Aadvantage Award Question for a Newbie
Feb 25, 2003, 5:21 pm
#16
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Irvine, CA USA
Posts: 76
Thanks to all who gave me ideas. I have come up with the following itinerary that should work quite well for my plans.
8/10
DFW to SEA First-Class (American)
8/13
SEA to YYJ (Victoria) First-Class (Alaskan Air)
8/16
YRV (Vancouver) to DFW Biz-class (American)
All for 40,000 miles. That's a great deal to me since I was planning on having to pay for transportation from Seattle to Victoria (running about $99/person in August) on a boat anyway. Now I just have to find transportation between Victoria and Vancouver (maybe a helicopter or seaplane). Can anyone suggest anything cool in that area that I shouldn't pass up?
Thanks to those that gave me the tips...
8/10
DFW to SEA First-Class (American)
8/13
SEA to YYJ (Victoria) First-Class (Alaskan Air)
8/16
YRV (Vancouver) to DFW Biz-class (American)
All for 40,000 miles. That's a great deal to me since I was planning on having to pay for transportation from Seattle to Victoria (running about $99/person in August) on a boat anyway. Now I just have to find transportation between Victoria and Vancouver (maybe a helicopter or seaplane). Can anyone suggest anything cool in that area that I shouldn't pass up?
Thanks to those that gave me the tips...
Feb 25, 2003, 5:27 pm
#17
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: Los Angeles, CA, USA
Programs: AA PLT, SPG GLD, PC PLT SPIRE
Posts: 4,531
Welcome to FT and congratulations on your upcoming wedding.
Keep FT secret from your soon to be spouse until after you return from your honeymoon. This way you can bask in the praise from your spouse that you are a god in the travel planning department (as well as other places
) and they will never have to know that you had a bit of "help" in planning the trip. 
Keep FT secret from your soon to be spouse until after you return from your honeymoon. This way you can bask in the praise from your spouse that you are a god in the travel planning department (as well as other places
) and they will never have to know that you had a bit of "help" in planning the trip.
Feb 25, 2003, 5:30 pm
#18
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Irvine, CA USA
Posts: 76
Yes, yes... Priceline and biddingfortravel.com are my other secrets... I love getting $200 hotel rooms for $60. I'm hoping I can pay upgrades at some of the hotels and really make the most of things (although some chains aren't very nice to priceline customers).
Feb 25, 2003, 6:28 pm
#19
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Bellevue, WA-AAEXP3mm
Posts: 2,962
Vulches, congrats...another one bites the dust! Uh, no bubble busting intended here, but Horizon Air Dash 8's / Q200's don't have first class. It's a real short hop SEA-YYJ though, and the Q200 (twin prop jet) is more comfy than a regional jet. Seating is two plus two, so you'll each get a window seat at least one way. I'm pretty sure the "biz class" on AA YVR-DFW is going to be first class, as they only use 757's & MD-80's for this run. Same goes for DFW-SEA. If MD-80's, remember, no IFE.
Plan on about 3:45-4:00 flying time DFW-SEA, 3:15-3:30 SEA-DFW and :25-:30 SEA-YYJ. American's first class grub isn't bad as long as it ain't breakfast...then go for the cereal and fruit. The hot breakfast entrees are repulsive and guaranteed to deliver a dose of heartburn; I don't know where they get the chorizo they serve with them nasstee pancakes, but it sure ain't from good ol' Mehico! Weather should be high 70's to low 80's. We rarely get rain in August, especially after Seafair's over.
You might even see a pod of Orca whales over the strait of Juan de Fuca on the way out to YYJ and back. The view of Mt. Rainier should be spectacular if you take off to the south and then turn north. The Olympic Mtn's to the west will also probably still have a little snow by then, also pretty. Look out the windows! the scenery is incredible.
If you're into baseball, the Mariners may be in town while you're here; Safeco Field is an awesome park. Might want to load up on your BBQ down there, tough to get decent brisket up here, at least by AUS standards.
For SEA nightlife, check out Pioneer Square south of downtown; there are several pubs that have live music and a $10 "joint cover" gets you into several of these clubs (featuring what's left of grunge, loud rock, bluesy oriented bands). Belltown, north of downtown, is a little more the upscale nightlife area if you're so inclined. Gotta see Pike Place Market, an interesting collection of shops, pubs, food & flower vendors, trinkets, etc. Seattle's a great compact walking city.
The Experience Music Project at Seattle Center (also north of downtown & Belltown) is also worthy of a slice of any music fan's time. Awesome microbrews here, makes Shiner Bock / Blond taste like Miller Lite (if you're a beer drinker). The "Summer Nights at the Pier" is a series of concerts over a two month period by nationally known artists; performed at dusk into night, they're right on Elliott Bay and can be incredibly romantic given the right act. I think tickets /schedules go on sale in late April or early May, worth looking into if the right gig fits your schedule.
You'll be royally charmed with Victoria. Great shops, museums, Butchart Garden (if you & the new wifey are into English Gardens, this one's a classic). Another terrific compact walking city reminiscent of a mini-London. If you like Asian food, there's a little Chinatown on the west side of downtown that has some great eats for cheap. Seattle also has a terrific international district for Asian food. The Thai here can be incredibly good, as is the fish, oysters, etc....lots of great restaurants here.
Have fun, glad you're coming to Seattle, it's a terrific city. You'll love Canadians, too, they're great people. I've never had a bad time in Victoria or Vancouver. Feel free to e-mail me directly as the days get closer if you need any more info for the local area.
Plan on about 3:45-4:00 flying time DFW-SEA, 3:15-3:30 SEA-DFW and :25-:30 SEA-YYJ. American's first class grub isn't bad as long as it ain't breakfast...then go for the cereal and fruit. The hot breakfast entrees are repulsive and guaranteed to deliver a dose of heartburn; I don't know where they get the chorizo they serve with them nasstee pancakes, but it sure ain't from good ol' Mehico! Weather should be high 70's to low 80's. We rarely get rain in August, especially after Seafair's over.
You might even see a pod of Orca whales over the strait of Juan de Fuca on the way out to YYJ and back. The view of Mt. Rainier should be spectacular if you take off to the south and then turn north. The Olympic Mtn's to the west will also probably still have a little snow by then, also pretty. Look out the windows! the scenery is incredible.
If you're into baseball, the Mariners may be in town while you're here; Safeco Field is an awesome park. Might want to load up on your BBQ down there, tough to get decent brisket up here, at least by AUS standards.
For SEA nightlife, check out Pioneer Square south of downtown; there are several pubs that have live music and a $10 "joint cover" gets you into several of these clubs (featuring what's left of grunge, loud rock, bluesy oriented bands). Belltown, north of downtown, is a little more the upscale nightlife area if you're so inclined. Gotta see Pike Place Market, an interesting collection of shops, pubs, food & flower vendors, trinkets, etc. Seattle's a great compact walking city.
The Experience Music Project at Seattle Center (also north of downtown & Belltown) is also worthy of a slice of any music fan's time. Awesome microbrews here, makes Shiner Bock / Blond taste like Miller Lite (if you're a beer drinker). The "Summer Nights at the Pier" is a series of concerts over a two month period by nationally known artists; performed at dusk into night, they're right on Elliott Bay and can be incredibly romantic given the right act. I think tickets /schedules go on sale in late April or early May, worth looking into if the right gig fits your schedule.
You'll be royally charmed with Victoria. Great shops, museums, Butchart Garden (if you & the new wifey are into English Gardens, this one's a classic). Another terrific compact walking city reminiscent of a mini-London. If you like Asian food, there's a little Chinatown on the west side of downtown that has some great eats for cheap. Seattle also has a terrific international district for Asian food. The Thai here can be incredibly good, as is the fish, oysters, etc....lots of great restaurants here.
Have fun, glad you're coming to Seattle, it's a terrific city. You'll love Canadians, too, they're great people. I've never had a bad time in Victoria or Vancouver. Feel free to e-mail me directly as the days get closer if you need any more info for the local area.
Feb 25, 2003, 8:35 pm
#20
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Irvine, CA USA
Posts: 76
Thanks for the suggestions... I'm going through a whole book on the area to get ideas... there is a lot to do... I'll take you up on the offer to get more info when the honeymoon gets closer (I guess the girls see it as the wedding getting closer, but the guys skip right past that =))