Vancouver & Seattle

April 10-12, 2009
AC25 YYZ-YVR, AC16 YVR-YYZ

For Easter this year, we decided to head back to Vancouver.  It had been a number of years since we actually spent time in Vancouver, and with the build up to the Olympics it seemed like a good idea.  As we often do, we headed to Seattle and took the opportunity to tour the Boeing Factory in Everett, Washington.  The place had changed considerably since we were there in 2001, when the tour center was a small trailer and some of the first 777-300s were coming off the line.  This morning the factory delivered their 777th 777 to Air France.  The 787 was the focus of the factory tour, but unfortunately to protect the planes from idiots that cannot keep hold of their cameras, you are no longer able to take photos.  With the holiday traffic at the border on Friday, we barely made our tour (we waited 1.5 hours with our Nexus card; others waited 4!).  We stayed in Bellevue at our favorite suburban Hyatt and headed back to Vancouver the next morning.

Apr 10
Fly to Vancouver and drive to Seattle

A good view of one of the two “DreamLifter” aircraft used to transport 787 body sections

Exterior of the 747/767/777/787 Everett factory

Apr 10
Seattle to Vancouver

Seattle skyline from our favorite lookout at Kerry Park

Cherry blossoms outside our downtown Vancouver hotel

Cruise Ship Terminal on a grey, but at least warm day

The new convention center across from the Cruise Ship terminal

Me standing under one of the clocks in the gas lamp district

Continuing the tradition started in Beijing, The Olympic Countdownclock

Tamil protestors outside the museum -- before similar protests had shutdown Toronto

Me posing with park bench art and some flowers

We actually managed to find some mountains behind the clouds at the end of the walk

Geese, doing what they do

A nice sign of spring, knowing that winter was still waiting for us at home

The regal Fairmont Hotel Vancouver from our balcony

After a nice seafood dinner, the streets below the hotel room

Apr 12
With a rainy day ahead, we grab an early flight home