Conference kaosws::canada

    The island where the city of Victoria is on is called "Vancouver
    Island" and it's a beautiful spot, don't miss it.
    
    Have a good trip!
    
    Glenn
    

>        1.  Are there any hotels/motels in the Vancouver area that is decently
>	clean and costs around US$50 a night?  (This is impossible in New
>        York City)

>    2.  Same as 1, but in Seattle?

>    3.  Interesting places to visit in Vancouver and Seattle?

    Yes, Yes, plenty.  To get a complete run down, buy a Frommer's guide
    or some such thing in your local bookstore.
    
>        4.  What are some neighbourhoods with good elementary and junior high
>        schools?

    The western side of Vancouver proper.  There is also a community
    to the north west of Vancouver, across the Burrard Inlet, called
    West Vancouver, that has very good schools.  These communities, 
    you understand, are also the most expensive and desirable areas to 
    live.  
    
>    5.  How much would it cost to ride the BC Ferry (with a car) from
>        Vancouver to Victoria Island to Seattle?

    The guide book should have the latest figures.  It also depends
    which ferry you mean.  There is a ferry that leaves from Horseshoe
    Bay (NW of Vancouver) to Nanaimo on the island and a ferry that
    leaves from Twassassen to Sidney.  There are also ferries from
    Washington state to Victoria.  The cost depends on which one you
    want to take.
    
>    6.  How is the climate at the end of August? 

    Warm during the day, cool at night.

    Mark.

    re: -1

    Thanks for your reply!

    >Yes, Yes, plenty.  To get a complete run down, buy a Frommer's guide
    >or some such thing in your local bookstore.

    I knew I could get info. from a tour guide.  What I was looking for
    was some specific recommendations from fellow DECees who had stayed
    in some moderately priced model/hotel.  Has anyone heard of Sylvia
    Hotel?  Thanks!

    Thomas

    Re: Sylvia Hotel
    
    Yes, I've heard of it.  It's right next to English Bay and Denman
    Street, which is a fairly interesting area in the summer.  The hotel
    is an old building covered with ivy, and has wood casement windows.
    It's not a bad choice.
    
    Mark.

    I just returned from my trip to Vancouver.  It was a very interesting 
    and pretty city, but I was quite surprised by the quietness of the 
    streets on weekends.  Do people stay home on weekends mostly?  

    I ended up staying in Coquitlum because most of the hotels I called
    in Vancouver were fully booked.   Sylvia was full for the next 4
    weeks!  They told me I should've called 6 weeks in advance...

    I think Vancouver would be a great place to live if it has more
    commercial businesses.  I love the fact that one can take city public
    transportations to both ski resorts and beaches...something that 
    New Yorkers can only dream about.

    Thomas

    I am planning a short vacation to the Vancouver/Seattle area sometime
    in the middle to the end of October.  I was wondering what the weather
    is like at that time of year and if anyone had any suggestions for
    places to see and stay.
    
    I am planning on renting a car and just exploring.  Let me put the
    question this way:  If you had 5 days, what would you see in this area?
    
    Thanks for any info and pointers.
    
      - Drew

Ya know, it's positively amazing how much _less_ rain there is in Vancouver
than in Seattle.

Not all that amazing, though, when you consider the incredible difference
in weather between San Francisco and Santa Clara.

/john

	Go over to the Island, the weather is alot nicer there. A
	great place to explore too.

	From Vancouver you can catch the ferry to Nanimo
	and then head north to the (I forget the name) highway.
	You get on this highway at Parksville and it takes
	you inland past a provincial park that features some
	majestic falls.

	A little further up the highway will bring to Cathedral Grove
	(a beautiful area of huge redwoods [there is hiking here])
	and on to many other sights.

	Charlie

    re: .8
    
    I've never been to Seattle. But I've been to Vancouver in October.

    
    What is it that you want to do - touring, climbing, nature, city life,
    shopping, swimming, boating ?? You can do it all in that area !!
    
    re: .7,.8,.10
    
    Vancouver could be wet in October -- depends if there is an Indian Summer
    or not.
    
    The highway on the Island is called the Island Highway -- north of Nanaimo
    is scenic -- south is Victoria -- capital of B.C. (Also has half the 
    rainfall of Vancouver). There is also a ferry from out of Twassasen(sp)
    (a little south of Vancouver) to Swartz Bay (a little north of
    Victoria).
    
    Or you could stay on the mainland and go into the Okanagen -- a couple
    of hours east of Vancouver -- and sample some of their local wines. That
    would be warmest and driest route to go ( the Okanagen is more or less
    a desert ).
    
    You can also stay in Vancouver -- there's enough to do there to keep
    you occupied as well !!
    
    All in all, a beautiful area -- with more than enough directions to go -
    should it really be raining in Vancouver .
    

    Vancouver last fall was hot until Thanksgiving (the same weekend as
    Columbus Day for you 'merican folks). Then it rained more or less
    steadily until June.
    
    Suggestions for Vancouver: Stanley Park. The SeaBus. Queen Elizabeth
    Park & the Bloedel Conservatory. The Pan Pacific. Robson Street (a bit
    pretentious, but...). Wreck Beach. Grouse Mountain. Nitobe Garden & the
    Museum of Anthropology at UBC. The Maritime Museum & the Planetarium.
    Whistler. Take a ferry to Victoria just for the trip (spectacular), or
    poke around Victoria. In Victoria, have tea at The Empress.
    
    ...laura

>the Bloedel Conservatory

What sort of idiotic name is this?

    the name wasn't *my* doing - the place is run by macmillan bloedel,
    probably the biggest b.c.-based company.
    
    ...laura

    Laura,

    	I say it is your fault and your idea from the very beginning!


    Glenn  ;-)

    re. .13
    
    Bloedel was a german Jew that immigrated to western Canda many, many years
    ago is co-founder of one of the larger logging companies of the world.
    
    He managed to live rather well with his name -- both in Germany and in 
    Canada ( where its pronounced Blowdel anyways).
    
    helmut
    

    re .13 from John Covert
    
    Perhaps John has a point.  Were it renamed the Covert Conservatory in
    John's honour, attendance might increase.  People would come just to 
    see what Vancouver was trying to hide!
    
    Yours in good humour, Dave W
    :^)

    Well, I have finalized my plans for a short visit to the
    Seattle-Vancouver area.  I am flying to Seattle on 1-Nov and returning
    on the 5th.
    
    I'll be renting a car and definitely want to see Victoria Island.  Any
    suggestions on places to stay in both Seattle and Vancouver?  I like
    the small Bed and Breakfast type of places and would like to hold my
    expenses to around US$60 per night (is this reasonable?).  Also, how
    long does it take to drive from Seattle to Vancouver?
    
    Anything special going on in either city during that weekend?
    
    Any information is greatly appreciated.
    
    Thanks.
    
      - Drew
    
    P.S. How has the weather been in Vancouver lately?

One of the nicest small B&B type places in Victoria is "The Beaconsfield",
an Edwardian mansion right near the center of town.  Great breakfasts!

It will take you 3-4 hours to drive from downtown Seattle to downtown
Vancouver.

/john

Also, Victoria is on Vancouver Island.  You may be searching for some time
to find Victoria Island.

The weather in Vancouver?  They're forecasting a mass of air for the next
few months with chances of sun during the day and 100% chance of no sun
during the evening.  The moon will occasionally rise and set, and tides
will occur.  Precipitation is certainly possible in scattered areas that
have no showers.  Breezes are expected since all flagpoles have been
reset upwind from all flags.

Save yourself the 3-4 hour drive and go to Vancouver, WA; it's closer
to Seattle and not too far from Mount St. Helen's.

Pat

    Vancouver has been on the cool and wet side recently. It poured
    yesterday; it's sunny and cool today.
    
    If you want to come here, be prepared for *massive* border lineups. I
    went to Portland a couple of weekends ago, and waited 45 minutes to
    come back to Canada - at 9:00 PM on a Sunday night!
    
    ...laura

    Where is Vancouver, WA (besides in WA)?  How far is that from Seattle
    and how far is Mt St. Helens from Vancouver, WA?
    
    I am looking for a nice scenic drive to take and figured that the ride
    from Seattle to Vancouver (BC) would suit the purpose.  Am I correct?
    
    re -.1 Thanks for the tip on the border lineups.  Since I will be there
    on a weekend I guess I should take this into consideration.
    
      Thanks and please keep those suggestions coming!
    
      - Drew
    

    The drive from Seattle to Vancouver WA is a nice scenic drive. You'll
    see the Cascades, and the last 50 miles or so are along the Columbia
    River.
    
    Vancouver WA is a suburb of Portland OR, just across the river into
    Washington. It's about the same distance as to Vancouver BC. The
    traffic on I-5 is pretty fearsome between Seattle and Tacoma, but if
    you do the loop of I-405/WA167/WA512 you'll avoid the worst of it and
    get to see scenic Puyallup (pronounced pew-all-up, should you need to
    ask a local). Another scenic route involves WA7 and US12 and goes up
    into the Cascades.
    
    You'll see Mt. Saint Helens from both routes. Go to Portland while
    you're in Vancouver - it's a nice town, and on a clear day Mt. Hood is
    spectacular. Go shopping, since there's no retail sales tax in Oregon.
    
    ...laura

    Only 4 days to see the Seattle,Vancouver and Victoria! Your pushing it!
    But if you really want to, I might suggest the 3 city triangle route.
    Seattle - ferry to Victoria/Vancouver Island - ferry to Vancouver then
    drive back to Seattle.  This route avoids doubling back over any 
    section and you only have to go though the Blaine customs point 
    once.
    
    I'm making the assumption that the Seattle - Victoria ferry is still
    running.  There was talk of cancelling it when I was back in Vancouver
    last year.  The Victoria - Vancouver ( Swartz Bay - Tswassen ) ferries
    run about every hour, with journey time of under 2 hours.
    
    I hope this helps..
    
    Philip 
    ( Expate in Reading, UK )
    

If the Seattle -- Victoria ferry is not running (it probably is running) there
is always the Port Angeles -- Victoria ferry.

It's a lot faster, and the drive through the Olympic Mountains is beautiful.

/john

    Well, folks, I thank you for all your suggestions.  I had a great trip.
    
    I flew to Sea-Tac, rented my car and drove to Seattle.  After taking an
    excursion ride around Puget Sound I started driving for the Olympic
    Mtns.  I drove to Port Angeles and took the Hurricane Ridge Rd. to view
    the Mtns.  I did some hiking along some of the Hurricane Ridge trails.
     
    What a site.  I thought the trip couldn't get any better.  But there's
    more...
    
    After taking the Port Angeles-Victoria ferry I visited the Royal
    British Columbia Museum.  What a fantastic place!  Each exhibit was so
    well done.
    
    I did some window shopping in Victoria and some site seeing. 
    Fortunately, I was there on the last weekend of the "A British Fortnight"
    celebration.  That meant street musicians (bagpipers) and tourist help. 
    
    The drive up route 1 to Mill Bay was beautiful (albeit a bit foggy in the
    Goldstream park).  I stayed in Sidney and took the Anacortes ferry
    through the San Juan Islands the next day.  This had to be the most
    relaxing part of the trip.  The weather and scenery cooperated to
    provide a beautiful ride.  The trip was worth it just for this ferry
    ride.  But wait...
    
    I drove from Anacortes down through Deception Pass onto Whidbey Island. 
    The wind almost took me off the bridge!  I stayed in Coupeville at a
    great Bed & Breakfast and continued down to the Mulkilteo ferry the
    next morning for the drive back to Sea-Tac and the return flight to
    Boston.
    
    All in all a great trip.  What was my favorite part?  Everything!
    
    Again, thanks for your help.
    
      - Drew (rested, relaxed and ready for the ratrace again)
                                                                            

About how much idoes it cost to rent a car in the Vancouver area.  Is it
as ridiculously cheap as in the US.  I'm an Aussie living in Belgium and
used to paying the equivelent of US$80 per day for a midsized saloon.

I'll be in Vancouver for a few days in late February as a stop in an around the
world jaunt.  The travel agent booked me in the Pan Pacific hotel but couldn't
tell me much about it except the price (which was pretty high).  Any comments
on the place?

Mike.

    Count on $50 per day for a mid size bar (<-- :==saloon)
    I have not stayed at the Pan Pacific, but I have been told it is quite
    nice and EXPEN$IVE.
    
    Jean
    

Staying at the Pan Pacific may be expensive but it's worth it!

The entire hotel resembles a sailing ship with the conference centre
under the sails, the hotel rooms in the 'bridge' and the multi-storey
IMAX cinema in the bow.  Many cruise (in February, the ships will be
sailing for the Mexican coastline) ships dock on either side of the 
hotel, always a treat to observe.  You're also central to a lot of
'touristy' spots.  You can walk to Gastown (great bars, restaurants
and gift shops), Chinatown and Stanley Park.  Rent a bicycle when you
get to Stanley Park and peddle over to look at the Lion's Gate suspension
bridge and then continue around to English Bay.

You might won't to take a short cruise through the harbour up to Deep Cove
and back - they usually include a BBQ salmon lunch.

Enjoy,

Pat

$50 a day in Vancouver?  $80 a day in Belgium?

The DEC rate with AVIS (in Canada, but using the U.S. discount ID A126200)
is only C$31.50/day -- unlimited mileage plus 6% tax.  It's C$189/week.

What's with Belgium?  I just rented a car in Berlin from AVIS (also with
unlimited mileage) for DM 58/day or DM 348/week (plus 14% tax).

/john

    
    Could someone tell me the approx. cost of a taxi from Vancouver
    International Airport to downtown (say Stanley Park).
    
    Is there an alternative that is quick and frequent, train or bus?
    
    Cheers,
    Geoff

    There are "hotel" busses that take you downtown for just a few dollars,
    they run frequently and take about 20 minutes.  They stop at all the
    downtown hotels ... and they are all only a short walk to the park.
    
    Stuart

    
    
    	Here is the number for the Vancouver transit system 604-261-5100
    There is also a 1-800 number for the BC tourist office you can call.
    
    	There is a shuttle that goes from the train station to the airport
    so it must also pickup people.
    
    
    Scott

    Expect to pay $23-25 including tip.
    
    Skytrain (our elevated light rail transit system) doesn't run out
    in the direction of the airport.  Alternatives are hotel buses, city
    buses, car rental, and limos.
    
    Pieter
    

    Pietr ... that's $23-25 for a taxi, right ?
    
    Stuart

    If you're not weighted down, use the multi hotel bus - Best bargain. 
    Fixed price depending on the hotel. The regular bus is pretty grotty 
    and the bus station is not a exactly a good stopping place - but taxis 
    from there are not too bad.
    
    Linda

    
    Thanks all. Sounds like the hotel bus is the best idea, that may even
    drop off at our hotel.
    
    Geoff

    If I was planning on coming out to Vancouver/Whistler/Vancouver Island
    mid to late September (1995).... what do you reckon on my chances of
    being able to book myself a double-room in 4-star standard hotels on a
    "walk-of-the-street" basis?
    
    The reason I ask is that I'd like to just drive around where my mood at
    the time takes me, rather than, say, having to be in Whistler on the
    first week, 'cos "that's when my hotel is booked" kind of thing.
    
    
    Reargards,
    
    Stephen

    Should be pretty easy to get accomodation then.  Labour Day weekend (2-4
    Sept, 1995) tends to be the time when tourist travel starts to slow
    down a bit - most BC children are back in school after that time.
    
    	Owen