Finally Getting to Vancouver

 With all of the traveling I have done across the continent, there are actually few cities in North America that I have wanted to visit and not yet made a visit.  In Canada I've done Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal, but the furthest west in Canada I've ventured is London, Ontario.  Vancouver is the one remaining city in Canada I've been really wanting to visit.  Thus, I've been looking for an excuse to visit there, especially after seeing all of the promotion before the olympics, while I was in Toronto, and during the 2010 Olympic broadcast itself.  However I am not in the position to be able to take such a trip on a complete whim from both a financial and time stand point (conversion rates are getting nasty now).

When another blogger offered up his ticket to the Travel Blog Exchange 2011 in Vancouver, I checked to see if I could make the trip work.  Fortunately for me, I could.  However the key to planning this trip would be to leave time to see the city and not just be stuck with hangovers and the sessions of the weekend.  The first part was extremely straightforward, as I used the remaining bump vouchers to get out there, arriving shortly after Noon pacific time.  This gives me more than enough time, as the first formal function is not until 8pm (though I'll probably be doing a dinner gathering).  The return trip actually proved to be problematic.  Although YVR is the primary pacific hub for Air Canada, United does not present tons of options to get out of there, especially if you want to try and catch a redeye to maximize the time in town.  Thus, I decided to book a one-way first class award, that includes a short hop over to SEA so I can catch the redeye to ORD.  Because I have a long day of exploring, followed by enjoying the Maple Leaf Lounge (best lounge product from a North American airline), the first class seat with room to get comfortable was worth using the miles to ensure I won't be packed in when I'm trying to get a few hours of sleep.  Below is my routing for the entire trip:

Map generated by the Great Circle Mapper - copyright © Karl L. Swartz.

Thus the next challenge became booking the hotel rooms.  While there are many options in Vancouver, because of my program loyalty, my options were extremely limited.  The closest options to the convention center were all a good distance away, and unfortunately the main Hilton option was a Hampton Inn.  While in a small town I will gladly take a Hampton Inn over some of the other options, I will not do so in a large city.  I could have stayed at the Holiday Inn, however it was not that enticing, especially compared to a pair of hotels directly on the SkyTrain line.  If the Hotel Indigo had available rooms, I would have booked there since it is one of my favorite Priority Club brands.

First up is the Holiday Inn Express Vancouver-Metrotown.  Yes, this is just a HIX, but this one looks to offer a product more comparable to a Crowne Plaza than a HIX.  The thought of staying on the Executive Floor of a HIX just presented an opportunity that I needed to experience and explore.  In addition to the standard high floor and a bath robe, they also offer an umbrella and "upgraded" bath amenities.  While for the most part this is a joke, just seeing what they call their upgraded amenities just interests me to see the difference.  For my third night I will be staying at the Hilton right arround the corner.  

I'll be interacting with a lot of blogers from around the world, and in addition to meeting a lot of people and seeing some others here from upgrd, I'm also looking to learn a lot and make connections with some of the social media representatives from various travel companies and other blogs.  So in just a couple of weeks I get to explore a new city, meet new people, learn a lot, and have a lot of fun (though I hope my liver will be able to survive all of the evening parties and lounge time).  And if you are going to be going, or just in the Vancouver area, feel free to hit me up.