Thursday 12 April 2012

Sleepless in Seattle

My wife and I had a few days off so we decided to ditch our kids(they are quite capable of taking care of themselves now that they are in high school with one graduating this spring) and we headed down to Seattle for an overnighter.  My wife gambled for our hotel using Hotwire.com and we ended up with a so, so place about a mile and a half from where we wanted to be.  The hotel would have been very convenient had I wanted to see a game given that it was right across the street from Safeco Field.

The weather was a mixed bag with very rainy periods as should be expected for anyone who lives in the pacific northwest or the Seattle area.  You never leave home without your rain gear and I was no exception.


As we were were just doing a little shopping and behaving like typical tourons, visiting Pike Place Market was a must.


Seattle isn't quite as bohemian as Portland.  Seattle has a more mature and sophisticated vibe about it, especially when it comes to dining out.  This morning we had a wonderful breakfast at Sweet Iron Waffles and I must say the barista, who made my latte, was an artist!

On the drive back home, we decided to take a detour along Chuckanut Drive because I have never been on it.  It was stunningly beautiful and well worth the extra time.  I would really like to spend more time exploring the trails along this road and perhaps trying a few oysters from bay we drove next to.

It was a nice surprise to be waved back over the border without any hassle after having purchased over twice our allowable limit.  I almost wished we had spent more(no way!).

Friday 6 April 2012

Vancouver International Auto Show

Today, my wife and I took my son to the auto show.  He's crazy about cars and wants to be an auto mechanic.  This is the first time that we have all had the same day off to go to the Vancouver International Auto show.  We also wanted to check out a few compact cars as prospective second vehicles.  We will soon have three licensed drivers in our home and possibly need another vehicle.







The show was held at BC Place and I hadn't been in there since they put on the new roof...it looks great and I can't wait to go and see a Whitecaps game there!



There was the usual collection of fancy schmancy expensive models on display like this Lamborghini Aventado.
 

There were also a few concept cars in the show like this Cadillac Urban Luxury Hybrid below.


...and it wouldn't really be a car show without a few giveaways, swag, and sales gimmicks like this "Hank" the robot from FORD.  He reminded me of the evil robot that froze everything in the movie "Logan's Run".  I was a little creeped out and half expected him to start chasing people while cackling about preserving "plankton and fish and sea greens and protein from the sea"!

I spent quite a while trying out various compact cars for "fit" as I am a big guy.  Fit wasn't quite as important to the smaller members of my family.  The car which suited me the best was a KIA Rio although the Hyundai Accent wasn't half bad either.


It was a fun way to spend the day despite the crowds and the irony of taking public transit down to see the auto show was not lost on me.