Departures
Issue: May/June 2010
Seaside Charm
Sidney, B.C., offers an afternoon's delight
After arriving at the ferry dock in Sidney, B.C., many visitors immediately dash down Vancouver Island’s east coast to Victoria, but there’s really no need to rush.
Enter the 10,000-square-foot, waterfront Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre (www.oceandiscovery.ca) through its mysterious golden hatch. The square, submarine-like room leads to a watery underworld, where the floor shakes, colorful tubes sparkle with bubbles and the ceiling’s watery windows burn midnight blue. The facility’s 17 aquaria focus on native Salish Sea marine life, and the sights can include giant Pacific octopi tap dancing across their Plexiglas homes, crabs picking fights with their pincers and wolf eels skulking behind rocks.
Sidney’s fish aren’t just feasts for the eyes. At the cheerful Fish on 5th (www.fishon5th.com), you can dig into halibut or salmon and chips and even sample Scotland’s dubious contribution to global cuisine—the deep-fried Mars bar.
With 12 bookstores located among the boutiques along Beacon and Bevan avenues, it’s easy to see how Sidney became Canada’s “Booktown” (www.sidneybooktown.ca). Each store serves a niche. One favorite is Tanner’s Books, where the offerings include more than 2,000 magazines and 40 newspapers from Canada, the United States and Great Britain.
Our World in Numbers
8,363Elevation, in feet, of the summit of Mount St. Helens.
9,677Elevation of Mount St. Helens’ summit prior to its eruption on May 18, 1980.
11Number of colors on Jabulani, the official ball of the 19th FIFA World Cup. Made by Adidas, the ball’s name means “to celebrate” in the isiZulu language.
11Number of players on the pitch for a soccer team and the number of official languages in South Africa, the host nation for the 2010 World Cup.
2,009Number of players who participated in downtown Spokane’s first Hoopfest in 1990.
25,000Approximate number of players who now participate annually in Hoopfest, the largest three-on-three basketball tournament in the world. Participants range from third-graders to senior citizens—male and female. This year’s tournament takes place June 26–27.
Mountain Bike Mecca
Test your pedal on Bellingham’s Galbraith Mountain
Nestled in quiet foothills between Fairhaven and Lake Whatcom, Bellingham’s Galbraith Mountain offers a winding, jump-laden slice of paradise for mountain bike riders. Gravelly logging roads provide access to scores of single-track trails that wind back down through the trees. Over the years, the Whatcom Independent Mountain Pedalers (WHIMPS), which manages the privately owned land, has installed jumps, ladders, bridges and other obstacles that test your technical skills (turnouts are available for novice riders). Strap on your helmet and put your mettle to the pedal. www.galbraithmt.com.
Day of the Dad
Spokane marks a Father’s Day milestone
As people around the world celebrate Father’s Day this year, Spokane will also honor Sonora Smart Dodd, the woman credited for starting it all. A sermon on Mother’s Day in 1909 in Spokane’s Central United Methodist Church inspired Dodd to push for a day to honor dads such as her own father, William Bruce Smart, who raised six children by himself after his wife died during childbirth. Spokane celebrated its first Father’s Day in 1910, and the rest of the nation followed suit. The city where it all began commemorates the holiday’s 100th anniversary with a series of festivities throughout Father’s Day weekend, June 18–20.
The most poignant takes place on June 20 at Greenwood Memorial Terrace, where officials will dedicate a graveside monument honoring Dodd, who died in 1978 at 96. Meanwhile, the Spokane Symphony presents a three-day salute to dad with concerts in the Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox and receptions in a tented garden outside. Check the Spokane Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau’s Father’s Day Web site for more on these and other activities. www.fathersdaybirthplace.com
SAM in the House
Curators from the Seattle Art Museum (www.seattleartmuseum.org) offer an insider’s look at exhibits focusing on Kurt Cobain (May 19) and works by Andy Warhol (June 9) in the next installments of In the Studio at Hotel 1000 (www.hotel1000seattle .com). Admission is free. The gatherings begin at 5:30 p.m. in the hotel’s Studio 1000 and include complimentary appetizers (proceeds from wine sales benefit SAM).
Jetting to Astoria
Learn about the lower Columbia on a day cruise from Portland
What do you get when you combine a 900 horse-power engine and a scenic 105-mile stretch of river between Portland and Astoria? Quite possibly the most exhilarating family-friendly river excursion you’re likely to find.
Among the many tours offered by the Portland Spirit Company, the “Historic Astoria” day cruise aboard the Outrageous jet boat begins on the Willamette River with views of the Rose City’s riverfront, skyline and bridges. As Captain Tom Patten opens the throttle on the Columbia, which widens to an astonishing nine miles at its broadest point, he traces the downstream route of Lewis and Clark. The boat slows through environmentally sensitive areas, allowing a closer look at wildlife, Mount St. Helens (on a clear day) and photo-perfect riverfront towns. Along the route, a tour guide describes the river’s history and natural features.
“Founded in 1811, Astoria is the oldest permanent U.S. settlement west of the Rockies,” the guide explains. The free time ashore in this small, historic city, also known for its steep hills, is just right for exploring galleries, cafés, Victorian architecture and the Columbia River Maritime Museum, before reboarding for the return to Portland. www.portlandspirit.com.
Travel Smarts
5 things you need to know about traveling abroad this summer
The rules of travel are always changing. As the peak travel season arrives for 2010, here’s what you need to know about visiting foreign destinations:
Be document savvy. Make sure the name on your airline and cruise tickets matches the name on your passport; if it doesn’t, you could be denied boarding. Take an encrypted thumb drive with scans of credit cards and the first two pages of your passport—or make photocopies and keep them separate from the originals—in case the documents are lost or stolen.
Mind your money. To get the best currency rates, use credit cards for purchases, and shop for a card that has low foreign transaction fees. Exchange money at ATM machines; because banks typically charge a fee for each withdrawal, make fewer withdrawals of larger amounts.
Be cruise conscious. To sort through the choices—from mega-ships with zip lines to adventure vessels with ice-hardened hulls—consult your travel agent, who can guide you to the ship that’s right for you.
Fly smart. Watch for airline fare sales, and when you find a fare within your budget, buy it. But seek value; you can pay a little more—to experience the enhanced coach services offered by many airlines, for example—and get a lot more comfort.
Travel safely. Research your destination’s dangerous areas and avoid them. Don’t travel with expensive watches or jewelry. If you’re staying in a country for more than a week and traveling in remote areas, register with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate—or online at https://travelregistration.state.gov.
