<p>Son has been in Seattle this week, (-says you folks there are friendly, helpful and your city is beautiful). His flight east is not until late Sunday so he is considering heading north to Vancouver by train (Amtrak?) for the weekend, or possibly just a long day. Is this practical? I think he partially wants to be in Canada as he’s never been. Big interest in architecture and parks. Said something about hiking in Stanley Park? Also loves interesting restaurants.</p>
<p>Any thoughts or suggestions welcome.
I gotta go now but will check in this evening. Thanks in advance:D</p>
<p>Just have a moment but – train ride from Seattle to Vancouver is great – part goes right along the coastline with gorgeous views. Train is plush and roomy. Catch the train in early morning from Seattle, get to Vancouv around lunchtime/early afternoon; stay overnight and catch the return train around 6 p.m. (I think it is) the next day. Fabulous city, Stanley Park is great. He should definitely go. But if he’s flying home Sunday night, make sure he has enough leeway in his schedule in case of train delays. We’ve had delays of up to an hour. I believe there’s only one train a day in each direction. He could do it in one day but wouldn’t have much time in Vancouver</p>
<p>4trees, our family has been to Vancouver often, but we always drive. A quick check of the Amtrak site shows only one arrival and one departure option per day, as mentioned by sipyourlips. Amtrak arrives in Vancouver around noon and departs again in the late afternoon, so a one day trip might be impractical. </p>
<p>As a US citizen, he will need to have his passport or a certified copy of his birth certificate and government issued photo id for the border crossing, so this might be the deal breaker if he doesn’t have his passport with him? </p>
<p>Vancouver is a beautiful city and I would encourage him to take advantage of the opportunity to visit if he can make it work.</p>
<p>Awww, 4trees, that is so nice to hear. Has he checked the Clipper Vacations? They might run some overnight specials to Vancouver from downtown Seattle. Vancouver is a beautiful city very worth visiting, and a day trip is absolutely possible if one is driving (I’ve done it).</p>
<p>Although it’s true that having a passport is ideal, the much-delayed requirement for a passport does not go into effect for land and sea travel until June 1.</p>
<p>Regarding border crossing identification: The quote below is directly from the Victoria Clipper website. The Amtrak site has similar information. </p>
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<p>I am not absolutely sure what the specific requirements are if a child is under 18 and not crossing with his parents. I know if our kids crossed the border without both parents, or say with their Boy Scout troop, the parents had to send a signed and dated letter specifically addressing the purpose, length of trip, granting permission to travel with the adult in charge, etc. This was a border crossing requirement, not something required by the organizing institution.</p>
<p>I live in Vancouver, so I may be prejudiced - I love it and think there is a lot to do. As far as getting to Seattle he could take the Quick bus to the Seattle airport on Sunday [Vancouver</a>, Seattle Bus Transportation](<a href=“http://www.quickcoach.com/]Vancouver”>http://www.quickcoach.com/) which will not be as scenic but he will have seen the views on his way up. Also, if once in Vancouver he wants to go to Whistler, the bus up to Whistler has fantastic views, and if he takes the Snow bus only costs like $20 or $25 Cdn.</p>
<p>In the interest of full disclosure, while Vancouver is probably one of the best cities in the world in terms of parks and access to breath-taking nature (Stanley Park, Grouse, Cypress Mountain, English Bay, etc. - and that’s just near the city), I personally would not say architecture is one of its strengths.</p>
<p>Has he considered going to Victoria instead? It’s pretty touristy, is an enjoyable boat ride away, and reminds one of London more than another American city (like Vancouver).</p>
<p>I like Victoria, too, and had a nice vacation there last spring via the Clipper. But Vancouver’s hip cosmopolitan feel, beautiful views, rich cultural diversity, and urban planning (with bike and walkways everywhere along the waterfront, and high-rise residential structures with lovely street-levels that feature green spaces, art and inviting entryways) make it a unique and wonderful destination. I don’t much like cities, but I am crazy about Vancouver (which feels much more like a city than Victoria to me). Go figure!</p>
<p>I just logged on.
Thank you everyone for the suggestions and encouragement. Yes, he always travels with his passport so is good to go, and travels light, never more than a backpack and a tiny duffel. I’m going to run through your links now before he calls.
Thank you :D</p>
<p>If he goes, he might want to rent a bicycle. Perimeter of Stanley Park (gorgeous) seawall path is 5.5 miles. On weekends there’s an artist who often does stacked-rock sculptures on one of the beaches along that route (maybe it’s called Third Beach – can’t remember), placing large rocks atop others in ways that appear to require superglue – e.g., rocks balanced on a pointed end, with other rocks atop them. There is a string of waterfront parks that extend from the city (across the Burrard Bridge) out toward the Univ of British Columbia. Passing by these parks is like passing through the United Nations – groups of many different cultures enjoying the beaches. We once saw 7 different wedding parties (actual weddings + members of wedding parties posing for photos) during a bike ride from the Westin Bayshore, around Stanley Park, out to UBC and back.</p>
<p>Just a little warning - when we drove back to Seattle from Vancouver we had a little issue coming back across the border since we were using a rental car (we had taken the ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria and weren’t asked about it going into Canada). This was before 9/11, so I don’t know how things have changed…the train idea sounds great!!</p>
<p>Greta is right about the notarized letters for minors, we take 4-H groups to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls all the time and have to bring them along with the photo IDs</p>
<p>Any one driving across the border should listen to the Van radio station AM 1130 for traffic & border reports, “every ten minutes on the ones” (so :01, :11, :21, etc) The Pacific Hwy truck crossing is only 5 minutes east and Aldergrove is about 15 minutes east, thus if there is an hour difference it can be worth heading to another crossing</p>