Heading home

I headed home from Prince Rupert today.

It's a long journey. I left my hotel to walk to the bus which would take me across the ferry to the Prince Rupert airport at 8am (11am Toronto-time). My flight left about 10:30am.

It's a two hour flight from Prince Rupert south to Vancouver on this plane that hold 50 people.

I like sitting by the window so I can look outside. It was quite a view as we flew over the Coast Mountains.

When I got to the Vancouver airport, I had some time for lunch before my five hour flight to Toronto so I went to Monk's Grill and had the same yummy burger I'd had when I was there for supper on Monday evening.

After we'd boarded our Toronto-bound plane, we were advised that we were waiting for 15 people who were coming in on a connecting flight. We ended up leaving an hour late ... which meant we didn't land 'til almost 11pm ... so I didn't get home 'til 11:30ish.

I watched The Mechanic ... it was good with lots of action. I snoozed on and off and read The Camel Club.

It was good to get home!

Charley's Lounge, Prince Rupert, BC

I had lunch today at Charley's Lounge.

Judging by this sign, it looks like a fun place to catch the Stanley Cup and cheer on Vancouver!

I had Tuscan Charcoiled Chicken Penne (pan-fired chicken and white wine in a garlic-cream sauce and garlic toast).

It was a HUGE meal and, though it was delicious, I couldn't eat it all.

Because it was handy, I went back for supper. The south and west walls are all windows which look onto the water. I figured it would be a nice place to see the sun set.

I was still kind of full from lunch so ordered some appetizers.

The Charley's Duo Wings (spicy BBQ and buffalo style) were okay, not great.

The Triple Cheese Toast was cheesy but a bit salty (I only ate one slice because I was full).

The service was great ... there were three servers and they were constantly asking me if everyone was okay and if I needed anything.

This picture was taken about 9:45pm just before I left ... the sun was still setting!

When I left, the pub was about half full ... it looks like a popular place.

The sun is shining in Prince Rupert, BC

The sun is shining.

Yay!

Here's the view from my balcony.

A nice change from this morning!

Breakers Pub, Prince Rupert, BC

Breakers Pub is in Cow Bay and looked like a good place to chill and have a beer.

It's a cute pub with a good vibe and it was fairly busy.

And there are another couple of rooms tucked in behind the bar.

I sat at a table by the window ... awesome to be by the water. I imagine it's packed in the summer. Alas, the patio was closed (though it opened as I was leaving).

One of the drink specials for the day was a Keiths for $5.25 ... my favourite beer at a great price!

It was a nice place to relax with a book.

Cow Bay, Prince Rupert, BC

The sun is shining and it's stopped raining.

Yay!

After my seminar this afternoon, I took a walk to Cow Bay, which is just north of my hotel.

A unique, quaint marine shopping village within Prince Rupert, B.C. city limits. The Cow Bay Village is a step into the past with streets lined with well restored heritage buildings housing retail stores, art galleries, restaurants, coffee houses, a pub, a marina and a tourist info centre.

I poked in some of the shops and then walked along the water.


Though I didn't buy anything, I can see it being a big attraction for the cruise ships.

Prince Rupert from my balcony

My balcony looks out onto the water and Prince Rupert.

Too bad it's such a gloomy chilly day. Otherwise, I imagine the view would be lovely.

Crest Hotel, Prince Rupert, BC

When I checked into the Crest Hotel tonight, I was pleased to discover that I'd been upgraded to a suite.

Sweet!

I have this bed all to myself!

The bathroom has a window that opens into bedroom. It was has a soaker tub (you know I'll be using that tonight!) and a glassed-in shower.

Here's the desk and fake gas fireplace which I turned on as soon as I came in. To the left of the desk is a balcony that overlooks the harbour.

I may never leave!

Prince Rupert, BC

I have a client in Prince Rupert and I'm doing plan refresh and one-on-one sessions for them tomorrow.

It's quite a journey to get here.

First there was a five hour flight west from Toronto to Vancouver (and a three hour time difference). It gave me a chance to watch a couple movies ... Justin Bieber: Never Say Never and Cedar Rapids. You know I love movies!

Then there was a two hour flight north from Vancouver to Prince Rupert.

The Prince Rupert Airport is on an island.

Your luggage goes into this truck.

You get on this bus.

Then the truck and bus catch a ferry to the mainland. It's a five minute drive to the ferry and a 15 minute ferry ride. You aren't allowed off the bus.

The bus drops you off at one of the main hotels ... I'm staying about five minutes away so I caught a cab.

The bus and ferry are coordinated with the flights coming in and leaving the airport (I think there are two of each a day).

I'll reverse the process when I head back on Wednesday. I don't want to miss the bus and ferry because apparently a water taxi costs $150 (eeek!) whereas the bus and ferry are included in my plane ticket.