Value -- Part 2

With our good ole’ Hyundai Elantra rental from Alamo, we drove all over Washington, traveling east, south and north of Seattle.  We even crossed the border to Vancouver to catch a ferry via BC Ferries from Tsawwassen Bay to Vancouver Island.  Those people at BC Ferries really got their game together … and their operation was flawless.  Would I go with BC Ferries again?  You bet!

I must say, the Butchart Gardens in Vancouver Island is a site to see.  It is a huge plot of land, actually 55 acres(!), filled with beautiful flowers … I mean all types.  You can quickly tell that they are committed to excellence, quality, and in providing value to their customers by how well the area is maintained.  Impressive!

Off to afternoon tea …

Afternoon tea … huh, what is that?  My wife, of course, being the cultured one, had it before … in fact, several times in Waikiki.  I never knew they served afternoon tea in Hawaii.  So you know where I’m coming from.  Okay, so we had lunch reservations, I mean afternoon tea reservations at the historic Fairmont Empress hotel.   It was a luxurious hotel, and I must say the lunch, I mean the afternoon tea was just lovely.  Okay, sorry, it was delicious.  I liked it!  And, of course, the cost was quite luxurious as well.  Luckily, our best friend Expedia.com found a nice and affordable hotel (James Bay Inn) nearby where we spent the night – sort of balanced out the cash outlay we experienced at the Empress!

All kidding aside, I really enjoyed the afternoon tea at the Empress, and was looking forward to round two the following day before we BC Ferry’d back to Vancouver.  We found “The Blethering Place” in this quaint town along Oak Bay Avenue on our last day on Vancouver Island.  The afternoon tea there was excellent, and the cost … well one-third the cost at the Empress.  And to top that off, there was this delicious dessert at the end.  I got excited … wow, what a deal!  Would I return for some afternoon tea at “The Blethering Place” if we traveled to Vancouver Island again?  You bet!

On the tail-end of our trip, we headed south to visit the Mt. St. Helen’s Visitor Center.  That was my primary target.  Well, as for my wife, it was the factory outlet at Centralia.  As I mentioned before, shopping is not my “bag” … however, when I saw those $7.88 pair of jeans at the VF Outlet Store at Centralia, I got excited.  So excited, I bought two pairs for less than $20!  Would I go to another VF Outlet?  You bet!

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Value -- Part 1

My wife and I just came back from a two-week trip from Washington & Vancouver Island (Victoria).   We booked the flight and hotels via Expedia.com, and we got a bargain!  Will I use Expedia.com again?  You bet!

It’s good to be back on the islands, however, we had a very nice time “living” in Seattle.  The Extended Stay Hotel in Northgate was our “home base” during our two-week trip away from Hawaii.  The room was clean, had house-keeping once a week, and since it had a kitchenette, we ate our breakfast and dinners there most of the time.  My wife is an excellent cook … so you know who did all the cooking, right?  I always kid her that she’ll be the top chef on that show with Chef Ramsay … was it called “Kitchen Nightmares”?  Believe me, I think she can put some of those chefs to shame!

If we cook, we need to buy groceries.  So, we shopped at Trader Joe’s, Grocery Outlet, Cash & Carry, Aurora Asian Market … stores close by, and more importantly, stores we don’t have in Hawaii.  Yes, we’re still tourists, you know.  Anyways, I’m not a seasoned shopper hunting for deals all the time, however, when my wife picked up a 10 pound bag of potatoes for 89 cents … I got excited … wow, what a deal!

We tried to avoid the tourist “circuit” as much as possible, however, we caved a little at Pike Place Market, the Seattle Aquarium, the harbor tour, at and around the Seattle Center (including the SciFi museum and, of course, the Space Needle), and Vancouver Island.  No harm in having fun, right?

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