O Canada! The second largest country in the world is number one when it comes to natural beauty, friendly natives, pop cultural contributions, entertainers, the great outdoors, and some of the most scenic cities on Earth. For those who think Canada is just snow, hockey, and adorable tuques, wake up and smell the snow. Sample a slice of old-world France thousands of miles from Europe in Quebec. Get a taste of the wild west, Canadian style in Alberta. Get up close and personal with amazing wildlife and Native American traditions in British Columbia. Or just kick back with a hot plate of poutine and turn on Hockey Night in Canada. Yup, Canada has it all.
During my brief time in Vancouver, I had so many things I wanted to do all over the jewel of the Pacific Northwest. Alas, the late train into Pacific Central dampened my schedule; this was going to take some serious speed through the city. But if there’s one thing I love, it is a challenge. In this case, it was squeezing enough time into a full day...
December 11, 2016: After a long day aboard Via Rail, my mom and I were ready to explore BC’s largest city. However, as stated in my last Via Rail article, we were super late getting into Vancouver; it was almost 11 pm and we were drained of any energy to sightsee. Luckily, we were staying at one of the finest, if not THE finest hotel in all of Vancouver: The...
I woke up from a peaceful night sleep. It was a beautiful night but a bittersweet morning as well. It dawned on me that it was my last night on the train; I had grown to really enjoy my own cozy bed with a mobile view. Oh, and don’t get me started on the bathroom. Small, of course. But it was so nice and it was all mine! If I had to rate this room and...
December 9, 2016: I slept so soundly throughout the night. The movement of the train rocked me to sleep. The Via Rail Canadian, a massive, metal bassonette provides the perfect mix of ambiance and comfort when dozing off under the stars of the Great White North. My one regret was that I did not get up in the middle of the night to see Saskatoon, which our train...
December 8, 2016: When we last left our wandering Yanks in Canada, my mom and I had just completed a morning tour of Manitoba’s capital, Winnipeg. Back on board our railway vessel, we waited to pull out of the station. I was busy scrolling through photos and organizing them while my mom was attending to her needlepoint projects. So, business as usual. In...
From the hallowed halls of the Manitoba Legislative Building, our tour group headed off towards the lavish neighborhood of Wellington Crescent. Situated a stone’s throw from downtown Winnipeg, this is one of the most expensive neighborhoods in all of Canada. The houses within this neighborhood are big and beautiful. Most of the residents have a median...
My 31st birthday arrived on a dark and frigid Thursday morning in the city of Winnipeg. When my alarm clock went off, the sun hadn’t even risen but in lieu of sunlight, the numerous skyscrapers and their neon marquees shone beautifully in the cold morning air. I couldn’t sleep a wink last night; I was too excited to doze off and all I could think about...
Snow. Nothing but snow. I awoke to a strange new world blanketed by glistening powder accompanied by towering evergreens. In just a few eyewinks, I went from a rain-soaked Torono to a frozen wilderness; a world where Princess Elsa and Jack Frost had definitely worked their snowy magic. No sign of Olaf and Bunnymund, unfortunately. From another view, it also...
Since I was a little boy, one of my dreams has been to ride a train, cross-country. It has been a dream since the first time I laid eyes on the rows and rows of locomotives and cars berthed at the Sunnyside Yard in Queens just a few miles from the foreboding entrance to the East River tunnels. It seemed like a pipe dream as it went unnoticed for years until January...