Shopping on Halloween

Today was shopping day. We had decided to stay in Pasadena, for a change of scenery, as we had never stayed here before. By internet, it seemed to be surrounded by the types of stores we needed, and was close to Warner Brothers which we will visit tomorrow.

Pasadena itself it a nice area, but the shops we found on the internet (and GPS in surrounding neighbourhoods) not so much. We ended up visiting two Wal-Marts both of which were in dodgy areas and in one I think we were the only white people in the store! Being on the eve of Halloween, and then Halloween itself, the stored were overrun with Hispanic families, the stores were a mess, and the shelves were just about empty of items we were interested in (especially our favourite socks/undies/singlets which are so cheap here). The GPS took us through some pretty run down neighbourhoods too. I half expected to be carjacked or worse.

The night before, we had stopped in this giant Asian shop in Pasedena, for a nosey. It was like a Wal-Mart from Hong Kong, full of products from China, including a supermarket section but also jewellery, electronics, clothes etc. Everyone was looking at us funny wondering what white people were doing in there. It felt safe however, being in a better area. Our mission was to buy my favourite Sriracha Sauce which we cannot buy in NZ but I love this stuff more than The Oatmeal. We bought some (only $2.35 per bottle) and from reading the bottle I realised the factory was right nearby in Rosemead.

Today, while the GPS took us on a tour of scary neighbourhoods, we were passing through Rosemead. A short detour later, and we stopped by the factory to take a photo. We didn't go inside but could see the place full of boxes of my sauce inside. Yummmmmmm.

At the Montebello Wal-Mart, we did purchase some stuff and I handed the checkout person a $100 bill. To check it's real, they held it up to the light. Everyone was looking at it with their eyes poking out of their head. I was wondering if we would make it out to the car in one piece.


Disillusioned with the shopping, we ventured further afield than we had expected to, and ended up West of Pasadena in Glendale which was a nicer area, then we went to Burbank to book our Warner Brothers tour for tomorrow. We went even further West to Van Nuys and found a nice Wal-Mart. This was cleaner and quite inside, and we blended in better with the clientele. We found the store well stocked, and got what we wanted. My faith in Wal-Mart is restored!

Helen was asked for the third time today, to assist someone, because they though she was a staff member. She must have that look about her.

By now, we were getting on toward dinner time. The trusty GPS took us to Cheesecake Factory for dinner. We expected it to be busy but they seated us straight away and we got a great booth by the window where we could see what was going on outside.

It's Halloween and all day long we've seen people dressed in costumes, both young and old alike. Much like when the Sevens are on in Wellington but without the booze. Especially funny seeing all the little kids dressed as superheroes etc. At the Galleria where we ate dinner, we could see people tick or treating and the mall had a special "Spooktacular" on.

For the trip back to Pasadena, the GPS took us on the freeway. Once we got past 2 accidents, which was slow going, the traffic was humming along at over 70MPH, we were flying. Not bad when the speed limit is 55MPH. The radio had some smooth jazz playing that seemed in beat with the joins in the freeway and it felt really cruisey. Although Helen was driving and may have felt differently. Suddenly, our exit arrived, at speed, and we were trapped in the far left diamond lane (which we can only enter/exit at certain points). The exit point came just before our offramp. At this speed, we managed to push across six lanes of traffic and just made our exit. Phew!!!

We made it back to the hotel free of bullet holes or fender benders. Tomorrow, we visit Warner Brothers in the morning, then fly back to NZ later in the evening. We might not be able to blog again until we are home depending on what happens at LAX.

Thanks for reading!

Arriving in Los Angeles / Pasadena

There is nothing quite like flying into Los Angeles. I was lucky enough to have the window seat today. The sight of those massive freeways snaking across the city, and those massive interchanges, is incredible from high above. Because we were in a smaller plane, our approach to LAX went right past the airport, looking down on it, then we took a steep turn to come in and land. We also got to see the Hollywood Sign really clearly through the left side which was great.

Landing and fetching our luggage was a breeze, the airport was really quiet because of flight disruptions caused by Hurricane Sandy on the eastern seaboard.

We made a beeline for Hertz where our car waited. We did a kiosk check-in, where you stand in front of a kiosk, holding a phone handset, and talk via webcam with a Hertz representative somewhere. The process was quick and seamless and all our paperwork printed on the kiosk.

Once we walked across the lot, we found a big van in the spot where our car should be. The car was nearby, and too small for us and all our luggage. Helen went back inside to do some sweet talking, and next thing we got a free upgrade to the van. Woo hoo! The van is a huge eight seater and has doors that slide open and closed at the push of a button. It also has a special mirror so the driver can keep an eye on the "kids" in the back. In our case, the "kid" is 83 years old.

 
By now it was after 3pm. We hadn't eaten since 7am, but were keen to get to our hotel in Pasadena before traffic got to busy on the freeway. Although not peak hour(s) it was still pretty heavy and with much stop/start. It took about an hour to get to Pasadena.

Pasadena is a nice area, very clean in the main areas (just don't venture too far into the back streets) and this is the view straight across from our hotel room.

While Helen checked in, I perused the pamphlets in the lobby, looking for dinner. I found a single, well used menu for a place called Robins Wood Fire BBQ. Bring it on! As soon as we dropped the bags, I dialed up Robins on the GPS. This meant another short and busy freeway drive. Robins was great, a real authentic BBQ joint, and the food was delicious! John wimped out and had a salad (but helped Helen anyway), I had pulled pork and Helen had ribs. We arrived starving, and left waddling out the door stuffed.

Too early to retire, we went to a local WalMart (see tomorrow's blog post for details) then went home to bed.

Goodbye Seattle & Lynnwood

Today we were scheduled to fly out of Seattle to Los Angeles. Our flight was 11:20am.

We expected bad traffic so were up early. A final bag pack, and clearing of the room, didn't take too long. By the time we had breakfast at the hotel, it was 8am when we were ready to depart.

The drive to SeaTac Airport went south on the freeway, past Seattle downtown and out the other side, during peak hour traffic. We crawled the whole way, the diamond lane being no faster than the others. Only at one point did we get over about 20MPH. 5 lanes of trafffic going nowhere!

Not far before we hit downtown, the freeway has a express lane. This is a great setup. The main freeway is 4-5 lanes each direction. The expressway is an additional 3-4 lanes wide and sits between them. It has a couple of entry and exit points only, and lots of signs and moving barriers. The traffic direction changes at certain times. We took the expressway, where we eventually picked up more speed. It ducks and dives under and over the main freeway, most impressive.

An hour later, once near the airport, we had to fill the car with petrol. The station we went to was run by Indians (as in the Republic of India) and had many Indians in suits hanging around. There were several limos parked outside. The place felt like it was run by the Indian Mafia. Everywhere in the USA we've visited, we need to prepay before filling. I went inside, and before I opened my wallet he waved me outside to fill up anyway. We're guessing nobody would dare do a runner from them without paying.

Once at the airport, we returned the rental car then went to the terminal for 1 1/2 hours of hell. The ticketing counter was a joke, so disorganised, and the guy who served us was like watching a slow motion video. This guys must never get stressed, I certainly was just waiting for him. We then had a long queue for airport security, where we had to remove shoes and jackets along with unpack gadgets. I pity Americans who fly often. The process is horrible but the TSA staff were friendly and helpful.

Our flight was on a CLJ-700 which we'd never heard of, or been on. We were all booked to sit in the back row. The plane is small (2 seats each side in economy) and the overhead bins are small. Many people (including us) struggled to fit out carry on in but we only just managed. The flight is 2 1/2 hours so nothing to do but sit tight.

Next stop, Los Angeles.

A Lazy Day in Lynnwood

As we didn't have anything planned today, we had a sleep in and a later breakfast.

Helen wanted to visit Jo-Ann and then we planned to check out a store we've never visited before called Fred Meyer who actually turned to be a great find, with a selection of clothes at fantastic prices. By the time we finished doing the rounds, with a couple of additional stops along the way, it was after 3pm. So much for having nothing to do!

As we're flying to Los Angeles tomorrow, we packed our bags, then had an early dinner at the hotel. Helen and I decided to return to the outlet malls for a little more clothes shopping.

Our time in Seattle / Everett / Lynnwood has come to an end. Tomorrow we have busy day ahead returning the rental car and flying to LA. Then it won't be much longer until we return home.

Snoqualmie Falls & Casino

A short trip east from Seattle, Snoqualmie Falls is worth a visit. We had an easy drive, as outside the city the roading network around these parts are still multi-lane freeways.

We parked at the visitors centre, so had to walk all of 30 seconds to reach the popular lookout. The noise from the waterfal is immense and the air is full of mist spray.

The falls actually have power generation tunnels on either side, so only excess water runs over the fall. There was plenty of water on display for us today so we really enjoyed the view.

Next we went to Snoqualmie Casino. We didn't know what to expect, but were impressed with the character this building has. Looks can be deceiving however. Styled like a lodge, sitting on the edge of a hill with amazing views, behind is a multi-story carpark and several other carparks. This place means business. There was a steady stream of cars pouring in when we arrived. Everyone had the same idea as us (or did we have the same idea as them?).

We hadn't eaten since breakfast, and knew the dinner buffet opened at 4:00pm, so planned to get there on opening as we were starving. By the time we had a wander around, getting our quota of passive smoking for the year, it was 3:45pm. By then, the queue for the buffet was 45 minutes long!!! We got more and more hungry while we waited for a table.

The wait was worth it, the surprise was that Sunday night is "king crab night", there are crab legs for everyone. They were messy to eat, as we had to break the crab shells, but very yummy. I ate a whole grilled jelopeno from the mexican station, and regretted it. Soft serve to the rescue to sooth my burning mouth!!!! We were there about an hour, and by the time we left the queue was longer than where we started. Very popular.

Tomorrow is our last full day in Seattle, we fly out on Tuesday morning. We have nothing planned so can have a good sleep in.

Museum of Flight

Actually today it was called the "Museum of Fright" because it is Halloween. There were special events on for children and families. The upside, admission was a special price so we saved some money. The downside, the place was full of kids dressed in costumes. I've never seen so many miniature Spidermen in my life!

Helen and I have visited here before but it was worth another look and John enjoyed his first visit. This museum has many exhibits including World War I / II, commercial, space, a general area inside full of planes, and the special drawcards outside. They have the original Boeing 707 Air Force One plane, the original Boeing 747, the original Boeing 737, and a Conchorde. We were able to walk on board Air Force One and the Conchorde.

Seeing the original planes, which feature painted signatures of the pilots who completed the first test flights, is pretty special. How brave must they have been! There was no computer modelling, and the planes were very mechanical. They had to have total trust in the engineers who designed these planes.

Inside is one of my favourite planes, the Lookheed Blackbird. They also have a separate Blackbird cockpit from another plane, so I was able to sit inside it! It's tiny, I would never have made a good pilot.

The museum has a new pavilion opening soon, which features the actual Space Shuttle Trainer from NASA. This has been relocated to here now the Shuttle programme has finished. Although we couldn't go inside, we had a good look at it through the window. It's full size and looks like a Shuttle, although sits on a moving cradle.

Next time we're in Seattle, we'll be back to take a look at this.

Our Day in Seattle City Centre

This morning we had plans to head into the city, to meet up with Amber, who is Helen's second cousin.

Our drive in was difficult, with heavy rain and poor visibility on the freeway. To make matters worse, we couldn't rely on the GPS as we had directions to a parking building (Pacific Centre) which we were following off a piece of paper. Problems aside, we made it there intact without taking a wrong turn.

Already on this trip, more than one person has commented to us that "Seattle has a Starbucks on every corner". To test this theory, knowing we were walking around aimlessly, I decided I would count every Starbucks we walk past, even if we pass the same one twice.

We stepped out onto Pine Street just after 9am. The city was still mostly closed. It was raining, and there were many homeless people around.

We made a beeline for the Starbucks at Pike Place Markets (with a brief stop at the Columbia clothing store on the way). This is the original Starbucks store and as such requires queuing to order a drink. We noticed it has a different Starbucks logo, in brown with a different picture.

The rain didn't stop and to cheer us up, a busker arrived. There were many pieces of paper stuck to the wall, indicating which buskers had "booked" which time slots that day. A busker hadn't turned up for 10am, so he took their place.

Amber, and her man Gilbert, turned up maybe 15 minutes after us. After they bought their coffee too, we took a leisurely walk through the Pike Place Markets. No purchases were made but it is a very lively and colourful place.

Once we emerged from the other end, I guided us down Post Alley, a small underground tunnel. Here we visited the Gum Wall, where over the years people have stuck their chewing gum to the wall. This sounds disgusting and really it is, but intriguing to see. Some parts are just plastered in gum, and some people have been quite creative with what they've done.

Next, we took a set walk across to the Monorail. This was built in 1962 and was the first in the USA. It would have been so futuristic back then, and in a sense still is as they're not common. However the style of it is a bit dated, and the seating inside reminded me of a 60's diner. The ride from downtown to the Space Needle is only a few minutes long. It was much bumpier than I expected too. Still is was a novelty to ride my first Monorail and I enjoyed every second.

At the Space Needle, we walked around the general area, by now the rain had eased. We didn't visit inside any of the attractions (including the Space Needle) but rather just had a nice walk.

After returning to downtown on the Monorail, Amber took us to a nice place for lunch, which did the most amazing garlic fries. After eating these, we weren't concerned about vampires visiting us from Forks.

Amber and Gilbert had parked in the same building as us, so we wandered there together and said our long goodbyes. Then we were on our merry way.

In case you were wondering - we only walked past 9 Starbucks (of which maybe 2 or 3 were the same counted twice). That's not so bad.

By now it was mid afternoon. We bummed around for the remainder of the day driving around. I visited a BMW motorbike shop, they had a great range of bikes and accessories. I was most impressed and spent ages in here. We also visited WalMart to buy more socks, and had Mexican for dinner. I loved the Chile Relleno which isn't generally available in New Zealand.

Microsoft - Surface and Windows 8 Launch

Today's blog is for all the geeks out there. We visited Microsoft.

First port of call was the Microsoft Visitors Centre in Redmond, located in the Microsoft campus. We followed the instructions on the Microsoft website, which were great except on one line it said "left" turn when it should have said "right" turn.

Getting a park was very easy. We wandered in and found it a rather empty inside, a large reception desk and long wide corridors. The only area we could access was the visitor centre, and the store opposite.

The visitor centre showcased many historical products, and their modern equivalent in the Microsoft world. Examples are Atari 2600 console (now XBox360) and Video Cassette Recorder (now Windows Media Centre).

The coolest thing they had on display was an original Altair 8800. This computer was where it all started for Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. Amazing what they saw in this array of lights and switches back in the day.

The remainder of the visitors centre was a slick, but ultimately quite boring, showcase of many current Microsoft products. Largely dominated by Kinnect, and large touch screens used as a giant tablet. It would have been nice to see some "museum" type items such as original IBM PC running DOS, older versions of Windows, etc. Instead we might as well have been in a snazzy retail store.

We went across to the shop, full of pricy Microsoft t-shirts and junk for your office desk. The only area we couldn't enter was where their software is for sale, this was open to employees only. No photos allowed of this section either! Oh yes we wanted in.... Error 5 Access denied. Helen bought a t-shirt that says "I visited Microsoft and all I got was this t-shirt". Too true.

Outside, the campus is beautiful, with well groomed trees and flags everywhere. Currently they are promoting Surface and Windows 8.

It's no coincidence we're here today. Today is worldwide launch day for the Surface tablet, and Windows 8. We drove past 1 Microsoft Way" and on the sports field alongside, there was a giant marquee being set up, obviously party time tonight at Microsoft.

Next we made our way to Bellevue Square, which is a massive and very modern shopping mall, in Bellevue, not far from Redmond. Traffic was a nightware and finding a park took some time.

In here, there is a Microsoft store. The first we've ever seen. Here, there was a queue for people to purchase Surface tablets. The wait was a couple of hours. Everyone in the line was fumbling with their phones, no doubt twittering about their anticipated purchases.

 We got to play with the surface in store. Actually not bad once you get to experience it for yourself. Apparently thousands of other store visitors came away with a similar impression

I purchased a Windows 8 media package. After me questioning thoroughly, two staff members confirmed it was a full install retail pack. Later, while we sat to have drinks, I used free WiFi on my trusty iPhone to research what I had purchased. It turned out I didn't get what I had wanted. I went back to get a refund and another staff member confirmed that full retail packs are not available yet. I had purchased an upgrade. What a poor experience that was, given it was launch day I would have thought the staff would know their stuff.

Not worn out yet, we walked the mall and Helen found herself a new carry on suitcase.

The remainder of the day consisted of driving back to Lynwood, driving around for the fun of it, and later having dinner. We will get a small sleep in tomorrow morning, then head into Seattle city centre.

Mountain Loop Highway

Today, after finishing at Boeing, we went for a drive. We chose to drive the Mountain Loop Highway, which is north east of Everett and Seattle. This area is a popular hiking and camping region during summer, but this time of year the roads are quiet.

We started by stopping for lunch at Wendys in Everett. Over the road, we spot Henry's Donuts. This looks like some relic from the '60s or '70s so of course we have to visit. Actually the donuts were delicious.

From here, the road trip went up the I-5 before turning off. The roads quickly narrowed and became one lane each way, the equivalent of State Highway One back in New Zealand. Unfortunately the speed limit was only 45mph. Ridiculous! The road was wet and we were driving a 4WD so I took it pretty easy anyway.

The road took a counter-clockwise route around several mountains, and took a pass where we were surrounded my mountains covered in snow on both sides. Absolutely beautiful scenery. There were also rivers and bridges galore. Here's a couple of sample photos, these look like they could have been taken anywhere in New Zealand.

There was a long unsealed portion of road where our 4WD was useful, for bouncing through potholes and over bumps. It got quite muddy especially on the sides and back. Good fun!

We stopped in Darrington to buy drinks. Here we went into the local supermarket, and found the place full of rednecks and hillbillies. We sat outside and watched the world go by. Most amusing. Mostly old trucks and funny people. To be fair, the town is in a picturesque location below the mountains.

I have so far forgotten to mention, it is Halloween soon. Pumpkins are everywhere and there are huge fields full of them. This one had a scarecrow on the fence.

Eventually we carried on and reached civilisation again about 5:30pm. After a long exciting day, we returned to the hotel for a relaxing evening.

It was great to get out of town, and enjoy the scenery, and see some "real" America. So much more authentic than the cities.

Boeing Future of Flight

Today we visited Future of Flight which is the Boeing factory tour in Everett. We arrived for the first tour at 9am, and there were only 3 other people besides us. Due to the reduced size, we were able to spend a little more time in the factory on the 90 minute tour.

On arrival and before the tour, I was taking photos of the airfield. Helen and John were already inside. The local Sheriff happened to drive in, and stopped to question me why I was taking photos of the airfield. The fact I am standing right outside the visitor's centre and I obviously looked like a tourist wasn't good enough for him! Anyway he had a big shotgun next to him, and a gun on his hip, so I politely explained my reason for engaging in such suspicious activity. He let me carry on. Phew!!!

Helen and I visited here, in maybe 2006, before we started writing this blog. At that time, we visited on a Saturday and the factory wasn't operating. We saw the factory but nothing was happening. At that time, we saw some of the Air New Zealand 777-200ER planes in progress. Some were partly assembled, some were outside the painting hanger. We thought that was pretty cool, as these were the new pride of Air New Zealand's fleet. Also at that time Boeing was talking about the 787, they had a mockup in their Future of Flight gallery we could sit in, but as we all know the 787 has had some problems getting into production.

Wind forward 4 1/2 years and here we are again. Today we were taken into a working factory. We saw three production lines. The new 747-8 (still a 747 but with newer technology), the 777 (which Air New Zealand has now taken delivery of some 777-400s and we sat in one at Ohakea air show earlier this year), and the 787 Dreamliner.

The production line for the 777 has changed, they used to assemble planes in place, now they have a moving production line where the entire assembly is wheeled forward like a car assembly plant.

It was fantastic to see the factory working. So many people! Amazing there were loads of workstations (ie. desks) on the factory floor with people sitting at computers. The factory is quite noisy and I don't know how they can work like that.

Two other awesome things....

There was a 787 Dreamliner being delivered to LAN airlines. They were setting up for the delivery launch later that day (video, speeches, etc) in the Future of Flight building. We watched the plane be wheeled across to outside the building, ready to have its "keys" handed over. The first time we've seen a real 787 in motion.

We also saw a 747 being test flown, it was painted plain white all over and would have been undergoing an operational test.

Finally we bought goodies at the gift shop such as hats and t-shirts. And spent some time looking at the gallery inside.

We were here for nearly 3 hours in total and enjoyed every minute. It is definitely best to visit Boeing on a weekday when it is operational.

Victoria to Seattle - Travel Day

Today we spent the whole day getting from Victoria to Seattle. Plenty of excitement along the way.

The ferry was equally impressive as before, only a much larger and nicer ship. The car queuing system is most impressive and loading/unloading is very quick.

We had until 4:00pm to drop the rental car off, at the train station, and our train didn't depart until 5:45pm.

Our GPS took us through the armpit of Vancouver, not scenic at all, very industrial. We must have had at least 50 sets of red traffic lights between the ferry and train, and that's probably conservative!

The Amtrak train is a double-decker, we sit up top and it's very comfortable. Wide seats, plenty of leg room, and hardly any passengers.

Our train was delayed due to mechanical problems, they even mentioned "contingency plans" over the loudpeaker which we know from experience is a bus ride.

We actually cleared US customs & immigration before boarding the train. However, the train stops at the border and guys with guns boarded and checked the entire train over and looked at passports again. This didn't take long and they were friendly as well as efficient. Much better than any airport experience.

Tonight we are staying in Everett and tomorrow we get another rental car.

A Relaxed Shopping Day

Today we hadn't set the alarm, but woke at a good hour.

First mission for the day was to pick up our rental car. Helen and I took a shuttle ride down to Hertz, where we received a Ford SUV. We returned to the hotel for breakfast with John. We enjoyed a cinnamon waffle from the waffle toasting machine along with the usual breakfast offerings.

Our first stop for the day was Seattle Premium Outlets. There were many items we all had on our shopping lists, and there were some great bargains to be found. Even better, the shops are on a reservation which has a lower sales tax rate than Washington State where we're staying. Today's haul was mainly clothes, sunglasses and cooking utensils.

Next we stopped at Cabala's (a large fishing/hunting/camping store) which we'd never heard of. Here I purchased an inflatable bedroll for camping, also which was on my shopping list and much cheaper than at home.

We then made our way to our accommodation.We are staying in Lynwood, not far north of Seattle. We will be staying here for six days, so can finally unpack our bags a little. This is a very comfortable unit with full kitchen, 2 bedrooms each with its own bathroom, and a proper lounge and kitchen. The Jones' didn't waste any time getting their gadgets on the free WiFi.

We spent the afternoon chilling out, watching TV. Eventually we decided we would use the laundry. Our clothes pretty much walked there themselves they were do keen to be washed.

At 5:30pm, there was complimentary "tacos and drinks" in the lobby so we wandered over the received exactly that. In fact we had a satisfying dinner and drinks on the house. Thanks very much!

Where we are is surrounded by shops and malls in every direction. It's on a grand scale and nothing is really easy to walk to, surrounded by large roads and carparks. Also it is wet and cold outside. We went for a drive around in the evening to get the lay of the land, and ended up taking a walk through one part of the mall. We also went to Target where we picked up a few drinks to put in the fridge in our suite.

So ends a great day. Over the next couple of days, we'll be visiting Boeing and Microsoft and taking in some more local sights. Stay tuned!

A Lazy Day Around Victoria

In the morning, on advice we headed off to Butchart Gardens first. We let our GPS do the talking, and follow instructions. The GPS got it entirely wrong, we ended up being driven further and further off the beaten track, through the hills on winding roads, eventually down to one lane. Very scenic, we saw some beautiful houses hidden in the hills but also some real dumps. We were low on fuel and didn't know the way out, and this was all starting to feel a little "deliverance" for my liking. We dialed up the nearest gas station on the GPS and went there. The gas attendant informed us we were way off track so we abandoned that idea and went back to Victoria.

We visited CraigDarroch Castle. Very Scottish feeling, and compared well to many we saw when living in Edinburgh. It was actually just  a HUGE house rather than a full-on castle, as are many. We spent a lot of time in here. On leaving, we picked up a pamphlet (and map) for Butchart Gardens.

We tried the GPS again, this time it knew the right location. We gave it another go. On arrival, Butchart Gardens is a large commercial operation. Not the local botanic gardens. It has multiple ticket lanes, plenty of bus parking, and yet was deserted as it's off season. At $24.95 per adult, we decided against it after all. Probably a good idea, as only 5 minutes later the rain started and didn't stop for the rest of the day or night. We retired to the B&B mid afternoon, to share in conversation. This was the first true relaxing time we've had so far this trip.

The last presidential debate was on TV and we watched this but eventually switched off. All they did was talk about foreign policy. Don't they have a country of their own to consider?

We ventured out for dinner, visiting Chinatown with a Chinese meal in mind, but the prices scared us away. We ended up at the local Denny's (same logo but the apostrope is a maple leaf). The service was very poor and we only gave a $2 tip much to their disgust. At least here you can make it felt when you're not a happy customer. We had a nice early night.

Tomorrow, we head back to the mainland via ferry. By evening we will cross into the USA by train and stay in Everett.