We took a taxi into Vancouver, where we were staying at the Sheraton Wall Centre on the 30th floor. Three floors are owned by Club Intrawest, so we were able to use our resort points. It was quite a view and quite strange to see sea gulls flying about 15 floors below us.
Saturday was fairly sunny so we enjoyed a walk down to the harbor and took the Granville Island ferry (a party boat refugee from Lake Forest 1, I think) over to a restaurant and shopping area. We toured the market filled with fresh fruits and vegetables, fish on ice, bakeries, etc. In the area outside, people sat and drank coffee or watched the various street performers.
The next day, Sunday, was a bit more drizzly, so Carolyn bargained with the the driver for the Big Bus and got a 2 for 1 deal that allowed us to get on and off at various spots within the City. We briefly stopped at Stanley Park and marked it for a future visit when the skies are bluer and drier. As we left the Park, we saw a great sign welcoming us to Vancouver, "a nuclear weapons free city"; so I quickly put aside my suitcase nuke so that I wouldn't violate any city ordinances. Then it was off to Chinatown where we walked through a Chinese garden and ate Dim Sum at the Jade restaurant, coming away with food enough for a snack the following day.
We walked back from the Gastown area and found a sports bar not too far from our hotel. We were able to get a great table and watch the Colts beat New England with a great comeback! All the while enjoying some great beer and making friends with our neighboring tables.
Monday, as the rain became more steady, we checked out and grabbed the Perimeter bus to Whistler and Club Intrawest which is situated between the Fairmont and the Four Seasons and only 75 yards or so from the slopes of Blackcomb. We rented our skiis and toured the village after having checked into our one-bedroom suite.
Tuesday, we had a bit of moisture in the air so on the lower slopes it was a bit damp, but higher up the mountain (top of the mountain 8000') the snow was great! The following days it was sunny, but with no more snow, and the lines were short or non-existent. We enjoyed two days on Blackcomb and another two days on Whistler before returning to Blackcomb on Saturday.
We'll definitely go back again! Great skiing and meeting people from the Britain, Scotland, Australia, Eastern Canada makes a trip really fun and interesting.
As we left Sunday, Carolyn took a number of shots of the inland waterway that the road from Vancouver skirts. Many times she was looking straight down with no guardrail or shoulder as they are working on expanding the road to four lanes in time for the 2010 Olympics. When we got to the airport, Carolyn was stopped in security and they took away her small knitting scissors and some hair product (over 4 ounces) - she wasn't a happy camper because neither was cheap. Then the plane was late getting in and the flight attendants were even later as they were coming in from the East coast. When all was cleaned and re-fueled, we were an hour late so we didn't make it home to 1 am. I was pretty tired the next day at work, but the trip was certainly worth it!