Port Townsend looking for Canadian visitors

Tourism boards and bureaus everywhere are redefining who their audiences are. With the economy still in a slump, it's more important than ever to target who you want to visit your region.

Port Townsend, located on Washington's Olympic Peninsula, is targeting visitors from southern Vancouver Island. According to the Peninsula Daily News, the city is "developing a marketing promotion to British Columbia ... targeting advertising in the Vancouver media market."

One of Port Townsend's newest inns is offering a special to all British Columbia residents. The Clam Cannery, a luxury boutique hotel right on the water, is inviting BC guests to pay for the first night ... and the second one is free. The complimentary night is available Sundays-Thursdays now through March 15, 2010.

My husband and I stayed at the hotel last year, and it's a great addition to the PT accommodations scene. Built in 1885 and operated as a clam canning facility until the 1940s, it's undergone a multi-million dollar renovation and restoration. The rooms average 800+ square feet and all have full gourmet kitchens along with unobstructed water and views out to the Olympics.

Plus it's right in the heart of Port Townsend, whether you want to take in a movie at the wonderful Rose Theatre; shop for music at Quimper Sound; enjoy a meal at the Silverwater Cafe or Khu Lharb; or visit the new Northwest Maritime Center.

The Clam Cannery is located in the heart of Port Townsend's retail core
Photo by Sue Frause

Bye, Bye Bali : Indonsian to Toronto

I thought I'd said a sad farewell to Bali after Sunday brunch on the beach at Ku De Ta in Kuta.

But seated next to me on the Cathay Pacific flight from Denpasar, Bali to Hong Kong was a 19-year-old Balinese boy (man) with an English phrase book.

It was his first trip out of Indonesia; he was off to Toronto to stay with his uncle and aunt. There he would spend four months, learning English in school, and finding out about the whys and why nots of Canada and North America.

Granted, his English was limited, but far better than my Balinese.

He asked me about the weather, the food and the people of Canada.

I told him the weather would either be hot or cold; the food either good or bad; and the people for the most part fun and friendly.

It will be one of the biggest chapters of his life.

Be kind to him. I don't even know his name. But he'll ask you yours.

Balinese Sunset at Kuta, Indonesia
Photo by Sue Frause

Greetings from Beijing

The 2008 Olympics in Beijing are only 78 days away. And although I've yet to see any of the venues, this Asian City is in the final months of getting ready for their big global summer sports party that begins August 8.

This is my first visit to Asia, and after being in Beijing for only 24 hours, I've come up with a few impressions:

The air is not what I'm accustomed to in the Pacific Northwest. Although not as bad as I thought it would be, many of the outdoor workers wear masks to avoid inhaling all the dirty little particles. My eyes sting, and on a sunny day, you can't see forever.

The people are friendly. Being of Nordic heritage, I get a lot of stares and nobody has asked me for directions. But from the cab driver at Beijing Capital International Airport to the staff at The Peninsula, they're a friendly bunch.

There's no shortage of faulous food!

I was in Mexico City and New York City in the past month, and Beijing feels much less hectic with less traffic and people walking on the streets. There's a zen-like sense here, which I didn't expect.

It's not intimidating. Outside of all the vendors coming up on the streets trying to sell you everything from cheap jewelry and personal tours, I feel comfortable here. This morning my husband and I visited The Forbidden City, and although we were one of only a few non-Asians awaiting the ticket booth to open at 8:30AM (many more Europeans and Australians are here), we felt welcome in this country called China.

The world will be watching Beijing this summer.

A sign on a downtown Beijing building

Photo by Sue Frause

Vancouver on the (high) rise: Is the Canadian city losing its soul?

Vancouver skyline from Granville Island. Sue Frause photo.

I recently had a discussion with a Vancouver resident who said he would never live in Seattle. As much as I love Vancouver, I became somewhat defensive of my urban hometown.

After all, Seattle is my hub, even though I live on an island north of the Emerald City. But instead of getting all snotty about it, I told my dining companion that I thought Vancouver was slowly losing its soul.

I've been visiting Vancouver ever since I was a high schooler in Arlington, Washington. My friend Susan loved to drive her family's big Buick across the border, and we'd hang out on Robson Street and walk through the lobby of Hotel Vancouver and pretend we were staying there. That was so long ago, the city's pubs had separate entrances for men and women.

So now 2010 is coming, and like any good host, you want to look your best for the Winter Olympics. But what's with the generic high-rises and condos that are cluttering up the Canuck sky? Vancouver is all about fresh air, mountain vistas, salt water, biking, walking and that wonderful place called Stanley Park.

Coincidentally, Knute Berger wrote a piece in Crosscut today that carries the same sentiment. Titled Vancouver is Shangri-not, he opines, "The city that inspires Dubai has some soul-searching to do. After the Olympics, of course."

I don't like whining about a place that I love. But Vancouver, slow down. You're losin' that lovin' feeling.

Check your smart phone and table at the door, s'il vous ples!

I do take photos of my food, like this breakfast at Sante in Spokane. Photo by Sue Frause. 

Last night I dined at one of Montreal's many fine restaurants. It was a Sunday night, and the resto gradually filled up with middle-aged couples dressed for the lovely venue. By the time I finished my meal, the place was jammed.

Most of the diners were couples. There was only one other solo diner, a young woman. I saw her snapping photos outside the restaurant and when she sat down, she immediately opened up her laptop, complete with bright screen. Throughout the evening she was snapping pictures of her food (sans flash, thank goodness) and typing into her laptop. Bad etiquette, for sure ... even if she is a food blogger or travel writer.

If you're at Starbucks or St. Hubert, go ahead. But this was one of Montreal's lovelier restos. Are owners going to have to add this at the bottom of menus?

No shoes, no shirt, no service! No outside food! No cigars or cigarettes! No smartphones, tablets or laptops! No flash photography! No baseball caps! No screaming children!

Let's hope not.

Crossing the US-Canadian border can be a nightmare, depending how you travel

Sumas border crossing. Photo by Sue Frause.

Hopefully things will be improved at the US-Canadian border between Washington and British Columbia before the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. Even though the requirement of having a passport has been delayed by the U.S. House of Representatives until June 2009 at the earliest, they need to ramp up the process of getting people across the border in a timely fashion.

I had a pretty hellish experience traveling from Vancouver to Seattle recently. Usually, I take Amtrak Cascades between Vancouver and Everett, Washington. But on this particular occasion, the train was sold out. My only options were to fly to Seattle for around $250 one way, or take the bus. I did the latter. 
My mode of transportation was the not-so-quick Quick Shuttle. I left Vancouver at 8 AM and was in downtown Seattle at 2:45 PM, nearly seven hours later.

My journey began at the main train/bus station in Vancouver; continued on to Canada Place for the cruise ship passengers; the downtown Holiday Inn; Vancouver International Airport; Campbell River Store (not to be confused with Campbell River on Vancouver Island); and the border crossing at Sumas where we spent nearly two hours.

There were a slough of buses lined up to go through US Customs and Border Protection. It was cruise ship season, and many people were headed to Sea-Tac for their flights home.When we finally were allowed to get off the bus, there were only two agents on duty. All our bags had to be removed along with our carry-on items. Why are passengers on buses scrutinized more than those traveling by train or personal vehicles?

That's me with bus friends Adrian and Lucca, finally in Seattle.

The only up side of the very long day was sitting next to a charming, Adrian Ostropolsky of Barcelona. He and his partner Lucca were on holiday in Canada and the US. We had a good laugh about our hellish trips. With tourism by Americans to Canada in a downward mode, maybe our government needs to figure out a better way of keeping us "secure." Right now, many "Children of a common mother" find it easier to travel on their own side of the border. But I still love Canada, long lines and all. It's my second home.

Lost loggage stories are endless, as are the resolutions

Luggage carts at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Photo by Sue Frause.

The airlines have been fairly kind to me over the years. Outside of a harrowing and turbulent trip in a "running on empty" prop jet somewhere over the mountains of Southern California years ago, I've experienced no major glitches while racking up frequent flier miles. No airsickness, no food poisoning, no skidding off runways, no crashes and no lost luggage.

Until Italy. That's where I lost my luggage. Or to be more specific, that's where Northwest Airlines/KLM Royal Dutch Airlines lost my luggage. It was hot, crowded, smoky and very Italian when we landed in Rome on a sunny September afternoon. As the passengers surrounded one of the many carousels, I assumed my bag would join the rest of the cargo headed for The Eternal City. It didn't. So I waited and eyeballed the bags as they slowly rumbled into the welcome arms of weary travelers. I reached for nothing.

Losing your luggage in Laramie, Wyoming is one thing, but being plunked down sans suitcase in this 2,700-year old settlement on the banks of the Tiber River is an entirely different scenario. Especially after being up for nearly 20 hours and sporting language skills that were limited to si, per favore, grazie and buon giorno!

I knew I should have studied the airport section of my phrase book for such emergency messages as Aiuto! (Help!) and Puo pariare piu tentament, per favore? (Could you speak more slowly, please?). But we're in Rome, and we need to do as they do. Which means, what's the big rush? Domani is a way of life for Italians, and tomorrow is sometimes good enough.

Nearly three hours after landing, a growing group of disgruntled travelers was handed an official letter from KLM by the frenzied Alitalia agents who were trying to handle the fiasco as best they could.

"La preghiamo di voier accetare le nostre sincere scuse per il disagio causatole. Le assicuriamo che la nostra compagnia fara il possible per evitarie ulteriori problemi."

Oops, wrong side of the form.

"Please accept our sincere apologies for the difficulties encountered with your baggage. We can assure you that we will make all possible efforts to avoid any further inconvenience."

Those efforts included filling me out a Property Irregularity Report and the being told that the bags could be on the next KLM flight from Amsterdam. But here's the rub. They had NO idea when that flight might be. Domani! Domani!

I went for the drama. Sauntering over to an Alitalia agent, I burst into tears. She was obviously caught off guard by my watery eyes. "Signora, don't cry!" she responded, while handing me a special phone number to check on the status of my bag. I left the airport awash in frustration.

I phoned every day, and the lost luggage report changed accordingly. On Wednesday, they located my bag. On Thursday, it mistakenly ended up in Bangkok. On Friday, it was back in Rome. Unfortunately, we were on the train to Florence. On Saturday, my bag arrived, and was waiting for me in our rented farmhouse in Tuscany.

So how did I handle no luggage for five days? In addtion to wearing the same wrinkled uniform I left home in, I developed horrible blisters on my feet, forcing me to buy two pairs of Italian shoes. Lack of fresh undergarments necessitated the purchase of those items, pronto! I got a real deal on a six-pack from an outdoor vendor just around the corner from The Vatican. I wonder if the Pope hops there?

But I did scold myself for not purchasing flight insurance, which would have paid me $200 a day for the inconvenience of it all. But there is hope. Northwest and KLM said they would reimburse me for the purchase of "essential personal items." I wonder if that includes copious amounts of red wine?

It's a nice gesture, but I'm asking for one more thing: the frequent flier miles earned by my bag on her journey from Amsterdam to Bangkok to Rome. It's worth a try.

Note: I sent a letter to the President & CEO of Northwest Airlines, along with a copy of my column. Although they did not give me the frequent fliers earned by my bag, I did receive a $200 coupon good for any future flight.