From Lake Union?! Wow. That is indeed tremendously cool.

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You can also fly to Victoria from Sea-tac, there are regular flights that don't involve float planes. We've done that, works well.

Especially mid-week, the border crossing is rarely a problem. honest.

No other reason to be in Port Angeles? Well, um... yeah. okay. you win. But if you drive in and stay at the red lion on the water, it can be pretty cool. But eat somewhere other than that restaurant on the water... I'd suggest driving up to Hurricane Ridge as an outing from Port Angeles, but last I heard, the storm took out the road and it's still closed.

What kind of food are you looking for, anyway? I really like the Pacific for a meal in the Hotel Grand Pacific; I find the empress overpriced and stuffy in general, and always stay at the Grand Pacific instead (why stay IN the empress when you can stay in the grand and watch sunset ON the empress?)

god, haven't been there in a few years myself. Have to fix that.

chuq (http://chuqui.typepad.com)

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by the way, if you want to stay on Lake Union, we really like the Silver Cloud. On the water. And eat at Daniel's Broiler...

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We could fly from Sea-Tac, yeah. But this takes us from the center of town to the center of town, instead of airport-to-airport, which is appealing.

And the border crossing.... OK, so last time we did it was the Friday after Thanksgiving in a year when the Canadian dollar was worth $1.01 American and happy shoppers were heading home in droves. You can see how that might make me a little twitchy.

What kind of food? We are omnivorous. We like good food of whatever category, be that high-end sushi or the best damn pizza slice in town. Always open to suggestions. At the Empress, we'll spurn the $50 afternoon tea and have curry buffet in the Bengal Room instead.

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here are a few key suggestions:

we usually grab a steak at the Keg when we hit town, because we're usually tired and ready to call it and not terribly interested in anything more serious. Good beef, decent prices, good views.

Breakfast: smitty's, behind teh empress and convention center, is a classic Coffee Shop. eggs, pancakes, coffee, within walking distance.

casual lunches: Eugenes Greek, in a strip mall a bit beyond the Bay (formally Eaton's) center, looks like a dive, is a dive, but the food's great. The locals turned me onto it, and we thanked them profusely. Sam's, right up at the start of downtown on Government, is a lot better sandwich/soup place than you might think.

Dinner: Sooke Harbour House and the Aerie on Malahat are the "special event" places, known by major travel mags, and not undeserved. We like Pacific in Grand Pacific hotel, right at the Coho dock, for a nice upscale contemporary.

Seafood: Chandler's on Wharf. more upscale: harbour house on Oswego (more of a general upscale restaurant, actually)

Earl's downtown: a western canadian tradition, but I've been less impressed over the last few years (gone corporate). Still, you could do worse for lunch. Too bad the Elephant and Castle closed.

Italian: Il Terrazo. Pagliacci's promotes itself a LOT -- I don't like it much. Ditto Julia's place downtown.

Greek (not lunch): Myllos. Look for the windmill.

Brewpub: Spinaker's promotes itself a lot. It's -- so-so. Hugo's, near the Bay Center, is more upscale and good food and wine.

Sushi/japanese: everyone says Zen sushi on Fort. we like Futaba's on Quadra; small, family run, and quite good. out of the tourist zone.

do you get northwest pallate? if not, why not?

Tea: blethering place in Oak bay. Really. you'll leave thrilled and stuffed. 2nd choice: Murchie's. empress is for tourists.

fish & chips: barb's, fisherman's wharf, a 5-10 minute walk down the waterfront from empress. another wonderful dive.

there's a new montreal smoked-meat sandwich shop open downtown. Northwest palette covered it, looks wonderful. Can't wait.

chains that maybe aren't scary: Milestones on the inner harbour.

alcohol: very nice hard ciders up there. VERY nice. And the wines have gotten very good -- Cedar Creek is the premier winery in BC, but there are lots of good ones. It's a great place for dessert wines and ice wines (Lang does a wonderful merlot ice wine, for instance). Wine Barrel on Broughton can be your friend. Tehy can't ship over the border (sigh), but they will happily package you up a six pack to carry home. And don't mind "tell me what I want as a sampler" questions. (trivial aside, I love cellar on 10th in astoria for the same reason, if you want oregon/washington wines. great folks there, we've spent way too much money there recently)

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Ah, the Blethering Place! We went there on the honeymoon, and I had a moment of shock when the bill came and it was in dollars, not pounds. I had honestly expected, on some unspoken level, to walk outside after the meal and be in England.

Please: palate. Not to be confused with palette (painter's tool), pallet (for crates, or sleeping), Pilates, pullet, or any number of other things that you don't want to put in your mouth.

We don't take the magazine, but I read guidebooks and websites, and keep notes on worthwhile sounding establishments in places we're likely to visit. I can point you to fabulous upscale Mexican in Denver, a good Vietnamese deli in San Jose, a French hole-in-the-wall in Phoenix... Hey, why has it been years since we've done food together in Portland, eh? (assuming this is the same Anonymous as above.)

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sorry, in a hurry. the browser crashed on the first attemptr. Ohwell.

And yes, it's been forever, but then, every time we've visited, you've been somewhere else. Seriously. And I seriously miss Orycon again, after years in exile.

We've also been spending more time on the coast than in Portland on trips, and Laurie's been trying to convince me on Seattle over Portland when we move north. which I admit is working. A bit... So portland's been little more than Powell's most trips...

(and the gorge: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chuqui/1464639711/)

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That is very, very cool! Just a reminder that apparently if you fly into Canada, you have to have a passport, whereas if you drive, you do not (yet). Or that's my understanding. I could be wrong, but you should look into it. Or just take your passports on general principle.

Thanks for the info on the Empress, too. I'm going to be in Victoria in February, so I may check into it.

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Either way, you officially need an ID (e.g. driver's license or passport) and proof of citizenship (e.g. birth certificate or passport). In the past, drivers could get by with only a driver's license, but that was practice, NOT policy. Passports are easiest if you have 'em.

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First, I've been to Roslyn, and for that many days, you're glad you're going to Victoria, you really are. There just isn't that much to do or see in Roslyn. I mean Leavenworth is more interesting, for goshsakes.

Second, I do *like* the BC ferries -- they're much nicer than the WA State ones, and at any given time of year run much more frequently -- but yes, there is the long drive up. And while the eastern border crossing generally runs quite quickly, that just puts you that much farther from Tsawassen, so no help there. Still, BC Ferries are usually the way Hal & I go when we want to get to Victoria and bring the dog and the car.

Third, Kenmore Air! Cool! I see their planes all the time, but never have taken one. I've never ridden on a float plane, for that matter. And the downtown-to-downtown aspect sure is nice. Plus the getting-around-like-Bill-Gates aspect.

Finally, if you are willing to give up taking your car with you, the other option to keep in mind for another time is the Victoria Clipper -- they sail from Seattle itself, and have one sailing each direction even at this time of year. But they're passenger-only boats, so it does mean leaving your car behind. Then again, in Victoria, that seems like less of a thing than some places. Unless you want to tour the island or something.

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I wouldn't mind having a car and exploring more of the island, but know from a previous visit that we can do a lot in Victoria without it.

The real pisser that knocked the Victoria clipper off the list: Northbound, that one sailing is 8 a.m.

edited because David inadvertently posted as me

Edited at 2008-01-22 02:50 am (UTC)

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I flew a Kenmore Air seaplane to Friday Harbor, WA many years ago. My agoraphobic aunt bought it for me and my niece. You fly low enough to get to see everything you fly over, very cool. Noisy, though. Lots of fun overall.

Also, the seaplane landings were the smoothest I've ever had.

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*sigh*

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Ooh, I love Kenmore Air. I love their DeHavilland Beavers and Otters. (Yes, they're noisy. Wear the earplugs.)

Well, there is one good reason for being in Port Angeles - if you're passing through on the way to Lake Crescent:

http://lakecrescentlodge.com/

Thanks for telling us about this deal. I am very interested. Alan and I went to The Empress once over the US Thanksgiving weekend. We got a good deal on a room, but this time I could do without the charming view of the loading dock.

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this time I could do without the charming view of the loading dock
At these prices, I wouldn't count on it.

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