By Land, Air & Sea - Vancouver Island part 1, Victoria BC
If you are either new to Cascadia or have been here all your life, there are many perks you quickly discovered about living here - one is having a foreign country off of our shores. Vancouver Island and British Columbia is less than a three hour drive away, even shorter if traveling by sea or plane. Mr. Mustang and I recently did a road trip throughout Vancouver Island and wanted to take the time to do a review of the possibilities of what the island can bring to you starting with the city of Victoria.
Getting here
By Sea: I can think of several different ways to travel to Vancouver Island - the most practical in my experience is by Victoria Clipper. For about $100 a person, you can get a round trip ticket to Victoria that takes less than three hours from start to finish. I’ve taken it several times in the past and it’s pretty efficient. The seats are like any seats you find on a bus or plane but don’t expect complimentary drinks or peanuts. The Victoria Clipper is nothing more than a fast ferry service that bounces between BC and Seattle with summer service to the San Juan Islands (that’s for a later post).
By Air: For bragging rights, you can take Kenmore Air. Kenmore Air has a fleet of float planes that provide service to any number of destinations throughout the Cascadia region. They even provide air travel to places as remote as Chatterbox Falls! However the price tag to Victoria and similar destinations are a bit more than what the Clipper offers. As of July 2017, they charge about $300 round trip per person to Victoria but from what my memory serves, travel only takes about an hour one way.
By Car: Now the method Mr. Mustang and I took is for those who enjoy the journey rather than the destination. Our path was to leave from Seattle and drive south until you hit Tacoma and cross the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. From there you travel north through the Kitsap Peninsula, across the Hood Canal Bridge and continue on US 101 until you hit Port Angeles. Once at Port Angeles you board the Black Ball Ferry that carries you across the Strait.
This is the cheaper method but certainly takes the longest. Not considering gas and time, the cost to use Black Ball is about $60-80 round trip (if you have a car). The ferry itself has an OK cafeteria and a gift shop which is perfect if you need last minute gifts. The crossing takes about 1.5 hours but this way, you have a car as a mode of transportation so you are able to explore outside of Victoria as well.
Where to Stay
Like most millennials - my favorite lodging is what’s available on Airbnb. I love that it gives you the option to be fully immersed in a neighborhood and almost always has access to a fully equipped kitchen. As an added bonus, we stayed a block away from the Empress Hotel so everything was walking distance in regards to restaurants, museums and sightseeing. To view or book the unit, go here!
Speaking of the Empress, we did stay one night there just for fun and honestly for what we paid we felt it wasn’t worth it. When you stay at the Empress you are paying for the name but if you really don’t mind spending $400+ a night for an outdated room then go for it. I felt the carpet was past it’s prime, the furnishings were a bit stiff but it certainly had that old timey charm. Some things I did like were the faucet for the bathroom that was original to the hotel and our room had some of the highest ceiling I have ever seen for a resort. The room also had great light that faces the harbor but this will be our first and only time staying here.
Where to eat
Mr. Mustang and I aren’t a fan of eating a large breakfast while traveling so our recommendation is to break your fast at a cafe or bakery and get something small. We went to Pour on the corner of Government and Courtney Street and got a simple coffee and pan au chocolat.
But if you are in the mood for a large breakfast or want table service, I do recommend the Empress Hotel. They have a couple of restaurants to try but the one that I personally been to was The Q Empress Room. The interior is decorated with paintings of previous female monarchs but with a touch of modern furnishings.
Their breakfast and brunch menu isn’t as vast as other restaurant joints but everything on the menu is pretty damn good. Mr. Mustang went for the classic eggs benedict and I went for the mascarpone pancakes with apples baked inside. The service here was also top notch. Our server was extremely attentive and we never had to ask for anything because he would just appear with what we need. Freshly brewed coffee, more syrup, butter, toast, whatever you were thinking he provided.
Lunch is somewhat similar to breakfast as we like to do simple meals and often try to eat something out of a food truck rather than have table service. Before 2016, Red Fish Blue Fishwas really good fish and chips at a decent price. After 2016, Red Fish Blue Fish is still really good fish and chips at a decent price but with an 45 minute to hour wait! Seriously, what happened?
For dinner, this is where we like to splurge. Stores and museums are closing for the night but restaurants, their night is just beginning so we have no problem stretching two hours at a table. For this occasion, we went to II Terrazzo, an Italian joint near the Johnson street bridge. Keep in mind, in order to make reservations you have to call in advance - no opentable here or online reservations accepted. Despite the US discount, their bottles aren’t cheap here so caution as we only got a half bottle but the food was reasonably priced and delicious. If going, try to get seating in the ‘patio’ area. It’s not really a patio or outside space, but it’s beautiful and has the feel like you're eating inside of a greenhouse.
Following advice from my brother-in law (Mr. Goat), there are times after dinner where you still want to munch on something and explore the city at night. We first stopped at a hole in the wall taco place that was very sleek and modern looking (La Taqueria Pinche). Ordered four tacos for $4 and scarfed them down in under 10 minutes. Next stop, just across the street is another hole in the wall taco joint called TacoFino where we ordered even more tacos but this time were crispy chicken. A few blocks north is Foo Asian Street Food where we shared an order of caramelized chicken over rice.
When I went to Victoria during my college days, most of my memory was at nightclubs and bars and the town still has a solid night life. Some places have closed down that I use to frequent but one place for drinks is still here. The Mint Restaurant is a place that does one thing right: Mojitos. The first time I tried a mojito was here and ever since then I tried to at least have one during each visit in the city. The restaurant also has a neat entrance where you need to travel underground to get seated and streams of lights decorate the ceiling. I would recommend this place for a post dinner drinks considering the venue is lit by candles and low lighting that creates a relaxing atmosphere to wind down.
And lastly - snacks/desserts. I'm a huge sucker for ice cream on a hot day and it's even better on a warm late night. We found Kid Sister's ice cream purely by accident. We were wondering town and came across an extremely narrow alleyway lit up with dim orange lights.
What to do
Victoria has the appearance of a quaint European town but the feel like you are not far from home. For American travelers, it’s certainly a plus that there is no language barrier but also helps that everything you purchase in Canada is cheaper via the exchange rate. At the time we went, every Canadian dollar was $1.26 to every $1 US. That means Americans automatically get a 26% discount when shopping in Canada.
During the summer, the most popular activity in Victoria is the street performers near the harbor. On weekday evenings and all day Saturday/Sunday, the local street performers organize and coordinate a schedule where everyone gets a chance to perform. We got a chance to see "Aaron the Bizarre" who was a juggling/comedic act that drew in a great crowd.
The one place I will always recommend going to is The Royal British Columbia Museum. The museum is extremely well maintained and has the most impressive and maintained first nation exhibits that take special care on preserving the history and culture of British Columbia tribes.
The museum always has exciting old and new exhibits to see. At the time of this review, the Royal BC had the Mammoth exhibit featuring real preserved woolly mammoths.
Another fan favorite is the miniature museum. It’s more of a showcase of several dozen dioramas with miniature figurines rather than a museum but with a cheap entry fee. Mr. Mustang was fascinated with the WW2 section whereas I was a fan of the sci fi space section. It’s a good place to hang out for 1-2 hours, especially during a rainy day.
Explore the stores. Seriously, you might be pleasantly surprised on what you find or what you will walk into. Mr. Mustang pointed to a bookstore that I’ve always passed by but decided to go in this time and was greeted with this:
That’s some high, detailed ceilings for a book store. Wasn’t expecting that and we ended up spending a good hour here.
For those who like politics and history, the British Columbia Legislature building is a great option too. They provide free tours and in my experience, you don't typically need to make reservations in advance (but I would check just in case if they changed the policy).
However one place I would recommend you avoid is the Bug Zoo. Just skip it - it’s insultingly over priced and crowded. If you find yourself in Victoria and this is your 4th time visiting and ran out of things to do, then yes go to the Bug Zoo but don’t waste time going here if it’s your first visit.
Getting out
Another way to leave the Island is to take the WSDOT/BC Ferries. You can drive up to Sidney, BC and take a ferry to Anacortes where the crossing is about 2 hours. This option is the cheapest way to get to and from Victoria but make sure to have reservations before boarding the ferry. Depending what time of the year you go, the ferry could be fully booked by the time you arrive at the terminal so plan accordingly.
Summary
Overall Victoria is a fresh and exciting city to visit for either a long weekend or a long week. There is something for everyone and I can see people going here for either a 3rd date (I’ve done that before) or a 33rd year anniversary. Whatever the occasion, Victoria is waiting for you.
