Klarinet Archive - Posting 000005.txt from 2007/04

From: X-BakerBotts-MailScanner-tom.henson@-----.com
Subj: [kl] Clarinet Fest - Vancouver
Date: Tue, 03 Apr 2007 16:07:01 -0400

I am in the process of putting together my travel plans for the Clarinet
Fest this year in Vancouver. This will be my first fest and I hope to
see many of you there.

I quickly discovered that the available housing for a one bedroom suite
on campus was no longer available. I then double checked for the special
rate at the Holiday Inn that had been designated and found there were
also no rooms left for the group rate. There were some rooms left at
full price, starting about $189 Canadian. Never having attended a fest
before, I am guessing that the discounted housing goes very quickly. One
must also take into account the many vendors which will be needing
housing in the area as well.=20

Luckily, Vancouver has many wonderful choices available in the area and
I was able to find a very nice hotel about 5 miles from the UBC campus.
It was not the cheapest in the area, but not the most expensive either.
It is a smaller boutique hotel that is entirely non-smoking including
the restaurant and bar. If anyone is still looking for a nice place to
stay, contact me off list and I will be happy to share the name of the
hotel and phone #. One of things I wanted to consider is that my wife, a
non-clarinetist, will be coming along with me and we found some great
hotels near the main shopping area on Robson street. My wife will be
able to literally walk out the hotel door and start shopping if she
wants.

Since we are traveling from Houston, Texas, we also found it cheaper to
fly into Seattle, rent a car, and then drive up to Vancouver. Seattle is
also a wonderful city and we are going to fly in a couple of days early
to explore it as well.

One last suggestion, you will need a passport to enter Canada, even from
the US, so you had better apply for one now or it may not arrive in
time. It is my understanding that the delays in the US for getting a
passport are now stretching out to the summer months even if you apply
right now.

Tom Henson

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