Snoqualmie Bound: A Day Out with Thomas!

A ‘Day Out with Thomas’ didn’t make it back to Squamish this year; but the tour did land not too far south of us, dropping into the sleepy little town of Snoqualmie (just east of Seattle).

Needless to say, we packed up the family circus and headed south. It was definitely a bit further this year…call it an extra 3 hours. Oh, I should also mention the two nights hotel, meals, fuel, and a whole lot of shopping (the Premium Outlets in Marysville are like a Black Hole….they inevitably suck you in ever time!). Anyhow, more than a simple trip to Squamish this year ($$$)…..

That being said, we had a fantastic time!!! The Thomas event itself was a hoot, and it made for a great weekend adventure with the family, which also included a trip to the Seattle zoo (recommended). My son loved the Thomas show (of course), but interestingly (sadly?), I think he’s getting to the point where he’s starting to ‘get over’ Thomas. He’s clearly still a huge fan, but just not the fanatic he once was. I blame Backyardigans, though his age probably has more to do with it. :)

I will say that I’m glad we attended the Friday event. Snoqualmie isn’t a bustling metropolis--as I’m sure you’ve guessed--and it was a tad insane with all the families and wound up two to four year olds….Saturday/Sunday would have been pure madness I’m sure.

Anyhow, all in all, it was a great weekend. If your kids are Thomas fans, I recommend looking up where the tour will hit next year. We might see you there! :)

Thomas is Coming to Vancouver - Live Show!

Get your pre-sale tickets now! See below. Note that I had to paste the link in as I couldnt paste the "button". It should work. Also note the promo code noted.

Good luck! Cheers, Steve

SPECIAL PRESALE OFFER
JOIN THOMAS & FRIENDS LIVE! ON STAGE AS THOMAS TRAVELS TO THE CANADIAN STAGE IN "THOMAS SAVES THE DAY!"

When a big storm rolls into town while the engines are preparing for the annual Magic Lantern Festival on the Island of Sodor, it is up to Thomas, his friend Percy, the troublesome Diesel and others to repair the lighthouse that guides visitors to Sodor. Encountering adventures along the way, Thomas, Percy and Diesel, along with the people and engineers from the island of Sodor, share a story that helps encourage life lessons such as discovery, friendship and cooperation as they try to find a way to "save the day."

Thomas & Friends Live! On Stage invites pre-schoolers and their families to enter a fanciful world of imagination and adventure where trains with engaging personalities create exciting stories for young and old. Presented by AEG ThemeSTAR and Paquin Entertainment, the 90-minute musical adventure includes new railroad-themed songs and will introduce many children to the magic of live performance.

Select the "Find Tickets" (sph: SEE LINK!!!!) button and enter the password Sodor

http://www.ticketmaster.ca/promo/6dlmje

Sodor to purchase your tickets now! or Purchase VIP Tickets and receive a Jr. Conductor Hat, a certificate honouring your child as a Jr. Engineer, PLUS the narrator will recognize all of his Jr. Engineers in the show

The Sugar Cane Express in Maui

Greetings--

Its often said that a brief holiday to escape Vancouver's dreary winter weather can do wonders for a person's energy and attitude. This year, we elected to adopt this philosophy and try a family getaway to Maui.....it was our first time to the island.....and it was fantastic!

One of the clear highlights of the trip (from my son's perspective) was the Sugar Cane Express!

Located on the island's western shore in the town of Kannapali, the train is a historic tribute to one of the island's original industries--sugar cane farming. The track and train are purely dedicated to tourism now, but that made little difference to my son, who absouloutely loved the hour and half round trip (so much that we had to go back for a second day)! The locomotive is an original steamer from 1910 if I recall correctly, though it was brought in from California.
Anyhow, if you're children are real train lovers, I'd highly recommend it if you get a chance to spend some time on the island.

A few pictures from our experience:

Full details can be found at: http://www.sugarcanetrain.com/

Hope you find it useful.

Cheers, Steve

Thomas Steams into Snoqualmie

Greetings,

First things: My apologies for not posting new content of late. My wife and I recently enjoyed the arrival of our second child on Jan 5th (Sadie).

On Issue: Most of you Vancouver-based parents with Thomas-loving children will probably be familiar with the "real-life" appearance of Thomas last year in Squamish (at the West Coast Railway Heritage Park), otherwise knows as a "Day with Thomas" . To be sure, my son attended last year and absoloutely loved it! (though my wife was a little less impressed).

New Venue: Unfortunately, we won't be seeing Thomas return to Squamish this year. But fear not. For those of you who are looking to repeat the experience, or perhaps try it out for the first time, Thomas will be steaming into a relatively nearby location south of the border-Snoqualmie!

Full details can be found at: http://www.trainmuseum.org/dowt/body.html, but for the purpose of providing detail, here are a few of the key details:

1.) Dates: July 11, 12 & 13 and 18, 19 & 20

2.) Location: Northwest Railway Museum in Snoqualmie, Washington

3.) Price: $18 for ages two and up

Based upon anecdotal conversations to date, I advise booking your tickets EARLY if you want to attend.

Hope you Enjoy!

Cheers, Steve.


For a complete "Day with Thomas schedule, see: http://www.thomasandfriends.com/usa/parents/dowt.html

Harbourview Park & Train Viewing

Greetings all,

For those of you North shore parents looking for a good afternoon walk and, of course, a venue for your children to view some live trains up close, you should check out Harbourview Park. Tucked in behind the Lynnterm port terminal, this little out of the way park is adjacent to the cargo terminal where the CN trains regularly come in and out for loading. Unlike the areas on the Lower Road E. where the trains run alongside the road, but there are few spots to stop and observe up close, this park provides a handy little parking lot where you can hop out and watch the trains roll by with little difficulty. The trains aren't always moving of course, but they're regularly starting and stopping during the loading process.

As a bonus, the park also sports a nice trail that snakes its way along the river all the way out to the container loading facility. Nothwithstanding the nice walk (approx 500-700m I'd guess), you'll also get a chance to see several large cranes (see photo) that are much akin to "Cranky the Crane" from Sodor, and usually a supersize freighter that you can observe getting loaded up.

One note: It is a difficult little park to find. You need to head under the tracks via Mountain Highway, take your first right, then follow the signs for the park. See below for some landmark signs to guide you there.....note the Harbourview Park sign is a little bent out of shape. Very easy to miss as a result.



Anyhow, check it out. I hope you and your kids enjoy.

Cheers, Steve

Bright Lights (and a Xmas Train) in Stanley Park

This a fantastic annual event in Stanley Park that raises funds for the Vancouver Firefighter's annual burn fund. The firefighters must spend days, probably weeks, preparing all the model displays and thousands of lights. It truly is a wonderful sight in the evening. My son just loved it.

The only downside this year was the temperature, which was hovering below zero the night we attended. Piles of fun though for kids (and families) who love trains.

One forewarning: tickets are hard to come by. On weekends, they usually sell out well in advance. According to some, they apparently release half the tickets for each evening at noon, which you can order over the internet. If you miss these, you have to make the trek down to the park in person to buy them. Of course, because of the demand you have to go early. We bought our "8:30-9:00pm" tickets at 3:30 pm for example....

The Xmas Train at Lougheed Mall

Every year in advance of Xmas, the trains from Burnaby Park descend on Lougheed mall. Its a great little set-up, with free rides (by donation actually) that circle the large Santa set-up. We've been two years in a row now and my son just loves it. Of course, after more than half a dozen rides, my son still wanted more.....

Let's just say it wasn't a pretty sight when we had to leave... :)

A Train-Infused Birthday

For those Vancouver-based parents seeking a good theme for their childs birthday party, I'd highly recommend Confederation Park...What could be better than very cool miniature trains to ride on all afternoon? The site is very pleasant--they provide good tents in the event of bad weather--and very affordable (~$75). You also get a handfull of tickets for the party goers. I believe additional rides are ~$1.50 each. It was a real hit with our little guy, who probably logged a good 20 rides in the 2-3 hour stretch we were there. Check it out for next summer!

Let me know if you've got any other good train-related ideas. Im already wondering what we'll do next year....

One caveat: The park is only open during the summer months.

Good link: http://www.findfamilyfun.com/burnabycentralrail.htm

Thomas Recall

Greetings all--I'm sure many of you are already aware, but I still thought it worth highlighting the recent recall of Thomas items due to lead paint issues. I've posted the link on the sidebar for future reference, but here it is again:

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07212.html

In case you're wondering what items are involved, I've pasted a picture below.



Note that not all items are in the above picture (Notice "Red" theme) as the recall was expanded after this first photo was issued. See the link above for official info!

Cheers, Steve.

Live Train Videos - The Real Deal

While Thomas is certainly #1 in our household, my son also loves to gander at all other sorts of trains. Here are a couple good live videos of real trains in action.

1.) Mid-West live Compilation - Dont be put off by the rock intro - this is a good compilation of several trains from the mid-west. Running time is north of 9 minutes. Provides ample time to get a quick chore done while the little one admires the different trains! :)




2.) Viginia & Truckee Steamer - Quick Clip of a vintage steamer. Run-time: ~20 seconds.



3.) Norwegian Electric Train - Nice setting. Cool electric train with solid whistle! Run time: 45 secs.




Let me know if you've got any favorites! I'll add the "Link List"