North! To Alaska: Getting to Vancouver and Day 1

22 July, 2026 

The intrepid travelers

We're currently sitting in an AirBnB in Vancouver, working on our jet lag. Our flights yesterday were both delayed, but uneventful. The first flight fell victim to harsh weather in the midwest early in the day, but still got us to Chicago with over an hour to spare before our connection was scheduled to depart.

This trip is a new adventure in several ways.

It's the first time I've vacationed with my sister apart from large family trips.

It's our first time to Canada other than my hunting trip to Anticosti Island in 2001. While that was a singularly spectacular trip, and one I wouldn't hesitate to repeat, I didn't experience much in the way of "regular" Canadian life.

Our first time visiting Alaska.

We boarded our connection just a few minutes after the posted time, and during the boarding process one of the flight attendants suffered a medical crisis and had to be taken by ambulance to the hospital for evaluation. We had to wait about a half-hour for a standby flight attendant to arrive. After her arrival it took another 10-15 minutes to bring her up to speed and sort out the assignments before we pushed back. The 737-MAX was quiet and comfortable (my first trip on a MAX) and the flight crew was excellent. The menu was fairly good, but limited due to the size of the aircraft. The seats were comfortable, but a bit disappointing as a First-Class product. Winds and weather aloft were in our favor and we arrived in Vancouver just a few minutes after our scheduled time despite our delayed departure.

Vancouver

After de-planing we trekked a distance roughly equal to the journey of the miners seeking gold in the Yukon from the gate to immigration. The walk was punctuated by various installations of nature and cultural exhibits, so we were entertained, but at 2am (to us) it was a bit to stomach.

Immigration was automated and efficient, baggage claim was seamless, and we soon found ourselves curbside, evaluating ground transport options.

Despite having International cell phone service, none of us could access a network. This issue continues intermittently 12+ hours later, without any plausible explanation. Everything has been reset, reconfigured, and rebooted to within an inch of existence. I've traveled to multiple destinations in both Europe and the Caribbean with much less friction than this. (Update - after 16+ hours the cellular systems seem to have caught up with themselves and everyone's service is now consistent and seamless.)

Ciclo

Other than arriving on one of the hottest days of the year, and our AirBnB not having central air (and in-room units that were not turned on) things went fairly well. The condo we're staying in is nicely appointed and comfortable. The bedding and towels are sumptuous and an assortment of pillows in varying degrees of firmness are provided. Thoughtful touches, such as toothbrushes, tea, and coffee are available, and the WiFi was fast and reliable. This is certainly a drastic contrast to my Canadian hunting trip.

Our day has consisted primarily of coffee, snacks, showers, reading, and some light napping. There are nearly a dozen coffee shops within two blocks of our Air BnB (only one of them a Starbucks) and Jeff made the fortunate choice of giving Ciclo a try, which happens to be located in the restaurant we are having dinner in this evening. I took a short walk to the grocery store for some light snacks. Visiting local grocery stores is always enlightening, it's interesting to see the differences in product selection. 

Chili Oil for Days

We may have an assortment of hot sauces, while they'll have a similar selection of curry. We're much heavier in snack items, while other countries tend to have a greater variety of breads. (Note that the prices are in CDN, and the exchange rate at the moment is about $1 USD to $1.25 CDN.)

Social Corner came highly recommended from Jeff's daughter and son-in-law, who lived in Vancouver until recently. Highly recommended in the Michelin Guide, it offers a Spanish-Italian fusion menu along with excellent cocktails. While the tapas, burgers, and pizza may be disarming, don't lower your expectations in the least. We didn't have voracious appetites, and the portions were larger than we anticipated, so we ended up taking boxes home rather than stuffing ourselves to the point of misery. Without exception, everything we ordered was delicious and I will definitely return should I find myself in Vancouver again.

Lourie and I find the city to be enchanting. Bustling, but clean, stereotypical Canadian politeness, and abundant trees and green spaces all combine in a unique arrangement. It's quite unlike any other large city I've visited.