Canada

Stop in Squamish for Family Friendly activities and restaurants

Whistler Canada with kids and a fun place to see bald eagles and eat along the way

January 4, 2018

When I was a kid, I grew up in a small Vancouver suburb and we used to be able to drive to Whistler and back for a day trip.  We had our favorite places to eat, like Ingrid’s which is still in Whistler, and we would always stop at the McDonald’s in Squamish along the […]

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Vancouver Island with kids on the Victoria Clipper

An almost Car-free trip with the Victoria Clipper to Vancouver Island with kids in about 48 hours or so

August 6, 2017

As much as we Seattleites die a little when people say “Pike’s Market” instead of “Pike Place Market,” it’s probably a little the same up in Vancouver when people think Victoria BC and Victoria Island are the same place too.  As neighbors to the south, we know that Victoria Island does not exist, but Victoria […]

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cyclebc rental in vancouver

An Electric Car, Scooters and Yummy Food in Vancouver BC

March 24, 2016

Living in Seattle we are SO lucky to be equidistant between Vancouver and Portland which are two excellent food hubs in the northwest and both cities are only about a 3-hour drive away.  This makes Seattle such an excellent starting point if food is a reason why you travel.  It is also pretty convenient to […]

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light display at granville island

A stay in my FAVORITE place in the world (Granville Island Hotel, Vancouver, BC)

February 11, 2016

Do you have a place that you love more than anywhere in the world? A place that evokes a happy tornado of memories of being little and growing up, of times with friends and family and good coffee, pastries, flowers and gorgeous views? For me this place is Granville Island in Vancouver, BC. I’ve loved […]

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skiing in whistler with kids and staying at the Sundial Hotel

Whistler with kids in the Wintertime at the Sundial hotel with your own hot tub

January 8, 2016

Everyone I know has been talking about going to Whistler lately and it is such a fun place to go-especially with kids-there is just so much to do.  When we were MUCH younger the hubby and I used to wake up early, pack his two-seater gold Fiero to the brim, and drive off with his […]

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homemade gluten-free peanut butter cake

When you stop to ponder your AAA membership, how safe Canada is and what this all means for family travel on a Monday

December 15, 2015

I met a few angels this weekend on my drive to Vancouver.  What started out as a mission to celebrate my grandpa’s 91st and my sister’s 30-ish birthday made for a bit of a disaster. My car almost broke down on a big bridge in Vancouver, but thankfully crawled and spluttered a little farther and […]

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waiting for the water taxi

A suite hotel with breakfast and a great location (Victoria, BC)

October 21, 2015

Every time I hear the song “Under the Boardwalk” I’m whisked back to the steps along the water in front of the Empress hotel where the buskers seem to play this song over and over through the summers of my memories in Victoria BC as a child. So this summer when we returned to Vancouver […]

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Ritzvill Washington Supercharger for Tesla

Where you charge in Vancouver when there is no supercharger

October 8, 2015

Ok Vancouver, you really need a supercharger.  If you’ve been reading a while, we’ve owned our electric car for a few months now and I can’t believe how much fun it’s been to use on our road trips.  Now all we need to find is a place where we can get a good charge up […]

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things to do near car charger on quallicum beach

A place worth visiting just to charge your car (Quallicum Beach, Vancouver Island)

September 30, 2015

We were in a sun-filled cafe called Sobo on the northern tip of Vancouver Island in Tofino when a gentleman came up to us and asked “is that your car out there” and wondered if electric cars were feasible on the island. We were actually a little worried that we would have difficulty finding places […]

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eating on vancouver island with kids

10 or so kid-friendly food options on Vancouver Island

September 10, 2015

We just spent a lovely week on Vancouver Island and I never realized how EASY it is to travel there from Seattle. Since we’ve been doing a lot of road trips by electric car lately, it was a perfect road-trip with the kids from Seattle and we covered a lot of ground and never hit […]

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Tesla trip from Seattle to Whistler stopping at Squamish supercharger

Our favorite place to stop and re-charge on our way up to Whistler just got better

August 13, 2015

As long as I can remember we’ve stopped at Squamish on the way to Whistler.  When I was younger it meant that we’d get an Egg McMuffin and coffee in the early morning on the way to a day of skiing from Vancouver.  And then Tim Horton’s came along and we started stopping there for […]

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Alta Lake at Rainbow Park in Whistler in Summer

A run, a beach and stops along the way to Whistler with kids (Rainbow Park, Whistler, BC)

June 14, 2015

The North Face Whistler run is becoming a bit of a family tradition; this is the 2nd time we’ve headed up north to run the 10km and the kid’ run and hang out with friends and once again we had a wonderful time. This time we stayed at the Sundial hotel, and it was perfectly […]

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and there is ample parking near this playground in Vancouver BC

When a bakery you love now has a park next door! (Beaucoup Bakery, Vancouver BC)

May 11, 2015

Oh my goodness.  I love Beaucoup http://www.beaucoupbakery.com/bakery but it is so close to my favorite place in the world-GRANVILLE ISLAND-we’d often pass it by because Granville Island is a lot more kid-friendly to sit and stop.  But not anymore. Hello perfect playground. (And it’s right across the street!!) The kids can alternate getting out their energy […]

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ayoubs fruit and nuts in vancouver a specialty shop

A fancy snack shop in Vancouver BC (Ayoub’s Dried Fruits and Nuts)

March 11, 2015

Many of our adventures in Vancouver end up at UBC, the hubby’s and my Alma Mater and it’s always fun to grab a few snacks somewhere along the way.  Sometimes we stop at Solly’s for bagels and treats or Lucky’s donuts and 49th Parallel Coffee so we have something to much on during a visit […]

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freshtracks with kids in whistler

Best breakfast with a 6 year old and other things to do in Whistler with kids in tow

February 24, 2015

Before you go and think I’m going to tell you to get to Purebread for breakfast with your kids in Whistler, I’m not. I do love this bakery, but it’s more of a place I go to for a pastry and coffee and not at breakfast especially because I have a weakness for something they […]

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An easy place to stop with kids between Seattle and Vancouver BC (Bellingham, WA)

January 5, 2015

I’ve always found Bellingham to be a great stop between Seattle and Vancouver, but it’s even more perfect now that I’ve figured out that the Whatcom Museum has free admission if you have a MOHAI family plus membership.  (Oh, how I love my MOHAI membership and make sure you get the family plus if you […]

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When your family gets sick while traveling for Christmas

December 29, 2014

So before this sounds too dramatic and cruel, we weren’t horribly sick while traveling for Chrismtas and we weren’t terribly far from home when we were traveling-Vancouver BC, our hometown is only a 3 hour drive from Seattle where we live-but I remember joking with friends over drinks a few nights before Christmas about being […]

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The awesomest park in the world is 3 hours away from Seattle (Terra Nova Rural Park, Richmond, BC)

November 21, 2014

Hopefully this got your attention if you like visiting parks with kids because this one is totally worth it.  We’ve been to many parks around the world and we sometimes travel just to see playgrounds like this one in Copenhagen that I saw on pinterest, or this one in Japan in a monkey forest and […]

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The Britannia mine museum and a bakery that is worth a long drive

September 17, 2014

I can’t deny that most trips we go on as a family are triggered by a bakery, store or a coffee shop; it’s always some delightful little place I’ve seen and have to visit because time as I know it has threatened to stop until I figure out how to get myself there as soon […]

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Island living and our best summer memories (Valdes Island, British Columbia)

September 12, 2014

Do you ever wonder how your life would be completely different if you didn’t meet certain people? I know without my brother-in-law we would definitely have had a void-he’s always teaching us new things about the outdoors and exploring. And he’s always trying to get me to push my nature boundaries to help me be […]

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