Alison woke up at 1AM, and I woke up at 2:45AM — the alarm was set for 3! We took the elevator down to the 2nd floor, which opens out onto the Airport concours. It was still a bit of a hike to get over to Terminal D for check-in with United, but all went well.
This was our first time, together, using the TSA-PRE – and it worked like a charm. We were sitting at our gate a full hour and a half early, … but, that’s OK.
First leg, PHL to Chicago – departing at 5:50AM. Good flight.
We had more than adequate time to get from our arrival gate to Terminal C – another hefty walk.
Second leg, another 4 hours to Vancouver, was also relatively smooth.
We caught a taxi from the airport to the hotel, which was about a 35 minute drive. Our foreign-born driver came to Vancouver to visit his brother, who came here to the University of BC — 40 years ago. He was a very nice guy, and we had a good conversation along the way.
The Rosewood Hotel Georgia, originally the Hotel Georgia, built in 1927 and renovated around 2011, is gorgeous. It’s a beautiful boutique hotel with about 120 rooms. http://www.rosewoodhotels.com/en/hotel-georgia-vancouver
We got to the hotel and checked in around 12:30, but the room – 804 – wasn’t going to be ready until almost 3. We met with the concierge, Matthew, and discussed city tour options for Saturday, and to make dinner reservations at a local Italian restaurant for Saturday night.
We then set off on a walk in the direction of Stanley Park, down by the waterfront, which is really quite beautiful. The cruise ship terminal is a mere 4.5 blocks down the street from the hotel. We scoped out where we needed to go, and met a couple of very nice employees. On Sunday, there will be THREE ships being processed; i.e., it will be a madhouse. At least we know where to go and what to look for.
We walked casually around the marina area, looking at the private yachts and, probably more so, doing some people watching. What a global culture here in Vancouver.
When we returned to the hotel, the receptionist greeted us very openly; running to us with our keycards. The luggage had already made its way to the room, so we didn’t have to worry about that. We climbed into the elevator, only to be stumped on how to use it! Finally figuring it out, we had to hold the proximity keycard on the reader while making the floor selection – and we moved.
The room is gorgeous! We relaxed, watched some news (what a downer, with the Turkish “coup” taking place, right on top of the French truck terrorist…… What’s happening to the world?!
We each took much-needed showers and dressed for dinner at the Hawksworth Restaurant, right here in the hotel – reservations at 6. On the way, we stopped by the 4th floor, which housed the fitness center, the pool the spa, and another restaurant. Simply, nice.
We were greeted at the Hawksworth Restaurant, where Alison made dinner reservations weeks ago, and were immediately ushered to our table. Our waiter is from Marseille, FR, and has been here for about 3 years. Interesting character, and really knows how to schmooze the customer – in a nice way. We ordered glasses of Pinot Noir from the Okanagan, which is where Marion and Barry live.
Alison had the wild salmon, which was cooked very nicely, but a little “fishy” for my taste. I had the lamb, which had to be described as incredible – and I shared it with her. We ordered two desserts; one a dark chocolate concoction, and the other a mango and other fruit and coconut concoction that I thought was wonderful. After our coffee, we strode into the cool night air and walked a few blocks to let dinner settle.
We got back to the room around 8PM (11PM at home), and Alison is in bed – after being awake for almost 24 hours!
Frankly, I’m not far behind.
Steps 15,511
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