On day 8 we boarded the Amtrak Cascade at 8:15 and the train pulled out of the Seattle King Street station at exactly 8:30 to head north toward Vancouver. The train was sold out so every seat was taken but we got good seats next to each other so it wasn’t a problem. As the train steamed northbound the Puget Sound was right outside our window for part of the trip. It was a beautiful partly cloudy day in Washington State and the temperature was in the low 60s.
As far as the train ride is concerned we were just on a commuter style train like Metro North, except the seats were well padded and clean but it was a 4-hour trip to Vancouver. Once we crossed into Canada there was a large body of water adjacent to the tracks called The strait of Georgia. Although we didn’t have a window seat people were saying that there were seals on the beach and eagles flying around.
After about a 45-minute delay we finally got off the train. We grabbed a really nice taxi ride to our hotel and it was extremely reasonable because we’re benefiting from the monetary exchange rate between the United States and Canada we’re getting a 27% discount on every Canadian dollar we spend.
What stood out to me about Vancouver is that on the way from the train station I saw construction everywhere. There are huge multi-story apartment buildings being constructed alongside existing ones. It seems like it’s everywhere indicating to me and according to the Canadian broadcasting company that this City is expanding rapidly. We plan on being here for two nights before we board the Disney magic for Alaska so we have a free day to tour Vancouver. I’ll keep you posted as to what I learned.
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