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Published: September 14th 2010
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The revolving restaurant
Before the fire brigade descended! Last Night in Vancouver
Our last night in Vancouver was certainly an eventful one. After three days of Alexa surviving on only one coffee a day and me actually recognising soup as a legitimate food, we thought that we would push the boat out and treat ourselves to a meal at the revolving restuarant to say goodbye in style to a city that we had grown very attached to. We got up to the top of the tower and instantly we were taken aback by the incredible views. We had booked our table very deliberately for 7.30pm so that we could witness the sun setting over the majestic Grouse Mountain. All was going to plan, we had been given a lovely table and had been recommended a superb bottle of wine, when suddenly...the fire alarms started ringing! Within minutes three fire engines had pulled up at the bottom of the tower and very quickly the entire restaurant was swarming with buff Canadian firemen (Alexa thought Christmas had come early!) After a brief delay we were duly informed that there was no reasonable prospect of the kitchen being able to serve hot food that night and after a brief conversation with the
restaurant manager that went something along the lines of "We appreciate that when you ordered your wine it was on the assumption that you'd be having a meal to accompany it and we realise that at 9pm on a Sunday evening you've now got to go and wonder the streets of Vancouver to find somewhere else to eat on your last night...but actually we'd still quite like you to pay for the wine"; to which the response was a rather blunt "Think again!"; we ventured out to find somewhere else to eat. As it happened we found a lovely little Italian restaurant in the heart of Gastown and had a great meal for half the price that we would have paid at the revolving restaurant. On reflection therefore it was a very satisfying final night in Vancouver. We had experienced the incredible views of the revolving restaurant over a nice bottle of wine (which tasted all the sweeter having not paid for it), had enjoyed some drama and finally had a very enjoyable meal that was worth the wait. Even by Alexa and I's standards, two restaurants in one night was signing off from Canada in style!
Seattle/Portland
After
enduring the charms of the Greyhound coaches and a 4.5 hour journey in absolutely appalling weather, we arrived in Seattle. We had a short walk down to the ferry terminal and immediately boarded a ferry bound for Bainbridge Island which would be our home for the next three days. We were staying with Claire and Francis Gace after Peter Elliott (my boss at Charles Russell) had very kindly put us in contact (Claire being his sister). We'd never met Claire and Francis and had no idea what to expect from Bainbridge Island. However, it didn't take us long to realise that we had been very fortunate. Claire and Francis were absolutely lovely people and couldn't do enough for us. We stayed in a very charming little summer house which had its own little lounge and kitchen, a very comfortable bed and perhaps most satisfying of all...its own bathroom (quite a novelty after our hostel in Vancouver). On top of this it was a short walk from the beach and had breathtaking views over the harbour. Bainbridge Island itself was also very charming. The whole place was very picturesque and it represented a very welcome calm from the bustling cities that
Outside the first ever Starbucks in Seattle
to satisfy Alexa's coffee obsession of course! are likely to account for much of our time in the US. Indeed aside from one day in Seattle where we visited the first ever Starbucks and had some exquiste cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory, we spent the remainder of our time on Bainbridge Island where we went on runs, cycles and even enjoyed a spot of kayaking. Perhaps our most memorable experience however was when Langley (Claire and Francis' son), and it must be said a thoroughly nice guy, took us sailing one evening after he had finished work. We sailed over towards Seattle and to see the city landscape at night from the water was very special. To top it all off we even saw a sealion on the way back which we would have taken a photo of except that Alexa was too slow to get the camera out! Perhaps the one low point (or at least painful point) of our time on Bainbridge Island came when we were lowering a two person kayak down from its hoist. We misjudged just how heavy the thing was and rather than warning me it was getting too heavy for her Alexa thought that it would be far more sensible
The Cheesecake factory
Alexa in Cheesecake heaven! to simply let go. Before I realised what was happening a very heavy kayak had landed on my head giving me a rather impressive bump on my forehead and a heavily gashed nose. It must be said that after she'd finished laughing Alexa was reasonably sympathetic. However I suspect that deep down there is a certain sense of satisfaction that for the next week at least I will have a funnier nose than her for a change!
After a lovely final night on Bainbridge Island where we were taken out for a curry by Claire and Francis, we carried on our journey down the West Coast to Portland. The journey was again approximately 4 hours but this time we were spared the delights of Grehound as we had picked up our Amtrak passes in Seattle, which would be our mode of transport for the remainder of our adventures over on the West Side. The Amtrak trains are very impressive and can only be described as the cruise liners of the railways. 'Big' is a word often assosiated with the US and you can see why. First of all it takes an unbelievably long time to get anywhere in the
US (however small the distance appears on the map!) Secondly, the food portions are frequently obscene and Alexa and I have often resorted to sharing meals in a bid not only to remain within our rather stringent budget but also to preserve our waist lines! Thirdly their vehicles whether they be cars, ferries or Amtrak trains absoluetly dwarf anything seen in the UK. Our train to Portland was no exception and we were able to walk around and observe the wonderful and ever changing scenery in the viewing gallery carriages which made the journey fly by. Indeed there were even games rooms in the downstairs sections of these trains which gives an indication as to their size. When we got to Portland we found the city to be quite pleasent if a little dull. Perhaps the highlight of our time there were the free cookies given out by the hotel! We spent just one afternoon and a morning in Portland before bracing ourselves for an 18 hour journey down to San Francisco. Find out if it was worth the journey on our next blog update due soon!
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Congratulations Phoenix
Well, firstly let me say congratulations to Alexa for hitting Ben with a kayak. Admittedly, with that large, square monstrosity, it wasn't a small target. I am so jealous of the fantastic things you've seen already. The boat trip looks amazing. Judging by your fab pics, I really must visit the pacific north-west at some point. So while you're out there seeing the world, i'm stuck infront of a laptop 11-12 hours a day. Keep up the blogging guys, it's a great read and more importantly, it's my form of escapism from the dreary, dark and dismal office atmosphere that has become my sad, pathetic and rather depressing life....love to you both x