Tag Archives: Washington

Boeing Tour in Everett Washington

A bunch of my friends and I drove to check out the Boeing tour and factory in Everett Washington. I would have to say that it was mostly interested by the male participants of the group, but still it was a good experience.
The Future of Flight Aviation Center, the world’s largest building by volume is located about 46km north of Seattle. During the peak season (April 1 to Sept 30 & Dec 26 to Jan 2) cost of ticket is $20 per adult on a walk-up basis. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and tend to go rapidly June-September, so make reservations if you know you’re going for sure.
In the main building, there are gifts shops (where I bought a mug for my dad who loves airplanes – in fact he was jealous that I was going there), cafes and a small museum showcasing some planes and interior of them as well to keep you occupied while you wait for the tour begins. Once it gets closer to the time, line up at the designated area. There, you will be led into a small theatre where you will watch a short film.

At this point, still photos or video cameras are no longer permitted. (hence no photos to upload) In fact, no personal items are allowed on the tour including: purses, backpacks, cameras, binoculars, cell phones, etc. You can use the lockers on-site for a small fee or give it to someone who’s not participating – as we did in our tour. The tour will take about an hour and half – so embrace yourself, those of you who can’t be without your cell phones even for a minute. There is also NO restrooms available on the tour, so make sure to ‘go’ before going on the tour! No food or drinks are allowed, but considering there’s no washroom, maybe that’s a good thing.

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Gift shop. My dad love making those plane models!

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Little museum. Learn more about planes

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On the rooftop, you can see planes parked outside the factory

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Then, you’ll go on a big bus, where you will be taken to the factory where all the planes are being built! It was pretty amazing to see the assembly and the massive size of the place. The planes being so huge and heavy, it’s pretty impressive how these ‘machines’ are able to fly all over the world. However, it didn’t really relief me of my fear of flying…lol.
The next time you’re going to Seattle, drop by this facility where it is the only opportunity to tour a commercial jet assembly plant in North America. Go see airplanes being assembled and built for global airline customers!!
The Future of Flight Aviation Center & Boeing Tour is open seven days a week from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Note!

  • Children must be at least 4 feet (122 cm) tall to go on the tour.
  • Visitors may not carry babies on the tour. There is no child-care facility. No exceptions!
  • Those of you who have difficulty walking or physically-challenged, the tour can be done, but you must notify in advance.

Lizzy’s Diner (formally Nicki’s Diner) in Blaine, Washington

Nicki's Diner on UrbanspoonOpen 7 days a week 11am – 9pm

The restaurant is in the middle of nowhere it seems…but hard to miss with it’s vibrant turquoise exterior colour. It’s the only restaurant on the Peace Portal Drive in that area. No neighbours except some trees. Inside is interestingly decorated in a 1950′s style, from posters, guitars, and red and white checkered table cloths.

The servers are really friendly, chatty and seems down to earth. There wasn’t a whole lot of customers, so the pace was pretty slow, not that we were in a hurry or anything. We had pretty much drove all the way from Vancouver, BC Canada to Blaine (Washington, US) to try out this restaurant that my friend had tried several times and he wanted me to try it out.

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The food portions, as with any restaurants in the US as it seems is large. I had fish and chips while my friend had hamburger and fries. His hamburger was gigantic! Wow!
I had a lot of big pieces of fish too. Too many to finish. I’m normally not the type of person that eats ‘fried’ food so it was a bit hard to gobble down. However, the taste was fairly good!

It’s also nice to see that the owner takes time in replying to customer’s review on TripAdvisor  in pretty long replies too! Good for them!

Second Time

When we went there for the second time in Feb 2014, the table cloths had changed to a dark plastic blue. I thought the checkered plastic covering where cheap looking before. Now it’s not just cheap, its got this uncomfortable, unsettling feeling, and reminds me construction sites with blue plastic bags or tents/tarp…

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We ordered Chicken Strip Dinner $10.95 to share amongst the two of us. It had 3 deep-fried, large chicken breasts which was crispy – and did I mention large? LOL It came with all-you-can-eat fries which were flat and big – though not wedges. They were hot, right out of the fryer. I had seconds, and by that time, I was pretty full, even though it was only half a dish that I had.

The staff (one lady) is friendly and is a laid back restaurant.

2014 April – Update

Sadly, Nicki’s Diner is no longer called Nicki’s. The sign on the restaurant says it’s still Nicki’s but their menu says it’s Lizzie’s and it was confirmed after talking to the lady that was there last time. The inside is still the same, but luckily, they got rid of their blue plastic table coverings. From what I can tell, the menu is still the same, except the wacky design can make you feel a bit dizzy. There are fake flowers in their flower beds outside of their windows making it feel like it’s always spring or summer.

idearabbit-lizzie6 Nicki’s is now Lizzie’s. Their new menu is wacky, but the content is pretty much the same.idearabbit-lizzie4Yay! They got rid of the cheap garbage tarp looking blue sheets and got table cloth instead!

idearabbit-lizzie5idearabbit-lizzie2Salad $12 – the photo does not do justice to just how huge this thing was!

idearabbit-lizzie1Chicken Strip Dinner idearabbit-lizzie3   Small salad that comes with Chicken Strip Dinner

I ordered the salad $12 and WOW! The dish was humongous! Luckily, it’s a huge dish that’s pretty healthy. I surprised Sheepie and the lady that I finished the entire salad on my own, plus a strip of chicken from Sheepie’s Chicken Strip Dinner (salad, fries and 3 chicken strips).
Eating at Nicki’s or Lizzie’s is now our first stop every time we come across the border to the US lol. It’s become our tradition. I was reluctant at first because their menu seemed really greasy and unhealthy, but now that I now there are some salads (that are quite filling), and good for the price, I don’t mind.

 Taste: carrotcarrotcarrot     Price for Value: carrotcarrotcarrot

Atmosphere: carrot carrot    Service: carrotcarrotcarrot
Location: carrot