Vancouver by Amtrak Train to Seattle

[Hercules67]

2 hours ago, GTJ said:

I missed that part! So since my assumption is not correct, then there would be no inherent right to enter Canada. In this situation I would expect the Canadian immigration officials at the port would have the ability to perform ordinary immigration functions, including the admission of persons with visas . . . doing so is one of the fundamental functions of immigration officials stationed at international port (though given that the Canadian government has lost many normal sensibilities in recent years, perhaps not!).

 

In my mind, logically there should an immigration office in Victoria port to clear foreigners' entry into Canada but NCL said 'no disembarkation' before final port at Seattle, I shall take it as it is so not as to trouble the crew unnecessarily (though I will still make one last shot asking when I am onboard).

 

Appreciate your above reply!!

[Hercules67]

I am studying the Uber calling in Seattle Pike Market.

 

If I call for an Uber at Pike Market, where should I be waiting at for the car? Is there a more common area for waiting? (watching youtube and knowing that the market is huge and so worry I can't find the driver).

 

Also, if I manage to get a friend in Phoenix to join me for the cruise (afterall I am paying about the same for 2 pax as a solo cruiser in a balcony room), what size of Uber car I should call to transport 2 pax with 2 large sized luggage? 

 

 

Edited June 25, 2023 by Hercules67

[Hercules67]

I am still trying to fill in the gaps for my Vancouver trip.

 

The intention is to stay in Victoria for 2 nights. If I were to plan Victoria after NCL cruise ex Seattle, what is the best way that I can transport myself from Seattle to Victoria.

 

I checked there's a ferry that takes less than 3 hours from Seattle to Victoria. Unfortunately this ferry only runs once a day at 8 am that I cannot make it.

 

Then I looked at flights ex Seattle to Victoria that take about an hour and pondering the total time taken for plane check in etc is it worth the total time saved along with much higher cost.

 

The original plan was to take Amtrak train back to Vancouver, then take a ferry from Vancouver to Victoria, with total time I estimated to reach Victoria downtown after train departed from Seattle to be around 8 hours (quite reluctant to go by this route as wasted almost my whole day lugging my big luggage along).

 

Appreciate any input on this.

 

*I also plan to stay 3-4 nights in Whistler. So, I am still trying to figure it out is it more logical to go to Victoria or Whistler first after Seattle?

 

**Or it is more workable/feasible if I were to sacrifice Victoria and Whistler in exchange for a 5 nights in Banff (that I have to figure out how to go from Seattle to Banff)?

 

 

 

Edited June 25, 2023 by Hercules67

[Meander Ingwa]

There is no Uber stand like at an airport at Pike Place, you pick up your car where you call from, just like regular use.  Call for your car in front of one of the businesses on First Avenue.   Do not call from inside the market on Pike Place, it is not a useful road for the Uber driver.   Uber and Lyft ( please have both apps) are highly popular in Seattle as many folks here, particularly younger generation , do not bother owning cars.  They find they can get around and using U/L as needed is more economical.

 

I would spend the night in Seattle and take the Seattle Victoria ferry.  The ferry from vancouver to victoria still means you have to get back to vancouver and you have spent a alot of your valuable time traveling, including the Tsawwssen and Sydney connections.  

 

To get to Banff, a worthy destination, I would fly to Calgary from SEA .  you can book shuttles from the Calgary airport to Lake Louise a stunningly beautiful place.  You will be able to use the same clothing as you used on your Alaska cruise.  I would book Lake Louise / Banff over Victoria and Whistler

 

 https://thebanffblog.com/banff-in-october/

Edited June 25, 2023 by Meander Ingwa

[Hercules67]

2 hours ago, Meander Ingwa said:

There is no Uber stand like at an airport at Pike Place, you pick up your car where you call from, just like regular use.  Call for your car in front of one of the businesses on First Avenue.   Do not call from inside the market on Pike Place, it is not a useful road for the Uber driver.   Uber and Lyft ( please have both apps) are highly popular in Seattle as many folks here, particularly younger generation , do not bother owning cars.  They find they can get around and using U/L as needed is more economical.

 

I would spend the night in Seattle and take the Seattle Victoria ferry.  The ferry from vancouver to victoria still means you have to get back to vancouver and you have spent a alot of your valuable time traveling, including the Tsawwssen and Sydney connections.  

 

To get to Banff, a worthy destination, I would fly to Calgary from SEA .  you can book shuttles from the Calgary airport to Lake Louise a stunningly beautiful place.  You will be able to use the same clothing as you used on your Alaska cruise.  I would book Lake Louise / Banff over Victoria and Whistler

 

 https://thebanffblog.com/banff-in-october/

 

Lfyt is completely new to me and will try it while there. Will note the First Avenue at Pike.

 

I am completely sold by the blog to change my sub trip to Banff! (yet to fully research on this actually coz originally was focusing on how to go from Seattle to Victoria or Whistle after cruise). Thanks!

 

If you may advise, can I just settle at a hotel in Banff and then pick up excursions there and then while there? I intend to do two 'easier' hikes (about 120 minutes) while in Banff area.

 

 

 

[Meander Ingwa]

I have not personally been to Lake Louise or Banff.  Banff is the national park there and the whole general area is referred to as Banff.  I think most people favor Lake Louise overall for its dramatic setting.  WIth the large ski area I think you might find more services and opportunity.  You you will be seeing fall colors and running water in rivers and waterfalls.  Most of these areas have easy to follow walking trails that will get you safely to scenic spots and I am sure there are a lot of information form on line sources.  Folks in the Pacific Northwest region love outdoor hiking and activity

 

Lyft is a ride company just like Uber .  I use Lyft primarily but at busy times and in some locations ( rural/  early hours/  overnight) having both increases your ride potential.  

[martincath]

Just going to amalgamate a few bits and pieces from your posts @Hercules67 - firstly some travel opinions, and then after what will hopefully be further reassurance about reIative safety on your visit despite the media reports!

 

First, I concur with @Meander Ingwa that if you want to do Victoria from Seattle then just overnight at least once and take the clipper - it is downtown to downtown, very convenient. Floatplanes also land downtown in Victoria, but luggage is a problem with them - a small suitcase with just a few days of stuff, no problem, but balance is absolutely critical! Local flights simply send your bag on a later plane if it doesn't stow safely, an hour or three later and it turns up - but those int'l services go much less often!

 

Uber/Lyft/Taxis both here and Seattle are overwhelmingly modest sized Prius models, but two people will be fine - even the original smaller trunk models can handle a couple of big rollercases, and with just two of you putting a carryon on the backseat if necessary still leaves you room. If you're comfortable with rideshares in general, as well as Lyft consider adding Kabu - a local Van/Vic service. Prices are actually higher than cabs for short trips here - there are far more fees involved, so it takes a while of driving for the lower per mile/minute rates to start saving you money, and if Surge is in play you will always pay less for cabs. In Seattle we mostly used EastSideForHire - which does fixed rate fares so you know exactly what you'll pay every time - if we needed to move luggage around further than a convenient walk.

 

Banff is far enough that I've only passed through a handful of times, actually stayed there only once, so in terms of hotels, hikes, etc. all I can say is that there is the rather unusual quirk that due to it being inside a National Park entry rules (and fees!) apply constantly - if you are going to bus/train combo there, not really an issue, but if you decided to rent a car you would need to buy a park pass for the vehicle for your whole stay... unless you stick to the highway without stopping, even for lunch, you've got to pay! October though is a bit ropey for a visit unless you want to do snow-based activities - October averages 8 inches of snow in Banff (Winter Tire rules would be relevant if you rent a car - here in BC the law kicks in Oct 1st) and so if you just want to do a bit of hiking rather than snowshoeing or skiing, trying to get up there when you first arrive would be better!

 

You obviously have at least two fixed dates - the conference and the cruise - but may already be locked into your return flight too. For anything mountainy, even Whistler, do check the weather and climate stats - while in theory these are four season destinations, the shoulder times of Spring and Fall are the real 'low seasons' for them as folks tend to either want to do stuff that they need snow for or need to avoid snow for, so the messy in-between parts involve very variable dates every year about when e.g. mountain biking stops and skiing begins.

 

Clothing fit for an Alaska cruise probably will work up a mountain pretty well - the extra chill from being next to glaciers or on a moving ship will compared with the elevation gain - but I would consider upgrading gloves and hat if you plan to hike, as that means constant exposure to temps whereas on a ship if you get cold you can pop back in to warm up or hug a mug of cocoa.

 

A pair of mittens that you can wear on top of thin, stretchy, Dollar Store fleece gloves should ensure toasty fingers, ditch the mittens if you need to handle items and you'll still benefit from the gloves while taking snaps (a good trick with gloves that cheap is just to cut away the end of your screen-swiping finger, much less pricey than a pair of 'you can use touchscreen' gloves if you would never use them back home!) Two cheap dollar store toques will do likewise for your ears and head (if your jacket has a snug hood, one hat under that should be enough) and even the dollar store fleece scarves are long enough to wrap twice around your neck to cover nose, chin and throat all at very minimal expense! Personally I find earmuffs invaluable here for cold and rainy days - my best rain hat is a leather broad-brimmed affair that keeps me bone-dry but my ears get cold! I can't say it's fashionable, but I'm already married and have a great face for radio so comfort is waaaaay more important than looking good!

 

Whistler can be done on day-trips from Vancouver by multiple competing bus companies - so with this much time in Vancouver it is extremely viable to wait on a good weather day then hop on a bus there. Unless you want to spend a long day on the slopes or do some long hikes, such that you have to overnight there to fit it in, there's really nothing much else to see in town, it's all about Doing Stuff Outdoors (there is a pretty big modern art gallery and the Squamish-Lil'wat Cultural Centre is interesting, with a nice canteen for lunch, but other than that everything is built around feeding and housing what feels like half of Australia - the local staff are incredibly antipodean! - and the visitors, it's like a beach resort town but with mountains...)

 

Now, some more verbiage to frame your expectations about the homelessness etc.

 

Vancouver and Seattle's 'street life' is actually very visible in the daytime - in fact in summer the people who do have homes the cheap buildings spend most of the day outside because it's cooler than in their tiny-windowed rooms without AC, so it's not just the people in shelters (which near-universally have a 'out at breakfast, back after dinner' policy to allow deep cleaning daily which means night-time is the only time you don't see them!) or sleeping rough. They're visible but in general they don't want to have anything to do with 'regular people' let alone tourists unless they are actively begging or involved in selling drugs or sex - and in both of the latter cases, to avoid police issues they would wait for customers to make the first move.

 

Because of various policies around drug harm reduction, open consumption and even purchase of narcotics - marijuana now being legal - happens. The biggest open air market of 'reclaimed goods' (which regardless of how it is spun includes stolen things being fenced) was literally just outside police HQ when I first moved here - and the reason it stopped being there is because the police moved to a new building!!! There's now some off-street areas put aside, and a couple of blocks of street get barriers put up on weekends to enable a second street market in season - by October, the secondary street market is unlikely to appear, but if you want to buy some really cheap things the main market area has covers to enable sales in the rain...?

 

All of this is to say that while media, and especially social media, stories of lawlessness are greatly exaggerated, you absolutely will see people on the lowest rung of society pretty much all over downtown - the only regular enforcement I'm aware of is people camping out in the more touristy parks, and even then the Rangers mostly do a sweep in the morning at Stanley to get people to pack up and move on, rather than actually stopping them pitching their tents at night. Go for a run early, you will see campers even there!

 

But these are folks just living their lives as best they can, rather than preying on pedestrians. Begging is the only common situation where an interaction of any kind will happen unless you instigate it - and compared to the quality banter that beggars deploy in say the Middle East, it's brief and boring here. I've had one guy, ever, actually bother with a genuinely involved story here in Vancouver to elicit sympathy - there's no insults, no extravagant curses (or blessings if you pay up), just a normal-speaking-voice "Spare some change?" "Have a nice day"... So if you just want to go about your business, it's about as unobtrusive as it can possibly be!

 

From what I've seen in Seattle personally, it's a pretty similar situation there - people yes, begging yes, less obvious hard-drug-use in public given US laws run way more strict than ours, but it's far more likely to make you uncomfortable than actually endanger you.

 

Especially given your niece's issues, unpleasant though it might be, I do feel obliged to flag the possibility of racism impacting your visit. Asian folks, especially East Asian, are everywhere in the Vancouver area - but of course we do still have racists here, and there was a measurable rise in verbal and even physical attacks during the pandemic. Same as with SARS back in Toronto, a small segment of society vocally blamed China for the disease - and the kind of folks happy to shout at old ladies in the street are rarely also aware enough to tell that they are actually Vietnamese or Korean or bother asking how many generations their families have been here! But because almost everyone here under 60 grew up with Asian neighbours, schoolmates etc. the instinctive, unconscious racism of rejecting Outsiders runs low here. Almost 10% of all cohabiting couples are interracial in Vancouver for example, and that includes lots of old folks from when we were still an overwhelmingly white city - among the 20s and younger crowd it's significantly higher, completely normalized - so if you're being stared at in a bar or cafe it's much more likely that the starer thinks you're cute than that they hate you 😉

 

Continuing in a lighter tone: the smallest 'visible minority' by far in Vancouver who are flagged by their genetic appearance are... redheads! Despite a fair chunk of Scots and Irish bumping the numbers up a bit compared to the worldwide population, they only make up about 2.5% of the ~45% white population of Vancouver and a negligible amount of any of the other census groups - even our smallest measured ethnic group, African-Canadian at ~1.5% of the total, have more compatriots than the poor gingers do!!! As a Scot who suffers from gingerbeardism myself, I can get away with such otherwise colourist language 😉

 

So it's a bit of a mix overall - you will feel comfortable here compared to most of North America in terms of having many familiar-looking people around regardless of which Asian country you originate from (heck, go to a big Richmond mall and white folks will be a small minority!), but you may also encounter a particular kind of 'positive racism' at times, especially in restaurants when servers might address you in the native tongue you look like you should speak (a local friend from a Han Chinese family, raised Malaysian for a few generations before her parents moved here, learned some Cantonese just to avoid awkwardness every time she went for dim sum - because especially if you are sitting with white folks many servers assume you are the one who will translate 'the good menu' for your friends!!!)

 

To specifically address the experience of your nieces: Chicago is a very different animal from Vancouver or Seattle - in demographics and violent crimes especially. We visited often from Toronto, including road-trips where we'd stay more out of the way and use transit into town, it's a tremendous town for food and architecture. Even as a well-traveled big white guy I felt uncomfortable in a few neighbourhoods outside the Magnificent Mile/Gold Coast/Loop/Old Town 'tourist core'.

 

Despite the sometimes ridiculously high crime stats across the city, the touristy bits of Chicago are pretty safe - but I can definitely imagine a solo Asian woman feeling a bit out of place even in the nice bits! It is an extremely multicultural city but if memory serves it's just about equally split between White/Black/Latino census groupings at not far off 30% each, with everyone else in that last 10%. I have no doubt that your niece would find the big cities of the PNW more comfortable than she did Chicago!

 

Jings - that went on a bit! A few other posts seemed to pop up while I was writing, so hopefully I didn't miss anything else that needs a response. If I did, I'm sure I'll get around to noticing and pop another reply on later...

[Meander Ingwa]

I can echo what @martincath has said.  Seattle has always had a core Asian population.  With a huge rise of the tech and biotech industry it has become even more diverse.  Seattle is a liberal city and I feel is  welcome and open city .  Because it has seen such a spike in prosperity, cost of living is high and that impacted many people, resulting in a rise in marginalized citizens.  I live outside of Seattle and in my neighborhood I can quickly shop at Chinese , Vietnamese, Korean and Indian  grocery stores.  I dont have the stats as Martin does but all the same sentiments apply.

 

[Hercules67]

22 hours ago, martincath said:

Just going to amalgamate a few bits and pieces from your posts @Hercules67 - firstly some travel opinions, and then after what will hopefully be further reassurance about reIative safety on your visit despite the media reports!

 

First, I concur with @Meander Ingwa that if you want to do Victoria from Seattle then just overnight at least once and take the clipper - it is downtown to downtown, very convenient. Floatplanes also land downtown in Victoria, but luggage is a problem with them - a small suitcase with just a few days of stuff, no problem, but balance is absolutely critical! Local flights simply send your bag on a later plane if it doesn't stow safely, an hour or three later and it turns up - but those int'l services go much less often!

 

Uber/Lyft/Taxis both here and Seattle are overwhelmingly modest sized Prius models, but two people will be fine - even the original smaller trunk models can handle a couple of big rollercases, and with just two of you putting a carryon on the backseat if necessary still leaves you room. If you're comfortable with rideshares in general, as well as Lyft consider adding Kabu - a local Van/Vic service. Prices are actually higher than cabs for short trips here - there are far more fees involved, so it takes a while of driving for the lower per mile/minute rates to start saving you money, and if Surge is in play you will always pay less for cabs. In Seattle we mostly used EastSideForHire - which does fixed rate fares so you know exactly what you'll pay every time - if we needed to move luggage around further than a convenient walk.

 

Banff is far enough that I've only passed through a handful of times, actually stayed there only once, so in terms of hotels, hikes, etc. all I can say is that there is the rather unusual quirk that due to it being inside a National Park entry rules (and fees!) apply constantly - if you are going to bus/train combo there, not really an issue, but if you decided to rent a car you would need to buy a park pass for the vehicle for your whole stay... unless you stick to the highway without stopping, even for lunch, you've got to pay! October though is a bit ropey for a visit unless you want to do snow-based activities - October averages 8 inches of snow in Banff (Winter Tire rules would be relevant if you rent a car - here in BC the law kicks in Oct 1st) and so if you just want to do a bit of hiking rather than snowshoeing or skiing, trying to get up there when you first arrive would be better!

 

You obviously have at least two fixed dates - the conference and the cruise - but may already be locked into your return flight too. For anything mountainy, even Whistler, do check the weather and climate stats - while in theory these are four season destinations, the shoulder times of Spring and Fall are the real 'low seasons' for them as folks tend to either want to do stuff that they need snow for or need to avoid snow for, so the messy in-between parts involve very variable dates every year about when e.g. mountain biking stops and skiing begins.

 

Clothing fit for an Alaska cruise probably will work up a mountain pretty well - the extra chill from being next to glaciers or on a moving ship will compared with the elevation gain - but I would consider upgrading gloves and hat if you plan to hike, as that means constant exposure to temps whereas on a ship if you get cold you can pop back in to warm up or hug a mug of cocoa.

 

A pair of mittens that you can wear on top of thin, stretchy, Dollar Store fleece gloves should ensure toasty fingers, ditch the mittens if you need to handle items and you'll still benefit from the gloves while taking snaps (a good trick with gloves that cheap is just to cut away the end of your screen-swiping finger, much less pricey than a pair of 'you can use touchscreen' gloves if you would never use them back home!) Two cheap dollar store toques will do likewise for your ears and head (if your jacket has a snug hood, one hat under that should be enough) and even the dollar store fleece scarves are long enough to wrap twice around your neck to cover nose, chin and throat all at very minimal expense! Personally I find earmuffs invaluable here for cold and rainy days - my best rain hat is a leather broad-brimmed affair that keeps me bone-dry but my ears get cold! I can't say it's fashionable, but I'm already married and have a great face for radio so comfort is waaaaay more important than looking good!

 

Whistler can be done on day-trips from Vancouver by multiple competing bus companies - so with this much time in Vancouver it is extremely viable to wait on a good weather day then hop on a bus there. Unless you want to spend a long day on the slopes or do some long hikes, such that you have to overnight there to fit it in, there's really nothing much else to see in town, it's all about Doing Stuff Outdoors (there is a pretty big modern art gallery and the Squamish-Lil'wat Cultural Centre is interesting, with a nice canteen for lunch, but other than that everything is built around feeding and housing what feels like half of Australia - the local staff are incredibly antipodean! - and the visitors, it's like a beach resort town but with mountains...)

 

Now, some more verbiage to frame your expectations about the homelessness etc.

 

Vancouver and Seattle's 'street life' is actually very visible in the daytime - in fact in summer the people who do have homes the cheap buildings spend most of the day outside because it's cooler than in their tiny-windowed rooms without AC, so it's not just the people in shelters (which near-universally have a 'out at breakfast, back after dinner' policy to allow deep cleaning daily which means night-time is the only time you don't see them!) or sleeping rough. They're visible but in general they don't want to have anything to do with 'regular people' let alone tourists unless they are actively begging or involved in selling drugs or sex - and in both of the latter cases, to avoid police issues they would wait for customers to make the first move.

 

Because of various policies around drug harm reduction, open consumption and even purchase of narcotics - marijuana now being legal - happens. The biggest open air market of 'reclaimed goods' (which regardless of how it is spun includes stolen things being fenced) was literally just outside police HQ when I first moved here - and the reason it stopped being there is because the police moved to a new building!!! There's now some off-street areas put aside, and a couple of blocks of street get barriers put up on weekends to enable a second street market in season - by October, the secondary street market is unlikely to appear, but if you want to buy some really cheap things the main market area has covers to enable sales in the rain...?

 

All of this is to say that while media, and especially social media, stories of lawlessness are greatly exaggerated, you absolutely will see people on the lowest rung of society pretty much all over downtown - the only regular enforcement I'm aware of is people camping out in the more touristy parks, and even then the Rangers mostly do a sweep in the morning at Stanley to get people to pack up and move on, rather than actually stopping them pitching their tents at night. Go for a run early, you will see campers even there!

 

But these are folks just living their lives as best they can, rather than preying on pedestrians. Begging is the only common situation where an interaction of any kind will happen unless you instigate it - and compared to the quality banter that beggars deploy in say the Middle East, it's brief and boring here. I've had one guy, ever, actually bother with a genuinely involved story here in Vancouver to elicit sympathy - there's no insults, no extravagant curses (or blessings if you pay up), just a normal-speaking-voice "Spare some change?" "Have a nice day"... So if you just want to go about your business, it's about as unobtrusive as it can possibly be!

 

From what I've seen in Seattle personally, it's a pretty similar situation there - people yes, begging yes, less obvious hard-drug-use in public given US laws run way more strict than ours, but it's far more likely to make you uncomfortable than actually endanger you.

 

Especially given your niece's issues, unpleasant though it might be, I do feel obliged to flag the possibility of racism impacting your visit. Asian folks, especially East Asian, are everywhere in the Vancouver area - but of course we do still have racists here, and there was a measurable rise in verbal and even physical attacks during the pandemic. Same as with SARS back in Toronto, a small segment of society vocally blamed China for the disease - and the kind of folks happy to shout at old ladies in the street are rarely also aware enough to tell that they are actually Vietnamese or Korean or bother asking how many generations their families have been here! But because almost everyone here under 60 grew up with Asian neighbours, schoolmates etc. the instinctive, unconscious racism of rejecting Outsiders runs low here. Almost 10% of all cohabiting couples are interracial in Vancouver for example, and that includes lots of old folks from when we were still an overwhelmingly white city - among the 20s and younger crowd it's significantly higher, completely normalized - so if you're being stared at in a bar or cafe it's much more likely that the starer thinks you're cute than that they hate you 😉

 

Continuing in a lighter tone: the smallest 'visible minority' by far in Vancouver who are flagged by their genetic appearance are... redheads! Despite a fair chunk of Scots and Irish bumping the numbers up a bit compared to the worldwide population, they only make up about 2.5% of the ~45% white population of Vancouver and a negligible amount of any of the other census groups - even our smallest measured ethnic group, African-Canadian at ~1.5% of the total, have more compatriots than the poor gingers do!!! As a Scot who suffers from gingerbeardism myself, I can get away with such otherwise colourist language 😉

 

So it's a bit of a mix overall - you will feel comfortable here compared to most of North America in terms of having many familiar-looking people around regardless of which Asian country you originate from (heck, go to a big Richmond mall and white folks will be a small minority!), but you may also encounter a particular kind of 'positive racism' at times, especially in restaurants when servers might address you in the native tongue you look like you should speak (a local friend from a Han Chinese family, raised Malaysian for a few generations before her parents moved here, learned some Cantonese just to avoid awkwardness every time she went for dim sum - because especially if you are sitting with white folks many servers assume you are the one who will translate 'the good menu' for your friends!!!)

 

To specifically address the experience of your nieces: Chicago is a very different animal from Vancouver or Seattle - in demographics and violent crimes especially. We visited often from Toronto, including road-trips where we'd stay more out of the way and use transit into town, it's a tremendous town for food and architecture. Even as a well-traveled big white guy I felt uncomfortable in a few neighbourhoods outside the Magnificent Mile/Gold Coast/Loop/Old Town 'tourist core'.

 

Despite the sometimes ridiculously high crime stats across the city, the touristy bits of Chicago are pretty safe - but I can definitely imagine a solo Asian woman feeling a bit out of place even in the nice bits! It is an extremely multicultural city but if memory serves it's just about equally split between White/Black/Latino census groupings at not far off 30% each, with everyone else in that last 10%. I have no doubt that your niece would find the big cities of the PNW more comfortable than she did Chicago!

 

Jings - that went on a bit! A few other posts seemed to pop up while I was writing, so hopefully I didn't miss anything else that needs a response. If I did, I'm sure I'll get around to noticing and pop another reply on later...

 

Yes, I am confident to stay 2 nights in Seattle now.

 

Noted the good idea of both Meander and yourself of staying overnight in Seattle to catch the clipper the next morning if I go to Victoria. It actually didn’t cross my mind that I can split my two nights in Seattle to 1 night each for pre and post cruise!

 

I am comfortable with rideshares (provided it’s before dark, haha). Will try the Lyft and EastSideForHire as well while there.

 

Basically, I can’t drive at all and so car rental is not an option for me (and so I have to depend solely on public transport). Also as I am traveling solo, I will not be having snow activities to avoid risk of injury. The trip to Banff is mainly for the scenery + to relax + the hikes.

 

You are right that I am constrained with my two fixed dates of the conference and the cruise. I can’t do anything before the conference as I need to ‘prepare/work’ before and during the conference and so the mind will be pre-occupied till the conference ends on 12 October.  It’s only after 12 October then I can begin planning the 3 weeks of pure holidays. Guess the conference dates were scheduled in October coz of the ‘shoulder time’ (lower cost for every participants) and so no choice that I have to make do with the ‘messy in-between parts’.

 

I intend to travel as light as possible and still yet to figure out my luggage items. Intend to keep my formal attire with Pan Pac after the conference stay and I hope they can keep for me when I am away for the cruise and Banff. Thanks for your ‘economical ideas’ of winter wear and will take notes of them (I yet to dig out my winter wear from my storeroom to see what I have or not as I have not been travelling to winter countries for more than 3 years since covid outbreak).

 

Thanks for sharing more insights on the topic of homelessness/street life/’gingerbeardism’. ‘Fears’ can be ‘irrational’ at times that one needs to overcome esp with the common overloading of info from the internet (those info that warning people of needles on the street and don’t step on them etc). I will return to the hotel before dark to rest just to be 'safer'. 😅

[martincath]

13 minutes ago, Hercules67 said:

... It actually didn’t cross my mind that I can split my two nights in Seattle to 1 night each for pre and post cruise!

 

... The trip to Banff is mainly for the scenery + to relax + the hikes.

 

... Intend to keep my formal attire with Pan Pac after the conference stay and I hope they can keep for me when I am away for the cruise and Banff. Thanks for your ‘economical ideas’ of winter wear and will take notes of them

 

...‘Fears’ can be ‘irrational’ at times that one needs to overcome esp with the common overloading of info from the internet (those info that warning people of needles on the street and don’t step on them etc). I will return to the hotel before dark to rest just to be 'safer'. 😅

If you overnight pre-cruise then the train (or any other mode of transport) becomes an even safer bet - the evening train also rarely leaves late (it's the northbound morning train, so unless that arrived in more than 8 hours compared to it's scheduled 4 hours there's ample time to clean it up for an on-time departure!) but even if delayed ridiculously southbound by every possible problem, that just means arriving very late to your hotel - you can always lie in until right before checkout time to ensure you get a full night's sleep before boarding! Many folks do find that King St is just a little sketchy, not many businesses nearby that would be open when the train arrives even if on time, but cabs will be lined up waiting to get you to your chosen pre-cruise hotel.

 

Banff - if all you want is to look at the wonders of nature, a bit of snow might make it even better for you! Coaches are all equipped with proper winter tyres and/or chains - in rough conditions they might run late, and overall I'd feel safer in a big bus than even my own car at that time of year as I don't drive up there anywhere near enough to claim being familiar with the roads!

 

The PP is a quality, 'full service' establishment with a proper bell desk that has multiple staff and ample storage - in peak cruise season lots and lots of bags get left for the day. By mid-October I would be shocked if they weren't able to easily accommodate you leaving a suitcase for a few days. I'd offer to keep your bag myself if it wasn't the week of Thanksgiving - we're out of town from 7-15th Oct to take advantage of the bonus holiday.

 

But what I could offer is an escorted walk around town before I leave, if your arrival is early enough? Show you the practicalities of navigating downtown, using transit, any then-current 'tent cities'/other places that are more likely to trigger any fears, irrational or not. If 4/5/6 Oct is too early for your arrival, there are other local volunteers with our 'greeter' program, Stroll Buddy, who may be available instead - some of them know more than I do - and while your English seems excellent, some of the volunteers are also multilingual especially the Richmond-based folks among whom Cantonese and Mandarin are commonly known.

 

The standard request form allows three date slots, but there's a comments field - you can use that to frame the dates available around your conference, cruise, Banff, flight home etc. and see who replies as available. I would almost certainly be free again daytimes Oct 16 onward, but I feel that these 'meet up with a local' tours work best when they happen early in a visit, so you get maximum use of the local knowledge passed along to you so if a peer can meet you earlier, take them up on it! In terms of safety it's about as good as it gets - criminal background checks to make sure we're more trustworthy than most paid tour-guides, personally I've even got full Vulnerable Sector clearance so I can work with anyone from special needs kids to dementia patients unsupervised and both the FBI and CSIS agree I'm 'unlikely to offend' - criminally offend that is, I've got some very offensive but hilarious jokes that can't be told on CC 😉

 

Oh, the needle thing is definitely one of those 'rooted in truth, but nowhere near the issue for regular folks as the stories make it out to be' scenarios. Used needles are rarely disposed of safely by addicts after use - I've seen more people unconscious with needles still in their arm than walking to the nearest sharps disposal box. But in the areas where anyone is likely to stumble across them in a manner that makes them at all likely to be jabbed - kids playgrounds where curious fingers might investigate this new thing, off-leash dog parks as mutts are very enticed by faint blood smells - we deploy patrols to sweep them daily.

 

Even walking barefoot you'd have to be very unlucky - the inherent design of all syringe needles means if you drop them they lie tilted down with the point on the ground, as even the separate 'stabs' have a larger plastic or metal 'ring' at the blunt end for attachment to the liquid-holding body. I've been trained on safe handling of infectious people, sharps and fluids, and while I must admit that before it my own thought about a potential 'random needle' incident would be standing on one, it was immediately apparent that it's poking yourself while you are trying to use a needle on someone else when almost all of the incidents happen!

 

I still wouldn't wander about downtown in bare feet - but because of poop-on-the-ground based infections, not needles. The fake turf on my local soccer pitch causes way more nasty infections than needle-sticks from the surrounding blocks according to the local hospital ER staff!

[Hercules67]

20 hours ago, martincath said:

 

The PP is a quality, 'full service' establishment with a proper bell desk that has multiple staff and ample storage - in peak cruise season lots and lots of bags get left for the day. By mid-October I would be shocked if they weren't able to easily accommodate you leaving a suitcase for a few days. I'd offer to keep your bag myself if it wasn't the week of Thanksgiving - we're out of town from 7-15th Oct to take advantage of the bonus holiday.

 

But what I could offer is an escorted walk around town before I leave, if your arrival is early enough? Show you the practicalities of navigating downtown, using transit, any then-current 'tent cities'/other places that are more likely to trigger any fears, irrational or not. If 4/5/6 Oct is too early for your arrival, there are other local volunteers with our 'greeter' program, Stroll Buddy, who may be available instead - some of them know more than I do - and while your English seems excellent, some of the volunteers are also multilingual especially the Richmond-based folks among whom Cantonese and Mandarin are commonly known.

 

I still wouldn't wander about downtown in bare feet - but because of poop-on-the-ground based infections, not needles. The fake turf on my local soccer pitch causes way more nasty infections than needle-sticks from the surrounding blocks according to the local hospital ER staff!

 

Hey, thank you so much for your warm hospitality! 

 

The total flight time to Vancouver for me is about 22 hours + the time taken to go to the airport, custom clearance etc = more than 25 hours of time needed just to make myself at the doorstep of Pan Pac. So I have to arrive 2 days before the first day of conference to get the panda-patch off my eyes and recover from jetlag to attend the intensive 5 days conference. I can imagine full exhaustion after that (and that's one of the reasons why I don't mind to get on the 7-day Alaska cruise to rest well if in the event that really nothing much to do due to the weather. The other reason is I don't think I will visit Vancouver again due to the dreadful 'panda-eyed' journey and so Alaska cruise for this coming trip is a do-it or miss-it decision).

 

I am quite confident to navigate Vancouver on own as I have researched 'extensively' on it (esp convenient when I will be staying in Pan Pac). The Stroll Buddy is very interesting! Shall explore it if after researching on Banff, my confidence level is still not good enough to explore on own (so far, it seems 'doable' and I hope I am not wrong about it).

 

Logically needles would not be just strewn around on the main streets (alleys maybe). That's why I am always skeptical about what I read on the web that defies logic. 🙃

 

Thank you once again for your kindness!

[martincath]

On 6/27/2023 at 10:55 AM, Hercules67 said:

... The Stroll Buddy is very interesting! ...

An update - thanks to some necessary-but-loud maintenance to our condo in Portland being delayed, we're cutting short our upcoming trip to just the long weekend. So I'll actually be in town from Oct 10th, before your conference ends. If you haven't already arranged a Stroll with one of my fellow Buddies, or something goes pear-shaped on the luggage storage front etc., just reach out - cruise critic marty  (remove all the spaces, just one long name) at gmail dot com