McNandez, may I ask why you are skipping Seattle? I think it belongs on your itinerary for at least a few days.
Hello SEAskyrider - visiting Seattle didn't really come up when discussing our trip. We've both been there recently, and we wanted to spend a fair amount of time in Vancouver. We probably wouldn't even be visiting Portland if not for a desire to check out the Amtrak Cascades, and to meet a friend's new baby.
That info is interesting re: the tip stuff in Canada! I had no idea. I quickly grew to love the tableside CC processors on a recent trip to Europe.
We hope to revisit Vancouver in 2015-- maybe by cruiseship. The local Chinatown scene has changed alot. Friends all say go to Richmond for Chinese, and the Skytrain is the way to go.