Vancouver, British Columbia. Dinner at Earl's

Ken McAllister photo




Two days is not enough time in Vancouver.

The Best Western North American Convention landed close to home this year, so we drove up for 2 nights in one of North America's most beautiful cities.

North Vancouver was our lodging location, so we stopped at Earl's Tin Palace for dinner; my second visit to this restaurant. This is a very large restaurant with a large menu and an open kitchen with a woodfire oven. Salmon was beautifully prepared with fresh, seasonal ingredients and I discovered a red wine blend that I think is a great value, Heartland Stickleback from South Australia.

Some of my favorite places in Vancouver are Stanley Park where the path along the seawall circles the park for 10 kilometeres and attracts lots of runners, walkers and bicyclists. Granville Island Public Market is a place for foodies to explore that can be reached by water taxi.

Ryan Cheng photo


Stanley Park Through the Trees

Breakfast in Tacoma

Shakabrah Java is my top pick for breakfast in Tacoma for many reasons. Great food, friendly service, reasonable prices and it is close to home. The location is between Fife and Oakes on 6th Avenue.

We were glad we arrived just after opening time (7am Saturday and 8am Sunday) because the dining room fills up quickly. My son, a maple syrup lover, polished off an adult-sized plate of French Toast topped with blueberries. I have quite a bit of experience with Corned Beef Hash and this is the best in recent memory. Eggs were prepared exactly as ordered and served with crispy cubed potatoes and excellent corned beef.

The neighborhood Business District is very close to the University of Puget Sound and is a vibrant area for shopping and dining. If you wind up exploring the area and need lunch, look to Primo Grill at 6th & Pine for Northwest cuisine or Farelli's for pizza at 6th & Union.

The Best Western in Tacoma is at the Tacoma Dome, a great location if you're attending an event there. I recommend the Silver Cloud Inn on Ruston Way for an extraordinary experience where every room has a waterfront view of Commencement Bay.