I booked a flight on one of these bitty seaplanes, which I can walk to from my place in Vancouver. It’s walking distance from the place in Seattle, on the other end, once it lands in Lake Union in the middle of the city. Unfortunately, I also needed to be back in Vancouver the next day, to monitor an update we’ve been working on for months. But I only needed to do one thing on the US side: get to Blaine, WA.
Blaine is where they process Nexus card updates. These cards get us through the fast lanes at borders and airports, and when travelling in a group, or even a pair, everyone needs to have one. But mine was now out of date, since I’d relinquished my US status as a resident alien, and I couldn’t use the card like before. The processing center is open during business hours, they don’t answer the phone (too busy!), and are quite efficient once you get there. Okay, so be it!
- 11:30: check in for flight
- 12:30: take off for Seattle
- 1:30: land in Seattle
- 2:00: visit condo — just enough time to replenish socks and shirts
- 2:30: head north
- 4:30: get to the Nexus office, open until 6
- 5:00: Nexus card updated!
- 5:30: Back in Canada
I am now a fully-fledged returned Canadian, with a home address recorded as Vancouver, and am free to travel, as a visitor, to the US. Hurray!