Chicago was my birthday weekend getaway and I was excited to discover this gem of a hotel in the Gold Coast area. A reasonably short and direct flight from Vancouver had me pulling up in my uber at The Thompson by early afternoon. Admiring the quaint location I was pleased with the funky bar and lobby as well as the spacious room with a view of the water. Upon freshening up I ventured out to peek at the gym and hotels other amenities.  At first glance I was pleased that the gym was quite large – one can never quite tell from photos – and offered plenty of open space, as well as a variety of functional toys to play with…I was already plotting my workouts for the next few days as I departed for little walk through the neighbourhood. Although I am open to visiting outside gyms my preference is always to utilize hotel facilities and The Thompson delivered in spades!

In need of a few days away, Seattle is always a great option from Vancouver. A few hours drive and the ease of Nexus making it a speedy getaway and a great change of pace. We stayed at the Pan Pacific this time, located in what would be considered the Google and Amazon neighborhood called South Lake Union. It offers views of the space needle and is walking distance to plenty of shops and restaurants as well as the Pike Place Market. My friend had a few business meetings while in town and found the location easy to access the I-5 and get to scheduled appointments with little effort (although this could vary greatly as Seattle traffic can be crazy at times).