Here we go again, as promised today we actually leave the room! We didn't get far though...
We were early for Club 4, the kids club, and had just enough time to slip into the coffee bar at Yew. A little o.j. for Ryan, a latte for moi, and we shared a scrumptious cranberry and chia scone. A well made latte is an art and the barrista was amazing. A little vanilla bean infused sugar made it even sweeter. I've since added a vanilla bean to my sugar canister at home.
Ryan had a fun time at Club 4 and they painted dragonflies.
He also met a little friend who we got to know rather well over our stay at Club 4 and the nightly kid's film.
He was rather proud of his final product...it will definitely join the other kiddo masterpieces in our kid's gallery hallway upstairs.
After Club 4 we went on the kitchen tour with Chef Bruno. I posted about this during our stay, it was a very cool opportunity to see the inner workings of a huge hotel and for the boys to meet a Chef in action. Read the full post and see some images here.
The family ate breakfast while I had a quick meeting then we all headed off for our first adventure. We live in a small town and riding an escalator is a big thrill when we visit somewhere, the hotel had a nice one BUT the best was at the Sky Train station...they did three loops and had fun going up and down at different times and waving at each other...
Ry had never been on the Sky Train as was thrilled. It was a short jaunt from the hotel to the station and less money and hassle than parking for all of us to go to Science World.
We picked a spot right at the front of the train and as he was a bit worried until we got going then he was thrilled to watch the world go by so fast.
Vancouver has an awesome science center and we try to go at least once a year to see the new exhibits. Be prepared to spend the day as it's large and there is much to see and do, it's very interactive for all ages.
The big silver ball is a cool Vancouver landmark and the home of the Science Center. This photos illustrates how quick the jaunt is from the train to the doors of the center....easy peasy.
Here is a little moula saving tip...if you have a Science Center membership anywhere it's valid in all centers across Canada. So buying a Family Membership from a smaller science center like ours in Vernon. The Okanagan Science Center is $56 for a yearly family membership or $112 for three years, which is what I do as we visit there at least every few months. A one day admission into the Telus World of Science in Vancouver for our clan is $88 and tax...more than our yearly membership here. Their yearly membership is $165, considerably more than a three year membership here. So you can save yourself a bundle in Vancouver and support your nearest community science center by purchasing a membership.
Some of the new exhibits we saw were on the body and reproduction and Ryan quickly pulled out the fetus from the model's womb and showed us, so sweet...
Until he got excited and dropped it when he tried to hold it up and show me, yikes.
Later in another gallery the boys worked on things independantly and Ry took a little finger knitting class...
We also loved the new Keva exhibit and while Liam watched his third live show and Noah wandered solo reading stuff we did some serious building. Had we just been starting out and not had a huge collection of Lego, Thomas, Playmobile and Star Wars Keva Planks would be our toy investment of choice...it's such a simple but awesome idea. I actually still do want them but I'm trying to resist. Hubbie spent the longest building and it was fun for all of us to be creative together. Building toys are always my favourite type....when I get to pick what we are playing it's normally Tinker Toys.
As a Mom to boys you need to be able to keep up and they love it when you participate with them. There are lots of fun interactive games and science challenges to try. I beat everyone but Ryan when it came to squishing into this glass box!
The things we do for our children...I had to get them help me squeeze my last foot in at the end but I did it.
After a full day of science we were all hungry. We hopped back on the Skytrain and headed to take the kids for a treat we promised at Shabusen. Hubbie and I ate there last year and knew they would LOVE it so it was one of their Christmas treats. All you can eat sushi and Korean BBQ is food heaven for them. I got the Mommy of the Year award for scoring us a boat table to eat in with two BBQs.
Men seem to like cooking their own meat and the novelty of having a grill with their own tongs went over very well...plus it's actually really tasty food at Shabusen. We skipped lunch and ate dinner early. If you want to go anytime after 5 be prepared to wait a long time for a table or have a reservation, it's a hot spot.
A big dinner called for a big walk to wind off the day. We wandered downtown looking at holiday displays and admiring the lights and such. Ryan was estatic when he spotted some revolving doors and yelled: "Buddy's House!" As in Buddy the Elf from the film Elf. It was the Hotel Vancouver and of course we had to try the doors.
They also had an amazing Candlyland display with real candy.
We have stayed many a time over the years at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver for city appointments and it's also very family-friendly. We did some fun recollecting with the older boys in the lobby before heading back to our hotel.
Once settled and Sammy was walked the boys hit the pool and Mom headed downstairs to do some shopping, there was fourty minutes left till the mall closed and I was eager to check out H&M and the boxing day sales...plus it's the best place ever for $12.95 skinny jeans for little boys. One elevator ride and one escalator later and I was just outside H&M with plenty of time to do a quick store sweep before bed. Oh the beauty of staying downtown and especially the Four Seasons Vancouver.
Segment 3 soon to come and be prepared to drool, I like to take pictures of yummy food.
oxo
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