before you know it, you're there
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