I wrote this post on Tuesday, December 16th, the evening I arrived in Redmond, Washington. I had it saved as a draft to be edited, but here it is, raw. :)
I have had the most amazing day. This is my fourth time in Washington state, and the region has always had a certain magical sparkle about it for me, but this time it’s so magical it feels like Disney World (which, to me, is the highest praise of happiness and light).
I left home at 4:30 EST this morning and breezed through the airport with no hassle. My first flight, YYZ->YVR, was on Air Canada’s Dreamliner (Boeing’s 787 plane), which is basically the Rolls Royce of airplanes, even in the economy cabin. This was the third time I’ve flown on a Dreamliner, the first of which was on the inaugural customer-carrying flight of Air Canada’s first 787. It blows all other flying experiences out of the water with its comfort, spaciousness, and fantastic entertainment system. I could write about the Dreamliner for days, but you can just check out my coverage of the Dreamliner experience here!
After the Dreamliner flight I had a short stopover in Vancouver during which I caught up on the inevitable flood of emails in my work inbox, and then took a short express flight to Seattle. It was by far the easiest international connection I’ve experienced to date. Maybe that’s why Vancouver International has been voted best North American airport five years in a row!
Maybe it’s the Christmas festivities, or maybe it’s the contrast to my daily life back home – this is the first night in ages that I’ve had my headspace all to myself and been able to let my thoughts wander without a leash. What a good feeling.