My hotel reservation I booked on www.booking.com I found the hotel I wanted to stay by searching on

I was out the door and driving by 7:15 am. This was not my first visit to Vancouver. My first visit was in 1973, I was eleven years old. We lived in Seattle, so that drive took only two hours. Over the years I've visited Vancouver many more times. Although I've seen the city transformed over four decades, it remains one of my favorite cities in the world. For me, it's up there with London and San Francisco. I was eager to return.
The drive was mostly uneventful; I stopped u2 tour schedule in Ellensburg and Bellingham for gas. A bad snow storm on Snoqualmie Pass made me grateful for purchasing Winter tires in January. The border crossing at Blaine went smooth and took no more than ten minutes in the queue.
If you are going to visit Canada, you must have a Passport with you. ENTRY / EXIT REQUIREMENTS FOR U.S. CITIZENS: For temporary visits to Canada u2 tour schedule for less than 180 days, a visa is not required for U.S. citizens in most cases. See: Bureau of Consular Affairs U.S. Department of State for the specifics.
u2 tour schedule My destination was downtown Vancouver. Many of the International Wine Festival venues were either u2 tour schedule at the Vancouver Convention Centre, or nearby the downtown area. So I selected a downtown hotel within walking distance of most of the venues - The Riviera Hotel . The first event was to begin at 4:00 pm, I arrived at my hotel at 2:00 pm.
The Riviera is not a fancy hotel. It is a bit tired and worn. For my needs it worked out well. When I arrived I was told that my room had been upgraded to a suite. u2 tour schedule Cool. I had brought a week of supplies with me; clothes, jackets, shoes, camera, laptop, iPad, etc. It took several trips up the small, u2 tour schedule rattling elevator to get everything up to my 9th floor room.
One of the reasons I selected the Riviera Hotel , besides the great rate, was that rooms include u2 tour schedule a full kitchen. My suite had a bedroom, living room with sofa, two chairs, coffee table, a credenza supporting a 42 LED T.V., kitchen with full-size fridge, u2 tour schedule stove with oven, sink, cabinets stocked with dishes u2 tour schedule and flatware, coffee maker and pots and pans. As well as a dining table with 2 chairs and a chandelier. Windows wrapped the living area, presenting a good view of the buildings and street below. Oh, and the bathroom had a large bathtub, which I used. Not too shabby. With the Riviera Hotel my home base, I spent a comfortable week in Vancouver.
There are three bridges into Downtown Vancouver: Cambie Street Bridge , Granville Street Bridge and Burrard u2 tour schedule Street Bridge . Make sure you know which bridge takes you to the area you are visiting. Traffic, construction, no-turn zones and one way streets will make you thankful you checked. u2 tour schedule I took the Burrard Street bridge to get to my hotel.
My hotel reservation I booked on www.booking.com I found the hotel I wanted to stay by searching on www.tripadvisor.com search by location and price. Then read the customer reviews to avoid surprises. I'm still grinning at the great rate I was able to find and no surprises.
It rains in Vancouver. Not just the light drizzle in Seattle, but real, heavy, soak you to the bone rain. Bring a good rain jacket and an umbrella. One of the most valuable items I brought was my umbrella.
The first event I attended was the 4:00 pm reception for the Vancouver International Wine Festival at JOEY Bentall One Wine Room . This was the first of many walking excursions in downtown Vancouver.
u2 tour schedule The Vancouver International Wine Festival was officially opened by Christopher Gaze OBC, Founding Artistic Director, Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival . The Reception was a wonderful introduction to some of the wines showcased at the Wine Festival. I was impressed by the professional u2 tour schedule staff of JOEY Bentall One Wine Room (very attentive, clean glasses provided for each wine, great food).
After the reception, I walked back to my hotel, dumped my camera bag in the room and headed down to the Liquor store and Safeway. Both stores are an easy three block walk downhill from the Riviera. For dinner I selected the Blasted Church 2010 Cabernet Merlot, u2 tour schedule and a thick-cut rib-eye steak. I also purchased odds and ends to stock my hotel fridge and cabinets. Yes, I cooked dinner in my room, dinner was grand.
Cherry with blackberry on the palate, good mouth feel, smooth with a high note of violets on the finish mid-palate and lightly grippy on the gums. Easy drinking u2 tour schedule wine with a medium-short finish. Was just as tasty on the second day. Recommended. Pair with tender, slow-roasted meat, pasta in red sauce and Spanish tapas.
I should mention that if you stay downtown, above Robson Street as I did, you will discover it is noisy at night. Not just the noise of traffic, but the noise of revelers carousing into the night will go on until early morning. I did not mind. I like the noise of the city.
Check your first case of wine free from Yakima, Tri-Cities/Pasco u2 tour schedule or Walla Walla on Alaska Airlines. Enjoy waived rental car drop fees from Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Show your Alaska u2 tour schedule Airlines boarding pass for waived tasting fees at participating wineries.
William Pollard Jr. enjoys u2 tour schedule living in the heart of Washington wine country. He moved to the Columbia Valley u2 tour schedule in 1986 and has personally observed the phenomenal growth of the Washington wine industry. He started writing u2 tour schedule about his wine experiences in 2006 while working at a local winery. May you be inspired by Washington wine. Visit Washington State Wine Country on your next vacation and celebrate some remarkable wine experiences. Friends pour Washington wine for friends. Like - Wild 4 Washington on Facebook contact William at: william@wild4washingtonwine.com Williams profile , cheers!